Shilling Canning Company opens today in Navy Yard

360 Water Street, SE courtesy Shilling Canning Company

From a press release:

“Shilling Canning Company is a modern Mid-Atlantic restaurant opening July 10, 2019 in The Yards area along the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. Chef and Owner Reid Shilling serves his take on seasonal cuisine highlighting ingredients from around the Chesapeake region. The restaurant offers a polished interior with Carrara marble bar tops, dark wood and white shiplap accents, modern lighting, a gleaming copper-clad wood-burning oven, and a lush outdoor patio. Shilling Canning Company is named for Shilling’s family company of the same name, which operated in the small town of Finksburg, MD from 1935 to 1958.

CUISINE:

Anchored in heritage, Executive Chef Reid Shilling draws inspiration from his agricultural roots and his family’s former canning business. He utilizes culinary techniques from his time in kitchens across the country, including at Chef Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro in California, the Hillstone Restaurant Group, and The Dabney. A creative yet approachable menu showcases seasonal Mid-Atlantic ingredients from the region’s finest farmers, fishermen, and producers, with opening menu standout dishes including Preserved Garden Vegetables with buttermilk cheese, pickled green tomato, chive oil, and dill; Charred Broccolini Flatbread with ricotta, garlic confit, Aleppo pepper oil, and oregano; Autumn Olive Pork Shoulder with senate bean soup; and Elysian Fields Lamb with thick cut fries, grilled gem lettuce, and paloise-foyot.

DRINKS:

The beverage program at Shilling Canning Company echoes the kitchen’s focus on flavors and products at their peak. The 40-bottle wine list, curated by service director Jessica King, is designed to highlight some of the best producers from around the world and gives a special focus on half bottles to allow guests to enjoy a number of wines with their meals. Cocktails at Shilling Canning Company feature locally- and regionally-made spirits as well as a variety of house-made ingredients. Bar Director Britt Ingalls utilizes herbs and flowers from the restaurant’s garden to create shrubs, syrups, house-made tinctures, and non-alcoholic beverage offerings. A copper tower adorning the marble-topped bar features a rotating offering of beers, wines, and cocktails. Opening cocktails include the Finksburg Rickey, made with Thrasher’s Green Spiced Rum, lime juice, and house-made tonic; and Run It Up the Flagpole, featuring Copper & Kings Immature Brandy, tequila, vermouth, maraschino, and bitters.

SPACE:

The 75-seat restaurant, designed by Shilling in collaboration with HapstakDemetriou+, pays tribute to the Shilling Family’s original canning facility. The interior features abundant natural light from oversized windows throughout the corner space, white-washed walls with warm wood accents, modern light fixtures and industrial exposed beams. A Carrara marble-topped bar lines the centrally-located open kitchen showcasing a wood-fired oven and raw bar. Semi-private dining areas flank the corners of the restaurant with views into a charcuterie aging room and glass wine storage display. A small culinary garden lining the restaurant’s intimate 25-seat outdoor patio grows herbs, garnishes and small produce for use in various dishes and cocktails. The patio, framed by a lush trellis and string lights, will be pet-friendly when it opens in the coming weeks.”