PRESS ROOM

Gastropub AGAINN Hits the Mark

Washington Times

Againn is one of those places that on your first visit become “your” place, a restaurant you’ll return to, well, yes, again and again.

Againn is actually a Gaelic work for “with us” and owner Mark Weiss encourages return visits to his new gastropub with special touches, like personal Scotch lockers.

But haute this is not. Instead, Againn is a casual, comfortable go-to spot when locals are looking for good, fresh food that’s inventive without being grasping. This is about good honest food, prepared properly, using ingredients mostly harvested from local farms in Pennsylvania and the Shenandoah Valley.

If pork is your weakness, you’ll find this menu irresistible. Againn has whole hogs delivered to the kitchen door and Chef Wes Morton, who grew up on a farm in Louisiana, wastes no part of the pig. Order the charcuterie board, where Chef Morton shows off his talents with potted pork, pate and country ham. And no meat lover should leave without ordering Morton’s corned beef, which will change the way you thought of this humble food and spoil you forever,

An extensive raw bar dominates at the front of the restaurant.

A great way to tap into the bounty is to share a petit platter with your table, which includes crab claws, oysters, shrimp, mussels, salmon tartare and whole Maine lobster.

Traditional British pub grub is a menu staple. Take the fish-and-chips, which are crispy and moist and come with a side of traditional mushy peas or bangers (made in house) and mash. Fresh Scottish salmon is seared and served simply, showing off the flavorful fish.

On a recent visit I tried the garlic-fennel soup (a special of the day that I hope makes a permanent appearance on the menu), a frothy, creamy, concoction that somehow balanced the strong garlic and forceful fennel perfectly.

Leave room for dessert. Even if you don’t have a sweet tooth (and I do not), you’ll want to make room for Pastry Chef Genevieve So twists on the usual.

Take the banoffee pie served in a mason jar, which somehow is better and less sweet than its ingredients: bananas, caramelized milk, cream and graham crackers. Another stand-out is the unusually airy sticky toffee pudding served with what has to be one of the world’s best toppings---stout ice cream. (How’s that for keeping the pub theme?)

And since this is a pub, after all, the bar is clubby and comfy, and is very busy after work. Whiskey and beer are popular, but branch out and order one of the custom cocktails. Even cocktails are elevated here thanks to house-infused liqueurs and syrups. Try the Pimm’s Cup No. 13, a British classic made here with homemade ginner syrup, or a gin and tonic Againn-style, this one spiked with rosemary.