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Radisson Barcelo Hotel
2121 P St. NW
(202) 956-6690
Hours of Operation and Prices
Breakfast: M-F 6:30-11, Sat 7-11, Sun 7-10:30; Entrees: $7-$9.25
Lunch: M-F 11:30-2:30; Entrees: $5.50-$10
Dinner: M-Th 6-10, F-Sat 6-10:30, Sun 6-9:30; Entrees: $7.50-$22
Brunch: Sun, 11-3, buffet $16.75
Other Information
• All major credit cards
• Reservations recommended
• Dress: casual
• Complimentary valet parking
• Nearest Metro: Dupont Circle
• Handicapped accessible
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Greggory Hill is a chef who loves abundance. He produces plates crammed with accompaniments, garnishes and salsas, and he fills every possible time slot at Gabriel with interesting treats. Sundays there's a grand and satisfying brunch buffet, during weekend happy hours a bargain-priced tapas buffet, and weekdays a modestly priced lunch buffet. The emphasis is Latin, from a luxurious paella to tangy chorizo slices, though the buffets might also include black-bean cassoulet, couscous and very American wood-grilled vegetables.
In case you don't like buffets, Gabriel has à la carte menus at lunch and dinner, and a tapas list at any hour, which includes curried spinach with crispy fried mozzarella, as well as empanadas and grilled quail stuffed with blood sausage.
Nevertheless, it's the à la carte menu that shows the breadth of Hill's skills - he gives everything a twist. He turns rustic Salvadoran pupusas into an elegant starter, with barely cooked, slightly caramelized sea scallops as the filling, Tacos are done with rabbit and black beans and tamales with sweet potatoes and green onions, accompanied by chili-rubbed grilled shrimp - both delicious appetizers. With an entree of seared salmon, the bonus is a wrapper of serrano ham, which forms a crisp crust and steams the interior with a subtle smokiness. The deeply crusted, house-made bread adds pleasure to them all.
Hill often tends to add one sauce too many, a disruptive slosh of black beans or a distracting extra flavor to every dish. But such charming excess is easy to forgive in the flurry of good things to eat.
© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
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