The Birthday Dinner Review
Hey guys, how have you been? Take some time answer the question, tell yourself all the small victories that you’ve been able to accomplish lately. I hope you all have been well, recently I have been celebrating my birthday. It was actually on July 22nd ; I had an amazing birthday this year. A part of that celebration I went out to dinner with my best friend and close friend, and I just wanted to tell you all about our dinner. I hope you’ve had something to eat because otherwise you may get hungry.
Nafi, Mary and I ended up going to the seafood restaurant Tony & Joes Seafood Place at the Georgetown Waterfront, in Downtown, Washington, D.C. We actually didn’t plan on going to that restaurant we just ended up in picking the restaurant that looked the most appetizing, and now let me say this looks can be deceiving. If you all didn’t know I stopped eating land meat, i.e. beef, chicken, pork, etc. but I eat plant-based meat, tofu, and seafood. The same goes for my best friend as well, Mary does eat meat though, but she enjoys eating seafood as well, so we were all able to agree easily.
As we were on the way in the uber we called ahead to make sure that there was outside seating and to see if there was a wait. We were told that by the person on the phone that he was going to check to make sure there was outside seating. Then we were met with being on hold for 5 minutes then the call being dropped and having to call back. When someone finally answered the phone it was a different person from before then the new person on the phone confirmed with us that there would be outside seating by the time we arrived, and if you can tell by the trend yes, we were let down again. Upon arrival we walked laps around the restaurant because they told us to go to the outside section because they had our table then we were told there were no tables and then sat inside.
Don’t lose all hope though, even though we waited about 8 minutes for our sever then a table next to us got seated and a server arrived immediately. I cannot lie I did start to get frustrated, but my two friends on the other had were already frustrated. As Nafi got up to ask a server when we would be seen, as irony would play out, he was our server. By the time he got there we were all ready to order our meals. I ordered the Shrimp & Crab Dip as an appetizer and the Crab Cake sandwich as my entrée. Nafi ordered the Smoked Honey Salmon Salad, but the thing is she didn’t want the salad and only the smoked salmon, with a side of broccoli. Let’s make sure we all remember that. She also ordered a bottle of the Caposaldo Pino Grigio as birthday gift to me. Then Mary ordered the Fresh Rhode Island Calamari as her appetizer with the Blackened Fish tacos as her entrée.
About 10 minutes later our appetizers and wine came out. Nafi and I were excited for the crab and shrimp dip, and Mary was excited for the calamari. As I begun to eat the crab and shrimp dip, I almost burned my tongue because it was so hot, Mary on the other hand was a different story. Her calamari were actually cold and let me tell you she was upset. She did not eat the calamari, but my best friend went to find the server to explain to him the situation. He then went and bought out a fresh HOT plate of calamari.
Now, the crab and shrimp dip tasted amazing, there was just the right amount of meat in the dip to wear the sauce didn’t feel overpowering. The crab meat tasted very fresh, and the shrimp was cooked perfectly. The spices weren’t too overpowering but with all the ingredients blended together it tasted magnificent. The only downside was that we didn’t have enough chips. We had the perfect amount of dip to share amongst the three of us, but we didn’t have enough chips. So, by the time our server bought us some more chips the dip had begun to get cold. That didn’t stop me though, regardless I ate it all. Now Mary’s calamari were pretty good from her review, I actually tried a few pieces, and this is coming from someone who has never tried calamari before…it was great. I believe the reason I may have liked it so much was because it was fried and not in a slimy state. The breading on the calamari wasn’t too salty to the point where you wanted to take it off, but it was perfect. I dipped mine in a honey mustard sauce, that may sound weird, but it worked and tasted even better. It had a sweet and almost tangy taste to it, but it was definitely savory.
Not too long after we had our appetizers our food came out as well. Now let me say this up front, if you were to ask my two friends, they would tell you that I had the best meal out of all of them. Now let me tell you why; we will start with Nafi’s meal since that is the easiest. I told you all to remember the order, but I don’t think you did so I will tell you once more. Nafi ordered the Smoked Honey Salmon Salad, except she told our server that she only wanted the salmon and not the salad but instead she wanted broccoli. So, no salad, yes salmon, yes broccoli. Everyone understand, that right? So, when her food got to the table it was the salmon all chopped up over the salad with a side of broccoli. Now as you can see from the appearance of her food and the way she asked for it my best friend was very upset at this mistake. In the end she told him to take back the broccoli and she would just eat the salad, but the funny thing is that she didn’t even finish eating the salad. She said that the dressing that they used was nasty and did not like it. On the other hand, she did like the salmon, so if she would have gotten the correct order, she would’ve had no issues with her meal.
Next we are onto Mary’s meal which was the Blackened Fish tacos, which we all had hope for. Mary ordered that meal because she thought that they would be good, and she said, “who can mess up tacos?” Well to our surprise the tacos that she had were not good at all. She said the seasoning of the fish was terrible, and that none of the sauces helped but made it worse. Nafi and I tried the tacos as well and if I am being truthful, I wouldn’t swallow it. The taste was so bad that it made me remember why I didn’t eat fish for a long time. This issue has nothing to do with our server because he wasn’t the one who cooked but whoever did miss the mark with the tacos.
Now as we get to my meal which was the Crab-cake sandwich that came with fries, as I told you earlier it was the best meal out of the three. The crab meat was very fresh, and it was seasoned well. The crab cake didn’t have a lot of extra stuffing inside it was pure crab meat. The fries were exceptional, and if you guys didn’t know I love fries. They had the perfect golden color it had a nice crisp crunch as bite into it, but it wasn’t burnt to the point it hurts to chew. Paired with the sandwich and fries I had the honey mustard which is my favorite dipping sauce. My meal was perfect, and I had no complaints about it at all, the only thing I can say is that I wish I ordered more fries.
I know you guys are probably thinking well what about the wine, you have all this amazing food, what are you washing it down with. Well we all ordered waters to drink, because if you didn’t know water is actually good for the soul. Then again, we aren’t here to talk about water but to talk about the wine. Again, Nafi ended up ordering a bottle of the Caposaldo Pino Grigio. Our server opened and poured us all a glass. Mary actually had the first sip of the wine, and she gave her approval of it. Let’s pause right here for a moment, if you are a drinker then you know that not everything that one person likes you will like. Not everyone’s taste buds are the same. Okay, we can resume now…as we all gave our toast and drank the wine, Nafi begun to make a face. Then she spoke those magic four words. “I don’t like it.” I was rather disappointed she didn’t like it because I thought it wasn’t bad as Mary said and I didn’t want her to spend money on wine even if it was a gift for me that she wasn’t drinking. Especially because we were all partaking in drinking the wine as well. I made a small fuss about her not drinking it but in the end, I lost and just accepted the gift.
The wine had a slightly strong bitter taste but wasn’t enough to make you squeeze your mouth shut like your sucking on a sur piece of candy. The after taste of the wine was a bit sweet and created a nice offset to the bitter taste that you get when you first drink the wine. Also, if you are wondering if this wine will give you a buzz then from the words of someone 5’5 yes, coming from the words of a 6’4.5 woman who has a high tolerance for liquor it puts you in a good mood. You aren’t drunk, and you aren’t lit, but you are in a nice calm mood. So, if I were to give this wine a rating out of ten from my opinion not my friends, I would give it a 7.5.
In the end the meal that we had together had some rough patches but ended on a good note. The server was kind enough the take the tacos off Mary’s check, and also take the broccoli off of Nafi’s check. They were satisfied with the solution that was given and we were also satisfied with the service we received from our server, even though it started off rough he made up for it in every way. If I were to give my overall experience at Tony and Joes Seafood Place a rating out of ten the I would give it a 7.5. Again, you guys that’s my opinion if you all ever go there then let me know how your experience was; better, worse, or even if it was the same.
Thanks for hanging out with me today guys, continue to stay safe and healthy. See you soon, bye!
P.S. To all of my tall ladies the tables inside by the outside patio are not tall girl friendly. They put two women over 6 feet at a very small table that had absolutely no leg room. Keep that in mind if you are going to eat at Tony and Joes Seafood Place.
