Sea Wolf’s Croissant 

At Fremont’s spartan but beloved new bakery, croissants appear in haphazard bursts. They’re worth the wait—crisp and honey-colored on the outside, soft and buttery within, and often baked in coils around flavors like huckleberry or gruyere with seasonal mushrooms.  —Allecia Vermillion

The Atlantic’s Old-School Burger

Altstadt’s neighborly new sibling near 25th and Jackson has two burgers on the menu. The “new school” version is arugula-level fancy but the old-school version—shredded iceberg, classic pink sauce, brioche bun—is pure drippy, double-pattied comfort.  —AV

Grilled Flatbread with Marinated Lamb at Ciudad 

In this arty Georgetown warehouse come boisterous assemble-yourself plates of marinated meats and flatbreads, straight off the grill, with herbs, spiced salt, and sauces like chimichurri or burnt honey with vinegar. —Kathryn Robinson 

Mala Tang at A-Plus Hong Kong Kitchen 

Extinguish the fire wrought by that bowl of mouth-numbing Sichuan broth with something from the immense dessert menu (snow fungus, purple rice, tofu pudding) at the ID’s newest bistro.  —Darren Davis