Iron Gate was good but not great. They have room to improve some of the dishes, the service, and the dessert options.
The restaurant is certainly one of the most beautiful in DC. It's constructed from an old carriage house, an outdoor area, and an enclosed alleyway. The interior spaces have rustic charm with dark wood and brick; the exterior space is a lovely, cozy patio with tree coverage.
I visited for a special occasion dinner at 6 PM on a Thursday. The place was pretty empty but filled in by the time we left around 7:30 PM.
Iron Gate offers a set menu ($95/person food + $75/person wine) or a la carte. The set menu includes all of the meze courses plus one from the pasta, entree, and dessert courses. This isn't one per person, but one per two people. The menu doesn't make this clear, but if you have more than two people you get to order two items from each course (we overheard this told to another table).
We weren't interested in all of the meze options and wanted to get more than one entree, so we ordered a la carte. We also didn't think the set menu would be a good deal. You can get one pasta, entree, and dessert for about $95 by themselves, so the other $95 is just for the meze? Even if they make the dishes a little larger to accommodate two people, I'm skeptical. It seems like a better deal for the restaurant than the guest.
Anyway, we got the Romanesco "Wedge" ($16), Squash Salad ($18), Hen "Diavolo" ($38), and "Chermoula" Swordfish ($37). The salads were good but I would have liked them to be a little more tender/softer. The romanesco, for example, said it was "charred" on the menu and it was mostly raw when I would have preferred it more roasted. The hen was a full chicken roasted with dry rub and served with a side of green beans, bacon, and onions. The chicken was nicely cooked and very tasty, although I wouldn't call it diavolo -- it was spiced but not spicy, and to me, diavolo suggests it will come with some spicy red sauce a la pasta diavolo. The swordfish was our favorite dish -- very tender and served with a delicious hash. We took about half the entrees home for leftovers.
We had some cocktails and wine ($15-$19). I liked the Ciao Napoleon cocktail a lot.
We skipped desserts. We weren't impressed by the two options: budino (pudding, $16) and "cheesecake" ($18). Those are very high prices for very basic desserts. Since there were only two options and both were basic, I suspect Iron Gate does not have a pastry chef, which it really should for a fine dining restaurant.
Our service was very friendly and helpful at the beginning of the meal but then largely absent later on when the dining room got more crowded. We felt forgotten. We intended to get another drink, but by the time someone brought the drink menu again and then someone came back to take our order, it was too late in the meal so we skipped it. Our server gave us a few gratis items: a small hummus dip, a small spelt bread, and small glasses of lemoncello at the end. He did not acknowledge our special occasion; these seemed to be standard free items they throw in and we saw a few other tables get them.
We had a nice two-top in front of the unlit fireplace, which was a nice spot, but also a bit cold and drafty. read more