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Showing results for tags 'Barracks Row'.
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The new name of the new fine dining restaurant from Aaron Silverman will be Pineapple and Pearls: "Rose's Luxury's Sister Restaurant Has a Name: 'Pineapple and Pearls'" by Jessica Sidman on washingtoncitypaper.com Café/coffee/sandwich shop in the mornings and fine dining (with reservations accepted!) in the evenings. They're only going to be open 4 nights a week and no weekends. A very bare bones website is up too: PineappleAndPearls.com -
I was at Albi this week, and they have the same fee.
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Rock-n-Roll Sushi is at least better than the flyer Nooshi mailed out last year advertising "Funky Sushi" at happy hour. Funky sushi. EWWWWWWWW. -
We tried the EAT bar last night. It's new and it was pretty busy. Started with a couple of snacks - 2 of the excellent salt cod fritters and an order of roasted olives(not sure I get the idea of roasting olives). We both had the chestnut soup with duck confit. This was absolutely wonderful and suprisingly quite spicy. I then had a strip steak (comes on its own - I'd probably order some frites next time). She had the garlic sausage with red cabbage. Both were very good. We had a couple of Victory Hop Wallops on tap, and a couple of glasses of something red. I would hope that they can extend their beer offerings in the future - I think there were 6 decent drafts. We'll definitely be back and maybe eat at a booth next time. Eating at the bar got a bit crowded out. -
Souk Bakery and Market was scheduled to soft open in the Hello Cupcake Barracks Row space today (via PoPville). -
The coffee portion of Little Pearl is opening today, Dec. 16 (via Washington Post) and the wine bar portion is opening on Dec. 30 according to their website.
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Interesting piece by Tim Carman on Ambar. It reads a little like Richard Sandoval (one of the owners!) thinks Balkan food kinda sucks. Anyone eaten there yet? -
This is the second location of Bombay Street Food, which opened last year in Columbia Heights, from the former owner of the Curry Mantras. The menus look very similar but not exactly the same, so I didn't include the original location in the title. (Don, can you make a decision on this? Maybe they should be together.) I went with a group yesterday for brunch and we sampled a good deal of the menu guided by our friend who is Indian and very picky about Indian food. She gives this restaurant her seal of approval. Not an expert on Indian food myself, I thought it was quite good. I especially loved the naan, but I'm kind of a bread fiend. We had both garlic and cheese naans, the latter because it reminded my friend of what her grandmother used to make her as a child. Both types were nicely charred but soft and puffy and wonderful, and in the case of the latter, full of delightfully stringy cheese. We started with Bombay Palak Chat and Bhel Puri, both of which were delicious and more than ample portions for 6 to share as an appetizer. I loved the puffed rice in the Bhel Puri. I had never had this before and would want to order on a return trip. Another one of my favorites from the meal was the Sheek Kabob. I didn't fare as well with the Goat Biryani, which I liked the taste of but encountered trouble with the bone-in aspect. This comes in the traditional way, with naan baked over the top. (I don't see it on the online menu so I may have messed up my notes, but I'm almost certain this was goat.) The Chicken Vindaloo was nice and spicy, so the orders of Raita we had came in handy. The Saagpanir, which was something I wanted to order, impressed me less than I expected, but at some point I was getting near food coma, which may have been a factor. I didn't try the Butter Chicken, which was ordered in honor of some British connections in the group, nor the Chicken Tikka Roll. There was also rice, which I'm mentioning for the sake of completeness. I didn't eat a whole lot of it because I was filling up on everything else. We had wine and beer, which got nursed along at the end of the meal as we talked. They never seemed to be trying to rush us out, even though we stayed quite a while after the bill was paid. I'd happily go back. -
District Soul Food & Lounge is taking over the former Banana Cafe space. Capitol Hill Corner with the goods: "Two Brothers Soul Food, a popular but short-lived restaurant on Route 1 outside the Beltway has chosen the former Banana Café on Barracks Row as their new home. According to ANC Commissioner Kirsten Oldenburg, in whose district the restaurant lies, the restaurant plans to open in September. Banana Café closed last December, when owner Jorge Garcia-Meitin Zamorano retired. District Soul Food owners Chris Everett and David Roundtree announced last November that they were closing Two Brothers after seven months and relocating. The restaurant opened in May of 2017 and had experienced a number of structural issues with the building, which eventually drove the decision to relocate. The menu will feature authentic Southern cooking, heavy on fried chicken, pulled pork, fried fish, collard greens, baked beans, etc. Oldenburg says that the owners will offer live jazz in the former piano bar on the second floor. Everett and Roundtree are partners in other real estate deals, but relative newcomers to the hospitality business – Two Brothers was their first venture as restaurateurs. The space is undergoing renovation, which, according to ANC Commissioner Chander Jayaraman will include plans for indoor trash storage. Jayaraman, as chair of ANC6B’s Alcohol Beverage Control Committee, has been a strong advocate of indoor trash storage, and developed a strategy of using alcohol beverage license applications and renewals to encourage Barracks Row restaurants to provide indoor storage to combat rodent issues." -
Garrison has been open for just over a week now. It's a handsome restaurant with a pleasant patio space in front. The menu is vegetable-centric and apparently emphasizes seasonal produce. Mr. P and I nibbled our way through a number of vegetable side dishes/appetizers and a pasta course. Poppy seed gougères were excellent: very small and took awhile to come out, suggesting they were made to order. Gougères are as much about texture as flavor, and these were spot-on. Heirloom tomato salad was nicely composed, with a piece of burrata and mint rather than basil (a nice change of pace), and slivers of almond. Fennel gratin was straightforward but intense, the flavor punched up with a splash of Pernod. Squash blossoms with smoked provolone and Romesco sauce were outstanding, perfectly fried and not too much cheese, so the flavor of the blossoms wasn't overwhelmed. Mr. P also had the roasted cauliflower; he liked it but said it was his least-favorite dish. As I don't care for cauliflower I can't usefully describe the dish. Sweet corn tortellini was a nice summery pasta dish, buttery but not overwhelmingly so. The pasta was a tad overcooked but I'm so accustomed to that now it doesn't bother me. We also ordered two of the three desserts, a chocolate terrine and buttermilk panna cotta, which were pleasant but unremarkable. A nice way to end a meal, not too sweet, not too large, and blessedly not precious, either. Coffee was adequate. Would have liked to have half-and-half or cream with it rather than cold milk, but nope, not an option. Service was genuinely friendly and polite but somewhat lacking in a few ways that aren't worth going into, because for a place open just over a week it was impressively good.- 38 replies
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Yes, it's going in the former veterinary clinic near the Belga; it will be called Senart's Oyster House, after an old ghost mural that is painted on the outside wall of the building. -
What, no thread on Belga? Dropped in last night with my brother and nabbed the last two seats at the bustling bar. Despite the frenzied atmosphere, our bartender provided us with calm, cool, and efficient service. We both had steaks-- he had the hanger with roasted potatoes, and I had the "Belga Steak" which was a filet with herbed butter and their killer frites. Both steaks were cooked perfectly and absolutely delicious. My only complaint would be that the menu should state that the "Belga Steak" is a filet mignon. I'm glad I ordered it, but I'm not typically a big fan of filet as I prefer the more flavorful cuts. If you haven't been yet, go! -
Yes the general consensus here is that Banana Cafe on Captiol Hill is crap...so why start a thread you ask, because there is new found proof that even crappy restaurants can produce a good dish and I have found that dish at Banana Cafe: The plantain quesadilla! The tortilla was perfectly golden brown and crisp, the plantains meltingly soft and delicious...a light smear of sour cream set it all off. Conversely the stuffed yuca with chorizo, carrots and olives off the "tapas" menu was a disgusting mess.
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Cafe Kimchi has closed. The space is now open under (I believe) different ownership with a new name and prettier look. The new restaurant is Torai, which serves Korean and Japanese food. Yelp link (obligatory "Sorry, Don.") Someone I know who lives nearby told me about the change and said that the food is quite good and a step up from Cafe Kimchi. I have not been in to eat here yet and, for that matter, only got food at Cafe Kimchi once. I forget what it was but it wasn't something that traveled too well. Given the small space, takeout probably remains the best option here, though there is some seating. The space is at 751 8th Street, SE, next to District Doughnuts.
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I've got an hour or two to kill around Eastern Market -- looking for someplace to grab an appetizer and a drink, and perhaps even read for a bit. Any suggestions? -
Xavier Cervera has produced another visually appealing restaurant, but this one looks somewhat different than the others. Located in the old Capitol Video Sales space at 514 8th Street, SE, it’s quite a transformation/reinvention of place. Nice bright tile complements the bright plates and glasses. It just feels light all around, even on the inside. There is also a rooftop bar and dining area and downstairs patio. The downstairs barstools are made of rattan or something similar and bolted to the floor. Unfortunately, one common element to his other projects--building out a narrow space towards the back and upwards--results in very narrow passageways to the back of the restaurant. Getting to the bathrooms requires a tight navigation around the kitchen, with people running in and out carrying food. They opened one week ago for a couple days and then closed again for a few more (according to their twitter feed, this was to get more power to the building). I’d held up on going because I didn’t want to go immediately and then they were closed. When I checked yelp, initial reports were good on the drinks, mixed on the service, and pretty bad on the food. Then I saw one very recent post from a yelper saying they had installed a new chef from Austin and the food had improved, so I decided to give it a go today for brunch. I saw the executive chef go by when I was there, and it was Gregorio Martinez from The Chesapeake Room (same ownership). I’m not sure if there is also a chef from Austin or exactly what the kitchen situation is, but the food I had today was pretty good, though with room for improvement. I also thought it was expensive for what it was. The menu on Urbandaddy (there isn’t one on the Pacifico site yet) listed nachos, which interested me, but they’re not on the brunch menu. I wanted chips, though, so I got an order of chile con queso with chips ($8) as well as huevos rancheros ($13), which is one of my standards for evaluating a Tex-Mex restaurant. The bartender was having some trouble understanding my order (I asked just for “queso” at first and he must have thought I just wanted cheese), but he asked me twice for clarification until he felt he knew what I wanted. I’d rather have that then get the wrong order. He was a bit slow but trying hard and he hasn’t worked there long, so it wasn’t a big deal. At first I thought the queso (which came with a shredded white cheese on top) wasn’t spiced at all, but it had more of a kick as I got farther in. This would be a moderate-sized appetizer for two people to share. I was hungry and ate it all. The amount of queso was perfectly matched to the amount of the chips. The huevos rancheros were not what I was expecting but good nonetheless. Menu description specified 2 fried eggs; 2 soft corn tortillas; ranchero sauce; refried beans; crema fresca; cotija cheese; red onion. It came out layered like a torte, not much bigger than the tortillas that were its base. I’d sort of compare this to Texas stacked enchiladas, but it wasn’t quite that either. In any case, it was tasty, but I’m not sure how I feel about the price tag. These two things plus a draft Pacifico ($6), set me back $36 after tax and tip, and I wasn’t completely full. I don’t like being stuffed full, so that’s not a complaint. Generally, though, I can’t finish a full meal at a restaurant, so that’s my basis for comparison. The most striking element is the rooftop bar and dining area. After I finished my meal, I went up to look around and ran into friends who were eating and drinking at the bar. This gave me the opportunity to sample even more food and a bit of the mango margarita. Sitting up there feels like being at the beach. It's configured to facilitate a nice breeze blowing through. It started to get a little too hot after a while, but it’s a great spot. That’s definitely the selling point of the restaurant. They were finishing the last of what they ordered when I arrived: guacamole in a huge molcajete ($12); pork, grilled fish, and shrimp tacos ($5 each; does not include rice and/or beans); chile con queso; salsa and chips ($3). They were drinking mango margaritas ($8) and sangria ($8). First, the worst: the salsa tasted like crushed canned tomatoes and desperately needed salt and other flavor. I didn’t try any of the tacos, but they liked the pork and fish more than the shrimp. (One of the people adores Senart’s shrimp as much as I do, so I’m not sure why these tacos didn’t please. Maybe it’s not the same sourcing.) The guacamole seemed to be mostly smashed avocado and red onion. There was probably something else in there, but I couldn’t identify it. I make better guacamole at home. Twelve bucks for this was ridiculous. For half the price, okay, but $12?! The mango margarita was strong and big for the price (gorgeous glassware!). It’s a slushy frozen type that melts into lovely liquid in the heat. The person whose I tried also likes their strawberry margaritas, but they were out of those. The price for margaritas is oddly low given that draft beers are $6 and canned are $5 (a can of Tecate accompanied my brunch encore). A bucket of 5 beers is $20, for anyone planning an outing. I didn’t try the sangria, but that’s half-price on Sundays after 5PM, as are nachos, so I may be back.
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worst burger I've had in a long time...Finn MacCools, almost inedible...if I hadn't been starving and rushing to get to the DC United game it would have been inedible. and speaking of inedible...their Irish nachos most simply put is a big pile of crap covered in melted crap.
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Chesapeake Room, yes. From the Lola's and Molly Malone's folks ... which has mixed implications. (At this point I'm far more intrigued by Ted's Bulletin ... but I won't write off Chesapeake Room til it's had a chance.) -
I love living on Capitol Hill-- beautiful strolls through the neighborhood and the Capitol grounds, parks, quick access to Union Station and the Metro, Schneiders, and of course an easy 10 minute stroll to Eastern Market. But as everyone knows, the restaurant scene leaves a lot to be desired. However, there are a handful of gems scattered about, and I think Old Siam may get there one day, but it's going to be a long trip before they even reach the semi-precious stage. They're certainly doing brisk business and the space itself is warm and inviting. We sat and had a cocktail at the bar and asked for a table and were soon directed to the front of the restaurant where we were seated at a tiny two-top in the window. Unfortunately this is where everyone stands around waiting for a table. For whatever reason, the crowd hovering over us was predominantly young and female so it sounded like we were in the tropical bird exhibit during feeding time at a zoo. So, after ordering, we asked to go back to the bar and ate dinner there. I enjoyed a spicy lemon grass soup with a few shrimp and mushrooms. But we also tried some pork and shrimp dumplings that had a slightly off, vaguely gym locker kind of aroma. The vegetable pad thai was mushy and oily and lacked focus. It was as though they threw a random assortment of vegetable scraps into the stir fy. We also had what was described on the menu as simply "basil duck". This was supposed to be one of their more spicy offerings (which I gravitate towards), but instead I was presented with a deep fried breast in a syrupy sweet sauce. The batter was so dense that I ate only a few slices before I felt like I had swallowed a lead weight. Wine selection was pedestrian but fairly priced by DC standards. A couple of drinks each, two apps and two entrees came to $55 before tip. I'll give it another chance someday, but it won't be anytime soon. Maybe I need to open my own damn restaurant in this neighborhood.
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Feel free to add on to the next poll. Dropping off this time will be Mamma's Kitchen, Aqua al 2, and All Purpose.
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Had a craving for nachos last evening, so I went to the Ugly Mug. It's the only nearby place I could think of that has them on the menu. Still not a place I gravitate to, but service has gotten much more attentive and friendlier over time. The nachos were okay. Craving sated and at a reasonable price. If only I hadn't got caught in the storm on the way home...
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This morning in his chat, Tom Sietsema said that the owners behind Matchbox and Ted's Bulletin are opening DC3, a hot dog-oriented place in the old Firehouse Cafe spot. But the Barracks Row Main Street blog says that Xavier Cervera, the owner of Molly Malone's, Lola's, and the Chesapeake Room is behind it. Are all these folks working together on this place, or is one of these sources wrong? It sounds interesting, though I remember the sausage place up in Adams Morgan didn't last very long, so I wonder how this will do.
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It sounds like they're planning to reopen on lower Barracks Row on November 1st.
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Saw this banner walking home from Barracks Row the other day. 735 8th St SE, pretty much right across from the barracks. Can't find much other information besides their Facebook page which says they're opening this December. Anyone have any other info? (Sorry if there's already an entry on this somewhere; I searched and searched and couldn't find it.)
