Peachy's Picks Washington, D.C.: Boss Shepherd’s Honest Food & Drink Best New Restaurant in Washington Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Guess what: you can have a proper MANHATTAN in Washington!
You just have to know Paul Cohn.
The incredible Maryland Crab Cake!
Honestly, it's the best one we've had this year.
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We knew it was a good sign the moment we walked into Boss Shepherd's and legendary Washington, D.C. restaurateur Paul Cohn showed us they blended their own bespoke rye! He must have done his research and discovered there is a Peachy Deegan cocktail.
Boss Shepherd's is by far the single best new restaurant to hit the scene in the nation's capital city and we could not be more excited to tell you about the absolutely fabulous classic American fare that's farm-to-table. Paul's on the left, and his history includes about 14 restaurants in total over time. Boss Shepherd's is now his baby and you want to meet it! Paul left Capital Restaurant Concepts to start his own spot: Boss Shepherd's which he co-owns with Bill Jarvis, an attorney, and Greg Casten, who also owns ProFish. You cannot get fresher fish than when one of the restaurant owners also owns a source of fish! We haven't worked with anyone in Manhattan who's been so smart to do such a thing! Open since July 2014, Boss Shepherd's is also a tribute to American History which they get points for also.
Who WAS Boss Shepherd?
You need to know! The culinary endeavors taste even better when you know the proper history.
Born in Washington in 1835, Alexander Robey Shepherd was a successful businessman and politician. He served on the Washington Common Council (the 1860s equivalent of the City Council), headed DC’s Board of Public Works, and served at the appointment of President Ulysses S. Grant as DC’s Territorial Governor. In the years before he became Governor, Shepherd worked behind the scenes to unite the three local townships—Washington City, Georgetown, and Washington County—into one city, officially renamed the District of Columbia.
By 1871, however, the united city was in such bad condition after the Civil War that some in Congress advocated for the capital of the country to be moved west. In response, President Grant turned the task of repairing the District of Columbia over to Shepherd. A mere three years later, through guile, and a clear vision, Shepherd had transformed the District of Columbia from a sewage-ridden, swampy, dirt-road farmland, into a state-of-the-art capital city. The city could now boast public sanitation, paved streets, sidewalks, and a safe water system. It is true that Shepherd’s projects frequently went over budget, and the tales of work crews working overnight, under the cover of darkness, in order to circumvent opposition to his plans, are many. But, after the construction dust settled, the District of Columbia found itself with miles of paved roads and sidewalks, 3,000 installed gaslights, 50,000 new trees, a new sewer system, and 34 miles of water main connected to city households.
For this leadership and these accomplishments, Shepherd became known as the “Boss”—the Father of Modern Washington.
Raise your glass to the Boss and get excited for one of the best reviews we've ever been on down south! The minute we walked in, Paul Cohn graciously greeted us and could not have been more cordial the whole night. He is just the right kind of person who should be in the restaurant business: fantastically entertaining, friendly, intelligent and clearly passionate about his vocation. We really had been looking forward to working with him because he had come highly recommended.
Seating 150, Boss Shepherd's is conveniently located in Washington, D.C. on the corner of 13th and E streets, down the stairs right next to the Warner Theatre, a great place to see a show (and yes their history page says it was by one of THE Warner Bros.-Harry, as in the movie brand we've been thrilled to work with for many years...go see Vacation starting tomorrow):
Peachy Deegan enthusiastically sipped one of the best Manhattans she's had created with Paul's spiritual endeavor! We felt like we were at home from the start. We love the green awning.
Oh how we adore crab cakes! And remember how Boss Shepherd's acquires their fish...
The splendid flavor of this crab was the ultimate in fresh and it tasted like it swam in from Maryland that afternoon. The authenticity was completely sensational; the crab cake was browned just right with no filler: just pure, wonderful crab.
They were further enhanced by crab mayonnaise, pickled scallion and grilled lemon. The menu at Boss Shepherd's changes three times a year.
For her green salad, Peachy chose the classic: Caesar. The hearts of romaine had the right amount of crunch and pea shoots and brioche croutons also came to the party on a plate. The parmesan dressing was sublime and they did not at all overdo it on the dressing-it was just right for goldilocks Peachy who personally abhors too much salad dressing. Executive Chef Jeremy Waybright came out to converse with us but who was our favorite to talk to? Paul was the best of all. He's half Jewish and half Italian.
Remember, it's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW.
We went to Boss Shepherd's in the first place as it was so highly recommended by someone we know. It really is a small world out there and one of the most terrific moments came when Paul was talking about the 1970's and his career in the music business. Did you know that Paul brought to this review previous Peach experience? As in Peaches and Herb. He was their manager, and for anyone that's a millennial reading us you should know that they had $5 million in sales in 1980. Once he started talking about something called the Hustle, which does predate Peachy, we said WAIT. Do you know someone named Charles Kipps?
Paul said Do I Know Someone Named Charles Kipps.
And then Paul sent us that picture, while we were eating dinner. Guess who roared with laughter.
Here's Charles and Peachy last fall celebrating his new book that he put Peachy in as a character and a cocktail (she doesn't always wear black dresses with red stripes-this is a total coincidence and they are each by different designers):
As you know, Mover and Shaker Charles Kipps has seven gold records; Charles and Paul knew each other from the music industry. The conversation was so spectacular that soon, the Manhattan cocktail magically disappeared. We next tried this superb New Zealand Bordeaux blend, The General by Boer and Brit! Peachy loved its robust ripeness that went so well with her knockout entree.
For our entree, we opted for the delicious Bavette Steak, which comes from a local farm in Pennsylvania. It was grilled to perfection and accented with Horseradish Chow Chow, Cauliflower Puree, Grilled Romaine and Preserved Lemon Buttermilk. Just extraordinary. Honest Food and Drink is accurately described.
Even Minnie dines at Boss Shepherd's-she's a contribution from the Disney people that love Paul too. (She took a sip of our Manhattan and approved.)
Our esteemed panelist adds:
Boss Shepherd’s Honest Food & Drink features delicious farm-to-table ingredients in their classic American, southern-inspired cooking! Centrally located at 13th and E NW, it’s perfect for after work, or before heading to a show at the Warner Theatre (located in the same block). The ambiance is comfy and modern, yet with a speakeasy-throwback flair and a fantastic staff that will take care of whatever you need.
While perusing the menu, I enjoyed a few sips of their Very Berry Lemonade. With fresh blueberries, a splash of lemon and whiskey, it was deliciously-refreshing, and just what you need on a hot summer evening!
I was also able to enjoy a few sips of their signature Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye, which was sooooo smooth and amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever ordered whiskey at a bar or restaurant in my life, but this one was fantastic, and I will order it again, and again, and …
For my starter, I locked in on the crab cocktail with pumpernickel, remoulade, frisee and soft-boiled egg. While the accompaniments were a wonderful highlight, the star of this dish was the generous portion of incredible fresh, local crab. Crab is one of my favorite meats, and I enjoy it as close to au-naturale as I can get it, usually steering away from the seasonings. This did not disappoint. The meat was so incredibly fresh-tasting, I didn’t want it to end.
The “Simple” Green tasted anything but simple. Consisting, simply, of baby greens, preserved vegetables and vinaigrette, you might be tempted to go for something more interesting. Don’t let the name fool you! This salad was fantastic. ALL the individual ingredients and flavors were delicious and fresh, and I’m so glad I tried it. Often, simple is better, especially when you’re working with flavorful, fresh, local ingredients like Boss Shepherd’s uses.
The Steele Pinot Noir from the Carneros region called to me from the wine list as a great complement to try with my meal. I’m a steadfast fan of Carneros Pinots, and this did not disappoint! The wine was fruity, yet smooth, up front, with a long finish that had just a touch of pepper. Considering I LOVE pepper in my wine, but not in my food, this was a perfect choice! It went well with the trout – both the wine and the fish had just enough flavor to highlight each other, without being overpowered.
The North Carolina Trout jumped out at me from the menu. The waiter had me convinced at “fresh” and “local”; that it was trout, one of my favorites, was just a bonus. The trout comes with peas, greens and fingerling potatoes, and all tastes incredible with minimal seasoning to let the fresh flavor shine through. The trout is served as a whole filet, with the head on, which brought a bit of an Asian-style look to this all-American dinner.
Along with my trout, I enjoyed the Cast Iron Corn Bread. This is another dish that sounds simple, but was a very pleasant surprise to my taste buds. Boss Shepherd’s fresh-baked corn bread is an amazing combination of sweet, buttery, salty wholesomeness, and I recommend giving it a try.
Peachy Picks Boss Shepherd's!
Boss Shepherd's is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.
We absolutely can't wait to see what they do next.
In closing, we invite you to sing with us. Use the lyrics below that Peachy imagined and sing to this melody during the chorus part:
Meet Boss Shepherd's
Know it tastes so good
Farm to table
Now we're understood
Best new DC restaurant to exist
Regardless of any Top Ten list
You'd better be excited
Cause your stomach is invited to eat this crabcake
You'd be a fool to ever not go...
