Sally’s Middle Name

This may have been the most frustrating dining experience I’ve had in DC. Portions are way too small for the price, and the confusing «don’t tip» policy is misleading (they automatically add 18% «service charge»). Still, the food was great, which is why this place gets two stars instead of one.
I went with a large group for dinner. The upstairs room was reserved and each person paid $ 45 for what they were told would be a five course meal, not including service charge or drinks. The drink menu included about seven choices — $ 7 for beer and $ 10-​$ 11 for wine. Despite the normal beer prices, the glasses they used were about 8 oz and looked like a normal beer glass had been cut in half. They use the same glasses for water and wine.
First course was a sweet potato with some sort of spicy mayo. I’m guessing because at no point were we given a menu of the courses or told what they were as they were being served. Next came salad/​greens. Almost 20 minutes later, we were given steak. It was delicious, but served on a small to normal sized plate family style, meaning there was one portion for every three or four people at the table. Finally, we had beignets, or small deep-​fried donuts. All of this food was good, but there just wasn’t enough of it.
If you’re paying attention you’ll notice that I only listed four courses, not five. Well, don’t be dismayed because apparently the bowls of olives that were put on the table when we arrived were one of the courses. Sigh.
At the end of it all, I was given a bill for $ 84 but still hungry. Other reviewers have expressed their frustration about this place, which from what I’ve seen is mostly warranted. Changes to the portion size for food and drinks could easily make SMN a go-​to spot on H st, but based on my experience, I won’t be going back nor will I be recommending it to friends. Too much hipster-​y pretentiousness for one meal.

I ate at Sally’s Middle Name recently to celebrate a friend’s 40^th birthday. Actually, to say that I ate there is a gross exaggeration. What was provided as a five-​course, prix-​fixe dinner was not enough food to constitute a meal. My dinner, to be precise, was comprised of three wedges of baby sweet potato, two leaves of Bibb lettuce with walnut bits, and a wafer-​thin slice of steak, likely weighing in at less than a half an ounce. For dessert, there was a lovely apple beignet. When the dessert came, our table (of about 20 people) was in shock. What we received couldn’t possibly be five courses. Dinner certainly couldn’t be over. But, it was true: the dinner was done. I suppose the restaurant counted the bowls of olives on our table as course number one. What is most frustrating about the experience is not that it took three hours for our table to get served a nonexistent meal, but that the food was delicious. The food was wonderful; but the portions, and what constituted a «course,» were ludicrous. Beers cost about $ 7 each, and they weren’t poured in pint glasses but, instead, were meted out in tiny cups, as was the wine. I was horrified when my bill came in at over $ 85. The only thing making me full at the end of the evening was the two glasses of wine I ordered. I honestly don’t know what I paid $ 85 for, besides supporting a friend on his birthday. Sally’s Middle Name, your food is delicious. You should serve more of it. (For the record, I am not an elephant-​sized human. I’m less than 105 pounds, and I deserve to eat if I pay $ 85 for a meal.)

Another great night at Sally’s. The pappardelle with lamb ragu was marvelous, but I am hear to talk about the turnips. In green curry and on rice. When it went into my mouth, it was a changeling of taste. First, spice of the curry, then sweet, then more subtle burn. It was wonderful.
So good.

Sunday, 6:00 PM.
Quickie:
+ Food quality
+ Hygiene
+ Customer service
— Turnaround
— Menu variety
+ Hip n’ chill vibe
And then???
Sally’s Middle Name is a good place to share food. Be prepared to order a lot (portions are small for this phatty) if you’re coming as a group.
**********
Stuffed my face in:
1. Pork hash with a poached egg
+ Hash has a savory flavor cut by the runny yolk.
2. Duck egg in a nest
— Banal texture and aroma.
3. Fried chicken lunch
+ Nice crisp, kept the grease in check.
4. Frittata with goat cheese, fingerling potatoes
+ Consistent texture, each ingredient had a clear profile.
5. Hot sauce
+ Uses spice for flavor not to blunt taste buds.
Constructive comments:
*Do you compost?
*Source ingredients

Like the H Street Corridor it serves, it is young, hip, and inventive. The night’s menu is written out on a huge chalkboard on one wall and dry erase marker on white tile on the other, both easy to read and quick to update. We started with sunchokes/​roasted apples/​bacon and perfect sauce, butter lettuce/​yuzu marinated beets with kewpie dressing, 2x the Freekeh soup with veal meatballs and Baharat spices (superb), chicken breast under Mole, perfectly cooked with great mole, just spicy enough not to get in the way. I liked that the six dishes were brought in 3 waves. Upshot: they have mastered the art of blending tastes to make sauces that improve already great food. The spices used are multi-​continent, cross-​cuisine, and harmonic; like a bunch of notes that when played together make a cool-​sounding chord. We look forward to going back to try more of what was on the menu.

On the recommendation of more than one foodie friend, we finally had a chance to try out Sally’s Middle Name. The space has a hip Brooklyn feel — mis-​matched vintage plates, white subway tile, cozy bar, and tons of amazing cookbooks for patrons to peruse while considering the handwritten daily specials on the wall.
My husband is vegan so our server (who happened to be co-​owner as well) was super accommodating and let us know the chef could prepare 2 – 3 dishes without meat or dairy. We started with the marinated olives — a delicious mix of olive varieties — and some toasted rosemary bread. Highlights of our meal included a dish of colorful, perfectly cooked beets and a bowl of some of the most amazingly flavorful fried rice I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot of fried rice). The Butterhead Salad with yuzu marinated beets was also delicious — fresh, citrusy, and crisp.
As a non-​vegan myself, I found the entire meal delicious and satisfying. Had there been some vegetarian protein, this would have pushed us above and beyond our already very positive review.
We’ll definitely be back again. So nice to know Sally’s Middle Name is in the neighborhood!

Very hipster little spot, cute décor and ambiance. Menu is written on wall instead of printed, interesting menu options. Food was nothing beyond average, if anything overpriced for what it was. Cute concept, but I probably wouldn’t go back for more.

Came here on a friday night on a friend’s recommendation. We had a reservation and were seated right away.
The place has a very hip yet friendly vibe, and while our table was near the bar and it was crowded, it didn’t feel uncomfortable. Service was excellent.
We ordered several small plates and enjoyed them all– especially the duck poutine and the beet ice cream.
My one critique is that several dishes were a bit too heavily salted. And the while written wall menu is cute, it’s hard to see from every seat, especially when people are standing in front of it.
It’s a small menu and they ran out a few things while we were there– so don’t get your hopes up too much for something particular!
Overall this is a great lively And intimate place for a date or to catch up with friends!

Sally’s middle name. What is it? Do they ever tell you? I never found out. I need to know.
It’s a cute little breakfast spot on H street. It has the charm of one of the bistro type places you’d see your favorite characters on TV sit and enjoy a serious chat at, but no, it’s just a restaurant that takes a long time to cook you eggs.
Albeit the eggs were good, but lemme break it down for you:
The day I left DC my friends thought it would be nice if we had breakfast before I left. We got to SMN and immediately were seated. There were only two other occupied tables. We came in sporadically because of parking issues and the server came around sporadically as well. Everyone was at the table (mind you it was four people), we waited patiently for our waitress to arrive. Five minutes or so she comes back and we order.
I get the eggs, bacon and potatoes (all a la carte). I ask, «what kind of toast do you have?»
She replied, «oh we don’t serve toast here».
How do you label yourself a breakfast spot if you don’t have toast? How do you eat eggs without toast, a bagel, English muffin, anything! I’ll take a gluten free slice of toast at this point.
Defeated, I ordered their apple cider donut. I needed something!
I swear to you we waited 40 – 45 minutes for breakfast. For eggs. Eggs man. Now this place is a little hipstery, a little uppity so maybe that’s the thing? Eggs take a long time because they are «cool» eggs– like the Fonz or something…
Let me say this. The food was good. The donut was delicious. That being said. I could have gone to IHOP and saved $ 10 and saved an hour almost of my life. Just because you serve items on what looks like plates you found at Antique Roadshow, it doesn’t mean I have to bear the brunt of the cost. The fancy tea pot is cool, but I’m totally fine with a mug and a tea bag.
It’s a cute place. The food is good, but definitely over priced for what you’re getting and please, please do not go here if you’re in a rush or have immediate plans because you will be late to them– guarantee.

Sally’s Middle Name is a very welcome addition to the H Street Corridor, which remains in need of a whole set of high quality dining options, but is heading in the right direction with Ocopa, Maketto and now, Sally’s Middle Name (in addition to the long-​standing great Toki).
On my first trip there, I was impressed by the relaxed atmosphere and welcoming service that was relaxed and informative. A mix of 5 small plates was a perfect amount of food for our party of two, and I particularly enjoyed the Rabbit Liver Pâté, salad and pork loin. The wines by the glass were also fantastic. And if the apple cider doughnut is available, definitely don’t leave without trying.

This weird little building used to house a bad pizza place. Now it serves a handful of smallish main dishes each night that patrons mix and match to maya meal.
The sweet potato, squash spaghetti and roasted broccoli were all fantastic.
Too bad it’s hard to read the wall menu unless you are positioned right.
And oh the drink menu is very limited– only three types beer and wine.
Be sure to savor the pretty eclectic china.
Oh and Sally is apparently the owners sister.

Super happy with everything I’ve had here. Lovely, friendly staff.
The small plates are not as small as you might expect, especially for brunch. You can be completely full from home fries and eggs for $ 10.
Ask for their hot sauce!

I tried the pork shoulder sandwich when Sally’s Middle Name was at Parcel Market instead of Maketto this past weekend.
The $ 10 sandwich lived up to its hype about keeping me warm but it was messy to eat. I ended up grabbing napkins from Carving Room.

I’ve been to Sally’s for dinner & brunch and have had delicious experiences both times. The food is impeccably prepared by Sam and his team. I love going back and seeing the menu continually change and evolve.
For brunch my friends and I started with the Apple Cider Donuts — highly recommended (hurry in as the menu changes regularly!). The lamb hash was incredible — the meat was seasoned perfectly and the dish as a whole encompassed all I could ask for in a breakfast meal. I snuck a bite of bacon from a friends plate — only making me jealous I hadn’t ordered it for myself.
If you’re looking for a spot to bring out of town visitors or just want a meal out knowing it’ll be incredible overtime Sally’s

I have been out of the US for more than 3 weeks, and there are so many places to catch up. Our friend — Chef owner from Boundary Road recommended me to try this place. Now I normally do not set foot in a place that I cannot make reservation, but he sworn this place is worth it. So I trotted along before 6 pm to get a table on a Saturday night. I say before 7 pm, you will get a place at least eating at the bar counter.
The menu is on the giant chalk board in front of the bar or scribble on the white tile on the other side. The place is casual chic with good vibe.
The food is the most interesting part of everything. It is ‘Mash up’ from different corners of the world. There is international union in many dishes. The jerk chicken with roti — to me is a play of Caribbean favor paired with India Roti bread. The stir fry pork with pickles is something my grandmother would have made in Hong Kong. The Oyster (Mignonette) was definitely as American as it can be, from Maryland, love local produce. As the name suggests, the size of the oyster is not big, but the flavor is good. The Goat Ravioli is so tasty that I am licking the sauce away. The way that the veggi’s favors come across, I bet even if kids would finish their veggie here. I had String Beans with Yogurt and Tomatoes. I had apple pie as dessert, and the pastry was nice and flaky and not too sweet for me.
The place has been criticized for their service, but our server Patton, he was very good, informative and attentive. I have no problem in that department. I also love the fact the chef owner started the no tip trend, instead 18% is added to the bill and shared between servers and kitchen staff. I love that idea, kitchen staffs work very hard too, and as Patton said, there is more a feeling of team work when tips are shared between servers and kitchen.
Be warned, I am coming back!
The only constructive comments I would made is that the stir fry pork I had was slightly saltier than I would have liked, because the pickle is already salty… There is no bread in this place, they are still fine tuning the bread production. Otherwise I would have given it a 5 stars. Look forward to my next visit.

We had very delicious food here early one Saturday evening served by a friendly helpful young man in a black hat. The menu is written on the wall and seems to change every day as it depends on what’s locally produced. The only negative and why I didn’t give it five stars is because it is not wheelchair accessible; there’s a serious step at the front door and the restaurant tables area is too crowded for wheelchair users. But the food is delicious.

We love this place.
Delicious farm to table food. Lots of small affordable delicious dishes. Good wine. Great service. And right in the heart of H St. What’s not to like?
I went with a large group. We ate in the upstairs area which we were able to reserve the same day (although I think that is rare). The owners served us and provided us a great family style dinner that was very affordable for the quality of food.
It’s a laid back hip place for a great meal. I loved the salmon, the beats, and salads.
The menu changes often so it’s a nice place to go back to. We will definitely be back. I recommend calling ahead as it can be very crowded, especially on the weekends. I went with a group of three people on a Friday night and the wait was two hours.

I was fortunate to have found the right people to go with! There were four of us, and one said, «let’s just order everything!» That was very wise indeed, since at the end of the meal, the dishes I would have ordered at the start weren’t my favorites. So this place might challenge your preconceived notions of what you’d like the best. All of the dishes had interesting blends of tastes (pickled fruit for example). There wasn’t a «bad» dish, all of them were good!
The menu changes daily, so what I eat mighty not be what you’ll eat! The entire meal cost $ 200, tax and gratuity included, so split 4 ways, I paid $ 50 for what, a taste of 8 plates? Not bad! Also ordered dessert and a ginger limeade (yummy).
The place was pretty much empty at 6 pm on Thursday evening. Was glad there was no wait! Service was quick and the plates came out in quick succession.
I didn’t like the tables, they seemed a little shaky, they shook when I sat down or when I got up. Cute cloth napkins. I’d go back with the right kind of people!

When they say «small» they mean small.
I have to say I was really looking forward to finding out what Sally’s Middle Name was about. Authentic American with a twist, some style, and on H Street (a fav neighborhood of mine). After being told that we couldn’t combine tables or really make it feel a little less regimented, we sat down with unfazed expectations. They were led to a few keen observations.
Drinks = awesome!
Their drinks are quite the deal with harder to find favorites like «Charm City Mead» with really good prices. Would come back to drink here with a small group (4 or less) since you can’t combine seating arrangements together.
Food = small.
Yes, they say «small plates,» which I was hoping would be more like Bar Pilar’s small plates — small portions that are sharable. Sally’s Middle Name should be «Ms. Literal» because these plates were tiny and average american fare with one element that was «the twist.» Examples, fried swiss chard = fried pickle sticks. Squash is Turkish Squash. You get the picture. I was not particularly impressed with anything (only the pesto on the Squash) I tried or thought it was a really good deal.
Though I will end on a good note. Including tax is totally how the restaurant industry should go. I’d come back just to support that effort and grab a drink. Though would I go back for a meal? Nope. So the mystery will remain what Sally’s Middle Name is.

My wife and I came here for a date night after meeting the owners a few weeks prior and reading about it in the Thrillist. As neighbors to H Street, we love to support local new restaurants.
We’d give it a solid 4 star rating. The space is beautiful with the kitchen out in the open for all to see. The food was amazing. A few highlights: Swiss chard with smoked bacon, soy marinated egg with fried garlic and ginger, and new bay chicken (the bone is still in FYI).
We think they are waiting for their liquor license because they didn’t serve alcohol, but the non-​alcoholic rhubarb shrub was so refreshing. Let’s hope they turn that one into a cocktail soon!
The only feedback we had was the service. It was a bit intense at first and then went silent half way through.
Highly recommend this place and we hope the fact that only a handful of people were there on a Thursday night doesn’t put them out of business. We want them to stay!