I’ve had a chance to check out a few of the nicer local restaurants recently, and enjoyed them thoroughly.

Lark was everything it talked up to be: a beautiful venue with spectacular food. Especially good was the yellowtail carpaccio, as well as the farro with mascarpone and squash, among some other great dishes including my first taste of elk. My only regret is that I didn’t have enough room for dessert.

The owner of Lark recently opened a bar next door called Licorous, where I spent last Friday night. Each drink on the menu is paired with a small plate, and the tuna tartare that came with my kaffir lime sour was an amazing confection of chopped raw tuna rolled in spices and sea salt. The other dishes and drinks we tried were also fantastic, and the evening came out pretty inexpensively for such good fare.

One day when I’ve got time, I’ll do a little Google Maps mashup and map out my neighborhood favorites.