Brunchin' It Up

Sarah and I try to sneak out of the house every Sunday to grab brunch in Georgetown. Since it’s not easy waking up and getting out of the apartment before noon, I thought I’d share some of our favorite Georgetown brunch spots with you that make rolling out of bed and fighting through your hangover a worthwhile experience.

Why Georgetown? Why not Georgetown? I think we brunch here more for the ambiance, the really cool homeless guy that screams at Sarah, and the fact that there’s shops and things to do that make walking off a huge brunch less of a chore.

Our favorites:

Papermoon – Brunch Buffet

Address: 1073 31st St. NW * Georgetown, DC 20007
Cost: $15 per person (alcohol NOT included)
Dress: casual
Bar: yes
Date Place: most definitely

Papermoon is right in the center of Georgetown on 31st street, but not too far of a walk from your annoying waterfront, back-in-only parking spot. The brunch is served buffet style with a variety of breakfast and lunch foods, carving station and omelet/waffle station.

The breakfast foods include the normal and traditional buffet brunch items such as eggs benedict, french toast, assorted breakfast meats and made-to-order omelets. Nothing here is amazingly creative, but it is all good when hot and fresh. The omelet and waffle station is quick and efficient and should be your first stop for a fabulous egg-white omelet or fruit-covered belgian waffle.

The left side of Papermoon’s half moon-shaped brunch buffet is what sets it apart from others I’ve experienced in the past, even New Jersey’s fabled Olde Silver Tavern (where they have yet to recover from an Andrew Stevens-induced bacon shortage).

The left side features lunch items that are flavorful and, although not inspiring in their creativity, different from the average brunch buffet offerings. Tortellini pasta in tomato cream sauce, pork ribs, stews with yellow rice, fish dishes and roasted chicken have all appeared under the silver lids of their enormous chafing dishes. And unlike the right side of the buffet…they have rap cat.

There are also a tremendous variety of cold salads, bakery items and deserts available. Nothing fabulous, but all tasty in their own right.

Papermoon suffers from the same problems as every other buffet, the food can be on the chillier side of hot (lets say “warm”), and the large roast (approximately half of one cow) at the carving station is often a bit tough, but the variety and value is what makes Sarah and I continue to go back. For all of your Sunday gorging needs, Papermoon is the place.

However if you’re NOT in the mood to eat (way) too much, there’s always…

Chadwicks

Address: 3205 K Street N.W. Washington, D.C. 20007
Cost: $10-$15 per person (alcohol NOT included) / $16 for unlimited champagne brunch
Dress: casual
Bar: yes
Date Place: I wouldn’t date a girl that didn’t dig this place (although I might hookup with one…)

Chadwicks is one of my favorite non-national-chain bar and grills in DC. They have locations in Georgetown, Old Town (Alexandria) and Friendship Heights. The Georgetown location is by far one of my favorite places to relax and enjoy some different and inspired breakfast tastes.

The meal starts with some warm, freshly made muffins (usually blueberry, banana nut or lemon poppy) that are surprisingly moist and start the morning off on the right foot.

The menu incorporates many old favorites such as omelets, but also features some creative twits on traditional breakfast foods.

The eggs Idaho are an interesting combination of scrambled eggs and one of America’s favorite bar foods; the potato skin. The skins are hollowed, fried and filled with a tasty combination of eggs, bacon and cheese. The egg-filled wonders are arranged like traditional potato skins, in a circle around a ramekin of sour cream for dipping or spreading. This creative concept is delicious and makes you wonder why more people don’t make breakfast ‘skins.

The breakfast burrito is another favorite. Chadwicks uses andouille sausage (a spiced, heavily smoked pork sausage brought to America by French settlers in Louisiana and used in Cajun cooking) in place of traditional breakfast sausage. When combined with other flavors, the andouille gives the burrito a spicy and much-welcomed kick. The burrito is served with a side of salsa, but you can request a little sour cream to help take a little bite out of every bite. Unfortunately, the home fries that accompany this delicious burrito are almost an afterthought and rather dry, but the burrito more than makes up for the pitiful potatoes.

And if you’re looking to get right back up on Saturday night’s horse, a champagne brunch is also available at a per-person charge of around $16.

Georgetown is a great place for cheap Italian suits (check out Riccardi's clearance rack), good shopping, fresh air, lack of Metro accessibility, and now, great brunches. All you have to do...is get your ass out of bed!

Review: Duangrats (Falls Church / Bailey's Crossroad)

Duangrats has become a popular destination for Sarah and I. We try to make it out at least once every few weeks. Although we still can’t pronounce the name of the establishment (dwayne-grats? drowned-rats?), we love the food and can’t really get enough.

Duangrat’s location might make it a bit of a secret to the inside-the-District crowd, but don’t be fooled by it’s less than impressive presence on the side of Route 7 in the Bailey’s Crossroad area. This is some of the FINEST Thai food I have consumed in DC AND NY, served by traditional kimono-clad waitresses. Zagat's has rated them some of the finest Thai in the DC area...but who cares what those hacks say...

Duangrats does everything well, but their appetizers border on crave-able. My personal favorite alone, the crispy spring rolls, are enough to make me want to abandon the concept of eating in and take a ride every night. Sarah enjoys their crab wonton soup equally as much, and orders it every time we go. The chicken satay is moist (which is a difficult task to accomplish with such thin slices of meat) and the peanut sauce has just the right amount of sweetness so you don’t feel as if you’re eating Skippy.

Duangrat’s main entrées are equally impressive. In the tradition of Thai cuisine, flavors are layered and complex. The ginger pork has the flavors of curry, Asian basil and ginger that make every bite unique. The panang beef and beef masamune are also extremely delectable and feature beef braised to the point of fork-cutting tenderness as well as wonderful Asian flavors like coconut and curry.

Desserts leave a bit to be desired, but do incorporate interesting elements and Asian flavors to bring combinations to your palate that you might not have thought of. The banana spring rolls and other desserts are hardly transcendent, but the small portions and bright, crisp flavors make them an excellent ending to a filling and tasty traditional Thai meal.

Duangrats also features a full bar with Thai beer, as well as domestic beers on tap. However, the true stars of the bar are the mixed drinks such as the outstanding Mai Tai and Bangkok Sunrise.

The only real downfall for this establishment is its service. Patrons often wait a while for tables, and then find themselves waiting even longer to place their orders and get their food.

Regardless of the bad, and sometimes disorganized, service, Duangrats is by far some of the best Thai in town. If you’re in the area, check it out…and don’t be afraid to order something other than the historically-safe pad thai. Everything here is good.

For the best experience, come during the week when the already-poor service isn’t being trampled by the weekend rush.

Address: 5878 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041
Cost: $15-$25 per person
Dress: casual
Bar: yes
Date place: yes…unless you spend more time looking at the kimono-clad waitresses than at your date

Review: Iron Gate (Dupont Circle)

Sarah and I ate dinner at the Iron Gate for Valentine’s Day 2007 and were shocked by the poorly executed and terrible tasting food. After eating (or attempting to eat) at this restaurant I could not recommend it to anyone, friend or foe. Surprisingly, this is one of the Washington Post's picks, and a highly suggested destination.

Let's start out with the positives. The ambiance and off-set location make the Iron Gate romantic, mysterious and charming. Unfortunately, the positives end there.

The wine list, although long, included a handful of bottles that the restaurant currently did not stock - most notably the only Riesling on the menu - which is a VERY popular wine among young people, and a great wine for beginning drinkers that find it more pleasing to their palate than heavy and oak-aged reds and dry whites.

The menu was limited, but I ordered the lamb shank which, when presented, was reminiscent of something that would be served at a hotel wedding. The meat was cooked perfectly and fell from the bone (a huge plus), but the taste was bland and uninspired. No sauce was used, or seasoning given to the meat. Granted, a lamb shank should taste like lamb, but for over $25, one would expect the chef to be more adventurous and bold with his flavors…or maybe use some thyme.

If possible, the sides were even less inspired than the lamb. Orzo was served with crumbed feta cheese on top, but was dry and lacking any complexity in flavor. Even a house of fraternity boys with access to a local supermarket could cook pasta and crumble feta cheese on top (no insult to fraternity boys…I myself was one). The other side was steamed broccoli…steamed broccoli? Are you kidding me?

Needless to say, the dish was promptly returned, and the Cuban-style pork was requested in its stead. That's when things took a TURN!

Unfortunately, that turn was towards the inedible. The pork was sour and tasted exclusively of vinegar. The rice and beans were dry, and the plantains rubbery and cold. I've eaten Cuban and Latin inspired pork before that was crunchy on the outside with tender meat on the inside and had a sweet, citrus flavor. This was soggy, sour and not nearly as delicious. I was unable to get it down.

Needless to say, I went home without dinner, and the Iron Gate ruined Valentine’s Day. Way to go guys!