La' Shukran — Restaurant in Washington

We enjoyed our first experience at La’ Shukran, but I wouldn’t hurry to return nor is it so “out-of-this-world” that I would wait 90 minutes for a seat at the bar (what they were quoting non-reservation holders when we arrived at 7pm on a Sunday night).

Let’s start with the exclusivity: it’s hard to get a reservation here because there are only nine tables in the dining room, not because there is some incredible demand for the place. Sure, it’s new and trendy. But I wouldn’t expect that the difficulty of securing a reservation will die down given how small the place is.

The design is very well done. It’s dark, moody, and intimate with pops of color and texture found in tasseled pendants woven of richly patterned fabrics, geometric mosaic floor tile, Persian area rugs, and brightly lacquered table tops. Most notably, they got the lighting in here just right (warm filament bulbs and flicking candles), and the playlist transports you to the Middle East while retaining a clubby vibe. The branding — from the logo, to the menus, to the uniforms, to the serviceware — is perfect, too. Everything about this place is brilliantly composed.

The food itself was hit-and-miss. We began with the sesame baguette with labneh and apricot honey. The baguette was ruined by spending a moment too long in the wood fired oven, causing the sesame seeds to blacken and leaving a charcoal aftertaste. The labneh, while thicker than I would have preferred, was nicely accented with the sweetness of the apricot.

My dinner guest enjoyed the crab masabaha, a crab dip served with shelling beans, tatbili, hummus and sourdough bread while I enjoyed the end of summer melon with feta, tahini, and spicy chilis. We both commented that each of these dishes felt overly-seasoned (even for a cuisine rooted in heavy seasoning) with “one too many” competing flavors. A little restraint would go a long way.

The steak kebab, a New York Strip roasted over coals and served with au Poivre, was nicely complemented by the triple cooked batatas with shatta aioli. It was a perfect Arab rendition of classic Steak Frites. I only wished the potatoes were the same “batata tots” served downstairs as the crispy flakiness of the layer potatoes was missing from these large, dense steak fries that, again, suffered from over-seasoning.

For dessert, we shared the lemon madeleines infused in orange blossom honey. The small portion size (4 pieces) made for a tasty, guilt-free conclusion to our meal. The orange blossom honey could benefit from further refinement; perhaps a thicker glaze might allow the flavors to show through and add a little more sweetness to the dessert.

All in all, it was a pleasant meal. But considering we shared an entree and had three drinks total all night (not a piece), it was a pricey ~$300 meal. This was not helped by the infuriating “3% surcharge” they add to the menu that is, they will remind you, “not a tip.” It’s time DC restaurants stop playing this COVID game…when you’re charging $79 for steak frites with a cheap cut of beef, is the extra $2.37 really worth upsetting guests over?

Again, I’m glad we went, and I’d consider returning, but I won’t be hurrying back anytime soon nor do I see this becoming a “regular” hangout spot for us in the...

We had the bbq quail, the Maryland crab, and the falafel jibne. For drinks we had farawlah, filfil, and the sumaq.

I liked the decor and design of the place. We really wanted to support a Palestinian restaurant and I was intrigued by recommendations. Unfortunately the experience was disappointing overall. A table is very difficult to get, with reservations booking out when the booking opens at the beginning of the week. We were told that all the dishes are meant to be shared but the food was very small and disappointing. Most of it was about the size of my hand (5in) and $20+. The whole quail was about 5in x 3in and tasted very strongly of BBQ sauce and nothing else. The Maryland crab had 3 pieces of 2cm cuts of crab dish and I felt the dish was more of a dip for bread/chips rather than what the menu described as a crab dish. The falafel jibne was okay. Again tiny, and shocking to hear that we were supposed to share it. When we had ordered the first two dishes our bartender told us they recommended 2-3 dishes per person but we honestly weren't full after the 2. We ended up going next door to the market to get a burger and fries afterwards (which was very good).

The drinks were okay. And the service was okay. You will get upsold very often which isn't pleasant. I overheard one of the bartenders conversations about the customers which I understand helps pass the time but it wasn't very nice. I don't think they should be talking within earshot and should do it more discreetly considering the price of the place and the effort to seem classy.

It was fine I suppose overall, but neither of us would...

Super experience from start to finish, in every dimension. Bold take but I think the food here is considerably better than Albi, and the cocktails are otherworldly in terms of creativity and uniqueness. Service was polished and professional, but never aloof; very personable and friendly. Bonus was being able to retire to the rooftop terrace to enjoy dessert on a perfect temperate evening.

We started with these plates:

maryland crab on whipped labne, summer peppers & corn dressed in green harissa with grilled bâtard - superb flavor, creamy and delicious

bbq’d maitake lacquered in date molasses, scallion-ginger relish on hummus with grilled bâtard - rich indulgent umami

tuna kibbeh naya burnt onions, palestinian olives, amba mustard, toum & seeded lavash - a delicate and flavorful tuna tartare

The large plates were excellent as well:

hashwei fried rice with 7 spice lamb, pickled apricot & garlic yogurt - the burnt rice at the base added welcome crunch and texture

soujek dumplings in smoked corn & tomato brodo, chanterelles, urfa chili crunch - delicate dumplings filled with an ocean of flavor, just tremendous

We also had two special, the burger and a shawarma style t-bone cut, and both were exceptional.

Out of the cocktails, my favorites were the Warda, Filfil, Batikh, and Morra. All were well balanced and expertly crafted.

Dessert was next level and all of them were bangers, with the knafe unsurprisingly being the standout:

KNAFE drenched in floral syrup, with pistachio & raspberry labne ice cream

MAHALABIYA SUNDAE watermelon granita & lime sable

PEANUT BAKLAWA rose petal &...