A Year of Brunch: Brunch Awards of 2008

Best Deals

(1) Vinoteca, 1940 11th St. NW, (202) 332-9463, Menu.
Vinoteca wins the award for best brunch deal of 2008. Their $1 sparkling wine drinks (made with Jacob's Creek brut) -- mimosas, kir royales, and bellinis -- are excellent, particularly the mimosas which is made with fresh-squeezed juice. This deal, unfortunately, ended on December 31. The brunch itself was notable for its deliciously excessive Monte Cristo, a towering sandwich of French toast, proscuito, gruyere, bacon, and eggs. Like its $1 drinks, however, the Monte Cristo has fallen victim to recent downsizing, which management has not commented upon by post-time. That and their often slow service has unfortunately dropped Vinoteca from my best brunch choices. Nonetheless, their omelets and crepes are solid choices and Vinoteca remains a decent brunch option even without the deal.

Update, 1/12/09: Vinoteca has extended their $1 sparkling wine drinks until April 1.

(2) Café Tropé, 2100 P St. NW, (202) 223-9335, Menu (incomplete).
Café Tropé serves very good eclectic French-Caribbean food in an attractive setting. Most dishes are moderately priced, from $10 omelets to $12 coconut french toast or $14 salmon eggs benedict. All of its brunch offerings come with a class of champagne and delicious warm crusty rolls served with a garlic and artichoke tapenade. The best dishes are the benedict, which is served with a Caribbean sauce instead of traditional Hollandaise, and the French toast, which is excellent though a little sweet. A great Dupont circle staple and an overall excellent deal.

Best French Toast

(1) La Fourchette, 2429 18th St NW, (202) 332-3077, Menu.

La Fourchette's French toast, made with fresh baguettes wins the award for best French toast. This large portion is fresh and spongy with real maple syrup and a little powdered sugar. No accompaniment required.

(2)Mezè, 2437 18th St. NW, 202-797-0017, Menu.

The best item on the brunch menu at Mezè is the French toast, which you might not expect from a Turkish restaurant. It is prepared with homemade cinnamon bread topped with a generous amount of fresh fruit. The bread is thick, soft, and spongy and the complement of cinnamon with sweet fruit and maple syrup presents an ambrosial combination. If you've never been to Mezè before for brunch, there's no reason to order anything else.

Best Bloody Mary

(1) L'Enfant Cafe, 2000 18th St NW, (202) 319-1800

L'Enfant has exceptional bloody marys. These homemade brunch libations are thick, well-seasoned, and spicy, but not too spicy. The best I've had in D.C. so far.

(2) Logan @ The Heights, 3115 14th St. NW, (202) 797-7227, Menu[PDF], Bloody Mary menu[PDF].

The Heights has an extensive, and complicated, bloody mary menu that allows you to pick one of many varieties of alcohol (vodka and gin), adjustable spicyness, additives such as lime juice or clam juice (recommended), and then a choice of up to three vegetables.


Best Beyond the Beltway
(1) Essex, 120 Essex Street, New York, NY 10002, (212) 533-9616, Menu [PDF].

Essex, set in an austere lofty space on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, is a New York culinary institution specializing in "drunk brunch" -- a $16 prix fixe meal that includes (at least) three bloody marys, mimosas, or screwdrivers. The food is a creative Jewish-Latin mix that includes food you don't tend to find in D.C., such as bialys, matro brie, a Latin twist on the latke, etc. A must-visit location for trips up north.

After the jump, the worst brunches of 2008.

Continue Reading.


Worst Brunch

Worst Food
Mixtec, 1792 Columbia Road N.W., 202-332-1011, Menu.

This overpriced Mexican restaurant attempts to distinguish itself with various creative regional Mexican dishes. Unfortunately, they miss the mark. The food is overcooked and underspiced -- bland Mexican food just doesn't go very far. And at $11 or more per dish, this place is not worth it. Their strange refusal or inability to make poached eggs is a further detraction.

Worst Service
Utopia, 1418 U St NW, (202) 483-7669, Menu.
Utopia Grill has respectable brunch food and an aesthetic decor consisting of exposed brick walls, chandeliers, and original artwork. The service, however, is awful. It appeared that there was only one waitress for the entire restaurant. We waited at least 20 minutes before she took our order and at least another 15 minutes before we got our drinks. She also did not bring our second round of drinks. It took an equally long time before our food arrive. This was a serious problem and hampered our brunch enjoyment and almost ruined what is respectable food. Utopia needs to improve its service before I can recommend that people go.

Most Overrated
The Diner, 2453 18th St. NW, 202-232-8800, Menu.
It always amazes me to see the lines out the door on Sunday mornings. The Diner serves average, reasonably priced food. There's nothing that is particularly great. It is open 24 hours a day so I can understand going for a late-night/early morning brunch meal. However, I see no reason to go during the traditional brunch hours when there are much better places just down the street such as La Fourchette or Bourbon. So why is there a wait to get in almost every Sunday? Is it herding? Hype? Lack of brunch knowledge among the D.C. populace? I wish someone would fill me in.

A Year of Brunch: Best of 2008

Here are my recommendations for the best brunch in Washington, D.C.

(1) Tabard Inn, 1739 N St. NW, (202) 833-2668, Menu.

The Tabard Inn is one of D.C.'s oldest and most historic hotels and it wins the honor of the best brunch in the city for 2008. There are a lot of great dishes at the Tabard Inn but they are best known for their homemade donuts, which are warm, cakey, and delicious; at $1.50 a piece, no Tabard Inn brunch is complete without a few donuts for the table. Their extensive menu changes seasonally. The best dishes are the smoked fish plate, which comes with a large portion of house-smoked salmon and bluefish, with frisée, caper berries, crostini, and homemade crème fraîche; and the lobster and brie omelet, which was prepared in a trifold design, reminiscent of classic French preparation with large pieces of lobster, and exuding soft melted brie cheese, which provided a nice complement to the lobster. The homemade bread and biscuits are also superb. There is no better place for brunch in D.C. than the Tabard Inn.

(2) 2 Amys, 3715 Macomb St. NW, (202) 885-5700.

2 Amy's brunch consists solely of homemade bagels and bialys with house smoked salmon (along with their traditional menu of superb pizza) and they rightly take their place as the best in the city. These are not traditional New York-style bagels. Instead they are larger, crispier, sourdough rolls with a slightly tangy taste. The tangyness of the sourdough used to make them comes from using leftover whey (from their homemade cream cheese) instead of water. The homemade cream cheese is whipped so it's very soft and spreadable. A virtually perfect brunch experience.

(3) La Fourchette, 2429 18th St NW, (202) 332-3077, Menu.

This authentic Parisian cafe serves the best brunch on 18th street (so authentic it's closed for much of August in true Parisian form). It had a solid selection of exquisitely prepared dishes, is not particularly expensive, and provides excellent service and atmosphere. The best dishes include the omelet Provençal, which contains a variety of fresh herbs and is covered with a tomato sauce and a side of potatoes, which are crisp well-seasoned; and the French toast, which is made with fresh baguettes.

(4) Domku, 821 Upshur St. NW,(202) 722-7454, Menu.

Aside from the almost undrinkably spicy bloody mary, Domku, in Petworth, serves excellent Scandinavian and Eastern European cuisine. It has great originality and a welcoming environment. Dish highlights are the Norwegian pancakes that are thin and crepe-like and can be filled with a variety of meats, cheeses, and vegetables that are cooked into the pancake; and the Swedish waffle, prepared in an interesting heart-shaped waffle iron and topped with whipped cream and lingonberry preserves. The lightness of the waffle was an excellent complement with the heartiness of the preserves. Worth the trip.

Domku

"Domku," which means "little house" in Polish is an Eastern European and Scandinavian gem in Petworth. The brunch menu features customizable Norwegian pancakes, Swedish waffles, and smoked fish. The place looks more like a neighborhood lounge than a restaurant, as most patrons sit on couches with coffee tables. The decor also includes an exposed brick wall, track lighting, and purchasable art by children.

The Domku bloody mary is one of the more interesting, and definitely spicy, interpretations of the classic drink. Our waiter informed us that they infuse vodka with certain habanero peppers that are so hot you need gloves to touch them. The vodka is added to a thick tomato mixture and served separated. I do prefer thick and spicy bloody marys, but this one went overboard. Many of my brunch companions thought it was virtually undrinkable. I wouldn't go that far, but I won't recommend ordering it unless you are ready for serious and overpowering heat.

The food was a lot better and a welcome addition to the D.C. brunch scene. Since it's a Scandinavian restaurant they specialize in fish, pancakes, and waffles. The salmon eggs benedict with house-smoked gravlax is well-presented on top of crispy sourdough rounds and served with a side salad. This was a good dish: the gravlax were mild, the eggs were nicely poached and presented on top of the rounds. The salad had an interesting dressing that was not too heavy.

The Norwegian pancakes are thin and crepe-like and can be filled with a variety of meats, cheeses, and vegetables that are cooked into the pancake. This is a specialty of the house and it has a very nice light texture and satisfying intricacies.

The Swedish waffle was another highlight, prepared in an interesting heart-shaped waffle iron and topped with whipped cream and lingonberry preserves. The lightness of the waffle was an excellent complement with the heartiness of the preserves.

We also tried the "Salmon Pyt i Panna" which is essentially a hash of potatoes, carrots, and onions with salmon and topped with a poached egg and mustard mayo. The softness of the salmon well-complemented the crispiness of the potatoes. But I felt the sauce was prosaic and it didn't rise to the level of the other dishes.

It is certainly worth making the trip up to Petworth to visit Domku. It's unique food and comfortable setting gives it high marks. Contact information after the jump.

Continue reading.



Menu [Domku]

Domku
821 Upshur St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20011
(202) 722-7454


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Utopia

Utopia is an eclectic bar and grill on U street. It has respectable brunch food and an aesthetic decor consisting of exposed brick walls, chandeliers, and original artwork. Like other places on U street, however, the service leaves a lot to be desired.

Utopia offers a small brunch menu but also provide $1 brunch drinks, such as bloody marys, mimosas, or champagne. None of the items on the brunch menu is particularly interesting, but they do manage to make what they offer well. The vegetarian omelet has well-sauteed vegetables and cheese in an omelet combined with fresh herbs. Despite the poor cheese selection (only cheddar, American, or mozzarella), the dish was well-presented and tasty. The side of fresh fruit was also good.

I also tried the stuffed French toast, which was the most interesting item on the menu. It's two thick pieces of French toast with spiced apples and cream cheese. The creaminess from the cheese and sweetness from the apples and syrup creates a good mix of flavors.

While the food was good, the service was largely disappointing. It appeared that there was only one waitress for the entire restaurant. We waited at least 20 minutes before she took our order and at least another 15 minutes before we got our drinks. She also did not bring our second round of drinks. It took an equally long time before our food arrive. This was a serious problem and hampered our brunch enjoyment and almost ruined what is respectable food. Utopia needs to improve its service before I can recommend that people go.

Contact information after the jump. Continue reading.


Brunch menu [Utopia]

Utopia Bar & Grill
1418 U St NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 483-7669


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Downsizing at Vinoteca?

I know the economy is tanking. But you don't expect that to affect brunch. My favorable review of Vinoteca, the wine bar on U Street, commented on their "ambitious" "tower of prosciutto di parma and gruyere cheese sandwiched between two thick slices of French toast and topped with a sunny side up egg and bacon" called the Monte Cristo. On a recent visit, however, they served a significantly downsized Monte Cristo. Not only was it smaller, but it was served without the bacon and maple syrup of the previous offering. After the jump, you be the judge. The first picture is the "downsized" sandwich and the other two pictures show the original ones.

Continue reading.

Ulah Bistro

Ulah Bistro is a handsome-looking American restaurant in the U street corridor. It's owned by Med Lahlou, the co-owner of Tunnicliffs on Capitol Hill and Stoney's in Logan Circle. The ambiance and decor at Ulah are nice for a neighborhood bistro. The food is respectable though not outstanding. The brunch service, though, could use the most work.

Ulah has a welcoming casual atmosphere with high ceilings, good wood work, open space, and an exposed brick wall. The brunch menu is fairly extensive with over a dozen breakfast items as well as sandwiches, salads, and pizzas.

The food is generally decent though some dishes are better than others. The massive breakfast pizza is a large pizza topped with proscuito and three sunny side up eggs. This dish could easily feed two people and I compliment them for their creative combination of traditional breakfast and traditional lunch dishes. The pizza was fairly good though the proscuito was a little dry. The eggs were nicely prepared and runny, which made an interesting combination with the cheese of the pizza.

The other highlight was the Eggs Chesapeake -- two poached eggs on top of lightly breaded crab meat with hollandaise sauce and home fries. This is a common dish in D.C. and it was done well here. Many other places serve crab cakes that are either soggy or overly breaded but these were nice and crisp with an acceptable consistency. The eggs were also well poached. The home fries promised on the menu were actually roasted potatoes that had a nice smokey flavor.

I was disappointed with the Mediterranean Omelet (spinach, feta, and tomoto) and the Green Eggs and Ham (Eggs with fresh herbs, sauteed spinach, and ham). As others have noted, the Mediterranean Omelet suffers from poor feta distribution -- it has large haphazardly placed cubes of feta that make the feta-included bites far too salty and the other bites lacking. The Green Eggs and Ham is an interesting idea but it is ultimately an unsuccessful dish. The herbs are bland and do little more than change the color of the eggs. Further the spinach and ham was an unusual and unsatisfactory combination.

The service was also a disappointment. The waitress attempted to memorize our orders and unfortunately forgot what one of the members of our party ordered. When that was cleared up, they did not bring all the food at the same time. The coffee was weak and it came with individual half and half containers, a low-brow offering that is incongruous with the handsome decor. More incongruity was evident in our water glasses, which were miscellaneous beer glasses complete with logo. Ulah needs to fix these problems to bring their service and food more in line with their pleasant decor.

Contact information after the jump. Continue reading.

Brunch menu [Ulah Bistro]

Ulah Bistro
1214 U St. NW
Washington D.C. 20009
(202) 234-0123


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Florida Avenue Grill

The Florida Avenue Grill is a classic soul-food diner, serving greasy Southern diner food since the 1940s. The small diner space is lined with autographed pictures of prominent African-Americans and Washingtonians. Janet Reno was a frequent patron when she was here. Since Florida Ave. is a small place, expect a wait for brunch. The best part about Florida Ave. is the ambiance -- the photos lining the walls, the laid back Southern charm of the waitresses, and the feeling that you're sitting at a type of restaurant that in other places including New York's Harlem neighborhood has become a sort of dying breed.

As for the food, some things are better than others, and all dishes make heavy use of butter. They are now offering an "Obama Special" which consists of two eggs, bacon or sausage, hot cakes, homefries, and grits. This enormous multi-plate offering is still only $8. The grits and hotcakes are the best parts of the special. The hotcakes are enormous frisbee-sized pancakes that are surprisingly light and airy. The grits are substantive and flavorful, especially when topped with hot sauce. One of our orders was literally swimming in butter, which made the dish all the more rich. The eggs are fried nicely in butter and are not overcooked. The bacon and homefries were, unfortunately, disappointing. The bacon was dry and the homefries were fairly mushy; both had probably been sitting around for too long.

We also tried the corn beef hash and the country ham. The hash was crispy and delicious, while the ham was stringy and disappointing. The Virginia ham, which is a large thick slice, is probably a better choice.

Obviously you should leave any sort of diet or cholesterol watching at the door when you go to Florida Ave. Nonetheless, it produces fairly good Southern diner food in an authentic atmosphere that reminds you of D.C.'s Southern roots.

Contact information after the jump. Continue reading.


Florida Avenue Grill [Washington Post]
Stick a Fork in Harlem Soul Food? It Seems Done [New York Times]

Florida Avenue Grill
1100 Florida Ave. NW
Washington D.C. 20009
(202) 265-1586


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2 Amys

2 Amys is rightly known for having the best pizza in the city. Acting on a tip from the Washingtonian, I set out to see whether 2 Amys also has the best bagels in the city. Available only on Sundays, 2 Amys prepares homemade bagels and bialys that they bake in their wood-fire pizza oven. According to Washingtonian, the tangyness of the sourdough used to make them comes from using leftover whey (from their homemade cream cheese) instead of water. The result is indeed the best bagels (and bialys) in the city.

These are not traditional New York-style bagels. Instead they are larger, crispier, sourdough rolls with a slightly tangy taste. The bialys in particular look nothing like the traditional bialys you'd find in New York -- they're much bigger and crispier. Further, without the onion filling the partial hole of the bialy, it is hard to tell the difference between the bagel and the bialy (see photos). Not that this is a problem. In fact, I appreciate great variety in bagel and bialy preparation and these rolls are excellent. Nonetheless, those looking for a true New York-style bagel would not find one here.

The bagel experience is augmented by homemade cream cheese and house-smoked salmon. The cream cheese is very soft, almost whipped, which makes it very spreadable. The salmon is nicely smoked and mild, though it did have a few dark spots and imperfections.

And since we were at 2 Amys, we had to share a pizza, this time opting for the shrimp, tomato, and garlic pizza, which was outstanding.

Contact information after the jump. Continue reading.



Tip Sheet: Best Bagels, Craft Cocktails, and Where to Wii [Washingtonian]
2 Amys [2 Amys Pizza]

2 Amys Neapolitan Pizzeria
3715 Macomb St. NW
Washington D.C. 20016
(202) 885-5700

N.B. 2 Amys is not metro accessible. The closest metro is the Tenlytown stop, which is around a 15 minute walk. There are several buses that go to the area but the best way of getting there is by car or bike.


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Tabard Inn

The Tabard Inn is one of D.C.'s oldest and most historic hotels and it serves one of the best brunches in the city. The restaurant is set in a small dining area to one side of the inn with simple yet elegant decor. (There is also an outdoor patio area that is open when the weather is warm). The Tabard Inn is unsurprisingly crowded during brunch and the small inn feel is unfortunately damaged by the noise of the crowds. That is a small detraction from an otherwise memorable brunch experience.

There are a lot of great dishes at the Tabard Inn but they are best known for their homemade donuts, which are warm, cakey, and delicious, if a little too sugary, and come with a side of homemade vanilla whipped cream. At $1.50 a piece, no Tabard Inn brunch is complete without a few donuts for the table.

Tabard Inn has an extensive seasonal menu. (Though the menu on the website may vary slightly from the actual menu). They have a large selection of appetizers and entrees ranging from salads and soups to omelets, frittatas, tarts, and sandwiches. All of the dishes we ordered were excellent. Tabard truly lives up to its reputation as among the best brunches in the city.

Being from New York, I had to try the smoked fish plate, which comes with house-smoked salmon and bluefish, with frisée, caper berries, crostini, and homemade crème fraîche. This dish had an unexpectedly larger portion than I had anticipated. Further the salmon and bluefish were both mild and without imperfections. The salmon in partcular was truly excellent and certainly outperforms the smoked salmon you'd find a virtually any other place in the city. The homemade crème fraîche and crostinis complete the dish well.

The savory tart the day I went considered of lump crab meat, spinach, and gruyere and came with a side of fresh mixed greens. The tart was a thick slice with large visible pieces of crab. The crusts were nicely crisp and the middle soft.

Keeping with the seafood theme, we tried the lobster and brie omelet, which came with a side of potatoes and a buttery biscuit. Like the crab tart, the omelet came with large number of big visible pieces of lobster. The omelet itself was prepared in a trifold design, reminiscent of classic French preparation. It also exuded soft melted brie cheese, which provided a nice complement to the lobster. The biscuit was puffy and buttery.

Finally, we tried the frittata with tomatoes and goat cheese. The frittata looked more like a thick omelet than a traditional frittata, which often looks more like a tart or quiche. Nonetheless, this dish was also excellent and it had a generous amount of fillings with a side of fresh greens.

The coffee was strong and rich, and they brought individual cream servers with each coffee, which was a nice touch. The service was helpful and attentive, but they do stick to their no substitutions policy.

Overall a great choice for brunch. You must get a reservation several days in advance if you want to go on Sunday. Saturday brunch is less crowded.

Contact information after the jump. Continue reading.



Brunch Menu [Tabard Inn] (N.B. May differ from what they offer on a given day)

Hotel Tabard Inn
1739 N St. NW
Washington D.C. 20036
(202) 833-2668


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Ercilia's

[Ed. Note: This review is part of my series of reviews of brunch places that do not serve traditional brunch cuisine. The last review was of Hinode's Japanese buffet].

Washington, D.C. has the good fortune of having a large Salvadoran population. Many restaurants, particularly in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood, serve excellent Mexican-Salvadoran cuisine at rock bottom prices. One of the staples of Salvadoran cuisine is the "pupusa" -- a thick circular corn tortilla filled with a variety of ingredients. The most popular one I've been told is frijoles y queso (beans and cheese), and other popular varieties are revuelta (mixed -- often with pork and cheese), loroco y queso (loroco is a vine flower bud common in Latin America), or just queso. The cheese is a soft mild white cheese. Pupusas cost about $1.50 to $2.00 each at most places and are big enough that you should have a decent meal with 2 or 3 of them.

While there are a number of excellent "pupusarias" in Mt. Pleasant, my favorite is Ercilia's. At Ercilia's you have to order at the counter from an overhead menu that is almost entirely in Spanish, though, unlike some other places in the area, the people who work there do speak English. While I've had a number of their more classic dishes such as pupusas con frijoles y queso describe above, on my most recent visit I sampled some of their more exotic dishes (at least for Americans)

The taco de lengua is a taco made of cow's tongue, avocado, queso, cilantro, tomatoes, and spices. It comes open-faced on a warm corn tortilla. Outside of perhaps a Jewish deli you don't see a lot of tongue dishes these days. It's softer that other cuts of beef and mixed with the other ingredients in the taco it was quite good.

The pupusa con loroco y queso is another unique salvadorian dish. Loroco is a soft green vine flower that tastes a little but like a cactus. It doesn't have that strong of a flavor but it accentuates the cheese nicely. It's not going to replace the frijoles y queso as the staple, but it's a good alternative.

The sopa de mariscos is, unsurprisingly, a soup with fish. It had a mildly tangy broth and had a large assortment of fish and shellfish including mussels, clams, squid, scallops, some kind of white fish, and a half of a blue crab. This was an impressive dish and I was pleasantly surprised by the number and variety of ingredients.

If you've lived in D.C. for a while and haven't been to a pupusaria I'd recommend walking up Mt. Pleasant street and trying Ercilia's.

Contact information and a picture of the menu after the jump. Continue reading.


Ercilia's Restaurant
3070 Mount Pleasant St NW
Washington, D.C. 20009
(202) 387-0909


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Vinoteca

Vinoteca is a wine bar and bistro on U Street. It is mostly known for having over 60 wines by the glass (many of which are only $5 at happy hour). They just recently started serving brunch and as an added promotion are featuring $1 sparkling wine drinks -- mimosas, kir royals, or bellinis. Two words can concisely describe my recommendation for Vinoteca: Go Now.

The $1 drinks are excellent, particularly the mimosas. They use Jacob's Creek brut, which is obviously on the low end but still respectable and is generally above the quality of sparkling wines that you'd find in most brunch beverages. And the orange juice tastes freshly squeezed. For $1 each, this is a steal. The kir royal was also competent.

The brunch menu is not extensive, but it consists of a variety of omelets, Benedicts, and other egg-based dishes; crêpes; and sandwiches. The best dishes are the omelet diton (tomatoes, spinach, and feta cheese), the chocolate crêpes, and the monstrous Monte Cristo. The omelets are light and fluffy and the diton is wrapped around delicate tomatoes, whole spinach leaves, and creamy feta cheese. The fillings, particularly the tomatoes, are not overcooked and soggy, but rather retain their crispness. It is also well-presented on a square plate. One note is that it does not come with any sides, all of which must be purchased separately.

Vinoteca has three crêpe varieties for brunch: chocolate, fruit, and duck confit. At our waitress's suggestion, we opted for the chocolate. The crêpes come in triplets arranged on a long rectangular plate. The crêpe itself is thin, almost transparent, and is wrapped in a triangular fashion around the fillings. It tastes more like it was derived from pancake batter than for example the crêpes at L'Enfant, which are more savory. The filling is a chocolate-hazelnut mix, similar to nutella. The gooeyness of the filling is a great complement to the lightness of the crêpe.

The Monte Cristo is undoubtedly Vinoteca's most ambitious offering. It is a tower of prosciutto di parma and gruyere cheese sandwiched between two thick slices of French toast and topped with a sunny side up egg and bacon (though you may order the eggs any style). It comes with a side of maple syrup. This is unsurprisingly very rich though quite excellent. The mixture of sweet flavors from the syrup and saltiness from the prosciutto is successful. You definitely won't be hungry after eating this dish.

Contact information and pictures of other dishes after the jump. Continue reading.



Here are pictures of the Eggs Florentine (poached eggs, spinach, Hollandaise sauce over English muffins), the Omelet Alsacienne (with bacon, onions, and cheese), and the Monte Cristo with scrambled eggs.



Brunch menu [Vinoteca]

Vinoteca
1940 11th St. NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 332-9463


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Hinode

As most veteran brunchers know, brunch is more than just eggs, French toast, sandwiches, and salads. It's also all-you-can-eat Japanese buffets. I recently made the trip out to Bethesda to visit Hinode Japanese Restaurant at the suggestion of Washington City Paper's consistently excellent young and hungry feature. Hinode offers an expansive buffet of both sushi and hot food for an astonishingly cheap $12 (lunch/brunch only). While I think you can rightly be skeptical of eating that kind of volume of raw fish for that cheap, Hinode's buffet was actually fairly fresh.

The hot food area consisted of tempura, various vegetable dishes, a few chicken dishes, rice, and dessert. The tempura was the highlight, especially if you get to it right as they're putting it out. The steamed dumplings were also good and came with a nice salty dipping sauce. But the real reason you'd go here is for the sushi. Overall, the maki was more impressive than the nigiri. The nigiri is mostly rice with a small amount of fish. That was not unexpected since all-you-can eat joints generally try to overload on the rice to fill you up. However, many of the rolls were good. The highlights were the spicy tuna roll, which was surrounded by salty tobiko; the crab stick, which is not usually my favorite but it was topped with tangy spicy sauce; and the tempura rolls, which were crunchy and good. The tuna and salmon rolls were competent but not outstanding. They also have some more obscure items like mussel nigiri. Overall a solid bang for the buck and is worth the trip out to Bethesda.

N.B. They have locations in Rockville and Frederick in addition to Bethesda.

Contact information after the jump. Continue reading.



Hinode Japanese Restaurant
4914 Hampden Lane
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 654-0908


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L'Enfant

L'Enfant, situated on 18th and U Streets NW, in the nexus between Adams Morgan, Dupont, and the U Street corridor is a Parisian café that also has a solid selection of Belgian beers. Not surprisingly, their brunch menu (not online) consists mostly of what you'd find at a casual French café probably on the left bank of Paris. There's a wide selection of crepes -- both savory and sweet -- croissant sandwiches, tartines (open-faced sandwiches), and egg-based dishes. A lot of dishes include gruyere and French ham. They also have exceptional bloody marys. While I have in the past lamented at other establishments' thin bloody marys, those served at L'Enfant are nice and thick. Clearly it is not made from a store-bought mix and they rightly take pride in this brunch libation.

As for the food, we tried the ham and gruyere sandwich on a crossaint and a crepe with ham, cheese and eggs. They were served with potatoes dusted with rosemary and your choice of fruit; we opted for the cantelope. Both dishes were similar and very good. The croissant was buttery and flakey and the crepe was light but not insubstantial. The potatoes, unfortunately, were on the prosaic side and required a substantial amount of condiments, though fortunately they had very good dijon mustard. I have also had the cheese board on a prior occassion and it had a number of very good cheeses such as a soft blue cheese and a harder parmesan, but also had a merely average brie. The fruit and baguette accompanyments were excellent. As for the sweet crepes, I have sampled the Nutella and banana one, which met expectations.

L'Enfant is a particularly good place when the weather is nice. They have a substantial outdoor area right on 18th and U which is always good for people watching. I like the concept and the cuisine that L'Enfant offers. It is recommended.

Contact information after the jump. Continue reading.



Cafe L'Enfant
2000 18th St NW
Washington D.C. 20009
(202) 319-1800


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