Photo courtesy of The Riggsby.
By DCist Contributor Bridget Dicosmo
Despite having opening just two months ago, The Riggsby (1731 New Hampshire Avenue NW) already feels like everyone’s favorite neighborhood gem. The restaurant, housed in the Carlyle Hotel near Dupont Circle, marks the latest debut from Michael Schlow, the James Beard award-winning chef behind Tico (1926 14th Street NW). Schlow’s wife painted some of the artwork adorning the cranberry and green walls, and an impressive skylight spanning the ceiling in the spacious dining room lets diners enjoy the dwindling late summer twilight. DCist sampled a selection of menu favorites at a recent media dinner, with the highlights outlined below.
Executive chef Philippe Reininger, who joined Schlow’s team in 2014, oversees a “supper” menu that elevates the best things about comfort food to take advantage of seasonal bounty and inspired ingredients. That begins with the bar snacks, which include bite-sized jalapeño tater tots, which are blisteringly hot, crunchy, and finished with a fragrant chipotle aioli. Other standout snacks are the deviled eggs—creamy with a strong mustardy kick, and topped with Calabrian chiles and a crackle of chicken skin—and the house-made potato chips, which arrive hot off the fryer with a sidecar of green onion dip.
A buttery smoked trout—served with beets prepared three ways and shaved horseradish—leads the appetizer menu. Sautéed calamari gets tossed with a velvety mélange of tomato, olives, cranberry beans, and parsley; and pillowy burrata comes alongside sliced summer tomatoes and high quality olive oil.
Entrees are prepared with the same care given to simple but strong execution and seasonal ingredients. The briny anchovies that stud the schnitzel “a la holstein,” which is capped with a fried egg, make a good complement to the richness of the breaded veal. The NY strip filet is thick, juicy, and perfectly cooked, dressed with the herby, “super frenchy” béarnaise. The steak is accompanied by a cone of homemade french fries, the tastiest fries without duck fat I’ve had in recent memory.
The Riggsby’s dessert menu features a Tahitian vanilla crème brulee, caramelized to a lacy crust protecting the luscious custard, and a tray of warm-from-the-oven cookies. The old-fashioned chocolate chocolate cake (yes, that’s chocolate, twice), accompanied by almonds, caramel and vanilla gelato, is as devilishly good as it sounds.
The cocktail menu boasts a handful of classics and specialty creations, including the Mule on My Mind—a twist on the Moscow Mule with a lasting gingery bite. The Riggsby recently unveiled its new “Cocktail Party” happy hour, which pairs hors d’oeurvres with drink specials between $4 for local drafts, $6 select wines and aperitifs, and $7 champagne cocktails, as well as a Sunday brunch. The Cocktail Party menu is available Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and brunch is served on Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m.
