Dish, Washington, D.C.

Jeff is a writer for a group of tax lawyers in northern Virginia, so we've been talking for several months, but never met in person. Then, we discovered that we both lived in Foggy Bottom, so we decided to get together for dinner at Dish, the restaurant at the River Inn, which is located roughly halfway between his place and my place. It was fairly late and we weren't really that hungry, so we just had a light supper.

Jeff had the "Dishy Picnic," which was a cute little plate with two pieces of fried chicken, cole slaw, baked beans, and some hushpuppies. He said it was good, but I don't think I could get so excited about paying $19 for what seemed to me just a two-piece extra crispy dinner from Kentucky Fried Chicken.

My meal, on the other hand, was much more satisfying. I started with a bowl of their yellow corn chowder ($7). It came in this enormous, stylized white bowl with a huge, flat rim and a small, but deep, central area holding the soup. Three thin slices of jalapeño pepper arranged to look like a clover leaf and three open mussel shells all garnished the top of the chowder. The chowder was thick and rich, with lots of fresh kernels of corn, just a few potatoes (Yukon gold, I think they said), and lots of yummy bacon. My only criticism was that it was a bit too hot and spicy for what I was expecting.

After my chowder, I had their summer tomato salad, a bright, crisp, lovely dish with a big slice of heirloom yellow tomato and a big slice of heirloom "pink" tomato serving as the base for a mélange of various colors and shapes of cherry- and grape-tomatoes, all halved, and thick, seeded slices of English cucumber in a light vinegar dressing. It was very enjoyable, and probably the last of the fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes for 2005.