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/

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/

Unconventionally Great Diner Food in DC

 Unconventional Diner

1207 9th Street NW

Washington, DC 20001

Given the amount of walking we'd be doing in Washington and Katie's love for sleep, I knew it would be ambitious to have five breakfast spots on my restaurant wishlist for this trip. Not to ruin it for you, but we only had breakfast out one other time on our five-day visit to our nation's Capital. Luckily, we hit the one restaurant I most wanted to try for breakfast, Unconventional Diner. 

Unconventional Diner, or UD as I will refer to it for the remainder of this review, opened its doors in the winter of 2017 in the Shaw/Downtown neighborhood of DC, directly adjacent to the Convention Center. This all-day diner came highly recommended for their brunch, and in true diner fashion, they also receive rave reviews for their lunch and dinner. They boast a mighty impressive 4.4-star rating on Yelp, with over 3,100 reviews and counting. 

UD is helmed by Chef Partner David Deshaies and was inspired by a restaurant close to where I live, one that I have unfortunately not had the pleasure of eating at yet: Republique in Los Angeles. Republique is an all-day diner concept developed by Michel Richard, Deshaies' former boss. Before he died in 2016, Richard gave his blessing for Deshaies to emulate what he had done at his iconic Hancock Park restaurant. 

We arrived here at 11am on a Saturday morning. Predictably, the 8,000-square-foot restaurant was packed with people. I couldn't make reservations because of the uncertainty of how long Katie would be sleeping in, given our cross-country flight from the previous day. We were quoted a two-hour wait time for a table, but we were told we were welcome to wait for a seat at their bar, which accommodates 25 guests. Our luck proved pretty good, as we walked by just as they were clearing the plates of two seats that would soon become free. I'm not usually too excited to sit at a counter, but I pushed through my trepidation and grabbed the two coveted seats. 

The everyday brunch menu at UD is served until 3:45pm. The menu features approximately 20 brunch items, accompanied by a selection of sides, beverages, and a rotating assortment of desserts. There's also another whole page of cocktails, beer, wine, and other boozy drinks for those who imbibe. Entree prices for brunch range between $15 and $26, and desserts hover around $14. We made our selections with the very peppy staff, and here's how everything came out for us. 

Katie loves a good breakfast sandwich, and that's why she zeroed in on the S"eggs"Y Sandwich ($16) almost immediately after getting the menu in her hand. This sandwich featured scrambled eggs, thick-cut bacon, scallions, cheese, and Sexy sauce, all on a black sesame-seed bun, and was served with a generous amount of fries. Katie felt that this was one of the better breakfast sandwiches she had ever eaten. She loved the lightness of the scrambled egg and the crispy bacon. The sexy sauce was on point. She wished she had substituted the fries for something else, not because they were bad, but because she was having breakfast and would have preferred breakfast potatoes or hash browns. 

Katie also selected the Buttermilk Biscuit and Jam ($6), which is listed under the "sides" section of the menu. The biscuit was rectangular instead of round, but it tasted just as good as others, and the buttermilk flavor was very present. I liked the way the butter came out spread across half the plate. There was plenty of it, and it was very spreadable. Way better than those foil-wrapped packets that are almost always served ice cold and don't spread nicely on any bread. I might be wrong, but I believe the strawberry jam was house-made. Even if it wasn't, it was delicious. 

I had a lot tougher time narrowing down my order than Katie did. The Shrimp and Grits, Chicken and Waffles, and the Loaded Breakfast Biscuits all appealed to me, but I finally settled on the French Dip Poutine ($23). This hearty bowl featured Angus beef, cheese curds, caramelized onions, a sunny-side-up egg, and fries. To be honest, this is the closest I have ever come to having an authentic poutine. All that was missing was the gravy, which I suppose the runny yolk of the egg served as a substitute for. My first bites of this were magical. Very comforting, and the cheese curds did squeak a little when bitten into. I also enjoyed the sunny-side-up egg, but another one would have balanced this out more. With later bites, the saltiness was a little overwhelming. Still good, and a good base for the walking that we had planned around DC. 

No section of the UD menu gets rotated as much as the desserts do. I could have picked three or four that sounded great when we visited in January, but this Banana Cream Cake ($14) caught my attention because I have been on a banana kick since last year. This roll cake begins with a vanilla cake base and banana icing, creating the spiral, and is finished with a nicely done butterscotch and toasted marshmallow topping. I enjoyed the texture of the cake and all the other elements, but I wished it were a little heavier on the banana flavor. Near the end, when I was done with the butterscotch, it became plain tasting. 

Even with a few minor complaints from me, I found the Unconventional Diner to be a great breakfast spot. It's difficult to judge a restaurant by only visiting once, but even though I had some issues with what I ordered, I get the sense that if I visited another time, I'd find something here that I'd genuinely love. It's challenging for restaurants to make breakfast/brunch an event, but UD has succeeded in doing so. What they have also done is put together a team of servers, bussers, and hosts whose number one priority is to make sure every guest has the best possible visit here. We were blown away by the service we received, and it was evident with everyone who sat with us at the counter. I'm thrilled that everything fell into place for us during our visit to UD, but I'm disappointed we didn't get the chance to try them for dinner. 

Here's a quick shot of the Washington Monument on day two of our visit to Washington, DC. At 555 feet tall, it's the tallest stone structure in the world. That might be why Katie was hesitant to go to the top, so we just saw it from ground level, which is almost as impressive. 

Out of five elevators (because when the Washington Monument opened to the public in 1886, the elevator ride to the top took 8-10 minutes. Luckily, the trip has been shortened to 70 seconds nowadays), with five being best to zero being worst, Conventional Diner gets 4 elevators. 

For more information on Unconventional Diner, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.unconventionaldiner.com/

Mission Accomplished at Tavern at the Mission

 Tavern at the Mission

26860 Old Mission Road

San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

Whenever I write about a restaurant in San Juan Capistrano, I feel compelled to start my review with the incredible dining scene that has emerged in this city over the last couple of years. It's truly unbelievable the transformation that this South Orange County city has undergone with its restaurants. I could be here all day listing the great places that have opened up since I started my blog nearly 16 years ago. But that wouldn't leave me much room to write about Tavern at the Mission. 

The Tavern at the Mission replaced the local favorite, Cedar Creek, two years ago. It was bought by legendary OC restaurateurs, David Wilhelm and his business partner, Gregg Solomon. Wilhelm is the man behind many notable OC restaurants, French 75, Savannah Chop House, and Jimmy's Famous American Tavern, among others. David and Gregg also run the sister restaurant, Tavern House, in Newport Beach. Their menus are similar, but their are some slight differences between the menus. 

When ownership changed from Cedar Creek to Tavern at the Mission, they immediately began updating the space with a muted Western theme, upgrading the bar area, and altering the flooring and walls of the dining room. They did all of this in stages, allowing them to remain open during the refresh. Their guests have responded to all the changes around here with a very positive 4.3-star rating on Yelp and a bustling dining area on most evenings. 

The menu here features many of David Wilhelm's greatest hits from his past restaurants, including his French 75 onion soup, buttermilk fried chicken, and the prime rib French dip, which I first had at Jimmy's. Entrees range from $30 to $50 for dinner, and most sandwiches and burgers cost $25. There's also an intriguing special that runs Sunday through Thursday, which offers your choice of fried chicken or a petite filet mignon, along with soup and salad, for only $28. A good deal, but we were here with our friends Sunday and Anthony on a Friday evening, so that option was not on the table. Let's see if we ended up enjoying Tavern at the Mission as much as David Wilhelm's other restaurants. 

We started off with the Garlic Cheese Bread ($7). The ciabatta was topped with parmesan and garlic butter, and served three to an order, which was awkward since we were a party of four. The bread was toasted nicely, but could have been brought to greater heights if the parmesan and garlic butter had been applied with a heavier hand. 

I rarely get to have calamari because Katie isn't a fan of it, so I get excited when we eat with other people and they order it. Thanks to Anthony and Sunday, I was able to try the Calimari and Shishito Peppers ($21). Maybe it's because I haven't had fried squid for a long while, but I really enjoyed this starter. The pieces were bigger than most calamari, and the breading was nice and crunchy. The peppers were a nice complement to the calamari, and made even better when dipped into the spicy chili aioli. It wasn't particularly spicy, but I did enjoy the consistency, as it coated the calamari and peppers well. I found myself trying not to eat more than my fair share, which means I really enjoyed it. 

Entrees were on their way out, so we'll start with Sunday's selection first: the Pan-Seared Mahi Special ($36). Every evening, they have their nightly fish, which is presented in the same way, regardless of the type of fish. This particular evening, mahi mahi was served over mashed potatoes and sautéed baby spinach, accompanied by a lemon butter and caper sauce, and garnished with a few olives. Sunday was not too thrilled with this, as she felt it needed more seasoning, and the mahi could have been a little more tender.

Anthony was intrigued by one of the specials, the Bavarian-Style Duck ($36), which was offered on the evening we were there. It was around the holidays, and this plate exuded the end-of-the-year feels. Two pieces of roasted duck were served in a Michigan cherry sauce, accompanied by Brussels sprouts, cornbread stuffing, and butternut squash puree. An old-school Christmas on a plate, if there ever was one. This was my first time sharing a meal with Anthony, so I'm not sure if he gets as excited about food as I do, or if he's just as hard to impress as I am. I don't remember him saying too much about this. 

Katie is a big stroganoff fan, as her mom attempted to make an edible one multiple times while she was growing up. I'm not sure if her mom ever mastered it, but Katie gave this Short Rib Stroganoff ($38) a go this evening. The pappardelle was joined in the bowl with pearl onions, forest mushrooms, chunks of short rib, and a Dijon mustard sauce. She thought this was a pretty average version of this classic dish. She liked the tenderness of the beef and the earthiness of the mushrooms and onions, but wished the dish packed more of a punch in terms of flavor. I would have thought that the mustard would have been enough to get over the hump, but not according to Katie. She'd select something else on her next visit here. 

I believe this is the first time I've had D's Honey-Buttermilk Fried Chicken ($34) at one of Chef Wilhelm's restaurants. I now know why he has it in every one of his restaurants that he opens and operates. The boneless fried chicken is breaded with a nice and crunchy outer crust, which, once bitten into, reveals the moist chicken inside. It gets even better with the thyme cream gravy poured on top. The mashed potatoes had an excellent consistency, neither too lumpy nor overly smooth. I even ate most of my green beans, which had a decent snap to them. A very satisfying meal.  

Dessert was needed, and Anthony and Sunday ordered the Warm Carrot Cake ($16), and Katie and I had the Coconut Cake Supreme ($15). The carrot cake resembled the Pizzokie from BJ's, served in a cast-iron skillet and topped with ice cream and cream cheese frosting. It looked good-sized from across the table. We had the coconut cake, which is a cake that I've heard was a staple from this location's former tenant, Cedar Creek. It was good, and even if you are not a fan of coconut, you might like this one. The coconut is not too overpowering, but I wish the icing were sweeter. The scoop of vanilla ice cream was a nice touch. 

Tavern at the Mission was a mixed bag for us on this visit. My chicken, the calamari, and the coconut cake were all highlights, while the garlic toast, stroganoff, and Sunday's mahi left something to be desired. I also felt that the prices were a tad too high for the amount of food that we received. It's not really an eat here every week kind of restaurant; it's more of a special occasion or date night spot. As has been the case in every David Wilhelm restaurant we have dined at, service was not an issue here. Our server was cordial and kept everything moving forward with minimal interruptions. I think I can say that the Tavern at the Mission is another fine option for a city that already boasts numerous outstanding restaurants.  

Out of five mission bells (because while doing some research for this review, I learned that the bell tower of the nearby mission holds two of the mission's original bells, which date back to 1796, something I should have learned in fourth grade, but I was not a great student), five being best to zero being worst, Tavern at the Mission gets 3 mission bells.  

For more information about Tavern at the Mission, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.tavernatthemission.com/

Ready, Steady, Go! (To Fountain Valley)

 Steady Kitchen and Taps

18055 Magnolia Street

Fountain Valley, CA 92708

It was that time of year again—the time we picked which Ducks games we would attend this year. This year was a little different for us. My parents decided they did not want to battle the big-time construction and the problematic parking situation at the Honda Center, so they chose not to get tickets this year. That left me and my friend Steve to pick the 15 games we wanted to see this season. 

As is our tradition, we pick a different place to select our tickets each year. This year, we were all set to meet at a nearby pizza place I've wanted to try for a long time, but they were packed, and we were quoted a wait time of over an hour and a half. Riip Pizza would have to stay on my restaurant wishlist a little longer, so I called an audible and selected Steady Kitchen and Taps to meet at instead. 

If Steady sounds familiar, you must be a big beer fan. Steady Brewing Company has been churning out beer in Long Beach for the last seven years. This satellite restaurant opened two years ago and is a collaborative effort between Monika and Aaron Henderson, as well as brewmaster Dennis Russo, who came up with all the recipes for this spot. The executive chef is Noah Schneider, a Chicago transplant who has added some tweaks to the menu based on his Windy City upbringing. 

The Steady menu is straightforward and deceptively diverse, even though printed on one page. It features 17 sides/starters, burgers, sandwiches, salads, and desserts. Nothing here goes above the $16 price point, and they also offer $2 tacos on Tuesdays and a wing Wednesday promotion. Happy hour is from 3-7 on weekdays, when their pints cost $6. Lending to the neighborhood/family feel of the place, they also have a kids' menu. 

Situated on the corner of Talbert and Magnolia, Steady is in the same shopping plaza as Crunch Fitness, and more importantly to Katie, located across the street from one of the few Dutch Bros Coffee outlets in OC, and is known for its long lines of people queuing up to try their coffee. Dutch Bros would have to wait, as we had to get down to the serious business of picking what hockey games we would be seeing this year and sampling what Steady Kitchen and Taps had to offer. 

We needed two starters to get us through picking our games. We selected the Tempura Brussels Sprouts ($12) and the Soft-Baked Pretzel ($12). The sprouts were excellent. They were not overly greasy, the batter was crispy, and the ranch at Steady is first-rate. The sprouts themselves kind of got pushed to the side, as is the case whenever something is deep-fried. No one ever gets fried zucchini for the zucchini underneath. I'd get these again. 

Katie and I agree on most things, but pretzels are not one of them. She's a big fan, while I'd rather have something else. Both she and Steve seemed to like this large pretzel. It came with both a Dijon and a beer cheese sauce. I had a few bites, which I found to be good but overly salty. In my subsequent pieces, I flicked the salt off the pretzel. I liked the beer cheese better than the Dijon, but I did find myself switching between the two sauces. 

I've noticed a trend about Steve when we go out to eat. He almost always gets a chicken sandwich wherever we go. This again happened when he got this Buffalo Chicken Sandwich ($16) from Steady. This rather large sandwich was built of chicken tenders, lettuce, tomato, red onion, buffalo sauce, bacon, and Swiss cheese, all on a long French roll. He enjoyed this sandwich, but would have liked some extra buffalo sauce to spice it up. The chicken was tender, and the bread was soft and pliable. He also got a ton of fries with this, which he did not come close to finishing. 

I debated between five of their eight burgers but ultimately chose the Bacon Blue Burger ($15). I made a solid choice. This toasted brioche bun came with plenty of arugula, bacon, blue cheese crumbles, onions, and a Dijon aioli to finish it off. First, I took almost half of the arugula off, which I could have used as a side salad. They were very generous with the crispy bacon, but could have had a heavier hand with the Dijon aioli, which was a little light on the Dijon, but that's what I was hoping for. I asked for more of it, which made this burger even better. The burger patty was nice and thick, which was refreshing, as I've had far too many smash burgers recently. It was nice to get back to a classic burger again, and this was one of the best I've had in a while.  

Katie was not overly hungry after our two appetizers, so she opted for an order of the Garlic Parmesan Wings ($13). These come five to an order and are on the bigger side with a lot of meat. The garlic parmesan sauce was wet, and most pooled at the bottom of the basket instead of sticking to the wings. These came out steaming hot and had a crispy skin with tender chicken underneath. They were nicely done and went well with the ranch dressing, which Katie requested more of. 

Steady Kitchen and Taps is an excellent neighborhood bar, making me wish I had something like it near my home. A walkable restaurant/bar with various food options at more than fair prices, good-sized portions, and a pleasant, laid-back atmosphere. We experienced good service at the counter where you place your order, and by the food runners and bussers. They made sure we had everything we needed during our two and a half hour stay picking our Ducks tickets. Even though we had not planned on eating here when we left our place, Steady was a pleasant surprise. 

Out of five warehouse workers (because David Denman, who played Roy on The Office, worked in the warehouse on the TV show and graduated from nearby Fountain Valley High School), five being best to zero being worst, Steady Kitchen and Taps get 3.5 warehouse workers. 

For more information about Steady Kitchen and Bar, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.steadybrewing.com/