Girl Meets Food

Full disclosure: This post is based on two visits, one paid out-of-pocket and one at the invitation of management.

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Remember summer nights spent as a kid catching fireflies in a jar? That’s the relaxed mood Firefly in Dupont Circle aims to inspire.  At the entrance, you are greeted with a large, floor-to-ceiling “firefly tree,” hung with candles and lanterns.  To the right is a tiny bar situated in front of a partially-open kitchen.  In the cozy dining room, the low ceiling does little to dampen the noise of a bustling crowd.

On this Sunday afternoon, whatever relaxed mood Firefly seeks to replicate fireflies right out the window when rowdy twenty-somethings still wearing clothes from the night before are involved.  On my previous brunch visit, the lone waiter seemed harried and absent-minded, rescued by managers and complimentary mimosas.

The focus of both visits has been the very unique Elvis sandwich ($12).  Warm, gooey peanut butter, very ripe bananas, and sticky maple honey are punctuated by the contrast of crisp, smoky bacon.  All on the softest slices of toasty challah bread.

This is a sandwich I’d make if I were a child home alone. The grown-up in me substituted truffle fries for an additional $4.  These crispy shoestrings are hot, salty and fragrant with musky truffles and garlic.

The hog roll ($13) is truly a man’s manwich for a man’s appetite such as Ken Noli’s.  Cradled on a hot, chewy French baguette, the fried oysters were soggy and tasteless; thankfully they are brightened by savory, grilled Italian sausage with a firm snap.  Sautéed red bell peppers, onions and fries complete this very filling, very hearty sandwich.

Perfectly poached eggs seem to be too much to ask, but at Firefly, they are effortless.  Elegant eggs Florentine ($13) balance soft, silky yolks on a bed of creamy spinach and Hollandaise sauce. The home fries were slightly greasy but very good and comforting.

Tofutti Cutie ordered the French toast ($12), made with the same heavenly challah bread that makes ye forgive thy rambunctious dining neighbors.  With subtle flavors of orange and vanilla, it is delicious with real maple syrup and apple-raisin compote.

Spirited earth-child Tofutti Cutie enjoyed the eco-friendly cardboard doggie bags, gluten-free menu, and the fact that Firefly supports local purveyors such as Dolcezza Gelateria, Cowgirl Creamery, and the Tuscarora Organic Growers Co-op.

Noise level is usually not a concern for me, however Tofutti Cutie and I agree that the acoustics at Firefly makes it more suitable for after a night of partying in Dupont Circle.

Roll in for Sunday brunch in your pajamas and score free coffee.  Wear pajamas with fireflies on them and score a free cocktail.  You can find Firefly’s extensive menus for all-day dining plus gluten-free here.

Firefly at The Madera Hotel
1310 New Hampshire Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20036
202.861.1310

Breakfast:
Monday – Friday, 7 am – 10 am

Lunch:
Monday – Friday, 11:30 am – 2:30 pm

Brunch:
Saturday & Sunday, 9 am – 2 pm

Dinner:
Sunday – Thursday, 5:30 pm to 10 pm
Friday & Saturday, 5:30 pm to 10:30 pm

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Bacon, bacon, booze, brunch.  Those are my priorities.  What are yours?

If your mind is already on the weekend, read on for some exciting morning noshing, including bacon flights, Turkish eggs Benedict, and a half-smoked Bloody Mary.

Eola offers Sunday brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with fresh ingredients plucked straight out of the Dupont Farmers’ Market.  Wake up to French toast, eggs and hash, homemade cinnamon rolls, market veggies, Cheddar grits,or  biscuits and jam.

But the most important part of Eola’s brunch in my opinion, is the bacon flight.  Did you hear me?  A.  Bacon.  Flight.

Choose from a variety of house-cured and smoked bacon including Duroc-Hampshire, Farmer’s Cross, Ossabaw, and Tamworth breeds, for $12. See the brunch menu here.  Eola, 2020 P. Street NW. 202.466.4441

The Source by Wolfgang Puck starts brunch a day early on Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., with traditional brunch and Asian-inspired dishes.  Order a dim sum platter with spicy Thai-style chicken salad or market-fresh berry French toast with sausage.  There’s also a three-course prix-fixe lunch for $28. See the brunch menu here. Don’t forget The Source’s creative take on the Bloody Mary!  Shanghai Mary with Szechuan chili paste; and the classic District Mary with a miniature half-smoke garnish.  The Source, 575 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.  202.637.6100.

Agora is serving up a Mediterranean brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Get a healthy start with labneh, strained yogurt with fruits and nuts; or a beet salad with lemon mashed potatoes, garlic, and orange; or charcoal-smoked eggplant, green and red peppers.  A Turkish twist on the old includes Pastirma Eggs Benedict with poached eggs and cured loin of beef; or scrambled eggs with spicy Turkish sausage. Agora, 1527 17th Street NW.  202.332.6767

If only detention was this interesting.  On Sunday, September 19, 2010 at 1 p.m., Artisa Kitchen hosts “The Breakfast Club,” a luxurious 15-course brunch that couldn’t be farther from high school cafeteria food.

Artisa Kitchen is part of a wave of clandestine supper clubs in D.C., and arguably the best.

Created by Chef Bryon Brown, a line cook at José Andrés’ Jaleo, now brings a unique dining experience monthly for only a select few.

Artisa Kitchen asks that you sign up as one of The Breakfast Club characters.  You’ll have to decide if you’re the Jock, the Brain, the Criminal, the Princess or the Kook.

Maybe you’re Mr. Vernon.

The Breakfast Club is $85 per person including cocktails by The Gibson, and happens at an undisclosed location.  All I can say is that it’s not at Shermer High.

If 80’s teen angst dredges up too many painful memories for you, try one of Artisa Kitchen’s grown-up supper clubs, at a different D.C. art gallery each month.  A playful, stylish, twelve-course gastronomic experience is yours, complete with 6 wine pairings and professional waitstaff, for up to 28 people. Price is $90 per person.

Chef Brown uses grass-fed meats, local produce and cheeses to create a meal the likes of which you have never tasted.  Each dinner is unique, depending on the setting and season.

To make your reservations, visit Artisa Kitchen.