Dinner in Penn Quarter - where is really good right now?

[captcourt]

Friends are in town later this week, staying at the Monaco, and we want to get dinner.  I have a couple of places in mind that are NOT in PQ, but would welcome your suggestions for PQ/PQ-adjacent places that are killing it as much, or mostly as much, as they did pre-pandemic.  I've had a couple of less than stellar meals recently at places that I generally used to enjoy, but I'm not naming any names given the awful circumstances.

TIA for any help!

[Bart]

I'm a big fan of Cranes and their Omakase meal.  It was the last place I ate before the pandemic and the the first place I ate at (during and) after the pandemic. 

I was looking up and down for a fun and interesting place to take my daughter for a celebratory post graduation meal and I kept coming back to this place.  To me it hit the sweet spot between great and interesting (and beautiful) food at a reasonable price point.  Plus it's actually open, unlike P&P, Komi, minibar etc, (and all of those places cost significantly more than Cranes and would have been off the list for that reason).

Don't know where your friends are coming from, but how many places have a high end mash up of Spanish and Japanese?!?!?  I love the crazy and wonderful options we have in this town!!!

[captcourt]

10 hours ago, Bart said:

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Don't know where your friends are coming from, but how many places have a high end mash up of Spanish and Japanese?!?!?  I love the crazy and wonderful options we have in this town!!!

-- end snip --

 

Thanks, Bart!  My friends are coming from LA.  I also love the crazy and wonderful options we have here, and I appreciate the recommendation.

[dracisk]

The Cranes omakase meal with wine pairings was my first post-full vaccination fine dining restaurant meal in June. I agree it's delicious and unique! The service was also great. I'm not a big sake fan and I wish the wine pairings were heavier on the grape wines, but that's a personal preference thing.