Kinship - The Upstairs Portion Of Eric Ziebold's New Mount Vernon Square Location, 7th and K Street NW

[youngfood]

12 hours ago, DonRocks said:

*Great* review, youngfood, and much obliged for the hat-tip (I wish I could take original credit for it, but it might have been Eric who urged me to try it the first time).

Serious question: I don't think you can cherry-pick things - such as Métier being #1 - from Listicles in isolation (this is a general comment, and I'm not trying to bust on Washingtonian - I've dined with Ann and Cynthia, and am quite fond of them both). That said, how do you reconcile Kinship not being in the Top 25?

I haven't closely review Washingtonian's new top 100 yet, but their listing Kinship at 27 is a clear error.  I can't say I know the number 1 restaurant in town from the number 5 and there are increasingly many great restaurants here, but there's no legitimate way to explain why Kinship was not in their top 25.  I think someone else pointed out that Rose's Luxury is also lower than you might expect and suggested that perhaps the Washingtonian folks weren't inclined to list two restaurants from the same team near the top of the list.  That's the only plausible explanation I can see here.  For example, I've enjoyed All Purpose and really liked Chiko on our one visit there, but I would never put either one of them over Kinship. 

[DanielK]

I'm not sure I could justify it being out of the top TEN, much less 25.

[Pool Boy]

Kinship is also one of our favorites. I prefer kinship over Metier to be honest. 

[funkyfood]

we got dinner at the bar last night. Everything was great (the hostess even scouted out two seats for us when it was full) but two main observations: the drinks here are much better than they used to be and that chicken is not only still by far the best roast chicken in DC, it's also on the very short list of best dishes in DC.  

[Pool Boy]

3 hours ago, funkyfood said:

we got dinner at the bar last night. Everything was great (the hostess even scouted out two seats for us when it was full) but two main observations: the drinks here are much better than they used to be and that chicken is not only still by far the best roast chicken in DC, but it's also on the very short list of best dishes in DC.  

Their cocktails are super - I love a place that really makes sure they focus on this stuff.

[Pool Boy]

We had an excellent meal here a week ago. Indulged in the menu quite a bit and were not disappointed at all.

We've always loved Kinship, and it will, in the absence of Frank & Aggie having a current gig, be where we go when we need to scratch the itch of an needing the entire package of an excellent meal.

[Rovers2000]

My wife and I went out (a less frequent occurrence now that we have 3 kiddos) for our anniversary last Sunday and were very very pleased we chose to do so at Kinship.  

We arrived early for our 830 reservation and enjoyed a couple drinks at the bar - a pear themed fall cocktail for her and a glass of chenin blanc for me.  The bar was relatively empty but the dining room was humming even on a Sunday so it was a really nice, relatively sedate, way to start the evening.

Upon finishing our drinks we were informed that our table was ready and escorted from the bar to our table in the back corner of the dining room.  As an aside, in the future I’ll definitely try and grab one of the private booths right off the bar.  I thought those looked terrific and should’ve heeded the advice of others in the thread above and snagged one.  A nice touch was a little card awaiting us on the table wishing us a happy anniversary from the staff.

For our meal we shared 3 courses and a desert, complemented by two excellent half bottles of wine (a nice dry Riesling and an excellently chosen Pinot Noir):

-Squid Agilio e Olio - I literally (and my wife would’ve fought me for it) could’ve eaten a giant bowl of this.  Extremely light and dressed so that the squid really shined (and texturally was perfect).  We gobbled this up before my wife had a chance to snap a picture.  

-Lobster French Toast - I agree with Don that this dish doesn’t totally represent the “best of” Kinship due to its overall decadence.  That said - we both really enjoyed splitting it (for me, it would’ve been too rich to eat by myself).  I found the “french toast” to be a nice compliment to the perfectly cooked lobster I also thought it was a perfect size.

-Roasted Chicken - I had to convince my wife go this route and man, she was pretty thrilled we did.  I don’t believe I’ve ever had a chicken dish of any sort that rivals what we had (and I’d include Palena’s in this).  The panade was incredible and I liked the way they shredded the dark meat over the frisée salad.  I accompanying potatoes (I wonder if they use the par boil with baking soda technique to get the crusts the way they are) and parker house roles served as nice compliments to the roasted bird.  

- BlackRock Orchard Baked Apple - we paired this with the excellent coffee service (its worth getting to echo everyone’s statements above) with this fall focused desert (despite it being 80 degrees outside).  The apple may have been slightly underdone - but otherwise this was another excellent dish.  I really was surprised at how much I enjoyed the “bay mouse” that served as the base.  

Despite some absolutely atrocious behavior from a customer nearby, I was also extremely impressed by the staff at Kinship from both a warmth and an overall level of service perspective, even late on a Sunday evening.  Additionally - from a cost perspective, getting out of there after having the amount and quality of the food we ordered plus two very nice half bottles of wine for 160 pp (including tax and tip) felt like an excellent deal (not cheap certainly, but more than fair in my opinion).  I really look forward to returning.

[saf]

I love this place. However... (you knew that was coming, right?)

Last Friday, 4 of us tried to go for dinner at the bar. We checked on the website, facebook, and twitter, and saw no reason not to go. Got their hours and arrived at opening. 

Seems they were closed for a private event, but had not put information out there to prevent folks from making the trip. I feel stupid doing this, but now I think we have to call before trying to go every time.

Good thing Corduroy is so close!

[NolaCaine]

4 hours ago, saf said:

Last Friday, 4 of us tried to go for dinner at the bar. We checked on the website, facebook, and twitter, and saw no reason not to go. Got their hours and arrived at opening. 

Seems they were closed for a private event, but had not put information out there to prevent folks from making the trip. I feel stupid doing this, but now I think we have to call before trying to go every time.

I went to a conference in Boston over the summer and this happened to me TWICE! I know BIO was in town and for one of the nights (of 3) I was on the dance-cards of various organizations. Seriously thought of just lying. In retrospect, why didn't I? 

[saf]

1 minute ago, NolaCaine said:

I went to a conference in Boston over the summer and this happened to me TWICE! 

Wow. That's amazingly annoying. 

I feel like this is a bit more prone to happen to us, since we tend to eat at the bar when possible, so don't always have reservations. Still, some notice out there seems sensible to me, unless you are a reservations only place.

[youngfood]

15 minutes ago, saf said:

I love this place. However... (you knew that was coming, right?)

Last Friday, 4 of us tried to go for dinner at the bar. We checked on the website, facebook, and twitter, and saw no reason not to go. Got their hours and arrived at opening. 

Seems they were closed for a private event, but had not put information out there to prevent folks from making the trip. I feel stupid doing this, but now I think we have to call before trying to go every time.

Good thing Corduroy is so close!

That's a bummer, but this facebook post from Friday, October 12, at 1:33 pm states that they Kinship would be closed for a private event that night. 

[saf]

2 minutes ago, youngfood said:

That's a bummer, but this facebook post from Friday, October 12, at 1:33 pm states that they Kinship would be closed for a private event that night. 

Well there's the problem. We had checked the night before, when confirming time to meet. That seems a little late to me.

[MichaelBDC]

The Crispy Pommes Anna on the current menu is outstanding!  I would go to the bar just to get that...assuming they serve it at the bar.  Great for sharing if you're willing to after the first bite.

[eatruneat]

16 hours ago, MichaelBDC said:

The Crispy Pommes Anna on the current menu is outstanding!  I would go to the bar just to get that...assuming they serve it at the bar.  Great for sharing if you're willing to after the first bite.

The rest of our meal there consisted of the Crispy Jerusalem Artichokes, Moulard Duck Foie Gras Confit, Pan Seared Venison Loin, Vietnamese Banana Fritters, Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit, and a special off menu ice cream sandwich for my birthday. Everything was perfectly cooked, but the standouts were the Pommes Anna and the Foie Gras Confit. The richness of the foie gras was a perfect accompaniment to the butter pickle savoy cabbage. @MichaelBDC who generally doesn't even take a bite of dessert much less order his own, polished off the Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit on his own. We shared a bottle of Crozes-Hermitage, which we thoroughly enjoyed. One of the best meals we have had in a long long time and one of the few outings where we felt our dinner was worth every penny. 

[DonRocks]

The only reason Michelin shouldn't rate Kinship two stars is because there's Métier (sometime this year, Métier will be receiving a special dcdining.com rating).

Look at this bounty (and this is only part of it):

[Pool Boy]

On 4/12/2019 at 2:46 PM, DonRocks said:

The only reason Michelin shouldn't rate Kinship two stars is because there's Métier (sometime this year, Métier will be receiving a special dcdining.com rating).

Look at this bounty (and this is only part of it):

We only ever went to Metier once. It was very good. Really good. But I found that I far preferred Kinship. We all have our preferences.

[Tweaked]

Kinship 2.0 sets sail for Honolulu.  March 2020 (but you know how that goes)

[DanielK]

Too bad invites to the soft opening won't include airplane tickets...

[squidsdc]

On 5/7/2019 at 10:45 AM, DanielK said:

Too bad invites to the soft opening won't include airplane tickets...

I think I have enough miles - and we are due for a trip back there! Definitely something to look forward to, though not for the opening...

[Pool Boy]

We were here in the last week for a special meal. Happy to see our favorite FOH guy at Metier, but sad we could not experience him in Kinship. Such a great meal.

[naxos]

We enjoyed a terrific dinner last night. Although we had studied the menu last week, we were happily surprised by a new one. The service and food were perfect!

The sautéed rouget atop a white gazpacho cream was a great pairing of cold and hot. I am a fan of the lobster French toast to share and was not disappointed. 

Lamb and sweetbreads were perfect. Chef is a master of temperature and textures and of course taste. 

Almost too full for Dessert and coffee but we persevered.

I was intrigued by the small hammer and found this very interesting information from the hammer museum 

https://www.hammermuseum.org/hammer-highlight-toffee-hammers-and-suffragettes

[Bart]

On 3/5/2020 at 1:17 PM, mtureck said:

Compare the original (attached) with today.  

Wow, I see your point.....sort of.  Is the wording on the menu really the make or break decision on going to a restaurant?!!?

 From a related menu "scandal" I remember when Kinship first opened there was a lot of chatter about the way their menu was laid out and how "confusing" it was to some people.  I always felt if the Kinship menu was to difficult to grasp, then you're probably not qualified to eat there.  Then again, I'm a bit obnoxious.   

[DonRocks]

6 hours ago, Bart said:

 From a related menu "scandal" I remember when Kinship first opened there was a lot of chatter about the way their menu was laid out and how "confusing" it was to some people.  I always felt if the Kinship menu was to difficult to grasp, then you're probably not qualified to eat there.  Then again, I'm a bit obnoxious.   

How's this?

KinshipChicken.pdf

[Bart]

I just got the email about that today.  I did a double take at the price!!  30 bucks for a dinner at Kinship?!?!?!  Cray cray!  I'd be all over it but I have a conflict on Wednesday 

[DanielK]

That dinner was sold out within seconds of the email going out.

Luckily, I was able to grab a table off the waitlist at 6pm. Anyone else going?

[saf]

On 3/10/2020 at 12:13 PM, DanielK said:

That dinner was sold out within seconds of the email going out.

Luckily, I was able to grab a table off the waitlist at 6pm. Anyone else going?

I did not manage to get a table off the waitlist. Sad.

[DanielK]

6 hours ago, saf said:

I did not manage to get a table off the waitlist. Sad.

Wish I would have seen this earlier. On social media today they announced that they would open tables at Metier, and I saw at least one walk-in.

[saf]

21 hours ago, DanielK said:

Wish I would have seen this earlier. On social media today they announced that they would open tables at Metier, and I saw at least one walk-in.

Oh wow.

So how was it?

[DanielK]

You don't want me to make you that jealous, I assure you.

[Bart]

Pop up note on their website:

Dine In Service Will Be Unavailable Starting Tuesday, March 17

To Go Service Will Be Offered Beginning Wednesday, March 18

Given the mandate issued by the DC government, Kinship and Métier will be closed until further notice. This is an effort to navigate uncertain times and to protect our team members, guests and community.

[DonRocks]

4 hours ago, washingtony said:

Equinox is open and delivering really fantastic meals.  They're putting out a weekly menu and you order directly from them and they deliver it.  (No messing around with a delivery service--from what I can tell, they're using their own staff to try to keep them employed.)  We went all out last night and got four courses each (so much food!)  We especially loved the fusilli and the jambalaya (smokey and satisfying), but it was all really good.  

I'd also like to put a plug in for the jambalaya at Kinship (which isn't being served this week, I just checked the menu), having had both the chicken and the jambalaya for take-out. The jambalaya kept really well overnight in the fridge (and it's really something of a seafood paella when you reheat it in the oven). The chicken isn't what you'd get while dining inside (you get a whole, uncut chicken, and the leg meat isn't mixed into a salad, although you get (strangely good) iceburg lettuce with world-class dressing (it has sweetness from preserved orange). Eric helped bring my food out the other night - damn he can cook (he's apparently changing part of the menu each week!), but I can tell he has been shaken by this situation. Also, the $40 white wine is great, and the $40 red wine was too (and I don't say that often about California reds). I'll tell you what though: The breast meat of that chicken (which you'll need to carve off), with the lemon-garlic panade underneath the skin, is just as good as what you get in the restaurant, and the pommes rissolées are also (you may need to reheat both in the oven). 

[DIShGo]

7 hours ago, DonRocks said:

I'd also like to put a plug in for the jambalaya at Kinship (which isn't being served this week, I just checked the menu), having had both the chicken and the jambalaya for take-out. The jambalaya kept really well overnight in the fridge (and it's really something of a seafood paella when you reheat it in the oven). The chicken isn't what you'd get while dining inside (you get a whole, uncut chicken, and the leg meat isn't mixed into a salad, although you get (strangely good) iceburg lettuce with world-class dressing (it has sweetness from preserved orange). Eric helped bring my food out the other night - damn he can cook (he's apparently changing part of the menu each week!), but I can tell he has been shaken by this situation. Also, the $40 white wine is great, and the $40 red wine was too (and I don't say that often about California reds). I'll tell you what though: The breast meat of that chicken (which you'll need to carve off), with the lemon-garlic panade underneath the skin, is just as good as what you get in the restaurant, and the pommes rissolées are also (you may need to reheat both in the oven). 

I LOVED the jambalaya. I will go back for it when its on the menu again!

[DonRocks]

"Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."
-- 1 Corinthians 15:32

Olive Oil Baked Cod ($28)

Duck a l'Orange ($28)

Lunch bonus: Kale and Bean Soup ($8)

[youngfood]

Do they have any delivery options or are they pickup only?  

[DonRocks]

7 hours ago, youngfood said:

Do they have any delivery options or are they pickup only?  

Pickup only, Wed-Sat evenings. They sell out early (they're probably sold out for this week), so it's best to reserve early in the week.

Ugh, I went to pick up my food a couple nights ago, and it was so sad to walk inside - only one young cashier working in a darkish restaurant, and boxes of wine piled on top of the bar.

[youngfood]

On 4/3/2020 at 12:02 AM, DonRocks said:

Pickup only, Wed-Sat evenings. They sell out early (they're probably sold out for this week), so it's best to reserve early in the week.

Ugh, I went to pick up my food a couple nights ago, and it was so sad to walk inside - only one young cashier working in a darkish restaurant, and boxes of wine piled on top of the bar.

That is sad.  Our last pre-lockdown meal was there.  We didn't have a reservation, but had a feeling it we might be able to sneak in for an early meal at the bar and were right to think it might be a while before we were able to have another night out.  It looks like they're sold out for tonight, but can take a couple more orders tomorrow.  Kinship is a treasure and has an exceptional staff -- I hope they're all doing ok and can get back to regular business before too long.   

[DIShGo]

On 3/27/2020 at 4:22 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

Thought it might give each other ideas based on where and what you're ordering for take-out or delivery.  

We had Kinship's "Date Night" menu over the weekend. It was pricey, but we got our Friday and Saturday nights' dinners out of it, plus a Sunday snack! It even came with a candle, which I almost didn't use (until I remembered where I put my taper-candle holder when I moved here three years ago).

The food was fabulous, and it even came with plating/reheating instructions. It made the weekend feel like a weekend, for a change!

[Bart]

In anticipation of a carry out birthday dinner for my son tonight, here's some pics from way back on March 7th when he was home for spring break (longest spring break ever!).  I don't remember much on the specifics, but the meal was a great success and all the dishes were great and unique!

Lobster Stuffed Skate Wing - Pommes Boulangere, Melted Leeks and Watercress Gratin

Crepinette of Lamb Saddle - Cumin Roasted Carrots, Fregola and Spiced Pepper Sauce

Panko Crusted Black Bass - Shiitake Mushrooms, Yellow Chives, Garlic Chives, and Mushroom Consomme

The food looked better than the photos

[DonRocks]

1 hour ago, Bart said:

The food looked better than the photos

Here are some photos from Apr 24 (Date Night dinner for two) and May 16 (a simple two-course). Both the steak and tuna were great; the photos of them not so much:

Apr 24: 

May 16: 

And a dessert: 

[youngfood]

On 5/20/2020 at 5:16 PM, DonRocks said:

Here are some photos from Apr 24 (Date Night dinner for two) and May 16 (a simple two-course). Both the steak and tuna were great; the photos of them not so much:

Apr 24: 

May 16: 

And a dessert: 

These look amazing, remind me of our first Kinship to go, and have my mouth watering for the dinner we just ordered for tomorrow.  

I think I forgot to post about our first Kinship to go.  I'll just say that the chicken travels very well and that the personal touches that make Kinship so special somehow come through with the take out experience including some really detailed and thoughtful instructions for how to easily reheat and plate the meal at home.  Kinship has always been one of our favorite spots and it continues to be so during this period of take out only.  

[Pool Boy]

We ordered their 5 course take out date night this past Friday. Everything was labeled and marked so well. They even email you with final plating and assembly instructions. The only clustfcuk was managing the 20 or so folks all instructed to show up at the same time to pick up orders, but in the end all was well.

Let me tell you, it was quite fine. That said, for two people, indulgent stay at home date night or not it was way to much for two people, both of us helthy eaters. No matter, it mde for a good snack the next day and a warmed up delicious lunch earlier this week.

I'd do it again but just order what I wanted instead of So.Much.Food.

[DonRocks]

8 hours ago, Pool Boy said:

We ordered their 5 course take out date night this past Friday. Everything was labeled and marked so well. They even email you with final plating and assembly instructions. The only clustfcuk was managing the 20 or so folks all instructed to show up at the same time to pick up orders, but in the end all was well.

This week you wouldn't have been so fortunate:

[saf]

8 hours ago, DonRocks said:

This week you wouldn't have been so fortunate:

Oh, that's too bad. We were hoping to order again soon. I hope all is well with them.

[Bart]

1 hour ago, saf said:

Oh, that's too bad. We were hoping to order again soon. I hope all is well with them.

I think/hope everything is well with them, but they just didn't want to put employees or customers in harm's way trying to get to and from Kinship.  That's the way I read it anyway.

I completely support the (peaceful) protesters, but my heart bleeds for these poor restaurants who are fighting a crisis on at least three fronts:  shutdown due to the virus, government inaction and ineptitude and now riots in the streets.

[saf]

Just now, Bart said:

I think/hope everything is well with them, but they just didn't want to put employees or customers in harm's way trying to get to and from Kinship.  That's the way I read it anyway.

I completely support the (peaceful) protesters, but my heart bleeds for these poor restaurants who are fighting a crisis on at least three fronts:  shutdown due to the virus, government inaction and ineptitude and now riots in the streets.

I think that is probably correct, and I agree with you. 

[DonRocks]

4 hours ago, Bart said:

I think/hope everything is well with them, but they just didn't want to put employees or customers in harm's way trying to get to and from Kinship.  That's the way I read it anyway.

They're open again.

[DonRocks]

Carryout Menu, Aug 19-23:

[saf]

Oh my. We had Christmas Eve dinner from here tonight. So good.

This is the first Christmas Eve dinner we have ever had at home. We always go out. When we lived in Shaw, we went to Annie's, on 17th Street. A number of years we went to Ruppert's, on 7th (SO good). 1789 for many years. Ris twice (one very good, one very bad) Corduroy once (very very good).

You may remember that last year was my last straw year with 1789. So we were going to do Kinship this year. There are usually 5-8 of us. This year, only 2, and at home. So we did Kinship (the husband's favorite restaurant in the world).

We got the Prix Fixe menus - he had the beef, I had the chicken. So tasty. When we can dine in again, we shall be going here as soon as possible. And next year, next year, Christmas Eve will be here.

[eatruneat]

On 12/24/2020 at 10:10 PM, saf said:

We had Christmas Eve dinner from here tonight.

So jealous! We had wanted to do Kinship for our Christmas Eve Dinner too, but decided too late and they were sold out, so we went with Convivial instead. Walked by Kinship on our way to and from Convivial and saw that they were doing brisk to-go service. I am going to pretend we passed each other on 7th St. 

[saf]

3 hours ago, eatruneat said:

I am going to pretend we passed each other on 7th St. 

We picked up at 6. Brought it home. Did zoom church at 7, then reheated and ate.

And in classic donrockwell.com style, "Say hi next time!"