Head of the Table

CF_D_TopTables_Ho07
10/22/07
11:53 AM
Page 232
DISH
TOP TABLES
of the
Head Table
Got the dining-out blahs? Spice things up
at a local chef’s table. By Sacha Cohen
2941
2941 Fairview Park Drive, Falls Church, Virginia,
703-270-1500; 2941.com
Settle into a private enclave in the kitchen and let chef
Jonathan Krinn design a tasting menu with such delicacies as Sonoma Valley squab and Pennsylvania
veal hanger steak with late-summer truffles and wild
forest mushrooms. A seat at the table is $150* per
person at this elegant Virginia gem, and reservations are highly recommended.
seafood creations such as Chinese-style smoked lobster
with stir-fried vegetables and crispy fried spinach.
Cost per person at this kitchenside table is approximately $75, depending on the menu; the chef can
accommodate up to 10 people. Book at least three
weeks in advance.
INDEBLEU
707 G Street NW, 202-333-2538; indebleu.net
For a truly “moving” experience, sample the rotating
chef’s table at Indebleu. Your customized tasting
menu, crafted by chef Vikram Garg, might include
lychee-scallop tartare in ginger chili broth and lotus
seed “popcorn” or vindaloo-spiced veal tenderloin
with fava beans and morel-porcini pot au feu. Reserve
at least 24 hours in advance for seating Tuesday
through Saturday. Cost is $150 per person.
BLUE DUCK TAVERN
24th & M Streets NW, 202-419-6755;
blueducktavern.com
Gather 10 of your favorite foodie friends for an
evening of sumptuous fare specially prepared by
chef Brian McBride, who favors slow roasting in wood
embers, braising, preserving, and smoking techniques. Sample dishes include ballotine of suckling
pig and roasted half lobster. Cost is $100 per person.
DC COAST
1401 K Street NW, 202-216-5988; dccoast.com
Chef Travis Timberlake reels ’em in with masterful
232 CAPITOL FILE
TOP TO BOTTOM:
Brasserie Beck’s Napoleon
salad; Michel Richard Citronelle; DC Coast.
*Note: All prices listed exclude tax, gratuity,
and beverages.
Justin Kriel (DC
BECK);
RISTORANTE TOSCA
1112 F Street NW, 202-367-1990; toscadc.com
Watch chef Massimo Fabbri whip up a deluxe tasting
menu from your perch right in the kitchen. Dishes
might include carrot-flavored pappardelle with a rabbit
ragout or pan-seared foie gras with fresh herbs, peach
sauce, blueberries, and Port wine sauce. The table
accommodates four to eight and reservations are
taken at 7 and 7:30 P.M. (based on the chef’s availability). Cost is $105 per person; wine pairing is an
additional $60 per person. ★
MICHEL RICHARD CITRONELLE
3000 M Street NW, 202-625-2150; citronelledc.com
At the ne plus ultra of chef’s tables, you and your
guests may dine on roasted sablefish with miso potato
risotto and fried leeks or braised veal cheeks, osso
buco style, from famed chef Michel Richard. Culinary
decadence doesn’t come cheap at $285 per person,
and tables must be reserved through maître d’ JeanJacques Retourne. The chef’s table is available every
day except Sunday for parties of six to eight.
photographs by Len dePas (BRASSERIE
BRASSERIE BECK
1101 K Street NW, 202-408-1717; beckdc.com
A few feet from the bustling open kitchen, the table at
chef Robert Wiedmaier’s Belgian hot spot can
accommodate up to 10 guests at $85 per person.
Select from three menus, all of which are available
with beer or wine pairings for an additional $25.
Sample dishes include choucroute en croûte and
pear tarte tatin with cinnamon honey ice cream.
COAST)
RASIKA
633 D Street NW, 202-637-1222;
rasikarestaurant.com
Guests of chef Vikram Sunderam may choose
either the $75 six-course chef’s table menu or the
$65 vegetarian option, which includes such specialties
as gobhi matter (cauliflower, green peas, cumin, and
ginger) and gucchi khumb (curry morels, shiitake
mushrooms, cashew nuts, and star anise). Add $35
per person for wine pairings. The table seats 12 and
faces the open kitchen.