The final stop on our “Oh crap” tour takes us to Washington Place, a bistro tucked away in the neighborhood of Little Italy. I didn’t know a whole lot about them, but I was quite pleased with our experience. The only negative that I can think of is the parking – almost all the streets around it are resident-only parking, so about the only option is valet, unless you manage to find something and are able to walk a bit (and we looked). Aside from that, it had a nice ambiance, and we sat in a room with lots of windows, almost along the lines of an enclosed porch.
Our starter was a roasted beet salad, with candied almonds, fennel, and a goat cheese ranch (from nearby Mackenzie Creamery). With a variety of beet colors, it was just as much a pleasure to look at as it was to eat.
S had the Mack and Cheese, with (clever name) more Mackenzie cheese, chorizo, and a goat cheese strudel. Really creamy and rich, with a tinge of spice. All mac (or in this case, penne) and cheese should be made with sausage. The strudel was a very nice addition too – wrap anything in a flaky crust, and it makes it that much better.
I went with a duck confit, which came with an apricot-ricotta gnocchi and a mix of sautéed greens and root vegetables. The duck was perfect. The gnocchi was a nice idea, but the apricot flavor was hard to detect – a little more of that sweetness would have been great.
And for dessert, we had a bread pudding made from Presti’s (a local bakery) donuts. Bread pudding made from donuts, topped with vanilla creme anglaise and ice cream? Yes they did.
The verdict: Washington Place gets 5 1/2 stars out of 7. The food was all quite good, the prices aren’t bad, and service was more than adequate. And they have bread pudding made out of donuts.
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