THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Sibling Rivalry

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Sibling Rivalry Restaurant Review:

The striking name points to this contemporary South End spot’s even more intriguing Iron Chef–like concept. Each season, brothers Robert and David Kinkead---the former of DC’s Kinkead’s, the latter a local---co-create a bipartite menu that offers two different approaches to a selection of given ingredients. Take bacon. Chef Dave serves up a lobster BLT with avocado and warm potato salad; Bob uses it, in the form of pancetta, to wrap monkfish paired with celery three ways---braised hearts, root purée and salad with truffle vinaigrette showcase the range of the deceptively humble stuff. Other pairings put the spotlight on scallops, pears, beets and so forth. Diners can, of course, mix-and-match and compare-and-contrast to their hearts' content; but the real pleasure here is that the dishes are interesting and generally solidly executed in and of themselves, complex context aside. Meanwhile, although plenty sophisticated, the space itself emphasizes comfort over bedazzlement---at least your body can relax while your taste buds are being kept on their toes. Unless, that is, you’re sitting at the bar lining the exhibition kitchen, tensed at the thought of a fraternal fracas breaking out before you.