Unconventional Diner serves inspired dishes that blend soulful comfort with haute technique. The menu is studded with imaginative delights that echo the restaurant’s name, from French fries with “sexy sauce” to spring rolls with “Franch” dressing to a meatloaf “nothing like anyone’s mom’s.”
Even avocado toast is no basic affair here. Chef David Deshaies encourages guests to get messy as they tackle the pile of bread, avocado, confit egg yolk, pickled fresno chiles, lime, and cilantro. Deshaies similarly puts his own creative spin on think-you-know it diner entrees, like chicken and waffles with habanero butter or grits served with lamb merguez. The crowd is a cross between business travelers drawn to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and Instagrammers, who know that a selfie in front of Unconventional Diner’s murals will rack up the likes.
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