best food and wine in dc

Washington, D.C., is a hub for global affairs, so it’s no surprise that its dining is fit for leaders and dignitaries from around the world, offering both classic and innovative restaurants that shake up the culinary scene. In time for election season, here are 11 dining destinations whose wine lists offer impressive breadth and depth across many regions, styles and vintages. To check out more great wine dining spots across the globe, see Wine Spectator’s nearly 3,600 Restaurant Award–winning picks, including the 87 Grand Award recipients holding our highest honor. Four Seasons Hotel Washington, 2800 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.lunch, Monday to Friday Best of Award of Excellence Based in the heart of Georgetown at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, Bourbon Steak’s D.C. location has earned a Best of Award of Excellence since 2009. Choose from an array of beef cuts, as well as elk tenderloin, venison fillet, bison rib eye and an assortment of oak-fired fish, on chef Joe Palma’s menu.
Wine director Julian Mayor oversees the 700-selection list, with strengths in California, Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne, rounded out by several dozen large-format bottles. 777 Sixth St. N.W. Open Dinner, Monday to Saturday There are plenty of wine bars to choose from in D.C., but few have the breadth and depth of Best of Award of Excellence winner Flight in Chinatown. Wine directors Swati Bose and Kabir Amir oversee the 475-selection list, which features strengths in France, Italy and California, as well as offerings from countless wine regions around the globe, to pair with chef Brendon Mahon’s contemporary Italian dinner menu. True to its name, the restaurant provides flight options spanning nine pages, as well as a selection of choice fine and rare pours accessed via a Coravin wine preservation system, which allows drinkers to sample a wine without removing the bottle's cork. 601 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. Just blocks from the National Mall, between the White House and the Capitol, you’ll find Best of Award of Excellence winner Fiola, the flagship restaurant of chef-owner Fabio Trabocchi.
A native of Italy's Marche region, Trabocchi aims to capture the authenticity of regional Italian cooking in dishes such as seared foie gras with poached pears and balsamic, Nova Scotia lobster bisque, and aged mulard duck with kumquats. best wine tours usaWine director Casper Rice guides the 1,375-selection list, which focuses on Piedmont, Tuscany, Burgundy, Bordeaux and California, including more than 60 options in half-bottle.best wine for vegetarian food 750 15th St. N.W.good red wine for 30 dollars Open Lunch and dinner, dailybest wine boxes 2014 uk Though there are three Best of Award of Excellence–winning locations of Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab across the country, only one is steps from the White House. best wine not too expensive
Kevin Bratt guides the wine program at the D.C. location, which features 445 selections, with strengths in California, Italy, France and Spain to pair with your choice of steak or seafood. best nc red wineIn addition to its lunch and dinner hours, the restaurant is also open for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, when it offers half-priced wines by the glass.top italian wine companies 1601 14th St. N.W.best wine regions united states Craving classic French bistro cuisine in D.C.? top italian wine companiesTry Award of Excellence winner Le Diplomate in Logan Circle. There, chef Mike Abt’s menu includes comforting favorites such as moules frites, steak au poivre and onion soup gratinée to be enjoyed in the classic café atmosphere, with seating “en plein air” on warmer days.
Wine director Erik Segelbaum’s moderately priced, 340-selection list offers strengths in France and California. 2401 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. In the West End, Best of Award of Excellence winner Marcel’s infuses French fare with Belgian influences, a nod to owner and chef Robert Wiedmaier’s background. The prix fixe menu spans from four to seven courses, with optional caviar service, though tasting-menu dishes are also offered à la carte. Wine director Ramon Narvaez champions French wines on the 580-selection list, with particular depth in Burgundy, Champagne and California. For those who prefer beer to bubbly, the restaurant also offers a large selection of Belgian brews, including Wiedmaier’s own double blonde ale, Antigoon. The Jefferson, 1200 16th St. N.W. Open Dinner, Tuesday to Saturday For a D.C. dining experience that’s truly presidential, head downtown to Best of Award of Excellence winner Plume. Located at the historic Jefferson Hotel, the restaurant pays homage to the wine-loving third president’s tastes in both its dinner and beverage menus, including dishes inspired by the harvest from his kitchen gardens at Monticello and a vast array of Madeiras dating back to the mid-1800s.
Wine director Jennifer Knowles oversees the 1,375-selection list, emphasizing Burgundy, the Rhône, Champagne, Italy, Bordeaux and Germany, plus plenty of local favorites from Virginia. 775 G St. N.W.lunch, Tuesday to Friday -link to TT where Brent Kroll joined team A gem of the Penn Quarter, Proof has earned a Best of Award of Excellence since 2012. Cheese and charcuterie offerings fill two full pages of chef Jason Kuller’s contemporary American menu, and guests are encouraged to share and sample a variety of small and large plates. California, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne and the Rhône are major focuses on wine director Joseph Quinn’s 1,200-selection list, which features verticals of many cult classics, including Screaming Eagle and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. D.C. wine leader Brent Kroll, formerly the wine director of Iron Gate Restaurant and Vermillion, has taken over as the restaurant’s general manager, specializing in the operations side of the wine program.
Park Hyatt Washington, 1201 24th St. N.W. Award of Excellence winner Blue Duck Tavern in Georgetown focuses on serving seasonal, locally sourced American cuisine, including dishes such as wood oven–roasted bone marrow, mojo-marinated quail, and squash bouillabaisse with fluke, clams and mussels. The wine list highlights California and France, and also features a smattering of local wines from Virginia, New York and Maryland. Of the 350 selections offered, more than 40 are available by the glass. 1734 N St. N.W. In a historic property in the heart of Dupont Circle, Iron Gate Restaurant serves Mediterranean cuisine inspired by Greece and Italy. From chef Anthony Chittum, tasting menu options are offered in four and six courses, with optional wine pairings in addition to the à la carte menu. The 210-selection list has earned an Award of Excellence since 2010, championing indigenous grape varieties from regions across the two countries, and for the less wine-inclined, more than 30 bottles of beer and cider round out the beverage list.