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Iron Gate, East Dupont Circle - Chef Tony Chittum Heads a Historic Restaurant with a Patio


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On 10/11/2018 at 10:16 PM, DonRocks said:

This is a fascinating adverb for a Greek salad: Is it because of croutons? Garlic-rubbed crostini? 

I would estimate that the croutons (apparently they are "barley rusks") made up about 35 percent of the salad by mass. Does a Greek salad even need any croutons? In any case I enjoyed the salad despite the croutons. Some of them were the only thing left on any of the plates we had...

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12 hours ago, chinarider said:

I would estimate that the croutons (apparently they are "barley rusks") made up about 35 percent of the salad by mass. Does a Greek salad even need any croutons? In any case I enjoyed the salad despite the croutons. Some of them were the only thing left on any of the plates we had...

Having just returned from a month in the Cycladic Islands, I can attest to the fact that some Greek Salads aka Dakos or Cretan Dakos Salads are made with barley rusks and the  rusks are often large, sometimes in crouton size pieces but often whole rusks at the bottom of the bowl.

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2 hours ago, naxos said:

Having just returned from a month in the Cycladic Islands, I can attest to the fact that some Greek Salads aka Dakos or Cretan Dakos Salads are made with barley rusks and the  rusks are often large, sometimes in crouton size pieces but often whole rusks at the bottom of the bowl.

Very good. I appreciate the Cretan crouton correction.

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On 10/15/2018 at 5:29 PM, chinarider said:

I would estimate that the croutons (apparently they are "barley rusks") made up about 35 percent of the salad by mass. Does a Greek salad even need any croutons? In any case I enjoyed the salad despite the croutons. Some of them were the only thing left on any of the plates we had...

14 hours ago, naxos said:

Having just returned from a month in the Cycladic Islands, I can attest to the fact that some Greek Salads aka Dakos or Cretan Dakos Salads are made with barley rusks and the  rusks are often large, sometimes in crouton size pieces but often whole rusks at the bottom of the bowl.

11 hours ago, chinarider said:

Very good. I appreciate the Cretan crouton correction.

It's dialogue like this that most makes me appreciate the intelligence of our members: an intelligent comment, followed by an equally intelligent reply, followed by a polite acknowledgment. 

This is my favorite website! :)

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I was impressed by a recent lunch at Iron Gate.  Friday at 1pm the bar area was empty, and the carriage house was maybe half full, and that was mainly due to a large party of about 14 people having a company holiday luncheon.  We were given a table by the fireplace, which was very comfortable on a cold day.

KOHLRABI TZATZIKI garlic chips, vegetable crudites, fennel seed crackers $11.  Basically just a plate of raw vegetables and the tzatziki.  The crackers were solid.  But unless you are looking to eat some raw vegetables, probably not worth ordering, especially at $11. 

ROASTED MUSHROOM ARANCINI grayson cheese, thyme, black garlic aioli $7.  A trio of golf ball sized arancini, perfectly fried and delicious.

SESAME CRUSTED FETA sesame, vin cotto, earth + eats honey $8.  Really excellent, wonderful soft feta, some earthiness from the sesame and sweetness of the honey.  Highly recommend.

CRISPY RUSSET POTATOES yogurt sauce, lemon zest, house seasoning $7. Also seriously good.  A nice sized portion of super crusty potatoes, sitting on a pool of yogurt. 

CACIOCAVALLO STUFFED MEATBALLS shell beans, charred cipollini, salsa verde $16.  Another winning dish.  Good play between the richness of the meatballs stuffed with cheese and the charred onions and salsa verde.  Perhaps a bit pricey at $16, but a very nice dish.  

WINTER VEGETABLE CAESAR pickled egg, white anchovy, crispy parmesan crackers $14.  Fairly solid.  The salad itself wasn't that standout, but I always love white anchovies.  

CRISPY BLUE CATFISH oil cured olive, pistachio, chili, winter fennel salad $18.  I would have preferred to have received a larger portion of catfish, especially for $18, but it was well coated and fried. 

DAILY FOCACCIA local grapes, kalamata olives, sage (gift from the chef).  A very nice square of focaccia topped with the sweetness of roasted grapes and saltiness of the olives.

On a chilly winter day, Iron Gate is a lovely place to spend a couple of hours catching up with friends over a long boozy lunch. 

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So went back again for a great evening at the outdoor patio.

NOTE: They have done away with their "tasting" menu which is still posted on their website.  I let them know, so it should hopefully be updated soon.

Our meal and server were excellent.  They have a Family Meal, which is explained as if you are in Italy and stop in a villa - the family would serve you their freshest available food.  This was the closest thing I could find that would be similar to a tasting menu.  The appetizer portion all came out at one time, which was cool - so it went something like this:

OUR DAILY FOCACCIA
WILD RAMPS, NETTLE PESTO, PIPE DREAMS FARM GOAT CHEESE

SESAME CRUSTED FETA 
SESAME, VIN COTTO, EARTH + EATS HONEY 

Octopus Salad

Broccoli rabe

There was more, but my attention after the excellent bottle of 2007 Calebretta, Azienda Vinicola became much less sussinct.

Main Course started with a Bison Hanger steak which was excellent.

A lighter version of homemade pasta with a light alfredo-type sauce and fresh cracked pepper.

We ordered the CARAMELIZED RICOTTA GNOCCHI
PORK SAUSAGE RAGU, CALABRIAN CHILI, PARMESAN CHEESE as an add-on because it sounded excellent - and it was.

There was also a beet/spinach salad, another round of bread.

My descriptions are not doing this place justice - the atmosphere on the patio was crisp and lively, not stuffy.  It was busy and we enjoyed a great meal with dessert as noted below.

CRISPY YEAST DOUGHNUTS 
ORANGE BLOSSOM SYRUP

They serve lunch as well and their Brunch looks great - for those wanting to try it  and not invest in an all-out dinner - there is an opportunity there.  The dinner was reasonable considering the complexity and diversity of the food we experienced.

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On 6/24/2019 at 11:57 AM, Ferris Bueller said:

So went back again for a great evening at the outdoor patio.

NOTE: They have done away with their "tasting" menu which is still posted on their website.  I let them know, so it should hopefully be updated soon.

Our meal and server were excellent.  They have a Family Meal, which is explained as if you are in Italy and stop in a villa - the family would serve you their freshest available food.  This was the closest thing I could find that would be similar to a tasting menu.  The appetizer portion all came out at one time, which was cool - so it went something like this:

Thank you so much, Ferris Bueller - Is Tony Chittum still running the kitchen here? That would be a huge selling point.

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On 7/6/2019 at 1:08 AM, DonRocks said:

Thank you so much, Ferris Bueller - Is Tony Chittum still running the kitchen here? That would be a huge selling point.

Hey Don - you got it - happy to help when I can.  

As far as I know - Tony Chittum is still there - I believe his picture on their website, but I have found nothing to indicate otherwise.

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I went here last night for my first time.  It's been one of those places I've been trying to get to for years, but never made it too for some reason.

We did the Chef's Family Table option (aka their tasting menu) and it was fantastic.  It was a nice variety of dishes but surprisingly, a lot of them were not on the actual menu.  In fact, the only dish that we were served that was on the regular menu was their "Our Daily Focaccia"!  Service was wonderful and friendly and they read the note on OpenTable about it being a birthday and took care of us nicely with a greeting in the beginning and some treats at the end.

The only bit of weirdness was with the price of the meal.  On a computer (desktop) the price was listed as $64, but on a phone, the price was listed as $75.  I'm pretty sure we were charged $64 but I somehow managed to lose the receipt so I can't verify.

We started with Halloumi, octopus salad, deviled eggs with caviar, and turnups with whipped ricotta.  Somewhere in there came the daily focaccia bread, which was like a small deep dish pizza!  Next was agnolotti with (I think) more ricotta inside and a different type of bread with some nice spice (heat) to it.  The main dish was an ultra tender braised short rib that was finished on the wood fired grill/oven served with some charred and smoky broccoli rabe.  This came with a cold shaved fennel salad which was nice and refreshing.  Dessert was actually items that were on the menu and both were great:  Milk Chocolate Semifreddo (w/charred pineapple) and Crispy Greek Yeast Donuts with orange blossom syrup.

They also surprised us with a high end chocolate bar on a stick with "Happy Birthday" written on it and two glasses of limoncello.

It was a perfect place to spend a cold and windy night and a great meal from start to finish.  I can't wait to go back when it's warmer to enjoy the outdoor section!

(the food looked better than the photos!)

 

IG - haloumi.jpg

IG - eggs and turnups.jpg

IG - aglinotti.jpg

IG - short ribs.jpg

IG - fennel.jpg

IG - dessert.jpg

IG - happy birthday.jpg

IG - limoncello.jpg

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Anyone been here lately? I haven't been since the 80s! Considering it for a special dinner and wondering:

Is there a bar to sit at, or should we plan on a table?

I do not eat seafood. If you have had the chef family menu, are there options for the main? Or am I stuck getting al la carte if it is seafood that night?

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There is a long bar along the left hand side when you first walk in.  However it also where people hangout while waiting for tables and the space is narrow, so if the restaurant is busy it might feel a little crowded or tight.  There are a handful of tables in the bar area but they are not great.  Really you want a spot in the carriage house or patio.

I have no idea what they are doing menu wise for the family menu...best to give them a call.  

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