D.C.'s Best: Siroc Restaurant

Blending modern, improvisational cooking and classical Northern Italian cuisine, the executive chefs the Dris brothers Keram and Mehdi describe their Siroc Restaurant as "a labor of love." With an innovative menu and an intimate atmosphere in the cozy dining room located in the heart of northwest Washington, D.C., Siroc serves delicious food for a relatively affordable price with excellent service. It truly deserves its acclaim and title as one of D.C.'s "Top 100 Restaurants" as hailed by The Washington Post, for the quality is all-around top-notch.

Our meal began with complimentary crab cakes for everyone at our table of nine; upon learning that a number of the diners have shellfish allergies our helpful server returned with vegetarian substitutes for them.

Next was the appetizers. With so many options to choose from, it was hard to decide. We had the sea scallops served with braised black lentils served in a rich tomato sauce,

Quail marinated in pomegranate - achieving a glistening carmelized coating - baked with goat cheese curd, green olives, and crushed tomatoes to pair a savory kick with the delicate sweetened game:

and a composed tower of avocado, mango and roasted shrimp served on a plate decorated with basil oil and crunchy smoked prosciutto, a food art triumph!

Next came the pasta course, for which diners may request half orders. Among the pastas we tried were the handmade potato gnocchi in a ragu of Maschovy duck with carmelized carrots and parsnips - soft pillows in a rich, aromatic broth; gorgonzola-filled raviolini in a vibrant green creamy pistachio sauce with diced Parma prosciutto, and cappelacci filled with lobster, roasted corn with a sweet pepper buerre blanc:

There was too much lemon juice on the cappelacci, overpowering the lobster flavor one desires, but overall all the pasta dishes were fresh and pleasing. Next came the entree course, with a fairly extensive meat selection ranging house-made sausage to duck breast on a turnip and taleggio cheese torte. The veal ossobucco with rosemary and lime gremolata was fall-off-the-bone exquisite, melding with the parmesan polenta and marinating before your eyes. The roasted eggplan layered with braised lamb shank in a roasted pepper sauce was innovative and created a truly exceptional flavor, and the roasted whole boneless braised branzino

paired perfectly with the spicy sauteed spinach, priving that white fish and cooked vegetables do not have to be bland and boring. For spinach and chile peppers, an underused and underrated combination was the surprising triumph of the multi-course meal, an enlightening culinary experience.

4/5 stars.

*The espresso leaves something to be desired - too watery, not authentic - tasting like an Americano.  Go for an aperitif.