The Spotty Dog Books and Ale: A perfect combination

Following a beautiful Labor Day weekend in upstate NY (and then waiting a week to settle in to teaching again) I am devoting the next two posts to a spotlight on Hudson series. The first locale to be reviewed is the Spotty Dog. The Spotty Dog is both an independent book store as well as a local bar and lounge. Since this is a culinary blog, I won’t linger on the literary aspect of this establishment but it is worth noting that the combination creates an intellectual bar crowd (something missing in many of the drinking venues of NYC).

Once you move past the entrance and become comfortable viewing shelves of books to your right and a bar lining the left you may focus on the beers on tap. Should you be like me and a fan of microbreweries, you will be pleasantly surprised by the local and relatively unknown (but very delicious) beer selection.

Like many bars, most of the food items are not prepared on site but as we discovered with their cheese plate, they are prepared by other unique establishments in the area.

In short a combination of books and beer provides an intellectual backdrop enabling literary curiosity while deepening your brewery knowledge.

The Ranking (for an explanation, see “Ranking Key”):

Drinks: 3 Straws (with good prices and a unique selection were I a resident of Hudson this would be my local bar).

Price: $$traw: Moderate (I’ll be honest I don’t remember the specific costs but the final check was far for what we ordered).

Atmosphere: With the growing emphasis on family items the atmosphere can seem somewhat contradictory. I can’t say its not a little weird to be sipping a beer with a baby crawling on the floor behind you ready for a change.

Overall: 3 Straws. A great Hudson establishment and an icon of the goodness that comes from the locally owned.

The Details:

Website: http://www.thespottydog.com/blog/

Location: 440 Warren Street, Hudson, NY 12534

Phone: (518) 671-6006

Reservation: No need.

Dress: Casual.

Hours:

Monday- Thursday: 10:00am- 6:00pm

Friday-Saturday: 10:00am- 9:00pm

Sunday: 12:00pm- 6:00pm

Open City

This is the second place I ever went after moving to Woodley Park, and subsequently went approximately fifteen times in the course of maybe just three weeks.  And, I think you see where this is going…but I got Open City-ed out.   After a dinner there in January, I imposed a ban on Open City, and didn’t return there until May.  For me,  I think this was one of the longest bans I’ve ever been able to sustain!  I can’t ever diet, but boy can I ignore a restaurant.

Here’s the rundown on what I’ve eaten there…I recommend it first for Brunch, but it is always pretty crowded, dinner is always an acceptable option.  They have  a full bar and their menu stays the same throughout the day.  I think there are other interesting places for brunch around D.C., however, so as long as you don’t spend all your time there you should be good to go.

Vegetable Omelet: Mushrooms, broccoli, diced tomatoes and Swiss cheese

Got it with egg whites, was good but with a little too much cheese.

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

A good comfort choice.

Veggie Burger

An excellent choice, comes with thick fries and would be my go-to choice.

Julienned Vegetable Pizza : Zucchini, squash, carrots, basil pesto, shaved parmesan & mozzarella

Wasn’t my favorite.  The julienned veggies didn’t have much taste and distracted from the pizza.  We did get it without cheese, but I would have liked larger slices of zucchini instead of tiny slices that tasted pretty watery.

Mussels: With garlic, parsley and lemon

These were good…we questioned why they had mussels, but decided to eat them anyway.  They were actually really good — the broth had a great savory taste…but they charged us for extra bread to sop up the liquid.

The tea is good, and there is a large selection, though it is slightly overpriced for how much hot water you get in the tea pot.  Coffee comes in a large mug so you never need a refill, though you will have to ask for splenda specifically or go grab it from the take out area.  For wine, I recommend the Independent Producers (a red).

The Ranking (for explanation, see “Review Key”):

Food: 3 Straws (A reliable brunch choice for the Woodley Park).

Price: $traws, Average ($12-18 depending on whether you order a latte, coffee, brunch, etc).

Atmosphere: Casual

Overall: 3 Straws (A place I will return to — granted it’s one of the only good brunch places in Woodley Park).

The Details:

www.opencitydc.com

2331 Calvert St NW
Washington, DC 20008
Phone: (202) 332-2331

Hours:

Mon-Fri 6 am-midnight, Sat-Sun 6 am-1 am

Ducale: It Won’t Stay Empty For Long.

In the B. R. Guest dominated area surrounding the American Museum of Natural History it’s hard for a new restaurant to get a start. It would seem that that is the explanation for the scarcity of patrons when I dined at Ducale. But it could also be its location, on the south west corner of 79^th and Columbus, where an older restaurant establishment boasted a cigar bar on the second floor (which smelled like it was on the first) and a bad concept of how much bread to order per evening (always running out). After dinning there three times now I can attest to the fact that it is not their food that keeps patrons away. I always find it interesting to observe crowd mentalities, where diners would rather wait thirty to forty minutes outside Ocean Grill than be seated right away at Ducale (those followers are missing out).

Ducale features a more authentic upscale Italian menu including grilled (not fried) calamari, bronzino, and spaghetti with mozzarella di bufala. I have yet to try their pizzas but from a far they appear to be styled after the true Italian thin crust, brick oven style. The staff is very accommodating (even for complicated, substituting dieters) and the atmosphere is pleasant (though a little misguided between the music and the photos, they don’t really match up).

Overall if you are looking to dine on the Upper West Side and are game to try some place new, give it to Ducale.

The Ranking (for explanation, see “Review Key”):

Food: 3 Straws (A reliable Italian choice for the neighborhood).

Price: $$$traws, Average ($40-50 depending on whether you order pasta or entrée dishes).

Atmosphere: Casual and welcoming (The staff is very accommodating).

Overall: 3 Straws (A place I will return to).

The Details:

Website: N/A

Location: 392 Columbus Ave, at 79^th street.

Phone: (212) 787-7150

Reservation: No need. But they are on Opentable.

Dress: Casual.

Hours:

Daily: 11:00am- 11:00pm

Yogurtland

NEW favorite Yogurt place — Yogurtland.  In DC, all the yogurt is “someone does it for you and charges you 6 dollars for plain yogurt with one piece of fruit and a chocolate chip” — I’m looking at you SweetGreen, Mr. Yogato, YogiBerry and Cali Yogurt.  Typically, in Arizona, everything is cheaper — but not necessarily better. However, in the case of frozen yogurt, it is not only cheaper, but much, much, much better.

Yogurtland.com

Yogurtland Yogurt - yogurtland.com

First of all, it’s .30 cents an oz.  Second of all, it’s do it yourself, with at least 10 flavors.  I filled mine up pretty tall and only had to pay 2.30, which is unheard of in DC…and what’s more, I LIKED IT.  I am never tempted to get frozen yogurt by myself in DC because it’s boring and costs more money than I make in an hour.  But, Yogurtland combines the trends that are happening across the country (comeon DC, I hate to keep on ragging you, but why do we not have our own do it yourself place? Or do we? Comment me if we do) and the inexpensiveness of Scottsdale (relatively, of course) in one. Overall, it’s my pick of the summer…kudos to Yogurtland.

Revisited: Thai Chef

thai chef sushi

Two nights ago I went to Thai Chef — as you know, a favorite of mine.  Everything was great — I tried a couple of new rolls (spicy albacore roll was great, also got the tuna and salmon rolls) and like last time, the fish was really fresh.  I still think it’s one of the best places to grab a cheaper sushi roll, but just an FYI to all you Thai Chef fans, although we all know that summer is humid and humidity spawns bugs, we did see a large cockroach scurrying around while eating.  In MY opinion…the fish is too good not to come, but it’s up to you how you feel about it!

Also…we did order the veggie dumplings, which were more dough-y than veggie.  The miso soup was great, though, perfect temperature, with a lot of tofu and seaweed.

Georgia’s Cafe: French in the Wrong Way

From a far Georgia’s Cafe appears to be a symbol of the new Broadway in the 80s and 90s. Its full service kitchen and waiter service tables signals the new type of cafe scene propping up in replace of the New York classic delis. The Columbia region always had its outdoor dining and so did the heart of the Upper West Side in the 60s and 70s. But poor old Broadway in the 80s and 90s throughout most of the 1990s was missing out (caution: don’t get confused between street references versus date references as I just did). That’s not to say that here and there there were restaurants without door seating (French Roast and the now deceased Time Cafe always did) but they remained full restaurants, they weren’t sit-and-have-a-cup-of-coffee places. Georgia’s Cafe is just that, you can sit for hours, undisturbed, and enjoy a decent (emphasis on decent) coffee.

Outside Facade View of Georgia's Cafe

When Georgia’s opened a few years back I really wanted it to succeed. I am one who fell in love with the cafe culture while studying abroad in Paris and was excited to see it migrate to the Upper West Side finally. As good as Starbucks “can” be, I would much rather be at a place where I am served coffee in a real cup, maybe have something to eat, and be able to work without interruption.

But as much as Georgia’s attempts to fulfill this void, it falls short. Arguably its biggest offense, and what makes it the least French, is that most of its food is premade. Now I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to be told you cannot get something without cheese because it has already been made, especially when you are on a diet. Second is the fact that these premade sandwiches cost more than the ones offered at Starbucks (and frankly I don’t really see a difference since they are both made not to order). Thirdly, though their coffee is decent (and by decent I mean acceptable but not sought after) their wine list is a joke. I dream of the day that a cafe can hold its own with both the morning and afternoon crowd, Georgia’s can’t.

Lastly, and here is what the title refers to, their service is utterly frustrating to deal with. Yes it is really nice to be left alone while reading or working, but not while trying to actually pay and leave. Their staff needs to be a lot more attentive of the needs of the diner. When I am looking up and around while holding my wallet that probably means I’m ready to go. This last comment also was inspired by the simple fact that I had to ask for water as well.

The first time I was there was at breakfast time, a time when Georgia’s provides nothing for the dieter except an extremely over priced fruit plate. But as I research now for this review I’ve noticed no fruit plate on the menu so perhaps they’ve removed their only dietetic option. The second and third time I visited I had lunch. The first time I ordered the special penne with tomato and mozzarella, as is (I wasn’t dieting then) and found it enjoyable. They didn’t over do the dish and kept it simple. The most recent visit however was when I discovered that their sandwiches were all premade (I tried to order the grilled chicken breast without feta cheese and was turned down). Thus I had to settle for the $13 Caesar salad with balsamic vinegar on the side. The salad was certainly an entree size if not too big (neither my friend nor I could finish our meals).

All in all it is a leg up from reading at a Starbucks but if I was looking to eat lunch while working I would choose Edgar’s Cafe instead.

The Ranking (for explanation, see “Review Key”):

Food: 2 straws (The special pasta was alright but they need to work on their sandwich options).

Price: $$$traws, Expensive price ($20 will cover the average lunch but $30 and over will have to cover an average dinner).

Atmosphere: Pleasant and cute. This part they have down. It is easy to work or read without getting distracted here. In the winter it’s soothing to walk in out of the cold and find a table with a warm cup of coffee while in the summer they have outdoor seating with enough space to enjoy an ice coffee.

Overall: 2 straws (The atmosphere does not make up for the frustrating staff and disappointing food. Georgia’s I challenge you to do better: increase your wine selection by adding more exotic (South African wines are really excellent these days, as our South American wines from Chile or Argentina) and local choices (since Vineyard closed we need a good place to get NY wines), make your sandwiches as they are ordered and increase your salad options (make some originals), greatly increase your tapas menu and avoid the boring typical choices (a cheese plate with parmesan, manchego, and brie, can you get more typical than that?), and after you do all that perhaps you can give Cleopatra’s Needle a run for their money with a better (and younger) evening scene.)

The Details:

Website: N/A

Location: 2418 Broadway (corner of 89th).

Phone: (212) 362-2000

Reservation: I have never needed one. But I have been there when it is full. Perhaps call ahead of time if you are going during peak dining hours.

Dress: Casual.

Hours:

Weekdays: 7:30am- 9:30pm

Weekends: 8:00am- 9:30pm

Lebanese Taverna’s Hummus

…pretty good hummus.  Not too olive oil-y, with pine nuts, very creamy.  Get it with the whole wheat pita (have to ask…usually they make it just for you)

Belga Cafe

I went to Belga Cafe on 8th Street with a group in April.  We waited for about 30 minutes for the whole party to show up, but Belga didn’t mind and was nice enough to hold the table for us.   I didn’t get to try anyone else’s food, but I ordered the Mussels marinière — mussels in a white wine and garlic broth.

It came with fries and we had enough bread on the table that I was able to easily stuff myself with the broth and mussels.  The fries came with some Belgium mayo (really couldn’t tell you anything special about it — would have liked some other more interesting styles of mayo to go along with it, the plain mayo was, well, a little plain).

I would come back to try other things; everyone else’s food looked good; I do feel like it is difficult to mess up mussels, so I would want to come back to try something else.   Overall though, the service was good and they accomodated my group really easily.  I hear that they have a good brunch…

The Ranking (for explanation, see “Review Key”):

Food: 3 Straws (Everyone in my party liked their food…we haven’t had an urge to go back, but it’s not really in our neighborhood, so that might be why).

Price: $$traws, moderate in price (with a drink, app, and main course, it probably runs about $25-30).

Atmosphere: Bustling.  Their patio looked like a great place to eat, the tables were close together because the room wasn’t very big, but we could hear everyone at our 6 person table)

Overall: 3 Straws. (Though this cuisine might not turn its dishes into works of art, it does fulfill our hunger and satisfy our taste buds.)

The Details

Belga Cafe:

514, 8th Street, SE

Washington DC

(202) 544-0100

Lunch
Monday through Thursday from 11.30AM until 3.00PM
Friday from 11.30AM until 5.30PM

Brunch
Saturday from 9.00AM until 5.30PM
Sunday from 9.00AM until 5.00PM

Dinner
Monday through Thursday from 5.30PM until 10.00PM
Friday and Saturday from 5.30PM until 11.00PM
Sunday from 5.00PM until 9.30PM

Pink Pony: The (Possible) Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

One problem with getting too comfortable with your favorite brunch places is that you become unwilling to try something new. In my case it’s the allure of Popover, its close by, amazing, and it has popovers. But the reality is that there are many upon many of possible locations for brunch in this city. Recently I was invited to brunch with three friends in the Lower East Side, a place I have frequented at night many times but rarely in the morning for brunch. The Pink Pony was my friends pick.

Before I begin the review I have to again mention that this review reflects only the establishment’s brunch menu, not its dinner service or entertainment.  Here is where the title comes in; I was very intrigued by both the restaurants atmosphere and its menu’s suggestiveness of the late night scene this place may sponsor. So before I even get to the brunch experience I can already say I will be returning during the evening hours to experience the other side of the Pink Pony.

The brunch menu was comprised of mostly omelets with the traditional pancakes, French toast, and granola with fruit. As you may know if you’ve been following my posts I have started a diet. This is one of those super diets where should you chose to go out you become that pain in the ass patron who orders one thing that turns into something completely different. Anyway… I went into this brunch with that concept in mind and began that excruciating process of selecting an item on the menu and turning it into the healthiest (tasteless) dish possible. And to my pleasant surprise this was not difficult at all. Yes the place does egg whites and yes they allow substitutions. I ordered the spinach and cheese omelet without the cheese and egg whites only. It was delicious and came complete with a side salad. Coffee wasn’t bad though they didn’t refill it (not a good trait). In fact the service in general wasn’t exactly speedy, but wasn’t exactly slow either. It was very much a laissez-fair style of service, giving us the time and space to eat and socialize at our own pace.

Overall we were all satisfied with our meals and left planning on returning (at a different hour though). If I lived in the area I could see myself choosing this as a brunch to patronize but seeing that it is a little far away for the morning meal I would rather choose Popover or Edgar. That being said it was at a far better price range than the Upper West Side locales. Lastly, and keep in mind this is speculation, the Pink Pony appears to be one of those select few places that is attempting (and maybe succeeding) at providing both for the morning and evening crowd. We will soon see if that’s true.

The Ranking (for explanation, see “Review Key”):

Food: 3 Straws (They met my needs, the group was satisfied, and the food good).

Price: $traws, Cheapish price (about $13 for a main course and a beverage which was enough for me but were this a weekend brunch visit I would have wanted to order more).

Atmosphere: Quiet and personal. We were given a corner by the window and we were left alone with plenty of space to enjoy our meals. The décor is something to see, it is reminiscent of the hidden cafes of Montmartre in Paris. I am excited to see what it is like at night.

Overall: 3 Straws (Very satisfying brunch and it left me wanting to come back to experience the Pink Pony evening).

The Details:

Website: http://www.pinkponynyc.com/index.html

Location: 176 Ludlow Street, between E Houston and Stanton Street.

Phone: (212) 253-1922

Reservation: We didn’t need one and it didn’t seem like one would.

Dress: Casual.

Hours:

Daily: 10:00am- 2:00am

Kramerbooks

Five words: pie pie and more pie.  Get yourself there ASAP if you haven’t been yet.  Personal favorite is the key lime. The food isn’t as good as the pie (small and expensive selection), but the desserts and fun drinks make this bookstore cafe worth it.

3 straws. $$.

kramers.com

1517 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 387-1462