Lamb shoulder ragout with crimini mushrooms and aged goat cheese. (Photo courtesy of Pennsylvania 6.)
By DCist Contributor Bridget Dicosmo
Turning 9,000 square feet of vacant restaurant space into an intimate dinner spot requires attention to detail and a little creative inspiration. This is especially true if your goal is to host the perfect power lunch and provide both a cozy bar for watching the game and a romantic dinner for special occasions.
Pennsylvania 6 D.C (1350 Eye Street NW), which opens tomorrow, faced such a design challenge, says Maggie O’Neill, who coordinated interior design for the restaurant. The restaurant, with seating for more than 300 and eventual plans for a covered, 20-seat patio, aims to offer a range of dining experiences, O’Neill says.
Tucked behind the behind the spacious main dining room, for instance, is the elegant Oxford Room, which draws architectural inspiration from the historic dining room of Manhattan’s Hotel Pennsylvania, the restaurant’s namesake. Glossy scarlet-hued floors, muted lighting, neatly arranged rows of paintings culled from local artists, and octagonal textured wood paneled ceiling would help even a weeknight dinner feel special.
Housed in the McPherson Square space previously occupied by Tuscana West, Pennsylvania 6 DC marks the third venture in the Philadelphia-based restaurant group, joining locations in Philly and New York City.
Nowhere is attention to detail and creativity at Pennsylvania 6 DC more evident than in the menu. An extensive raw bar and an array of heartier fare are accompanied by a wine list boasting 147 bottles and managed by sommelier Mark Slater, previously of Bastille (606 N. Fayette Street, Alexandria, Va). DCist sampled a selection of dishes at a recent media preview dinner, with the highlights outlined below.
A number of the seafood starters are showstoppers. Spanish octopus is nearly fall-apart tender, seared with a nice, glistening char, and served atop a luxurious bed of buttery gigande beans, and smoky ‘nduja sausage.
Delicate wild snails get blanketed in a thick, velvety bone marrow and burgundy topping, a dish that culinary director Brian Cooke says has already gone through a few evolutions. The lightly fried crab croquettes are delicious, the sweet crabmeat needing barely any seasoning. The crudo sampler, featuring a trio of kona kampachi, striped marlin, and yellowfin tuna includes extras that complement the clean taste of the raw fish, such as yuzu-miso, fresh serrano peppers, and gooseberries.
For non-oceanic appetizers, a robust carpaccio of dry-aged beef gets a nice balance from the snap of fresh celery slices. And the silky house-made ricotta, served with orange-fig jam and toast, is impossible to stop eating.
By way of a main course, the monkfish Osso Buco, too intriguing an idea to pass up, arrives still on the bone. The meaty chunks of white fish are as succulent as any veal shank and great for sopping up the savory truffle broth that accompanies the dish. And a hearty lamb shoulder ragout, topped with shaved crimini mushrooms and aged goat cheese over rigatoni pasta, would make about the most appealing mid-winter meal I can imagine.
Pennsylvania 6 DC opens for dinner service starting Friday, November 20, with plans to expand to lunch within a few weeks. The restaurant is eyeing January as a possible start date for weekend brunch.
