#dc dining

Added onto our list of future stops: Mango Tree (City Center) and Zaytinia (Penn Quarter)!

The Red Hen - http://www.theredhendc.com

1822 First Street NW DC

(202) 525-3021

Known as one of DC’s coolest, hippest, most rustic restaurants, The Red Hen is an Italian-influenced American restaurant located in the dubiously-titled “historic Bloomingdale.” 

After months of failed attempts to land a reservation, I looked ahead on my calendar and set an alarm on my phone to call exactly 30 days ahead (you can’t make reservations there over a month away). When I was told there was one spot at 9:00 PM on a Saturday, I felt like I’d won some type of prize for which I deserved congratulations. I did it. I got a reservation at a not entirely horrible time for dinner at Red Hen.  

What I liked:

The Venue - Once you step inside and see that the restaurant only has one large room with a handful of tables and limited bar availability, you start to forgive them for how hard it is to get a reservation here. I hardly minded that I had to wait 10 minutes, even with a reservation. It’s so small - bless their hearts. The space also happens to just be supremely cool, really bright and unpretentious, with just the right level of lively conversation all around. 

The True Dedication to the description “Italian-Influenced” - On the drink menu, an Aperol Spritz is highlighted. Thank you, Red Hen. I will have an Aperol Spritz. “This tastes like Italy,” I proudly tell my boyfriend across the table. A real Italian influence is noted across the menu, actually, from the handmade pastas to the sorbetto. I liked how Red Hen took Italian staples to the next level with unexpected ingredients like sweet potatoes and corn. 

The Relative Affordability - The fact that one of the most buzzed about DC restaurants has entree pastas for $17 is a feat. 

What I didn't like:

The Hype - The one thing that would take some points off Red Hen is, somewhat unfairly, how buzzed about it is. When you’ve been waiting months to eat somewhere that always being raved about, the bar gets set pretty high. While all of our dishes were good, some great, it can be hard to temper expectations. Basically, I wish I’d found this place first. 

The Lighting that Made it Hard to Take Good Pictures (kidding, kind of)

What We Ordered:

“You can pick any appetizer except for the chicken liver. I don’t do organs.” 

Tuscan Chicken Liver Mousse with Fig Conserva, Fresh Thyme & Grilled Rustic Bread $9

Truth be told, when I really think about the idea of liver, it grosses me out, too, so I just don’t think about it. This was a nice, light appetizer. The fig glaze on top of the chicken liver mousse was very sweet, mixing well with the saltiness of the liver. I ordered more bread to literally scrape the last remnants from the bowl, while my boyfriend looked on in slight disgust. 

“You always make me get pasta so that you can eat off my plate.”

Saffron Paccheri with Duck Leg Ragu, Chorizo, Mint, Roasted Sweet Potato & Parmigiano $17

While solidly good, the eclectic mix of ingredients sound more exotic than it actually tasted. I didn’t even remember that there was chorizo in the dish until just now, and the duck leg ragu tasted like…regular ragu. 

Whole Wheat Cavatelli with Sweet Corn, Asparagus, Bacon, Lime & Pecorino Tartufo $17

I promise I tried to get pictures where this delicious dish looked less like a serving of worms. This pasta was our favorite of the two. The combination of the gnocchi-like whole wheat cavatelli pasta with the crunchy asparagus and corn was delightful. Great mix of textures, and the creamy cheese was the perfect finish. (I didn’t distinctly taste any lime). 

Maple Custard with Caramelized Hazelnut Crumble $8

The dessert menu looked impossibly good, so we ended up asking the waitress for her recommendation. This maple custard is the staple dessert that Red Hen is known for. It’s pretty simple, but I could eat a whole vat. Perfect maple custard crusted with hazelnuts - che bello! 

Hands down my favorite spot in DC. Glad I was able to get to @busboysandpoets on Sunday to enjoy those amazing grits. Arrived when they opened (8am on Sunday) and was able to literally stretch out on the couch, relax and enjoy the unusual (at least compared to my normal visits) calm within the restaurant.

HU's homecoming was cool, but that trip to @busboysandpoets on 14th Street NW was and typically always is the highlight of any trip to DC.

Same meal every time. Cheese grits (the BEST in the world), turkey sausage, hash browns, toast, and mimosas.

They started bumping Outkast's "Rosa Parks" and it took everything in me not take break in a two-step on what was a glorious Sunday morning.

We had a fantastic date at Bandolero last night.

We started with the gauc and oysters. Both were great and I would definitely order again. The rest of our feast included mahi tacos, suckling pig tacos, steak tacos, queso fundido, plantains and rice and beans.

I would not recommend the queso. It was ok, not worth the calories and room it takes it your stomach. The steak is a must order, and we would recommend everything else as well. Though if you don't like spice, you may want to leave the suckling pig alone.

And if you have high blood pressure, this is not the place for you. Everything was on the salty side. I'm sensitive to salt and don't like a lot of it, so maybe it's just me, but I would have preferred the sodium levels being taken down a notch.

Last night a group of us celebrated a 30th birthday at Boundary Road on H Street. It was a pricey night, but well worth it.

Because we had a large gathering for a restaurant with a small kitchen, we got to do a family style meal. They basically sent us everything on the menu last night to try. What a treat!

My favorites were the cheeses, hand-cut fries with curry mayo, pappardelle pasta, roast rabbit and sausage, and house made donuts.

Really, everything was great though, including the service and cocktails.

The only thing I did not enjoy was the foie gras PBJ. I've never had foie gras before, and never will again. I struggled to swallow it.

Just in case you didn't get your weekly fix, I'm here to gratuitously update you on my highly predictable DC yuppied-out weekend. Among the highlights:

Only mentioning Insanity! to five people.

Meeting someone at a birthday party who told me the fact I had never heard of her company was "so cute!" The real feat here is that I didn't punch her or say something really shallow like "almost as cute as your idea of how eye-liner should be drawn on!"

Going to my first majority Republican birthday party. They're so well-dressed! And everyone had nice teeth! I was, however, horrified that there were no free drinks. I could have totally bonded with some of them if I'd had the opportunity to down gratis beverages. Opportunity at bipartisanship WASTED. 

Walking down Real World memory lane with my new neighbors. Remember when Puck stuck his finger in the jar of peanut butter, moments after picking his nose? Yeah, that life-changing moment was recounted. This might call for a Real World marathon in my building where we all dress as our favorite character. 

Discovering that sweeping is a great way to relieve stress. True story: I found a broom in the closet and did a little sweeping mid-existential crisis moment on Saturday. It was so soothing! And by the end I realized two things: 1) I'm terrible at sweeping since details bore me and 2) nobody ever compliments you on sweeping (especially given fact 1). Existential crisis moment replaced by "why is this world so neglectful of the Trophy/Starbucks Generation's needs?"

Learning that DC's newest culinary hot spot, Little Serow, doesn't seat parties larger than 4. For a moment I got confused and thought I lived in a hip city. And then I saw a woman in non-ironic clogs, a poncho-inspired coat* and Not Your Mom's Jeans at one of the tables.

Tepidly going to a new hair colorist since my go-to stylist is "on a break" from highlighting (rude). I'm pleased to report that my hair looks good, and I didn't have any mid-salon meltdowns as I've been known to in the past (see: The Much Regretted Bang Decision of 2002 and That Time I Thought I'd Look Great As a Platinum Blonde But Really Looked Like Dolly Parton's Half-Bred Daughter, circa 2000). 

Not overhearing anyone question the organicness of produce at the Dupont Farmers Market. It's like DC has gone all soft on its cynicism for sustainability standards. Don't tell Alice Waters!

I can only hope that next weekend brings equally bougie updates from the frontlines of yuppiedom.