The Tap Room

The Tap Room is one of my favorite places in the world to eat. It's hard to order a single thing on the menu that isn't, at least, good. Last week, my girlfriend, her friend, and I went to grab a bite and some beers. It did not disappoint at all. The service was excellent. The atmosphere was perfect for a pub with old beer advertisements adorning the walls and random crap collecting dust up behind the bar. And like any good pub there are 5 large TV's tuned into sports at almost any hour. Now all of this sounds like it would make for a great place to hang out, but I haven't even gotten to the best parts (food and beer). The Tap Room sports one of, if not the, largest beer menu's in San Marcos with at least 50 beers to choose from. If you can't find a beer you like at the Tap Room, you never will (if you don't generally like the taste of beer, try a "beer blend" like the "Preachers Collar" or the "Snakebite". Both have a sweeter taste that is not beerlike at all).

Now for the important stuff. The claim I am about to make may sound crazy, but I stand by it 100%. The best burger in the entire world is at the Tap Room. True, I haven't had every burger in the entire world, but I am fully confident in making this claim. The name of the best burger in the entire world is "The Works Burger". Now I could go on for another 1500 words describing all the great things about the Works Burger, but I will cut it down a bit. There are grilled mushrooms, onions, and jalepanos along with two types of cheese all on a slightly sweety bun. It's just too good to describe. Mmmmmmm. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. It's just so tasty. Just go try it. It's perfect. Yum.

Alright so now that that's out of the way, the other stuff you can order that is almost as good is: the Philly Cheesesteak (Amazing), the chicken parmigian sandwich, and the perfect in every way wedge fries. They also have very good (and spicy) queso that should not be missed. Basically, if you go to San Marcos, stay for a few days and eat here a few times. Its just that good. Go now.

Alero (Washington DC)

Last night, my girlfriend and I went to eat at Alero in Washington DC. I had been eyeing this place for a while now but never went. We went to the one in Cleveland Park and it has a nice local feel to it. The decoration is typical. The service was friendly and quick. Now to the food. We were started off with pretty good chips and salsa. The chips were nothing special but the salsa wasn't bad at all. It had an interesting color to it, but the flavor was excellent but needed a little bit more kick. For the meal, I ordered a grilled chicken chimichanga with rice and beans and a margarita. The margarita was very good but the meal needed work. The refried beans and rice were pretty bland. The chimichanga was just a tortilla filled with chicken, a little cheese, and some rice and for 10 bucks I was hoping for a little bit more. Overall, the place wasn't that great and I would probably never go back. From what I understand though, the location on U street is better, so I would recomend giving that one a shot and skipping the Cleveland Park location.

http://www.alerorestaurant.com/main.html

Ben's Chili Bowl

Today for lunch, I went to eat at a Washington DC food landmark, Ben's Chili Bowl. I ordered the classic Ben's Original Chili Half-Smoke ($4.80) that comes with a side of potato chips and I also split an order of chili cheese fries ($4.80) with Brooke. To drink I ordered the sweet tea which is very perfectly sweet (some may say too sweet, I say perfect). It was oh so tasty. The half-smoke comes with chili, onions, and mustard on a steamed bun. The order of fries is enough for two or even three and the chili and cheese sure added some major flavor. The only change I would make is changing the cheese from the wet nacho kind of cheese to real chedder cheese. Ben's is always a great place to grab a bite for lunch and always a pretty good deal. You leave feeling full and very happy. I would recomend it to anybody (even vegetarians, they have a pretty good vegetarian chili from what I hear).

http://www.benschilibowl.com/