Michael Babin’s Neighborhood Restaurant Group has grown in the last few years, spawning the spiffy pizza place Rustico and the late-night bakery/dessert lounge Buzz, but his empire began here. The menu at the funky, wine-savvy Del Ray dining room, a hit with twentysomethings and grandparents alike, is as eclectic as the vintage decor. Hungry-man plates of braised short ribs and house-cured bacon share space with beautifully fried duck spring rolls and an elegant cut of rare salmon drizzled with puréed fig. Buzz pastry chef Josh Short provides the desserts—highlights are his milk and cookies and meringue-topped chocolate-cream pie.
-March, 2008
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.
