Even if you haven’t taken high school Latin, Unum, a new addition to the D.C. dining scene, makes its esoteric name clear from dish one. While E Pluribus Unum—“out of many, one”—might be the nation’s de facto motto, every course at this M Street restaurant takes the mantra to heart.
“The name isn’t just evidence that we listened occasionally in high school civics,” owners Laura Schiller, who works at the Senate, and her husband, Executive Chef Phillip Blane, write on the restaurant’s website. Each offering at Unum layers unlikely combinations of spices, delicate sauces, and classic ingredients to bring together truly unified dishes.
Though not as impressive as the rest of a menu that excellently balances adventurous and comforting offerings, Unum’s oyster appetizer still satisfies. Served three ways, the oysters fried with tomatillo cocktail sauce are delicious, with their crisp texture and lively taste. Next to the fried and freshly shucked oysters with apple mignonette, the poached oysters in garlic cream fall flat. While the caviar floating on top attempts to liven the poached oysters, the cream gives the whole dish a gross, liquid feel.
Like its chic interior decorated with dark, polished oak and soft candles and lights, Unum’s menu draws its strength from a theme of warmth. Even the cold banana sorbet, whose delicate flavor matches its icy yet smooth texture, is served atop a glaze of warm dulce de leche sauce. Served next to a soft chocolate ganache and an airy almond pavlova, the dessert balances the sorbet’s sweetness with strong cacao and rich nutty flavors.
The ricotta beignets, however, are the most striking dessert on Unum’s menu. If the motto E Pluribus Unum is reflected anywhere in the restaurant, it shows most strongly in the inclusion of Indian spices in many typically American or French dishes. While the ricotta softens the beignets wonderfully, the dessert gains its striking flavor from full cardamom seeds simmered into the blueberry sauce. The almost gingery note of the cardamom adds an unexpected depth to the warm fruit sauce’s sweetness, which, when soaked up by the beignets, makes for an incredible dish.
The incorporation of unlikely spices in traditional dishes centers Unum’s main courses as well. The restaurant’s lamb takes on an Indian character, coated with cilantro-mint chutney and raisin-cashew cauliflower. The soft meat slips off the shank bone easily, making the lamb appear even more delicate than the soft cauliflower it rests on.
Although the rosemary gnocchi is Unum’s only vegetarian main dish, it outshines its carnivorous counterparts as the best plate on the menu. The small dumplings are so soft that they barely even need the dish’s light truffle butter sauce, but with it, the pasta is irresistible. Paired with oyster mushrooms, butternut squash, and cranberries, the dish is offered in a smaller version for $10, although the larger plate at $18 is certainly worth the splurge.
Unum may be tough on a college student’s wallet, with some main dishes priced at $25, but if navigated right, the menu doesn’t cost much more than those at other sit-down restaurants on M Street. With an all-American name, a Senate-employed owner, and melting pot inspired plates, Unum fits right in with the D.C. restaurant culture.
