Marvin Restaurant Boulioubasse Moule Frites Review

            Feeling restless I walked to Marvin restaurant near the intersection of 14^th and U streets NW.  On a hunch I asked the waitress about the boulioubasse moule frites. She said that it was very good.  Her recommendation didn’t disappoint because I loved the shrimp, crab meat, and mussels and scallops.  The boulioubasse was so filling that I could not eat my moule frites (French fries). That meal was definitely a winner! Here was a photo:

Spending Small Business Saturday at Marvin Restaurant

            Today is Small Business Saturday where Americans are encouraged to patronize small businesses.  Though I know quite a few entrepreneurs, I do this often, I’ve decided to eat dinner at a restaurant I’ve never gone.  Checking the promotion’s website, I find Marvin restaurant in DC.  I’ve heard of it but never known its location until searching for online directions. I come to learn that it is two doors down from Lost Society.  Who knew? Certainly not I!  I enter the establishment meeting with the hostess who takes me to the second floor.  Even with the steep stairs, as a non-drinker, I don’t want to share space with the lushes!  I get there and the music is blasting from four speakers. Immediately my memory goes back to 1905 restaurant where I gotten a headache from being seated right underneath the speaker.  However, this isn’t the case.  My waitress/bartender is very nice and knowledgeable.  I order the shrimp & grits as an appetizer.  It has three shrimp with the heads detached.  This is awesome presentation and the first time I’ve ever seen the heads as part of the dish. 

Marvin Restaurant Shrimp & Grits

Combined with the grits and this deal is filling.  I order the chicken and waffles.  After finishing the waffles and the chicken leg, I ask for the rest of the chicken to be wrapped.  Initially, I ask the waitress for the dessert menu but decide against it since I am stuffed.  I leave Marvin full and confident that I will be frequenting this neighborhood gem beyond Small Business Saturday.  

Marvin Restaurant Chicken and Waffles

Participating in Small Business Saturday has given me new options that I wouldn’t have tried with the promotion.  I think that American Express and the Small Business Administration should do this promotion on a quarterly especially since small business is the cornerstone of the American economy.

Saturday Night at Policy

            The reason why I decided to eat Policy was because that screenwriting instructor advised to ‘get a life and go outside when all of your characters sounded alike.’  I was truly against surrounding myself with broke hipsters who used to live off of DuPont Circle but since the Great Recession now lived off of U Street, I made the trek up 14^th and T streets NW at 10pm and it was a madhouse!  There were people lined outside of the door!  Luckily, I had a reservation or so I thought.  I told the male host about mine and he disappeared for 10 minutes.  The people kept coming crowding the small waiting area.  The security guard asked me for ID which was extremely ghetto.  I could dine at Palm or Bourbon Steak without showing ID and they are five-star restaurants!  I had to chase down the female hostess and snag the booth.  My tables wasn’t bussed because the staff was spread thin.  At least I got a sheet. I asked my waitress for recommendation and she mentioned that the chicken wasn’t small plates but everything else was.  Then I inquired about the olive and she said that was a good choice.  Now I loved olives but not the full bushel of them!  I sat there thinking there was no way Policy could make a profit giving three pounds at $1.99 a piece!  Sheesh!  Next was the chicken with mashed potatoes were excellent.  What wasn’t excellent were all of the wannabe people there.  They were my age but unlike me didn’t have the disposable income.  See, I was a professional; whereas, they were support.  The men walked around in Men’s Warehouse shirts and the women paraded around in Limited dresses.  These items you typically didn’t see in my neighborhood!  My meal was actually so I considered desserts but after waiting 15 minutes for my waitress, I declined asking for my check!  I paid and returned back to my humble abode.  Next time, I will simply go for lunch and save myself to Cititrends drama or people posing without any real income!