Kinkead's: My favorite restaurant in Washington, DC

If you are coming to DC and only have time for one
meal, I enthusiastically recommend that you go to
Kinkead's. Seafood is the highlight here; preparations
sometime flirt with going over the top, but Bob Kinkead
has an unerring sense to not step over that line.

Appetizers and salads also shine: the fried clams are
spectacular, the tuna tartare makes my mouth sing, and
the salads are fresh and inventive.

Main course highlights include pepper-seared tuna--my
favorite, pepita-crusted salmon, grilled yellow
snapper, or a Mediterranean fish stew. The
"accoutrements" sometimes outshine the main
course--like the cauliflower flan or the artichoke
puree.

I don't eat dessert much, but my dining companions
usually rave about them.

I could go on and on but you get the point. The wine
list is extensive with several very reasonable bottles
at less than $20. It is a moderately casual place--I
go without a tie--and they don't take reservations
downstairs, so you can get in on weekends usually.

The only fly in the ointment is that the cost has been
rising over the past several years....I usually pay
between $40 and $50 dollars a person for appetizer,
main course, dessert, and wine--not high end, even for
Washington: I would say it delivers excellent value.
And Kinkead's is remarkably consistent--in more than 30
meals over the last several years, I have only had two
or three dishes that were less than very good.

So enough already...you get the point. Kinkead's
should be your number #1 destination in Washington DC.
I will be happy to expand on this note if anyone so
desires.

Jim Zurer - Washington, DC