In 1987 City Paper tastemakers named a $3.95 cocktail containing amaretto, creme de cacao, and coffee ice cream at Kramerbooks and Afterwards the best overpriced cocktail in the District, arguing that “unlike other offendingly overpriced cocktails, this one has a taste you’ll remember.” 

We’ve been time-traveling through the archives in recent months and dug up a “Best Of” issue from 31 years ago. To our delight, some of the restaurants featured in the food section are still kicking today—albeit occasionally under new ownership. A co-founder of &pizza, Steve Salis, now own Kramerbooks, for example, and cocktails at the Dupont haunt top out at $13 today.

Below you’ll find glowing blurbs about bars and restaurants that are still open today. This is our way of taking pause to remember that there’s more to D.C. dining than what’s new and what’s next. Read on for reviews of: Kramerbooks and Afterwards, Dan’s Cafe, Fox and Hounds Lounge, Lauriol Plaza, Zorba’s, Quarry House, Bangkok Garden, Vace, and Eastern Market. 

The following people contributed to the 1987 “Best Of” issue: Irwin Arieff, Alexis Arieff, Debbie Baldwin, Shannon Bradley, William Brown, Pamela Carroll, Elisabeth Carpenter, Jon Cohen, Ken Cummins, Michael Dresdin, Michael Dolan, Ray Driver, Andrew Ferguson, Charles Paul Freund, Don E. Harris, Kenny Inouye, Mark Jenkins, S. Garner Jones, Fred Kaplan, Marian Kester, Pamela Keogh, Greg Kitsock, Cliff Leaf, R.J. Matson, Dave McKenna, Kevin McManus, Tom McNichol, Bob Mondello, Darrow Montgomery, Chris Mrozowski, Steve Olson, Richard Peabody, Naomi Petersen, Bill Plympton, Manny Rocca, Sheldon Richman, Jim Saah, Joe Sasfy, Jack Shafer, Joel Siegel, Laura Schwartz, Adele Starr, Willa Taylor, Tom Terrell, William Triplett, Kathi Whalen, Paula Wolfson, Martin Morse Wooster, and Alona Wartofsky.