The intimate tasting menu restaurant above Alphonse on U Street reinvents itself every six weeks by featuring cuisine from a different region of Italy. Just recently, chefs James Barton and Ryan Hackney, whom we snapped, took things to Sardinia. They serve four- ($75) and five-course ($90) meals with optional wine pairings. Sommelier/manager Adriano Amato even found two wines from Sardinia. “Italian wine from the islands are a good match for seafood—they’re straightforward, flexible and genuine,” Adriano tells us.

That’s not to say the menu is 100% seafood. This stunning steak dish inspired by a stew Sardinian grandmothers might make is a main attraction. James and Ryan took the traditional ingredients of steak, potato and tomato and transformed them into something more elegant. The 22-seat restaurant has a cozy and rustic feel, especially because there’s an open kitchen where you can watch the chefs at work.