Steel Plate, Gastropub by the Owner of Rustik - 12th and Newton Street NE in Brookland - Closed

[New Foodie]

Steel Plate opened recently in Brookland from the owner of Rustik. It's located on 12th between Monroe and Newton (right across the street from Smith Public Trust, which is in it's World Cup soft opening phase). +1 and I went childless last night to check it out, although it's apparently quite child-friendly (high-chairs and what not and we saw 3 kids while we were there).

We didn't get to check out the upstairs, but the downstairs space is nice. A bit dark with the dark wood everywhere, but a nice long bar down the right side, booths on the left, and tables up front by the window. Exposed brick wall, Edison lights...not atypical from a lot of new openings, but I liked the space. Our server was also very friendly and helpful with suggestions. It wasn't too busy when we were there (6:30-7:30 or so on a Thursday night with maybe 6 people at the bar and 8-10 at tables). They also have HH from 5-7pm that apparently is good a the tables as well as the bar ($2 off Rose, Malbec, and draft beers).

As for the food, I didn't think it was out of this world, but we definitely liked it, look forward to going back, and are very happy to have another "nicer" option in the hood.

We started with the Corn Cobblets (miso butter, herbs, mojama - $4) and the Pork Cheek Tonkatsu (tonkatsu sauce, mustard greens - $8). The corn was one cob cut into four pieces and coated with the butter and seasoning. Good summer appetizer with a little twist from the miso flavor. My +1 loves miso and liked this a lot. The pork cheek was two good-sized chunks with Japanese BBQ sauce and some greens on the side. Very rich and meaty with a nice tang from the sauce.

We had a hard time deciding on entrees (the waitress recommended the lamb burger and beet catsup, which wasn't up our alley, but apparently is quite good). But we ended up splitting the Sloppy Jose (pork shoulder, tomatillo sauce, chayote apple slaw - $12) with fries and the 'Shroom Ravioli (shitake, bean sprouts, broth - $14). The sandwich was large and good. We couldn't taste the tomatillo really, but the pork and sauce plus the slaw were quite tasty. And the fries were thin cut and hot and crispy. They are served with mayo here (which I believe is homemade) unless you ask for ketchup. I liked, but did not love, the ravioli. 5-6 ravioli in a well-seasoned broth topped with mushrooms, carrots, bean sprouts, and some other veggies, and swimming alongside ginger pearls. Definitely seemed like a good light pasta dish for the season and had some interesting flavor. We had to ask for spoons to get at the broth.

Dessert might have been my favorite part of the meal. We split the Uber Chocolate Trifle (dark chocolate cake, milk pudding, hazelnut crisp - $7). Served in a stemless wine glass, this was a rich and delicious end to the meal. The hazelnut crisps (almost like a cross between rice krispies and a brittle) on top were a nice contrast to the soft cake and sauce.

Other menu options included Doro Wat Wings, tots, 3 salads (charred caesar, house, and mustard green), chef's board (soft goat, cow/goat blue, and firm sheep with duck prosciutto, camel sausage, and cured catfish), lamb and lentil burger, beef burger, daily flatbread, fried chicken and dumplings, veggie hotbrown, BBQ brisket, spiced catfish, and scallops, and some other sides. Definitely some interesting sounding and eclectic dishes with most things in the $11-15 range and the most expensive being the scallops at $18.

[Tweaked]

We stopped in Steel Plate Saturday afternoon for a friend's birthday get together.  They had reserved the upstairs level to watch the G'Town v. Villanova game.

As New Foodie said decor is wood, exposed brick, Edison lights, and old industrial metal pieces parts used for decoration.  You can probably imagine exactly what the place looks like.

The midday menu is mostly attempts at elevated pub grub.  The grilled cheese and fries was fine, but the chilled pear compote served on the side really didn't add anything.

The beer list skewed local, Devil's Backbone Vienna Lager was on tap, along with plenty of other IPA/hoppy type beers.  Unfortunately, their only offering of something dark was Guinness.

All in all, it seemed like a nice local bar that any neighborhood would be happy to have.  Which is never a bad thing.

The view from 12th Street back toward Catholic University and the Basilica as the sun was setting...fabulous.

[cheezepowder]

Closing today (dcist, Steel Plate's Facebook post).