- Quality
- Value
- Price
Lounge 201
201 Massachusetts Ave, NE
Washington, D.C. 20002
202.544.5201
Hours:
Tuesday – Friday 4pm to 2am
Weekends – Monday Private Events Only
Happy Hour: Tuesday – Friday 5pm to 8pm
One of my most dreaded, despised food categories is bar food. To say I can’t stand it is being kind. Intended as a misconceived stop gap between you, your drink, and inebriation, bar food – in all of its fried, subpar glory – is predictable, unimaginative, and, worst of all, not that good. So it came as an unexpected surprise when I walked out of Lounge 201 thoroughly pleased with the direction of this Capitol Hill establishment.
Before settling down to try a few dishes off the reworked menu, I had a brief conversation with the Marketing and Events Director, Paige Farrell, and the General Manager, Brad Ingwell. Mainly focusing on the present state and future ambitions of Lounge 201, I got the overarching sense that they foresaw something bigger. It would be so easy to rest on the laurels of their prime location or on the foundations of their excellent happy hour but I never got that feeling. On the other hand, Lounge 201 is fully cognizant of what they are and what they intend to be – an unbeatable destination for happy hour and private events.
Paige Farrell & Brad Ingwell
A truly bipartisan establishment, Lounge 201’s ambition to cater to the diversity of the neighborhood surrounding it is directly reflected in its menu. Whereas other similar establishments consider food as an afterthought necessity, the food at Lounge 201 is at the forefront of its rejuvenation.
The food is by no means an exhibition of intricate flavors and complex aromas. Every dish has an aura of comfort, never forcing you or inviting you to think too long about what you’re eating – it plays on an your inherent recognition of comfort food.
The risotto fritters with Parmesan, white truffle oil, and marinara are fried to a golden brown while retaining the soft, warm sensation of risotto. Moreover, the classic smooth and chunky texture of risotto is retained, with the marinara providing a tangy deviation from the crispy shell. The juxtaposition of soft and hard is present here in all of its simplicity. This is further exemplified in the Shrimp slider, with its sweet Remoulade and lightly fried shrimp, engulfed in a soft doughy bun.
The Carne Asada taco was by the books, but by no means bad. The fresh onion was crispy and provided the dish with a nice smokiness that played well with the chunks of beef. The guacamole laced with lime was a pleasant refreshing element.
The only item carried over from the older menu, the Mac N Cheese with traditional Béchamel sauce, farfalle pasta, white truffle oil with chicken was the epitome of a guilty pleasure. Not as chunky or cheesy as traditional mac n cheese, Lounge 201’s take is a personification of the crowd it caters to – at the core you have farfalle pasta slathered with light Béchamel sauce toped with white truffle oil. Giving off an air of relaxed sophistication, the mac n cheese was starchy, wholesome, and, most importantly, really good.
In a town where affordability is slowly becoming an idea of the past, Lounge 201’s focus is squarely on that. The menu is friendly to the non-existent salaries of Capitol Hill staffers while the physical space, and the know-how of the management, caters perfectly to any private event. Taking what worked in the past and improving facets that didn’t, Lounge 201 continues to evolve in the right direction, offering hope to people like me who have, until now, looked down on places like this.
–Amendment202
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