Style and substance don’t always match up. A notable exception is this Mediterranean restaurant where the fare is as swoon-inducing as the setting. Sip a vermouth cocktail in the carriageway before dining in the cozy stable house or brick courtyard. Chef Anthony Chittum serves both à la carte and tasting menus throughout. We much prefer the former—a better (and less expensive) way to tour the breadth of his innovative Greek and Italian share plates. Many of them get a rustic kiss from the wood fire—roasted dates, say, or grilled oysters with goat butter and chilies. Don’t skip the pastas—we dream of egg noodles with braised rabbit as much as we do summer nights under the century-old wisteria. Expensive.
Also great: Cauliflower soup with fried oysters; lamb-neck phyllo pie; charred-broccoli bruschetta; orange-blossom doughnuts.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
