Veteran's Day weekend Nate and I took a trip to D.C. and packed in quite a lot in the short day and a half we were there. We walked, ate, drank and saw a whole lot so I guess let's get started!
Friday
We were on the road by 12 with our GPS headed toward a restaurant in Richmond, VA I had found online called The Naked Onion. The entire day I had been dreaming about what I would order, how great it would be, how I would plan out my snacks so we could reach Richmond with growling tummies. Guess where we didn't make it? Yep, around 30 minutes outside of Raleigh our stomachs started growling so we decided to stop in Rocky Mount, NC. After some quick research from the passenger's seat, we had found our destination and were just about to turn into the parking lot when Nate spotted Gardner's Barbecue. So we went there instead.
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| I promise he likes me more than he looks like he does. |
Gardner's Barbecue
Décor: we visited the flagship location at 1331 N Wesleyan Blvd, Rocky Mount, NC 27804. The outside of the restaurant looks more like a giant warehouse but don't let that fool you, there are delicious foods inside, even for the pesci's like myself. Upon walking into the restaurant, you are immediately at the cashier's station and there was a line when we got there. After standing by the door for a few minutes, the cashier called over a hostess to seat us - apparently we were in the wrong line.
This space is huge. There were at least 3 sizeable dining rooms not including the large buffet area in the center of the restaurant. This space easily can accommodate 200 people.
Food appearance: No fuss or fills here folks. Plates are plastic, utensils are cheap metal and napkins are paper. What can you expect from a buffet style establishment? Everything looks like your mama or grandma made it.
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| The remnants of the various desserts we sampled |
Food taste: Out of the dozens of items on the buffet, I decided to fill my plate up with salad, hush puppies, macaroni and cheese and broccoli and cheese casserole. The macaroni and cheese was everything I would've hoped it could be! It was cheesy, it was gooey, it was greasy (in the good way) and I had 2 helpings. Another strangely addictive item was the broccoli cheese casserole - it was literally just steamed broccoli and cheddar cheese? WHY WAS IT SO GOOD?! I will never know.
And of course, since no buffet experience is complete without dessert, Nate and I indulged in a few - we were only going to be there once after all! I picked up a slice of cherry cobbler, a frozen ice cream-product cup and he selected a few cookies and cream cups, a different cobbler and also ate some of my ice cream-product. When in Rome, right?
Service: there's not much service here past the initial greeting but there was a friendly woman walking around refilling drinks and making sure everyone was happy with the food.
Cleanliness: everything was very, very clean. I would assume a place that offers dine-in and to-go buffet would have a high turn-over rate yet nothing on the buffet looked messy or dirty. Also the fanciest looking bathroom a buffet has ever had.
The desserts, broccoli and cheese casserole, macaroni and cheese and $8.59 lunch price tag all make Gardner's worth a stop if you're passing through. Wouldn't necessarily say it's worth the drive just to go there, however.
With our bellies full, we headed onward to D.C. It was a long drive that toward the end got frustrating for the both of us. I'd always heard of the horrors of D.C. traffic but my goodness! It took us about an hour to go 4 miles! I can run faster than that! However we finally checked into our room at the Kimpton Rouge hotel, changed and set out for a night on the town.
First stop was Sudhouse located at 1340 U St, NW, Washington, D.C 20009. This little dive bar, according to the Internet, has one of the best happy hours in the city. After being there, I am inclined to agree.
Décor: this narrow 3-storey bar somehow fits 50 people in various alcoves and tables. There is a brick wall behind the rows of liquor bottles and unique murals on the walls with various alcohol-related quotes by our Founding Fathers. Neat, huh?
Food appearance: being as this is a dive bar, how much can you really expect plating-wise? Plates are durable and the only real glass is the one your beer is served in. No fuss, no frills, no fancy.
Food taste: after looking at all the items on the happy hour menu (and still being full from lunch), we ordered the Quench & Crunch. For $20 you get a giant mountain of nachos and a pitcher of beer. The nachos were piled high with veggies, jalapenos, cheese and sour cream (also meat if you're into that) and the beer was cold and refreshing. How can you go wrong?!
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| Quench & Crunch |
Service: We were never "served" per se, but our table was cleared of empty glasses and plates pretty quickly.
Cleanliness: everything was clean, guess it has to be when you're the best happy hour in D.C.
The original reason we traveled to D.C. in the first place was to see a show at the Black Cat theater. Who'd we see? Have you ever heard of Municipal Waste? No? How about Toxic Holocaust? Them neither? Haunt?! Yeah, no I hadn't either until that night. These were all bands that my darling husband listened to in high school. Despite never having heard of them, I had a great time! It felt nostalgic in a way to be caught in most pits, dodging crowd surfers and standing next to speakers so loud I'm pretty sure my ears are still ringing.
Still pumping with adrenaline, we stopped at Shake Shack for some fries and a shake before hitting the hay.
Saturday
After waking up with a slight headache, we got ready to start our day! Kimpton Rouge does not provide breakfast so we researched for something close by on our way to the Newseum and settled on Lil'B Coffee Bar & Eatery located in the Darcy Hotel.
Lil'B Coffee Bar & Eatery
Décor: this space is small but cozy. The tables and chairs are dark wood, the walls are brick and there is a large mural on the wall dedicated to New Orleans.
Food appearance: there is definitely care to plating here, maybe that comes with being located in a $200/night hotel.
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| AM-Wich on Buttermilk Biscuit, Beignets and Dressed Grits |
Food taste: I ordered an AM-Wich with egg and cheese on a biscuit. The biscuit was soft, flaky and buttery, the cheese was soft and the egg was perfection! The only downside was it was a tad small for $6. Maybe opt for something else or do what we did - share a plate of fresh Beignets! These little pillows of delight were practically swimming in powdered sugar and gave me the perfect boost for the morning ahead.
Nate opted for the Dressed Grits with bacon, cheese and chive.
Service: This is a pick-up-your-own-order spot. You order at the counter, get a buzzer and grab your order out of the window when it's ready. The counter people were friendly enough though.
Cleanliness: As with the picking up your order, you also buss your own tables. Which of course means a few people totally forget this step and leave their trays and plates everywhere.
After being here once, I probably wouldn't return unless I was in a pinch. There are so many fantastic restaurants in Washington, why go to the same place twice?
We headed off to the Newseum and I cannot recommend going here more. They should seriously pay me for the free publicity! This museum is informative, relevant, at times interactive and important. There is history here that is at times heartbreaking. Just trust me and go.
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| In front of the West side of the Berlin Wall |
We had a 12:00 PM White House tour to get to, luckily our Newseum admission was good for 2 full days so we jetted off in search of a big white house. Fun fact, it's free to take a white house tour, yes, you read that correctly. Simply contact your House or Senate representative and request a tour. That's it. Obviously there's a vetting process involved but nothing more complicated than sending a few emails.
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| Hour 2 of line. |
After waiting in what felt like the Disneyland of waiting lines, we got into the White House and were rewarded with beautiful antiques and living, breathing history. Fun fact, this was actually the second time I've been to the White House. I went when I was a teenager and Obama was in office.
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| View from inside the White House |
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| Working on his presidential wave |
We returned to the Newseum for the rest of the afternoon and then back to the hotel to rest up before another night out.
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| Special Exhibit at the Newseum |
Feeling rested and refreshed, we went to a liquor store to take advantage of the fact Washington, D.C doesn't utilize government-regulated liquor prices and Nate was like a kid in a candy store. His eyes were absolutely lit up by the racks upon racks of whisky, bourbon and scotch. Many dollar signs later, we headed over to Black Jack.
Black Jack
Décor: This upstairs joint was definitely popping when we showed up around 7:00 PM on Saturday night. The lights were low, the music was loud and the drinks were a-flowin'. I can't say really too much about the décor because truthfully, I couldn't really see it. Yes, it was really that dark in there.
Food appearance: the food didn't look that great if I'm being 100% honest. I think this was actually my least favorite place we ate in D.C. Our pizza looked undercooked (spoiler: it was) and everything else was served in paper baskets.
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| Mushroom Pizza |
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| Crawfish Fritters |
Food taste: the Mushroom Pizza was pale and undercooked, the flavor was alright but nothing was spread out very well. The Crawfish Fritters were ok but definitely more fritter than crawfish.
Service: The place was utterly stuffed with people so all ordering was through the busy bar. Bussers came through frequently to pick up empties.
Cleanliness: there certainly weren't any empty glasses left laying around but it was honestly too dark for me to say if everything was clean.
This spot is definitely more bar than restaurant. And expensive at that. I would not go back here. Drinks were good but far too pricy and food was absolutely not worth the price.
Sunday
After much deliberation on how to spend our morning before venturing to Mount Vernon, we settled on breakfast. Where would we be without Google? A quick search of "breakfast near me" led us to Ted's Bulletin at 1818 14th Street NW. Just a short (and cold) walk from our hotel and filled with 1940s charm.
Ted's Bulletin
Décor: this restaurant is like a soda fountain, a diner and a bakery had a big, beautiful baby. Menus look like newspapers, select items are highlighted on chalkboards on the wall, I Love Lucy and the Andy Griffith Show are played on projectors and old-time television sets. Everything is detailed and stylized.
The hostess stand is located between a coffee bar and a very tempting pastry case and the main dining room easily seats 80-100 including a long breakfast bar.
Food appearance: this place is upscale diner fare and the plating reflects that. It's nice but still familiar.
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| Florentine Benedict |
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| Carrot Cake *Nate's head for scale |
Food taste: I had maybe indulged at Black Jack a little much the night before and needed something carb-filled and greasy. After wanting to order one of everything on the menu, I settled (with help from Nate) on the Florentine Benedict. The hollandaise was just what my stomach needed! the luscious sauce coated my stomach like a suit of armor so I could take on the day! One of my eggs was slightly over-poached but still magnificent.
After breakfast, obviously we needed an extra boost of sugar and carbs since we were going to be traipsing all over George Washington's estate, so it would've been absolutely silly of us to not order the 4-layer carrot cake to split. The cake was moist, flavorful, and the cream cheese frosting was absolutely perfect in the balance of sugar and cream cheese. Basically this cake was perfection and you're an idiot if you don't order it.
Service: our server was friendly, fast and efficient. Our drinks were never empty, we never went without condiments and he was just plain good. The bussers, hostesses and cooks all seemed equally friendly and efficient.
Cleanliness: There was a short wait when we arrived at 8:30 AM but when we left around 10:00 there were at least 20 people eagerly waiting for tables. Tables were quickly cleaned and reset to accommodate the waiting patrons.
I definitely recommend a trip to Ted's Bulletin! Enjoy one of their magnificent desserts, hearty plates or indulge in a boozy milkshake. I would suggest either making a reservation online or arriving early!
We trekked over to Mount Vernon to look at literally every standing property on George Washington's estate and learn more about our first President. I had never visited Mount Vernon but was glad we went. The property is beautiful and picturesque and obviously there is a ton of history to learn about there. However, after about 3 hours, I was a little history'd out. We tried to get a table at the Mount Vernon Inn restaurant but unfortunately the wait was too long for us so we started our trip back home.
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| Front of George Washington's Mansion |
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| Behind George Washington's Mansion |
A short 4 hours later, we were home playing with our cats and doing house chores (yay adulthood?). I hope we can fit in another trip to D.C before we move away from the Southeast! There's just so much to see and do!
Thank you as always for taking the time to read my humble blog, I wouldn't be anything without you guys!
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| Lookin' like I'm about to go solve an X-File |
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