Another year in DC, with a fair amount of travel in between. 2023 was a year where my wife Jun and I continued to lead an awesome culinary journey together, solidifying the group of DC restaurants we had become regulars to while expanding our experiences outside the city. Of course, we had our share of misses (including some big ones that we had had very high hopes for) but I guess that’s expected from any place including even New York City where we used to live. What 2023 had clarified for us is that it’s not really how many Michelin stars a restaurant has or how fancy the food looks that determines the restaurant’s worth. Yes, we had our share of awesome fine dining experiences in places old and new; on the other hand, there were restaurant that we had visited with tremendous anticipation only to be somewhat or even severely underwhelmed. Jun thought that we had become too spoiled from enjoying all the finer things in life since we said our vows to each other in 2017. While I do agree with her observation that our capacity to be pleasantly surprised and inspired at a fine dining restaurant has diminished somewhat, there were plenty of other establishments with more modest operations that offered lots of joy to your palate without utilizing every culinary trick imaginable, reinforcing an important lesson that you should not judge a book by its cover when it comes to assessing your restaurant experience. And we ate very well everywhere we traveled, not just to New York City that we had visited from time to time but in other places we were visiting for the first time, such as Turkey and Sicily (yes, I confess that watching the second season of White Lotus finally made me pull the trigger on the trip). While the trip to visit our friends and family in Korea was probably less than ideal in terms of the stamina it required us to keep up with a hectic schedule, scorching heat and jetlag, Seoul showed us that it is still a very exciting place for culinary experiences. Neither of us had visited LA in a long time, and we were glad that we finally made the trip for a friend’s wedding as the city showcased some really exciting restaurants. I am grateful for wrapping up another fruitful year with Jun and look forward to continuing our journey in 2024. Below are the top 25 dishes from 2023 that I picked.

NOTE: We did go to the Bay Area in December for my 40th birthday in late December last year; this list excludes the dishes from our visits to restaurants in the Sonoma wine region and San Francisco. We did eat very well during our stay in California, and I will make sure to include favorite dishes from that trip in the 2024 list.

Top Dishes of the Year

1. Risotto with Santa Barbara Sea Urchin, Scallop, Pumpkin @ Imperfecto (Washington, DC)

In 2023, we continued to visit Imperfecto, one of our favorite restaurants from 2022. The first chef counter experience from the Venezuelan chef Enrique Limardo back then was one of the best meals we had had in DC. On our visit earlier in 2023, chef Enrique, realizing that we had the same dish on our previous visit, surprised us with a substitute dish of risotto, sea urchin, scallop and pumpkin. It was absolutely delicious that I wished that it would stay in the restaurant’s menu forever. While chef Enrique seems to have stepped away from his shift at the chef tasting menu counter to focus on building new restaurants in the DMV area (he was very busy last year opening a new Spanish restaurant The Saga and a first Virginia project in Surreal), Jun and I will continue to appreciate ingenious dishes like this risotto that, when done right, could be absolute culinary showstoppers. 

2. Seared Scallop, Pine Nut Mousse, Chili Crunch @ Tail Up Goat (Washington, DC)

Perhaps because we go to its sister restaurant Reveler’s Hour all the time, Tail Up Goat has somewhat fallen off our radar since our last visit in 2021. The restaurant’s celebration of its seventh-year birthday through a two-week special event earlier in February intrigued me as the event was supposedly featuring the previous hits from the restaurant since its opening. It turned out to be quite an eye-opening experience and I hope to visit the restaurant more often going forward. What Tail Up Goat probably does better than most restaurants in DC is being able to elevate an already familiar ingredient to the next level. Sure, we’ve had seared scallop all the time before, but not like the one from the restaurant with pine nut mousse and chili crunch that greatly enhanced the overall flavor and texture to the scallop.

3. Charred Blue Oyster and Maitake Mushrooms, Potato Puree, Onion @ The Dabney (Washington, DC)

One restaurant that we find ourselves visiting again and again in DC is The Dabney from chef Jeremiah Langhorne who competently shows what a delicious Mid-Atlantic cooking looks like on a very consistent basis. We always loved coming back to explore the seasonally changing menu from the restaurant, and our first visit in 2023 was no exception. The Dabney has always cooked phenomenal vegetable dishes, and during our visit, I couldn’t stop thinking about the smoky flavor of these beautifully grilled oysters accompanied by potato puree. It also felt like I had not had a proper grilled mushroom until that visit, and, among many other outstanding dishes we had tried from the restaurant, it is one dish that I couldn’t mind encountering again on our next visit.

4. Secreto, Black Walnut, Jamon Honey @ Bar Spero (Washington, DC)

Unfortunately, 2023 was not the year that the tragically closed Reverie re-opened again. When we spoke to chef Johnny Spero recently, he was still working on the logistics and hoped to launch Reverie 2.0 in March this year. In the meantime, Bar Spero would satisfy our hunger for all the delicious cooking from chef Johnny. We had been to Bar Spero multiple times in 2023, and while some new dishes we had tried didn’t quite work as well as we had imagined, one dish that we unanimously approved was this astoundingly delicious secreto pork dish. The texture of the pork was not like anything we had experienced at a restaurant in DC, and just shows that Bar Spero is a very reliable place to have a memorable meal without the fuss of a fine dining restaurant (that said, we sincerely hope that Reverie opens soon!).

5. Duck “Topik,” Cinnamon, Sour Cherry, Hummus, Walnut @ Mürver (Istanbul, Turkey)

For our anniversary in April, Jun and I traveled to Turkey. While the itinerary was fairly hectic involving multiple flights and long drives within the country, we had a great time exploring top destinations such as Istanbul and Cappadocia (yes, the balloon ride was indeed epic). On our last night in Istanbul, after struggling to move past the crazy crowd that gathered during the Eid al-Fitr holiday weekend marking the end of Ramadan, we had our last meal at Mürver. Many of the dishes that came straight from the giant wood oven in the middle of the kitchen were delicious, and one dish that I couldn’t stop thinking about was this dish of duck and hummus. Reinventing a traditional dish of Armenian origin, it made me wonder why more restaurants are not using this combination that worked so beautifully together.   

6. Trakya Kivircik, Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder, Antakya Firik Pilaf, Salted Yogurt @ Mürver (Istanbul, Turkey)

During our trip to Turkey, we had plenty of delicious lamb dishes but none more delicious than what Mürver brought to us. The lamb shoulder was exceptionally roasted to give more or less perfect texture of the meat without any gamey flavor that could detail a lamb dish. By the time this dish arrived, I was more than half-way full, yet the smoky lamb accompanied by pilaf rice and salted yogurt was just so addictive that I couldn’t stop myself. It was a very fitting exhibit of the exciting culinary scene in Istanbul, which has no shortage of very capable and ambitious chefs who want to showcase a modern interpretation of Turkish cuisine.

7. Scallion Pancake, Mapo Octopus, Bonito @ Queen’s English (Washington, DC)

It took a while for Jun and I to find a good Chinese restaurant in DC. Unlike New York City, DC’s Chinatown is not really well-known for restaurants, and we had a few misses in the DMV area. Thankfully, we finally discovered Queen’s English in Columbia Heights with mouth-watering Hong Kong style dishes. We had a very good meal at the restaurant during our visit in May, and I have no doubt that we will come back again in 2024. One dish that I do hope is still there is the phenomenal scallion pancake with Mapo octopus and bonito; I was quite addicted to the colorful flavor of the pancake that would form a perfect pairing with a glass of one of the natural wines featured at the restaurant.

8. Cuttlefish, Quinoa, Rice, Leche de Tigre @ Frevo (New York, NY)

Every time we visit New York, Frevo has now become the first place we visit for dinner. I am still mystified how much the restaurant has stayed under the radar even after receiving its first Michelin star. The cuisine from chef Franco Sampogna has evolved wonderfully from more classically French to one with more varied global influences. One dish that Jun and I were very fond of in our last two visits to the restaurant was this stunning dish of cuttlefish with quinoa and rice in leche de tigre sauce. The textural effect of cuttlefish working together with the crunchy quinoa and rice was quite magnificent and really shows the level of range and versatility chef Franco’s kitchen displays at Frevo.

9. Chocolate, Wasabi, Porcini @ Frevo (New York, NY)

Another memorable dish at Frevo that Jun and I had tried in the last two visits was the main dessert of a mound of chocolate with hints of wasabi and porcini mushroom. We could of course eat any delicious chocolate dessert, but the slightly spicy kick of the wasabi and the savory touch of mushroom vastly enhanced the chocolate’s flavor. If you are too bored from all the same elaborate desserts from other fine dining restaurants, this simple-looking dish will give you quite a nice surprise. 

10. Sea Cucumber, Shrimp, Gochugaru, Egg @ Atomix (New York, NY)

Of course, no culinary journey would be complete without our trip to Atomix. We only managed to visit the restaurant once in 2023, and we still marveled at the consistent excellence coming from one of the best restaurants in the world not to mention New York City. The highlight during our trip to Atomix in May was this beautifully plated sea cucumber with shrimp stuffing and gochugaru (Korean chili powder) oil. Sea cucumber is considered a delicacy in Korean cuisine, yet I didn’t grow up liking it because of its slimy texture. If I had had a sea cucumber like what Atomix put together in my childhood, I probably would’ve called it one of my favorite seafood dishes. The combination between the sea cucumber that was prepared to emphasize chewy texture and shrimp stuffing was pure genius, with the addition of gochugaru oil that was meant to be playful take on a popular spicy seafood noodle soup jjamppong.  

11. Fried Spanish Octopus, Sesame Vinaigrette @ Nasime (Alexandria, VA)

In 2023, we discovered Nasime, a cozy restaurant in Alexandra showcasing soulful Japanese cooking from chef Yuh Shimomura who does all the cooking himself. Every time we visited the restaurant, there were always one or two dishes that delighted us. My favorite during our visits this year was this awesome fried Spanish octopus. As Jun always says when visiting a restaurant, it’s awfully difficult to get the texture of octopus right. This dish shows how octopus should be done properly, with texture that is not too soft or hard. While we wished the restaurant’s menu would change more often, I certainly wouldn’t mind having this dish again and again.

12. Monsefu – Crab, Bomba Rice, Aji Amarillo, Leche de Tigre @ Causa (Washington, DC)

If someone asks me what the most exciting restaurant is at the moment in DC, I would probably choose Causa. The Peruvian dining experience from chef Carlos Delgado has been getting all kinds of accolades since its opening (it also received its first Michelin star recently) and for good reasons. The creative and thoughtful menu from the kitchen often inspired by chef Carlos’ childhood growing up in Peru is a quite a showstopper you should not miss. On our second visit to the restaurant this year, we were in love with this beautifully plated bowl of bomba rice with crab and aji amarillo pepper that gaves a wonderful flavor combination of citrusy leche de tigre and spicy kick of aji amarillo. Too bad the bowl was too small!

13. Anchovies Tempura, White Mayonnaise @ Osteria RossoDiVino (Taormina, Italy)

In July, Jun and I visited Sicily and stayed mostly in Taormina. While we had a wonderful time hanging out in a beach club and checking out wineries in Mount Etna, I have to say our dining experience was not quite on the level of what we expected from a popular Italian destination (perhaps the fact that we were staying in a post-White Lotus tourist destination didn’t help). One restaurant where we did have a good dinner was at Osteria RossoDiVino located in a hidden alley away from the center of Taormina. We enjoyed all the delicious seafood dishes from the restaurant, none more so than the absolutely delicious fried anchovies with white mayonnaise. We probably would’ve been perfectly happy eating this only for our meal along with glasses of delicious Sicilian red wine.

14. Smoked Goat Awarma, Hummus @ Albi (Washington, DC)

Another DC standout that we visited multiple times in 2023 was Albi. We have never had a bad meal at the restaurant that showcases the Levantine cuisine inspired by chef Michael Rafidi’s roots. While we always split the phenomenal BBQ lamb kebob for our main dish, the starter dishes at Albi are just as wonderful and they change fairly constantly on a seasonal or even daily basis. Sure, you have seen these dishes before but the level of execution from the kitchen is very impressive. Really, how can you resist a bowl of this mesmerizing hummus and smoked goat that is just spot-on in its flavor? I probably would’ve been able to eat this delightful dish along for a full meal without like I missed something.

15. Sinseollo @ Eatanic Garden (Seoul, Korea)

Our first trip to Korea to visit our family and friends for the first time in five years was rather challenging in terms of grueling schedules, a lingering jetlag and intolerably hot and humid summer in Korea. That said, we ate every well thanks for people around us who took us to all the wonderful restaurants in Seoul. Out of all the places we had visited, Eatanic Garden in the swanky Josun Palace Hotel was the highlight of our culinary experience. It was only our second day in Seoul so we weren’t fully recovered from the jetlag and we were quite preoccupied with catching up with our friend who booked the restaurant. In retrospect, the playful modern Korean cooking from chef Son Jong-Won using Korean ingredients in unexpected ways could’ve worked even in New York City. Case in point? A modern twist on sinseollo, a royal hot pot dish, that was quite exceptional. 

16. Beef Sashimi @ 우천 식육 식당 (Seoul, Korea)

During our trip to Korea, Jun and I spent some quality time with my younger brother who is a foodie himself. For our dinner together, he took us to a Korean BBQ restaurant and butcher shop nearby my family’s home in Cheongdam Dong where you could enjoy different cuts of Korean beef (hanwoo) at fairly reasonable price. When we sat down, my brother quickly ordered the beef sashimi; despite our initial trepidation, we immensely enjoyed this plate with awesome texture and no discernable smell you would expect from a “raw” meat. K-BBQ is what initially put Korean cuisine on the map, and for a good reason when you see how serious Koreans are about their homegrown beef. 

17. Charcoal Beef Tartare @ Ikseon Banju (Seoul, Korea)

Another favorite meat from our trip to Seoul also had beef. Right next to the touristy Insa-dong, there is another popular neighborhood of Ikseon-dong full of Hanok-style shops and restaurants. My mother took us to a modern Korean bistro called Ikseon Banju (“banju” in Korean means alcohol that you drink while eating food), and our lunch there was quite a revelation with lovely dishes. My favorite from that meal was this beef tartare lightly touched by charcoal fire to give texture that would make you question if you can find a better beef tartare elsewhere in the world. Add some gim bugak (fried seaweed) with its crunchy texture, and you have one heck of a snack dish to complement some delicious rice-based makgeolli beverage.

18. Pork Skin @ 영동교집 (Seoul, Korea)

Before we left Seoul, my brother insisted on taking us to a restaurant nearby my family’s home that showcases naeng samgyupsal (frozen pork belly). One of the dishes that caught our eyes was dwaeji ggupdaegi (in Korean means pork skin). Neither Jun nor I had tried this dish much before (I might’ve tried after drinking too much soju before but couldn’t remember having one delicious enough to remember), but I’m so glad we were able to try it. Supposedly, this part of the pork is beneficial to your skin but that’s not the reason I loved it. The texture of the skin after some grilling because wonderfully chewy (without putting too much stress on your teeth) that was nothing like you would experience outside Korea.

19. Lamb Chops Flambe, Spicy Potatoes @ Chang Chang (Washington, DC)

Another Chinese restaurant in DC that Jun and I discovered in 2023 was the first project from acclaimed chef Peter Chang. His Chang Chang restaurant has all kinds of crowd-pleasers from solid dim sums to other mouth-watering dishes that capably showcase the chef’s expansive range from a country with a seemingly infinite number of different culinary influences and traditions. One dish that initially put us off but turned out to be a gem on our last dinner at Chang Chang was this lamb chops flambe; the pungent smell coming from the dish after the flame is gone might be difficult to handle, but you will be rewarded after taking a bite of these wonderfully grilled chops on a bed of spicy potatoes with chili and cumin sauce that will really grow on you over time.

20. Foie Gras French Toast, Cinnamon Toast Ice Cream @ Rose’s Luxury (Washington, DC)

This year, the DC trailblazer Rose’s Luxury turned ten and celebrated its birthday with special birthday dinner weeks in October showcasing old favorites from prior years. Being fans of the ingenious and whimsical New American cooking from the restaurant, Jun and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see what the “all star” dishes would be like. Our consensus favorite was this decadent dessert of foie gras French toast and cinnamon toast ice cream (which was featured in the restaurant’s menu all the way back in 2012). You think foie gras and French toast might be too much together? After a bite of it followed by a scoop of ice cream, you will realize how special Rose’s Luxury is. I hope they continue to keep up the good work of making dining fun all the time.

21. Mesquite Grilled Yucatan Octopus, Almond Pipian, Cilantro Rice, Black Beans, Avocado, Pico de Gallo @ Holbox (Los Angeles, CA)

Our trip to Los Angeles in November for a friend’s wedding was a revelation. Who would’ve thought one of our favorite restaurants of the year is a modest Mexican seafood restaurant inside a food court? Yet, after our meal at Holbox, Jun and I both realized that we would never view other Mexican restaurants the same way. Everything at Holbox was quite magical from the freshest guacamole we could probably have tasted in our lifetime to delicious tacos. Our highlight, though, was this perfectly grilled octopus with smoky flavor and spicy kick from pipian sauce. Why can’t other Mexican restaurants, or for that matter, any other seafood restaurant, prepare an octopus dish like this??? 

22. Shiizakana – Spaghetti, Abalone, Pickled Cod Roe, Truffle @ n/naka (Los Angeles, CA)

One of the most anticipated meals during our culinary journey in 2023 was a trip to the much-celebrated modern Japanese kaiseki restaurant n/naka in LA. I felt like I just won a lottery after securing one of the hardest reservations to book in LA let alone the entire country. The tasting menu from chef Niki Nakayama who built a cult following after being featured in the Chefs Table show on Netflix was indeed a very good meal (though somewhat debatable it would reach the level of a life-changing experience level). My favorite dish among a number of stunningly beautiful and well-executed dishes was this spaghetti with abalone, pickled cod roe and truffle, a sophisticated upgrade of mentaiko pasta popular in Japanese dining. 

23. Malai Rigatoni, Tomato Masala, Cream, Coriander @ Pijja Palace (Los Angeles, CA)

Among the restaurants we visited in LA, the perhaps most distinctive experience came from Pijja Palace showcasing sports bar food with Indian flavor and ingredients. The restaurant has been consistently listed as one of the best restaurant newcomers in the U.S. and for good reasons. The restaurant has accomplished a seemingly impossible task of marrying Indian cuisine with American sports bar dishes. In addition to the beloved “pijja” with green chili chutney which Jun said she couldn’t stop thinking about after we arrived home, I was quite fond of this spicy rigatoni that was unlike any pasta I had had before, with tomato malasa sauce that was extremely addictive yet somehow worked with the pasta. LA is indeed a special culinary destination at the moment.

24. Locro – Maryland Crab, Butternut Squash, Queso Fresco, Huacatay @ Causa (Washington, DC)

Our last visit to Causa in November was another memorable meal and cemented the restaurant’s place in our culinary journey as one of the few DC restaurants we hope to visit again and again and get to know chef Carlos and the team better. On this visit, I couldn’t stop thinking about this insanely delicious locro (a type of Peruvian squash stew dish). When you combine Maryland crab, butternut squash and queso fresco in a single bowl, what do you have? A dish of unparalleled complexity in flavor and texture that displays the awesome culinary versatility of the Andean region. I hope that Causa continues to thrive in the DC dining scene for a long, long time. We will certainly cheer for the team’s continued success.

25. Pork Milanese, Pickled Pepper Ranch, Farm Lettuce Salad @ Reveler’s Hour (Washington, DC)

We also continued to find ourselves visiting Reveler’s Hour again and again, but things have slightly changed. Usually, we would just go straight to all the delicious pastas on the menu but on one summer evening when a couple friend from New York was visiting, we ended up ordering the pork Milanese and the rest was history. On our next visit in December, we didn’t hesitate to get this pork again. The pork was fried to perfection, and the spicy kick from pickled pepper ranch added another dimension to it we thought we didn’t need. I don’t know how long the Milanese will stay on the restaurant’s menu but next time we visit this year, I hope we can see it again.