Vagabond

700 E. Broad St.
643-2632
vagabondrva.com

Second Place: Acacia Mid-Town

Third Place: Stella's

It once was Gibson's Grill, then Coda, but now, under the tasteful hand of Tiffany Gellner-Lane, the rock 'n' roll space next to the National is lighter and a lot more welcoming to people who really want to eat instead of just pass the time until the band starts next door. The kitchen, the domain of husband Owen Lane, has undergone a remarkable makeover. The acclaimed chef and co-owner of the late, lamented Magpie, Lane brings his meat-focused sensibility and puts fire — literally — to sweet-and-smoky wings and smoked rib-eye, and in a nod to his time at Pan-South American restaurant Estilo, a rotating selection of tacos that include braised pork cheeks with pineapple, cilantro and red cabbage. Acacia Mid-Town is the home of four-time James Beard Award nominee Dale Reitzer. And along with wife, Aline, who keeps the front of the house running like a well-oiled machine, he cooks the best fish to be had in this town to grace lucky diners' plates. Stella's made a little-known neighborhood off Monument Avenue a destination, and the much-beloved food of Stella Dikos also is available to-go across the street at her eponymous market.