Kinship

Kinship Restaurant Review:

Welcome back, chef Eric Ziebold, who made his local fame in the now-closed CityZen at the Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC. When he left, the hope and the expectation were that he would open his own place, which he has done. Called Kinship --- a name he used to link the culinary connections from one culture to another --- the restaurant has a setting that is quietly glamorous: white walls, wooden floors, small tables and a few booths. An extremely helpful, courteous staff is trained to guide patrons through the unusual menu, and it is there that the interconnectedness between food and cultures is discovered. Several categories, such as History and Craft, list the various elements of each meal. It’s helpful, then, to have an explanation as to which among the five dishes under each heading is appetizer or entrée. Torchon of white mushrooms looks, feels and tastes like fancy goose pâté, but is, in fact, a wedge of mushroom paste served with a slice of toasted baguette. Entrée choices will vary, but you may find farm-raised lamb roasted and perched on a bed of cauliflower couscous --- white buds of cauliflower steamed and pressed into “couscous.” Or perhaps pan-seared sea scallops or monkfish pastrami. Be sure to browse through the cocktail selections and the wine list, proposing some of the finest labels in the wine world. The must-have dessert is the salted caramel peanut bar with a pool of chocolate ganache; hopefully, it will be a permanent fixture. Another temptation is German chocolate cake and whipped chocolate nougat. The food and its presentation are stunning. You will come back often to treat yourself to Ziebold’s modern American cuisine.