Bad Saint
Watermelon Radishes – XO Sauce
Ensaladang Ifugao – Heirloom Rice, Grilled Peach, Plum, Corn, Tamarind Vinaigrette
Longsilog – Pork Sausages, Fried Duck Egg, Garlic Fried Rice
Champorado – Chocolate, Rice
Voted the #2 best new restaurant in America for 2016 by Bon Appetite Magazine it can safely be said that Bad Saint remains white hot today, the 24-seat Filipino Restaurant now famous for its lengthy lines and No Reservations policy chosen for dinner on Sunday Night with hopes that the upcoming workweek and pouring rain would cull the herd willing to wait, a 4:00pm arrival finding sixteen would-be patrons already present with the first having arrived at 2:45 for the 5:30 opening.
Sort of a comical scene, the egalitarian approach to seating now featured at five of the Capital’s busiest restaurants including Barracks Row’s Rose’s Luxury and Johnny Monis’ still-popular Little Serrow, it was with umbrellas overhead and chilly air blowing that time passed slowly as others sat or engaged in quiet conversation, the blinds lifted promptly at the designated time and Manager Genevieve Villamora quickly emerging to begin seating guests, some opting for a later hour to dine and the first single diner benefitting from a privileged vantage a mere 6 inches left of the pass.
Yet another D.C. Restaurant with impressive architecture, the designers making due with limited room by lining the walls with diners in a single file configuration that allows staff to move unencumbered from front to back, those seated towards the Restaurant’s front half are fortunate to be in full-view of a tiny kitchen manned by four men including Chef Tom Cunanan, light trickling down between slats of laser-cut tile given the place a warm glow.
Changing the menu frequently, each diner presented with an Amuse and complimentary Dessert to begin and end her or his meal, it was with mid-volume Hip Hop playing overhead that decisions were made from a menu offering just nine plates, the prices far higher than one would expect to see back in Las Vegas where Filipino food is far better represented but the kitchen clearly working with good ingredients and smartly making the best of their popularity in an industry where longterm success is never guaranteed.
Featuring only a wok, flattop and four burners, the orders communicated directly from servers to Chef Cunanan who passes the information on to his cooks, it was while making decisions that a small bowl of spicy Radishes was presented alongside a bowl of fishy XO Sauce, the pair quickly leading to a glass of water being drained and refilled by a bartender who remained vigilant despite being tasked with continuous requests for Beer and a variety of Mixed Drinks.
Not entirely ‘authentic’ according to both critics and the Chef himself, a conscious choice to replace some native ingredients with those more readily available stateside seeing items such as Trumpet Mushrooms and Stonefruits used in Appetizers, it was with a $16 “Ensaladang Ifugao” of crispy Rice with Peaches, Plums and Corn lightly dressed in tangy Vinaigrette that things got started, the flavors and textures pleasant though not particularly revelatory and the portion just large enough to be shared by perhaps two.
Dining alone and thus limiting an order based on previous Filipino dining experiences where plates over $20 generally include items such as a whole Pork Knuckle alongside a mountain of Rice it was shortly after the Salad was finished that a $32 plate of housemade Pork Sausage with lightly fried Rice and a Sunny-side Duck Egg was presented, the traditional Breakfast featuring perhaps eight bites of Longanisa with a snappy casing and creamy center good but laughable to anyone who has seen similar offered for $7.99 in the past and enough to reinforce a belief that Bad Saint has benefited greatly from its novelty to the area and a “lines beget lines” mentality, thoughts of ordering more Food ditched along with at least a cup of Rice and the meal ending with dense Brownie studded with crispy Rice and a drizzle of what seemed to be Condensed Milk.
http://www.badsaintdc.com/
