Restaurant Review - The Boulevard Woodgrill

So B is having surgery for some back pain he’s been having and since his sister (K) is down for the week to help us out, we decided to go out for dinner.  We wanted to get something in the neighborhood good and not too expensive, so we decided to go to The Boulevard Woodgrill in Clarendon.  We’ve both been there a few times, so after tonight we feel we can give a fair review.

Since we were just in for a quick dinner and B’s having surgery the next day, we skipped the drinks and went straight for the food.  We shared a crab and artichoke dip with pita bread for a starter, which we all really enjoyed.  The pita bread was fresh and hot, and the dip had a good crab to everything else ratio.  It was also a good serving size for 3 people, just enough to do what an appetizer is supposed to do (whet your appetite and hold you over until the meal arrives), not stuff you before the rest of dinner even gets to the table.  The service was good, the timing between the arrival of the appetizer and the meals was right (I hate when you get rushed through your appetizer because the main course has arrived- what’s the point of the appetizer?).  Our server was also friendly and attentive. 

For the main course, B had the cheddar bacon burger with French fries.  B said it was one of the better burgers he’s had in the area.  I snuck a fry or two, though they were nothing to write home about.  I thought they were a little soggy, but B thought they reminded him of Boardwalk fries and didn’t have anything bad to say.  Maybe I’m a picky fry eater. 

B’s sister got the chicken Caesar salad, which had plenty of sliced chicken (K said it was a ridiculous amount!).  She enjoyed the meal, but thought the amount of chicken overwhelmed the rest of the salad. 

I ordered the special, a roasted duck and arugula salad with a mimosa vinaigrette.  Overall I enjoyed the salad, the dressing was the right amount of sweet and tart, and countered the peppery flavor of the arugula well.  The duck was a little overdone; I didn’t get much flavor from it.  The salad was topped off with sliced oranges (could have used more), cherry tomatoes (didn’t add anything to the salad), candied pecans (YUM) and dried cranberries. 

Combining our past experiences at the Boulevard Woodgrill, we would have to say that it’s a bit of a mixed bag.  Some menu items are fantastic, while others are so-so.  Can’t complain about the service though, even when they’ve been busy we have had attentive servers.  We are also both fans of the décor- a nice bar off to the side, plenty of booths (restaurants under-utilize booths these days), and floor to ceiling windows perfect for people watching.  It’s somewhere we’ll continue to dine since it’s walking distance from home and overall a pretty good restaurant, but it wouldn’t necessarily be our pick for a special trip.