New Heights Restaurant — Restaurant in Washington

The service and atmosphere were excellent, which is the only reason this isn’t a lower review. In particular, the wait staff was wonderful with our toddler, which we deeply appreciated.

The desserts and cocktails were good.

The appetizers and main courses were disappointing. The steak frites was an extremely thin steak (maybe half an inch), which, to get it medium rare as we requested, didn’t have much if any of the typical sear you might want on a steak. The branzino was underwhelming, and the salmon tar tar was odd, given the presence of beets, which did not work well with the salmon; we also would have expected more salmon in the salmon tartar.

On top of that, we were a little put off that our table of five was hit with a 20% service charge. Again, the service was excellent, and so we would have tipped at least this amount. But being forced to do it is not something we’re accustomed to at fine dining restaurants in the area. This may have been disclosed someplace in the menu, but it didn’t catch our eye, nobody brought it to our attention, and, again, this is out of the norm for fine dining.

Lastly, we were surprised by a 2% credit card processing fee, especially given that we were already disappointed by the food. This fee may have been disclosed someplace, but not anyplace we noticed. The dollar figure difference was minimal, but we did feel nickel and dimed a little bit. And, as mentioned above: a credit card processing fee is definitely out of the norm for fine dining in DC.

Given its excellent service, nice atmosphere, and good cocktails, this, with some improvements to the food could be a great asset to...

Excellent neighborhood restaurant featuring a diverse, solid menu of food and cocktails, strong service, and fine decor.

We started with the Crispy Fried Oysters (Seasoned Panko, Tartar Sauce, Pickled Cauliflower) and they were excellent, brimming with flavor.

Next up were the Pork Belly Buns (Blood Orange Hoisin, Pickled Onion Watermelon Radish) which were also very good, very creative flavor accents.

For our mains, we first had the Filet Medallions (6 oz Tenderloin Filet Mignon Medallions Chimichurri, Béarnaise, Oyster Mushroom, Potato Croquette) and they were just ok. The meat quality was just average and the croquette was forgettable. The mushrooms were nice. If it wasn't for the extra bearnaise, we wouldn't have finished the filet.

Next was the Creamy Creole Shrimp Fettuccini (Garlic, Onion, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Parmesan cheese) and this was a nice turnaround from the medallions, very solid. Nice amount of heat and spice, and the creamy sauce was decadent.

The dessert menu had a bunch of mundane choices in general so we zoomed in on the unique items, the Pistacchio Ricotta Cake & the Honey Chocolate Cream Cake. The former was very good but the latter was superb, one of the best cakes I've had.

For cocktails, we tried the following:

Purple Rain (Botanist Gin | Lavender Syrup | Club Soda) - like a lighter twist on an Aviation, crisp and refreshing.

Toasted Marshmallow Old Fashion (Four Roses Bourbon | Bitters | Marshmallow Syrup) - one of the best spins on an Old Fashioned I've tried. Bold flavor but balanced, and anchored well with the bourbon.

Service was friendly, attentive, and helpful.

Highly...

Under no circumstances would I go to this restaurant again. Last night there were only two parties in the restaurant, ours and a party consisting of an adult male and five young women ranging in age between approximately 18 and 24. The women were literally screaming at the top of their lungs, making my party impossible to converse. I complained to the manager, who defended them and stated they were just being "festive." I responded that their loud screaming was inhibiting our ability to converse. I asked the manager to speak to them; he refused and proceeded to provide all sorts of excuses for their uncivil behavior ("once their food comes, they'll quiet down"). Finally, I had had it and went to the table and asked the women to stop screaming. One gave me a snarky remark. They continued screaming throughout their stay. The management didn't even offer to move my party, despite the fact that there were plenty of empty tables in the restaurant. This is an expensive restaurant for food that is just OK. This situation speaks volumes about where America is today. People are becoming more and more uncivil and disrespectful of people around them. Extreme individualism and political correctness (everyone is right, and no one should be confronted when he/she engages in behavior which disrespects the people in the vicinity). I will never go to this...