the passenger
1021 7th street NW, washington, DC 20001
tel: 202) 393-0220
hours: sunday 2pm-12am, monday-thursday 5pm-1:30am, friday-saturday 5pm-2:30am
what was consumed: gourmet hot dogs (cole slaw, kimchee, etc.), hummus plate, route 66 chips, nachos, and libations (beer, wine, and spirits)
the passenger is one of my favorite bars in town. i've been with small groups, i've been with large groups, i've stood around, i've sat at tables. when i go, though, i try to sit at the bar (which is generally a favorite seat of mine) as to have immediate access to their bartenders. the servers are great, but one of the awesome things about the passenger is that you can tell the bartender the type of beverage that you'd like (e.g. a bitter, whiskey based drink that is not sweet) or ask for one of their specials ... and you will always be pleasantly satisfied. the passenger has a nice selection of beers and wine as well - everyone will be satisfied!
as for food ... they have a small menu, which seems to always change just a little bit, and is not on their website. i've had bites of a variety of different things, including their kimchee hot dog which was one of the first things that intrigued me (it was delicious. in my k-snobbery, though, i made comments on what i would do differently ... all the while happily polishing off my order. tee hee hee). the hot dogs come with chips, which luckily doubles as wonderful ahn-joo (drinking snacks). i would most definitely be able to eat more than one hot dog on a hungry day (i.e., every day - ha!). all in all, the fare, while more snack-ish than meal-ish, is inventive, fresh, and delicious.
a quick comment about one of the passenger's fixtures. they have this ceiling fan in the middle of the main room that i look at every time i visit. it's a 2-legged (legged?) ceiling fan that has regular desk fans on the end of them! so, the desk fans are oscillating while the ceiling fan's "legs" also oscillate (does this even make any sense? yeeees ...). anyway, how great is that?! i love i - so there!
oh, passenger, i've had a lot of fun with you - great drinks, great snakcs, great ambiance, great company! i will be back for more. yay yay yay!
online: http://www.passengerdc.com/
buddha bar
455 massachusetts avenue NW, washington, DC 20001
tel: 202) 377-5555
hours: 11:30am-2am
what was consumed: salt and pepper grilled shishito, rock shrimp tempura, buddha bar hot noodle, mass roll, green papaya salad, seaweed salad (which is not on the menu, but still available - just ask! i love seaweed salad) ... i think this is a representative list of what was consumed. it was really dark, so i didn't take photos of everything ...
i'm not sure when i first heard about buddha bar. was it from some nyc blog/article/post? was it in reference to celebrity endorsements or international presence? no matter. when i saw the construction begin on the buddha bar in DC, my interest was piqued and buddha bar got on the (illustrious and ever lengthening) LIST. what's more, when there was a groupon (or living social, or whatever) option, a few of the girls jumped on it and planned for a night out at buddha bar.
we walked in and were taken right to our reserved seats (yay!). granted, we visited buddha bar on a sort of "off" day, but the nice treatment is still nice. the servers pulled out our chairs for us, brought little stands for our bags (so that we wouldn't have to put them on the ground or on the backs of our chairs), and were attentive regarding our drink orders. yay great first service impressions!
the buddha bar decor, on the other hand, was a huge topic of conversation among the girls. then again, it was really dark inside (as to make the dining area feel more ... intimate? because you have to get closer to see the people you're dining with?) - this also explains why my photos are so ... dark. there is also a huge huge huge buddha in the main dining area, sort of watching over all of the patrons. i still don't know what to think of that ... 
about the food ...
buddha bar has a large selection of a variety of asian/asian fusion foods. we started our meal with some of the appetizer like small plates, including a (quite large for what it is) sushi roll and grilled shishito peppers. i also made sure to get some seaweed salad since i, for some reason, can't seem to get enough. and even though the seaweed salad wasn't actually on the menu, we were accommodated as seaweed salad accompanies some meals. and it was totally worth it - delicious seaweed salad. we proceeded to order a few other things from the smaller plate menu (for whatever reason, the entree options were not that appealing to us. but i think maybe we were just in moods? hmmm). the papaya salad was really fresh, noodles were cooked (and seasoned) well, and the rock shrimp was interesting (maybe too mayonnaise-y? well, i felt it was too mayonnaise-y. i don't even know if there is mayonnaise in it) ... but our server said it was one of the most popular things on the menu so we had to try it! haha ...
so, my overall view of buddha bar? i had a good time (thanks k and j! you guys are awesome) and left with some goodies in my belly. if the opportunity presents itself, i'll probably go back. but maybe more for the company and the (potential) ambiance. oh, the parking ticket that i got at the end of the night for not having enough change to cover the last 5 minutes of the metered time was a terrible way to end the night. but then i remembered the good times i had, and it made me feel better - ha!
online: http://www.buddhabardc.com/
capital city diner
1050 bladensburg road NE, washington, DC 20002
tel: 202) 396-3467
hours of operation: tuesday-thursday 6am-10pm, friday 6am-sunday5pm (24 hours on the weekends), closed mondays
what was consumed: chicken and waffles, loaded waffle fries, an egg (over medium ... for k), bottomless mimosas
diners are awesome. there's just something about greasy spoons that has a special place in my heart. no, i didn't spend a bulk of my youth hanging out in such diners, but the enclosed (and sometimes tiny) space just makes everything smell so delicious. and this is exactly what i thought when i walked into the capital city diner: this place smells soooo good. my stomach quickly proceeded to grumble in agreement.
i had read about capital city diner some time ago. about how they took one of those old school diners and shipped it down to DC. my pastor has mentioned it a number of times and has spoken about his delight in the diner's fares. so, when k and i were thinking about where to go and eat, i remembered capital city diner, and we were off! note: if you're not careful, you could possibly miss the diner. capital city diner is nestled in between two large(er) buildings on bladensburg road, but once there, you will kick yourself for not having seen it before. ha!
so, right as we walked in, we were greeted by two lines - one for those waiting for seats, and another for takeout orders. k and i were set on sitting at the counter, so we waited until there were open spots for us. once seated (honestly, the wait wasn't that long - they have a pretty high turnover, so people seem to always come in and out), we delighted in the counter design and how the cooking was being done literally on the other side of where we were sitting. there were a couple of servers who made sure our bottomless mimosas stayed filled (except that one time when k's glass was filled, but mine wasn't. what's up with that?), we had napkins, and that we were well taken care of.
capital city diner offers breakfast all day long (for you breakfast lovers). they also have a variety of other fare for the non-breakfast-ers, so no worries! k and i opted for chicken and waffles (a must try!) and some loaded waffle fries. the waffle was made to order, and came with some fried chicken that was crispy, salty (but not too salty), and delicious. k got an egg (over medium) because brunch is never complete without eggs! ... though i opted out. this time. our waffle fries seemed to have the same seasoning as the fried chicken (so, delicious) and were piled up with pieces of bacon and slices of american cheese melted on it. yes, lots of fried (but delicious!) things.
great conversation and yummy food, capital city diner was a hit! and even though i smelled them in my hair for a number of hours afterward, i can't wait to go back and check out some of their other things ... like their soul food tuesdays! ahhh~ so many options, so much food, not enough time and not enough stomach space! oh well. thank you capital city diner ... until next time!
online: www.capitalcitydiner.com/
the passenger
as for food ... they have a small menu, which seems to always change just a little bit, and is not on their website. i've had bites of a variety of different things, including their kimchee hot dog which was one of the first things that intrigued me (it was delicious. in my k-snobbery, though, i made comments on what i would do differently ... all the while happily polishing off my order. tee hee hee). the hot dogs come with chips, which luckily doubles as wonderful ahn-joo (drinking snacks). i would most definitely be able to eat more than one hot dog on a hungry day (i.e., every day - ha!). all in all, the fare, while more snack-ish than meal-ish, is inventive, fresh, and delicious.
