Fancy Radish - Richard Landau and Kate Jacoby, of Philadelphia's Vegan "Vedge," at 6th and H NE - Closing Oct 14, 2023

[TrelayneNYC]

A little bird told me this is coming soon:

"Washington's Vegan Dining Scene Is About To Get a Boost" by Becky Krystal on washingtonpost.com

[curiouskitkatt]

8 hours ago, TrelayneNYC said:

A little bird told me this is coming soon:

"Washington's Vegan Dining Scene Is About To Get a Boost" by Becky Krystal on washingtonpost.com

I am beyond excited for this outpost to open. I will dining here often. 

Hungry,

kat

[DIShGo]

I see this place has just opened. Anyone try it yet?

 

[youngfood]

On 4/12/2018 at 4:07 PM, DIShGo said:

I see this place has just opened. Anyone try it yet?

Tom Sietsema did and was a big fan.  We have a reservation the week after next and would love to hear from others who have been. 

[Deborah Lee]

Straightforward and confident in concept, thoughtful, well-balanced compositions and superb execution! Delicious flavors and textures on the palate make for longing with each bite! Super delicious! I could eat here every day!  

From my first visit to Fancy Radish on March 27, 2018:

RUTABAGA FONDUE
today's bread, yesterday's pickle 

From Sebastian Zutant's winery, "LIGHTWELL SURVEY'S The Weird Ones are Wolves! The 97% Cab Franc 3% Petit Manseng is a subtle nod to Cote-Rotie. The Cabernet Franc leaps out of the glass with its dry cranberry fruit while the honey of the Manseng rounds out the edges. The blend brings an elegant and lush palate that drinks more like a traditional red, while soft tannins and bright acid keep things lively. It’s ready a long life in the cellar but perfect for dinner tonight."  

SMOKED CHIOGGIA BEETS
crushed cucumber, capers, cured tofu, pumpernickel 

STUFFED AVOCADO
romesco, pickled cauliflower, "fried rice", black salt

RED LENTIL FUL
charred brassicas, zhoug, whipped tahini, barbari bread

SPICY DAN DAN NOODLES
sichuan pepper, five spice mushrooms, zucchini

MISO BUTTER NOODLES
nori, black pepper, pickled ginger

TRUMPET MUSHROOMS
as "fazzoletti", grape tomato, basil

SEARED MAITAKE
smoked remoulade, grilled celery, celery root fritter

STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING
smoked cedar ice cream, hazelnut tuile

SOUR CHERRY JELLIES
sumac jelly doughnuts, halva ice cream, pistachio egg cream

 

[DaRiv18]

I really enjoyed my dinner here.  "Entrees" are $13-18 each, but the suggestion is three entrees.  I probably should have ordered a noodle dish, because I've had sweetgreen bowls that left me fuller than the three plates I ate:  the seared maitake (the celery root fritter almost stole the show), the wood roasted carrot, and the smoked chioggia beets.  Veggies just don't fill ma belly! That said, every dish was terrific.  Not sure if the beets or the maitake won the night for me, a toss-up.  Cocktails were very, very good.  People-watching there was interesting to me:  a really cool crowd, diverse as to race and age, no obnoxious tables, mostly it looked like friends at the bar.  Service at the bar was gracious, informed, and friendly. 

[Even though the address is 600 H Street NE, there are about 8 businesses with that same address, including Whole Foods.  I think FR is Suite 7 or something . . . main point, it is located much closer to 7th and H than it is 6th and H.]

[Mark Dedrick]

14 hours ago, DaRiv18 said:

I really enjoyed my dinner here.  "Entrees" are $13-18 each, but the suggestion is three entrees.  I probably should have ordered a noodle dish, because I've had sweetgreen bowls that left me fuller than the three plates I ate:  the seared maitake (the celery root fritter almost stole the show), the wood roasted carrot, and the smoked chioggia beets.  Veggies just don't fill ma belly! That said, every dish was terrific.  Not sure if the beets or the maitake won the night for me, a toss-up.  Cocktails were very, very good.  People-watching there was interesting to me:  a really cool crowd, diverse as to race and age, no obnoxious tables, mostly it looked like friends at the bar.  Service at the bar was gracious, informed, and friendly. 

[Even though the address is 600 H Street NE, there are about 8 businesses with that same address, including Whole Foods.  I think FR is Suite 7 or something . . . main point, it is located much closer to 7th and H than it is 6th and H.]

Were you able to just walk in to the bar and sit down? I'm curious how easy it will be to get into this place on short notice. 

[DaRiv18]

I went this past Saturday like at 6:30ish by myself, it wasn't empty, but I did not see people really waiting for tables, either.  The dining area is hard to evaluate from the bar area . . . there are chest-high walls that separate the two spaces.  Not sure if it was busy or not.  It had a very relaxed vibe there. 

[funkyfood]

I, for one, always appreciate @dslees great photos for each post

[Marty L.]

It's fine. Nothing special. (The service was very good--informative and enthusiastic.)  And -- deliberately -- *very* loud, which is a bit odd in light of the (not uniformly young/hip) crowd and the fact that Vedge is (if memory serves) much more sedate and conducive to conversation.

Two or two-and-a-half plates per person is about right, so expect to spend $50 or so plus alcohol.  Not where I'd choose to spend my $$ often--but then again, I think that of the vast majority of D.C. places at that price point and beyond.

[Pool Boy]

My wife was there recently with a friend and had nothing but good things to say about the meal.

[DaRiv18]

On 5/5/2018 at 7:06 AM, Marty L. said:

And -- deliberately -- *very* loud

This wasn't my experience at all, it was very relaxed.  Are you talking about the music or the clientele?

[Marty L.]

The combination of the music and the hard edges everywhere.  I'm not complaining, merely surprised that they're going in that direction.

[funkyfood]

We walked in at 630 yesterday and were told (politely) that we could eat at the bar now or at a table at 10 pm.  We chose the bar and we waited attentively on by the knowledgeable bartender, who said he moved from Philly where he had worked at Vedge.

First, I personally was impressed by the cocktails, which were well contemplated and balanced, with a lean toward the bitter side.

As for the food, I was really not blown away.  Nothing really even impressed me, though none of it was bad. With the exception of the dandan noodles and maybe the stuffed avocado, everything seemed to lack an extra punch of flavor, especially the mushrooms.  

I note the dessert pudding we had was tasty and the coffee was some of the best restaurant coffee I've had in a while.  Still not likely to head back soon..

And btw, I'm hardly someone who poopoos plant based food.  I'm a massive Shouk fan, for instance.

[sandynva]

We had a lovely dinner here this weekend. one thing that i particularly appreciated is that though it's a hard res to get you'd never know that from being there--the tables aren't too close together, there's not a line of people waiting to get in, and service is not rushed. i think they do a good job of spacing out the reservations (or the food just comes fast meaning you finish dinner more quickly than usual).  

i would agree with the 2.5 dishes per person reccomendation. The plates are fairly small.  I'm not sure how people managed a full dinner with less than 2 items a person, unless maybe the noodle dishes, which we didn't have, are significantly larger than the other plates.  My favorites were the avocado--the contrast of the dense rich avocado with the fluffy cauliflower, pickled element, and crunchy papad-wafer was fun, and it all went well with the romesco, and the tofu, which had an extremely flavorful chermoula. that sauce was really delicious and i'd eat it on anything. The fondue was really interesting-the flavor reminded me of fermented tofu, and i really liked the pretzel bread and pickles. overall they use pickled elements really well. i don't like beets that much, and dislike smoke, but i could appreciate how beautifully cooked the beets were and how nicely the crumbs added texture. i'd say the one miss of the night was the langos, which was a small fried disk of bread (like a small bhatura) with too much remoulade on it, so much so that it muted the taste of the tomato and corn on top. this dish needed less mayo and more salt or seasoning or something. 

I'm normally not a fruit dessert person but the blueberry tart with lemon curd and poppyseed icecream was delicious. i don't normally like lemon curd because it tastes too eggy, but this version was really good, perhaps because it lacked egg. 

my mocktail with fruit and black tea was nice. my husband's with coconut, pineapple and pandan was not. 

service was sweet and friendly, we look forward to going again. 

[Tweaked]

A mostly successful dinner at Fancy Radish.  Several dishes were knock out excellent and several others didn't really do too much for me.

Both the Trumpet Mushrooms as "fazzoletti", grape tomato, basil ($14) and the Seared Maitake, smoked remoulade, celery root fritter ($18) were exceptional dishes, deep flavors, good saucing.  The kind of dishes where afterwards you want to keep the bread coming in order to mop up the sauces. 

Chioggia Beet Toast, crushed cucumber, smoked tofu, caper oil, dill ($13) was also excellent.  The chioggia beets took on an almost smoked salmon flavor and texture.  Not sure the smoked tofu added much to the dish.  But overall it was definitely a winner. 

The Stuffed Avocado, romesco, pickled cauliflower, "fried rice", black salt ($12) was "ok."  The avocado itself was nice and plump, the pickled cauliflower didn't add much of anything with not much "pickled" flavor, the romesco sauce was wimpy and bland, it needed more punch.  Plus the dish was under seasoned and in need of a pinch of salt.

Peas & Carrots "Ramen" miso carbonara, black pepper, almond ($16) seemed ill conceived.  Not "ramen" nor "carbonara"...kinda just a plate of noodles with a beige sauce.  It seemed to me like this one could be re-worked.

Smoked Carrots, pastrami spice, sauerkraut puree, pumpernickel ($13) was the least successful dish of the night.  The carrots were borderline flavorless, not smokey, not very carrot-y.  Just boring and bland.  The sauerkraut puree was also lackluster.  The pumpernickel toast points on the other hand were good.  But this dish totally fell flat.

For dessert, the S'mores ($12) was quite excellent while the Carrot Cake Cup ($10) was fine but nothing we will remember a week or two from now.

The restaurant has a hip cool vibe, and the servers were friendly and knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the food.  However, it is a hip modern restaurant with lots of hard surfaces and therefore loud.

I feel like if Fancy Radish was closer it would be on our rotation and I'm sure we will be taking my vegan sister-in-law there next time she is in town (she is a big fan of Vedge).         

[reedm]

We enjoyed a phenomenal meal at Fancy Radish this past Saturday. The entire experience was superb--cocktails, wine, food, and hospitality. I'd rate it as one of my top 10 DC restaurants.

I had read the cocktails were wonderful, and my expectations were exceeded. Really great riffs on classic cocktails.

Between the three of us, we nearly ordered the entire menu, and each dish was excellent in its own right. The flavors are amazing--how they coax flavors reminiscent of the best BLT, salmon with lox, scallops, etc. from vegan ingredients is amazing. (For those of you who have been to Chloe, you'll understand me when I say that I think this is what Chloe might offer it it were a vegan restaurant.)

The restaurant is small, so I now understand why reservations are hard to come by, particularly for groups of three or more. That said, the full menu is available at the bar (as an incentive, some dishes are available at the bar only). Happy hour is supposed to be excellent as well.

I'll add some pictures when I am able to overcome my lack of technical skills and motivation. 🙂

[DonRocks]

1 hour ago, reedm said:

We enjoyed a phenomenal meal at Fancy Radish this past Saturday. The entire experience was superb--cocktails, wine, food, and hospitality. I'd rate it as one of my top 10 DC restaurants.

...

I'll add some pictures when I am able to overcome my lack of technical skills and motivation. 🙂

The following are both Rutabaga Fondue ($14), one from Fancy Radish, and the other from Vedge (a finalist for this year's James Beard Award for Best Chef - Mid-Atlantic) - can you tell which is which? Both of these pictures were taken in the past couple of weeks:

[reedm]

I understand they are sister restaurants. Two in Philadelphia and one in DC.

[reedm]

On 9/2/2019 at 6:49 PM, reedm said:

We enjoyed a phenomenal meal at Fancy Radish this past Saturday. The entire experience was superb--cocktails, wine, food, and hospitality. I'd rate it as one of my top 10 DC restaurants.

I had read the cocktails were wonderful, and my expectations were exceeded. Really great riffs on classic cocktails.

Between the three of us, we nearly ordered the entire menu, and each dish was excellent in its own right. The flavors are amazing--how they coax flavors reminiscent of the best BLT, salmon with lox, scallops, etc. from vegan ingredients is amazing. (For those of you who have been to Chloe, you'll understand me when I say that I think this is what Chloe might offer it it were a vegan restaurant.)

The restaurant is small, so I now understand why reservations are hard to come by, particularly for groups of three or more. That said, the full menu is available at the bar (as an incentive, some dishes are available at the bar only). Happy hour is supposed to be excellent as well.

I'll add some pictures when I am able to overcome my lack of technical skills and motivation. 🙂

Outstanding cocktails:

Prophecy & Insight (Smoky and bitter), Utopias are lived on Islands (Tropical, spicy; dehydrated pineapple is on top) Elegies on Brambles (Refreshing and tangy)

Smoked Chioggia Beets (Smoked tofu, cucumber dill cream, capers, red onion); reminded us of bagels and lox. 

Pastrami Spiced Carrots. (White bean sauerkraut puree, pumpernickel, smoked mustard) We used the items to make small open faced "sandwiches". (Not the cornichons)

The namesake dish; Fancy Radishes. (Roasted and faw radishes, yuzu avocado, shiso, smoked tamari) So similar in taste and texture to a perfectly cooked scallop. 

Heirloom Tomato "BLT" Toast. (Basil goddess, crispy shitake, little leaves). Reminded me of Geoffrey Zakarian's BLT recipe. Delicious.

Peruvian potatoes. (Aji amarillo, cilantro, peanut, dried olive) This was a hearty dish, with the spicy kick of aji amarillo. 

Za'atar Grilled Summer Squash. (Zhoug, whipped lemon tahini, pistachio) This was a unanimous favorite. Wonderful spices, textures, and flavor.

Spicy Dan Dan Noodles; (sichuan pepper, five spice glazed mushrooms) Wonderfully spicy!

Seared Maitake Mushroom (Celery root fritter, grilled celery salad, smoked remoulade). Crispy and smoky.

Strawberry Shortcake. (Minus a bite) 

We ordered two additional desserts, but I don't have pictures. All of them were outstanding.

 

 

[reedm]

The pictures are crappy. Lesson learned, converting high quality "live" photos to stills, and then reducing the size does not make for good photos.

[DonRocks]

22 hours ago, reedm said:

The pictures are crappy. Lesson learned, converting high quality "live" photos to stills, and then reducing the size does not make for good photos.

They're not crappy, but if you don't like them, go ahead and reload them, and shrink them as thumbnails (directions are here). Send me a message if you can't figure it out.

I have one picture that's too dark, but that's because I chose not to use flash under the circumstances (that should give you a hint as to which is which). Anyway, they appear to be different colors because of the lack of flash in the second photo - both fondues tasted alike; the bread and plating (note the pickles) were both stronger at Vedge. We pretty much agreed the meal at Fancy Radish was like a "cookbook version" of Vedge, i.e., sort of like Central was when it first opened, as opposed to the bar at Citronelle (which was the test kitchen for the opening of Central - at least for a year-or-so - whether people know that or not).

PS - the "giveaway," if you read both menus, is the little dab of charred onions in the middle of the fondue, which is on the menu at Vedge, but not at Fancy Radish:

RUTABAGA FONDUE

today’s soft pretzel, yesterday’s fennel, charred onion

 

RUTABAGA FONDUE

today’s bread, yesterday’s pickle

[Tweaked]

A tasty return to Fancy Radish.

We arrived promptly for a 7:30pm reservation on a Friday night, and waited and waited, finally seated a little after 8pm.  A little annoying.  However, Fancy Radish immediately brought out an on-the-house order of the excellent Rutabaga Fondue.  Which we immediately inhaled.  So good, we ordered a second round.

Also excellent was the Smoked Chiogga Beet Toast with smoked tofu, crushed cucumber, tomato, capers.  This dish is basically a vegan lox and bagel knock off.  I would say this is a must order.

Fancy Radish, braised green meat radish, yuzu avocado, smoked tamari, shiso was a fine dish, but didn't really stand out.  We felt that if it was a vegan/veg order at a non-vegan restaurant we would think it was a really good effort, but at Fancy Radish it's more of a middle of the pack dish.

Peruvian Potatoes aji amarillo, cilantro, peanut, dried olive was the miss of the night.  The sauce was excellent, but the dry, almost mealy potatoes didn't do it justice.  Frankly, the potato looked like an ordinary Russet potato. We all felt they need to rethink the potato element on this one.

Trumpet Mushrooms as fazzoletti, grape tomatoes, basil was excellent.  The sauce is lick the bowl clean good.  We considered ordering a second round. 

Charred Romanesco whipped sesame turnip, kimchi vinaigrette somewhat suffered the same fate as the Fancy Radish dish, good, not great, wasn't a stand out.

Spicy Dan Dan Noodles, sichuan pepper, sesame, five spice glazed mushrooms kinda needed to add something else to the party.  It's a plate of noodles.  The Dan Dan sauce is nice, definitely spicy, but the mushrooms didn't add much.  Perhaps some other veg element would help.

Seared Maitake Mushroom, celery root fritter, grilled celery salad, smoked remoulade, was a dish where the individual elements didn't really work together.  They seemed like individual components that were plonked on a plate.  We all agreed that the Trumpet Mushroom dish was superior.

For dessert, the clear winner was the ice cream of the day, which was Speculoos flavored (think Biscoff Cookies).  Seriously good, I'd put this up against any other ice cream in the District.  

The rest of the desserts were pretty solid, including the Sticky Toffee Pudding and Mud Pie.  Fancy Radish also provided us with a round of on-the-house amaro to pair with desserts (I'm assuming it was the Amaro Sfumato and it was quite tasty).     

Despite the long wait for the table, everyone was happy.  Especially the vegan sister-in-law.

We all put the Rutabaga Fondue, Smoked Chiogga Beet Toast and Trumpet Mushrooms, as well as the ice cream, as the best dishes of the night.   Also, we thought this meal was better than the meal we had over Thanksgiving weekend at V Street in Philadelphia.  We have not yet dined at the mother ship Vedge.

[Tweaked]

The smoked chiogga beet toast.  If you look up thread you can see the evolution of this dish.  I'd say it is much better composed now.

Version One (2018)

Version Two (2019)

2020 version:

[DaRiv18]

I revisited Fancy Radish recently, and it is still delicious.  However, I don't think the menu has really changed at all over the past 5 years, except maybe to constrict it.  I suppose there are a number of places that don't really change their menus, and perhaps I'm holding the vegan restaurant to a higher standard, but gee whiz, I don't regard Chioggia Beet Toast as a comforting as a go-to roasted chicken or a burger.  Would like for them to mix it up a bit. 

[Mark Dedrick]

On 12/16/2022 at 5:05 PM, DaRiv18 said:

I revisited Fancy Radish recently, and it is still delicious.  However, I don't think the menu has really changed at all over the past 5 years, except maybe to constrict it.  I suppose there are a number of places that don't really change their menus, and perhaps I'm holding the vegan restaurant to a higher standard, but gee whiz, I don't regard Chioggia Beet Toast as a comforting as a go-to roasted chicken or a burger.  Would like for them to mix it up a bit. 

Agree completely with this. The food is fantastic here, but the menu never changes. We dismissed going here out of hand recently as we'd just been. 

[Bart]

Closing October 14, 2023.

https://dc.eater.com/2023/2/6/23585137/dc-restaurant-permanent-closings-tracker

According to the article, Richard Landau and Kate Jacoby sold the place in October 2022.