Peachy's Picks Washington, D.C.: Boss Shepherd’s Honest Food & Drink Restaurant - Whiskey Bar Still the Best New Restaurant in Washington, D.C. Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Reunited and it feels so good!
Peachy Deegan and Paul Cohn, Legendary restaurateur of Washington, D.C. and owner of Boss Shepherd's with his phenomenal crabcake, and do not miss the bespoke Catoctin Creek 100% Rye
The brilliantly fresh East Coast Oysters
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Who's the boss?
It's not Springsteen or Tony Danza.
It's Paul Cohn!
It's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and we just love knowing Paul Cohn, who is a total peach. If you are in Washington, D.C. or traveling there, you should know that Boss Shepherd's is absolutely the best new restaurant to hit the scene in the nation's capital. Centrally located on 13th and E, Boss Shepherd's is particularly convenient for those that frequent the Warner Theater. However, in our case, Peachy Deegan feels it is absolutely worth the trip from Manhattan to visit Paul Cohn because he outperforms many in Manhattan.
A true perfectionist, Paul is a details person and we love it.
Boss Shepherd's was first featured on Whom You Know in 2015:
We were welcomed with lavash crackers made on premises enhanced with pimento cheese, shredded cheddar, mayo, cooked onions and red bell pepper. Just delicious, this starter ignites your appetite and confirms the maxim that this is Honest Food & Drink.
And oh if we could find crabcakes like this in New York...!
You know who has an intrinsically crabby nature!
To that end, Peachy just loves crab and we cannot remember ever having a better crabcake than the Maryland Crab Cake at Boss Shepherd's, which as you know from the first review is brilliantly sourced direct from one of the owners's seafood supply brand, smartly cutting out the "middle man". (We will have to work with him on a review sometime, n'est pas?) The crab itself not only epitomizes fresh but also is fantastically flavorful, made even more so by crab mayonnaise, which is the stuff dreams are made of. Pickled scallion and grilled lemon give this dish the proper contrasting edginess for balance. You will find no filler here and this crabcake would be tough to beat anywhere on the East Coast of the USA.
You will revel in every edible of Boss Shepherd's however, you should also know their alcohol list is just as strong and if not stronger!
The Clarendelle 2009 Bordeaux is a sensational selection that we'd encourage you to order if you, like Peachy, adore a robust red that pairs well. The depth of nuances in every sip impressed us and was only outdone by Paul's bespoke Catoctin Creek "Boss" 100% Rye, crafted in Virginia. But, we're getting to that and as you know we personally appreciate bespoke alcohol and you can read about Peachy's cocktail in Mover and Shaker Charles Kipps's book, Time Square Trouble. If you were around for The Hustle in the 1970's you know all about Charles's and Paul's brilliant connection to it (and you might even get up and dance at Boss Shepherd's because you're THAT PLEASED with your dinner!) In fact, we were looking for Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe to dance this in The Nice Guys....
For a green salad, Peachy Deegan reveled in the classic Simple Green. Grown naturally, local seasonal baby greens and superb carrots were exactly what we had hoped for. And Ms. Pretty Picky even loved the salad dressing. Boss Shepherd's really does vegetables well: the side of Roasted Broccoli with Cheddar Biscuit Crumbs is not to be missed:
Lesser restaurants would serve broccoli in a more pedestrian manner and more ridiculous restaurants that pride themselves on being overly creative would over do it (and in turn, make us feeling unwell afterwards) but Boss Shepherd's is absolutely just right in this broccoli which is representative of being phenomenally exactly what it should be, and up a notch. The choices are all just golden.
Narrowing down the entree selection is difficult at Boss Shepherd's, as it boasts nearly a dozen choices. This visit, Peachy chose the Swordfish, of course sourced from Profish. Grilled to perfection, the steak of the sea had a party in baby bok choy, pickled japanese eggplant, squash and cabbage for an entirely exotic swordfish experience like you've never had before and will love. Paul's expertise in cuisine and illustrious background and experience is reflected all over this laudable menu. There are no lesser choices at Boss Shepherd's: only different ones that make you want to go back again and again. Note that we have had a number of one-hit wonders, particularly outside of Manhattan, and when we return to a venue that should speak louder to you than any sentence we type.
Actions speak louder than words.
For all our readers that are as enthused by whisky as much as we are, you should know that there is not a better restaurant on the East Coast of America than Boss Shepherd's when you want to combine top-notch cuisine and bespoke whisky. Both the Catoctin Creek "Boss" 100% Rye and the George Dickel are sublime, smooth and perfectly companionable to every edible endeavor by Paul Cohn. Paul makes cocktail hour better!
The perfect ending to an amazing meal is the Carolina Rice Pudding Brule! Brilliantly concocted cardamom and lavender rice pudding team up with inventive sweet tea macerated dried cherries to form a winner of a dessert. Sometimes when we visit a restaurant for a second time, it doesn't live up to our memory however with Boss Shepherd's, Paul Cohn and his team just keep getting better and better like a fine wine.
All in the entertainment industry should have a special appreciation for Paul's talents!
Our esteemed panelist adds:
Boss Shepherd's is a farm to table restaurant with a southern flair. Located next door to the Warner Theater, it's a great place to visit before a show, or if you're just looking for a fresh and delicious meal. They source a significant amount of food locally, to ensure as many fresh items on the menu as possible. One of the restaurant partners also owns Profish, a seafood distributor, so you're guaranteed the seafood is fresh.
I began my evening with a wonderful glass of Christian Lauverjat Sancerre, from the Loire Valley, France. I'm a big fan of Loire Valley Sauvignon Blancs, and this followed that opinion. It's a crisp dry wine with some nice minerality. The citrus notes pair wonderfully with seafood. We were brought Lavash and Pimento cheese spread while we decided on our meal. This was a unique alternative to the typical bread and butter/EVOO.
Since I was enjoying the wine so much, I decided I must pair it with one of the many seafood starters on the menu. I ordered the dozen James River VA Saddlerock oysters, which were served on a bed of salt. All the oysters were cleanly shucked with no signs of stray bits of shell. They were accompanied by lemon wedges, house-made horseradish cocktail sauce, and mignonette. The oysters were plump and sweet, with a light briny note. Just writing about them makes me want to go back for more. Peachy was gracious enough to let me try a bite of her crabcake. It was not the traditional Maryland crabcake that you typically get in the region. Containing no filler, it was crisp on the outside, and had a very light flavor that let the crab be the star of the dish.
Next came the salad. I chose the Caesar, made with house made parmesan dressing, hearts of romaine and brioche croutons. When it came out, you could see the lettuce was crisp and fresh. After my first bite this salad set itself apart from the limp lettuce served at most restaurants. It was crisp and had a subtle sweetness that you can only get from farm fresh lettuce, sourced from Path Valley Farms in Virginia. The salad was lightly dressed, which allowed the flavor of the lettuce to really shine through.
On to the main course. I ordered the Maple Pork Tenderloin, which is served over a bean gravy with dried corn gremolata. They recommended pairing this with the Lemelson Pinot Noir, from the Willamette Valley, OR. This turned out to be an excellent recommendation that complemented the pork nicely. There were four perfectly cooked pork medallions served over the bean gravy. I don't typically order pork in restaurants, but this did not disappoint. The pork was tender and juicy, and went well with the bean gravy.
While perusing the dessert menu, we tried the Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye that is hand crafted specifically for Boss Shepherd's. This is a small batch, single barrel whiskey hand crafted and distilled in VA. We also sampled the George Dickel Whiskey, which is crafted in a hand selected barrel specifically for Boss Shepherd's. My favorite was the Catoctin Creek, but both whiskies were excellent, and smooth. If you enjoy a good whiskey, I would highly recommend trying one of the 4 whiskey flights that are available.
Finally, dessert. I'm not sure how I can still eat, but I chose something on the lighter side. They had an extensive list of ice creams from a local ice creamery, but I'm a sucker for chocolate chip cookies and milk, so I had to try theirs. The whole milk is, of course, locally sourced from Shamrock Farms in VA. Being a Colorado transplant to the DC area, I truly appreciate a good glass of farm fresh whole milk. The cookies were light and delicious, and were perfect for dipping in the milk.
Farm to table has become a buzz word in the restaurant industry, but Boss Shepherd's isn't concerned about being called farm to table. They legitimately deliver fresh locally sourced food from farmers, ranchers, fishermen, distillers and brewers. Next time I'm in DC, Boss Shepherd's will be at the top of my list of places to dine.
Peachy Picks Boss Shepherd's!
Boss Shepherd's continues to be Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.
Paul Cohn is absolutely brilliant and we can't wait to see what he does next.
