Living just two blocks away from this weekend brunch mecca, and having bought a $125 gift card for $100 on my first visit, I really wanted to like this place.
I really, really wanted to.
Food:
Pancakes (Buckwheat, Peach, Buttermilk, etc.): $7-$10
-While they tout using only the freshest and finest ingredients, they don't seem to use enough of them. The pancakes overall are somewhat bland, and everything tastes similar. In the end, you're really just eating a maple syrup conveyor.
Duck Confit Hash: $9.95
Judge an ice-cream shop by its vanilla, sure. But if you put the poultry Inception that is duck confit on the menu, I'm going to try it.
-The duck confit was remarkably dry for something that had supposedly been rendered in its own fat, and definitely was not worth even the ten bucks they were asking.
-While I was hoping it was made into a hash in order to stretch a small quantity of great duck into a larger serving, it seems that the hash was more a method to hide the fact that you were just being served bits of salty duck.
Ambiance: The real reason I rated this place so low is because of the overall dining environment. It would be two stars, were it not for the fact that I know I'm going during their busiest times.
If you come here during the weekend, it will be packed.
Chances are, nobody will greet you or explain anything to you, but that's fine as you will have stood in a line by the time you entered the first door. This line leads directly to the cash register, but does wrap around a pillar that holds the menus, so you can figure out what you want while you watch other people eat.
If you decide to grab a seat before ordering (seems reasonable, right?), you will be informed (loudly enough for everyone else in line to get the memo) that guests should please refrain from trying to get seats prior to ordering. Alright, message received, the cluster' will begin after you pay.
You'll order, sit down at the waiting area that is pleasantly placed right next to the restrooms, holding your number tag like a branded cow, and desperately look for the next group to leave (It's best to have any females in the party have a scarf or purse handy to drop on the seat to claim territory, as -from experience- other parties will be doing the exact same thing).
The aforementioned just-okay food will arrive, and you can finally eat. They bring you your coffee as well, and you can finish your meal in relative peace.
--That is--, unless you arrived at a time that they were so busy, that there was still a line as you were finishing your meal. In that case, their staff is apparently trained to actually ask you to either finish up your conversation and leave, or migrate to a smaller table so that they can seat another party.
Keep in mind, this is about two minutes after you pay your check, and are just trying to drink down the last bit of coffee. By no means do you need to make any effort to delay your own exit for this wonderful display of hospitality to occur.
What in the absolute hell kind of place, one block away from the Capitol, doesn't have any consistent or fair seating logistic when the line goes out the door, and asks their own patrons to either leave or change tables when they are literally 95% of the way through their meal?
In summary, this location has honestly been a terrible way to start my weekends 3 times out of 4, may be better during weekdays but I do not have the schedule for that, and is really only worth going to if you want to see or be seen by rich housewives taking their preppy children out to brunch. read more