Best Dishes Our Editors Ate This Week |
Every week, Eater DC editors share the standout meals we've eaten recently. This week’s lineup includes shrimp cocktail, spring rolls, egg scrambles, and more. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram for other stories. — Tierney Plumb, editor, Northeast |
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Shrimp cocktail (and cocktails) |
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Photo: Tierney Plumb/Eater
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A nook at Cafe Riggs’ marbled wraparound bar is the place to people-watch and order dinner until late. The Riggs hotel’s opulent lobby-level brasserie was packed to the gills on Saturday night, between a (clearly) popular person’s birthday party and solo overnight guests occupying velvety chairs – and randomly on laptops – after 10 p.m. The shrimp cocktail was a splurge (a dozen for $40), but each piece is huge and perfectly chilled, presented in a ring around a silver platter. It was also a scene downstairs at Silver Lyan, the cool drinking den by way of London. A “Butterfly Effect” cocktail menu, released last summer, riffs on the theme of coincidence, and my boozy coupe of choice called Operation Mind F*ck couldn’t feel more timely right about now, spiked with smoked carrot vermouth and Ocho reposado ($23). 900 F Street NW, Penn Quarter — Tierney Plumb, editor, Northeast
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A delicious breakfast bowl |
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Photo: Tierney Plumb/Eater |
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With not too many options to muddle over, Planta Queen’s short-and-sweet brunch menu is fit for a lazy weekend. The winner at the vegan import from Toronto was a mashup of soft, well-seasoned potato discs, egg, avocado, and toothsome cremini mushrooms that mimicked meat ($22). A close second: the big burrito jam-packed with “chorizo” spuds and tots on the side ($18). You can also order off the all-day menu (we tacked on the tofu summer rolls and spicy “tuna” – aka ahi watermelon – sushi roll). Look up at the stylish geometric bar to see a mirrored gold ceiling (and yourself); broccoli-themed bathrooms all the way in the back are also a fun selfie spot. 1200 New Hampshire Avenue NW, West End – TP
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Michelin-starred sweet potato |
Photo: Emily Venezky/Eater |
In my opinion, Oyster Oyster chef Rob Rubba is still serving the best (largely) plant-based tasting menu ($135) in the city. From the starting oyster with subtle basil oil and cubed potatoes to a closing shortbread made with spicebush and porcini mushrooms, his six courses and bites are layered with seasonal produce, funky fermented flavors, and sustainable practices that use every part of a vegetable, fruit, or even flower. This mid-meal dish of sweet potato mochi wrapped in cooked down collard greens reminded me of plush gnocchi, flavored with an umami-rich XO sauce and laid on top of a smoky dashi made with the sweet potato skins. Like many of his other dishes, Rubba utilizes sweet potato in many different ways within the same dish, turning the humble root vegetable into something new and unexpected. Bread laps up the broth made with a miso that also comes from old bread – cheekily called New Bread Old Bread. Our server, Jack, told us that everyone on staff helps to prepare marigolds for the labor-intensive butter that comes with it. 1440 8th Street NW, Shaw – Emily Venezky, social media manager
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Seafood-filled spring rolls |
Photo: Emily Venezky/Eater |
Situated on the edge of Falls Church (the Little City itself), Nue Vietnamese makes a drive to Virginia worth it with delicious plays off traditional Viet dishes, like a wagyu-filled pho soup ($34) with wide rice noodles that you can top off with extra clarified beef tallow or fish sauce. The seafood chả giò appetizer ($20) is an absolute crowd pleaser. Crispy spring rolls filled with shrimp, lump crab, Berkshire pork, and taro are covered in chile crisp and peanuts for extra crunch. Wrapped up in a lettuce leaf with parsley and mint, for perfect bite that delivers on spice, rich meaty flavor, and herbal freshness. There’s also a vegetarian version made with mung bean and wood ear mushrooms, topped with sweet chile sauce for those with peanut allergies. My only regret: that I didn’t bring more friends so I could try the larger dishes: I watched honey-lacquered stuffed duck being delivered across the dining room and was infinitely jealous. 944 W. Broad Street, Falls Church, Virginia – EV
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Baltimore-born Kneads Bakeshop & Cafe is coming to D.C. A prime Logan Circle corner (1460 P Street NW) bounces back to life this summer as an all-day destination for the fresh breads and pastries Kneads is known for, along with breakfast, lunch, coffee, and cocktails. The 6,000-square-foot space also sports a nice patio. Kneads’ carbs will start showing up on local restaurant menus this spring, too.
The original Sundevich is out in Shaw. D.C.’s pioneering sandwich slinger Sundevich, known for its subs stuffed with ingredients inspired by international cities, plans to vacate its alleyway address at the end of March. Eater spotted a new Loopnet listing for the boxy, 945-square-foot setup in a converted garage. Shaw sandwich competitors like Your Only Friend and Fossette Focacceria opened in recent years.
Pregame March Madness with two-pound pretzels. The teams behind Sauf Haus and Clarendon Ballroom bring Chinatown a temporary sports bar dubbed Hall Pass on Thursday, March 19, just in time for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament across the street at Capital One Arena. The 3,000-square-foot bar pops up in the former EatBrgz space. It features a 16-draft lineup of mostly German beers, hefty carbs by Das Pretzel Haus dunked in bier cheese, and a NY-styled chopped-cheese sandwich.
Deep-dish for Dupont? The P Street NW space once home to Duffy’s Irish Pub will get a new life this year as La Merna, billed as a “Chicago-Italian restaurant and tavern,” with seating for 55, plus a sidewalk cafe, per a liquor license filing. It remains unclear whether Chicago’s famed deep-dish pies will be in the mix.
Save the date for Pi Day (Saturday, March 14). Slice & Pie – which just opened a third D.C. location (1750 H Street NW) – celebrates with $3.14 NY-style slices, as does DMV-wide chain Wiseguy. There’s also a (chicken pot) pie-eating contest at 1310 Kitchen in Georgetown; and 10-inch pies for $10 at Arlington’s Liberty Tavern.
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