Steel Plate - Washington

We checked this out on a Saturday night (after moving to the neighborhood) with friends who were in town for MCM 10K. Steel Plate doesn't look like much from the outside (and you might miss it, if you aren't paying attention), but inside it's cozy and has a nice vibe. We sat on the rooftop deck/patio and it had a really nice ambience. They have a very unique menu! We ordered all 3 mushroom appetizers and they were good; the empenadas were the best of the 3. 2 friends ordered the bison burger, which both came a more undercooked for what they preferred, but they still liked it. The other friend ordered the regular burger, which was cooked to her order. I ordered the spaghetti squash pad thai with shrimp. I thought it was exactly as described spaghetti squash instead of noodles but it was just squash mixed in with noodles. It would have been more interesting to have just spaghetti so it wasn't like every other pad thai, but it was still good just the right amount of spice. My friends ordered the caramel gelatto for dessert thought it was amazing. We all got different beers they have a very good selection! The servers were all very friendly accommodating, and the music was great, which added to the nice neighborhood feel. We will definitely go back to try other dishes.

The food was great. Our server was friendly. It made for a lovely date night!

I wasn't too certain what to expect as some reviews were mixed. But we were so glad we gave it a try. What a great menu! We wanted to try it all. The food didn't disappoint. It was well executed. Very tasty updated southern comfort food. The restaurant/bar filled up quickly, but our server and the host/bartender kept everything moving along. Our waiter was very helpful with beer and dessert selections too. I'm thinking about returning very soon for some of that mac and cheese!

It was odd, with a very creative menu and well-cooked presentations, all of the flavors were a little dull. Most of the offerings were just below where you would think the flavor would come through. Nothing popped. That being said, I still love the creativity in the menu selection and will return to try it again for that reason alone. That and the ginger, margarita.

Dropped in after a lecture on DC's trees at the Smithsonian Ripley Center. Got a nice table in a quiet section and had a tasty meal. She was delighted that everything we ordered was available. On an earlier visit, soon after Steel Plate opened, the menu's promise exceeded the kitchen's capacity. We would return to Steel Plate more often but catching a taxicab there is difficult.