You have to wonder if the fine folks at Good Stuff Eatery put in a special request with Mother Nature for yesterday's grand opening in Georgetown: High 70's and sunny? Perhaps the weather gods were in the mood for a burger and fries too? I lined up with throngs of hungry burger lovers for GSE's first official day at their new 3291 M Street digs, and judging by the lively atmosphere and smiles aplenty... Georgetown has a new "it" spot.
I make no secret of my affinity for Spike Mendelsohn's prize burgers, but even I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into a Colletti's Smokehouse (Applewood Bacon, Sharp Vermont Cheddar, Fried Vidalia Onion Rings with Chipotle BBQ Sauce, minus the cheese of course... $6.98) Paired with a snack size fries & soda ($4.25) my order came to $12.46. I took my pager, filled my drink and chatted with one of the owners before heading upstairs to the spacious dining area.
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| Upstairs Dining Room |
As you can probably guess, everything looks really nice (after all, it's brand new.) Georgetown spaces are tricky, but GSE manages to provide a very comfortable area (although the upstairs bathroom is a bit tricky to navigate.) I grabbed a seat at the head of the banquet table; and went downstairs to pick up my order, once my pager went off. Customer service? Superb every step of the way. One problem however... My burger was missing its crowning jewel (the Vidalia onion ring) and I went back to fix it. Before getting all the way down the stairs, I met the same owner who had spoken to me earlier. He instantly took my burger, asked what was wrong and promised to deliver a new one in a couple of minutes. No questions, no guilting... Why can't every place fix small issues so effectively?
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| Colletti's Smokehouse |
A manager brought my new burger directly to my seat with an apology and... drumroll please, a free large order of fries for my "trouble." Stellar! Thank goodness, I had an extra container of Old Spice dipping sauce (just in case I had to eat another bunch of delicious fries.) Best of all, this latest order was piping hot (my first order, which didn't take long to devour... was warm, not hot.) P.S. If you're not sure which type of fries to order (Sunny's or Spike's) go with Spike's... Thyme, rosemary and sea salt are the perfect compliment to fried potatoes.
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| Spike's Village Fries |
Atmosphere, good customer service and french fries are plenty important; but I'll take a great burger over all of that, any day. Colletti's Smokehouse is a great burger, especially with the substitution of BBQ sauce in place of ketchup. As with most of the burgers here, expect to go through several napkins (kudos for containers at every table) but the taste benefits far outweigh the temporary inconvenience of wiping your mouth several times. I'm normally not a big fan of messy burgers, but I love 'em here.
Good Stuff Eatery makes a wonderful addition to the Georgetown dining scene... All that's missing now, is a GSE in Cleveland Park (hint, hint.)
