Off to the Hill Country for Our Last Hurrah in DC - CLOSED

 Hill Country Barbecue Market

410 7th Street NW

Washington, DC 20004

One of the main reasons we picked Washington as our winter vacation destination was that we like watching our beloved Anaheim Ducks on the road. Even though the Ducks have fallen on some hard times recently, they were well on their way to a seventh consecutive season of not making the playoffs when we watched them in DC. It's still always fun visiting new arenas and being one of the few, if not the only, among the 17,000 fans rooting for the Ducks. 

As is our custom, we usually shy away from the mediocre arena food in favor of a restaurant near the game. Capital One Arena is located in the Chinatown area of Washington, DC, an area of town that has many good restaurant options. I did a Google search to see where most people eat before hockey games, and just picked a place at random. That's how we ended up at Hill Country Barbecue Market. 

We arrived at Hill Country at 5pm, two hours before puck drop, and were met with a ton of people wearing Capitals jerseys. As we were shown to our table near the back of the restaurant, there were some weird glances our way because we were decked out in our Ducks jerseys, but no one jeered us or made us feel unwelcome. Maybe they pitied us because our team was near the bottom of the standings, or perhaps the fact that we only play each other twice a year made us seem like less of a rival.  

Hill Country Barbecue Market had been in this location for fourteen years and was spun off from their original location in New York City, near Madison Square Park. This restaurant specialized in Central Texas-style barbecue and was also known for line dancing and karaoke in their basement. They were on a month-to-month lease, and two months after our visit, they were informed by their landlord that they were to vacate the premises to make way for another restaurant. The Hill Country website has a coming soon message on their DC page, so there might be hope that they are looking for a new location. 

The dining room at Hill Country was huge, with wooden tables and chairs. At least 200 people could fill this space, and most tables were full with two hours to go before game time. Your server takes care of your beverages, and you order your food in the market, located in the rear of the space. Meats are weighed out in one station, hot and cold sides are available at another counter, and drinks and desserts are available at the checkout. It was reminiscent of a cafeteria. 

You have the option of getting things à la carte, or you can choose from a couple of combos. Meats available were brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork, chicken, turkey breast, and sausage, which was flown in from Texas. You could also get your pulled pork or BBQ beef in a sandwich. Sides were just as you'd expect from a barbecue restaurant: mac and cheese, baked beans, a sweet potato mash, coleslaw, collard greens, and German potato salad. Here's what we ended up with after our trip through the market. 

Whenever we are eating barbecue, Katie's always partial to having her meat in sandwich form. The Pulled Pork Sandwich ($14.95) came with plenty of the pit-smoked pork, pickles, and sliced onions, which Katie got on the side. The pulled pork at Hill Country was solid. It had a good variety of textures, and the two bites I had were not dry and not too heavy with the flavor of smoke. The bun was standard, and the barbecue sauces provided were a good accompaniment to the pulled pork. The sandwiches come with a side, so Katie selected the Confetti Cole Slaw. This slaw was okay. Nothing really stood out about it, but it was not awful. Just standard coleslaw. 

I selected the Cue and 2 ($32) for my meal, which means two meats and 2 sides. I also ordered a Jalapeno and Cheese Sausage ($9), which I did not get charged for. This may have been because the cashier did not see it due to the way the brisket was piled on top of my ribs. I didn't notice it until I looked at our receipt while I was writing this review. Of the meats, the sausage was clearly the best of the three, and not just because I got it for free. It had a good, smooth texture, and the cheese, with a slight hint of jalapeno, made it a pleasure to eat. The brisket and pork ribs both had the same problem: there was a lack of a smoke ring, and they both fell flat flavor-wise. They were tender, but tasted like nothing. The barbecue sauce helped, but good barbecue meats are not supposed to need barbecue sauce. Even the bark of both the ribs and brisket was devoid of flavor. Something I haven't come across in a long time. 

For my two sides, I got the Collard Greens with Bacon and the Longhorn Mac and Cheese. The collard greens were good, with plenty of bacon, which helped boost the taste of each bite. The mac and cheese was the better of the two. The cheese-to-noodle ratio was on point, and the cheese blend they used was tasty and clung to the noodles perfectly. Crisping the cheese under the broiler for a minute or two would have brought this mac and cheese to even bigger heights. Nicely done, mac and cheese, though. 

Our last hurrah at Hill Country was the Cornbread Muffins ($3.75) that Katie ordered. These came three to an order, but Katie snatched one before I could take my picture. They were soft, but served cold, which was odd. The ancho honey butter was spreadable, but I would have liked a little more heat from the ancho chili side to balance out the sweetness from the honey and the cornbread itself. 

I enjoyed the game day atmosphere of Hill Country, but as I thought about it later, I should have done some more research on where the best places to eat are before the Capital games. Hill Country was not awful, but it wasn't remarkable barbecue either. From what I've read online, this was the first spot for authentic Texas barbecue in DC. Still, after pitmaster changes, there was a noticeable drop in the quality of the meats, and the fact that other highly rated barbecue restaurants opened up in DC, Hill Country lost some of its luster. The ordering process here was fine, but I can imagine that the ordering line could get pretty long at peak meal times. Service was okay, with us getting our own food; we only saw our server a couple of times to see if we needed refills of our drinks. It's pretty crazy that we closed our dining adventure in Washington, DC, with a restaurant that is now closed, because the first restaurant we ate at at the start of our trip is also now closed. I hope we are not a jinx to the rest of the restaurants where we ate. 

As you can see from the scoreboard above, the expected outcome from the game happened. Our Ducks did not make it much of a game, but hopefully, the coming season will be the start of an upward trend for them. This was our last few hours in Washington, DC, and we had a great time. It's a must-visit city to view the history and story of our country. The food scene was impressive as well, and I'll file away my restaurant wishlist, which still has some places to try, for the next time we visit. Thanks for everything, DC. 

Out of five phone booths (because the original name of the arena where the Capitals play was MCI Arena, which was nicknamed the phone booth by the media in 1997), with five being best to zero being worst, Hill Country Barbecue Market gets 3 phone booths. 

For more information about Hill Country Barbecue Market, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.hillcountry.com/

Our Last Breakfast in DC at Nino’s Bakery

 Nino's Bakery

1310 L Street NW

Washington, DC 20005

It was our last day in Washington, DC. We had a full day ahead, so I decided to let Katie sleep in a bit while I went to get us some breakfast. I had done a search for the best bakeries in DC, and one kept coming up continuously, Nino's Bakery. The only problem was that at the time of our visit, they were only open three days a week, Wednesday through Friday. We had arrived in our nation's capital on Friday afternoon, so this particular Wednesday would be the only chance I'd get to try what some people say is the best bakery in all of the DMV. 

Nino's Bakery is the brainchild of Miranda Rinaldi. She had a post working for the US State Department in Italy back in 2012. When she first got to Milan, she adopted a dog, Nino, and they would traverse the city, and his strong sense of smell would often lead them to numerous bakeries. Rinaldi, who was ready for a career change, started taking pastry classes in Italy, and when she returned to the US three years later, she enrolled in a French baking class in Chicago. Yes, Nino was still with her.  

In 2018, after a few bakery internships, Rinaldi opened her own place. Croissants, scones, cream puffs, Sicilian pistachio cookies, and other baked goods were a big hit with people, and she often had a line out the door of hungry Washingtonians waiting to get their morning carbs. The pandemic curtailed the hours and days at Nino's, and then in early 2023, motherhood forced a six-month closure. A quick check of their Yelp page reveals that they are now open Tuesday through Saturday from 8am - 12:30pm, which is excellent news for the croissant lovers of DC. 

I braved the frigid low 20-degree temps of early January and walked the six blocks from my hotel to Nino's Bakery at 8am. When I arrived at Nino's storefront, I was met with a line of about three people ahead of me. Not bad considering that later in the day the line stretches out alongside the sidewalk. The bakery could be described as cozy at best, with not much seating inside or out. As my turn in line came up, I made my selections from what was in the bakery case, and was headed back to our hotel with my box of baked goods being held protectively like a running back heading towards the goal line. 

My go-to in a bakery is always a Chocolate Croissant ($5). This version was one of the better ones I have ever had. It was very French, not like the overly buttery soft and limp American croissants that you can find in your local supermarket bakery case. This is the real deal. Super flaky, and it unravels in ribbons when bitten into. Not an overabundance of dark chocolate, but just enough that it balanced with the croissant nicely. I just wish our hotel room had a microwave so I could warm it a bit to melt the chocolate. 

Katie had requested a Blueberry Scone ($4.50) the night before. I'm not really a scone fan, as I find them too heavy, but this one was not like that. The outer crust had a good crunch to it, but the inside was softer than most, almost like a biscuit-like texture. Nino's also packed a ton of blueberries in here, which was awesome. Katie declared this to be one of the best scones she's had.  

Yes, I can never get enough chocolate in the morning. This Chocolate Hazelnut Croissant ($5.25) was fantastic. For this one, they formed the croissant into a roll form and topped it with hazelnut spread. Not only was this very photogenic, but it tasted great. The hazelnut spread was balanced nicely with the croissant underneath. Again, I wish I had something to warm this up with, as I think that would have made this even better to eat. It almost pained me to share a bite of this with Katie. Yes, I am that selfish. 

 If we had another day in DC, I would have returned to Nino's to try their pistachio or black sesame croissants, cream puffs, or any of their other daily rotating specials. Even though we only had three items here, that was enough to know that they are serving some of the best croissants we've had. It's no wonder that they have been mentioned as one of the best bakeries in the city, and after just this visit, we'd have to concur. 

One of the highlights of our fifth and last day in Washington was visiting The white House. It's well worth setting this up before you leave for your trip. It's pretty awe-inspiring, and something to cross off your bucket list. 

Out of five plungers (because not only does the White House feature 132 rooms, it also has 35 bathrooms, which I would imagine would require quite a few plungers), five being best to zero being worst, Nino's Bakery gets 4 plungers. 

For more information about Nino's Bakery, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.ninosbakerydc.com/

I’m Hoping Old Ebbitt Grill Is Not Showing Its Age

 Old Ebbitt Grill

675 15th Street NW

Washington, DC 20005

Old Ebbitt Grill was another restaurant that I had on my restaurant wish list for many reasons. Yes, they are the second most reviewed restaurant in the DC Metro area, with over 11,000 reviews and a very impressive 4.2-star rating on Yelp. Not surprising since they are right in the middle of DC attractions, and across the street from the US Treasury building, and a short three-minute walk from the White House. They are also located less than a block away from our hotel, so if I could sense that Katie was running low on energy, we wouldn't have to go far for dinner. 

Like many areas of this city, there's also a lot of history at Old Ebbitt Grill. It started in 1856 when William E. Ebbitt bought a boarding house near where Chinatown stands now. Guests and boarders there included many presidents, famous statesmen, and military heroes, who all patronized its premises. Over the next 127 years, the boarding house transitioned into a saloon and moved numerous times until it found its current home on 15th Street in 1983. It also became one of the crown jewels of the Clyde Restaurant Group, which also runs the Hamilton around the corner on F Street. 

The present-day Old Ebbitt Grill reminded me of a set from House of Cards, where you can easily imagine President Underwood making some shady backroom deals to enhance his agenda. I'm not sure if the movers and shakers of government eat and drink here or not. Still, with all the dark wood here, the fine artwork on the walls, and the Victorian-era decor, it will have you craning your neck to see if the guy in the suit entering the restaurant is your congressman or maybe some talking head you've seen on your cable news show of choice. 

We tried to eat here earlier during our trip, but were met with a wait of an hour or more. We decided we'd give it another shot to dine here, as we arrived just before 8pm on a Monday evening. It was much easier getting a table this time, as we only had a wait time of five minutes. We were seated at a table near the back of the still bustling dining room. The tables are pretty close together, so if you are averse to eating close to others or just want some privacy, you might want to request a booth. 

The same menu is used for both lunch and dinner at the Old Ebbitt Grill. The primary focus of the menu is seafood, with oysters being a big draw, apparently. They offer an oyster happy hour two times a day, 3pm - 5pm, and then again from 11pm - 1am. There's also raw bar platters, caviar, and other tinned fish to choose from. Not a seafood fan, don't worry, there's plenty of starters, entrees, salads, sandwiches, and burgers. Entrees are priced between $23-$55, while burgers and sandwiches go for anywhere between $17-$28. Katie had a grasp on what she was going to have, while I was on the fence. Let's see if Old Ebbitt has seen its best days already, or if it's still as good as their Yelp rating says. 

We started with a Bread Basket, which, unlike their sister restaurant, The Hamilton, around the corner, was complimentary. The bread came out lukewarm, but the whipped butter was easily spreadable. Our server, Robert, was not shy about refilling it a few times for us. He must have sensed that we were carb people. 

This time it was Katie's turn to try the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake Entree ($47.99). Not unexpected, but it was very similar to the one from The Hamilton. It was about tennis ball-sized with minimal filler and big pieces of crab in each forkful. Since this was our last crab cake of the trip, I believe this one was the gold standard for the four that we tried in DC. It beats out the one from The Hamilton because it was left in the broiler a bit longer, which gave this a hint of a crispy texture, which I enjoyed. The fries were nice and crispy, and the cole slaw was not overly dressed, which some people, like Katie, really enjoy. I like a little more dressing on my cole slaw. The tartar sauce was nicely done, but we used it sparingly because the crab was so good. 

Man, I had my sights set on many things here: meatloaf, the Reuben, bacon cheeseburger, and swordfish. With the help of Robert, I went with this Duroc Pork Chop ($34.99). This bone in pork chop was massive, unlike the tiny ones my mom used to get from the supermarket that she'd fry in Crisco, which made them even smaller. The pork chop was a little charred, as you can see from the picture above, and the outside edges were slightly overcooked. The inside portions were the money bites. Very tender and moist. It's gotta be tough to cook a pork chop this big evenly. The plate was smeared with a sweet potato puree and brussels sprouts with thick-cut bacon pieces. The sprouts and bacon helped cut the richness of the pork, and I thought the sweet potato was just okay. I would have liked mashed potatoes instead. 

Not that we needed it, but we selected the Warm Apple Crisp ($11.99) for dessert. The menu proudly proclaims that they use Virginia apples in this, with an oat-almond streusel, and a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was a very comforting dish, and not overly heavy, which was nice since we were eating late for us, 9pm. With a scoop of ice cream this big, we did not have to duel with our forks over it. The apples were good, and the streusel was not overly sweet. 

I was pretty pleased with our visit to Old Ebbitt Grill. I can conclude from this meal that it's definitely not a tourist trap, even though they are so close to a lot of the major attractions in DC. Although I haven't eaten at all their restaurants, I get a sense that the Clyde Restaurant Group knows what they are doing when it comes to the restaurant business. The menu was varied, the food was delicious, and the service we experienced from Robert was well above average. If we had a few extra days, we would have returned to try their brunch. 

I'm definitely not really into art, but a highlight on day four of our DC adventures for Katie was a visit to the Smithsonian National Gallery of Art. She was an art history major in college, so she was definitely in her element here. I was just happy when I could find an empty bench or chair in the gallery we were in. In case you were wondering, the above piece is Madonna with Child by El Greco, created between 1597 and 1599. 

Out of five egg beaters (because in 1856, the same year this restaurant was founded, was also the year that the first egg beater with rotating parts was invented), five being best to zero being worst, Old Ebbitt Grill gets 3.5 egg beaters. 

For more information about Old Ebbitt Grill, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.ebbitt.com/

Is Ben’s Chili Bowl the Top Dog in Washington DC?

 Ben's Chili Bowl

1213 U Street NW

Washington, DC 20009

After making Katie walk a lot the day before, I decided to make our fourth day in DC as laid-back as possible, which started with letting Katie sleep in until almost 10 am, something she does nearly every weekend morning anyway. So, I scrapped our plans for breakfast, but to make up for it, I decided we'd have an early lunch at one of the most iconic and well-known places to grab something to eat in Washington. DC, Ben's Chili Bowl. 

Every time I watch a restaurant travel show, when they visit our nation's capital, they always stop by Ben's Chili Bowl. It's almost a rite of passage, and if you visited Washington and didn't try Ben's, did you really even experience DC? The list of people who have walked through the door at this original U Street location is impressive enough; Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama, Serena Williams, Jesse Jackson, Bono, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, and Oprah have all made the pilgrimage to experience Ben's Chili Bowl. Now Katie and I were joining this list of luminaries. 

Ben's Chili Bowl began in 1958, when Ben and Virginia Ali converted a pool hall into what would become one of the most recognized restaurants in all of DC. The booths, counters, and stools are all original, and they use the same recipes that have been used for decades. Conveniently located right next to the U Street Metro Station on the Green Line, we arrived here at 11am, hopefully avoiding the lunch rush. We even had the pleasure of meeting Sonya Ali, the personable daughter-in-law of the founders, retired Air Force Reservist, and current co-owner of Ben's Chili Bowl. We discussed food and the history of Ben's Chili Bowl, and she provided us with a comprehensive rundown of everything on the menu. 

Speaking of the menu, the most popular item here is the half smoke, a sausage made from both pork and beef with a smoky tinge added during the smoking process. Ben's also offers turkey, veggie, and beef hot dogs, along with a spicy version of their half-smokes. Burgers, chili bowls, a few sandwiches, and sides round out the Ben's Chili Bowl menu. Hot dogs will set you back $8.49, and burgers hover around the $10 price point. We ordered at the counter and then found our way to one of the booths near the front of the store to wait for our food. Here's how our maiden visit to Ben's went for us. 

My very first Original Half Smoke ($8.49). Their menu kindly suggests that you get your half-smoked with mustard, onions, and their famous spicy chili sauce, which is how I ordered mine. The chili had a good depth of flavor to it, but it kind of overpowered the half-smoke. The half-smoke did have a good snap to it, but I'd probably get the spicy version next time, to punch up the flavor quotient. The bun was soft and pliable, and I enjoyed the tang from the mustard. An excellent representation of a chili dog, and I'd like to try it with cheese next time. 

For the second part of my meal at Ben's, I tried the Double Ben's Favorite Burger ($13.99). Again, the menu offered the gentle suggestion of getting this burger with mayo, chili, and lettuce, which I dutifully abided by. The glossy bun was eye-catching, and the burger's contents were excellent. I liked the chili-to-meat ratio, and I at first thought the mayo and chili combination would be odd, but it worked surprisingly well. They say their chili is spicy, but I found it to be pretty mild, yet still flavorful. I believe the beef patties were a quarter pound each, so this was a very manageable burger for me to consume.  

For the last couple of years, I have been a banana pudding fanatic, trying it whenever I've seen it on a menu. Named after the matriarch of the family, Virginia's Banana Pudding ($10.99) was made with sliced bananas, Nilla Wafers, and Biscoff cookies mixed into the pudding. The pudding was smooth and creamy, but I would have liked a little more of the sliced banana and cookies left in bigger chunks to help break up the creamy texture that dominated here. 

So, coming from Southern California, I could not help but compare Ben's Chili Bowl to LA's own chili institution, Original Tommy's. While I do occasionally enjoy a visit to my local Tommy's, Ben's wins this battle of the chili restaurants hands down. The chili was better, with a good flavor profile and not as greasy as its West Coast counterpart. The half-smoke might be superior, but I do enjoy the snappy hot dog that Tommy's uses. The burgers at Ben's are far better than Tommy's, though. Again, not as heavy, and the beef patties they use here taste better. We had excellent service on this visit, which is not surprising since Sonya, one of the owners, was here. A good history and good solid food make Ben's Chili Bowl a must when visiting Washington, DC. 

Okay, not the best picture, but they would not let me use my flash to snap a photo of the United States Constitution at the National Archives. I remember being a kid here and waiting in line for what seemed like hours. Since we were here in early January, we could walk right up to the documents and take our time looking at them. Definitely one of the highlights of day 4 of our Washington trip. 

Out of five buckets of popcorn (because when this building was first built in 1910, it was a silent movie theater, and I'm not sure, but maybe they had popcorn way back then), five being best to zero being worst, Ben's Chili Bowl gets 3.5 buckets of popcorn. 

For more information about Ben's Chili Bowl, head to their website by clicking here: https://benschilibowl.com/

There’s No Suffering at Succotash Prime in DC

 Succotash Prime

915 F Street NW

Washington, DC 20004

Day 3 in Washington was our most jam-packed day yet. We ended up skipping breakfast and heading out to Arlington National Cemetery, walking back into DC from there, and visiting some of the monuments at the National Mall. Lastly, we headed to Ford's Theater. By the time we finished our tour, it was definitely time for dinner. I could sense that Katie was nearing her tipping point, so I quickly veered from my restaurant wishlist and looked for something good near Ford's Theater. One spot stood out to me, and that's how we ended up at Succotash Prime. 

Succotash Prime is part of the Knead Restaurant Group, which also includes Gatsby, The Grill, Mi Vida, Sagrada, and other establishments in its portfolio. Succotash Prime's chef and owner is celebrity chef Edward Lee. He has been featured on numerous competitive cooking shows, served as a judge on Top Chef, and won a James Beard Award for his cookbook, Buttermilk Graffiti. Along with his other restaurants in Louisville, he operates Succotash Prime, located a few blocks from Ford's Theater, and another in National Harbor, Maryland. 

We had no reservation for dinner, but we arrived at Succotash Prime before 5 pm, beating the dinner rush that would eventually fill the empty tables around us during our 1.5-hour stay. We were seated on the bottom floor of the two-story dining room, which resembled the courtyard of a fine New Orleans home. A well-stocked bar was situated on the left-hand side of the restaurant, and the opposite wall was lined with comfortable leather booths. We were seated in the middle portion of the restaurant, which featured a large skylight that, at this hour, began with sunshine and transitioned into early evening as the restaurant's muted lighting took effect. 

The menu at Succotash is distinctly Southern, but with a slight nod to Chef Lee's Korean heritage. The addition of kimchi to the collards and the crab dip is a good example. They offer a 'greatest hits' option of their most popular menu items, served family-style, for $60 per person. Other entrées available are Southern staples, along with steaks from their smoker. Mains hover around the $30 mark, while steaks go for anywhere between $47 and $145 for their bone-in tomahawk, a 42-ounce steak that can easily feed two. Katie assured me that she would not be able to eat her share of this huge steak, so we perused the menu for what would eventually be placed in front of us. Here's how everything came out for us. 

Katie's always one to order cornbread when she spots it on a restaurant menu. At Succotash Prime, that meant we would start with Jamie's Cornbread ($8). These little loaves came topped with some hot honey and browned butter. This cornbread was moist and not crumbly, unlike others that tend to be. I would have liked a touch more hot honey topping these. The browned butter was a good partner to this cornbread. 

My crabcake quest continued here with the Maryland Crab Cake ($27). This was another example of a very well-made crabcake. Not full of filler, and the lumps of crab were prevalent in each forkful. I was also a big fan of them having this sit on the grill for a short time, as it added a little bit of texture. The curried remoulade was an interesting choice, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of this crab cake. I used it sparingly. The salad was a complete miss for me, as it came barely dressed, and tasted just like plain lettuce, even though the menu claimed it would come with a carrot vinaigrette. 

One of the most photogenic burgers we've seen in a while, the Pimento Cheeseburger ($19.50) was Katie's selection this early evening. The sesame-seed bun stood tall on top of the thick and juicy beef patty, house pickles, bacon jam, and the pimento cheese, which was nice and melty. Katie gave me the last few bites of this delicious burger. It was indeed juicy, and I'm usually not a fan of bacon jam, but it worked well in this case. I would have enjoyed the burger even more if there had been some burger sauce or even mayo involved, but it was still a very satisfying burger nonetheless. The fries were cooked well, accompanied by a Gochujang ketchup, another nod to Chef Lee's Korean heritage. 

The Chicken and Waffles ($29) is not usually something I gravitate towards, but I didn't want to splurge on a steak, and the other mains were seafood. With my crab cake earlier in the meal, I wanted something land-based. This was a great choice. The chicken came with two legs and two thighs, already topped with bourbon maple syrup, pickled okra, and Manchego cheese sprinkled on top. The breading on the chicken was nice and crunchy, with the dark meat chicken incredibly tender. I enjoyed the sweet and savory vibe this dish brought. One of the better chicken and waffles plates I have had. I also selected their Old Bay Mac and Cheese ($10.50) to round out my meal. This mac and cheese was just how I like it. The cheese was plentiful and adhered well to the noodles. The Old Bay seasoning hung out in the background of each bite, so it wasn't overwhelming. 

Hummingbird Cake (13.50) has become almost irresistible to me. For those who are unaware, hummingbird cake is a spiced cake with cream cheese frosting, similar to a carrot cake. Instead of carrots, the hummingbird cake contains pineapple and sometimes smashed bananas. This three-layered slice from Succotash Prime was pretty large, and I enjoyed it, but I like a sweeter cake portion. I'm reasonably sure that they don't use bananas in their version. It was a little too dense, but it made for a good ending to our meal. 

Succotash Prime was a great end to our most jam-packed day in DC. We needed a spot to reenergize, and the excellent food here definitely did just that. Not only was everything placed in front of us fantastic, but the service we experienced this evening was exceptional. Yes, the prices were a little on the high side, but for food of this quality, we don't mind paying for it. The portion sizes were more than generous, which is something that's not often said these days in many restaurants. A true gem for people in DC seeking some Southern cuisine with a touch of Korean influence. 

Our third day in DC had many highlights, but a trip to the Lincoln Memorial is always a must when visiting Washington, DC. Pretty awe-inspiring, and good exercise if you are walking up the 87 steps from the chamber to the reflecting pool. It's great for walking off all the food this city has shown us so far. 

Out of five blue whales (because the 19-foot-tall marble statue of Lincoln weighs approximately 175 pounds, the same as the blue whale), five being best to zero being worst, Succotash Prime gets 4 blue whales. 

For more information about Succotash Prime, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.succotashrestaurant.com/

All Right Hamilton! More Good Eats in DC

 The Hamilton

600 14th Street NW

Washington, DC 20005

What I'm going to type out next might shock some of you. I have never seen the play Hamilton. I know, I'm sure it's good, but I'm not really a musical fan. I'm more prone to see musicals when they are made into movies, but plays have never really been my thing. And yes, I know there's a filmed version of Hamilton that came out in 2020, but I've been busy watching other things on my list and trying to catch up with my reviews for this blog. Which brings me to another review of a restaurant we visited on our trip to DC, The Hamilton. 

It was our second day in Washington, and we had visited two of the Smithsonian museums, the National Museum of American History and the National Air and Space Museum. Lots of great exhibits and, of course, lots of walking. It was because of the walking that Katie wanted to stay close to our hotel, which was just a block away from the White House. I had Old Ebbitt Grill on my restaurant list, but they were slammed when we arrived, and they told us it would be a 1.5-hour wait. We couldn't wait that long, so we walked around the block to try a restaurant that we had passed on our way to the metro every day, the Hamilton. 

I didn't know it at the time, but Old Ebbitt and the Hamilton are sister restaurants, as they are both part of the Clyde Restaurant Group, which operates 13 restaurants in the Washington Metro area. The Hamilton opened late in 2011, and since it's located just a block away from the White House, it receives a significant amount of foot traffic. They are closing in on 4,000 reviews on Yelp, boasting a nearly four-star rating. The restaurant is cavernous, featuring a huge bar and dining room on the first floor, as well as a music venue space in the basement. They also get a lot of love for their late-night sushi special, which people rave about. 

No late-night sushi for us, as we arrived here at half past five on a Saturday evening. The restaurant was full, but we were quoted a wait time of only half an hour for the two of us. After only fifteen minutes, we were seated in the wood-paneled dining room, a space where I can imagine politicians, White House interns, or congressional aides meeting up after a hard day's work. I may have just watched too much of The West Wing and House of Cards, though. 

The menu at The Hamilton is impressive for the variety of food it serves. The menu features fifteen starters, including cheese boards and charcuterie, as well as salads, fish, steak, chops, and other entrees, along with house-made pastas, burgers, sandwiches, and sides. They also have an extensive sushi menu, but I'm unsure if it's only available at the aforementioned sushi bar or throughout the entire restaurant. We made our selections with our very personable server, Amanda, and this is what we received. 

We spied this Bread and Butter ($4.99) starter on the table next to us, so we had to order one for ourselves. All of these breads were made on the premises and came with whipped butter that comes with olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper. I really enjoyed the variety of the bread included, but my favorite was the ones that resembled Parker House rolls. They had a little salt baked into their glossy tops, and the bottom portion was pillowy soft, made even better with plenty of the provided butter. 

I made a mental note before leaving on this vacation that I would try as many crab cakes as possible on this trip. I started off my crab cake journey with this Crab Cake Sandwich ($27.99). The brioche bun came open-faced with tomato, lettuce, tartar sauce, and half a lemon so I could dress my sandwich how I wanted. I discarded the lettuce and tomato right away, then squeezed a small amount of lemon juice over the tennis ball-sized crab cake, and used a generous amount of the delicious tartar sauce. The crab cake itself was devoid of any binding that I could detect, although I know there had to be something holding it all together. Easily one of the best I have had, with lots of big pieces of lump crab in each bite. I ate half of it as a sandwich and then ditched the brioche bun, savoring each bite of the remaining crab cake one forkful at a time. The fries were crispy, and the mayo-based coleslaw was a nice accompaniment. This will be a tough crab cake to beat going forward. 

Katie was still full from our late breakfast, so she opted for the Short Rib Rigatoni ($10.99), which is one of their nine sides. As a side item, this was a relatively generous serving size. The rigatoni and shredded short rib were topped with crushed tomatoes, a cheese sauce, and a generous amount of pecorino Romano on top. Katie loved this dish, and if she were hungrier, she would have loved to have gotten a full-sized pasta dish. The pasta was freshly made and cooked well, and the red wine short rib provided great bursts of flavor. 

I wasn't planning on having dessert, but they had a Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake ($11.99) that I couldn't resist. The cake portion was banana with a peanut butter mousse on the inside, then it was topped with whipped cream and caramelized bananas, and a streak of strawberry jelly across the plate. I liked this but thought it was going to be better. The peanut butter and jelly sandwich felt disconnected, and the predominant flavor was banana, but it was too muted for my taste. Not awful, but not what I was hoping for. 

It's good to be flexible when you're on vacation. Most of the time, it works out, like when we really wanted to try Old Ebbitt, but we ended up at the Hamilton instead. We were excited about this visit, and their menu is so diverse that we saw many other things we would have liked to have tried, but vacations are all about trying as many different restaurants as possible. I loved the atmosphere here; it made me feel like we were dining with the heavyweights of the federal government. The service we experienced from our server, Amanda, and the rest of the staff was fantastic, and the food was delicious, especially that crab cake. It was so good that I'm also thinking of checking out Hamilton, the musical. I'll let you know how I like it.  

Here's a quick shot of the National Air and Space Museum that we visited before having dinner at The Hamilton. I thought we were only going to spend a little time here, but we ended up staying for two hours. Time really flies. Sorry for that. I'll go hang my head in shame. 

Out of five classified ads (because Alexander Hamilton was not only the first Secretary of the Treasury, but he also founded the New York Post in 1801, and since it's still being published today, I'm sure they have had tons of classifed ads over those 225 year), five being best to zero being worst, The Hamilton gets 3.5 classified ads. 

For more information about The Hamilton, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.thehamiltondc.com/