Washington Flyer
January/February 2004


14th and New
by Ben Giliberti

Chef Jay Jenc works his culinary magic at the new Café Saint-Ex. Washington never ceases to amaze me with its culinary vitality. In established downtown areas near K Street, Capitol Hill, Georgetown and even the still-evolving Penn Quarter, new restaurants are constantly opening, sometimes moving into the spaces formerly occupied by restaurants that lost their culinary zip.

Still, the boundaries of established restaurant districts continue to push outward as new neighborhoods develop and flourish with the influx of new residents. In the past couple of years, no area has generated more buzz than the so-called 14th Street corridor centered around Logan Circle and parts nearby. Logan Circle has been developing as a thriving theater and arts district for several years, but only recently have new restaurants sprung up to feed its hungry visitors and new residents.

Since many newcomers to the 14th Street corridor are folks who could no longer afford the rents in more established neighborhoods such as Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle, I expect my first visit to a new Logan Circle restaurant to be a familiar experience. But as I push open the wood-framed front door of Logan Tavern, I'm reminded less of the increasingly cookie-cutter restaurants that now dominate Dupont Circle than I am of the bustling, casual eateries that once made Manhattan's Third Avenue the haven of aspiring actors and novelists. Big, comfy black-painted wood booths line both sides of the spacious yet spare main room. On this evening (as on most others, I discover), the booths are packed with happy diners engaged in animated conversations with their booth mates. As I'm led to my table, a quick glance out the large storefront window shows pedestrians strolling by the many small shops on the street, or headed to the sparkling new Whole Foods Market nearby.

Soon after I take my seat, my server stops by with a basket of crusty bread from a neighborhood bakery. Peppery gold-green olive oil is poured into a shallow plate from an old-fashioned tin pot; as I dip my way through most of the loaf, I have to remind myself to save room for what will follow.

I'm rewarded for my restraint with a potpourri of appetizers that seem to draw on the cuisine of good eats from around the world. The shrimp ceviche, though described on the menu as Asian, could just as easily have come from one of the many bistros that dot the exits around Paris Metro stops. You'll adore the interplay of lime and herbs that complement the pure flavors of tender whole shrimp. Lump crab avocado avoids the all-too-common sin of hiding inferior crab under a blanket of avocado. Chef San Varith places the lovely, tender lumps of shellfish atop an artfully hollowed-out shell made from a halved avocado.

Hoisin ribs, another appetizer, are a fusion of Asian and Tex-Mex sensibilities more than the classic Chinese sweet-and-sour rendition. Unfortunately, they're merely ordinary. But this is more than compensated for by an irresistibly creamy square of baked manouri cheese with amatriciana sauce. The result reminds me of a miniature lasagna—without any pasta to obscure the bright interplay of tomato, Greek herbs and mild sheep cheese.

Unbeatable as the appetizers are, the entrées are more than up to the task of batting after them in the lineup. Roasted pork loin in sweet Asian mustard—sliced into tender morsels and accompanied by fragrant jasmine rice—is a decided hit. But the home run is chef Varith's Philippine chicken adobo, a normally unprepossessing dish that the Cambodian-born chef knocks out of the park with a thoroughly intriguing marinade that marries exotic Asian spices with classic Philippine fruit accents.

Not to be outdone, Southern-fried chicken, with caramelized onion gravy and mashed potatoes, offers a delightful contrast to the Philippine recipe by incorporating African-American and Creole-influenced Low Country seasonings in its wonderfully crispy coating. Beef lovers will appreciate having two steak offerings: a filet and a sirloin. My recommendation is the hefty sirloin, which isn't “stuffed” with roasted garlic as the menu maintains, but is infused with just the right amount of garlic to impart a flavorful accent to what is already a full-flavored, beefy cut. Desserts here are hard to resist. Mango Key lime pie—graced with real Key lime juice—is refreshingly light yet satisfying. And if you choose the homemade banana cream pie, you'll taste all of the creamy comfort you expect from this classically American dessert.

Logan Tavern also offers a well-selected wine list that is oriented toward lighter and fresher reds that complement its cuisine. Kudos to Logan Tavern for not marking up wine prices. This encourages gourmands to explore better varieties without breaking the bank.