Another home run...southern style. Welcome to Blue Ridge.

I had some free time and I was close to G-town, so I stopped in at Blue Ridge for brunch. This is the latest venture from Eli Hengst, in conjunction with Jared Rager and Barton Seaver.

You never know who you'll run into around there, so I wasn't surprised to see Nycci Nellis and her husband David up on the deck having a cocktail.

Her blog has a few more readers than mine, but I'm not jealous...

Anyhow, on to the restaurant:

Some shabby/sheik stuff, lots of wood, great patio/terrace/deck.

There is a fountain and a nice Chinese Maple in the middle of the patio. It was a very nice day and there were a few families enjoying the food and the weather.

The staff uniforms are jeans and plaid flannel. Interesting choice.

The wine list has a great selection at reasonable prices. They were assembled by Brian of Redwood fame. Nice selection of bubbly!

The food was tasty. I had the biscuits and gravy with poached eggs. The gravy had a hint of smoke and everything was done correctly. The hash browns were a nice touch in that they had some veggies in them other than peppers and onion.

All in all, a pleasant experience. Check it out if you have a chance. Tell Eli I sent you.
Brunch Menu

**SCOOP** Blue Ridge in DC.

Part of the joy of what I do for a living is getting to watch people who are much more creative and talented than I am bring their visions to life. Some of you may not find pictures of floors with holes and bare studs/beams so enthralling, but for me it's very similar to hearing a good piece of music or getting the perfect mix of butter and syrup on a good pancake.
This post in particular is about a restaurant in DC named Blue Ridge. It's on Wisconsin Ave. in Glover Park where Busara used to be.
The proprietor is Eli Hengst of Sonoma, Mendocino, and Redwood fame. He recently took this place over and has begun his transformation. This is a shot of one of the dining rooms upstairs that overlooks Wisconsin Ave.

Same room.

This is the bar up on the second floor. It has doors that open up onto the patio outside.

This is a view from the 2nd level out onto the 2nd level of the patio.

This is what looked to be a lounge between the bar and the patio on the second floor, but this may change before opening.

This is a view from the dining room on the main level facing the stairs to go up.

Same dining room.

This is a view of the bar right as you walk in.

Now for the real scoop. DC Prodigal Son Barton Seaver of Hook fame will be at the helm in the kitchen. This is a big pull for foodies, and I'm sure the PR won't hurt the restaurant. Give them a try after they have a few weeks to sort things out. I'm sure you'll like it as there is a lot of talent going into this project. Look for a late March/early April opening.