RFD – Washington D.C.
 |
I had been in DC for less than twenty-four hours and I felt like I had seen so much already. There was the local liquor store made out of bullet proof glass that was designed in the shape of a maze of short aisles designed to stop you from running out, the 8 foot fence my uncle-in-law had around his house decorated with bullet holes, and the house alarm I accidentally set off which pretty much destroyed my hearing for life. How could a trip into the heart of DC top that? Would monuments and shopping outweigh what I had already experienced? Good questions.
It was day two of my three day DC road trip. Day one involved an awesome burger joint in Baltimore, a stop at the Aquarium and a quick jog into Virginia to pick up our Cousin and her Husband – a man who could easily be mistaken as the white Kanye West – at the airport. From there it was back to Washington DC for dinner and drinks. The next day, we slowly got our act together and got moving. The plan was be in the heart of DC by noon, and find a place to have beers and burgers. That was enough to get my ass in gear.
No plan, no time table, just the four of us and the navigation skills of a blood hound or Locke from Lost thanks to Chris (The white Kanye). We drove in, parked, and took a walk. A few block away from the Verizon Center we found RFD, a bar that advertised it’s massive selection of beer (best in Washington DC) and a daily burger. The place looked good and we were ready to drink.
Tasty Burger
I ordered the mushroom burger medium rare and it was delivered as ordered. There was nothing over the top or crazy with this Saturday burger special. Just mushrooms and swiss on what seem to be a standard roll served with lettuce, tomato and a some of the best natural cut french fries I have had. The roll wasn't to bready or hard. It was just strong enough to hold my burger together without an over powering "bready" taste. The mushrooms were sautéed well but nothing overly exotic. The way the restaurant looked with it's open kitchen style and burger of the day menu I thought I'd get something a bit more exotic. Regardless it was adequate for a mushroom burger. As far as cheese goes I got one slice. I probably would have preferred two. The only toppings are mushrooms and swiss cheese so I say give me some swiss. Besides that a single leaf of romaine and an aggressively cut slice of tomato (it was thick) was it. The taste was good but like this part of the review it was rather boring. It was worth the order just not necessarily worth a recommendation to run out and try one.
Bang for your Buck
Looks
Sides
The Joint
Cool place, very open and lots of seating with a long bar. Seems like a good place to watch a game. Large TV's and lots of space allow for room to move around. The Beer selection was awesome! Like the bar the day before this place also had a huge beer menu with exotic drafts, micro brews and bottles. My on gripe was the serving size. I ordered a Dogfish 90 minute IPA for $6.95. I expected a pint but instead got a goblet of beer. It seemed like a small amount of beer for the price (see comparison picture to a Belgian wheat served in a pint glass). I know these are recommended for Belgian IPA's but if you ask me all beer should be served in a room temperature pint glass. If I lived in the area I could definitely see this place turning into an eternal resting place on Sundays for football.
Conclusion
The service was adequate, the food was good and the place was clean. It was a comfortable place to site and have lunch. I don't think there is any reason to say you have to get there but if you're in the area it's absolutely a place worth trying.
