Grade: A

I’m going to start by apologizing for not having very many photos or very much gossip about Peacock Cafe —  I was enjoying myself so much during dinner that I almost forgot that about this blog.  I also get very awkward when taking pictures of my food, out of fear that I’m being watched by the restaurant staff (we were seated almost right next to the hostess stand) so only a couple pictures turned out.

A few years ago, I had a delicious brunch at Peacock Café in Georgetown, so when I saw that they were being featured on Groupon, I knew I had to buy the deal.  This time around, I decided to try out their dinner and couldn’t have been more pleased.

Ted and I started out with the calamari.

I’ve had my fair share of  calamari around town but this was the best I’ve had in DC.

Ted ordered the New York Strip and I ordered the Steak Salad.  Both were delicious and perfectly cooked.

Again, I apologize for the lack of photos…but trust me, the steak salad looked and tasted amazing (although slightly heavy on the dressing)!

I could kick myself for not checking out the Peacock Cafe website gallery before going to dinner there.  These two dishes look divine!

Peacock Café was AWESOME!  The atmosphere was perfect for a nicer week-day evening (or weekend!) and the service and food were exceptional.  Even if they are not featured on Groupon again, I plan to return!

Grade: F

Dinner at Uptown Cathay was the worst dining experience I’ve ever had.  Imagine the cheapest Chinese restaurant you’ve been to and multiply that by 5…add a sketchy sushi bar and you have Uptown Cathay.

I should have turned around after taking one step in the door (or maybe even after taking one look at the outside of the restaurant)…but I had to redeem the Groupon at some point.  When we walked in, a lady all the way at the back of the restaurant pointed at a random booth and told us to sit down…what a warm welcome!  After a look around, I realized that we were 1 of 3 parties eating dinner there on a Saturday night…bad sign.

The Entrance to Uptown Cathay

Sketchy Sushi Bar

Menu and Chopsticks

Cocktail Menu in a plastic binder sleeve

Ted’s expression explains so much…thank goodness for the Bud Light!

We decided to order quickly so that we could leave as soon as possible — I felt like I needed a shower after sitting there for 5 minutes.  We had $35 to spend, which resulted in ordering WAY too much food — Combination Fried Rice, Sweet & Sour Chicken (which I ate one bite of…it was disgusting!) and Orange Chicken.

Combination Fried Rice

Sweet & Sour Chicken (if this doesn't make you loose your appetite, I'm impressed!)

Orange Chicken

The Fried Rice and Orange Chicken were edible, but no better than fast food Chinese.  I only hope that the other people in the restaurant also had a Groupon, I can’t imagine having had to pay full price.

If you haven’t used your Groupon, do yourself a favor — give it away and visit Comet Ping Pong or Bucks Fishing and Camping right across the street.

I plan to never return to Uptown Cathay again.

Grade: B

When I walked into Policy, I felt like I was having deja vu — the front entry area of the restaurant felt more like a club than a restaurant, and I immediately thought of our dinner at Current.

From the entryway, the hostess walked us into another room that looked like a dark, deserted 50s diner with red patent leather booths, a reflective ceiling and  wire chandeliers. The booth was dark, with a small light that lit up our table almost like a tiny spotlight.  The room felt empty, with only 2 other tables occupied.  My expectations for dinner were not high.

Although Gracie’s Grapefruit Margarita and the Watermelon Fizz cocktail sounded delicious, Ted and I both decided to order beer.  I love Allagash and couldn’t pass it up since they had it on draft.

The menu at Policy is tapas style and our waiter informed us that their kitchen is what they call a “floating kitchen” — the food comes out whenever it’s ready, not all together.

We ordered Hawaiian Sunfish, Madras Curry Lamb Sliders, and Grilled Hanger Steak.

The sunfish was recommended by our waiter, but was my least favorite.  The fish itself was good, especially with the grapefruit, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the lobster sauce.

Hawaiian Sunfish with Bok Choy, Lobster-Ginger sauce and Ruby Red grapefruit

The Lamb Sliders were good — the gorgonzola and mint pesto definitely made the dish.

Madras Curry Lamb Sliders with Gorgonzola and Mint Pesto

The Hanger Steak was by far the best. I’d go back to policy just to order this.  It was cooked perfectly and very tender.

Grilled Hanger Steak with Vineyard Nursery Green Beans and Edamame puree

Throughout dinner more and more people arrived and Policy started to come more alive.  The noise level was perfect — not too quite, not too loud.  Our waiter was exceptional – he couldn’t have been more friendly and was happy to answer our numerous questions about the dishes he recommended.  I didn’t get a chance to check out the upstairs, but Daily Candy describes it as a “chic lounge” with graffiti walls (hence the club feeling when we walked in).

Policy exceeded my initial expectations and if they are featured on Groupon again, I would probably buy the deal (but might go back just for drinks and the Hanger Steak).

Grade: D

After conquering my Groupon-Rookie Mistake, we headed to Current in Dupont Circle (DC).

Looking back on our dinner, we should not have gone through so much trouble to find a Kinko’s, because I probably would have been happier eating at Nando’s Peri-Peri across the street.

We started out with cocktails and edamame.  I ordered a Regular Mojito and Ted had a Mango Mojito.

Mine tasted like straight rubbing alcohol, but the Mango Mojito, wasn’t bad.

The edamame was delicious…

…although, it’s hard to mess up edamame.

For our main course, we ordered the Yakuza Sushi Tasting – an assortment of nigiri and a sushi roll.

The tasting was ok – some good pieces, some not so great.

For those of you who haven’t yet used your Current Groupon, I’d stick with just sushi rolls.

Overall, the atmosphere at Current was trendy but way too loud, the service was marginal, and the sushi and drinks were way over priced.

We paid $20 in addition to the Groupon plus tip and were still hungry when we left.

Final Verdict: I would not dine at Current again, even with a Groupon.

*I suggest Cafe Asia or SushiKo for delicious, reasonably priced sushi in DC*