Kinkead's

2000 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington DC
202-296-7700
http://www.kinkead.com/kinkead/kinkead.htm
Map

Highly Recommended

Located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of DC, close to Washington Circle, Kinkead’s shares a food court with 8 or so other establishments collectively called “The Restaurants at 2000 Pennsylvania Ave”.

There are three distinct personalities to Kinkead’s. The first is the white collar, après work bar scene which is crowded and loud without much room to move. With that said I was not left thirsty by the very attentive and observant bartenders who were not too busy to quickly get me my beer of choice (poured into a closely examined glass) with a dish of mixed nuts. The second is the first flood dining experience. Tables are available just a few feet away from the bar but situated in such away that, although you can still hear and see the activity, you have a comfortable feeling of separation and it is quiet enough to carry on dinner conversation. The third personality is located upstairs. I did not have the opportunity to do up and look around but I am told it is a more upscale dining experience using the same menu as downstairs.

We did not have a reservation but there was no problem seating 5 of us at 7:00 on a Wednesday evening. Bread, butter and wine were served quickly and efficiently. The menu had many choices that were appealing, though I won’t go into specifics; the menu changes nightly. The menu is heavily focused on seafood. From the appetizer menu, notables were the variety of oysters from the raw bar (sadly none from my home town of Wellfleet MA, though they did feature Wellfleet Littlenecks), butter poached lobster and tuna tartar. There were also butternut raviolis and other non-fish selections. I choose the grilled squid with creamy polenta, tomato fondue and pesto. This was an amazing dish! The grilled squid was an 8 inch piece of solid squid tentacle (I assume) cooked perfectly, with a crisp exterior and tender, solid inside. The tomato and pesto added just enough herb and acid to brighten the squid without overwhelming the subtle flavor. I wish I had asked about what kind of squid they used; it was truly a unique experience for me.

The entrée menu again focused on seafood, ranging from simply grilled fish to pan roasted scallops, seared tuna and crispy black flounder. From the meat side of the menu I honestly only remember my entrée which was the braised short rib. This entrée was as close to perfection as one could reasonably expect. A large, meaty, succulent, unctuous short rib set on a bed of whipped sweet potato and sided with roasted baby parsnips. The dish was sauced with a mildly sweet reduction that performed admirably highlighting the entrée without clawing my pallet. I was in heaven! The only negative I could come up with is that the sweet potatoes had been salted a bit too aggressively. Aside from that minor transgression all I can say is “WOW”!

I passed on dessert but my friends had no such will power. I saw the Trio of Crèmes Brulees and the Molten Bittersweet Chocolate Cake. Both looked beautiful and my friends assured me they were delicious.

The downturn of the evening is when it was time to leave. We had enjoyed a wonderful meal and were anxious to return to our respective hotels but our server was no where to be found. After a 15 minute wait, looking around the restaurant for our waiter like a table of Meerkats we saw him go out the front door with his coat on. We flagged down the Maitre d’ to get our bill. The server who delivered our bill apologized saying “We thought you had already paid…” Unfortunately it took us about 40 minutes just to settle the bill.

Kinkead’s is not inexpensive. Dinner ran us about $80 each (not including wine which was provided by a generous friend at the table) but it was worth every penny. The minor issues with a bit too much salt and a server who probably had to pick a kid up at the baby sitter’s did not detract from the evening or the value at all. $80 for dinner is not a high price to pay for the high quality and innovative menu and fun atmosphere. You can easily pay that price and receive much less.