The Washington Post has a new round-up of dining recommendations for the D.C. region, and two Fairfax County establishments made the cut.
Newington’s Afghan Bistro and Neutral Ground Bar and Kitchen in McLean are among the “40 Best Restaurants In and Around D.C.,” says the newspaper’s longtime food critic Tom Sietsema, whose annual fall dining guide published yesterday (Wednesday).
Continuing a seasonal tradition that he first took on when the Post hired him 25 years ago, Sietsema said his top 40 for this fall includes a mix of restaurants — established and nascent, casual and high-end — that hopefully appeals to a “range of tastes, wishes and budgets.”
D.C. restaurants dominate the unranked list, which can be filtered for vegetarian-friendly, quiet and under-$25-entree options, but Virginia managed to land eight representatives, including the two from Fairfax County.
Afghan Bistro
Located in Alban Center, an unassuming retail strip off of I-95, Afghan Bistro (8081-D Alban Road) got its start in 2016 when owner Omar Masroor decided to pivot from car salesman to restauranteur. Working with his mother, wife and daughters, who now run the family businesses, Masroor wanted to share the traditional, pre-Soviet-war Afghan cuisine of his childhood, Washingtonian reported at the time.
In accordance with that focus on classical recipes, the restaurant’s website says it doesn’t use preservatives, hormones, MSG, genetically modified organisms or even microwaves in its cooking.
Though the Masroor family also owns Bistro Aracosia in McLean and Afghania, which opened this spring in Georgetown, Sietsema said in his fall dining guide that his heart still belongs to their original offering for the variety of food devised by chef Sofia Masroor.
Menu highlights range from the hot appetizer sampler, which includes butternut squash, beef dumplings and more, to the lamb kebab and chicken sabzi lawaan. The hamburger and hospitable dining room also get shoutouts in the “40 Best” guide.
The forgettable facade opens to a small dining room livened up with murals of Afghan dancers and horsemen and the hospitality of at least one of the owners’ daughters or sons. The sleeper on the menu is the hamburger. Worth ordering? a customer asks. “I had it for lunch today,” one night’s guide responded. Halal beef spiked with paprika and sumac, cooked to a crusty finish and slipped inside a brioche bun, is as much a success story as Omar Masroor, who opened Afghan Bistro nine years ago when he tired of selling cars.
Neutral Ground Bar and Kitchen
The second Fairfax County restaurant counted among the region’s best by the Post is a newcomer. Started by Arlington chef David Guas, Neutral Ground Bar and Kitchen opened in June, replacing Assaggi Osteria & Pizzeria at 6641 Old Dominion Drive.
Though its name references street medians in New Orleans, where Guas was born, the eatery was envisioned as a more general celebration of American cuisine, sourcing ingredients from farmers and fisherman throughout the southeastern U.S., from Virginia to the Gulf Coast.
In an August review, Sietsema dubbed Neutral Ground the best new restaurant in Northern Virginia. Dishes like ahi tuna tartare, pasta served with crawfish and fried quail, and a dining room decked out in beach-themed decor by Guas’s wife and publicist, Simone Rathlé, “offer food and ambiance unlike anything in McLean,” he wrote.
While that rave came with a caveat for the restaurant’s noise levels, a summary for the “40 Best” list suggests that Neutral Ground raised the bar for the rest of McLean, which is described as “a community with lots of money but not a lot of quality restaurants.”
Guas says he’s “deeply honored” by the recognition for his and Rathlé’s efforts to provide “exceptional dining experiences” at their first full-service restaurant. Trained as a pastry chef, he also owns Bayou Bakery in Arlington’s Court House neighborhood.
“This recognition is not just a reflection of my efforts, but a testament to the commitment of our talented team, whose contributions are integral to the success of our vision,” he said in a statement to FFXnow. “We are proud to be part of such a remarkable community of local restaurants, and are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support we’ve received from our neighbors and guests.”
Afghan Bistro image via Google Maps
