Review

Circa is a series of restaurants serving american cuisine. I ended up dining at the location in Foggy Bottom on the campus of George Washington University. It’s an area that is becoming trendy. It’s situated just across the street from GW Hospital and the Foggy Bottom Metro. There’s a huge new Whole Foods, a few other stores that serve more casual food, a Citibank and a ginormous parking garage underneath it all. Really impressive. Oh, i’m supposed to be talking about Circa…

Atmosphere: The restaurant itself looks very much like every other restaurant today. Nothing of note, really. It has a bar and a seating area in the bar that is about the same size as the dining area. While we were tucked away in a nice cozy corner, it was a bit tight getting in and out of our seats. There is also a rather large outside dining area. They should have made the inside dining area bigger than the bar area. Going with a C minus on this one…

Food: The food was amahhzing. I ate too much. I left the restaurant thinking I was going to throw up on myself. But, EVERYTHING was just so good. Of note: Our appetizers were shrimp in a spicy chili glaze and filet mignon sliders. Could have stopped there and they would have gotten an A from me. But I also had an entree of penne pasta with shrimp, chicken and andouille sausage. You see why I felt like I was going to throw up. P.S. We had gelato for dessert. I really do overeat…

Service: The service started out really awesome, but, got confusing along the way. We started with one server and ended up with two others before we were done. We like consistency. But, collectively, they did a decent job. Courses were timed properly and we didn’t want for anything. THEY get a B.

The final word on Circa: It’s a B. The food was the standout. Best option might be to eat in the bar area, it’s not as cramped. AND, plan to go more than once so you don’t have to try EVERYTHING in one sitting. On my next visit, I’m likely to get a couple of appetizers or an entree, a few drinks – which were also amahhzing – the gelato and call it a day. You should do the same. Really. I eat a lot and it was too much for me.

But I still need to try my staple – THE STEAK FRITE! Maybe I’ll see you there…




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