Matchbox, Washington, D.C......Good Things Come In Small Packages
Written: Sep 04 '04 (Updated Nov 20 '05)
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Pros: Outstanding pizza, creative cooking on all fronts, relatively reasonable
Cons: Very small premises, can get very crowded
The Bottom Line: A great find in downtown Washington. If you are in the neighborhood, be sure to stop in for excellent pizza. The atmosphere is trendy, but not affected.
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| tombarnes's Full Review: Matchbox DC |
The restaurant scene near the MCI Center has been heating up with some of the hottest and trendiest places around. Sadly, one can't always eat well at temples of fashion. Fortunately, there have been a few culinary treasures washing to the shore with the tsunami of the ordinary. One such gem is the diminutive Matchbox.
Location
Cleverly packed into a doll's house of a building, Matchbox was cleverly wrought to take advantage of every square centimeter of space. The former town house has been cleverly wrought into a cheerful, dare I say almost spacious restaurant. The owners have had some experience with such transformations. The result is a warm, earthy, but sophisticated little bistro. It wouldn't seem out of place in most European cities. The food is even better than the setting, definite cause for rejoicing in this trendy neighborhood.
The Menu
First Course
Oddly, one of the best appetizers on this menu might seem at first glance to be the most prosaic. The 3-6-9 Mini Burgers ($7-10-13.00 for 3, 6, or 9 respectively) are far better than you would expect. The tiny burgers are indeed small, but the beef is charred to a nice crunch. Inside, they aren't cooked to death (unless, for some reason you'd ask for them that way) and the buns are lightly toasted fresh brioche. Inside, there's just a light glaze of sharp mustard or freshly made mayonnaise and a tart slice of pickle. We ordered nine of them and found that we couldn't finish the rest of our lunch. For two, an order of six might be more prudent. Be sure to try them, as they are sensational.
Other options include the Crispy Calamari ($8.00), served with frisee, red peppers, red onion and balsamic vinegar. The calamari is light and not at all rubbery. The Seared Crab Cake ($12.00) is standard fare for these parts, but their version is a generous golden cake, stuffed with backfin crab meat and served with a tangy Dijon mustard sauce.
Main Course
The thing to have is their justly celebrated pizza. We chose the Prosciutto White pizza ($11.00 or 17.00. small or large) and found it to be too much pizza after the little burgers. Nonetheless, we did plow through half of it. This pizza is of the thin New York variety. The owners scoured New York's finest pizza joints in search of the best pizza to imitate. Of course, the secret here is in the oven. The oven is fired to incredible temperatures and produces outstanding pizza. Crisp, light and not doughy at all, this pizza is among the best I have found in Washington. Heaps of salty, wafer thin prosciutto, plump Kalamata olives, more fresh garlic than you should eat (if you have business afterward), a sprinkling of ricotta, olive oil and mozzarella all add up to a great pizza. I like mine charred just slightly, and they were happy to oblige.
Other pizzas you might try are the Fresh Portabello pizza (also $11.00/$17.00) with marinated artichokes, sliced portabello mushrooms, more fresh garlic and mozzarella cheese. If you like meatballs, the Spicy Meatball pizza ($12.00/$18.00) might just be your thing. The meatballs are made in-house, not the frozen meat bombs one finds all too often. Garlic (notice a theme here?), fresh tomatoes and mozzarella again finish off the pizza. The Chicken Pesto pizza ($11.00/$17.00) is straightforward, but amply rewarding with grilled chicken, freshly made pesto and mozzarella.
There are few duds on this menu, but the Fire and Smoke pizza ($11.00/$17.00) might qualify. Fire roasted red peppers, sweet onions, chipotle pepper tomato sauce, smoked gouda and fresh basil all sound terrific, but the end result is heavy-handed. The strong pepper flavors overwhelm the delicacy of the light crust and cheese.
Specials
Watch for the daily specials, often more substantial fare. A succulent veal chop was on offer during my last visit. These can be more expensive than the regular menu (around $18.00 or so), but are probably worth it. The care exercised with just about everything in this place would suggest few misses.
Bar
The bar is a full one, in both senses. This is really more of a restaurant with a bar, so the bar is not the focus here, unlike some neighboring places. That's not to say that it won't be crowded. They have a decent selection of beers on draught and all the hard liquor you'd care to find.
Service
This place hops at lunchtime, so get there early if you expect to snag a table. The service is friendly, but not what one could call solicitous. This is a very busy restaurant and the waitstaff don't have time to chat. Hooray.
Cost
As you can see, the prices are generally reasonable, but that won't stop your lunch tab from edging above $40.00 for two. The prices at dinner are exactly the same, so it's a good balancing act.
Reservations
They will take your name for a table, but you might have to wait anyway. Most major cards are accepted, but they don't take American Express. Parking is available on the street (or unavailable, so you might take the Metro to Gallery Place and walk around the block to get here instead).
They are open as follows:
Monday- Friday 11:30 AM until closing
Saturday 5:30 PM until closing
Sunday closed
They close the place when the bar business dies down, so get here early.
Matchbox
713 H Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
Tel. 202-289-4441
FAX 202-289-1947
www.matchboxdc.com
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Reservations are accepted and advised
Best Suited For: Friends
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Epinions.com ID:
tombarnes
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 - Top 100 |
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Member: Thomas Barnes
Location: Fort Lauderdale & Washington, DC
Reviews written: 675
Trusted by: 435 members
About Me:
The King Edward rises again! Watch for it in 2009!
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