CapitalGourmand

Don, It's pronounced kyear-i(short i)-sahn.

I want to do an extensive write up (with pictures) within the next two weeks. But for now, here are my initial thoughts. Usually, I don't have too much trouble putting together a group for a meal at a restaurant like Métier. But it seemed that everyone was either was out of town for the weekend I made the reservation or not interested in going. Undeterred, my friend and frequent dining companion, Khoi, and I continued our search and were able to find a third person to join our party. He even paid the $150 deposit up front as a demonstration of his commitment. Unfortunately, he contacted me the week before the dinner to let me know that he would be unable to join us because of a wedding. I tried to modify my reservation online, but because all the two tops had already been reserved for that evening I kept getting a message that there was no availability. So we reached out to Célia and she put us in touch with her contact at Resy. They did some maneuvering on the back end and walked me through the process to modify the reservation with a phone call that only took 5 minutes. With this settled, I imagined that the two of us would be sitting at a four top. So I was surprised when Célia escorted us to the table for two right in front of the kitchen window! It felt like having front row seats to the kitchen where we got to watch Ziebold and his chefs run the pass. It clear that the Kinship roast chicken was the most popular dish (justifiably so) as I saw it being prepared more than any other. I wanted to point this all out because I really appreciated how Célia put forth the effort to make this all work out. Perhaps it was a small thing for her to accomplish on her end, I'm not sure. But it came across as a thoughtful gesture that went above and beyond. We were one of the first parties to arrive, so the decibel level was understandably low at the beginning. It got much livelier about an hour and a half in, but never so much as to make conversation difficult. That said, I did notice a difference between the atmosphere of Métier and that of Kinship. Stepping off the elevator on the way out, I was struck by the difference of the Kinship dining room. It reminded me of the musical analogies Daniel Humm and Will Guidara used in comparing Eleven Madison Park to Miles Davis and NoMad to the Rolling Stones. I think a similar analogy would be fitting when comparing Kinship to Métier. The food was next-level good and on par with the meals I've had at 3-Michelin star restaurants. It's probably the best meal I've had in DC to date. (Okay, well this and Suna. And P&P.). Compared to my other stellar tasting menu experience from about a month ago at Pineapple and Pearls, the food here was noticeably "French" while the food at P&P was "global". That shouldn't be too surprising given the backgrounds of the two chefs. To echo the point Josh made in his comments, these are two restaurants with different targets. The diners at Pineapple and Pearls were mostly younger and Millennial/hipster-ish while most of the clientele at Metier seemed older, at least on the evening I was there. I really look forward to returning to Metier as the menu evolves. It's the kind of place where they make everyone feel like a VIP. That, more than anything else, is why I would recommend it.

I remember how well received this restaurant was when it first opened. Not only was it considered by many the best restaurant on H St., but one of the best restaurants in the city for modern American food. I had a great meal there around the time it was at the peak of its popularity. But that was before Rose's Luxury arrived and changed they way people thought about dining out in DC. And Maketto changed the way people thought about H St. With several new condos, restaurants, and Whole Foods arriving soon, the gentrification of H St is about to kick into full gear. It makes sense that they would close for retooling now before it's too late and they find themselves fading into irrelevance by a changing market.

I appreciate your brief review of this tasting. A friend and I are getting a reservation for later this month and are looking for all the intel we can find before we go. I like the Alinea-esque red circles on the menu. Are they part of the original menu? Or were they drawn on?

It just so happens that I prefer tasting menus to a la carte (under the right circumstances), so Pineapple and Pearls was right up my alley. I think it's the perfect place for anyone who has never done a tasting menu or has been intimidated by fine dining in the past. One evening here could possibly turn them onto these kinds of experiences going forward. It's that awesome.