Food Washington

Oya
777 9^th Street NW, Washington, DC
http://www.oyadc.com

One could say that Oya is one of the growing ranks of NEW Washington restaurant – one that is long on design and easy on the eyes but a place where the food is just mediocre.  The restaurant itself is very well done and is evoking of a trendy bar in Reykjavik or Helsinki with it’s almost all white interior, chains hung from the ceilings, and waiters dressed in dark colors.  The atmosphere is nice and pleasant, you walk in and you are engulfed by trendy-ness, and all of it before you even order anything. It is once you sit down and begin to dine when the shortcomings of Oya come into sight.  First of all the service was incredibly slow. After having ordered several courses, we were at times waiting for 15-20 minutes between dishes.  This wait coupled with the small portions and a tinge of hunger did not equal dining bliss.  The menu is pretty well populated with a selection of sushi, chicken dishes and even an amount of vegetarian options.  We were pleasantly surprised with their sushi options and while they were pricey at 9-12 dollars a pop were definitely delivered in the most generous portions available at Oya.  The main dishes again like the restaurant were topnotch in presentation yet lacking in actual flavor.  Most entrée’s when tasted were a little on the bland side and incapable of matching the level of presentation.

Another disturbing thing was that Oya seems to be a little stingy with their beverage selection.  The cocktail list was limited and the complementing list of beers was capped at 4 kinds of bottles – Sam Adams, Heineken, Amstel Light, and Sapporo.  Not wanting to be a snob here, but a restaurant with a bar and 15 dollar drinks should at least have ONE beer on tap, and if they don’t they should at least make an effort to stock more bottled beverages.

If you’re looking for a place to wear that Paul Smith blazer recently bought off eBay, check out Oya.  The food is average, the service is average but it all comes in a nice package.  Food Washington wouldn’t go back. But you can – and let us know how it was in the comments.

Price: $$$ (25ish = entree) 

Curry Club
1734 Wisconsin Avenue nw, Washington, DC 20007 - 202 625 9090

The Curry Club is an interesting culinary experiment.  They are a conventional restaurant at the Upper Georgetown location but also offer a delivery service - "The Curry Club"  You can sign up for their email list by emailing curryclub@curryclub.net. Every Tuesday they send out an email with a special menu for the week. You then
have until Thursday at 2pm to submit your order.  They deliver the order to you on Friday.  This is especially convenient for those that want to have something on hand to satiate that periodic indian food craving.

As to the dining experience, the ambience is cute and a nice place for an intimate date.  Unfortunately for the Curry Club, the ambience overshadows the food which is mediocre and a little overpriced for what you get.  The portions are fairly generous when compared to other trendy-ish spots but not up to par with what we have come to expect from other lower end indian establishments.  The Beef Vindaloo was quite tasty and deserves to be the curry club favorite that it is, but we were left craving the chicken tikka masalas and the other chicken and vegetable curries that are supposed to be staples of Indian American cuisine.  Essentially the Curry Club is an experiment in trendy and comfortable eating. The food is not out of the ordinary and unless you are there for the intimate ambience it is an overpriced Indian food fix, and the name is not particularly fitting given the lack of curry on the menu.

Price: $$