Kushi

The Izakaya form of restaurant is like a Japanese gastropub, with small plates accompanying drinks, in this case, high-quality sushi, wood grilled plates, and others matched with an extensive sake list in addition to wines and beers. It has been nominated for a James Beard Best New Restaurant of 2010 award.

The boisterous chatter in this warehouse of a dining room may make for a less-than-calm dinner, but crowds are buzzing with good reason over their fresh sashimi and succulent grilled meats. For pleasing prices of $3 or so, the izakaya side of the restaurant turns out smoky wood-fired skewers of pork belly, sticky yam, squid, and crispy duck. Velvety tuna and thick yellowtail rule the raw-fish...

Located in the heart of the Mt. Vernon Square neighborhood in D.C. is Kushi, an izakaya and sushi restaurant serving some of the best Japanese cuisine in the city. Izakaya - a traditional Japanese restaurant serving grilled items created from the highest quality ingredients (many of which are flown in daily from Japan) - is represented well here, as Kushi uses a deep charcoal robata pit and...