Washington Post Has Mixed Results at Energy Kitchen

Tom Sietsema's off traveling this week, but for Washington Post's Good to Go column, Nevin Martell visits Energy Kitchen. Since everything on the menu is 500 calories or less, perhaps it isn't surprising that salads and smoothies are good, while fries are a bust. On the burgers:

The bacon cheddar sirloin burger ($7.49) features turkey rashers and fat-free cheese, plus lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles, on a nine-grain bun. Without the usual amount of fat, the hamburger seemed dry, though a splash of ketchup helped solve that problem. It might not hold a candle to Shake Shack's burgers, but it will help you keep your New Year's resolution to eat lighter.

All the food is made to order, he notes, and there are turkey, chicken and vegetarian burgers available for those who avoid meat. [WaPo]

Stefanie Gans' review of Bistro L'Hermitage in Woodbridge is now available online. The Northern Virginia Magazine critic loves the upscale take on fish and chips, as well as the chocolate mousse, but finds a chicken leg dry and a salmon entree lacking flavor.

It can be a little kitschy, with a moustached statue greeting customers at the door to the roosters sharing table space with salt and pepper shakers, but there's glamour, too, in $200-a-plate china. [NoVa Mag]

The Washingtonian teases its 100 Best Restaurants issue, which went on stands today, and shares that the Inn at Little Washington has snagged the #1 spot this year. The reviews aren't yet online, though.

THE BLOGS: FooDCrave thinks Edgar Bar & Kitchen is "so DC"...Eat More Drink More appreciates what's being poured at both Hogo and Mari Vanna...on Borderstan's own visit to Hogo, "every drink was a knockout."