The January Hit List: Fight Club, Nina May, Chloe, Laos in Town, and More

Chef Andrew Markert’s Fight Club, the pandemic-edition deli and punch garden at Beuchert’s Saloon, may be the just the sort of self-care we need after 2020. For something swiny and melty, try the Tonnato Melt, made with roast pork and umami-rich tonnato sauce, with pickles, bacon and American cheese, on thick sourdough toast. And for everyone who always craves General Tso’s but needs to eat their vegetables, there’s the G.T. Cauliflower hoagie. Punch is offered in three weight classes — welterweights may want to bet on Wray & Things, made with overproof Jamaican rum, house grapefruit soda, and lime.

Dining status: Covered and heated outdoor dining (both patio and rear courtyard) are open for reservations, carryout and delivery are also available.

For daily bottomless aperitivo hour, local craft beers by the pitcher, all the amaro, and housemade pastas, Jackie Greenbaum’s Columbia Heights osteria is the spot. Bianco Negronis are a must, along with fontina and green onion zeppole, lemon ricotta & truffle marinated artichokes for aperitivo, followed by squid ink capellini with XO butter, jumbo lump crab and prosciutto. And if you’re over soggy Neapolitan pizzas, you’ll enjoy Little Coco’s crisp and chewy pizzas, like the Dr. Pepper — made with red sauce, fior di latte, pepperoni and basil.

Dining status: Patio dining (with heaters & umbrellas) and limited indoor dining are open for reservations, carryout is also available.

H Street’s purveyor of vinyl records, sneakers, and French normcore streetwear, is also a clutch all-day cafe, open six days a week, serving chef Erik Bruner-Yang’s signature take on Taiwanese and Cambodian food. Start with the pan-seared leek & mushroom bao, filled with glass noodles and hoisin sauce, and either a rich Cambodian style roast pork pho or fiery pork-sausage laab with fried egg — either will combat the dreariest winter cold fronts. If you have reinforcements, go in on the generous plate of Taiwanese fried chicken.

Dining status: Courtyard dining (with heaters and canopies) as well as limited indoor dining are open for reservations, carryout is also available.

With their expansive covered patio & upstairs terrace, and its understated coastal mid-Atlantic interior, Nina May makes for a relaxed and charming setting to enjoy seasonal mid-Atlantic fare. Their smoked Maryland rockfish hush puppies are a must, as with the roasted Maryland baby carrots with Virginia country ham, carrot-top chimichurri, and pickled mustard seeds. Also consider the chef’s six-course tasting menu or the winter Sap House supper, featuring rosemary roasted bone marrow, duck confit tourtiere with taleggio cream, arugula, and kimchi yellow wax beans, and the salted maple pie for dessert, serving two for $70.

Dining status: Heated and canopied patio dining is open for reservations; call 202-518-3609 for carryout.

Since its opening in 2005, chef Vikram Sunderam Rasika has been among the most iconic counterpoints to the city’s legacy of tired steakhouses — running an East Coast bastion for modern Indian cuisine. Beyond the more familiar offerings, look to their interpretations of India coastal regions’ specialities; between the crab pepper masala, Goan shrimp curry, and Dover sole chutneywala, you may be compelled to over-order (or plan more than one visit). Of course their much-imitated palak chaat, made with crisp fried spinach, yogurt, tamarind and date chutney, still reigns supreme.

Dining status: Patio dining with heaters and limited indoor dining are open for reservations at both the West End and Penn Quarter locations. Carryout is also available.

No one’s disputing the beauty of Edith Piaf’s classics, but maybe you’re more of a Charlotte Gainsbourg fan? Then Georgetown’s neobistro Lutèce is where you belong. Consider starting with chef and partner Matt Conroy’s Kaluga caviar served over golden logs of pommes paillasson fried in duck fat, with creme fraîche and dill; and if you can uncouple from steak frites, we’re keen on the Rohan duck with beets, endive, and sauce bigarade. Brunch is served Friday through Sunday, with favorites including the mezcal-smoked salmon, and their bacon egg and cheese burrito with chipotle Hollandaise. Conroy also selects the wines for Lutèce — a compact list of savvy and unpretentious offerings, made for lush refreshment rather than contemplation, like Fabian Jouves’ irresistible wines from southwest France.

Dining status: Outdoor dining, in heated greenhouses, and limited indoor dining, are open for reservations. Call 202-333-8830.

After closing its doors for two months, and reopening for takeout since July, dining resumed briefly at this 34-year-old Japanese fine dining institution. It’s paused again until mid-January. But there’s takeout, so be sure to inquire into their latest delivery of fresh fish flown in from Japan. Sea urchin is a must, sourced from Japan, California, or Maine. The handling and immaculate boxing of their food for takeaway ensures your sashimi arrives home in all its ravishing splendour. While the six-course kaiseki tasting menu will only be served on premisesfor limited size gatherings and the ultimate flex, chefs Nobu and Masaya will bring their omakase experience to your home.

Dining status: Carryout is available; limited indoor dining restarts after January 15.

Look to Laos In Town’s sour, funky, herb and spice infused Laotian cooking as a salve for a perhaps month-long hangover after letting go of last year. Their crispy rice salad with pickled pork may be the best in town, and their green papaya salad gets a robust briny crunch from dried shrimps. Grilled pork shoulder with their addictive jaew dipping sauce is a no brainer, and their dramatic crispy fried whole rockfish, dressed with Lao herbs, toasted nuts, and mango, does not disappoint. With spacious, boutique hotel lounge vibes inside, and generous outdoor seating along a serene residential block, Laos In Town serves lunch through dinner 7 days a week.

Dining status: Heated and covered patio dining, and limited indoor dining are open for reservations. Carryout and delivery is also available. Call 202-864-6620.

Haider Karoum’s illustrious career, from cooking at the vanguard of farm-to-table cuisine at Restaurant Nora to French haute cuisine at Citronelle — and with concentrations in Middle Eastern and southeast Asian cuisines throughout — have all culminated into Chloe. Expect an unfettered eclecticism from this kitchen. Roasted brussels sprouts take an alpine approach with horseradish-beet puree, crème fraîche, caraway seed and toasted hazelnuts. A stunning crispy fried whole fish is served with steamed jasmine rice and tomatillo salsa verde. And their signature Manchego cheesecake is complete with classic Lebanese accoutrements of kataifi phyllo, pomegranate, pistachio and dried apricot, with a quenelle of lemon-quince sorbet.

Dining status: Heated patio and limited indoor dining are open for reservations, carryout and delivery is also available.

Once the latest drippy, fast casual Instagram bait turns out to be a nothingburger, you’ll know you’re overdue for chef-owner Oji Abbott’s legendary soul food at Oohs & Ahhs. Fried whiting is a must; perfectly crisp fillets with a delicate crust, served over peppers & onions. Everyone is entitled to their favorite side, but the spicy collard greens and what’s undisputedly the best macaroni & cheese in the city (more of a five-cheese macaroni casserole) are the top seeds in our bracket. And in case you’ve lost your way to Flavortown, there’s Guy Fieri’s favorite: the blackened shrimp with cheese grits.

Dining status: Limited indoor dining is open at their Georgia Ave. location. Takeout and delivery is available from both locations (open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays at U Street). More info here.