Not surprisingly, this most uncomfortable year and a half is a good time to enjoy comfort food-since the pandemic began, restaurants have begun to accept familiar, easy-to-like (and sell) dishes. Of course, comfort is a completely subjective idea, derived from personal nostalgia. But here are 13 things that have been consolidating this food critic recently, all of which come from places that have opened or remodeled since the beginning of 2020.

The Point (2100 Second St., SW)

One of the best things about the large Buzzard Point restaurant from the people behind Ivy City Smokehouse is the number of outdoor tables overlooking the Anacostia River. But the best thing is this appetizer, which combines the two joys of life-warm creamy crab sauce and fried dough-into a neat little package. This is a rare dish that sounds vulgar (in fact, it is famous for TikTok), but managed to live up to the hype.

La Colina (747 C St., SE)

A few years ago, La Collina chef Katarina Petonito and her husband launched a friendly match: Who can make better meatballs? After several attempts, they agreed to use this mixture of pork, beef and hot capicola, with goat's milk ricotta cheese and freshly toasted breadcrumbs to keep it moist and light. In this Italian restaurant on Capitol Hill, you will find brown meatballs-perfect texture, not too ruddy but not too mousse-like-simmered in a sauce: Bianco DiNapoli canned tomatoes from California. "The taste of tomato speaks for itself," Petono said.

Smokecraft (1051 North Arlington Highland Street)

High-end grills are not the first place we want to find classic kosher deli, but for chef/owner Andrew Darneille, sandwiches are personal. Decades ago, his mother would take him to and from work in a restaurant. The work in the restaurant made Ruben Killer, and he would take her there every time. His version replaced the traditional corned beef with pastrami, rubbed it with marinating spices and mustard barbecue sauce, and then smoked it with cherry wood for 8 hours. The ingredients are the usual Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island sauce-but the sauce gets a great flavor from the homemade kimchi chopped by Darneille.

Rumi's Kitchen (640 L St., NW)

This rice dish-a staple on the Persian menu-is so rich and beautiful, almost for celebration (in fact, it is often served at weddings). The fluffy basmati rice wrapped in orange strips—in the kitchen imported this year in Atlanta’s Mount Vernon Plaza—has been lightly glazed with butter, sugar, rose water, and barberry. The result is a dish with less dessert-like sweetness and more subtle differences in fragrance.

Pennyroyal Station (3310 Rhode Island Ave., Mount Rainier)

"Don't laugh," said ambitious bar food guru Jesse Miller (Jesse Miller) when revealing the source of inspiration for this succulent mac: Burger Assistant. But Miller has no shortcuts to reach his final result. He dried the sirloin, roasted it slowly, and then smoked it for nine hours. When an order comes in, he adds bone marrow to the meat to make it richer, and then stirs it into traditional macaroni and cheese, with cheddar cheese Mornay sauce. In other words, there is nothing like my mother used to do.

Although bagels have been the source of inspiration for foods such as doughnuts, ice cream and sushi for many years, there is hardly any more natural rethinking in this fast-casual stall in the Ballston Quarter than Pierogi. (It was formerly known as Zofia's Kitchen.) Chef Ed Hardy’s rustic Eastern European restaurant is stuffed with smoked salmon, scallion cream cheese, dill and plenty of poppy seed-heavy bagel seasoning. Fry them until crispy, then add horseradish or lemon dill sour cream.

Dauphine (1100 NW 15th Street)

This New Orleans-style restaurant from the Salt Line staff serves a $150 French 75 cocktail for two and one of the cheapest (at least high-end dining) bar snacks in town. This is a 7-dollar plate with thinly fried potato chips stacked on top. The taste is selected from a century-old French quarter menu. They are a good reminder that the best partner for fried potatoes is not ketchup or mayonnaise-but a pot of tempeh gravy.

Yardbird (901 New York Ave., NW)

A great shrimp and kibble is not about any single element. Yes, you want juicy shrimp, dense sand, and a sauce that removes all the heaviness, but when any of these things dominate, it usually means that the dish is not normal. In this southern restaurant born in Miami, the bowls are coordinated like Fleetwood Mac joints. The creamy, coarsely ground grits are balanced by fat shrimp in a sauce made from veal broth and PBR, with a touch of salty country ham, cherry tomatoes and green onions.

Mama Tigre (10443 White Granite Dr., Oakton)

Some of the dishes in this Mexican/Indian fusion kitchen—such as chicken tikka burritos, or spicy masala cheese—make a simple fajita sound boring. Do not. Choose the top-notch "supreme" version with Asada meat, chicken, shrimp and bacon. (The last one is more like a rich booster than the filling itself.) The accessories are exactly what you want: fresh flour tortillas, shredded cheese, and plenty of caramelized onions and peppers.

Mastiha Bakery (10560 Metropolitan Ave., Kensington)

Katerina Georgallas has been selling pita bread, dips and other Greek specialties at the local farmers market for many years. In the early days of the pandemic, she sped up part of her business, which had been a sporadic product until now: cooking at home. They include the perfect flaky turnover of these lemon-scented semolina custards. Put them in the oven for half an hour, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and you will have a hearty breakfast (or dessert, or afternoon snack).

Spanish Restaurant (7271 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda)

The cheesecake in José Andrés's newest store—a dinner-style ode to everything from eggs and potatoes—is completely different from the hard New York-style slabs or fluffy ricotta cheese you'll find here. The crustless cake is slenderer than the towering, originated in the San Sebastián pintxos bar, made of cream cheese and goat cheese. The dark brown surface eases the slight sweetness. If you are someone who usually prefers cheese plates to desserts, then this one is for you.

Menya Hosaki (845 Upshur St., NW)

The financial adviser turned to chef Eric Yoo and opened the ramen shop in Petworth in September. He offers several different broths, including smoked fish soup; clear chicken fund dan; and milky, pork white sandalwood. Or you can order this bowl, a combination of these three. Through the broth, you can see a half-boiled egg, a circle of pork belly, a few bamboo shoots, and an unusual discovery from a local ramen shop: the thin, chewy noodles made in-house.

Preservation Biscuit Company (102 E. Fairfax St., Falls Church)

The biscuit sandwich is great—until it falls apart in your hands (and possibly your knees). In this Falls Church cafe, executive chef *Jonathan Coombs (Jonathan Coombs) used to serve as the head of the kitchen at Matchbox, solving this problem by making sturdier, less towering biscuits. Fortunately, it is stuffed with chopped ribs, caramelized onions and Swiss flavor, just like a layer of strawberry jam.

This article was published in Washingtonian Magazine in November 2021.

*An earlier version of this article referred to Jonathan Coombs of Preservation Biscuit as the "Chef/Boss". He is the executive chef, not the boss.

Ann Limpert joined the Washingtonian at the end of 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a chef in New York restaurant kitchens. She graduated from the Culinary Education Institute. She lives in Logan Circle.