Green Street

Overview: Steps away from Central Square in the middle of a desolate street, Green Street is popular spot known for its extensive cocktail and beer menus. The outside is reminiscent of a dive bar, but soft lighting and modern paintings inside add to an upscale atmosphere. Although the menu has a lot of promise, it did not live up to our expectations.




Medium Dead: The burger and entire meal at Green Street were thoroughly underwhelming. I expected more from a place with a reputation like Green Street, everything we ate was fine but nothing was outstanding. The bacon double cheese burger was griddle fried, cooked to a perfect well done, covered with two slices of cheap American cheese and thrown between a Market Basket white bread roll. Green Street's housemade chips were greasy but delicious. The food isn't great at Green Street but the beer is worth the visit. Most of the beer I had never heard of but our waiter, Grizzly Adams, was as knowledgeable about the beer as he was hairy. There are about a dozen unique beers on tap with selections like Black Fly Stout and Black Marlin Porter, all are reasonably priced.


Medium Well: I'm not sure why Mike is so angry about Green Street's burger. He loves Market Basket rolls and cheap American cheese. Had Mike grilled this burger at Dave's condo, he would have eaten ten more and raved about it later. I fear Mike's opinion is less a product of taste and more a product of expectation. Perhaps he would have liked it more if it came topped with beef tongue or sweet breads.


Despite being in a trendy Cambridge restaurant, the burger at Green Street is probably the best backyard burger I've ever had. It wasn't over thought. It wasn't disguised as a gourmet entree. It was the true American classic and it made me salivate for summer months. Although I wouldn't send anyone to Green Street solely for the burger, it certainly was better than many other burgers we've tried (ahem.. Coolidge Corner Clubhouse). After all, sometimes a burger is just a burger, and there isn't anything wrong with that.


Bonus Bites: While waiting for your table saddle up at the bar and order one of the classic cocktails. The Bohemian is a great choice made with Beefeater, St Germaine, grapefruit juice, and Peychaud's bitters.

The Verdict: We can't agree. Medium Dead: "Skip the food; drink your dinner." Medium Well: "Go for the atmosphere and the drinks, and enjoy your dinner."

TenPenh

Overview: TenPenh is a Pan-Asian restaurant in Downtown DC serving dishes that exhibit influences from Thailand, Vietnam, China, The Philippines, Malaysia, and Japan. Chef owner Jeff Tunks describes the cuisine as Asian-Pacific inspired contemporary cuisine.

Medium Dead: Our dinner at TenPenh was like getting in the ring with Mike Tyson - it's a life experience that leaves you saying "What the F just happened?" We ordered about a dozen dishes and since our friend is a Chef at their sister restaurant, the kitchen sent out plenty of unexpected surprises including butternut squash soup shooters and grilled octopus salad. The Peking duck spring rolls were excellent. The shredded duck wrapped in moo shu pancakes was served with a swirl of sweet and salty hoisin sauce. My favorite dish by far was the grilled octopus salad, but not just because there were no vegetables in it. The octopus was grilled whole with very crispy tentacles and served with wasabi aioli for dipping. My rack of lamb was incredibly tender and cooked perfectly rare with black bean garlic rice noodles and chimichurri. This is a perfectly executed example of East meets Southwest fusion of flavor.


Round one:

Round two:

Round three:

Round four The knock out punch:

The Verdict: Dinning at TenPenh is an exciting show of Pan-Asian cuisine where the presentation is as incredible as the food. Chef Cliff Wharton is at the top of his game. If you are lucky enough to go with an insider (as I was) you will get the best table in the house and an unforgettable meal.

Good Stuff Eatery

Overview: Good Stuff Eatery is a fast food burger joint in DC right across from the capitol. Good Stuff Eatery's mission statement is: "Herein, where good people make good stuff, stands a restaurant committed to freshness, fellowship and friendliness significant to Washington DC and surrounding areas: GOOD STUFF EATERY. This, ladies and gentlemen, is more than a simple hamburger joint. It is a rallying cry. It is a whoop. A holler. A hail. And a salaam. Good Stuff is an aspirational articulation, an inspirational idiom and, quite frankly, the best way for the greater good of Washington DC and surrounding areas to enjoy handmade burgers, hand-cut fries and hand spun ice cream that will make you come back again and again and again. We hope you're hungry."


Medium Dead: This is awfully idealistic for a greasy burger joint, but the food is good. Good Stuff Eatery is similar to Uburger in Boston. Everything is fresh, local and hand made. The menus aren't much different either they each serve burgers, fries, and shakes. Good Stuff takes the trophy because they have beer on tap. The Melt burger was a greasy mess of cheeses and meat on a soft white bread roll. This is the perfect medicine after a night of heavy drinking - the grease really soaks up the left over booze. Unfortunately, the presentation wasn't great and the burger looked like someone sat on it just before serving. On the side I ordered the Village Fries which were seasoned with fresh thyme, cracked pepper, and so much rosemary it was like eating a deep fried Christmas tree. The hand spun milkshakes are the star of the show but should not be consumed alone. Four of us split the toasted marshmallow milkshake, which is ridiculously thick and topped with toasted marshmallows.


The Verdict: Good Stuff Eatery is a great albeit greasy fast food burger with an ego fitting of Washington DC.

Commonwealth "The People's Gastropub"

Overview: Whenever I travel, I try to seek out the city's gastropubs - my new food fetish that serves great beer and familiar pub food with a gourmet twist. So for my first night in DC, I went to Commonwealth gastropub, which serves a cuisine that Commonwealth describes as British modern classics (that doesn't even make sense). When I saw the decor, I prepared myself to be disappointed. Instead of the traditional minimalist style, Commonwealth has a forced corporate style that reeks of chain restaurants.

Medium Dead: Commonwealth serves two burgers - the 10oz grass fed beef burger and the unCommon Burger which changes nightly. I ordered the unCommon burger which on this night was a veal burger with spicy remoulade served on an English Muffin. Its a bold statement to put a burger on an English Muffin. The focus is squarely on the meat and the thin bread leaves little to hide behind. The veal burger is up to the challenge and screams of flavor. Its juicy and peppery with red onions and spicy sauce that balances the flavor. The steak fries were crispy but not my favorite.

The beer list at Commonwealth focuses on English and Colonial style beers with a few rotating specials, such as the cask conditioned ale. Our waiter wasn't very knowledgeable on the beer, which is a miss at a pub. We started with 5 selections from the charcuterie platter. The deviled sweetbreads and pork rillettes were outstanding but the pork belly strips were too much like bacon and the cured ham was simply average.

The Verdict: Good food, but not a good gastropub. This is a great place to hang out and pound good beer. The burger makes my good list but I would not rate it any higher than decent. They try hard and mean well, but fall short of being a good gastropub.