Station 9

Location: 1439 U St. (U st. between 14th and 15th)
Nearest Metro: U St./Cordoza Metro Stop on the Green/Yellow line
Cuisine: American, Soul Food
Price: $20-up
Website: http://www.station9dc.com/

When you walk in Station 9 the first thing you notice are the massive light fixtures that accent the dark turquoise hues of the large restaurant, that are made of clear solo cups. Creative. Makes me wonder what else I could make out of Solo plastic cups!

Any who you are quickly and kindly greeted by a host at the host stand. Usually there isn't too bad of a wait unless it's a Sunday afternoon for brunch or a Saturday evening, than you may want to call in advance and get a reservation. I haven't really had any of the dinner meals, but the Sunday brunch, is pretty damn good. There are a variety of items that are apart of the brunch buffet. Make sure you don't forget to order the Chef T's bottomless mimosa's. They are so tasty, but be careful they will sneak up on you, and if get a little too rambunctious he will cut you off. So make sure if you order these, you won't be driving.

The brunch spread consist of a salad/fruit bar with a variety of breads and spreads. There is a whole cakes, pies, and desserts spread, which I always avoid because I always end up eating so much of everything else my tummy ends up being so full. The brunch station is where I stock pile my plate. There are cheese grits, which are my ultimate favorite, I don't even have to add anything to make them tasty. There are spiced apples, sausage, a seafood dish (I can't think of the name of it, but it is SO DAMN GOOD), rice, fried chicken (One of Chef T's specialties), and an omelet station. I know I'm missing a few other items that are included for brunch, but there is so much that is offered it's hard to remember it all. I really enjoy Sunday brunch here, for $25, you will definitely get your moneys worth. I normally go for smaller quaint little homey places for brunch on Sundays, but when I want to splurge, I hit up Station 9. You cannot go wrong. Usually it's pretty packed on Sundays, full of families, church goers, and post party people. It's a nice mixed up crowd and the atmosphere is really comfortable so you can loosen your belt a bit.

The lounge is really nice as well. The only bad thing is they are only open until 2am on the weekends, which can be a doozer, but appropriate if you want to get dressed in your best and look and feel sexy in an atmosphere that is as such.

Proof

Proof
Location: China Town
775 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20001.
(Corner of G St. & 8th St. NW
Price Range: $25-up
Website: www.proofdc.com
Nearest Metro: China Town Metro Stop


A friend of mine wanted to take me to a "late" birthday dinner. So I had heard from a friend we should check out Proof. Well I figured since they had a great wine menu I would go ahead and check it out. We walked in to a warm, rustic styled restaurant decorated with bottles of wine lining the walls behind glass displays. We were quickly seated by the hostess (it was a Sunday and not very packed). The feel of the place was warm, romantic and cozy.

The waiter came to our table and handed us the wine menu and the food menu. The wine menu was EXTENSIVE. It was immense. The wines are sold by the glass in different sizes 2, 6 and 8 oz that are automatically dispense. I was overwhelmed and wasn't in the mood to really experiment so I started (and ended) with a muscat wine. Sorta dry.

To start with we received complimentary pita chips with a sour cream dill onion dip, it was very light and very tasty. To start with I ordered the baby beet salad which was exactly what I wanted. My date ordered the meatballs and ravioli. He said they were very good had a hint of spiciness to it. I ordered the duck for the entree. And can I say it was AMAZING! The duck was flavored just right it wasn't too sweet, not too salty just perfect. The meat was succulent and I devoured it. The presentation was simple and simply done.

The server was really nice and friendly, however there was really no follow up after we received our meals and after we were done w the entree the blank plates just sat staring us in the face for quite some time. He walked by several times and still no follow up. A little disappointing.

I looooved the bathroom. It was really cool and was decorated with silver and pink wall paper and accessories. I loved it! So bright and vibrant. It was a complete contrast to the restaurant. The wallpaper was silver w a print of sexy pantyhose clad legs and lingerie from our grandmothers heydays.

For dessert I ordered the strawberry shortcake. (I have no idea how I was able to even eat, let alone, order, dessert. But I sucked it up and took one for the team and ordered it anyway. It sort of had the texture of a scone with strawberries on top and whipped cream. It was good, just different.

I strongly suggest this place especially for a date. It's a nice place to grab a glass of wine before a game or the movies with a bunch of friends. Definitely check this place out!

ZOLA

Okay so it's one of my favorite weeks of the year!!! RESTAURANT WEEK! Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to ravish it like I would like, BUT I did get to try out Zola's for lunch. So my co-worker made reservations at Zola on OpenTable.com for lunch. We left work and headed on over there. We got there and the atmosphere was really nice. The bar was to the left and I wouldn't have minded taking a seat over there and grabbing some drinks if the table wasn't ready. Its very inviting and has a very upscale mysteriuos feel. With wood interior, sleek designed walls, chrome, and frosted glass with blacked out images of people alluding a mysterious espionage feel, appropriate for a restaurant connected with the Spy Lounge. Very chic, modern and contemporary.

We were seated and I was excited because the whole menu was included in the Restaurant Week special. I ordered the House Cured Salmon Pastrami for the starter, Lobster Mac & Cheese for the Main entree, and the Basil Creme Brulee for dessert. I must say the Star Restaurants know what they are doing. The flavors, seasonings and mixes are made to perfection. The House Cured Salmon Pastrami was so delicisious if they had a larger portion I could have eaten it for the entree. The Entree itself was sooo creamy, with healthy CHUNKS of lobster, it was perfectly seasoned and the portion looked small but was actually pretty hearty, I had enough to serve two other people! After eating what I could of the entree I went ahead and broke my diet rule and had dessert (it's restaurant week, with these prices who could resist), and it was amazing!! The brulee wasn't torched too much, just slightly so it wasn't too thick and the basil added a subtle twist, the creme was just so smooth and light, and didn't make me feel guilty for eating it at all. I also had the ginger lemonade. It was pretty good a little tart and woke up my senses, but tasty.

Needless to say this restaurant is a winner! I loved it. I would definitely recommend anyone trying it. I will say it's a little pricier so more than likely if it wasn't restaurant week I wouldn't dine here on a regular basis, but it is definitely a nice place to splurge a little on a delectable meal. My next move is to try out their dinner on a date ;) This is a nice place to get dressed up and feel classy for dinner, definitely a nice spot to take a date!

Location: China Town
Price Range $30-up

Website: http://www.zoladc.com/

Ella's Wood Fired Pizza

I caught up with a couple of people after the Eid Celebration at this place during lunch. The place had a bar and reminded me of a more inexpensive and intimate styled California Pizza. The menu was pretty decent and had a few interesting mixes of salads and fire roasted pizzas. The table ordered the ella's cheese pizza, wild mushroom pizza, lombardi pizza, and the quattro fromaggi. Oh yeah, and a belgian & endives salad that was extremely yummy. The quattro cheese pizza looked amazing and was pretty good. The garlic was fresh and tasted like it. The person who ordered the Lombardi pizza (mostly carmelized onions) was excited because he is an onion lover. The ella's cheese was good but had more sauce than cheese.

This is definitely a nice spot to stop and grab a decent personal size pizza that is big enough to share with another, or to just grab a quick lunch. Definitely suggested if you are walking around Chinatown looking for something quick to eat or if your in the mood for a decent pizza that isn't super greasy.

Location: Chinatown
Price range: $10-20

http://www.ellaspizza.com/

Mie-N-Yu

I have always walked past this place and was intrigued by the waterfall theme in the window with a golden Buddha in the window and beautiful drapery. Finally some kind soul took me here for dinner. The decor is so ecclectic and pretty that its art for the eyes decorated with pieces from different ethnic cultures and countries from around the world. What stood out to me is the intimate seating arrangments, it makes it a nice place to go on a first date or with your beau. It would even be a good place to gather for an event such as a birthday. I strongly suggest making reservations before just stopping in.

They have a very extensive wine and cheese menu and they also have a menu and cheese sample specials that allow you to order a few cheeses and wines for your own pairing and tastings of your choosing. The menu is really diverse and would appeal to a variety of palates. We ate the smoked salmon bruschetta (AMAZING), Grilled Calamari Salad, and the Chili Infused Crab Cakes. It was so good! I was very impressed and left extremely full! The portions are filling but not large. However they will hook your wine glass up if you order a glass. After wanting to try everything on the menu it can begin to get a bit pricey, but it's well worth it. Another great place to impress a date.

Location: Georgetown
Price range $12-25

https://www.mienyu.com/

Cleveland Park Bar & Grill

Located directly off the Cleveland Park metro stop on the redline.

Cleveland park is your neighborhood bar & grill. Me and my cousin stop by this joint quite frequently when we don't want to cook and when we just feel like grabbing a bite to eat, plus the people who work there are all pretty cool. With a menu of pizza's, pasta's, burgers and sandwiches you can't really go wrong. It's a great place to catch a game, and they have a happy hour that starts at 10 p.m. on beer and rail drinks. The food is decent (I haven't been disappointed yet) and fairly priced. Great place to catch up with the guys or get up with the gang.

Price range - about $10-20.