Restaurant Review: Barcode Washington, D.C

Thinking back on this past weekend, it was full of new places to go and people to see. But a place I thought that would have had more of an exciting ambiance turned out to be a big disappointment. We went to a restaurant/lounge in DC called Bar.Code; this place has been talked about as a great place to go for drinks, dinner, and have a bit of fun. Located on 17th and L street, which makes it not hard to miss and it is far from a busy area. The overall set up is quite modern and the three distinct areas of the restaurant  have been arranged in such a way that's comfortable and suitable for everyone's enjoyment. On one side lies the lounge area, small and cozy and there was no service in this area. It would have been nice to have a bar tender come over and ask if we wanted to see a menu or have a few drinks while we lounged and waited on a table. On the opposite side of the place was the bar. It was very tight, not a lot of sitting room. Most people were standing around the bar area. In the middle lied the dining area which were two long rows that stretched from the front of the restaurant to the back; the tables were too close and not intimate at all. 

Once we were seated we were given menus which consisted of appetizers, drinks, cocktails, salads, sandwiches, entrees, and dessert. Prices were varied but the prices were not consistent to what was being offered. I personally thought prices were a little high, but we hoped that what we ordered would make up for what we were spending; not in the slightest. I ordered a tomato and mozzarella salad as a starter and turned out to be a poorly made dish. 

The dish wasn't seasoned enough and the balsamic vinegar was more of a thin dressing then a drizzle. A different type of tomato should have been used to bring out freshness and the mozzarella cheese, even though fresh; it truly didn't fit in to the plate and left a bitter taste on the palate. By now, we were worrying that our entrees were going to end up the same bland and not appetizing;we were right. 


My friend ordered an Italian pannini with fries. The fries had no salt at all and the sandwich was a bit dry had wilted lettuce and marinara sauce was not flavorful. 

I ordered a filet mignon tip pasta with spinach and peppers. There was hardly any sauce, the filet mignon was over cooked, the pasta was not seasoned at all. The meal was absolutely disappointing because it only accomplished part of the culinary equation of a meal both pleasing to the palate and to the eyes.

We skipped dessert and vowed we wouldn't try this place again. After spending a good amount of money  for food that was not of great quality, we have adopted a new strategy about going to new places. When we go to a new place we can sample what these restaurants have to offer and spend less money and then get some kind of idea of what we are getting ourselves into. As for Barcode, think we will pass next time. So for a place with such a high standard, it surely did not meet our expectations.

Location: 1101 17th street, nw dc
Menu pricing: $5-24
Site: http://www.barcodedc.com/

Compiled by Kisha