Tom Sietsema wrote about 701's new look and chef for a September 2009 First Bite column.

The new chef at 701 in Penn Quarter says he learned much of what he knows about cooking from his mentor, the esteemed Alfred Portale of Gotham Bar and Grill in New York. One of the things Adam Longworth remembers most from his years with one of the masters of architectural food: "Alfred's plates were always beautiful."

The same can be said of some of what has been coming out of the kitchen at 701 ever since Longworth, 28, took over the stove earlier this summer. The Vermont native calls his seafood salad, a taller and spunkier version of the longtime staple here, "my tribute to" Portale. Longworth phoned his mentor when the salad, ignited with capers and an emulsion of olives, made its debut last month. A first course, king crab roll, finds crisp carrot and pickled daikon along with crab in the center of each bite, plus a cap of jalapeno mayonnaise and garnishes of chopped nuts and citrusy soy sauce. In what Longworth calls "my tribute to summer," roasted cod appears with cooked-just-so haricots verts, an arugula salad and a brilliant vinaigrette based on pureed roasted tomatoes.

That's a lot of surf so far. "People told me D.C. loves seafood," explains the chef. His goal at 701? "Get the restaurant popping again."

Longworth and his team have support in that mission: a brand-new kitchen and dining room. "There's not a thing that's old, except the awning" out front, says owner Ashok Bajaj, who put more than $800,000 into a makeover. He closed the place for nine days last month and paid construction crews overtime to reopen in time for Restaurant Week. The result is easy on the eyes. Light blues and latte colors give 701 an elegant and slightly retro look; three new private rooms can accommodate groups of 10, 14 or 24.

Longworth chuckled when we asked what his exact start date had been. July 1, he replied, spelling it out: "Seven-oh-one."

At 6:02 p.m., my date and I are handed menus. At 7:11 p.m., our check is delivered. Yet we never feel rushed, and the thoughtful details make us wish we could linger at the city's longest-running supper club.

One of the draws is the chance to sample the cooking of a new chef, Alexander Powell, a student of the Jean-Georges Vongerichten school of far-flung restaurants. Beet salads are commonplace, but Powell's version -- tangy diced beets partnered with a disc of warm goat cheese banded in sauteed potato -- marches slightly ahead of the pack, and it's dramatically set off with brilliant green and intense scarlet oils on the rim. A little tower of sweet Dungeness crab rests on a base of pink grapefruit and mango, adding up to a refreshing salad. Deeper into dinner, a starburst of steamed mussels frames a gentle, yellow seafood curry, yet the entree proves more beautiful than delicious. But a stack of beef short ribs on a puddle of creamy polenta is the sort of dish you find yourself polishing off, even though you hope to remain alert through Shakespeare. For dessert, I prefer banana cake with passion fruit ice cream to the starch-stiff white chocolate panna cotta (which is bested by its tropical fruit salad).

To accompany these dishes, there are nice wines by the glass -- graciously, 701 also offers all 20 choices by the half-glass -- and a little pre-theater entertainment in the form of a pianist at the bar. (The tickler of ivories is joined later in the evening by a bass and a sax player.) "You should come back after your show," a waiter encourages us as we settle the bill. At 701, dinner can be as entertaining as anything you might have planned afterward.

--Tom Sietsema (May 13, 2007)

The Deal: Three-course dinner for $25.95
The Time Frame: Daily 5:30 to 6:45 p.m.
Nearby Stages: Ford's, National, Shakespeare, Warner, Woolly Mammoth
Reality Check:$53 a person with a glass of wine, tax and tip