Rene and I spent this past weekend in Washington D.C. – we were craving a change of scenery and a few days to ourselves. As is probably obvious, the most important part of any trip for me is the food. I consulted Mango & Tomato, my e-friend Olga’s blog, for restaurant recommendations (she lives in the D.C. area) and this place stood out to me the most.

First off, District Commons is gorgeous. The ceiling is high, there’s lots of natural light, and the decor is modern, sophisticated and easy on the eyes. There’s also a huge open kitchen, featuring a wood-burning oven and a raw bar.

I started with a latte, which arrived with a complimentary mini Snickers. Smooth, very smooth. Who doesn’t love free chocolate?!

We ordered two entrees and split them. The first was the J&B Breakfast Hash – yukon gold potatoes, bell peppers, onions and braised beef short ribs, topped with two sunny side up eggs. The vegetables were perfectly caramelized, and the way they mingled with the salty shredded beef and the runny eggs was just divine.

The second entree was the Classic Monte Cristo – oven roasted turkey, ham and Swiss cheese, sandwiched between two thick slices of Brioche, dipped in egg and fried until crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. The sandwich was served with fries and a trio of house-made sauces – honey mustard, raspberry jam and mayo – all of which were great.

This sandwich seemed so simple in theory but really, it was anything but. It was obvious that each of the elements of which this dish was comprised was chosen with utmost care.

As you might imagine, we had no room for any more food after the two entrees but who could resist the words “Biscuits w/ Creamy Sausage Gravy”? Certainly not us. We barely made a dent in this deliciousness but we made sure to get it to go in a doggy bag and gobbled it up later in our hotel room. Yes, these things were as good as they look.

Lastly, we were served some mini coconut macaroons – another sweet touch.

Overall, we had a really pleasant experience at District Commons. The service, atmosphere and presentation were all outstanding. The only problem is that I’d have to travel for four hours to go there again.

Stay tuned for another D.C. recap post!