Kathryn Robinson finds herself a few new favorites at La Bête, the Chez Gaudy successor on Capitol Hill.

Of a dish of beef cheeks served atop farro, chard, and porcinis, Robinson writes: “I found it lovely, executed with precision, until my fork uncovered dark orbs that I figured for olives but turned out to be grapes, at which point it went stunning…” Kabocha squash soup served in a teacup and paired with a popover of Bleu d’Auvergne cheese and red onion jam proved an “eloquent comment on the soul of La Bête” with its “its vibrant interplay of Old World refinement—the fancy china, the autumnal squash puree, the old-fashioned popover—and edgy intensity…”

Robinson encounters a few snags here and there, but overall decides “these chefs land on the balmy shores of sweet success.”

For more on Tyler Moritz and Aleks Dimitrijevic’s new restaurant, check out the review.