DC's Top Chefs, Mixologists and Restaurateurs Share Their Faves Around The District

Who’s feeding the senses of the best restaurateurs, chefs and mixologists in town? DC’s top toques spread their good taste.

ROSE PREVITE, OWNER, COMPASS ROSE AND MAYDAN
“[I want a] sherry colada from Adam Bernbach at Estadio. He’s the best bartender in town: always serving balanced, interesting, well thought-out drinks. He’s creative, funny and supertalented, all at the same time. I mean, who would think to make a colada out of sherry? It’s brilliant.” 1346 T St. NW, 202.506.4765, compassrosedc.com; 1346 Florida Ave. NW, 202.370.3696, maydandc.com

ADAM BERNBACH, BAR DIRECTOR, ESTADIO
“Just saying the words ‘frozen rum and coke’ gives you an idea about why I’m so into that drink at [Todd Thrasher’s Tiki TNT]. Every single one of those things on their own is fun; packing them together somehow multiplies that (plus the team makes the rum there).” 1520 14th St. NW, 202.319.1404, estadio-dc.com

TODD THRASHER, MIXOLOGIST/OWNER, TIKI TNT
“A Rake’s Progress chef Opie Crooks is one of the kindest and most talented people I know—and that passion and creativity is reflected in his dishes, like the fried soft-shell crab with grilled bok choy, rhubarb, strawberry and peanuts.” The Wharf, 1130 Maine Ave. SW, 202.900.4786, tikitnt.com

OPIE CROOKS, CHEF, A RAKE’S PROGRESS
“Jeremiah Langhorne at The Dabney: We both source with the same ethos and from a lot of the same folks. I always appreciate seeing how thoughtfully he treats those ingredients! Right now, I love the asparagus and crab dish with garlic chives cream and lemon balm. It’s seemingly simple yet beautiful, and full of flavor.” 1770 Euclid St. NW, 202.588.0525, thelinehotel.com/dc/venues

JEREMIAH LANGHORNE, CHEF/OWNER, THE DABNEY
“From the first time I ate at Bangkok Golden to my most recent meal at Hanumanh, Bobby Pradachith and Seng Luangrath’s dedication to telling the story of Lao cuisine—with big flavors, like the naem khao kob—is something I’ve always admired about them. It’s incredibly rare to find a chef talented enough to translate the beauty and flavors of a cuisine so wildly different from our own in a way everyone can appreciate.”
122 Blagden Alley NW, 202.450.1015, thedabney.com

SENG LUANGRATH, CHEF, AND BOBBY PRADACHITH, CHEF/OWNER, HANUMANH
SL: “Chef Patrice Cleary from Purple Patch’s shrimp laing dish: She served it at a Women of Food event we had at Thip Khao.” BP: “I kept seeing rellenong alimasag on chef Tom Cunanan’s social media. … Bad Saint closes the same day as our restaurants, so I rarely eat there, but somehow [it was] open on a Tuesday. Internally, I cried as I tasted this dish; it reminded me of eating crabs with my family during large gatherings.” 1604 Seventh St. NW, hanumanh.com