Review: Craig LaBan gets a taste of D.C.’s James Beard nominees

The James Beard Foundation, whose awards had been on hiatus for two years during the pandemic, recently announced the finalists for its 2022 restaurant and chef awards, including several nominees in Washington. Philadelphia has its share of Beard nominees this year, too, with four including regional best chef candidates Cristina Martinez (South Philly Barbacoa), Jesse Ito (Royal Izakaya), and Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon (Kalaya). High Street Hospitality’s Ellen Yin is up for outstanding restaurateur.

But I already know those restaurants well. As a new member of the Beard’s restaurant awards committee helping to oversee the Mid-Atlantic region, which roams New Jersey to Virginia, I wanted to visit the contenders and taste for myself. As I dove into the Korean beef tartare at Anju, the shaved kohlrabi dumplings at Oyster Oyster, and a flight of Lebanese wines at Maydan, I was so glad I did.

Eating outside your own restaurant scene can be instructive and inspiring, and I’d not been to D.C. since Obama was in the White House. It’s an understatement to say much as changed since then. The blooms made for a majestic draw, no doubt. And our view of the national monuments was shaded by a mist of soft rain as we recently drove through the heart of Washington.

Aside from its recovery from COVID-19, D.C. continues its trajectory away from its old reputation as a red-meat power-meal capital to a destination for progressive concepts, high-end fine dining, ambitious neighborhood spots, and a United Nations of flavors.

“A lot of people who don’t come to Washington think of it as a steak house town, but it really hasn’t been that for 20 years now,” says Washington Post restaurant critic Tom Sietsema.

One small collection of restaurants could ultimately never fully encapsulate this city’s diversity. But Sietsema says this year’s nominees reflect the District’s strengths, from modern twists on international flavors at places like Anju, Maydan, Rasika, and Peter Chang, to the forward-thinking sustainability displayed at plant-forward Oyster Oyster, and a strong community of talented female chefs, represented by Amy Brandwein at Centrolina.

So, did they live up to expectations? Read on.

There may be no chef story line more steeped in Washington than the rise of Angel Barreto at Anju, where he’s earned Beard nominations for best chef Mid-Atlantic and national emerging chef.

He grew up going to Christmas parties at the White House, where his father coordinated logistics for three presidents. Both his parents were in the Army, in fact, and their various international posts explain how this biracial child of Puerto Rican and Black heritage became so deeply steeped in Korean cuisine. He went to college for international relations with plans to be a lobbyist. But the persistent call of kimchi detoured him to a local cooking school, followed by a nine-year stint at Wolfgang Puck’s Asian-influenced the Source, where he became executive sous-chef.

When he was hired by Danny Lee’s family to helm Anju, a modern makeover for the original bi-level space of Mandu, their traditional Korean restaurant, Barreto had a clear goal: Explore the possibilities for Korean food to keep evolving in a casual American context.

There’s creativity in the essential bar program, which infuses soju with oak chips to taste like bourbon and makgeoli with corn and mango. And there are especially memorable novel touches with the food, too, like the roasted soybean powder that gives a nutty tone to Anju’s exceptional fried chicken glazed in gochujang and Alabama white sauce. A Western-style seared duck breast arrives fanned over springy noodles glazed in jet-black bean sauce. Feathery light branzino crisped tempura-style hovers atop a pedestal of mu radishes braised in sesame-soy yangnyeom sauce.

I can’t stop thinking of the beauty and complexity of Barreto’s tartare, a cold stone bowl of minced raw beef whose well-spiced seasoning is also sparked by sweet bursts of diced Asian pear, the soft pop of basil seeds, and the crunch of fried lotus chips for scooping. And yet it’s Anju’s riffs on the most traditional banchan that linger in my mind — the soy-candied wheels of lotus root dusted with sesame, the pickled crunch of chayote, and crimson sheets of 30-day old kimchi that unfurl from their tightly pressed leaf bundles with a fermented savor so deep I can still taste it back in Philadelphia. Anju, 1805 18th St. N.W., Washington, 202-845-8935, anjurestaurant.com

» READ MORE: The best restaurants in Philly according to the James Beard Awards

If I imagined a restaurant of the future, it might feel a lot like Oyster Oyster. Small, plant-forward, and hyper-seasonal, with a mission devoted to local sources and sustainability that guides not only the menu, but the unseen operations themselves. There are no single-use plastics in the kitchen, which means no sous-vide. Chef-owner Rob Rubba favors local sunflower oil from Susquehanna, Pa., noting the big carbon footprint of olive oil, as well as citrus. The piping bags are compostable. The menu is made from seeds. And there’s no “big pot boiling” for the veggies, either, with a steam oven efficiently doing the work.

The brightly lit, minimalist 30-seat dining room in this modern building may be lacking for moody ambiance. But the LED bulbs are great for the environment — and not bad for your Instagram pics, either. And whatever the space lacks in romance, the warm service staff more than compensates for with its passion for the food, and a smart drink list that runs natural (try the gorgeous Piquentum orange Malvasia from Croatia or Listan Negro from the Canary Islands), and a thoughtful collection of kombucha-driven nonalcoholic choices.

Rubba’s ever-changing tasting menu, though, is clearly the star of Oyster Oyster, which has been nominated by the Beard Foundation as one of America’s best new restaurants. And from the first crunch-creamy nibble — a bite-sized nest of fried celery root ribbons piped full of smoked tofu puree — I knew each course would be full of surprises. And Rubba, a Jersey Shore native who briefly worked at Le Bec-Fin 2.0, does not disappoint. A roulade of shaved purple sweet potatoes scattered with zesty ramp shoots anchored a bowl of peanut broth magnified by White Rose peanut miso from Pennsylvania’s Keepwell Vinegar. A gloss of mushroom garum adds a deep savor to poufs of Lion’s Mane mushrooms that are roasted to chewy nuggets beneath wilted baby greens and black garlic. And tiny dumplings made from finely shaved kohlrabi are hand-crimped around diced apples and turnips bound with a kelp aioli that echoes the sea flavor of the pickled oyster hidden below as an understated accent.

I wouldn’t have missed the mollusk in this dish, which made me wish oysters were more prominently showcased, especially given the restaurant’s name, which also nods to the mushroom. And it wasn’t my only hesitation. Too many of the menu’s nine courses seemed to be missing a finishing stroke — mostly a snap of more texture in mushy dishes like the English muffin and the stir-fried local rice course, which also wasn’t hot. And yet, as a tiny carrot-shaped bonbon made of cocoa butter colored orange with powdered dragon carrots melted into a heart of pecan mousse, I found delight glimpsing into food’s future at Oyster Oyster.

Oyster Oyster, 1440 Eighth St. N.W., Washington, oysteroysterdc.com

There’s a decidedly luxe vibe to Palmer Alley, the pedestrian mall trimmed with dangling pink and white lanterns in CityCenterDC, where the well-to-do can get their posh shopping fix at Dior, Gucci, Hermès and Christofle, and the ladies at lunch behind us at Centrolina were toasting someone’s 60th with (another) bottle of Champagne. We were trying to act natural at the outdoor cafe, with me feeling underdressed in my comfy travel clothes and our big dog Buttercup in tow, her well-honed nose sniffing the air in the hopes of some fine Parmesan, which our server kindly delivered.

The secret to Centrolina’s enduring appeal has been its ability to comfortably serve a wide variety of clientele. Most top-tier Italian restaurants in D.C. were white-tablecloth fine-dining affairs when chef Amy Brandwein, an alum of the Roberto Donna empire, opened Centrolina with bare tabletops in 2015. Its wood-fired hearth, handmade pastas, and rustic approach that put seasonal ingredients in the spotlight of relatively simple plates was something different. Her newer sandwich shop just across the walk, Piccolina, leans into the casual vibe even more, with excellent fresh bread and wood-fired pizzas, all-day breakfast, and an imminent expansion that speaks to its popularity during the pandemic.

The seasonal pastas at Centrolina were well made, including wood-roasted mushrooms tumbling across chestnut pappardelle and the cavatelli studded with chile-flecked gulf shrimp. Brandwein’s crispy eggplant, shaved into shear rounds drizzled with honey and slivered almonds, is impossible to resist. And there’s also a timeless appeal to a perfectly grilled branzino brushed with parsley and mint over confit potatoes.

Simple dishes, though, demand a perfect touch, and the popular chicken paillard was a letdown, overwhelmed by the bitterness of its char marks. But I’d still happily return for dinner to sample the crudos, stewed Umbrian Roveja peas, and more elaborate pastas, such as the game-filled Bolognese that Brandwein calls cocoa cacciatore, or her uni tagliolini.

Philadelphians, who’ve seen many versions of this style of Italian dining since Osteria opened in 2007, may not find Centrolina quite a revelatory destination, a consideration, perhaps, when weighing Beard awards. But in this case, a chef’s continued relevance to her community may be at least, if not more, significant. Centrolina, 974 10th St. N.W., Washington, 202-898-2426, centrolinadc.com

» READ MORE: Philly lands 4 James Beard nominations

Maydan is the kind of magnetic haunt — tucked behind an unmarked alley door that opens to reveal a roaring live fire hearth, the hum of a wraparound mezzanine, and the fragrant spice of faraway lands — that could probably thrive by doing far less than it does. But Rose Previte’s second restaurant after Compass Rose is a destination that aspires to do it all, inspired in equal parts by the women of her Lebanese American heritage and her extensive travels around the Caucasus, Silk Road, and Levant while living for several years in Russia.

Previte uses the acronym WANA (Western Asia North Africa) to describe the scope of a menu that roams from Tangiers to Tehran with family-style tawle meals built around sharing platters of meze and centerpiece plates such as the smoked lamb shoulder. I enjoyed our nibbles of wood-roasted haloumi and smoke-kissed Omani shrimp enough that I’m intrigued to return for a full meal one day.

But we didn’t really come for the food. The beverages are exceptional at Maydan, and in particular its regionally focused wine program, which is up for a Beard award. The cellar, initially assembled by Previte and her former wine director, Maria Bastasch, was decimated during COVID. But it has been ably revived back to life by beverage manager Drew Hairston, who instantly leapt into guiding us through a spontaneous off-menu flight of Lebanese wines at the bar the moment he detected our interests. He delved into the different terroirs and winemaking styles that made bottles from Chateau Musar, Couvent Rouge, and Karam so distinct.

But Maydan’s list is more far-reaching than just the Levant, seeking out little-known gems from regions like Moldova, Kurdistan (still on its way), and especially Georgia. That country’s historic Saperevis and Rkatsitelis have become more popular of late in tandem with the natural wine craze. But Previte’s determination to sell Georgian wine in America grew after Russia embargoed them following its 2008 war with Georgia.

That mission became, she said, “my own little Putin protest.”

Global politics and wine and Washington? Naturally. As if one needed any more reasons to visit Maydan.

Maydan, 1346 Florida Ave N.W., Washington, maydandc.com

» READ MORE: Camden’s Corinne’s Place recognized by James Beard Awards as ‘America’s Classic

Seylou Bakery & Mill was not nominated for a James Beard award this year, but conversations with friends and sources in D.C. nonetheless left me curious to check out this notable bakery in the Shaw neighborhood. I was not disappointed. Founder and baker Jonathan Bethony stopped what he was doing to proudly show a curious random customer (me!) around his bakery. He noted the sacks of locally sourced grains near the entrance, the mill in a side room where those whole grains are turned into some of the freshest flour available, and especially the extraordinary wood-fired rotary brick oven from Ipsor in Barcelona.

Made with the earthy tang of sourdough starter, these high-hydration breads emerge from the oven’s dry wood heat transformed into some exceptionally rustic loaves, with moist, well-developed air pockets scattered across their open crumbs and dark crusts that crackled when reheated just before serving. This was the perfect last stop, and an ultimate edible snapshot of D.C.’s vibrant artisan terroir for us to munch on all the way back home to Philly.

Seylou Bakery & Mill, 926 N. St. N.W. Suite A, Washington, 202-842-1122, seylou.com