Birch and Barley (Logan Circle)

What does the 14^th Street revolution need? More places you can casually lounge. Fortunately Birch and Barley with its upstairs bar, Churchkey, moved into the space formerly known as Hamburger Mary’s and Dakota Cowgirl (Fanning). Mary and Dakota were both burger joints where you could order a plethora of fried things and drink cheap. When they left, a vibe left the neighborhood too. At about the same time, the leather bar above them also left.

What replaced both is a combination of neighborhood gems that raised the ante on their predecessors. Upstairs is a bustling bar with so many beer choices they needed a beer director—50 on tap and a truckload of choices in bottles. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a place that required a beer director. The beer menu was intimidating, fortunately a beer connoisseur sitting in front of us helped navigate us to a white German beer of which I never heard the name, but thoroughly enjoyed. It was almost like champagne. I highly recommend a few tastes. Click here to check out their current menu. It is hard to believe this transformed bright and busy space was once a sticky hot mess filled with assless-chapped furry daddies. Ok, so that was a stereotype. I didn’t see any assless-chapped daddies there when I played trivia in Churkey’s former iteration, Titan… but there were plenty of assless-chapped daddies on the sidewalk on this particular occasion, in town for a leather convention and were not informed this upscale straight bar replaced their former watering hole. Only in our nation’s capital… It provided an added level of humor to an already sidesplitting night with my dinner companions: Jen, Monica, Ty, Dre and Mary El.

But we were not there to enjoy the happy hour, only upstairs to wait for our table. When the beeper buzzed, we were directed to the front window of the restaurant, which seemed more like a glass garage door and made a chilly winter night a pseudo sidewalk al fresco dining experience. As I had a view outside, those facing me got to view a killer interior design punctuated by a number of floating lights that could have been inspired by Harry Potter’s great hall. Gorgeous and simple.

Our spunky waitress explained the two dining options. The first, which they were clearly pushing, was their tasting menu with beer pairings. It didn’t get past me that the menus were all placed tasting menu side up with the Restaurant week menu on the back. The only thing that appealed to me on that menu was the Gnocchi al Forno with tomato coriander sauce and house cured pancetta, although the figgy pudding was certainly intriguing, as I’d only ever seen it before in a Christmas carol. Who knew figgy pudding was an actual dish?

Chef Kyle Bailey, though, really put out decent options for the three-course price fixed restaurant week menu. For my first course, I chose the crispy polenta in a mushroom ragu with artichoke hearts and taleggio fonduta. The mushrooms were fantastic and diverse. I also tasted the vialone nano risotto which came out crimson, flavored by beets and sprinkled with goat cheese – a creatively re-thought interpretation of flavors most serve as a salad. The port-glazed fig flatbread was also quite good, but should have been described with onions. I like onions, but Jen doesn’t and had to send it back.

For my main course, I was between the Brat Burger and Braised Pork Cheeks. I would have loved to try a different dish given half the table ordered the pork cheeks, but I couldn’t resist the description with their stone ground white grits, parsnips and pearl onions. The cheeks were by far the tenderest meat I’ve ever eaten and all the flavors were delectable. Certainly a memorable dish for its creativity, but not something I need to rush out and try to recreate at home.

For desert, I chose the Meyer Lemon Cream with meringue, huckleberry sorbet and basil, which was good but totally forgettable, as were the other options the table ordered including the chocolate glazed donut with coffee ice cream. Dre ordered the Tete De Moine Cow’s Milk Cheese with apple butter and walnuts despite the waitress’s warnings it wasn’t the optimum choice. It tasted like eating shaved butter.

Overall, I give Birch and Bailey serious props for their creativity and diversity on their menu. For that, I can forgive the slight failures on the table. The space was gorgeous, albeit small, but inspired lingering. Coupled with their upstairs neighbor and the good service, I was quite happy with my evening.

http://www.birchandbarley.com/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/profile/birch-and-barley-and-churchkey,1159105/critic-review.html

Darlington House (Dupont)

The occasion was Restaurant Week night 3 and my company for the night was Lou, Tim and Jeff. Despite the beating Darlington House took in the Washington Post a couple of years ago, it has long been on my list for its quaint curb appeal in its prime location in Dupont.

The row-house-cum-restaurant, formerly DC staple Childe Harold (named for a Byron poem), had long been vacant until Darlington moved in.

We were ambitiously greeted in the entryway by modern light fixtures juxtaposed with period federal style ornamental inlayed woodwork with a rich brown and stark white color scheme. The design of the place was gorgeous and carried throughout the restaurant. Our table next to the inoperable fireplace allowed me to admire the stainless steel tilework and the cold night made me long for a fire there.

The substantial bar toward the back of the room held two empty seats next to a lively group of women who shared an off-menu order of donuts with us and advised that Chef Fabio Beggiato would be happy to cook us his preference if we allowed him to. While that may very well be, it was restaurant week and I wanted to stay on-menu. The specialty drink list was lacking creativity to the point where it doesn’t even deserve a creative negative retort.

But that was the only negative I could find. I emphatically disagree with the thought that this restaurant doesn’t deliver as written by Washington Post Food Critic Tom Sietsema in Sept 2008 and think he should consider another trip soon.

I would describe the food as classic Milanase with no real embellishments. It isn’t infused and encrusted. It isn’t a modern interpretation of classic dishes – it’s just simple northern Italian food done well.

For starters I had the Italian cotecchino sausage over braised lentils. The thinly sliced sausage had a mild flavor with a hint of perhaps clove? It was almost like a meat cookie. Coupled with the rather large lentils, I was pleasantly impressed by this well-executed dish.

My main course was the stracotto in Barolo, which is braised beef in a Barolo wine and vegetable reduction served over polenta. The meat was tender and doused with a plentiful reduction with a strong wine flavor. The polenta added a pleasant texture to an otherwise saucy dish. While very flavorful, I was happy for the cracked pepper to give the dish a little more kick.

The desert was tiramisu della casa, which was light, room temperature and exactly how a good, authentic tiramisu should be.

Our bottle of wine was a Sangiovese from Tuscany that was smooth, dry and hearty off of an adequately large list.

Many of the write-in critiques online of this restaurant were very negative of the service, making me wonder if I had dined at the same place. I found the service impeccable. Our waiter was Johnny-on-the-spot when we needed something before we realized we even needed it, and he allowed us to linger without offering the check until we all decided we wanted to continue the evening with an aperitif. He even called our car out of valet while we still sat at the table minimizing the wait outside. Even the busboys were constantly buzzing, yet invisible: lifting dirty dishes and filling water and wine glasses.

Overall, I give the décor, service and attention to detail in all things high marks. While I have nothing negative to say about the food, it didn’t blow me away or create any sort of desire to return in short haste, but it was a delicious meal I thoroughly enjoyed.

Perhaps next time I will allow the chef to create a special meal for me.

http://www.darlingtonhousedc.com/

Againn

I can’t get the taste of last night’s hanger steak out of my mouth. And I don’t want to. It was grilled a hot medium rare; tender with a succulent, juicy, red wine flavor and a dollop of shallot butter—rich and mesmerizing. The other diners at Againn (pronounced ah-GWEN: a gaelic term loosely translating as “with us”) at New York and 11th faded into the background as the flavor of this perfect steak teased my pallet.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. The occasion was Restaurant Week night 2 and my company was Darryl. We were both slightly phased by the idea of going British for our dinner, with images of Bangers and Mash, mushy peas, goat stomachs and whatever other bland, strange and fried stereotypes come to mind when one thinks of British food. But upon walking in to the restaurant (after walking past it), our dismay was quickly averted by the hanging fox heads and buzz of this trendy locale. Greeted and seated with haste, I barely had time to contemplate the raw bar awkwardly positioned at the very entrance, but it did what it was supposed to do: tempt me into a half dozen oysters to start the night. I made mental note of where they were from, which I quickly forgot trying to decipher the cocktail menu. It was filled with nothing that resembled alcohol. Our petite and attentive server explained that Againn hired somebody from California to design their drinks as a throwback to prohibition era. Darryl chose a curry flavored take on a Manhattan which could knock me out for the intricacies in it and I chose their popular mayflower martini, which was like drinking fermented rose water while sitting on a lily pad. The drink I really wanted had egg white in it, which the server insisted was prepared in a way to ensure there was no salmonella, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Againn touts their sustainable seafood, organic meat and local produce, so I wanted to hit all the bases. With seafood covered by the oysters, I went on to their Beetroot Salad made with frisee, walnuts, young goat cheese and a honey dressing. What a perfect combination of flavors. My only improvement is if the goat cheese, instead of turning into a mess with the frisee halfway through, could have been breaded and heated to sustain itself throughout the dish. The beets were varied in color and flavor, complementing the elements. While frisee can be an intimidating green, its texture served well for this salad. Darryl chose the pan-seared diver scallops with a sunchoke puree, salsify crisps and watercress. I was unimpressed. The dish was bland. The puree was odd. The salsify crisps looked like bacon, which would have made the dish flavorful, but were just texture. While the scallops were cooked perfectly, they lacked interest. I was far happier with my choice.

Moving on to the main dish… I’ve already described my steak, which came with “chips.” Darryl chose the pan-seared loch duart salmon served over French green lentils and braised greens. While England is an island, I don’t recall them being known for doing seafood well (not that the chef is English or has even studied in England). Risk the hoof and mouth to stay on land. The rest of his dish lived up to my perception. I will never understand why people serve lentils without lemon juice. Lentils have no flavor. They need something to kick them in the ass before serving. Lemon juice works perfectly. His fish was bland and braised greens just confused it all. After giving him a taste of my steak, he was immediately annoyed at how good my meal was and how flavorless his was. When I commented about my steak that I didn’t know the British liked such flavor and asked him how his tasted, he said, “More British.” Their wine list was extensive, but stiff with only two by-the-glass choices under $10 for the reds.

For desert, we both had the sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and stout ice cream. I could have eaten five of these. If I were at home alone eating this dish, I would have licked the porcelain off the plate trying to get the last taste.

Againn puts a heavy dose of marketing toward their scotch lockers, with their catch phrase, “meet, eat, neat.” While I didn’t sample their pub menu, claiming to be a gastropub where you should “meet” might be a stretch. The bar area was cramped, as was the entrance. The dinner menu was expensive and fit for foodies – not what I’d describe as a gastropub. The restaurant is a cross between a fine dining experience and a place to watch rugby on a Saturday.

While I’ve never watched any Rugby past the movie Invictus (which was really good), I’m not sure I’d want to watch it in a bath house. The leather ceiling and rich wood throughout the restaurant was in stark contrast to the vast expanses of white bathroom tile lining the walls and adorned with light fixtures I’d expect in a modern dungeon. Couple the decor with the 24-hour-diner layout, and one is left with questions. I imagine the decorator as a former British punk-rocker with skinny jeans and a lopsided, spiked mullet smoking a fag who grew up and got money.

Overall, I’m not surprised by the mixed reviews and I don’t see the restaurant staying in this space long. It is an odd location with a chef who has spent all of one week in London learning what British food is personally. There are too many contradictions that exist in this restaurant for it to be survivable: the rich and fantastic dishes I sampled compared to the bland food not worthy of the price; the glitzy high-end restaurant described as a pub; the scotch lockers and all-to-posh cocktail menu marketed to a rugby crowd; leather ceilings and bathroom tile walls; a Louisiana chef in a British restaurant who couldn’t tell mashy peas from mashed potatoes. While I had a wonderful evening with wonderful food, service and company, I’m simply left in confusion.

http://www.againndc.com/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/restaurants/againn,1158196/critic-review.html

Restaurant 3 (Clarendon)

To kick off DC’s 2010 winter restaurant week (my favorite holiday), I went out with my office to Restaurant 3 for lunch. Nestled between such chains as the Cheesecake Factory and Harry’s Tap Room in the heart of bustling Clarendon, this southern gentleman of a restaurant ought to draw a larger crowd than was present, but perhaps the frigid temperature and Monday afternoon timeslot for our visit were not opportune.

Despite our ill-timed visit, the kitchen was ready to please. Led by Chef Brian Robinson formerly of Whitlow’s on Wilson, the Louisiana inspiration of his grandfather was pleasantly evident on my plate and clearly he learned to cook more than a burger from his old menu.

Three, being the third restaurant in the Whitlow family (Insert Monty Python joke... ONE, TWO, FIVE. Three Sir. THREE), came about when Brian wanted something more that Whitlows, and Whitlows wanted a third restaurant. Three also refers to the restaurant’s mantra of good food, good drinks and good times. I can vouch for two of the three given I only had a diet coke, but the wine list looked promising. Three (play Sesame Street's 'Count von Count' laugh track)

Amazingly, what erupted from this redefined relationship is nothing like its sister Arlington staple just blocks away. Three is a refined gathering place, with a number of dining spaces, each with their own personality. In less than 20 degree temps, the patio was closed, however the sunroom decorated with antique distilleries and a quiet fireplace provided a light-filled atmosphere for our business lunch. The stone and wood details aided in the warmth, although the awkwardly hard chairs did not.

Past the long bar were low tables and footrest level stools for the happy hour lounge crowd. While I have passed the place often during happy hour, I’ve never seen it packed and buzzing. I should hope that some group adopts it as their hot spot because Arlington needs more gathering places like this.

Of the options on today’s menu were the standard 3-course restaurant week selections from their traditional menu. Many places edit their restaurant week menu significantly, however I found everything I had wanted there and the edits to be at a minimum.

My meal began with a low-country dish of grits and scallops. It had bits of thick and smoky ham and shallots. The butter overpowered the richness so I couldn’t tell if there was any cheese in the dish. Even though the scallops were cooked with a tender middle, I would have preferred them on a higher heat and cooked in the grease of the ham to give them more flavor and a finished, blackened edge.

My coworker, Eric, had Wings in a Savannah barbeque sauce, which resulted in the debate over what is Savannah barbeque sauce. We decided it was a cross between Memphis’ sweet red sauce and the Carolinas’ vinegar based sauce as that’s the tangy flavor it gave. The sauce was integral to the supple amounts of meat on the bone instead of a gooey topping expected at lesser places. The wings had bite but were not tongue-searing hot.

The other appetizers selected were a salad with bacon vinaigrette that got some attention and a grilled porabello mushroom cap in what was described as spinach pate (blech).

My main dish was a panini made from their main menu’s braised short ribs with “caramelized” onions and goat cheese. With a tang that danced from the meat, the sandwich could only have been improved by actually caramelizing the onions that were simply just soggy cooked onions and with a bit less of the overpowering goat cheese crumbles. The side to this dish and three of the other plates chosen by my luncheon partners were 5-star rated fries – perfectly crisp with a soft center and battered like my great grandmother’s broasted potatoes.

Eric’s main dish was the grilled cheese sandwich with two types of cheeses: goat and smoky cheddar. But while the cheese was good, the bacon was nondescript, there more for crunch than flavor. An improvement would have been the cheese combined with a ham. The "soup of the day" that accompanied the sandwich was a brothy Navy bean soup but with kidney beans. It built in flavor further into the bowl, although the initial reaction was bland.

The other dishes chosen in my party were the pulled duck sandwich and the blackened grouper sandwich, both of which got high praise.

For dessert, to my demise, I chose the cheesecake, which was unfulfillingly filling and probably from Costco. I had a bite of Andrew’s chocolate bread pudding though and was in heaven. So rich, light and moist with sugar syrup and chocolate syrup double poured over the concoction, I was immediately jealous I didn’t choose this dish.

The friendly waiter seemed like a transplant from Whitlows. While perfectly attentive, considerate and overall deserved the good tip, he displayed a sloppy appearance not suited for this more refined cousin of Whitlows. Either send him back to the other bar or put a clean shirt on this kid. Also, first impressions count, so buy the host some slacks. My grandpa’s jeans on a college kid will not attract the upscale crowd the food at this place deserves.