Taylor Gourmet @ Crystal City, VA – 6/23/2017
#ThePlace
Where: Taylor Gourmet – @TaylorGourmet
When: 6/23/2017
Who Picked: Nick
We are back after missing payday last week as Nick was away for the weekend at a wedding. Taylor Gourmet serves a variety of unique hoagies with a rotating seasonal menu, and a new location was opened in the past few months within walking distance of work.
#TheFood
We started out with the seasonal risotto balls which add corn, chives, smokey bacon, and jalapeno to usual offering of mozzarella and switch out marinara for a black pepper buttermilk dipping sauce. There were five in total and they were excellent. 
Nick went with a seasonal offering, the Barrientos, which feels like it has a bit of Tex-Mex flavor with a black bean spread, charred poblano, and smoked chili sauce. The chili sauce added some nice flavor and wasn’t too spicy. The spice grilled chicken was well seasoned and overall the hoagie had a good ratio of bun to filling.
Eric chose the Mr. Morton sandwich which has pepper-crusted roast beef, avocado spread, Herr’s Jalapeno kettle chips, Smoky bacon, Gorgonzola, red onion, red bibb sauce, and olive oil. The bacon and potato chips both brought a lot of crunch and flavor to the sandwich and the avocado spread combined with the Gorgonzola made for a really creamy combo. Eric is not usually a roast beef sandwich guy, but this sandwich was packed with flavor. The red sauce didn’t really add much to the sandwich, it was barely noticed. A regular was enough for a hearty lunch.
#Regrets
None
#OtherNotes
Nick ordered a large Barrientos, but was only give a regular size. After informing the staff, he was given an additional regular size and was offered a complimentary bag of chips or cookie, but politely declined. High ratings for customer service.
We could see directly into the kitchen from the register. Everything looked really clean and everyone looked like they knew what they were doing, no one standing around chatting.
#Decor
Eric really like the decor, it had a really fun feel to it with lots of bright colors. He was not a fan of the pallet wood style wall hangings, but they still get points for trying. The 55 gallon barrels and the 5 gallon buckets that were used for lights looked really cool as did the recycled bicycle tires on the wall near the line.
#Bathroom
Neither of us checked out the situation there.
#TotalBill
Nick’s total was $20 for the hoagie and balls. Seems reasonable and in line with other sandwich type restaurants. Eric’s was around $10 for just the regular size sandwich.
#OurRating
| Nick | |
| Eric |
Hen Quarter @ Alexandria, VA – 6/2/2017
#ThePlace
Where: Hen Quarter – @hen_quarter
When: 6/2/2017
Who Picked: Eric
Southern cooking served right on the corner of King Street & North Columbus Street in the heart of Alexandria.
#TheFood
We decided to start with the fried green tomatoes as an appetizer as they are always a good choice. They had just the right amount of breading and provided a nice crunch. They were topped with smoked mozzarella and a black-eyed pea salsa which had a nice touch of honey. Amazing appetizer, highly recommended.
Nick went for the chicken & waffles which was available in a half or full order, which include 2 or 4 pieces of fried chicken, respectively. Nick went with the half as it was National Doughnut Day and he is adamant about observing the holiday. The waffle was full of cheddar cheese and scallions and was a tad dry on its own. It came with a breast and a wing, both of which were perfectly cooked. The amount of breading was just right and was nice and crispy. The Jack Daniel’s maple syrup had good flavor and you could definitely taste the bourbon, but it wasn’t overpowering. The syrup was an excellent compliment to the waffle as well as the chicken. The melon balls were a great way to finish out the meal.
Eric went for the HQBLT which included a grilled chicken, bacon, lettuce, and fried green tomato, all on naan bread. It also came with an aioli to dip in along with truffle chips on the side. As you can see in the picture, the thick crispy bacon is hanging off of the sandwich. The chicken was cooked to perfection and dipped into the sauce that came with it made this a perfect sandwich. Eric was unsure of the naan bread at first but it really helped hold everything in the sandwich nicely and had a really good texture. The truffle chips did not seem to even have a hint of truffle, but they were nice and crunchy, waffle chips is not something you see everyday. Perfect portion size even considering the mandatory maple bacon donut (from @SugarShackDMV) Eric ate earlier in the day in observance of national donut day.
#Regrets
Not trying the biscuits, just didn’t have room.
#OtherNotes
The bar had a wide selection of bourbon with 70+ varieties and offered a number of different flights. They also make a Sazerac which is a licorice drink that Eric’s dad happens to really like. Most bars will have no idea what it is if it is not on the menu.
#Decor
Decor here earned a solid 10 from Eric. Everything had it’s place and a nice hipster/farm theme. Nice big sign on the wall, nice bar with good lighting. The high tops Nick and Eric sat at were sturdy and had a good amount of room for all the food. The staff is attentive to detail and keep this place very clean. A staff member even took care of an Edison bulb while we were eating that had just burned out.
#Bathroom
Neither of us ventured into the restroom on this trip.
#TotalBill
Hen Quarter is a bit on the pricier side compared to some of our recent choices, though nothing outrageous. The food was excellent and we think it was well worth the cost. Total for lunch for 2 was ~$45 not including tip.
#OurRating
| Nick | |
| Eric |
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