The Early Word on the Partisan

It's been two weeks since The Partisan opened in Penn Quarter. This is the sit-down, meat-centric restaurant from Neighborhood Restaurant Group. It's adjacent to the third location of Red Apron Butchery, and incorporates the company's butchered meats into its dishes.

Here's what the first bloggers, Yelpers and others are saying about The Partisan.

The Facebook Rave: On Facebook, Tracy calls the Partisan, "Fantastic. Great cocktails, abundant and delicious charcuterie, friendly service, nice ambiance. A couple hiccups in the service, but quickly made up, and understandable after just two days open. I look forward to a return visit very soon!" [FB]

The Dessert Recommendation: Also on Facebook, Ethan says the Partisan is an "Exquisite dining ambiance, dramatic bar scene, creative cocktails and an array of tastes for the not so amateur palate! Attentive and accommodating service! P.S. Get the cheesecake dessert!" [FB]

Don't Skip the Charcuterie: Thrillist writes, "Before you graduate to the full menu, you must pass the aforementioned charcuterie course. Check some boxes under categories like "rich & smooth" or "herbal & floral" without having to pronounce anything in Italian. There are about 30 options with mixed meat-to-fat ratios. Rookies can order the Eternal Hamnation board." [Thrillist]

The Complementary Sweets News: BYT singles out the desserts and cured meats. " Of course, the charcuterie offerings (30 rotating at any time) is bound to be a point of pride, divvied up by flavor profile (bright, spicy hot, smoky, rich & smooth, herbal & floral) and cover everything from salamis to rillettes to pates. And, naturally, Neighborhood Restaurant Group's Pastry Chef Tiffany MacIsaac...is in charge of the sweets, preparing 2014 versions of your childhood favorites, that just so happen to perfectly compliment the savory portion of the menu (expect a lot of caramels, fried apple pies with bacon crumble, palate cleansing Fernet Ice Cream treats and more)." [BYT]

The Not So Special News: The Partisan is currently earning 3.5 stars on Yelp with 10 reviews in. One is from Jason G., who writes, "At the end of the day, nothing I had food-wise at The Partisan was "special. That was disappointing to me, because I had very high expectations going into this restaurant. What's more, we ended up having a long conversation with the people next to us, and they were similarly unimpressed with the food and mocked almost every dish they had (fried chicken, the burger, etc). While the food was not good, we at least gained a few friends!" [Yelp]

The Hurry Up And Get There News: Yelper Jason W. calls The Partisan "Crazy good! Meat freak or not this place does not let down! Chicken , burger and pork steak all stellar. Very unique space compared to the rest of the area. Hurry before you can't get a seat." [Yelp]

The Tasty News: Yelp's Mike S. writes, "Appetizers and main courses were all delicious, although some portions were a tad small... more than made up for by the wonderful variation in the menu though.  Delicious beef fat fries.... goat cheese salad.... aged carpacio.... pork bolognese... could not have been tastier." [Yelp]

The Rushed News: On Yelp, Nicole N. says, "Went here after work. Food was decent -- in the category of "tasty for a neighborhood restaurant but nothing to go out of your way for." After dropping $200 for 2 people we figured we could enjoy our last drink before catching a cab home. Alas, we were asked to leave unexpectedly. I would have understood if there had been a line,l it people waiting for a table, but there were still tables available.  Unfortunately, I can't say I will be back." [Yelp]

The Wine News: On Don Rockwell, EatrunEat says, "I am in love with the wine list. I don't know much about wine except I know what I like and there is a lot that I like on this list. Additionally, the options for a half glass and half bottle that are priced comparable to a full glass or a full bottle encourage exploration. For example, a half glass of the Qupe Syrah is $5.50 while a glass is $10 and a full bottle is $40." [DR]

The Salty News: DC Wrapped Dates has an early preview of the Partisan. "The very next day at dinner, a friend asked us if we'd eaten anywhere good recently. I said, "The Partisan was good" before Texas refined the statement. "It was a bit salty, and it'll be pretty good very soon. I'd just give it some time." That's a pretty good synopsis." [DRD]
· All Previous Coverage of The Partisan [-EDC-]

The Partisan's charcuterie [Photo: Facebook]