District Chophouse & Brewery

Before I begin my little review of this house of food and drink, I must preface by saying that I am so picky when it comes to restaurants ~ and food for that matter, but I'll save that for another day. I will literally walk countless city blocks before deciding on a place to eat; I have done so on numerous occasions. My poor husband has learned to love me in spite of it. I'm not proud of this trait, but I hate a bland restaurant! Bland food, bland atmosphere and bland service leaves me feeling like I wasted my money. And time. 

So, there we were in DC, hands ice cold and in desperate need of food, about to approach the third or fourth city block on our hunt for a place to eat. I could already sense dissatisfaction brewing as we passed restaurant after restaurant. We stopped at an outdoor menu, but I asked if we could at least go to the end of the block. Strom had to be dying inside, but he gave no indication of irritation. At the end of the block, I told him I would just try to be flexible and go wherever he wanted to. He heard, "It's okay, I'm flexible, we can go anywhere." He outright laughed at me! After reexplaining that I would do my best to go with the flow, we walked back to the first place, his arm around me adoringly. I guess he thinks I'm cute!

Well, I'm here to tell you we found a winner. If ever you are in D.C., I highly recommend you pay a visit to The District Chophouse & Brewery. It is everything I love in a restaurant. The atmosphere is very vintage, yet modern at the same time, with service that is respectable, personable and lively. From the floor-to-ceiling columns, larger-than-life overhead chandeliers, to the serenading of Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and yes, even the M*A*S*H theme song, it was quite an enjoyable dining experience.

And not to mention.... The food.

• They serve individual skillets of cornbread (so much better than a basket of rolls!) - Um, yum. I normally won't even eat bread! It was so moist and full of flavor that I had to refrain myself from mindlessly picking at it! 

• Our appetizers were bacon-wrapped scallops. For those of you who attended my wedding and thought our scallops were good, you ain't tried nothin' yet! The bacon was perfectly cooked, as were the scallops. Paired together with its creamy-hint-of-spice sauce = perfection (in my opinion). 

I'm seriously getting hungry thinking about this food....

• The main course: Stuffed flounder. Quite delicious, though not overpoweringly flavorful. Strom asked if it was supposed to be that "fluffy" - first time flounder eater. 

• And the desert...Pecan pie. Delectable. It was "Restaurant Week" (the 200 participating restaurants featured their favorite dishes on a specialized - and affordable I might add - menu) so we didn't get to pick our dessert, but we enjoyed it ~ as you can see by the almost-empty plate! 

I read a few reviews of the DC Chophouse after eating there and was surprised to find more than a handful of people with random complaints... Supposedly the steak isn't top notch. I have to wonder how many of these people who leave reviews are snotty, uptight individuals who eat at 5-star restaurants on a regular basis, because I had no idea what they were talking about!

I have nothing but delicious things to say about District Chophouse & Brewery. I am not bragging by any means, but I have had the opportunity to dine at some impressive restaurants across the country, and this one stands up to each one. 

*Two enthusiastic thumbs up!*