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+

BlackFinn

for good buddy of BOOF's birthday, Coast, a large group of us ventured to new foggy bottom staple, BlackFinn, for dinner. Ever since BlackFinn came onto the scene in DC last fall, I have always enjoyed all my adventures there and I am a true fan of their happy hour. Furthermore, I also came to know that it is a pseudo big city chain, and the Foggy Bottom location is not its first DMV location but they also have another location out in Bethesda (which I have now also been to).

Black Finn takes on the identity of an "American Saloon" but it simply plays to idea of a restaurant/bar vibe. When it initially opened up, it was purely filled with the young and professional crowd which was definitely to my liking, but as GW (yup, i'm going to trash my alma mater for a second) students got wind of this new place, it quickly became a location of numerous frat parties and everyone's friends winning "happy hours". essentially, it became too collegiate. The decor of the restaurant does not have anything too special going on, it has a front bar and a back bar, and it has slightly elevated seating on the left side of the restaurant to accommodate those who would like to sit down for dinner. The right side and the back of the restaurant also has booth tables and seating along with high stools and tables for the more casual drink and happy hour partakers.

the divide that this BlackFinn has between the two (the dining area and the bar area) is very nice, but because the happy hour crowd is quite large and loud, the restaurant area definitely does not take well to a more intimate dining experience with your sig other. nevertheless, the dining area does do well for large groups, such as we were, but it is a shame that if you sit for dinner, you are unable to get the great happy hour deals even during "happy hour".

to start off, i ordered the spinach artichoke dip which is essentially is a staple on any menu and one that i am always inclined to order. i also find that it it something that is hard to mess up. the spinach dip was done well but i was not overwhelmed by some special and amazing flavor.

the birthday girl, CaCoast, ordered the Beef Sliders which are three miniature beef burgers topped with melted American cheese and grilled onions and served on potato rolls with au jus on the side for dipping. she enjoyed these and said the meat was seasoned well. she also ordered a side of fries and we all really enjoyed the seasoning that was on them.

Coast's bf, NY Sports Fan, ordered the Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwich prepared in hot, medium or mild Buffalo sauce and served on a warm ciabatta roll with lettuce, tomato, red onion and a side of bleu cheese dressing. Not a fan of condiments, NY Sports Fan was pleased by this sandwich because it was not drowning in buffalo sauce as an afterthought. it was a nice balance of the sauce with the chicken because the grilled flavor still came through.

i ordered one of the summer specials which was a Grilled Portobello Pasta featuring whole wheat spaghetti, grilled portobello
mushroom, baby spinach, oven roasted tomatoes, garlic, parmesan cheese, and olive oil. I really quite enjoyed this dish and was happy to see something besides a salad and a veggie burger on the menu to satisfy this hungry vegetarian's appetite. my only recommendation is that the dish could have used a little more seasoning because I could barely taste the garlic coming through and the pasta was a little drier then i would have liked. a little bit more olive oil probably would have done the trick. however, to be able to see portobello on the menu as a center to a dish was really pleasing.

BOOF Buddy, England, had the Ultimate Bacon Cheddar
Twice the bacon, three times the cheese! A BlackFinn Burger topped with four slices of applewood-smoked bacon, three times the aged cheddar cheese, crispy fried onion strings and sliced dill pickles on a grilled bulky roll. England also enjoyed his burger and mentioned that it was cooked well and was very filling. Nothing too special in the burger but it was done well.

One of BOOF's closest buddies, Twin, ordered the simple Old School Classic which is just a BlackFinn Burger topped with your choice of melted cheese and sliced dill pickles on a grilled bulky roll. For a side, she ordered a side of grilled carrots that were superbly tasty and good. Similarly to everything else that evening, the burger was done well but nothing too special and to call home about.

Our group was larger than this but critiquing the other half of the table was nearly impossible/a bit excessive. however, i think everyone pretty much had the same quality food with simple american flavors done well but nothing too special. my favorite part of BlackFinn is the happy hour not even because of the drink specials but because of the food specials. All of their pizzas are half off and the pizzas are all really really good. They are flatbread pizzas and two of the four are veggie friendly (the roasted vegetable and the marghertia). During happy hour, they end up being $5.00 which is a deal that you just can't beat.

Overall, I think BlackFinn will always remain a happy hour joint for me and not necessarily a sit down meal. Although there was nothing wrong with the food, there was not special about it and if I am going to sit down for a nice dinner, there are plenty of places that I think I would prefer to try.

Grade: B

*I may have gotten a few of these wrong but no biggie.

Vapianos

i love how all of my dinners with buddies seem to have this SATC theme to it. four girls, talking life, love and all the above while hitting up various locations throughout OUR city. i mean, it's a little different but no biggie.

BOOF buddies eh, kh (not me), cc and I are always trying to find a time for all of us to get together. needless to say, it is ALWAYS super hard/rarely ever happens. however, we all found a day and an evening to grab dinner and so we initially had planned to go to matchbox (yummm) but it was packed (per usual), so we opted for vapianos in china town.

i have only been to the vapianos in dupont before and I really do love it, but I definitely felt it was kind of "been there, done that". however, i really enjoyed the china town location. I also switched it up and ordered a pizza (we actually all did) instead of pasta, so that was also a welcome change.

unlike its dupont counter part, the chinatown location is much more open but it does lack the nice outdoor seating that the dupont location boasts. however, i always feel like the dupont location is very dark, and although it is a nice chill vibe, I did enjoy the nice natural lighting that was present throughout the whole restaurant. i also found that it was easier to find a table at the chinatown location, which might just be in large part due to it not being as busy. there are TONS of restaurants in chinatown (as there are in dupont), but everything is in much a more confined space in chinatown. also, a major plus about vapianos is their happy hour.

for those who have never been to vapianos, i really wish more restaurants worked like this. upon entering the restaurant, you are given a "card" in which you then essentially "swipe" when you order your meal. you also can do the same thing for drinks and desserts, and when you leave, you give them a card and all of your purchases appear on your bill. it takes away the mess of splitting the check various ways and adding tip etc. furthermore, when you order, you choose what type of pasta you would like with whichever "topping" but there are also "design your own" options. they make everything right in front of you, so you know that exactly what you want is going into your meal. pizza takes a little bit longer (clearly) but they are all baked in a brick oven so it is GOOD pizza.

eh, cc and I all ordered the Verdure which is topped with Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Roasted Vegetables and Mushrooms. it was very tasty and definitely hit the spot. nothing too spectacular or to call home about but it was a well done pizza with good flavors. as a pizza EXPERT, i clearly judge by the crust and the crust is tasty and airy enough but not too hard and tough. well done vapianos.

kh decided to be the renegade and she ordered the Rucola which was topped with Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Arugula and Parmesan. she enjoyed it and mentioned that it was well prepared and had good flavors.

all in all, i really enjoy vapianos and i think i have been converted to the chinatown location. the happy hour is also really really good with $4.00 house red wine, house white wine, peroni draught and pilsner draught. you really can't be that.

Grade: B

Good for buddies who are looking to catch up over an inexpensive meal or a first date. Things to do: Catch a movie at the theater, catch a concert at Verizon Center, catch a play at Woolly Mammoth theater, check out the latest exhibit at the National Portrait Museum...get the picture? So many things to do. Also, for dessert (in Chinatown), check out Tangy Sweet or Coco Sala. In Dupont- Kramerbooks.