Eh. That's how I'm describing Open City. Not good, not awful, but I won't eat here again. Their menu options though varied are super bland and generally meh. I ordered the chocolate chip pancakes and was SO EXCITED. I got them with whipped cream, took a bit and was very disgusted. I was so excited for those pancakes but they were so sour! It was part the fault of the chocolate chips and part the fault of the batter. They were very flat, no fluff. The powdered sugar on top didn't help with the sweetness which was pretty lame. Very sad I just wanted good pancakes. read more

Open City - View of the outdoors from our sticky table - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Absolutely devastated by my experience at Open City. I discovered this establishment back in 2014 during a conference in DC. My colleagues and I enjoyed the Steak and Eggs and Salmon and Bagel plates out on their gorgeous terrace for brunch. Everything was divine. The coffee was fresh, the service was friendly, and every aspect of the meal was exceptional. So, naturally, when I needed to return to DC for more work, Open City was at the top of my list. Unfortunately, however, this most recent experience was nothing like my first. The terrace was closed despite it being a sunny 78 degree day so we were sat inside, where you immediately notice a very pungent, off-putting odor that reminds you of a gym locker room and remark the dust and dead bugs along the window sill. The staff was not dressed in uniforms and everyone had on really whatever they wanted...tshirts, jeans, etc. Despite this, my colleague and I were still excited for our steak and eggs, remembering how wonderful it was during our last stop. What we received, however, was quite different from what we remembered. Right away I noticed a small eye-lash sized hair in my eggs, which is of course, an immediate buzz-kill. But, I tried to remain optimistic and simply scooted those aside. The steak was pre-sliced (which everyone knows is a foul) and looked purplish inside rather than pink (I ordered medium). When I took a bite, I was struck immediately by a sharp bitterness that I at first mistook for solely the taste of their clearly filthy grill (We all know what food cooked on a dirty grill tastes like...its that "overcharred" taste). I spit that into my napkin and then I cut off the outside of the steak (the part that made contact with the grill) and went for just the inside. I still got a very sharp bitter taste. Between the bitterness and the discoloration, I determined that the meat was clearly off and that bite also ended up in my napkin. The preserves served with the toast were runny and the hashbrown was greasy so unable to find anything edible on my plate, I sent my meal back and asked for the check. My colleague had the same off-putting taste and decided to send his back as well. We ended up finding lunch elsewhere up the road. Overall, this place has really gone downhill over the course of the past few years. The place needs to be thoroughly cleaned (to remove the dust and the odor), the staff needs to be wearing uniforms and the kitchen needs a lot of work. Im really sad to see this place fall apart so completely. I was really hoping this would be a go-to spot for me for brunch in DC. read more

Came to this place 3 consecutive days for breakfast. Try their cappuccino and huevos rancheros. They are delicious. Grit has cheesy flavor also very good. Friendly staff and clean environment. read more

What has happened to this place? The food was awful! First, there were cockroaches skittering around under my feet. Then I get 2 eggs poached that tasted like nothing and were on a top of a wilted piece of lettuce. The grits were edible but nothing special. The whole meal was on a plate that was about 3 sizes too small. And 1 got one slice of toast. Oh yeah, did I not mentioned how they charged me an extra $2 for a slice of gluten free toast. So the total price was $10.00 for a meal that would have been about $3 anywhere else. Seriously, guys, please go back to the way you were and at the least get rid of the cockroaches! Ps the waiters are very nice so kudos to the staff at least. read more

Open City is the best of both worlds. The bakery, the breakfast, the lunch, the dinner - they have it all. I was in town for a conference and out of the four days I spent in town I visited this restaurant 3 times. The food is great and hits the spot every time. read more

this does the job--mostly, by having some of everything. Being between two giant conference hotels and a bunch of apartment buildings, it's always busy. For the most part, they do a good job handling the lines/wait-list although I felt terrible for the one hostess they had checking people in *and* taking them to their seats--probably more than one person could be doing this on a busy Saturday? If you have a giant group of people for brunch this is probably the place for you. read more

I've been a chef (my wife also) for 30 years and while staying at Omni Shoreham, we ate here three times with great meals and service each time. Bloody Mary's rock as does the chicken & waffles, grain bowl and burgers. Breakfast Lunch or Dinner, you need to hit this up Chefs Seth & Andrea Weibel National Finalist & Award-Winning Chefs read more

Given the mixed reviews we were a little skeptical about coming here. Enjoyed the hash brown bowl for breakfast, based on a recommendation from our wonderful, attentive, pleasant waitress, Shea. Despite the restaurant being completely filled, food came out quickly & Shea checked back with us to make sure everything was to our liking. Food & coffee were great! Would absolutely recommend & come back. Perhaps if patrons practiced some kindness & grace towards the people serving them they'd have a better experience. Just sayin'. read more

This rating is mainly for the hostess and not the restaurant as it seems every time I go there I could never get in. This time I got there at 11:10am and they said 15-20 minutes. They were on target for that and asked inside or outside. My BF said he did not want to be in the sun. They showed us one table and it was semi in the sun and semi in the shade. They said that they have another table being cleaned and it would be a few minutes. They then turned and said that it was taken and it would take another 10/20 minutes. We said no thank you. read more

Great atmosphere. Unfortunately I did not get to taste the food because the kitchen closes @1130. However the drinks were spectacular.

This place has become my go-to location to get some work done while enjoying a cup of coffee (lattes come with animal crackers!!) The servers are very kind and accommodating, and the high ceilings and big windows with street views offer the perfect atmosphere. :) I intend to visit many more times! read more

Good parts: salmon omelette and hash browns very tasty. Staff nice, service prompt. Bad parts: temperature in restaurant is frigid (it's a cold morning 30*F outside and feels like 55* in here) and they charge $1.50 for coffee refills. WTF?? Does any other breakfast joint do this? Fix the temp and the coffee pricing and it's fine. read more

Amazing experience. Food, service, and ambiance was great. directly across from Omni Shoreham read more

Open City - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Love this place! I've been here multiple times for brunch, lunch and dinner. It's been great each time, and I've never had an issue with service. Some highlights: their pizzas, the mushroom Reuben, and their huevos rancheros are all amazing. Their pizzas are great if you're a cheese lover (they're thick with cheese) and the mushroom reuben is a great twist on a classic. Open City is the type of place you can take anyone and they'll find something they like and can enjoy. Vegetarians, vegans, people with GF diets, etc all have a place on the menu. My only complaint is that the lines are almost always long and the place is always noisy. If you're looking for a quiet brunch or cafe, this isn't your spot. Otherwise, dig in! read more

When we arrived, the manager yelled at us to get out and wait till they were ready. When i showed him his website listing them as open, he angrily snapped he did not care what his website said and to leave. We waited outside for half an hour untill he let us in and we were left at our table for an hour till we decided to go somewhere else. Worst service I've ever recieved. #MAGA read more

Open City isn't the area's only breakfast restaurant, but it's the best one we found. The wait certainly reflects that, but if you're willing and not pressed for time, it's worth it. We tried a restaurant around the corner - got right in - but definitely not worth it. The hostess station worked better when it was just the one (more experienced?) hostess. She had a system, and it worked. It wasn't fast, but it worked, and if you were willing to sit outside, she would seat you ASAP. When a second hostess was running the station on a subsequent visit, she also had a system, and it worked, but not as fast. She was asking if people would be willing to sit outside, and seating them accordingly. The "more experienced" hostess came up and injected her way of doing things, circumventing people who had checked in for people who were in line to be seated outside and immediately. It angered some people. Open City has a glassed-in dining area that seemed sparsely used. I gather that they didn't want to overwhelm the staff and kitchen. Even though it would have seated more customers, I think not doing so was a good call. On to the rest: Once inside, service was fair and on-par for a restaurant this busy. Wait staff was busy, yet didn't make customers feel rushed. They seemed to know their stuff and knew the menu well. Everything I tasted from the menu was delicious. My favorite had to be the hash brown bowl. It would have been delicious at any time of day, either for breakfast or even after a night of beverages with friends. Open City seems to specialize in gourmet coffees and teas. Although I didn't sample anything from their walk-up bar, I can say that their Iced tea was consistently awesome. If you're not pressed for time, Open City is the place to go for breakfast or brunch. Problem is, hundreds of others feel the same way. I hope they keep doing what they're doing. read more

Walked over with my husband and 2 kids after being turned away at an empty restaurant who apparently didn't want to serve a family. Open City was packed, but they were super friendly and seated us right away. Our servers were warm and welcoming, and the service was fast for as busy as they were. I had the chicken and waffle, which was a perfect size to share, and was delicious. My daughter had the kids pancakes, which also could have been shared. I tried some and I really liked the pancakes. They have a great texture and naturally sweet taste...I would definitely order them myself. My husband had a burger he really enjoyed. My favorite part of the meal was the mulled apple cider that came with 2 ginger snaps. I would definitely come back if I were in DC again. read more

This is one of my favorite places for brunch. It's always busy but you never have to wait very long. They serve a HUGE cup of coffee that is very delicious and the French toast is amazing. It can get a little loud but not so much that you can't have a conversation. The bacon is just okay but the hashbrowns are a MUST. Sitting outside on the patio is also very lovely. The service is always fast. read more

If you are stuck at a conference at the Marriott Wardman Park, this is a pretty decent breakfast option nearby. It is reasonably priced, offers a varied menu, and has good service. The coffee is quite good. A mug comes with 2 animal crackers -- a nice touch. The eggs are solid and the hash brown is tasty. read more

Open City was a convenient breakfast spot off the metro before hitting the zoo. The breakfasts here were average with some definite misses. The eggs on the omelet had the tough texture of being cooked earlier, reheated and filled. The waffle was cooked on both sides but underdone in the middle. All the food arrived lukewarm and some tables that were seated long after us were served before us. read more

We went for an early lunch at 11:15 on a Friday. It was absolutely packed. And by packed, I mean there was less than a foot between the tables on each side of us. The hash brown bowl and Bloody Mary were delicious. My friend thoroughly enjoyed her omelet. It was a great place to eat, somewhere I would be interested in going to again! read more

Really good food and very quick service. Their tea selection was a pleasant surprise and they even have almond milk. I think the best seat in the house is at the bar, great attentive on point service. A Woodley Park gem. read more

Since I left DC this place has stayed great, and now it's even greater with gluten-free toast! Just like the real thing. Maybe better. My eggs were perfectly cooked too, a nice treat when I order over easy. The orange juice tasted fresh-squeezed. Best brunch spot in town! Especially for us gluten-free folks :) read more

The first 5 times I've been here I had a good experience. A 4 star experience. This time was a 1 or 2 star. Bathrooms are horrifying (they always are). Waitress was inattentive. There was a hair in my eggs so once I finally got the waitresses attention I was brought new eggs. Unfortunately those eggs tasted horrible, like they were expired. read more

We always stop at Open City when visiting DC. Its nothing fancy but it's cute cafe style and reasonably priced, I think my meal was 14.00 my husbands about $9.00. A lot cheaper than the $30.00 breakfast buffet at the hotel. It's just across the street from the Omni hotel where we stay. (A great hotel with a lot of history and famous stays, like the Beatles, with good access to the metro and close to the zoo.) We love the lattes at Open City, served with little animal cookies. I have the large vanilla latte, he has the mocha. Best ever! I had the eggs, bacon, hash browns and French toast, my husband had the eggs, sausage, fruit and croissant. It was all top notch and the waiter was so pleasant. The line was long but our wait was only 10-15 min. Everyone is willing to wait for good food. read more

Open City - Vanilla latte with animal cookies, best ever! - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

It's an eclectic area. Kind of like a cafeteria and craft area and food court. We enjoyed the ambiance but didn't actually eat here. read more

Open City - BBQ Bloody Mary with Bacon! It simply doesn't get any better than this! - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Not that great. Had pancakes and sausage. Pancakes had a weird taste to me but the sausage was tasty. Not sure I would be back.

Had breakfast and was a terrible experience. We were seated right away and NO one came by for 15 minutes. I walked over to this guy who was running around (must have been the manager or something) and asked if someone could come over. He apologized and walked right over and took our order so I'm thinking "okay this is great, at least he was polite and they are busy, things get missed" BUT no one came to refill our water, coffee or ask how the food was. Nada. Not even once. The food itself was good- I enjoyed my omlette and my husband enjoyed his breakfast burrito. I had to walk over to the same guy to ask for the check (part of me just wanted to walk out). Terrible service sunk this place and we won't be returning. The two stars are for the fact that he comped our breakfast. But I would gladly pay for good service you know? read more

I have either dined at or ordered from Open City a few times for really no reason other than I frequently stay at the hotel across the street and it's convenient. With the exception of the dry, chewy, over cooked grilled chicken I made the mistake of adding to my salad on my last visit, the food is typically really good. My first poor experience was when I ordered through Caviar and picked up my salmon Niçoise salad (in the rain, I might add), just to find when I returned to my hotel room to eat it that there was no salmon on it. I called and they were apologetic, but despite being located right across the street, they refused to have someone come bring me a new one. Although it was a short distance, besides the fact that it was raining, it was frustrating that they couldn't find someone to run my food across the street -- especially considering every time I've gone in there, there seem to be extra staff standing around, leaning on the high tops, talking to each other. I also was frustrated that the owner/manager (unsure which) was unwilling to just refund me on the spot -- I had to go through Caviar to get my money back which took a few days. While I understand processes and policies, it would have made for a much better customer service experience after their massive mess up if they'd just opened the register and handed me my money. Since then, I've still ordered from/dined in 3 times -- once ordering delivery with no issue, and the other two times dining in. The service is absolutely horrendous. Both times, slightly before the lunch hour (around 11:00am), employees were standing around, leaning on the high tops, chatting and acting inconvenienced to have to seat me. I waited both times seemingly longer than necessary for water or to be acknowledged by actual wait staff. On today's visit it was miserably hot. Instead of running the air conditioning like every other establishment does when it's over 90 degrees out, they had the windows open and fans blowing. There were bugs everywhere. After waiting 8 minutes to order and another 10 to get my chai latte (again, with waitstaff and one person near the barista area just standing around), I opted to get my salad (with the dried, gross chicken I previously mentioned) to go - as an effort to 1 cool down and 2 avoid dragging out the poor service. Even after the waitress brought me the check and said she'd be back with a pen, I waited 5 minutes (!) for a pen to sign my check. I watched her take another table's order while I sat waiting with my check and no pen, to-go order getting warm, for her to bring me one. To make matters worse - the bathrooms are filthy. Even though the food is good, I will not be back to dine. I will order for delivery through Caviar when convenient, but based on the service and reading other recent reviews to see my incidents are not isolated experiences, I won't return to dine in this overly warm, fly infested restaurant with poor service and overpriced chai lattes. read more

5 minutes before I left, I would have given this place a 2 star but the manager approached me before I got up to leave the restaurant. Ok, first let me start from square one. I was excited to try this place. A co-worker suggested it, I wouldn't have went because of the average reviews but I'm down to try anything. After seeing the menu, I was optimistic about the food. I ordered the Penn Quarter sandwich... TERRIBLE. Meat was terrible. Cheese tasted fake... not "real" cheese. Sweet potato chips... average, nothing great. May have been packaged. Very disappointing. The sandwich was cut in two. I ate one half which was about 4 bites. First two bites, I realized the food wasn't great. Last two bites, I realized the food was terrible and I was just hungry for the first two bites. So I told the waitress that the food wasn't not good. The meat tasted freezer burnt. I didn't go into details of the other issues of hte food. The waitress said "well you ate, half." I replied and said, I wasn't looking for anything free, I just wanted to let you know. As I sat there, I thought, that it wouldn't be fair to pay $17.00 for a meal that I did not enjoy and left half on the plate... and the fact that I would have to go spend more $ to actually eat lunch. So I asked the waitress to ask her manager to take something off the bill (20%-50%). The manager comes over and says he could not take anything off the bill. He said "it was bad but you ate half." He continued to explain that I should have let them know that I didn't like it before I ate the half of the sandwich. I said, "fine, don't provide my money back but either way, I will be yelping the poor quality of food and now the poor customer service." The waitress comes back and says, the manager took care of your bill. The manager then came over, extremely hostile and arrogant. Talked very loud AT me. Wouldn't let me respond- and said "We don't want you to come back to this restaurant since you think it is ok to Yelp small business." 1. clearly, this manager was ill-informed of Yelp as mom and pop-- small business are the bread and butter of reviews 2. How dare he come and talk loudly at me and attempt to keep the conversation one-sided Anywho, I finally got a few words in-- and said that I would never rate a business poorly if they didn't give me a discount on food. I rate all business fairly- with quality of food and service in mind. When I began to speak, the manager's face tensed up and started to twitch. I actually thought he was going to lose it. The manager's name is Juan- he was very disrespectful and not aiming to please the customer. Oh and by the way, I was out to eat with two introverted co-workers who expressed that the food was TERRIBLE but they did not want to deal with the confrontational manager! Beware when coming here. Food is terrible and so is the manager, Juan. read more

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Yesterday,, the person seating people for lunch walked around my friend, a Black man to seat 2 white people. He spoke up and was ignored. He left. Is this the racist attitude you want representing your establishment? read more

I really like the environment and vibe of Open City. The coffee is good and it's a great place to study. The food is okay, but it's not the main reason I go. read more

I'm entitling this review "What the fuck?" I don't write many reviews on here, like some people who apparently think they're either God's gift to opinions or some sort of professional critique, but I digress. (Seriously, to those people, get a life. If a place is either amazing or deplorable, I'm gonna write about it. Otherwise, you don't need my every opinion on every place I've ever stepped into.) OK. Open City. What the fuck? A buddy and I went for brunch today around 11:00 AM. We were told there was about a 15-minute wait. We were cool with that. They asked for a name and number to text us when a table was ready. No problem. We immediately got a text message with a link saying we can check our place in line. After about 15 minutes, we checked out the link and tapped on it. It took us to a page saying we had to download an app in order to see our place in line. What the fuck? We didn't download whatever app was being peddled. We've now reached a point where we have to download yet ANOTHER app just so that we can be told how many parties are ahead of us in line? Next we decided to wait inside since it was hot outside. I saw 4 tables that were open. Still no text message. So, I told the host that we saw a few tables open inside. We were seated immediately. What the fuck? The place was busy - really busy. Hey, it's Sunday brunch in DC - as predictable as finding adult single males at Comic Con. Our waiter took a while to finally take our order, but that was understandable. A party of 6 people sat down at a nearby table after us, as well as another party of 5 people at another table. They all got their food before we did. What the fuck? You know how you sometimes are that group at a restaurant whose heads are constantly on a swivel, seeing everyone else's waiter/waitress tending to every table around you, and everyone else is getting their food before you, getting refills on their coffees and waters, but YOUR waiter is missing in action for a half-hour at a time? Yeah, that was us. Finally, our two plates of food came. The waiter asked if we needed anything. My buddy asked for some ketchup. Sure enough, the side of ham I had ordered was not there, as well. What the fuck? So, it took me about 10 minutes to flag down our waiter to tell him my side dish was missing - again, while everyone else's waiters were busy all around us. At this point, you know someone just goes back into the kitchen, says "Hey, I need a side of ham ASAP," and the cook just finds the nearest slice available, throws it on the grill long enough so that you can see it's been "browned" before thrown on a plate and out the door. Oh, and no one ever came back with ketchup. What the fuck? So, we had to borrow the ketchup from a table next to us. Meanwhile, NOT A SINGLE TIME did ANYONE come by to refill our water or coffee for the entire hour+ that we were there. NOT A SINGLE TIME. What the fuck? So, as much as it would have been cool to stay and linger and hang out some more, we were just done with this place. Sure enough, our waiter was nowhere to be found for about 20 minutes after we were done. Actually, I take that back. I did spot him taking a picture of a group of diners who asked him to take their picture. (Yeah, THAT's not stupid as hell or anything. A bunch of people holding smiles for 15-20 seconds at a time, while a stranger figures out how to work their phone, and the second he takes the picture, their smiles evaporate and they go back to ignoring each other, while they all play on their phones at their table.) So, I flagged down another waiter to ask for our check. He asks if we know our waiter's name. I said no. He said he'll take care of it. Another ten minutes goes by before I flag down that waiter again and point to our waiter in another part of the restaurant to indicate that's our waiter. Our waiter eventually brings the check. Oh, and THIS is when he asks us if we'd like more water - you know, when we're about to head out the door, after sitting there for an hour. Hey Open City, what the fuck? Here are my feelings. I get it. You're all about being hip and trendy and Sunday brunch. But, how about you eliminate about 8 tables worth of people so that you can actually serve the people who ARE there. Customer service should not be that lousy, where diners spend easily over half of their time there looking around and wondering where the hell is the waiter. Thanks, but no thanks. Not bothering to come back. You know... like our waiter. read more

Too noisy, food is okay given the 14 bucks price, can hardly hear anything on a Sunday night... read more

Open City - The menu - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

East coast doesn't know how to do biscuits and gravy. But Open City does serve breakfast all day long. I was impressed with the price, but when I got the dish I realized it was one biscuit, one egg, and a teaspoon of gravy. The portion was miniscule. It was so dry I kept running out of water and had trouble holding a conversation with friends. Everything else was perfect for brunch. Huge windows let in lots of light. The sun made the warm, burnt-orange walls all the more welcoming. There was indoor table, indoor bar, and outdoor seating. The outdoor seating looks out at the hustle and bustle of D.C. life. The indoor seating is a bit tight--get cozy with yoir neighbor. Our server was SO NICE. Someone in our party was 15-20 min late, but she let us sit there, not ordering anything. Gave her a nice tip. Also, my friend spotted Malia Obama there a few months ago. It's where A-Listers go to chill. read more

Atmosphere is casual and the staff is really cool. The food is excellent. I've been here several times. The chicken and waffles will make you feel like you're home in the South. read more

Open City - American Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

OK LETS START WITH THE SERVICE. Inattentive to say the least. No silverware, no napkins so we had to flag the waiter down twice...no make that thrice since I was given two pancakes and no syrup. As part of my afternoon breakfast I ordered my two eggs sunny-side up...they came over easy (well as the looks of the cooked yolks, I would say over Hard) There were two nearby tables outside that had not been cleared so we were buzzed by a swarm of two different kinds of bees. It made the al fresco experience less than charming. We were given a dessert menu but were never asked if we wanted dessert or even coffee. Open City is one of my wife's long time favorite coffee/eateries so if she has to go there I will but again...just a little bit of love..PLEASE! read more

I miss the coffee shop lifestyle I led in SF - but Open City has helped fill the void in my foodie/techie heart! Some of the good stuff here includes: -Big and open cafe/bar/restaurant with plenty of outdoor seating for gorgeous days -Free Wi-Fi! I'm actually Yelping at one of their tables right now... and I'm plugged in, so I don't have to rely on my battery (Dell, so it might catch fire, but that's another issue...) -Yummy food at reasonable prices -Good service -Open LATE! -The TV on the wall was playing 'Project Runway' when I walked in, and I was immediately in love. Now it's the movie 'Big Fish' I could go on and on, but I won't. I'll definitely be a regular here (whether they like it or not)! read more

Went for the first time yesterday after celebrating Pride. Headed straight to the bar to relax, and was met with a bartender in very dirty unprofessional clothes and rude customer service. He kept talking over me and interrupting me - any questions I had about the menu were met with a weird talk around and was shut down about asking any other questions. Literally couldn't finish any of my sentences. (Even told me I was wrong about something... what??) Once I ordered, I ended up ordering just French fries cause I was no longer confident in the food, and once I received them they were cold and lack luster. Bad experience and most definitely will not be coming back. read more

Usually I start with "we came here for brunch, and..." but really we came here for David. David, our charming, laconic server. Right as he nodded over his shoulder and led us into the warm, tuscan sunroom, I knew he was the real deal. He laughed off our clumsy coat-and-bag draping. He chuckled as I fumbled through my toast-and-sausage preferences, ordering my Open City Royale ("the chicken one is bigger," he said). When Margot inquired about the grits, David was frank: "I don't like 'em." I'll admit, I was perplexed when my hot coffee took five minutes longer than my friends' iced varieties. When it came to the point of a perfunctory reminder, well, there he was. Like a sage captain guiding weary sailors through a tempest, David's easy grace assuaged our fears of botched orders, infrequent refills, or unfulfilled specialty hot sauce requests. He never had to kneel down to eye level because, heck, I hate it when people do that (somehow, he knew....) I imagine David and I, on the patio, in March. The perennials are just beginning to bud. A strong gust gutters up from the parkway, spills across the Taft bridge and just barely, just just barely jostles David's keychain, pricks up the bill of his cap. "Could we move a little closer to the heat lamp?" I ask. It's crowded; I know it's impossible. "Hold on," he says, "let me pull another one out from the back" -- There is an irony to this: as we mopped up our yolky plates lugubriously with halves of crusty rye, we realized we didn't know our server's name. David's. We wanted to. Badly. We got it from him, no fuss, though he muttered, "it's not so you can write some bad Yelp review about me, is it?" -- oh, dear. If you find yourself at the corner of Connecticut and Calvert, hungry or starved for a laugh, go to Open City. If you don't ask how David is doing, I pity you. If you do and you're not greeted by a handsome black man in a black shirt and ball cap with a lot of tattoos and a voice like a thick, mauve cloud, I don't know, I can't help you.... read more