Proof, Washington DC

Rating: 4 forks
This past weekend, my husband and I had the pleasure of visiting our nation's capitol. Aside from DC being an impeccably clean city, the home to our president and other political folk, and a cultural center with an impressive list of stellar museums, we have proof that DC is also becoming a culinary capitol; at least, that was my take from the two dining experiences we had over our weekend jaunt.

Friday night, we dined at Proof, per the recommendation of power couple and our company for the evening, Ben and Elizabeth (you may remember my recent post about Ben). Proof is classified as a wine bar, and therefore of course boasts an impressive list of worldly vintages, including a few prize bottles from the esteemed (and incredibly expensive) winery Screaming Eagle, topping out at a mere $5500/bottle. Yikes. Of course, there were plenty to chose from for us "common folk", unique small-batch wineries like Owen Roe (which we discovered at Brix in Boston) and also the 2006 K Vinters, Pheasant, Syrah, our table's choice for the evening, at $70/bottle.

Now, the food. Oh, where to begin. First off, it was absolutely divine, and I must say, Proof trumped many of the meals I have had in my hometown of Boston, by far; I'd say, from our short experience, that the dining options in DC are on par with those of NYC and San Francisco, though I would guess there's slightly fewer options to chose from. We kicked off the evening's feast with a board of soft and hard cheeses, paired with toasted nutty bread, an apple puree, pure natural honey, and Madjool dates and a accompanying plate of cured meats from their charcuterie menu, paired with fresh dijon and cornichons. Yum. Next, we shared a few appetizers from the menu:

Roasted Beets with Pea Shoots & Kaleidoscope Carrots 
sherry mustard vinaigrette, Stilton, toasted hazelnuts  $8 

Grilled Spanish Octopus
potato-chickpea salad, smoked paprika, piquillo pepper vinaigrette $13

Spicy Little Meatballs
goat cheese agnolotti, tomato fondue $10

Each were to die for, especially those little cheese agnolotti's, a fancy name for the-best-raviolis-ever. For dinner, the men both orederd-up the venison, which I don't see on the online menu; however us lady's opted for:

Honey & Spice Glazed Pekin Duck Breast
roasted jewel yam purée, pomegranate vinaigrette, grilled scallions $27

Duck & Pork Confit with Grilled Boudin
cassoulet of flageolet beans, spinach, herbed bread crumbs, lardons $25

And for dessert – I am surprised I can remember what we had after the self-induced food coma from tasting the above – we shared a warm carmel cake, and a serving of delicious homemade coconut sorbet.

If in DC, you must-must check out Proof; I can't wait to go back!

Proof
775 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
www.proofdc.com
202.737.7663