Washington is one of the best food cities in the country, and for good reason: The talent is endless, here are the reader favorites.

Washington is one of the best food cities in the country, and for good reason: The talent is endless. Here are the viewer favorites.

Situated between Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan, Anju serves Korean bar food with a refined touch from the restaurant group behind casual hit Chiko. Chef Angel Barreto leads a kitchen that plates up standouts ranging from pork and kimchi mandu (dumplings) and fried chicken with white barbecue sauce to a seafood fried rice bokum bap and seared ribeye galbi boards. Weekend brunches bring on breakfast sandwiches and a grit bowl that riffs on juk. Four-course tasting menus are also available for $65 per person.

One famous iteration is kimchi wang mandu, king-size dumplings stuffed with japchae noodles, beef, and kimchi. Anju executive chef Angel Barreto wanted to do “something a little different, but still in the Korean wheelhouse.” His plant-based version is packed with Impossible meat marinated in garlic, ginger, and soy. This hearty core is enveloped in wang mandu wrappers special ordered from H Mart. “It’s a good option for someone who wants something vegetarian, substantial, and sustainable,” Barreto says.

It’s the start of crab season around DC. Here’s where to find soft-shells—the Mid-Atlantic and Southern delicacy is typically available in late spring through early fall.

Drop by the modern Korean restaurant at brunch for chef Angel Barreto’s soft shell crab juk (think a Korean version of grits). A hearty bowl comes filled with creamy Anson Mills rice porridge, sesame, soy, shiitake mushrooms, garlic chives, spring onions, and chili oil—all crowned with a crispy crab.

Restaurateur Danny Lee has a message: “Be relentless, do not stop, do not be silent.” That’s how he signed an Instagram post that has since been seen and shared by hundreds of people. Taking the time to post any message condemning racist hate, he argues, is not trivial. Even if you only have one follower, someone will read it. But he’s doing more than expressing himself on social media. When chefs feel passionate about forcing change, they often unite and cook together.

Cassia Denton and Devin Maier found themselves home for the holidays. They heeded repeated warnings that traveling and mingling with older relatives is too dangerous because of COVID-19. “We have always spent Christmas in Hawaii with Devin’s dad,” Denton says. “He always makes a big meal there. We were not expecting to be here instead.”

The engaged couple, who live in Shaw, turned to Anju to make Christmas Eve feel festive. The Korean restaurant, which typically serves dolsot bibimbap and stews studded with rice cakes, dressed for the occasion. Executive Chef Angel Barreto prepared a $120 feast for two with a beef Wellington the size of a peewee football, chestnut stuffing, kimchi collard greens with pork belly, roasted potatoes in a sweet soy lacquer (gamja jorim), assorted snacks (banchan), and a ginger pear cobbler.