I had only a few days in DC left, and I wanted to make them count. I thought about the couple of restaurants that I’d really love to return to, and I knew one of them would have to be Central.

I’ve already reviewed Central Michel Richard (see the review for some more details), but there is so much variety at the restaurant that it completely justifies another review. It is perhaps the best go-to stop for comfort food in the District, and not surprisingly it boasts an array of snacks, sandwiches, and burgers that you will find nowhere else. It can get heavy, very cheesy, and very fatty, but that’s exactly the charm of it—you leave full and satisfied.

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This time I had returned specifically for two specialties: the faux gras plate and the grilled cheese. Both show Central’s depth and variety, as well as the visionary spirit of Michel Richard. In the faux gras charcuterie plate, Central creates a terrine and pate using chicken liver instead of foie gras—and yet, it’s almost as good as the real thing. With the grilled cheese (named one of the top dishes in the whole city by Washingtonian), Central overstuffs the sandwich with a thick, almost creamy mushroom patty right in the middle and perfectly crisps the top, resulting in a golden brown, toasted sandwich that is both smoky and gooey. While known for the burger, Central features quite the repertoire, boasting some of the most unique takes on the simplest possible dishes. This is not your typical fare, and regardless of what you get, you will at least be satisfied with just how different and creative the dish can get.

The dishes will, however, taste just as good they look. Last time, Central’s score was deflated by a very bad experience I had with the dessert. This time around, though, no such anomaly occurred. It was a flat-out fantastic experience, with every dish impressing, to say the least. I would, in fact, easily call the faux gras one of the city’s most unique, flavorful, and unforgettable dishes. It is something every DC resident needs to try at some point.

I loved the service, too. The waiters are always professional, yet so friendly. My waitress this time around greeted me cheerfully, told me how delicious the dishes I had picked would be, offered to explain the nuances of the menu, etc. It’s pretty standard stuff, but it was really the way she did it. When I mentioned the faux gras, for example, she asked me if it was my first time eating it, and upon finding out she let out a sigh, going on about how lovely a dish it was. Again, very minor, but just right on. There are, moreover, two things here that I have to especially complement. First, Central’s staff gives the best, nonstop water service I’ve had in DC at a normal restaurant. Second, it always serves the dishes hot, cooking them only after it has taken the previous course away. This is the type of service that not just elevates a dining experience, but even makes the experience.

Topping it all off was the ambience, reminding me again that Central is the place to be in DC. I came on Friday during lunch, a rush hour, and I was shocked at how many people were enjoying themselves. I could see suits, jeans, and everything in between, with some on dates, some on business, and some there just for fun. It was obvious simply from the looks on their faces and the constant prattle and rattle resonating throughout the restaurant just how much they loved the experience. I wholeheartedly agree with their sentiment.

Central yet again receives my full recommendation. It may be a bit pricier than the average burger bar/comfort food stop, but you can never go wrong when you’re in the hands of Michel Richard.

What I Tasted

1. Faux Gras Terrine and Pate (a charcuterie plate made of chicken liver. Served with pickles, onions, and sourdough): They nailed this dish like no tomorrow! My one complaint is the bread, which is the very crisp sourdough that they give you in the normal bread basket for the table—so it seems a bit uninspired, as they’re re-using the same item. I especially don’t like how crunchy it is, which makes it tough to eat, especially with the creamy pate. Every other component, though, is very nicely done. The small pickles are very tangy, with just the right amount of salt so that they’re not overwhelmingly briny, while the onion bulbs have a good acidic, vinegary sweetness to them. 4.7/5.0. 4.9/5.0 for concept. It may not be foie gras, but it’s fantastic nonetheless. And because it’s so cheap to produce, it can be provided in generous proportions.
   1. Terrine: The terrine is a fantastically complex piece of meat, crusted over with tons of seasoning. Lots of pepper and a bit of herbs give the terrine a zesty, mildly peppery kick, especially in the aftertaste. It’s rather oily, but not overly so. Instead, that oil gives the meat a tender smoothness it couldn’t get otherwise. The texture is, in fact, just right. The terrine has a nice meaty firmness, and I like how tightly the meat has been compacted to give it that type of hold. It crumbles perfectly in the mouth, though, leaving you with a smooth chunkiness. Even better is the sheer flavor of the meat, as it has a slight, juicy chewiness. Moreover, the rest of the ingredients combine very nicely to boost that flavor—the peppery and herby kick, the elegant oily smoothness (it’s olive oil, so no residues or cloying feeling), and a neutral, heavy nut crunch from a whole slew of pistachio slices that have been seamlessly integrated into the terrine. All you have to do to see the skill that went into this terrine is to simply look at how the pistachios never protrude from the meat at all, so that the terrine maintains a perfectly rectangular shape. Amazing. It’s unbelievable that this is really just chicken. 4.6+/5.0
   2. Pate: Unbelievably, even better than the terrine. This one really strikes home, both for just how flavorful it is and how flawlessly it’s crafted. First of all, it’s about as smooth and airy as a pate can get, verging on a whipped mousse texture. The very top layer, though, is more of a gel, giving the whole pate an almost pristine look, with a shining glow to it. It’s also a nice contrast to the much airier “cream” inside. Moreover, even though the pate itself is so light, the flavor’s not light at all. It is liver, after all, so it has that pronounced, underlying bitterness. But even that bitterness is elegant here, not coming off as too harsh but providing a nuanced, flavorful undertone that gives the dish a long, refreshing aftertaste. The combination of the savory chicken flavor with the rich creaminess comes out very nicely, without either interfering with the other. 4.7/5.0
2. Grilled Mushroom and Cheese Sandwich (served with three cheese béchamel dipping sauce): I love nearly everything about this dish, from the cutesy triangular presentation to the crunchy crust to the heavy mushroom flavor. The first thing that stands out is just how nice the dish looks. It’s presented in four mini-triangles, all with a practically golden crust, each stacked on the other. And it only gets better from there. First of all, the crust here is absolutely perfect, no questions asked. Like I said, it’s practically golden brown, but it’s not burnt at all, instead having a phenomenal crunchiness and a great toasted flavor. Yet the sandwich itself is soft because the bread is covered with a layer of cheese on the inside and the mushrooms are ground into a thick mushroom patty—and yes, it is an actual mushroom patty! It’s extremely flavorful, too, almost verging on an overload of mushroom. The combination works, as the rich, oily cheese balances the very bitter/savory taste of the mushrooms. My one problem is in the salt—it feels like there’s a boatload here, probably from the cheese (I’d expect salty cheese from a Frenchman, though). But that’s where the béchamel sauce comes in. With its lighter, more neutral, and more bitter cheese flavor, it controls both any harshness from the mushrooms and saltiness from the cheese. Add in an incredibly smoky, delicious crust as an added counterbalance, and you have one of the most complex, interesting grilled cheese sandwiches in the District—though I’d still love to cut the salt in it by half. 4.1/5.0
3. Mac and Cheese: First reaction: delicious. Second reaction: too salty. Third reaction: too oily and too heavy. This dish, then, is a paradox of sorts. It’s a masterfully crafted dish, with extremely flavorful components and a phenomenal texture. The top is practically as golden as that of the grilled cheese sandwich. It’s very crunchy and very smoky, helping counterbalance some of the big flavors in here. I like the macaroni, too. It’s not actual macaroni, but rather penne, which I think works to give a bit of body to the dish, since there’s a relatively bigger pasta presence. The cheese is really where this dish can go wrong, though even there I like the approach the restaurant took. The cheese is on the very creamy side, with the texture of a pretty gritty, but smooth, plate of mashed potatoes. I think it blends incredibly well with the pasta, making it very easy to eat. It also doesn’t cling to the pasta too much, especially with all the added olive oil to the dish, meaning that there is never a risk of too much cheesiness covering up the taste of the pasta, since you get roughly the same amount of cheese in every bite. Still, the cheese is so salty, and there is so much needless olive oil added to the dish, that the whole thing just feels unbalanced—not in terms of pasta and cheese, but in terms of more fundamental seasoning. It’s a fantastically made dish, but it ultimately falls below its own standard. 3.3/5.0
4. Apple Pan Dowdy a la Mode:  Wow, I’m impressed. After the disappointment of the famed chocolate bar dessert during my last visit, this dessert really redeems the restaurant. The malted vanilla ice cream is, yet again, absolutely delicious. It’s very creamy and smooth, but it actually has the heaviness of ice cream—i.e. it’s not fake gelato. And when they say malted, they really mean malted. It has a very good vanilla accent but with a good bit of malt sugar to give it a rich, refreshing sort of sweetness you don’t normally get in vanilla. But here, the star is the apple pie, as it should be, and that pie really has everything right. The crust is very crispy, hardened with sugar (and maybe some spice, like cinnamon) across the top, providing for a nice bit of sweetness. Still, this isn’t much of a “pie,” instead being more like a pot full of apples, and the sugar doesn’t cover up that apple taste at all, since it comes in only a thin layer across the top. The apples, too, are phenomenal. They’re caramelized, yet spiced, with just a slight bit of sourness and bitterness to them, so they really hit numerous tastes. Moreover, they come in huge full chunks, so you actually do taste the apple, i.e. they’re not covered up by any of the other ingredients. Finally, there are raisins baked in, adding just another layer of deliciously fruity, sweet chewiness. When you mix the ice cream into that whole combo, you get some amazing synergy. Caramelized apples with ice cream—who doesn’t like that? 4.6/5.0

Scores

Ambience: 4.3/5.0
Service: 4.6+/5.0
Taste: 4.3/5.0
Value: 4.0/5.0. Definitely overpriced for the simple food you’re getting, but the inventiveness of the cuisine, the service, and the ambience more than make up for it.
Overall: 4.3/5.0

Cuisine: Southern.
Specialty: Shrimp ’n Grits, Lemon Chess Pie, Pecan Pie, Cornbread.
Location: 1990 M Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20036.
Price: At Lunch, Entrees run from $16-$18.50, Appetizers $11-$13, Dessert $10.

Whenever I’m in the mood for a feast, there’s always one type of cuisine I can reliably turn to: Southern. It may not be fancy or overly complex, it may not push the bounds of acceptable culinary combinations, and it may not be all that balanced of a meal, overloading you instead with enough fat for a whole week, but that’s all exactly what I love about it. How can you do any better than some simple cornbread with honey, mac and cheese, and phenomenal pie?

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So I was in one of those moods, looking to indulge in a guilty pleasure, when I heard about this one joint in town, Vidalia, that makes, according to my good friend Ralph, the “absolute best pie you’ll ever have in your life!” And trust me, to convey the way he emphasized it, I really need to underline that font at least a couple more times. He was practically drooling, with that star-struck gaze that you get only when remembering a life-changing event. It was a bit much, but intriguing nonetheless, all the more so because I consider Ralph my go-to authority on Southern cuisine.

Basically, then, my guilty pleasure had been chosen for me. The only question left was, would I choose the lemon chess or the pecan pie for dessert? A Sophie’s Choice, I know…

Anyway, I headed over to Vidalia, which, to my surprise, is quite a bit more refined and grandiose than what I’d anticipated. I had gone expecting something down-home Southern, but as with everything in DC, even Southern has to be “professionalized” to draw the wealthier crowds.

Still, the décor is quaint, for lack of a better word, with some aspects that really fare better than others. Part of the problem is that Vidalia’s idea of ambience—simplicity at its finest—can be just a bit too austere and redundant at times. The walls are kept unadorned for the most part, with a very simple, yellowish color-scheme and bright lighting throughout. The only things that stand out in any way are the large vases with multi-colored, long, leafy plants, and the faded glass screen that separates the dining room from the bar/lounge area. Trust me, though, once you see the same vases in three or so different places, they begin to lose their charm.

Moreover, while simplicity can, at times, be charming, here it feels empty, particularly because the restaurant is rather large. That doesn’t necessarily make it very spacious, however, and diners are crowded into small tables almost side-by-side, to the point that on a certain path there may be room for only one or two people to pass through (and there were, indeed, times when restaurant personnel would block off traffic in their attempts to deliver dishes). In fact, I could easily hear the whole conversation that the diners next to me were having, even though they were both speaking at normal volume.

On the more positive side, I really like the lighting and the seating, which is very comfortable, verging on the loungy. Moreover, it does feel as though the restaurant gives you some privacy because of the large glass separating the dining room. Finally, it is actually quite polished all around, with a very nice, squeaky clean bar, a huge lounge area, and a pretty relaxed atmosphere. At this price point, that’s really all you can request.

The service is similarly professional, but lacking in some aspects. Again, Vidalia goes for that very grey, seemingly contradictory area of “simple elegance,” and the service is no different, with seemingly professional waiters who are meant to give you a high-quality experience without the high-quality price. Unfortunately, Vidalia lacks the necessary polish, falling short of its very high expectations of itself.

That’s not to say the service is bad. I received constant water refills, waiters excused themselves before removing my plates, every course brought with it a change of silverware, etc. The waiters, however, did some very basic things incorrectly. Most egregiously, my waiter brought out my main dish without my side of Mac and Cheese, saying the macaroni was on its way. By the time it finally got to me, however, I had already finished half of my main course, even though I’d been trying to eat rather slowly.

There were also other small things throughout the meal. For instance, the restaurant brought me a rather small bread basket, since I was only one person, and I finished it even before my first course. Whereas the staff cleared out practically all my plates as soon as I finished, it left that empty bread basket on my table the whole time, without once offering to take it away or—dare I say it!—to go and get a simple refill, so I actually had to ask for that refill after I had finished my entrée. If it’s restaurant policy to give only one basket, then that’s policy, but if that actually is policy, then there’s no reason to sweep away every single plate and leave one tiny basket there for no reason. Consistency is all I ask.

Topping it off, the restaurant’s credit card system gave out at the end of my meal. While it wasn’t a problem for me, since I was carrying cash, several diners’ cards were returned, and each of them was asked to pay in cash, if at all possible. I know it’s not necessarily the restaurant’s fault, but c’mon, you can’t manage your own credit card machine/service? That’s just basic, and I’m really not inclined to give the restaurant the benefit of the doubt here because of its overall lack of polish.

The food, though, did help to relieve some of those problems, though it was extremely inconsistent. Vidalia literally floored me with a couple aspects of the meal. First of all, the famed cornbread set the mood for the whole meal, as it was so perfectly crisped/burnt on the top and so gritty and buttery in the middle, with such a balanced honey taste, that I was practically in heaven when I put it in my mouth. The bread basket, which comes with two other phenomenal breads, is easily the best I’ve seen in any restaurant, ever.

And the legendary pie Ralph had told me about? Well, I finally understand why he was so star-struck. I tried the Lemon Chess Pie, which I normally wouldn’t like, since I’m not a fan of citrusy flavors. It was, however, so refreshingly balanced between an extremely sweet custard and rather tangy lemon, with such a crispy and crunchy crust, that it was irresistible. It was, moreover, so deliciously oily that you could even see the oil gleaming on the top, making this pie practically slide down your mouth (not that it needs to, because you’ll be stuffing it down regardless).

Overall, though, I was left just a tad disappointed, largely because I had such a bad experience with the famed Mac and Cheese that it completely overshadowed nearly every other component of the meal. It came with goat cheese (an ingredient that I, to be fair, do not like too much but can tolerate), which was used so immoderately that it simply left sheer bitterness in my mouth. Nor did the smoked ham help with its overbearing saltiness. It was just one dish, true, but a house special, especially something as simple as mac and cheese, should never be this bad, especially at a Southern restaurant.

Finally, the value isn’t much to speak about, either. While the food apparently tasted rather good, none of it struck me as something I couldn’t find in a simple Southern restaurant (except for my Oyster-Champagne Soup, of course) or even cook for myself. Yet, for a simple meal of four dishes, many of which were very small, I ended up paying over $50—at lunch, no less, when it should be on the cheaper side. It’s about the norm in this area, but I really don’t feel the food should cost as much as it did, given just how simple and cheap the ingredients were and how mediocre the service was.

Overall, then, Vidalia has a few things I’d highly recommend and even return for, namely the bread and the dessert. The total experience, though, is lacking, whether it be because of the design, the service, an outright bad dish, or all three.

What I Tasted

1. Bread Basket: Normally, I wouldn’t review a bread basket formally, but this was far and away the best bread basket I’ve ever had in my life in any restaurant—and I am not exaggerating. It’s served with plain butter, maple (or honey?) butter, and some onion confit. All are delicious, though the onions can be just a bit sweet. The basket fully deserves a massive 5.0/5.0.
   • Cornbread: Just about the most perfect cornbread you can find. It’s crisped/almost burnt on the top in the best way possible, so you get a good crunch and a slight toastiness that is very refreshing. The cornbread itself is very gritty but buttery, such that the grittiness really goes down almost perfectly smoothly. And the flavor is all there—buttery, but with a touch of honey, giving you a very balanced sweetness.
   • Biscuit: This biscuit just takes you by storm. It’s just simple bread, but it’s so soft and fluffy that it practically tastes like cheese melting in your mouth. And it has just a dash of salt to get your mouth to water. Finally, it’s in the shape of a muffin, with a crunchy, firm top that I find very enjoyable.
   • Ciabatta (?) with Olive Oil: Seemingly, a very different taste than the other two. But it continues the trend of crunchy and soft, emphasizing an even harder, crispier crust but so drenched in oil that it comes off as very moist on the inside. While it’s oily, though, it’s not cloying, largely because the olive oil adds an herby flavor.
2. Barkat Oyster-Champagne Soup (Brioche, Country Ham, Bottarga, Leeks): This soup was a great way to start, though I found it to be just a bit one-dimensional. It is presented very nicely, with a small little foam on top. The flavors really do come through, too. The bottarga adds just a bit of salty fishiness, but it’s counterbalanced by the rich creaminess of the sauce and the smokiness of the ham. Neither is too intense at all, either. The ham comes in small quantities, while the soup itself actually does have a champagne-like consistency, as it’s very light and airy, even though it does incorporate some cream. I also appreciated the leeks, which add a good bit of bitter herby freshness to the dish. Finally, the oysters are a half-hit, half-miss. On the one hand, they come in three huge, full pieces, i.e. they’re very generously provided. They also add a great chewiness. At the same time, I’d actually have preferred them smaller so that you could integrate them into sips of the soup. Moreover, the flavor conflicts with that of the soup just a bit. The oysters are plain or tasteless in comparison to the much richer, heartier soup, yet because they are in such large pieces, they tend to overshadow that soup. Still, the soup itself is a great combination of the light and the rich, as well as the fishy and the smoky. 3.7+/5.0
3. Shrimp and Grits (Sweet Onions, Shrimp, Chorizo, Shellfish Nage): For a legendary house special, I’m not impressed, not so much because this isn’t great—believe me, it is!—but because it really doesn’t live up to its reputation. This dish does, however, provide a fantastic take on a classic, with every ingredient cooked extremely well and a great synergy among all the flavors. The grits themselves are very rich and smooth, to the point that, while you taste the grittiness, it almost melts into the creaminess of the whole. They have an extremely buttery taste, like French mashed potatoes, and they serve as a great neutral, starchy background for the other much bolder flavors. Among those, it’s really the onions that stand out. The description of “sweet onions” doesn’t really do them much justice, because they have somewhat of a grilled/smoky flavor that combines with the sweetness to make for an absolute pleasure in the mouth. It can be too sweet for some, though, and that’s where the very savory chorizo sausage comes in. I really like the idea of the chorizo here, especially with its slight spiciness. I do, however, find it to be generally lacking in flavor—which is something that I should never have to say of chorizo, given just how flavorful it is by its very nature (it has so much garlic and spice that it should never come out bland). Finally, the shrimp is very flavorful. It comes in huge, very thick, full pieces that are incredibly succulent. Finally, the synergy just works—everything comes together in a mad rush, with the rich, creamy grits combining with the sweet onions, as well as the savory, smoky sausage and shrimp for a medley of delicious flavors. However, it’s too rich, and I’m guessing that it would be for most people. Nor does the dish offer anything unique to the concept of shrimp and grits (except maybe the chorizo, but that was off). Still, it’s hard to beat it in terms of the fundamentals.  4.3/5.0.
4. Vidalia’s Baked Macaroni (Amish Cheddar, Goat Cheese, Smoked Ham): The one failure of the night, and I do mean failure. It’s really surprising actually because the dish itself has the makings of greatness, with a technical excellence you don’t normally see in Mac and Cheese. The top is covered with crumbs, the interior is loaded with ham, and the cheese is incredibly gooey but so light that it doesn’t cover up any of the textures of the other ingredients. Thus it looks like an excellent Mac and Cheese. Unfortunately, the synergy just is not there, and the end result is a clash of incredibly intense, conflicting flavors. The main culprits are the goat cheese and the smoked ham. While the cheese is very light, the flavor of the goat cheese is so intense that it single-handedly overpowers nearly every component of the dish, turning it so bitter that it loses almost all its savoriness and starchiness. The smoked ham causes a similar effect, but rather with its saltiness and smokiness. This ham is, in fact, so salty that, even though the salt is relatively low on all the other ingredients, the whole dish itself tastes unbearably salty. Moreover, while I typically like smoky flavors, here the smokiness just really doesn’t suit the goat cheese. Worst of all, these flavors don’t actually balance each other out, though in theory they should. One or the other will tend to dominate, and it’s really just a matter of which is the lesser evil—i.e. you can choose to pick up more or less ham depending on your preference between overwhelming bitterness and overwhelming saltiness. On a more positive note, I really do like the complex textures, and the bread crumbs on top are fantastic, helping to soften the harshness of the other flavors just a bit. 1.2+/5.0.
5. Lemon Cheese Pie (Lemon Custard, Blueberry Compote, Chantilly Cream): A masterpiece, plain and simple. As soon as I bit into this, I was transported to citrus ecstasy. Never have I been a fan of lemon-based dessert, yet this pie is nearly flawless. The pie crust on the bottom is extremely thin, even microscopic, so that it doesn’t interfere with the extremely tender, rich, flavorful custard at all. That bottom layer is just a bit too hard, though, and it resists attempts at cutting it. Still, it does add a nice little bit of crunch. The crust at the edges is much larger, formed into a very crispy, crunchy treat, kind of like a wanton cracker. While it doesn’t have much flavor of its own, I do appreciate the added texture. And to be fair, it doesn’t need much flavor, because the lemon custard is just so good on its own. The top of that custard is almost burnt, glistening with an oily sweetness. The custard is, moreover, intensely smooth, practically flowing down your mouth. It does, however, have some good denseness to it, so that it actually is very much thick custard rather than cream. The flavor, too, is right on. The intense tartness of the lemon combines with the creamy sweetness of the custard to form a very nice balance. Even better, the lemon really lasts on the palate, giving you an extremely zesty finish. As for the other ingredients, I don’t care much for the Chantilly cream, which is really just a bit of whipped cream with some sugar in it, though it does help to neutralize some of the intensity of the lemon. The blueberry compote fares much better, coming in two forms: a syrup and a mini-gelatin. The gelatin is just a cold glop, without very much flavor. The syrup, however, is very intense and delicious, adding a strong, very natural, and very tangy-sweet berry flavor that complements the lemon extremely well, though it makes the whole cake just a bit too sweet for my taste. 4.8/5.0. Indescribably good. One of the most complex pies I’ve had, and probably the best lemon pie I’ve ever tasted.

Scores

Ambience: 3.0/5.0
Service: 2.0/5.0
Taste: 3.8/5.0
Value: 3.0/5.0
Verdict: 3.2/5.0

Lately, I’ve been eating out a lot, and I’m starting to get a little bit bored of the dichotomy I’m seeing: Either I end up eating simple food in a dirty, cheap setting, or I get an overly complex, at times confused meal in an expensive setting. What happened to the good old days, when quality didn’t have to be expensive, and when nice restaurants appreciated simple cuisine?

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That is why I finally turned to Palena Café, not only one of DC’s most famous eateries, but one of the best bangs for the buck. While Palena has an expensive prix fixe, multi-course menu, it realizes the need to cater to the more casual consumer, and so it sets off a portion of its restaurant as a simple café that serves up American classics, like a burger, fries, and roast chicken.

Now, that may not seem like much to excite you, but just consider these credentials. The burger is, far and away, considered the best restaurant-quality burger in the whole city, the soups are often ranked as some of the best dishes in the whole city (according to the Washingtonian), and the roast chicken is the stuff of legends, typically running out within the first couple or so hours of service on any given night. In fact, while I’m not one to eat chicken when I go out, I had come to Palena specifically for the roast chicken, a dish so famous that even other restaurateurs have ranked it among their favorites in the city. Whether you enjoy simple cuisine or not, it’s hard to argue with credentials like these, and I had to get my 2 cents in on the action.

So I suited up and prepared for my upcoming feast. I arrived early—i.e. right as the café opened—just to get a good seat, since the café takes no reservation, unlike Palena’s main dining room. Trust me, too, you’re going to need to be early to grab a seat, since there are only a few tables, even though this is one of the most popular restaurants in the city. I wanted to avoid a repeat of the first time I’d come to Palena, when I had arrived at 7:00 p.m. with my 2 good friends only to wait about 45 minutes for one of the 3 or so tables that could accommodate us. This time, however, I was lucky enough to not only get a seat, but also a small view of the street, though the neighborhood, Cleveland Park, isn’t all that much to watch.

As expected from such a respected restaurant, the décor also thrills with its sheer elegant simplicity, especially for a place that serves a burger. I do admit that the tables in the café are small and a bit dull, since they’re wooden and scuffed, but the overall impression is nice. Moreover, I like the great booths, as the couches are ornamented all over with paintings of flowers and plants. The bar is a standout, too. It takes up nearly half the front. Loungy, odd couch stools also give the restaurant a very classy, café vibe. The lighting just puts a final touch of refinement. All throughout there are quaint, old-fashioned chandeliers and mini-candelabras. At nights, a little light runs across the top of the wall, highlighting the outline of the restaurant. Still, the décor is admittedly too simple for some, with the only decoration being the very large mirrors and the lamps.

The service, too, is excellent. The waiters have been very professionally trained. While the café is very affordable, I guess the higher prices at the adjacent restaurant do bring with them good service to the whole venue in general. Waiters bring out courses in proper succession, always ask before they take dishes away, and are constantly attentive with the minor details, like water. I also found them rather unobtrusive. As a side note, though, I did think the waiters were just a bit bland—not that that actually affects the service, but it just struck me that the people were a bit overly formal for the place. Still, I’d be willing to bet you can’t find better service at this price in DC (except just maybe at Central Michel Richard).

Nothing, though, quite compares to the food, which carries the restaurant’s same air of simple refinement but does so with so much polish that it literally crushes all its competition. First and foremost, I need to compliment the sheer consistency. I stuck to the specialties, of course, but I tasted 3 of the menu’s 9 or 10 dishes, plus a dessert and an appetizer off the restaurant’s menu (which you can order from at the café). Not only did none disappoint, but 2 of 5 dishes were simply unforgettable (i.e. nearly flawless), and a third was very close. Whether it be soup, a burger, a piece of chicken, or a cheesecake, Palena does it all incredibly well, to the point that I was a little taken back by the sheer variety, regardless of how small the menu might be.

Moreover, the technique and preparation of the dishes are incredible. Let me put it into perspective: When I ordered the roast chicken, they asked me if I had 45 minutes to wait. I’m not exaggerating, either. The chicken takes 45 minutes from the time of order to prepare! Not surprisingly, it is so mouth-wateringly succulent, with such a crispy skin and so much zesty seasoning, that I almost didn’t notice that it was just a plain piece of chicken, served with nothing other than some spinach.

Finally, the flavor combinations are superb. Whether the dish be simple or complex, everything is nuanced and balanced. The chicken comes with an intensely zesty seasoning to balance out its juiciness, the fry platter features a rather zippy, spicy-tangy mayo, and the artichoke soup has just the right amount of cream so that it’s never too heavy but rather always fresh. Add in a few unique touches, like fried lemons on the fry platter, sheep’s milk ricotta and rhubard compote in the cheesecake, and fried onion and shrimp in the artichoke soup, and you have the beginnings of greatness.

For all that, I’d expect to pay a premium, but even with the value Palena once again delivers. You’ll be lucky to find roast chicken for $25 at other places, let alone the $15 that you pay for the 45 minute-cooked version at Palena, and $12 for a true restaurant burger is something I don’t frequently see. Add in the ambience and service, and you’ll see why Palena is so popular.

My biggest problem? I simply didn’t have enough room to eat even more.

Really, if you want a fantastic meal in DC, there’s few that can do it better—or cheaper—than Palena. It’s a must try.

What I Tasted

1. Artichoke Soup (off restaurant menu): This is a very light soup, but boy is it packed with flavor. And you can just tell from the presentation that it’s going to be good, too. It’s served in a huge bowl with protruding sides and a very deep hole, full of tons of color from the beautiful artichoke and cream mixture and the white foam topping it off. I love the ingredients, too. Never would I have thought that whole pieces of shrimp, fried onion skins, and artichoke would have gone so well together, but they do. The shrimp is large, juicy, succulent, and very savory, while the onion crisps add just a bit of refreshing crunch. Really, this is some of the best cooked, most flavorful shrimp I’ve had in a long time—and it’s in a soup no less! There’s also something a bit sour and crunchy in here, which I found oddly enjoyable. The artichoke is near perfect, too. To be fair, the flavors of the soup are very downplayed, but the soup has so much complexity I don’t mind. I do enjoy the numerous overtones, though. I’ve already discussed the small bit of sourness, the savoriness from the shrimp, and the onions, but there’s also some really nice seasoning in the soup itself. It’s mildly spicy, with very good pepper to really balance out the creaminess with a bit of a strong kick. Finally, the soup is extremely smooth and has just the right amount of thickness to give it some body without becoming heavy at all. Overall, this is masterful in almost every way. 4.8/5.0
2. Cheeseburger (Truffled Cheese, Meat, Truffle Oil, Sauce): Excellent, though very simple. The bun is toasted to near perfection. It’s a simple sesame seed bun, but it’s toasted all the way through, and it doesn’t taste burnt at all, so it doesn’t contribute any odd flavors. It’s a bit bland, but it holds up very well. It also has a lot of flaky fluff to it, which is a double-edged sword. Sometimes, it’s too much, but typically I like the very big crunch. Also, the truffle is very nicely balanced. Typically, I hate truffle oil because it’s stacked on too strongly in burgers, but here it’s perfect. It just perfumes your breath with a nice herby quality without overwhelming you at all. The cheese is perfect, too: smoky and flavorful, but not too strong at all. The star, though, is by far the meat, and it’s near perfect: fatty, but not overly so; dripping with oil, but not gushing all the over place; cooked all the way through evenly. It’s not traditional ground beef, either. It has the taste of a nice steak, so it has a very unexpected elegance to it. The sauce just tops it all off. It’s a bit too salty for my taste, but it has a very nice herby richness, with the body and taste of a mayo but with some garlic and other herbs. I would have liked more, just with less salt. Other than that, I just have to fault the burger for being a bit bland. There’s practically nothing on it at all, not even veggies. 4.2/5.0
3. Fry Plate (Fried Lemons, Fries, Onion Rings, Tater Tots, Zippy Mayo): Overall, a mixed bag. Nothing’s bad, but I’d really prefer just a plate of the fries and lemons. The zippy mayo’s a nice touch, too. It’s a mix of an herbed mayo with some spicy pepper. It’s a nice mix, combining two things you normally wouldn’t eat together, but it can get a bit spicy. 3.5/5.0, overall. Points for variety.
   • Onion Rings: The onions in here are delicious—grilled to perfection, with some nice oil to them. The rings themselves, though, are bland. The batter on them is very light and almost flavorless, really not contributing all that much. It just leaves you with a very strong oiliness that is a bit unsatisfying. Still, nicely made, with good onion taste. The rings go down very, very easily because of just how light they are. 2.3/5.0
   • French Fries: These are amazing. They’re extremely thin, in perfect even rectangles that have just enough thickness to allow you to get a taste of the potato. And that taste still manages, somehow, to be very big. They’re incredibly starchy, yet because they’re so thin and so nicely fried, they’re incredibly crunchy. One of the biggest crunches I’ve ever heard, in fact. Even better, the salt is perfect, so that your mouth waters just a bit, but you just want more fries, not water. 4.5/5.0.
   • Fried Lemons: The kicker on the plate! These always give everyone a shock at just how good they are. I have to say, when I tried these lemons the first time, I absolutely loved them, but this time around they tasted just a bit more bland, and it might have been in the very light, tasteless batter. Still, I really like these mini-chips. They’re crispy, but not like potato chips. Instead, you taste a good piece of lemon, giving you a big rush of sourness. The crunch isn’t quite the best, and the sourness can be a bit too much (before, I think the batter was heavier and helped to counterbalance it a bit more). Still, this is one of the most interesting takes on fried food you can have. 4.0/5.0
   • Tater Tots: These are an elegant take on tater tots, crafted in the shape of mini-swirls (like a cinnamon bun), but I found them a bit dull. They really are just mushy potato balls. On the one hand, I like just how strong the potato starch comes through. On the other, the flavor is really muddy. I like the crunch, though. This component is very different than the others, having a very nice softness to it as you bite into the mushy ball. Still, not my favorite. 2.5/5.0
4. Roast Chicken (served with sautéed spinach): If anyone can find a better roast chicken in DC, I will be extremely shocked. In fact, this is nearly flawless in every single way. The chicken is cooked better than I’ve ever seen it. Nothing is burnt or overcooked in any way, and the whole chicken comes out evenly. The flesh itself is moist in every bite, no matter the part of the chicken it comes from. It’s a bit on the salty side, but only very subtly. The seasoning is actually quite nice. Because the chicken is so salty, I think it’s been brined, which would explain how it got so perfectly soft. The skin, however, is just the opposite—crisp and crunchy, with a good bit of seasoning and flavor to it. I like just how much pepper and rosemary (I think) went into it, giving it some kick. And finally, the spinach is a fantastic match. It’s soft and tender, but cooked without any other ingredients, so that it retains its very heavy bitterness. That bitterness really balances out the savoriness and the saltiness of the chicken very well. All in all, this is an extremely simple dish, with no more than two ingredients, but I can’t imagine it done any better anywhere, especially at this price! 4.8/5.0. 5.0/5.0 considering value.
5. Sheep Milk Ricotta Cheesecake (with rhubarb compote): Amazing. This cake is so complex that you’ll just be left wondering how it can possibly be a cheesecake. The rhubard compote is very nice, with a strong sour-sweet fruitiness to it that is a good counterbalance to the very intense, slightly bitter, very rich cheesecake. The cheesecake itself is overloaded with toppings to add some extra flavor, too: coconuts throughout the cake, pistachios crumbled all across the top, powdered sugar, etc. So you get the fruity and the sweet, the crunchy and the rich, all throughout. The abundance of rhubard pieces just tops it all off, with a fruity, chewy burst that combines almost seamlessly with the smooth cake. Perhaps best of all is just the natural richness of the cheesecake. Sheep’s milk isn’t normally used in American ricotta because it’s about 10x as expensive as cow’s milk. Real ricotta, though, is only made with sheep’s milk. And when you taste this cake, you’ll know exactly why. It’s so elegant that it can just slide down your throat without becoming too thick or clumpy, yet it’s so rich that it’s practically like eating a thick cream. There is no hardness to this cake at all, as it just melts in your mouth. And the flavor hits your whole palate—how could it not when it’s just so rich? The goat’s milk can give the cake just a bit of bitterness, but even that I really don’t mind because the ingredients are just so fresh, so abundant, and in such a complex combination that you really will savor every bite. 4.6+/5.0. Named best cheesecake in DC by Washingtonian for a reason.

Overall Scores

I have to grade Palena Café a little bit differently depending on what you’re looking for.

Scores for Palena, the Gourmet Burger Joint

Ambience: 4.0/5.0. A bit too fancy for a burger joint, but it’s that class that makes it so great.
Service: 4.4/5.0. You won’t find better service for a burger, that’s for sure.
Taste (for the Fries and Burger): 4.0/5.0
Value: 4.5/5.0
Verdict: 4.2/5.0. The cheapest you will find any fancy bistro burger, and far better than most of its competition. Plus, great ambience and service to boot.

Scores for Palena, the Café

Ambience: 3.5/5.0
Service: 4.0/5.0
Taste (every non-burger item): 4.8/5.0
Value: 4.5+/5.0. 5.0/5.0 for the chicken.
Overall Score: 4.5/5.0. 4.9/5.0 if you’re just looking for roasted chicken.

Cuisine: American.
Location: 1201 24th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20037.
Price: Entrees range $22-$30, Desserts $7-$9. Expect to pay about $50 for a 3 course-meal.

It was a cold winter day—so cold, in fact, that I was just in the mood to curl up by a fireplace with a nice cup of coffee and some comfort food. Unfortunately, when you’re at college, those amenities are few and far between.

Luckily for me, though, I knew of a restaurant with that very kind of homey feel: Blue Duck Tavern. I had visited Blue Duck Tavern once before to review their fantastic brunch. While I wasn’t impressed by their simple, bare environment the first time around, there is something about the restaurant that just screams “comfort.” It may be the almost completely wooden design, the large and spacious seating, the jazzy classics playing on the speakers, the fact that you can actually hear yourself think, or perhaps just the delicious-looking rows of apple pies that are laid out in front to tempt and entrance wandering passersby. Whatever it is, it sticks with you. In fact, it had been two months since I had eaten there, yet I still remembered the sight of the apple pies lining the kitchen. I knew that pie would be the culmination of a perfect meal.

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That type of comfort doesn’t just permeate the setting, though, but rather every aspect of the restaurant, including the service. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by a very professional hostess and offered a newspaper, since I had come alone. My waitress was semi-formal but amiable, offering me great recommendations and descriptions of the dishes. She also cracked jokes whenever she came by, and she did so with all her customers, trying to put us all at ease. Moreover, the waiters do a nice job with presentation: They always announce each dish as they put it on the table, and they always excuse themselves before removing anything.

Nothing, however, better captures the idea of comfort than the food. In a single meal, I was treated to Morel Mushroom Custard with Sweetbreads, Braised Beef Ribs, Swiss Chard Pie, and Apple Pie. The menu practically speaks for itself. Every dish is rich, fatty, and sinfully decadent. The goal isn’t to save calories, but to pack in as much taste as possible, and it shows.

It’s not the options that set Blue Duck Tavern apart, though; rather, it’s how the restaurant cooks those options. Everything feels fresh and homemade, made with that type of care you’d only find at your grandma’s. Meats are drawn from all around the country, and each type of meat is bought from only a single farm to ensure quality and consistency. The beef ribs are marinated for 48 hours, then braised for an additional 12. The apple pie is made fully in-house and uses some of the freshest apples I’ve ever tasted in a pie. I admit that Blue Duck Tavern may not impress with its variety or innovation, but it will with the sheer quality of its food, which is at least a cut or two above most traditional American restaurants.

The one area where I can honestly level a complaint is in the value component. I liked everything about this restaurant from the service to the food to the ambience, but the restaurant does charge an arm and a leg for portion sizes. My $20+ braised beef ribs, for instance, came in three medium-size cubes, amounting to probably one rib of beef total. It’s like that with most of the other appetizers and entrees, too. It’s odd, though, because with the sides and desserts the portions are huge. The apple pie impressed me in particular—$9 for what amounted to a miniature pie. It was at least two or three slices at any other place. The problem, then, is not so much that you won’t get full, but that the restaurant seems to fill you up on the wrong dishes—that is, the ones that you probably don’t go there to eat and that are easiest to produce.

Still, $65 for a phenomenal three course meal plus a side is a price I’d gladly pay in DC, considering how expensive even a normal, dull meal can be. Blue Duck Tavern may not be cheap, and it may not be innovative, but it is superb in most every other way. I have yet to find better American comfort food in the DC area.

What I Tasted

1. Morel Mushroom Custard with Pan Seared Sweetbreads: So decadent that it’s sinful. The custard is fantastically creamy and rich, but retains a lightness reminiscent of flan. It’s so smooth that you practically don’t notice it going down. I would have preferred even more of a mushroom flavor, but the custard is still nice and zesty, providing a slightly savory/bitter undertone. The synergy is phenomenal, however, as the custard helps to balance out some of the wildness of the sweetbreads with its richer, more neutral, and fresher flavor. The sweetbreads come in two varieties. The first (probably the pancreas cut) is so tender that it practically melts in your mouth and so flavorful that it bursts with juice. The fattiness is absolutely delicious, lathering up your mouth with a light bit of chewy grease that mixes perfectly with the fresh mushroom for a great combo. The other sweetbread is probably from the throat, with a bitterer, sharper flavor to it, instead of the delicate one of the last. Here, though, it has a fantastic smokiness, as though it’s been toasted all the way through. This cut will be a bit much for some, but I like how it both adds complexity to the dish and shows the restaurant’s ability to integrate different cuts. 4.5/5.0
2. Braised Beef Ribs (with Homemade Steak Sauce): Marinated for 48 hours and braised for 12 hours. How can you beat credentials like that? These are, not surprisingly, extraordinary. The one slight complaint I can make is that the sauce can come off as salty, but that’s really just a quibble. Any way you look at it, this dish is fantastic. It’s presented beautifully on a huge bone, in three separate chunks. And it delivers. The meat is steaming, served at just the right temperature. It’s cooked perfectly and evenly, with no redness whatsoever. It’s not too rubbery, instead simply melting in your mouth with a delicious, slight chewiness. It doesn’t even offer any resistance as you cut it, as the knife passes through almost like the meat is butter. Finally, the beef ribs are about as juicy and flavorful as they come, with enough fat on the inside to give them some tenderness and added flavor but not enough to make them cloying in any way. Especially nice is that the steak sauce isn’t overwhelming, instead serving as a light glaze across the top to add a slight bit of sweetness and some salt (again my one complaint). However, the all-star is clearly the meat, which is perfectly cooked. The fat leaves a long, delicious, savory aftertaste for you to enjoy. 4.7/5.0
3. Warm Swiss Chard, Raisin, and Pine Nut Pie: Another success. This dish really has a lot going for it—the intense, fresh chard, the sweetness of the raisins, and the very nicely made pie crust. It’s really that pie crust that makes this dish, though. It’s oddly addictive, like the crust of a quiche—thick and flavorful, with tons of butter and salt to give you that mouth-watering, carby, rich taste. It’s just a bit too salty for me. I really expected this dish to be on the sweet side because of the raisins, but those raisins are just a bit too scarce to have a big impact. When they are in the bite, though, they add a delicious, chewy sweetness that takes the pie to a new level of complexity. The pine nuts are also a bit downplayed, but I’d expect the flavor mostly to be there for balance rather than for a big impression. The Swiss chard, in contrast to the other ingredients, comes through in full force. It’s practically overloading the pie, forming a thick layer sandwiched between two layers of pie crust, and it provides the perfect balance for that very starchy crust. I do like, too, that it’s not overly bitter at all, as the bitterness is balanced by two factors. First, the crust, of course. Second, the pie is overflowing with olive oil, to the point that every time I cut through the pie, a whole layer of oil comes oozing out of the bottom. Because the dish has so many bold flavors, it doesn’t come off as very oily, though it can be a bit much for some. Finally, I have to give bonus points for the presentation—it comes in a large glass cover. 4.5/5.0
4. Warm Apple Pie: A fantastic finale. Really, everything here is just right, except for one major oversight: It’s served lukewarm. If this were hot, it would be near perfect. As it is, though, it’s still a decent contender for best apple pie in DC. The apples are delicious. They’re cooked perfectly, so that they retain their crunchiness but still are so soft that they practically offer no resistance as you bite through. Flavor-wise, they’re on the sour side—maybe even Granny Smith’s. Regardless, I find them to be extremely balanced, with just the right amount of sourness, sweetness, and spice to make them both complex and extremely flavorful.  The top of the crust is phenomenal—topped with caramel and burnt (with sugar probably) so that it forms a very crunchy, buttery, sweet layer. And yet, the crust somehow still manages to retain its chewiness, just like a real pie. The rest of the crust is nearly as flavorful, having soaked up the delicious apple spice and the caramel for a deliciously sweet, yet slightly salty, taste. Topping it all off with Blue Duck’s homemade vanilla ice cream is so good that it’s practically sinful. 4.7+/5.0. Loses points only for being served lukewarm
5. Vanilla Ice Cream: This was an accompaniment to the apple pie, but it is so delicious that I really should treat it by itself. This ice cream is so smooth, creamy, and rich that you won’t believe it until you taste it. The vanilla flavor, though, is what really gets me. It’s so pronounced that you taste it throughout. It’s also on the malty side, with a very heavy sweetness that really doesn’t come off as too much because the ice cream is just so creamy. Finally—and this is where Blue Duck really sets itself apart—is that the ice cream is served at the perfect temperature, in a small silver-plated goblet so that it won’t melt (the goblet helps to keep the temperature constant so that the ice cream keeps its form). You not only taste the whole ice cream flavor, which isn’t suppressed by too much iciness, but you can eat it at your leisure. 4.5/5.0. Even more with the apple pie.
6. (Complimentary) Cherry Chocolate Powder Gelatin: Just a small bite with the check. There’s a slight hint of cherry tartness with a pronounced cocoa powder and a very chewy gelatin. Not rated.

Scores

Ambience: 3.8/5.0
Service: 4.7/5.0 (for the price point)
Taste: 4.7/5.0. Consistent excellence across so many dishes is unheard of in DC.
Value: 4.3/5.0. A mixed bag—but I’d gladly pay the price for this quality of food and service. Plus, the monstrously large apple pie more than makes up for the paltry entrees.
Verdict: 4.6/5.0. Easily one of the best meals I’ve had in DC.

Cuisine: American Steakhouse.
Specialty: 22 oz. Bone-In Ribeye.
Location: Numerous locations in major cities throughout the country. Mine was the one in DC, located at 1625 Eye Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20006-4061.
Price: The typical steaks range from $29 to $52. The 22 oz. Ribeye is $45. About $10 for each side, $10-$20 for appetizers, and $10 for dessert.

In Washington, DC, forget non-American fare. As I’ve mentioned before, DC prides itself on its overabundance of steakhouses, which dominate the higher-end dining scene. I’m personally a fan of the trend, and I believe it’s very suitable for the nation’s capital. While the steakhouse may not truly encapsulate most of American cuisine, the capital seems to show a greater respect for American cooking in general, and that translates into a larger presence for steakhouses on the dining scene.

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Unfortunately, I can’t say so much for the general quality of these steakhouses. With so many politicos and businessmen mobbing these restaurants, it’s easy for them to charge an arm and a leg, giving little in return.

That is exactly the case with the famous BLT Steak, a steakhouse so popular that it has several locations across the nation. That should, of course, be an immediate red flag. Never have I really run into a chain fine-dining institution, and though I’ve read about them, the implications for quality are never good. Implementing the same menu with the same quality is never easy when the true mastermind isn’t in the kitchen.

Nonetheless, BLT has received so much praise I felt I needed to check it out. The Washingtonian, in fact, has named the grilled double-cut bacon one of the top 30 dishes in the DC area and the crepe soufflé one of the area’s top 30 desserts.  With credentials like that, how can BLT not deliver?

Unfortunately, that very praise masks a slight problem: inconsistency. I agree 100% that the bacon is easily one of the best dishes in the city, as it is soft and succulent in the middle but charred just perfectly on the sides, and it comes with a tangy herby coating that only takes it to a level of complexity I’ve never had before in bacon. I’d sing similar praise of the crepe soufflé, a deliciously tangy-sweet, croissant-like ball of fluff that makes your taste buds go wild. The bread, a gigantic Gruyere Popover, is similarly phenomenal, coming crunchy yet chewy, with an unmatched buttery smoothness.

There’s one glaring flaw, though: the actual steak! This is, ounce for ounce, probably the most expensive steakhouse in the entire city, charging $54 for its house special, the 22 oz. bone-in ribeye. Let me put that into perspective: I can get one of the best, most delicious ribeye steaks in the area at Ray’s the Steaks for a price of $34 for 28 oz. If BLT is going to charge the highest price in the city for its ribeye, it better make sure to bring out a perfect cut of meat. Yet I got something so flavorless that I didn’t even want to eat it. The problem wasn’t the cooking, either, because the steak was cooked perfectly medium as I asked. There was, however, no juiciness, succulence, or sheer flavor. How BLT managed to single-handedly destroy one of the most flavorful cuts of meat is beyond me, but it did.

Don’t get me wrong: I absolutely loved the bacon and was licking my lips after the crepe soufflé. However, it’s a sin for such a famous, expensive steakhouse to fail to even prepare its own specialty well.

That same inconsistency is also to be found in the non-food aspects of the restaurant, as BLT Steak nails the ambience but butchers the service.

Upon entering BLT, I immediately thought to myself, “Now this is ambience.” It’s modern, with a refined touch of professionalism and a slightly loungy quality. Semi-loud pop music streams throughout the interior while political bigwigs in suits sit chatting away about business. Classy pictures surround the restaurant, showing everything from famous buildings to bulls, and large multi-colored vases teeming with flowers and greens can be seen in the center and the corners. A simple, dim lighting scheme adds to the atmosphere, with lights streaming across the ceiling in small circles. A large wine cellar can be seen out of the corner of the eye, stocked with huge magnums. Finally, extremely spacious and very comfy, pillow-covered couches only take it to the next level, as do the tables, which are so polished you can practically see your face in them. This is absolute comfort, intimacy, and polish, catering to all the professionals in town. The ambience immediately puts you into the mindset that you’re eating somewhere important, where you’ll easily have a phenomenal meal in every way.

That refined elegance, however, is misleading, to say the least. Normally, you’d expect a place this hip and this hot to have great service, but that’s not the case here.

For starters, as soon as I snapped a photo of the scenery, my waiter was taken aback, as though I had done something wrong. All he could manage was an innocent comment with an awkward tone: “Taking photos?” And that really was the feeling throughout—an awkward lack of professionalism. First, the waiter got my order wrong, bringing me out a lamb sandwich instead of the rack of lamb. It was partially understandable, because we had been discussing a sandwich which had been taken off the menu, but never did I mention “sandwich,” “panini,” or “brie,” so how I got a roasted lamb and brie panini is beyond me.

That list of service errors just goes on and on:

1. When my waiter brought out the bacon, instead of just leaving it on the table in a serving plate so that I could take strips off one by one onto my plate, he moved around everything and tried to set the whole dish down in front of me.
2. Whenever the waiters made room for my dishes, they would move my phone all around, without asking me—I don’t really care too much, but I know plenty of people who’d be fuming.
3. When I had finished my ribeye, they asked me if I was done, and I specifically told them, “Yes, with the ribeye,” only to find them taking away a full dish of fries.
4. After I stopped them from taking my fries, my main waiter presented me the dessert menu before I had finished my fries, as though trying to rush me out of the restaurant.
5. Even the water service was slow, and this is in a restaurant that was near empty!

All in all, this is easily the worst service I’ve seen in a fine DC restaurant.

BLT Steak, then, is one of the oddest and most extreme mixes of good and bad I’ve seen. If you can zero in on a good dish, it can be phenomenal, and the ambience immediately puts you at ease, literally convincing you that the dinner will astound. Yet, you slowly become disappointed as you realize just how much of a myth that is. The service is horrible, the value is one of the worst in the area, and the food is inconsistent, failing where it should be best—in the steaks.

Really, I don’t care if a steakhouse can give me an amazing piece of bread if it can’t cook a piece of meat. A word to the wise: avoid BLT and head over to Ray’s for a ribeye about ¾ the price, about 1.5 times as large and filling, and about twice as good.

What I Tasted

1. Complimentary Bread/Popover: Normally I wouldn’t mention the bread in much detail, but this sucker deserves it. It comes in a huge croissant-like shell, contorted into a knot. It’s extremely crunchy on the top, with a thin but extremely chewy and fluffy layer of dough right on the interior. Since it’s hollow, it doesn’t feel too heavy or too starchy at all, even though it’s still doughy. Moreover, it’s very buttery/oily on the inside, with a delicious melt-in-your-mouth feel to it. Best of all, it comes served fresh from the oven. 4.8/5.0
2. Grilled Double-Cut Bacon: Easily the best bacon I can ever remember having. It comes in four huge, thin, wide chunks. The thinness helps them to be cooked evenly all the way through yet to also be charred a bit on the top and sides. And it’s really that char that sets this bacon apart. You can actually see the char lines across the top of it, and boy is it smoky. It can taste a bit burnt at times, but it’s refreshing nonetheless. The meat itself is still incredibly soft, too, as the crisp is really relegated to the top and sides. Finally—and here’s really where the bacon goes from great to phenomenal—it’s seasoned like I’ve never seen any bacon seasoned before: drenched in olive oil and literally covered with fresh herbs (cilantro mostly I think). While the bacon feels oily, the olive oil overpowers the fattiness of the bacon so that you don’t get the disgusting meaty/fatty aftertaste that you would from normal bacon, but rather a good bit of freshness, only amplified by the zesty herbs. I give credit not just because this bacon is cooked nearly perfectly (just a bit too much char), but because it actually feels like its own dish, with a complex assortment of ingredients that really balance and enhance the bacon. 4.8/5.0
3. Bone-in Ribeye (22 oz.): I like a couple of things here, though I feel the dish ultimately doesn’t live up to the hype. First, it’s served with roasted garlic, which I find perfectly smoky and herby. Second, it’s served with the bone, which has some bone marrow in it, though it is still overly oily (a lot of oil has been slathered on I think). Third, the steak is cooked perfectly, exactly medium as I asked it. That said, it largely fails in the area that matters most: flavor. The meat itself isn’t all that succulent. This is ribeye! It should literally be gushing with juice. Here, though, there are times when it is just bland and rubbery in the mouth. The only big meat flavor is, in fact, the char, which is so heavy that the meat tastes burnt at times. Moreover, the seasoning is just off. The meat is overly and inconsistently salty, i.e. at times the salt is cloying, while in other bites it is far too little. In general, though, the salt overshadows the savoriness. At the same time, the butter and herbs laid across the top really don’t do much for me—they are very weak, and I don’t taste anything other than some salt and pepper. Making matters worse, the steak sauce I ordered is just so sweet that it too overpowers the meat. I really can’t decide which is worse—eating the meat with the sauce (to remedy its tastelessness) or without. Still, I give credit to BLT for cooking the meat very well, as it is extremely tender. 1.4/5.0
4. French Fries: Great, especially for the DC area, where good fries are so lacking. Their main downfall is that they’re on the very oily side, leaving a greasy aftertaste. Other than that, though, they’re very nicely crisped, with a beautiful golden brown on the outside. They’re also salted properly—just enough to leave you wanting more, but not too much to have you gasping for water. And I really like their size—they’re on the thin side, so they have a big crunch to them. I think they need it, too, because the fries themselves are a tad mushy and would probably turn into slop if they were on the large side. What elevates them, though, is the garlic aioli, which is rich, even mayonnaise-like. It has a big zesty kick to it and is deliciously cold and tangy, almost like tartar sauce. It is, in fact, only because of that sauce that I can recommend these. 3.5/5.0 without the sauce. Closer to 4.0 with the sauce.
5. Crepe Soufflé w/ Passion Fruit Sauce:  At least this dessert redeems the restaurant a bit after that failure of a ribeye. The soufflé is incredible, to the point that I’d recommend it to someone (like myself) who doesn’t even enjoy passion fruit. It is a huge, croissant-like, doughy shell more than a crepe, and it is smothered in delicious passion fruit syrup. The dish really succeeds with both components. The crepe itself has a slight crispiness on the top, which I find delightful, and the dough on the interior is so soft and buttery that I don’t even mind that it has practically no added flavors to it. In fact, it’s so smooth that it’s more like a slightly sweet pudding than dough (and there is, I think, actually some custard in the dough to give it that creaminess). The syrup, though, is what elevates the dish. It’s very viscous and sweet but with a perfect passion fruit tang to it that really permeates the whole soufflé. I also like—both from a presentation and a taste standpoint—that the sauce has black passion fruit seeds in it, giving it the impression of freshness, on top of adding a slight crunch. The combination really works, as the passion fruit gives the buttery pudding-dough the added flavor that it was lacking before. 4.5/5.0. One of the most unique and complex desserts I can remember having in the Capitol.

Scores

Ambience: 4.5/5.0
Service: 0.0/5.0
Taste: 2.9/5.0. No matter how good everything else is, BLT fails to deliver a good steak—shameful for such a premier steakhouse!
Value: 0.8/5.0. Atrocious steak and service for astronomical prices.
Verdict: 2.0/5.0

Looking at DC’s culinary landscape, you’d almost think that all DC residents eat is steak. The list of famous steakhouses just seems to go on and on endlessly. 1789, Ray’s the Steaks, BLT Steak, the Prime Rib, etc., etc. With so much stiff competition, how does a steakhouse distinguish itself? Moreover, can a cut of meat taste really all that much better at a different steakhouse?

Well, the Washingtonian seems to think so, ranking J&G Steakhouse as the 4^th best restaurant in the whole city, right behind Komi, minibar, and Citronelle, all of which are much, much higher-end fine-dining experiences. Whatever J&G is doing, it must be doing right to be able to hold its own against all the heavy-hitting, overpriced dining experiences in town, especially its steakhouse competition. Needless to say, I had to go check out J&G to see if it truly deserves the title of DC’s best steakhouse.

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From the second I stepped inside, I began to see the charm that had drawn so much praise, as everything about J&G oozes style, with an emphasis on the grandiose. The restaurant boasts a very high vaulted ceiling with a beautiful design of clovers, rings, and hearts on a multi-shaded grey background, all surrounded by a ring of light. The lighting is only enhanced by the extravagantly large windows, which allow natural light to brighten up the already bright room. The chairs and couches are all either leather-backed or suede and come with high backs and armrests, while the tables are all made of a wood so polished that it glimmers. Needlessly wide, pearl white and beige columns jut out from the ground and run through the middle of the restaurant, separating it into two sides. The color scheme is extremely simple: mostly white, beige, and grey, with red, white, and brown for the seats and couches. Yet you’re never struck by the simplicity, because all the designs and the arrangement of the furniture have so much nuance that you know this design is anything but simple.

That grandiosity only continues with the service, which is spot-on in nearly every way. The waiters are all very well trained, so that everyone treats you with respect and proper formality, if not a little bit too much. Silverware is changed after every course, people are allowed to sit at their tables as long as they’d like without the check being brought out before they want it, people check on your experience constantly, etc. And there is a surprising number of waiters, too, as they rotate and fill in various roles. There is even a waiter who simply circles the restaurant, providing bread piece by piece to the guests. This type of excellence is something you don’t find at this price range frequently. In fact, there was only one error during my experience, and it occurred when a waiter brought me out a Caesar salad that I hadn’t ordered. If that’s the only thing I can complain about, you know they did a great job.

What I appreciated most, though, was the restaurant’s respect for the client, especially marked in how they greet you and check on your experience. The manager herself comes to every table and expresses how pleased the restaurant is to be serving you that night—a bit exaggerated, of course, but it’s nice to see that type of quality in the less than $100 range.

And a final example just to drive in the point: When the table next to mine asked for my blinds to be opened, my waiter first  deferred to me for permission, since I was seated at the table closest to the blinds. It’s such a simple example, but it goes to show you how considerate the staff can be.

Unfortunately, the food doesn’t quite live up to that same standard, though I do admit it is, on the whole, nearly fantastic. The main problem is with the meat. I was sick of eating flavorless steaks in DC and didn’t want to take another chance at it, so I decided on the rack of lamb. Since it’s not a steak, it may not do the restaurant complete justice in this review, yet it was highly recommended by the waiter as one of the best dishes in the house. While the lamb itself was cooked well, it wasn’t very seasoned, most of the additional ingredients seemed bland, and the salt was very inconsistent.

All the other dishes did far better, and I’d easily recommend all of them. The fried calamari was crispy and light, though its tangy, creamy yuzu dip wasn’t a hit; the mashed potatoes were so buttery that they were unbelievably creamy; and the molten chocolate cake had the right balance of fudge and cake. With the possible exception of the potatoes, though, nothing was extraordinary, including the calamari, which is supposedly one of the city’s best dishes according to the Washingtonian (that favorite but oh so inaccurate source of mine!).

More positively, the selection at J&G certainly distinguishes it from its competition. Typically, a steakhouse just makes some meat and some sides. Even if the menu features other options, they almost never compare. J&G, though, believes in the well-rounded approach, giving a full selection of fuller, more balanced courses that integrate different non-beef meats and fish. Even better, unlike most steakhouses J&G actually produces fantastic appetizers and desserts, and it is often cited as much for those dishes (such as the calamari and the chocolate cake) as for the steaks themselves. J&G, then, has a little bit of something for everybody.

Overall, J&G Steakhouse gets two thumbs up. While the food may not be enough for me to call it the 4^th best restaurant in the city, it certainly trumps most of its competition in its selection, general food quality, décor, and professionalism.

What I Tasted

1. Fried Calamari, Pickled Chilies, Yuzu Dip: The most delightfully crispy, oily calamari in the whole District. The fry job is phenomenal, creating an incredibly crunchy and flaky texture that is nevertheless extremely light, so that you can taste the calamari perfectly. It’s really that big calamari taste that sets these apart, as the calamari is cooked with a bit of firmness, meaning it’s very chewy and very juicy. The restaurant also adds some salt, giving the calamari a somewhat seafood-like, fishy taste that I find a bit too much at times. As for the extras, I really can’t say the pickled chilies make a big showing on the dish, though there are a couple pieces laid on the plate to add a briny, tangy heat for the adventurous. The yuzu dip, too, is a nice idea in theory, but it isn’t my favorite. It is very light, like a creamy foam, which I appreciated. The tangy, citrusy flavor helps to balance out the calamari’s fishiness, too, and that tanginess leaves a nice, fresh aftertaste. Still, that tanginess is a double-edged sword, at times overpowering the dish. Finally, the calamari suffers from an overload of oil. 4.3/5.0
2. Rack of Lamb, Black Olive Crumbs, Root Vegetables, Aged Balsamic Vinegar: This dish is a mixed bag. While I really enjoy the lamb, it is a little overcharred, while the root vegetables just come out bland. The lamb itself is deliciously cooked—black on the outside, but with just enough redness inside to make it chewy and succulent (it was cooked medium-rare). The outside, however, is so charred that it feels somewhat burnt at times. The lamb does taste very good, though. It has that slight gaminess that I love in lamb, but the black olive crumbs add a bit of salty crunch that I find satisfying, if not enough. I would have liked the lamb seasoned just a bit more, though. The salt isn’t distributed all that well, either, as some bites are very neutral while others are overly salty. The root vegetables—carrots, mushrooms, onions—are all a little bland, drenched in some oil (or maybe just vinegar) which gives them an artificial taste. They come on a vegetable puree (of what I’m not sure), which I feel is actually nice, having absorbed the tangy sweetness of the veggies. 3.2/5.0
3. Mashed Potatoes: Incredibly delicious, but so buttery and oily that you won’t believe it. In fact, there is a pool of melted butter and oil in the dish, meaning that the oil is so much that the potatoes can’t even absorb all of it. Still, the quality is undeniable. The potatoes retain a slightly gritty quality that gives their whipped texture just a bit more character, and the potato flavor comes through really well. Still, the butter dominates, leaving you with an extremely rich, thick residue that is almost cheesy in its richness. It’s delightful, but it can be too heavy and greasy for some. 4.5/5.0
4. Warm Chocolate Cake: Not quite as molten or warm as I’d like, but incredibly well-executed. The chocolate cake has a nicely crunchy exterior, with a very fluffy, cakey texture on the inside. I like that J&G left a rather thick layer of cake in there, filling only the center with fudge, so that you actually do feel like you’re eating cake. The fudge is really the star, though, as it’s deliciously rich and thick but still smooth as can be. It’s also rather nicely balanced. Even though you get a really big dark chocolate bitterness, it’s always soft on the palate, blending nicely with the cake. Helping that balance is a nice dusting of powdered sugar all across the top in just the right amount. The one part of the dessert I don’t care for is the vanilla ice cream, which doesn’t have much flavor. It’s also too frosty, suppressing the flavor a tad. 4.2/5.0. With some homemade ice cream, this dessert would be truly outstanding.

Scores

Ambience: 4.4/5.0
Service: 4.6/5.0
Taste: 3.9+/5.0
Value: 4.2/5.0
Verdict: 4.3/5.0

Steakhouses tend to be a pretty straightforward experience—meat, meat, and more meat. Any non-steak item on the menu is typically forgettable at best. Combine that with an overly formal, intimate atmosphere and an expensive price tag, and you’ve got the typical steakhouse experience in DC.

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Ray’s the Steaks in local Arlington, though, is anything but your typical steakhouse experience. Not only is it by far the cheapest steakhouse in the area, but it’s known just as much for its non-steak dishes. In fact, Washingtonian Magazine touts Ray’s crab bisque as one of the best 30 dishes in the DC area and the key lime pie as one of the area’s top 30 desserts. I didn’t find either dish to be quite so unforgettable, but I was still impressed that a steakhouse of all places was receiving so much attention for its variety and consistent excellence. Needless to say, I just had to visit Ray’s when I heard about it.

I finally managed to make it out on what seemed to be an uneventful Saturday evening. Walking across the bridge from DC to Arlington and on to Ray’s the Steaks, about 10 or so blocks away, the whole area seemed to me practically deserted. It almost felt as though nobody lived or ate in the area.

…Then I got to Ray’s the Steaks and saw the (literally) hour-long wait—and that was at 6:30 no less, long before the Saturday night dining rush hour hit. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who got word about the amazing food. Ray’s doesn’t take reservations, either, so the wait is, more or less, mandatory for most diners. Thus, I waited, growing hungrier and hungrier with every passing minute for my forthcoming behemoth of a meal.

While waiting, I noticed just how bare-bones Ray’s is for such a popular place. The ambience was, in fact, the lowlight of the night. It’s not bad, but it’s about as bland as can be. Austere, plain walls with no decorations, a couple glass windows, and a few wine cabinets are really all that the eye can see. The restaurant is on the loud side, too, so it’s definitely not the place to be intimate, though groups would find themselves immediately comfortable. Moreover, since the restaurant is so large and spacious, it simply looks empty. On the more positive side, I really did like the amount of space I had—even though this place is constantly crowded, extra tables weren’t jammed in there gratuitously just to get a few extra dollars. The loungy waiting area was nice, too, as it was lined with comfortable couches and had an active wine service going on. Overall, though, the décor lacks the refinement of a typical DC steakhouse.

The same, too, applies to the service. Again, it wasn’t bad, but it was lacking in the small details. I’ll give just a few examples. My waiter brought me just a cup of soup, instead of the bowl that I ordered. On the spoon, there was a crumb of food. In the lounge while we were waiting, nobody came by to offer my friend a drink when he wanted one, even though others were enjoying bottles all around. Finally, the service was quite slow at times, with waiters coming infrequently. Still, my waiter was amiable enough, and I didn’t feel rushed to get out, like some of the reviews I’ve read have complained. The service, I thought, was fair for the price point, but I wouldn’t call it good or professional by any means.

That said, none of it really matters because Ray’s isn’t the place to go for ambience or service. The priority here is simple, amazing cooking at an affordable price, and that really is the standard by which you should judge Ray’s. The steaks are amazing—perfectly cooked, large, filling—and yet they are priced anywhere from about $18 to $35. In fact, I didn’t see anything on the menu for more than $40, and there were a large number of cuts running about $20 for the more money-conscious individual.

The portion sizes were enormous, too. I paid one of the heftier prices on the menu—a whole $34—but in return I got a massive 28 oz. bone-in ribeye. Now that’s value! I’d be shocked if anybody could find a better deal in town for that much ribeye. When you also factor in the unlimited complimentary creamed spinach and mashed potatoes, as well as the phenomenal $5 pies, you just can’t beat this place.

Oh, and this restaurant gets bonus points for its wine service. Typically, I won’t mention much about wines, since I find them almost always a rip-off at restaurants. That’s not the case here, though, where you get both great wine and great prices. In fact, the sommelier used to work at Michel Richard Citronelle, perhaps the most exclusive, priciest joint in DC. So what drove him to a little neighborhood, classic eatery like Ray’s? I really don’t know, and I don’t care. All that matters is that wine prices dropped about 20% ever since he got to the restaurant, and the restaurant’s arsenal went through the roof. Ray’s wine service is so popular that it is even trying to open up a wine bar, Ray’s the Glass, right in the steakhouse.

Even at its current state, though, the wine list is fantastic, boasting a total of 37 reds for under $30, including options from all  around the world—Spain, Argentina, California, etc. These aren’t bad wines either. I shared an $18 bottle of Malbec, which, while not amazing by any means, was actually quite good for the price. The sheer number of such cheap wines just attests to the restaurant’s dedication to affordability.

In short, Ray’s the Steaks is by far the best steakhouse at the price that I have ever seen. In a town known for its pricey, exclusive affairs, Ray’s stands out as a renegade, challenging and elevating the traditional notion of a steakhouse. In doing so, it not only offers some of the most affordable food around, it ironically also beats out many competitors that cost twice as much. Don’t expect all the frills, though.

What I Tasted

1. Complimentary Cajun Cashews: Cashews with tons of spice on them. I’ve never seen a mix like this. The combo of nuttiness with mildly hot spiciness actually does taste great and really sets the mood for an adventurous night.
2. Sherried Crab Bisque: This dish is, by all accounts, fantastic, but I don’t think I’d shower it with the accolades it’s received, and I don’t think I’d call it one of DC’s best dishes. At its core, it’s a relatively simple dish with a few things that it does very well. First, a generous portion of crab meat is dumped into the bottom of the cup. I find the meat just a bit bland and stringy, but it is great nonetheless. Even better, the soup itself has a lot of bold flavors, largely because of the sherry. The bisque of course comes with an intense tomato flavor, and there are a lot of herbs and chives in there that enhance that bisque just a bit. What really does the job, though, is the sherry, which adds just a slight bittersweet taste throughout as an undertone. That only serves as a further contrast to the very satisfyingly salty fishiness that runs throughout the dish, giving you a complex blend of the salty, bittersweet, herby, and creamy. Topping it all off is one of the most refreshing aftertastes you could ask for—and one that lasts for minutes (I kid you not!).  4.3/5.0
3. Cowboy Steak (28 oz. bone-in ribeye with horseradish cream and grilled onions): The specialty of the house, and probably one of the most famous cuts in the DC area. This goliath of a steak comes extremely thick, such that it would be practically impossible to cook it evenly. Moreover, the restaurant has a tendency to cook things on the rarer side, so while I ordered this medium-rare, what I got was not just rare, but practically raw. You can’t get it cooked fully even if you want to, either, because the restaurant refuses to cook this cut past medium. That may sound offsetting to those who like their meat very well-cooked, and the steak did at first strike me by surprise when I noticed that it was literally blood-red on the inside, but none of that matters, because this is a fantastic steak nonetheless. By the restaurant’s own classification, this falls under a 3/10 for tenderness and 1/10 for flavor (1 being the highest), and I do think that’s a pretty fair analysis. The meat itself is endlessly chewy, especially on the interior, since it’s very rare. The top, though, has an extremely enjoyable, crispy char that is literally perfect. American steakhouses tend to burn everything, charring it to death, but here the char is just enough that it gives a bit of a balancing bitterness and smokiness to the very savory, juicy, intense meat. The char doesn’t take away from that savoriness at all, though. I also love how the bone is included—this was easily one of my most flavorful rib experience in a long time. What really surprised me, though, was the consistency. Like I said, this steak is cooked very rare in the middle, but every bite comes out similarly juicy, smoky, and flavorful. Almost as good as the steak, though, are the sides. The grilled onions are very nicely grilled but very sweet—overly so for my taste. They serve as a great counterbalance to the meat, though. The horseradish cream is actually quite nice, too. I hate horseradish sauce because of its intensity, but here there is so much cream that I only taste a bit of the tangy, spicy, herby kick of the horseradish. Also, the sauce has a pronounced richness and coolness that helps to contrast well with the very hot, juicy steak.  4.5/5.0. Not for the squeamish!
4. Macaroni and Cheese: This Macaroni and Cheese is baked to order, and it really shows. The emphasis is on a strong noodle taste, with the cheesiness downplayed. I do think that this makes the dish unbalanced, as the noodles tend to dominate, while the cheese takes a backseat. Still, the dish doesn’t become mushy or muddy at all, since the noodles are cooked just right, allowing you to get a satisfying tenderness out of them. What makes this dish, though, is the burnt top. A layer of cheese is burnt on right across the top, but it’s done perfectly, without becoming too burnt or black at all. Instead, the dish retains a nice smokiness that doesn’t become overpowering. The crunch of that top is, moreover, one of the most enjoyable I can remember having on a Mac and Cheese. Overall, then, this dish could have used more cheese, but the quality is still notable. 4.2/5.0
5. Creamed Spinach (Complimentary): I would just stop short of saying this is one of the best dishes I’ve ever eaten, but it’s definitely up there as one of the best sides and easily the best creamed spinach. When I originally thought of creamed spinach, it really just invoked a disturbing image in my mind of bitter richness, but here none of the flavors are muddled. The cream portion is very satisfying. While it’s rich, it’s not overly heavy, rather having a lightness or wateriness to it that makes it really easy to take in. The dish is, however, so rich that some will easily find it to be too much to handle. Moreover, the cream has a bit of added flavor that I just can’t pinpoint—something like an alfredo-like, slight cheesiness, in addition to a bit of herbiness. The spinach just takes everything to the next level, though. I’m a big fan of spinach, so I really like that you can actually taste the spinach here—something that almost never happens in these overly creamy dishes. In fact, so much spinach is provided that the dish itself has a nice, slight bitterness that gradually picks up and finishes by leaving the palate very refreshed. The synergy really works, as the cream balances out some of the harshness of the bitterness, while the spinach gives the cream some good body, freshness, and complexity.  4.7/5.0
6. Mashed Potatoes (Complimentary): Another standout side, though I wouldn’t go so far as to compare it to the excellence of the creamed spinach. Here, the focus is on a very starchy, potato flavor that stands out even with all the richness of the butter and cream. The potatoes even have a slight lumpiness to them—very slight, but definitely noticeable as you taste them—that I find oddly satisfying. It is a nice compromise between the overly clumpy, overly starchy potato flavor of some versions of mashed potatoes and the cloyingly rich creaminess of others. You can actually taste the potatoes, but they don’t take away from the creaminess or the richness at all. 4.2/5.0
7. Key Lime Pie (served with strawberries and whipped cream): This is quite the impressive pie, and the fact that I’m admitting that just goes to show you how good it must be, since I really don’t care much for key lime pie. This pie does everything well, from the custard to the crust to the cream.  The custard is rich and infinitely smooth, with a lot of body to it, so that you really taste it. The flavor is extremely complex, too, starting off very subtle, suppressed  by the richness of the custard. As you savor it, though, a burst of flavor just explodes on the palate, bringing with it an increasing tangy-sweet rush that ends off with a very sharp limey bitterness that makes your mouth pucker. The bitterness is a bit much for me, but it really grows on you after a while. Moreover, the whipped cream on the side adds some nice balance. Normally, I hate whipped cream because it’s just light and tasteless, almost serving no role, but here it has a lot of substance and weight to it, so that even though it still has a blandness to it, it’s actually quite enjoyable for its texture. That blandness, moreover, helps to neutralize some of the harsher flavor of the pie. Finally—and this is where the pie really shines in my book—the pie has one of the best crusts I’ve ever had. The crust is somewhat similar to the spiced sweetness of a gingerbread cookie, but with a very satisfying crumble. It’s rather sweet, but never cloying, and it’s the perfect addition to add an extra bit of complexity to the already wild flavors of the pie. Overall, everything about this pie is great. In fact, the only thing I find extraneous is the strawberries. 4.6/5.0.
8. Also of note, I had a pretty decent Malbec for $18.

Scores

Ambience: 2.0/5.0
Service: 1.9/5.0
Taste: 4.6/5.0. Bonus points for consistent excellence.
Value: 5.0/5.0. About as cheap as steaks can get, and the wine options are amazing.
Overall Score: Objectively a 4.0/5.0, but a 4.6/5.0 in my book.  If you want just a great steak and a phenomenal value, add an extra 0.5 or so (as I did).

There are few foods DC really loves, but nothing really compares to the charm of the good old-fashioned cheeseburger. DC is the nation’s capital, after all. How could it go without an overabundance of quality burger joints?

Not surprisingly, then, the “slow fast food” burger trend has really taken off in the DC-Virginia-Maryland area. Burger joints like Ray’s Hell Burger, Elevation Burger, and Good Stuff Eatery are opening up their doors to an ever-increasing crowd of hungry diners, ready for a cost-efficient meal in DC that’s still just a bit nicer and more “gourmet” than the typical fast food burger.

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One of the most popular burger restaurants of the recent wave is the fittingly named BGR: The Burger Joint, which has even expanded into a chain with 4 locations. While the other “slow fast food burger” joints tend to keep it simple, just giving extra options for gourmet toppings, they don’t innovate quite as much as BGR. At BGR, you don’t just get the traditional burger varieties. Instead, each burger is a creature all its own, from the ham-and-cheese Cuban to the Greek (with lamb and feta) to the Ahi Tuna (with pineapple and ginger) to the massive 9 Pounder.

Trying to go along with that innovative fare is an equally odd ambience caught between the retro and the modern. On the one hand, you have records from the eighties lining the walls, a pile of Kiss action figures and lunchboxes, old-fashioned lemonade mixers, etc. On the other, you have vivid colors, large monitors playing the Food Network (a personal favorite, but somewhat underwhelming when you see it in a burger joint), and weird, bulbous, Christmas light-esque lamps. BGR, at least at its Dupont location, is really trying to go for a mix between nostalgic and cool, which it just barely misses. Still, it’s a decent attempt.

That’s really how the whole experience was at BGR: good, but something was just missing from it all. The burgers have great concepts, with lots of interesting, unique toppings and combinations. In the end, though, the meat is just a bit muddy and the flavors downplayed in favor of gimmicky ingredients that can, at times, be overpowering. Moreover, though the potato quality is great, the fries are inconsistent in general. The shake, too, is a miss: malty, but not enough.

Everything has something just a bit off that really holds it back, even though some of BGR’s “tricks” really are quite welcome—for example, foil wrapped around the burger to keep it nice and warm (The Cuban), all the ingredients actually tossed into the burger meat itself instead of on top of the burger (The Southwestern), cheese on the top and the bottom (just about everything), etc.

Those “tricks,” though, are just that—tricks. Once you get past them, you realize that the meat, fries, and shake just aren’t up to snuff.

Moreover, I’d rather not pay $9 for a gimmicky burger that is, in fact, so small that I need to eat three to get full. Honestly, I’m the type of guy who doesn’t like to pay $10 for fast food because it’s a rip-off for the quality I’m getting. Yet, I left BGR paying a good $20 for a milkshake, a burger, and some fries. That is easily the most expensive fast food combo I’ve bought in recent memory, and it really just isn’t worth it. If I’m eating fast food, I don’t expect to be paying the same price as I would in a nice gastropub, where I’d also get table service, a nicer ambience, and a much larger selection of food and drinks.

Overall, then, BGR is one of those joints that does everything well, but not well enough. I have to admit, some of the food hits the spot. The onion rings are fantastic, and I genuinely enjoy the Cuban Burger’s use of ham. But I refuse to pay $9 for a tiny ham and cheese sandwich, especially if it’s fast food.

Save some time and head over to Ray’s Hell Burger, where you can get something cheaper, twice as big, and twice as flavorful.

What I Tasted

1. The Golden Standard (Thick Cut Yukon Gold Potato Fries): Like I said, the quality of the potatoes is undeniable. The potatoes themselves aren’t bland, instead having that heavy starchy taste that you get from true, fresh potatoes. Still, the fries were very inconsistent. While they had a great golden crispness on the outside that made for a satisfying crunch, the interior too often got mushy, which got overwhelming because the fries were pretty thick (not like steak fries, but thick enough for you to notice). They weren’t seasoned except with salt, but they did have just the right amount—a big bonus. 2.5/5.0
2. The Orange Standard (Thin Cut Idaho Sweet Potato Fries): These fries were much better, for two reasons. First, the sweet potato has a much richer, starchier consistency. Second—and more importantly—they were thin cut. When you add that to their richer consistency, it’s almost impossible to get any muddiness in these potatoes. Moreover, unlike other sweet potato fries, these were nicely moderated. They weren’t overly savory or bold, and they weren’t overseasoned. Instead, they had just the right combo of sweet potato flavor to crispy oiliness, making for an overall satisfying, balanced experience. 4.0/5.0
3. Onion Rings (Thick Cut Beer Battered Vidalia Onion Rings): Easily the star of this meal. These onion rings were simply massive, and yet in every single bite I got a mouthful of delicious, fresh-tasting, thick Vidalia onion ring, for a very intense, long grilled onion taste. That doesn’t mean these rings were only lightly battered or greased, though. In fact, they were so oily that when I picked them up I could feel the oil immediately, and when I pressed the sides of one of the rings together, a whole stream of oil dripped down for several seconds. That may sound disgusting, but trust me, it makes all the difference, as the rings found a way to combine an enormous amount of delicious grease with a very fresh, bold onion taste. And the batter was just delicious—crunchy yet light, like a very flavorful, bready tempura. It almost had the consistency of thin fried dough. Even better, the proportion between batter and onion was almost perfect, allowing you to taste both very easily—which was great, because both are so delicious on their own. Overall, then, these onion rings succeeded with flying colors, easily mixing the crunchy with the chewy and the grilled with the fried. 4.5/5.0
4. The Cuban (1 Slice of Slow Roasted Pork, 2 Slices of Serrano Ham, Sweet Pickles, Dijon Mustard, and Swiss Cheese): This was quite the intriguing find—a combination between a ham and cheese sandwich and a burger. It came wrapped in aluminum foil—I assume to keep all the heat inside—which I thought was a nice touch. And the flavor combo actually worked, too, largely because the ham and pork were so flavorful, smoky, soft, and fatty. The ham also had just a bit of saltiness that made it both delicious in itself and a great compliment to the burger meat. It acted somewhat like bacon, except without the heaviness and harshness. Moreover, I really liked the proportions of all the toppings. The Swiss cheese was provided in generous amounts both on the top and on the bottom, so that I could taste it in every part of the sandwich. It was also a great choice for a cheese, imbuing the whole burger with a true ham and cheese vibe. Moreover, the pickles were cut in huge, thick slices and gave a tangy, sweet crunch. Finally, and most surprising of all, the mustard complimented the burger well. I’m notorious for my hatred of mustard, but here it was used sparingly, spread on in a light layer that was just enough to give a bit of that spicy, tangy mustard flavor without overpowering any of the meat. The one area where the burger really didn’t stand up, though, was in the meat, which for some reason didn’t seem to have much taste. That’s not because it wasn’t cooked well—in fact, it was cooked through nicely and evenly. But it had a bit of grittiness and was on the drier side, without any succulence whatsoever. Nor was it seasoned much at all, really relying on the flavors of the ham and pork to cover up some of its defects. At least the buns were great, actually holding up well under the weight of the toppings and giving an added layer of toasty smokiness from being grilled. 3.9/5.0. Fantastic for a ham sandwich, less so for a burger.
5. The Burger (Lettuce, Tomato, Grilled Onion, 2 Cheeses [American and White Cheddar?], Pickle, Mojo Sauce): This is an odd one to judge because it did everything right, yet it somehow was not fully satisfying. The vegetables were all fresh, but were provided in very small amounts. The lettuce, for example, was just a thin slice that didn’t really contribute much at all. The grilled onion, though, worked well and was cooked very nicely, adding some good oily, smoky, and sweet flavor to the combo. I also liked the fact that the burger came with two different types of cheese, one yellow and one white, giving some extra complexity. The mojo sauce was actually quite good, too. It was reminiscent of thousand  island but with just a bit more tang to it. Finally, I thought the toasty quality of the bread worked well to add some flavor, and it was actually quite soft, like it had been buttered. Still, I found the burger to be underwhelming, again because of the meat. The meat was cooked very well but really lacked savoriness or any juiciness. It was on the crumbly side, with a bit of dryness, though it wasn’t muddy. Just as problematic, though, was that the burger as a whole was oily, lacking the fresh taste that I expected from a simple veggie, cheese, and meat combo. 3.3/5.0
6. The Southwestern (Meat flavored with Chipotles, Poblanos, Onions, and Chilis. It is topped with Pepperjack Cheese, Black Bean Salsa, and Mojo Sauce): I just had a taste of the meat on this one to see how BGR managed to invert the toppings and stuff them into the patty. At first, it had a pretty solid taste—crumbly and flavorful. Pretty soon, though, it turned muddy and then started to pick up an overwhelming confused spiciness. I didn’t try the whole thing to see if there was synergy in the flavors, but the meat wasn’t impressive at all. Definitely worse than the rest.
7. Vanilla Bean Milk Shake: As I said before, this milkshake achieved some nice maltiness, but just not enough to set it apart. I really liked the thickness in it, which was to the point that I felt that I had to fight just a bit to get my straw into it. Moreover, the vanilla bean was very fresh and very strong. Two whole scoops went into the shake, which was served in just a normal-sized cup. The result was that I had a very concentrated vanilla taste. What hindered the shake was really just the one-dimensionality. There was no nuance to the vanilla, the shake itself didn’t have the right level of creaminess, and it could have used a bit more sweetness or some malty, caramel, or other flavors. 3.5/5.0

Scores

Ambience: 4.0/5.0. Excellent for a fast food burger joint. (Not factored into overall score)
Taste: 3.4/5.0
Value: 1.5/5.0. The most expensive fast food I’ve ever eaten, period.
Overall: 2.6/5.0

Specialty: Grilled Cheese, Lobster Burger, Chocolate Bar.

Location: 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC 20004-2550.

Price: Entrees range $15-$32, Appetizers $7-$22, Desserts $8-$12.

There are very few names in the DC dining scene as famous as Michel Richard. Owner of the priciest restaurant in the city, Citronelle, he’s respected as the original master of DC fine dining, having elevated it to a new level of excellence. So when a man like Michel Richard decides to open up a restaurant, DC listens, even if that restaurant happens to be a high-end burger bar.

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Central Michel Richard (pronounced Sen-trawl) is, on the surface, an oddity. Why Michel Richard would choose to branch off from the world of fine dining (where he charges $175 a meal) for the simplicity of a traditional American sandwich, burger, and comfort food restaurant is a mystery to this day.

Yet, even at Citronelle—about as formal as formal can be—the most popular menu-item has always been Richard’s legendary Lobster Burger. While people love the setting, energy, and exclusiveness of a high-end fine dining institution, they also love the simplicity of the American classics, especially if those classics come with a bit of innovation. A master chef like Michel Richard noticed that unnecessary dichotomy and simply took advantage of it, creating Central, where you can get both the classics and a higher-end experience in one.

That innovative spirit shows immediately as you enter the vibrant restaurant and feel the energy and grandeur. It’s a huge restaurant, yet everything is extremely polished, as you can tell just by looking at the simple wooden tables and chairs—the wood is in fact so clean that it practically reflects the light. The scene just exudes trendy, too, even though it’s so simple. Some of the nicer touches include the massive, cylindrical, multi-colored behemoths on the ceiling that act as lamps, an enormous wine cellar placed smack dab in the middle of the restaurant, and a goofy chef’s head drawn in white across the front door. Central, in short, manages to capture that gray zone between goofy/playful and very professional, while retaining an air of grandeur. Not surprisingly, everyone—from suits to normal tourists in jeans—crowds (or rather, floods) the restaurant. It doesn’t matter who you are in DC. You want to eat at Central.

Even more impressive is the service. Even though you’re paying a mid-range price, you’re not getting mid-range service at all. Instead, you get constant attention, with no rush at all to leave the restaurant, even though it’s constantly packed. All the servers are very well-trained, too, knowing how to take a cue—for instance, I moved a dish to the other side of my table, and the waterboy (of all people) even came to immediately remove it. I was especially impressed, though, that the restaurant only started cooking my burger once I had actually finished my appetizers and all the dishes had been removed, meaning the burger came out perfectly hot. Moreover, the waiters are still casual, actually talking like normal people, giving you good recommendations, and never disturbing you with overly obsequious, fawning service. For a burger joint/bistro, you can’t ask for any better, that’s for sure.

Best of all, though, is the food, easily the best comfort food I’ve had in a long time. Fatty doesn’t begin to explain it. In one meal, I had cheese puffs, mussel chowder, a cheeseburger, and a “chocolate bar” with ice cream. That fattiness is used to good end, though, as Central infuses every dish with tons of flavor. The cheese puffs, for example, come absolutely fluffy and buttery.

Surprisingly, though, the food doesn’t stand out as too heavy, largely because of the freshness and complexity of Central’s flavors, as well as the relatively small portions. Even the mussel chowder, which should have been the heaviest of all, went down easily because potatoes were used as a thickening agent with just a light bit of cream, while saffron and other herbs left a refreshing aftertaste. It’s that type of complexity that distinguishes Central from its peers. You may be able to find chowder or a burger anywhere, and you will almost undoubtedly pay a much lower price, but you will almost never find a chowder with mussels and saffron or a burger with potato tuiles, roasted tomato in olive oil, and lemon mayo.

My experience with the food was only tainted by a very unsatisfyingly hard, one-note dessert, the chocolate bar. It is all the more shocking because this dessert is supposedly one of Michel Richard’s specialties. Without that failure of a dish, though, the food is easily recommendable, and it’s almost impossible to pick a bad option from the selection of savories.

The one downside, if there had to be one: the price. You’re still paying $18 for a damn cheeseburger—and a small one at that. The $29 lobster burger, $15 grilled cheese, and $10 mussel chowder don’t make the situation any better. For those prices, you get great ambience, service, and quality, so the restaurant is not a bad value by any means, but it’s still not exactly my go-to place for a cheap meal.

There is, however, a reason that, even with those prices, everybody comes to Central Michel Richard: Nearly every dish satisfies, the service is incredible, and the energy is unlike any other. Michel Richard, the master chef of DC, masterfully elevates the comfort food experience to a new level, making it not just comfortable, but also trendy.

What I Tasted

1. Complimentary sourdough bread: Sourdough really isn’t my favorite, but this workswell, largely because it is served perfectly hot and with one of the flakiest crusts I can imagine on a sourdough. The inside is perfectly soft.
2. Cheese puffs (Gruyere Gougeres): Delicious. My one complaint is that these mini-balls of absolute flavor, while served hot, can go cold very quickly, at which point just a bit of the delicious cheesiness is lost. Still, almost everything about these balls is flawless, particularly the dough. Crisp on the outside, with a bit of dough left on the inside to give you the sensation of perfect fluffiness (the rest is scooped out). There is a heavy buttery flavor, too, which I’m a fan of, but which can be offsetting for some. There isn’t too much gruyere, giving you just enough so that you can get a good taste of both the cheese and dough. The flavor of the gruyere itself is a great match, too, since it has a good smokiness, but it is used in such a small quantity that it’s still rather neutral, not overpowering you in any way. I still would have liked a bit more cheese, as I feel the dough does outshine it, but with dough this good, you don’t really have to worry about the taste. 4.5+/5.0. 4.7/5.0 while they’re hot.
3. Mussel Chowder:  An incredibly flavorful, yet light, concoction made with some of the freshest and boldest ingredients you’d want in a chowder. First, the broth itself is rather liquid, not overly thick and heavy, yet it has a light touch of cream that gives it the traditional clam chowder-like taste. Moreover, it’s loaded with potatoes, which serve as a natural thickener—always a plus—and add a lot of extra flavor. A heavy use of onions also helps to add just a bit of sweetness that’s great. Even better, the mussel flavor is very balanced so that you’re not left with a dominating fishiness. Instead, the broth has been infused with tons of saffron, leaving you with a very herby, refreshing flavor that is only amplified by the heavy use of chives. To be fair, as an Armenian, saffron is one of my favorite spices, so this dish immediately touches my heart. Still, this is one of the most unique I’ve ever tasted in a chowder, and I love the balance between the herby and creamy, as well as the fishy, starchy, herby, and sweet. It’s just a bit overly peppery/rough at the very end. 4.5+/5.0
4. Cheeseburger with Bacon (potato tuiles, lemon mayo, bacon, caramelized onions, roasted tomato in olive oil): This burger is delicious, largely because of the toppings. The potato tuile adds a jolt of crunchy, perfectly crisp, starchy flavor, like a very thin potato chip. Though it doesn’t have too much flavor of its own, the added texture is amazingly satisfying. The bacon is on the very crisp, very smoky side, the way I like it. The caramelized onions are nearly perfect in terms of quantity—they add just enough sweetness without dominating the taste of the burger, as often happens in these gourmet burgers, where caramelized onions are typically thrown in gratuitously. The tomato, moreover, stands out as shockingly good, as the olive oil gives it a satisfying, oily juiciness that you wouldn’t expect. It is probably my favorite part of the dish. The traditional ingredients, though, aren’t bad either. The cheese is melted on generously and served so hot that it is still dripping when you get the burger. It also has a pretty big flavor, coming through even with all the toppings. The mayo sauce comes off as very herby and is actually quite light for a mayonnaise base, which is nice, as it doesn’t overpower the rest of the flavors but rather leaves you refreshed with its herby flavor. Finally, the meat is cooked extremely well, prepared medium just like I ordered. It’s not on the extremely juicy or flavorful side, as I like it, but it is a nice, thick slice nonetheless and is cooked evenly throughout. However, it is really the synergy among all the elements that makes this burger so great, as the burger is crunchy, oily, herby, sweet, and savory, just like a complex burger should be. I only have a few complaints: a) the burger is far too small for the price, b) the bun doesn’t really stand out as anything special, though it holds up incredibly well, c) again, the meat isn’t really big on flavor, and so the burger has to rely on all the other amazing ingredients to cover. 4.3+/5.0
5. French Fries: These are the one underwhelming part of the meal. They aren’t bad per se, and I really enjoy the fantastic crunch on the outside—a result of these being triple fried right on order. Still, they’re not really seasoned much, and they can taste a bit mushy on the inside. They really do need ketchup. They aren’t consistent, either—some pieces seem a bit better cooked than others. 3.0/5.0
6. Michel’s Chocolate Bar (a take on the classic Kit Kat Bar: Layers of Chocolate Mousse on a Layer of Crispy Hazelnut, with Malted Vanilla Ice Cream): I found the chocolate bar to be difficult to eat, as the mousse just falls apart, crumbling off the hazelnut layer. As for the hazelnut, it is too hard to cut—and when I say hard, I mean like a rock, to the point that I practically battled with it. On the positive side, the crunch is very satisfying, leaving you with the impression of a huge, more flavorful Kit Kat wafer. The flavor, however, is very underwhelming. The main problem is in the balance of the bar, as the hazelnut easily dominates the much lighter and, in fact, somewhat flavorless chocolate mousse. Moreover, the bar has the same heavy, cloying sweetness of a real Kit Kat bar. I may be overemphasizing the point, but this isn’t really much of a chocolate dessert—more like a hazelnut wafer—and I am disappointed with the poor synergy among the elements. The one redeeming element is the malted vanilla ice cream, which is extremely flavorful, leaving the palate with a huge, long vanilla accent. Moreover, it isn’t too sweet, contrary to what the idea of a malt may call to the mind. Best of all, it has the very smooth rich creaminess of a malt. It unfortunately doesn’t complement the bar well, and it seems more like an afterthought to make a larger, fuller dessert. 1.5/5.0 for the bar. 4.4/5.0 for the ice cream. The bar just doesn’t have the balance I would expect from a French chef. And I just can’t believe how hard that bottom layer is and how easily the chocolate crumbles off—that’s just poor form.

Scores for the Burger

Taste: 4.3+/5.0
Value: 2.5/5.0
Overall Score: 3.5/5.0

Scores for the Whole Experience
Ambience: 4.3/5.0
Service: 4.7/5.0
Taste: 3.7/5.0. 4.2+ without the dessert.
Value: 4.0/5.0
Overall: 4.1/5.0.

For my next adventure, I was looking for a good old-fashioned American brunch: something simple, but with really high quality and lots of substance. I did my research and eventually found the perfect place: Blue Duck Tavern. Washingtonian even went so far as to name their Short Rib Hash one of the top 25 dishes in DC—I knew I had to go give them a shot. Unfortunately, that week had just been the legendary “Snowmaggedon” in DC and not even the busses were running, turning the always active nation’s capital into a virtual wasteland. Still, with so much hype around those short ribs, I knew I just had to give them a short. So I suited up in 3 layers of clothing and started trudging through a foot of snow for about a half-hour.

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When I finally got to the restaurant, I can’t say I was immediately impressed. In fact, the ambience is somewhat lacking. As you enter, you see a very nice open kitchen and pantry area where they show you the old-style cooking, arranging mini-apple pies for display, full shelves of jarred herbs and spices, fresh granny smith apples, etc. It’s a nice touch, but it’s a bit gimmicky. What really hit me, though, was just how plain the restaurant was. Remember, this is located in the Park Hyatt Hotel, so you expect a bit of decoration and elegance. It seems to me, though, that Blue Duck took the whole idea of simplicity a bit far, as there is no color at all, the walls are just large sheets of glass (windows all around the restaurant), everything from the tables to the chairs to the columns is just simple wood, and the one piece of decoration on any wall is some folksy tapestries that look like they were badly knit. All in all, it seems like the restaurant is just playing the “old-fashioned” card a bit much.

The service more than made up for it, though. The one flaw—and it’s a big one for some—was that I just had to wait in the front for a while because my hostess was gone or on the phone, and when she arrived she was quite reserved and a bit odd. My actual waitress, though, was top-notch and very professional. All the elements of a very formal, much more expensive restaurant were here—the classy walk and posture, one-handed water pouring, constant attention, etc. And she was both warm and considerate of the food, engaging me in conversation, greeting me warmly, giving great recommendations, bringing out the food always hot and asking me when I wanted the whole meal to be brought it, asking me if I’d like a smaller portion when there was a possibility I wouldn’t be able to finish all the food, etc. This may not seem to be too big of a deal, but you’d be surprised at how many restaurants, especially in this price range, have poor service. Here, you pay a lot less for the same quality as you find in some of the most formal places in town.

Finally, I get to the food. Like I’ve said, Blue Duck has all the makings of a “gimmicky” restaurant. It’s part of a hotel (immediate negative in my book), most of the offerings are rather simple dishes you can find anywhere, and everything is marketed as “home-made,” as though other restaurants don’t make their own food from scratch too. And when you see the prices, you might think it’s a rip-off. $18 for a small plate of short ribs with an egg? $9 for 3 scoops of ice cream?

That seems like robbery—that is, until you look at just what you’re getting. The ice cream, for example, was brought to the table in a pitcher with its own wooden serving spoon. That’s right—it was so big, it needed its own pitcher! As for the short ribs, they might have been small, but they were filling because they were accompanied by so many heavy ingredients, and they were just so well-cooked that I had no misgivings about paying so much for something so seemingly simple.

Another big plus for this restaurant—and this really is the key to its “homemade” quality—is how fresh and flavorful its ingredients are, as they all are bought from specific locations around the country that specialize in that ingredient, not only guaranteeing the quality of the product but also its consistent excellence and flavor. For example, when you pay $23 at dinner, you don’t just get chicken, but rather chicken from a specific farm in Pennsylvania, as is the case with almost every vegetable or meat at this restaurant. That really is the sell for me, and I can guarantee the quality, having tasted it myself. No dish disappointed at all, especially the dessert and the entrée. There is a reason why the short ribs are ranked so highly—they were nearly flawless. And you do really taste the freshness in just how perfectly cooked everything is, even if it may not suit your tastes.

Blue Duck Tavern, then, really hit the nail on the head with its “old-fashioned” cooking style. I do admit that it’s a gimmick, and a gimmick that’s sometimes taken too far. But it’s still a gimmick done right, with only the freshest ingredients and best quality of cooking. For true American cooking, it’s hard to find a better restaurant, especially at this price.

What I had:

1. Bread: Boring and cold sourdough. Didn’t impress me in any way, though the butter tasted so fresh (like it was freshly churned indoors) that it helped to make up for the bread.
2. House Smoked Sturgeon Rillette with Caviar and Crème Fraîche (Appetizer): This is a rather nicely presented dish (see the photo), with a deceptive simplicity to it. The top looks extremely smooth and creamy, but that’s just a layer of crème fraîche to give it the appearance of smoothness and a nice lightness. Underneath is a whole burst of chunky sturgeon and potatoes. It’s basically a very elegant take on a tuna/chicken salad. I’m not sure if the caviar is for anything other than a bit of garnish on the top, but all throughout you can taste a nice salty fishiness, whether it’s from the caviar or (probably) from the sturgeon. The sturgeon also adds a nice, cold, savory taste to the dish, which is surprisingly complex, with a very nice, long finish to it. Among the flavors, I could taste the salt, the creamy fattiness, a strong meaty savoriness, an egg-yoke type richness and taste. The dish is complemented with a serving of some crispy bread, which I didn’t take to very much. To be fair, I did initially think it would be too crispy and dry, but it was rather soft on the inside, accompanying the creaminess of the rillette well. Still, I preferred eating the rillette with the plain sourdough bread. As for the rillette, my one complaint was that it was a bit too fishy for me, overpowering some of the other flavors. 3.8. 4.0 if you’re a fan of caviar.
3. Handcut BDT Triple Fries (Triple Fried, first in Water, then in Cooking Oil, then in Duck Fat): Amazing! Thick and Jumbo cut, too. I thought it’d be mushy but it’s actually perfectly cooked. The inside holds its form very well, especially considering just how large these steak fries are—now that goes to show you just how well they are cooked. It’s slightly crisped on the outside, soft and flavorful on the inside, giving you a nice combo of crunch and starch. Moreover, the fries are very well seasoned with chives and garlic (I believe), giving a nice freshness to the mix. And because these fries are so thick—and maybe, from what it seems, only lightly fried each time), they don’t feel too greasy at all, even though they’re cooked in duck fat. The sauce only tops it off: it’s a tangy mayo which gives the fries the true Belgian touch (Belgians always double fry and eat their fries with mayo). To be fair, the fries are a bit too thick for me, and I would have preferred more crunch, which I expected from triple-fried fries. That thickness does make them just a tad dry, so you really do need the sauce to make them just right. 4.0. Probably more of a 4.4-4.5 if you enjoy your fries really thick (which I don’t)—about as ideal as steak fries get.
4. Short Rib Hash with Olive Oil Poached Egg, Horseradish Sauce: Perfectly cooked, as is almost everything here. The meat is very succulent, especially since it’s in small chunks (so they can really retain the juices and the sauce). The sauce has an herby, bbq-type flavor that really enhances it. It’s especially nice because it’s light enough to give the meat its proper shining role. Moreover, there are a lot of nice small touches that give the dish some complexity. Caramelized onions are mixed in for some sweetness. There’s a really spicy, strong pepper kick added to the egg. The yoke from the egg adds some nice fat, though it can be a bit overpowering or muddying of the other flavors. The egg is a fantastic complement in general, though, giving a nice gelatinous texture to the dish. And the whole thing blends perfectly with the biscuits, which are in the form of soft, fluffy, buttery mini-pancakes. They were, in a word, divine, and the best part of the dish easily. They make for a nice mini-taco with the steak and the egg, helping to cover up the slight (but very slight) extra saltiness of the dish. 4.7, though the biscuit deserves a 5.0/5.0. Great flavors, and fantastic synergy.
5. Ice Cream: 3 scoops of fresh homemade ice cream.
   1. Butter Pecan: This actually tastes like pecan! It’s not unexpected, though, because large chunks of pecan are actually in the ice cream itself, so you get that nice, strong, syrup-like pecan taste that hit you perfectly, especially in the aftertastes. The pecans also help to harden the ice cream a bit and give it a fantastic crunch. It’s still extremely creamy, but it holds its form well. The flavor is a bit moderated—I like more sweetness, whereas here the emphasis is more on the butter component. Still, it’s an excellent flavor, with real pecan integrated very well. 4.5
   2. Chocolate Pistachio: Just fantastic! Ice cream is perfectly chocolaty—not too much, not too little. And it’s a smooth milk chocolate taste, my favorite type. What stands out is really that perfect balance in the components. The nuttiness of the pistachio adds a nice crunch and a slight saltiness that can be refreshing as a contrast. The ice cream itself is also not terribly sweet, relying more on its natural flavor. It is creamy and rich, but not overdone. And again, there are real, full pistachios included, giving a nice salty, nutty kick. My one complaint is a bit too salty.  4.6-4.8
   3. Vanilla: The texture is phenomenal. You can just cut through it like it’s air. It doesn’t have the nutty hardness of the chocolate or the butter pecan, so it’s practically just melting in the mouth. It’s also nicely sweetened—not too much, as most vanillas are. The milkiness balances out the sweetness, too. My one complaint is that it has a bit of cold creaminess that can cover up the flavor slightly. Still, it has a pure, rich vanilla bean flavor that comes out, especially after a bit in the mouth. 4.0

Ambience: 2.5/5.0 (particularly at this price range)
Service: 4.5/5.0. Depends on whom you ask, though.
Taste: 4.3-4.4/5.0.
Value: 3.5/5.0. Slightly overpriced, but the portions are very filling.
Overall Score: 4.1/5.0