Bar Rating: 9/10
Food Rating: 7/10

Once again I find that anywhere that Gina Cherisvani goes, a good restaurant is sure to follow.

Last night’s dinner at PS7′s was a wonderful experience.  Walk through the door and to the right there is a great bar and lounge area.  At the bar is my favorite bartender currently in DC, Gina Cherisvani.  Recently having moved over from EatBar in Arlington, she has brought her homemade syrups and unique mixologist talents to this relatively new bar in Chinatown.

The plan was simple.  Go have a drink at the bar and then move over to the dining area for dinner.  After about a minute at the bar my plans were changed.  Gina and Lauren had informed us about the specials and I was already sitting with cocktail number one in front of me.  The rest of the night was to be spent at the bar.

First drink of the night, a classic Sazerác.  I have been a fan of absinthe since it became available in the states two years ago, but had never found a mixed drink I particularly enjoyed it in.  It goes to show you why the classics still endure. Pure clean tastes, simple and well balanced, the quintessential New Orleans drink is sure to be added to my list of default cocktails.  The Sazerác also happens to be the first drink on my list that includes Rye.

Moving on to dinner.  The food just started showing up right about the time we were finishing our first cocktails.  First round of food, Scallop ceviché and House-cured Pork Belly.  The scallops were delicious in a very bright and flavorful grapefruit juice based dressing highlighted by bacon shavings and shaved fennel.  The Pork Belly was very flavorful but a little bit on the tough side.  The complementing potatoes under it, that had soaked up all of the juices were even better.

Dinner progressed very much in the same pattern that evening, about one cocktail to every two appetizers.  One thing definitely stood out throughout the evening.  No matter what the dish was the accompanying bread was out of the world.  Whether it was the fresh brioche on the Ahi Tuna Sliders or the Kaiser Roll for their signature burger, every piece of bread was obviously fresh and well executed.

By the end of the evening I was thoroughly stuffed.  Dinner ended on a lite note with Lime Angel Foodcake with Blueberry Compote that aided the digestion of all the food eaten.  I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a good bar and somewhere that is a bit of the beaten path.

This run I focused predominately on increasing my flavor additives,  almost buying out every Fee Brother’s Bitter brand.

Looking forward to see what I can do with my newest additions:

• Cacháca
• Dubonnet Blanc
• Orange Bitters
• Grapefruit Bitters
• Peach Bitters
• Lemon Bitters

I might decide to try one of Jeffery Morgenthaler’s signature cocktails now that my bar has pretty much all of the staple ingredients.  Or maybe something from the newest edition of Imbibe.

Had a most enjoyable lunch today at Tacklebox in Georgetown.

Not since I was in North Carolina have I had fried catfish that was so moist and delectable.  Now the batter wasn’t my favorite choice for catfish (cornmeal), but it was lite and the fish was not at all greasy.   The coleslaw on the side was decent but a little limp for my tastes.

My roommate went with the lobster roll, that Washington Post’s Tom Siestema had credited the restaurant for doing really well.  It did live up to its expectations, not to heavy on the mayo with an incredible bun.  I always believe that the success of a sandwich first and foremost exists in the bread.  The hot dog roll was nicely toasted with just enough butter that it imparted that warm nutty flavor to the roll.

We also decided to share an order of fried oysters. Served with a grilled lemon they were very tasty.  On whole the meal was satifying and at the price point is very hard to beat.  The biggest disappointments in the meal were the sides, none of which really stood out.  The Mac and Cheese easily could have been Stouffers® which does not place high in my list of macaroni and cheeses.

If you’re in Georgetown for lunch this is definitely a place to stop in and have a bite.  For dinner I think you might have a better experience at their sister restaurant, Hook .