Apples Reviews: Spider Kelly's
Today is day 16 of Apples-Got-A-Raise-And-Still-Doesn't-Want-To-Work, 2008. Awesome, right? So instead of working, lets blog! 
I've been tasked with writing about Spider Kelly's in Clarendon, a brand new little gastro-pub sort of affair that we wandered into on Tuesday night after my yuppified yoga class and Ant's 109,384,120 mile run. Spider Kelly's advertises itself with the slogan "come as you are," which is fortunate, given that both Ant and I were probably a touch past acceptably stinky.
Anyway, we sat outside and enjoyed good, simple food—a very flavorful chicken burger for me (served with amazing, spicy pickled veggies and a tasty honey-based sauce), a veggie pita for him, and a nice big dish of pungent, crunchy grilled coleslaw between us. The burger had a pleasant zip too it, as did the sauce, and the grilled ciabatta bun was hefty enough to support it all.
Spider Kelly's is not afraid to throw a little flavor in your face, which I appreciate. The menu covers your basic sandwiches and salads, with an emphasis on burgers and some fairly creative appetizers (lemongrass beef, for example). The beer list is good and relatively inexpensive for the Clarendon area. Given its location right off the metro and a door down from Clarendon Ballroom, and the fact that it will be open till 2:00am every night, I see this place quickly becoming the haunt of the post-college frat boy set that seems to be the main consumer group in this particular part of town.
That said, if they'll slide down the bar enough to allow me to sit and have a burger, I think we'll all get along just fine. Next time Ant and I want good drunk food after stumbling home from Adams Morgan, I think Hard Times is out and Spider Kelly's is in.
6 comments:
I just stumbled across your blog. I like your writing style. I'll be back!
money, can't wait to go to this place.
Looking forward to checking this place out, it sounds like the complete opposite of the Ballroom.
Spider Kelly's to me was a disappointment. looking at their menu it's hard to see what they're trying to be. Chicken Flautas right next to Buffalo chicken thighs on a skewer? Hmmm... pub food meets a food van perhaps? Regardless they should be sued for false advertising. Our sides are BIG and meant to be shared... I ordered the rosemary and garlic fries only to receive a small bowl of mostly dried rosemary stems. Don't waste your time on their food, BUT take advantage of a quite spot right on Clarendon where you can actually have a conversation with your friends or date.
I went to the ballroom with a few of my close friends, afterwards we decided to have a few drinks in SK right next door. I like to support my local bars and this place was alright. Because they are new I believe they can improve with time.
I live in the neighborhood, so I wanted to like it but the service was terrible. There were four of us, and we started with a round of beers and the rosemary garlic fries, which were really good. The problem came with the entrees. My entree, the shrimp po'boy arrived about 20 minutes before everyone else's and when the waiter said the others would be out in a minute, I held off on starting because normally you wait until everyone has their food to begin eating. By the time everyone else's arrived, mine was cold. On that sour note we decided to skip dessert there and headed to Boccato gelato.
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