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1715 Wisconsin Ave. NW
(202) 337-3400
Hours of Operation and Prices
Lunch: M-F noon-2; Entrees: $8-$12
Dinner: M-Th 6-10, F-Sat 6-10:30, Sun 5:30-9:30; Entrees: $16-$36
Other Information
• All major credit cards
• Reservations recommended
• Dress: casual
• Free parking lot
• Handicapped Accessible
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After a team of Japanese craftsmen built the vast, two-story Japan Inn and filled it with subtly beautiful woodwork, the restaurant was fashionable for years. Then, as more - and more intimate - Japanese restaurants opened, attention shifted. There are other restaurants where you can find better sushi or more extensive menus. There are places where the food is more reasonably priced. And there are places with a greater sense of connection between the kitchen and the diner. There is no Japanese restaurant, though, that offers greater comfort. From the large parking lot to the sumptuous entry hall, from the greeting (and the goodbye) by half a dozen staff members to the choice of dining areas (regular, Japanese-style, sushi bar and table-top grilling), this restaurant exudes luxury. Even the main dining room is actually
several small rooms that offer a feeling of privacy.
And the food is fine. You can order a sampling of five appetizers - the chef's whims - or choose something à la carte, notably the luscious, seared-yet-nearly-raw, thin-sliced yellowtail or the tangy salads. Entrees - in the regular dining room - include teriyakis, sushi and sashimi assortments, tempura (it's soggy and greasy, so move on) and cooked-at-the-table entrees such as shabu shabu and yosenabe. Unfortunately, these participatory dishes must be ordered for two, though a diner not sharing can come close enough to them with a bowl of udon noodles packed with seafood, vegetables and a barely poached egg floating in the fragrant broth.
Japan Inn is no longer thrilling. But, as the preponderance of native Japanese dining there suggests, it is authentic and satisfying.
© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
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