When he departed Readability in 2022, Krinn left huge clogs to fill.
It took a few years, however a brand new proprietor, Viswa Vasireddy, and a longtime chef, Tracy O’Grady, 56, are returning Readability’s early luster. On board since April, O’Grady brings a résumé that features the neighborly Green Pig Bistro and Willow in Arlington, in addition to a few of D.C.’s previous biggest hits, together with the seafood-themed Kinkead’s and the haute French Le Pavillon.
A sip of soup confirms I’m in a great place. Asparagus and crab (jumbo lump from Maryland) could be loads to love, however the success of the bowl stems from a brilliant puree of asparagus, basil, tarragon and parsley launched to scorching cream simply earlier than serving and a hint of smoke from bacon. The scallop appetizer is equally intriguing. A single candy magnificence from Massachusetts sits atop a unfastened chowder of candy corn and bacon that’s dotted with sun-dried tomato and chickpeas and garnished with slender popcorn shoots. “It tastes even higher than it smells,” a server says as he introduces the aromatic mixture. One of many hottest days of summer season was met by one of many coolest salads: yellow beets, Persian cucumbers and creamy avocado tucked into butter lettuce and splashed with a brilliant dressing sprung from preserved lemon.
Readability’s routine hen wings are hoodies amongst a bunch of blazers. The bar staple, finest for its cayenne-fired scorching sauce, tastes misplaced within the firm of starters, together with seared foie gras on a cushion of toasted brioche, its plate touched up with pink pepper sauce.
Understanding O’Grady’s biography proves useful in ordering. She’s invested in pork, because of her time at Inexperienced Pig Bistro. In her new roost, she balances a crisp-soft block of pork stomach with a fluff of peas emulsified with parmesan. And her tenure at Kinkead’s ought to have you ever searching for out fish. O’Grady’s scallop, shrimp and halibut stew advantages from the truth that she cooks every ingredient individually, and punctiliously, earlier than including them to a bowl of fish fumet completed with a inexperienced backyard of English peas, inexperienced beans and fava beans.
Sauces helped land the chef her new job, says her boss. She definitely places time into them right here. The pork inventory used for the pork stomach and schnitzel is wealthy from cooking the toes, bones and smoked ham shank of pigs, and the kitchen is aware of to tug the fish inventory after half-hour to keep away from overpowering sea smells. Plate mates are inventive. Foie gras stuffed into shiitakes and a cauliflower emulsion separate Readability’s roast hen from the flock, as an illustration.
“Not Your Grandmother’s” brief rib is fact in promoting. My grandmother by no means cooked something sous vide, and he or she wouldn’t have torched her carrots with harissa. Nor would she have made an emulsion of horseradish, a welcome accent on O’Grady’s comforting, if wintry, entree. Cora Sietsema wouldn’t have acknowledged Readability’s heat deconstructed potato salad, both. O’Grady modernizes the concept by pairing three sorts of potato — cash of pink, purple and Yukon Gold potato — with a little bit pillar of tangy Pipe Goals goat cheese and a scattering of capers and olives. Some meeting is required. The thought is to spear a chew of this with a little bit of that, like Swiss raclette, and savor the live performance. A single tempura-fried squash blossom provides to the pleasure.
Desserts are enjoyable. They embody a young olive oil Bundt cake sparked with lemon zest, lemon curd and limoncello ice cream — a citrus bonanza — and a “tiramisu cream flan” that brings collectively a coffee- and rum-flavored caramel custard, chunks of a darkish cake, hazelnut brittle for crunch and streaks of salted caramel sauce. Let’s hope the blueberry sundae discovered a brand new house since I tackled the confection in a parfait glass with a ball as its base. Dipping my spoon deep down into the ice cream and fruit, I knocked the dessert on its facet, sending the contents throughout the desk. (Sorry concerning the mess, Readability.)
A number of dishes really feel slapdash. The heavy, homely vegetarian risotto feels nearer to Olive Backyard than Italy; I dug out the roasted artichokes and left the remainder. (The higher carb is radiatori, whose ridges catch a pleasant lamb ragu.) As for service, the eye at evening feels extra polished, and undoubtedly extra brisk, than at lunch. Issues had been so sluggish one current afternoon, I used to be tempted to file a lacking individuals report on behalf of my server.
Not like Krinn, O’Grady doesn’t change her menu day by day, which implies dishes stick round longer and the kitchen has time to finesse them. However the incoming chef continues her predecessor’s observe of baking bread and providing the wares (sourdough, brioche and a gluten-free white loaf) free of charge.
Vasireddy says he plans to clean up the inside, which appears to be like very similar to it did in its youth. For now, anticipate blue chairs, mustard-yellow banquettes, an exhibition kitchen fronted with stools within the rear and a trio of personal eating rooms that may accommodate from a dozen to 50 revelers. Readability’s arty lighting fixtures counsel Chihuly on a finances. Outdoors is a coated patio framed with planters containing a few of what you would possibly eat: lemon thyme, sage, a bouquet of Italian, Thai and purple basil.
If you need a facet of quiet along with your meal, go for lunch slightly than dinner. Afternoons are a great 10 decibels much less noisy than evenings. However any go to reveals indicators of a brand new chapter at Readability — as soon as once more a restaurant that summons town within the suburbs.
442 Maple Ave. E., Vienna. 703-539-8400. clarityvienna.com. Open for indoor and out of doors eating for lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday by way of Friday; for dinner 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday by way of Wednesday and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday by way of Saturday. Costs: Dinner appetizers $16 to $39, most important programs $35 to $130 (for rack of lamb for 2). Sound test: 79 decibels/Should communicate with raised voice. Accessibility: No limitations to entrance; ADA-compliant restrooms.