I was a bit uncertain as I walked down Calvert St. toward Open City. I was looking for New Heights, and what I saw was a slightly shabby awning on a narrow storefront. This, I thought, is nothing like Firefly. But I'd been tipped off. I was there to see a man named John Wabeck about some soft shell crabs. A few months ago, Wabeck left the kitchen at Firefly to escape conference calls and focus on the food. Clearly he saved up some of his creativity and put it into the menu at his old kitchen at New Heights, where he used to work.

Despite outward appearances, the interior is welcoming and modern. A lovely wood-paneled bar sits on the first level with a spacious dining room on the second floor. I settled in at the bar and placed my order. I started with the black bean rillettes with guacamole and a chipotle crema ($8.25), and was bowled over by its arrival in an adorable vacuum seal jar with small, toasted, buttered, baguette rounds: a presentation that reminded me of the small details I had seen at Firefly. The cool, creamy guacamole (more plain avocados than the fancy guacs one's used to seeing) provided a great foil to the roughly pureed black beans and tempered the unexpected kick from the chipotle crema.

The next course was the highly anticipated soft shell crabs (one crab - $14, two - $28) with cucumber, fingerling salad, cilantro, and vindaloo oil. Perfectly fried, the sweet flavors of the crab were allowed to come out with the light salad of cucumber, radish, and fingerling potatoes (although the potatoes were maybe a little less done than I would prefer). The cilantro and vindaloo oil provided sharper flavors to occasionally cut through all the lightness. A thoughtful sprinkling of coarse sea salt provided little salty hits throughout the dish.

Still in its developing stages, the menu that night also listed a duo of filet mignon with mushroom-horseradish sauce and chicken-fried flatiron steak with potato puree. Maybe Wabeck was inspired by all the fuss down in Houston. He plays a little game, contrasting the associations of the filet mignon with high class and chicken-fried with the down home. Though he refuses to add cream gravy, the potatoes are rich enough.

The filet is tender and the mushroom-horseradish sauce makes me, an avowed mushroom-disliker, appreciate its flavor. The perfect seasoning and slight crust bring it to the next level. The chicken-fried steak, despite being down home is still of the more refined sort with a flat coating rather than the feathered type. The flatiron lends a chewiness and meatiness to the steak. The delicate coating crackles rather than crunches.

The finale of the meal was perfect against the heat and humidity of the day. A delicate créme fraiche panna cotta with cherry compote was both cooling and soothing. The silky custard feels light in the mouth. The sweet-sour of the cherries adds depth to the flavor and makes for a classic combination with the panna cotta's vanilla tones. Despite being full, I scraped the bottom of the ramekin to get every last bit.

Wabeck's return to the D.C. cooking scene, refreshed and ready to go, is a blessing for everyone. Plus--as a certified Level II Sommelier--you know his palate can guide you through a number of great flavor combinations. Be sure to run, don't walk, to New Heights and get some of those soft shells while they're still in season.

New Heights
2317 Calvert St. NW
202.234.4100
Metro: Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan