The Dabney

The Dabney, at 122 Blagden Alley NW in Washington DC's Shaw neighborhood, opened in 2015 under chef and owner Jeremiah Langhorne and has since earned recognition as one of the most distinctive and acclaimed restaurants in the American capital. Langhorne built the restaurant around a deliberate geographic identity: every ingredient comes from the Mid-Atlantic region, defined broadly as the states and waters between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic seaboard from New York to Virginia. The restaurant draws heavily on the Chesapeake Bay's exceptional seafood, the Shenandoah Valley's produce and livestock, and the culinary traditions of the region's indigenous and African American food cultures. The cooking method is anchored in fire: the open hearth that dominates the open kitchen is fueled with wood from the region, and almost every preparation involves grilling, smoking, roasting, or baking over live flame. The Dabney won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2016. The menu, which changes with the seasons and the market, has featured preparations like smoked rockfish from the Chesapeake, wood-roasted beets with cultured cream, and lamb shoulder from Virginia farms. Blagden Alley, a historic DC cobblestone alley in the heart of Shaw, provides a setting that feels distinctly Washington — intimate, slightly hidden, and architecturally specific to the city's older neighborhoods. The dining room is small, the service warm and knowledgeable, and the beverage program focuses on American-made wines, spirits, and beers.