Photo: Allison Dinner

Seared big-eye tuna with sesame vinaigrette rules the menu at Corduroy.

Restaurant power, like real estate, is all about location. In a city whose power restaurants have as much to do with who is at the table next to you as what is on your plate, there are any number of ways to exert power. You could open in a neighborhood with a Brightwood future like Meridian; shift three blocks east like Corduroy; or find some breathing space in the land next door, as chef Barton Seaver did at Tackle Box in Georgetown.

But having the power is one thing; holding onto it is something else. The people at the top never take it for granted; they keep things fresh by keeping them moving. Owners bring new talents into their kitchens; chefs find new kitchens to display their talents. And even though it doesn’t take great food to make a restaurant hot, it sure does help a lot.

Here, Washington Flyer names all of those who represent power shifts, power plays, power brokers—even a guy named Tom Power. Move in closer so we can whisper in your ear …

Power Name

Chef Tom Power has moved his restaurant, Corduroy (1122 9th St., NW; 202/589-0699; www.corduroydc.com; $90 per person, all inclusive), from the Sheraton Four Points on K Street to 9th Street, just across from the Convention Center. You’d have thought the location warranted a more casual atmosphere, but Power decided to go the other way. Waiters in suits and ties; thick white tablecloths; piqué cotton napkins; gray, black and beige accents; maple paneling and a gleaming stainless-steel open kitchen lend a sense of austerity, as does the decision to have no music playing in the background, which makes one feel conspicuous unless the dining room is full. So far, some of the items on Power’s menu will seem familiar to regulars at the old Corduroy, like the buffalo mozzarella in kaitify with basil and tomato coulis or the ring of chunky, sweet lobster salad with basil oil. Crispy fluke with potato salad, a wisp of frisée and a beurre blanc is dainty and lovely. An entrée of three seared sea scallops, also ringed with mashed potatoes and accompanied with morels and Chardonnay sauce, is well executed. Power’s signature dish, seared big-eye tuna with sesame vinaigrette, remains the winner it’s always been. The chocolate tart with caramelized banana is one of the best desserts in town, though many swear by the pineapple tarte tatin, and for good reason.

Power Cause

Chef Barton Seaver, known for his devotion to fish sustainability at Hook in Georgetown, has redone the bagel shop next door and turned it into Tackle Box (3245 M St., NW; 202/337-8269; www.tacklebox-dc.com; $25 per person, all inclusive). Seaver and executive chef Robert Bechtold call the place a lobster and clam shack, so don’t be surprised to find three communal picnic tables there and food served on eco-friendly disposables. Start with fried clams or oysters, then proceed to a lobster roll or a Maine meal (1 fish+2 sides+1 sauce=$13!). You can get the fried stuff (scallops, shrimp, clams, pollack, etc.), but the wood-grilled things are better, especially bluefish. Sides of greens and sweet potato fries were fine, but the hushpuppies didn’t pass this Alabaman’s muster. Once I had a slice of pastry chef Heather Chittum’s blueberry pie, though, my worries melted away. The greatest asset here is a to-go item: They’ll put together a ready-to-cook clambake that includes Maine lobster, Quahog clams, mussels, chorizo, potatoes, corn-on-the-cob and red onions for $40 per person. It’s worth every penny. As of this writing, they were still waiting for a beer and wine license.

Power Spot

The eatery at the Grand Hyatt in downtown D.C. is called Cure (1000 H St., NW; 202/637-4906; www.grandwashington.hyatt.com; $72 per person, all inclusive), referring to the salted, smoked and cured items chef Kevin Villalovos features on the menu. The dining room spreads throughout the lobby on different levels, with a center staircase giving way to nooks and crannies with leather banquettes, sofas or cocktail tables. A waterfall with a floating piano player completes the scene, a perfect setup for conventioneers staying in the hotel. The menu has several excellent items on it, but is difficult to decipher. The server says all items are “small plates” meant to be shared, yet the “stone oven” offerings are definitely entrée-like. You are warned that everything comes out whenever it is ready, so be prepared to have a frisée, bacon and fried egg salad, a plate of duck rillettes, house-cured smoked salmon and two iron casseroles (one of roasted shrimp, the other of succulent chicken in grainy mustard sauce) to all arrive at the same time. The plates aren’t small, but the table is. Add water and drink glasses, breadbasket and plates, and the whole lot is difficult to manage. It’s a great space, and if the concept is tweaked a little, it should catch up. The beer list, with countries from Jamaica to Japan represented, is fun. The wines, cleverly, are offered by the half or full glass or carafe.

Power Menu

Amy Brandwein, formerly chef at Roberto Donna’s Bebo Trattoria in Crystal City, has taken the helm at the Ritz-Carlton’s Fyve in Pentagon City (1250 S. Hayes St., Arlington, Va.; 703/412-2760; www.ritzcarlton.com; $95 per person, all inclusive). Though physically only minutes away from each other, these two dining rooms are worlds apart. Bebo’s space for more than 100 hustles and bustles, while Fyve’s jewel-box, 45-seat room with its coral-colored side chairs, pink accents and enormous, center-staged display of oceana roses suggest the peace, quiet and gentility of a southern country club. The terse menu descriptions do not do Brandwein’s craft justice. This is perhaps the only time I’ll suggest that a restaurant add words to its menu. Brandwein may start you off with a dish of crispy risotto balls with pesto, though I dipped them in the dreamy, creamy artichoke purée that came with the bread. Grilled, marinated shrimp with a green apple salad sang with mint and cilantro. The grilled baby octopus salad was revelatory: tender yet crunchy from the grill, sweet, yet sealike. If the rabbit is on the menu, don’t pass it up. It’s deboned, lined with bacon, mustard and Gruyere cheese, slowly roasted and sublime. Amy’s purse is a cellophane papillote of Maine cod simmered with tomatoes and North African spices. I don’t really get how the lump crabcake is $28 and the hamburger is $16, but hey, it’s the Ritz. So don’t fret over it and have a chocolate soufflé instead. The wine list has all the big American offerings, like Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay for $64.

Power Room

I’ve always loved the vast open space of 701 (701 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; 202/393-0701; www.701restaurant.com; $85 per person, all inclusive). With its sunken dining room, a grand piano in the middle of the room, and sprays of fresh flowers, the place brings the swankiness of continental restaurants of a past era to mind, but it is completely up-to-date. Owner Ashok Bajaj knows how to make a power room (he also owns the Oval Room and the Bombay Club, a stone’s throw from the White House), and this one, next to the Navy Memorial and amid the happenings of Pennsylvania Avenue, is no different. Bajaj also has a knack for finding talented chefs, and two new ones are worth noting at 701. Chef Bobby Varua is used to working with moguls the likes of Charlie Palmer, Jeffrey Chodorow and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, so it was no problem to rise to the occasion here. Take the elegant, refreshing lobster salad with wasabi apple cream and gooseberries or tempura ahi tuna roll with tapioca “caviar” and macerated strawberries, but, if available, have the chilled asparagus salad with toasted capers. The thick, perfectly manicured al dente stalks are vibrant, their earthiness complemented nicely by ricotta insalata. Varua’s idea of surf and turf is a good one: glazed, perfectly cooked duck breast and seafood mousseline. It sounds odd, but it works. Save room for dessert: Christine Plante is on my list of top three D.C. pastry chefs. Take one bite of her key lime pie with blueberry coulis and you’ll know why. Hit the patio at happy hour and while away a few hours over martinis and small plates like sea bass tostadas, twin burgers or tuna rolls. Bajaj knows his wines, so maybe a glass of St. Paul Haut Médoc Cabernet ($13) will suit you.

Power Shift

I had not been to the Taberna del Alabardero (1776 I St., NW; 202/429-2200; www.alabardero.com; $110 per person, all inclusive) in many years, but word of new talent in the kitchen lured me back. Alabardero are palace guards, and the dining room evokes Spanish monarchy. Dark cherry paneling, channeled ceilings, thick furniture, red velvet banquettes topped with lace antimacassars, tablecloths and formal wait staff create a grand, if not a bit stuffy, impression, but that suits the clientele: diplomats, World Bank officers and lobbyists. But chef Dani Arana’s food is up to date. Tapas of grilled cuttlefish in their ink, and garlic and almond soup with Muscat grapes soar, as does asparagus with crabmeat, spinach and lobster sauce. Paellas will not disappoint, of course, but head to the grouper au gratin nestled in a creamy risotto with wild mushrooms and escargots. Braised lamb shank melts in the mouth, and how can pork tenderloin stuffed with foie gras be bad? Arana has figured out a cunning way to turn bread and olive oil into a dessert, via chocolate. The prices here also bring royalty to mind (entrées $30 and up), but the wine list, which features a fine and vast collection of Spanish wines from sherries to Riojas, displays some restraint, and there are many bottles under $50. Sommelier Gustavo Iniesta brings full passion to his profession. He will gladly give the uninitiated a short tutorial on Spanish wine.