HOME > ENTERTAINMENT > DINING
By: Gregory J. Childs
COMMENTS
 
WHEN DECIDING WHERE to go for dinner, many times there are two basic choices:
Visit a restaurant with fabulous décor and expensive, disappointing dishes
or patronize an establishment with great food in an unappealing setting.
At 15 ria, you get the best of both worlds — excellent fare and attractive
interior design.
The restaurant with the fun logo and clever name, which comes from the venue’s
address on Rhode Island Avenue, is in the Washington Terrace Hotel.
Unfortunately, a trip through the hotel’s blasé lobby is required
to arrive at 15 ria, but the journey is worth it. A wide open dining room complete
with a granite fireplace, gold-colored heavy drapes and a retro carpet design
made of asterisks is lit nicely by small spotlights above the tables.
Comfortable, oversized sofas with throw pillows and upholstered chairs invite
you to stay awhile, though the few oddly placed wooden chairs at some tables
seem to be an afterthought.
The service at 15 ria shines, beginning with a warm welcome by the host and
followed by waiters who tag-team tables to provide seamless service. At times,
their efficiency and attention to the small details almost goes unnoticed —
napkin rings are quietly removed and efficient busboys remove unused plates
and glasses in graceful swoops.
The menu is tough to categorize because the chef creatively infuses casual
fare such as macaroni and cheese and popcorn shrimp with innovative dishes like
roast suckling pig and grilled leg of lamb. Unless you’re a seafood lover,
appetizers you enjoy might be tough to find. Crab cakes, scallops and oysters
make up the bulk of the appetizer selections.
Luckily, our cheerful, playful waiter allowed us to order a light dish called
“social food” from the adjacent bar. We opted for the flatbread
of the day and the “toothpick platter.” Unfortunately, the flatbread
was somewhat soggy and drowning in onions and peppers, which tainted the flavor
of the dish.
The toothpick platter consisted of miniature pigs in a blanket, tender fried
calamari and delightful jalapeno hush puppies.
ENTREES ARE PRESENTED in a faux ostrich-patterned menu, and the selections
change regularly. In June, the restaurant is offering a nightly “meat
and two” special that includes entrees such as soft shell crabs, whole
roasted black sea bass and grilled veal porterhouse paired with two side orders.
They include strawberry slaw, roasted red and yellow beet salad, mashed potatoes
and blue cheese buttermilk onion rings.
Daily entrees include maple-chili rubbed salmon, grilled rockfish, wild mushroom
shepherd’s pie and grilled pork chops. We opted for the pecan-crusted
chicken breast in a bourbon sauce. It was served with a heaping side of mashed
potatoes with sugar snaps and peas artfully arranged as though they were dancing
in the potatoes.
The blue cheese crusted sirloin was served on top of fresh asparagus and mashed
potatoes. A Merlot sauce made the steak even juicier.
The fresh asparagus proved 15 ria’s claim that “we only serve the
freshest local and regional products available.”
Desserts here include blueberry cobbler tart, crème brulee bread pudding
and a fudge brownie sundae. The lemon tart topped with a puffed meringue and
fresh blackberries in a blackberry sauce is the most refreshing choice for summer.
Cocktails are given whimsical names such as an albino cosmo, made with white
cranberry juice complete with floating fresh cranberries, and a marga “ria.”
Some martinis are called “mini tinis” and are served in a small
glass and miniature cocktail shaker. An extensive, moderately priced wine list
is offered with a “wine of the moment” available.
Appetizers range from $6 to $24; entrees $16 to $23 and desserts $7 to $9.
15 ria
1515 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.
202-742-0015
www.15ria.com
Food: 
Service:
Comfort & Aesthetics:
Value:
Scene:
0 = Stay home and eat cereal
= Well, if you really must
= Fine for all but the finnicky
= Worth more than a 20-minute drive
= As good as you’ll find in this city
| 
