Eatbar

Eatbar is a hip gathering spot on Barracks Row with house-cured meats, "green" plates, craft drinks and a free-play juke box. Housemade charcuterie, pork burgers and other meaty nibbles (plus a few leafy options) line the menu with an accompanying list of many deep wines and craft beers. Closest Metro is Eastern Market.

From Chef Nathan Anda and Neighborhood Restaurant Group, we finally stopped by this gastropub for dinner. The atmosphere emits immediate 'coolness' with a juke box in the back playing popular music from the past few decades to the current hits, and a large wall lined with cassette tapes.  While the restaurant itself is quite narrow, they did a good job with the bar seating towards the back, so you don't feel as cramped.

We loved the 'snacky' concept to the menu and decided to order a bottle wine to go with our nibbles.  We chose the 2014 Coridae Lenore Syrah from Columbia Valley, Washington.  It had a sweet start with a spicy finish that I really enjoyed.  It was a medium bold wine that did not overpower the palate and paired well with all our bites.

Keith took the lead on the charcuterie plate choosing Pork Liver Terrine, Smoked Ham, and Milano.  We also added two cheeses: Ashbrook, Soft Cow’s Milk from Vermont and Brabander, Goat’s Milk Gouda from Holland.  The meats and cheese were all great and perfect with our red wine.

We also tried the Sausage Stuffed Olives that had a salty-spicy-fried combination which jokingly reminded us of Popeye's chicken.  It was crazy!  Each pop in my mouth was fun and we balanced it with the Sun Dried Tomato Dip, served with grilled flatbread.  This warm dish was savory and also paired well with our wine.

Getting a bit more full, we next enjoyed the Grilled Octopus, with chorizo and chickpea salad on top of a green tomato gazpacho.  The octopus had great char flavor from the grill, while the cold chickpea and tomato salad provided a bright and refreshing finish.

All these snacks were enough for me, but Keith wanted something sweet.  He ordered the Ricotta Doughnuts which came out freshly hot with a subtle lemon flavor. Five little donuts were in our basket, and shortly after the server brought out a single piece on a plate and mentioned "Fresh - to replace the one that jumped out."  We would not have known that we were missing a donut, so I found that to be a nice and honest gesture on their part.

Overall, the menu, drinks, and service were top notch in a super cool ambience that is so close to home that I may have to make this my go-to spot when in the mood for a snack.  My only suggestion would be to add wine flights, since they already offer beer flights with food pairings.

Total Rating: 4.48
Food: 4.5, Price: 4, Service: 5, Ambience: 4.5, Accessibility: 5