Wendy Bunker

Review of Bar Bistro Puck

Before I begin, I want to say that I have never be...

Before I begin, I want to say that I have never been more impressed with a restaurant. As I drove home, I tried to find one flaw but could have think of any. Usually a place has good food and bad service, or good service and decent food but isn t clean. This place delivered solid 5 star ratings across all my categories of service, cleanliness, atmosphere, and food. As vegetarians we are fairly reluctant to dine out, because the meatless dishes on a menu are almost always treated as an afterthought and as a decent cook I resent paying money for mediocre or even terrible food. We were looking for somewhere we could have a nice dinner for date night and just stumbled across this place on a google search. It is kind of off the beaten path in terms of location but we were so intrigued by the menu we decided to go check it out. Immediately I was impressed by how clean everything was. My feet didn t stick to the floor, the tables didn t have any residue, the place looked brand new, the walls were clean, the furniture in good repair, and the bathroom was spotless! The menu offered multiple vegetarian options so we indulged with an appetizer, two entrees, desserts, and drinks. The food was so good that I nearly doubled over my bowl and wept. Dishes that I have seen ruined a million times (gnocchi and mac and cheese) were prepared at a 5 star chef level. I knew immediately I could never recreate this at home, and that I could no longer take pride in my personal mac and cheese recipe. Every single dish was perfect. I was astonished, having never found a place this good in Washington, I thought myself in some fever dream. The service was exceptional, and though we were tucked into a corner and there was a very large dinner group there our server was taking care of, he never ignored us and constantly came back to check on us. We ordered wine and a cocktail and both were just as well prepared and delicious as our food was. We had the pleasure of speaking with the owner, and he was humble and gracious while receiving our praises. The prices were also very reasonable and the portions were decent sized. This place truly delivers the whole package. I had no idea this gem had been hiding on Portland Ave this entire time, but I m so glad I found it now. If you haven t checked them out, I cannot recommend it enough. Here is your new place to eat.