Restaurant K

The other day I watched Chef Alison Swope of Restaurant K make fried green tomatoes on some morning TV show while at the gym which made my mouth water. Also the chef and owner was talking about how they had changed the menu to Southern and southwestern food and I made a mental note to check it out.

Last night, we happened to go to Restaurant K (also known as Alison's on K) http://www.restaurantkbyalisonswope.com/index.html on the suggestion of a friend as our party had a doctor on call who needed to have easy access to Route 66.

When we saw the Fried Green Tomatoes on the appetizer menu everyone at our table wanted to have a taste of the dish the movie made famous. I have to say I was disappointed after all the built up hype in my head. I've had them one other time in a sandwich at Cafe Saint Ex and have to say I preferred them there. It was as if Chef's Alison's Fried Green Tomatoes lacked salt or some flavoring and the tomatoes were too fat (for my liking). Or perhaps I preferred having some cream cheese or soft cheese coating the tomatoes like they do at Cafe Saint Ex.

For an entree, being a vegetarian, I got the buckwheat pasta with Gorgonzola cheese and raisins and walnuts. ...on a bed of spinach. The entree didn't cut it for me either. The pasta was too fat, the cheese was too salty. Its like the dish didnt work so well together--that the flavors didn't quite flow.

Our friends got the Chicken and Dumplings--apparently that was ok but nothing special. The rib eye was quite good and the Grits (the other veggie dish on the menu) was quite nice.

I was not impressed by the decor either--the art work was unappealing and the lighting was ugly. Overall the place looked like an unattractive restaurant you would find somewhere in middle America rather than Washington DC.

There were a few highlights. The service was excellent..they split our bill 6 ways on 5 different credit cards which was great. Also the bread was fresh and delish! But overall at $45 a head for dinner, its not one I need to go back to or would recommend it. But I might check out the breakfast which might be quite scrumptious and great for morning meetings as they serve as early as 7.30!