The June Hit List: Cranes, Red Hen, Ellē, Taqueria Al Lado, and More

Think of the Green Zone as an expat bar from the children of the Middle Eastern diaspora, brought to the streets of Adams Morgan. You might start off with a spread of muhammara and fresh lebanese sourdough saj mana’ish flatbread, crispy cheese filled fillo sigara böreği, and segue into fried Iraqi lamb and beef kibbeh.

One of their Green Zone Classics cocktails, the Toufan (“hurricane” in Farsi), made with rum, passionfruit, Iraqi citrus and pomegranate over crushed ice, is a no-brainer on summer nights. The Queens Park Swizzle, a less cheugy/more spicy Trinidadian take on the mojito, and the Beachcomber Negroni (from the dearly departed Existing Conditions in NYC) are also a must. Of course don’t sleep on their spirits book, featuring one of the strongest lineups of rums from Jamaica, Barbados, and Haiti you’ll find anywhere.

Think of your neighborhood swimming pool growing up — but it’s always adult swim, and instead of Capri Sun the snack bar serves cocktails in pouches, and there’s no pool, but it’s more like someone threw a party at the Home Depot Garden Center. And you’ll get Calico, in Shaw.

The loaded tots and Philly-style tomato pies are great for sharing. Shrimp rolls and the Caprese-ish chicken cutlet sub are sure bets as well. The lavender lemonade with gin, cassis, honey and lemon is our go-to juice pouch, while the frozen jalapeno & mango margarita, and the K.P. Ice Tea — made with gold and black rums, allspice dram and Thai iced tea — are well worth the brain freeze.

Sure, Ellē’s top notch breakfast sandwiches, afternoon lattes, and treats helped lend us some sense of normalcy during the pandemic, but dinner service is what we had been craving, and the wait is now over. Their streetside patio is all built out, so we’re rather smitten with patio season at Ellē in particular.

For now, they’re serving dinner on Friday and Saturday nights — classics like their tartine with kimchi, labneh, and XO sauce are back, along with chef Brad Deboy’s latest projects, like his barbecue burger with smoked housemade tempeh and chow chow. Other highlights have included his fried soft-shell crab sandwich; and a grilled whole branzino with ramp chimichurri, smoked fingerling potatoes, and shishito peppers.

At Cranes, one of the city’s latest Michelin star recipients, Chef/partner Pepe Moncoya, a native of Spain — arrived in D.C. by way of Singapore — has woven together the cuisines of Catalonia and Japan, in modern kaiseki form. Think steamed mussels in a sake and chorizo broth; hamachi aburi with citrus dashi; avocado and ikura; alongside unagi paella with white ponzu, smoked eel, and jalapeño alioli.

You may choose to dine à la carte, or consider the chef’s six-course omakase. Or zhuzh up your lunch routine with their stunning bento box, complete with six dishes, ranging from maitake tempura with manchego, to grilled shrimps with kosho sofrito and kumquats.

Residents has channeled the best of Viennese kaffeeklatsch and Venetian aperitivo cultures for their chic café and cocktail lounge, with food to match. A bottle of their Moroccan mint rooibos bourbon iced tea, or their lemon pineapple Negroni sour for the table, are always a smart play. We’re also keen to start off with various cicchetti of avocado, foie gras, and smoked mackerel, or even the mini lamb gyros.

For main dishes, the charred octopus with chermoula and tomato escabeche, and the sesame crusted chicken schnitzel with barbequed bacon ranch wedge salad do not disappoint. Then perhaps the ras al hanout-scented Basque cheesecake, and a round of espresso martinis to finish strong.

Whatever loyalty you may have to your neighborhood spot, Taqueria Al Lado is worth the detour, and will soon have you hooked on their scrumptious tacos, serious Tequila and mezcal flex, and breezy atmosphere. Tortillas here are some of the best in town, made from heirloom blue and white Oaxacan corns — nixtamalized, ground, and pressed in house.

Tacos are well-stuffed, and we swear by their al pastor, campechano, and quesabirria. Or if you’re feeling more extra, go for huaraches — a puffier, slipper shaped masa vessel for said fillings, garnished with pico de gallo, cotija cheese and crema. For cocktails, choose from over two dozen selections of Tequila and mezcal, mostly under $14. We’re all about the La Venenosa raicilla margaritas, or Derrumbes mezcal palomas for $10 each. And by the way, they’re open till 2:30 a.m. on weekends, so let that sink in.

More information here, or call 202-481-0048.

While we’ve savored many takeout containers full of their rigatoni and fennel sausage ragu to get our fix over the past 15 months, dining service has finally resumed at the Red Hen. You’ll want a good mix of classics as well as seasonal additions to the menu: Tuscan chicken-liver mousse and roasted fig conserva on toast; followed by Frank’s burrata with heirloom beet salad, blood orange, mint and caper dressing; followed by squid ink linguini with calamari; and grilled strip steak with wild mushroom and spring onion panzanella with bagna cauda dressing.

And their concise, mostly Italian wine has got just the right blend of flex and approachability, with such gems as Cantina Alpina’s Pale Mountain teroldego rosato, and Paolo Bea’s Lapideus.

For a Cantonese feast and dim sum served seven days a week, one that saves you a trek to the outer suburbs, trust on this Logan Circle gem. After you order a pot of da hong pao — stone-fruited oolong tea that’s exceptionally food friendly — proceed to order without abandon: steamed king prawn dumplings, delicate pork and shrimp shumai, buttery roast pork pastry, and crackling roast duck are sure-fire hits.

For dinner, there is everything on offer, from Peking duck to abalone to Dungeness crab. Among our go-tos? Clams with black bean sauce, salt-baked prawns with chile, and pork belly with lotus root in red bean-curd sauce. And of course, there’s no shortage of uniquely textured offal and exotic sea dwellers if you’re feeling those.

More info here, or call 202-846-7229.

When you’re craving seaside fare but Route 50 traffic to the Eastern Shore is a nonstarter, head to Brine on H Street, starting later this month (with reservations open now). For dinner, think steamed peel ‘n’ eat shrimp; Bourbon Street broiled oysters, topped with andouille, succotash, and Parmesan cornbread crumble; as well as PEI mussels steamed in lobster bisque. And Hemingway daiquiris, of course. Or for brunch, Wellfleet and Kusshi oysters on the halfshell, crab-cake Benedicts and Cajun Bloody Marys.

Also, don’t miss out on weekly specials, like all-night oyster happy hour on Tuesdays, whole Maine lobster Wednesdays, and paella on Thursdays.

While northern Thai cuisine has been having a D.C. ascendancy over the past several years, And Ammathar is exceptional for its marvelous execution of both northern and southern dishes. Seemingly quotidian noodle dishes like beef pad see ew, are transcendent here, with the sweet, spicy, and savory richness dialed in, and exuding roasty wok hei. Their soups, including a khao soi brimming with red chiles and toasted coconut, have soulful sharpness and depth.

For appetizers, the duck larb, and tapioca balls stuffed with ground chicken, peanut, and fermented radish, are a must. Between their curries, we’re partial to the green curry, made with an assortment of fresh peppers, Thai eggplant, basil and coconut milk. And their koh moo yang, a generous plate of succulent grilled pork shoulder served with sticky rice, pungent jaew dipping sauce, and green leaf lettuce for DIY lettuce wraps, is something we’re constantly craving.

More info here, or call 202-588-1795.