Another day, another restaurant opening. While 2014 may not have been quite as intense as 2013’s restaurant explosion, plenty of newcomers opened their doors this year. To help you best allocate your precious dining dollars, we’ve taken an inventory of eating establishments that have opened within the past 12 months and selected our favorites. Not every restaurant has staying power, but we predict these joints will be feeding us delicious meals well into 2015 and beyond. See our best new bars of 2014 list here.

Via Boss Shepherd’s Facebook page.

BOSS SHEPHERD’S: Paul Cohn and his chef Jeremy Waybright have struck a welcome chord by Metro Center with their rustic comfort food, local whiskey and beer program, and 35 wines available by the glass. House-cured corned beef and pastrami salmon served with enormous Yukon gold potato wedges makes a hearty lunch, and vegetarians can get their fill with a rich mushroom sandwich with mornay sauce on a pretzel bun. Fried chicken and biscuits can hold their own against any other in town.—Josh Novikoff

Boss Shepherd’s is located at 513 13th Street NW.

COMPASS ROSE: It takes a deft hand to make a menu based on “international street food” seem coherent rather than schizophrenic, but Compass Rose makes it work. Dishes hail from places as disparate as Morocco, Georgia, and El Salvador. It shouldn’t work, but somehow the bright puri chaat from India tastes just as good as the Lebanese lamb kefta. For a real treat, don’t miss the Georgian khachapuri, a bread boat filled with molten cheese, melted butter, and a raw egg. —Alicia Mazzara

Compass Rose is located at 1346 T Street NW.

The counter and open kitchen.

CRANE AND TURTLE: Crane and Turtle has all the charm of a neighborhood restaurant but with the inventive culinary chops that would be at home in any downtown or Logan Circle power spot. Petworth does not (yet) have the draw of other neighborhoods, but it’s well worth the trip up Georgia Avenue for a seat overlooking Crane and Turtle’s open kitchen. Watch chef Makoto Hamamura spin delicate creations, like Vietnamese crepes stuffed with gruyere and mushrooms, which delicately marry French and Japanese sensibilities. —Alicia Mazzara

Crane and Turtle is located at 828 Upshur Street NW.

DEL FRISCO’S DOUBLE EAGLE: The Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group doubled up on the District, following their Pennsylvania Avenue grill with a power steakhouse franchise in CityCenter. The buzzing, moneyed location is the perfect spot to expense perhaps the city’s best shellfish platter or a serving of Royal Osetra or Transmontanus caviar with a Texas-sized filet or ribeye.—Josh Novikoff

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle is located at 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue 950 I St NW.

Via Dino’s Grotto Facebook.

DINO’S GROTTO: After beloved neighborhood spot Dino’s closed in Cleveland Park, Dean Gold found a new home in Shaw. While the venue has changed, the trademark remains the way Dean and his wife and partner Kay translate their family heritage and travel stories into passionate experiences at the restaurant. Case in point, read their personal account of stumbling into a Cena Dei Bolliti dinner at a chapter house in Montalcino and how they’re recreating it in Shaw at the end of this month.—Josh Novikoff

Dino’s Grotto is located at 1914 9th Street NW.

FIOLA MARE: It’s a seafood lover’s delight at Fabio Trabocchi’s latest venture, Fiola Mare. Located along the Georgetown waterfront, the setting could not be more perfect for a menu heavy on oceanic creatures. Like Trabocchi’s other restaurants, Fiola and Casa Luca, high-quality Italian food doesn’t come cheap, and neither does freshly caught seafood. For the more price conscious, you can get a taste of the sublime during their Presto! lunch special, which nets you an entree and drink for $22 at the bar.—Alicia Mazzara

Fiola Mare is located at 3050 K Street NW.

Via Nurish Facebook.

NURISH: Located inside the Anacostia Arts Center on Good Hope Road SE, Nurish Food and Drink from Domku’s Kera Carpenter could be easily missed by the uninitiated. This is a mistake. Serving extremely fresh, French-inspired food, Nurish has become my go-to stop for perfectly cooked tartines and eggs cocotte. There’s also a delicious selection of pastries that can be paired with coffee or tea, as well as a prosciutto board and other evening options that can be paired with beer or wine. Despite what the Washington Post says, the ombre interior walls, clean white bar and warm lighting create an inviting atmosphere for solo dining or brunch with friends. We would be remiss to not mention that Nurish is one of only a few full-service dining options in the historic Anacostia neighborhood east of the river. But regardless of its location, it’s a must-visit. —Sarah Anne Hughes

Nurish is located at 1231 Good Hope Road SE.

OCOPA: Who knew Peruvian cuisine made such elegant bar food? That’s what I was asking myself while enjoying a $6 Pisco Sour during the happy hour at Ocopa. They’ve created a menu featuring traditional Peruvian ingredients and dishes, and created new, amazing things with far-flung influences. Sure you’ve had quinoa, but as a breading on croquettes or as fried rice? I really enjoyed the skewers. They take squares of pork belly, sous-vide them for 12 hours, and then it finish over the charcoal grill and top them with finely chopped daikon. Normally I wouldn’t go out of my way to try beef heart, but at Ocopa, there’s no need to worry. You’re in capable hands no matter what’s on the menu.—Josh Kramer

Ocopa is located at 1324 H Street NE.

The Partisan. Via Facebook.

THE PARTISAN: If you love eating animals, The Partisan has got your number. The multi-page menu is organized by protein source, and, to be honest, there is not a lot for the vegetarians. But dedicated carnivores will find a lot to love on the Italian-influenced menu, from a mind-boggling array of charcuterie to corned beef tongue to an entire roasted hog head (there’s a joke about nose to tail eating somewhere in there.) Wash it down with some top-notch cocktails featuring those bitter Italian apertivos that are all the rage these days.—Alicia Mazzara

The Partisan is located at 709 D Street NW.

RURAL SOCIETY: Add another mark in the “Celebrity Chef Opens Latin Steakhouse in Washington” box. Rural Society is Philadelphia chef Jose Garces’ first foray into the District’s dining scene. The Argentinian-inspired parrilla in the Lowes Madison Hotel is a winner, with roughly 75 percent of the diverse menu passing through a wood grill in the center of the dining room. The Argentine pizzas, called fugazzas, are addicting. The kitchen is as good with its veggies, like wood roasted carrots with a cider glaze and charred asparagus with a brown butter crumb sauce, as it is with its steaks and house made sausages.—Josh Novikoff
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Rural Society is located at 1177 15th Street NW.

A view of the bar at Second State. (Danel Swartz, REVAMP)

SECOND STATE: This Pennsylvania-themed restaurant, situated in a totally remodeled and cozy townhouse, is a much-needed addition to the Dupont Circle restaurant scene. Start with an order of cheddar and potato pierogies, which are smothered with bacon and caramelized onions, or try the fork-tender root beer braised short ribs with parsnip puree. Many of the entrees are large enough to share, and include meats like venison, pheasant and filet mignon. The hearty, rich side dishes are served family-style. Don’t forget to wash down your dinner with one of the restaurant’s signature drinks. Go for The Machinist, a well-balanced cocktail of rye whiskey, Maraschino liqueur, aged maple syrup and orange bitters. And don’t worry — the bar restaurant has nixed the $1 upcharge for artisanal ice.—Travis Mitchell

Second State is located at 1831 M Street NW.

SOI 38: Downtown D.C.’s dining scene got a whole lot spicier when Soi 38 opened in April. The handsome Thai restaurant, with its blonde wood and black and gold wall murals, is an ideal space for a business lunch or an after-work drink; the selection of draft beers and signature cocktails elevate Soi 38’s liquid offerings above your typical Thai place. The menu is full of delicious options, including a hearty bowl of khao soi, well-spiced curries and a whole section of “yums,” the Thai salad that combines fresh herbs, bright lime and chilies. My favorite, the yum goong fu, brings together crispy bits of fried shrimp, toasted cashews, slivered red onion and fresh mango that provides a sweet foil to the chili. It’s the perfect balance of spicy, sweet and sour, the flavor combination that makes Thai food so irresistible and that Soi 38 does so well.—Elizabeth Packer

Soi 38 is located at 2101 L Street NW.

Sai Oua, hardboiled eggs topped with pork sausage served with a side of pork rinds.

THIP KHAO: Anyone who likes their food spicy and flavorful needs to put this Lao restaurant on their radar. For the uninitiated, Lao food is a bit of a marriage of elements from Vietnamese and Thai cuisine. Though still in its infancy, this sister restaurant of Bangkok Golden (6395 Seven Corners Center, Falls Church, Va.) is already winning over diners with traditional dishes including laab, a spicy minced salad with toasted rice, garlic, scallion cilantro and mint. Other standout dishes are Naem Khao, a crispy rice salad with lettuce wraps as well as a curry stew with eggplant and dill. Food can be prepared on a three-tiered spice scale from mild to “Lao hot,” but there’s no need to be a hero — medium should be more than enough for most people.—Travis Mitchell

Thip Khao is located at 3462 14th Street NW.

TICO: I confess: when I first heard that TICO’s was opening in DC, I immediately thought, “Hey, we have a Costa Rican restaurant, how weird. Will they serve me gallo pinto, the national dish of lentils and rice?” But I was wrong. Tico, a loving term for a Costa Rican, differs from TICO, the restaurant. Chef Michael Schlow’s menu reads like a love song to Latin American and Spanish cuisine. (And a way to my culinary heart!) He has taken the best of his repertoire of Latin American inspired small plates to new levels that inspire me to reconsider cauliflower, or recognize the sweet-tart flavor of hibiscus flower, the basis for a cocktail that is both luscious and exotic. As one of the recent addition to the 14th Street food fest, TICO is great for a light meal, a happy hour soirée, or for tasting of dishes that have been inspired by the Chef’s travels. And to have achieved recognition as one of this city’s best new eateries so quickly is testimony to the creativity of the menu, and the physical space that TICO has created in this crowded corridor of the city. The art work, the well-spaced tables, and the friendly service bring me back to this eatery for more. As one quite fond of the variety of cerviches, tacos, and creative combinations of fillings, TICO makes these dishes deliver. A perfect way to end a long week. —Johanna Mendelson Forman

Tico is located at 1926 14th Street NW.

Toro Toro. Via Facebook.

TORO TORO: There may not be an out-of-town restaurateur as bullish on D.C. as Richard Sandoval. This year he added a sleek downtown Pan Latin steakhouse to his Washington bullpen. Prime steaks are fired from the churrasco grill, complemented by shared plates of ceviche, empanadas and arepas, and seared and grilled seafood from the kitchen. For those with a big daytime appetite and a chance to take an afternoon nap, a $28 lunch buffet is a great way to eat your way through several of the restaurants signature meats and all the shrimp cocktail you can handle. —Josh Novikoff

Toro Toro is located at 1300 I Street NW.

WASHINGTON FIREHOUSE: Bloomingdale’s newest addition makes use of a very old space — a firehouse founded in 1897. This cavernous spot specializes in a range of dinner fare, from mussels to pizza to steak, but it was the homemade spaghetti and meatballs that got our attention. Fresh, chewy pasta is served in a sweet, light tomato sauce, while the sweet potato risotto was also creamy (and incredibly filling). There’s no formal cocktail menu to speak of, but the bartender makes a mean Old Fashioned. —Victoria Finkle6

Washington Firehouse is located at 1626 North Capitol Street NW.