Tuna carving from Kyojin at Better of Washington. {Photograph} by Jessica Sidman.
Greater than 60 of the area’s prime eating places joined us final night time for Washingtonian‘s annual Better of Washington occasion on the Nationwide Constructing Museum. Powerful job, however someone needed to strive all of them. Listed here are a few of our favourite bites of the night time:
Greatest in present: For the second yr in a row, prime honors go to high-end Indian restaurant Rania. Their ultra-crisped shiso chaat leaf with a candy and tangy dip of white pea ragada, candy yogurt, and mint chutney was each elegant and an exquisite stability of flavors and textures. If felt straight out of a tasting menu as a result of it is straight out of their tasting menu. Rania additionally provided one in all our favourite cocktails of the night time: their signature mezcal-based “Rang Birange,” which is served on the restaurant in a picket field with a snake.
Largest wow issue: The staff behind luxe Georgetown sushi restaurant Kyojin introduced a whole 140-pound tuna to the occasion, head and all. They carved the fish in entrance of partygoers for super-fresh bites of nigiri.
Most spectacular feat: Ukrainian restaurant Ruta gave the impression to be going for a world—or not less than US—report for the most important holubtsi, a conventional stuffed cabbage dish with beef, hen, and rice. The 302-pound stuffed cabbage was full of many (scrumptious!) mini stuffed cabbages. We hear it took 5 days to organize and included 200 kilos of cabbage alone.
Greatest salad: Ellie Hen’s smashed cucumber salad was not your typical cucumber salad. This one got here topped with dried blue crab and Thai inexperienced chili in a pool of lime yogurt.
Greatest summery dish: Go away it to the Dabney to embrace the season with lick-the-bowl corn grits accompanied by heirloom tomato jam, herbs from its rooftop backyard, and barbecue-spiced corn chips for dipping. And talking of corn, we additionally beloved Cucina Morini‘s toasted garlic crostini with charred corn caponata and sweet-sour fennel pollen agrodolce. And we’d be remiss to not point out Centrolina’s fava bean and ricotta cannoli!
Most inventive vegetable dish: Shaw’s Oyster Oyster introduced one of many star bites from its summer time tasting menu: lettuce wraps with mushroom “chorizo” and pickled gold bar squash.
Greatest uncooked fish dish: A variety of eating places confirmed up with tartares, crudos, and ceviches this yr, however our favourite was Causa’s dry-aged bluefin tartare served in a flower-shaped wafer with purple onion relish, yuzu kosho, cilantro, aji amarillo leche de tigre, and wasabi. In the meantime, sister Mexican eating places Anafre and El Sol provided a superb ceviche with octopus, shrimp, scallop, and a kick of warmth.
Most decadent chunk: Stylish Italian hotspot L’Ardente is well-known for its 40-layer lasagna with quick rib sugo and truffle mornay sauce. On the occasion, they served seared bite-sized slices on toothpicks, which managed to really feel simply as decadent because the restaurant dish.
Greatest tacky bites: It was an excellent night time for pimento cheese lovers. The Fountain Inn in Georgetown served pleasant all the pieces bagel and pimento cheese gougeres. In the meantime, Arlington’s Ruthie’s All Day introduced bite-sized biscuits with pimento cheese and Woman Addison Nation ham.
Greatest elevated fast-casual: Indian chainlet Rasa wowed with its bhel puri made out of puffed rice, chickpea noodles, tomato, onion, mango, and mint and tamarind chutneys.
Meals Editor
Jessica Sidman covers the folks and traits behind D.C.’s food and drinks scene. Earlier than becoming a member of Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Meals Editor and Younger & Hungry columnist at Washington Metropolis Paper. She is a Colorado native and College of Pennsylvania grad.
