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/

boss shepherd's

boss shepherd's

513 13th street nw, washington, dc 20004

tel: 202) 347-2677

what was consumed: delicious fried chicken! and some greens, salad with seared tuna, chicken pot pie fritters, and and and ...

kdk and i got together for a delicious birthday lunch. she had mentioned eating some of the best fried chicken in the city, so i was pumped abut trying it for myself.

boss shepherd's is located beneath (or near beneath) the warner theater. i was running late (why!?!? when did i become that person who is always late?!?! so so sorry, friend!!!), so was frazzled and a bit confused by the time i got to boss shepherd's entrance. turns out, i entered through a side door and not the main entrance. whoops. of course, that didn't deter their friendly staff.

once seated, our server was prompt and attentive, without being too overbearing. he had his opinion about what he recommended along with why he made those recommendations. and we were happy to listen. so, in between all of our girl-y chatter, we ordered a feast of deliciousness.

the chicken pot pie fritter balls were served crispy on the outside and oozing with delicious gravy on the inside and with just the right amount of salty to match the creamy. the greens were cooked to perfection and while they were served in what looked like a small container, they certainly went a long way (of which we totally consumed, of course). and the salad! fresh, properly dressed, and a good accompany-er to ... the fried chicken! at first, i thought that, albeit "gourmet," the dish still had a bit of a hefty price tag for what it was (fried chicken) and the time of day (lunch). but one it came out and after kdk and i polished it off in its entirety, i can't wait to order it again. the fried chicken batter was crispy without being too oily. the chicken was juicy-ly cooked, and the entire dish was seasoned so perfectly. i did not have the urge to douse my chicken in any sort of sauce or feel the need to peel off an overwhelming batter. rather, i gobbled up each and every bite, commenting on how delicious it was and how happy i felt consuming the food. 

boss shepherd's has a wide array of other dishes, many of which have been recommended by other diners. i have confidence that no matter what you eat, you'll enjoy it most definitely! so for now, i'll dream about the fried chicken ... 

online: boss-shepherds.com/

district taco

district taco

1309 F street nw, 20004

tel: 202)347-7359

what was consumed: burrito bowl! with beans, rice, steak (my choice of protein) and lots and lots of salsa piled on.

there can never be too many tex-mex-ish options!

friends and i got together for a quick bite to eat at district taco before heading out to see a show at POV (yeah, it was an out of the ordinary show venue, but it was still super fun). district taco offers fresh ingredients presented in  tex-mex fashion - burritos, bowls, tacos, etc. that basics are set - beans, rice, protein, veggies. then you pile on from their salsa bar, my favorite part. lots of people compare district taco to chipotle. say what you will. i'm glad i got to try district taco and i'll be back! yum.

there are a few other locations of district taco. it doesn't matter which, just make sure you make it out to district taco!

online: http://www.districttaco.com/

astro donuts and fried chicken

astro donuts and fried chicken

1308 G street NW, 20004
tel: 202) 809-5565

what was consumed: sriracha wings (we went on a tuesday!), and donuts. lots of them. my favorite? creme brûlée

yay, donuts and fried chicken! may the trend continue.

friend brandon once mentioned to me that he wanted to get astro's. it had been some time since i'd fallen off the wdc food world, so i wasn't sure what he was talking about. turns out, astro's popped up during the time i was away. point is, now that i knew about it, he and i were determined to go, both for the chicken wings and for the donuts. note: sadly, we were not able to go together, but did end up going separately. we compared notes and both of us are fans fans fans!

after a day of walking around the mall, bjl and i took the fact that we were downtown-ish to check out astro's. that it was a tuesday (sriracha wings day!) was also a total draw.

once we neared the location, we saw a small storefront that already seemed to have a short line outside it. yes, astro's. we hemmed and hawed (for 2 seconds) before getting in line. the line moved quickly and, lucky for us, an even longer and faster growing line appeared behind us before our very eyes. we were able to secure one of the few seats in front of astro's. and because it was such a great day, we couldn't not!

we ordered a few of the wings and donuts for trying as well as a few more for sharing (later). the wings were delicious - spicy, not sweet, and crispy! oh, and 1 wing order includes a wing and drummette. and the donuts? oh my goodness. so many different and unique flavors, where to begin? i had heard that the creme brûlée was delicious, so that was a must. along with so many others. the donuts were light, sweet (as they should be), not overly fried, totally delicious. we may have started eating the ones we had intended on sharing with friends later that day. with no regret. yes, the donuts were that delicious. 

i hear astro's started as a food truck. and while i was a follower of food trucks at some point, i'm glad they now have a brick and mortar option. i know when they open, when they close, and where they are. and now, i can go more frequently. i wanna eat their luther. i'm gonna get so fat. hehehe.

online: http://astrodoughnuts.com/

old ebbitt grill

old ebbitt grill

675 15th street NW (between F street and G street), washington, DC 20005
tel: 202) 347-4800
happy hours: daily (except holidays) 3:30pm-6:30pm, 11pm-close

what was consumed: the orca platter!

the ladies and i set a date and finally got together. we decided on old ebbitt's to enjoy their raw bar (and a couple of bottles of wine, of course). while i was pretty sure i could enjoy the entire thing on my own (i might, next time!), k and i agreed to split their orca platter: 12 cocktail shrimp, 12 oysters, 12 clams, 12 crab claws, and a 1 pound lobster. the photos, above, show what the orca platter looked like when we were served, and then what it looked like after demolishing the entire thing. yes, we recreated an empty plate. delicious. when can we go again? it will not be too soon!

so, when hankering for oysters, or some other raw bar menu items, i highly recommend enjoying the fare at old ebbitt grill. some friends say it's the freshest and best in the city (i agree with the fresh quality). it's a total bonus that in addition to their regular happy hour, old ebbitt's has a reverse/late night happy hour. AND the happy hour applies anywhere in the restaurant, not just at the bar. i can't say that the drink deals are awesome (i don't even remember if there were any), but during HH, their entire raw bar (i think?) is half off - woohoo!

01 february 2010

old ebbitt grill
675 15th street NW (between F street and G street), washington, DC 20005
tel: 202) 347-4800
hours: monday-friday 7:30am-1am; saturday-sunday 8:30am-1am

what was consumed: spinach, artichoke, and crab dip; octoberfest platter (grilled knockwurst, bratwurst, and pork loin, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, caraway sauce and crispy fried onions); steamed canadian cove mussels (rope-cultured PEI mussels, marinara sauce, linguini, fresh herbs and garlic crouton); seafood jambalaya (shrimp, mussels, calamari, scallops, clams, chicken chorizo sausage, vegetable stew and rice)

i read about old ebbitt grill soon after i moved to DC. talk about how capital hill big wigs come here, its historical significance, a tourist draw, etc. i have to admit, the tourist-y-ness of what i read was actually quite intriguing. would i really see the DC version of celebrities? incentive to go! i honestly didn't even think about the food.

so, when friend stacey was in town, and we were looking for a place to grab a bit to eat sort of late in the evening, stumbling upon old ebbitt grill was a great find - hurrah!

old ebbitt grill is a part of the clyde's franchise (if that means anything?), so a lot of the specials that are at clyde's is also at old ebbitt grill (like their lobster meal in the summer! yumyumyum). point is, the food at old ebbitt grill is good - pretty standard american fare, i guess you can say. the crab dip we started with was a little on the salty side, but since i love salty food, it appeased my palate greatly (haha). i countinued with the octoberfest platter (you really can't go wrong with brawts! and smashed potatoes. yes, smashed. and sauerkraut! no knockwurst in my platter - they were out! sucks. i did get a double dousing of smahsed potatoes (oh, and a brawt replacement) instead, so i was happy ^_^). hearty, classic, solid. i enjoyed the meal that i had and will most likely visit old ebbitt grill to enjoy their fare again. they don't offer super unique dishes or culinary marvels, but if you want a good meal that is filling and have a great time (all while seemingly rubbing shoulders with capital hill-ers, supposedly), then old ebbitt's grill is the place to go!

AND! the service at old ebbitt grill is fantastic. the servers are nice, knowledgeable, and seem to be overall concerned about your visit and want to make it as pleasant as possible.

i also read (on their menu) that old ebbitt has a regular AND a reverse happy hour (i.e., late night eats) for their raw bar. YUM. let's go!

online: http://www.ebbitt.com/

potenza

potenza
1430 H street NW (between 14th street & 15th street), washington, DC 20005
tel: 202) 638-4444
hours: monday-thursday 11:30am-10pm, friday-saturday 11:30am-11pm, sunday brunch 10am-3pm, sunday dinner 3pm-10pm

what was consumed: arancini alla salsiccia di cinghiale (fried risotto balls stuffed with wild boar sausage and provolone), gnocchi al pesto (pesto sauce, toasted walnuts), funghi pizza (portabello, oyster and domestic mushrooms, tomato sauce, mozzarella and parmesan)

ah, potenza.

i kept seeing potenza on a number of different lists and places. what was it being written up for? i don't remember. no matter - when friend wanted to go to dinner and suggested potenza, i was all about it.

we met at the restaurant on a pretty quiet weekday evening. on the map, potenza didn't seem too far away from work, so i decided to take a nice leisurely walk to its location. of course, as i often do, i neglected a few things - the humid summers (even though it wasn't too humid, it was still warm and it was still summer ... and i'm super adverse to heat and humidity!), the DC blocks that looked so short and doable on the map but seemed so very long when i was walking, and my heavy, heavy, HEAVY bag. i was glad to make it to the restaurant - it couldn't have be soon enough! i will take the bus (or some sort of transportation) next time.

anyway, we made reservations, though it wasn't really necessary in that they had quite a large dining area and not too many patrons, which we wondered about (too bad!).

we started our meal with a nice appetizer of fried risotto balls. delicious! friend claims that the lavender overpowered the dish a bit. i thought it was delicious (so there!). we then proceeded to our entrees. friend ordered the mushroom pizza (using laymen's terms). delicious! the crust was thin, but not too thin, and its flavor was delicious. on top of that, the combination of cheeses with the different kinds of mushrooms made the pizza delectable. there are a number of other pizzas that, i think, are worthy of future exploration. i, on the other hand, could not resist my pasta loves and ordered the gnocci. and i'm glad i did! the soft gnocci came in a delicious pesto, topped with cheese. really? really? so so so delicious. everyone has an indicator of what makes a good restaurant (e.g. some people will try the pad thai at a new thai restaurant to see how that thai restaurant rates) - mine is gnocci at italian restaurants. now, i can't say that i'm an expert when it comes to food (outside of me totally loving food) nor can i say that i'm an expert when it comes to gnocci. however, i do know what i like, and potenza (as far as i'm concerned) did a great job! good food coupled with good wine (i had a nice rose - it was still summer); i couldn't get enough.

note: potenza makes all of their pastas and breads in-house. turns out, they have their own bakery (of sorts). in fact, you can go to their bakery and purchase goods (predominantly bread and pasta, i imagine) for your consumption outside of the restaurant.

a great wine list and a great menu! i'm glad to have visited potenza and look forward to seeing what else is on the menu. friends, let's do this again!

online: http://potenzadc.com/