As you all know each year now ever since I started this Phyllis-teen roup I have graciously announced the winners of the RAMMY's (Washington DC Restaurant Awards) before anyone else has ever done so on the internet. And while our namesake Phyllis Richman won the Duke Ziebert Award this year, I haven't a clue who the rest of the winners are because I never got an invitation to the RAMMY's event this year!
I am so sorry to not be able to report this important information to you, but c'est la vie.
Instead, last night we returned to TOWN HALL in Upper Georgetown (www.townhalldc.com) which has proven to be the winner of our award for best neighborhood spot. The ambiance is great as we reported earlier this year, the service friendly and the food portions are huge and quality-driven. Watch out for the crisp pita chips that come with an OLIVE/ARTICHOKE/PESTO Tapenade when you sit down. Fill up on these and you'll be full by the time your entree comes!
Samuel joined us last night and gobbled up his Frenhc Fries that came with the tasty Hamburger. These burgers are ont he menu for about $10 for adults and are 8 ounce HEREFORD BEEF Pattys on a poppy seed kaiser roll and come with a wide variety of toppings at NO EXTRA CHARGE (how nice not be to nickel and dimed for cheese or mushrooms!).
We all started with a bottle of VINA SALAMANCA 2005 Viura/Verdejo from Castilla y Leon. I have always enjoyed the crispness of Verdejo in the summertime, but don't recall ever drinking Viura before; it was a nice blend resulting in a crisp instense lemon flavor. My PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND MUSSELS in RED CURRY with Coconut Broth and Ciabbata Crostini was a mussel dish dream come true. The wine was crisp and lemony enought to fight the spice and it was (as I mentioned before) a large portion with three huge crostini soaking their tips in the broth. I could not resist dunking the crunchy pieces in the yummy sauce. CREAM of POTATO SOUP was another filling hit at the table and the ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE & MANCHEGO CHEESE QUESADILLA with Roasted Peppers and Tomato. I dont' recall how many HUGE triangles of quesadilla there were, but we all tasted and there were still several to take home after Will age several himself! This is an entree portion size and a tasty one at that!
We moved on to a LIBERTY SCHOOL Chardonnay 2006 from California's Central Coast which was tasty, but nothing to rave about with our entrees, which seemed to grown in size as we devoured them! The burgers come with a choice of sides and if you aren't into fries or veggies or a salad, you must try the GOAT MAC & CHEESE, it's divine. My SEA SCALLOPS with Virginia HAM, ASPARAGUS, TOMATO and ORZO in PINOT GRIGIO CREAM Sauce is almost risotto-like in texture, but made from orzo. A creamy rich dish loaded with tasty scallops is a good option if you are not in a burger, steak or pork mood. The menu is quite large, though, and offers up many options, so we will have to return again soon as we were way too full to even think of dessert.
We may have missed the RAMMY's, but we all found a winner in TOWN HALL!
