Liberty Tree

"Scott Hamilton, owner of Hamilton’s Bar & Grill and DC resident for the past 10 years, originally hails from Massachusetts. Chef Graig Glufling went to culinary school at Johnson & Wales in Rhode Island. Both share a love for New England and its staple seafood fare.  
Glufling also knows a thing or two about pizza, having been the executive chef at Matchbox. Serving New England style seafood and wood oven pizza in an upscale, casual dining atmosphere, Liberty Tree is a small restaurant along the H St NE Atlas District. Closest Metro is Union Station.

On this cool fall evening, we decided to talk a walk towards H St NE and check out this new place.  It was oddly arranged inside with the hostess stand near the back bar, so we opted to sit outside on the side patio. With several teak tables set up, I could imagine this area to be cuter during the summer months.  For the majority of the evening, we were all alone outside, which we did not mind.  Our server checked on us often though, so we did not feel forgotten.  I was disappointed to not see any of the quahogs or clams on the menu as I had seen on their website.  Instead, we shared one of the pizzas for an appetizer and each ordered from the sandwich portion of the menu for our main entree.  The pizza was slightly reminiscent of Matchbox's, yet the crust was much more thin and wafer-like and the toppings a lot more scarce.  Keith ordered his burger medium, yet it arrived well done.  Nevertheless, he thought it was a decent burger and enjoyed the flavors even though he mentioned several times that it would have been better if it weren't overcooked.  My fish sandwich was okay - the panko breading was very thick and crispy giving great texture, however the fish required some seasoning.  The tartar sauce needed some acidic bite - it seemed a bit bland.  All in all, the food and service were average.  Liberty Tree is a decent casual spot along H St NE.

Total Rating: 3.05
Food: 3, Price: 3, Service: 3, Ambience: 4, Accessibility: 5

What I ate:

Casino Pizza
baby clams, roasted garlic, bacon, spinach, herb butter & pecorino romano

Fried Chatham Cod Sandwich
panko breaded fresh cod, with tartar sauce, lettuce, tomato on a bun
served with french fries

Plus Keith ate:

Atlas Burger

8 oz grilled Angus beef, gorgonzola, caramelized red onions, lettuce, tomato on a bun

served with french fries