You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you can not fool anybody with that turkey bacon shit you’re serving us, bro. -Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln the Restaurant celebrates the life and times of Abraham Lincoln the U.S. President, through food, drink, and kitschy decor. The first you’ll notice walking through the doors of the restaurant is, that, well, you’re now inside a restaurant. Obviously. But take a closer look around, and the more minute details come out, such as the copper coated bar, resembling only what would best be described as simultaneously ‘the color of Abe Lincoln’s bowling ball and his ’84 Coupe DeVille’. The floor is completely tiled from end-to-end with copper pennies, and an oversized white leather bench sofa with penny pushpin details  serves as not only one of the largest seats in the restaurant, but a gentle remind of Abe’s giant marble chair at the Lincoln Memorial. It is with this great attention to detail that one can’t help but wonder why there aren’t more presidential themed/named restaurants in the area. Cross dressing servers at Hoover’s? Why not?

The food is served in the small plate style that has run amok among restaurants, allowing you to get a wide sampling of tastes without really ever really digging in an enjoying a full course of a meal. The upside is that if you do order something that doesn’t appeal to you, then the odds are that you can order something else that does. The downside is that you can and will likely order something that doesn’t appeal to you, and you’ll still have to pay for it.

Still, I guess I prefer hedging my bets and going all in on a nice sized plate of food, but sometimes you have to just go with it.

The tater tots with dill sour cream and American salmon roe are delicious and a slight feat to pop entirely in your mouth, with just enough details to make it fancy, but not stray too far from its simple roots.

The Pennsylvania Duck Sausage Roll is also a must have, a high brow version of Pigs in a Blanket, served with a bucket of mustard for dipping, and topped with microgreens for just a bit of color. The natural fat of the duck keeps the sausage succulent and flavorful, perfectly contrasted with the warm, crisp flakiness of the dough encasing it.

Other notable dishes included the Farmhouse Macaroni’n'Cheese, a single serving cast iron skilled filled with macaroni, then generously coated in a hot mess of smoked gouda, parmesan, and bubbling hot sharp cheddar cheese, a must have for any cheese eating surrender monkey out for a meal.

One of my favorites of the meal was a deconstructed version of the Chicken Pot Pie- a cast iron pan filled with chicken, spring peas, carrots, and celery, finished with a fresh soft and flaky pastry stove pipe top hat. Lincoln would have been proud.

The Lobster Beignets are another win for the restaurant, gently fried chunks of lobster served in a creamy aioli sauce with heirloom tomatoes and english peas. I did feel that the portion was a bit on the smallish side for this dish, but that simply forced me to savor each bite that much more.

And if you didn’t feel like you had enough duck from the Duck Rolls, you can always order the Coffee Rubbed Duck Breast, served with plum, walnuts, and a farro salad. Tender, juicy, and full of awesome for your belly.

That’s not say everything is mindblowingly great here. The Citrus Marinated Beet Salad with pickled gooseberries and horseradish creme fraiche failed to impress me, nor did the Watermelon Salad with endives, feta cheese and olives

The same could be said about the Poached Arctic Char (pictured top left), even with the help of several strips of prosciutto wedged in between the broccoli florets and golden raisins. The Braised Pork Belly (pictured top right), normally a sure fire win for me, lacked the crisp texture and ended up being really living up to what I know pork belly can be.

The Heirloom Tomato Risotto (pictured bottom left) with goat cheese also seemed a little deflated, but there’s only so much you can do with risotto, I suppose.  Finally, the Maryland Lump Crab Salad (pictured bottom right) was a reasonable dish, served as a roll, but didn’t impress enough to recommended it to anyone as more than a filler.

Lastly, the desserts here aren’t amazing, but if you’re still hungry, they’ll get the job done. I recommend the Peach Crisp a la Mode over the Funnel Cake with Berries, of which the latter looks more like something you’d end up cleaning out of your hamster’s cage after a few days of neglect.

Overall, I enjoyed eating here and paying tribute to the great 16th President of the U.S. There’s enough of a variety here to find something you like, and the cuisine strikes a nice balance between your favorite down-home comfort foods and a fancy place you could take your parents to while they’re in town. The noise levels tend to get a bit high when it’s busy, but you can always opt to sit outside for people watching when the weather’s nice. Service is reasonable and pleasant, but nothing remarkable, which is sometimes all you could ask for in a good meal.

See Lincoln on a map here.

Recommended For:

• Groups and Troupes
• Birthday Dinners
• Comfort Food Cornucopias
• First Dates

Not Recommended For:

• Tour Buses
• Vegetarians
• Paleoheads
• Zone Dieters

Jen and I went to check out Hudson, a place that we’ve both passed by numerous times, but have never actually visited. I’ll notice in the late weekend mornings that they have a pretty sizable crowd that goes in for brunch, so we finally took the opportunity to check it out.

Specializing in what the website describes as contemporary comfort food, the establishment was setting the stage for success with the two of us. At night, the entire place is illuminated by large pink lights that are a little less cotton candy and a little more 80′s horror flick. It’s not really too much of a problem, as it does give the place a certain distinction, but having all of our food cast in a pink glow wasn’t doing anything to accentuate the presentation of what we ate.

Luckily I managed to shake most of the pink off the photos I took.

The interior is very modern, but it would seem that people who frequent Hudson are more interested in the drinks rather than the food. It’s got to be a bit unnerving for the restaurant owners to see more than half the tables empty on a weekend night. This did, however, work out in our favor, as we received exemplary service all night. The wait staff was patient with our questions, diligent about keeping our drinks filled, and quick to clear our finished plates. The manager even came by to check on our during our meal, which was an added bonus, to know that they really care about the business that comes in.

Jen and I started off with the Truffle Mac’n'Cheese. Served piping hot in a cast iron skillet, this dish was amazing. The smoked cheese really came strong with the lactorial pimp hand. So strong, Jen and I had to verify that there wasn’t any bacon in here, and there wasn’t. Completely vegetarian, the smoky flavor is so intense, I started to stammer ‘Tha-buh-be-tha-buh-be-tha-buh-be-that’s all folks!’ after my first bite.

I don't know if the bacon censoring makes this better, or worse.

Jen didn’t hear it. So we’ll pretend it didn’t happen. But really, you have to try this mac’n'cheese, and tell me that you don’t think it tastes like bacon. Amazing for vegetarians with a serious bacon craving, although I couldn’t tell if it was the gruyere, the fontina, or the parmesan.

Truffle Mac'n'Cheese

For our main course, Jen had the Wild Mushroom Risotto and I ordered the Buttermilk Fried Chicken. Another great detail about Hudson is that you’re ordering a dish with no meat, they make sure to cook it completely meat free, and this included the risotto. Traditionally chicken stock is used to cook the risotto, although some places are thoughtful enough to use vegetable stock, which has less flavor, but works as a good vegetarian substitution. The risotto at Hudson was cooked with just butter and water, with no stock whatsoever, a complete surprise to the both of us.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

It’s so rich, it made me wonder just how much butter they used. Except asking ‘how much butter is in this?’ is never something you should or would want to ask. Jen really enjoyed it, with porcini and oyster mushrooms at the top of her dish, and a mountain of risotto underneath. I mean a LOT of risotto. There was definitely enough for two more meals by the time she was done eating.

I was, however, a little underwhelmed by my fried chicken. There wasn’t anything particular wrong with the preparation, as it came out perfectly crispy, laid out on a bed of dense, creamy mashed potatoes, and propped up by a fresh buttermilk biscuit. Perfect presentation. It was all exactly what you’d expect from the dish, were it to be served at any number of places. But that was part of the problem. The dish just didn’t really stand out. It was a little boring, for comfort food, and for the price of this entree and on the strength of the mac’n'cheese, I had higher expectations of this dish.

Imagine ordering a milkshake at a diner, and having the server pour a glass a milk, grab you by the shoulders, and vigorously shake the shit out of you until you’re so dizzy that you vom everywhere. You’re getting exactly what you asked for, so you can’t really complain, but it’s not what you had in mind. And the fact that you haven’t had a good shaking like that in a few years, well, you might as well take it.

The plain Jane of Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Hudson’s a decent little restaurant that has a fantastic location. Some of their dishes, like the truffle mac’n'cheese, are outstanding, some are freakishly large and rich, like the wild mushroom risotto, and some are complete wallflowers, like the buttermilk fried chicken, but nothing here is bad or even terrible. The service is excellent, and the staff definitely knows their food very well, if not their wines. The prices are a little bit on the more expensive side, but this is a good place to take anyone with a less adventurous palette who just can’t seem to find what they like with all the ‘crazy’ food here in DC. I’m sure you’d get a much better deal if you were to come in during Restaurant Week, which we just might do.

View Hudson on a map here.

Good for:

• Astronauts
• Cosmonauts
• Argonauts
• Vegetarians
• Relatives from the Midwest
• Bar hoppers

Not good for:

• Havenauts
• Wantnauts
• Tiethenauts
• Colonel Sanders
• Paleo Patrons
• Kelly Kapowski

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Busboys & Poets has becoming a thriving chain of restaurants in DC, and their success is well deserved. One part bookstore, one part lounge, and one part restaurant, mix well, and you have what’s become a distinct DC name that’s hard to turn down as a favorite place to eat.

The menu tends to stick with simple comfort foods, both carnivores, herbivores, and omnomnivores alike, which of course means it’s a pretty easy pick for Jen and I when we’re looking to get a casual meal on any given night.

We opted to start with the sweet potato fries, which are slightly crispy and sweet, and well paired with a large dollop of sour cream. The wait staff is always super relaxed and friendly, which only enhances the casual dining atmosphere.

Sweet Potato Fries with Sour Cream

The ravioli here is a vegetarian’s treat, with the only complaint from Jen being the inundation of sun dried tomatoes that come with the dish. The porcini mushrooms hardly stood a chance. I tried to take a bite out of one, but Jen bared her teeth and threatened to cut me with her knife.

Asiago Porcini Ravioli

That’s not in anyway a statement to give less credit to their meatloaf. It sounds trashy, but hey, it’s comfort food, and very well made comfort food at that. I’ve the meatloaf on several occasions, and have yet to not be impressed. It’s flavorful and comes in a tart red wine sauce, complete with a bed of creamy mashed potatoes.

Homemade Meatloaf with mashed potatoes, sautéed mushrooms and spinach in a red wine sauce

No meal here, however, can be complete without one of their desserts. We opted for the bread pudding and coconut ice cream. Well, actually, I ordered the bread pudding to trap Jen, because I know she can’t resist.

I’m not evil, I swear.

heh.

They also have a key lime pie on the menu, which is my other weakness, but that’ll have to be saved for next time.

Bread Pudding with Coconut Ice Cream

Here’s another highly recommended place to dine if you’re looking for a place you can roll up into wearing jeans and sneakers without a second glance from the hostess. The menu is affordable, and with two locations in DC and one in Arlington, you’d have to reason not to check it out. The bar scene is also very casual, with open mic nights frequently held at each restaurant.

You can find the locations of each Busboys & Poets on their website here.

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