Snag a Seat Early at Bloomingdale’s Resilient Red Hen

What to order

• Rigatoni with fennel sausage is a D.C. icon (even the Bidens both had to order it), but I usually opt for something more seasonal. Last time, that was a toothy campanelle given earthy richness with porcini mushroom cream, wild mushrooms, and herbs.
• Broccolini often feels like a side-dish afterthought. But here, the restaurant’s wood-fired oven lends a strong smokiness, balanced with a heat-flecked Calabrian chile vinaigrette, a little citrus zest, and sweetness from golden raisins; hazelnuts provide a splash of crunch.
• The restaurant’s menu isn’t as offal-centric as it used to be, but if you see organ meat, get it; right now, that’s chicken liver and foie gras mousse, served with excellent grilled bread. Vegetarians can enjoy that bread with cultured butter and thinly sliced watermelon radishes.

What to drink

Red Hen may have been the first restaurant to spike my interest in orange wine over a decade ago. While they’ve gone through sommelier shifts since, you can still find it — a by-the-glass Trebbiano from Ubria was a great complement to rich pasta. Orange wine skeptics won’t go wrong with their Negroni.

Getting in

I’d be here more often if I lived closer; reservations are still tricky to snag, and walk-ins are often met with a lengthy wait. Showing up exactly at opening on a night with poor weather usually makes snagging a bar seat or two possible; recently, I had success on a Sunday after a hockey game (minutes later, every seat was filled).

Insider tip

It’s an open secret, but every order should include a bowl of the ethereally creamy off-menu cacio e pepe to share.