We made reservations a month out for dinner at Kinship, the new restaurant in Mt Vernon Triangle from acclaimed chef Eric Ziebold (James Beard Award Best-Chef Mid-Atlantic, 2008).The menu is separated into “Craft”, “History”, “Ingredients”, “Indulgence” and “For the Table.”   This is one of the few restaurants where an introduction to the menu from the server is actually necessary.

The restaurant feels like it is in someone’s narrow rowhome, with brick walls and low lighting.  We knew going in exactly what we wanted to eat so we ordered drinks and food and the same time.  I started with the Kinship Spritz (Cocchi Americano, Dolin Blanc, Blanc de Blanc Sparkling Champagne) and Marnay got a glass of French Chenin Blanc.  For some reason, my drink came at least five minutes before Marnay’s.  When it finally arrived, her glass of wine was brought by the manager of the front of the house (who happens to be the chef’s wife) instead of our server.  The exact same thing happened when we ordered a second drink.  There is no doubt that we received great service at Kinship and we left feeling like VIPs.  There was just a lot of duplication of effort among the staff.  Not really a critique, just something that we noticed.

Our meal started with the torchon of white mushrooms from the “Craft” section, a riff on a torchon of foie gras, with baby beet and wild mushroom salad served on top of a huckleberry gastrique along with slices of toasted brioche.  The torchon was rich and earthy on its own but it was transformed when spread on the toasted brioche along with the gastrique.

We also ordered Kinship’s famous roast chicken, from the “For the Table” section. We got a little hungry waiting for it to be made (it takes at least an hour) but I am glad we did not order another dish because the chicken is a lot for two people. When the chicken was finished, the server presented it to us (perfect picture opportunity!) before bringing it back to the kitchen to cut into pieces.  The garlicky, buttery skin was the best part of the dish.  Second best was chef Ziebold’s famous Parker House rolls, pillowy and soft.  Last, but certainly not least, was the well season fried potatoes.

Kinship is a cozy neighborhood restaurant with James Beard Award quality food at reasonable prices.  The roast chicken, for example, cost less than two individual entrees.  While we had to make our reservations a month in advance, the full menu is offered at the bar and there was no one sitting there when we arrived at 7:00pm on a Tuesday.

Now go and try it!

Best Bite
Marnay: Torchon of White Mushroom
Paul: Torchon of White Mushroom

Address
Kinship: 1015 7th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
Closest Metro: Mt Vernon Square