DINNER: The Grange

The Grange's Web site

When it first opened, we weren't in a hurry to check out The Grange because we heard the service was a little iffy. Now that it's been open for six months (and we needed a hot spot to eat before the Chelsea Handler show), we decided to give it go. It was worth the wait. The service, food and atmosphere at The Grange was top-notch. The hostess offered to bring us umbrellas after overhearing we left ours in the car (we valeted at the restaurant and were going to walk to and from the show). Our server was friendly, attentive and knowledgeable. The restaurant has an urban feeling: huge windows line two walls which provide a no holds barred view of 9th and J Streets. The woody decor was a nice touch (I liked that they didn't use tablecloths, gave a warmer feeling). The chef puts great emphasis on obtaining mostly local food from sources that use environmentally sustainable practices. Whether or not that's important to you: the food is delicious. Because John ordered a killer cab, I selected the hangar steak. It was cooked perfectly and had a delightfully smoky flavor. John ordered the ribeye (because they took their ballyhooed short ribs off the spring menu), which I liked even better than my steak. I wasn't crazy about the sundried tomatoes that came with my arugula salad (the greens needed something sweet and those tomatoes didn't help, they were kind of smokey), but that's my only quibble. We shared some divine chocolate and peanut dessert. Because we were full, neither of us really wanted dessert -- until the plate came. We didn't leave a crumb.