Kingbird — Restaurant in Washington

For dinner, around 6pm, I asked the host at Kingbird if we needed reservations and he stated that we would be able to get a seat without them so I opted to not put them in. His statement was that because of the weather, it doesn't seem to be that busy so we would have no problem getting a table for two in the next hour or so.

We proceeded to the Whisky Bar in he Hotel and ordered a couple of cocktails which were tasty. Around 7pm, we decided to get some dinner and were as previously told, were seated immediately but in a very embarrassing fashion. The host brought my wife and I to the far back of the restaurant which appeared to be a closed-off section of the restaurant (red booth area where nobody was being sat). Next to our table was clearly another table being used for staff to fold napkins.

Within minutes, we were getting odd stares and giggles from other staff members as they were trying to determine why we were back there. I immediately requested to get a table in the main restaurant area as the looks from others were quite embarrassing.

Once they moved us to a "real" table, the host and a couple of servers, within a few feet of us, starting having a discussion as if there was disapproval of moving us to the new table in the main dining area. It was very awkward and off-putting. We managed to keep the table and there were several others tables that were open as well so I don't know what the fuss was about.

We were soon greeted by the server who shared with us a special and he left so we would look at the menu. A few minutes later, he asked if we were ready to order. I ordered a Foie Gras appetizer and my wife, who wasn't feeling to well, told the server that she did not want any of the appetizers. The server insisted that "the menu is intended to be a three-course meal". She had to insist to him that she did not want an appetizer. I found his pushiness very unkind.

On the server's third trip back, my wife was able to decide. Food arrived in a good amount of time. My wife ordered the scallop entree and she said it was great. On the other hand, my beef tenderloin entree was completely bland of flavor. It had 2 pieces of tenderloin already cut, each no bigger than my thumb, a mysterious green sauce that had very little taste and 4 mini boiled potatoes that had no seasoning - that was it for $41! The meat was cooked to temperature but was definitely under-portioned, not even 4oz, was barely warm and was void of flavor. I could have made that dish at home for less than $4 and it would have actually tasted a lot better!

I was hungry so I chose to eat and we weren't checked upon for a good 10-15 minutes after the meal arrived. When the host came by, he asked us how things were, I explained to him that the dish had very little flavor; he offered to get me some salt and pepper! Most high-end restaurants that have an issue with food usually get a visit from the chef or a better response than that. There was a very nice lady on staff that recognized my wife had a cold and offered some tea with honey, that was the highlight of dinner.

After the food was delivered; our server seemed missing-in-action for quite some time. A table seated next to us became very impatient as the server had to be hailed down by them as he kept over-looking their seating.

In one hour I was so hungry from the tiny over-priced portion that I ordered a Dominos pizza and ate most of it.

Customer service in the restaurant not very good at all and the food was "meh" for the price of it. I do...

3 1/2 stars

What a bucket list afternoon. Kingbird was the first stop on an epic Washington DC inauguration weekend adventure, entirely because of where it was located - without getting too far into the political weeds, I'm a big Nixon fan so the Watergate had to be visited at some point, even given that it began a two-year descent into executive privilege madness. Anyway. The historic context was really all I knew about Watergate, so it was a pleasant surprise to find out that it's also a legit bougie 5-star hotel; my top-tier chum who literally went to the school of hospitality was in her element. We were warmly greeted by roughly five or six staffers before making our way to Kingbird, which wasn't too far from the main entrance.

Aside from the gorgeous logo featuring a bird wearing a top hat, Kingbird's interior looks like a lot of other hotel bar/restaurants (not a negative). Since it's a higher-end lodging, the decorative scheme reflects that. We weren't sure where the day was going to take us so we opted to sit at the bar for a light bite and drinks. I will say this - I don't think it would matter who was getting inaugurated, but on a weekend like this, it was PRIMO people watching. I had to remind my chum not to make eye contact with the guy two seats down nervously cradling seven spiral notebooks. Wild times.

We both ended up getting Arancia Viales, which featured bourbon and an emphasis on orange. Very well made. The drinks came with a strip of bacon as part of the garnish, which I think they should have made reference to on the menu since my chum doesn't eat pork (no matter - I took one for the team). I didn't really see a reason to have it on there, honestly - it came off as gimmicky and didn't add anything to either the taste or presentation. On the other hand, the second garnish (a flower) DID; the floral scent complemented the drink perfectly, making the bacon inclusion all the more mystifying.

I was SUPER tepid on the cheese plate we got, which is usually a safe, go-to for me. On a personal palate level, I wasn't crazy about the dark bread having nuts and/or berries in it, especially when you have so much other activity happening on the plate - you don't need to add to it with the bread. The bread should balance everything, not create the drama. I'm always thrilled to see honeycomb on these plates, which is in my opinion the most underrated charcuterie/cheese board item. Every place should have it. The cheeses themselves though were good, and represented a variety of flavors.

Unsurprisingly, the star of the show was the service. Hospitality was in abundance (I'm sure it helped we were sitting in the metaphorical catbird seat aka the bar), and there was never a moment where we weren't able to be immediately assisted if the need presented itself. Top-level all the way around.

As hotel bars go, this honestly wasn't that memorable - the Watergate itself was really the selling point. I'd come back for a drink or two, but with so many other options in the area I'm more likely to just sneak back into the building for a "I Stole This From the Watergate Hotel" pen next time...

It takes a lot for me to write a bad review, but I was so disappointed by my experience here that I felt compelled to write something. I was extremely excited to spend Christmas in DC for once instead of travelling and even more excited to share DC Christmas with friends having their first experience here. Being close to The Kennedy Center and based on the online menu, I was excited to experience what seemed to be quite a gem. We were sorely disappointed. We arrived early and seating was fast and efficient. That was the best part of the evening. After a long wait (20+ minutes) we were finally approached by the server and was able to place a drink order. The simplest things (I ordered a glass of wine) were forgotten. Note that there were only 4 of us and the restaurant was not even close to capacity. After another 20 minutes of watching our server socialize with another table, we were finally able to gain his attention long enough to order our meals. The food service was completely disorganized and, once again, items were forgotten. By the time they were presented, even after insisting we no longer wanted them, they were clearly hurriedly prepared, not completely cooked and still brought to our table (nor were they removed from our bill). We went through as much of the food as we could before giving up. It took literally 10 requests from anyone who'd look our way to clear the table and provide our check. As previously stated, I know everyone has an off night and things will rarely, if ever, be perfect. But there were too many errors and acts of negligence for this to have been a one night event...especially on Christmas Day where the expectation of a good meal/experience is significant. You could see the same looks of frustration on some of the other tables, so we were clearly not alone in the sentiment. I was embarrassed to have subjected my guests to this experience on their first Christmas in the District and definitely will not be back. So, if you decide to give this place a chance, do so at your own risk. Go in with low expectations and try to avoid a...