tom sietsema best restaurants 2020

>>>>>>tom sietsema best restaurants 2020

tom sietsema best restaurants 2020

Takeout, no delivery. Inside awaits a beaut of a bar, fronted with sea-foam-colored stools, and high-ceilinged dining rooms painted in soothing shades of green. On the upside, that just gives me more excuses to return. Curries, kebabs and kofta burst with color and flavor. Throw in some folk music and some murals from far away, and its easy to think you are, in fact, in a Himalayan roost. ("Its a sandwich," he says, recalling the original outcry.) Im a folder, says the owner. Reservations recommended, through Tock. Unclaimed. Takeout and delivery. You can still sit inside the handsome bungalow. Waterfront cocktails, jerk chicken and more add up to a day at the beach. Aracosia feels like the family business it is. Theyre labeled James (as in Beard) and Julia (as in Child). Dinner Wednesday through Sunday, lunch weekends. My solution: takeout or delivery, which never fails to erase a bad day, and not just because the spicy margaritas are top-shelf and true to their word. The presentation of a seafood custard capped with cognac foam has a server spritzing Pernod from an antique atomizer. " Really, chef? The setting at Patowmack Farm 40 acres owned by restaurateur Beverly Morton Billand is beautiful and practical. But the restaurateurs are doing a four-star job of helping us navigate the pandemic with life rings including pizza and ice cream at Happy Gyro. Even soft-serve ice cream impresses us when its flavored with tahini caramel and delivered in a delicate glass tea cup. For 2020, I aimed for a mix of cuisines, locations and price points -- per usual -- but added to my . Been coming here for years and its a nice little place for friends to get together and have some drinks while enjoying some of the best Seafood, Gator Tail,. Because your name, more than almost any other, comes up in practically every conversation Ive had with food fans about great takeout. Red Hen adds a 20 percent gratuity to the bill then flags it with a highlighter for transparency. Voila!, for sure. No barriers to entry; ADA-compliant restroom. The strapping bowl from the dashing McLean retreat brims not just with the expected beans, but with minced beef, dried dill and streaks of yogurt. Takeout via Tock or phone. A mouthwatering "reuben" that swaps in shaved celery root for corned beef, and velvety shrimp curry, tingling with galangal and lemongrass, is my idea of a stellar double-feature. Takeout and delivery on weekdays. P.S. But would yours rival his masterpiece, whereby brioche crumbs, garlic and lemon are slipped under the skin and the chicken is accompanied by chunks of potato sauteed to an audible crisp (and better than any carryout french fries of late)? His rib-eye, for instance, hails from Seven Hills in Virginia and enjoys a salt cure before its pan-roasted and served with two terrific toppings: a puree of herbs and a whip of hollandaise and brown butter. With just four stools at the bar and no more than six seats on the sloped patio, this may be the hardest reservation in town right now. Service. No barriers to entry; ADA-compliant restroom. Heat lamps and blankets are the new endearments at this beloved Italian fixture in CityCenter. The green comet tail on the plate? Takeout and delivery. As he put it, "Imagination and creativity face a wall. Happy Gyro adds pizza and pork to an otherwise vegetarian menu. Before I tell you how much I revere this Japanese dad-and-daughter act, let me share a request from co-owner Cizuka Seki: Help wanted. I envision many more meals in whats become my choice Chinese spot in the region. Their answers to an annual "Year in Eater" survey will be revealed in several posts this month. Indoor and outdoor seating. Head to Chennai Hoppers for some of the areas best Indian cooking, The Dabney brings depth and technique to Mid-Atlantic cuisine, Rasika veterans serve memorable Indian-ish food and drink at Daru, Dauphines pays respect to New Orleans with top-notch cooking and cocktails, one of the best food cities in the country, On Capitol Hill, two ambitious restaurants debut from one thoughtful owner, Classic, well-executed dishes keep this Belgian veteran ticking, Shake up your dinner routine with a (short) road trip, Frankly Happily, the four-course tasting menu that diners can design for themselves remains a staple of one of the citys most creative restaurants. Say amen to the velvety collard greens (best splashed with hot sauce), mashed potatoes flecked with red bits of peel, and creamy mac and cheese. Ill be with you in a moment this restaurant might disappoint you. The interior feels as alive as the man behind the menu. Dinner Tuesday through Sunday, lunch Tuesday through Friday. Deshaies says he doesnt like to see blank spaces in his takeout containers. Delivery via DoorDash. Pizza! Takeout via Toast, Caviar and DoorDash. Entrees $20-$34; tasting menu $70, beverage pairing $30. The owner says hes doing one thing right. Toothpicks inserted into individual chunks invite you to pluck away. Takeout Wednesday via website. So is a lot of fried food. Indoor and outdoor seating. Indoor and private outdoor seating. The eyes eat first. Delicious now hop on your Peloton. Ramps near the entrance and roomy restrooms make the restaurant wheelchair-friendly. Breakfast, lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Her contribution. Mac and cheese gets finished with Parmesan breadcrumbs, and the braised greens served with smoked tomatoes sting with the juice of pickled Fresno chiles. Seng Luangrath is uncompromising. Consider just the ssam board, DIY tacos assembled from ribbons of rosy marinated short rib and ruffles of spring-green lettuce (ssam is Korean for "wrapped"). The only way to experience Padaek is over and over. [The Dabney brings depth and technique to Mid-Atlantic cuisine]. Delivery via Uber Eats. Takeout via Tock or phone. Service just about everywhere has taken a hit during the pandemic. Definitive Laotian food is worth a return trip. Takeout, no delivery. Lunch and dinner daily. Opening Hours Monday - Closed Lunch Tuesday - Friday : 11:30 am - 2:30 pm Saturday - Sunday: 11:30 am - 3:00 pm Dinner Tuesday - Saturday : 5 pm - 9:30 pm Sunday: 5 pm - 8:30 pm Holiday Hours 12/25/2022 | Christmas Day | Closed (Sunday) Contact 136 Paramount Park Drive, Gaithersburg MD 20879 contact@chennaihoppers.com (240) 813-0061 You havent checked off any restaurants yet! Il Pizzico translates to English as the pinch, as in pinches of different flavors of Italy, says Livia. How are you, Jesse Miller? Small plates $9 to $27. "We joke that we cook a lot of garlic for a little rice," says Christian Irabien, the Mexican-born muse behind this charming pop-up turned permanent fixture in Upper Northwest. Takeout and delivery. Lunch and dinner daily. Proof of vaccination required for indoor dining. Maple panna cotta with caramelized hazelnuts is the definition of sublime. Takeout and delivery. The chef is a discerning shopper. Tom Sietsema has been The Washington Post's food critic since 2000. Chicken liver mousse appears as creamy tufts on shards of toasted bread, along with bits of roasted peach that signal summer. While Ive experienced his cooking only as takeout, the food inside the bags and boxes is arranged just so, as if waiting for a photo shoot. If it werent for the pandemic and my wish to eat under the radar, Id be tempted to high-five chef Jeeraporn Poksupthong. When we marvel at the staffs efficiency, a host tells us, We have lots of little corners to seat people, including a rear enclosed patio with a two-stool chefs counter that looks into the pizza-making operation. Indoor and outdoor seating. Ziti stuffed with ricotta comes with a topping of bacon-y steamed clams and garlic toast: clams casino as a garnish. Fiola DC named #2 Best Italian Restaurant in the World by 50 Top Italy. And if the drinks taste true, credit goes to Dauphines spirits maven and co-creator Neal Bodenheimer, whose Cure bar in New Orleans helped fuel the countrys craft cocktail revolution. The boards multiple parts span magenta pickled radishes, bronzed garlic that spreads like butter, white steamed rice and red ssamjang, the thick and spicy paste made with garlic, onion, sesame oil and more. Fans of the standout Japanese restaurant in Dupont Circle were crushed by the news that Sushi Taro would do only takeout following the pandemic. Crafted from rum, curdled and clarified kefir and a puree of cilantro and mint, its the color of life green and inspired by mint chutney. (The crackle comes from the mahogany skin. A recent dinner found us tucking into risotto swollen with what tasted like a forest of porcini mushrooms, lamb ragu humming with red wine and rosemary, and pork tenderloin nearly upstaged by its roast potatoes and creamy borlotti beans. A five-course dinner is still served just four days a week to no more than 20 people at a single, 7 oclock seating. From the bar flow some of the most beautiful and delicious drinks around. Your fork doesnt know where to start. Takeout and delivery. One of them, Angel Barreto, sees something profound positive even coming out of the mess. No barriers to entry; ADA-compliant restrooms. The dishes sound familiar but ooze flair. The ancient grain salad unites golden couscous and nutty black quinoa beneath a cover of sliced sunchokes and pickled cucumbers, a construction amplified by dressings that veer from hot to sweet to tangy. Comforts abound. Ahn delivers. Moniss obsession with pizza goes way back and results in 16-inch sourdough pies spurred to greatness by long and slow fermentation and the fact that the chef bakes each sturdy round himself. While the siblings have in common hospitality and great things in glasses, Revelers Hour is the more relaxed of the two, a model pasta and wine bar in a room thats dark as a movie theater but illuminated with candles and surrounded by wine. Indoor and outdoor seating. No barriers to entry at the Rockville branch, which has an ADA-compliant restroom. Takeout via Tock or phone. Openers are as diverting as ever the fried pigs ear salad continues to wow and the price of admission still includes the signature pineapple buns. The switch from a la carte limits waste and "creates an experience," says De Pue. Then he brought aboard Matt Adler, a veteran of Osteria Morini who told him he knew exactly the place Babin wanted: a comforting restaurant like the one Adlers father ran in Upstate New York. As before, the smell of smoke from a wood-stoked oven seduces you the moment you step inside the wood-and-brick interior. Aaron Silverman, the visionary behind one of the most beloved dining destinations in Washington, says, Were not in the restaurant business, but the business of making people happy. Sure enough, dinner at Roses Luxury commences with light-but-luscious focaccia offered with housemade ricotta and accompanied by the kind of music you wouldnt mind as background to your life. Takeout and delivery. No on-site seating. Proof of vaccination for indoor dining required. His buttermilk-brined, paprika- and mustard-warmed fried chicken is all-American and definitely noisy, its crunch explained by the use of potato and corn starches. Were she able to fill those positions, Seki says, she and her father, Hiroshi, the 32-seat taverns 74-year-old chef, could expand service to Sunday and offer longer hours. On the other hand, he feels hes bonded more with his colleagues since the pandemic set ego and hubris aside. Echoing others in the industry, Barreto says, We give so much to guests. Dedicated to the good life, in all respects, Oyster Oyster leads the pack. Wheelchair users are asked to call in advance. Any concerns I had about a successor were erased by a July dinner consisting of nine small courses that seemed to channel much of the new chefs rsum. Bajaj wanted to drop the restaurants time-consuming thalis; budget-minded patrons will be happy to see that the fetching little feasts, presented on fancy platters and priced for $30 or less, have, unlike dark wood or depictions of the Raj, stuck around. The pandemic prompted this Italian charmer to take reservations for the first time in 31 years. The smooth filling revels in nutmeg, ginger, vanilla and orange, albeit in amounts that let the sweet potato shine. The multiple rooms soothe visitors with aqua and fuchsia seating, cascades of greenery and servers whose smiles are backed up by polish. I want to be open all the time and for all people, says the chef of his window-wrapped restaurant. No delivery. Cubes of fish cooked with onions, garlic and rosemary demonstrate the chefs passion for Mediterranean flavors (in another life, she cooked in Israel). Lunch Tuesday through Friday; dinner daily. READ REVIEW >> Forget its debut and feast on its much-improved second act.]. Dinner $125 per person, Sunday supper $95. Additional salutes are in order for lemony crab linguine garnished with sliced celery, a French twist on Peking duck (its confit, of course) and brunch offered daily. Corduroy Outside dining during the pandemic often means traffic and pedestrians in the background. His response to the upheaval: radical self-care, meaning more time with friends and outside pursuits and taking stock of the whole person, mental health included, in a business known for its long hours and uncomfortable working conditions. Chef Patrick OConnell maintains a destination for star gazers, News bulletin from chef Patrick OConnell: "Were at 99 percent capacity" in the guest rooms above and around the esteemed restaurant that remains one of a handful of Michelin three-star establishments in the country to remain open in the pandemic. People who had been planning to celebrate special occasions in Europe and elsewhere are booking domestically instead. No takeout or delivery. Shortly after the restaurant changed hands, I sat down to Arctic char lapped with a yogurt sauce tinted with tarragon, slow-roasted venison loin enriched with a whip of lardo, and an arresting toasted coconut semifreddo (flowers paved its sweet surface) a parade of dishes that signaled a smooth and luscious transition. Count on bold flavors, as on one nights Provenal, a special trumpeting capers, olives, juicy sungold tomatoes and salami slices practically thin enough to read through. Sounds hopeful to us. To splurge, go with the Chateaubriand for two. See a pupusa on the list? 703-270-1500. Expect a serious wine list, an herb-packed hamburger, pistachio cake for dessert and cosseting service. Ditto Annies Paramount Steakhouse and the Hitching Post, which remain prized members of my collection of D.C.-area classics. (You can count on the restaurateur, a fan of wines from Burgundy and the Loire Valley, to steer you to something special.) . Regular customers are known to get extras messages even tucked into their bags; Marler compares them to notes in a kids lunchbox. Im nervous, he says. Spanish Diner opened two years ago to such great and sustained applause in New York, rainmaker Jos Andrs says he felt compelled to open a second branch in Washington, specifically Bethesda, where he lives, and where his three daughters insisted he couldnt close the Maryland branch of Jaleo unless it was followed by something similarly flavored. [The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm, under a new chef, calls for a road trip]. As never before, says Seki, I have to say no now and then. "We just got a couple in from Chicago," he told me last month. On my last visit, a young woman spent a course or two rearranging drinks and food for some close-ups. Youre reminded youre in wine country with a list that reads like a bible yet has fun with the subject. Eight courses sound like a lot, but theyre presented so that something light (or lighthearted) might follow something weighty. The heart of Spanish Diner, for me, is a category of dishes toasting our grandmas cuisine, everyday food you might find in casual dining establishments or in the home of a conscientious Spanish cook. The singular sensation at Frankly Pizza! Another is their preparation. Note just the meatloaf, glazed with sriracha and slightly creamy with Gruyere, a nod to the French background of chef David Deshaies. Did I mention the menu is still printed on the kind of luxurious stock typically reserved for wedding invitations? Love what the restaurant has become: one of Northern Virginias best places to dine. [An Ethiopian newcomer makes a spicy splash in Alexandria]. Wisely, Barry Dindyal kept Al and Adrienne Carters Southern theme fried whiting and $14 lamb chops enjoy a serious constituency, after all while expanding the menu to include the Indian food Dindyal grew up eating. His cooking is careful and consistent. Black blisters populate the rim. The diners lively, art- and plant-stocked dining rooms are bridged by a long stretch of bar, my preferred place to eat and drink when Im not enjoying Deshaiess happy meals at home, that is. Email special orders (omakase, etc.) To eat either entree, delivered by servers who look after you like most honored guests, is to understand whats kept the doors open all these years. Sea bass cooked low and slow with lavender and lime and delivered on steel-cut oats and hedgehog mushrooms is one of those combinations that make you go huh when you read about it and whoa! when you taste it. Youll want to swipe a bite of oh-so-soft lamb through a puree sparked with oregano, parsley, garlic, turmeric and red wine vinegar. [For exceptional Korean food, book a table at Anju]. Youre a light in the dark. " Success springs from dish after dish in a dining room patrons share with a fleet of mannequins helping to enforce social distance. He has also written for Food & Wine. The name of his place is tongue in cheek, says owner Frank Linn. The weak link? Possibly it was the sting of the orange gazpacho, poured from a slender plastic flask, or the broad metal pan used to ferry the seafood-scattered paella from Penn Quarter to my doorstep. Whatever the detail, takeout from Jaleo, among my hall of fame picks, places me back in the dining room, alive with color and energy in happier times. But an even finer dish is the chicken, brined in citrus, massaged with oregano and dried before roasting. Beferdu uses the recipes she learned from her restaurateur-mother as a girl growing up in Addis Ababa and later showcased in a trio of hotels she ran in Ethiopias capital. Indoor and outdoor seating. A host offers her a fresh shield from a basket inside, where shes led to her reserved table and handed how quaint a menu with a cloth-and-vinyl cover. Save. The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the restaurant industry. Lunch Tuesday through Friday, dinner Wednesday through Sunday. A staff snack whipped up from leftover oxtails proved so popular, it was redesigned for public consumption. Theres no other food like this in Washington. Consecutive doors lead to the foyer; ADA-compliant restroom. Roses at Home, the chefs novel approach to delivery, drops two or three nights worth of three-course dinners at once, and theyre the kind of dishes that fit the company ethos. Pork al pastor with saffron-colored rice and terrific black beans is a fiesta in every bite; watermelon salad, garnished with dried kalamata olives, is a refreshing opener for rigatoni alfredo scattered with sweet peas. Another liquid pleasure is an old-fashioned, gold with saffron liqueur, biting with ginger liqueur and softly nutty, thanks to the introduction of Scotch to cashew butter. Want to light up your dining room table? Four-course menu $95 per person; a la carte bar menu $28-$33. Avocado toast has nothing on this sensation. Last winter, Blend 111 served meals in a parking lot turned Andean outpost. Owner Michael Biddick promises the return of the attractive heated space, along with one of my prized pandemic purchases from any restaurant: $12 blankets woven from cotton and recycled fibers. The most striking dish of the night arranged grilled broccolini around a cool-with-mint salad of summer peas and pickled shallots. Pay a visit to Fiola to enjoy signature Italian offerings from the a la carte and main dining room menus. 402 Snowden Dr, Andalusia, AL 36420-2537 +1 334-222-0459 Website. Owned by Alex Manfredonia, who brings fine dining experience from San Francisco, Vin 909 has the reception down pat. Consecutive doors at the entrance make it easier for wheelchair users to go in through the patio. The welcome includes warm-from-the-clay-oven flatbread and sabzi, a plate of fresh herbs, radishes, walnuts and feta for grazing yours even when you order takeout. The proof is in his pasta, specifically cavatelli tossed with broccolini, sausage whipped up from tempeh made on-site and Parmesan created by hooking tofu up with miso, tamari and rice wine vinegar. No barriers to entry; ADA-compliant restroom. Entrees $23-$85 (duck jambalaya for two). Apple cobbler with marjoram ice cream? Tom Sietsema spotlights 48 DC-area restaurants, including his 10 favorites Line cook Sam Hoefer works at the dessert station in the open kitchen at the Dabney in Washington. Takeout via Toast or phone. What always appears to be a full house well, full as defined by safety protocols suggests diners are digging the lot hes delivering. No delivery or takeout. Turns out shes as much an artist as a chef. Three sides of the Points dining room are windows or see-through garage doors that put customers face to face with a fleet of boats; the menu channels the late Patricia Lyons Jones with dishes including Mom-moms crab soup. Indoor and outdoor seating. Eaten throughout Kenya, it showcases bites of chargrilled beef or goat that have been marinated in a spice blend whose list of ingredients is as long as the Nile. Indoor and outdoor seating. The chef gives chicken the everything bagel treatment, except that the entrees crunch comes as much from dried, crumbled chicken skin as the usual seeds and garlic. (Roses Luxury swaps sea bass for the original black cod and rings the entree in brilliant chive oil. An earlier illness found the self-described mad scientist researching food that would restore his health. Over summer, diners thrilled to a rainbow of tomatoes served with what tasted like herbed ricotta but turned out to spring from pumpkin seeds, and a round of watermelon plied with chile-hot peanuts, shiso and a hidden local oyster sharpened with ginger vinaigrette. 4316 Markham St., Suite B, Annandale, Va. Okra charred on the grill, paired with pickled fennel and eaten with a sumac-seasoned tartar sauce is detailed so passionately by a server, we bite then scrape our plate clean. Its been tough, says the chef and co-owner of one of the brights lights in arty Mount Rainier. rather than working. Foie gras glides to the linen-draped table with an elegant gteau cornbread (layered with foie gras buttercream), a reminder of where youre enjoying it. A roulade of flank steak from Paris, as in Virginia, veers Mediterranean with eggplant, olives and roasted tomatoes. Not into crab? Pastas $18-$26, entrees $16-$87 (prime cut rib-eye for two). Entrees $19-$45; prix fixe $79, wine pairing $49. The beautiful salads capture whatever season were in corn, cucumber and nectarine in August and side dishes such as tomato-sauced Romano beans scattered with feta cheese are snapshots of the chefs childhood, both at home and on visits to Greece. Tack on dessert, if only to see what cheesecake tastes like as a ripply cloud spun from whipped cream, cream cheese and lemon. The forward-thinking Thamee responded to racial injustice by promoting Black and Brown producers and adding a 30 percent charge to checks to support staff health care and profit-sharing. Bring on the cold weather. But Imperfecto is never, ever boring. Named for one of the French Quarters best-known streets, the restaurant manages the neat trick of evoking one of the best food cities in the country without going the Disney route. Takeout and delivery. Tom Sietsema revisits Blend 111 in his review in the Washington Post (Dec. 2020) Northern Virginia Magazine shares Blend 111's Bacalo Encocado recipe (Dec. 2020) Northern Virginia Magazine Suggests Blend 111's NYE to-go menu (Dec 2020) Brightest Young Things Recommends Blend 111 Nochebuena Dinner (Dec, 2020) Cheesecake requires some explaining at the table, too. To order alcohol with your meal, use GoTab. Only in July did Flamant reopen for dining, and then with a four-course, $75 tasting menu. Lunch and dinner daily, dim sum weekends. No barriers at the entrance; a lift in the bar allows access to the main dining room. Brunch and dinner daily. Lentils, cracked wheat, chicken and warm spices add up to a fabulous golden porridge. Dinner commences with a flurry of snacks a bite of pork rillettes paired with fig and black garlic, a furl of smoked salmon on a dab of yogurt and pickled herbs before moving on to dishes that ask diners to eat outside the box. You should, too. Datta, responsible for the 12-seat bar, counts time at Elle, Columbia Room and the esteemed Rasika West End, where he met Sundas, the former tandoor chef there. That said, kudos to a sommelier who, without prompting, steers diners to liquid treasures that are well south of three digits. A tangle of slippery lo mein noodles shows up slick with chile oil, crisp with fried shallots and colorful with red cabbage and chopped scallions. Crispy potatoes stuffed into pillowy housemade pita is a lot of carbs almost too much fun. Whatever your preference short rib birria flavored by a complex mole, grilled fish brightened with avocado mousse reveals care and thought. Keep Kinship in mind for date night or a special (small) gathering, but also for the occasional crowd-pleasing comfort, one night short rib enchiladas. Delivery via Chownow. Pork gets a lot of play on the script, as a chop, in cassoulet, and as a cheese-stuffed schnitzel, its plate bulked up with spaetzle and seasonal vegetables. Takeout via Tock and phone. Other delicious options include spicy steamed shrimp, fish and chips staged in a fry basket and tacos (pork or fish) distinguished by their two-ply cradles: a soft flour tortilla lined with a fried corn tortilla. Kinship is down to serving dinner five nights a week.

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tom sietsema best restaurants 2020

tom sietsema best restaurants 2020