Food

Signature Dish

Signature Dish discovers and reveals the standout dishes at a wide array of the region’s best restaurants, from the latest dining hot spots to strip-mall eateries serving up authentic global cuisines.

Here's the Beef

28m 25s

Host Seth Tillman stops in Georgetown to visit the casual-chic La Bonne Vache for an elevated Steak Tartare. He then sinks his teeth into a Short Rib Pastrami Sandwich at the Jewish-Mediterranean BBQ food truck Silver and Sons in Eckington. And, finally, he's wowed by a 32-ounce Tomahawk Steak with bone marrow butter at the upscale yet rustic dLeña in Mount Vernon Triangle.

  • Middle East Feast: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Middle East Feast

    S1 E12 - 25m 33s

    Seth visits three restaurants that celebrate the diverse flavors of the Middle East. He tastes a lamb shank stew from Amoo’s in McLean, VA; the Egyptian dish molokheya, made with cornish hen, from Fava Pot in Falls Church, VA; and a delicious shawarma pita at Muncheez, a Lebanese street food destination in D.C.’s Dupont Circle.

  • European Classics: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    European Classics

    S1 E11 - 28m 29s

    French, Italian, and German cooking techniques come to life in this episode. Chateaubriand – a perfectly cooked beef tenderloin – is the signature dish at L’Auberge Chez Francois in Great Falls, VA, while Piccolina in D.C.’s Penn Quarter offers up scacce, a delicious Sicilian stuffed flatbread. Seth's tour ends with a German classic, jäegerschnitzel, at the Old Stein Inn in Edgewater, MD.

  • Korean Flavors: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Korean Flavors

    S1 E10 - 26m 26s

    A wide range of Korean flavors can be found across the DMV. In this episode, Seth heads to Annandale, VA, the heart of the local Korean community, to try haemul pajeon, a seafood scallion pancake, at Gom Ba Woo, followed by a visit to Sō Korean BBQ in Centreville, VA for galbi, soy marinated short ribs. He finishes up at Seoul Food DC in Takoma Park, MD, to sample a vegan “Korean fried chicken.”

  • A Taste of Mexico: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A Taste of Mexico

    S1 E9 - 28m 1s

    It’s all about authentic flavor in this episode, as Seth visits three restaurants bringing Mexican food to the D.C. area. El Papi Real Street Tacos in Camp Springs, MD offers “Rudy’s Sampler” of birria tacos. In the Petworth neighborhood, DC Corazon’s red mole is on the menu, and Seth rounds out his Mexican food adventure with tuna tostadas from Taqueria Picoso in Alexandria, VA.

  • Next Level Sandwiches: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Next Level Sandwiches

    S1 E8 - 27m 26s

    Flavors from around the globe infuse some of D.C.'s best sandwiches. At Nim Ali in Foggy Bottom, Seth digs in to a shuko, a loaded Guatemalan street sandwich. Anacostia’s Open Crumb offers up a delectable fried chicken sandwich, and in Capitol Hill, Fight Club’s namesake sandwich includes roast beef, bacon and brown butter mayo.

  • Southern Comforts: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Southern Comforts

    S1 E7 - 27m 29s

    Seth visits the South on the flavor train, enjoying wood-smoked barbeque, Louisiana spices and culinary innovation applied to classic meals. He tastes duck jambalaya at Dauphine’s in downtown D.C., smoky brisket and bone marrow mac & cheese at Pennyroyal Station in Mt. Rainier, MD and BBQ spare ribs at Ruthie’s All Day in Arlington, VA.

  • Seafood Standouts: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Seafood Standouts

    S1 E6 - 26m 24s

    Signature Dish is back with a new episode exploring delectable meals from under the sea. Seth heads into Washington, D.C. to sample FishScale‘s True Blue Maryland Crab Burger; to Peruvian restaurant Pio Pio in Great Falls, VA, for a ceviche called Mahi Mahi Avocado; and to Penn Quarter, D.C.’s Rasika, to try the famous Indian restaurant’s Black Cod.

  • West African Cuisine: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    West African Cuisine

    S1 E5 - 26m 46s

    In this episode, Seth meets with the chefs who are putting their own twists on the bold flavors and colors of West African cuisine. The signature dishes are goat egusi, a Ghanaian stew served at Appioo in DC’s U Street neighborhood, yassa chicken, a Senegalese smothered chicken dish at Chez Dior in Hyattsville, MD; ebbeh, a Gambian seafood stew at Mansa Kunda in Takoma Park, MD.

  • Masters of Spice: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Masters of Spice

    S1 E4 - 28m 7s

    Seth meets three chefs who are masters of using hot peppers and balancing the intense heat with incredible flavors. Along the way, he samples muu som, a stir-fried rice-fermented sour pork dish at Thip Khao in Columbia Heights; junglee laal maas, a spicy goat curry at Pappe in Logan Circle; and a whole steamed fish with fermented peppers and scallions at Q by Peter Chang in Bethesda, MD.

  • Caribbean Favorites: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Caribbean Favorites

    S1 E3 - 25m 41s

    In this episode, Seth samples the diverse array of flavors around DC from Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad and Tobago, learning about the melting pot that is Caribbean cuisine. Signature dishes: Jamaican jerk chicken wings at Andrene’s Caribbean & Soul Food in Brightwood; chuleta kan kan, a fried pork chop at La Famosa in the Navy Yard; and curried beef roti at Cane on H Street NE.

  • Southeast Asian Specialties: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Southeast Asian Specialties

    S1 E2 - 26m 42s

    While the flavors of Thai and Vietnamese cuisine are familiar to DC area diners, other unique cuisines of Southeast Asia are gaining popularity. Seth samples three dishes that represent these new trends: ohno knauk swe (coconut curry chicken noodle soup) at Thamee in Northeast DC; lechon belly at Kuya Ja Lechon Belly in Kensington, MD; fish head curry at Malaysian Kopitiam in Centreville, VA.

  • Cooking with Fire: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Cooking with Fire

    S1 E1 - 28m 4s

    The world’s oldest culinary technique – cooking over an open flame – is on vivid display as Seth Tillman meets 3 masters of fire who char, roast and smoke their way to unforgettable eats. Signature dishes: Wagyu beef brisket at 2Fifty Texas Barbeque in Riverdale Park, MD; “The Hot Mess” white pizza at Frankly…Pizza! in Kensington, MD; an iconic spiced lamb shoulder at Maydan in Northwest D.C.

Signature Dish Restaurant Guide

The Signature Dish Restaurant Guide provides additional information about each signature dish, including restaurant locations, reviews, and video clips from each episode, all sorted by cuisine type and plotted on an interactive map of the local area.

WETA Passport

Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA Passport whenever and wherever you want. Catch up on a single episode or binge-watch full seasons before they air on TV.

Similar Shows