By How do you choose which restaurants you dine at for dinner? Is it price? Is it variety? Is it notoriety? I have an excel spreadsheet with over 500 restaurants written down regarding why I want to dine there, costs, and what I want to order. I think we forget the reason we go to restaurants is because we saw something on the menu that intrigued us. Kind of like a Tinder swipe. There’s a reason why you swiped right, right? You saw something that looked appealing, and it’s only a matter of time before you get to experience it. Well, let’s hope your food experience is more enjoyable than one of a dating site.
Kinship, a One Michelin Star restaurant, is located off of 7th St in Washington, D.C. It specializes in a unique American cuisine that emphasizes classic dishes in chic surroundings. I’ve wanted to dine at this establishment for months and finally had the opportunity to. Let’s just say, the expectations that I had for this place far more exceeded them. The interior of this restaurant is one of elegance. A quiet, dim-lit restaurant, that is meticulous with everything that goes on around. You take a sip of water, and before you can look up, it’s filled to the top. Excellent. Besides, I drink a lot of water. It’s embarrassing tracking someone down just to let them know I need water for their dry chicken.
During my visit I was able to indulge in four dishes. The Soft Shell Crab, Lobster French Toast, Squab, and Chicken. I’ll start off with the Soft Shell Crab. It consisted of Cucumber and pickled ramp salsa, shiso pesto, and Song Family Sesame Oil. Soft Shell Crab at first glance is one where you ask yourself, “Do I just eat the whole thing? Including the outside of it?” Well, the answer to your question is yes. Soft Shell Crabs are usually fried in vegetable oil and lightly seasoned. They have a very unique taste as they are generally sweet and have an ocean flavor. The Cucumber and Pickled Ramp Salsa are the ingredients that stole the show. This was a sweet and savory dish. The cucumber and pickled added a much sweet flavor to the dish and the pesto with Sesame Oil added the garlic flavoring. This was a dish I was thoroughly pleased with.
The next dish that was ordered was the Lobster French Toast. I never had Lobster French Toast and was intrigued by the thought of both of them being together. The dish consisted of Lobster (duh), Marinated Rhubard and Cucumber and Sesame Mousse. This dish was very delicate and buttery. The Lobster was packed with meat and the Cucumber and Sesame Mousse added a savory, but sweet flavor to it. Rhubard is a very undemanding perennial vegetable. Wrongly, Rhubarb is often counted among the fruit species. It has a fruity taste that’s mainly used in desserts, but to use it with Lobster and French Toast was genius. This was one of the best dishes I’ve ever had.
The third dish that was ordered was the Pan Seared California Squab. It consisted of Hand Cut Tagliatelle, Squab Liver, and Foie Gras. This dish isn’t generally something you’d order everyday so consider ordering it if it’s on the menu. A lot of people generally shy away from Foie Gras because it’s the liver of a fattened goose or duck that’s been Gavaged. Squab isn’t on everyone’s list either because it’s pigeon. When you mention pigeon to someone the first thing they think of is the birds that fly away from you in an over-crowded metropolitan city. This is a bit different. These pigeons are farm raised and bred with the finest of vegetables, grains, or fruits. The overall dish was amazing because of its uniqueness. The Tagliatelle was definitely made from a persons hands who cares about your well being, because it was some of the best pasta I’ve had in my life. The Squab is generally prepared medium rare to a medium so if it’s your first time trying it, make sure you order it medium well, otherwise the pink may freak you out a bit. I enjoy eating a dish the way a chef suggest it, but some dishes shouldn’t be eaten raw or under-cooked. I’ve heard of people eating chicken sashimi. Disgusting.
The last dish that was ordered was Kinship Roasted Chicken. It consisted of Lemon Garlic Panade, Pommes Rissolees, and Frise Salad. This was some of the most moist chicken I’ve had. It doesn’t top the chicken that I’ve had in my life, but was good nonetheless. The lemon flavor that was included with the Garlic Panade was a good touch to the dish, because it went well with the bitter flavor of the Frise Salad. They provide a generous amount of Fried Potatoes to go with this dish, so your stomach will definitely leave on a full note. Chicken is such a boring dish, but I had to order it because it’s one of those things that remain on the menu. It takes exactly one hour and ten minutes to prepare then brought out to you whole so you can see it, then the chef cuts it up into quarters.
Overall, this restaurant is a must-go. The overall flavors of each dish, combined with the ambiance, and the experience is one for the ages. If you’re significant other made a mistake this is a great way for them to make up for it!
SavoryTravels 