Yummy Yummy

The spot

Last night my husband took me to a portuguese restaurant in downtown dc, 1 block from the Verizon Center. Their website says they have two locations downtown, the 1 i visited was 819 7th street NWWashington, DC 20001. When you first enter you are greated by a happy staff who all welcome you to the building. Next they explained how the place works. They sit you at a table with a number, and you go over what you want from the menu. Once you've made your choice you walk to the register, order and pay. Once that is done you go over to a counter filled with difference sauces: Garlic, lemon-Herb, medium, Hot, Extra Hot. Grab your napkins, silverware and fill up your drink, then return to your table. It only took a few minutes for our foot to arrive at our table by our friendly waiter and everything, EVERYTHING, was delicious.

The Food

I ordered the Hummus as an appetizer, after which the guy taking the order yelled HUMMUS to the cook staff..I loved that. The Hummus was creamy and full of flavor and paired nicely with pita bread slices. They also offered a peri-peri drizzle to pour into the hummus. The drizzle added extra flavor and a little spice..fantastic. Next was my glass of sangria! Great sangria, just the right amount of liquor and fruity flavor. The waiter suggested I get the pitcher, but it was a worknight ;)
Since this was my first time I kept it simple by ordering a half chicken and I chose medium heat. You get to choose lemon & herb, medium, hot or extra hot, which are the same sauces you get to dip into, they just marinate the chicken with that sauce then grill it. I ate my medium heat chicken and dipped it in the lemon & herb sauce. The chicken was juicy and flavorful. It had great grill marks and just the right amount of grill taste. I paired my chicken with red skin mashed potatoes and also tasted my husbands garlic bread. The mashed potatoes had a great consistency and were also well seasoned. The garlic bread they give you are two large pieces of french bread that are softly toasted with butter and garlic and pair nicely with the chicken.

Overall the food was excellent, no complaints at all. This is a fun and laidback restaurant with a nice atmosphere. The location is perfect (except for parking) right in the center of chinatown. The only thing i would change is the whole routine of going to the register to order and pay then pick your own silverware, napkins and drinks...what do the waiters get paid for?