Lunch or Dinner at Tacklebox

I’ve already bragged about the happy hour at Crackle Bar, but the Tacklebox’s food is really great too!  I have found that good seafood is hard to find up here, I guess that could be because I spent my summers growing up just feet from the Atlantic and surrounded by seafood restaurants, but Tacklebox has become our go-to for seafood up here.  The downstairs area is reminiscent of as seafood shack in Maine with communal seating and order at the counter.  The upstairs feels more like a beach bar and is full-service, plus it has a fabulous view of Georgetown’s M Street.  Grab one of the  menus and look over all the options, but we always order the Maine Meal, Tacklebox Meal,  or the fish tacos.

I can’t order anything else besides the crispy shrimp because that’s my favorite.   The portobella mushroom is also my new found favorite, but the corn, the grilled veggies, and the sweet potato fries are all really great sides too.  If you like pesto, go with the basil walnut pesto sauce, it’s delicious with the shrimp and portobella, but the spicy marinara is a great one too.  Enjoy!!

Details:

Tacklebox
3245 M St. NW, Washington, DC 20007
202.337.8269
Serve: Lunch & Dinner
Price Range:  $6.00-$39.00

Happy Hour at Crackle Bar

I’m not actually a 100% sure how I ended up trying Tacklebox‘s Crackle Bar on M Street in Georgetown.  I usually force myself to try somewhere new (cause there are 1000s of restaurants in DC/NOVA), but the Crackle Bar somehow makes its way into my plans at least once a month.  And there are three reasons why:

1. The view.  They claim they have the best view of Georgetown, and for an M St restaurant that claim is definitely true.  Perched on the second story and big bay windows you can sip your beer and quietly make fun of all the people trying to parallel park.

2. The happy hour specials.  They have $3 calamari  that is actually really tasty and breaded just right.  Plus the spicy marinara dipping sauce that comes with it just compliments the appetizer perfectly.  They have $7 pitches of Natty Boh…  SEVEN DOLLAR PITCHERS OF BEER??!?!  That’s unheard of in this town!  And yes, Natty Boh may not be the highest quality beer, but it sure doesn’t taste bad.  I have made a few dinners with friends out of a pitcher and few rounds of calamari.  The rest of their food is actually really good too, but I’ll make that another post.

3. The bartender.  Eric, the bartender that runs the Crackle Bar is one of the nicest people you’ll meet in a restaurant.  He’s personable and always remembers us, which the first time I found that quite unbelievable with the amount of people he is bound to see each month.

Crackle Bar can get rather crowded, especially in the spring/summer months.  And sometimes it can feel a little bit like a college bar (with Georgetown University down the street), but it’s a great place to enjoy the food, the view, and a brew.  Oh and get a photo inside the sharks head =) even my mom did it!

Details:

Tacklebox’s Crackle Bar
3245 M St. NW, Washington, DC 20007
202.337.8269
Serve: Happy Hour
Price Range:  $1.00-$16.00

 

CRACKLE BAR HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS
4-7pm MONDAY-FRIDAY

Drink specials only available upstairs
RAW OYSTERS 6/12 $1
FRIED CALAMARI $3
MARGARITA ROCKS/FROZEN $4
RAIL DRINKS $4
OYSTER SHOT $4
HOUSE WINE RED/WHITE $4
NATTY BOH DRAFT $4
NATTY BOH PITCHER $7
SANGRIA PITCHER $16
MARGARITA PITCHER $16