One of the consistently strong performers in the DC dining scene is The Dabney from chef Jeremiah Langhorne. My wife Jun and I have always had a satisfying meal at the restaurant that showcases Mid-Atlantic cuisine with a focus on fresh, seasonal ingredients, particularly on the vegetable side. In recent years, the restaurant has somewhat downsized its menu into a five-course format (at $145 per person) from a longer (and +$200) one, and even allows a la carte options, perhaps catering to the diners in the DC area who are looking for a good dinner option without shelling out. We visited the restaurant last month for the first time since the menu format change.

One thing I noticed from the new menu for the spring season was how much more the vegetables were a focus of each dish. Was that change due to surging food costs in recent years or more of a seasonal factor with many vegetables available in the spring? In any event, we didn’t mind knowing the restaurant’s prowess with vegetables. The fireside farms fava beans was a fun snack where can extract each bean and dip onto either aioli sauce or lime salt. Blue fin tuna with sweet pepper and orange on top of crispy potato was also a very nice bite, as was the grits & grain sourdough tartine with whipped ricotta and brown butter honey. The kohlrabi salad worked well with yogurt and cucumber, gai lan (think Chinese broccoli) was expertly charred to give an alluring smoky flavor, and the signature hearth roasted vegetables with farro verde felt quite spot on for spring dining, too.

For the main dish, instead of the fluke and half chicken on the menu, we were offered wagyu ribeye from Black Hawk Farms in Kentucky. Jun was really curious to try the steak so we opted for the 22 oz one. I didn’t realize at that point but this ribeye might have been the most expensive steak we’ve had (I should’ve caught on the menu card next to the ribeye that it was $11 / oz meaning the piece that we chose was in the mid-$200 range!). The restaurant said they would deduct $40 from the tasting menu for the ribeye but the sticker shock at the end of the meal felt real. That said, the wagyu ribeye was one of the best steak dishes I’ve had at a restaurant in recent years, with more or less perfect texture of the beef that was melting in my mouth. We both wondered how much of the same ribeye would’ve been worth in the retail market. The sides of cauliflower and potato worked very well with the steak, too. We also did very well with the desserts. The buttermilk biscuit strawberry shortcake with strawberries felt appropriate for the spring, and the Baked Virginia with peanut ice cream and chocolate chess pie was a decadent dish that I hope that the restaurant continues to keep in its menu in the long run.

Getting a reservation at The Dabney is perhaps not as challenging as other leading restaurants in DC, but the dining room got fully packed over time so I would still recommend booking in advance for prime-time seatings. The dining room has stayed more or less the same in terms of décor and ambiance since the restaurant moved to the current location, with a giant hearth featuring prominently at the center of the kitchen. Jun has always wondered if the dining space configuration could’ve changed a bit to give at least some diners closer access to the kitchen for more interactions with the staff. The wine and cocktail list at The Dabney has always been more than solid, although I felt that wine pairing options available for complementing the tasting menu were a little overpriced. At The Dabney, Jun and I know what to expect from the restaurant. As long as we are in DC, we will continue to visit the restaurant every once in a while for solid, well-executed cooking.

KenScale: 8.25/10 (Jun’s Score: 8.0/10)

Address: 122 Blagden Alley NW, Washington, DC 20001

Website: https://thedabney.com/

Reservation via OpenTable (transitioning to Resy starting July 2026)