Unum

I never write these things and I NEVER leave 0 tip. It took us more than a half an hour to get our second course — my scallops were raw and rubbery, the fish was burnt. My friends ravioli was an oil slick and I asked for specific alterations (I am lactose intolerant) which most restaurants have no problem accommodating. The waiter seemed very angry about it, he asked the kitchen and they said they could do it but it would have to basically cut out half the course so I said ok, not worth it. I’ll take something else — after I put in the order he said oh sorry we are out of it. He was very inattentive and non apologetic. They didn’t take anything off the bill — it was ridiculous. We had to ask for bread and search for the waiter to ask for the check. Once we did he rang it up incorrectly after which he said our cards were declined and we didn’t know what to do about it. We ended up having to put the whole bill on two cards and there was just no way I could leave a tip with his attitude and the terrible food and service. I honestly feel bad about not tipping but I just couldn’t after that experience. Won’t be returning.

1. Good buzzing atmosphere.
2. As with some restaurant week deals, portions seemed smaller than normal.
3. Some interesting flavor combinations (short rib was good) but not all were successful (pineapple and mint ice cream…)
4. Check was placed on our table half way through final course, to get us out and turn the table round. Very rude.
5. Disappointing overall for $ 90 (without drinks) and a shame that we were rushed through the meal.

Four stars and change. Delicious and great restaurant week value. The Georgetown Love Story cocktail was delicate and refreshing, thanks to the sake and Domaine de Canton. There were other tempting cocktails, but I was lured into the red wine on special.
The plural tacos on the menu turned out to be a single taco, but the duck was moist without rupturing the supple corn tortilla, yielding plush and tasty mouthfuls. Chorizo stuffed squid is a terrible date night food with the liberal drizzle of squid ink turning your smile into a hobo mugshot, but it is full of delightfully aggressive flavor. Tentacles are battered and fried to avoid waste, and the mantle is piped full of soft chorizo… tricky to eat without a sharper knife. Spicy sauce with bright citrus elements complement the bed of zesty risotto.
Our next two courses arrived back-​to-​back as the restaurant filled up with other diners. Rosemary gnocchi was just chewy enough, seasonal to late autumn and the cranberries helped cut through the rich coating of truffle butter sauce. Scallops were skippable: sesame embedded in the seared surfaces, accompanied by lightly pickled veg with mustard seeds, and a grilled shishito pepper. It was only memorable for the tender mushrooms and great wasabi edamame risotto underneath. Rockfish skin was nicely crisped, over springy pearl couscous, capers, and bits of seafood in a tangy lemon sauce. Roasted duck won this round with the perfect cook, though sliced a bit too soon since it ate a little dry unless manually coated with the adjacent purée and maple gastrique. The fried nest of sweet potato threads were a fun textural contrast to the soft squash dice beneath.
Ricotta beignets were better than most that I’ve had in DC– perfect texture, not too greasy or soggy, and the cardamom was very mild in the blueberry sauce despite the stray spice pod left in. Cheese plate came with breads and spreads, way more filling a note to finish on than expected.
Acoustics aren’t great, so intimate conversation can be difficult during peak hours. Service from Leihua was attentive and we left full and happy. Clean bathrooms downstairs from the hostess stand. Street parking in the area. We’ll definitely come back to experience what other wonders their menu has in store: boneless shortrib pasta, milk chocolate tarte, Indian spiced lamb shank, mushroom truffle mac n cheese, honey oat panna cotta, pumpkin trio.

I went here a couple nights ago for Restaurant week 2016. This place is great, I highly recommend! It took us a really long time to decide what we should order because everything on the Restaurant week menu sounded so enticing. I settled on the beet salad with goat cheese (figured I should go light on the first course), it was really good! For my two entrée options I went with the Short ribs pasta and the Gnocchi. I have to say, I was a little let down by the short rib pasta; it was a lot more like a soup/​stew and not a the thick delicious pasta dish I was envisioning. The gnocchi did not disappoint! For my last course, I had the Chocolate tart which was so tasty! Great combo of different texture between the chocolate cake, the cookie crumble and the ice cream. I also had the Kyoto Cherry drink which was very tasty but a bit on the expensive side, but then I guess that is to be expected in DC. O, and don’t forget to ask for the complementary bread, it comes with this herb-​enriched spread that we devoured!

I came here for restaurant week, and was a big fan of their dinner menu. You have a lot of options, and can pick one appetizer and two small plates as the entrée. The portions were generous despite being small plates. I had the chorizo stuffed shrimp on a bed of risotto with calamari as the appetizer, and it was AMAZING. Also had the sesame scallops and duck breast as the entrée dishes, and again, they were portioned perfect and really excellent in both presentation and taste. I think the scallops were the better of the two, but only because it wasn’t like anything I had before. For dessert, you can choose two cheeses or one of their cakes. I chose the Mahon and Mt. Top cheeses, which were okay, but in hindsight, a more traditional dessert would probably have been better.
The ambiance of the place is great and would be good for dates or a glass of wine with friends. Service was attentive, and for a restaurant week deal, I thought it was one of the better ones I have had. The only thing is that their drinks were expensive (even their specials) and weren’t as good as the food. The cocktails were quite small and a bit too sweet for me. Otherwise, I would definitely recommend this place!

The best. I’ve been here for Restaurant Week three times now and I always recommend this place to friends. Other places will offer the cheapest, easiest things to make on their Restaurant Week menus but all of Unum’s dishes for this week are amazing.
I highly recommend the chorizo stuffed squid (moist and delicious) and the beet salad for appetizers. My friend and I also tried the duck breast, scallops, shortrib pasta and rosemary gnocchi. They were all so yummy. The shortrib pasta had melt-​in-​your-​mouth beef with root veggies and delicious noodles. The scallops were cooked perfectly and the rosemary gnocchi was amazing with the brussel sprouts and beech mushrooms for texture contrast. Out of the desserts, their beignets are my favorite.
I also highly recommend their pear martini.
Service is great, ambience is nice — I love this place!

Went for Winter Restaurant Week last night & since I have a slight tree nut allergy, I found the staff to be very attentive, as the sous chef (?) came out and told me desert I ordered apparently is fried in oil from another plate, which contained pistachios. I was then offered a dessert that wasn’t on the menu & it was delicious!

This restaurant was overall very good. Some things were over priced like the three tiny meatball appetizer. Tasty but tiny. Dessert also teeny tiny for $ 7. I had the short rib pasta entrée. Very good but a bit watery. My mom’s lamb shank smelled and tasted great. I’d be back but would try something else.

Just really good food. Went there with friends and really enjoyed all the dishes. Service was not overly attentive. Well priced given the quality of food and area. I live one block up and go there all the time. Never disappointed, I’m almost mad at the consistency and rooting for a mistake to satisfy my own ego. The branzino and hangar steak are my go to’s

Everything here was legit. We had the chorizo stuffed squid, Rosemary gnocchi, and the shortrib pasta. Half portion options were great sizes.

This is a typical upscale Georgetown restaurant. You’d have a tough time getting a decent sized meal for less than $ 50.
The duck and the scallops are entres worth checking out. The duck was so tender that it was falling off of the bone. The brussel sprouts pack a spicy kick.
I came on a Monday night and was able to get a seat right away. The waitress was friendly. Worth going to for a special occasion, otherwise I wouldn’t go.

In from out of town. I guess the best compliment I can give is that I thought it was so good last night that I came back for a second night! Sat at the bar and the bartender provided such great service. I highly recommend the meatball starter. Great combination of savory and sweet. Three meats are mixed in to make them and are complimented by crushed figs. Really good. (I may have come back tonight just for those!) I also had the crab cake entrée. Being from NM, I always like to take advantage of getting fresh seafood. It was served with a corn relish with a hint of heat which was a nice ode to home. Really quiet and relaxing atmosphere. Highly recommend

I went to unum during restaurant week. There were tons of restaurants to choose from but at the advice of many many coworkers we had to go to unum, so 6 girlfriends and decided to give it a shot.
First, the ambiance was amazing. Small, intimate, dim — perfect place for a date or get together with girlfriends!
Since it was restaurant week, we all got a bunch of plates to share. I specifically ordered the:
1. Chorizo stuffed squid: phenomenal! Perfectly seasoned (a little bit of a spice but not too much), loved the both soft and crunchy parts of the squid, and the spicy mayo like sauce drizzled over top. 5 out of 5 for sure!
2. Boneless short rib pasta: I was apprehensive about this since i had never had anything like this but everyone (friends and Unilocalers) raver about it. They were right, generous portion of short rib and pasta and the aus jus was again like nothing I had ever tasted
3. Duck: super tender and medium rare, so juicy and fresh. Light but noticeable seasoning
4. Lemon tarte: I’m not a dessert person but it was fine. I really want to try the beignets, I hear they’re amazing!
While there I also had a glass of their red wine on special which was tasty and didn’t break the bank — $ 7 or 8 $ for a glass. It also didn’t hurt that they started us off with a bread basket with sweet butter! Just remember to ask for it. So good and definitely going back! Nothing bad to say here.

Came here for restaurant week, and we weren’t disappointed!
The staff was attentive and checked on us regularly to make sure that they were ready to take our order as soon as we were done.
For our appetizers, we got the Chorizo Stuffed Squid and the Crispy Pork Tacos. So good! No complaints about either really. They were both super flavorful although the black sauce on the squid was a tad offputting.
Then my boyfriend and I each got 2 half plates. For me — the salmon and crab cake. I have to say that the salmon could have been a little more flavorful. The crab cake was great, and so were the chips and the risotto that accompanied it.
My boyfriend had the hanger steak and the duck. The hanger steak was probably our least favorite since it was lacking flavor and was not well seasoned. The duck, however, was our favorite half plate of the four. We just wished there was more!
I have to say that the dessert was probably a little too refined for our plebeian tastebuds. I don’t feel like I can give a proper review lol. We weren’t big fans of either the sorbet trio or the milk chocolate tart but that’s simply because we’re not dessert people.
Would definitely recommend and come back! So many things on their menu sounded delicious that I would love to try!

Still sitting at the table and I’m ready to Unilocal.Best meal in DC for under $ 50. There, I said it. The portions were perfectly sized and everything was bursting with flavor. Highly recommend the hanger steak and the lamb sirloin. Emphasis on the lamb sirloin. To get food of the quality for a price this reasonable is nothing short of a godsend.
⁵⁄₅
¹⁰⁄₁₀
A+
Will definitely come back

I LOVE this restaurant! Visiting DC for the first time and Unum’s menu really spoke to us. The staff is polished and gracious, and we could tell we were in for a great meal as soon as we sat down and saw all the dazzling plates being delivered to the table next to ours!
I ordered the Grilled Branzino with celery root purée –perfection. We were blown away by every course we ordered and to top things off chef Phillip humbled us by visiting with us, and even gave us restaurant recommendations for some of his favorite dining spots in the area. T’was beyond sweet and generous of him!
For a knock your socks off meal you won’t soon forget go to Unum. We’re definitely going back 1 more time before we leave town –there are so many dishes on the menu we still want to try.
P. S. Dessert is not to be missed, we ordered the peach cobbler, milk chocolate tart and the lemon almond torte with cherries –sublime and all the way, la bombe.

Let me start by saying I bookmarked this spot on Unilocal intending for it to be a date night spot for me and the BF… but I was roaming around Georgetown solo this weekend and found myself right around the corner. Well, I just couldn’t resist.
It could only be described as cozy and the area in the back is certainly romantic and intimate. I sat at the bar and the service was prompt, friendly and knowledgeable about the wine list as well as the menu.
I had the sesame crusted salmon (half plate) as well as the mountain top cheese. The salmon was delicious, if a little pricey for the size. The cheese was WONDERFUL and reasonably priced with all of the accouterments your little heart might desire.
Really, really good experience. This place is definitely worth checking out!

I don’t know if it is possible to be a bigger fan of a restaurant than I am of Unum. It’s not a small plates restaurant but they do offer half-​orders of most of their dishes which if you’re sharing with a group, allows you to taste pretty much the entire menu. Unum doesn’t have the most vegetarian options but most of their sides are vegetarian and they are delicious (especially the mushroom truffle mac n cheese and brussels sprouts with cashews & golden raisins). Also, I love the bread basket and accompanying green salsa they bring your table.
I’ve tried almost every main course on the menu and they have all been lovely. One of my favorites though is the boneless shortrib pasta. It is a bit on the heavy side but it is so tasty: the shortrib is incredibly tender and the pasta in the red-​wine braising jus sauce is great. Also, a half-​order of it is shockingly large… I thought when they brought it to us, that they had misheard us and actually gave us a full-​order.
Also, make sure to get an order (or two) of the mushroom truffle mac n cheese. I love mac n cheese and this is one of the best ones I’ve ever had. Not a single bite of it is dull or lacking. The truffle flavor isn’t overpowering or too rich. On the contrary, its somewhat subtle yet noticeable in every bite. It’s an absolute must.

4.50 stars. Unum fills a gap in the Georgetown dining scene that has existed ever since Mendocino Grille shut its doors. Essentially, Unum is a neighborhood restaurant with a partially rotating seasonal menu. Certain items, such as Unum’s truffle mac and cheese (more on that particular dish later in this review), are to be enjoyed all the time. Unum has missed the Washingtonian 100 the past two years, and the omission speaks more to the latter’s faults than anything involving the Unum experience. Quite simply, this is one of the better value restaurants in the entire city.
We started with selections off the charcuterie and cheese board (black truffle salami, chicken liver mousse, Humboldt Fog, St. Shepherd’s, and a random blue cheese I did not recognize). Unum pairs the board with fig, mustard, honey, chimichurri, sage butter and a couple of finishing sauces. The ability to create fun pairings is almost limitless and is a worthy start to a great meal.
Our appetizers included an off-​menu oyster selection prepared three ways and a rather tropical take on traditional lobster bisque. The raw oyster lay underneath a bed of sweet apples, the Virginia oysters were served in a decadent sauce completed with caviar, and the fried oysters had a nice, delicate coating (though both of us were less enamored with the accompanying dipping sauce). The lobster bisque was thin and exhibited interesting pineapple notes. While I was under the impression that the soup would be thick and creamy, I was pleasantly surprised by Unum’s rendition of this dish. Both of us favored the soup to the oysters.
Our seafood selections were probably the highlight of the meal. While my dining companion raved about the sesame encrusted diver scallops over a bed of Japanese inspired risotto, I demolished the branzino paired with a bounty of green olives and a celery root purée. Both dishes were magnificent accomplishments.
We finished with a sharp turn towards the savory: short rib pasta, horseradish spinach au gratin, and truffled mac and cheese. The short rib pasta didn’t live up to its billing in our mind and the spinach au gratin was interesting enough, but the truffle mac and cheese floored us. Unum’s version is a creamy, rich, decadent display with a liberal hand adding black truffle salt and high-​end cheese to pasta. It quite easily is the best mac and cheese I have had in a restaurant in this city and, quite frankly, might be better than my own rendition. If you walk out of this restaurant without trying the truffled mac and cheese, you have failed at life.
Unum’s proportions are great (small dishes are actually quite generous), the prices aren’t ridiculous, the service is friendly enough, and the atmosphere is ripe for a romantic date. Listen to Unilocal over Washingtonian on this one; this restaurant is remarkably underrated.

We had reservations on Saturday night at 5:30, and was the first one in the restaurant. The restaurant itself is a tight squeeze and the hostess watched as I struggle to take of my coat and not knock over everything without offering to check in our coats. It wasn’t until my husband asked were we informed that they had a coat check system (with tickets!) and it was not offered to anyone in the restaurant. As the place filled up– coats were everywhere and not a single person was offered to have their coats checked. That is an institutional fail in my opinion.
Then, our server– as nice as he was– had no clue what he was doing. I asked about the different salami and he could not tell me one thing that wasn’t printed already on the menu. And when he walked to help other guests– he never made eye contact with us to see if there was anything that we needed.
The bread basket here is terrible– the bread was chalky and cold. The cheese cracker thing was decent but there were more broken pieces in our basket than the whole ones. The bread itself once toasted (served with the bone marrow) was actually good, but it seemed like they couldn’t be bothered to take that extra step for all of their patrons. Also, we were charged for tapped sparkling water per person which is so weird and the water was flat. I think I got one refill the whole night.
As for the food itself– most of the dish was mediocre and springing double for a larger portion is stupid. The black truffle salami and american proscuitto were excellent. However, the lobster bisque was incredibly watery and underseasoned. The bone marrow was good but the portion was uneven to the ratio of bread that we received. I am not sure how we are suppose to spread two half bones that was about two inches long– on three pieces of toast. I also got the steak which was a generous half portion, but the steak arrived cold and the seasoning was quite odd. The beignets was overly rolled sugar.
Lastly, I was really annoyed with how close they sat everyone when there were empty tables in the restaurant. What a joke! The place is already so cramped and I don’t know if they were doing that to make it easier on the servers which I don’t think is necessary considering that the servers don’t make eye contact with the other guest– and it should not be at the expense of the comfort of your customers.