Proof
Friday, May 28, 2010 at 07:12AM Even before I started cooking, I remember thinking that it would be the greatest thing in the world to own a restaurant - I'd dazzle people with my cutting edge decor and flavors, I'd walk around chatting with regulars and new visitors, I'd hang out with the bad boys (and girls) in the kitchen after hours...however, that dream quickly died once I (1) started working as an attorney, and (2) started watching Kitchen Nightmares and realized how tough it is to run a restaurant. But after visiting Proof, located by the Verizon Center and owned by tax attorney Mark Kuller, I could feel that old dream stirring. Proof is everything I'd want my restaurant to be, complete with beautiful decor, great service and amazing food.
When we arrived at 7, we were quickly seated at the table, even though we were still waiting for two members of our party (Andy, who has now earned a spot as a regular in the credits, and his lady Kim). Both Mark and I marveled over the decor, a nice blend of elegant and casual, with big picture windows. Our server, too, was a nice blend of efficient and laid-back, ready to answer any of our questions yet willing to give us a litte space to peruse the menu. When I asked him to recommend a not too sweet drink, he pointed me in the direction of the "Band of Leisure," with Old Overholt rye whiskey, honey syrup, yellow chartreuse, and peychaud bitters. If you are not a fan of whiskey, it's not the drink for you, but it was well-mellowed by the honey. I liked it, but only ordered one - it's not really the kind of thing you sip all night.
Once Andy and Kim had arrived, we were chomping at the bit to try out some of the amazing sounding dishes. Before we had even ordered, we were given some cracker-like flatbreads (above, left). They were good, light, airy, and flaky, but more insubstantial than your typical bread basket. Now that I'm thinking about it, that's probably a very good thing, given how much we ended up eating.
Mark and I started by splitting an order of the spicy Shenandoah lamb meatballs, with pearl pasta, tomato fondue, feta, mint and olive oil (above, right). I really liked the combination of meatballs with pearl pasta (kind of a play off spaghetti and meatballs), and thought the lamb was full of flavor and pretty tender. I also liked how the hint of mint really freshened the dish up, but thought it all could have been a little spicier. Mark also thought the dish was good, although it was probably the dish he was least excited about all night.
Mark also ordered the roasted beets with pea shoots and Kaleidoscope carrots, which came with a sherry mustard vinaigrette, aged goat's cheese, and toasted hazelnuts (above). I guess he's a total beet convert now, because he thought they were fantastic, along with the goat's cheese. He was a little sad that he only found about 3 hazelnuts in the whole dish, and would have liked a few more. I tried this dish, and while I agreed the beets were very nice, I wasn't too blown away by it...
...because I was too busy getting my mind blown by my appetizer choice, seared Hudson Valley foie gras, with vanilla poached Fuji apples, toasted brioche, and maple-cider gastrique (above). Mark and Kim agreed that it was a to-die-for dish - the foie gras had a perfect crust on it, and literally melted on the tongue. The richness of the liver was perfectly cut by the sweet-sour gastrique. And those poached apples! Mark said that he didn't even realize those were apples - the way they were cooked made them taste like an entirely new, delicious fruit.
For his appetizer, Andy got the sauteed potato gnocchi, with wild mushrooms, asparagus, ramps, and parmesan (above, left). He enjoyed it a lot, and noted that it was very filling. Kim got the Ahi tuna tartare, with crispy nori tempura, Hass avocados, and a wasabi-soy emulsion (above, right). It was beautifully presented, and Kim gave it the thumbs up.
For her main dish, Kim got the black sesame crusted Scottish salmon, with sweet pea-potato puree, sauteed pea shoots, and a carrot and ginger emulsion (above, left). Andy got the Napoleon of crispy tofu and wild mushrooms, with stir fried zucchini, greens, carrots, and sweet chili garlic sauce (above, right). While both really liked their dishes, I only tried a little of Andy's tofu. I was shocked at how delicious it was - nice, crispy crust, with the tofu soaking up the bold flavors of the dish.
I ordered the Vadouvan spiced Alaskan Halibut, with fragrant Jasmine rice, sauteed local greens, and a coconut-curry emulsion (above). I died a little bit of happiness upon tasting my fish. The thick, almost cracker-like crust gave way to perfectly flaky, delicate, and well-seasoned halibut. The coconut-curry emulsion gave the ideal amount of heat and sweet (while I love both heat AND sweet, any more would have overwhelmed the flavor of the fish). And each grain of rice was tender and well, fragrant, and wonderful.
Mark ordered the honey-glazed Pekin duck breast, with roasted jewel yam puree, pomegranate vinaigrette, and grilled scallions (above). Mark thought the duck was very nice, but it was the yam puree and pomegranate vinaigrette that really wowed him - they were the perfect foils for the meat. He kept scraping his plate to make sure he got it all.
By the time dessert rolled around, it had started to get dark in the restaurant. Like, really dark. This was the only real mark against the restaurant. Mark noted that there is a difference between atmospheric mood lighting and flat-out lack of lighting, and Proof falls into the later category. I don't disagree - the restaurant should at least be lit well enough to not require the light from our cell phones to read the dessert menus. When the desserts arrived, it was so dark we could barely even see what were eating. Still, both were delicious. Mark got a grilled banana dessert (above, left) with banana bread and coconut sorbet. I really liked the banana bread (moist, soft, and not overly sweet), especially once it had soaked up some of the melted sorbet. I got the vanilla panna cotta (above, right), and everyone agreed that it was simply sublime - silky, subtle, and a great ending to a fantastic meal.
While I don't think I'm gonna quit my day job just yet, if and when I win the lottery, I'm going straight to Mark Kuller for tips on how to make my restaurant as much of a food destination as Proof. It's the ideal spot for a first date, or anniverary, or birthday (or for us, just another Wednesday). I know I'd be willing to make up an excuse in order to go back!
American, D.C., Wine bar in Reviews: On The Town
Reader Comments (4)
I heart your photos of Proof's food. I've been for lunch, but I'm salivating now and want to make a return visit for a proper dinner date.
WMF-
It may just be my new favorite restaurant in D.C. I bet lunch is great, too!
I've had the duck, and it IS good!
Blake,
I got to try a little bite, and it was perfectly cooked - then again, so was pretty much everything else! Hope you had as great an experience as we did!