Table for 1: Bobby's Burger Palace

So I don't really eat beef. Any of my friends would tell you, I rarely order steaks and when I go for a burger its usually of the turkey or veg variety. But lately I've been all about a good old hunk of ground red meat. Maybe it has something to do with the iron supplements I never take or maybe its just my new culinary obsession - who could forget the DC Noodles phase? I would've given them my first born.

For my weekly date, I decided to check out Bobby's Burger Palace on K Street at 21st. For weeks now, I've been passing by this place and shaking my head at its gaudy, colorful sign thinking it was a cheap food court style buffet not our city's newest celebrity chef locale.

Once inside, my mistake is made obvious as the swanky interior and mouth watering menu is far from anything a food court would offer. The menu is deep , starting with the basics - burger or cheeseburger- followed by an array of specialty choices that use high end ingredients (like goat cheese and watercress) to spruce up the common burger. Each option is available with angus beef, ground turkey, or chicken breast. BBP also offers a few sandwich and salad options, sides, and malted milkshakes. The part that really got me excited was the short but solid beverage list that includes beer, wine, and adult milkshakes.

For my first attempt at the palace, I decided to go for the Dallas Burger with angus beef - a spice crusted patty slathered in BBQ sauce and topped with coleslaw, jack cheese, and pickles. For a beverage I chose a bottle of Anchor Steam beer and I had to get a side of fries (to review of course!). The burger was tasty but very messy. My beef craving was satisfied, but all of the toppings and fixins really hid the taste of the beef. The fries were nothing exciting - thin cut like I like them but not enough flavor of their own. I had to make heavy use of the sauces at each table.

The one thing I can say really got me excited on my date was the pickle. Holy mackrel, what a pickle. I have spent way to much time and money trying to buy "the perfect pickle". Salty, garlicky; fat with a distinct crunch... Bobby Flay has my pickle! With God as my witness I will hunt down this pickle supplier like I hunted for the maker of my favorite TJ's discontinued veggie bruschetta (I wept for that bruschetta).

Evaluation: Cool atmosphere, exciting menu, but not awe-inspiring fare. I will have to visit again before I can judge accurately.

UPDATE:

So I went back, this time with the boyfriend so I got to try two burgers. He went for the Burger of the Month for September - the Caroline Burger which was an angus patty topped with onion rings, Applewood bacon and smoked cheddar. I ordered the turkey version of the Napa Valley Burger - we're talking Meyer lemon honey mustard, watercress, and a huge dolop of goat cheese.  We also got a side of sweet potato fries and a couple beers to wash it all down.

This time, BBP really impressed me. The Napa Valley burger was practically MADE for me. I eyed it on the menu during my first visit but I was all about the beef and thought the Napa's toppings would better suit the turkey or chicken options. The combination of oozy cheese and the tangy mustard went perfectly with the turkey burger, but it would certainly complement the angus beef too (as we learned when my boyfriend starting dunking his burger in my sauce). The sweet potato fries were much better than the regular fries (also great in the mustard sauce) and the pickles are always and forever divine.


EVALUATION 2: If you like a burger just for it's beefiness, you're better off visiting Elevation Burger, but if you want yummy toppings and a beer to go with it, BBP is for you.

Table for 1: Founding Farmers

So I'm dating myself.

No, I am not suddenly single, but I am learning to spend as much time (and money) on going out alone as I do going out with friends or the Mister. Julia Cameron of The Artist's Way says artists must date themselves... Take their inner artists out on the town to spark imagination and that's just what I'm doing.

Last week I took myself to the Museum of Natural History to see an exhibit on race I've been eager to see. This week, its a swanky dinner for one at the acclaimed Founding Farmers. I've trudged through the torrential rain to find out there's a 45 minute wait for a table, so the bar it is.

The plan is as such: A huge glass of Sauvignon Blanc, a big bowl of mac n cheese, the NPR broadcast of Obama's jobs speech and some SERIOUS people watching.

Now if I have any trepidation about dining alone at one of the busiest bars in DC, the headphones are not helping. They are like our generation's version of eating out with a Danielle Steel novel or a coat covered in cat hair. These headphones scream "I'M ALONE. DON'T TALK TO ME. SERIOUSLY" but that's okay because I am alone and fine with it, thank you very much. I hold my head high and enjoy myself, despite the impatient looks from the seat vultures circling around me.

The wine I choose is the Mohua from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. A pretentious man at Whole Foods once told me "Just ANYTHING from Marlborough country" and I'm embarrassed to admit he was right. I've tried many over the course of the summer and this Mohua might be my favorite. It's crisp, fruity and super refreshing (makes me wanna say ahhhhhh like a Sprite commercial).

There's some confusion at the bar - plates are being thrust in my face and then withdrawn before I can examine their contents thoroughly. Flatbreads, colorful salads... Stop teasing me people!

Finally it arrives: my mac n cheese. Not as cheesy or macky as I hoped, but tasty nonetheless. This dish is loaded with ham, gruyere cheesy, peas and apples (yes apples) but it kinda works. I have recently been on a mac n cheese kick, trying it at Brookland Cafe in NE and Commisary in Logan Circle... both renditions were surprisingly good. Especially Commisary's which managed to be unconventional, heart warming, and a true meal. Founding Farmer's take is really just penne pasta with a bechemel sauce... not quite enough soul for me but I still have to stop myself from trying to eat it all. The bread was fresh and buttery but after a few bites I turn it over to discover the bottom was burnt black as tar. I do what I'm sure you all expect me to... I eat it anyway.

So my Founding Farmers dining experience has been mixed... great atmosphere, delicious wine, friendly (if confusing) service, but lackluster food. But I shall reserve my judgement for a later date. There is no way that after the rave reviews I've heard from friends that this is the best they have to offer. For now I'll just give up my seat to the eager beavers lurking behind me and step out into the rain, alone but with a to-go box of pasta that will make a decent lunch tomorrow.

The next date can only be better.

http://www.wearefoundingfarmers.com

My Birthday Treat: Summer Restaurant Week 2011

Thanks to my amazing boyfriend, my last two birthdays have been spent "fine dining" in DC - Ceiba in 2009 and Acadiana in 2010. With such a high bar set, I expect to spend this year chowing with the chiefs once again. Luckily for him (and his wallet) my birthday once again falls within the ever anticipated Restaurant Week.


This year's event (which runs this year from August 15-21) includes a slew of restaurants in the city as well as in some of the neighboring suburbs. A set price (lunch: $20.11 per person; dinner: $35.11 per person) will you get a 3 course meal that usually includes an appetizer, main course, and dessert.

Here's my advice on how to do it right:

1. Choose somewhere you haven't been. RW is the perfect time to try a new cuisine or a restaurant you wouldn't usually go to. Maybe try some Japanese barbecue at Kushi or refined Indian at Rasika...

2. Make your reservations NOW. The most popular restaurants fill up quickly, especially for weekends. You can make your reservations using the VENGA app (which I love) or at OpenTable.

3. Start saving up. While this is a steal by any standards, dropping over $20 for a meal more then once a week can add up so start saving now. Same goes for calories... go easy on the fries for a week before and def hit the gym. It's worth it.

4. Expect to pay for drinks and tip regularly, not on the discounted amount. NO ONE wants grouchy servers so think about the table after you and tip like you paid full price.

I'm looking forward to sharing my picks (and my surprise birthday meal) with you all *wink wink*

Bad timing, great pizza

For the last three years I've worked as a school librarian for a charter school here in the city, and for two and half of those years our school was located just east of North Capitol Street in a part of town that didn't have much to offer. Big Bear Cafe and a corner deli were the only options and if we wanted to do happy hour, we had to hop on the bus and head downtown.

Picture this: it's 3:45 on a Friday which means it's almost time to get the most alcohol we possibly can for the least amount of money. Estelle and I, being vehicularly challenged, are going from classroom to classroom, trying to gauge who's coming out, but more importantly who's driving. We know what it feels like to take two buses and walk 5 blocks to just miss the end of $1 happy hour at Nellie's. We have to find a ride! Some weeks are easy: everyone's coming out and getting out and even home is a breeze. Other weeks, we find ourselves doing the Metrobus two-step or just walking and calling it "exercise".

One week, while making the trek to the bus stop, we noticed a newly renovated brownstone with papered over windows that reeked of gentrification. It was clearly a new restaurant or bar and we couldn't wait to see what it would be. But we did wait. By the time the place opened, I was elbow deep in boxes, packing tape, and book dust because the school was moving over winter break. The place, that arrived too late to be my default but that I'm happy for all the same, is Rustik, an aptly named restaurant and bar that serves up cold beers and delicious brick oven pizza.

I recently paid Rustik a visit, with the intention of writing a review and drowning my stress in a Yuengling and some piping hot pizza. Rustik feels rustic, but not in a woodsy way. The exposed brick and a rich wood bar are warm, while the wall murals that remind me of the graphic novel Coraline lend a sense of fun that is creative and certainly hipster.

My friends and I arrived just after 5, and took a seat at the high tables near the windows where we were served room temperature water (the ice delivery hadn't arrived yet) by our very apologetic waitress. The ice soon arrived, our water was chilled, and we proceeded to enjoy some cold beer with little to no distractions as the restaurant was nearly empty until about 7. When people did start to come in, I was amazed by who came in the door: young edgy families and intrepid home owners, pushing their blond babies in strollers and greeting each other familiarly. It felt like I had entered a secret sanctum, where the white people of Bloomingdale shed the invisibility they used on the streets and magically appeared to one another. My friends and I found ourselves in the racial minority for the first time in that neighborhood (but certainly not in the city) and we wondered where else in the area this strange magic took place.

As I was dining with vegetarians, I tearfully passed on the Christina, a pizza topped with pear, goat cheese and prosciutto and opted for the Going Green, an intensely flavorful pizza with roasted garlic sauce, watercress, and mozzarella. I cannot exaggerate how much this pizza blessed my spirit that day. When it was put down in front of me, the smell that reached my nose was mind-blowing, so much so that the fact that it was fresh out of the oven and the cheese was literally bubbling did not stop me from diving in. My friend ordered the Margherita that was good, but no match for my choice. They say sharing is caring, but I had a hard time sharing that day.


Visit Rustik during happy hour, where beers are $2 and small selection of pizzas are available for only $4. Go early if you want the place to yourself, or come a little later to people watch. A dime for every plaid shirt or barefoot child will make you a millionaire.

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