1322 U Street NW

Washington, D.C. 20009-4445

202-234-1884 

We arrived at Crème Café in anticipation of deliciously, yummy brunch food. Sadly, there was a line out the door and a 20-minute wait. A miscommunication with the hostess left us waiting for our table longer than she’d promised, but once it was discovered, we were seated right away.

The restaurant was totally packed and incredibly loud to the point where we had to shout at our own table. It sort of ruined the atmosphere, having to yell at the person sitting across from you, but people seemed generally happy. The overall atmosphere of the café is nice. It features a full bar with seating and TV for you sports fanatics. Bench seating lines the tables along one side. There’s nice lighting in the restaurant and little flower filled bottles of Voss water line the benches. We did notice one disturbing thing though; it smelled a bit like fish in the front, but like syrup in the back of the restaurant.

The menu is extensive for brunch, which is available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. We especially enjoyed the bottomless Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas for $16. That’s quite a steal if you ask us. The following is the rundown of what our table ordered:

• The Traditional. It lacked Hollandaise sauce, but held true to the standard. It is served with greens.

• French toast with berries. Overall, it’s very good. The berries are fresh. It’s a large portion, perfect for splitting.

• Build your own omelet. It was ordered with sausage, bacon and tomatoes. Much to this customer’s dismay, the restaurant does not carry avocados. The omelet came with dry greens and was rated with a mild OK. It was really big and our friend couldn’t finish it. He said it was “too much food for even a big guy.” Also, he had to order taters on the side, which were interesting and came served with basil and onions and were really good. Though, this friend of ours wouldn’t order the omelet again.

• Lox and Bagels. They were overpowered by the saltiness of the capers. Our friend who ordered this dish said he was, “Jealous of the quiche at our neighbor’s table.”

• Cheesy grits. Would you like grits with your cheese? That was our initial and overall reaction to this goodness in a bowl. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart and if you’re lactose intolerant, we suggest you skip the cheese.

Our server, who shall not be named, was less than stellar. He forgot our drinks. The bad service made the food seem not as good as it could’ve been. Half of our table said they wouldn’t come back again.

As for the parking situation, you’re lucky to find some on U St., especially on a Saturday morning. But make sure you have lots of quarters to feed the meters. You only get 7.5 minutes for 25 cents.

Rating: La, leaning toward blah. 

1025 First St SE

Washington, DC  20003

(202) 652-1009

Justin’s Café is finally open for business everyone! Sip ‘N’ Tell has waited six long months for this moment to arrive. They opened about a week ago and have been booming ever since. The café is located at the bottom of the Velocity, a condo building that’s pretty much empty and still trying to sell, and just a few short blocks from the Navy Yard metro on the green line. Super easy to access and there’s tons of parking… when there isn’t a Nats game.

It’s a cute, cozy café and has the potential to turn into a sports bar very quickly despite only having one television located at the bar. We know it can be everything you want it to be; a date spot, a place to watch the game with the boys or the café across the street to grab a bite to eat when you’re too lazy to make dinner yourself. With reasonable prices, it’s definitely a place where regulars can hang out.

Having only opened a short week ago, the servers are still a little nervous and do make mistakes, but don’t be fooled, they’re super friendly and eager to please. Our server, Hunter, even made some conversation with us and gave us a bit of his background. We ordered lots of food and enjoyed the hell out of it. The rundown is as follows:

Moultrie salad is awesome. Wentworth pizza is finger-lickin good. Both the Rutledge and Radcliffe sandwiches were served with over-cooked, dry chicken but the concept for the sandwiches makes you want to try them again. Overall, the food is definitely worth trying out and delicious and we’d like to categorize it as, healthy drunk food, which means you can really eat it anytime, day or night.

We love that when you’re not sure about a beer, the servers are more than willing to give you a taste test to make sure you’re getting the right drink. We’re sad about the small liquor selection (there was no Malibu rum). The bartenders still need a little help mixing drinks, but we’re going to give you guys a pass anyway because of how new you are. We know that with those baseball crowds pouring in, you’ll get the hang of it in no time. For those of you that like to get cash back from your credit cards, don’t count on using your Discover here; they don’t accept it yet. But, if you’re looking for a sweet spot to write that paper or catch up on your online reading, Justin provides you with free wi-fi.

And this brings us to Justin, the owner. Justin is super cool. Right off the bat you can tell he’s down-to-earth and just wants to get to know his customers and keep them happy. This is his first restaurant, but he’s had lots of experience prior to this. The guy knows what he’s doing. Stay tuned for new things to come to Justin’s Café, like next week with their new happy hour from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Rating: La, with the potential for Oooh-la-la