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Categories: Italian, American (New)
Neighborhood: Dupont CircleDupont Circle (Red)
Tue-Sat. 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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It's not easy to find unless you know what you are looking for - An Obelisk.
The menu; hand-written every day based upon what ingredients are fresh and available. It's a price-fix menu and while pricy; is perfect for that special night out.
$70 a person may not be an everyday dining out for most; but the small boutique setting and the perfectly prepared dishes are fantastic.
Enough cannot be said except for - you will need reservations; about a month in advance for a Friday or Saturday night. But well worth it.
Amazing service and great atmosphere. The one thing to note is that this is for real foodies. Come prepared to have a meal worth working out for (or adding a few lbs. to the mid-section).
I join the chorus of amazing reviews for this one.
When looking for Obelisk, make sure to look for...the obelisk. That's the only thing that denotes the place as being a restaurant and not another house. The decore is not trendy, but rather feels like someone's dining room: rattan chairs, patterned table cloths and benches. Suits are not out of place here, but blazers are enough.
The great thing about the restaurant is its appetizers. They just keep coming and coming: pickled trout belly was one of the things I remember most, but the cheese pictured in the photographs is also great. If you're hungry, this is a great course to calm the hunger so you can enjoy the rest of your meal.
One of the things this restaurant appears to be known for is its pasta. I had spinach-filled ravioli that was amazing. Then followed that up with a perfectly-cooked steak. I'd like to give that rave reviews as well, but I'm afraid I couldn't really taste the difference too much when compmared to regular steaks I've had. That said, the insides of the steak were a deep reddish plum color and not sinewy in the least. This was a smooth piece of meat for sure. But I have to say that fillet mignon is the thing you really want to have when wanting to savor beef. It's bougie, but hey, that's how it goes.
In closing: great romantic meal that will take about 2 hours to complete. Lots of little things make this a cut above the rest, and worth the price tag.
Two of my friends and I had dinner here two weeks ago and we all left the restaurant feeling underwhelmed. With all the wonderful reviews and complements we decided to give it a try.
Putting decor aside, service was great, although I would have liked it if they explained the entree a bit more. Now to the food.
The anti-pasti dishes were okay, we were offered five, cheese, fried risotto balls, stuffed veal, salad and something else I cannot remember. The risotto ball was the best.
Primi: I got the Shrimp and clam soup. I will admit, this was very yummy.
Secondi: Snapper with mushrooms, it was good, but expected it to taste better
Formaggi: Three cheeses, fig jam was the best part
Dolci: Pinza with a glass of muscato, did not like it!
My two friends were also disappointed.
Perhaps we should have gone another time with a different selection.
The best meal I've ever had, hands down. This tiny little restaurant is a foodie's delight with a warm, inviting, unpretentious ambiance. The menu changes every night, and the only decision you need to make is what to order to drink. We simply told our waitress "no beef" and the chorus of delights began.
Our meal began with a fresh burrata, an almost liquid like gooey mozzarella-ish cheese that I dream about sometimes. It was a salty, creamy sensation with an ice cream like texture.
From fresh made pastas to chopped cucumber salad seasoned with chive blossoms, course after course delighted and amazed us one by one. By the end of the dinner I was so overwhelmed with satisfaction I was professing my undying love for the establishment to our server.
Don't think about it for another moment, if you have not yet been, drop everything and call them up to make a reservation. You will have little chance of getting a table by just walking up, there are probably no more than 10 tables in the entire place and it's always packed!
I should preface this by saying that I was starting to get sick. It's been an incredibly hectic month and a half (got married twice in two countries, had friends visit as soon as we returned home with 2 yr old twins, etc.) and all I really wanted to do was go home.
I went to Obelisk the other evening with my office. I'd been hearing for quite some time that this was one of the most, if not the most exciting restaurant in DC so I was really looking forward to it.
My husband didn't think it was worth the price ($70 per person), but I reminded him that in sheer quantity it was a great deal of food.
You start with antipasti, which consisted of several smallish dishes, then you chose a first course, a main course, followed by a cheese course, and a dessert course. $70 for all that seems perfectly reasonable in a higher end establishment.
The quality of the food was excellent, as was the service, but I have to say it wasn't even close to one of the best meals of my life. In the States, the best meals of my life have all been in NYC, LA, SF, and even Chi-Town. This was good food, in a super friendly atmosphere, but it is still DC.
Unless someone else paid I wouldn't go back, and even then I would try to convince them we should go somewhere else.
Obelisk is quite possibly one of the best restaurants I have ever tried. And despite being one of the top (or perhaps the top) restaurants in DC, it is a homey, warm place where diners actually converse with each other instead of on their cell phones. I've been three times, and every time, the food AND service was outstanding.
All three times, our meal started out with fresh burrata, a soft and creamy mozzarella-like cheese. I'd never had burrata before going to Obelisk, but it's delicious and I've been trying to find it since.
I could spend the next few paragraphs describing what we ordered, but the great thing about Obelisk is that the pre-fixe menu changes all the time. Usually I hate when restaurants change their menus, but with Obelisk, it's a treat. One item that seems to be constant is the chocolate hazelnut cake.
My only warning about Obelisk: pace yourself. There is a cheese course. There is a post-dessert dessert plate. The first time I went, I could barely walk by the time we had finished. The menu may sound pricey, but for the amount and quality of the food you get, it's not. I cannot think of a DC restaurant that is more deserving of all five stars.
Well you already know I'm in love with Obelisk. I just thought I would let you know (cough *brag* cough) that I had another fabulous meal here on Saturday. My friend Erin managed to resist taking photographs of every course this time, but it took a lot of restraint.
Before Saturday, I thought that if you were vegetarian, you were just out of luck at Obelisk. Not so! My friend Erin called ahead for her boyfriend, and she was told not to worry about a thing. You know how the menus are handwritten here every night? Well the vegetarian menu is so special that it isn't even written down.
For the meat eaters out there, for entrees, we got the suckling pig for two (succulent) and the duck (delicious). Our vegetarian dining friend got a chitarra (ridiculous pasta) with mushrooms dish. Usually the chitarra is in the secondi section for the meat eaters. If you see it there, order it.
For dessert, we got the panna cotta. It looked like (and moved like) a boob on the plate. I spent a good minute just jiggling the plate and laughing. I just love the sense of humor these chefs have. And I may have had half a bottle of prosecco, too....
I just wanted to say thank you to all the wonderful folks at Obelisk for making my engagement (to… Read more »
Okay, I've never written a Yelp review before, but after going to this place, I felt like I need to start.
Wow. Just wow. I wish I had something clever to write about it, but as soon as you stroll up and see that "the menu" is the only thing you can order for that night, you know it's going to be good.
Started with the antipasti, all of which was excellent: soft, creamy cheese flown in from Italy, tuna crudo, salt cod frittata, and something else great that I can't remember.
Next was pasta, I had the goat raviolli-type things which came in a broth and was more like a soup. This was the only part of the meal I didn't think was otherworldly. I tasted my mother's gnocchi in creamy cheese sauce with chives, which was possibly the best thing I've ever eaten. Light and fluffy with some great textured beads of flavor just exploding in your mouth. Outstanding.
Went with the roasted quail for my entree which was just a tad gamey (in a good way) and perfectly seasoned. I didn't really like messing with all the little bones, but that was my own fault. Mom's lamb chops were great.
For dessert, had the hazelnut chocolate cake which was just the right amount of sweet.
Top it all off with some closing sweets and a very solid bottle of wine for $40 and at $200 for 2 people before tip, an excellent bargain for arguably the best restaurant in the city. Highly recommend, and be ready for some surprises on the menu every time you go!
A very small but intimate and quiet Italian place that you could easily miss.
Wonderful service, with an attentive staff, and comforting surroundings. Distinct touches such as the inner table that contains the cheese and cutting utensils the staff uses, giving the place an almost warm invite to someones home.
Fantastic ingredients, fresh, home made pasta, awesome gnocci to die for. Excellent wine list as well, and also a good price for what you get which is exquisite. Probably the best Italian meal I've had in the city. Perfect coursed Italian meal the way it should be.
This is one of DC's best restaurants. The food is truly Italian, based only simple quality ingredients and not overdone with complicated sauces that no one would ever find in Italy. I love the small menu and found myself completely willing to eat what I was given, not wasting time choosing from 150 selections on some overdone menu. The atmosphere is totally unpretentious, a welcomed change for DC. I love the small, simple dining room and down-to-earth service. It is also located on one of the best blocks in the entire city, making it a true gem. Dessert was phenomenal and I can't wait to go back.
Everything was wonderful. This would be my number #1 restaurant in all of DC. I am a vegetarian and the customized my meal perfectly for me. The atmosphere is a little dated, but it is the best food, and experience, that I've had in DC.
The staff are amazing, the food spectacular, and I just loved the whole thing.
The only downfall? I was full, uncomfortably stuffed almost halfway through. I couldn't enjoy the last few courses because I was so incredibly full.
5 stars for DC despite the decor. Obelisk is located right off of Dupont Circle and it is quite easy to miss, but that somehow adds to the charm. We were staying at the new Klimpton hotel (which is fab by the way) and started arguing that we should have left earlier only to find that we had passed Obelisk twice already. The unassuming location on the second floor of townhouse belies the incredible food in store.
The atmosphere is somewhat casual. You hang up your own coats by the door. The space itself is quite small and there are very few tables but alot of attention. Customers ran from groups of hip 20-somethings in black to families in jeans to older couples in suits. The decor is somewhat dated, especially for the price you pay. While Obelisk does what it can with a nice table in the middle, floweres, etc, they seriously need some new flooring and tables (it's a little upscale diner-esque).
But, on for the meal. The staff was really friendly and were quite apt at describing all of the dishes and recommending wines. Obelisk also seems to cater to customer needs as I noted the vegetarian selections at the table next to us. The antipasti was great with good cheeses, fried squash balls, etc. Arugula pasta was really fresh and quite light. For the main meal, the fish was cooked quite nicely, but I was slightly confused as to how I was supposed to eat the artichoke presentation before me. For dessert, the grape sorbet is incredible and normally I don't rave about sorbet. But seriously this sorbet was concord grape goodness iced into delightful scoops.
Obelisk has great fresh food, and maybe I am a glutton, but I left full, not uncomfortable. I highly recommend it for groups of 4 or less.
Obelisk is homey and inviting. The service is executed perfectly and every little dish proves the chef's magical culinary abilities. Nothing is a let down, and not once did I feel like it wasn't worth the price tag.
I'm completely in love with this restaurant.
(for my full review http://lavienouveau.wo...)
The bottom line: One of the best restaurants I've ever visited, anywhere. Consistently delicious, wonderful staff, simple but elegant decor.
Although we have been to Obelisk before for special occasions (engagement dinner and birthdays), last Friday my wife and I returned to our beloved Obelisk. We had a late reservation, so we were hungry and excited as we settled into our seats in the sparsely decorated dining room.
As we were seated, a member of the friendly, knowledgeable and unpretentious wait staff served some toasted, oiled and salted almonds.
To start, we ordered glasses of Prosecco (crisp and refreshing) and settled in to make our menu choices. After we had chosen, along came the fabulously textured house-made bread. One bread was more moist and spongy and one a bit more airy. There were also two-foot tasty bread sticks.
WINE
Dolcetto D'Alba-A delicious light body red with dark cherry accents.
ANTIPASTI MISTI
Burrata-Soft, creamy and flown in frequently from Puglia, Obelisk's burrata is served simply with extra-virgin olive oil, fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper.
Salt Cod Fritatta-The slightly salty fish balanced well with the sweet egg in these 3/4 inch high cool wedges of eggy-salty goodness.
Tomato Salad-Three large thick slices of red and yellow heirloom tomatoes (and a few halved cherry tomatoes). Topped with torn basil, olive oil, fleur de sel, pepper and a lovely aged balsamic (tis the perfect season to enjoy tomato goodness).
Fried Sardines-A perfectly crispy tempura-like crust. Moist inside and complimented by a lemony green sauce.
Porchetta-A slice of roast suckling pig. Crispy skin edged on the inside with tender meat. It was stuffed with a concoction of ground meat, offal, herbs and spices.
PRIMI
Me: Suckling pig agnlotti with spinach and sage-A plateful of lovely fresh made pillows of pasta stuffed with (what I assume to be) the aforementioned ground pig. Topped with sauteed spinach and a rich pork/sage broth.
Wife: Arugula ravioli with walnut butter 5 (or 6) fluffy ravioli filled with fresh arugula and in a light but rich walnut butter sauce.
SECONDI
Me: Striped bass with chantrelles and pancetta-A perfectly cooked piece of bass on a large bed of the freshest chantrelles I have ever tasted. The crisp and salty pancetta brought out the rich forest-buttery chantrelle flavor to compliment the fish.
Wife:
Quail with chard, pine nuts and golden raisins-The quail was rubbed with vin santo which sweetened the skin and matched so well with the sweet raisins and slightly bitter chard.
FORMAGGI w/ fig jam
Pecorino Stagionato-a triangle of rich, firm, flaky and pleasantly gritty sheep's milk cheese.
Bonrus-A creamy soft cheese (sheep and cow blend). Not too much of a barnyard fragrance.
Taleggio-Soft and creamy with a not unpleasantly strong smell.
DOLCI
Wife and I: Chocolate cake with caramel sauce-Light and rich chocolate cake swimming in a mouthwatering sea of salted caramel (and some chocolate) sauce.
SMALL SWEETS
Chocolate mint truffle-tasted of freshly picked mint (and rich chocolate, of course)
Biscotti-Not too crisp biscotti tasted like they had been soaked in sambuca.
Raspberry geleé-Tart, sweet and sad (because it was our last bite of the night).
It was a fabulous meal, great service, and we will be back. Thank you Obelisk!
This is one of the best restaurant experiences that I have had. Value is great, food is outstanding - innovative! As good as being in Italy (we had just returned the week before from Roma). Wine needs some work for lower priced wines. But this is my only criticism! (Except that the outside is not properly marked, so it is very hard to find.) Fresh ingredients, wondeful cooking - why can't all restaurants be like this!? Fixed price menu with great choices. Can't recommend it enough - this view shared by my wife and our two friends who were with us.
So I finally got to Obelisk, and I was not disappointed. My gf's father was in town and so this was the place he picked to go..not like he had to twist our arms.
Lets start with the setting. It looks like a town house that without the sign, you'd think was a family home. The place it tiny, only about 30 seats, and has a very warm feeling to it. I've never been to Italy, but this is what I picture a really small local place to look like.
My gf is a vegetarian, so we alerted them and they prepared slightly different variations of the dishes for her. Very accommodating.
The meal:
Anti-pasti:
First we were brought Burrata Cheese with olive oil. It was a mix of mozzarella and ricotta. Delicious, very fluffy and flavorful.
Second was a sardine over onions with lemon sauce. The sardine was perfect over the onions.
Following that was duck breast with onion jam. The duck was tender and cooked to a nice medium rare.
After that was a sucking pig fritter. Probably the "worst" (not bad though) of the first little plates.
Next was Crostini with fava bean spread and pecorino cheese. This was a nice way to finish the mini anti-pasti.
First Course:
I ordered the tagliatelle with morel mushrooms, ramps and a very very rich butter sauce. While it was super rich, it was still amazing. After this course I was definitely feeling a little full...but I was ready for more.
Second Course:
Sea Bass over peas, artichoke hearts, fava beans with a light lemon "sauce" (aka as a lemon on the side). The fish was tender and flaky and the skin was left on a just cooked through. My favorite dish of the night.
The Cheese Course:
Pipedreams goat cheese, a cow cheese and a mix. These were served with sour cherries.
The dessert:
I ordered the lemon tart, my gf ordered the chocolate cake with coffee creme anglaise. Her dad ordered the strawberry "soup" with black pepper ice cream. I really enjoyed the tart, while it was probably the least imaginative of the three. The soup was quite tasty and the chocolate cake was super sweet and a bit too much for me.
Overall this place was fantastic. Each course were very delicatly plated and really showed a very classic style of Italian cooking...but of course with some special aspects.
I will be back, no doubt.
(Three and a half stars) Like everyone who has reviewed this restaurant on Yelp, I was excited for weeks to eat at Obelisk. I decided to take my lady friend (LF) there for her birthday as she had been talking about this place for years. The reservation process was a little awkward... when I called a few weeks in advance, they told me to call them back a few days before to confirm - ummm, shouldn't you be calling me back to confirm?
I also let them know that it was my LF's b-day, now I know I'm not going to Cheesecake Factory or Friendly's and expecting a free dessert but I wanted the wait staff to acknowledge it by wishing her a happy birthday or even write Happy B-day on her menu, something that a lot of places have done for me - I guess this was too big a request because they asked me what I expected them to do - rude.
Now, getting past all that, I was still excited for the food. The place was tiny and intimate and the wait staff was extremely friendly, attentive and professional. But the food... well it fell just short of my expectations. The bread was bland, my octopus app smelled too fishy even for me and a lot of the dishes lacked flavor. The dishes that were on, were excellent - lobster mushrooms, lamb and a few others I can't remember. The wine list was also excellent.
Overall, for a fancy tasting menu meal, the price was spot on and the food was good, not great. But, it's not even the best Italian in the city (Tosca).
This is a real treat. Despite living and working nearby for two decades, I'd never been to Obelisk. The longer I didn't go, the less I felt compelled to; I find it hard to get excited about 21 year old restaurants. I usually find them to be a little long In the tooth, coasting on past glories.
Not to worry; despite its age, Obelisk had the excitement and freshness of something brand new.
The lamb and duck dishes were outstanding; plenty of non-meat dishes to satisfy my wife.
There wasn't a course that didn't work for me. Great atmosphere (unlike what I think I read on Sietsema, it wasn't at all loud). And the service, usually so mediocre in DC, was top notch. A new favorite.
When I decided to try Obelisk, I read the reviews, but I guess I hadn't considered the price carefully enough. I sat down to eat with my brother and best friend, and our eyes bugged out when we saw the $75 fixed-price menu (The maitresse-di even asked "Are you sure you all want to stay?). However, we had already sat down and committed ourselves, and hey, we deserve it! And so it began...
Amazing antipasti...wrapped sardines, buffalo mozzarella, pork belly....delicious first courses: I had a shrimp soup. Fantastic main courses, with a variety of choice: two kinds of fish, a pasta dish, and the lamb....mind blowing cheese course served with pear jam....and the desserts....oh the desserts....
I realize that these things are subjective, but I would recommend Obelisk to anyone whose pockets run deep. If you tried it once and hated it, go back when they have different menu items. The three of us aggreed, one of the best meals we have ever had.
This is probably the first fancy restaurant I've dined at in DC where I spent a lot of money, but left feeling like it was completely worth it. Komi was amazing, but when I left I was thinking.. "was it $300 amazing?" Let me start off by saying that this place is absolutely worth it, and they accomodate vegetarians very well. In place of the pasta course and an entree, they served me three pasta courses. Each course was delicious and we ended up with about 9 total since we had several appetizers. All their ingredients were top notch, and I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who was looking for a nice place on a special occassion, or who just wanted to splurge. Probably best gnocchi I've ever had. The entire meal including dessert was absolutely delicious... though I gained four pounds the next morning.
Probably the best meal I have ever had. It's not just the food that's remarkable - although it was unbelievable (I went there several months ago so I can't remember too many specifics), it's the whole dining experience that makes this place special. Hand written menus that change daily, the tiny dining room, the amazing service all make for a memorable evening. Prepare yourself to be there for at least 2 hours - this isn't a place to go if you have a movie you are trying to make! I can't recommend this place enough.
Obelisk is easily the best meal I've had in Washington DC.
The Antipasti was fantastic. The night my boyfriend and I were there they had fried squash blossoms stuffed with mozzarella, porchetta, smoked swordfish belly and sardines with caramelized onions. All of the dishes were great but the squash blossoms were sublime.
For the first course I had the tagliatelle with morel mushrooms in a butter sauce, which was excellent. My boyfriend had the butternut squash ravioli, which was a very good dish although probably not as good as the tagliatelle.
For the second course I had the squab and my boyfriend had the steak. The steak was very good but I would recommend the squab if you're given the option. There are several places in DC where you can get a good piece of steak but in addition to being delicious the squab is a dish that is more unique to Obelisk.
The formaggi course with the fig jam was very good as was the chocolate cake that we ordered for dessert.
In addition to great food what makes Obelisk stand out among all the restaurants in DC is the exceptional service and atmosphere. Obelisk's servers are helpful and professional without being pretentious and the atmosphere is refined but casual.
I can see why everybody loves this place so much. The assortment of really interesting, slightly modern, slightly rustic, Italian food is really first-rate. Our main dishes were fine-- really very good, I guess-- but the real show stealers were the array of small nibbles, amuse bouche, and other small plates that came out at the start of the meal and the cocktail menu. (My fiancee got a rhubarb sour, I got a blood orange/ arancello/ camapari cocktail that was gloriously fruity and bitter).
If only it were possible to stop in just for drinks and snacks, I would do so often.
My boyfriend were in Dupont Circle during a visit to Washington, DC.
Obelisk was down the street and had pretty good reviews so we had dinner there New Year's Eve Eve.
Service was great. Our waiter was very knowledgeable about the menu and wine list.
The meal started very well. The anitpasti course was fantastic. I love burata and the serving was very generous. The squash croquette and the sardine with carmelized onions were very tasty. For the first course, I had the shrimp with spaghetti and my boyfriend's raviolini stuffed with chicken was excellent.
Then the dinner took a turn. My boyfriend had the Culotte-beef, which was supposedly Wagyu. It was tough and still had the silverskin on it, which made it very difficult to eat. Flavor was good but just not easy to chew.
I had the squab, which had great flavor but was a little undercooked. Something Angela S. had mentioned, too. We were bummed because the pasta dishes were amazing.
Desserts were not memorable, either. One thing I have to point out that I thought was interesting was the way the served the zabaglione with tangerine or mandarins. They did not remove the skin from tangerines nor did they de-seed them. The custard was very nice, but every time I bit into the citrus, the tough skin bothered me, as well as biting into a seed. Not good. Not good.
Anyway, I was disappointed because I think it could have been a fantastic dinner. Someone in the kitchen is overlooking the details, however. So, Obelisk gets three stars from me.
This would really be 3 1/2 stars if I could do that.
Where to begin? I was excited about eating at Obelisk. I read a lot about it on Yelp and it sounded great.
The food was terrific and the service was really good. I had no issues with the restaurant at all and would recommend it...
But...
It's expensive, and to be honest (I'm not a cheapskate), but I felt like I could have gotten just as good for my money at the Tabard Inn or other places.
So, if you go, you'll get a good meal, but you may not think the amount you spent was worth the food you got.
The starting courses were unreal. Each course was thoughtfully arranged with simple and fresh ingredients. I walk by this restaurant all the time and the menu is always changing according to seasonal variations of ingredients. After visiting twice, the only similarities between the menus were the long crispy bread sticks. At 75 dollars for the tasting menu, it's about half the price of Komi's degastazioni menu. I love fine dining in casual atmospheres and obelisk delivers.
I'm between a 4 and 5 for this place.
I came here for a friend's birthday party a couple years back, and we had a party of 10. Dark woods with a modernist edge, make for a slightly atypical italian venue. But the food was excellent. We made liberal use of their italian heavy wine list, happily imbibing many a bottle.
Though I have few specific memories of the flavours these years later, I have fond memories of the night.
Let me say first, the service here was fantastic, I could not rave enough about it for you to understand until you go.
Past that the food was great, but not worth a second trip back for me. I recommend going once, it's a great date spot, but I think you'll find it's not worth a repeat trip with all the other top notch places to eat in the area.
Easily the finest cuisine in the city and is always a surprise since that day's menu is posted by the chef anew each morning. Must have been about 4 or 5 courses albeit some smaller than others, but they just kept coming. My favorite place for special occasions. Great go to spot for a great meal, but not cheap.
Wrap-up: Simply delicious but be prepared to spend.
My girlfriend and I headed to Obelisk in celebration of her birthday. Quite simply, this is one of the best restaurants I have been to in the United States. I give it 5 stars with no hesitation. Here is how I broke down eash dish we sampled:
Antipasti
Fried Squash Blossoms: These perfectly fried treats brought forth a different flavor with each bite. They were doused in oil and had a hint of sausage. I cannot begin to provide this dish justice with superlatives. Quite simply, it is one of the best items I have eaten at any restaurant.
Burrata: The fresh burrata was also excellent. I have never understood why this mozzarella resembling cheese has never found its way onto a gourmet pizza, but it was a nice accompaniment to the squash blossoms.
Heirloom Tomato Crostini: The local tomatoes (cherry and orange) made the difference in this upscale version of bruschetta. Simply masterful.
Capicola: I love capicola, but the kitchen did not take any real chances with this dish. It was simply nice capicola, but it wasn't transcendent in any way, shape, or form.
Shrimp with green sauce: The green sauce was a bit sour, and we found the breading didn't really add flavor to the shrimp. On the bright side, the shrimp was perfectly cooked.
Entrees:
Chittara with squid and zucchini: The chittara was little more than an upscale version of angel hair pasta, but it was fine for this dish. The squid rings added a hint of necessary flavor. The broth was a nice, spicy concoction that would have went well with the bread.
Duck Raviolini with Poached Egg: The tiny duck raviolini was excellent, but I'm not too sure about pairing it with the poached egg. Having said that, the egg mixed excellently with the chicken broth.
Meat Entrees:
Pollastrino with Chantrelles and Guanciale: Guanciale? No idea. The young chicken was paired with flavorful mushrooms that perfectly matched the olive oil based sauce. I will be adding chantrelles to quite a few of my own dishes as a result of trying this dish.
Halibut with fennel, tomatoes, and olives: A nice, tender filet of halibut with just the right touch of spices. Although the dish took little chances, it was quite tasty.
Cheeses:
We had a mix of Cinerino, Raschera, and a goat cheese from Pipe Dream Farms in Pennsylvania, The Cinerino was the winner here. This sheep milk's cheese had a milky taste with a pleasant, slightly sweet finish. The raschera was a delicate, soft cheese that had the perfect texture. It was very soft, but at no point did it turn into a useless dribble. I only wished I could have paired it with some vegetables. My girlfriend loves the Pipe Dream Farms goat cheese, but it was much too pungent for me.
Desserts
Chocolate cake with mint anglaise: The mint anglaise was the correct complement to the bittersweet chocolate. The kitchen did a great job with this dish.
Peach Melba: Wow. A sugary peach served with cookies and ice cream. Sounds simple, but I assure you that it was exotic. Rather, it is my restricted powers of description that fail to deliver the true value of this excellent finish to a wonderful meal.
The kitchen serves us complementary biscotti, hazelnut brittle, and apricot candy. The biscotti was filled with oats and had a hint of licorice. It was an interesting combination, but my girlfriend didn't seem to enjoy it. On the other hand, I found the hazelnut brittle to emphasize the nut and leave out the toffee. The apricot candy was delightful; it was perfectly sweet and went well with my Americano.
This is a great place to go for a special occasion. Reservations are taken in advance, and it is best to take only a small group. This is not the place to have some drinks with your friends; this is a sophisticated meal that takes hours to enjoy. However, the end result is that you will appreciate the service, atmosphere, and food at this wonderful DC restaurant for years.
This is a going to be a long one, so if you don't want to read the whole thing, I will summarize nicely here. The fixed menu is $75. We spent about $50 each on drinks. Worth every penny. Food is delicious, staff is friendly, wine is great.
So I tried to book a table earlier in the week for Saturday night. They only have eleven tables apparently, so they were booked. But they put me on the wait list. Called me on Friday, but I missed the call because I was in a meeting. They gave the table away again, but they called 24 hours later with another cancellation. I guess the lesson here is get on the waiting list. People cancel.
I never go to northwest, so I didn't really judge the amount of time I needed to get there. Tip. If you go down P St, the next cross street is one way. Go past it, do right, right, right and there's a spot that's marked no parking. But it's not. It's diplomatic parking M-F during the daytime. It's a good get. Yes, that's right. My reviews are that good.
So because of my excellent parking skills and my terrible understanding of distance we showed up like 20 minutes before our reservation. The table wasn't ready yet, bar was full. It's a little restaurant. I might have been upset, but they sat us out on the stoop and we drank prosecco for 20 minutes. Better than that, we drank on the house. Felt a little weird drinking wine on the porch watching flocks of identically dressed people walk past, but I survived.
So anyway, we got seated. We had like four waitresses. All very friendly. They brought out antipasti, which is, apparently, Italian for appetizers. Not a single person in that restaurant was speaking Italian. I know Tarzan learned to speak French from a phonograph record and read English from a Bible, but he was a fictional character. I don't know why people were writing in Italian and speaking in English. But they were.
There were a bunch of different little appetizers. They started with some almonds which I'm told were roasted in fennel and olive oil. They were crunchy, but I don't think that's particularly special. I mean, most nuts are crunchy.
Then they brought out bread and mozzarella. Not together. There was bread, which was good, but bread is bread. The mozzarella was just a big piece of cheese on a plate with pepper and olive oil. It was pretty fantastic, very soft and cheesy. Sorry. I don't have a developed vocabulary for describing cheese. Trust me though, it was good and cheesy. Olive oil and pepper obviously gets soaked up by bread. That's a pretty basic thing that happens with food. You probably didn't need me to explain to you that you should do that. But apparently there are people out there writing and speaking in different languages who may or may not have been raised by jungle gorillas. So, if that's you, and the language you read happens to be English, then you should know that in civilized society, people often dip bread in olive oil and pepper. It's a sight better than grubworms and bananas or whatever it is you grew up eating.
After that they brought out some sort of mutant nubby cauliflower which was inexplicably green. I thought cauliflower was white. It was done up in roasted garlic and breadcrumbs. Seriously exceptional garlic flavor. There was zucchini egg pie that was served cold. Not what I expected. Actually the only thing that didn't impress me. I guess it's kind of a gamble though. I mean, when someone brings you like ten things in a row to eat, odds are one of them won't be insanely delicious.
There was shrimp next. But this was no ordinary shrimp. This was the platonic ideal of a shrimp. Fried, juicy, with fresh squeezed lemon and a lemon mayonnaise cocktail sauce that exploded with lemon fresh goodness in my mouth. Like a little crustacean oral orgasm. I recommend it.
There were lamb meatballs, which were pretty damn delicious. Some sort of red sauce highlighting a great meatiness that was just fantastic. I know, I know. I ate some poor ewe's child. I'm sure if she was in any way sentient, she'd hate me. But she's a sheep. Sheep is a basic euphemism for mindlessness, so I'm not really worried about retaliation.
I think there were some other ones. Maybe one more? Can't remember. I didn't write this down. If I had though, you can bet it would have been in English. The first course, I had a pasta dish. It was the long flat kind, with a ton of butter and huge heapings of fresh jumbo crap mixed in. My friend had quail and wild mushroom. The mushrooms were fantastic, all little and red. I wouldn't have eaten them if I'd have found them in the forest. But if a complete stranger puts them on a plate and charges money for them, I just chow down. It's a miracle any of us survive long enough to die of cancer. But this restaurant gets a whole extra star for not killing me with poisonous mushrooms.
Here's something new. Review length is limited to 5000 characters.
I have to say, I often find myself in situations not uncommon to someone extremely lucky. My fiance has a really awesome job. Her boss offered to send us out for a fancy dinner at their expense.
As you can tell by the placement of this story, we took advantage.
Obelisk went beyond my expectations. Granted, it is a bit out of my normal price range and I'm still not sure if I would have gone had the bill not been picked up by someone else. However, having been there once, I can say that I would consider saving my pennies to go again.
The food was phenomenal, and all five courses were exquisite. They have a hand prepared menu that appears to change often, so I won't go too much into detail, however a few things really stood out. My favorite thing by far, was a tart served for desert. This blackberry custard tart they served was beyond words. It had an absolute perfect flavor, and that "melt in your mouth" quality that was unforgettable. Another favorite was the Culotte, which at first looked nearly too rare. I was way off base, as it was nice and warm, not to mention incredibly tasty. Without a doubt the best piece of meat I've ever had in my life.
We shared a $95 bottle of wine, and I had a nice $16 glass of desert wine, which brought the total bill to around $350 including tip and espresso. Would highly recommend if you've got the cash or a very very very special occasion to celebrate.
Obelisk is certainly one of the best restaurants in DC. It might not have the fancy feel of other dining rooms, but the intimate setting, impeccable service and fantastic food and drink are really enjoyable.
Not only was the food excellent from start to finish (with the exception of the squab I ordered - a little too gamey for my taste, but that shouldn't deter squab lovers!), but there was also a LOT of it. We came close to feeling like we had overdone it, but left with smiles on our faces. yum!
Our fellow diners ranged from a young couple (one of whom was wearing flip flops) to a family with a teenage son to a group that seemed to be having a business dinner - and everyone fit in just fine. Each diner was really focused on his company and his food, which is just how I like it.
This place has everything you could ask for in a restaurant. It's intimate, serves great food and features great service. I love coming here everytime I get a chance.
The only rival to Komi in D.C. The service was perfect, the got every detail but still felt casual and friendly. The food was delish - tasting menu only. The space was much smaller and casual than I expected, not a complaint, just surprised. The dining room is the small front room of a Dupont rowhouse. The space was bright and airy, and even cool on one of the hottest days of the summer.
I'll have to base this review on my boyfriend's reaction, as I am not really a foodie. In fact, I am probably the anti-foodie. Full disclosure here, I find McDonald's cheeseburgers to be a culinary pinnacle (mmm...mushy AND bland, what more could you want....)
But I digress. We actually went to Obelisk about a year ago but since my boyfriend is still talking about it I thought it would be worth writing a review. It is a gem in his eyes so it seems worth it to point other people in the direction of this place.
As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience, but probably would have enjoyed something about a fourth of the cost just as much. Be forewarned, Obelisk is pricey and even after all this time it is still a process to get a weekend reservation there. My summary - if fab food is worth it to you, then by all means, save it for a splurge. If you are more my speed, well, I'll see you at Mickey D's!
If you've ever been to a restaurant in Italy where the locals go, then you'll be very familiar with Obelisk. It has a small dining area and the tables are close enough together that by the end of the evening you may very well know the couple sitting at the table next to you. The staff is friendly and the overall atmosphere comforting.
As far as the food, simply amazing. True, you may have to be a risk taker for some dishes, but even if you skip the anchovie skewer and the calamari soup you will still have plenty of outright delicious food to fill you up. For me it was a 5 course meal: appetizer (a mix of about 5 dishes), first entree (like a pasta, soup, or risotto), second entree (meats/fish), cheese plate (3 cheeses), and dessert. This all comes with unlimited homemade bread and butter. Add a bottle of wine and an espresso or grappa afterwards and you will not want to think about eating again for a couple of days. Well well worth it though.
This won't be my last time there.
This really is as good as it gets. This might be my favorite place in DC (and I've been to Komi and MiniBar)... great 'at home' atmosphere, the burrata is AMAZING, service is helpful. Just fabulous!
After dining at Obelisk it's easy to see why yelpers rank it the best restaurant in DC. In a word: superb.
The prix-fixe menu consists of five courses, three of which you choose. The antipasti comes rolling out after you make your choices and really starts the meal off on a high point. On the night we went the highlights included exceptionally fresh Burrata cheese, lightly battered fried shrimp and amazing grilled Italian chicory which continues to occupy my mind weeks after the meal.
Were it not for the loud commentary of the tanorexic bridezilla seated next to me my birthday dinner would have been absolutely perfect. Still, for the most part, the hypnotic flavors delivered by the kitchen were enough to drown out her incessant whining.
With only 36 seats in the dining room, it's best to think ahead when making a reservation.
If you're still wondering whether or not Obelisk is the right restaurant for your special occasion - birthday, anniversary, hard fought re-election bid, graduation, passing the bar - wonder no more. Obelisk is a place worth celebrating, whether you've got a good reason or not.
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