Tabaq

This is a typical U Street Restaurant; trendy (at least when it first opened), happy hour hang out, rooftop dining room with a great view and retractable roof. Decent food (Mezze), above decent wine list and mixers. If you go and can't get a rooftop seat (even at the bar) don't bother, the experience is dining, or drinking, on the rooftop.
The rooftop is roughly 3 floors up, the main dining room just above street level is mostly red with "pleather"......geared for the lounge/drinking crowd. The rooftop dining room has a summery feel to it, even in winter; glass roof and a great view of the city. At the end of the stairwell you will approach the bar, which is on the right side of the dining room. During peak hours and busy nights, one can't even just stand and wait for spot standing near or around the bar. So, it's best to go early.
The dining room is minimally decorated, with beach looking furniture and port lights on the walls under the windows; in some ways it does create a mediterranean feel to the atmosphere.
The menu is mostly Mezze (greek small plates) with a few entrees. Typical offerings such as Borek, Dolma, lamb offerings, some seafood, one or two fish and a decent amount of vegetarian plates.
I usually order the seafood risotto, it's filling and very decent. It's almost like a small Paella.
The wine list is also decent, with a few California, Oregon or French surprises once in a while.
As you might expect, no bells and whistles from my review; Tabaq is a great place to come and enjoy the view, watch the sunset, etc......when it's busy and full, the enjoyment of being there is taken away.
It's a great place to meet, especially on a weeknight.

Cafe Divan

A few weeks ago i re-visited an old favorite with friends from the old neighborhood at McLean Gardens: Cafe Divan.
A rare Turkish gem in a city filled with, lately, Belgian and small plate (Tapas/Mezze/Antojito) concepts. This is located on Wisconsin Ave, NW just across from the famous Georgetown's social Safeway, which is now being developed into a multi-use property.......read - Condos on upper Georgetown. The building it resides used to be a very small apartment building and Divan's spot used to be small breakfast and lunch joint and a frame shop in the back. The building is now a fancy Boutique hotel that is owned by the same person who owns Cafe Divan.
The restaurant is located in a very weird space as the building is literally in the shape of a Delta, so the dining room at some point gets narrower. The Decor is modern and has an Italian minimalist style furniture, yet cozy.
Unfortunately, due to space limitations, a Bar is not present; the space where they used to offer takeout separately in the back now becomes a small lounge. A happy hour place this is not, which is unfortunate......this means that Divan only attracts sit down diners and no casual neighborhood traffic.
The wine list...........as expected is......at least in my book.....a "forget it" list. House wines by the glass and nothing special.
The menu, however, is awesome! A few lamb dishes that are prepared daily (hopefully), and fresh tasting. Quite a few vegetarian selections as well such as homemade Hommus, grape leaves, etc...
The best item is only prepared on Thursday night, unfortunately, a healthy portion of lamb shavings that has been roasted spit style (gyro) that has flavors of garlic, salt, spices, just perfectly prepared. Served on a bed of rice. I always forget that each entree come with a small salad, so pace yourself.
The best appetizer to get is the Mezze platter....good to share......plenty for 2, enough for 3. It consist of Dolma (grape leaves stuffed with rice), Borek (phylo filled with feta and deep fried), hummus, and lentil kofte.
They also sandwich selections which tends to be smaller versions of their entree wrapped in flatbread.
Wood burning selections over thin crusted pizza made with pita/flat bread dough.

This is a great neighborhood restaurant, which unfortunately, is not a place one can actually frequent and hang out. Perhaps this is okay, but there seems to be an opportunity missed here......

CAVA Capitol Hill

This was a new addition last summer to the Marine Barracks' neighborhood. With Belga, Matchbox and Banana Cafe as a few of the anchors on that Street, this neighborhood now presents quite a diverse offerings of restaurants: Indian, Thai, Puerto Rican/Cuban, Salvadorean, Belgian, Italian, Mediterranean Mezze, a few Irish themed bars, .....not to mention the arrival of Zest and the soon to be Chesapeake Room and Ted rounds up the comfort food offerings on the Hill.
Cava is a locally owned chain; Potomac Fine Foods, started in 2007. The menu, seemingly, formulated and standardized for continuity and consistency throughout all of their locations.
I've only been to the Capitol Hill location, but I assume the decor, look and feel will be similar on all locations.
The Capitol Hill location has a dark exterior; with seating outside under large mediterranean style umbrellas. Upon entering the bar is located on the right side that stretches 3/4 of the length of the dining room with app. 20-24 seating. The bar is sectioned off by perforated walls so as not to create a claustrophobic feel at the bar. There is also a small bar that is geared for private functions that also doubles as a rooftop deck lounge.
The wine selection offers a selection of Greek, Italian, California and some Australian/New Zealand and Argentinean.....
Tip #1: Skip the Greek and Italian wines, don't bother with Argentinean, go straight to the California and oregon if they have them by the glass.
The menu selection offers Mezze style (mediterranean style small plates) and some entree selections as well.
I especially like the Sparaggia (Grilled asparagus dressed with lemon vinaigrette and feta), a healthy amount of asparagus spears perfectly grilled, although they could hold back a little bit on the feta and lemon dressing.
I also tried the Kastoria Beans (large navy beans stewed in tomato, garlic and Basil), this is also very good, but tasted almost like bean soup.....nothing special.
The fried cod, however, a potentially good dish was waaaayyyy too salty. I realized that it is a salt cured preparation, but the batter needed to be neutral.
On another visit, I tried the Whole roasted Branzino, which is a european bass, closely related to the rockfish. This was prepared with simply by roasting it with lemon, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper; simple yet perfectly done......remember my preachings about simple preparations?
The Branzino tasted like trout, but stronger yet not fishy, presented whole on a platter enough to be shared for 2 persons. Te end product is a very nice flaky roasted fish with all the flavors of the fish, lemon and oregano and perfectly seasoned.
I haven't tried any of their desert as of yet, but perhaps that would be for the next review..........

Cafe Deluxe, Cleveland Park

Cafe Deluxe is one of those restaurants that you've been to many times because it's there; a neighborhood joint, not quite a "destination"......well at least it used to be so........
When it opened in Cleveland Park (more like Cathedral Heights) back in early 2000 (I think), it was "the" place to go in the neighborhood. Touted as having a French Bistro feel, it serves mostly american comfort fare. The location it currently resides on Wisconsin Ave, NW, just a block from the National Cathedral used to reside a Thai restaurant, which name escapes me. The decor is geared to look like a Parisian Bistro; dark wood bar, booth tables with white table cloth and covered with white butcher paper; the servers all wear white Dress shirt and tie with long bistro aprons.......classy. Cafe Deluxe also offers outside seating with red umbrellas. The ambience........really just a neighborhood joint that offers a slightly fancier look and offerings. Within the last year or so this particular location has expanded; the consignment next door to them closed and Cafe Deluxe took it over and now offers seating up to 160-200, and the opportunity to have private functions.

The prices are very reasonable, most of the featured wines cost under $10, main courses $12-20. Starters ranging from Asian inspired crispy chicken spring rolls and Ahi Tuna to Roasted beet salad; Main courses contain your typical items: Steak, Fish and Chicken and a lamb shank that is decently prepared.....not always.
They also have hot sandwiches, but unfortunately, I usually pass on sandwiches......especially the cold ones, although the burger follows the trend of using a Brioche roll. On one occasion I tried the lump crab cake with corn and asparagus, while decent and well prepared....it is so outdated. I remember preparing a similar dish during my stint as a chef back in 1999. The grilled meatloaf should be passed on......while novel when it first opened, it wasn't very well prepared then, it still taste the same now, never mind the grilled description.
Skip the salmon, it has yet to evolve in the way it's prepared. FYI, farmed salmon should be avoided as much as possible, they're not environmentally sustainable and taste watered down compared to its wild brethren.....enough of my salmon rant......
Just last night I went with a good friend for a pre-concert dinner; we shared the roast beet salad (typical these days to have this on the menu) which was good, but not different than what Matchbox offers. We also shared the herb roasted chicken and the special of the evening: grilled grouper fillet with corn sauce, tomato relish and risotto cake.The grouper was good, nicely prepared, not dry or overcooked and perfectly seasoned; the corn sauce, a nice sweet compliment to the fish..........BUT again that is so '00 and passe.....
We also shared the herb roasted chicken, served with mashed red potatoes and asparagus......now you've probably heard me saying that I almost always pass the chicken on the menu, however, this time I was surprised by the flavorful of the preparation. It was a half chicken, semi bone-in, roasted with a dry-rub; most likely thyme, tarragon, oregano.....but there was this sweetness that is hard to describe. It was a perfect combination of earthy, savory and sweet. The garlic mashed red potatoes is probably an instant pre-prepared product; unfortunately the asparagus was slightly overcooked.

Dessert choices are pretty much a pass, but if you need to get one.......rule of thumb, almost always get the Creme Brulee if offered on the menu.

In summary, Cafe Deluxe passes for a fancy neighborhood bistro with reasonably priced gourmet-like food preparations in need of reinventing itself at some point.


Cafe Deluxe, Cleveland park
3238 Wisconsin Ave, NW
Washington DC 20016
Cafedeluxe.com

Prices: $20-30/pp, appetizer w/ main course and a glass of wine, tax and tips not included

Sticky Rice

Sticky Rice is a cool Asian hangout in the middle of "Capitol Hood", as I call it, just a few doors down from Granville Moore.
They offer reasonably priced and cheap popular Asian offerings with a little bit of a twist.
The location is within reach of a few popular neighborhood watering hole such as The Red and the Black, Palace of Wonders, The Pug and Granville Moore. Once you walk in the space looks larger than it is: a bar to the right; about 8 tables and a couple of tall tables by the window. To the far left stairs to the upstairs sushi bar and more seating.
The decor is Asian with mostly red hues on the wall. I always sit at the bar.......in fact I've never actually sat at a table.
There's a sushi item called Godzirra, which is a variation of a california roll made with shrimp, avocado, tempura crunchies, cream cheese and tobiko (flying fish roe).......now I'm not quite a sushi person but this is very good. I'm not sure if it's because of the cream cheese that made it creamy or the combination of the crunchiness and the sushi-like consistencies that made it very appealing and yummy. The Godzirra itself is a meal so, it's good to share. I also tried the Mongolian Beef noodles.....it's pretty much a stir fried noodle in a Hoisin-like sauce.....messy and very good. The other noodle offerings are soup-like and hearty and yummy. The crispy tofu chunks are also great; I grew up eating these with Indonesian sweet soy, so this is a welcome surprise to see it on a bar menu.
I need to visit Sticky Rice mor often as they don't break your bank; you can have a beer or two and have a satisfying meal and go home without shelling out more than $25. And that's rare these days.

Sticky Rice
1224 H Street, NE
Washington DC 20002
www.stickyricedc.com
Pricing: $20-25/pp excluding tax and tips.

Granville Moore

Granville Moore opened in the summer of 2007. Upon arriving one would never notice where the place is.....no signage showing the name except for a very small plaque on the entrance that says Dr. Granville Moore. The location itself has some history to the neighborhood; Dr. Moore was a local physician who would perform pro-bono work for the locals who were less fortunate.
According to the bartenders at Granville, some locals who patron the restaurant would share stories of the doctor. Though not the first, Granville was probably the first popular full service restaurant in the H Street, NE corridor. The H Street corridor has been going through a revitalization in the last 7yrs or so. I moved in to that neighborhood in the summer of 2004, with my then wife. Back then there were no places to go to except for several Wings, fast food and fish fry places. Until Suddenly the summer of 2005 when things turned around when a few bars opened that included Argonaut, Palace of Wonders followed by the Red and The Black, H Street Martini Lounge to name a few. Granville Moore now resides on the same block with the Pug, Martini Lounge, Red and the Black, Palace of Wonders and Sticky Rice. Quite a change from a couple of years ago.
Granville Moore is one of several Gastropubs that has been popping up around DC as of late that included Commonwealth, Elephant and Castle, Bar Pilar, H Street Country Club, etc. Although, BricksKeller probably started the trend before it was a trend and has been around as long as I have been in DC......25yrs.
Anyway, when entering you wouldn't know that Granville is more than just a divey looking bar. There are, maybe, 5 tables of 4 on the first floor against the wall to the left and a bar that seats maybe 10-12 to the right. The decor is mostly wooden and forgettable and the ambience is dark. Further back, a stairwell is located to the upstairs bar and dining area. There is also a patio for outside seating in the back that, kinda, faces the alley.
The decor and ambience may be forgettable, but the food and beverage offering is not. When looking at the menu one would think that this is another Belgian restaurant; it offers 8 kinds of mussel preparations that included ones made with a belgian beer, pomme frites hot sandwiches and steak and frites.
The menu may be small but very well executed. The Mussels are very well prepared; I prefer the classic white wine and garlic, although the morrocan mussel prepared with belgian beer and lamb sausage is excellent.
I've also had their scallops wrapped in bacon in a bed of squash puree; a very good combination of seafood savory and autumn-like creamy and sweet. The pomme frites (Belgian fries) are homemade....at least last I was there. The potatoes are cut and blanched in house and 8 different dipping sauce is made that included: chipotle mayo, homemade hot sauce, curry mayo and mornay sauce (tomatoes in Hollandaise sauce). The beer selection is plentiful for a small restaurant, mostly Belgian selections. They also have a decent high end single batch bourbon selection such as Elmer T. Lee, Elijah Craig and Bulleit.
Granville Moore provides reasonably priced offerings posing as a neighborhood watering hole when it's actually a great Gastropub with more than just a typical local grill menu. Unfortunately, perhaps fortunately for them, they're only open for dinner only Monday - Sunday.
This one's a can't miss, hope they thrive for years to come.

Alliance Tavern

This space used to be occupied by Enology, a chic and trendy wine bar. Apparently after just a little over 1 year the owners decided that concept does not work for the location. In the beginning, it was bustling with younger customers, mostly SINKS (single income no kids). As the menu is not quite family friendly, it wasn't able to tap the neighborhood's main population: families.
As its competition; Cactus Cantina, Cafe Deluxe, 2 Amy's and Sushi Sushi, thrive on that particular demographic, it became obvious for Enology to change its Philosophy of its offerings. The change literally happened overnight, with the main difference being the warmer colors on its wall and no change in set-up. Alliance Tavern seats about 60-70 inside with, maybe, 20 at the bar....an additional 20 is possible on its deck outside. Several flat screen TVs adorn its bar as well as the dining area.

Previously the menu revolves around its wine menu: cheeses, charcuterie, light fare and plenty of "wine-flight" pairings. Currently, the menu is definitely geared for neighborhood and family friendly atmosphere. Its small menu is most likely due to its small kitchen, so being able to focus on the items that they can do very well. They offer 2 types of salads and soups, a few starters, a handful of main courses and a few sandwiches; there is even a small section of kid's menu. The wine selection is pretty extensive, ranging from decent American selections, South American, some European and Australian selections. The previous wine selection at Enology was by far a better collection. The pricing? Probably its best attribute; below $15 for main courses; all the wines are below $10/glass. In addition, their beer selection is pretty good with plenty of imported and microbrewery selections for the beer-phile. They also offer daily happy hour specials everynight until 7pm.
I opted for the Cioppino on my first visit; it's an italian version of the Bouillabaise: fish, shellfish, scallops and shrimp served in a tomato broth with garlic toasted country bread. A very simple preparation and presented very well. The taste? Good and refreshingly light. I also tried their Fish n Chips on another night; breaded pollock deep-fried and served with Tavern fries.
It's not very fishy in taste, light and filling. A friend who joined me for dinner had the chicken tenders served on a bed of Mac 'n' cheese. The chicken tenders were homemade; lightly breaded and not too greasy. The Mac 'n' cheese, however, though creamy, lacks taste.
Alliance Tavern offers a perfect blend of decent wine and beer selections and food just enough for it to be a neighborhood destination which it will need to thrive on.

Zaitinya

I have been to Zaitinya quite a few times since it opened its doors about 5 years ago. Its bar is always crowded and full and you'd be hard pressed to find a seat at the bar when arriving on the later side. It is located just adjacent from the MLK library and very Metro accessible (just across the street from Gallery Place Metro that serves Yellow, Green and Red Metro lines).

From the outside, the design fits the building it resides; modern with mostly large glass windows from ceiling to bottom

Inside, all white walls, polished dark terrazzo floors that mimics a greek mediterranean architecture and design. Upon entering on the far side, a cozy fireplace resides just in front of the open kitchen. A huge bar area sits slightly to the right just a couple of steps up from the main dining room. In the center of the dining area long communal tables that seat app. 30 guests is in plain view under large ceiling sconces and lighting. Stairs to the upstairs dining area is located towards the back. The overall feel is a Modern mediterranean design with clean lines, and very cozy.

Chef Jose Andres who started Cafe Atlantico and its Mini Bar, Jaleo and its Spanish Tapas, last but not least Oyamel a mexican style tapas called antojitos. Andres prepares his dishes simply and perfectly; using proper spices, seasonings and accompaniments specific to the region he's trying to recreate. A puffy flat bread is served multiple times during the course of the meal.

The wine selections are mainly mediterranean: mostly Greek that includes Aegean Isle, Pelloponessos, Makedonia (Macedonia), a few Lebanese and a Turkish wine.

The food is Mezze, which is a Mediterranean style small plate similar to Tapas and Antojitos.

Most of the preparations revolve around earthy concoctions such as olives, capers, tahini, tabbouleh, etc.....almost Middle Eastern but not quite there, definitely mediterranean.

Again, here almost if not all of the preparations are very simple, not one flavor overpowers the other.On one of my earlier visits, the menu offered a single serving of deep fried red snapper that was simply seasoned with salt and pepper, lemon juice and a hint of capers.....tasted like summer. Last week for restaurant week I did not opt for the prix fixe and got their baby beets salad and their smoked foie gras. The beet salad was typical but very good.....tossed in a very light citrus dressing, feta and candied walnuts. The Foie Gras was excellently prepared, a hint of applewood smoke and served with crusty pita chips. The Foie gras was offered as a special, so it's not showing on their website, but it was a welcome surprise.

I will review more of their offerings so stay tuned......

Mie n Yu

For restaurant week, a good friend of mine reserved spots at a couple of restaurants to try. One of them was Mie n Yu in Georgetown. If I am not mistaken, this was formerly the spot where Hamburger Hamlet used to occupy during it's heydays in the 70s-80s before another failed restaurant, which name escapes me, before the Owners of Mie n Yu opened its doors in February 2003. I recall getting a few drinks at Mie n Yu at the bar and mostly ordering small plates rather than main course selections. The first thing i noticed with the decor was crowded and dark. It has it's thematic booths and rooms, which i think, adds to the experience of the visit. I don't know if I can describe it as having a "Tiki" feel, with drapes from the ceiling for soft touches.

Back then, they were serving Asian "Fusion" cuisine. Tim Miller joined Mie n Yu in August 2004 and recently transformed the menu as "Authentic Silk Road" cuisine. Upon glancing briefly, the menu is well conceived with "almost" exotic spices and description of its ingredients; they also sound very good from a marketing stand point.

So, biggest pet peeve I have with a menu such as this......brown!

It is my description of Art when too many colors are used to compose it; I believe in simplicity in any type of preparations. From simplicity comes flavors that are distinguishable; thyme taste like thyme, cumin compliments spicy flavors, oregano gives an earthy aroma yet sweet and pungent, and so forth.

With painting, when too many colors are used to compose, the result is mostly grey or Brown.

Similarly with food.

With that said; I see too many of these things......before even tasting it, I can already assume and most of the dishes will taste spicy (not hot, but indiscernable flavors).

Items such as Korean Bulgogi, Indonesian Scallop kare (curry), Chicken Rica Rica are on the menu as part of the main course selection.

Authentic Silk Road cuisine barely come to mind when one sees Indonesian and/or korean dishes on the menu. Indonesians rarely serve Scallops by itself (I am indonesian) and as far as I can recall Rica Rica is a term used in the east Indonesian island of Sulawesi (Celebes not Singapore) for hot and spicy. I also ponder using the term authentic Silk Road cuisine when the silk road stretched between Greece and China; Indonesia? Korea?

Aside from being Geographically challenged, I think the food preparation itself is at best mediocre. I opted for the Prix Fixe; starting with the Dumplings, followed by the Afghan Lamb and topped off by the Mandarin Mai Lo Go.

The dumplings are stuffed with ground beef mixed with (possibly) ginger, garlic and cilantro that tasted decent, but nothing to write home about....authentic.....not quite. The Afghan Lamb Kabobs were pretty nicely prepared but lack the bite and spiciness that lamb kabobs are meant to taste, or Am I confusing it to Tandoori? For dessert the "Mai Lo Go" was a mish mash of lychee and mandarin orange cake, more like cinnamon pudding in a creme anglaise bath with candied pecans tossed around it. A very nice and interesting concept on paper, but putting together citrus, with cinnamon in a rich creme anglaise sauce with lychee? Pretty poorly conceived in terms of flavor mixture and texture. There's plenty of such examples on Mie n Yu's menu that looks VERY good on paper, and I don't think that they are poorly executed.

I have yet to try their bar selections; as they've been dubbed as one of the world's destination bar.......whatever that means.

Overall, I think Mie n Yu presents a refreshing idea to an already watered down food selection in DC. I guess I'm partial to less innovation and more on perfection when it comes to food preparation. As I've prefaced so many times in my food blogs, simplicity is so key; perfecting the basics will eventually bring innovations.

Bistro Bis

This is one of my all time favorites in DC; a typical and perfect French cuisine prepared properly and perfectly. It's a combination of Bistro food and a slightly fancier Haute Cuisine offerings. Bistro Bis is part of The Hotel George just a block from DC's Union Station. Upon entering the clean lines of its modern design and decor is striking, yet warm, not like your typical minimalist's interior design. Warm light colored wood bar differentiates it from a supper club/steak house feel.

I haven't visited in a few months, but the last time I visited they still had Duck confit on the menu and Braised Beef Short Ribs. I think they change the menu seasonally, which is a great thing.

Jeff Buben is a very talented chef and executes his dishes almost perfectly, if not so.

The one thing that stood out when ordering the Braised Short Ribs, is the baby carrot accompaniment; it is made with lardons (french cured bacon), garlic and thyme. The sweet flavors of the carrots, the earthy taste from the thyme and the salt from the Lardons makes an awesome vegetable accompaniment. What I like best of Bistro Bis is the portions that are served, proper amounts and not overwhelming; still much more than what a typical portion is in Europe but less than a typical American fare.

The Duck confit is served with white beans, tomato concasse, thyme jus and a homemade toulouse sausage. A simple and proper pairing of protein, vegetable and very little starch (if any).

I also love the duck liver parfait......a mousse similarly to the Foie Gras, but less velvety and creamy. Still has that livery, almost tart flavor, but smooth and excellently prepared.

They're wine selection is excellent as well; one of my first encounters and learning about Oregon Pinot Noirs (Willamette Valley); Torii Mor 2003 and Four Graces 2005.....excellent vintages bold enough for their French dishes. Although the La Becasse 1998 bordeaux can't be overlooked.

I will update this review as I visit again in the near future.

Bistro Bis
15 E Street, NW
Washington DC 20001
(202)661-2700

Pricing: $50-75/pp, starter, meal and a glass of wine/beer. Tips and tax not included.

Matchbox Capitol Hill

Okay, so this is the umpteenth time I've been to Matchbox.......it's consistently good, close to my domicile, across from my other favorite spot, Belga Cafe, and.....as usual, I know the bartenders and a couple of the managers.

The restaurant is very well designed, for those of you who remembered Marty's, Matchbox took over this place, added a mezzanine floor to add more seating space.

A very attractive and large bar against an open brick wall resides to the right upon entering.

3 large flat screen TVs adorn the tops of the bar and if you look up there's a large sunroof. Just beyond the bar, the brick-oven and pizza preparation area is visible. The dining room is to the left with mostly booth seating and table seating closer to the front. The mezzanine seating upstairs are also booth and tables. It is well designed, modern yet cozy.

There are outside seating available as well.

Matchbox started out in Chinatown and very well known for their brick oven pizza's. They produce their own pizza dough and produce great thin crust pizza.

I am not a pizza person, but I won't refuse 2 Amy's Pizza, Pizzeria Paradiso and Matchbox's.

There are other signature items they're known for:

3 6 9 burgers; essentially mini burgers/sliders to share, served with crispy seasoned fried onions.

Mini Trio; 2 seared scallops, 2 mini crabcakes and 2 mini burgers without the buns.....properly and very well prepared.

They do have great salad selections as well:

Pear and apple salad; toasted thinly sliced pear on top of baby greens, slices of granny smith apples, candied nuts and feta cheese.

Roasted beet salad or the crispy calamari salad......the latter I would've preferred grilled calamari instead of fried rings, but still a formidable salad, as an entree or to share.

The Main course items seem an afterthought since most diners come for the pizza or the burger. Oh, I forgot to mention the Bistro Burger......... matchbox probably pioneered serving burgers with a brioche bun, but I could be wrong. It is probably the best burger I've had.......anywhere. I'm not one of those people who would seek a burger, but this is good burger.

The beef patty is homemade, not some pre-formed ground beef, and I'm pretty sure they use quality ground beef. Topped with sauteed mushrooms, blue cheese on a brioche bun.......Belgian style fries or onion rings......this is an awesome burger.

Like I said the main course selections seem to be an afterthought, but they are quite good.

I've had the New York Strip steak, nothing spectacular, but very well prepared, grilled and properly seasoned.

The braised beef short rib, however, is excellent.......coming off the bone type preparation and braised in....my guess is.....red wine, garlic, thyme, onions and perhaps carrots, since I can taste some sweetness to it. Served on a bed of mashed potatoes and a very tasty sauteed chopped brussels sprouts and bacon.......perfect blend. It is also perfectly portioned, not too big, not to small, just right.

Next visit, I will try their cast iron chicken.

They also have a great imported beer selection, a decent wine list AND reasonably priced. A couple of great premium irish Whiskeys such as Tyrconell, Redbreast; Premium Nicaraguan rum Ron Zacapa and other premium liquor. Matchbox hit the perfect formula for the capitol hill neighborhood and doing very well.

I'm going back soon!

Matchbox Capitol Hill
521 8th St, SE,
Washington, DC 20003

202.548.0369 phone
202.548.0187 fax

Hours:
Monday thru Thursday
11 AM - 10:30 PM

Friday:
11 AM - 11:30 PM

Saturday:
Open 10 AM, brunch until 3 PM
Last seating at 11:30 PM

Sunday:
Open 10 AM, brunch until 3 PM
Last seating at 10:30 PM

Pricing: $35-50/pp, starter and meal with a glass of wine or beer. Tax and tips not included