The Weekly Dish

IT CAME FROM THE DEEP:"Would you like to see the fish?" our waiter at D'Acqua asks, and we bite. A short stroll from our table in the newly spawned Italian seafood restaurant (801 Pennsylvania Ave. NW; 202-783-7717) finds a display of shaved ice and a treasure trove of ingredients: turbot, snapper, branzino, lobster, octopus, clams and oysters. After we opt for the sweet turbot, our guide inquires about cooking the bright-eyed specimen: "We can roast it, grill it or cook it in salt." The last technique involves baking the fish in a crust of salt; the seal is broken at the table and reveals extra-moist flesh.

D'Acqua unites veteran Washington chefs Francesco Ricchi of Cesco Trattoria in Bethesda and Enzo Febbraro of Filomena in Georgetown in the former Signatures quarters, now painted in colors that reflect Tuscany (yellow) and the Mediterranean (blue) and set off with stucco columns and archways. True to its Italian name, meaning "from the water," D'Acqua focuses primarily on fish and seafood, although one of the best dishes we tried was turf, in the form of a citrusy grilled Cornish hen.

At least for now, Ricchi, who last cooked in Washington about five years ago at Etrusco, intends to patrol the dining room and leave the bulk of the cooking to his business partner. "It's important to listen to customers," says Ricchi. Plus, he adds, "two different chefs, two different ways" of doing things, can only spoil the seafood stew.

Lunch entrees $14-$19, dinner entrees $19-$28.

STARTING OVER: Chef José Andrés is betting that the second time will be the charm for Oyamel, his sweeping stage set of a Mexican restaurant that lasted less than two years in Crystal City but is poised for a comeback in the District early next month.

The site: 401 Seventh St. NW, the former home of Andale. The look: warm, intimate and "urban," thanks to some photographs of Mexican city life. The menu: much the same as what was served across the Potomac, but with some enticing additions.

Fans of the original can look forward to the return of Oyamel's lusty oxtail, duck, halibut and pork tacos, flavors that will be rounded out with a six-seat seviche bar and entrees running to stuffed quail with rose-petal sauce. The beverage list will highlight agua frescas -- fruit juices made with water and fresh watermelon, tamarind, pineapple and mango -- and servers will mash guacamole and toss Caesar salads at the table. A bonus for groups will be Oyamel's private dining room, with space for about 50.

The future restaurant (202-628-1005) is a tortilla's toss from Andrés's other venues in Penn Quarter, including Cafe Atlantico, Jaleo, Minibar and Zaytinya. "Inside my heart," says Andrés, "I always felt Oyamel was a downtown restaurant."