Good Stuff Eatery

"This is the Good Stuff".

That's the motto. Maybe not the great stuff but the stuff is definitely good. Having been to Good Stuff a few times, I finally made the adventure post-gym one evening (at least i know that I burned it in my workout) for a takeout dinner.

Good Stuff Eatery is the lovechild of Top Chef Alum, Spike Mendehlson located in Capitol Hill. It is known for its burgers, fries and shakes and had a large part in putting quality burger joints on the DC map. It is now located adjacent to Spike's second restaurant, "We, the Pizza". You definitely feel like you're in a "burger joint" when you walk into Good Stuff, but you also feel like you're in a "DC Burger Joint", if that makes any sense. I hope it does. They have upstairs seating and some on the ground floor, although, the majority of people who sit on the first floor are waiting for their take-out order. It also boasts a front outdoor patio which now is joined to the front outdoor patio of We the Pizza. Definitely a nice vibe on a warm evening.

For my burger, I obviously ordered the VEGETARIANS ARE PEOPLE TOO ‘SHROOM BURGER which is an Organic Portobello Tops Stuffed With Muenster & Cheddar, Flash Fried With Panko Crumbs, Ruby Tomato, Onions, Lettuce & Pickle With Good Stuff Sauce. The one thing that I will mention is that it is very refreshing to see something other than your run of the mill veggie burger on a menu for a restaurant. I really appreciate that Good Stuff "pushes the envelope" and does something other than your average black bean or some other frozen veggie burger variety. Nevertheless, i was a little dissapointed with the burger. It was a little to soggy and I personally love portobello burgers simply marinated and grilled, and I don't think the bread crumbs and flash fry is necessary. It became too much about the breadding rather then letting the delicious portobello stand on its own. Maybe if it the fry was a little crispier, I would have enjoyed it more but I just think you don't even need the breadding. I do appreciate that he was trying to do something different though.

I also ordered a snack size of Spike's Village Fries which are topped With Fresh Thyme, Rosemary & Sea Salt. I enjoyed the fries but I almost would have rather the fries been seasoned prior to going into the fryer. However, they did have a good flavor balance and I enjoyed them.

Now onto the number one reason to go to Good Stuff. the MILKSHAKE. The milkshakes that come out of Good Stuff are absolutely delicious. I really really love milkshakes but not only does Good Stuff do the traditional flavors well but they also push the envelope with flavors like Toasted Marshmallow. I will definitely go out on a limb and say that Good Stuff definitely puts out the best Milshakes in town. On this trip, I ordered the Cookies and Creme and it was divine. Wow, I wan't that milkshake right now.

Overall, a trip to Good Stuff is always tasty. From my non-vegetarian friends, I hear that the normal burgers are very tasty, so I definitely recommend a trip...even if it's just for the milkshake. ;-)



Grade: B+ (A for the Milkshakes)

La Loma

Close buddies of BOOF, Twin and Nattag and I always try and get together but this does not always happen as often as we would like. however, with my DC departure imminently approaching, we knew that we had to make something happen very soon. we all finally found a day that we could meet up for drinks and because I was trying to use up all/most of my groupon/livingsocial deals before I left, I recommended Lounge 201 by Union Station for happy hour.

Unfortunately, as I reached Lounge 201 on one of many blisteringly hot DC summer days, I came to found that they are randomly closed for "special events" on mondays, none of which were actually occuring. weird. so sadly, i was unable to use my groupon, but with so many great places in such a close vicinity, we walked a little farther up Mass to a Capitol Mexican spot, La Loma.

La Loma sits in Capitol Hill on Mass just south of Stanton Square Park and just north of Union Station next to two other restaurants, Bistro Cacao and Cafe Berlin. I had previously been to La Loma before with BOOF buddy, ea, before BOOF officially began and really enjoyed myself. the best feature of these three restaurants are their large front outdoor patios. All three have very expansive outside seating and because it is in the front rather then in the back, it allows for a nice amount of people watching. however, the bushes are a little high in most areas so it limits outside people watching you eat. On summer evenings and afternoons, it can be one of the most pleseant places to be in DC with the hustle and bustle of the outdoor patios of each restaurant.

Nevertheless, as I mentioned before, it was really really really hot and humid outside (go figure DC), so we opted to sit inside in the nice air conditioning. sigh. The inside decor is very "traditionally mexican" (whatever that is supposed to mean) with bold color choices on the walls, a few cacti throughout but nothing too unexpected. we weren't really hungry so we just ordered the strawberry margaritas and the guacamole.

the margaritas were good and a perfect way to cool off on a hot hot summer day (did I mention that it was hot outside?), but not the best margaritas I have ever had and nothing to call home about. however, we did only start off with a half pitcher and we ended up ordering another half pitcher, so they had to have done something well.

the complimentary chips and salsa were decent, but the salsa was a little watery which I am not really a fan of because it makes it that more difficult to scoop the salsa on your chip. however, i could not stop eating the chips and salsa. the guacamole was nice and fresh but i do wish we would have been given a little bit more for all the chips that they put on the plate. the guacamole was served with a special more phyllo texture chip that was so good. i could just ate a bowl of those chips and been a happy camper. they should really make those chips the highlight of their restaurant because they were heavy enough to withhold the weight of the guac and not crumble but light and airy all at the same time.

all in all, i would maybe go back to la loma for a meal, especially because of its convenience. when I was there before, I am pretty certain that I had the Veggie fajitas which were tasty but nothing above average. there are plenty of things to do in the are (see, Cafe Berlin) but i would only recommend La Loma for a cheap bite, not necessarily for quality Mexican. Go to Casa Oaxaca for that.

Grade: B-/C+

Le Pain Quotidien

le pain is an international restaurant of obvious french flair. it is a very nice restaurant/cafe to dine for breakfast or lunch and it is well known for it's "communal table" dining. i had previously been to both the georgetown and dupont circle locations (unfortunately, no international ones for me :-) ), but to hang out with BOOF buddy, kku, we decided to meet one morning for a sort of after breakfast snack at the bethesda location.

the bethesda location is located on bethesda row which is an adorable area that i had never really ventured to previously, but if I ever find myself back in DC living (which i pray i do), i definitely would want to spend some more time there. i am fairly certain that all le pain's pretty much have a similar set up with a large communal table in part of their restaurant with more individual tables set up around the restaurant and then the bakery/casing taking a large part of space also in the restaurant. the furniture is dominated by a lot of "unfinished wood", and although i really like the concept of the communal dining, i still feel that you just end up communicating with whoever you are with. nevertheless, it is an idea that i do like.

le pain uses mainly (if not all) organic ingredients in their meals and i have had breakfast there before and really enjoyed it. on this day, kku and I just enjoyed a couple of breakfast pastries. le pain is one of those places that it can be difficult to order because EVERYTHING in the pastry cases looks delicious. nevertheless, i just ordered a simple croissant (i know how boring), but it was delicious.

kku was a little but more adventurous and ordered this really tasty bread topped with a creme and strawberries. it was really really good. the creme wasn't that sweet and the strawberries were sweet with enough tart that you were not too overwhelmed. and the bread definitely had a nice pastry puff/croissant taste to it, so it was nice and had a bit of a crunch to balance out the texture.

all in all, a trip to le pain is always good and never disappointing. if you need something quick, i definitely recommend just grabbing a pastry and a coffee to go (coffee is good and strong), but if you have time to sit down...then definitely do that and order something of more substance. their omelettes are pretty tasty...just a thought.

Grade: B

Cafe Berlin

good friends. good times. good weather. good bier.

welp, another weekend came and went and biergarten haus has still yet to open. nevertheless, we were determined to have some spring/summer fun, so BOOF buddy Sho and I got to googling to find some Saturday fun for our other buddies to engage in with us. we found options throughout the city but nothing really caught our eye until we found Cafe Berlin. essentially, we were out to find the closest thing to a german beer garden as possible, so after the prospective location was “ok”ed by our resident german, we decided on this capitol hill gem.

it was a picture perfect afternoon that you dream about and we were scheduled to meet at 1pm to begin an afternoon of fun. i arrived about 15 minutes after one (i had to make a pitstop at the sporting goods store…more on that later) and BOOF buddies, sho, ss and js had already begun to enjoy the wonderful outdoor patio and Hefeweizen. I quickly joined them and all was right in the world. unfortunately, the german buddy was deathly ill and was unable to make it so we made it a point to consume some Hefeweizen in his honor. well, not really but we’ll pretend. our two farthest buddies, kk and ak (no relation) were running RIDICULOUSLY late but they both eventually showed up to enjoy our saturday fun.

to start off, sho and I decided to split a KARTOFFEL PFANNKUCHEN (potato pancakes w/ apple sauce and sour cream), as did ss & js and they were quite good. although our german was unable to really attest to how good they were, sho is also a potato pancake expert and thoroughly enjoyed them. they were well fried, a little greasy, but nicely seasoned.

onto the meals. only kk was feeling particularly german so the most of us ordered very american lunch items.

ss ordered the cafe berlin cheese steak sandwich which was topped with mushrooms, onions and peppers. although this item was a little late (they lose a point for not bringing out all the food at the same time), ss really enjoyed it and said that it was well seasoned and very tasty.


js ordered the cajun sandwich was blackened chicken with Monterrey jack cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and honey mustard. this was a big surprise of the afternoon because it was really really good. i don’t think js or anyone else for that matter thought to find a cajun sandwich at a german restaurant so tasty, but it was. everyone mentioned that it had a very nice kick to it.





sho and i both opted for the vegetarian sandwich, which included a roasted portobello mushroom with bell pepper and goat cheese. the flavors and ingredients were simple but they worked together very well and it was a delicious sandwich. that is a sandwich that i can definitely and will replicate at home. i also love restaurants that make it a point to include a vegetarian option on their menu. although the german buddy was slightly disappointed in me because i did not order anything off of the asparagus menu, i was pleased with my choice. i would, however, definitely go back to order off that special menu because i do love me some asparagus.

kku was the only member of the crew to order something uniquely german and she ordered the bratwurst and said that it was also very good and enjoyable. every one’s meal also came with those little mountains of potatoes and they were ok. depending on the flavor of your sandwich, it either went well or not so much. they tasted as as though they had a hint of either vinegar or sour cream because they had a bit of a bitter taste but they weren’t bad. however, it is definitely a criticism because the items on the lunch menu all taste very different and the side item should compliment the main entree, not take away from it.

when ak FINALLY showed up, he also ordered the cajun chicken sandwich and enjoyed it as well. then we got back to drinking more Hefeweizen and kk was determined to order a boot, so we did and it was glorious. although our MIA german buddy has told us that the BOOT is actually not a german thing, we pretended as though it was and enjoyed the moment.

all in all, our meal at cafe berlin was pretty great. the food was tastier than expected and very reasonably priced. cafe berlin is located on capitol hill a few blocks up from union station on mass ave and is the last of three restaurants between 4th and 5th. although i only went inside to use the bathroom, it appears to be a split level townhouse type feel with the bottom level being more of a pub space and the top level being more of a cafe/nice dining space. however, the key to cafe berlin is the large outdoor patio that is located in the front of the restaurant which allows for people watching, but yet it is enclosed so you don’t feel like your conversation is being shared with all passerby tourists and locals alike. outstanding space. i recommend cafe berlin for a group of friends who want more beer for their buck and a simple meal to go with it. i also think its a great spot for a more casual date but nothing more formal than that. lasting thoughts: food was good but not great; service was good; beer selection was really unimpressive. they only have three beers on tap and hefeweizen was the darkest of them all, so you can already tell what that means. the only “Stout” that they had came in a bottle, so I definitely recommend that they increase their beer menu and their drafts if they want to give a truly german experience. location-location-location= perfect.

Grade: B

Activities! so our afternoon was not over after lunch. originally, we had planned to play bocce ball in the park but js and ss had just ordered their set and it wasn’t going to come in until tuesday. so, i stopped in at modell’s and picked up a frisbee and a wiffle ball bat & ball. after a whole series of events, we (even BOOF buddy ml made it by then!) ended up a block away at stanton square park and played for a little bit and had a wonderful time. I recommend playing in the park, going for a walk around capitol hill or even heading over to union station or the postal museum and taking a look around.