Zentan

1155 14th Street NW Washington, D.C 20005
202.379.4366
http://zentanrestaurant.com/

I went to Zentan for a late dinner after a strenuous scavenger hunt put on by a friend's gym. The decor in Zentan is very upscale and very enjoyable. The service was solid. The dishes that I saw my friends get were typical expensive DC: small portions for not a lot of food. The skirt steak that my friend got (Cantonese Marinated Skirt Steak ) smelled quite good, but was not at all substantial and came with no sides for $26. His Coconut Shrimp soup good size for a soup and $8. Another person got a watermelon salad that looked sizeable, but it was just watermelon pieces in stack with some brown dressing.

We ordered a small bottle of saki for $30. They had a decent selection with descriptions of the flavor of each. I definitely enjoyed the one we got. Also, our server was quite helpful in pointing out that we had picked a saki he was not a big fan off and helping us choose another.

The sushi was good, nothing remarkable. As the out-of-towner sharing sushi with me noted, the selection was very much just the basic options. The prices for the sushi were also on the high side, but the portions were typical of sushi. In fact, the specialty rolls were actually healthy in size, although the price is still high. Frankly, I'd take Sei over the sushi here every time - even if I found myself at the front door of Zentan.

Overall, this is a nice, fancy place, but I suspect that it is geared more toward high-end guests at the Donovan Hotel who want a convenient and fancy meal than a place that locals in the know should bother with.