My wife, our good friend, Amanda, and I went to Flat Iron Steak and Saloon for the first time last night for dinner. Â The decor was nice and welcoming and service was great.
I ordered the Crab Cakes, came with fries and coleslaw. Â All very delicious as I have not had crab cakes in a while and was going to order between the Scallops and Crab Cakes and the water immediately suggested the crab cakes so I chose them. Â I'm an eat pretty much ANYTHING kind of guy so it's actually tough for me to go to a restaurant with great variety because I WANT EVERYTHING! :)
My wife wasn't feeling too hungry so just ordered the Wedge Salad and had no problems with it.
Our friend Amanda got the Hamburger! Â All seemed to enjoy it and overall our dinner portions and quality were great!
We then gave into their dessert menu and all shared the apple nut pie ala mode! Â It was delicious as they sliced the apples thinly within the slice! Â Very good technique and GOOD size portion for one order of dessert that was perfect for the 3 of us!
Overall great first experience at the Flat Iron Steak and Saloon as we live right down the street from King Street and will definitely go back again!
After reading some favorable reviews my husband and myself dined at this establishment.  We found that the reviews were not consistent with the quality of the food. I ordered a Mojito from my server and was told there was no fresh mint. I proceeded to order a Hurricane, again it failed. I was told they didn't have the right kind of alcohol. The manager did come over and apologized and he comped their specialty drink which was excellent. We proceeded to order dinner. Prime Rib for me and bone-in Rib eye for him. We are sorry to say we were very disappointed in the cut and quality of the meat. The cost of each meal greatly outweighed the quality of the beef. My husbands steak was 3/4" thick and did not represent the price of it. My Prime Rib was no where near as tender as it should be. We did have the French Onion Soup, which was excellent. Thinks just got worse. We tried Crème Brule and berries with cream. The desserts showed up and the Crème Brule had the caramelized sugar undercooked which made it soft and mushy. Again the manager came over and
apologized.
To top it off, when the fresh berries came, it had "Fresh Mint" on top of the cream.
If we do return, it will be to have drinks and appetizers and the bar.(Maybe)
Ric and Jane
I went here last week to watch a New Orleans Saints game at the saloon portion upstairs. I had the grilled cheese sandwich and lobster bisque, both of which were decent. However, honestly, the high light of the meal were the drink specials, 2.00 draft beers and 2.50 bloody marys.
Honestly, the thing I am most excited about is that Agua Viva, which used to occupy this location, is gone...it had to be one of the sketchiest, rapiest bars in Alexandria if not the DC metro area.
My husband and I had lunch at Flat Iron today even though we had initially intended to go to a different restaurant in Old Town, Alexandria. Â We found a parking spot right in front of Flat Iron and, after looking at the menu, decided to give it a try. Â The highlights: Â our waiter David was very helpful and friendly, service was well-paced, and the lobster bisque was excellent. Â Room for improvement: Â please serve the bread warm and warm the tortillas for the soft tacos. Â My husband had a cheese steak sandwich (sorry, I can't remember the name of the item on the menu, but it was marked as a chef's favorite) which he said was good, but not remarkable. Â We both liked the atmosphere. Â Bottom line: Â we would come back, but probably not on a regular basis. Â Still, it's a good addition to Old Town and fills a food niche (steaks) that most other restaurants in Old Town don't offer.
Review Source:My friends and I have been here the past 4 Thursdays in a row for happy hour. The two times we sat at the bar upstairs we had quick and efficient service. The other two times we sat at a table upstairs and found ourselves often waiting for the waiter/waitress to notice us (to bring the menus, to refill our glasses, to bring the check etc.) Other than that, we've had nothing but positive experiences here. The $5 appetizers on the happy hour menu have all been very good. My favorite two are the parmigiana tots (comes with 3 dipping sauces) and steak tacos (love the chipotle mayo). As someone who enjoys a glass of cold beer after work and someone who has invested in the Flat Iron mug, I do wish there were more than 4 beers on tap. Maybe someday!
Review Source:**** More like 3.75 Stars ****
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We were in Old Town Alexandria on Sunday. Â Before going, we decided that we would give this place a try. Â What caught my husband's eye was the lamb chops on the menu. Â For years, my husband didn't want to eat lamb. Â Then, while channel surfing he came across some cooking shows where lamb was prepared. Â This caused him to want to have lamb chops. Â
We arrived here around 4:30 p.m. Â At that hour, the place was just about empty. Â The first floor is the restaurant while the "saloon" is upstairs. Â The hostess greeted us and offered us a two top table right by the front window. Â I actually don't mind such tables as it can be interesting to watch the street scene unfold. Â The only drawback --- we were right by the door and the host station. Â Since things were slow at the time, the servers would congregate there which made us feel like we were being watched---whether or not that was actually occurring. Â In fact, someone commented about our photo taking and my husband said "We're immortalizing you on Yelp". Â LOL!
Our server was friendly and efficient. Â We started out ordering our drinks. Â I had a chocolate martini while my husband got a glass of Malbec. Â After the drinks arrived, we ordered our meal. Â I started out with a bowl of lobster bisque while my husband got the onion soup. Â For my main course, I ordered the flatiron steak, which according to the menu description, is "10 oz. steak cut from the shoulder giving it a soft and juicy texture". Â Of course, my husband ordered the lamb chops with chimichurri sauce, again, according to the menu, "three New Zealand chops with optimal flavor, sweet, mild, naturally tender and never gamey".
I really enjoyed the chocolate martini as it was very tasty thus I made sure to not waste a drop. Â My husband said his Malbec was good quality.
The lobster bisque was thick and creamy. Â It had a small amount of sherry which was good as it didn't overpower it. Â Plus the lobster portion was generous. Â My husband liked his onion soup even though he said that the broth didn't have too much flavor.
As for the flatiron steak --- it comes with a choice of sauces, chipotle, chimichurri or Mediterranean BBQ sauce. Â I chose the BBQ sauce after our server said that it wasn't very spicy. Â The steak itself was properly prepared. Â While tender, it wasn't as tender as a filet mignon but I didn't expect it to be. Â I didn't care for the BBQ sauce as it seemed to have an odd taste (which I can't quite put my finger on) and it didn't even have a hint of spiciness. Â If I have this dish again, I would choose another sauce.
My husband raved about his lamb chops. Â Each chop was small but the three of them made a decent sized portion. Â I tasted it and agree with my husband and the menu description, they weren't at all gamey. Â They were cooked medium and were very tender. Â My husband thought that the chimichurri sauce didn't have much flavor.
If there is one thing I ding them for it's this --- they don't allow any substitutions with the sides that come with the meals. Â The sides for our dishes were spinach au gratin and red skinned mashed potatoes. Â My husband doesn't care too much for spinach and asked if he could substitute. Â The server said "no" because the sides are pre-made. Â However, if he wanted to pay extra and order a different side, he could do so. Â The spinach au gratin was okay if on the watery side. Â The mashed potatoes were homemade---decent but nothing to write home about.
I watch Willie Degel on the Food Network's "Restaurant Stakeout". Â If there is one thing that really sticks in his craw is restaurants that refuse to do substitutions. Â He is all about having the customer leave happy. Â However, I also see it as the customer may have an allergy to the default side dish. Â Flatiron really needs to change this and either allow for diners to pick their 2 sides or just go a la carte.
So...while we did enjoy our meals for the most part, due to the few problems mentioned, I can't go fully 4 stars. Â We would consider going back for another meal. Â My husband liked the lamb chops so much that he was just about gnawing on the bones! Â Before the tip, dinner cost $87 + change.
My office is about as close to this place as could be but after a couple of visits, I can't really see myself going back.
Food:
There's nothing wrong with the sandwiches here... it's just that they aren't really memorable, of a noteworthy quality, or special enough to compete with similarly priced nearby options. Yes, their french dip is better than Arbys, but if you swapped it out with any of the ones from nearby local delis, I don't suspect that anyone would notice. Although this place is calling itself a steakhouse, after ordering two different beef sandwiches, I haven't managed to see any red, char, fat or anything that would imply that i was eating quality beef cooked by a professional.
Atmosphere:
The overall look of the place isn't bad, but it's been freezing cold on both my visits, and the whole place is dark enough to feel gloomy. That aside, the real kicker is the music, which I think can best be described as "top ten most over-played classic rock songs of all time." Â Ever want to hear Stairway to Heaven, Hotel California, and Dust in the Wind all in the same meal? Now's your chance. The rest room is upstairs in the bar area, where they seemed to be playing Smashmouth.
Service:
The service has been attentive but my server was obviously quite new to the industry . He didn't even know enough about the sandwiches to realize that he'd brought me the wrong one, but I don't really have any serious complaints. The restaurant is new, and I'm sure that little slips like that will iron themselves out.
During lunch a sandwich, fries, and a soda will run almost $17 with tip... which puts dining here out of "normal lunch out" price range. Unfortunately the food and atmosphere both fail to meet that higher stand. I considered giving them a shot at dinner... my girlfriend and I even got so far as to be seated, but when we saw that the dinner prices were significantly higher than the already unworthy lunch prices, we bailed for a safer option. If a place can't make a cheese steak better than the Korean corner store, I'm not going to give them $60 for a couple of skirt steaks and see what happens.
After seeing that Flat Iron had recently opened and had happy hour from 4-8 on weekdays, I added it to my list of places to try. Â I was able to cross it off this past Wednesday. Â Flat Iron has a bunch of tables downstairs, and a bar/lounge with tons of TVs upstairs - we visited for happy hour and sat upstairs at the bar.
The draft selection was very limited, they had a Flying Dog IPA, Fat Tire, and 2 other random domestics. Â That was about the only downside - the prices and food were awesome. Â I tried the Parmigiana Tots and loved them. Â These are not your cafeteria tots. Â They were mashed potatoes, deep fried, with bacon and cheese and served with three different dipping sauces. Â Although I did not get the chance to try other appetizers on the menu on account of limited stomach space, they all sounded delicious.
Our bartenders were great. Â Both of them were friendly, knowledgeable about the food and drink menu, and did a great job of making sure that we had everything we needed. Â
Great food, service and value. Â I look forward to visiting again - especially to try some more of those appetizers!
Hmm where to begin... first, I have a lot of respect for anyone trying to start a new business. Â I've been involved once in opening a new restaurant and it is very, very hard. Â The first key decision is what kind of place you want your restaurant to be. Â I never learned the answer to that question when I dined at Flat Iron Steak and Saloon recently. Â
The waitstaff is still learning the ropes and that is pretty much to be expected.
They have a decent menu with a variety of apps and entrees. Â The wine list is not up to par for what a "steakhouse" charging around $20-$30 per steak should offer. Â
I cannot understand why the muzak was on 80's rock that only played 2/3 of a song before going onto the next song; the music volume was too loud to allow for easy conversation over dinner.
The food presentation was ok but both our steaks were cooked too little (I ordered medium but the steak came out very, very rare). Â To the owner's credit he did take my steak off the bill and was apologetic!
Flat Iron has a great location and lots of potential (the owner is clearly involved and hands on trying to make a positive difference) but is still learning what it wants to be. Â It is definitely not the classic steak house I was hoping would open in Old Town.
I went here with my wife last night, and we weren't impressed. I had the prime rib; my wife had the flatiron steak. They were cooked fairly well, though the prime rib was slightly overdone. The problem was the steaks were not very high quality. Three stars because at least they were relatively cheap.
Review Source:A very good place in Old Town.
Went here for lunch and had the prime rib dip; she had the burger with bacon. All good was good and the beer selection was much better than most places. She had a "lemonade" cocktail that was very good as well.
I definitely want to come back sometime and try one of the steaks. If they're as good as the sandwiches then they might be on to something.
Service was great, and the place is really nicely decorated. Definitely will be returning.
My date and I decided to try this place for lunch. Small but I loved the atmosphere. The decorations are cute! I ordered a burger, while he got the prime rib sandwich. Bread comes with your meal. Our drinks were great and resonably priced. Our waiter was attentive but not too attentive. I wanted to try dessert as I noticed a selection of fried oreos, and other fried candies but I was too full. Maybe next time.
The only con was that they should serve the bread warm. I will be returning!
I went into this establishment because I wanted to have a steak. Since this was a steakhouse I was expecting a decent steak meal. I ordered skirt steak medium. When my steak came out, it wasn't warm at all but rather cold. I was disappointed that the steak wasn't what I expected. The waiter said the chipotle sauce has a kick to it but to my disappointment it tasted bland and didn't really help the steak. The side dish that came with it was ok but it was also disappointing I was not able to change my side dish to something else unless I paid additional for them. The waiter, I was very turned off because he tried to teach me how to inspect a wine. I always smell the cork when they open the wine. This place wasn't one of those fancy place where I had to worry about proper manner so me smelling the cork shouldn't be a problem. So I found him to be a snotty waiter. I wouldn't go back to this place because the food wasn't impressive and the waiter service was horrible!
Review Source:**** 4 Stars for Food, 5 Stars for Service*****
Located on King st, in the heart of Old Town Alexandria, Flat Iron's exterior fits in with the classic feel of Old Town. However, inside, Flat Iron has a personality all its own, which comes across in their food, service, and decor. Like their name sake, Flat Iron's is decorated like a Saloon but with a modern twist. Diners can sit downstairs or upstairs where the bars and TVs are located. I believe upstairs would be a fun place to go to to watch a game or just out for drinks with friends. Downstairs has a great atmosphere too. It's both intimate and inviting.
My boyfriend and I dined at Flat Iron for the first time this past weekend. We went there with the intention of just ordering their signature Flat Iron Steaks. But after speaking with our waiter Eric, we were quickly swayed into exploring the menu. Eric was awesome. In addition to giving us excellent service and a wonderful dining experience, he made great recommendations on both dishes and wines that would pair well with each dish. He really seemed passionate and excited about the food and about Flat Iron. Here's what we ordered (tasting menu style): Ahi Tuna Sashimi, Beef Carpaccio, California Chopped Salad, Flat Iron Steak (me), and Rib Eye (boyfriend). You may be thinking, why order seafood at a steakhouse? But Flat Iron did not disappoint. With each dish, they showed that they are able to do a variety of dishes, very well (including the Tuna which was delicious). The Beef Carpaccio was wonderful too. I recommend ordering some bread to go with this dish, it helps bring the flavors together, not to mention gives you an edible spoon. Their steaks: well done (no pun intended). Simply seasoned, made to order, and actually made to order. The staff at Flat Iron really pay attention to their guests. Eric made sure we had each order prepared correctly. With all that, we managed to save room for dessert. Wait for it....they have fried candy bars!!! What?!?! Yes we ordered fried resees cups which were delicious! Definitely must try!
Excellent service, food, and experience. I can't wait to go back. Welcome to the neighborhood Flat Iron.
First time diner here at the "Flat Iron". Â Steak was cooked perfect and tasted great. Great atmosphere and service. For appetizer we had Chicken Egg Rolls, and they were delicious.
Cons-
Steaks are served with mashed potatoes and creamy spinach. You can not substitute the sides. You can pay full price and order an additional side if you please.
Kitchen does not have a door and is loud. You can here the staffing joking and fooling around.
Flat Iron is great place for dinner and drinks!
Originally I came here for their grand opening and had a great time. Our party went upstairs to the bar and enjoyed drinks and some appetizers. The bartenders & house staff were very warm, happy, and inviting. Smiles all around.
The next week I came for dinner with my roommates. We enjoyed the appetizer sampler which included steak sliders, spinach & artichoke dip, stuffed mushrooms, eggrolls, and hush puppies. Everything was very good but the mushrooms were a delightful surprise. I normally don't like mushrooms but the seafood stuffed mushrooms were very tasty. My roommates and I all had the Flat Iron steak with Chimichuri sauce...recommended by our server and was very good. The Chimichuri is more of a glaze than a sauce but the steak was cooked perfectly & didn't need much else. After dinner I had the cheesecake for dessert which was very good. One roommate had the Creme Brulee and the other had the deep fried Snickers. We were all satisfied with our appetizer, dinner, and dessert (as well as our cocktails).
The environment was warm and inviting and our server was great. He was entertaining and made great recommendations. He even invented a cocktail for me on the spot (after telling him what I was in the mood for but couldn't pinpoint a drink) which I enjoyed.
Overall a great experience with great food and drinks, great service, and a great environment. I recommend this restaurant and will definitely be coming back.
I've been to Flat Iron once for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. I ate at the bar upstairs.
Food: I had the half roast chicken with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. Â For me, the best part about "roast chicken" is the the skin -- I expect it golden brown and crisp. The chicken I received was neither browned nor crisp. Instead, it was very pale -- in fact the whole plate was very pale. Â The flavor was OK, but it was just basic chicken flavor. I'm thankful it wasn't overly salty, but they should have at least tried to add some flavor (the plate was garnished with a fresh rosemary sprig -- they should have used it to flavor the chicken while they roasted it). Â The chicken came with a leek and mushroom au jus; however, the leeks were practically non-existent and the au jus was flavorless. The mashed potatoes were just "OK" -- they were more like mashed baked potatoes than the creamy mashed potatoes I expected. The spinach au gratin was also just OK -- much more "creamy" than "spinach".
Booze: They have a good selection of liquor, but their beer selection is pretty limited. They only have four on tap -- they seem to try to offer some variety (Flying Dog Raging Bitch IPA, Miller Lite, Fat Tire, and another I don't recall), but there's not a lot you can do with only four taps.  Their bottle beer selection is also fairly limited.  I suppose they could rotate their beers, however, the heavily laminated menus give the  impression they intend on keeping things pretty static.
Decor: The upstairs bar is nice, but it doesn't feel like a "saloon". Instead, it's a cross between a sports bar (they have a dozen or more TVs) and a club (they were playing club-style music). Â I was hoping for more of a saloon feel. Â Perhaps playing classic rock would up the "saloon" feel and get rid of half the TVs.
Service: Â I only interacted with the bartender -- he was nice and up-beat about the restaurant.
Price: Â My lunch half chicken was fairly priced at $13; however, I would have preferred to pay a little more for better food.
This is weird: For a place that claims to be a steak house, they don't have a particularly large selection of steaks on either their lunch or dinner menus -- and the steaks they do have are not well displayed on their menus (they are the last items on the menus and under "Grilled Favorites").  Also, both the lunch and dinner menus have items identified as the chef's favorites, however, none of the steaks are identified as the chef's favorites  (OK, the prime rib is).
I was hoping to give this place a higher rating, unfortunately, two stars is all they earned. Â Perhaps I was expecting too much, but I hoped for much better food and a better saloon atmosphere. Â My meal was OK, but I felt it was very amateurishly prepared. Â I'll probably try a steak from Flat Iron eventually, but I'll wait until they've been open a little longer.
My husband and I and another couple met at Flat Iron tonight to try the new steak restaurant in Old Town. I wanted so much to like this restaurant. Â Our server was nice and attentive. Â Unfortunately the food was very disappointing. Â I ordered the prime rib which I happen to love and have not had in a while. Â I took one look and knew right away this was not a quality cut of meat. Â It was cooked as I asked but had very little flavor. Â My husband ordered the Flat Iron steak and he said it was way too salty. Â The mashed potatoes were bland and grainy and the creamed spinach had no flavor. The fried candy bars I ordered for dessert seemed to be reheated. Â They were barely warm. Our friends agreed with us that the food was fair to just plain not good. Â We will not be back. Â Too bad.
Review Source:Recently had an excellent dinner here! I had the filet mignon medium rare with the Mediterranean sauce and a glass of red wine. Filet was amazing and cooked perfectly. However, do not expect the traditional bacon wrapped around the filet. The rockfish shrimp app was really good, too. I had no complaints for my first visit to this new OT restaurant and will be returning!
Review Source:We went to Flat Iron for Lunch; not much diners. 3 tables occupied. Ordered prime rib and flat iron steak. Prime rib was okay for the price 16, flat iron steak was excellent for medium cook.
While I'm enjoying my steak, a fly landed on my steak, I called the attention of the server and he was very apologetic and replaced a new steak.
When the new  flat iron steak came, it was not excellent anymore. It was poorly cooked. It should be medium, but turns out  medium rare. And smells. I guess they are not that perfect and consistent yet in cooking steaks. The server was very kind and asked if I want them to recook, they did, but it came out in a hot plate though not as good as the 1st plate.
Service: excellent
Ambiance: well presented
I liked their Spinach au Gratin And Mashed Potato.
The bread was a little bit dry.
I really wanted to like this restaurant, having been here for happy hour on the evening of the soft opening, but the full dinner experience just didn't make the grade. Â I went with the flat iron steak that was good, not great; but no choice of sides. Â It's mashed potatoes and creamed spinach...that's it, no other options. Â My wife went for the salad with shrimp, and her first comment was "where's the rest of it? Â Even McDonald's salads cover the plate." Â Maybe if the bacon and avocado were not MIA, the plate would have looked more full.
The service was "okay", but at those prices you'd think it would be better.  A waiter kneeling down and putting his elbows on the tables...multiple times?  Really?  Also, the proper way to serve a drink is from a tray not just carrying out in your hand; BTW, a martini glass should be gripped art the base of the stem, not the top near the bowl of the glass.  This ensures that body heat doesn't warm the  drink; the same goes for white wine glasses.
By know you may know that I sometimes go old school so let's talk about the attire. Â Jeans and a logo t-shirt in a "steakhouse"? Â No thank you. Â If you want me to shell out a minimum of $20 for a steak, I like to see white button down shirts and a tie (preferably black).
What really got to us though was the live music that started about 9:00PM. Â The lone "artist" who played as he described it, "acoustic soul" was pretty sad. Â The Singing Glass Man from the bottom of King Street would have been an improvement. Â Why would you have someone into your restaurant that you wouldn't even tip while walking down the street? Â Sure wish they'd left the muzak playing for more than the first 10 minutes of his set, that at least helped drown him out. Â Better yet, put him upstairs in the bar area; but that might conflict with the 16 TV's spread throughout the third floor public area (do you REALLY need that many TV's in a upper floor of basically a townhouse?). Â Thanks for the "experience", not sure when we'll be back.
This review is based ONLY on the bar upstairs. (July 31). We did not try any of their food.
I asked a colleague to meet me at the new  Flat Iron because I had heard great things about it. He arrived 15 minutes before me and said it took him 10 minutes just to get a drink despite there being 7 people total in the bar itself. I arrived at 7:30 on a Wednesday and was surprised to see how dead it was. The blonde bartender looked bored, yet it took me ten minutes to get her attention for a drink. She was so busy either looking bored or talking to the older gentlemen that she didn't notice me or my colleague sit down at her bar. It became very annoying and frustrating. When she did get our drink orders, the drinks were actually good, and the bartender became more attentive in regards to refills. However, by this time we were just annoyed and paid the bill and left.
I have to give two stars due to the bad service and lack of any atmosphere.
We went on opening night and it was amazing! I'm originally from California wine country so I'm usually underwhelmed by DC area wines selections. Â I was pleasantly surprised! They have a great wine list and awesome cocktails! I had the bone-in rib-eye and I was quite pleased that it came with a side of mashed potatoes, as well as very delicious creamed spinach, since at most steak houses sides are separate. I opted not to have a sauce on my steak preferring to have the steak stand on its own. And boy did it! It was cooked to e perfect Medium rare and had an amazing char on it. Â My wife had the lamp chops and was very happy with them. Â Of course we had to have desert when we were offered deep fried snickers! The snickers was fantastic, like I was at the state fair! My wife opted for a classic...creme brulee and it was quite tasty! WE live in Maryland, but Flat Iron is worth the trip to Alexandria!
Review Source:Interesting spot: they seem to be straddling the space between being a bumping night scene and a mid-range steakhouse. I suspect they will eventually have to decide which way to go (which I hope is in the way of just serving awesome steaks since the music sound system needed some work).
The menu is relatively expansive and the servers are eager to please. My boyfriend had some shoulder cut (after our server discouraged us from ordering the kobe beef burger) and I had the prime rib. While we both thought our steak was very good, I wish mine could have been a little bit more rare (I asked for breathing...I got somewhere around medium). The potatoes and creamed spinach that came with the entrees was fantastic as were the side of potatoes we ordered.
While I don't think this place prides itself on its kitchen, per se (there was much more of a focus on the GIANT bar upstairs, the music, and the constantly bumping pop hits) the food was good. I would certainly come back, but the current vibe isn't necessarily that of a 'quiet romantic dinner' so much as a pre-party before the restaurant moves the tables out of the way for a full on dance party.
Wine and beer list were a-okay. Prices were reasonable. I'll probably return on a game-day given the sheer number of TV's they had mounted.
More detail on our first visit:
APPETIZER SAMPLER (fried egg rolls, tots, crab dip, stuffed mushrooms)
* homemade tots were good, crispy on the outside, mashed potatoes on the inside. More like a fritter than a tot
* Â chicken egg rolls pretty good, the sweet chili dipping sauce was good, but clearly from a bottle
* crab dip on par with a chain restaurant, could use more lump crab, and hotter
* steak sliders were pretty good, but should have been burger sliders or had more sliced steak. A little thin in the middle
* stuffed mushrooms good, but a little boring, needed to be hotter
SERVICE
* we were the only people there, so we got the attention we needed, but otherwise they were distracted hanging out. We were at the upstairs bar and there were about 3-5 employees for just a few people.
* Music was great 90s grunge rock. Nice Bose speakers, but audio quality was bad because I bet it was off an iPod. Speakers looked good, but sounded muffled.
* When one steak was overcooked they were apologetic, took it off the bill, remade it perfectly, and had the manager apologize which was exactly the right response, very happy with that.
ENTREE
* We all got steaks in the $30 range. One T-Bone and two rib eyes. The quality was certified Angus. The steaks were good but still had room for improvement. You selected a sauce with your steak but the sauce was smeared on the steak at the end of the cook making it faint, I would have preferred a heaping side bowl of chimuchurri instead of a smear.
* The steak came with two sides, the spinach au gratin was excellent. Rich, creamy, salty and cheap. Â Found myself dipping steak in it to increase the richness of the steak (maybe the steak could have used a pad of butter or side of butter that could have been shared with the potato). The potato side was unmemorable but nicely presented.
* Side of Mac was good enough as was the side of asparagus
* The steak had a good char. Some of the char had a burned bitter taste, but it was largely good. Browning a steak without giving it a burned taste is not easy. To get this right takes obsessive attention on a home grill and / or very good quality steakhouse broilers in a restaurant. At home you need to make sure the bars of the grill don't scorch the meat before the rest is browned. I think they had a little of this problem on the steaks at the restaurant. I bet they don't have high end steak broilers and instead are using a cook-top which is prone to burning lines into the steak.
* All in all happy with the steak. Happy it was replaced when overcooked too. If they work on their technique and consistency, and serve the sauce on the side of a well salted / peppered steak, with a pad of butter, I think it will be worth repeating.
BOOZE:
* cocktails were a reasonable 9 bucks but we didn't have any. House cocktail menu was limited, but a couple attractive options
* draft beef menu was disappointing. Four drafts, none local. Get some Port City or other DC area beers.
* bottled beers were a little better (Duck Rabbit Milk Stout!). Beers were generally 5 to 7 bucks.
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