I moved to Washington, DC almost three years ago. A former colleague offered to rent his home to me in Bloomingdale, where the quadrants of the city come together. I recall discovering Big Bear Cafe on my block. I was instantly in love. The cafe was a reflection of a changing neighborhood with its diverse crowd from hipsters to this Puerto Rican girl. What brings people together is the sense of community the owner, Stu Davenport has created.
The Scene: As you enter the space, with its grapevines intertwining in the patio, you can immediately see this place is an oasis in the middle of the city. Even in a hot muggy day, you can catch people sitting on the patio catching up over coffees or beers. During the day, the cafe is filled with creatives typing away on the laptops and neighborhood folks coming in and out for coffee. However, there’s a time when the laptops are stowed, the baristas slow down, and food takes center stage: dinner service.
The Food: My breakfast favorite is a savory everything bagel with lox and cream cheese. Their lunch menu changes often. My favorite, the pastrami is no longer on the menu, but their grilled cheese is just as delicious. This is the part of Big Bear Cafe that everybody knows. That being said, I am going to move on to share our recent dinner experience there.
Although I lived around the corner of Big Bear Cafe for over two years and had countless bagels and sandwiches, I never tried their dinner menu. It took to move a few neighborhoods over to try it. The kitchen at the cafe is tiny and the daily, date stamped menu has limited items, which truly reflects the vision of using locally sourced products (I once spotted the chef at the farmer’s market buying the greens for the restaurant).
We started with soft shell crab and mussels, two of my favorite seafood items. The soft shell crab was the perfect consistency as you bit into the juicy and salty legs. The mussels were large and plum and perfect with the accompanying bread. The dishes were deliciously simple, devoid of any crazy garnishes or presentations. The main courses were the stars of the dinner: a beautifully juicy pork chop sitting on top of potato puree, mushrooms, and asparagus. The Dutchman raved about his free range chicken served with fresh sauteed greens and rice.
The verdict: I believe Big Bear Cafe deliberately does not serve dessert because the main dishes speak for themselves. All you need to conclude your evening is a nice macchiatto or an espresso and take a stroll on First Street to indulge in real estate porn. As any special place, one has to share it with the masses. The dinner service provides a more intimate setting for a date night or a catch up session with friends. Whether you’re visiting DC or a local, this is a must-eat spot. Have you been to Big Bear Cafe? What’s your favorite time of the day to go? Tip: make reservations for dinner, you can do it via Open Table.
