WASHINGTON — In 2016, Andrew Knowlton, then the restaurant editor of Bon Appétit, proposed that the magazine name Washington its restaurant city of the year. It was a difficult argument to make, even to the magazine’s editor, Adam Rapoport, a Washington native.

“He laughed,” Mr. Knowlton recalled. “Then he told me to get out of his office. He didn’t believe me.”

In the end, the city won that honor, and has since drawn similar recognition from other food-world arbiters, even getting its own Michelin Guide. But it still chafes under a reputation that has bedeviled its dining scene for decades: that it has little culinary excitement or any distinctive identity. In this view, the strivers coursing through the capital’s halls of power represent the entire population; luxury, status and predictability rule in the kitchen, and the best meal to be had is a dry-aged steak.

Truth is, District of Columbia restaurants are far more interesting than that, and have been for a long time. The vibrant scene now attracting attention rose on a foundation built by members of a culinary deep state , and a diverse constellation of restaurants that have flourished here.