Candy Sagon Awards 1.5 Stars to Alegria in Vienna

Candy Sagon steps in once again for Tom Sietsema with this week's review of Alegria in Vienna, the sister restaurant to Bazin's on Church. While she writes that she was initially unimpressed with the food at the Mexican newcomer — and remains unimpressed with most of the seafood dishes — in the end Sagon awards the restaurant 1.5 stars and praise for its tacos and beef dishes. But also:

...vegetarians who come here will be doing a happy dance. Choices include a roasted portabello mushroom taco with Chihuahua cheese, brown onions and crunchy pumpkin seeds, and terrific, cheesy huitalcoche quesadillas with roasted corn and epazote.

Sagon remains confident that the longtime restaurateurs have the talent to turn around the restaurant's trouble spots "and keep their second place as slam-packed as its older sister next door." [WaPo]

Justin Rude visits Springfield's Sandwich Republic for the Post this week and discovers a sandwich shop he wishes he could find a little closer to the city: "In two visits, I haven't had a bad sandwich. Some are more exciting than others (the chicken salad and Italian don't deviate much from form), but by keeping things simple, making as many ingredients as possible in-house (including all roasted meats) and holding prices at about $7, the Mostaghims have found a filling formula." [WaPo]

Nevin Martell files a report on the New Orleans Po Boy Shop, where he has a great po boy but finds the restaurant could use some work. He encounters some issues with the beignets and also the highly touted bread: "When I took my classic roast beef ($8.50) outside to eat at one of the patio tables, the pale, soft bread was already soggy with remoulade and "debris" ... For a place that boasts "It's all about the bread" on its menu, the effect was disheartening. To add insult to injury, the chipped beef bits that filled the roll were a mushy mess, and surprisingly flavorless." [WaPo]

Russell Warnick extols the virtues of the rooftop at 1905 for the City Paper's bar food column. Not just the view, but the Taco Tuesdays deal: "The well-portioned $3 tacos come with a choice of beef, lamb, pork, or fish (although offerings vary week to week). The tacos are topped with a healthy dollop of sour cream, sliced radish, lettuce, and tomatoes and wrapped in a corn tortilla. They're pretty good for a non-Mexican restaurant." [WCP]

THE BLOGS: DC-Wrapped Dates takes a first look at the Union Market; Bitches Who Brunch award Zaytinya a B+ and (with the help of their bros) an A to Ceiba; Eat the District raves about the pastrami at Stachowski's; Burger Days bets big on Z-Burger's expansion with a look at the new Columbia Heights location.

Alegria [Photo: Facebook]