"La’ Shukran is its own self-contained world, a place to go when you want to forget you’re in DC and lose yourself in a Levantine salon with exceptional small plates, and the feeling that at any moment a dance party could break out and not end until dawn. Plates of hummus with beef tongue or escargot dot most tables, and an entire menu of cocktails made with arak are churned out from behind the bar. The Arab funk music is loud but never overpowering, and provides the perfect soundtrack for a hang with old friends, or a date night cozied up underneath a shelf of decorative (we think) hookahs. Come as a walk-in, either early in the evening or after 8:00, and try your luck for a spot on the pillow-filled rooftop, where you can have cocktails and small plates from a reduced menu. For the full dinner menu and an indoor table, look for tables up to 30 days in advance." - omnia saed, madeline weinfield, jonathan smith, mekita rivas, allison robicelli, omnia saed, kym backer