RedHen (Washington, D.C.)

Good Morning! Did I tell you how much I love restaurants in the DMV?  (For those who aren’t familiar with the term DMV, it’s an acronym that stands for DC, Maryland, and Virginia).  I’ve always said there are so many restaurants in the area, that it’s challenging pin-pointing the exact ones you’d like to go to.

Sometimes I get my restaurant ideas from driving down the street or asking people what’s their favorite restaurants and why.  DC is one of those places where you have to have an open mind regarding food, otherwise you’ll miss out on some good dishes.  I try not to go to the same restaurant because if I’m spending a certain amount of money, I’d like to have a brand new experience each time.  Now, don’t get me wrong, there are some restaurants out there that I’d love to go to consistently but I wouldn’t do you all justice by going to the same restaurant when I’ve already discussed it.  I actually may break the habit of not going to a restaurant more than once because this restaurant is honestly worthy of it.

I’m sure you all know by now that I like to go to restaurants as soon as they open for dinner.  If you’re a new follower and didn’t know that, my reasoning for this is because I personally believe the food is much fresher and it hasn’t been sitting under the “sun” for so long.  (By sun I mean heat)  This restaurant was referred to me by a co-worker and the way that he described the restaurant, I had to catch myself from drooling.  (Yes, I know that sounds bad).  I decided to check this restaurant out on the strength of his words, but I didn’t know what I knew until the day of.  Unfortunately, this restaurant DOES NOT take any reservations which is a bummer because I always like to be at a place at a specific time to avoid waiting.  The restaurant was called around 2 p.m. to make a same day reservation, but unfortunately you can’t make reservations until 3 p.m. On a bright note they do hold a certain amount of tables for those, like myself, who didn’t get a chance to make a reservation.  The parking around the area isn’t the best as the restaurant is in a residential area, so if you go I recommend you get there around 4:40 and leave yourself an extra 10-15 minutes to find a space. The place isn’t that big, by juding from an eyeball distance I would say this restaurant holds about 60-80 people max at one time.  (Don’t quote me)  This restaurant must have been great because when I got there, there were people standing in line waiting for the doors to open.  Please note that if you go to this restaurant and you’re party isn’t there with you at the door, they WILL NOT take you until everyone shows up.

The restaurant is probably one of the most reasonably priced restaurants that I’ve been to in the Washington D.C. area, that offers a unique menu.  The menu items range from chicken liver mousse, squid ink pasta, and baby bok choy just to name a few.  No single item on the menu is priced over $28, which in my eyes is a win win.  Two items were ordered and now that I think about it, I should’ve ordered two more.  I don’t want to be greedy, and there will be plenty of other times I’ll be able to dine at this restaurant.  The first item that was ordered was the Squid Ink Linguini with Calamari, Cannellini Beans, Pea Shoots, Pickled Fresno Chile & Breadcrumbs ($18).  I want to take a moment to let you all know how great this dish is.  (And…… As I type this my mouth is watering again… smh.)  This pasta dish was out of this world. It provided the right amount delicacy, portion size, and flavors.  The squid ink pasta wasn’t too salty and provided the right amount of salt to work in conjuction with the fresno chile.  The chef(s) didn’t hold back on the amout of calamari they provided either.  The calamari provided a great amount of meat to the dish that before you knew it, you’re stomach gets full.  It wasn’t too rubbery and had the right amount of texture.  Did I mention this dish was only $18?  The beans and pea shoots also added a hint of flavor to make this dish come around full circle.  If you decide to go to this restaurant and don’t order this item, I need to have a great explanation as to why 🙂

The second dish that was ordered were the Caramelized Scallops with Black Truffle Polenta, Shaved Brussels Sprouts, Basil & Smokey Bacon ($28).  They provide you with 4 big scallops that sit on a bed of creamy polenta and surrounded by shaved brussels sprouts and smokey bacon.  The scallops were pan-seared to perfection and the polenta was rich and creamy.  You can taste the truffle in the polenta and the smokeyness of the bacon added a nice hint to help the dish come alive.  I tried to chew and eat this meal as slowly as I could because I knew by the time I looked up the whole thing would be gone.  This dish was ordered over the chicken and halibut, which I’ll have to order next time.  I didn’t go wrong with this dish at all, because with each bite it felt like just for the moment all of my problems in life went away.  YES! This is how good this dish was.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve went to a restaurant where the fish were overcooked or the brussel sprouts were too salty, but this restaurant had no imperfections.

Overall :  If you don’t go to this restaurant, you are missing out.  I’m not just saying that because of the prices, I’m saying this because of the quality of the food ANDDDDD the prices.  If you decide to go, let me know when you’re going, I may want to tag along.  Your treat, right?

RESTAURANT RATING : FIRST CLASS EXPERIENCE