The Monocle

What an amazing place with delicious food! The walls are decorated with headshots of all of the celebrities and politicians that have eaten there. The restaurant gives off an “Old Italian” vibe and in a positive way. We felt like we were old friends with the staff when it was our first trip here. My wife got the veggie pasta and she’s still talking about it days later! I got the filet and it was perfectly cooked! The focaccia bread was the sleeper! It was so delicious!

From the amazing rosemary bread to the perfect steak, the experience couldn't have been any better. Great cocktail ( Gin Blossom); super fresh pear, parmesan and arugula salad; perfectly cheesed gratin potatoes....everything was amazing. Very attentive service. Extremely impressive from top to bottom.

It was my first time at The Monocle, and it didn't disappoint. It's very intimate and cute inside the restaurant, very rustic. My only complaint was that it was very chilly in the restaurant. We ordered 2 appetizers, 3 entrées and 1 dessert. The food was very delicious and I would order it all again minus the carrot cake we got for dessert. Carrot cake was unfortunately made without a cream cheese frosting and really left nothing to be desired. I am looking forward to coming back and trying some other menu items as well as visiting with the lovely staff.

Overall it was a perfect dinner. The noodles in the lobster linguini would be my only complaint. Fresh noodles are easy to make and these tasted like the kind from a box. The lobster was cooked perfect, tons of flavor in the sauce. The sausage appetizer was greasy and good and a definite must, the lemon pie could have been more lemony, but it was satisfying and was a good complement to the dinner. Great wines by the glass too.

More of a 4.5... the Monocle is a DC institution on the Hill. It's a political hot spot with the volume to match. Lots of suits during the lunch crowd. Ambiance was busy with a more mature crowd. Food was prepared well. We loved everything we ordered. *crab cake, delicious! I loved it on a bed of avocado, yumm! *Tenderloin salad-meat was tender and flavorful. A bit generous with the blue cheese. *D Street Burger-my husband loved. It was prepared medium and tasty. *crème brûlée was delicious! We would definitely come back. There were a few hiccups with service but we still want to give this place another shot.