New on Resy: Anju, Pom Pom, Thompson Italian

Anju is a restaurant rooted in tradition: for his latest project, chef-owner Danny Lee (CHIKO) called upon his mother to teach executive chef Angel Barreto the staples of Korean cuisine. And though you’ll find the comfort-inducing “Mama Lee’s classics” on the menu, the Korean gastropub pushes the envelope further, rethinking soju and makkoli on the bar side, and Korean street market bites, Anju bars (a Korean izakaya, if you will), and dynasty-era royal cuisine in the kitchen. Tuck right in.

What happens when Himitus’s founding partner lets her whimsy run wild? You get Pom Pom. Carlie Steiner’s revamped concept has tapped chef Amanda Moll to keep the small plates format, layering on Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian flavors, in addition to Latin American and Southern touches already at play. Expect raw hamachi drizzled with Yemeni hot sauce and zaatar, and a weekly burger special heavy on the Wagyu.

This Falls Church newcomer may look like a hip American diner at first glance, but the comparison ends at the décor. Because what arrives on the plate, amidst checkered floors and white tiles, is some of the most delectable Italian food this side of town. Dreamt up by two married chefs (who cut their teeth at Per Se, Le Bernardin, and Del Posto no less), Thompson Italian deals in impossibly slick handmade pasta and superb market-driven plates. So come hungry; this gem has a lot to offer.

Decked out in old-school flair, Randy’s Prime Seafood & Steaks stuns upon arrival. As the latest venture from the Great American Restaurants group, the steakhouse drips with green mohair booths and glossy mahogany tables, and has the menu to match. Sherry-glazed lobster bisque and ahi tuna tartare are your gateways to lobster-crab cakes, USDA prime cuts, duck fat fries, and corn brulée topped with bacon. To add to the gloss, the Tysons Corner restaurant is going heavy with the wine list, offering American bottles solely with a 90-plus points rating from prestigious outlets. Prime, indeed.

Sleek, industrial, and bustling, Gogi Yogi serves as the backdrop to D.C.’s first tabletop-grilling Korean barbecue, from the team behind Duke’s Grocery. The Shaw locale is rife with playful touches—the aluminum stools pop open to store bags and jackets, electric pink scissors grace the tables to cut meat and open beers—while chopstick-wielding patrons flip, cook, and eat sizzling cuts off the grill. Expect the classic (bulgogi, galbi, beef belly), and the unexpected (duck breast, New Zealand lamb chops) alongside a bona fide banchan spread.

Inspired by the greasy spoons, curry joints, and bodegas of East London, Duke’s Grocery has cobbled up a menu determined to satisfy. The Foggy Bottom outpost is the largest yet, anchored by an imposing copper top bar. Along with one of the best happy hour deals around (mon-fri from 12 to 7pm), Duke’s serves the very best beer-drinking food, from savory Mumbai masala toast to the famed “proper burger”– a melted gouda-and-sweet chili-topped affair that’s garnered more than a handful of devotees.

Get ready to dazzle your taste buds and expand your culinary vocabulary—Vintage78 is bringing modern Persian cuisine to Dupont Circle. Helmed by two Iranian-born brothers, also behind Georgetown’s Peacock Cafe, this newcomer explores the Persian pantry for aromatic delicacies such as albaloo polo ba morgh (roasted chicken cooked in a pomegranate reduction with sour cherry rice), Azeri (an extra-large meatball stuffed with a hard-boiled egg, walnuts, and sesame flatbread), and a selection of soul-warming khoresh (vibrant Persian stews served with rice).

A sprawling space tucked in the heart of Adams Morgan, Roofers Union is a drinking destination set on three levels. On level one, you’ll find a cocktail- and wine-sipping crowd, noshing on house-made French onion dip and chicken liver mousse. Head up to level two for floor-to-ceiling windows and carnivorous offerings: a trio of sausage, smoked Peruvian half chicken, and house-made pappardelle sauced with meaty ragu are some of the lusted-over offerings. Finally, level three hides one of the best rooftops around, with a sprawling view of 18th Street.

Retrobottega wouldn’t be out of place in a nondescript alleway off a Venetian canal. And that’s because this Adams Morgan establishment takes cues from the cicchetteria that dot the Floating City, where cicchetti—the Southern Italian twist on tapas—take center stage. Find love in melt-in-your-mouth San Daniele prosciutto, creamy burrata Caprese, meaty polpette, and juicy lamb arrosticini (skewers), with wine as Italian as the plates.

A neighborhood gem through and through, Stomping Ground is where the Del Ray crowd fills up on flaky buttermilk biscuits made from scratch. And though locals line up for the coveted pastry case by day, dinnertime (served Thursday through Saturday) is when this haunt sheds its café skin for a full-service menu that stuns. We’re talking smoked whitefish terrine scooped up with buttermilk crackers; shrimp sausage with harissa; pasta with curry, roasted chicken, and garam-roasted tomatoes; and bone-in jerk pork chop with habanero banana guac.

Good food and beer are the hallmarks of this beloved restaurant-meets-brewery. And for Oktoberfest (starting September 18th), Gordon Biersch is going heavy on the festivities: Bavarian pretzels, bratwurst sliders, chicken schnitzel, and pumpkin cheesecake are but some of the seasonal offerings, which are best enjoyed with the award-winning Festbier.

A tried-and-true favorite of the Woodmont Triangle crowd, Rock Bottom Brewery is an institution for its small-batch beers made in the German tradition. And right in time for Oktoberfest, the brewery is serving the Rocktoberfest—a German-inspired lager with a complex malty flavor—until October 6th, with some of the proceeds going to a local charity. Accompany your good deed with a side of something tasty—we’re partial to the hand-breaded fried pickles and firecracker shrimp.

As a hot pot destination, Mala Tang doesn’t kid around. The Arlington spot pulls straight from the street food of Chengdu—the capital of China’s Sichuan province—and whether you tone down or amp up the spice level, the fiery peppercorns permeate the air. So, watch the pot of bubbling broth, brimming with shiny dried red chilies bobbing up and down, as you dunk, drop, and cook the parade of fresh ingredients laid out before you—from chicken, lamb, and seafood, to bok choy and lotus roots.

There’s something to say about local stalwarts that don’t play into trends. Union Street Public House is a handsome waterfront 1790s warehouse, which doles out American cuisine with a Southern twang, in the name of tradition. Smoked ribs, gumbo, oyster po’boys, and steak frites make use of local farms and waters, but this isn’t the sort of place that’ll flaunt its farm-to-table ethos; Union Street would much rather wax poetic about its local handcrafted brews instead.