Siroc -

Siroc

915 15th Street

Did You Like the Green Mile, then You'll Love Siroc

A few months ago friends and I went to dinner at Siroc. This restaurant had long been on my wishlist so when we started to ponder where to go.....poof pow....I suggested Siroc!

Well this may well be the shortest review of all time and here it goes - I didn't like this place.

I can remember meals Ive had 6 months ago but talking with friends we could not remember what we had BUT what I do remember like it was yesterday was how the manager(s) or who ever they were paced back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and .....by the tables like we were on the Green Mile! You know with both hands behind their back, slowly glancing at each table. This made me very uncomfortable and I felt rushed.

The restaurant is very small and I think the food was fine its just that I got that 'prison' feeling or better yet how I felt when I took the SAT and the test monitor walked around watching over the room but hey that's just my opinion.

With all the great choices here in DC why would I go back for more of that? Right, I wont.

Station 4

Station 4

1101 4th St SW

Point Your Dial to Station4

Station 4 is a relatively new restaurant opening less than three years ago (maybe 2).  The opening of Station 4 in South West DC was like having an Oasis spring up  in the middle of the Sahara. I think the last restaurant to open in this neighborhood was….hmmm….wow……ahhh…..well I can’t remember when. Of course this section of the city probably has the smallest residential neighborhood but having said that its growing fast. There are residential 8 story twin towers under construction within a block and DC government has two new buildings located right next door too.  In addition to the incredibly beautiful redesigned Arena Stage Theatre, there is a huge project on the waterfront in the works for this area. The new Wharf will surely bring a slew of new restaurants but Station 4 can say they were one of the first to open in this new era of this South West corridor.
 

I imagine the folks attending Arena Stage attend pre and post dinners here but they also have lunch and brunch on the weekends. It’s a 60 second walk from the metro green line Waterside stop so I would also recommend this place for folks attending Nationals games.

Now regarding the food, I’ll get to that but first let me mention the crew here. The folks working the bar are divine. So often in this city the staff at some of the high end restaurants walk around in all black like rock stars doing you a favor selling you $14 cocktails. You won’t experience that treatment here. I don’t know how he does it but the bartender here (not sure of his name, handsome with salt and pepper hair) seems to know everyone by name which adds to the pleasant experience I usually have when I stop by for a little nosh at the bar or dinner. Station 4 also offers a special menu for local residents and who doesn't  appreciate that.



 

The entire restaurant is within view at the entrance with a partitioned bar area. The design is sleek contemporary. They also have an outdoor patio area that is very nice although not much of a view or good for people watching.

There is a happy hour menu that offers special pricing which is not always a given in DC so that makes this place even more attractive. The happy hour menu prices are bananas. Burgers and Calamari for $7, $5 Wings or $8 Pizza and discount drinks make this venue a must for happy hour and all are done very well. BTW, the pizza is very good. The bar area is small so get there early if you have 4 or more in your party.

Another good bet is the weekend brunch. Prices again are very reasonable and the food....yep delicious. I recommend this restaurant if you are in the neighborhood or want to go out of your way to try something new.

Art and Soul

Art and Soul

415 New Jersey Ave, NW

April 2013

Heard it Through the Grapevine

No Art and Soul is not a Motown exhibit residing here in DC. Art and Soul is a swanky spot on the hill near Union Station..

Okay let me say from the start, that this is one of my favorite DC restaurants. Whenever I get an invitation to join up with friends for dinner or happy hour its hard to decline.

This restaurant is located inside the Liaison Hotel near Union Station on Capitol Hill. The chef offers a southern influence with sides like Hoppin John and Geechie Boy Grits. Wait, WTH, let me google 'Geechie" because...okay back - it didn't mean what I was thinking... we're cool....anyway....Art and Soul is consistent if you're looking for a little nosh or entrees, its usually all done well. So far, my friends and I have always left happy with our choices and experience. I can best describe the dishes here as complex comfort foods. I know that doesn't sound proper but that's what comes to mind. When I pair my meal with a glass of wine my taste buds start singing. 

On my most recent visit I resisted my impulse to order duck (because its my favorite) and I got the Pan Roasted Gulf Snapper over a crawfish étouffée and baby potatoes.  Let me just say it melted in my mouth. So fresh, moist and seasoned just right. One friend decided to order something different so she went with the Crispy Fried Pigs Head  (see the pic below) and another got the meat and cheese board. As usual everything disappeared in record time.

Happy hour is popular here and the bar area usually seems to fill leaving larger groups looking for a place to sit. You can pull up to the bar or sit at the few surrounding tables. I cant recall that we had difficulty hearing one another during conversation  so the noise level was fine BUT then again my friends are pretty loud (giggle).Of course there is the actual newly remodeled restaurant that is very sleek. We actually had a hard time figuring out what was new about the space but the server confirmed that the entire place was renovated.

The servers are experienced and our group of 5 was never left waiting for attention. The happy hour menu has $4 beers and $7 wines. Take a look at the dinner menu here. They also offer breakfast, weekend brunch and lunch.

The restaurant is about a 10min walk from the Union Station metro red line stop and worth a visit.

The Passenger dc and Columbia Room

The Passenger dc and Columbia Room

1021 7th Street NW

April 2013

After a delicious dinner at Acadiana, we slid on over to meet up with more friends at Passenger dc. Well actually, we were headed to the 'private' bar within the bar, the Columbia Room.

This is an interesting concept in that this is a bar within the bar. As you make your way through the Passenger dc main room, past the main bar, there is a non descript door. You enter into this door into a small dimly lit room where you are greeted by a hostess - "Welcome to the Columbia Room". I am not sure about anyone else but I was a little confused. I was thinking are we headed upstairs or something but finally realized this was what I'll call a kind of 'pre-room'.

At this point we are all very curious as none of us have ever been to the Columbia Room. She takes our coats and we wait a few minutes as the bar was full for the moment. There is a time limit which I assume is about the same for everyone, or maybe depending on how much you are willing to spend...??? we had 2 hours for our experience.

Finally we are led into the room and seated at the bar. The room is very intimate, just long enough for the bar and wide enough to comfortably move around. Within the room, the team consisted of 3 folks. The star of the show, the bartender slash mixologist was Matt.

The 2 hours flew by and it felt like 20 minutes..Well, Matt and Rob made their introductions and welcomed us to the experience! The 'treatment' consisted of unique drink creations for 2 hours paired with incredible nosh. As we chatted Matt would chime in to give a description of the drinks he prepared. Everything was incredible...no complaints from anyone.

Matt's Creations - The Columbia Room

Peppered in between the conversations and drinks were small plates of meats, cheese and spreads. Its personal service and you feel pampered. We were having such a good time that we did not want to leave. Everyone had a blast!

We grabbed a table on the way out to chat and sample a few items from the Passenger dc menu. I actually had a glass of wine but the table shared a Kimchi Hot Dog and...hmmm, well I can't remember but I will say that it disappeared so fast and when I asked if it was good  they all bobbed their heads up and down NOT side to side! I can't remember when I've seen food disappear so fast.

The crowd seemed on the younger side that particular night...late 20s - 30s. The server was really good. Efficient, patient and everything came to the table pretty quickly. 

The noise level was pretty high but then the venue is not very large. I plan to go back to sample that hot dog!

Le Pain Quotidien - Our Daily Bread

Le Pain Quotidien

Multiple Locations, DC, VA

April 2013

Our Daily Bread

Le Pain Quotidien is a lovely little gem. Its different from most eateries we have in the DMV and I just love it. It’s a cozy setting, great place to meet up with friends at their communal tables made from reclaimed wood, solo or weekend mornings for a little Nosh on your way to the flea market.

 I never have regrets when I leave here because the menu is filled with vegan and organic light fare. This is my go to place when I want something yummy while keeping my calorie count low. But if you want to cheat a little there are marvelous pastries, muffins, turnovers, cookies, tarts and of course Pain. Did I mention that I love this place?

I normally visit the Tyson’s Corner location, right outside of Bloomingdales, (I think it’s competing with the Café in Nordstrom) Downtown near the White House or Clarendon  in Arlington. I think they do well at giving you the feeling of a Belgium or French café.  I will say that the Eastern Market location seems to be a little challenged sometimes, maybe some leftover bad  qi from the old Bread and Chocolate, as it is usually very busy on the weekends. Although smaller than the other locations they have outdoor seating  creating a prime spot to people watch when the weather is nice.

I think they have a rotating seasonal menu and the selections range from ….well check it out here.  Le Pain Quotidien food is consistently fresh which keeps me coming back. I normally get a salad - Salmon and Beet Salad or the Soup of the day – Chicken with Quinoa. They also serve breakfast and of course all variations of tea, coffee and Belgian Hot Chocolate!

You can reach the Eastern Market, Farragut West and Clarendon locations on the metro orange or blue lines.

This outfits seems extremely aware of the concept of ‘competition’ and when I am there they seem to constantly focus on getting it right.

Acadiana Restaurant

Acadiana Restaurant

901 New York Ave. NW

Happy Hour and Dinner

April 2013

Last week I received an invitation for drinks at The Columbia Room which is part of Passenger dc (more about that in the next post). Since I had a couple of hours to burn I asked a friend to join me for Happy Hour and a little Nosh at Acadiana Restaurant. 

Acadiana is part of the Passion Food Restaurant Group. Its located across from the DC Convention Center at Mt.Vernon Square. Take the metro green or yellow line to Mt.Vernon square although on street and valet parking were available.

This was my fourth visit but my friends first. We decided to sit at the bar even though we had dinner reservations. 

The interior is very tasteful but not stuffy (even though there are traditional white linen table clothes). The bar area overlooks the main dinning room with less than 6 high tables plus the bar  that seats about 20ish. Nothing particularly interesting about this area. 

Mixed crowd in business attire and polo shirts and jeans. The wait staff was very attentive and polite and the noise level was tolerable. The bar menu had $7 drinks, house wines and nosh.

We started with a couple of glasses of the happy hour red with the Creole and Boudin Balls. We loved our choices, as my partner commented to our waiter "as you can see we love balls". Oh well, its true (giggle) they were yummy, moist, seasoned just right not harsh. Happy hour portions in that they were small plates. No worry because we wanted to save room for dinner.

We decided to share 2 entrees so we got the Pan Roasted Crisped Duck and Grillades with Grits. Duck is my favorite and this dish did not disappoint.  It was explained that the duck is prepared over 3 days. While the skin was crisp and very  flavorful the meat was so tender. The portion was rather large (half a duck) on a bed of dirty rice and collard greens. The Grillades were served over cheese grits and mushroom pan gravy. I am not sure if the flavor of the duck made the Gillades taste a little bland, but I was less impressed. Having said that it was very good, very tender, moist, great portion and went well with the grits. Needless to say there was little left over.

Biscuits are served with this butter and honey concoction that my friend began to tweet about. I decided not to post the food pics because the lighting did not allow for the best outcome.

The staff was attentive never letting our wine glasses go dry. The team did a great job anticipating our requests and we were not left asking ourselves "where is the server" and this was a relief because when I go out to spend my doe I really don't want any regrets! 

Bottom line is that we will surely be back. The food was great, we felt very comfortable and everyone was very professional.