Stephen Starr's 14th Street brasserie has been DC's defining Parisian-style room since 2013 — a perfectly executed steak frites, oysters on the half shell, a brunch service so reliably good it became a Saturday institution, and a sidewalk patio that's one of the best people-watching spots in the city. The kind of restaurant that doesn't try to be the most ambitious in DC and benefits from it. For a real French dinner with real DC energy.