Bobby: After an exciting cab ride from downtown in which the cab driver was unable to find the restaurant despite our giving him the address and cross-streets, we made it to this fairly small place in Adams Morgan.Giada: The cab driver was awful. The guy rode the brake the entire time, had no idea where he was going, and seemed to think "stop" meant "stop and linger until the girl in the backseat is ready to pull out her hair." But DC cabs are a story, or a post, for another time, I suppose.
The Decor
Bobby: The decor of the place was fairly cool, except for a naked painting that Giada didn't particularly care for.
Giada: The restaurant was decorated with small black and white photographs covering the walls, which looked pretty cool. However, over the bar (and facing into the restaurant area) was a huge painting of a naked woman, laying on her side, propped up on one elbow. The perspective was from the back of the woman, so it wasn't obscene or anything, but it was completely out of character for the rest of the decor, and as such, stood out too much.
Bobby: Also, the entrance of the restaurant had one of those curtain type things that don't really make any sense to me. I always get a little caught in them and feel stupid.
Giada: Bobby's not the most coordinated of individuals.
Bobby: But overall, the decor of the place was very nice. The bar looked cool and was fairly crowded, although it was a Friday night.
Giada: Tables were about as crowded as any other DC restaurant, which means that you hope you're not seated next to anyone obnoxious. Despite the relatively small size of the place, the noise level was pretty low. The kitchen is an open kitchen, which I'm usually a fan of, but in this case, it wasn't a particularly nice kitchen (e.g., Citronelle, Restaurant Eve), so I didn't see the point. The back wall behind the bar (facing out to the main floor of the restaurant) is a mirror, which makes the space look much larger and is an excellent touch.
Bobby's decor rating: 8 out of 10
Giada's decor rating: 7.5 of 10
Giada: The restaurant was decorated with small black and white photographs covering the walls, which looked pretty cool. However, over the bar (and facing into the restaurant area) was a huge painting of a naked woman, laying on her side, propped up on one elbow. The perspective was from the back of the woman, so it wasn't obscene or anything, but it was completely out of character for the rest of the decor, and as such, stood out too much.
Bobby: Also, the entrance of the restaurant had one of those curtain type things that don't really make any sense to me. I always get a little caught in them and feel stupid.
Giada: Bobby's not the most coordinated of individuals.
Bobby: But overall, the decor of the place was very nice. The bar looked cool and was fairly crowded, although it was a Friday night.
Giada: Tables were about as crowded as any other DC restaurant, which means that you hope you're not seated next to anyone obnoxious. Despite the relatively small size of the place, the noise level was pretty low. The kitchen is an open kitchen, which I'm usually a fan of, but in this case, it wasn't a particularly nice kitchen (e.g., Citronelle, Restaurant Eve), so I didn't see the point. The back wall behind the bar (facing out to the main floor of the restaurant) is a mirror, which makes the space look much larger and is an excellent touch.
Bobby's decor rating: 8 out of 10
Giada's decor rating: 7.5 of 10
The Food
Bobby: I had a salad to start out as part of my ongoing effort to eat more real vegetables.
Giada: His main source of fuel is sugar. Seriously.
Giada: His main source of fuel is sugar. Seriously.
Bobby: Ahem. It was actually very good. As a bonus, the pieces of lettuce were fairly small. I'm not a fan of salads with really large pieces.Giada: I had the bone marrow. I'd never had marrow before, but have heard it mentioned as the new trend, so I thought I'd give it a go. The waiter gave me an odd look when I ordered it, but I think it was because it was a uncommon choice for a preppy woman in her late 20s (I'm betting most order salads, or the goat cheese tart that also sounded tastey). Anyway, if you've never had it, bone marrow is served (or mine was, anyway), actually still in the bone, and you use a little spoon to scoop it out and eat it. The dish came with a small salad and bread crisps, which the waiter helpfully told me to mix with the marrow, to off-set the fattiness of the marrow. Overall, while I think it was very well prepared, I think I'm not really a marrow kind of girl. It's basically just flavored fat, and I'd probably prefer something with a little more to it.
Bobby: For the main course, I went with the wild boar. Excellent choice by me. The boar was quite tender and had a surprising amount of flavor. Highly recommended.
Giada: I went with the flounder. It was quite a large peice, and very good. Prepared with a little butter and seasoning, so simple, but very good. I also asked the waiter to bring a glass of white wine to go along with it, and while the wine itself was good, I didn't think it paired all that well with the flounder.
Bobby: For dessert, I shared the vanilla ice cream and hot fudge with Giada. She asked for whipped cream, but the restaurant didn't have it. As a result, the waiter gave us the dessert for free, which was really nice and unnecessary. The ice cream was a little icy, but not bad. The rest of the dessert selection was a little boring and as we all know dessert is the most important part of any meal.
Giada: I agree that the dessert selection was a little underwhelming, although there was a gingerbread cake option that sounded good. The ice cream itself was much too icy, and the chocolate sauce wasn't very flavorful (it tasted like they didn't sweeten the chocolate enough, and so the sweetness of the ice cream overwhelmed the flavor of the chocolate).
Giada: Also, I think it bears noting that later in the evening, the restaurant seemed to run out of almost all of their steak options (based on what we overheard the waiter tell other patrons). There was a list at the bottom of the menu of about 4 or 5 different steaks, but the waiter said only the 26 oz. portion was left.
Giada (again): We also ordered a side of garlic mashed potatoes, which were very light and fluffy, and not overly garlicy. Not quite as good as those at Capital Grille, but good. Probably was also a good move ordering the side, since the main dishes tend to focus heavily on one thing and don't come with much accoutrement.
Bobby's food rating: 7 out of 10
Giada's food rating: 7 out of 10
The Service
Bobby: The service by everyone in the place was fantastic. We sat by this couple that was obsessed with not sitting by a table that could house "a large party." The girl said "large party" like forty times to her boyfriend. Although he was clad in all black and seemed a little like a poseur so maybe he deserved her inane banter. Anyway, the restaurant bent over backward to try to accomdate them. The waiter was fantastic and the service was prompt.
Giada: The service was excellent, I agree. The waiter did a great job of instructing me on how to eat the marrow without being insulting, and he really made an effort to procure the whip cream. And the effort the staff went to to please the couple worried about being seated by a "large party" was impressive. I'd have told them to get over themselves. I guess that's why I don't work for tips.
Bobby's service rating: 9 out of 10
Giada's service rating: 8.75 out of 10
Giada: The service was excellent, I agree. The waiter did a great job of instructing me on how to eat the marrow without being insulting, and he really made an effort to procure the whip cream. And the effort the staff went to to please the couple worried about being seated by a "large party" was impressive. I'd have told them to get over themselves. I guess that's why I don't work for tips.
Bobby's service rating: 9 out of 10
Giada's service rating: 8.75 out of 10
Wrap Up
Pretty good place, especially for the relatively reasonable price ($125 with a 30% tip, including one cocktail and one glass of wine). We'd go back, but it's not a "must do."
Bobby's overall rating: 7.5 out of 10
Giada's overall rating: 7 out of 10
Bobby's overall rating: 7.5 out of 10
Giada's overall rating: 7 out of 10
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