Duke’s Grocery

They say the fourth time’s the charm, right? OK, I know that’s not how the saying goes but that’s how many attempts to go to Duke’s Grocery I made before being successful. The east London-inspired bar and eatery is located right behind my building giving me plenty of opportunities to make the long trek through the alley to the restaurant; however, on my first trip at lunch they were only open for dinner and I already had plans, on my second lunch attempt they weren’t opening for another hour and I had somewhere to be, and on the third attempt, they were closed for pipe maintenance. Last night, with no plans and having read online that they had re-opened, my boyfriend and I headed over for dinner and finally made it in. Hallelujah!

The rowhouse has a very cozy and laid-back vibe with a small amount of seating on the first-floor bar level and tables on the second floor. We found seats at the bar and began looking over the menu which is mostly made up of sandwiches as well as some shareable items. I decided on the Ruby on Rye (essentially a Reuben with mustard and pickles instead of Russian dressing) and my boyfriend ordered the curried chicken salad sandwich. We also ordered a couple drinks from their small but varied bar menu which, to my utter delight, includes fruit crush cocktails. As anyone who goes to the Delaware/Maryland beaches knows, the orange crush is the ultimate summer cocktail. During our time at the beach, my friends and I crush these crushes (if you will) but lacking the patience and upper-body strength to regularly use a hand juicer necessary to make them, my crush consumption is generally limited to my time at the beach. Until now, that is.

Our sandwiches arrived fairly quickly and, as a huge Reuben sandwich fan, I have to say that Duke’s Grocery is where I will be getting my fix from now on. The sandwich had a very generous portion of corned beef (they call it salt beef but pretty much the same thing) that was not thin deli slices but huge slabs of flavorful meat. The provolone cheese provided a creaminess that countered the welcome bite and spice from the mustard, sauerkraut, and pickles. The rye bread held up perfectly to the sandwich which can tend to fall apart or get soggy without the right vehicle. My one complaint about the meal was the side salad which was  greens and dressing, which I tend to enjoy, but the dressing was lacking given it should be star of the show in a simple salad like this. The greens also added $3 dollars to the price which I think is pretty steep for this side; the price of just a sandwich is a very reasonable $9 usually. My boyfriend really enjoyed his curried chicken salad sandwich but I make a pretty mean curry chicken salad, so I had a bit of a bias when I sampled the sandwich.

I see frequent visits to Duke’s Grocery in my future, which is a perfect spot for a laid-back meal or a drink when you don’t really want to go out, which tends to be more and more as I get older (I know, 25 is ancient). I have an irrational fear of becoming a regular at a restaurant, which I think stems from a cashier at a lunch place who would kiss my hand every time I came in, but, as long as that doesn’t happen here, this is the kind of place I could visit multiple times per week. The atmosphere is not too noisy or crowded and the rotating menu boasts a lot of other options I am eager to try. Plus it will be my go-to spot for crush cocktails while I mourn the fleeting summer months. I can only hope they will add a happy hour and brunch menu in the near future. 

Duke’s Grocery

1513 17th Street NW

Washington, DC 20036

                                                                

Bottomless Brunch at Boqueria

The natural choice for a Saturday afternoon activity is an all-you-can eat, all-you-can-drink brunch. I mean, what else could you possibly do? This rationale is exactly how my boyfriend, 3 friends, and I found ourselves at Boqueria this past weekend. Boqueria is a Spanish tapas restaurant located in Dupont circle whose weekend brunch deal holds a special place in my heart. For $40, you get unlimited brunch tapas plates and drinks. Pure bliss, right? This perfection gets kicked up a notch if you can score a table outside when the weather is nice, which is always our go-to move. Another reason I like to sit outside is so I can get my favorite waiter in all of DC. I finally asked him his name on this visit, so I’d like to give a special shout-out to my man Bojan (I’m a poet and I didn’t know it!). Once you tell Bojan that you want to do the bottomless brunch (still very unclear as to why anyone wouldn’t do this), he completely takes over. The only decision you have to make is which brunch drink (which quickly turns into numerous drinks) you would like, which means a choice between red sangria, white sangria, rose sangria, a mimosa, a bloody mary, or beer. You can always switch drinks so you don’t need to feel too much pressure about what you pick. I once went to a bottomless brunch where they would not let me switch from bloody marys which really ticked me off because I could only drink two before I got miserably full. I always pick the red sangria at Boqueria because, not only is it delicious, but Sangria always seems like the appropriate al fresco cocktail.

The only job left for you at this point is to eat and drink anything and everything that comes in front of you. Bojan always puts in orders for every item on the menu for us and then lets us tell him what we would like more of. A run-down of the many dishes includes: blistered shishito peppers, lamb meatballs, tortilla espanola, eggs benedict, a vegetable flatbread, green salad, scrambled eggs with chorizo, roasted vegetables, pan con tomate, mussels, panko crusted chicken tenders, patatas bravas, pancakes, and ,finally, pineapple drizzled with molasses. Phew. I feel hungry and ridiculously full at the same time after writing that. I enjoy every item except for the mussels which are a bit tough and fishy for me. My friends liked them but all the other restaurants serving excellent mussels in D.C. have spoiled me (I like to think of myself as somewhat of a mussels connoisseur at this point). One of my favorite items would have to be the pan con tomate which is so simple yet completely satisfying;it is crusty french bread rubbed with tomato and garlic and drizzled with olive oil that always transports me to my vacation in Barcelona where it was served at virtually every meal. It is also served with thinly sliced ham and manchengo, which may be my favorite kind of cheese (so difficult for me to choose). Other stars include the tortilla espanola (Spanish omelet of eggs, potatoes, and onions) and the crispy chicken tenders, which I mostly , if not entirely, love for the garlicky creamy aioli they are served with, which I would seriously eat with everything if it didn’t mean I would weigh 400 pounds. I also love the meatballs with a fabulous lamb flavor, roasted vegetables served with a spicy romesco sauce that compliments but doesn’t outshine the vegetables, and eggs benedict (I generally hate hollandaise sauce so this is big for me). The dessert items are pretty incredible; the molasses on the fresh, juicy pineapple takes it to a whole new level and there is nothing not to love about churros served with warm chocolate dipping sauce.

Brunch at Boqueria is one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon with friends: eating, drinking and, enjoying each other’s company outdoors. The staff does not rush you out of your table and doesn’t judge you for the amount of food you ate, drinks you had, or state you leave in. Boqueria also provides for some excellent people watching as many of the nearby restaurants also do bottomless brunch and someone is guaranteed to be over-served and putting on a spectacle. So while the weather is still nice, I encourage you to go soak up the sun and sangria!