The Dupont Circle/Scott Circle/and are neighborhood corridors have
been busier and busier over the years, but a great stalwart for 15
years is the almost funky 1409 PLAYBILL CAFE at 1409 14th St, NW just
across from the Studio Theater.
We attended a show in their small performance space last night and
found ourselves hungry afterwards and decided to grab a small bite.
They were setting up karaoke and we were kindly seated in a rear
booth, but the singing was actually not loud or even bothersome; some
of the performers were actually quite good!
Our server Jonathan, who goes by Shelby (it's a long story) was a gem;
always with a smile and attentive, he really was a gem. The staff help
each other as they rotate and perform, and nothing seems to get lost.
We had a decent bottle of $25 Cabernet/Merlot Blend from Covey Run in
Washington State (2004 was the vintage, so it's been around a while I
guess!) and each ordered up our sandwich choice. Will went for the
RUEBEN which came oozing hot cheese and a side of superb onion rings.
My FALAFEL WRAP was HUUUUGE (well, Shelby did say they were bigger
than the ones at Chipotle) and had a fine thing wrap that went around
only once, not making this dish too much of a wrap with too little
filling. The Falafel balls were tasty moist and peppery and the salad
accouterments were nice filler. I only wished for a tad more sauce,
perhaps TAHINI dressing in the mix.
There were many options on the burgers (turkey, salmon, veggie, etc)
and entrees as well (meat loaf sounded good) and I think that 1409
offers up a lot of simple home cooked dishes for a very reasonable
price (ours were $10.99 each). Head here if you are hungry, as the
portions are indeed huge!
