Eat Great Cheap 2015Brats sizzle alongside soul and funk at this Bloomingdale storefront, which is devoted to an eclectic array of house-made sausages. Like the bright space—outfitted with a few counter seats and an outdoor picnic table—the menu is small. All of the sausages, served in squishy Martin’s potato rolls, are sublime, though certain varieties work better than others with the handful of traditional toppings. We’re partial to combinations like chorizo with peppers and onions or a spicy half-smoke smothered in cheese, onions, and chili. Though an eatery with “meats” in its name sounds unabashedly carnivorous, abstainers can fare well—veggie chili is rich with garbanzo beans, black-eyed peas, and freekeh. Combined with a tasty seitan sausage, vegetarian chili-cheese dogs are finally a reality.
Cuisine: Sausages
Where you can get it: 247 Florida Ave., NW;202-505-1384
Also good: Lemon-basil chicken sausage with pickled jalapeños; bratwurst with sauerkraut and mustard; green-chili chicken sausage with veggie chili; Frito pie; Chilito, meaty chili in a tortilla.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
