DISH + drinks Menu

DISH + drinks Restaurant Review:

A restaurant makeover adds up to eye and palate appeal at this trendy Foggy Bottom eatery in the lobby of that old favorite, The River Inn. Convenient for guests, tourists, and family members for GW students, the restaurant is a welcome destination for the neighborhood, and the kitchen makes a point of perfecting a narrow selection of casual fare, much of which has some Southern overtones. Start with the sturdy gumbo, a stick-to-the-ribs soup-stew that is so thick that a spoon almost stands upright in it. Filling and flavorful, it’s an ideal appetizer that could become a full meal with an added salad. Midday the menu features several sandwiches and an entrée to delight Southerners: crisply fried chicken breast that’s all crunchy skin perched on creamy mashed potatoes---and, of course, there’s plenty of gravy for those added calories. Dinners are heartier, with such main dishes as a NY strip loin, pan-seared rockfish, and pork chops. Desserts are minimal, from an intriguing mango crème brûlée that is more liquid than firm to a more mundane brownie sundae. You’ll need to ask for the breadbasket and salt and pepper, and then hope your waiter is speedy enough.