Brian B.'s Profile

I prefer tea, but if I were to say I have a neighborhood coffee shop, this would be it. (That's saying something, considering I live in Foggy Bottom and this place is in Dupont.)

Go ahead, order a sausage, egg, and cheese on a cinnamon raison bagel; you've read this far, you deserve it.

Anyway, they don't accept credit cards--its cash only--but that's okay: there's an ATM in the front. Only step forward when you're ready to order, otherwise you'll find yourself at fisticuffs with the numerous absurdly hot female and male runners--not joggers, runners--who refuel here weekend mornings.

Oh, and there are a handful of outdoor seats that are purpose-built for people watching.

Bliss. It feels like Christmas morning, all day, every day.

This place is really pretty cool. If I understand the history right, it's an art space owned in part by Thievery Corporation (who seem to have their hands in a number of venues). This row-house like structure, across the street from 9:30 Club, is usually shuttered and is adorned with graffiti-like artwork on the exterior. Inside, the smallish ground floor--small because of the large kitchen it holds--doesn't even hint about the ambiance waiting upstairs.

Upstairs, the mainfloor features exposed brick, a modestly sized bar, a DJ booth, a small stage, a small patio, and a stairwell which empties into a rather large backyard. This is an art gallery. A studio. A dancehall. A bar. A restaurant. A concert venue.

It's whatever its management wills it.

And that's why it's not entirely fair to judge Montserrat by the experiences of a dish at one of the events it holds. Rather, judge it for it's ability to hold events. This is U Street's answer to Long View.

I've seen Moby sing live here for free on a rainy Thursday afternoon. I had my first sip of Chocolate City Brewery here. I've attended banging art recepetions hosted by Irvine Contemporary here. And, recently, I had a decent bowl of pho.

It's that kind of place.

Rock on, Yelp! What a fun time. Thank you for reminding why I live in the city.

This is why we Yelp.

I honestly can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet.

This. Place. Rocks.

Each ramen dish, and there are maybe five or six to choose from, is $10. $10! I think that's a bargin for a sit-down meal at what may be one of the coolest restaurants in one of the coolest neighborhoods of this oh-so-amazing city.

The ambiance of this place, the decor, the location. Wow. I have not the words. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, two things come to mind: this place seems really cool, and this place seems really small. Arguably too small, given its popularity.

When visiting, you ascend a staircase the seemingly springs from the Pug, a local dive bar. It's then that you give your name and number to the host and, depending on the night, head right back down the stairs to the bar or the street. You sulk around H Street, waiting for a call back. If you choose to drink downstairs at the Pug, you're invited to bring your unfinished drink upstairs.

And then the fun begins. This place just smacks of cool. The architecture and decore is, well, beyond words. The kitchen is right there, in your face, and you can see the care that goes into each dish. And the food just keeps me coming back. I argue you can't get a better bang for your buck in this town. Seriously.

So here's the bottom line: whenever I want to show off my city to a visiting friend, whenever I want a cheap but oh-so-satisfying sit-down meal in an intimate setting, I go to Toki.

Yeah, this is happening. DC is becoming a beer town. First DC Brau, now Chocolate City, which opened its doors in August 2011.

Chocolate City Beer's Cornerstone Copper Ale, it's most popular beer, is simply brilliant. Just try it. The trick is, finding it in the wild. Fortunately, the brewery's website lists the few bars that stock the drink. Visit the brewery and you'll see why. This is a small operation (read: tiny). It smacks of upstart, but the few brewmasters(sp?) you meet on the tour/growler fill they have on Saturday's will warm your heart with their kindness and willingness to answer each of your questions.

This is a cool place not just because of the product, but more-so because of the people who make the whole thing possible.

When I come across places like this, I imagine the founder: the guy or gal who had the guts to write-up the business plan for a place like this. The person with the guts to pitch a waffle shop to venture capitalists and bankers.

Freaking awesome.

Anyway, restaurant is best described as a sandwich shop that uses waffles in lieu of bread. And, surprisingly, they claim that their waffles aren't carb heavy and are low on fat. I really want to verify this, but I also am inclined to believe the staff. The waffles are all really light, and you often forget you're waffle sandwich.

Keep note that like most Farragut-based businesses, Wicked Waffle isn't open on weekends and holidays.

Oh, and do explore the menu. You owe it to yourself to try some of the more adventuresome items.

It's not fair to compare this event to an Elite event at a bar or restaurant. No. Instead, this event stands on it's own merit as an awesome performance space a few extras. I've long recommended Atlas as a pretty unique place to take a date, so I didn't hesitate to sign-up when given the chance.

As Yelpers entered the theater, they were treated to a small string group that, well, killed it. We queued up for free eats and drinks, while listening to pretty jazzy tunes--for free--all while being sheltered from the winter in a pretty cool space.

The treats at the various tables were just that: treats. No reason to expect a full dinner 'when one goes to the theater.'

And kudos doesn't begin to describe my gratitude for the staff of Smith Commons for opening their doors to the Yelp community and extending a pretty generous discount to us at such a late hour.

While this establishment isn't as exotic as some of the other venues here on Yelp, I still think it warrants a once-over.

Like most businesses in Farragut, this Robeks caters to the 9-to-5 crowd: its hours are relatively short and it isn't open on the weekend and public holidays. Instead, Robeks is tailored to cater to the busy lunch crowd and is able to fullfil each order

So I'm assuming you like smoothies, so let's talk. Each smoothie consists of three parts: the smoothie itself, a toping of your choice, and also a protein or nutrient "booster". (I usually opt out of the booster.)

Like the other reviewers have noted,  it's difficult to assess the freshness of the product. While there fresh fruits arrayed throughout parts of the restaurant, what you're actually served is served out of what might as well be a surplee machine. Even if you were to be generous and assume that the product was made from fresh products and frozen that very morning, you're still left wondering, assuming, that your smoothie is actually glorified processed foodstuff.

It's not fair to Robeks, if their product is in fact all natural and freshly made on site, but it certainly isn't fair to health-conscious consumers who are using smoothies as lunchtime meal substitues. I'd easily give this restaurant another star, if not more, if the meal was prepared in front of me with fresh fruit and ice. But I digress.

So yes, why the somewhat premade nature of your meal itself may leave you wanting, the attentive nature of the oh-so-pleasant staff and the taste of the resulting smoothie actually redeem this operation.

I honestly don't know why it took me so long to find this place. What can I say?: the food was really good. I mean surprisingly good. So let's begin, I made reservations using the OpenTable form built into Il Canale's Yelp page, but it wasn't really necessary, there was ample seating available when my party arrived. (I've come to do much of my dining out from Sunday through Tuesday. Most other nights are entirely too hectic, in my opinion.)

The restaurant has some outdoor seating and the interior is split over two floors.  I noted a bar downstairs, but was taken back when I learned they didn't have any happy hour specials. (Though that's not uncommon in Georgetown.) Our server allowed us to choose our own table upstairs and proved to be attentive throughout the entire experience. Our drinks never ran dry. Like others have said, the complimentary bread and olive oil is a real treat, and don't hesitate to ask for more.

I ended up getting to share both a pizza and one of the large salads. Love it or hate it, I can't help but compare restaurant salads to SweetGreen, Chop't, or Mix't. This salad was both flavorful and well crafted, but I felt the size was a tad small for the price point. But I guess that's the point. The pizza. Well. It was delicious.

There were no doggy bags this night.

This is a solid restaurant at a respectable price. I'm really tempted to come back in the spring just so I can eat fine pasta while enjoying the outdoor seating on one of the quieter streets off of Georgetown's M Street.