Cranes

Spanish-Japanese fusion? Makes you wonder if someone can really pull this off but Cranes navigates this rare air with aplomb. The dishes look as delicious as they taste and the flavor profiles, while sometimes familiar, are executed to perfection. We also indulged ourselves in the drink pairing with the spicy sake that was paired with the chorizo dish being a standout. Strangely enough, it was the duck breast that really sang to us. The duck was perfectly prepared and the bitterness of the brown sauce against the sweet, savory, bacony duck was excellent. Our omakase course was wrapped up with refreshing desserts. We certainly couldn't leave without sampling the unagi paella. 🥘 As you’d expect it was delectable and the socarrat — the caramelized rice on the bottom — was perfectly crispy. Still, the duck is what lingers in the mind. Service was good, not great but nothing really to complain about. We think Cranes is well deserving of its Michelin star and we plan to come back many more times to see what Chef Pepe Moncayo and team have been working on.

724 Ninth St. NW. 202-525-4900. cranes-dc.com.