1905 Bistro, U Street Corridor, DC

During our DC visit last October, our dinner at 1905 Bistro was the nicest meal of the trip. The small space could easily feel dark and dingy, but it was tastefully decorated and has a nice date night feel. As it got more crowded later in the evening, the atmosphere was more hip and lively. On top of that, the decor looked better with dim lighting.

Bistro-style comfort foods seems to be the best way to describe 1905’s menu. They take comfort food favorites, such as hush puppies and shrimp and grits, and give them more upscale, bistro twist. There were some good options for vegetarians too.

I went back and forth between the wild mushroom toast and grilled green tomatoes, before settling on the tomatoes ($8). Nice grill on the tomatoes, topped with wild cress, smoked almonds, pickled chilis, sprouts, and creme fraiche. Nicely presented and tasty with the bubbly I was sipping. Does it really need that much creme fraiche?! I barely had half of that creme fraiche with my tomatoes.

John decided to pass on the appetizers and entrees and just opt for a couple sides. The sauteed brussels sprouts with peanuts ($5) were pretty good. He also got the fries with green tabasco mayo ($5). At a lot of restaurants, ordering sides is a good way to go. The booze here were a good deal too, or maybe I’ve just gotten so used to NYC prices, heh.

Cauliflower “steak” has been popping up on menus all over, and I was excited to finally try this dish! At 1905, the roasted cauliflower ($16) is served with quinoa, almond crunch, maple-sherry vinegar, and pickled raisins. The combination of flavors were very good, but my main issue with this dish was the thickness of the cauliflower steak. It was cooked through, but a thinner steak would have a better balance of the contrasting interior/exterior textures.

Save

Save