Only the top 40 restaurants were ranked in 2011's Best Restaurants list.
Chef/owner Tom Power’s style can be summed up in one word: restraint. You see it in the earth tones and minimalist art in the dining room; on the menu, which shies away from flowery language; and on the plate, where he makes ingredients sing without going overboard on presentation.
Power’s seasonally inspired American menu is concise and consistently well executed. In colder months, you might find a rich red-snapper bisque and a pork belly over braised cabbage and a puddle of jus. For bargain hunters, the upstairs lounge offers a three-course prix fixe dinner for $30.
Also good: Lobster carpaccio painted with drawn butter and lobster oil; crab blintz with chayote-squash slaw; rare tuna with sushi rice and hijiki seaweed; lamb loin with house-made lamb sausage and lentils; pistachio bread pudding; chocolate tart with caramelized bananas.
Open Monday through Saturday for dinner. Moderate to very expensive.
>> See all of 2011's Best Restaurants
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
