Slowly but surely, Ballston Quarter is starting to come to life. The newest addition, and one of the first restaurants to open is Punch Bowl Social. Essentially an indoor playground, this restaurant and bar offers an arcade, darts, bowling, a karaoke room, board games, bocce, and foosball over the course of three floors, plus a patio. Decorated as a cross between a mountain lodge and a funky playroom, Punch Bowl Social will be a fun night out.

At the recent media event, we sampled drinks and eats from the menu. I have never met a friendlier, more helpful staff. Everyone was very excited that we were there, and that they were there, and did everything they could for us. As much as I enjoyed the food and drink, the staff really impressed me.

I tried a variety of drinks, with the standouts being the Lavender Sour and the Non-Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri. The El Macho is also excellent. A party palace like Punch Bowl Social could have skimped on the well-thought cocktails, but happily, they did not.

Food was also delicious. We sampled a Charcuterie Platter, featuring duck confit along with various cheeses and meats, Chicken and Waffles, and Pork Tacos. The platter was amazing, with the duck confit, marinated feta, and garlic herb bread being my favorites. The Chicken and Waffles pairs crunchy fried chicken (though the salt needs to be dialed back) with crispy waffles and plenty of syrup. And the pork for the make-your-own-tacos was quite flavorful. Again, they could have thrown some burgers, fries, and wings on the menu, left at that, but they did not.

Punch Bowl Social has truly put care into their drinks and dishes so that you are not just eating pub grub and drinking a mixed drink. Everything is flavorful and slightly upscale, without being uptight. Finally, the DC area has a place to play where the focus is also on the food and cocktails.

-LEM (Lia)