Washington DC Dopers - you tried the three Top Chef restaurants?

Cafe Society
1

I’ll be visiting Washington DC this November. I may try Top Chef’s newest restaurant Graffiato. Mike Isabella was runner up season 8.

There’s Spike Mendelsohn’s Good Stuff Eatery and I’ll try the Obama burger.

Looks pretty good. Any of our Washington dopers given any of these places a try? How was the food?

Also, I may rent a car and try Bryan Voltaggio’s restaurant Volt. I’m not sure how long a drive it is to Frederick, Maryland? Or how bad the traffic would be. I’d love to go. I bet this is the best choice of the three.
http://www.superchefblog.com/2008/10/rising-star-bryan-voltaggios-volt.html

2

Haven’t been to the first 2 but have been to Volt (I was given a gift certificate). It was unsurprisingly excellent. As long as you avoid weekday afternoon rush hour (heading north) Frederick is a pretty easy 40 minute drive straight up 270, or as short as 30 minutes if you drive fast like everyone here does.

3

You could also visit the Whole Foods in Silver Spring, MD where they shopped in season 7.

4

Have you already called Volt for a reservation? Each of the last three times my sister’s visited we’ve tried to go there and it’s been completely booked each time. I don’t know if that’s it’s typical state or our bad luck.

5

Good Stuff Eatery and We The Pizza have very good food! When I was at Good Stuff the lines were long, but it was a Saturday night. God Stuff Eatery is burgers and fries - very good burgers and fries.

6

I wonder how far ahead reservations have to be made? A couple weeks? A month?

I’ll have to decide soon if we want to make the drive out there from Washington.

7

Good Stuff is a great burger place. They also have amazing milkshakes. The hamburgers are kind of small, but if you get a hamburger/fry/shake combo, it’s more than filling. I recommend splitting the fries and possibly the milkshake (depends on how big your appetite is). Haven’t tried the others though.

8

I went to Good Stuff a few times when I was in DC this summer, and I’d recommend it.