Vegetables reign again! At Capitol Hill’s newest venue, Garrison, opened by Rob Weland (formerly Executive Chef of Cork, and before that, Poste) vegetables are the name of the game, with a menu that changes to keep up with seasonal produce.
The venue is rustic and casual, with a great cocktail list and gregarious staff. The menu is divided into different sections of small plates: small bites, vegetables, pastas, and meat. The trio of small bites offered include parker house rolls, gougeres, and castelvetrano olives. You can choose one or get them all. You know what to do. You’re going to want to nibble on all three of these as you down a cocktail and wait for the rest of your food. All three complement each other: the gougeres are light and pillowy balls with a hint of crunch, the olives are fruity and buttery, and the parker house rolls are fluffy and chewy, dusted with just the right amount of sea salt.
You really can’t go wrong with anything in the vegetable section. Roasted cauliflower is surprisingly spicy, the rutabaga has a sweet flavor and comes adorned with hazelnuts and tarragon, and grilled mushrooms are served with slabs of nature’s butter: avocado.
The pastas are especially good: tortellini has a perfect sweet corn filling and oh-so-soft texture. Fluffy ravioli are stuffed with a minty ricotta filling and garnished with meaty mushrooms.
For dessert, seasonal items like a pear and concord grape cobbler are the most popular, but chocolate lovers you should get the chocolate terrain: it features a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate mousse that will have you licking the plate.
This place is still pretty new, so you should go now. The Washington Post just put it in the top ten in its fall dining guide, so you know reservations will soon be impossible to get!
