Ella Dining Room & Bar

We had dinner at Ella Dining Room & Bar, located at 1131 K Street. Park at a public lot and you can have it validated. Otherwise, pay the big bucks at the Hyatt lot across the street.

 

The room is lined with shutters on the ceiling. It's bright and airy yet wasn't overly noisy.

 

Bone Marrow with Shallots, Picked Herbs, Capers, Honey & Toast for $16. This was a huge "small plate." It could easily be shared by 4-6 people. The marrow was very rich but the greens cut the fat.

 

Pan-Seared Mussels, Melted Shallots, Chipotle Butter, Garlic & Baguette for $12. I loved the flavors although my sister thought the dish was too heavy with the butter. This would have been enough as an entrée for me.

 

Grilled Octopus, Pepperoncini, Poached Egg, Fingerling & Meyer Lemon for $10. The baby octopus was tender and the pepperoncini gave the dish a vinegary zing. The poached egg was a tad overcooked though.

 

Steak Tartare, Garlic Popover, French Mustard Dressing & Farm Egg for $13. I liked the flavor of the steak and the popover was delicious. Again, another large portion, which could easily be shared by 4 people.

 

Cauliflower Soup, Fried Oyster & Watercress for $12. This was smooth & creamy and I loved the addition of the fried oyster.

 

Roasted Beets, Avocado, Smoked Sturgeon, Horseradish Crème Fraiche for $10. This was my favorite dish of the evening. The horseradish and smoked sturgeon made this a unique dish. I was so tired of the usual beet salad and this was really different.

 

Cassoulet--Duck Confit, Heirloom Beans, Cotechino Sausage & Breadcrumb for $30. The duck was deliciously tender.

Overall, dinner was great but I left incredibly stuffed. Next time, I'll order the beet salad, a small plate and the gin & tonic and call it a meal. The gin & tonic was delicious. I'm not a gin fan but this gin did not have the usual flowery taste.



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