Sixth Engine

2 stars for a fairly mediocre experience.

I never like having to write these reviews, but sometimes they need to be written. I went with a group of people to Sixth Engine, located on Massachusetts near Georgetown Law, for a pre-arranged dinner. However, the restaurant didn't save a table for the reservation, so we had to wait about 10-15 minutes for our table. While not a big deal by itself, it was a sign of things to come.

We took our seat and looked around at the venue. It is fairly clean and looks like your standard American-style tavern restaurant. This venue also has a ton of outside seating and a good sized bar, which is a plus.

While I'll get to the service below, I'll talk about the food and drink first. I arrived early and got a beer off their happy hour menu. While the beer I ordered was good and from a good selection, I didn't particularly care for the response to my question of which beer the bartender recommended being "they are all good for the price. Just pick one." I get that your busy, but snark (even if intended as playful) isn't necessary. Again, not a big deal on it's own, but just a note.

In terms of food, I ordered the hush puppies and the duck. While I will note that someone at the table did love one item (the hot wings), most people had the same reaction of all of the food being pretty average. My hush puppies were ok, but they were a little too bready and needed either more corn or some other item to balance it out. The duck was overcooked and the onions and potatoes that should have been highlights were just ok. Additionally, the duck was overpriced at $25 for what you get.

While this could have all just led to an average 3 star review, what dropped this to 2 stars was the awful service. Monchell was our waitress (at least that what was listed on the receipt), and she was mostly non-existent and disinterested in serving us. She didn't come back for somewhere between 45 minutes to an hour between dropping off food and asking about the check...and the restaurant had emptied out by then. She wasn't very pleasant (I think she is just quiet?) and overall didn't seem the appropriate person to handle our 10 person table. I say all this being one of the least aggravated people at the table, so take from that what you will.

Overall, Sixth Engine provided a fairly mediocre-to-subpar dining experience. While I may come back for happy hour drinks or to see if the patio with a different server for brunch might be better, I'm generally disinclined to give this place another chance for dinner considering all of the other options in the area.

I made a last minute reservation on Opentable. It was a freakishly nice day in March so outdoor seating would have required a wait. There were many "campers" nursing their wine.
We sat upstairs and I really liked the ambiance. Service was 5 star. Mo (Monchelle) was excellent and oh so pleasant! If you get lucky, you will get her as a server.
The food was a bit disappointing although Mo was great with substitutions and explanations.
First, the side salad boring. Really boring. The fries were soggy. The turkey panini was made as requested and was ok.
I would like to return and try the interesting cocktails. Also, the breakfasts look good.

Came here with a group of 4 on a Sunday night, we made the reservation that day, got seated immediately. The service was great.

For food my boyfriend and I got the fried chicken sandwich, the half chicken and Mac and cheese. The fried chicken sandwich was great, we really liked it. The half chicken and Mac and cheese were very bland. I liked the collard greens that came with my chicken, but that was about it. I was disappointed with what I ordered unfortunately. The mac and cheese actually came out lukewarm, so we had to have them warm it up. My friends ordered the duck, burger, and Brussels sprouts. They pretty much won this night. Our friends duck looked really good, we were sad we didn't get it.

For desert we got the apple fritters, definitely get the apple fritters, the best thing we had that night. Overall, restaurant was nice, service was good, but food was somewhat bland to us!

Came here for happy hour with my colleagues and had a great experience. We got here just in time for happy hour which is from 4:30 - 7. They offer beers, house wines, and the cocktail of the day on special; prices ranging from $5-$7. The cocktail of the day was Vodka Ginger (syrup) Lemonade, however I did a slight change and asked for Ginger Ale instead of syrup. It was so good that it tasted like juice so sip slow.
I think I thoroughly enjoyed it because it was made with my favorite vodka which is my main man Tito! The Butcher Board and Cheese Plate were shared at the table. Be sure to ask for more crostinis if you are with a group of 3 or more.

I will be back to enjoy more bar bites, drinks, and brunch per the yelpers who have raved about this hidden gem. Too bad they aren't open during lunch time or else they would see more of me versus waiting for the evening time. The bartenders/waitresses were excellent and very attentive to us. They also gave great suggestions that has prompt me to return!

Saturday Brunch Review:

HOUSE SALAD - $8 + chicken breast $7
greens, carrots, radish, cucumber, fresh herbs, & creamy red wine vinaigrette

Wow this is the big daddy of all salads. It's definitely large enough to split with someone! The greens were so fresh and crispy and my favorite part was that there was frisee. Yassss I love me some frisee! I like bitterness in my salads so they aren't so one note. Also could tell that the chicken breast was butterflied and grilled. Really great char flavor on the chicken.

DESSERT:
I recommend getting the APPLE FRITTERS cinnamon sugar & whipped cream - $7
It's listed under their brunch menu but they are so sweet I'd get it for dessert.

Service and Atmosphere:
We sat outside which was beautiful and the service was great throughout brunch.

We had dinner here last week. It was a lovely evening with regard to temperature & it was great to be able to eat outside.

There were 4 of us & we started with 3 appetizers. The Brussel sprouts were excellent with bacon mixed in. The wings were good, too. I wasn't keen on the cauliflower because the breaking was so overpowering that I couldn't taste the cauliflower at all.

For my entree, I had the fried chicken sandwich. It was fine. Not great.

Brunch review : a good spot to have their Cheddar Benedict, the hush puppies (to die for) and their burgers. Nothing too fancy and just the right amount of hanging out here. TVs and leather booths in the back styled like a new american restaurant and a bar for people to sit at.

#Protip for parking: go around the other side of the block and you should be able to find parking. It was easy enough for me and a couple of dollars.

Food was higher end bar food. I had the shrimp and grits which is something I normally wouldn't order, but I am glad I did. It had a nice chipotle sauce and the shrimp were medium size and not over cooked. We ordered the meat and cheese plate and the deviled eggs. They were great but were delivered to the wrong table and they took them That delayed our dinner by 30 minutes which was not cool.

Our waitress was good but stretched too thin and some of the people that were busing tables and delivering food didn't speak much English. When I told him, "those are our appetizers" he didn't understand.

I would come back when in the area.

Great experience all around. I held a very small bridal shower brunch at Sixth Engine. From making a reservation to the day of the brunch, everyone was super helpful and attentive to making it the best experience.

We were seated upstairs and provided water to start. It was nice to have a booth because it gave us a little more room for our gifts. I was able to bring in small floral arrangements. The staff was attentive for the most part. It took a little while for food to come out, but they did not rush us out of the restaurant. I really appreciate the time to enjoy guests, the environment and the food.

I particularly enjoy that bottomless drinks does not have to apply to the whole table. Most of us opted to do so because of the cost. The drink deal also let's you switch between mimosas and bloody Marys.

For brunch/lunch, I had the house salad with steak. It was great. Others has a salad, the pulled pork sliders, the omelette de jour and the pretzel bun breakfast sandwich. Everyone really enjoyed the food.

Thanks for a great afternoon!

I walked by here while going to a post conference networking event and thought....."Hmmm. I should have dinner there on my way back." And I did.

I put it on autopilot here kids. The server came over and asked what I wanted for a drink "What's good on tap?" He delivered. Appetizer? "What's good?" Dinner: "What do you recommend?" Another beer? "Sure, what's else is good?"

So, not only a good server, but had some really good recommendations. I had two really good beers, a tasty app and a good 'samich for dinner. When you're at a new place, sometimes it's good to let someone who knows the menu to help you out.

I opted to sit outside. Mostly because the host gave me a choice and I asked her. Good recommendation overall. It was a nice night out and it was fun to be outdoors and do a little people watching while eating.

Give this place a try. And ask what's good. You won't be disapointed.