Special Splurges

Metrocurean favorites for a big night out ...

• CityZen
Mandarin Oriental, 1330 Maryland Ave. SW, 202.787.6006
Chef Eric Ziebold's food here is at times playful, at times transcendental and most often delicious. A recent meal included a playful elevation of falafel, over-the-top rich Miyazaki Wagyu beef with Siberian sea salt and tempura leeks, and a pre-dessert palate cleanser that deconstructed a pina colada with pineapple sorbet, coconut foam and rum gelee. The dining room feels a little like a lobby, but it's a dramatic space with high ceilings, commanding columns and a shiny open kitchen.

• Komi
1509 17th St. NW, 202.332.9200
The cooking here is unlike any other place in town. Chef Johnny Monis, whose star has risen swiftly in the past few years, creates amazing combinations, like baby octopus over lentils and pig knuckle topped with a quail egg, that may sound odd but make so much sense in the mouth. Much of the food has Greek influences (foie gras baklava, crispy oxtail gyro) thanks to Monis' family ties to the country. Dinner is a multi-hour commitment so plan accordingly.

• Restaurant Eve's tasting room
110 South Pitt St., Alexandria, 703.706.0450
The tasting room at Restaurant Eve, above, reflects chef Cathal Armstrong's commitment to local and sustainable ingredients on his modern American menu. Check out this nifty Post video for a peek inside.

• The Source by Wolfgang Puck
575 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 202.637.6100
Executive chef Scott Drewno leads the kitchen at Austrian celeb chef Wolfgang Puck's first fine dining venture in DC. Hit the attractive and spacious ground-floor bar and lounge for pizzas, crisp wings, and plates of housemade pretzels and sausage. Upstairs in the more formal dining room is where Drewno's talent truly shines on the Asian-inflected menu. Don't miss the crispy suckling pig with plum puree (pictured) or the signature spicy tuna cones.