Cause - The PhilanthroPub

This gets five stars because of the awesome bartender Clay. He was super nice and always made sure we had everything we needed. Cause is lucky to have someone like him being on the frontline. I was very impressed!

I had the hushpuppies and they were awesome!

It was a good location and the upstairs bar area was nice and good for groups.

Because Cause gives 100% of their net profits to local charities and one of the co-owners is a Peace Corps alum, I am giving Cause three stars.  The food is reasonably priced and okay but not great.  My husband and I shared some hush puppies and they were just okay, but I've had some pretty amazing hush puppies and these were not exactly a stand out.  I was so carb-loaded from them I decided to just do an order of the General Tso chicken wings as my main and nibble on my husband's cheese fries he got with his lamb burger.  

The wings arrived very hot and were so fragrant.  Our friends that we were dining with commented on how amazing they smelled and I must say, they smelled great.  Unfortunately, the taste of the wings did not match.  They were EXTREMELY salty to the point that I found them to be inedible.  These are I guess supposed to be eaten with beer so I sort of get that and I don't drink so I could REAAALY taste the salt.  I had one wing and took the rest home. My husband ate them the next day and agreed, they were waaay oversalted.  A shame because they had potential.  The sauce they used on the wings were good, but I have to say, Checkers has better wings lol  Don't get me wrong, these were some big and juicy wings, but I couldn't eat them.

To make matters worse, the restaurant was without air conditioning and it was fully of people.  No windows were open so there was no circulation.  How is a sista supposed to eat some spicy wings in a stuffy and non-air conditioned place with no air flow?  Also, no fans! Ughh I could not get out of there fast enough really. It was unpleasant.  They also need to keep that place a lot cleaner.

I definitely agree that sentiment that they have an excellent concept but the execution has fallen short in my book.

Would I go back? Probably not, which is a shame but given that I didn't enjoy the food or atmosphere, I don't see why I would.

We visited Cause on Saturday night around 9:30pm and had a pretty good time, but there was something left to be desired. While the concept of the pub and atmosphere is pretty great, the food is a little lacking. There are a few unique choices, but they simply weren't that tasty.

I ordered the Heart of Darkness - BEFORE I realized that it was actually a beef heart sandwich. Ick! It essentially tasted like really tough roast beef. I couldn't stop thinking that I was literally eating heart. The sandwich just wasn't that great, and it fell apart almost instantly after the first bite. Another unique and potentially stomach churning menu option is a sandwich that includes tongue.

The oyster and kimchi sandwich was surprisingly tasty, but the General Tso wings were far and away my favorite dish we ordered. However, be sure to thoroughly clean your hands after eating them because the sauce is so red that you may be accused of murder.

The upstairs bar area wasn't too crowded when we arrived, but by around 10:15pm, the place was packed! The drink selection is good (draft Port City IPA especially). I don't know if we will be returning to Cause anytime soon, mainly because the menu just doesn't appeal to us. But overall I think Cause - The Philanthro Pub is a unique and welcome addition to the U Street scene.

4.5 stars and yay I'm review #50!

Since I have been to (and run) many a fundraising happy hours in DC and U street has disappointed me over and over again (I'm looking at you, Brixton), I was a bit skeptical of an establishment that made the fundraising-by-drinking-and-eating the linchpin of their business model.

I'm happy to report that Cause is the real deal - all of their proceeds beyond operating costs go to a handful of non-profits, selected quarterly (seems like one international, a few local and a national at the moment). It also helps that their menu made me laugh. The L.G.B.T.Q. burger has lettuce, gruyere, bacon, thinly sliced braised beef tongue, and kewpie mayo. Not bad for town that usually abuses acronyms.

The first time I tried Cause, a couple of my friends were running late for happy hour, so I perched myself up at the upstairs bar to wait (downstairs is more dining friendly). The service was fast and friendly, and the bartender convincingly explained how the philanthropic model worked. He also claimed that everyone that works at Cause has to have the philanthropic, do-gooder mindset before getting hired too. I cannot verify this, but most of the staff I've encountered in the few times I've been back seemed pretty enthused to be working there and happy to gush about the awesomeness of the place.

Additionally, I'm a total sucker for happy hours that include plenty of food options. The drinks here are also pretty tasty and not so typical. I tried the market salad (Needed a bit more dressing and the roughage was a little rough so I would not order again) and the general tso wings (awesome and a little sweet), as well as the featured cocktail of the night (the Mahatma, which was a gin, lime, bitters and St. Germain concoction with a curry-sugar rim).

Another plus is that this place is very vegetarian friendly (my veggie friend loved their quinoa-lentil burger), but the lamb burger is a must have if you are a meat-eater.

HAPPY HOUR
5 by 5 happy hour, 5-7pm everyday
$5 general tso wings, market salad, hush puppies
$5 all draft beers, featured cocktail of the night, featured house wines

DRAFTS
Last time I went, they had the Flying Dog Pearl Necklace, Devil's Backbone Reilly Red, Epic Santa Cruz Brown Ale, Port City Monument IPA, Erdinger Hefeweizen, and Beggars and Thieves Rye Pilsner on draft.

Owners Nick Vilelle and Raj Ratwani, two novice restaurateurs with backgrounds in psychology, intend to donate their earnings from Cause to charity.  At face value, it's an outlandish and, at once, noble idea that seems completely out-of-the-box (namely, because it is).  No other pub, bar, or restaurant anywhere has ever committed all of its profit to charity.

The concept itself is pretty simple.  After paying the bills (e.g., water, gas, electricity, food, supplies, and their staff), Vilelle and Ratwani plan, each quarter, to donate the gastropub's profits to a rotating quartet of vetted charities.  Customers, upon receiving their check at the conclusion of a meal or a round of drinks, can designate which charitable organization they want to help by checking off a box.  The restaurant even provides a series of short blurbs that explain each charity's mission and goals.

Justifiably, this well laid out plan has been the focus of every one of Cause's write ups in the print media and online; and, moreover, Cause itself, not to anyone's surprise, strongly highlights its unique approach in its own marketing and promotion.

What's been lost in the initial fanfare is a sustained discussion of Cause's menu (put together by Chef Adam Stein - formerly of the Queen Vic); and, that's understandable given the circumstances (even though the ostensible mission of a gastropub is to serve food and drinks).  However, once the weeks and months pass (after the novelty has worn off), what's on the menu will need to take over as the main draw (no matter how noble its founding principles may be).    

The drinks, at first glance, seem to be up to the task.  While the array of draft beers (led by a few choice IPAs) is small but generally agreeable, it is the original cocktails that are the most attention-grabbing.  In fitting with Cause's socially conscious self-identity, the cocktail innovations are named for different leaders.  Among the selections are the Madiba, a sangria variant that honors Nelson Mandela (it's his nickname).  There is the Evita-Rita, Cause's take on a margarita named for Eva Perón and the Mahatma, a gin-based concoction named for Mohandas Gandhi.  The former two drinks are unabashedly sweet (perhaps, just on the edge of being overly so) while the latter deftly balances sweetness with a refreshing sour and bitter profile that is subtly enhanced by a curry-sugar rim.                  

Small plate offerings feature an eclectic mix of choices.  The "African Chicken Groundnut Stew," consisting of chicken confit and ground peanuts, is an appealing choice (especially, on a cold night); but, it falters from the overly salty taste of the chicken.  Additionally, Cause offers what it calls "General Tso Wings," a kind of Chinese-Buffalo hybrid.  However, rather than elevating the originals, these wings fail to impress with its off-putting red dyed appearance, sweetened skin that isn't crispy, and clumsy wing tips that many restaurants would have removed prior to cooking.  The "Crispy Trotter Tots," which are a play on tater tots, are boneless cubed pig trotters that have been breaded and fried.  They taste just as one would imagine they would (kind of gelatinous, kind of fatty, and, overall, very porky).  It takes all of the lackluster lemon aioli to make them palatable.

Sandwiches and burgers serve as the main entrées and the heavy lifters; and, while the choices extend beyond the typical pub fare, the results are decidedly mixed.  For instance, one of the bolder options is the "Heart of Darkness," a sandwich that showcases beef heart.  The thin slices of organ meat offer a hint of charred flavor, but it is the admittedly tender but slightly rubbery texture of the beef heart itself that generally defines the sandwich.  Requiring an appreciable amount of chewing, the resulting mouthfeel is a bit slimy and a bit livery.  The accompanying fries, on the other hand, are nicely rendered, crispy, and dusted with a gossamer coating of white cheddar.

A straightforward cheeseburger, dubbed "The Burger," is a better option.  Made from dried-aged beef, the end product is notably moist and tender - almost to a fault (although, with the inclusion of such high grade ingredients, the flavor is more faint than robust).  The fresh ciabatta loaf, in contrast, that the burger comes in is exceptional.

Idealistically, good food and drinks really do have the power to make philanthropists of us all; and, Cause, as its name so plainly hints at, is focused on just such an endeavor.  But, nightly, with potential customers likely tempted to address more selfish sentiments (and with so much good food and drinks to be had elsewhere), the noble fight to help others and make the world a better place, as always, will undoubtedly be hard.

10/25/2012. I attended the grand opening of Cause - A Philanthropub. Awesome experience. Customers dine (and pay their tabs). The restaurant pays its bills (mortgage, staff wages, insurance, locally sourced seasonal sustainably grown food stock, etc). The restaurant donates 100% of net profits to charity.

The decór, ambience, food, and staff here are great.

I tried the scrapple bites with house made bread and butter pickle, trotter tots, hush puppies, and pickled radish during the event. The scrapple was crisp and the pickle was fresh. The trotter tots? Not for me; too much fat for my taste. Hush puppies came with crème fraiche and crumbled cheese with thinly sliced piquillo peppers. And the radish? Reminiscent of kimchee. Yum.

During the event all of their "social justice" cocktails were available. I tried The Madiba, The Mahatma, The Truth, and The Harvey. They were awesome. Madiba is Cause's take on sangria with biodynamic Pinotage, sparkling wine, fresh juices, & ginger. Refreshing. The Mahatma was interesting because he didn't drink. The curry sugar rimmed martini glass held six ounces of gin, elderflower, and lemon. Potent! The Truth, rye whiskey, lemon, and tarragon, had a lovely herbal note. The Harvey was a creamy vodka concoction was topped with fresh grated nutmeg. Sweet!

I ran into Tony P. after the Grand Opening and we stayed for dinner together. Can I just say he is a man with a plan? His targets: Trotter tots and The Heart of Darkness. Oh, and all the cocktails. We also ordered the full charcuterie, fries, and I had the chicken confit sandwich.

The Cause? We chose Martha's Table.

Dining to make a difference is as good as it gets.

Their brunch is BOOZY - possibly to the point of being a bit overwhelming. We ordered an adult cereal to share, the Cinnamon Girl. The "milk" is really boozy. We could smell the booze even before we ate it. It's an interesting concept for cereal, but I think that I might have enjoyed this a bit more if they toned down the whiskey and maybe added more of the milk/ half & half.
All the brunch dishes we got were good, but also laced with alcohol. A clever idea, but it's more the novelty than food that truly stands out. I probably wouldn't make this a regular spot, but I'd take friends every so often for the novelty of it.

Awesome.

Oh, you wanted more of a review?

Creative food at reasonable prices, awesome drink menu, friendly staff, great atmosphere, trendy spot and all the proceeds go to charity.

Expect everything from veggie burgers to beef heart sandwiches (yes, it is what it sounds like, and quite good- though a tad rich for my taste).

It's worth checking out, I'm sure you'll find something on the menu you'll enjoy, and you can feel good about spending your money there.

I so wanted to like this place. My boyfriend & I had noticed this place months ago while headed to a happy hour event, and  loved the concept.  Last weekend, I was in the area for my hair appointment & was excited to finally give it a try.  I called the boyfriend & asked him to meet me there.

Initially, I loved the decor. I could stare at the wall and point out the musicians for hours.
Unfortunately that's where my positive review ends...

I sat & waited to be served for about 15min before the waiter said "you gonna order".  I said, "yes".  He then slid me a menu as he spoke to customers at the table beside me, without making any eye contact.

He was short with me, and was not at all attentive the entire time I was there. In fact, he was just extremely rude.  I was very disappointed in the service.

The food.  I ordered white cheddar fries and the wings with the house hot sauce.  The fries were tasty. I love white cheddar and had never tried it on fries. It was awesome.  Unfortunately, it's all I ate. I wanted to love the wings.  The sauce was ok. The chicken was chewy, and the skin almost tasted as if it were not done.  It was disgusting. I didn't send it back bc at this point, I was so disgusted with the service that I just wanted to LEAVE. My boyfriend had the fried chicken sandwich. He said it was just ok.

My chocolate infused beer was yummy.  Because I like the concept, I'd go back, sit at the bar and have a beer but I probably won't give the food another shot.

So Cause lost power while I was there -- just this place, nowhere else.

But I guess that happens, right?  We'd gotten a beer and an appetizer, and were happy to hang out, have another round, and get whatever food they could make.

The problem is the way they handled it.  As the room slowly warmed in the DC summer, we waited as the server quietly went to a few tables.  I think she told them something about what was wrong or when the power would be back, but I couldn't overhear and she never came by our table.  Oh well -- I'm sure things were crazy for her then, right?  We planned to be patient.

As we kept trying to flag the server down, we eventually overheard the server telling someone else that they couldn't serve any more food.  Disappointing, but we'd have another beer and wait it out.

Or, that was our plan.  Eventually, as it became increasingly uncomfortable, we decided to go elsewhere.  If they kept us informed and happy, we would have stuck around -- we're understanding people.  But facing the prospect of getting one beer and sitting there indefinitely before we could get the check or order food?  No thanks.

So when we finally did get service, we asked for the check.  Their credit card machine was down, and we didn't have cash.  At the risk of sounding greedy, I thought they might comp us down to the amount of cash we had, or just comp us for the two happy hour beers and one appetizer.  But no, they wrote down our credit card info, ran it later, and called to ask how much we'd like to tip.  

I love the charity aspect of Cause, but that's no excuse for a major failure of customer service.  I'll go back to cooler, friendlier venues and give a little more to charities of my choice, thanks.

And for what it's worth, the tso-style chicken wings were tremendously disappointing.  But hey, the beer was great! -- by which I mean, exactly what I expected.