Proof

I didn't want to like Proof. I didn't want to fall for the trendy restaurant in the trendy neighborhood, and I didn't want to fall prey to the catchy name and the sexy bathroom wallpaper. But the oenophile in me caved to their wine collection, which boasts such exemplars as the 1947 Cheval Blanc (perhaps the most celebrated wine of the 20th century) or newer cult favorites such as Mark Aubert’s highly coveted California Pinots (otherwise available from the winemaker by invitation only to a completely full mailing list). Owner and longtime wine collector Mark Kuller and wine director Sebastian Zutant put together the list of wines partly by picking directly from the cellars of their investors. An extensive number of these wines are available by the glass, dispensed by their Enomatic machine from Italy, the first one in DC. The wine however, is not alone on the pedestal, thanks to Chef Haidar Karoum and his uncomplicated but exceptionally delicious food. My first time there, I had a remarkable dish of grilled leg of lamb sliced over a panzanella (a Florentine salad of bread and tomatoes dressed with olive oil and vinegar) – its simple description belies its beauty – the surprising star of the dish, the tomatoes, were unforgettably sweet and succulent, reminiscent of ones from my grandfather’s garden that I ate fresh off the vine as a child. The soft bread in the panzanella was the perfect accompaniment to the expertly cooked sliced lamb. The dish was a meaningful illustration of the magic of seasonal ingredients, prepared simply and seasoned flawlessly. On a more recent trip during lunch I had a delicious roast pork sandwich with a confetti of spicy slaw and sweet soy-garlic glaze as well as a terrific veal Carpaccio sliced paper thin and served with crackly salty capers. I’m very grateful to live across the street from Proof and to delight in its exceptional wines and equally wonderful dishes.