Having been impressed with Chef Susur Lee’s NY restaurant, Shang, I was eagerly awaiting the opening of Zentan at the Donovan House Hotel. DC, like most other cities has its share of Asian fusion establishments, but Lee’s forward and creative style would be something I would consider to be newish to the city. Now that Zentan has been open for a few months now, there have been mixed reviews on the food and service but I think overall it’s been a success and continues to draw a lively crowd, especially on the weekends. My personal experience lands me in the food and service could use some improvement camp, but it is one of the more exciting dining spots around and will surely be back.

Cost – $$$

Service – C
The wait staff and managers were very pleasant but they clearly needed to communicate better about who was doing and responsible for what. We had multiple servers ask to take our order for drinks and food more than once which isn’t necessarily a bad thing depending on where you go, but I expected more from a place like Zentan.

Food – B
While looking over the menu, almost everything sounded very good but after the meal, I felt somewhat underwhelmed. I tasted the potential with a couple of dishes but a few items fell short including the Singapore Slaw. It’s a signature dish and people seem to love it so I am probably in the minority here. On a positive note, the cocktails were interesting and inventive.

Décor – A
The creative fare is strongly complimented by the ambiance and décor of the restaurant – dark, sleek, trendy and minimal (although some of the seating areas were spaced a bit too close together). The hanging flat metal sheet with candles in the center of the space was an especially attractive piece. The lounge and the sushi bar were also nice dining alternatives.

Feel – B
Zentan aimed to be something different and I really think it’s well on the way to achieving that. The ambiance is cool, the noise level is chatty, and diners seem to be having fun. If the service and food can rise to the décor, I wouldn’t mind coming back on a regular basis.

Zentan, located in the Dononvan House is at 1155 14th St NW. They can be reached at (202) 379-4366.

Cost – $$

Service – A-
It’s fantastic.  They are always friendly and seem happy to see me.

Food – B+
I wouldn’t place it in the top-tier of area sushi restaurants but it is certainly not something to frown down upon.  It is good enough.

Decor – B+
It has a quaint, Japanese middle-of-the-road aesthetic going on that works for me.

Feel – B+
Yosaku is definitely more of a neighborhood joint.  It is not worth making the trip up to Tenleytown just for the restaurant but if you already happen to live in the area it is definitely a place to grab some good sushi on a weekday evening.

Yosaku Restaurant is located at 4712 Wisconsin Ave.  They can be reached at (202) 363-4453.

You have to start somewhere, so here goes:

Sushi Taro – I have to be honest and say I have never eaten at Sushi Taro but friend who I know and respect (well, maybe just know) swear by it so I have to assume its good. Also, one day when some friends and I needed wasabi (for a non-sushi dish) they sold be a small plastic ramican of wasabi for one dollar so that was pretty cool.

Sake Club – Not to be confused with the once-cool Sake in Adams Morgan, Sake Club is a stylish little restaurant in Woodley Park that is Korean-owned and has a great sushi chef. The ambiance at the venue is also great so they get extra points for that.

Kotobuki – Kotobuki is buried in the Palisades otherwise I’d expect it to be much more well-known in DC. It’s also a (much) cheaper alternative to Makoto, which is directly underneath it and offers what many refer to as the best sushi in DC.

Perrys - Perrys is probably better known for its roof deck and transvestites but they have some pretty solid sushi as well. Actually, if you’re looking for a place that has top-notch sushi and top-notch transvestites I would say Perrys is your best option in DC.

Sushi-Ko – In addition to Sushi Taro, Sushi-Ko is normally considered to be one of the top sushi places in DC. It is much easier to get seating at Sushi-Ko and the prices are generally more affordable.

Makoto – As mentioned above, this small restaurant in Upper Georgetown is a retreat to Japanese tradition. Here, the food is excellent and the sushi and sashimi are literally pieces of art. Always go with the eight to ten tasting menu and be ready to check your shoes at the door.

Although I like Asian Fusion restaurants like Raku I’ve always been a bit dubious about restaurants that advertise themselves as sushi / [insert other asian cuisine] restaurants so even though I’ve walked by Thai Chef and Sushi Bar hundreds of times and admired the design I’ve never dropped by, opting for places like Regent Thai if I’m in the mood for Thai food and a place like Japone if I’m in the mood for sushi in the Dupont area. On a whim I decided to try Thai Chef and Sushi a couple of weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised.

Cost – $$

Service – B
Nothing memorable however they did accommodate my obsessive compulsive desire to switch tables at least two or three times when I first arrive, without batting an eyelash so they get some brownie points for that.

Food – A-
Actually I was pretty damn impressed with the sushi at Thai Chef. I probably would say it is even better than Japone but not as good as Sushi Taro. I had a few standard rolls and also tried a few of the specialty rolls. It was so much food I wasn’t even able to finish everything (admittedly my stomach had not made a full recovery from the previous night out).

Decor – B
I dig it. They open up the street-side wall when the weather is nice, giving the place a nice, open feel. inside, it is well conceived although my one complaint would be that they don’t create a lot of privacy with their seating. Our first table was literally pushed next to another couple and I felt like we were a foursome. Now, the flip side to that would have been if their conversation was something worth eavesdropping on but it wasn’t so we asked to be moved to a different table.

Feel – B+
It’s a fun place that attracts a diverse, younger clientele. I’d say it was a good spot for dinner on a weekday evening but maybe not the best destination for groups or a romantic dinner.

Thai Chef is located at 1712 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009.

Cost - $$

Service – B+
The service is solid.  The place doesn’t get excessively crowded and it is normally well staffed.

Food – A
It’s killer.  I would say just a step below Sushi Taro and a step above every other place in DC.  In fact this was one of the first places I’ve eaten in a while where I ordered a second serving and left feeling comfortably full.

Decor – C
Sushi-Ko is a bit spartan.  They’ve made a clear decision to focus on the quality of food as opposed to the exterior aesthetic quality of the restaurant.  There are loads of places in DC that have a slicker design but an inferior product and it’s my suspicion that over the long haul, product always is going to outweigh design so I would anticipate Sushi-Ko to be here for a long while.

Feel – A-
Sushi-Ko is more of a ‘dinner with friends’ spot than a ‘romantic evening with a significant other’ spot, which is a pretty good fit for its location in upper Georgetown / Glover Park.  If you’re looking for a ’scene’ it doesn’t really offer much however if you’re a sushi purist then it’s definitely worth the trip.

Sushi-Ko is located at 2309 Wisconsin Ave NW. They can be reached at (202) 333-4187.

There are a few safe bets for people looking for good Asian fusion in the DC area and Raku definitely falls into this category. With two locations (that I know about) in Bethesda and Dupont Circle, Raku provides a consistent dining experience and lively ambiance that has made it a mainstay in DC.

Cost – $$

Service – B
Raku seems to have an entirely Asian workforce (On a side note – is it legal for a business to only hire Asians?) who can speak English with varying levels of proficiency. The service tends to be solid if not spectacular.

Food – B
For hardcore Asian cuisine aficionados, Raku is going to provide an average dining experience. They have Thai, Chinese, and Japanese dishes that individually don’t rank as well as restaurants that focus on these regions. However, the synthesis of all these different dishes provides a good menu and pretty good dining experience from a purely culinary standpoint.

Decor – B+
The decor is what differentiates Raku from most Asian fusion places and allows them to sell dishes at somewhat higher prices. It has a fun, open aesthetic that people seem to enjoy because the place is normally packed. I like the layout and design of the Bethesda location slightly more than the Raku in Dupont although the Dupont Raku has ample outdoor seating.

Feel – A-
As I mentioned previously, Raku consistently draws pretty decent-sized crowds and for good reason: they offer solid Asian food and a decent price in a fun environment. Their locations are also prime: in Dupont they are just off Connecticut and Bethesda they are right on Bethesda Row, so they have clearly made some pretty strategic decisions about location. Raku is a pretty safe bet for a weekday evening or dinner with friends.

Raku is located at 1900 Q St NW near Dupont and at 7240 Woodmont Ave in Bethesda.

The Mandarin Oriental is a relative newcomer to the DC area. The brand has a global reputation for luxury hotels and resorts and the DC venue doesn’t disappoint. There are two restaurants in the Mandarin Oriental: CityZen (which Dean reviewed a while back) and Café MoZU. Last night was actually my fourth trip to MoZu in the past year so I guess I must like it quite a bit.

Cost – $$$

Service – B+
I wouldn’t call it an elite wait staff but they are extremely polite and gracious and I have never had a negative experience with them.

Food – B-
Being Last night I sampled the Tyo fried chicken and a California roll to start, followed by the crispy wild salmon and light mushroom risotto, accompanied by a bottle of Riesling (I can’t recall the brand). The food is solid however it isn’t a real strength of the restaurant. The risotto was not cooked evenly and didn’t taste as though it was freshly prepared. The crispy salmon is good but I find myself dipping it in soy sauce. Now granted, I have pretty Asian taste buds but the sauce that accompanies the salmon (sort of a mild hollandaise) just doesn’t offer that much in the way of flavor and the salmon was a bit bland. Now I’m being a bit overly critical here but at the list prices they probably should be delivering a better overall product.

Decor – A-
MoZU was designed by Tony Chi, whose studio Tony Chi & Associates has a pretty impressive portfoilio that includes MObar (at the Mandarin Oriental in New York), Umu in London and Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant at the MGM Grand. The design of MoZU delivers a sexy and sophisticated layout that is helped by the incredible view of tidal basin.

Feel – A
This is the real reason you go to MoZU. If you are looking for top-tier sushi you should go to Taro. If you are looking for a sexy dining ambiance to take a date in DC you should go to MoZU. Go early and grab a drink at the Empress Lounge or sit out on the patio. Then head in (probably around 9 because there will be less families and kids at that point) for dinner afterwards.

Café MoZU is located in the Mandarin Oriental at 1330 Maryland Avenue, SW. They can be reached at (202) 787 6868.

What’s the Buzz:

August 8, 2005 – Café MoZU (ken’s rnr) – I thought the food and the service was on par for a fancy restaurant. I was there for Restaurant Week, so I didn’t check out the entire menu, but the summer tomato and avocado salad and black cod were super yummy. However, no rave would be complete without a few accompanying rants…so here they are (not necessarily in order): Full article…

Asia Nine is the latest endeavor by Boonrod Yotmanee and Nuthinepan Tantivejakul, the couple that runs Rice and Spice Thai Cuisine in Alexandria. As a person who spends most of their life in Penn Quarter, I was looking forward to the opening of a convenient restaurant with a selection of Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Thai cuisines. I had read that Asia Nine was going to be mid-priced and casual so on my first visit with Jiyan, I was a little surprised on how expansive and well put together the place was. Truth be told, the hooks for me here are the flat screen televisions at the bar, sushi and the extensive sake list.

Cost – $$

Service – B+
I have eaten here a number of times since the doors opened in March and the service has been consistently good. Like most new establishments, there are kinks that will have to be worked out but the attentive and friendly attitude of the staff as a whole makes up for it. Expect the grade for service to improve once the sushi chefs start taking sake bombs with me.

Food – C+
The drawback of restaurants, especially Asian ones, with menus that span a variety of cuisines (fusion aside). Although the food in general can be good, the offerings tend to be the more popular safe dishes. Asia Nine fits into that mold and the dishes and sushi range from pretty good to average. Some may find the number of salads on the menu a plus.

Decor – B
As I alluded to above, I have come to expect most casual Asian restaurants to be a little thrown together including decor that falls along those lines but Asia Nine differs here. The space is open with high ceilings but the use of red, gold and orange color palette helps maintain a comfortable feel. Overall, I would say it’s a stylish restaurant.

Feel – B
I recently had dinner on a weekend and the place was full with a good buzz. It was nice to see a diverse crowd of people that seem to range from people on a date to casual diners to those who looked like they were warming up for a night on the town. A consistent solid experience be it happy hour or a Saturday night dinner.

Asia Nine is located at 915 E Street NW. They can be reached at (202) 629-4355.

What’s the Buzz:

March 26, 2008 – Asia Nine (Washington Post) – “I haven’t seen cocktails in these colors since spring break!” A buddy makes a nostalgic, and accurate, point as three of us ease into dinner at the sweeping Asia Nine Bar and Lounge in Penn Quarter: Our spirit-laced drinks form a Day-Glo rainbow of pink, yellow and blue on the tabletop, which is all but hidden by multiple menus that have been distributed to each of us. Full article…

March 18, 2008 – Asia Nine (DCfabulous) – Penn Quarter location. Check. Sushi menu. Check. Looks of what can be a trendy place to have sushi. Check. Tables full of children and tourists…ummmmm. I have been waiting for Asia Nine to open for a long time. And I was excited when I stopped by last Wednesday for the soft opening. Full article…

Cafe Japone has been a favorite of mine for a while now so this review is long overdue. The venue is a bit of a hidden gem in DC – a two-story establishment it really is somewhat of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of sushi places in the DC area. The top floor offers a fairly laid-back sushi restaurant and bar complete with a karaoke stage. Walking into the downstairs bar however is sort of like entering a strange post-modern planetarium / lounge replete with billowy curtains, plush couches and a DJ booth.

Cost – $$

Service – B-
Cafe Japone doesn’t stake their claim on service. Actually their service can seem downright apathetic at times, as if to say, “This place is so cool we don’t even have to try very hard.” It is pretty cool though so I guess they don’t have to try that hard.

Food – B+
The sushi is pretty good. The sushi chefs are actually Japanese (as is the ownership) so they are really forced to represent appropriately. Actually in Dupont proper, I think the sushi is as good as it gets although it isn’t enough of a draw to bring people from all over the city in and of itself.

Decor – A-
As I mentioned in the preface to this review, Cafe Japone is a pretty funkified venue. Upstairs and downstairs are like night and day. The upstairs portion is not much different than any other sushi bar in the city – the downstairs portion is completely unique. I think the ownership decided to make the upstairs area the cash cow while making the downstairs portion more of a vanity project.

Feel – A-
It is one of my favorite venues in the Dupont Circle area. It is a good place for dinner or happy hour on weekdays, and a bit of a tucked-away gem for a weekend evening with friends. The lounge isn’t really so much of a social venue but offers intimacy and privacy for groups or couples.

Cafe Japone is located at 2032 P Street, NW. They can be reached at 202-223-1573.

What’s the Buzz:

May 6, 2007 – Cafe Japone (Clubhouse Lawyer) – I just have a few more weeks in DC, so I’m trying to do as much as I can as time permits. One of my co-workers is also leaving DC soon and this past Friday was her last day in the office. We had a sort of going away at Cafe Japone Saturday night. Full article…

Leftbank is one of the few ultra-modern establishments in Adam Morgan and is known to have a few faces, depending on when one visits. On one hand it is a French bistro that also serves brunch and sushi, on another, it is a lounge complete with with a dance floor and DJ playing a wide range of music from hip hop to international. One of the cool things about this place is that during the warmer months, they open up the front doors which gives the place an open feel. When I first came to DC almost three years ago, Leftbank was consistently packed on weekend nights and after a little bit of a slow down, I think the place has really picked up again. Leftbank also seems to be doing just fine as as a restaurant and special events venue.

Cost – $$

Service – B
From talking to others, comments from service range from being good to mediocre. I know the owner and manager so my experience has always been excellent.

Food – B
The food used to be sometimes inconsistent but a few months back, a new chef was hired and the food seems to be improved. The back sushi bar is pretty good and some of the sushi chefs really know how to make it fun for diners.

Decor – B
I really like the airy and open feel of the space which is complemented by a simple long three-sided bar. The orange banquettes and pieces of art add nice splashes of color to the minimalist decor. A good setting for brunch in colorful Adams Morgan.

Feel – B
I think Lefbank has picked it again and last time I popped in, it had a fun vibe which I was happy to see. For those seeking out an international crowd with international beats in Adams Morgan, Leftbank is a good choice. The open layout makes for a good dance floor so the nightly transition from a bar/restaurant into a club-like scene happens naturally.

Leftbank is located at 2424 18th St. NW. They can be reached at (202) 464-2100.