Equinox: Fully-Vested

A post by "Blake the Megalomaniac" To see more posts click here

Equinox’s Mission: One of the frontrunners of the sustainable and seasonal food movement, Equinox offers sophisticated, pure American cuisine. Chef Gray stays true to his mission of using community-farmed, organic ingredients grown within 100 miles of the restaurant, whenever possible. The name Equinox represents its commitment to seasonal cooking using products harvested in accordance with the environment and the earth’s natural tempo.

If I were writing a real literary critique of the restaurant known as Equinox, I would begin by describing it as, “fine dining without the pretension.”  While that’s not as elegant as I’d like it to be it captures, wholeheartedly, the essence of the establishment located at 818 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington D.C..   Equinox is the upscale eatery I’ve been looking for since I realized my purpose, which is to eat as much of the highest quality fare this earth has to offer.

As a disclaimer: I prefer not to relay my experiences from restaurants where my experiences left something to be desired unless it’s Restaurant Week.  Consequently, you’ll never see a negative review because I won’t waste time and energy writing about it.

I didn’t conduct any research on the restaurant before going in; I just knew I needed a place to eat Sunday supper.  In the interest of candor, I thought I had made a Sunday reservation for a return trip to BLT Restaurant but I had actually made it for Saturday, and when I logged on to Opentable.com to alter my reservation, I found out it was fully-booked.  Nonetheless, after finishing all three courses at one of Connecticut avenue’s finest, BLT was firmly uprooted in my conscious.

Briefly, beginning with the service.  Simply put it was “on point.” Diverse and eclectic, friendly and welcoming, as it should be.  Moving on to the sustenance.  For the table, we enjoyed the “Baked Truffle Mac & Cheese,” at $11.  No frills here just a mix of what tasted like a variety of sharp and/or potent cheeses.  For my first course I sampled the “Creamy Artichoke Soup with Smoked Applewood Bacon,” at $12.  I couldn’t, to this day, tell you what an artichoke was, but the soup left a favorable impression.  It’s understated taste was balanced by the strong palatableness of the  bacon.  For my main course, I chose the “Maple Brined Breast of Muscovy Duck,” at $31.  I’ve had duck once before at Harry’s Tap Room in Arlington, but this sampling was prepared far more well-done than I’d prefer but even still it was enjoyable.  The total bill for four people with drinks, first course, and main courses for all was somewhere around $300.  Sometimes you have to splurge, right?

In summation, the two main assets I think a restaurant should posses are good people and good food, and Equinox seemed to have both.  The outdoor seating was adequate for people-watching, and the wine list was extensive enough for me to enlist the recommendation of our waitress, who kindly obliged.

Atmosphere: 7/10 Service: 8/10 Food: 9/10

Douchbaggery of Clientele: Non-existent, mainly families and non-tourists {Men be sure to have a collar or you will be turned away}

Food for thought, udothedishes…