Jump to content

The Partisan, Chef Tommy Malz's Charcuterie-Centric Fare at 7th and D Street in Penn Quarter


Recommended Posts

A friend suggested we go to dinner at The Partisan a few Thursdays ago. I was initially hesitant because it was the second day the place had been open but I am very glad I just went with it rather than voicing my concerns. In fact, we liked it so much we went back this past Thursday as well!

The place reminds me of Birch and Barley, which is not a surprise since they are part of the same restaurant group. I love the exposed brick and the dark furniture. We have had two great, knowledgeable servers, Paige and Brock, and the service is decidedly friendly and casual. It's the kind of place I want to be after a long day or week, slowly eating my way through the menu, ordering between what I have enjoyed before and eager to try new dishes.

Here's a rundown of what we have ordered.

Cocktails/Beer:

Today Your Love ($13) "“ Ransom Old Tom gin, cocchi Barolo chinato, and kina l'avion d'or. This drink reminds me of a less bitter version of a negroni, yet not too sweet. I can definitely taste Jeff Faile's influence in this drink.

Go To IPA, Stone ($6.50)

Bell's Special Double Cream Stout ($7)

Allagash Saison ($7)

While I really enjoyed my cocktail, I'm not sure I want to make $13 cocktails a regular habit. Yes, the cocktails are well crafted and thought out, but one cocktail is nearly twice the price of a good draft beer. Additionally, the wine list is just so great that I see myself exploring that more than the cocktails.

Wine:

2012 Qupe Syrah ($20/half bottle)

2012 Baileyana Pinot Noir ($4/half glass)

1999 Viberti Dolcetto D'Alba ($30/half bottle)

I am in love with the wine list. I don't know much about wine except I know what I like and there is a lot that I like on this list. Additionally, the options for a half glass and half bottle that are priced comparable to a full glass or a full bottle encourage exploration. For example, a half glass of the Qupe Syrah is $5.50 while a glass is $10 and a full bottle is $40. These options worked for my friend and me the first time we dined at The Partisan as we had a round of drinks at the bar while waiting for our table and then ordered a half bottle of the syrah. We proceeded to finish the wine with one last dish yet to arrive at the table. In another situation, we would have either split a glass of wine or not have ordered any wine for the last course but that time, we both ordered half glasses of the pinot noir. Thanks to The Partisan for giving us these options and pricing accordingly.

Charcuterie:

Campari-rosemary salami ($4.50); Lamb leg with mint pesto ($4.50); Greek fennel-lemon verbena salami ($4.50); Red Menace ($4.50); Spanish Chorizo ($4.50); Bourbon poached fig rillettes ($5); Culatello ($6); Espresso Lomo ($5); Wild Boar Pate ($5)

The charcuterie comes with tigelles, the English muffin looking bread except buttery and dense and pretty amazing. We only had two tigelles with five orders of charcuterie on our first visit and had to ask for more but on the second visit we only ordered four pieces of charcuterie and it arrived with four tigelles so it looks like the place is still trying to figure the charcuterie to tigelle ratio.

The meats themselves were very very good, though there were some better than others. In my view the spreadables (red menace, pates, and rillettes) were better than the sliced meats. The espresso lomo was probably my least favorite as it had very little flavor and the lamb leg, while cooked very well, also had little flavor without the mint pesto. They can't all be hits, but I like having so many options, especially ones that are a bit experimental. And the pricing is pretty reasonable so I didn't feel like we were taking huge risks by ordering something that looked interesting but we were unsure how it would come out. We spoke to Nate Anda on our second visit and he said that he will be rotating the charcuterie. That is great news for this charcuterie lover but bad news for her cholesterol level. There is not enough running I can do in a week to offset regular trips to The Partisan.

Menu:

Roasted Mushroom and Kale Salad ($12) "“ The first time we ordered this, it was amazing. The kale was done just right, the mushrooms were earthy and plentiful, and the salsify and sherry vinaigrette added just the right punch. The melted goat cheese on the bottom rounded out the dish. The second time we ordered this, it came out way oversalted. I didn't think I would mind the salt too much but after a few bites I couldn't taste anything else. I was sharing the dish and between the two of us we managed to finish it, but if I had ordered this for myself I would have sent it back. Hopefully this was just a misstep in the kitchen.

Kimchi Sauasage ($6) "“ I liked the idea of this sausage. I love sausage and I love kimchi. There were kimchi spices with some kimchi on the side and the flavor was good, but the texture was dry and crumbly. Also, the sausage was more like a breakfast link, which was unexpected. It also came with a tigelle but we had our fill of tigelles at that point and asked that one to be boxed up. (Note: If you want to order a tigelle to take home for your own breakfast sandwich, they are 50 cents each. That is not bad given a six pack of Thomas English Muffins will set you back more than $4 at Safeway.)

Braised Spanish Octopus ($14) "“ This came in a tomato sauce with sliced fingerling potatoes. The octopus was cooked perfectly and I really enjoyed the accompanying sauce and potatoes. The only downside was that there were only three two-bite pieces of octopus. Not particularly measly but we were expecting more for the price.

Squab Crepinette ($16) "“ On the menu, this dish is described "breast, confit leg, squab jus" so we expected a breast and a leg. Instead three slices of squab came out, with the breast wrapped in leg meat. The squab was perfectly cooked and I appreciate the skill it took to compose the dish but part of me can't believe we paid $16 for three pieces of meat.

Despite ending on a bummer note, my friend and I really enjoyed dining at The Partisan. For the most part, the food is very good and we didn't have any misses (except for the salty kale salad which is excellent when it is done right). There is definitely more on the menu we want to try and are eager to go back. Happy to have this place in the neighborhood. 

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I chanced upon Partisan/Red Apron recently myself and had a similarly pleasant experience. Sat at the bar w a friend, had a Bells Special on tap, and several small plates. All quite tasty and well priced. The atmosphere and staff were great. I will definitely go back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been hearing good things about this place, but have gotten the Birch & Barley reference multiple times, which gives me pause as I haven't have good food experiences there in the past.  Anyone been recently?  Is it still very crowded?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We went this past Saturday, and had a really good experience on the whole. Things were quite slow at the beginning, in that we didn't get seated until about 40 minutes after our reservation time. But once we were seated service was fantastic. We ordered the following:

Beef Fat Fries - Good, although not particularly mindblowing.

Crispy Nettles - We loved this dish. I can't tell you how exactly it was prepared because it's not listed on the online menu, but it was great.

Brussels Sprout Slaw - Also fantastic. Great vinaigrette.

Braised Octopus - As stated above, delicious. We found the portion size about right, however, so perhaps they've adjusted it?

Scottish Langostines - Really good, but expensive for what you get, and not great for sharing.

Rottissi-Fried Chicken - Fantastic. Perhaps our favorite dish of the night.

Meatball - Really good and flavorful, but note that it is just one meatball.

Pork Shoulder Steak - Loved this. The gremolata that it's served with is fantastic.

And as I mentioned, our service was good, and we felt that things were fairly priced. I'd definitely return.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Meatball - Really good and flavorful, but note that it is just one meatball.

A little man walked up and down,

To find an eating place in town.

He read the menu through and through,

To see what fifteen cents could do.

One meat ball,

One meat ball,

He could afford but one meat ball.

He told the waiter near at hand,

The simple dinner he had planned.

The guests were startled one and all,

To here that waiter loudly call,

One meat ball,

One meat ball,

This here gent wants one meat ball.

The little man felt ill at ease,

Said, "Some bread, sir, if you please."

The waiter hollered down the hall,

"You gets no bread with one meatball.

The little man felt very sad,

For one meat ball is all he had,

And in his dreams he hears that call,

You gets no bread with one meat ball.

One meat ball,

One meat ball,

You gets no bread with one meat ball.

B)

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Went there last Thursday on a date (which I thought went well though she declined a follow up date, oh well).

Cocktails were great.

Food was great.

Service was almost great. (I could've used slightly quicker follow-ups, especially after the hard sell she gave us about ordering more food, as we'd only ordered about four small dishes, but it was still fine for how busy it was.)

Price was surprisingly good for what we got, IMHO.

With Sietsma's review out today praising it, I'm betting it'll get a lot busier. Ed Witt gave me a hard time when I was there for not letting him know I was coming (my bad), and when my date left the bathroom at the end she commented that it seemed I knew everyone on either side of the bar (well, that happens).

I can't wait to get back. My brother is going next week and I'm already jealous. Maybe this weekend...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The boyfriend and I went to The Partisan to celebrate his birthday on Saturday. We ordered pretty well and left full and happy.

On our way to our table, my boyfriend stopped to say hello to Nate Anda whom he is friendly with and I mentioned that it was my boyfriend's birthday. We started off with with five selections off the charcuterie menu. I can't remember everything we ordered but the highlights were the pickled half smoke and the thai basil cured bresaola. Nate also generously sent out a selection of prosciutto, four total, which were all very good especially the 40 month aged.

To drink we had a half bottle of Amarone, a treat for the special occasion and two glasses of a sparkling lambrusco recommended by our friendly waiter, Jeremy.

After we polished off the charcuterie we ordered the local asparagus served with a potato cake, bearnaise sauce, and tarragon. The asparagus was grilled and very well cooked. I also enjoyed the sauce, though my boyfriend didn't care much for it. We also ordered the carrot fusilli and the bolognese. Though different, both of the pastas were very good. I would order both again in a heartbeat. I really wanted to order the fried chicken but we were pretty full at this point and decided to wait to order it another time. We finished dinner with an order of the snickers terrine and espresso.

Can't wait until the next visit already.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Three of us checked this place out last Friday night.  Very dim and very cold so bring a sweater if you get cold easily.  The wine selection was nice.  The charcuterie was top notch.  Highlights were the kielbasa, 'nduja, and lardo.

My wife had the chicken and loved it.  My buddy and I split the rib-eye.  That was not all that exciting and probably not worth the price paid.

We skipped dessert because were were full, but I hear the Snickers dessert is good.

I think most people would not pay $75 for a pig's head if they knew how much they really cost and how little meat you get (even if the meat is delicious)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Husband and I tried The Partisan last night - honestly, I wasn't super stoked about it (charcuterie is his thing, not so much mine), but the menu was bigger than I thought, so I found many things worth eating.  There are still dishes that I'd like to go back and try.  The beer/wine/cocktail list is great - I love when there is pricing for different sizes of drinks, so you can try something out without breaking the bank.

Jason really enjoyed the meats he tried, and I loved the bread thingies (tigelles?).  There was confusion amongst the staff when we pointed out that they brought us only 3 of the 4 meats we ordered, but the problem was quickly rectified.  The asparagus with crispy potato was a tasty way for me to start.  We also ordered the squid ink bucatini, which was tasty but a VERY small portion for the price; the quail with cucumber yogurt sauce and mint, which was fine; and the meatball with polenta, which was delicious and rib-stickingly rich.  I felt like some of their pricing was right on (for example, I thought the charcuterie portions were generous given the price), but some of the small plates felt really small.

We passed on dessert, and we once again had to correct the staff when we saw coffees/teas on our bill that did not belong to us.

I was not a fan of the space, to be frank.  It is very dark and very loud (the music really turned me off, largely because of its volume), and yes, I know I am sounding like my father, but so it goes.  It just felt...cavernous?  Hollow?  Just not particularly welcoming or cozy, in my humble opinion.  The bar is enormous, which is probably a big plus when they are busier, but since it was a little slower last night, it just felt like it was hard to flag people down unless you were right in the middle (which we were not).

I think this sounds more negative than I intended - bottom line, I concluded that I would love to stop by The Partisan after work for a couple of drinks and bites, but it wouldn't be my first choice for a Saturday night dinner.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I stopped in with a few friends for a late-ish dinner over the weekend with high hopes based on the menu online and left figuring that I either ordered incorrectly or the kitchen had an off night.  I wasn't put off by the lighting or noise like bettyjoan, but I really didn't care for how they laid out the dining space.  After wandering to the back later in the night to check out the bar, which seemed like a great space, and walking through Red Apron on the way out, it almost seemed like the dining room was more of any afterthought than a serious dining destination.  Anyway, we were seated and ordered the following:

Spanish Langostines might be the most overpriced ($16!) dish in the city.  I know I know, this is saying a lot in a city where oysters are going for $4 apiece and we have restaurants charging $17 for a bowl of soup.  But this was really silly.  The dish consisted of two oversteamed langostines dressed with a little oil and parsley, carrying a fairly nice flavor in the few morsels of dryish meat that I got (we were sharing), but I can't imagine any situation where I would order this again.  It's one thing for a dish to be seriously overpriced but also superb enough that you would be tempted to splurge and order it again because it was that tasty, but this was not that dish.

The Roasted Mushroom + Kale Salad was the star dish of the night between us and the couple we were dining with.  I found it to be a bit overdressed between the copious goat cheese and vinaigrette, but really that is a minor quibble about a nice, refreshing and surprisingly bountiful salad.

The Half Rotissi-Fried Chicken was somewhat of a disappointment not because it was bad, but because of poor execution.  Of the 6 pieces of good sized meat, 3 were unfortunately overcooked and dry, but fortunately saved by a prolonged dunk in the very nice accompanying honey hot sauce.  I enjoyed the flavor and the technique of roasting and frying the bird, ours just could have used a few minutes less of each and it would have been the star of the night.

This was not bad at all, the wines we had were nice and their cocktail selection spoke to me, but I have to say I agree that I would stop in here for a happy hour and get some small plates at the bar, but there are too many good options in the city these days to consider a full sitdown dinner here again any time in the near future.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Made it here last night with friends finally. Lucked out with parking just around the corner. Too bad there's no room for outdoor seating, it would have been great last night. (MINOR NOTE to restaurant - your website menus load insanely slowly on multiple browsers - you might want to check that out). We sat in the front part of the restaurant, I did not get a chance to check out the bar.

Got seated immediately for our 6:30 reservation (would have preferred later, but our friends set it up) and settled in for 3+ hours of grazing (as we opted for all small to medium plates to share instead of going for the big courses (next time!)).

The space is dark, but not THAT dark. The music is playing, but it was not anywhere near being loud, it was just background. The seats were not comfortable or uncomfortable. I wish more restaurants spent more time and effort on making their seating choice something that would set most of their diners at ease (I sat in the chairs, not the banquettes (sp?)).  Service was pretty good overall - no complaints there.

Drinks - Their beer selection and cocktails are indeed inspired. Lost in the Supermarket was great, as was the All Cats are Grey (I could easily have drunk this all night, but then I would not remember anything). Their wine list is pretty good, but was put off by some of the prices. Had a capable but way too young Dolcetto to start, but finished with a great, great 1997 Chianti Classico Riserva that was, IMO, a steal at $80, given how this wine is currently singing.

Charcuterie -- the rundown - Campari-Rosemary salami, Tete de Pho, Lamb Leg with mint pesto, Greek Fennel-Lemon Verbena salami, Red Menace, Pickled Half smoke, Pastrami'd Pig's Heart, 14-month Jowl Ham, Culatello and Goose Ham. Standouts were the Pickled half smoke, the Tete de Pho, the Lamb Leg, the Greek Fennel Lemon Verbena and the Pastrami'd Pig's HEart. But all of these were good and I clearly need to explore the rest of the charcuterie menu. And next time get some cheese at the same time. One minor nit is that they call their Culatello actually (their) Culatello. It really is not Culatello, unless it is Culatello. And their version is quite good, but pales in comparison to the real thing IMHO.

Dinner Courses

Olives - very good, but not nearly as good as those at Ghibellina.

Beef Fat Fries - good, nice flavor, but not exceptional. Might be better as strings or frites?

Radishes & Sugar Snaps - a delight to look at and delicious, but not exceptional.

Roasted Mushroom and Kale salad - wow. Just wow. This salad is so, so good. I could eat a huge bowl of this.

Bolognese with guanciale and beef heart - really delicious. Really good. I would order this again. Some may take issue that the pasta was a bit over sauced, but it was so delicious, I can overlook this.

Secreto - Quite delicious, but the sauce it was served with was the real star. They actually overcooked the meat, but in the greater scheme of things, it would have been a buzzkill to send it back.

Porchetta - Really good, the asparagus shavings were nice, but unnecessary. A really fatty piece of meat, so if you are squeamish about that, do not order this dish. But really excellent porky flavor. The only way to improve this dish is to figure out how to get the fat CRISPIER without killing the meat.

Beef tartare - I am sucker for this dish whenever I see it on a menu. This was fine. But in a place the specializes in meats and charcuterie, I was hoping for a nice accompaniment laden rendition of this dish and this is not what they do. I think they could blow people away if they spent more time preparing this as a star dish. The other issue I have with this dish is that the egg was NOT RAW. It seemed like it was somewhat cooked or candied. Cured is what they say on the menu, so I know I am at fault in setting unrealistic expectations, but there it is.

Butterscotch trifle was great and a treat to look at. The Snickers terrine was delicious and I am told the fried apple pie was tasty.

Good after dinner drink options, too, but did not indulge in their versions of 'cellos' - next time.

All in all a very good experience. I will be back to dig in more to the rest of the menu.

(edit - need to figure out how to upload pictures again - hmmm)

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had an early dinner at The Partisan last night before seeing Fleetwood Mac at the Verizon Center (yes, we're that old.)  We are fans of Red Apron and were looking forward to this meal.  Alas, we found it mostly disappointing.

The highlight of the meal for me was the cocktail I ordered.  It was recommended by our server, Anne, and it was just great.  It was called Sailin' On and was made with:  Old Overholt Rye, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, Los Amantes Mezcal, Chili Oil-infused Averna, and Chocolate Bitters.  This was a fantastic drink and perfect for the colder months. 

We chose 4 of the charcuterie items to start and only one of them stood out: the Pickled Half-Smoke was really tasty and very nice with the mustard.  On the other hand, the Thai Basil Bresaola didn't display any flavors, let alone Asian flavors, at all.  The other 2, the Salami Piccante and the Spanish Chorizo, were fine, if nothing special. The Tigelles that were served with the charcuterie were completely uninteresting "“ rather dry and tasteless.  The mustard and the pickled fennel were nice. 

For vegetables we had the Brussel Sprouts Slaw with a horseradish and grainy mustard vinaigrette which we both really liked "“ nice and tangy.  We also had the Roasted Baby Beets which were served with watercress, lemon agrumato oil, pickled beets and grated horseradish.  This was a nice, very small salad and very similar to a thousand other beet salads you can find all over the city and the country. 

For proteins, MrB wanted to order the Sea Scallop Crudo with cumin squash puree, Aleppo-pomegranate reduction, cardamom and celery leaf.  I was skeptical about ordering this in a meat-centric venue and it turned out to be completely tasteless.  It was like eating air.  The very tiny dollops of the accompaniments did not add anything. I had read good things about the Rotissi Fried Chicken and, while I haven't allowed myself to eat fried chicken in many years, I made an exception last night.  What a mistake.  It seems to me that the whole point of eating fried chicken is the skin.  Well, our ½ chicken was missing most of its skin on the breast.  So, while the wing I had was not bad, the breast was dry and tasteless.  MrB ate the thighs and legs and he had a better, but not great, experience. He still found those pieces very dry.

As for the service and venue, our server, Anne, was very good and very pleasant.  We sat in the front room on the banquette to the left at a 2-top.  We were there early and it wasn't loud, even though quite a few tables were filled.  The room, while dark, felt warm and cozy.  As we walked out, we both agreed that we wouldn't return for dinner.  I'd return for that cocktail, though!  And the pickled half-smoke.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My boyfriend and I had a truly disappointing meal at The Partisan on Thursday. We showed up promptly for 7:45pm reservations and were told that the party seated at the table reserved for us were paying their checks and we would be seated shortly. We went to the bar and ordered some drinks, a shot of Old Overholt for him and a cocktail, Maybe a Joyful Noise, for me. We ended up waiting 40 minutes, during which I checked in once with the hostesses. Luckily, we ended up chatting with Jeff for the majority of our wait which made the time pass quickly. As my stomach started to rumble and we were debating just eating dinner at the bar, a hostess grabbed us and told us our table was ready. Jokingly, I replied "Oh, thank goodness! I am so hungry I was about to gnaw my arm off!" Her response was "Awwww!" in the tone one would use when seeing a puppy playing in the snow. Maybe I was hangry at that point, but I found that really annoying. Surprisingly, there was not one apology for having to wait 40 minutes for our table. We didn't ask or want anything free, but an apology or acknowledgement of the situation would have been nice.

The food started out great with an order of five charcuterie: curried pork pate, red menace, foie gras and truffle bologna, salame di mugnano, and the speck. We liked them all a lot though the red menace, our usual favorite, wasn't as spicy as previous times we have ordered it. We also ordered three small plates: the cocoa and coffee spiced quail, the roasted mushroom and kale salad, and and the baked fermented paccheri. The roasted mushroom and kale salad was my favorite of the three, probably because I had a craving for vegetables that started in the afternoon. The quail was also good and perfectly cooked although at times the cocoa and coffee spice overpowered the quail to the point that I wondered if the skin had been burnt. It wasn't! Finally, the paccheri, which we had enjoyed previously was barely edible. I felt something was wrong as soon as the waiter put the dish on the table. The sauce was so thin it looked like a broth and the pasta was swimming in it. That was not the case the last time we ordered this dish. The whole dish was overly sweet. The pasta was sweet and unpleasantly chewy. I understand it is supposed to be chewier than regular pasta but this time it just seemed undercooked. The sauce was watery and also overly sweet. The ricotta salata was good but even that couldn't save the dish. My boyfriend and I could barely choke down more than two bites of the paccheri and when our waiter asked us about it we stated that we did not enjoy the dish at all. Our waiter ended up taking the dish off the check.

I am sad to write this review. I have always raved about The Partisan and have enjoyed dining there and grabbing breakfast at Red Apron many many times. I am big fan of the team at this place from Nate and Ed doing the food to Jeff and Peter doing the drinks. Hope it was just an off night!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In lieu of restaurant week madness, The Partisan hosted "Lambrusco Week" with ten different lambruscos and special pairings. The thought of a variety of lambrusco and charcuterie was enough to get MichaelBDC and I to The Partisan last Thursday. MichaelBDC beat me to the restaurant after work and was already enjoying his usual beer and shot of Old Overholt when I arrived. I was early for the reservation as well, and although the restaurant was ready to seat us, I stated that we preferred to wait until our reservation time. I found MichaelBDC at the bar, ordered a glass of Copain Mourvedre, and we chatted about our day until the anointed time.

Once we were seated, our server Joe handed us a stack of menus. Our first stop was the menu for "Seven Days of Lambrusco,"  which offered charcuterie and wine pairings of three, six, and ten. Our last few meals at The Partisan were disappointing so we felt that we had nothing to lose* by going nuts and getting all ten lambruscos paired with the ten different pieces of charcuterie ($60). That turned out to be a great decision as we had a really fun time eating and drinking our way through the pairings, which were delicious to boot. The menu I brought home from Thursday's meal is different than the one on the website, but a few pairings that stood out to us were the Nicchia served with a preserved lemon & urfa chili bologna; the Molo 7 served with a calabrian-tangerine sausage; the Saetti served with the Tarese, and the Camillo Donati served with smoked pecan rilettes. I also enjoyed the Chiarli served with pig heart-lardo salami but MichaelBDC did not enjoy it that much. After we plowed our way through the pairings, MichaelBDC and I topped off our meal with two more orders of charcuterie (red menace and the curried pork pate) and glasses of the Nicchia and the Molo 8.

Service was really great and the highlight of the evening, even considering the wonderful charcuterie and lambrusco. Our server Joe was patient, charming, and checked in on us regularly without being intrusive. Joe and the other servers and runners at the restaurant helpfully cleared away empty wine glasses so they wouldn't continue to clutter our table. Finally, Brent Kroll stopped by our table as soon as we put in our order to go through the ten lambruscos with us and stopped by at the end to give us additional information on where we can find the wines at retail stores in the DC area. In talking to Brent, it was obvious he has a passion for Lambrusco and really worked hard to put the pairings together.

I wish MichaelBDC and I could do this more often but our waistline and our cholesterol levels are grateful this extravaganza is offered only once a year.

*We were sorely mistaken. We did lose a little by going with the pairing of ten lambruscos and charcuterie. We lost our sobriety. It was worth it.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stopped in for a quick bite before the crime museum on Monday at lunch.  Enjoyed the chorizo burger and meatball sandwich, both were tasty.  Although I thought $10 was a bit steep for a burger with no side, but inflation is what it is and it was a good sandwich.  My main qualm with the experience was ordering a diet coke.  First it is an 8 oz glass bottle that was not chilled and the glass they gave was very small with three huge cubes of ice.  You absolutely could not pour the whole coke into the glass and refilling it, waiting for the fizz to go down, refilling it for such a tiny serving was just ridiculous, and meant I kept spilling bits of coke, which were precious to me because there were only 8 ounces on the table from the glass bottle.  Had it been chilled I would have drank it out of the bottle, but it wasn't.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Washington Post article about new Executive Chef Thomas Harvey at the Partisan, replacing Ed Witt who is going to Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants and "is joining the group to run a restaurant outside of the Washington market. No further details were available."

Went to The Partisan tonight, before I realized they had a new chef. I personally think the Partisan did meat better than almost anyone in the city -- whether it's the charcuterie, the burger, the foie, the pork tomahawk chop or the beef tartare. Tonight, the charcuterie and cheese were great as usual. But most of the rest of what we ordered seemed 'off.' The things we tried for the first time seemed to be fine but underseasoned. A couple things I've ordered many times before tasted different this time, to the point where I told my wife I bet they had a new chef -- the beef tartare (for the worse, in my opinion), along with the burger (which also had one of the chef's long hairs in it). The server and GM were both very apologetic about the hair and comped the entire dinner without my asking (and even though I offered to pay). I told the GM that, while off-putting, it happens; but, that I was more disappointed that the beef tartare and burger had changed for the worse in my opinion. She said that the new chef had in fact changed the tartare recipe but that the burger recipe remained the same. I've had their burger half a dozen times and I know it was different, which is even more concerning if the chef and others there can't tell the difference). It's not that the food was bad; it was just underseasoned at times and not to my taste otherwise.

The pacing was awful, as well. Never had an issue before tonight. Our apps came out 1/2 way through charcuterie and our entrees came out before we were 1/2 done with the appetizers (and we're both fast eaters). The server recognized the issue without prompting, and offered to take the entrees back to the kitchen but we declined.

Anyway, if you weren't a big fan of The Partisan before, you may want to give it another shot with the new chef. As for me, I was quite fond of it before and will probably wait for the current chef to move on. I'm a firm believer that you don't fix what isn't broken, and that if you decide to do it anyway, you better be damn sure it's an improvement.

PS - The previous executive chef is now at a Kimpton hotel restaurant in Winston-Salem NC.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@MichaelBDC and I went back to the Partisan for Lambrusco Week on Thursday. Just like last year, we ordered pours of each of the ten lambruscos paired each paired with some of Red Apron's charcuterie. I didn't keep a copy of the menu, but similar to last year @MichaelBDC and I had a great time going through each of the pairings. Highlights for the charcuterie were the smoked sirloin ham, the tongue ham, and the tete de pho.

Midway through our pairings, we ordered the shoyu tuna poke to break up the richness of all the charcuterie. I love poke and tuna on any given day, and this version hit the spot. I would easily order this again for a regular dinner at the Partisan. 

One of the highlights was our server, Sam, who made sure we were enjoying the pairings and regularly stopped by to get our thoughts. When we indicated that we would get some of the smoked sirloin ham to take home, Sam took care of it for us so we didn't have to stop by the counter on our way out. After we finished our lambrusco and charcuterie pairing, Sam brought out the new pineapple panna cotta dessert for us as a gift from the kitchen. I really enjoyed the dessert, which was a perfect combination of sweet and tart. To reaffirm my opinion, @MichaelBDC raved about the dessert despite his general ambivalence to sweets. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had a great dinner here on Saturday night sitting at the bar. Their selection of sour beers on tap is first rate and will always keep us coming back. We had charcuterie (speck, culatello, szechuan peppercorn), braised pork arepas, and the bacon cured spare ribs. All delicious. Considering we ordered all pork anyway we probably should just have gotten the Pig Feast. A good excuse to go back.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stopped by the Partisan yesterday for the first time for a quick lunch. I had the pastrami sub which was good and large. It is a sub roll with pretty mild thousand island dressing, with a bit of red cabbage and a bunch of chopped chunks of pastrami (I skipped the cheese). It was good and the pastrami was well made but I could have used a bit more additional flavors from the condiments to balance out the pastrami. The pastrami itself was a mix of a bit of fattier pieces and lean - which I liked but when I grabbed a bite or too of the lean it didn't have much flavor. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did a 'staff's pick' board of charcuterie and were pleased, combining it with a nice bowl of olives, and bleu cheese, a semihard cheese, and a soft cheese. The crispy chicken wings were perfectly cooked and good quality, but I agree that they were under seasoned. It wasn't clear what the plan was with the boar ribs--not really smoked, with a lightly sweet, very lightly flavored sauce. More boldness would have been great for both. Service was good.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...