The 10 Restaurants That Defined D.C. Dining in 2021

Perhaps you’re in search of tasting the bleeding edge of modernist plant-based cooking, like koji-aged beet bresaola, grilled fermented cabbage tartine with labneh and XO sauce, beet ‘nduja lettuce wraps, and grilled teriyaki tempeh ribs. Or maybe you’re feeling nostalgic for grand hotel food of the Italian Alps, like beef carpaccio Piedmontese with truffles, or a pork shoulder Milanese with anchovy and sauce gribiche. Who else would you turn to but chef Brad Deboy? Deboy manages to finesse both of these seemingly divergent themes, which is why we’ve been taken since Ellē opened in 2018, and never more than after a year like this.

Beyond the standard steak-frites-erie faire of so many French bistros of our time, chef Cedric Maupillier  is serving deep cuts from the old school that feel ever more bold today at Convivial. Think delicate crayfish quenelles in cognac-cream sauce with dill and trout caviar, a fabulous bouillabaisse Provençale, and immaculate haute-cuisine showstoppers, like pithiviers de pigeon bourgeoise — a country squab breast, foie gras slab, and truffle all nestled in puff pastry. And the lièvre à la royale Carême – a deboned wild hare wrapped in sow’s belly, stuffed with pork, rabbit innards and blood, mushroom duxelles, and a core of foie gras mousse. So if you need to have a mid-meal shot of Armagnac, that’s more than understandable.

With its well-worn brick walls, tufted leather banquettes, vintage china, and Teddy Roosevelt trophy hunt bison taxidermy and such, winter night dinners at Beucherts is a quality move. Classic dishes like their crispy cauliflower in caramel miso, and grilled lamb belly with rose water harissa have made a welcome return, along with chef Andrew Markert’s recent works such as seared scallops with dirty rice, crab roe, and roasted persimmon, or grilled half lobster with lobster coral emulsion, charred figs, and confit chanterelles.

For mid-Atlantic hygge, we head to The Dabney. Here you’ll commence with a spread of chestnut soup with black truffle, grilled lamb heart chimichurri, yogurt, and pickled ramps, and Divine Pine oyster with Concord grape vinegar mignonette, and those are just your snacks… On to your first course, where there’s perhaps no better vessel for the nuances of hearth cooking than ember-roasted vegetables: think squash and mustard greens with smoked feta, pecans, and maple syrup. After that, consider the Chesapeake rockfish and clam veloute, which will have you craving a bottle of Chablis. Then perhaps a sticky plum pudding cake with a coupe of Dabnog (egg nog with farm eggs) for dessert.

For robust and warming Korean dishes layered with complex fermented flavors, we look to Anju. Their irresistible mandu — pork and kimchi dumplings — as well as something bright, like chef Angel Barreto’s wild yellowfin, arranged with spicy cucumbers, long peppers, and blood orange vinaigrette, make fine openers. Beyond the classic gochujang glazed Korean fried chicken (served here with Alabama white sauce) and the seared galbi ssam board, we are keen on the ori jajang myeon — pan-roasted duck breast and wok-fired noodles with black bean paste, and their righteous bokkeum bap (fried rice), made with buttered kimchi, shrimp, squid, and bay scallops. Or for maximum nourishment, go for Mama Lee’s Classics — recipes adapted from chef Danny Lee’s mother, the family’s first restaurateur — like jjigae of pork rib, soft tofu, and aged kimchi.

You may remember Masako Morishita’s widely acclaimed, yet elusive “Otabe” pop-ups over the years. Now executive chef at Maxwell Park in Shaw, we are blessed to have her signature Japanese comfort food to pair with their 50-plus wines by the glass (featuring “The Royal Tannin Bombs” this month). Must-have dishes from Morishita’s menu include the miso butter clams in a kombu dashi, tamari. and sake broth, grilled tinned sardines marinated in tamari, chile. and garlic (a staple at her mother’s bar in Kobe), as well as her rendition of the JDM McDonald’s teriyaki-glazed wagyu beef burger, even better with a glass of Crozes-Hermitage.

What better time than now for the Hollywood glam-meets-Lombardia splendor (think glass chandeliers hung from timber beams, Missoni drapes, terrazzo floors, and the warm glow of their literally gold-plated wood-burning pizza) at L’Ardente. We’re firm believers in the innate luxury of lasagna, and their 40-layer short rib sugo and truffle mornay lasagna is a testament to this. Their whole grilled branzino with fennel, olives, and salmoriglio sauce, along with their sourdough pizzas makes a fine feast for the table. But the bravura no doubt remains their duo of vitello tonnato and tonno vitellato.

Conceived by chef Suresh Sundas (by way of Rasika and Maydan), and cocktail guru Dante Datta (previously of the Columbia Room), Daru has been among the most celebrated new arrivals to the scene for eclectic riffs on Indian cuisine and cocktails. To start off, warm up with Smokestack Lightin’ — made with Cognac, mezcal, and tamarind— along with their tandoori chicken tacos. Under mains, we’re keen on their sea bass paturi, steamed in a banana leaf with red chile and turmeric yogurt sauce, and this gorgeous nariyal braised lamb shank, in a rich coconut, saffron, and kashmiri chile gravy. And don’t forget an after-dinner rum and masala chai.

Look elsewhere for predictable bistro fare, as chef Matt Conroy’s Georgetown neo bistro is rendering the season’s best ingredients with a uniquely unconstrained lens and meticulous execution. Among their starters, recent highlights include grilled Maine scallops with fennel, saffron, and garlic aioli and bluefin tuna with hosui pear, radish, and ponzu, among the seafood preparations. Under main dishes you’ll find a handsome La Belle farms prepared two ways (seared duck breast and brick of confit duck leg) with plums, radicchio, and sauce bigarade.

Or better yet, give the kitchen carte blanche, and enjoy a four-course tasting menu with specials like roast bone marrow topped with escargot and chanterelles braised in red wine and green Chartreuse. Lastly, you’ll want some of whatever pastry chef Isabel Coss (formerly of Pujol and Cosme) has concocted for dessert, such as the dark chocolate tart with Chartreuse crème Anglaise and fig leaf oil.

D.C.’s OG of Lao food, chef Senf Luangrath, pulls no punches here, and we are avowed stans of their fiery, zesty, herbaceous, and tropical guaram funk flavors. Their sai oua (spicy herbal pork sausage with charred green chili sauce) and naem khao (crispy coconut rice salad with sour pork) are non-negotiable. Then consider among their current features, which include laab salad of duck leg & liver laab with toasted rice, chili and all the herbs, hu muu todd (crispy pig ear salad dusted with tamarind salt and spicy chili relish), as well as piing hua jai gai (marinated and grilled chicken hearts with lemongrass, ginger and house-fermented fish sauce). This is Thai cooking in its most candid, wonderful form.