The Source - Explain to me why I waited so long to go?

The Source

575 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest

  Washington, DC 20001

(202) 637-6100

5/5/12

 I knew Scott Drewno was one of the best chefs in town.  I knew the source was one of the top restaurants in town.  For the life of me, I can't explain why it took me so long to get here.

I know the first time I scheduled myself to go I got side tracked and didn't make it.  Naturally, I called and cancelled my reservation, but no one said, "Man, you screwed up.  Get back there."  I won't make the same mistake again.  So, on to the food.  Above you'll notice the perfectly formed cones filled with spicy tuna tartar and bonito.  These can be a bit tricky to eat, but the flavors combined in this crunchtastic creation are out of this world.  I've had them at charity events where Scott Drewno was a participant and they were great, but he saves fantastic for the restaurant.

This is the Arctic Char.The skin was crispy and the fish cooked to perfection.

The pork belly was full of porky goodness and topped with some thin and crispy skin.

This plate of various dumplings was masterful.  I'm ruined forever for all other dumplings.  Each had a unique flavor/texture/look and each was better than the previous.

We thought dinner was over after this one.  The softshells were perfect.

But then came some wide noodles with a single, perfect piece of pork belly.  My wife ate hers, turned to me and said, "Why can't you cook pork belly like this?" I answered that I wasn't Chef Drewno.  Way to talk to your husband on your anniversary aye?  It was the best piece of pork belly I've had in a long time...since Table 21 at Volt if I remember correctly.  It was so tender I have no idea how they kept it together long enough to plate it.  It literally melted in my mouth.

We were just about to ask them to stop bringing food out when they showed up with this.  Lacquered Duck with a steamed pork bun.  The bun was sweet and puffy with just enough substance to it to hold the filling.

The duck looked beautiful and the fat had been rendered just enough that it wasn't greasy, but the meat was still moist and tender.  The skin was crispy.  Awesome.

A wonderful way to spend an anniversary dinner.  It's pricey, but you've got to splurge once in a while to remind yourself why you work so hard! 

We did the wine pairings with dinner.  There were a couple of stand-outs and I highly recommend getting them.  The server was well-versed on them and explained what it was they were looking to achieve with each pairing.  Much appreciated.

A note on the service:  We were served by a gaggle of people, but our main guy was named Nick.  I would recommend that you go there and ask for him as he was perfect, but he's moving to the west coast with his significant other and will be taking a job at RN74.  If you make it out there, ask for him.  He's the kind of server that takes a great meal and completes a dining experience.

Well done Chefs Drewno and Puck.