Clyde's, Washington, D.C......All Undressed and Nowhere to Go
Written: Jan 26 '05 (Updated Nov 20 '05)
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Pros: Acceptable food, pleasant atmosphere, convenient location in Georgetown Park
Cons: Nothing on their menu really stands out, can be extremely busy
The Bottom Line: Clyde's is nice enough place to while away the hours over a few beers or to have a pleasant lunch apres shopping.
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| tombarnes's Full Review: Clyde's |
Clyde's in Georgetown Park was the first table in the eponymous Clyde's Restaurant Group. Since then, they have been serving up forkfuls of new restaurants. Their success has been meteoric. I wish I could say the same for their food.
Location
The Georgetown branch of Clyde's occupies prime street frontage on busy M Street in the heart of the Georgetown shopping and entertainment district. What this really means is that if you visit on a weekend night, be prepared to deal with hordes of inebriated college kids. M Street is still a fun place to go in spite of it all.
The original Clyde's, which opened its doors in 1963, must have been swept away when Georgetown Park was built. In any event, they have retained enough of the atmosphere of the older restaurant to be mostly convincing.
The Interior
Clyde's isn't an unpleasant place to visit. In fact, the interior is almost cozy, with wood paneling, a busy paneled bar and lots of old pictures and posters on the walls. The atmosphere is informal. It's the sort of place you might drop into after a colossal shopping frenzy or possibly before taking in a movie at the new Loews Georgetown theaters down the street (28 screens, no less).
The Menu
The menu is a tad more ambitious than the usual burger palace or casual restaurant, but the food doesn't go beyond the realm of the ordinary. One can have an inoffensive lunch or dinner here, but if you are looking for culinary adventures, this might not be the place.
First Course
We began with the Maitake Tempura ($7.95), your basic fried mushrooms with a soy sauce for dipping. The presentation here is worth noting, as they had carefully arranged the fried slivers around the rice and soy sauce with some care. While it looked nice enough, any evidence of ginger in the soy sauce was stifled by too much salt. On the positive side, the tempura batter was light and airy, so the mushroom flavor could still be discerned. There might have been twelve mushrooms here.
Most of the appetizers were the sort of thing you'd expect to find at a place like this....Skillet Roasted Calamari ($7.25), Buffalo Chicken Wings ($7.95) and Wild Boar Prosciutto ($8.95). The Crab Tower ($9.95) might be something to try on our next visit. Possibly not. It's really more of a crab salad served over a coconut curry rice cake. A few things, like the Pate de Campagne ($10.95) and Wonton Wrapped Shrimp ($8,95) have more ambition, but not much.
Sandwiches
I had the Buffalo Fried Chicken sandwich ($8.25). While the sandwich was hardly little more than a fried chicken breast with lots of Tabasco in the batter, the serving was generous, and the crust was nicely crisp. The french fries were crisp, but strangely lacking in flavor. I barely made a dent in the great straw colored mound on my plate.
Pasta
The Doc had the Fettuccine Carbonara ($10.95), one of the daily specials. She wasn't thrilled with the bacon or the general blandness of the dish. I tried a small bit myself and concurred. Our waiter did offer her grated cheese, but the dish still needed more.
While pasta isn't exactly the special of the house, they have other dishes like Smoked Salmon Fusilli ($13.95) and Butternut Squash Agnolotti ($10.95). The last sounds like more of a recipe for potpourri than lunch...dried cranberries, walnuts, sherry and onions.
Most things on the menu at dinner aren't terribly expensive. The most expensive thing I saw on their menu was a Juniper Marinated Venison at $18.95. The Pork Porterhouse Chop ($15.95) might be a good bet.
Wine, Beer Etc.
This is a popular place for college students and young professionals alike. Thus it can be very busy (not to mention noisy) the weekends. Their beer list is extensive, and they have a number of wines as well.
Service
Our waiter didn't fail us with regards to service. The place was busy (even in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon)
and he took care of us very well. If you sit near the bar, be prepared for lots of movement. People are going to an fro constantly. We felt badly for one young job applicant who was left to wait behind our table for the verdict. I thought the public manner in which he was sent away was unfortunate. Don't they have an office somewhere for this?
We watched the crowd of what appeared to be staffers from other restaurants owned by Clyde's. One of them had dressed expressly to show off her revealing underclothes. Paramount among other reasons not to do this, was the sorry evidence that her lingerie was filthy. I'll say no more, but it was almost enough to put us off lunch entirely.
Cost
This is a middle of the road kind of place. As it's in Georgetown, the road is studded with pearls and pork barrels. Still, it offers reasonably good food at prices which won't bankrupt you-- as long as you stay away from the bar.
Reservations
I wouldn't think of going to the trouble of getting a table here unless I had a large party. Wait in line if you must, but if you don't get a table, your world won't come crashing down. Reservations might be needed for the popular Sunday brunch. As for parking, there is plenty of parking in the garage below the mall. I have never parked there, but it might cost as much as lunch.
They live for the credit card here, so don't be shy. bring them all. You are in Georgetown, after all. Open as follows:
Monday- Thursday 11:30 AM- 12:00 AM
Friday 11:30 AM- 1:00 AM
Saturday 10:00 AM- 1:00 AM
Sunday 9:00 AM- 10:30 PM
Clyde's
in Georgetown Park
3236 M Street
Washington, D.C. 20007
Tel. 202-333-9180
www.clydes.com
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Reservations are probably not necessary
Best Suited For: Friends
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Epinions.com ID:
tombarnes
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 - Top 200 |
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Member: Thomas Barnes
Location: Fort Lauderdale & Washington, DC
Reviews written: 688
Trusted by: 444 members
About Me:
With Barbara in Miami, 2004
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