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The Green Pig Bistro, Modern-American Gastropub on N Fillmore St, Clarendon


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They actually have outdoor seating! I think 2 tables in the front and 3 tables on the side down 11th street. I also noticed today that they have a snazzy sign up on the brick wall outside, cant wait to see it lit up.

I think they are still struggling with temperature control in the bar area as it gets hot very easily. i was just in there last friday and they added a rotating fan but everyone was still sweating, including me. the dining area is more airy and much better controlled in terms of temp.

I had the loco corn and it tasted alright. I had to eat all 5 pieces by myself (shame ^_^) and it tasted good, but I wouldn't order it again. My favorite things so far are the kung pao sweetbreads, ribs, and banana cake. I have tried almost everything else but not the fried chicken plate!

I did try out their brunch and am glad to report that it is very tasty. Merc340 got the chicken n' waffles which was oddly soggy. He wasn't a fan of the thick gravy (obviously he's never had good biscuits and gravy!), so I ate that up for him. I had the french toast which was more like bread pudding but that made it even more delicious. The star of the meal was definitely the sour cream donuts! They are so hard to find and I'm glad that they started making them. I've already picked what I'll order next time and I'm glad they do brunch saturday and sunday. There is definitely a market for more weekend brunch/lunch in clarendon.

This is still *the* best restaurant in Clarendon, and I would even venture to say Arlington! There are a couple places I can think of that might rival it, but definitely not surpass it (e.g. Willow gets great reviews but I didn't have a good experience there; Bangkok 54 is great, but would still rather go to GP; Tandoori Nights is always a delight).

Oh, and to the poster that loves the ice cream, I'm sure that they would let you order the ice cream a la carte! Peanut butter and maple are both creamy and not too sweet.

I've lived in the building for over 2 years and there's been only one or two days that I didn't see parking on the first level. I agree that it is getting more crowded with Revolve, though the cyclists seem to go to the GP bar or Screwtop after their class so not sure they clear out in "a shift". There is parking under the Trader Joe's, street parking by there and all around. They demolished the parking lot that used to be caddy corner from GP. There also may be less parking because of the people *working* at GP, Revolve, and the new salon.

The only sad thing is that the bar is very very busy. At times there is a bartender assisting Andrew (andrew makes less and less drinks these days) and he either doesn't admittedly know how to make the drinks, or they just aren't as good. I'd take Matt/Andrew any day though! I've only had one drink that wasn't to my liking (a bourbon mint julep) out of the many, many I've enjoyed there.

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Oh, and they also added purse hooks at the bar after I (and some other people) requested!

I love places that listen to their clientele.

I love that too! We will definitely check Green Pig out soon (especially now that their menu is online and I see that there's plenty of things to offer the kiddo, who eats sweetbreads but would not touch an ox heart reuben -- but he'll go right for the fried chicken or burger).

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Had a bunch of snacks, apps and 1 side. The snacks were all delicious - snails and mushrooms on grilled bread with cream gravy. Chopped liver on grilled bread - just a hint of sweetness to offset the liver. Rock shrimp roll on spicy pickled veggies - not lobster but almost as good, and the spicy veggies provide a nice contrast. The 3 apps were mixed. The octopus and pork were terribles - tough tentacle and overbraised pork (braised with Chinese pickled greens - the Chinese dish is called mei tsai kou rou, and the veggie is called meigan tsai). The kung pao sweetbread tastes fine but I wasn't a fan of dousing fried sweetbread with a watery kung pao sauce (mostly soy sauce). Do a Gen Tso sauce so the sweetbread stays crispy! The duck cavatelli had wonderfully smoked duck, but what does a runny egg add to this dish? I like a good carbonara but a raw egg in the pasta? We also had a side of duck liver poutine. A few slivers of liver, lots of fries, some greasy cheese, and barely visible gravy - is this what poutine is supposed to be? I didn't order the pig ear taco because I don't understand crispy pig ears. I had them at Michael Symon's restaurant. When you fry the pig ears until they're crispy, then you take away the texture of chewing on skin and cartilage, and whatever flavor the pig ears had.

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I had to share our memorable night that ended with no power on the night of the derecho. It was our first visit, and I was seated with a nice view of the kitchen. It was warm in the restaurant, and the ice in my Pimms melted fast, so it tasted like very weak lemonade. The waiter was infectiously enthusiastic about the food. He loved what he was serving and as others have said, there was no pretension. The staff overall had a friendly, teamy vibe. Shrimp roll and pig taco were fantastic. Octopus and pork cheeks were good, but I needed a few bites to adjust to the soft texture of the octopus. Rabbit cake and rockfish delicious. Red wine needed a chiller (especially given the heat). My favorite ice cream is peanut butter so I had to have the donut for dessert. It was perfect...not too sweet. Then the derecho hit. The power went out and the restaurant went pitch black. Everyone sat calmly until the generators kicked in. The temperature dropped and the atmosphere became festive, as it was the end of the night and most folks were wrapping up their meal. Icee pops were distributed by the bucket-full to tables, so we left with pops in hand to face the destruction outside. We'll be back!

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Enjoyed BRUNCH here the last 2 weekends in a row. I love their traditional eggs benedict with the house cured "Clarendon Bacon" I'm calling it that because we aren't in Canada and Scot's team makes it in-house with love. I've seena picture of the pig to prove it. ;)

My husband also had the fully loaded breakfast biscuit, with sausage and a cheese sauce that was just heavenly.

One of my biggest compliments has to go to the simple but always delicious side salad. I love the shallots and the dressing, so simple yet so very good.

If you haven't been for brunch there yet, you should give them a try. They open at 10:30 I believe.

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It sounds like his only issues, really, were salt and sugar. I haven't noticed any problems with either, and have eaten at Green Pig many, many times, though I haven't had many of the dishes Tom faults. The only thing I've had there that I wasn't crazy for were the Kung Pao sweetbreads, which tasted mostly of soy sauce when I tried them. Tom loved them, which is kind of funny, because they were the only salty thing I can recall having.

I find it interesting that both Toms have complained of things being oversalted at numerous places lately, as have a number of posters in their forums. I haven't noticed it in DC, but I got an oversalted dish at Spotted Pig in NY. Is salt getting saltier or something (he says, knowing this is basically chemically impossible)?

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I've only eaten here once, fairly recently, and did not experience too much salt and sugar. Even my sweetbreads were not overly salty and I would gladly return for the crispy rockfish on corn. Also, the Salisbury steak's gravy was not too sweet. Just for the banana sponge cake, one of the best desserts I have had lately, you would think Tom could have added a star. The service, on the other hand, is still a bit rough, with attempted plate snatching and servers playfully grabbing their co-workers' asses, that sort of thing.

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Ouch.

Well, at least Tom is being consistent.

It sounds like his only issues, really, were salt and sugar. I haven't noticed any problems with either, and have eaten at Green Pig many, many times, though I haven't had many of the dishes Tom faults. . . Is salt getting saltier or something (he says, knowing this is basically chemically impossible)?

This sounds similar to my experiences at Boundary Road, which also got 1.5 stars. But they concede on one night Tom came in, they had run out of kosher salt and had to use table salt. I don't doubt Tom when says he ate something that was oversalted (or oversugared, for that matter). I also don't doubt that you've had many a fine meal at the GPB.

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But they concede on one night Tom came in, they had run out of kosher salt and had to use table salt.

This is lame on two fronts - first, there's no reason EVER a restaurant should run out of a staple like kosher salt, and Tom always visits a place several times. So unless they were out of kosher salt for several weeks, this is a bullshit excuse.

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Who said it was an excuse? I'm saying it happened, and Tom noticed. I am not saying they were always out of kosher salt, it happened one time to my knowledge, not sure what happened on the other 4 visits there. And I'm saying, I believe Tom saw similar seasoning flaws at GPB.

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They had no sea salt laying around?

I'm not sure why a restaurant would even have iodized salt around except to prevent goiters?

Let me backtrack, as I heard this from the waitstaff and not the chef. They ran out of kosher salt, and switched to another salt. Maybe it was sea salt, I haven't confirmed. At any rate, the important point is when you switch seasoning from one salt to another, you have to make an adjustment. And apparently the adjustment wasn't made correctly. And Tom noticed. So, I defer to his reviews in both cases. Think what you will of his personal tastes but he should be able to judge seasoning adequately.

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As always taste, is a matter of opinion, what's to salty/sweet to one.... Having eaten at GPB a number of times, i never felt that anything was out of whack. I have more issue with the reviews reference to the Chef De Cuisine as a sidekick. I find that to be patronizing, condescending and disrespectful. Say what you want about what you ate or how loud the room is, but treat the professionals who work there with a modicum of respect.

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I didn't read Tom's review before going for my first visit tonight. And now, having read it, I'm not sure that I ate in the same place that Tom did. Everything that I ordered was spot on and perfectly and subtly seasoned. I started with blood cake and fried egg from the snacks section of the menu. Scott delivered it to me himself, interested to see who was adventurous enough to order it. It was a square, cut from a loaf of British-style black pudding, thickened with corn meal and "Americanized" with a hint of maple syrup. Crisped on the plancha and topped with two sunny-side up eggs. Absolutely delicious. I watched Scott unmold a second terrine and slice it, placing the pieces in a storage pan, so it is available for the next few days, at least. I'm guessing it's not that popular a menu item, because the managers and servers all came by to see who had ordered it and asked how I liked it. Well, all you adventurous eaters out there--this is an unusual treat you should not miss.

Let her eat cakes, I decided. And ordered rabbit cake for my main: a burger size formed cake of braised rabbit meat, also crisped on the griddle, with a hint of mustard, set atop a fennel and radish slaw that reminded me of a fennel slaw recipe I developed last Fall, complete with pickled red onion. Also in it was a little bit of peach and some cold cooked green and wax beans. Also on the plate, a slightly sweet and spicy bbq sauce. A wonderfully satisfying dish, the meat crispy outside, moist inside complemented nicely by the fresh slaw.

Butterscotch pudding is creamier and less intensely flavored than the excellent butterscotch budino I had at Pizzeria Mozza in L.A. or the butterscotch pot de creme at BlackSalt, but the puddle of salted caramel on top which was bathing several candied pecans was outrageously good.

I had a glass of Albemarle Vyds. Virginia rosé which was refreshing. All in all, a wonderfully satisfying meal and more worthy of 2 1/2 to 3 stars as far as I'm concerned.

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Butterscotch pudding is creamier and less intensely flavored than the excellent butterscotch budino I had at Pizzeria Mozza in L.A. or the butterscotch pot de creme at BlackSalt, but the puddle of salted caramel on top which was bathing several candied pecans was outrageously good.

Do you recommend the butterscotch pudding although it's less intense? I'm hoping to go to Green Pig tonight -- have been dying to try it -- and that's the dessert that caught my eye.

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The service, on the other hand, is still a bit rough, with attempted plate snatching and servers playfully grabbing their co-workers' asses, that sort of thing.

If you're not doing this at your place of business then team building exercises are most likely needed to promote cohesion

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Do you recommend the butterscotch pudding although it's less intense? I'm hoping to go to Green Pig tonight -- have been dying to try it -- and that's the dessert that caught my eye.

Absolutely. It tastes sort of like the whipped cream on top of the pot de creme at BlackSalt were mixed into the pudding instead of sitting on top. And that salted caramel sauce with candied pecans is super intense.

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That certainly doesn't read like a 1.5 star review. Another reason why I kind of dislike the "star" system.

I find that good restaurants that are truly built to last with good leadership both in FOH and BOH can and will get over an 'off' review. In some cases its what gives them the turn they need to be successful. I firmly believe that Mr. Harlan and his crew will look at this merely as a stepping stone and not a slight to their efforts.

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Absolutely. It tastes sort of like the whipped cream on top of the pot de creme at BlackSalt were mixed into the pudding instead of sitting on top. And that salted caramel sauce with candied pecans is super intense.

Excellent! Thank you. Will definitely order that when we go. Hopefully tonight/tomorrow.

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We had a quite good, but not spectacular, meal here on Sunday. I started with green gazpacho with crab on top -- very tasty and I would order it again, except that there were other appetizers I want to try. Husband had pig ear tacos and was very happy with them. Then my son and I split the rockfish (he didn't have much appetite, or would've had his own meal, but he ate more than half the fish and liked it a lot, asked for more after his first bite). Tasty fish, well cooked with a nice sear, on a pool of succotash that included fresh corn. Not so spectacular that I'm dreaming of having it again, but a nice entree.

We had ordered both the cornbread and the Parker House rolls, and didn't realize how much over-ordering that was (servings of both were very large), had gotten both because son said his stomach was a little upset so bread would be good. Both were very good, though not as good reheated as leftovers. The cornbread in a hot skillet tended to savory rather than sweet (I prefer the sweet so it wasn't my ideal, but for savory-lovers it would be just right) and had a nice crumb. Husband had the special, the cottage pie, and wished the waiter had mentioned it came with sides (we may have missed that on the menu) as we would've ordered less, but the sides were good - a wedge salad (his favorite kind), and the loco corn, which he said was sweet not spicy, but otherwise like the spicy mayo'd corn I get at Nats Park.

Too full for dessert - will go back for it. We saw friends there who said it was their favorite neighborhood restaurant now, and they recommended the smoked duck cappellini, the market steak, and the banana cake.

Nothing seemed oversalted or oversugared, despite the Post review.

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I don't know if this is the right thread for it (so please move it, Don, if not) - but my cohort Marshall and I will be doing classes at Green Pig starting soon!

He's doing most of them, I'll be doing the apertifs and digestifs one in October.

http://scofflawsden....class-schedule/

Very cool !

Can anyone comment on wearing shorts here on a Friday night? Seems to be fairly casual? I could be wrong, that's just an inference.

Also wait time on a Friday night for 4 people around 8pm? Asking for trouble?

Thanks !

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Very cool !

Can anyone comment on wearing shorts here on a Friday night? Seems to be fairly casual? I could be wrong, that's just an inference.

Also wait time on a Friday night for 4 people around 8pm? Asking for trouble?

Thanks !

It was pretty casual - we were there on a Sunday night, in shorts, and didn't feel out of place.

Might be asking for trouble on the wait time. There is also bar seating, and a big communal table, which is where they seated us when we came without a reservation at 7 on a Sunday - otherwise it would've been a 25-minute wait.

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Had a lights-out meal here Friday night. The wait system is fantastic. I'll rehash it from above. They let you know approx. how long your wait will be, then take your cell # and text you a personal link which you load a webapp to see how many parties are in front of you. It updates periodically so you can get a sense of how fast things are going. We waited about 45 minutes at 8pm on a Friday night. Spent the time down the street at Screw Top sitting outside while we monitored our progress. This is a really great system considering their bar area is sort of small (loud, hot etc.).

Highlights from our meal were the blood cake, crspy fried pig ear taco, smoked duck cavatelli, mac and cheese (very smoky). Wife had the rockfish, the corn and succotash were really excellent.

I had the trout with charred tomato quinoa. Really strange for me to order light and healthy at a place like this, but the apps and sides we got were very rich (and delicious!) so I decided to stay light. This was really great, awesome crsipyness on the trout skin. Two large (for trout) fillets over a pile of quinoa with other briased veggies. Really nice dish.

The other couple shared the Pork Shank, Belly, Grits and Greens for two. We tried the belly which had fabulouis skin on it, and the shank meat was fall off the bone tender. Tons of polenta and greens. They loved this dish.

The dining room is a great space. We loved the open kitchen and the wall paper had us talking.

Can't wait to return. This is definitely one of the better meals we have had recently.

(No complaints on seasoning btw :rolleyes: )

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Had a lights-out meal here Friday night. The wait system is fantastic. I'll rehash it from above. They let you know approx. how long your wait will be, then take your cell # and text you a personal link which you load a webapp to see how many parties are in front of you. It updates periodically so you can get a sense of how fast things are going. We waited about 45 minutes at 8pm on a Friday night. Spent the time down the street at Screw Top sitting outside while we monitored our progress. This is a really great system considering their bar area is sort of small (loud, hot etc.).

Highlights from our meal were the blood cake, crspy fried pig ear taco, smoked duck cavatelli, mac and cheese (very smoky). Wife had the rockfish, the corn and succotash were really excellent.

I had the trout with charred tomato quinoa. Really strange for me to order light and healthy at a place like this, but the apps and sides we got were very rich (and delicious!) so I decided to stay light. This was really great, awesome crsipyness on the trout skin. Two large (for trout) fillets over a pile of quinoa with other briased veggies. Really nice dish.

The other couple shared the Pork Shank, Belly, Grits and Greens for two. We tried the belly which had fabulouis skin on it, and the shank meat was fall off the bone tender. Tons of polenta and greens. They loved this dish.

The dining room is a great space. We loved the open kitchen and the wall paper had us talking.

Can't wait to return. This is definitely one of the better meals we have had recently.

(No complaints on seasoning btw :rolleyes: )

Say hi next time. I was there with my family and we ordered many of the same dishes you did. Kung pao lamb sweetbreads were sensational, as were the crispy pig tacos, as well as blood cake, revisited. J and I ordered the pork shank for two, which was enough to feed three or four. We brought a fair amount of it home, and had it yesterday. A deep, hearty braise like that seems more like a fall or winter dish, but it was just so damn delicious, I didn't care. The chef achieved amazing depth of flavor in the pork shank and pork belly, and the long-cooked stone ground grits managed to be simultaneously creamy and textured, great flavor and textures all at the same time. Very satisfying.
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Was at the bar last night, had the tomato salad, which had good flavor, and nice tomatoes right now. I liked the watermelon in it too, it was a nice balance of flavor. Good if you want something fairly light, but it was a fair portion fyi. Also had the crispy pig tacos. I really liked the crunchy texture of the pig and thought it had decent pig flavor, but I am a pretty big taco lover. I thought the slaw and sauce all came together nicely. Also had a nice selection of Virginia wine if you are into that sort of thing.

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No! For some reason I posted wrong snippet from my blog! When I went back I actually had the special. I only had a couple bites of the smokey mac and cheese because I didn't have dairy pills with me. It was ok, I think since I don't eat much of that sort of thing anymore I just don't have the taste for it. I did really like the greens though, nice flavor and texture, a little tangy and nice. And I liked the chicken, it was more homestyle than like Popeyes or other fried chicken- due to the preparation, but I really liked the flavor, similar to skillet fried chicken my mom makes. And the biscuit was good (yep I was bad, but it was good to be bad.)

I did order the chocolate cake again though sans ice cream. That is addictive.

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I absolutely love this place. I don't know that I would travel from MOCO or anything, but it is an absolutely lovely little neighborhood joint, with good food and very very nice people. Went for happy hour recently. Bartender was really nice. Had the crispy pig tacos, which I thought were very good, crispy and had pig flavor, nice crunch, slaw was a nice bit of citrus and crunch, but I am a big taco fan. Also had the tomato salad, which had a nice variety of tomatoes, I wish it had a tad bit more watermelon, but it was nice and refreshing on a hot day.

You went again and ordered the same stuff?? :D

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Stuck in the neighborhood at La Tasca for happy hour (not my choice), the mediocre-to-poor empanadas there prompted me to suggest going elsewhere for dinner.

A quoted 20 minute wait for a table (at 8p on a Wednesday) almost sent us elsewhere, but generally glad we decided to stick it out.

Having already had cocktails and a few wasted bites of empanadas, we decided to just share starters and a dessert, rather than get mains.

Crispy pig tacos were very good, but I was expecting some crispy pork skin for crunch, not just crispy from the slaw. Still very good, but some crispy skin (and half the amount of sauce that came pouring off the tacos when picked up) would raise these to great.

Kung Pao sweetbreads were fantastic, as everyone has mentioned, though must be eaten quickly when they arrive at the table - they're best when piping hot and still super crispy.

Mac & cheese was an excellent rendition - nothing new or trendy, deconstructed, sous vide, just mac and cheese.

The smoked duck cavatelli was not. Cavatelli, that is. Our waiter mentioned after we ordered it that the pasta extruder had cracked that afternoon, so they were offering this over risotto instead. That sounded pretty great to us, and the flavor profile of the dish was spot on. But I think the risotto guy poured in too much liquid on the very last add, and got stuck between the choice of a] serving risotto that was too soupy, b] cooking it so the grains were too far past al dente, or c] apologizing and sending out something else. He should have chosen c], because b] would have been a disaster, but a] was what we got, and risotto soup wasn't really what I ordered.

"Bee sting cake" with plums was very nice, though the supposedly homemade ice cream was just ok.

Service was fairly attentive, with two minor nits: the waiter was already turning away from the table after asking how everything was (3 times), so if we'd actually asked for anything, he'd have had to turn back around. Odd. And the check was dropped moments after the desserts were. I might understand that if he was needing to turn the table or finish his shift, but neither of these were true at 9:15pm on a weeknight.

Overall, a great neighborhood spot, and one I'd be happy to return to if I was in the area, but not a place I'd drive out for.

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Crispy pig tacos were very good, but I was expecting some crispy pork skin for crunch, not just crispy from the slaw. Still very good, but some crispy skin (and half the amount of sauce that came pouring off the tacos when picked up) would raise these to great.

The tacos on the current menu are now just "Pig Tacos." They are made with a braised pork instead of the crispy pigs ears. The tacos are still good, but I also prefer the "Crispy Pig Tacos." And if it's still on the menu, the smoked bluefish brandade "snack" I had last week is exceptional. It's served as little fried balls that reminded me of takoyaki. It is possibly the single best dish I've had at Green Pig, aside from a softshell crab sandwich special that showed up only once. The bacon cheeseburger is also one of the best thick-patty burgers anywhere in the area right now.

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The smoked duck cavatelli was not. Cavatelli, that is. Our waiter mentioned after we ordered it that the pasta extruder had cracked that afternoon, so they were offering this over risotto instead. That sounded pretty great to us, and the flavor profile of the dish was spot on. But I think the risotto guy poured in too much liquid on the very last add, and got stuck between the choice of a] serving risotto that was too soupy, b] cooking it so the grains were too far past al dente, or c] apologizing and sending out something else. He should have chosen c], because b] would have been a disaster, but a] was what we got, and risotto soup wasn't really what I ordered.

Or d] he could have been making it all'onda style which is soupier.

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I went last night for a tap takeover (Blue Mountain). It wasn't that crowded for a Thursday night at 6pm.

We almost always sit at the bar and we snagged two stools. We got a crispy pig tail, salt cod fritter, and the rabbit cake that was featured in Y&H recently. The bartenders were a bit hard to get a hold of - Andrew is great if you can get him, but the other bartender forgot about our drinks while filling drinks for other people that ordered after us (?) He also was yelling all over the place though it wasn't very loud inside. I was watching the Nats game, so didn't mind the slow service.

Once we were able to get our order in, the food came out fast and was delicious. The salt cod was a bit salty for me, but it was still very good and we ate all 5 nuggets. The rabbit cake has turned more to the fall flavors with sweet potato, apple, and brussel sprouts instead of the mentioned carrot/peas combo in the article which is fine because I ate every last bit of it! It truly is like a "crab cake with rabbit instead of crab". It still was a bit hot in the bar, but that might just be the nature of bodies in the bar (there is not much air circulation).

The peachy manhattan I had was good (definitely a sipping drink), and a "something with house infused pear vodka" was good too, though less drinkable than the manhattan.

I went for brunch recently and it was a bit of a miss. The sausage was too large for the sandwich, causing the sausage egg sandwich to explode on first bite. Sour Cream donuts are $4 for 1 donut and they are the best thing about brunch. First brunch experience was 50/50 too - great french toast that was more like bread pudding, more donuts, but a chicken and soggy waffle won't get ordered again. I will probably still go for brunch since they have some good lunch options during brunch hours.

All in all, I still love this place and still think it's the best food in Clarendon, though you can't eat there every night of course since it's not the cheapest place :) You can make great meals out of the snacks and appetizers without committing to a full entree.

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I went last night for a tap takeover (Blue Mountain). It wasn't that crowded for a Thursday night at 6pm.

Knew nothing of the tap takeover, but the Belgian Brown and the Pale were very good. I was not crowded around 730p either as we walked right and got a table with no problem.

Started with the peanut soup with belly. The soup is rather thick and on the salty side, but the belly meat was crispy and flavorful. The roast chicken (served with ham, creamed corn, mushrooms) was very good, but the breast was just a slight bit on the dry side. The other main was the trout (served with farro and butternut squash) was good but nothing I would order again.

The bee sting cake was OK. I thought the ice cream and plums were the best part as the cake was rather bland and dry.

BTW, the smoked duck is now on the menu as risotto. :P

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Went to GP last weekend for the first time with my wife and 7 year old daughter. Food was awesome. Service was great. But there is a best part about our trip that happened just yesterday...

My daughter went to the doctor for her annual checkup and her doctor always asks her questions about her life to evaluate her comprehension levels (I suppose.)

Doctor: "So Madeline, what's your favorite food?"

Madeline: "Ox heart reubens."

=Happy Dad

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Last week we tried the Pork Shank for 2 and a side of cornbread.

The shank was very tender and moist.

but the cornbread....OMG the cornbread.....

That cornbread is the best I have eaten in my entire life and I come from a Southern family and have eaten a LOT of cornbread.

I might be crazy assuming this, but I bet there is a can of creamed corn in the mix!! Ha ha :D Delightful!

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I'm a fan of their plat du jour special. It's an entree with sides set in a tv dinner-like divided plate plus a mini dessert for $20. There's a different entree for each night of the week. The dishes are comfort foods like meatloaf, fish and chips, and chili rather than the more adventurous foods (of which there seems to be less on the menu than their earlier days).

I've probably had the Mon night fried chicken the most. It's two pieces of fried chicken, a fluffy biscuit, creamy macaroni and cheese and collard greens. The mini dessert used to be a choice of fruit cobbler or a molten chocolate cake, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, but a few weeks ago, it was the molten chocolate cake w/ice cream.

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Stopped by Green Pig Bistro with a friend to checkout their weekend Brunch. I came away pretty happy with what we had.

My +1 liked their Angry Bird, their take on Chicken & Waffles (1 juicy fried breast sandwiched between 2 waffles, gravy on the bottom and maple syrup poured on the top waffle). It was quite filling, and a tad sweet once the syrup started making its way to the chicken. I tried the Shrimp / Andouille Grits / Poached Egg and really enjoyed this. About 5 large 'head-on' shrimp atop a bed of nicely flavored grits and accompanying salsa with just enough amount of heat (really added to the grits, both my +1 and I agreed). I thought both were good values in the lower-mid teens.

The only thing which was just ok was their take on Poutine. Instead of Cheese Curds they blended a nice cheese (I forgot what it was, but I'll recall it) into the brown gravy. It had a nice flavor but after many years going to Montreal and having poutine as my 2am drunk food, it just didn't work as poutine to me ... fancy cheese fries sure. And the $9 price seemed a tad high imo.

No drink specials that I saw, decent beer and wine selection and pre-formatted cocktails on the menu. I liked the Zubrowka (Bak’s Bisongrass Vodka, House Spiced 6, Toigo Orchards Apple Cider), reasonably priced at $6 imo. Wish I tried their house made sodas, wanted to try their ginger beer. Next time.

Service was very pleasant and helpful with opinions on food selection.

All in all, very nice 1st experience for me. If I'm back around Clarendon / Courthouse I'd definitely consider eating here again. Although I may need to try Fuego Cocina on my next trip around here.

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I had dinner at The Green Pig for the first time. Excellent, tasty, fun, uplifting. The bar was hopping. Small, crowded, it looked efficient and the vibe was great from the customers. Very happy bar.

I went in fairly tired and fairly full, not a great way to have a meal. Everything was simply superb and lifted my spirits.

Highlights for me were from the Snacks menu and the appetizers. From the snacks menu fried pimento cheese (balls) with two tasting dips. Encore encore. Delicious.

From the appetizer menu I loved the smoked duck risotto. Very tasty, egg on top, beautifully presented, entirely delightful.

Service was excellent and friendly. Scott stopped by. He is effervescent. We were in the dining room. I love watching BOH staff work. They were "cooking" efficient, smooth, you could see when orders picked up a bit and when they were slightly slower...but they handled everything well.

Wonderful dinner. I'll be back...hungrier next time with more room for more food and variety.

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Just wanted to say I really like the duck and lentil dish on the menu right now. It has a really good balance of flavors. Duck had a good crisp on top, not too fatty, very tender and cooked perfectly. The lentils were well seasoned and the chard and rhubarb were just right in terms of flavor profile. I had mine with foie which just took it over the top, but I think it would be really successful without it too. Had some other things which ranged from fine to very good, but that duck was the standout.

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