West End Bistro: Amazing.

Eric Ripert.  Eric Ripert.  Eric Ripert.

I was hoping that maybe if I said his name 3 times fast he would show up, and my life would be complete ... but he isn't here and I'm hungry :(

Lucky for me I happen to work just three blocks from Eric's DC restaurant - West End Bistro - and I have had the pleasure of going there twice, and hopefully will get to go many more times in the future.  My last occasion - and the prompting for this review was on Christmas Eve (yea I know, I planned on writing this a while ago ... but time just flies away).  I had the occasion of bringing my lovely friend Lauren with me for a great candle-lit, pre-mass dinner - at which we had an amazing time.

You'll have to forgive me, because I don't remember what we had on this occasion and I might be thinking of the other time I went -- but either way I have tried the food and it is absolutely amazing.  I will say it right now, West End Bistro is one of the best restaurants in DC.

I will start with the most important course of any meal I am at - drinks ... we both ordered margaritas.  When I say these margs were perfection, I'm not kidding - they were amazing (and also $12 each, so you clearly got what you paid for).  I can't speak for the rest of their drink menu, but something tells me that if you are bothering to make a margarita that good (and your speciality isn't margs), your other drinks will be amazing as well.

For appetizers we got the Calamari - which I didn't not try - but Lauren said it was absolutely amazing.  And I am fairly certain I had the Pan Roasted Quail - which was amazing.  Perfectly cooked and just generally amazing.

For the main course I got the Classic Burger - with Cheese.  Now, it would seem kind of odd that I would get a burger at such a 'fancy' restaurant - or that Ripert would even bother putting it on the menu ... but trust me on this one - try it.  I had read somewhere (I think maybe in Washingtonian) that Ripert claimed to have perfected the burger.  He apparently tooled around with different recipes, sizes of buns, silces of vegetables, etc ... and eventaully found something he thought was perfect.  I am fairly certain he figured it out.  While I am a fan of messy burgers with all kinds of different toppings, and generally will order burgers - I rarely find one that I really say WOW, I want that (aside from Five Guys).  Ripert has done that, and I'm not really sure how, but I was quite impressed.

Lauren got the Shrimp and Grits - an interesting combination in my mind, but one she really enjoyed.  I honestly didn't try them - but I'll take her word on it that they were good.

We also shared some helpings of the Mac & Cheese and the Green Beans as side dishes - both of which were cooked fairly well.  I was not overly impressed with the Mac & Cheese, I generally prefer mine to be cheesier, but it was very well cooked - and flavorful.  I would be pleased if I served that to any guest in my home, so once again good job Chef Ripert.  And the Green Beans were lovely as well.

West End Bistro is truly one of the best restaurants in DC ... pony up the cash and go.

Tim Shea: 5/5

Sidebar: Apparently Eric Ripert is getting his own show on PBS this fall - read about it here.

The Narrows: Go.

To be honest I wasn't that thrilled about going to The Narrows (3023 Kent Narrows Way S, Kent Narrows, MD), but we were going to meet a friend who was driving from Delaware and we wanted to meet somewhere good that was still equidistant from both DC and DE.  We settled on The Narrows, which he recommended, and that suited me fairly well as it was just a bit over the Bay Bridge.

The Narrows is your typical waterfront 'fancy' restaurant, and I put fancy in quotes because most waterfront fancy restaurants just aren't really that fancy.  There is something about the waterfront that causes a restaurant to loose 'class' (although never price); I'm not really sure of the phenomena, but in my endless travels up and down the Eastern seaboard I have noticed this, albeit with a few exceptions.  Basically the prices and the food would indicate that you could not wear jeans to this place, but you could totally pull it off - especially in the winter when business is down a bit.

I don't think I have ever been more impressed with a restaurant that did not seem like it would over the top.  Although the server was delayed in getting to our table, once she had come she was extremely attentive.  The only thing bad were the drinks - they were just not very good at all.  Anyway... Soup.  French Onion = amazing.  Clam Chowder = apparently amazing.  Caesar Salad = amazing (also comes included with the entree).  As my entree, I got the braised pork ... I forget what my other two guests got.

All in all this meal was amazing ... so if you happen to be crossing the Bay Bridge towards the Ocean and get a craving - stop at The Narrows.  Or plan your trip around it, you won't be disappointed.

Tim Shea: 4/5 

Art & Soul: Eh...

I kept on reading good reviews of Art & Soul (415 NJ Ave NW, 202-393-7777) and had been wanting to try it for quite some time.  A good friend of mine went during Appetite Stimulus week (the fake restaurant-esque week sponsored by OpenTable) and said it was not worth my time - but I have a tendency to not listen.  So when my friends and I were picking a restaurant for dinner last Tuesday, I suggested Art & Soul ... so we went; and I should have listened to my friend.

Honestly ... I was disappointed.  The Executive Chef, Art Smith, was previously Oprah's chef, and was a two time James Beard award winner.

I think Tom Sietsema's review, here, said it best, "At its best, Art and Soul is a restaurant that makes you forget you're eating in a hotel." ... everything else is really lackluster.  I personally liked the decor, and the service was okay.  But the food didn't really come across as Southern, the entrees were bland and flavorless.   Though I will say the hoecakes were fairly interesting - and fairly Southern I suppose, but the rest of the meal was downhill.

Overall, I'd maybe give it a star or two ... If you are in the area and want a meal which costs more than it should - stop in, but if you are willing to actually spend good money on food do yourself the favor and walk around the block to Charlie Palmer's Steak.

Tim Shea: 1.5/5