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Hogo, Rum, Latino, and Tropical Drinks Bar at 7th and L St NW, From the Owners of The Passenger, With Rotating Chefs - Closed Aug 2, 2014


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Respectfully speaking, are we really holding popup-up restaurants to blow me away? (which especially aren't shooting for high-end / high-priced gastronomical experiences like Suna, talked to both Aaron Silverman & BJ at length last night and didn't get that impression).

What ever happened to simply being 'pleasantly happy' or how I try to initially gauge a place ... 'would I want that dish again / I'd like to see what the full menu will hold'?.

I went last night and tried the Pork Fat Pho (would like to try this again or other noodle dishes like their take on ramen), Fried Chicken pickle-brined w/ Honey and Benne seed (liked but imo could use heat, I sampled with Crystal Hot Sauce and sriracha -- still thinking about what I'd like to change), Crispy Goat with Saffron Honey / Goat Milk Ricotta / Roasted Garlic on top (still being worked-on admittedly by Aaron), Popcorn Soup w/ Poached Lobster and Ice Cream w/ Grassy Olive Oil and Toasted Bread Crumbs (hint let the ice cream melt & merge with the other flavors). Of the dished I tried I noted the sweetness of the Fried Chicken and Crispy Goat (i.e. honey), but with a limited menu lineup for a popup / before launch situation that's fine. I'd like to explore a full menu eventually to see how flavors get adjusted.

Many of those dishes I was happy with last night, enough to say that I look forward to their summer-ish opening and seeing how they continue to evolve the initial launch menu.

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Respectfully speaking, are we really holding popup-up restaurants to blow me away? (which especially aren't shooting for high-end / high-priced gastronomical experiences like Suna, talked to both Aaron Silverman & BJ at length last night and didn't get that impression).

What ever happened to simply being 'pleasantly happy' or how I try to initially gauge a place ... 'would I want that dish again / I'd like to see what the full menu will hold'?.

I went last night and tried the Pork Fat Pho (would like to try this again or other noodle dishes like their take on ramen), Fried Chicken pickle-brined w/ Honey and Benne seed (liked but imo could use heat, I sampled with Crystal Hot Sauce and sriracha -- still thinking about what I'd like to change), Crispy Goat with Saffron Honey / Goat Milk Ricotta / Roasted Garlic on top (still being worked-on admittedly by Aaron), Popcorn Soup w/ Poached Lobster and Ice Cream w/ Grassy Olive Oil and Toasted Bread Crumbs (hint let the ice cream melt & merge with the other flavors). Of the dished I tried I noted the sweetness of the Fried Chicken and Crispy Goat (i.e. honey), but with a limited menu lineup for a popup / before launch situation that's fine. I'd like to explore a full menu eventually to see how flavors get adjusted.

Many of those dishes I was happy with last night, enough to say that I look forward to their summer-ish opening and seeing how they continue to evolve the initial launch menu.

I was going to go this evening and try that Pork Fat Pho (I think), but alas, last-minute changes in plans. Tonight is Aaron's last night, for those who don't know, so it's either now, or wait until this summer.

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The examples of the food at the pop-up arent really changing my mind. Popcorn soup isnt cutting - edge cuisine, we're calling it more traditional? And isnt RL a price-fixe only in a neighborhood setting, so youre on the hook for $60/person, minimum after tax gratuity, as soon as you sit down? Similar location, similar concept.

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Ok so it is neighborhoody, good call. Are you part of the team there? Im not saying it isnt a great concept or value (that Tom Brown lined you up, and the generally positive reviews here, is a pretty good indication to me that RL worth checking out). Wasnt trying to get personal, just pointing out the similarities.

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Respectfully speaking, are we really holding popup-up restaurants to blow me away? (which especially aren't shooting for high-end / high-priced gastronomical experiences like Suna, talked to both Aaron Silverman & BJ at length last night and didn't get that impression).

What ever happened to simply being 'pleasantly happy' or how I try to initially gauge a place ... 'would I want that dish again / I'd like to see what the full menu will hold'?.

I didn't say they were anything but good, it just didn't blow me away - unlike the Hawaiian food or the Jewish food which made me go "OMG this is great!"

But that's just me. I know it was quite popular with some of my friends, and others had opinions more like mine; none of us have the exact same tastes. :D

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I didn't say they were anything but good, it just didn't blow me away - unlike the Hawaiian food or the Jewish food which made me go "OMG this is great!"

But that's just me. I know it was quite popular with some of my friends, and others had opinions more like mine; none of us have the exact same tastes. :D

Yeah, and while I liked the Hawaiian and Jewish stuff fine, I found the Rose's Luxury menu substantially more delicious. So tastes differ. :)

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Just a quick comment, the Hogo "pop-up kitchen" concept is ingenious. They've gotten me to go out of my way to drop in simply because I wanted to try a menu for the first time (Rose's Luxury), or because I needed to eat something I really loved before it disappeared forever (span musubi, which led to several trips during the final week).

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I didn't say they were anything but good, it just didn't blow me away - unlike the Hawaiian food or the Jewish food which made me go "OMG this is great!"

But that's just me. I know it was quite popular with some of my friends, and others had opinions more like mine; none of us have the exact same tastes. :D

Ah then my apologies SeanMike. I focused too much on 'wow' (which admittedly I'm hard giving that out personally), then saw 'Suna' which I put in a different category of eatery / expectation set.

True, it's all about appreciating individual tastes :)

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So the Swedish food - keep in mind that I'm biased in all this.

The pickled herring is quite good - I like the apple curry a lot, and they seemed to have upped the horseradish in that one. Unlike SOMEONE ELSE ON THIS BOARD (narrows eyes) I thought the paprika came in third place, though I liked all of them.

The Swedish meatballs are fantastic - make sure you get some lingonberry, cucumber, etc., with each bite IMHO.

The popcorn is a bit greasy but good. HOWEVER, combining that with the pickled herring, and drinking a whole lot, and not drinking water, can lead to a bad Thursday morning. Especially if you forget to brush your teeth before you go to bed. NOT THAT I WOULD HAVE DIRECT EXPERIENCE WITH THAT TODAY.

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Agree on the pickled herring, quite good, and I liked the curry and apple the best. Was my first time having it so I can't comment on any changes in flavor. The oysters were also quite good.

They've also made some minor adjustments to their cocktail menu, adding three drinks (that's my best guess, based entirely on memory of the previous menu).

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Yeah, it was three new drinks. I believe they took three off but if they did, I couldn't remember which ones they were off the top of my head (perhaps due to booze).

(PS I thought you were the one who liked the paprika the most! Darnation! Here I am, casting allegations around willy-nilly!)

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I simply assumed that you had talked to somebody else with the differing paprika opinion. I think our opinions on the herring were pretty much the same, if my memory serves me right (note: it probably does not). On the drinks, the list looked roughly the same length as before, so I'm sure they must have taken at least a couple off, but I also could not tell you which ones either. This means that they likely weren't my favorites, and also perhaps indicates that I drank too many of the beverages that were listed on the new list.

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If you like the Singapore Sling, try the DC Dram. It's one of the new, and very tasty, drinks on the menu.

The DC Dram might be my favorite drink on the menu right now. And it always looked like the Sling took a long time to make compared to other drinks...

In other news, RJ's food there? FREAKING AWESOME. (At least the pimento cheese and steak so far...)

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+1 on the sugar toads. Also right now, fresh ramps have made an appearance with a flavorful mini-crabcake. And the CFS is ridiculously tender, because they're using 50-ish day dry aged ribeye(!)

Having a low-profile popup here also makes a great pre-Verizon Center stop when all the highly-touted establishments are booked up.

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Coincidental run-in with Charlie Adler, who mentioned he had just eaten here sent me on my way to Hogo after a scotch tasting. Questionable decision perhaps, but I had been wanting to check this place out for a while. I had no idea what to order from the drink menu so asked the bartender for advice. She asked what I liked and I mentioned that I've been into bourbon lately but really wanted a rum drink for my first visit. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the drink she recommended, except that I think it had dark rum and there was definitely lime and a strong hint of nutmeg. It made sense given what I told her and I enjoyed it.


Also had the chicken fried steak on her recommendation (and remembered it being mentioned here). In retrospect, I should have gotten the crab cake simply because I'm trying to avoid gluten (and could have used something lighter as I had already eaten dinner!), but the steak was delicious, and indulgent. I love anything with a fried egg on top and the morel gravy and potato puree were decadent. Noticed too that despite the steak being thin, it was cooked medium rare.

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Coincidental run-in with Charlie Adler, who mentioned he had just eaten here sent me on my way to Hogo after a scotch tasting. Questionable decision perhaps, but I had been wanting to check this place out for a while. I had no idea what to order from the drink menu so asked the bartender for advice. She asked what I liked and I mentioned that I've been into bourbon lately but really wanted a rum drink for my first visit. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the drink she recommended, except that I think it had dark rum and there was definitely lime and a strong hint of nutmeg. It made sense given what I told her and I enjoyed it.

Also had the chicken fried steak on her recommendation (and remembered it being mentioned here). In retrospect, I should have gotten the crab cake simply because I'm trying to avoid gluten (and could have used something lighter as I had already eaten dinner!), but the steak was delicious, and indulgent. I love anything with a fried egg on top and the morel gravy and potato puree were decadent. Noticed too that despite the steak being thin, it was cooked medium rare.

Yes, pretty much this, except I was there last night. Me and a friend laid into the food like there was no tomorrow for our arteries :) The ham and onion mousse was splendid, the asparagus with egg and hazelnuts was pretty straightforward, the belly clams were NOM! and the steak was sublime. My dining partner didn't like mushrooms, so he scraped the morels on to my half. The steak was indeed pink in the middle, and I love morels. I was surpised how big the clams were, as I've only had smaller ones in Maine, but damn they were good with the fried meyer lemons. The crab cake was most excellent with the pickled ramps chopped up in the aioli.

I'm starting to think that Hogo is one of the better restaurants in town, for letting people eat a variety of good food pretty fairly priced, and changing it up frequently to try something new. Are you bored with it? Come back next month. Do you not like it? Come back next month.

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Coincidental run-in with Charlie Adler, who mentioned he had just eaten here sent me on my way to Hogo after a scotch tasting. Questionable decision perhaps, but I had been wanting to check this place out for a while. I had no idea what to order from the drink menu so asked the bartender for advice. She asked what I liked and I mentioned that I've been into bourbon lately but really wanted a rum drink for my first visit. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the drink she recommended, except that I think it had dark rum and there was definitely lime and a strong hint of nutmeg. It made sense given what I told her and I enjoyed it.

I'm betting it was the Tom's Rum Punch. That was my favorite drink on the menu before being taken over by the DC Dram.

I've been trying to eat out less but decided to go in there after a day of training on Thursday. I ran into Charlie Adler and Emily Landsman and had a grand ole time. Unfortunately, the pimento cheese was off the menu, but the country ham with sweet onion mousse was pretty good. I was going to get the chicken fried quail but got drunk and forgot.

A Washington Post reporter and photographer were interviewing people at the bar about why they came there. It took me no time to respond: The staff. Don't get me wrong, the food and drinks are great, but it's staff there and at the Passenger that keep me coming in multiple times a week. And, to be honest, often the other patrons. :-)

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I'm betting it was the Tom's Rum Punch. That was my favorite drink on the menu before being taken over by the DC Dram.

Do you remember what else is in it? I'm sure you're right, I'm just curious what the ingredients were.

I remembered people here mentioning the DC Dram, but I really felt like I should stick to rum on my first visit. Gives me a reason to go back. Too bad I wasn't able to be there a bit earlier so our paths crossed. Except I never would have been there had I not run into Charlie. :P

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Do you remember what else is in it? I'm sure you're right, I'm just curious what the ingredients were.

I didn't off the top of my head, but fortunately Nicole posted earlier in the thread a shot of the menu. It's an older one, but as far as I know it's still the same:

El Dorado White Rum, Cruzan Blackstrap rum, Domaine de Canton, Velvet Falernum, lime, nutmeg

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Dropped into Hogo a few nights ago for dinner and continue to enjoy the food and the atmosphere. Mellow weekday meals are a real pleasure at this place.

Two MD natives thought the crab cake was very, very good -- one said it was better than his mother's.

Though I enjoyed the chicken-fried steak, I wish the gravy was a little thicker -- I found it a little soupy, and it quickly reduced the crispy breaking on the steak to something a little mushy.

Also, their $30 punch bowls are a lot of fun.

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I didn't off the top of my head, but fortunately Nicole posted earlier in the thread a shot of the menu. It's an older one, but as far as I know it's still the same:

El Dorado White Rum, Cruzan Blackstrap rum, Domaine de Canton, Velvet Falernum, lime, nutmeg

Yep, that was it, thanks!

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Rockheads!!!!!

The GypsySoul run at Hogo will be over this Saturday. I have bounced back and forth from Rogue 24 (you all remember this restaurant?) where we are 2 weeks into the spring menu.

We changed the Hogo menu last week to keep it fun and fresh.

snacks:

country ham-vidalia onion mousse

fava bean-pistachio puree, tomato hearts, mint, olive bread

catalina island sea urchin, miso butter, sea weed jam, ink bread, mustard seeds

oyster soup, virginia bubbles, chard, artichokes

chix liver parfait, vidalia onion marmalade, rye

local asparagus, hazel nuts, pumpernickel, aracona egg

belly clams, meyer lemon, seaweed tartar sauce

bay crab cake, wild ramp aioli

chicken fried quail, fat back braised beans, potato mousse line, morel gravy......its shouldn't be thin like above

fried apple pie vidalia-bacon ice cream

peanut butter and jelly

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Based on the erroneous idea that it was the last night for this menu, we made it to Hogo last night. I think it is the best of the pop-up menu's that they've had so far. We really enjoyed it. That uni sandwich was ridiculous, and passes the spam musubi as the single best item I've eaten at Hogo. The chicken fried quail was also fantastic.

Anyhow, RJ Cooper will be there until Saturday, then it's turning over again. Our waitress said that the chef next month will again be Javier from the Passenger, but that it won't be Hawaiian food this time.

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I'm guessing something changed, since it was supposed to be last week...oh well! I ain't gonna complain.

Yeah, I could have sworn I saw something that said last Saturday was the last day, and then Tuesday (the last day of the month). My guess is that they had the next cook fall through or something, and needed more time to get the menu and such ready.

Also, thanks for the recommendation, the DC Dram was fantastic.

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Haven't made my way *entirely* through the new menu, yet; clearly more research is in order! So far, though, the standout for me is the pulled pork sandwich: messy, tangy, spicy porky bliss on a bun. following closely behind is the okra and then the fries (I wanted to lick the aioli bowl) and the hushpuppies. Nick had the oyster po'boy and seemed to enjoy it, but I am unqualified to comment as 1) filter feeders and 2) dill pickles. The batter was nice and crispy and golden, though. The sliders were tasty, but didn't have any kick or flourish to catapult them up the ranks of a strong pack of contenders.

So, obviously, will need to be trying the fried green tomatoes, the wings and the catfish this coming week. Once this hangover goes away.

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It's been a while since Hogo changed chefs. The Washington City Paper has details about the new menu that starts tomorrow and is available until July 20. Excerpt:

Room 11 and The Passenger partner Paul Ruppert hasn't yet finalized a name for his new bar coming to the former Island Cafe space at 829 Upshur St. NW, but you'll nonetheless be able to get a first taste of it at Hogo this month.

Chef Makoto Hamamura, formerly a senior sous chef at CityZen, will prepare a menu of elevated bar food....

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I have this weird feeling that the current chef isn't female. :)

And there's no way this is Makoto.

Is it?  :unsure: 

Yeah it's Javi again. Or, rather, Javi + Chris.

(I'll be there tomorrow in all odds, so I can confirm, but it's primarily the same as the opening menu.)

(And hopefully it won't disappear during my sober spell coming up...)

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If I ever open a bar, I'll have spam musubi on the menu.  It's an excellent bar snack.  Starch from the rice, yummy salty cured meat, and spicy wasabi sauce.  I'm looking forward to more of it tomorrow night.

BTW, what is in the Hawaiian Burger?

Edited to add:  Huh, looks like they may be going to a fixed menu later this year.  http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2013/08/07/hogo-looks-to-add-permanent-menu-to-match-its-tiki-nuevo-cocktails/

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