kinkead's

kinkead's
2000 pennsylvania avenue NW (between 20th street & 21st street), washington, DC 20006
tel: 202) 296-7700

what was consumed: restaurant week! new england seafood chowder; grilled squid with creamy polenta, tomato fondue, and pesto; pistachio crusted salmon medallion with saffron acini de pepe served with a fennel, arugula, and olive salad, savory tomato butter; brioche crusted cod with artichoke puree, garlic mashed potatoes, and spinach; warm molten bittersweet chocolate cake with hazelnut ice cream; vanilla creme brulee with pistachio biscotti ...

it's restaurant week! yeehaw! while some people don't think restaurant week is a "good deal" (i had a conversation about this with my coworkers yesterday), i don't look at RW as a time for "good deals," necessarily. it's a time to chekc out restaurants that i would not otherwise think of, otherwise not be able to afford (not really anyway). and yes, it's totally an excuse to go out, splurge a little, and eat totally yummy food. but whether or not RW is good is a whole other topic (we won't get into that here).

anyway, c & i decided to get together for lunch, commencing our RW, and we headed to kinkead's. it's been on my illustrious (and ever growing) list for some time, and what better time than RW to check it out! oh, and it's 2ish blocks from work. score!

after we ordered, we were served a basket a bread. and while i'm not a big bread person, they had 3 different types of bread in the basket that i just had to try. there was one with cardamum that i wasn't particularly fond of, though i did eat the enter center part (not a fan of bread crust). my favorite? the bread that had a layer of cheese. yes, cheese. cheese makes things better. delicious.

after the 3 different breads that filled our baskets, we started on our appetizers. grilled squid, seafood soup ... YUM. what is with pesto on things that make them so good? pesto on grilled squid? totally lovely. and why doesn't the poleta that i or c make ever come out like the polenta that appeared on my plate? creamy and delicious. no fair. must try again. and the seafood soup? don't think it is anything even remotely close to campbell's chucky soup clam chowder. while campbell's version is tasty in its own way, it does not even compare to kinkead's seafood chowder. creamy and delicious, not overpowering in that often strong seafood smell (which i actually enjoy - leave me alone!). do you think the servers were alarmed that not only did c & i inhale our food, we practically licked our plates because it was so delicious? ok, we didn't lick our plates, but i can tell you we were totally tempted. yikes.
entrees! i went in wanting to order the pistachio crusted salmon. c was easily swayed to get the cod. i don't know a whole lot about fish outside of thinking that they're delicious. but when they're cooked properly, crusted, and with some delicious sauces, you really can't go wrong. the accompanying sides were also quite delicious. a comment about the artichoke purree on the cod - DELICIOUS. i'm not a big sauce person, but there was just something about this puree that made me want to slather it onto everything and lap it up. yum. overall, the combination of flavors between the fish, the side vegetables, the included starches, the sauces ... fabulous. fresh, delicious, totally appetizing. i need another stomach so i can eat more ...

we ended our meals with dessert (of course). they had a cheese plate on the menu which i sort of wish i had gotten. but as i get older (notice older, not OLD >.< ...), my body seems less able to digest lactose (which is also in cheese). -sigh- ... and i love cheese. so maybe it was good that we opted for other options. funny, though, how it didn't deter me (and c) from ordering other desserts that are filled with cream, butter, and other dairy products. we win! and the stomach is good - so far so good, anyway. point is, we're not really dessert people, but we ordered desserts anyway. talk about rich is flavor! not sweet as in sugary; rather, sweet as in super chocolaty, super vanilla creamy. and what delicious biscotti! there's something about the almost flavor/scent that makes them so delicious. and, of course, like the rest of the meal, we ate all of it. and we even finished before the couple before us (who had ordered the same thing for their entrees as well as their desserts! but they were at kinkead's way earlier than us and started way earlier than us as well. whoops. oh well - as the woman told us, we must have good taste ^_~).

now, if only they would fill my water glass when it's empty ...

no matter. i look forward to visiting kinkead's one of these days for their regular menu (btw, kinkead's is extending their RW menu for an additional week - check 'em out!). i read, i think in the 'washingtonian,' that they have some amazing fried clams. i. must. try. YUM.

online: http://www.kinkead.com/