What a game, right? Talk about the longest minute of your life – I wonder what Tom Brady is thinking right now. At least he has Gisele to wipe away his tears! Can’t win them all, my man!
At our respective places of viewing, I’m sure we all noticed the Superbowl spreads. Football is synonymous with many things; beer, wings, burgers, nachos, insert any fried food here. When throwing a superbowl party, guests expect great football, great friends and, of course, great food!
I was fortunate enough to attend a party this evening that did not disappoint. The menu consisted of hoagies, finger foods, chips, salsa, taco dip, buffalo chicken dip and, my personal favorite, some old school dirt. The dessert kind, not the garden kind. Want some more yummy superbowl party suggestions? You’re in luck – I’ve posted some ideas below that will leave your guests – and your bank account – full and happy! Check them out!
Chips and queso are always a hit! Check out this recipe from Food.com.Buffalo Chicken Wings courtesy of Food Network's Alton BrownMeatballs and bbq sauce? Why not?
A good old fashioned hoagie can feed tons! You can be creative with your fixins' so guests can make custom sandwichesA Superbowl isn't complete without chili. Do double duty with this menu item and throw it over some tortilla chips, add cheese and some fixins, bake for 10 minutes and you've got yourself some nachos!Beer is always a must, but surprise guests with a signature drink!
Just a few ideas courtesy of Food Network, Food.com and Martha Stewart. Add in some storebought items like salsa, assorted chips, hummus, and a veggie platter and you are no longer in danger of throwing a boring bash!
Everyone loves a good date night. I love one even more when the hubby calls me at work and says be home by 6:30 because we have reservations. I love one even more when I am having a terrible day and now, all of a sudden, have something wonderful to look forward to!
Said fabulous hubby made reservations at Market Tavern in Clarendon. It had piqued our curiosity for awhile, as we were huge fans of Harry’s Tap Room and wondered why on earth it disappeared. Market Tavern’s menu is reminiscent of Harry’s, in fact, many of the dishes are the same, so needless to say we had to see if it lived up to its former inhabitant.
The Chophouse portion of Market Tavern is located upstairs. Picture from Arlnow.com.
It pains me to say that Market Tavern just didn’t make the cut. I really wanted to love this place and put it on reserve for special occasions and/or a treat when family comes into town. However, the food was mediocre, along with the service which is not something you expect from a restaurant with the price tag of this bill.
I’ll start at the beginning…we arrived and were promptly escorted upstairs to The Chophouse section of the restaurant. The downstairs is The Tavern and has a separate menu, but you can order off of either one in either section. We were greeted fairly quickly but the server didn’t return with our drinks for a good 5 minutes and we were only one of 4 tables in the entire upstairs dining room. Then, after he dropped off the drinks, we waited another 10 minutes before he came back to take our order. I’d understand if it was a busy night, but there were 3 servers upstairs and again, only four tables! Service was off to a rocky start, but let’s get on to the important part – the food!
We ordered a Caesar salad, lobster bisque, Chophouse paella and the twin filets, oscar style with crab meat and Bearnaise. Are you salivating yet? We were! The salad was fine, but the lobster bisque was pure perfection – decadently smooth with large, buttery chunks of lobster. Couple this with the “bread bar” which has 4 different types of fresh, homemade bread and various types of accompanying butter, and the first course was looking promising!
A serving of paella on the left, along with a filet and asparagus.
On to the entrees! The Chophouse Paella, flavorful, robust with a hint of smokiness, certainly didn’t disappoint with a fair amount of shrimp, mussels, chorizo and chicken. The dish was cooked well, which can be hard to do with paella. I wish we’d stopped at the paella. The twin filets with crab meat came out of the kitchen looking the part of a flawlessly cooked dish. The server set it down on the table and as I grabbed my fork and knife I could hardly wait to cut myself a bite of this tender filet, smothered in lump crab meat, drizzled with Bearnaise and garnished with bright green asparagus spears. I took that bite…and it was cold. Not lukewarm, not maybe it cooled off on the walk over here, not maybe we waited a bit too long to cut into it (because I couldn’t hardly wait a second) – just plain, flat out cold. Disappointing – yes. Still potential to taste deliciousness after we sent it back with server – yes.
But no, we received our filets about 2 minutes later. They had clearly been thrown into a microwave as the same bite I had taken was missing from the filet. People – you went to culinary school, not me, but even I know you don’t put steak in a microwave or even reheat it. You cook a new piece of meat. Sure, this is a lot to ask, but it isn’t a lot to ask to have your food brought out warm and freshly cooked.
After waiting for a manager for another 10 minutes, we explained the situation, were offered a new dish, politely declined and waited for the bill. I have to give credit where credit is due. The manager was very accommodating and understanding, apologized and sent over two complimentary desserts which were impressive. The server also apologized and was quick to ask if his service was an issue when we requested the manager, I always appreciate directness and a willingness to take accountability.
All in all, not a great experience. The other dishes we had, as well as the manager’s quick correction of the issue did make me willing to try it again – maybe in a few months when things are running a bit more smoothly. However, I’d steer clear or maybe try The Tavern for the time being!
Your average 24 hour restaurant usually attracts a specific kind of clientele, namely truck drivers and inebriated twenty somethings. One of DC’s newest restaurants, The Hamilton, is sure to redefine the 24 hour crowd! Located at the corner of 14th and F NW, The Hamilton is a massive restaurant and live music venue which opened in mid-December courtesy of Clyde’s Restaurant Group.
Last night, my girlfriends and I decided to give it a try. While the service was less than stellar, the food was good and the 37,000 square feet of cavernous space makes you feel like the possibilities are endless. We were able to get a reservation last minute and I am still trying to decide whether this was due to the restaurant still being too “new” or the fact that it is just so darn huge! Once we arrived, we were taken through the main bar, a secondary bar, a ballroom-sized dining room, up a staircase, past yet another bar and finally to our table. These hostesses sure get their exercise!
One of the many bars at the The Hamilton! Picture courtesy of the Washingtonian.com
We were greeted quickly by a very nice, but apparently nervous waiter who offered us water and returned after all of our guests arrived. We ordered two bottles of wine off the list, which is actually divided into the various types of foods that are served and paired accordingly. So, if you are ordering seafood, the Hamilton recommends about 10 different wines that will pair well with your entree. This is unique, but made searching for a specific wine like trying to find a needle in a haystack and it isn’t helpful if you want wine before you know what you are going to order.
The waiter brought fresh bread and butter and took our entree orders, clearly still feeling his way through the menu which I guess is to be expected as they have only been open a few weeks. The menu has a great variety of choices, ranging from burgers to pasta to seafood to sushi, without feeling overwhelming which I enjoyed. I ordered a salmon salad, which very tasty, and the other ladies ordered a variety of sushi. Everyone was very pleased with their meals and all plates were empty! Mission successful!
Overall, I’d say the Hamilton offers an extensive menu, good cuisine and a quintessentially “DC” vibe. The service still room to improve, but hopefully this will happen as the restaurant matures. I think the true niche for The Hamilton is going to be the combination of better-than-bar food with a live music scene. The fact that the restaurant is open 24 hours a day is novel, I will be interested to see how it ends up working. I can’t imagine there will be enough customers to support all hours and I can’t help but wonder if offering such a range of food will end up wreaking havoc on the restaurant’s identity and quality. I guess time will tell!
