Scion Restaurant

It's lunch time and I want to try something close to my hotel.  I've had meals in this space before as it's been several restaurants.  If I'm not mistaken the decor hasn't changed, for the former restaurant.  I love asian and asian fusion foods so I thought I would give this space at try for a quick lunch.


Located just steps away from Dupont Circle the location is primo!   This is a casual neighborhood restaurant.  Dining with me were business people, tourist families and neighborhood residents.  Definitely a mix.   Entering the restaurant its pretty much the same as it's former, but it appears the outdoor seating has been enlarged.    There is a bar on the right and main dining room on the left.  

I'm immediately seated and my perky server greets me.  Looking over the menu I notice there are some eclectic choices, not asian fusion but not american either.  It's like they blended the line. I'm not particularly hungry, so I'm order all apps.

I order the surf & turf sliders, shrimp tempura, spinach salad and macaroni and cheese.  

Everything came out within 5 minutes.  Nice presentation.

Since I'm not a big crab lover, I wasn't sure if I would like the crab sliders.  They were really good, but not as good as the Kobe beef slider.  The fried pickle on top was a nice addition.  All in all two thumbs up.  The spinach salad was spot on and the shrimp tempura was crispy and not greasy.  The dipping sauce had a nice "kick"!  The mac & cheese was the weakest dish.  It wasn't bad but it was a bit to runny for me.  I tend to like my mac and cheese with a bit of a crust and to be firmer creamier sauce.

The price point for the quality of food and portion size was great considering the area the restaurant is located in.

The staff was on point and attentive without being overbearing and obtrusive as I was one of only six tables in the restaurant.

I enjoyed my lunch and will definitely return for an evening dinner service.

Scion Restaurant

2100 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
phone:  202-833-8899
web:  scionrestaurantdc.com

Grillfish

I’ve eaten at Grillfish before and have enjoyed every experience.  It’s a “go to” restaurant when I’m in Washington, DC.

Located equidistant between Georgetown and Dupont Circle.  Grillfish is located at the corner of New Hampshire and M street.  It’s a small place with a quasi macabre decor.   Grillfish is a popular casual restaurant so I would suggest making a reservation, especially in Winter.  In Spring/Summer and good weather they offer outside seating which expands their capacity.  The seating in certain areas of the restaurant can be tight, sit closer to the bar for more space.

Since I had an early evening reservation, I was seated immediately and chose to sit next to the kitchen.  If the kitchen is open sometimes I like to watch the what happens in the kitchen a la Iron Chef.  LOL :-)

Looking over the menu, I notice in the 5 minutes I've been here it’s gotten quite busy, yet the staff has managed to keep the ambiance balanced as dusk approaches.  I wonder if they are worried that wall of candles will bring the building down.  LOL

Wonderful smells are pouring out of the Kitchen and I'm starving.

I order a Slushy Doly cocktail and a Shrimp Scampi for an appetizer.   The slushy doly was really good, but it one of those cocktails that sneaks up on you.   

When my scampi arrived, I was expecting them to be served lightly tossed, but the scampi came out in a heavy lemon/garlic sauce, it looked off-putting, but it was pretty good.  If I was at home, I would have mopped the dish up with bread.

I order the grilled rock fish for my entree and it was perfectly cooked as well as were the sides of sauteed spinach and lumpy mashed potatoes.

My sever was upbeat attentive, never making me feel rushed since I was dining solo. She knew the menu very well and her Rock fish selection was right on point.  Even though she had several other table she was on top of her game.

All-in-all this was another good experience at a consistent restaurant.  Price for the quality of food and service is consistent with other mid scale-upper mid scale seafood restaurants.

Grillfish - D.C.

Dupont Circle

1200 New Hampshire Ave NW

Washington, DC 20036

web:  www.grillfishdc.com

phone:  (202) 331-7310

Tangy Sweet

Tangy Sweet is a chic Frozen yogurt and smoothie shop just off of Dupont Circle.

Entering the space give you the affect of walking into an industrial lounge or bar.  To the left there are color changing built-in tables and on the right is a small seating area.  I liked the clean hard lines and changing lights.  Definitely stylish and I knew there would be a price for the cool factor!

Walking to the far end of the space is where you place your order.  The base yogurts are plain, pomegranate and green tea.  

I asked to sample the various options.  After tasting I see where they got their name.  The plain yogurt has an tangy after taste but not so bad that I wouldn’t eat it.  The pomegranate, didn’t taste like pomegranate and the green tea, was gross!

So I ordered the Classic.  Plain yogurt with berries.

It was plain, to the point and hit the spot.   They didn’t skimp on the yogurt or toppings.  The staff asked if I wanted more toppings.  They had quite a few options to choose from.  Priced at just over $6 it made my wallet a tad bit lighter.

Staff was pleasant and nice without trying to up-sell me.

Overall I think you’re paying for style over substance.  On a hot day I wouldn’t hesitate to visit again.

Tangy Sweet
2029 P Street NW, Washington, DC  20036
Phone:  (202) 822-2066
web:  www.tangysweet.com

Washington, DC - Summer 2010

I've been fascinate with the Washington Mall as per my January post and I wanted to walk from one end to the other. 

THE NATIONAL MALL 

The Lincoln Memorial 

The Washington Monument

The Memorial Bridge Equestrian Monuments

After walking the length of the reflecting pool,

it's too hot to walk any further.

So I stop at the World War II Memorial.

GEORGETOWN

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

EASTERN MARKET

Eastern Market and surround neighborhood.

This neighborhood has really changed

since the last time I walked it.

 I touched it!  he he he he

DUPONT CIRCLE

Dupont is the area i'm most familiar with as it has great restaurants along with good architecture.

After walking around Dupont I had the brilliant idea to walk Massachusetts Avenue between Dupont and the Naval Observatory to check out the Embassy's.

Do you know the names of the various Embassy's?

I would normally list them, but I think we need a learning moment!

How many did you identify?

I hope you enjoyed this mini tour of Washington, DC!