Happy Hour at Lincoln

I don’t know why I don’t think of Lincoln more often, but it’s a great spot between K St & Thomas Circle on Vermont Ave.  First off the decor of Lincoln is beautiful.  The floor is literally made of pennies and you’ll find other unique details everywhere you look, from the paintings to the menu.

Mom and I shared the happy hour mac ‘n cheese and ordered a burger to share.

I’d have to say I’ve had better mac ‘n cheese, but it was still pretty tasty and I really liked the burger.  Lincoln’s happy hour is everyday from 4:00 – 7:00 and has a wide range of cocktails, wines, beers, and bites available.  If you’re looking for a happy hour with substance, this is one to try!

Details: 

Lincoln 
1110 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC 20005
(202) 386-9200
Serve: Happy Hour, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
Price Range: (Happy Hour) $3.00 – $10.00

Happy Hour at Bistro Cacao

I’ve mentioned before how good Bistro Cacao’s dinner is, but I stopped by for their happy hour one evening on my walk home and was delighted by their wine and bites selection.

Their happy hour is served in their wine bar and the patio when it is open from 4:00 – 7:00.  It features a $5.00 white and red wine of the week as well some beer and liquor specials.  Surprisingly for a happy hour, the wine is from their reserve collection and rotates each week based on what Bistro Cacao has in their cellar.  It’s a fun opportunity to branch out beyond the “typical” house wine you get other places.  

Their charcuterie and mixed boards are half off as well and made right in front of you if you sit at the wine bar.  It’s a great selection to match your wine.

I’d certainly say this is a great happy hour to stop by for it you are near the Capitol or Union Station.  If you time dinner right in the spring and summers, you can have the happy hour wines with your meal, which is a great deal!

Details: 

Bistro Cacao
320 Mass Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002
202.546.4737
Serve: Happy Hour, Lunch, Dinner
Price Range:  (Happy Hour) $4.00 – $15.00

Bar Bites at Cascabel Taqueria NYC

Cascabel Taqueria is a Mexican restaurant located in the Upper East Side of NYC (they also have a location on the Upper West Side as well).  Mexican food is certainly a favorite of ours, so finding a good spot in the city is always a goal.

One evening we stopped in to grab a drinks and some appetizers (though we’ve heard their brunch is pretty awesome too).  We ended up with:

Queso Fundido- chihuahua cheese, house made chorizo, rosated poblano, and served with warm tortillas.

Elote Asado- grilled corn with mexican aioli, lime, casacabel chili, queso cotija, and cilantro.

Gorditas con Puerco- heritage pork belly topped with chipotle honey glaze, cucumber, cilantro, and served on masa cakes.

I loved the pork belly and the other apps were a great compliment.  I definitely look forward to trying out their plates and tacos.  Plus, a boozy brunch might be in order one of these weekends!

Details: 

Cascabel Taqueria
Neighborhood: Upper East Side (UES)
1538 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10075
212.717.8226
Serve: Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
Price Range: $4.00 – $14.00

 

 

 

Dinner at Brasserie Beck DC

Brasserie Beck‘s is almost a hidden gem in Downtown DC.  Found on K St and 11th between McPherson and Metro Center, they serve casual Belgian food and beer.

I think BB has a great happy hour, especially with $5.00 wines and delish bar bites, but their mussels are worth the trip alone.  Ordered half portion or full portion you can make them an appetizer or a full meal.  We ordered the Classic White Wine with roasted garlic, parsley, and cream as well as the Wild Mushrooms version with applewood-smoked bacon and truffle cream.  Though both were good, the wild mushroom was out of this world.

     

Besides the mussels, I love their caramelized brussel sprouts side.  Once I was running 30 minutes early to a meeting and stopped in and grabbed a seat at the bar just to get the brussel sprouts…these come out in a “serving size” cast iron pan covered in so much cheese and bacon that you can barely see the roasted brussel sprouts underneath. (I’d opt to skip the poached pear, but trying the dish for the first time, leave it in there for a sweet/savory experience.)

With no doubt I would recommend Robert Wiedmaier’s Brasserie Becks, whether you grab drinks and food at the bar or enjoy a meal on their patio (weather permitting).

Details: 

Brasserie Beck
Neighborhood: Downtown
1101 K St NW
Washington, DC 20005
202.408.1717
Serving: Lunch, Dinner, Happy Hour, Brunch
Price Range: $5.00 – $36.00

 

 

Dinner at Lost Society

I wanted to try a new place for dinner and somehow happened upon Lost Society at the busy intersection of 14^th St Corridor and U St NW.  The restaurant is housed on the second level and I would describe it almost as a modern steakhouse.  Their menu even states this is not your grandfather’s steakhouse.  The rich colors and textures make it a beautiful environment.

The first reason to visit Lost Society is because of their amazing happy hour menu which is Tuesday-Thursday and features half off all drinks (except for their special cocktails) and then a prix-fixe menu for three courses at $25 per person.  And the fabulous thing is that happy hour is throughout the restaurant!!

We were lucky to be there on a Thursday and got a drink at the bar before moving to our seats and ordering drinks and the prixe-fixe menu.

Every single thing I tried was delightful!

For our first courses we ordered the fried oysters with worcestershire, smoked maple hot sauce, and dressed arugula;

and the crispy pork belly with bacon, a fried egg, house habanero sauce, and cilantro oil.

For our second courses I went with the bistro filet (rare) which came with fried brussel sprouts;

and my friend ordered the 20 oz. bone-in ribeye with mushroom cream.

We also ordered a side of mac n cheese which was fabulous as well!

For dessert I ordered this amazing smores creation that had a graham cracker crust, chocolate, and toasted marshmallows.

Plus an order of their chocolate torte and it was rich and great (as I LOVE chocolate).

This was one of the better dining experiences we have had at a “steakhouse” in DC and what I loved is that it was really reasonably priced.  I’d say my only “complaint” was that the restroom is actually up a floor, but it wasn’t too big of a deal.

Lost Society is a great venue, accessible, and priced amazing for the quality of food you’ll get. We will certainly be visiting again.

Details: 

Lost Society DC
2001 14^th St NW
Washington, DC 20009
202.618.8868
Serve: Dinner, Happy Hour
Price Range:  (dinner) $6.00 – $32.00

Lunch at Pizzeria Paradiso

I love pizza. I know it’s not that great for you and we don’t eat it that often but sometimes a fresh made pizza is in order. We had one of those moments as we wandered Old Town in Alexandria and made a stop in Pizzeria Paradiso. They have a few locations in the area, most notably in Georgetown and Dupont Circle. They are not a large chain by any means but you can count on the food being pretty much the same at each location.

On this day we went for their thin crust margarita pizza. I could have used more basil bit that’s just because I love it, but it was really good.

Not well known, but Pizzeria Paradiso has a fabulous happy hour during the week.  If you are looking for an early dinner, opt for this!

Details:
Pizzeria Paradiso
Georgetown (M St); Old Town Alexandria (King St); Dupont Circle (P St)
Serve: Lunch, Dinner, Happy Hour
Price Range: $10.00 – $19.00

Dinner at the Baby Wale

Tucked into a side street near the Convention Center is a new spot called The Baby Wale. Opened at the end of August, this restaurant is tucked away near Corduroy and Rogue 24. The space is a combination of eclectic and wood. I love the lights hanging in the back.

The bar is the length of the restaurant and seemed to fill up before the tables, which it might be because Steve the bartender is extremely engaging.

Three of us ordered a smattering of items from the menu:

Which included the largest hot dog I have ever seen on a plate…

A Mozzarella Porcupine

The Crispy Filipino Style Spring Rolls

A Lobster Salad Roll

Prosciutto Pizza

And a Grilled Gruyere Cheese & Tomato Sandwich

All the dishes were excellent!!  I’d go with the pizza, the grilled cheese, and the mozzarella porcupine as these were my favs.  The beverage menu is pretty extensive as well which can meet the needs of anyone in your group. I loved everything about this experience but if you go you MUST get one of their fresh baked cookies for desert. I unfortunately did not get a photo of mine before I gobbled it down but if you like fresh cookies that almost melt in your hand that’s what I had. Awesomeness.

Details:

Baby Wale DC
1124 9th St NW
Washington, DC
202.450.3311
Serve: Dinner, Happy Hour
Price Range: $7.00 – $38.00

Grand Re-Opening at J&G Steakhouse

J&G Steakhouse at the W Hotel near the White House has certainly been around but they recently had a fabulous face-lift and re-opened with a fresh look at their two story space.

We attended the grand re-opening and I was impressed by the decor. The red, gray, and black is fun but classy, much like the W Hotel.

The food we tried was absolutely delicious…

…and their drink list features many of their J&G’s traditional favorites like their ginger margarita, but also has specials like their French 515, named after their 515 address. (P.S. If you order it call it a French five-one-five.)

Whether you are visiting the area or looking for a drink J&G Steakhouse is worth a visit.  Plus, if you want to go more casual they have a great bar bites menu as well.

Details:

J&G Steakhouse
515 15th St NW
Washington, DC
202.661.2440
Serve: Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Bar
Price Range: $11.00 – $38.00 (Lunch)   $10.00 – $54.00 (Dinner)   $10.00 – $28.00 (Bar Bites)

Lunch at Zengo

In the heart of Chinatown, Zengo is one of Chef Richard Sandoval’s restaurants that combines Asian and Latin flavors. They have a great menu that makes it hard to decide what to eat, but I especially like their bento boxes which lets you try a few different things.  This lunch visit I ordered their Zengo Box which includes their angry Zengo sushi roll, their juicy Tandoori chicken, a papaya salad, wok vegetables, and jasmine rice.

A coworker got their pork ramen noodles with a poached egg and bok choy on top and it looked amazing.  Their grilled skirt steak salad is huge and I was told it was excellent as well.

I have also been here for happy hour and they offer a great variety of small plates and drinks all for $5.00 – $8.00.  If you do not have time for a full meal, this is certainly a recommend HH.

Details:

Zengo
781 7^th St NW
Washington, DC 20001
202.393.2929
Serve: Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Happy Hour
Price Range: $5.00 – $24.00

Dinner or Happy Hour at Daikaya

I read about Daikaya opening, I put it on my must list to try.  One evening when faced with where I wanted to grab a quick bite and drink I remembered Daikaya and climbed the stairs to the second floor to take a seat at the bar.  The space is a mirage of walls covered in patchwork cloth, lots of wood, ropes, and Japanese signs.  My favorite decorating piece is the back-lit area where the bottles for the bar sit and the shutters (scroll down through gallery) that they open when the weather outside is worth letting in.

I ordered up a beer then looked around for a menu, not realizing the menus were actually the Japanese magazines that were laying around.  Flip one open and you will find a pretty extensive menu.  I found out that these dishes are similar to the small “share-able” tapas trend that has taken DC by storm.  I ordered a few different things just to try them.

I only got a photo of the sauteed edamame and pork skins, but my favorite was the pork & brussels sprouts skewer.

It was certainly a unique experience and all the food I tried was good.  If I went back I would want some more insight into what dishes I should try as I found myself ordering things I recognized.

Details: 

Daikaya
705 6th St NW
Washington, DC 20001
202.589.1600
Serve: Dinner, Happy Hour
Price Range: $2.00 – $12.00