We spent last week in Washington DC, and the highlight of the trip was our dinner at Albi – a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean restaurant that features a wood oven that they use for grilling, charring, etc. Absolutely one of the best dining experiences we have had in a long time. I found the restaurant on Eater DC’s “Essential DC Restaurants” list, and they were not wrong.

We both agreed that the baba ghannoush was almost too pretty to eat. The eggplant was charred in the wood oven, and it was served with smoked cauliflower, pine nuts, and tiny pickled peppers. The accompanying pita came fresh from the oven, still all puffed up, and sprinkled with za’atar and parsley.

My favorite dish was the charred “sweet & sumac” bok choy, served with whipped feta, apricot honey, and peanuts. They also make this dish with sweet potato and had just switched to bok choy as a more season-appropriate ingredient. I like bok choy, but am more familiar with it in stir-fry and other Chinese preparations, but now I can’t wait to try charring some on the grill this summer.

The barbecued black bass was outstanding, but by the time the entree came to the table, we were very full from the other courses and only ate about half. The waiter was afraid we hadn’t liked it, but there was just no more room in our tummies.