Still Life with Robin: Dining Sietsematically

Photo by Bill Adler

by Peggy Robin

I’m letting Tom Sietsema of the Washington Post commandeer today’s column. I’m a reliably rah-rah booster of Cleveland Park but I don’t have anywhere near the megaphone that goes with being the big-gun restaurant critic of the Washington Post. And if he chooses to dedicate two columns in a row to praising the food available within two-block radius of the Cleveland Park Metro, then I’m happy to repost his findings here. Let’s start with his Wednesday column*, urging readers to do themselves “a good turn” by treating themselves to the Uyghur cuisine at the newcomer to the neighborhood, Dolan Uyghur: http://wapo.st/2kguKyp

[*The print version is in today’s Washington Post Sunday Magazine]

And two days later, his Friday column highlighted the talents of the new chef at Ripple, 26-year-old Ryan Ratino, whose beet salad evokes a comparison to both great art and paradise: “Think Jackson Pollock tapping the Garden of Eden for inspiration.” And his dessert is ”a refreshing end to a meal that makes you wish you lived closer to the pleasure.” Wow. I should also note that before paean to Ripple even starts, Tom S. has given the nod to Bindaas, Indique, and Dolan Uyghur as signs that “something delicious has been unfolding in Cleveland Park.” The full review is here: http://wapo.st/2k6caa8

On a somewhat tangential note, today’s Washington Post Sunday Magazine also featured a Woodley Park restaurant, Lillie’s, in its DateLab feature. Not much recorded about the eating experience, and the couple didn’t really hit it off….but I’m still hoping it might help readers to discover this cozy Italian bistro tucked away in an apartment building just south of the entrance to the Zoo. The full column is at: http://wapo.st/2kC449g . More about Lillie’s here: http://bit.ly/2jstOD4

While I’m plugging our neighborhood restaurants, let me also remind everyone that DC Restaurant Week starts tomorrow, Monday, January 30, and goes through Sunday, February 5, with lunches and brunches for $22 and three-course dinners for $35 at participating restaurants. To pull up the Cleveland Park restaurants available during this year’s winter DC Restaurant Week, go to http://ramw.org/restaurantweek and scroll down to the bottom of the page and select Cleveland Park from the pull-down menu. Or go to the Open Table website https://www.opentable.com/promo.aspx?m=9&pid=68 and use the filters to refine your search and make reservations. And may you experience Siestsematic levels of exuberance in your dining experience in Cleveland Park!

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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland ParkListserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays or Sundays.