Eats in D.C.'s Atlas District

Last weekend, I visited Washington, D.C.'s H Street corridor -- a neighborhood in the N.E. quad known as the Atlas District. The area is definitely gentrifying, and the city has committed to run an electric streetcar down H Street. But my reason for visiting the area was to check out a few new eateries that I'd heard about.

First, we had brunch at the Liberty Tree, on the north side of H Street between 10th and 11th Streets. It was cozy, and they had an awesome selection of beers on tap. If wine is your thing, they've got it, but the choices are fewer. They serve a brunch on Saturday and Sunday that runs until 3 p.m. That's a nice option to have: sleep in and eat whenever you want.

The food at Liberty Tree was good -- nothing fancy or refined, but good. I had the lobster benedict, and it was quite tasty. My friend had pizza, and he gave it a grade of B-.

For a sweet conclusion to our brunch, we walked a few blocks east and then across the street to Dangerously Delicious Pies, located at 1339 H Street, N.E. This place sells entree-style pies as well as dessert pies. The dessert pies include multiple kinds of chess pie (chocolate and coconut, for example) and the other standards: apple-crumb and pecan, for example. They also sell quiches. You can buy any of these by the slice or by the entire pie.

Although most of the buzz about Dangerously Delicious Pies has been positive, one of the knocks against the place is the prices. It's true that $6.50 per slice of dessert pie is on the high side. But the pecan pie I tried was excellent. The savory pies (entrees) are $7.50 per slice, which is the same or less than what you'd spend to get lunch at a Cosi or Au Bon Pain.

And here's a piece of good news: Dangerously Delicious Pies is open 7 days a week for those of us who need to regularly get our pie fix. If there is one gripe I have about DDP, it's that they should have at least 1 or 2 more fruit pies to choose from. From what I've seen and heard, pies such as blueberry or peach don't seem to be on the menu. Maybe it's a seasonal thing or maybe I've been looking at the wrong times.

NYC's Brunch Trainwrecks

Finding a good brunch or breakfast in New York City (at a reasonable price) remains a daunting challenge. This past weekend provided another example of a trainwreck eatery for brunch: Sarabeth's.

Several reviewers heap praise on Sarahbeth's. I had eaten there once before and felt the food was fine -- not bad, not great. But this past Sunday's visit was horrific. Waiting for a table is something you expect at many restaurants in NYC, but this wait was outrageous. I put in my name for a party of 2 and was told that the wait was 30 to 40 minutes. Sure, I know this is only an "estimate," but 1 hour and five minutes later, we were still waiting with no sign that our situation would change in the next 5 to 10 minutes. So we just left.

The food didn't look very appetizing so I'm not sure we missed out on a good meal. We walked a few blocks north to Le Pain Quotidien and had a tasty breakfast at a better price.

I can't speak for the East side location of Sarabeth's, but at the West side location, the staff are extremely slow to clear tables and take orders. The "wait times" they give to customers remind me of the estimated times airlines give for flight delays -- totally unrealistic. There are some people who praise Sarahbeth's, but I just don't get it. They must grading on a curve.

Norma's, the restaurant in the Le Meridien hotel on 56th St., is another place that has won kudos. What makes a place with $7-a-glass orange juice so enticing to them? Good question. It sure as hell isn't the food, which was distinctly mediocre. Even by NYC standards, customers are crammed together so tightly that you could be forgiven if you responded to a question from the adjoining table.