Several great Clarendon deals today….
Free chili cheese dog w/any purchase today at Hard Times in celebration of National Chili Dog Day
Eleventh Street Lounge Groupon - $28 for $63 worth of bistro fare (does not apply to drinks)
Rabbit (Red Velvet Cupcakery’s sibling restaurant) will be giving away one free cupcake per customer today from 4 - 8 PM at today’s grand opening.
Dear Eleventh Street Lounge,
Even though you took my favorite appetizer off your menu, I picked up my shattered happy-hour pieces and moved on: I learned how to make them myself (pictured above). They aren’t as good as yours, and I don’t plate mine over perfectly tangy remoulade dollops, like you do, but mine have given me closure.
Don’t get me wrong - Friday afternoons will never be the same without you. I miss sitting on your patio with my cold Duvel and my hot deviled eggs, scraping every last panko crumble off my plate. I miss talking about how great the deviled eggs are WHILE they’re still being chewed in my mouth. I miss the anticipation of it all.
Perhaps one day, my eggs will bring me the same happiness yours did. For now, they are just a cheap substitute. If you ever decide to bring the deviled eggs back, I’ll abandon my homemade ones, and will come running back to you every Friday afternoon.
Signed,
Your missed connection
Don’t have a date to your holiday party? Try speed dating at Eleventh Street Lounge next week. Details here. RSVP by this Friday!
Included with your Purchase of a Speed Dating Ticket is:
1). 1 Raffle Entry
2). 1/2 Price Drinks until 9pm
3). Appetizers
Event will take place in the lower level of Eleventh Street Lounge with a private bar.
Age 21-30 —> 7pm-8pm
Age 31-41 —> 8:15pm-9:15pm
Raffle - approx. 9:20pm
The Washington Post just featured Clarendon Best Bets, putting Lyon Hall, Screwtop, and Artisan Artisan Confections at the top of the list.
My thoughts:
1) I can’t believe Ray’s the Steaks is dead-last. I grew up in Texas where we ate steak like we drank water. Ray’s is the best steak I’ve ever had. There, I said it. It’s not even just the steak that should propel Ray’s to the top. It’s the FREE sides of creamed spinach and mashed potatoes. The Post mentions the snarky attitude that some guests have experienced at Ray’s. I’ll admit - at the original location (which is where Ray’s Hell Burger Too is currently housed), there was a time when we were asked to finish our bottle of wine on the patio so that they could give our table to another patron. (for the record - we weren’t even upset about it, because we love Ray’s THAT much). However, since moving into the new location on Clarendon Blvd., the service is much more professional, more laid-back, and Michael Landrum has consistently been much warmer, and more welcoming.
2) So glad Current Boutique got some WaPo lovin. If you haven’t been, Current Boutique is a women’s consignment shop located at the corner of Wilson Blvd. and N. Cleveland St. The “previously-loved” collection of clothing and shoes is trendy, in great condition, and CHEAP. I try to stop in at least once per week to browse for new items. There are some steals in there.
3) I think Eleventh Street Lounge should have made the list. I swear, I’m not being paid or pressured to give shouts out to Eleventh the way I do on this blog - I just think it’s worth all the mentions. Read why here.
4) IOTA Club & Cafe is listed for the music scene, but nothing is mentioned about the food (hence the “Cafe” portion of their name). I’ll be honest - I haven’t actually eaten there yet (it’s next on my list for dinner-night-out in Clarendon), but take a look at the dinner menu on their website. Looks fabulous. Crab and Brie Quesadillas… Fried Chicken served with Gratin Potatoes and Collared Greens… Crispy Catfish Wrap. Yum, yum, yum. (or should I say Nom, Nom, Nom, which seems to be the current favorite social media phrase.) WaPo should have at least mentioned the Cafe in addition to the Club.
Eleventh Street Lounge is the only place in this city that actually has a weekly commitment from us - not even church, family, or friends garner that level of devotion. Eleventh is the quintessence of a great neighborhood joint for so many reasons.
1) The service is friendly. By friendly, I mean we have made REAL LIFE friends over there. The staff is intelligent, down-to-earth, and the kind of people you’d want to hang out with outside of the establishment. They take care of their regulars and make newcomers feel welcome. It all adds up to a laid-back and neighborly vibe that stands out in Clarendon.
2) The food can’t be beat. This isn’t a quesadilla and potato skins type of place. They don’t have just 1 burger on the menu - they have at least 6. One of them - the lamb burger, pictured below - is easily one of the best dishes in Clarendon. They don’t serve just fries on the side - they serve a mix of seasoned regular fries AND sweet potato fries. They don’t just hand you a plastic ketchup bottle - they give you a little silver dipping bowl filled with ketchup.
We were a little skeptical the first time we ordered “Deviled Eggs” off the small plates menu. Yes, we like deviled eggs, but we like them in small, annual doses - served on a silver tray at holiday parties, for example. The deviled eggs at Eleventh put those holiday deviled eggs to total shame. After the eggs are deviled, they are then hand-breaded in a fine breadcrumb mix, then fried to a golden crisp. Yes - chicken fried deviled eggs! These are not your mama’s deviled eggs.
3) The happy hour food and drink specials are generous. Wednesdays and Saturdays, for example, you have half-price gourmet sirloin burgers. Drink specials will get you a great work-week buzz for a very small price. This is what our table typically looks like at happy hour:
4) They don’t just serve people at Eleventh.. they serve dogs. Anytime we brought our dog, Charlie, to sit on the patio with us, the staff went out of their way to make him comfy. Along with our cold drinks, they would always bring Charlie out a bowl of water, accompanied by a belly rub. Charlie would plop down right in the middle of everyone’s way, and nobody ever made us (or him) feel bad about it, nor were we ever asked to move. Eleventh actually became one of Charlie’s favorite places in Clarendon. Trying to take him on a walk became brutal if we ever walked by Eleventh without stopping in for a meal. Here he is in his usual spot, with his Eleventh-face on.
If you haven’t already, go to Eleventh. Order the deviled eggs for your app and the lamb burger as your main meal. If you’re anything like us, that exact meal will go on regular weekly rotation in your diet.
(this post is in memory of Charlie: DOB (?)-June 14, 2010)
Half price sirloin burgers tonight at one of my favorite places in Clarendon: Eleventh Street Lounge on the corner of 11th St. and N. Highland St. You’ll have several burgers to choose from, as well as several drink specials to choose from. A full restaurant review on why I love Eleventh so much is coming soon.
