Signature Dish

The world’s oldest culinary technique – cooking over an open flame – is on vivid display as Seth Tillman meets 3 masters of fire who char, roast and smoke their way to unforgettable eats. Signature dishes: Wagyu beef brisket at 2Fifty Texas Barbeque in Riverdale Park, MD; “The Hot Mess” white pizza at Frankly…Pizza! in Kensington, MD; an iconic spiced lamb shoulder at Maydan in Northwest D.C.

While the flavors of Thai and Vietnamese cuisine are familiar to DC area diners, other unique cuisines of Southeast Asia are gaining popularity. Seth samples three dishes that represent these new trends: ohno knauk swe (coconut curry chicken noodle soup) at Thamee in Northeast DC; lechon belly at Kuya Ja Lechon Belly in Kensington, MD; fish head curry at Malaysian Kopitiam in Centreville, VA.

In this episode, Seth samples the diverse array of flavors around DC from Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad and Tobago, learning about the melting pot that is Caribbean cuisine. Signature dishes: Jamaican jerk chicken wings at Andrene’s Caribbean & Soul Food in Brightwood; chuleta kan kan, a fried pork chop at La Famosa in the Navy Yard; and curried beef roti at Cane on H Street NE.

Seth meets three chefs who are masters of using hot peppers and balancing the intense heat with incredible flavors. Along the way, he samples muu som, a stir-fried rice-fermented sour pork dish at Thip Khao in Columbia Heights; junglee laal maas, a spicy goat curry at Pappe in Logan Circle; and a whole steamed fish with fermented peppers and scallions at Q by Peter Chang in Bethesda, MD.

In this episode, Seth meets with the chefs who are putting their own twists on the bold flavors and colors of West African cuisine. The signature dishes are goat egusi, a Ghanaian stew served at Appioo in DC’s U Street neighborhood, yassa chicken, a Senegalese smothered chicken dish at Chez Dior in Hyattsville, MD; ebbeh, a Gambian seafood stew at Mansa Kunda in Takoma Park, MD.

Signature Dish is back with a new episode exploring delectable meals from under the sea. Seth heads into Washington, D.C. to sample FishScale‘s True Blue Maryland Crab Burger; to Peruvian restaurant Pio Pio in Great Falls, VA, for a ceviche called Mahi Mahi Avocado; and to Penn Quarter, D.C.’s Rasika, to try the famous Indian restaurant’s Black Cod.

Seth visits the South on the flavor train, enjoying wood-smoked barbeque, Louisiana spices and culinary innovation applied to classic meals. He tastes duck jambalaya at Dauphine’s in downtown D.C., smoky brisket and bone marrow mac & cheese at Pennyroyal Station in Mt. Rainier, MD and BBQ spare ribs at Ruthie’s All Day in Arlington, VA.

Flavors from around the globe infuse some of D.C.'s best sandwiches. At Nim Ali in Foggy Bottom, Seth digs in to a shuko, a loaded Guatemalan street sandwich. Anacostia’s Open Crumb offers up a delectable fried chicken sandwich, and in Capitol Hill, Fight Club’s namesake sandwich includes roast beef, bacon and brown butter mayo.

It’s all about authentic flavor in this episode, as Seth visits three restaurants bringing Mexican food to the D.C. area. El Papi Real Street Tacos in Camp Springs, MD offers “Rudy’s Sampler” of birria tacos. In the Petworth neighborhood, DC Corazon’s red mole is on the menu, and Seth rounds out his Mexican food adventure with tuna tostadas from Taqueria Picoso in Alexandria, VA.

A wide range of Korean flavors can be found across the DMV. In this episode, Seth heads to Annandale, VA, the heart of the local Korean community, to try haemul pajeon, a seafood scallion pancake, at Gom Ba Woo, followed by a visit to Sō Korean BBQ in Centreville, VA for galbi, soy marinated short ribs. He finishes up at Seoul Food DC in Takoma Park, MD, to sample a vegan “Korean fried chicken.”

French, Italian, and German cooking techniques come to life in this episode. Chateaubriand – a perfectly cooked beef tenderloin – is the signature dish at L’Auberge Chez Francois in Great Falls, VA, while Piccolina in D.C.’s Penn Quarter offers up scacce, a delicious Sicilian stuffed flatbread. Seth's tour ends with a German classic, jäegerschnitzel, at the Old Stein Inn in Edgewater, MD.

Seth visits three restaurants that celebrate the diverse flavors of the Middle East. He tastes a lamb shank stew from Amoo’s in McLean, VA; the Egyptian dish molokheya, made with cornish hen, from Fava Pot in Falls Church, VA; and a delicious shawarma pita at Muncheez, a Lebanese street food destination in D.C.’s Dupont Circle.