13 replies to this topic

[Pat]

I'm looking for a place to eat before a show at the Rock and Roll Hotel next week. Suggestions? Despite our reasonable proximity to H Street, we have not yet been there, nor to the Argonaut, or any of the other new nightspots that have opened .

The Argonaut struck me as the best spot to try. The other option I'd thought of is Granville Moore's. (I wasn't sure which thread to put this in. I don't see a general H Street/Atlas District thread.) The Rock and Roll Hotel also has food, but the menu won't be substantial enough for my husband.

Bonus question: This will be election night. Are any of these places likely to be packed on election night?

[DonRocks]

The following posts have been split into separate threads:

The Argonaut Tavern (Tweaked)
Granville Moore's (ferment everything)
Napa 1015 (youngfood)
Sticky Rice (wdcbrucefan)

Tacos Impala (DCDuck)

Far East Taco (DCDuck)

[Banco]

...lack of good sit down eating options aside from Granville's (though I've heard positive things about Smith Commons). What a waste.

Don't forget Liberty Tree and the Atlas Room. Both are quite good and probably serve the best food on H Street right now.

[DCDuck]

In a separate conversation with Don he had asked for my thoughts on different dining on options on H Street, NE, where I live, and this is what I came up with. He then asked that I post them here in this thread. Hope you find this useful, and/or that it sparks some discussion.

In my opinion, the Atlas Room is by far the "best" restaurant on this strip, and it is consistently good to great. I wish they would change up their menu a bit more (they switched out vegetables, for example, on their beef entree but the dish remained essentially the same), but that's really my only complaint. Love the bar and cocktails, and I think wine list, while small, is interesting and gets the job done. Toki Underground is my "favorite" H Street restaurant, which is a slightly different thing. It doesn't aim to be high end food, but it is the place I crave if I haven't been for a while. In fact, in typing this, I'm craving kimchee hakata right now. If I had to rank them myself, I'd rank H Street as such (and my apologies for what is a very lengthy missive):

1. Atlas Room
2. Toki Undergound
3. Ethiopic - I don't go as often as to most of the other places, since it is at the far end of the strip from my house, but I think they're worth another look. They are my favorite Ethiopian spot in the city.
4. The Queen Vic - This is probably the place on H where we eat most often. The food is good to very good, some items are excellent, the specials are interesting, the service is typically very good (particularly when Amanda is behind the bar) and they've always been willing to put my game on the television when I've asked. My wife doesn't love their beer list, and hasn't been able to find a go-to yet on their list, which is really our only quibble.
5. Granville Moore's - I tend to really like Granville's. I like the beer list, I really like that their menu is very focused, and I love mussels. I love the look and feel of the place. Usually when I'm there the service is good, and it tends to be excellent when I sit at the downstairs bar, particularly when Matt or Amanda (same as Amanda from the Vic) is working. They are just inconsistent enough, both with food and service, for me to not have it as my favorite or second favorite spot on the strip. I'm still quite happy it's there, but I don't love it as much as I wish I did.
6. Smith Commons - I've had four meals here and have been to the bar many more times than that. There's a lot here to like. They did a great job with the space. The service is usually good to great (with one exception in my experiences there). The beer list is good. Of the four meals I've had there, three were good, and one was terrible. The food seems to be priced about 10 to 20 percent higher than I think it should. The wine list has a lot of interesting choices (a Malbec from Idaho! An Oregon Pinot Noir, but it's from Southern Oregon! A dessert wine from Ohio?), but I think it is more designed to get reactions than it is designed to produce good drinking wines. I've had some fantastic cocktails here, but I've also had to send a Manhattan back because they failed to use bitters. So I like the place, and I will be back, particularly for drinks, but I can't say that I love it.
7. Liberty Tree - Food here is solid. I've never left really disappointed, but with the exception of my first visit during their first week of being open, I've never said "wow" while eating here either.

I won't rank the other places on your list, because I don't really see the point, but I will offer some thoughts:

Shawafel - I've been once, quite liked it. Worthy addition to the strip, great in the middle of the day when you just want a sandwich.
Pho Bar and Grill - I've only been once, about two weeks ago. They still hadn't found a bread vendor, so weren't offering Banh Mi, which is what I wanted, but the food seemed at least worth anther try. I hope they are awesome, but my expectations are a bit more modest.
Biergarten Haus - I think the food is terrible. The only thing here I'll eat are the pretzel rolls. Now that the weather seems to be cooling off I can't see myself darkening their door until it's warm enough to hit the patio.
Argonaut - You've seen my thoughts.
H Street Country Club - When they first opened I was impressed with some of their food and cocktails. I am no longer impressed, and we've taken it completely out of our rotation.
Souk - Eh. I want to like it, but I have trouble telling right now if they are even open, they seem to be closed on some evenings that don't make any sense.
Sova - For me, the most disappointing stop on the entire strip. I really, really want to like it, and on several occasions I have REALLY liked it. But they hemorrhage staff, losing their best bartenders whenever they attract any level of talent, they are always out of things, and the service can be infuriatingly slow. With other places around now serving decent wine (Smith Common and Atlas Room), and Church and State making better cocktails, we haven't seen a lot of reason to go back.
Star and Shamrock - Eh. Totally average.
The Big Board - Haven't been, but have heard really good things.
Fruit Bat - I don't go very often because I tend to not much like really fruity and sweet cocktails, but it isn't a bad spot. The food, when I've gotten it, has been solid.
Church and State - Not on your list, but they probably have the second best cocktails on the strip (after Atlas Room but ahead of Smith Common and Sova). I also like the space, and I'm very glad they're there.
Philadelphia Water Ice - I have no idea how they are still in business. They are open very strange hours, they seem surprised to see you when you show up and actually order food, and then they take forever to prepare your order. Not a fan.
Horace and Dickies - I like them, and I'm glad they're there. I seldom go there, but I'm glad they're there when I have a hankering for fried fish.
The Pug - I love the Pug. I would never eat there, but I love the place. They have a nice beer selection, there is no pretension at all, and you can take your beer upstairs to Toki if you're waiting for a table.
Tru Orleans - Not on your list. I'd place it near the bottom. Disappointing.
Inspire BBQ - I've been there twice. Solid bbq.
Khan's - I've never been, but should probably be on the list somewhere.
Dangerously Delicious Pies - Not on the list, their pies are good, if a bit expensive. We tend to only go at the end of a night of drinking.

Tacos Impala is now closed, although their full, non-pop-up spot, Impala, will be opening next year. I'm very fired up for this place, which means it will probably be a crushing disappointment, but I love tacos.

Hope that's at all useful.

[DCDuck]

So, despite the fact that earlier today I devoted approximately 30,000 words to the subject, I realized that I left a couple of places out, and I couldn't live with that.

Sticky Rice - Out of every three meals I have here one is good, one is mediocre at best, and one is terrible. Depending on where we are in the cycle I am either boycotting the place or am willing to give it another shot. Since, for right now, it is the only sushi joint remotely near where I live, that cycle will continue. Once the new sushi place opens up further down the strip, I'm hoping that they'll blow me away and knock Sticky Rice out for good. That, or Sticky Rice starts delivering consistently good food and service. The former is more likely.

Taylor Gourmet - I love sandwiches. When they first opened, I loved Taylor. I now only sort of like Taylor. The bread is worse. The toppings aren't as consistent in quality or ratios. But every now and then that Pattison Avenue is awesome. And that's why I'll keep going back. I'm curious about their yet to be opened cheesesteak spot, which I think is opening early next year.

[DaRiv18]

In my opinion, the Atlas Room is by far the "best" restaurant on this strip, and it is consistently good to great. I wish they would change up their menu a bit more (they switched out vegetables, for example, on their beef entree but the dish remained essentially the same), but that's really my only complaint. Love the bar and cocktails, and I think wine list, while small, is interesting and gets the job done. Toki Underground is my "favorite" H Street restaurant, which is a slightly different thing. It doesn't aim to be high end food, but it is the place I crave if I haven't been for a while. In fact, . . . [i]f I had to rank them myself, I'd rank H Street as such [:]:

1. Atlas Room
2. Toki Undergound
. . . I will offer some thoughts [on]:

Sova - For me, the most disappointing stop on the entire strip. I really, really want to like it, and on several occasions I have REALLY liked it. But they hemorrhage staff, losing their best bartenders whenever they attract any level of talent, they are always out of things, and the service can be infuriatingly slow. With other places around now serving decent wine (Smith Common and Atlas Room), and Church and State making better cocktails, we haven't seen a lot of reason to go back.

I am also a H Street resident, and I haven't gotten out as nearly as much as DCDuck. Much of what he writes I agree with wholeheartedly, however I want to expand on some things that he sets out, above.

First, I would rank Toki Underground #1 and Atlas Room #2. If you are only going by a one visit standard, then Atlas Room would probably win that round. However, if the standard is which has the stronger program, at this point I have to say TU by a narrow margin. I am now at the point where I order heavily from their specials, which offer great range, value, and adventure. Sure, it isn't for everyone (tonight I had fried pig ears ($5)). I also enjoyed the fried quail with sauteed grains in a roasted garlic confit, and an Abura Tsuke-Men which was awesome as well. At the Atlas Room, you should have no fears of getting a dish executed without perfection, but there are few surprises nowadays. For these reasons alone, many might rank the Atlas Room first, but my tastes are otherwise.

Rocks--currently on the Dining guide you say Atlas Room is the "best resturant in NE or SE", but also say of Toki Underground that you "haven't braved the waits" yet. You might need to visit TU if you plan to keep that Atlas Room blurb I suggest getting a seat at the kitchen, if possible.

Cocktail-wise, both restuarants are also #1 and #2 on the strip. Both menus have not changed substantially at all since opening. Chris at the Atlas Room is very meticulous, and I really like his Clover Club there. If anyone knows who designed TU's cocktail list, please let me know. His name is also Chris, but no TU employee there tonight knows where he was or where he is now -- apparently he is DC based. It's a $10 list, and there are some really good ones there, too.

I agree with DCDuck on the state of SOVA . . . remnants of its former self. There is no program there anymore. Really too bad--in its inception, Derek Brown designed the program and Jamie McBain executed it and added his own specials. Look at where they are now.

Finally, a quote from DCDuck with which I disagree violently:

Church and State - Not on your list, but they probably have the second best cocktails on the strip (after Atlas Room but ahead of Smith Common and Sova). I also like the space, and I'm very glad they're there.

Church and State, as a cocktail lounge, (1) offends my sensibilities as one who visits professional venues that implement actual concepts and programs, and (2) offers no redeeming value to me as a loner consumer.

My most flattering comments for the bar would praise its choice to use freshly squeezed juices. But that is just a forensic conclusion on my part, judging by the fruit flies floating in my bourbon cocktail ("Waiter, there's a fly in my coupe"). Otherwise, the ice program is banal, the glassware is stocked randomly and utilized senselessly, and the recipes scream POSEUR.

Upon my first visit months ago, I scanned the shelves and realized they carried no apertifs or bitters, save one (and it was flavored lavendar). Tonight, I saw a collection of perhaps 6 bitters, but the bartender told me she just used Reagan's #6 for all of her drinks, "they're all pretty much the same." Her Manhattan consisted of rye and the liquid in which the house cherries were brandied (she just free-poured straight from that container). And if recounted the technique I saw behind that stick, I'd just get mad all over again, and I need to go to sleep here pretty soon.

Lest you think my outrage consists of this individual performance, the majority of the cocktails are priced at $13, which is high even by DC standards. This is only a value if you compare it to bottle service at the clubs. My bartender was nice and I am not attacking her personally, but she obviously has not been properly trained or introduced to any of the generally accepted principles of cocktail making. The product they stock is really pretty much a joke. That Church and State advertises itself as a "speakeasy" is a disservice to the Columbia Room or The Gibson or PX, as well as all of the fine restaurant bars in the area.

I have sat at many competent and exciting bars, and have seen countless instances of other customers who don't appreciate the great cocktails that great bartenders serve them. They don't understand what they are imbibing, and they don't give it a chance. Pretty sad. I feel that Church and State actually justifies this customers' behavior, because its approach is more about a money grab and gouging the customer than it is about furthering a craft. The atmosphere is fine, it looks like you can have a fun time there if you concentrate solely on your friends, but the drinks are nothing but empty wasted calories, at best. The worst venue in the city, as far as I can tell.

[DCDuck]

No need to get violent! As a result of this post, my wife and I decided to venture back to Church and State this weekend as we realized we hadn't been in quite some time, and I wanted to re-think my previously stated opinion. Based on my most recent visit I have to say that my opinion now pretty closely aligns with DaRiv18's above.

I had never sat directly at the bar before, having only been before with a group of friends elsewhere in the bar, but this time sat directly in front of the bartender, who was very friendly and engaging. The drinks I sampled, however, were very substandard. The Manhattan is as described above, a free pour of rye and the juice from the cherries and vermouth. It was borderline un-drinkable, and the "homemade" cherries were far worse than those that I put together on my first try last spring. If you poured it for me blind I wouldn't have been able to identify the Martinez. I was distracted by my conversation while that drink was being made so I didn't catch what ingredients they put in it. The Martini was probably the best drink I tasted there. Given the low bar set earlier, however, I don't for one second want anyone to see that as an endorsement. It was merely ok. They used Cook's "Champagne" in my friend's Champagne cocktail.

In conclusion, I'll concede the point to DaRiv18, and withdraw my earlier, more positive comment. The space is nice, and the service we had was solid, so it can still definitely be fun if you're with a group and you actually want to be able to have a conversation. But certainly not worth going to if you're going out of your way to find a great cocktail. Go to the Passenger/Columbia Room, PS7, or the Atlas Room if you want to stay on H Street.

[DaRiv18]

DCDuck, you have nothing to concede and I'm sorry that I framed my rant with your comment. You obviously went in looking to have a good time and had a good time with your friends, which is what normal people do. Church and State is a fine place to go with your friends, even I could enjoy their highball there. I want to buy you a drink, you write a great, exhaustive guide and then I focus on the words "second best cocktails" and go ape-shit.

For me, I know there are alot of bartenders in the city trying to push their art forward, so it pisses me off that Church and State puts out a half-assed menu, doesn't even stock an orange liqueur of any kind (that must be wrong, but I didn't see any), and then charges 30% more than most of our favorite venues in the city.

BTW, one place that you don't mention where I have had a decent time is Little Miss Whiskey's Silver Dollar. They have a decent beer program, even though it is more of a hipster demographic than in what I belong. You can order Bell's or Great Lakes, or you can order a Colt 45 and they put it in a fitted brown paper bag with a "Colt 45" logo on it. Tonight DC Brau is doing their Corruption Ale in cans release, and they used to do a visiting grillmaster on the weekends on the patio.

[DCDuck]

Little Miss Whiskey's is certainly an ommission on my part. I do like it, they have a wonderful beer selection. I enjoy going there earlier in the evening for exactly the reason you mention. Most times if I find myself there later at night on a weekend I realize that I'm simply not cool enough to be hanging out there on a regular basis.

I'd also like to agree with you in your comment on Toki's cocktail list, which I didn't address earlier. I like it a lot. Limited, but inventive, delicious, and reasonably priced. Strongly agree with your assessment. In particular I like the Toki Monster.

[DonRocks]

Does anyone have any information on either Tacos Impala or Chow?

 

They've both been dangling for quite awhile.

[RWBooneJr.]

H Street is a problem, but I work with it.

 

You can get to H Street, NE in 20 minutes.  I-66E to Rt. 110S to I-395N, through the 3rd Street tunnel.  Take the Mass Ave. exit out of the tunnel and go right on H.

[DonRocks]

You can get to H Street, NE in 20 minutes.  I-66E to Rt. 110S to I-395N, through the 3rd Street tunnel.  Take the Mass Ave. exit out of the tunnel and go right on H.

 

Yep, and I *always* forget that and go down Constitution (which, as a west-east corridor, is a nightmare second only to L Street) - funny, since I take (the first part of) that route to Barracks Row.

[porcupine]

You can get to H Street, NE in 20 minutes.  I-66E to Rt. 110S to I-395N, through the 3rd Street tunnel.  Take the Mass Ave. exit out of the tunnel and go right on H.

 

Like so many routes in DC, 395 is fantastic except when it isn't.  Boy have I gotten screwed on that road.

 

Yep, and I *always* forget that and go down Constitution (which, as a west-east corridor, is a nightmare second only to L Street) - funny, since I take (the first part of) that route to Barracks Row.

 

Constitution Ave is the worst slog in the city, and east-west is no better.  Where else in DC will it take you 25 minutes to go a mile and a half at 10:15 on a weekday night?  If you're going to try an alternate to 395, try Independence Ave.
 

[DanielK]

Like so many routes in DC, 395 is fantastic except when it isn't.  Boy have I gotten screwed on that road.

 

Constitution Ave is the worst slog in the city, and east-west is no better.  Where else in DC will it take you 25 minutes to go a mile and a half at 10:15 on a weekday night?  If you're going to try an alternate to 395, try Independence Ave.

 

Except that blasted yield to get on to Independence coming from 66 means you can spend 15 minutes just trying to get off the bridge.

 

Ballston to RFK last night during rush hour took an hour. My GPS (and Google Maps as a backup) diverted me OFF the idea of 395 or Independence because Constitution, as bad as it was, was still going to be quicker.