Busboys and Poets

If you haven't discovered Busboys and Poets (www.busboysandpoets.com) just up from U St. on 14th, let me assure you that you are WAY behind the times. I can't for the life of me remember who introduced me to the place, but I CAN remember many occasions when it was the perfect place for variety of dinner/brunch get-togethers ranging from Donny G's visit with a few Spring 04 SASers, my brother's visit, brunch with the 'mos, to a post-concert late-ish Sunday night dinner with Sweeting.

Quite simply, Busboys and Poets hit the mark when it opened in the "up and coming" U Street Corridor area in 2005. It's loungey, trendy, artsy, and smart. There's an in-house progressive bookstore to mill around in, poetry slams and open mic nights to frequent, wi-fi and shared tables for laptops, and a great menu to boot.

The menu's price point is dead on and ranges from healthy vegan and vegetarian options to the best (and only) meatloaf I've had in the last well... 23 years. Sweeting and I shared a low table with a lounge chair on one side (mine) and a part of the couch (his). We were weary from concert jumping and jostling so we ordered a semi-well refilled iced tea and diet coke and started with the hummus. The hummus was great- much like Sabra, Liz- and they gave PLENTY of dipping pita slices so as to fully utilize each hummus smear possible. We then split the BBQ chicken panini (and shamefully sprung for the fries instead of the salad) and a chicken/spinach/red onions/mushroom pizza. There's nothing crazy or frilly about the food... it's just good. Although I will say I've had the BBQ Chicken panini twice now and feel I could make a more adventurous selection next time.

In sum, I was glad we ended up at BB&Ps after all (Ben's Chili Bowl was closed). Service fine, food good, atmosphere great, and company fantastic. The relaxed lounge feel allowed for quite a conversation of hypotheticals indeed. Sweeting and I collectively give Busboys and Poets 4 Langstons out of 5 possible Langstons :)