Policy, U-Street Corridor

[MMM]

There's a mention of this new restaurant in the U St. Corridor in the December Washingtonian. We'll be eating out in that area next week and will probably go to Cork, but I was curious about this place. Anyone know anything about it?

http://www.policydc.com/#about

[chiefdc]

There's a mention of this new restaurant in the U St. Corridor in the December Washingtonian. We'll be eating out in that area next week and will probably go to Cork, but I was curious about this place. Anyone know anything about it?

http://www.policydc.com/#about

It's not opening til the end of Feb, at the earliest. It's a combo restaurant and lounge, likely along the lines of Marvin.

[jparrott]

"Turbinado crusted Ahi tuna."

The menu writer does know that Turbinado is sugar, right?

[Rhone1998]

Just a quick note to say that this place was open (and buzzing) when we walked by last night. Apparently they opened the evening before. Counting Policy and the new Cafe Salsa right next to Cork, there are at least a half dozen new restaurants that either just opened their doors or are coming soon to the 14th Street Corridor roughly between Logan and U Street. Very exciting!

[aaronsinger]

DCist commenters not so excited:

http://dcist.com/2009/03/policy_opens_today.php

[chiefdc]

DCist commenters not so excited:

http://dcist.com/2009/03/policy_opens_today.php

DCist commenters are notoriously negative misanthropes, so that's no surprise. They wouldn't say a good thing about their own mother.

[Waitman]

DCist commenters are notoriously negative misanthropes, so that's no surprise. They wouldn't say a good thing about their own mother.

The funny thing is that, as far as I can tell, none of them have actually been inside the place.

[EdSz]

Had dinner at Policy early on Wednesday evening. The menu is all "small plates" with a bit of everything. The sweetbreads were delightful, lightly crispy on the outside and smooth within. The lamb chops and scallops were both nice. The Lobster and Brie Chili Relleno was lightly breaded and crisp. The flavor was good but not much lobster flavor. The strawberry rhubarb tartlet had a great crisp crust and good fresh flavor.

The decor is bright read and black. Each table has a small high intensity light that makes reading the menu easy for those of us with older eyes.

Overall, a nice addition to the neighborhood.

-Ed

[DPop]

I echo what Ed says above. Fine dining Policy is not, but they have a useful beer list and some nice small plates from what first appeared to be a disturbingly wide ranging menu of options.

Highlights: Madras Curry Lamb Sliders (surprisingly properly cooked, gorgonzola is a nice complement), Georgia White Shrimp (heads on with spicy Thai Chilis underneath), and Peppered Diver Scallops (well cooked with a nice corn and bean sauce beneath).

Lowlights: Duck Spring Rolls (a bad version of this trite dish and a total ripoff at $11.95) and the noise level after 10:30, which was loud enough to force us off the premises and to some place where we could hear each other talk.

Overall a nice addition that seems to rely on the late night crowd to make money but isn't taking many shortcuts in the kitchen.

[silentbob]

Overall a nice addition that seems to rely on the late night crowd to make money but isn't taking many shortcuts in the kitchen.

This was my impression as well. They were very accommodating of our large party. Unfortunately, I drank WAY too much and don't remember a thing about the food (or eating a lot for that matter), but generally recall that my friends liked the dishes. They definitely appeared to be prepared with care and attention to detail.

[Tweaked]

Hit up Policy over the weekend and I'll start this with saying that all of the food was good. Not great...but solid, in fact none of the dishes were bad.

we went with:

Red Pepper Hummus/Pita ($7.95-ish). It was red pepper hummus, what more can you say really.

Diver Scallops with leeks and shitakes ($11.95) two medium sized scallops, kinda skimpy for the price

Herbed Gnocchi ($9.95-ish). thumbnail size pillows of gnocchi, which were actually pretty good

Lamb Sliders ($13.95) 3 small sliders with a tiny pile of wilted over dressed greens. A little salty.

Crispy pork belly (I think this was about $13.95) two decent sized hunks of very fatty pork belly.

Beer Battered Onion rings ($6) a healthy portion of about 10 onion rings, a nice heavy batter, but not much onion.

I personally thought most of the dishes were over priced, esp. the lamb sliders. Much like the $7 pint of Brooklyn Brown Ale I had afterwards at Cafe St-Ex. I'm getting the impression that 14th street has bought into its own hype.

[Banco]

Went to Policy for a pre-theater dinner last night. Although we arrived nearly a half hour late we had no problem with our reservation and they helped us get out on time. The food was very good. A tuna tartar was fresh and bracing with wasabi. Tilefish with lobster claw was beautifully cooked and served in a light Asian broth. Duck spring rolls were crispy and rich, and the short ribs were a real hit, with a nice char on the outside and tender on the inside. A take on Rum Baba for dessert was delicious. Overall the food was better than we expected for a place that looks like a socialist era disco re-purposed as a Russian mafia hangout. The bright LED lights at eye level are distracting while also giving the tables the character of dissecting slabs.