Beuchert’s Saloon (Washington, D.C.)

“Howdy bub!  Let’s go get some supper shall we?”- Cowboys, probably.  Quick fact, this restaurant was founded in this same location in 1880 by John Ignatius Beuchert, a German immigrant and prominent Capitol Hill businessman. Legend has it that throughout Prohibition, Beuchert’s operated as a speakeasy, behind such fronts as a Singer sewing machine store and a gramophone shop.  Yeah, I know you don’t care, but it’s still a fact.  I expected this place to have swinging doors as you walked in, and I thought about purchasing a cowboy hat before I went in, but that would’ve been too much.  However, I did see a huge animal that resembled a moose above the bar area, so I guess this truly is a modern civilization restaurant?

Beuchert’s is located off of Pennsylvania, about a mile or so away from the Southeast area of D.C. where the government is still trying to figure out how to gentrify it.  It specializes in Farm American food and is led by Chef Andrew, Manager McKenzie, and Chef Jason.  I decided to sit at the “chef’s table” where you can see all the magic happen.  The restaurant definitely gave a “saloon” feel, so I was a little skeptical of the food until I tried it.

During my visit I was able to order Crayfish Tortellini, Fingerling Yams, Charleston Golden Rice, Foraged Mushrooms, Bison, and Barramundi.  I’ll start with the pasta.  The only thing that would’ve made the Crayfish Tortellini better was them added actual crayfish on top of the dish.  This was some of the best stuffed pasta I’ve ever tasted.  The pasta consisted of stuffed Crayfish, sauce americaine, sweet peas, thai chillies, lemon, and sunflower shoots.  Absolutely stunning.  My mouth is watering thinking about it.  The dish was creamy, sweet, flavorful, and the pasta was cooked perfectly.  The sauce had the consistency of a lemon-butter sauce which worked well with the earthy flavor of the peas.  The thai chillies had a slick kick to it, but not too over whelming.

The next dish that was ordered was the Fingerling Yams.  If you’re a vegetarian or leaning towards becoming one, then this is the perfect dish for you.  The Yams consisted of Mushroom Sauce, Leeks, Cashew Puree, and Winter Radishes.  This gave me more of an earthy taste than anything.  The cashew puree gave the overall dish a nutty flavor, but still good.  The yams weren’t too soft, but were nice and firm and the radishes were sweet.  I’m not a vegetarian, but I wanted to give this dish a shot.  I usually wouldn’t order a dish like this, but the cashew puree kind of pulled me in.

The third dish that was ordered was the Charleston Golden Rice.  Think of the most perfectly cooked rice, topped with Blue Crab, Spring Garlic, Salt Egg Sauce, Lemon Curd, and Radish.  Ah-Fucking-Mazing.  I don’t remember chewing this dish.  Which is sad, because I have table manners. The rice literally melted in your mouth.  It was buttery, garlicy, and the crab meat was amazing.  I didn’t taste any lemon curd, but I did taste the radish.  Do you know how challenging it is to cook rice the correct way?  That alone makes this dish that much special.

The fourth dish that was ordered was the Foraged Mushrooms and the Bison.  Interesting concept with the Foraged Mushrooms though.  It consisted of Vanilla Ricotta, Radish (again), Fiddlehead Ferns, and Toasted Shallots.  The Vanilla Ricotta through me for a loop because it doesn’t sound good to be honest.  Life is full of surprises, right?  I was surprised that this dish was fucking outstanding.  I’ve always said the food is good when you use a curse word as a noun or an adjective or a measurement to describe it.  The Fiddlehead Ferns worked well with the mushrooms as well.  Infused with flavor, the perfect texture, and a mellow taste, this isn’t a dish to overlook.  The next dish was the Bison Strip Loin.  It consisted of Whey Poached Turnips, Kimchi, Horseradish Pomme’ Puree, and Garlic Jus.  I decided to order this dish because it’s not everyday that I get to order Bison.  Bison has a similar taste to a “cheap cut” of steak.  It’s not as lean as a steak, but it’s still good.  It’s one of those things that if you’re in the mood to try something new, this is the perfect dish for you.  The dish came with Forgotten Rice, but I opted for the Pomme Puree.  It had the consistency of a whipped mashed potato and the sour flavor of the kimchi was one of my favorite things about this dish.

The last dish that was ordered was the Pan-Seared Barramundi.  It consisted of Lemon Hazlenut Milk, Poached Asparagus, Tarragon, Trumpet Mushrooms, Fiddlehead Ferns, and Puffed Amaranth.  Barramundi is the same difference as an Asian Sea Bass.  It’s usually more popular with Thai cuisines.  If restaurants offered Barramundi more often, I’d have a new favorite fish.  Unfortunately, it’s not as common as I’d like it to be.  Matter of fact, this was my first time having it.  The fish was nice and moist, and you could taste the Lemon Hazlenut Milk in it.  The poached asparagus was flavorful as well, and the trumpet mushrooms provided a dry flavor with it but was overpowered by the buttery flavor of the overall dish.

Overall, this restaurant is a go-to.  If you’ve never been and you’re looking for a nice relaxing dinner with excellent flavors than this is the perfect place for you.  I enjoyed the leadership of Chef Andrew and Chef Jordan to go with the hospitality of McKenzie.

OVERALL RATING : FIRST CLASS EXPERIENCE