• 23Feb

    2Fifty BBQ’s New DC Location

    We tried 2fifty’s new location in DC (Mount Vernon Triangle) yesterday for lunch, arriving at about 11:30 a.m. Since they could not find DC landlord willing to let them smoke meat, the BBQ comes from their Maryland location.

    Luckily, 2Fifty still had wagyu brisket at 11:30am, since they tend to run out of it early. The wagyu brisket was truly great, and the pulled lamb, mac n cheese, and pickled vegetable accompaniments were good. This is the best barbecue I’ve had in the DC area so far. The tamales were showcased on a handwritten specials list in the front window, and only $7 for two. The brisket tamales are definitely made in a Salvadoran style (the owners are Salvadoran).

    The staff of this restaurant is super nice!

    -JAY

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  • 16Aug

    Mahal BBQ, the Filipino Popup in Georgetown Has Great Chicken!

    Mahal BBQ has been open a few weeks (weekends) at the Sandlot in Georgetown (2715 Pennsylvania Avenue NW). These are really great guys who know their food and work hard, but still need to work a few kinds out after only a couple of weekends of service. Also, the prices are pretty high. This is an outdoor venue, so isn’t open when it rains. Also, there is a bar at the Sandlot.

    The Half Chicken was the standout here, and I would stop by for it (and the Chili-Vinegar Sauce) regularly if it wasn’t $24. Try it once, it’s worth it. The Smoked Beef Cheek ($26) was too tough to chew, which is something they need to work out. We did not try the Sausage Platter ($22) or smoked Oyster Mushrooms (20). The Green Papaya Salad didn’t taste like much until I poured the tasty Chili-Vinegar Sauce on it. The Pimento Cheese could have had a better (thicker) texture. Give them some time to work the beef dish out, but get the chicken in the meantime, if it’s in your price range.

    -JAY

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  • 24Jan

    Clarity’s Beef Chili is a Spicy Treat

    Clarity in Vienna, Virginia has specials that change throughout the week. Tomorrow evening, there will be a guest chef cooking the food of Ghana, but the event is already sold out. This Thursday’s specials will be Dry-Rubbed Cherry Wood Smoked Barbecue Grass-Fed Brisket and Heritage Pork Ribs; Balsamic Pineapple Barbeque sauce comes on the side with either dish. I’m keeping an eye out for when Chef Jonathan Krinn makes pho again, since we missed it last time.

    Clarity’s Smoked Beef Brisket Chili

    We were happy to pick up Chef Krinn’s Smoked brisket Chili special today. It came with sun-dried tomato corn bread. We also got to try three mini breads: baguette, garlic, and herbs de Provence. We didn’t take the sour cream of cheddar cheese, since we don’t use them.

    The chili was very good but a bit spicier than we generally eat. We did add onions, scallions, and rice (with garlic) at home, which helped a bit with the spice level, as did the corn bread. I had planned on adding chopped tomatoes, but figured there was already enough going on the plate.

    Sun-Dried Tomato Cornbread

    Chef Krinn’s father does the baking, and he is extremely skilled. Herbs de Provence was our favorite of the 3 mini breads, although all of them were quite good. The corn bread was tasty too. You should pre-order dad’s baguettes or gluten-free bread (for Thursday pickup), or his stuffed crust pizza when it comes up as a special again. This week’s baguette flavor will be “everything.”

    Three Mini Breads

    My dining partner pickup up the food, and said Clarity has a great upscale NYC restaurant type of vibe. She was impressed.

    -JAY

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  • 17Jan

    BBT BBQ Big Boi Platter!

    Bear Branch Tavern in Vienna runs daily specials. This weekend, their BBT BBQ Big Boi Platter returns, featuring Brisket, Baby Back Ribs, Carolina Pulled Pork, Black Eyed Pea Baked Beans, Red Bliss Potato Salad (although our image features Coleslaw instead), and House Made Pickles. It’s available as a dine in entrée (inside or outside seating) for $20, or as a gameday platter for you and your friends (feeds four adults for around $80).

    We very much enjoyed BBT’s BBQ platter! Our favorite items on were the Brisket, Ribs, and Pickles. Of the three BBQ sauces we tried (Kansas City, Carolina, and DC Mumbo), we preferred and fought over the Carolina (mustard-based) sauce, although all three were tasty.

    Our suggestion would be to work on the baked beans a bit more. They were a bit undercooked, and black eyed peas may not be the best legume for the job. That said, we ate them.

    BBT has a a great vibe and is casual and fun. It’s nice that they have both indoor and outdoor seating. As for the service, the employee who took our order on the phone (Jamie) was great.

    Here is their dine-in menu. They have a brunch menu as well. When you visit their website, there is a popup with their daily food and drink specials.

    -JAY

    Editor’s Notes:

    With a chunk of Washington, DC and the metro system closed due to the upcoming Inauguration, some of the more popular Northern Virginia restaurants have been quite busy this weekend. If you are ordering BBT takeout, call a little farther ahead.

    As far as dining during the pandemic, BBT has covered heated outdoor seating, and sells branded blankets to help with the weather.

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  • 14Feb

    Fogo de Chão DC’s Updated Design

    Fogo de Chão has remodeled their DC location. We recently dined at the DC location and requested a few of Fogo’s official photos to share.

    -JAY

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  • 16Dec

    An Early Look at Liberty Barbecue in Falls Church City

    We attended Liberty BBQ‘s packed soft opening yesterday evening. The restaurant is owned by the group behind Liberty Tavern, Lyon Hall, and Northside Social, and is located in the old Famous Dave’s space on West Broad Street. A second Northside Social will open down the street from Liberty BBQ soon.

    Our favorite items were the ribs, followed by the brisket and pulled chicken. We also enjoyed the pickles they serve on the side. The collards and Brussels sprouts were alright, but we did not enjoy the baked beans, which were made with navy beans and included an odd flavor (mustard?) for that particular dish. We will definitely return for the smoked meats, especially the ribs. The chocolate sheet cake was decent, but I probably would not order it again.

    We do want to return to try out the pickle-brined fried chicken.

    The food was a good value with three smoked meats and three sides costing $19.

    -JAY

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  • 16Jul

    Oklahoma Joe’s Vs. District BBQ

    Oklahoma Joe’s at Dunn-Loring Metro is now District BBQ.

    We recently read Time Carman’s article entitled “District BBQ and three other runners-up for best barbecue in the D.C. area,” leading us to believe that more had changed at this establishment than just the restaurant’s name. We’ve been to Oklahoma Joe’s a few times, and after finding the pulled chicken and pork, and sliced brisket to be bland, mainly returned a few times for the baked beans, French fries, and chicken chili. We headed to the restaurant in question this weekend (hoping for improved BBQ), but when we arrived, they assured us the food had not changed at all. We were already there and hungry, so ordered the Grand Champion ($29.99), which includes sliced brisket, burnt ends, pulled pork, pulled chicken (we substituted turkey) and three sides (not counting the bed of French fries the meat rests on).

    The Sides:

    Yes, we ordered two sides of beans, since it is something that is done well here. The chicken chili would have been a good option as well. Yes, we asked for extra pickles. The onion rings had a thick crunchy coating and were well-executed. No complaints about the fries either. We really wish they would add a vegetable side such as collards or some other kind of cooked greens to the menu. I realize that the closest Oklahoma Joe’s come to a vegetable is green beans in only one of its locations in OK, but now … the name has changed, so that excuse doesn’t hold. Green beans would suffice if they were fresh and prepared well.

    The BBQ:

    The pulled pork, turkey, and sliced brisket lack flavor, but are edible if you cover them in BBQ sauce (including their vinegar BBQ sauce). The ribs and burnt ends were enjoyable enough (because they already have BBQ sauce added).

    We wouldn’t travel out of our way to eat here, but it’s a decent option if you live or work nearby, are craving BBQ, and order well.

    Recommendations:

    • Burnt Ends
    • Ribs
    • Beans
    • French Fries
    • Onion Rings

    -JAY

     

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  • 22Jun

    Ticket Giveaway For Safeway’s National Capital Barbecue Battle (This Weekend)

    Perdue Chicken through some tickets our way for this weekend (6/25 and 6/26), both for our writers to attend, and for some of our readers.  The tickets are good for EITHER Saturday or Sunday.  Winners will be chosen randomly.

    We have a couple of pairs of tickets to give away.  To enter, send an email to  “contest@dcfud.com” before 9:00 AM on 5/24 (Friday) with the subject “BBQ Entry” and “Saturday” or “Sunday,” depending on which day you will attend.  Example: “BBQ Entry Saturday” or BBQ Entry Sunday.”

    Include your first and last name and cell number in the body of the email .  Only one entry per person (regardless of how many email addresses you have).  The above email address is only for contest entry and is not for questions or comments. When the winners are chosen, I’ll comment on this post to that effect.  If you really do have questions, email me at jay@dcfud.com.

    In order to pick up the tickets, you will meet up with one of us (Alex on Saturday or me on Sunday) at the festival entrance (probably) at noon.

    From Perdue:  “Your ticket will be your all-access pass to tasty barbecue, more than 30 bands on 3 stages with continuous music and fun activities.  On Saturday, June 25, our executive chef, Chris Moyer, will be hosting a chicken recipe demonstration at the event and we will judge the Perdue Sizzlin’ Chicken BBQ Contest.  We’ll also be serving up our delicious chicken.”

    Good luck.

    -JAY

     

     

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  • 23Jun

    Rocklands Blue Plate Special: Trailer Park

    Ate at Rocklands (Arlington) last night, and while they have not always been consistent in the past, the blue plate special I ordered was good.

    Trailer Park is pulled pork over cornbread with their fresh slaw on top, and 2 sides and a drink: $9.99.   I chose rice and beans as one side, and collards as the other.   I also chose sweet tea. Everything was good and it’s a great deal (and a lot of food) for $10. Not sure how often they offer it.

    -JAY

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