We had an awesome night out at Proof DC tonight with our friends Mike and Margaret. The dining experience almost didn’t happen due to 6 (six!) unavailable babysitters! Fortunately our favorite babysitter had a friend who could help for the evening, so dinner was on!
The last time Jen and I were at Proof we had such an amazing night, and tonight was a repeat performance. We followed the same recipe for success we did the previous visit: the Chef’s Full Charcuterie Board and a plate of 6 cheeses to start, followed by an appetizer (or two), and man did they hit it out of the park, again.
Sebastian, Stolen from the Internet (Washingtonian)
I recognized Sebastian Zutant (I only know his last name because it’s staring me in the face on the menu) from our first visit, and he seemed to remember us as well (hard to forget the 6+ foot tall bald couple). Extremely personable and quirky and still as amusing as he was before, he helped us find Adam Bernbach who was the house drink mixologist. I told him what I liked to drink, and he surprised me with a Fine Gentleman’s Refined Liquor and Tonic (my own pulled-out-of-my-butt name) — a crystal clear drink on ice with a simple lime slice floating in the middle. The liquor was a unique spirit (maybe Shouchu Kiuchi?) made by Japanese Brewer Kiuchi Brewery who also brews Hitachino Nest beers, a special kind of tonic with a name that escapes me, and a dash of bitters. It was extremely complex and fabulous. Kudos Adam!
Adam Bernbach, Stolen from WashingtonPost.com
Our waitress was fabulous. I’ll have to look on the receipt because her name escapes me, but she really had a good time with us which really made our experience that much better. The Charcuterie and Cheeses were stunning. My favorite of the meats was the Bresaola I think — dark, rich, buttery and just melt in your mouth deliciousness, generously sliced and piled in bite-sized pieces on the board. There was a sheep’s milk cheese called Caña de Oveja that our waitress suggested that had just been added to the menu — rich, tangy, and surprisingly soft and almost gooey in the middle. My two top favorites was the Red Hawk triple-cream and the Roquefort Societe Blue, especially with the raw honey. OMGWTFSOGOOD!
2004 Tallulah Syrah, TallulahWines.com
Had some really good wines too! They were out of the Pinot Blend on the menu, and so I was offered an alternative Pinot was really great. My second glass was a … oh I don’t know, our waitress bugged Sebastian, who was searching the Internet for ties, for a suggestion and brought me a dark ruby glass of something divine. Turns out it was a Syrah from Tallulah.
Finally it was time to consider eating more food. Having gorged ourselves on meat, cheese, bread and alcohol (we sound like monks!), we chose wisely and selected items from the appetizer menu. Jen had the Wagyu Beef Carpaccio (perfectly spicy with the sriracha-hoisin, yet melt in your mouth simplicity), Mike had the Octopus (not on the menu so I can’t tell you it’s fancy-pants name, but it too was really good — meaty and well prepared, perfectly seasoned and a great flavor), Margaret had the Ahi Tuna Tartare (she ate it so fast I never got a bite!) and I had the Crispy Pork Confit (the soft, rich pork with the crispy fatty skin combined with the sweet/sour of grapefruit and the jicama salad, holy crap was it good).
We closed with coffee and dessert. I admit to being disappointed with the desserts again. The first time I had tried the Grilled Banana. It was all excellently prepared, but it lacked the fabulousness of the rest of the meal. The same happened tonight. I got the Toffee Pudding Cake. It was a plate full of things I really like, and like the other dessert, it was perfectly prepared, and was very good, but lacked the wow of the rest of the meal.
We’re so going back to Proof DC again. The staff is always fun, extremely talented, and the food is consistently at the top of our very long list of restaurants we’ve visited. Bravo Proof DC!
PS — You may be wondering why I don’t have any pictures of our evening. Jen has nicely requested that when we go out for dinner that I not take pictures of the food, as it makes me seem like a total douche. She’s probably right. You’ll just have to go there and experience it for yourself!
Peter Beckman is a big Internet geek with a wife who happens to be a chef. He started this blog solely to profit and buy a DSLR camera to take MORE pictures of the fabulous food he eats. 
oh you are too funny! my name is amy and i was your server. thanks for the lovely post, i will forward it on to chef haidar.
adam was the cocktail guy. we are lucky to have him. he is the guy behind this :http://voices.washingtonpost.com/goingoutgurus/2009/04/cocktail_sessions_at_bar_pilar.html and hopefully we will have something like it someday. cheese, maybe cana de oveja? something close to that. and you had roquefort as your blue. your second wine was tallulah syrah from california.
oh, and for the record, a couple pictures with a discreet device like an i-phone is never a bother for me. of course, the person that really matters is your dining companion, but on my end it is not a worry. and i always love to have some visuals to go with the post i am reading!
come back soon. it is always great to wait on folks with such a fine appreciation of food!
-amy
Thanks Amy! I’ll fill in the blanks with the right stuff. My apologies to Adam for the name manglement!
Jen was pretty clear last week when she said that she would grab me by the balls and squeeze if I brought a camera along… I had forgotten about surreptitious mobile phone shots. That sounds so naughty.
We loved Proof, and are looking forward to a return trip with Midwestern visitors and Long Island sisters, who we think will enjoy the food, the wine menu, the excellent service and the ambience. Thanks for a great night Peter and Jen!
So glad the babysitter situation worked out! That was such a fun night.