Listen, I don’t care if Liberty Tree chef Graig Glufling used to work at Matchbox, that small chain dedicated to equally small burgers and wood-fired pizzas. I still can’t recommend his crackerlike pies in good conscience. Besides, why go to an eatery committed to New England coastal cooking and order a flatbread that plenty of other places around the District do better? Glufling is so much more skilled at preparing seafood. His lobster roll combines elements of both Maine- and Connecticut-style sandwiches, serving up fresh, meaty pieces of claw and knuckle meat dressed with both mayo and melted garlic butter. I still can’t believe the fat content doesn’t overwhelm the soft, sweet crustacean. Glufling’s lobster and scallop pot pie is equally rich, its puff-pastry top concealing a wealth of shellfish in a luxuriant sherry cream sauce. Want something a little lighter? Try the chef’s roasted littleneck clams, pleasantly chewy bivalves resting in a white wine–butter sauce. The Tree even turns out a superb fried Chatham cod sandwich, whose moist white flesh comes encased in a panko coating that’s as crispy as an egg roll.

1016 H St. NE (202) 396-8733