I have always wanted D.C. to have a great wine bar where you can also get great food. We have plenty of fun wine bars – Dio, Maxwell’s, Pursuit – but none of them have a full dinner menu, let alone a lunch menu. Drinking loads of wine + not enough food usually does not end well. As such, I was excited when Tyber Creek Wine Bar + Kitchen opened last year, and even more excited when they expanded their hours this year to 11am – close every day except Monday (when we are recovering from our weekend hangover). Finally, a place where I can stuff my face at lunch, brunch or dinner while indulging in wine to get through the day!
Tyber Creek changes it’s menu seasonally which makes it even more appealing. Change is good. Here’s a guide as to how to eat at Tyber Creek:
Step #1:
Start your evening off with a glass of bubbles (cava, preferably) and a bevy of appetizers. The tomato and halloumi salad is a riff on the usual tomato and mozzarella salad, and the halloumi adds a great chewy, salty element. Zucchini bread is dense and heavy, perfect for soaking up all the cava. Artichokes with a creamy dipping sauce were my favorite dish of the evening – why don’t more restaurants serve artichoke? Tearing off the leaves, dunking them in the sauce, and eating the fleshy artichoke hearts is fun and addictive.
Step #2:
Get a glass of Tyber Creek’s fragrant, refreshing French rosé on tap and order another course. The tomato and burrata flatbread, bejeweled with squash blossoms and herbs, is delicious, and the bibb lettuce salad, with avocado, radishes, and curry tofu, tossed in an earthy and creamy green goddess dressing is one of the best salads I have had in the city. And that comes from the girl who usually turns her nose up at salads. But this salad has all the elements of success: it’s meaty and satisfying from the avocado and tofu, and the dressing has a bold, robust flavor and texture.
Step #3:
Switch things up and get a red wine to have with your entrée at Tyber Creek. I loved the vegetarian entrée, lentil and quinoa stuffed poblano peppers, which is a REAL vegetarian entrée i.e. it’s not a salad, risotto or portobello mushroom. It’s actually super filling, so you may actually want to share. The peppers are smoky, the lentils are earthy, and the quinoa is nutty. The peppers come swimming in a pool of tomato sauce and topped with avocado crema and queso fresco.
Step #4:
I am a sucker for sweets. But I think anyone would agree that this dessert is one the main reasons to dine at Tyber Creek. Get another glass of bubbles and order their skillet cobbler or chocolate mousse.
The Verdict: Tyber Creek has all the food and all the wine, all day long.
Tyber Creek, 84 T St NW, Washington, DC; Website
