Eric Ziebold sounds surprised when he hears the distance some people travel to taste his packaged cooking. No barriers to entry (door is automatic); ADA-compliant restrooms. The pandemic delayed its debut until August. Only in July did Flamant reopen for dining, and then with a four-course, $75 tasting menu. The hallmark four-course menu was shortened to three dishes, and the entrees became larger and more familiar. Fear not, fans. A visit to this cozy Belgian outpost in the Palisades proves a welcome exception. Value is not a dirty word, describes the category of $6 wines by the glass; I got class, I just dont want to pay for it includes the $9 options. 28979 Indigo Loop, Andalusia, AL 36421-9217 +1 334-343-2390 Website. A recent dinner found us tucking into risotto swollen with what tasted like a forest of porcini mushrooms, lamb ragu humming with red wine and rosemary, and pork tenderloin nearly upstaged by its roast potatoes and creamy borlotti beans. Takeout and delivery. Lunch weekdays, brunch weekends, dinner Monday through Saturday. Right on and right in my mouth slide slices of the round wonder decked out with salami, chopped okra and sweet onions. During the pandemic, the owners resurrected at Komi their popular, plant-based pop-up, Happy Gyro, featuring Greek diner-style creations. What was originally conceived as a watering hole was, because of the pandemic, rethought as more of an Indian-ish dining establishment. Tacos are fashioned from herbed Indian flatbread and jackfruit lit with chile paste and lemon juice a vegan draw if you opt out of the sour cream base. Indoor and outdoor seating. Ill be with you in a moment this restaurant might disappoint you. Seafood? By the looks of my dinner this summer, hes onto something. Definitive Laotian food is worth a return trip. No takeout or delivery. Otherwise, regulars can count on finding pretty much everything that they have long appreciated about the Rockville stalwart: housemade bread served with black olive tapenade, rooms quieted by linens on the tables and tufted fabric on the walls, and cooking made consistent by the fact chef-owner Enzo Livia retained his loyal kitchen crew. Okra charred on the grill, paired with pickled fennel and eaten with a sumac-seasoned tartar sauce is detailed so passionately by a server, we bite then scrape our plate clean. Owner Mike Friedman says, our goal is to make it feel as normal as possible to eat in his Italian-leaning restaurant in Bloomingdale. Looking for a server and a line cook five days a week. Specials have produced hits, too, including thin sweet potato noodles topped with jumbo lump blue crab from Maryland. The chef is a discerning shopper. The roomy, unisex restroom thoughtfully includes Braille type near the entry. Upgrade to special, and the kitfo comes with collard greens and housemade cottage cheese. Forget its debut and feast on its much-improved second act. No delivery. Name a restaurant wish, and Ruthies All-Day grants it. Tom Sietsema revisits Blend 111 in his review in the Washington Post (Dec. 2020) Northern Virginia Magazine shares Blend 111's Bacalo Encocado recipe (Dec. 2020) Northern Virginia Magazine Suggests Blend 111's NYE to-go menu (Dec 2020) Brightest Young Things Recommends Blend 111 Nochebuena Dinner (Dec, 2020) Pastas $18-$26, entrees $16-$87 (prime cut rib-eye for two). Ahn thinks of the dish as an enhanced juk, or Korean porridge. Never mind that the signature twice-fried chicken, accompanied by sweet-spicy gochujang and Alabama-style white barbecue sauce, is apt to cool down en route. Pay a visit to Fiola to enjoy signature Italian offerings from the a la carte and main dining room menus. Dinner entrees $28 to $49; five-course tasting menu $99. Hang in there, Pennyroyal Station! The fish slick with olive oil, fragrant with cardamom and fiery with mitmita does what the chef, Senait Mimi Tedla, intends: It makes you feel good, she says of her enlightened version of the Ethiopian classic, whose flames typically come from spiced butter. Fans of the standout Japanese restaurant in Dupont Circle were crushed by the news that Sushi Taro would do only takeout following the pandemic. Washington Post's Tom Sietsema Awards Del Mar 3 Stars. For proof, taste the cafes fresh local chicken sprinkled with herbs and slow-baked to succulence, or catfish dusted with cornmeal and flour and fried to a beautiful shade of gold. Apple cobbler with marjoram ice cream? A server might suggest with your meal a little thimble of what looks like liquid fire: pili pili, a habanero-stoked condiment and an exception to Kenyas relatively tame flavor profile. is followed by the offer of a Tide stick from a server. If you liked dinner, just wait till tomorrow, $90 per person for two nights of meals, $120 per person for three nights of meals ($40 to $45 per meal). Not only is the food unlike anyone elses, its packaged as if it were a gift right down to a note card inviting you to listen to a curated playlist. Wheelchair users should call ahead for a ramp at the entrance; ADA-compliant restroom. Brunch finds a strapping plate of huevos rancheros that fits braised pulled pork in with the eggs, black beans and corn tortillas. No barriers to entry; ADA-compliant restrooms. Tom Sietsema spotlights 48 DC-area restaurants, including his 10 favorites Line cook Sam Hoefer works at the dessert station in the open kitchen at the Dabney in Washington. Keep in mind that the chefs used to cook at the nearby Curry Leaf in Laurel, and order the haleem. Open for indoor and outdoor dining. A staff snack whipped up from leftover oxtails proved so popular, it was redesigned for public consumption. Even though Im eating in the restaurants parking lot, beneath a tent, it feels like old times when Im handed multiple menus for dinner, drinks and smoked dishes from a new outdoor kitchen and Argentine grill. Chef-owner Jon Krinn addressed the pandemic by giving customers what they were accustomed to lots of options, expanded in spring to include a cigar "bar" to the side of Clarity and making frequent adjustments to his proactive strategy. Dinner daily, lunch Tuesday through Sunday, brunch weekends. In a small strip mall, the facade is nothing to look at. ), [Jos Andrs brings Spanish comfort food including a lot of eggs to Bethesda]. DEAN'S CAKE HOUSE, Andalusia - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Its dinner alfresco, here in The Plains. What started as a glorified 7-Eleven in 1968 quickly morphed into a source for soul food as founder Henry Smith added a grill, fryer, chicken dinners and sweet potato pie to his storefront on U Street NW. A Coloring Book swirls together hibiscus, fresh ginger and a choice of spirit (go for smoky mezcal) and is best paired with a plate of craggy conch fritters, veined with red pepper bits. Which is a long way of saying pretty much everything on the menu created by chefs Lisa and Peter Chang is something you dont want to miss. But the white rice is enjoying plenty of attention from chowhounds, too. Indoor and outdoor seating. Takeout and delivery via DoorDash and Uber Eats. The calm presence in the open kitchen? Tasting menu $75 Tuesday through Thursday, $85 Friday and Saturday. Delivery via DoorDash and Caviar, Chef Frank Ruta is cooking so much more than an expert tuna melt. The bottom line at the restaurant: Make it delicious and pretty and give customers a sense of value, whether its one bite or a platter, says Silverman. Now do it. His latest creations zesty crab and roasted coconut served beneath a rice crisp, soft duck patties made tangy with goat cheese and set on orange chutney should help fill the plush seats. What always appears to be a full house well, full as defined by safety protocols suggests diners are digging the lot hes delivering. The interior feels as alive as the man behind the menu. Takeout and delivery. Lately, Im crushing on slender maccheroni tossed with crumbled braised goat, green olives and lemon zest. Aaron Silverman, the visionary behind one of the most beloved dining destinations in Washington, says, Were not in the restaurant business, but the business of making people happy. Sure enough, dinner at Roses Luxury commences with light-but-luscious focaccia offered with housemade ricotta and accompanied by the kind of music you wouldnt mind as background to your life. Indoor and outdoor seating. Bajaj wanted to drop the restaurants time-consuming thalis; budget-minded patrons will be happy to see that the fetching little feasts, presented on fancy platters and priced for $30 or less, have, unlike dark wood or depictions of the Raj, stuck around. We're counting down Post food critic Tom Sietsema's Top 5 restaurants in and around Washington for 2022 over the next two weeks, highlighting one restaurant each weekday until Tom's full. [Frankly Indoor and outdoor seating.