Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House :: 💡💡💡1/2
Location: 💡💡💡💡💡
Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House is located in the trendy and hip City-Center development in the heart of downtown Washington, D.C. This gets top marks for location because before or after you dine, you can meander the corridors and alley ways of City Center, shopping in some of the finest shops that DC has to offer. It is also within close proximity to the Metro Center metro stop (Red, Blue, Orange and Silver lines). Guests can also walk three blocks from the Gallery-Place/Chinatown Metro stop (Red, Green and Yellow lines).
Ambiance:💡💡
For belong located in City Center, this restaurant already looks dated. It seems to be struggling to find its own character. With large plasma screens showing sports, it's attempting to be more of a casual dining spot, but with pricy steaks and fine wood paneled walls, it is trying to evoke a sense of a bygone era of Washington, D.C. They also had pop music flooding the dining rooms. Unfortunately, when the dining room is full, as it was on the day I visited, the music is drown out and it just sounds like noise.
My biggest reason I cannot give full marks is it's strange layout. Guests check in with a hostess downstairs as they walk in, who then directs them upstairs where guests check in with another hostess. On top of that, if guests are required to wait for a table (as I was, but we'll discuss that in the next section), there is no comfortable or our of the way area for guests to wait for their table. Instead, guests are forced to stand awkwardly in the middle of the second floor entry way as waiters bring food from the kitchen to the two dining rooms, split by the stairway leading to the second floor. I was honestly surprised I didn't see a waiter spill his tray after a guest accidentally walked right in front of him as he was trying to serve the food.
Service:💡💡💡
I feel like I have to sort of split up the service category into two sections: before I was seated and after I was seated. I always do my best to show up a little early to my reservation, especially when dining alone. I checked in with the hostess who directed me upstairs. I walk up the stairs and go stand in front of a randomly placed desk in the middle of the walk way between the two dining rooms. After about a minute, a hostess comes and asks for my name. I tell her and she says that because it was restaurant week, the dining room was over capacity and that I could either eat in the bar area or wait for a booth. I chose to wait.
I stand off to the side as the walkway in front of the hostess stand starts to fill with multiple parties of three or four. Eventually some of the parties decided that the wait wasn't worth it. I was, however, determined to eat there. I arrived at 12:25 for my 12:30 reservation, and was finally seated at 12:45. Generally I can forgive a restaurant for a 15 minute delay, except for the fact that it was restaurant week. The management clearly allowed too many reservations and didn't take in to account when reservations were made. I had secured my reservation two weeks prior to dining. The other thing that bothered me is that because I was a single diner, they clearly prioritized me lower. Two groups that came in after me were seated immediately because they were groups of three. I even saw the hostess as her manager where she could "stick me."
For those reasons, the pre-seated service receives 💡💡.
However, once I waited the twenty minutes for my table, things seemed to turn around. I was greeted at my table by a suited gentleman who I assumed was the restaurant manager. He didn't introduce himself and I didn't think to ask for a drink from him since he didn't look like the other servers. However, upon his second pass at my table, he gave me his name and I finally realized he was my server.
He checked in on me periodically thought the meal, though it felt like just a little too much time had passed since he last checked in. He did, however, do things that a server at a fine dining restaurant should do. When I ordered my steak medium rare, he confirmed saying that it would show up "warm and red throughout." I appreciated his attention to making sure my order was right and setting my expectations properly.
Because the restaurant was over capacity (though they hadn't opened up an entire back section of the top floor), it was clear he was busy. Because of his professionalism and attention to detail, I was willing to overlook the fact that my soup remained in front of me for about five minutes after I indicated I was finished.
When he delivered my steak, he asked me to cut in to it to make sure it was cooked properly. I genuinely felt that if I was unhappy with the rarity of my meat, he would have been happy to ask the chef to prepare another for me, without and judgement or disdain. His overall demeanor and personality helped bolster my dining experience.
Because of my server, I give the seated experience 💡💡💡💡.
Menu: 💡💡💡
This rating is based off of a combination of the offerings for Restaurant Week and the regular menu. The choices for Restaurant Week diners were underwhelming. The had three appetizers, two of which were salads. The remaining option was a lobster bisque, which I ordered. I felt sorry for those who wanted a warm appetizer but who couldn't eat shellfish.
The bisque arrived at my table and both looked and smelled delicious. I am generally not one to order seafood soup, as I have a very mild allergy to some shellfish, but it was either that or order a salad.... So naturally I went with the soup. It was a warm and savory bisque with tender lumps of crab meat. It had a little kick to it, but that's coming from the guy who can't handle any spice (ketchup makes me sweat - not actually... but you get the picture). It was a good appetizer, not overly fishy.
My main entree was the 6oz filet. They had the 8oz option for a few dollars more on top of the prix-fixe price. I was happy with the 6oz so opted not to upgrade. The steak was cooked perfectly, however it was definitely over salted (and that's also coming from the guy who puts salt on almost literally everything he eats). Part of the reason I felt the server took just a little too long to get back to my table is that I was definitely in dire need of water after every few bites of the steak.
The steak was served on a plate with a healthy portion of mashed potatoes next to it. The steak was juicy and perfectly cooked. Each bite combined with the mashed potatoes was wonderful. However, the plate was dangerously hot when it was laid in front of me. I was very careful not to touch the plate as it would have burned my arm.
For dessert, I opted for the cheesecake with strawberry sauce. I saw a few being deceived to other tables as I sat down and was looking forward to the dessert. Unfortunately it as probably my least favorite part of the meal. While the texture of the cheesecake was what I expected, there wasn't much flavor. Even the strawberry sauce was underwhelming. The best part was the crust. There were a few things I would have recommended to improve the cheesecake. Firstly, with a cheesecake as bland as that, don't make it the star. Instead, add a chocolate component to the batter, or drizzle a fruit syrup (rather than a sauce) over the top of the cheesecake, instead of laying the crust on the sauce, allowing the crust to become soggy after a few minutes.
Price: 💡💡💡
I decided to eat at Del Frisco's Double Eagle on the first day of Washington D.C.'s winter restaurant week. All participating restaurants do a prix-fixe menu that includes a choice of appetizer, entree and dessert for between $22-$25 for lunch and $35-$40 for dinner. I will say that if they had expanded the offerings on the Restaurant Week menu, they would have scored more lightbulbs. I don't think I would eat there as a casual diner, however if I had a company card that I could put the meal on, I wouldn't mind spending upwards of $50 for a 8oz filet.
Overall rating: 💡💡💡1/2
I would recommend this restaurant for folks dining on the corporate dime, especially if they want to take a client to lunch or dinner. Just make sure you have plenty of time and make a reservation if you think it will be crowded.
Lunch service on Monday, January 22
Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House is located in the trendy and hip City-Center development in the heart of downtown Washington, D.C. This gets top marks for location because before or after you dine, you can meander the corridors and alley ways of City Center, shopping in some of the finest shops that DC has to offer. It is also within close proximity to the Metro Center metro stop (Red, Blue, Orange and Silver lines). Guests can also walk three blocks from the Gallery-Place/Chinatown Metro stop (Red, Green and Yellow lines).
Ambiance:💡💡
For belong located in City Center, this restaurant already looks dated. It seems to be struggling to find its own character. With large plasma screens showing sports, it's attempting to be more of a casual dining spot, but with pricy steaks and fine wood paneled walls, it is trying to evoke a sense of a bygone era of Washington, D.C. They also had pop music flooding the dining rooms. Unfortunately, when the dining room is full, as it was on the day I visited, the music is drown out and it just sounds like noise.
My biggest reason I cannot give full marks is it's strange layout. Guests check in with a hostess downstairs as they walk in, who then directs them upstairs where guests check in with another hostess. On top of that, if guests are required to wait for a table (as I was, but we'll discuss that in the next section), there is no comfortable or our of the way area for guests to wait for their table. Instead, guests are forced to stand awkwardly in the middle of the second floor entry way as waiters bring food from the kitchen to the two dining rooms, split by the stairway leading to the second floor. I was honestly surprised I didn't see a waiter spill his tray after a guest accidentally walked right in front of him as he was trying to serve the food.Service:💡💡💡
I feel like I have to sort of split up the service category into two sections: before I was seated and after I was seated. I always do my best to show up a little early to my reservation, especially when dining alone. I checked in with the hostess who directed me upstairs. I walk up the stairs and go stand in front of a randomly placed desk in the middle of the walk way between the two dining rooms. After about a minute, a hostess comes and asks for my name. I tell her and she says that because it was restaurant week, the dining room was over capacity and that I could either eat in the bar area or wait for a booth. I chose to wait.
I stand off to the side as the walkway in front of the hostess stand starts to fill with multiple parties of three or four. Eventually some of the parties decided that the wait wasn't worth it. I was, however, determined to eat there. I arrived at 12:25 for my 12:30 reservation, and was finally seated at 12:45. Generally I can forgive a restaurant for a 15 minute delay, except for the fact that it was restaurant week. The management clearly allowed too many reservations and didn't take in to account when reservations were made. I had secured my reservation two weeks prior to dining. The other thing that bothered me is that because I was a single diner, they clearly prioritized me lower. Two groups that came in after me were seated immediately because they were groups of three. I even saw the hostess as her manager where she could "stick me."
For those reasons, the pre-seated service receives 💡💡.
However, once I waited the twenty minutes for my table, things seemed to turn around. I was greeted at my table by a suited gentleman who I assumed was the restaurant manager. He didn't introduce himself and I didn't think to ask for a drink from him since he didn't look like the other servers. However, upon his second pass at my table, he gave me his name and I finally realized he was my server.
He checked in on me periodically thought the meal, though it felt like just a little too much time had passed since he last checked in. He did, however, do things that a server at a fine dining restaurant should do. When I ordered my steak medium rare, he confirmed saying that it would show up "warm and red throughout." I appreciated his attention to making sure my order was right and setting my expectations properly.
Because the restaurant was over capacity (though they hadn't opened up an entire back section of the top floor), it was clear he was busy. Because of his professionalism and attention to detail, I was willing to overlook the fact that my soup remained in front of me for about five minutes after I indicated I was finished.
When he delivered my steak, he asked me to cut in to it to make sure it was cooked properly. I genuinely felt that if I was unhappy with the rarity of my meat, he would have been happy to ask the chef to prepare another for me, without and judgement or disdain. His overall demeanor and personality helped bolster my dining experience.
Because of my server, I give the seated experience 💡💡💡💡.
Menu: 💡💡💡
This rating is based off of a combination of the offerings for Restaurant Week and the regular menu. The choices for Restaurant Week diners were underwhelming. The had three appetizers, two of which were salads. The remaining option was a lobster bisque, which I ordered. I felt sorry for those who wanted a warm appetizer but who couldn't eat shellfish. The bisque arrived at my table and both looked and smelled delicious. I am generally not one to order seafood soup, as I have a very mild allergy to some shellfish, but it was either that or order a salad.... So naturally I went with the soup. It was a warm and savory bisque with tender lumps of crab meat. It had a little kick to it, but that's coming from the guy who can't handle any spice (ketchup makes me sweat - not actually... but you get the picture). It was a good appetizer, not overly fishy.
My main entree was the 6oz filet. They had the 8oz option for a few dollars more on top of the prix-fixe price. I was happy with the 6oz so opted not to upgrade. The steak was cooked perfectly, however it was definitely over salted (and that's also coming from the guy who puts salt on almost literally everything he eats). Part of the reason I felt the server took just a little too long to get back to my table is that I was definitely in dire need of water after every few bites of the steak.The steak was served on a plate with a healthy portion of mashed potatoes next to it. The steak was juicy and perfectly cooked. Each bite combined with the mashed potatoes was wonderful. However, the plate was dangerously hot when it was laid in front of me. I was very careful not to touch the plate as it would have burned my arm.
For dessert, I opted for the cheesecake with strawberry sauce. I saw a few being deceived to other tables as I sat down and was looking forward to the dessert. Unfortunately it as probably my least favorite part of the meal. While the texture of the cheesecake was what I expected, there wasn't much flavor. Even the strawberry sauce was underwhelming. The best part was the crust. There were a few things I would have recommended to improve the cheesecake. Firstly, with a cheesecake as bland as that, don't make it the star. Instead, add a chocolate component to the batter, or drizzle a fruit syrup (rather than a sauce) over the top of the cheesecake, instead of laying the crust on the sauce, allowing the crust to become soggy after a few minutes. Price: 💡💡💡
I decided to eat at Del Frisco's Double Eagle on the first day of Washington D.C.'s winter restaurant week. All participating restaurants do a prix-fixe menu that includes a choice of appetizer, entree and dessert for between $22-$25 for lunch and $35-$40 for dinner. I will say that if they had expanded the offerings on the Restaurant Week menu, they would have scored more lightbulbs. I don't think I would eat there as a casual diner, however if I had a company card that I could put the meal on, I wouldn't mind spending upwards of $50 for a 8oz filet.
Overall rating: 💡💡💡1/2
I would recommend this restaurant for folks dining on the corporate dime, especially if they want to take a client to lunch or dinner. Just make sure you have plenty of time and make a reservation if you think it will be crowded.
Lunch service on Monday, January 22
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