The 38 Essential Restaurants Around D.C.
"After years of searching for the right space, acclaimed chef and Oyamel alum Christian Irabién finally found a Dupont home for his long-awaited ode to modern Mexican cuisine and his roots. The Chihuahua, Mexico native, who grew up working in his grandfather’s Mexican restaurant in El Paso, seamlessly melds coastal flavors, seafood, and local seasonal ingredients, as in an expertly engineered salsa with ramps and a soft shell crab sandwich topped with red onion-habanero escabeche and green tomatoes. The creativity doesn’t end there. The constantly changing lineup may include a tropical big eye tuna ceviche surrounded with bright passionfruit and fresno; briny, mezcal-friendly oysters; and nixtamalized corn masa cakes topped with grilled pineapple. A time-intensive mole negro made of all-Oaxacan chiles, chocolate, and sea salt takes Irabién three days to perfect. Deconstructed fish tacos “2.0” involves a whole roasted and grilled sea bream alongside Bloomsdale spinach, beet salad, and a stack of tortillas." - Tierney Plumb, Emily Venezky
