I've been curious about Sixth Engine for quite some time since it's one of the few restaurants on Massachusetts Ave between NPR and Union Station. Sadly, I wish I'd let curiosity kill the cat in this instance.
The renovated fire station is very cute and there are nice touches here and there are nods to DC of decades ago (the building is listed on the National List of Historic Places). Unfortunately though, the food was incredibly disappointing. As J describes below, the skillet corn bread was delicious and I kind of wish we'd just stuck to carb loading between bread and beer (I am training for the Marine Corps Marathon after all).
Alas, I decided to try the grilled shrimp with the coconut curry quinoa and lemongrass pesto. The shrimp was nicely grilled, but there wasn't anything spectacular about it -- in fact it was really under-seasoned. The quinoa however was something else entirely. There was no coconut, no curry, no nothing -- only a tinge of what can best be described as dish water. As for the lemongrass pesto, color me confused, because I still don't know where that was on the plate. All in all, this dish was a total miss.
Needless to say, this was the first truly disappointing meal we've had in quite a while; I don't think I'll return to give it another try, and I doubt I'll tell others to give it a shot.
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J Says...
Having visited Sixth Engine before and absolutely loving the food (and service...Shout out to Patty O'Connor!), I was eager to return with C for our monthly dinner blog. Perhaps I drank too much the last time, because this time was worse than mediocre.
We started with a special appetizer, the cast-iron skillet cornbread...which, without question, was the standout course of the entire dinner. Quite filling and accompanied by three different spreads, it was perfect for sharing and complimented our beers nicely. Then, not seeing the ravioli I had tried last time I was there, I selected the roasted chicken with dirty foie gras rice, sautéed spinach & truffle sauce. The chicken was boring and bland...the rice was a mixture of hot and cold while lacking real flavor in either temperature...and the spinach was just an odd choice to be included on this plate. For one of the few times in my life, I didn't finish my plate and opted to just enjoy my beer.
I'm torn if I will give Sixth Engine another try as I really loved my first experience and feel utterly let down with my second. Either way, I'm not rushing back to the converted fire department station...though I do like the decor quite a bit.
Sixth Engine, 438 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC, 20001, (202) 506-2455
