Washington’s Southwest is really cookin’

OPINION:

Long before there was a District of Columbia, or even a United States, the Southwest waterfront was settled by Native American Piscataway and related tribes, who fished, farmed and hunted in the area between the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers. They were still there when the waterfront was mapped by Capt. John Smith in 1608 and developed into the Federal City in the late 1700s. Pierre L’Enfant’s design for the city’s Southwest quadrant included the waterfront as a major inland seaport. It was an ideal spot for fishermen to sell their catch directly from boats. In 1805, the Fish Market opened. It is the oldest open-air market continually operating in the United States.

By the mid-19th century, many European immigrants had settled in Southwest, and after the Civil War, newly freed slaves moved in. Al Jolson and Marvin Gaye lived in the neighborhood as children.

In the early-20th century, commercial activity thrived, but conditions were poor and the area began to decline. Beginning in 1950, an urban renewal plan was established for the entire quadrant. Ninety-nine percent of buildings in the southwestern quadrant of the city were leveled to make way for high-rise apartment buildings. Only a handful of the old buildings remain.

In 1960, Arena Stage moved to its present location, a few blocks from the waterfront. Then in 1972, Hogate’s and the Flagship restaurants opened on the waterfront, catering primarily to the tourist trade. Other newcomers were the Channel Inn and Jenny’s Asian Fusion.

In 2017, Phase One of the new waterfront renewal project opened, bringing glittering new buildings which house restaurants, bakeries, retail shops (including Politics and Prose bookshop), offices, apartments and three hotels to the waterfront. The Municipal Fish Market, offering both cooked and raw seafood, remains.

A pleasant waterside, tree-lined walkway, splendid views of the river and the Yacht Club, shacks offering snacks and drinks, and restaurants focusing on seafood and cuisines from around the world, tempt crowds from the suburbs, abroad and even some locals. The restaurants, with some exceptions, are average in quality, prices are on the high side, parking is expensive ($11 per hour or $28 for four hours), the closest Metro station is a 15-minute walk, and yet, “if you build it, they will come,” and they do, by the busload.

There are dozens of restaurants and cafes to choose from, some offering only desserts. The Rappahannock Oyster Bar (1150 Maine Ave.) specializes in local oysters, and at Hank’s Oyster Bar (701 Wharf St.), chef-owner Jamie Leeds makes what she calls “urban beach food,” including a delicious lobster roll.

Fabio Trabocchi’s high-end restaurant Del Mar (791 Wharf St.) — he owns Fiola, Fiola Mare and Svoglina in the Distrct — is Spanish with a full menu of tapas, cheeses, charcuterie, fish, meat and paellas.

Officina (1120 Maine Ave.), Nicholas Stefanelli’s Italian restaurant, is housed on three floors. The ground level is the “paninoteca,” or sandwich shop, where salads, sandwiches, including “make your own” with a choice of meats, cheeses and condiments, an inexpensive pizza and soup of the day, are part of the well-priced menu. Upstairs, along with the view, the menu provides an extensive list of starters, including vitello tonnato and duck foie gras, as well as traditional pastas, fish and meat dishes at higher prices.

Another good Italian restaurant with lower prices and a more limited menu is Lupo Marino (40 Pearl St.), a little sister to Lupo Verde restaurants on 14th St. and MacArthur Blvd, where pizzas, pastas, salads, sandwiches and appetizers are served in a cozy, cheerful setting.

Asian cuisine is represented in Cathal Armstrong’s Kaliwa (751 Wharf St.), which means “left” in Tagalog — Chef Armstrong is left-handed. The large, airy restaurant, decorated with Filipino motifs and textiles, offers Filipino, Thai and Korean food.

Kith/Kin (801 Wharf St.) in the Intercontinental Hotel serves sophisticated Afro-Caribbean dishes prepared by Chef Kwame Onwuachi, who won a Rising Star Chef nomination from the James Beard Foundation, and was named one of America’s best new chefs by Food & Wine magazine.

Mi Vida (98 District Square) is a popular restaurant with an extensive menu of Mexican fare, including enchiladas suizas, shrimp empanadas, enchiladas de mole negro, queso fundido and tacos. The latter, albeit tasty, leave something to be desired. The restaurant has a list of more than 90 tequilas.

Kirwan’s Irish Pub (749 Wharf St.) serves lamb stew and Dublin Coddle soup; Brighton SW1 (949 Wharf St.) offers coconut and chicken curries, fish & chips, and bangers & mash; and the Pearl Street Warehouse (33 Pearl St.) is a live music venue, where country and blues are performed, with sandwiches, burgers and salads available all day.

The Wharf offers all manner of drinks — both alcoholic and non — and there is a vast array of food, from take-out at Captain White’s or Jessie Taylor Seafood at the Fish Market to desserts from Praline Bakery (965 7th St.), or an evening of fine dining at Del Mar or Kith/Kin. To avoid the crowds, the best time to savor what the Wharf has to offer is at lunch time early in the week, when the Wharf is not crowded and you might even find a parking spot on the street.

• Corinna Lothar is a Washington writer, critic and frequent contributor to The Washington Times.