For my last DC meal for a couple of months, best buddy of BOOF, Mo and I decided to head to Ted's Bulletin for lunch on my way out of town. Ted's Bulletin is a new restaurant located in Eastern Market/Barracks Row and after reading Tom Sistema's Washington Post review, I was really amped up to go. Because Mo works in that same area, she has already been to Ted's but because she has always enjoyed it, she was excited to venture there again with me. Ted's Bulletin has one of the coolest decors in all of DC restaurant because the restaurant is themed after old newspapers and bulletins. The restaurant is split into a front room which has a couple of high tables but that area is primarily for takeout and it also features a bakery with the most delicious homemade pop-tarts. The main dining room in the back has ground level booths in the middle and then slightly raised booths on the side with hardwood tables and gold/yellow leather cushioned seats. Similar to many restaurants in the Capitol Hill/Eastern Market area, the designers of the restaurant decided to maintain the integrity of the building with its exposed brick walls which also helps add to the old school feel. On one wall, the restaurant has continuous black and white movies being played and my favorite part of the dining area is the large skylight in the middle of the ceiling which allows for a great amount of natural light.
The menu comes in the form of a newspaper with actual articles on the front and then the food menu on the inside. I love that idea. So really, if your friend/date is boring you, just read a couple of the articles so at le
ast you
'll have something to talk about. Just kidding. I love that a restaurant decided to do something different and creative when coming up with a concept for their décor and the food is good too. We're on to that next.
Mo is always happy when she finds a restaurant that has a decent amount of gluten-free items available for her to enjoy. She was really craving breakfast, so she decided to order the "Mark on an Off Day". She really enjoyed how everything was cooked and the bacon was not to oily or greasy as well as the hashbrowns. Additionally, she ordered the fries as a side…yes, I know she was eating breakfast but fries are a universal meal item in my personal opinion. The fries are really really delicious. They are seasoned well and fried nicely with a little bit of crisp to complement the nice soft potato interior. Furthermore, I am always appreciative of pla
ces that keep the skin on their potatoes and this is becoming more popular, so that was also another good thing.
For my meal, I reverted back to most people's favorite childhood comfort food, Ted's Famous Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup. Apparently it is one of the restaurant's top meals, and it was extremely tasty. I clearly had to ensure that there would be no surprise meat in the tomato soup (some weird places put meat in their tomato soup!), and it was all clear.I definitely I understand why Ted is famous for his Grilled Cheese and Tomato soup because both were definitely quite tasty. Although a grilled cheese is a grilled cheese and there was nothing too special about it, the toast was toasted perfectly and this can definitely be a make or break of a grilled cheese sandwich. The tomato soup was absolutely delicious. You could definitely tell that this was no canned tomato soup but definitely fea
tured freshly pureed tomatoes and because tomato soup has the tendency to be too salty, this was perfectly averted by the use of other seasonings such as pepper to balance out the flavor. Additionally, I ordered the Mac & Four Cheese as a side because I am the queen of baked mac & cheese. A lot of restaurants these days also have the preference of adding some bacon into their mac and cheese which I personally think is just a travesty, so I had to ensure that there would be no little pieces of meat hanging around and I was in the clear (points for being vegetarian friendly!). I was not too blown away by the mac and cheese and it was honestly a bit of a disappointment. The top had a nice crisp to it but I think they were to heavy handed on the cream base that they used and didn't include enough cheese but you never got that delicious gooey cheese taste when you took a bite. 
Now, we were way over the acceptable caloric intake so we just thought we would top it off with a Ted's Bulletin staple, the milkshake. Now in my Good Stuff review, I mentioned that they have the best milkshakes in town which I will stick to, but Ted's Bulletin is right behind them. They have delicious milkshakes and both Mo and I ordered them. I went with my classic Cookies and Cream shake and Mo went with the Heath Almond. I think it is just plain impossible to not do a milkshake justice but both Good Stuff and Ted's does a superb job at both making the consistency right (not too thin, not too thick) and the flavor is just delicious. They also have "Adult Milkshakes" for the evening time which feature delicious flavor combos plus some alcohol.
I really enjoyed Ted's Bulletin. The vision for the restaurant is new and interesting and the food is classically well done American cuisine. A big plus to the restaurant is that they serve breakfast all day (WIN!) and so I would definitely be inclined to head back to Ted's for both breakfast and dinner, and obviously another milkshake. Oh yes, and don't forget to get a homemade pop tart on your way out. :-)
Grade: A-
