Bar Charley was opened six years ago by Jackie Greenbaum and Gordon Banks who told the Washington Post "they opened the watering hole on 18th Street NW for lack of a smart place to eat and drink well that didn't cost an arm and a leg." Now, the "dark little steakhouse" features six cuts of meat on the menu when Sundays they are half price when you buy a bottle of wine or a scorpion bowl.
Closest Metro is Dupont Circle.We came for the steak at Keith's request for his birthday dinner. First, we ordered a bottle of the 2017 Torbeck Woodcutter's Shiraz from Australia. It had a sweet start and spicy finish with slight jammy notes. It was very smooth and lovely to drink with our meal.
As an appetizer, we shared the Tuna Tartare with yellowfin tuna, shallots, white soy, yuzu vinaigrette served with sesame crackers. The tuna was very fresh and the soy was a little strong, but overall a very nice starter.
Taking advantage of the half-priced steaks on Sunday, Keith ordered the 22 oz Bone In Ribeye served with mashed potatoes, roasted broccoli rabe, and veal jus. Normally this dish is served with truffled mac and cheese, but he subbed it out for the potatoes instead. The meat was cooked fine, but nothing else really stood out.
I wanted the Moule Frites, but they were all out tonight. Bummer. So, I randomly chose the Purple Potato Gnocchi with butternut squash, arugula, pumpkin seeds, gorgonzola cheese, and balsamic drizzle. It was a filling dish.
Overall, everything was decent but nothing was out of this world or unique. Honestly, we only came for the steak special, but it did not live up to the legacy of our beloved Ray's the Steaks.
Total Rating: 3.9
Food: 4, Price: 4, Service: 3, Ambience: 3.5, Accessibility: 5
