The 5 RAMMY Nominees for Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year

Nominees Anju, Dauphine’s, L’Ardente, Moon Rabbit and Rooster & Owl let us know what to know, what to order and what to look forward to this summer.

D.C.’s biggest night for the restaurant scene returns on July 9 with the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington’s 41st annual RAMMY awards. The RAMMYs recognize the talent, creativity and commitment of those working in the District’s foodservice industry, and this year’s award finalists are a tough crowd to beat. 

Upscale casual dining is a particularly challenging category. To succeed, restaurants have to strike the perfect balance between technical skill and creativity in their food, offer attentive yet laid-back service and provide an elevated atmosphere that’s not the least bit fussy. 

We decided to put the spotlight on this year’s Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year Award finalists and learn more about their food, inspirations and what they’re excited to cook this summer.

Anju

What to Know
“I always tell people Anju is an introduction to Korean food,” Chef and Partner Angel Barreto says. “We have food from the 16th century all the way up to modern contemporary dishes.”

Some menu items change seasonally, like the vegetables offered in Anju’s banchan selection. But Anju has earned its place as a neighborhood restaurant in Dupont Circle, and keeps staples like the mandu (Korean dumplings) and Chikin (fried chicken with gochujang and white barbecue sauce) on the menu year-round.

What to Order
“Probably the most popular dish is our saengseon gui,” Baretto says, noting it was just served to the president of Korea during a recent state dinner. The battered and fried branzino fillet is accompanied by an herb salad, yangnyeom sauce and braised radish. Pair it with a house-infused soju.

What’s Cooking This Summer
“Rockfish season is coming around,” Barreto says. “I always like peak summer — we’ll start being able to offer more seasonal greens and other foods grown in the DMV.” 

1805 18th St. NW, DC; anjurestaurant.com // @anjufrc

Anju. Photo from LeadingDC.

Dauphine’s

What to Know
Dauphine’s is best described as a place that “represents the old school, grand dame restaurants of New Orleans,” Executive Chef Kristen Essig says.

The restaurant offers classic Louisiana fare and original dishes that incorporate mid-Atlantic flavors, celebrating the people, places and culture of both regions.

“All the rice in our restaurant is from a farm in Prairie Ronde, Louisiana,” she says. “We’re very committed to locality and sustainability, and utilizing every single component of what we bring in — starting with great raw products.”

She attributes the restaurant’s success to its dedicated team: “We have amazing people who have worked with us since day one.”

Both the Gulf and the East Coast have a strong seafood tradition — and strong opinions on how their classic dishes are made.

“Someone might say, ‘My grandma doesn’t make gumbo this way,’” she says. “But with utmost respect: I’d never try to make your grandma’s gumbo!”

Ultimately, “it’s the greatest compliment for me if a guest says, ‘I have to go to New Orleans,’ after visiting our restaurant. We want to inspire folks to get to know her people and her culture.”

What to Order
Try the blackened skate creole with Prairie Ronde rice and the scallop crudo, which offers a play on New Orleans’ holy trinity of flavors with garlic chips, bell pepper and celery juice. For a drink, cool off with a frozen State Street cocktail — a gin sour with pineapple, citrus, juniper and mint. 

What’s Cooking This Summer
“Every chef, cook and human in D.C. is ready for some summer vegetables,” she says. “I’m excited about freshness and what’s next.”

1100 15th St. NW, DC; dauphinesdc.com // @dauphinesdc

L’Ardente 

What to Know
Culinary director David Deshaies describes L’Ardente’s food as “simple Italian food, elevated — a little bit glamorous, a little bit simple.”

The menu is full of touches of luxury, like saffron in the arancini, and surprises, like pomegranate molasses on grilled prawns.

“It’s teamwork,” Deshaies says of how L’Ardente’s menu is built. “We get inspiration from everywhere. We have 5 sous chefs plus myself, and if something works — even if it’s not completely Italian — it’s cool.”

Deshaies has been offering up some of D.C.’s most delicious food for decades, leading the teams at Unconventional Diner and Central. He also worked with the great Michelle Richard at Citronelle for 16 years.

“When you have the people who stick with you, who grow together, that’s the key to success,” he says.

What to Order
L’Ardente’s outrageous 40-layer lasagna became an instant hit on Instagram when the restaurant opened in 2021. But Deshaies also recommends a cabbage dish, grilled raw over charcoal and dressed in a beurre blanc.

“I add some huckleberry and some picked coriander seeds, tarragon — we basically served the grilled cabbage like we would serve a fish,” he says.

Try it with an Italian wine from L’Ardente’s expansive list. For cocktails, check out the strawberry sbagliato with smoked rosemary.

What’s Cooking this Summer
For summer, “we always go with tomatoes and corn, and we have all these little young carrots we’re using,” Deshaies says. “Every month, we introduce a special that follows the season.”

200 Massachusetts Ave. NW, DC; lardente.com // @lardentedc

L’Ardente. Photo by Mike Fuentes Photography.

Moon Rabbit

What to Know
“Moon Rabbit embodies what Vietnamese food and being first generation Vietnamese-American is like through my eyes,” Executive Chef Kevin Tien says.

Tien, who grew up in California and started his cooking career in Louisiana, says there’s a personal memory behind each of his dishes.

“We used to have beignets all the time at Cafe Du Monde. They’re known to be sweet, but we make it the first savory course you can order.”

The airy pastries are served with thin-sliced prosciutto and a glaze of Vietnamese coffee, condensed milk and little sherry vinegar.  

“My family were refugees from Vietnam — we didn’t have a big group of friends, but what we did have was family, and gatherings involved a lot of us cooking in the kitchen,” he says. “Those are my most vivid memories, being in the kitchen with my grandmother.”

What to Order
There’s no question for Tien: “Get our crawfish and noodle pasta. It’s one of the best representations of my Vietnamese restaurant and New Orleans background.”

The dish is a variation on a New Orleans crawfish boil — crawfish with fresh and fermented garlic, blended with crab fat in the sauce. On the wine list, you’ll find winemakers practicing biodynamic, sustainable and organic viniculture.

What’s Cooking This Summer
For summer, Tien says, “I’m ready to go super seafood-heavy. I started my career working with raw seafood in Japanese cuisine, and love doing crudo dishes.”

[Ed. note: Moon Rabbit is no longer open at the listed location that was posted at the time of this original posting, but is still in the running for the Upscale Casual Dining Restaurant at the 41st RAMMY Awards.]

801 Wharf St. SW, DC; moonrabbitdc.com // @moonrabbitdc

Moon Rabbit. Photo by Rey Lopez.

Rooster and Owl

What to Know
“We call Rooster and Owl contemporary American cuisine — that means we do whatever we want,”  Owner Carey Tang says, laughing. “It also means we take a global approach.”

For Rooster and Owl, that means chef-driven, seasonal and creative dishes. Tang says her husband, Owner and Chef Yuan Tang, takes inspiration from things that happen in everyday life; next to Rooster and Owl is a Vietnamese restaurant that inspired them to create their own spin on the classic banh mi sandwich.

“Our team is so close-working that anyone can come to the table with an idea for creating or changing a dish,” she says.

The only constant on the menu? Their complimentary pineapple buns that start every meal, which Tang describes as the marriage of classic Hong Kong-style pineapple buns and a Parker House roll.

“As guests come together they literally begin by breaking bread,” she says. “For us, that represents a merging of cultures.”

Tang describes the menu style as a four course choose-your-own adventure, where guests can mix, match and share as they see fit for each course.

What to Order
The Carolina-style barbecued carrots are one of the few items Rooster and Owl has brought back to the menu. They’re made with a dry rub and vinegary barbecue sauce, and they’re served with a cornbread ice cream.

“It’s something really surprising and silly, and that really represents what we like to do,” Tang says. The boutique cocktail menu offers a variety of unique libations (including the tropical White Lotus, made with vodka, salted cucumber, kiwi and lime), and wine pairings are tailored for each course.

What’s Cooking This Summer
“We’re excited to celebrate seafood,” Tang says.

Rooster and Owl’s kimchi seafood bouillabaisse changes depending on the seafood and produce available throughout the summer. For wine, they’ll also bring in light, fresh bottles to match the season’s flavors — look for orange and other skin contact wines on the list.

2436 14th St. NW, DC; roosterowl.com // @roosterandowl

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Haley McKey

Haley McKey is an artist and friend to the wild living and working in the DMV. As an area native, she has seen DC grow and evolve over the course of her life. She loves writing about art, music, animals and our environment, especially the city's dedication to conserving wildlife habitat. When she's not writing or working, she's painting and drawing. She loves a sour cocktail.