Station 4 — Restaurant in Washington

I've been here dozens of times since 2013, not sure if it was the time of day or just everything going on in the world, however, this was by far the worst experience/ service. One of the girls was celebrating her first year of being cancer free and this is one of my go to restaurants in this area so I suggested it when she called in a panic as she didn't like the menu of the place she already had reservations. She loved the menu and made a reservation for 9:30pm for a party of 5. Two were coming from southern maryland and were running late, not arriving until 10. The other 3 of us were enjoying conversation and deciding what to order.

The server was not friendly and seemed bothered that we were there. He came to the table several times to take orders, though we told him we were waiting for 2 more. After his 3rd time at the table in less than 15 minutes, they decided to share an order of duck fat fries. We had already ordered beverages, sprite, Virgin mojito and Tito's lemon drop martini. While waiting for the fries, the server walked by with 2 Caesar salads, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs that eventually were crushed under his feet. The fries came and the ladies began to unroll the PAPER napkins to find one napkin had food rolled in with the silverware. How does that happen? We got another roll up and the ladies thoroughly enjoyed the fries and the accompanying sauce.

Finally, the other 2 arrived and before they had a chance to look at the menu, the server was towering over them for their orders. We understood they were 30 minutes late and the kitchen was closing at 10:30, so we asked for his recommendations and placed an order of mac & cheese, which is actually an appetizer, 2 orders of lamb chops, 1 with double order of mashed potatoes and 1 with brussels and mashed potatoes, 2 orders of lobster & shrimp linguini in an Alfredo sauce, 2 side Caesar salads and the fried red snapper with Brussels and potato gratin. This is the downside of ordering before the kitchen closes. The mac & cheese came out first. The ladies put a plate on top to keep it warm while waiting for the entrees. When the server realized the mac & cheese was going to be eaten as part of the meal, the entrees started to come out. The lamb chops, then the linguini and finally the snapper. The mac & cheese was still piping hot, but the just served lambchops were cold. The lobster in the linguini was mushy and the snapper was fried EXTRA hard. The server took the lambchops and had fresh plates made. He looked at the snapper and said well that's just how they make it. I could barely cut a piece with a knife, so he took it and brought back a menu. The kitchen is closing, so I opted not to order anything else and the ladies with the linguini ate around the lobster. Shortly after bringing the replacement plates, the server brought the check. Now we watched him being celebratory desserts to the other 2 tables and were hoping to get the same as we were celebrating as well. Yet when i asked about ordering dessert he said "no the kitchen is closed" and walked away. There was another server who was very attentive to our table as he saw our server was not friendly to us at all as compared to the other 2 tables he was serving, so he came over asked if we needed boxes and what we were celebrating. Once he brought the boxes, he offered to box the leftovers and then brought us a round of shots.

As we were celebrating one of the girls' 1st year of being cancer free, it was an emotional ending to the night and we appreciate the server who recognized that we weren't being properly served...

Not bad. I enjoyed what I ordered. Stopped by for dinner before seeing a play at Arena Stage, and ordered the Fish and Chips. We had an hour before curtain opened, so we said we were in a bit of a hurry (considering time to could get our food, enjoy our food, walk back to the theatre, and make it back to our seats) and, impressively, they got our orders out quickly.

The Fish and Chips were good. A little oily on the battering, but tasty nonetheless. The fries included were also enjoyable--thinly sliced and just the right crispness, and the small side of cole slaw was basic but, no complaints from me. No complaints overall, actually, about the food I ordered.

The atmosphere was dim lighting; a little more upscale than a hole-in-the-wall, that's for sure. Nothing too cozy in feel, but fine for, well, a fancier dinner before seeing a show at Arena Stage which, I imagine, many diners-in were there for, as well.

There were gender neutral bathrooms, i.e., separate rooms for either a stall or a urinal, with a shared sink outside them.

My only qualm was the price. $25 for a Fish and Chips. The lowest priced item on the entrée menu was $22, going up to "mp" or market price. That should give you a feel of the menu, if pricing matters for your next dinner out.

Oh, and I also tried their Cheesecake which, as far as cheesecakes go, was good, but I think you've probably had better elsewhere, at least to my taste.

Overall, not bad. Food was good, but definitely priced on the higher end. If you like "New American" cuisine--and like having it in a good spot in the city--you're going to pay for that experience. Plan...

Update

Of course many changes there leading up to my latest visit in October 2023 including staffing and atmosphere. But I didn't expect ANY of what I received, and it was bad. Went on a weeknight - Wednesday or Thursday directly to the bar - less than 10 people total. The people on duty were extremely lax and ignored me to the point that even while I was waiting to receive a menu or else order, somebody next to me was served a refill and bartender was walking away as I stopped them... to request water! I ordered a Glazed mushroom burger but it wasn't prepared to the requested level. I suspected the kitchen would close soon but the bartender offered for my whole order to be remade. The end result was I was right about the closure, and he said "Don't worry about it.": code for come back on another visit. Then I was the one to let the manager know I was told that. So I had expectations for much better when I returned within a week and a half. However the same bartender communicated to the cook in front of me but not in English which in hindsight was pretty unprofessional. And the subsequent result of that experience: this burger was not only topped differently than before, but it was cooked even more raw than the first one had been. I didn't want any more of my time wasted so didn't speak up on it. Majorly disappointing, a huge turn-off to keep in mind as a neighborhood go-to. What I once felt was a cozy place is off my radar.

7 yrs. ago - Great tasting...