convivial

convivial
801 O St NW, Washington, DC 20001
tel: 202) 525-2870

what was consumed: happy hour! cheese plate, spicy lamb sausage, bacon cheese burger, panisse (chick pea fries), floating island (dessert)

yay for happy hour! friend k and i head to convivial for some delicious eats and good conversation.

even on their HH menu, you can sample so many delicious things, as well as get a sense of the creativity that those in the kitchen offer their patrons. the chick pea fries, for example, are a great and creative alternative to traditional fries and the dipping sauce! oh so delicious.

be sure not to skip out on dessert! we wanted something interesting and opted for the floating island dessert - a meringue ball in a pool of delicious caramel "soup" topped with crunchy nuts. a great way to end our delicious meal!

online: http://www.convivialdc.com/

barley mac

barley mac
1600 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22209
tel: 571) 800-3070

what was consumed: happy hour! bruschetta, parmigiana truffle potato skils, wagyu beef meatballs, fish tacos ... and dessert!

people say the DC/metro area is expensive (it is). but there are ways to enjoy delicious treats even if you're on a budget ... and, imo, a lot of it has to do with how savvy you are at going to delicious HHs around town. and even if you're not, if you're in arlington, be sure to stop by barley mac!

language partner and i were looking for a place to sit and chat (in english and japanese) while enjoying some american treats. we decided to head to barley mac and loaded up on some of their HH specialties: 

      

i had high hopes for the meatballs and while they were yummy, they were cold :( the potato skins, however, were delicious (and i probably could have eaten the whole thing on my own. but yes, i did share) :D

online: http://barleymacva.com/

   

dbgb

dbgb
931 H St NW, Washington, DC 20001 (CityCenter DC)
tel: 202) 695-7660

what was consumed: happy hour! the frenchie burger, thai sausage, maryland crab cakes

lookin' for a place to grab a quick and delicious HH bite? be sure to check out dbgb! chef daniel boulud does not disappoint with the flavors that he offers. the thai sausage, in particular, is super delish. the sausage is flavorful on its own, but all of the garnishes along with a delicious bun makes each bite so delightful. i'll look forward to checking out the rest of the menu ... soon!

online: https://www.dbgb.com/dc

    

succotash

succotash
915 F St NW, Washington, DC 20004
tel: 202) 849-6933

what was consumed: succotash's happy hour menu (smoked chicken wings, pulled pork sliders, pimento cheese, deviled eggs).

may the influence of korean america continue, this time with chef edward lee! (and may my support of them live long!). i've been a fan since top chef (of course. i've even read his book!), but this was the first time i got a chance to dine at any one of his establishments. i'm so glad he made it to the DC area!

k and i met at succotash, opted to sit at the bar, and proceeded to order the entire HH menu ... and we were not disappointed. even someone who is not a fan of chicken wings (k, not me) gobbled quite a few down. and if the deviled eggs aren't on the menu, be sure to ask for them: each bite has a hidden but delicious bit of kimchee. yum.

succotash is located in a really convenient location (i.e. take public transportation. parking in chinatown is sometimes difficult), an easy location to suggest for people to meet. it's located in a former bank location and it looks like they've kept some of the previous architecture/style, which i actually really appreciated. its location also means that the professionals from around town will also gather at succotash (understandably). but don't mind all of the suits when you go. just look forward to the tasty treats!

the national harbor also has a location, under the same "succotash" name. i'll have to get out there one of these days to see how it compares. i'm sure it, too, will be great!

online: succotashrestaurant.com/

siren by RW

siren by RW

1515 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20005

tel: 202) 521-7171

what was consumed: their entire HH bar bites menu -- fritto misto, shrimp pupusa, lamb ribs, croquete, tuna gahoush, savory caviar cookies

happy hour at siren! k and i sat at the bar and ordered one of everything on their HH menu. you know. just to try. one of my favorite ways to eat!

the highlights were the fritto misto and the lamb ribs. the lightly battered fried treats in the fritto misto were crisp, well seasoned, and light (i.e., not greasy and not heavy). it was mostly veggies along with a few pieces of fish. it also included lemons. lemons! a sour but wonderful surprise. and the lamb ribs! fall off the bone, smothered in a delicious ribs sauce ... 

online: http://www.sirenbyrw.com/

devil's door

devil's door
서울 서초구 반포동 118-3 BP 4-7
[새주소] 서울 서초구 사평대로 205 BP 4-7
tel: 02) 6282-4466
what was consumed: fried chicken, burger, fried mac 'n cheese, warm spinach dip, sausages, and beer! 

microbreweries and eateries specializing in pub far and/or good 'ol american comfort food are popping up every where in korea. each time, though, i'm happy to see them and excited to see what they have to offer. so, when the devil's door opened their doors, we were excited to try out their fare.

devil's door periodically does a hoppy hour (yes, hOppy, not hAppy). so, calling all beer lovers! this HH is definitely one to check out. sadly, for me, no food is included (or served) during hoppy hours, as far as i've heard anyway. but check it out and let me know what you think!

online: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Devils-Door/267392476780383

thally

thally
1316 9th stree nw, 20001
tel: 202) 733-3849

what was consumed: small bites! today's choices include potato croquettes and delicious roasted brussel sprouts. and drinks!

fancy-pants friend fred and i got together to catch up and eat some good food over good drinks in the "neighborhood" restaurant, thally. and for sure, thally is not just a regular neighborhood restaurant.

thally has a great selection of beverages and quite a knowledgeable staff. and without any of the pretentiousness! i could definitely see myself getting quite comfortable here. their drinks menu included non-alcoholic house-made sodas (my favorite). if only i lived closer!

the small bites we enjoyed were also so delicious. it was hard to limit myself to my half of our share-sies sampler ... !!! crips in just the right places, season so well, and presented beautifully.

i was so happy to see such a great addition to the mt. vernon square/convention center area. next time, i'll have to stick around for more delicious food!


online: http://www.thallydc.com/

range

range

inside chevy chase pavillion

5335 wisconsin avenue nw #201, 20015

tel: 202) 803-8020

what was consumed: oysters! and woodfire oven pizza. and desserts. and homemade soda!

bryan voltaggio! beginning with the top chef days, who didn't have a crush on either of the voltaggio brothers? i still want to make it out to volt (it's faaaaaaar), but in the mean time, i'll make it out to range.

after getting rained out from a washington nationals game, and then some earlier eats at daikaya, friends and i head to range to meet others for some late night treats. friends and i head to range because we heard that they did a reverse happy hour for their oysters. i even called ahead of time to see if their seafood tower was still on the happy hour menu (it wasn't). that said, they still had a reverse hh special and we most definitely enjoyed quite a few oysters. so fresh, expertly shucked, accompanied by countermand that i might have thought about eating alone. 

not knowing when we'd get a chance to come back to range, we also ordered a few other things because 1) we wanted to try, and 2) we were getting reverse hungry (i.e., hungry again after dinner had digested). i enjoyed the creative toppings that sad atop my thin crust pizza. and while i used to be one to use a fork and knife to consume pizza, i now just shovel slices into my face.

and the desserts! with just enough sweetness to curb that little tug for sugar at the end of a delicious meal. and so pretty! almost too pretty to eat. of course, that didn't prevent all of us from digging in to get small tastes of our own.

thank you, bryan voltaggio! range's food is delicious. i can't wait to try the rest!

online: http://www.voltrange.com/

a-town bar and grill

a-town bar and grill

4100 n. fairfax drive, arlington, VA 22203

tel: 703) 528-1110

what was consumed: seafood HH

kdk and i were determined to go through some list of seafood tower HHs in the wdc area. even though the list was pretty recent, the offers were already outdated. that didn't prevent us from wanting to go through this list. a-town bar and grill was the first on the list and since i was coming out of va for training, we said, "might as well!"

turns out, a-town bar and grill didn't have the seafood tower HH as the article said, but they did have a crab leg special. crab legs it is!

i will also comment that despite our initial plan for crab legs, we also enjoyed some sriracha wings and tator tots. i'm not particular about my tator tots (i.e., i can (and will) eat troughs and troughs of them), and these were no different. crispy on the outside, soft in the center, and sprinkled with finely grated cheese. YUM. and the sriracha wings! kdk and i were (mildly) concerned that the wings would be overly sticky and sweet, but they weren't! i contemplated ordering more of them or ordering yet another order of crab legs. hahahaha.

kdk and i had a great time - a great start to our seafood tower HH challenge!

online: http://www.a-townballston.com/

gbd

gbd

1323 connecticut avenue nw, 20036
tel: 202) 524-5210

what was consumed: fried chicken, donuts

fried chicken and donuts. together or separate, i will take them all please. at gbd (gold brown delicious), you can do just that.

e and i met up for HH/dinner in dc (the first time since Q8!) and it was also going to be my chance to meet the future mr. e (hehe). gbd seemed like as good of a place as any. i was running late (of course. what happened?!), but that have e and mr. e a chance to start their drinks. upon my arrival, we quickly agreed upon our order.

mr. e was on his own. he ordered the luther: fried chicken between a sliced glazed donut. and while that sounds questionable, trust me when i say that it looked totally delish (mr. e was a total gentleman and offered, but e and i declined. we opted for the deconstructed version).

that's right. e and i opted to split a whole fried chicken and donuts for dessert. the chicken was nicely fried, though i prefer my batter with just a tad bit more salt. that said, gbd also offers quite a few sauces, so perhaps the seasoning is intentional? point is, get the fried chicken, get the sauces, and enjoy! nom nom nom ... 

sadly, they were out of the donut i wanted (i should have reserved one as soon as i sad down! alas) and the glazed donut that i requested (to order) came under cooked :( our server, though, was really hlepful about the situation and successfully worked with the kitchen in order to secure us a delicious pb&j donut. and so, in the end, we were happy campers.

oh fried chicken and donut combo, i hope you're here to stay!

online: http://www.gbdchickendoughnuts.com/