Happy Monday, food truck followers! It's a gorgeous spring day, so get out in the sunshine for specials like smoky mac and cheese with green-chili-braised pork from Cap Mac, crabcakes aboard Cirque Cuisine, and ice cream cookie sandwiches from Captain Cookie.
A tasty offering at Zeke's DC Donutz. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
Fritter fiends, hello. The competition has grown as hot as a deep-fat fryer all set to crisp up some sugary dough as we move further into round two. Friday, just-opened Astro inspired dozens upon dozens of votes to close Al Dente out of the elite eight. That was a surprise for those of us monitoring this thing, since Al Dente was one of the most popular round one competitors. Congrats, Astro.
Now it’s time to make another tough choice. Mac’s Donuts—home of the “stick o’ donuts”—is taking on newcomer Zeke’s DC Donutz, which operates out of a graffiti-lined outlet on P Street, Northwest. Who will move on in the derby? That’s entirely up to you. Be sure to vote before 5 PM. And may your week be filled with greasy-sweet, ring-shaped snacks.
Washington welcomes its second fried chicken and doughnuts venture on Monday. Photograph courtesy of Astro.
Friday marked the official debut of GBD, the Dupont fried chicken and doughnut spot from the Neighborhood Restaurant Group. Prior to its grand opening, GBD held a soft opening of sorts, giving out free food to its happy early fans.
On Monday, April 8, we welcome a second fried chicken and doughnut destination to downtown DC—Astro. And guess what, fans of free fritters? Those are part of the plan once more. The restaurant from partners Elliot Spaisman and Jeff Halpern (Jason Gehring is the pastry chef) will be giving away gratis pastries on opening day to the first 200 people in line. Astro opens with limited hours in its first week—from 8 AM until everything sells out. After that you can get your greasy goodies from 7:30 to 6 on weekdays. Check out the full menu after the jump.
Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken. 1308 G St., NW. Regular hours: Monday through Friday 7:30 AM to 6 PM.
The Brixton’s open-air roof deck is open for your boozing pleasure. Photograph by Jeff Martin.
It finally feels like spring, with a weekend forecast of sun and temps in the 60s and 70s. Even if the weather is a little erratic, you’ll want to post up on the nearest patio while the mild temperatures last. Whether you’re looking to catch some rays or huddle under heat lamps in the chilly evenings, there are plenty of al fresco spots to get an early start on outdoor partying.
The expansive beer garden of this H Street spot is open year-round— it’s partially covered and lined with heat lamps—but sunny days are the best time to grab a seat at one of the long, communal tables and drink a few supersize German beers.
Specials: Monday through Friday from 4 to 7, you’ll find brews—including Paulaner Pils—plus select glasses of wine and currywurst sausages, all discounted to $5.
One of DC’s best open-air roof decks is open and ready for outdoor drinkers. Order a shandy and catch a few rays before the crowds descend this summer.
Specials: Monday through Friday from 5 to 7, three varieties of drafts are $5 and rail drinks and house red and white wines are $6. Sunday brings a late-night happy hour and a shot-and-beer combo for $8.
The weather finally feels right for sitting by the water with a margarita at this Southwest Waterfront spot, even though the deck has been open since early March. You can also catch a great view of the cherry blossom fireworks on Saturday, April 6.
Specials: Daily deals include $4.50 Blue Moons on Friday and $5 Yuengling pints on Saturday.
Patios at both the Del Ray and Shirlington locations of Jill Erber’s cheese shop/restaurant are open, so you can sip wine and nibble fromage al fresco.
Specials: Find $2 off wines and beers and $4 off cheese boards weekdays from 3 to 6.
This neighborhood Petworth bar already boasts a huge outdoor patio armed with picnic tables and bar seating, and construction is now complete on the new al fresco service bar.
Specials: You can get two-for-one anything (yes, anything) from behind the bar on Monday through Saturday from 5 to 9 PM. Test your capacity for mimosas and bloody Marys during the bottomless brunch on weekends.
The newest addition to the Clarendon scene boasts communal tables on a small outdoor patio, perfect for taking down steins of German and Belgian beer alongside brats and mussels.
Specials: Happy hour starts next week with specials like 17-ounce Erdinger beers and pints of Ommegang for $5.
Happy Friday, food truck followers! Celebrate a beautiful start to the weekend with specials like lobster ravioli and Boston cream cannoli from Basil Thyme, baby back ribs aboard BBQ Bus, and jambalaya at Smokin' on the Bayou.
Creamy green broth blankets Thai-style mussels, served with toasted bread for soaking up the juices. Photographs by Jeff Elkins.
Whether you’re in the mood for an exotic white wine rabbit sausage, eggplant-based vegan Italian, or an old-fashioned brat, you’ll find them all at a new sausage shop: Fat Shorty’s, which opened this week in Clarendon.
We first broke the news back in February that restaurateur Aaron Gordon planned to transform his salad-and-sandwich concept, Rabbit, into a Belgian-inspired eatery serving sausages, mussels, and beer. The makeover is complete—you’ll now find long beer-hall-style tables, dangling string lights, antique meat grinders lining the walls, and a ten-seat outdoor patio for drinking oversize steins in the sun.
Bombolini at Al Dente. Photograph courtesy of Al Dente.
Happy Friday, fried-pastry connoisseurs. Yesterday we experienced something of an upset when the mini doughnuts at the Palm beat out the weekend pastries at neighborhood darling 2 Amys.
Let us now take on the challenge of finding a suitable competitor for that bag o’ minis at the Dupont power spot. Two interesting options present themselves. On the one hand, there are those lemon-sugar-sprinkled nuggets of deliciousness called bombolini at Al Dente, up near American University. On the other, we have Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken, that highly anticipated spot we hoped would be open by now. GBD opens Friday. Is it possible we’ll get two new doughnut and fried chicken spots on the same day? Stay tuned. And don’t forget to vote. The poll closes at 5 PM.
At the height of the so-called cocktail revolution, when most every serious bartender wore sleeve garters and silken vests, we were taught to wait for our drinks. “It’s not like you’re getting a vodka soda; the good drinks take time,” we obedient cocktail fans told our friends knowingly as they wondered aloud whether that $16 Boulevardier would ever materialize. At the same time ingredient-focused new restaurants were eschewing French service and leaving tables nude of linens, bartenders had just begun to reclaim the pomp and circumstance of their profession, and with all those waxed mustaches and vodka soda jeers came real devotion behind the bar—not to mention some very delicious drinks.
Fast-forward a few economically disastrous years to an era in which innovations like on-tap cocktails have started to show up behind top bars. “Someone once said to me, ‘I want what comes after the revolution,’” says Derek Brown, owner of the Passenger and the Columbia Room. In other words, how do bars put out drinks that are just as good as those bespoke concoctions, but faster, with less fanfare, and—given the recession that just won’t quit—cheaper, too? And how can you bring the quality of cocktails at craft bars to less-formal settings?
Answering these questions is the aim of Brown’s new company, Brigade. Their first project is a gin and tonic in a keg—an on-tap concoction that requires no measuring, stirring, or shaking. Whoever is manning the bar simply pours it over ice. On-tap drinks have popped up in bars from New York to San Francisco, and Brown traveled with Columbia Room alum JP Fetherston to see how (and how well) those bars were pulling it off. They learned that most establishments hire an outside consultant to install the systems, then find themselves out of luck if something breaks down during service. So they brought local homebrewer John Burke onboard to help them figure out the hard science. This approach likely made perfect sense to the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, which owns the Red Apron Butcher in Union Market—the only place you will find the G&T. Owner Michael Babin has an uncommonly DIY approach to his eateries—everything from design to public relations is done in house. Recently, he even built a commissary behind the market where butcher Nathan Anda can break down whole animals and distribute meat to NRG restaurants around Washington.
On paper it sounds good: a firehouse turned restaurant that crosses pubby conviviality with industrial chic, a menu that gives a nod to foodie trends. But this multilevel hangout falls short of its promise. Pacing is a problem—the wait to get a menu can be trying, and our starters and entrées showed up in tandem. A dazzling kitchen might redeem such snafus, but rosemary-garlic fries were flabby and a cider-brined pork chop was puckeringly sour. 109 S. Saint Asaph St., Alexandria; 703-683-1776.
We often say we could make a nice night of it at this bistro by supplementing the wines from its excellent stash with a few small plates. But a recent dinner had us wishing we’d mostly stuck to sipping. Cornmeal-crusted oysters were a standout, as were pan-seared scallops. Nothing else sang. Gnocchi were sticky; a pork chop was listless. An off night? Perhaps. But it’s not as if the out-of-date dining room offers much compensation. And service was uneven. 4865 Cordell Ave., Bethesda; 301-986-9592.
In the ’70s, chef Nora Pouillon was an early adopter of eating organic and local—a philosophy that nearly every chef worth his or her salt has come to embrace. Dining at this renovated 19th-century grocery—with its artifacts and Amish quilts—feels civilized and urbane. But while dishes such as Peekytoe crab with avocado and sake-glazed black cod are pleasant enough, they lack that “wow” factor that turns a good meal great. 2132 Florida Ave., NW; 202-462-5143.
This article appears in the April 2013 issue of The Washingtonian.
The Palm takes on 2 Amys to determine whose fritter reigns supreme. Photograph courtesy of Shutterstock,
It was the biggest day at the derby yet. On Wednesday, loyal consumers of chef Will Artley’s lemony doughnuts in Falls Church showed up in large numbers to send Pizzeria Orso into the elite eight. There, it will take on Migue’s Magnificent Mini Donuts, which is changing its name to DC-Donuts and, I’m told, will debut a full-size chocolate doughnut this weekend. In other ’nut news, be sure to check out our preview of GBD in Dupont Circle.
Returning to our contest to determine of Washington’s best doughnut, big round-one winner 2 Amys returns to go up against that classic fat-cat clubhouse the Palm. Which spot makes the better fried snacks? As always, that decision lies with you. Vote before 5.
