Happy Hour, Lunch, & Dinner

Jeff and I have managed to get out and enjoy DC a bit in the last few days, despite all the time spent working and reading.

On Thursday, we went to Elephant and Castle, a relatively new pub on 19th and I St. NW. It was pretty busy for happy hour even at 5:30pm, but we were able to get a table and still get happy hour specials. In general I thought it was a good place - the sweet potato fries and pub pretzels appetizers were really good. Price-wise, I'd have to say that with $5 beers and 3 for $16 appetizers (fairly small portions), it's not the best happy hour deal in town.

Yesterday, we met up with Stephanie and Arthur for lunch at Chef Geoff's at 13th and F St. NW. It had an odd mix of foods available - everything from sashimi to burgers to carnitas and plantains. I ended up going with the turkey avocado sandwich and sweet potato fries, which was pretty good. We also had duck corndog lollypops - which are about what they sound like - mini corndogs, but with duck inside instead of hotdogs, and on a stick. I was pretty happy with all the food, though I think it's a bit on the expensive side (lunch specials were around $12-16 for a sandwich and fries).

We went to dinner with Jeff's cousin and aunt, Sarah and Liz, at Cork - a wine bar at 14th and R St. NW. It's right in our neighborhood, and we've been meaning to try it. We actually went and had a glass of wine on opening night, but it was so crowded that we didn't stay long. It actually wasn't much less crowded tonight. They don't take reservations, and though you can call ahead, you can pretty much count on an hour wait (even with a party of only 4 people, like we had). It's nice to have a glass of wine at the bar, though the chances of actually getting a spot at the bar are fairly low - it's usually packed at least two rows deep, so that you have a bit of trouble ordering/reaching and are also in the pathway of waiters traveling back and forth to tables. We did manage to order a flight of Spanish white wines to share while we were waiting. (They had four flights to choose from.) There are some tables up in front where its very crowded, but luckily we were seated in the back where its much more calm. The food is all tapas style (each about $7-$10), with about 20 different items on the menu. Amazingly, we were able to find 8 items to share that we all liked and that worked for Jeff's cousin, who is vegan. The Avacado was one of my favorite dishes - it's avocado, pistachios, toasted pistachio oil, and sea salt all on grilled bread. The asparagus was also great - with ricotta cheese and also served on grilled bread. There were wild mushrooms and also a dish with chick peas in safron that was very good. The cheesecake (shared) and a cup of coffee were a nice way to finish the meal. It's definitely a place I'd try again, though maybe on a slower night.