I have almost made it through all the new restaraunts at the National Harbor. I love that the Harbor is full of an eclectic bunch of restaraunts that you don't see everywhere and I am slowly working my way around to eating at each 1..so you don't have to ;) I was excited to try Ketchup after my fellow bloggers told me how great the one in Los Angeles was. While I had to sit at the bar while waiting for my seat, I promise i didn't let those drinks cloud my critique of the food.
The restaraunt had a very fun and fresh decor. Bright colors, clean and very new. The atmosphere was laid back and service was friendly and fast for 4pm on a saturday afternoon. Our waiter was great..quick and very attentive. When we first arrive there was a 15 minute wait while the staff prepared to switch from lunch to dinner service. So we sat at the bar. Their drink menu was different and creative, so i chose a random house mix. I am no lightweight at the bar, and let me tell you my first drink gave me quite a buzz. I also heard others at the bar complimenting the bartenders on how great their drinks were. I would be happy to visit this place just for the bar..it was that great.
After we were seated it was pretty easy to choose our meals. The menu is short and to the point. I hate restaraunts that give you a 5 page menu and it takes you 20 minutes just to read through it and decide what to order. Right away the fried chicken and waffles stood out to me because it was a "cheddar bacon waffle" that sounds different. I ordered the flat iron steak and let my companion order the waffle which i intended to pick off. We also ordered the spinach and artichoke dip which was served with flat bread and carots.
The appetizer, spinach and artichoke dip was very tasty. Full of flavor and the flat bread went well with the dip and helped make the appetizer not so heavy and too filling. We opted out on the threesome of three different types of fries, waffle fries, sweet potatoe fries and curly fries..just seemed too boring for me :) The chicken and waffles were a great spin on the traditional. The chicken was crispy and well seasoned, juicy and delicious. The only complaint about the waffles were that they were small. Only two little traingles :( the waffles were Great! buttery, flavorful and very unique. We also tried the lobster mac and cheese which our waiter recommended. He said it was originally a microwave mac and cheese, but now the way they make it was much better. I would have to disagree. I've had lobster mac and cheese at a few places now, and many of these places seem to forget to season their macaroni and cheese before adding the lobster. I found it bland and tasteless..not worth the $12.
The second entre we tried was the flat iron steak which came with musrooms and veggies in a "spiced Shiraz reduction" . Now i know i know...i would never order a steak from a non steak restaraunt...but i did :( big mistake. The steak was cooked perfect, which is a plus because i hate when i say medium well and its too well or too medium. Juicy nice piece of meat, but missing in the flavor department. I cut pieces of steak and dipped it in one of the 6 ketchups they placed on my table to add flavor. The vegetables were very lightly steamed and the wine reduction was not a good compliment. thumbs down on that dish.
Lastly we had to at least try the onion rings so we could dip something in our assortment of ketchups. The onion rings were basic..frozen onion rings. Again nothing to write home to mom about and not worth $10.
Overall I would give this place 3 out of 4 hearts for the ambiance, cleanliness, friendly staff and great bartenders! They could use a little help in the kitchen however.
