If you call your rescue Pit Bull terriers Barley and Hops, you're probably people with a respect for good beer. But for Todd Wiss, owner-chef with his wife Nicole of Radius in Mount Pleasant, the naming of their beloved dogs is only a small indication of their commitment to the good things in life. In his capacity of chef, Todd also has a respect for quality seasonal ingredients and the local artisans who produce them, while Nicole, who runs the front of house, has created for their new venture a thoughtful boutique wines list and small range of on-draft beers.

Their enthusiasm for good drink and food cooked simply but well is no surprise, given  their working backgrounds and Todd's upbringing. The grandson of a Greek war bride, his grandparents owned a restaurant and his mom was a great cook. "Growing up she always made a point of making dinner. It was always the center of our evening." The food business in his blood, he began working as front-of-house. "But I don't really like people," he says with a grin that makes you wonder at the truth of it. "I really wanted to go in the back." "He can't really trust his mouth," Nicole chimes in, smiling. "He's more well suited to the back because he's having such a good time playing with fire and knives and always eating something." In the kitchen, there's nothing, he says, to beat the adrelin high and that feeling of success that come at the end of a hard night's shift.

He began in New York City at 19, working for Rosy Milone at her Brooklyn catering company. Milone had cooked with David Burke at River Café and through him had become influenced by Larry Forgione's approach to food. Forgione had gone to River Café to run the kitchen and had quickly developed a reputation for looking out for seasonal ingredients from local farmers. Now widely known as the godfather of American cuisine, celebrated as the originator of farm-to-table ingredient sourcing and cooking, Todd calls him his culinary hero. Moving to DC, Todd learned to cook with Asian ingredients at Ten Penh then, following a stint at the Sulgrave Club, met Robert Weland in 2005. Weland is the chef at Poste Moderne Brasserie on F Street NW who has done much to promote farm-to-table cooking in Washington. Todd moved over to Poste and met Nicole who had gone there from working for Geoff Tracy of Chef Geoff's as General Manager. Moving into fine dining gave Nicole the chance to develop her wine knowledge. At Radius, the choice of beers she's picked to have on draft is imaginative: Ommegang Whitte from New York State, Grimmbergen Dubbel from Belgium, and the Italian Peroni. Among those you'll find in bottles are Leffe Blonde, Magic Hat, Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale and their Amber Ale. From Poste, Nicole went to Tonic in Quigley's Pharmacy on the GW campus where she heard that its owners were looking to sell their Radius site. And suddenly the Wisses realized they could launch their own restaurant.

Todd describes his cooking as contemporary American and himself as a texture person, fond of mixing them, as he does in his Panzanella. It's not the usual tomato and tomato juice-softened bread salad but a texture combination of crisp apples, grilled ciabatta and gorgonzola with organic greens. The season and what he can buy directly from local producers dictates his menu. Currently he's featuring a Pumpkin Prix-Fixe, with Butternut Squash Soup, Heirloom Pumpkin Ravioli and Warm Heirloom Pumpkin Bread served with Honey Crisp jam and maple syrup. While you'll find several pizzas with interesting toppings, from a fall pizza with pumpkin purée, ricotta, feta, caramelized mushrooms and red onoins to the Bimoto with pepperoni, pepperoncini, roasted red peppers, mozzarella and red sauce (and one that takes its inspiration from his grandmother and the ingredients of a Greek spanakopitta), you'll also find duck confit as a sauce for fettuccini, and mussels from Prince Edward Island cooked with tomatoes, parsley, a smoked paprika aioli and served with croutons.

"When we started," Todd says, "we couldn't have duck confit on the menu. Now I can push the envelope. My diners trust me." To the extent that one of his many repeat customers is a family which shows up with its young children every Friday that Todd says has become much more adventurous with the ordering.

Still, if what you want is a slice of pizza, here, in this comfortably casual environment with wood floors, warm lighting and brick walls, is where you'll find it freshly made, with a pint pulled to order. And between 5 and 7 p.m., they come at a bargain price.

Radius, 3155 Mount Pleasant St NW, 202 234 0808.

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