Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

American Eatery Shows Promise Despite Rough Start

KARL PIELMEIER/THE HOYA Teddy & the Bully Bar fails to live up to the quality of its sister restaurant, Lincoln, but it nonetheless delivers high quality traditional dishes.
KARL PIELMEIER/THE HOYA
Teddy & the Bully Bar fails to live up to the quality of its sister restaurant, Lincoln, but it nonetheless delivers high quality traditional dishes.
3/5 stars

Compared to its sister — president-themed restaurant Lincoln — Teddy & the Bully Bar is very quiet. Teddy patrons are still chatty, and the Alan Popovsky-owned restaurant that pays tribute to the 26th U.S. president still exudes bright, vivacious energy. Yet, compared to Lincoln, things here are much more relaxed. It fits. After all, it was Teddy Roosevelt who said something about “speaking softly.”

But, he didn’t say anything about moving slowly. No one immediately greeted me when I walked in the door, and only after an awkward minute did a harried bartender frantically explain that I would be seated shortly. A moment later, a languid hostess arrived to escort me to a table. No one asked me about dietary restrictions or special requests, and no one explained the full concept of the restaurant. (At Lincoln, they did both. And there, the floors were made of sparkling pennies.)

That isn’t to say the design at Teddy & the Bully Bar is lacking. The interior, designed by Maggie O’Neill, is crisp and sleek. Gaslight fixtures make the ambiance nothing short of electric. One wall is covered by a clever, textured Mount Rushmore replica. Another boasts ultra-modern moose heads — a contemporary nod to Teddy, America’s favorite big game hunter. Theodore Roosevelt himself even makes a few appearances: a portrait here, a painting there, an enlarged Saturday Evening Post cover over yonder.

Teddy, however, makes more of an appearance in the food than on the walls. “He was a conservationist,” the waitress said — one of the few things she did explain. “For that reason, everything is locally sourced and made fresh in-house.” Like Lincoln, Teddy & the Bully Bar is a free-flow kitchen, serving small plates. Two or three are sufficient per person.

The kitchen achieved its finest moments when it captured the exuberant essence of Teddy — the succulent, rambunctious mix of grit and great, of cowboy and president, of rugged and refined. The onion rings ($7) were flaky and fantastic, but it was the French onion soup base that made the rings magical. The spaghetti squash risotto ($13) was lovely, but when combined with smoked Gouda and kale pesto, it became something otherworldly. Teddy himself would have smiled a Rough Rider grin at the clam chowder ($11) — the clams within came shells and all.

Some plates — the ones that didn’t achieve such robust Rooseveltian character — weren’t as special. The scallops ($14) cut like butter, but with only some pureed celery root and cauliflower beneath them, the dish was forgettable. The short rib ($15) was enjoyable, but the blackberry horseradish sauce was unnecessary and horseradish-less; the accompanying bed of kale seemed haphazard, and in the end, things were only saved by the fried pickles.

Like Teddy, the meal charged on, however, culminating with a s’more sundae ($10) fit for a president. The toasted marshmallow fluff tasted like a wonderful wilderness campfire; the chocolate ganache served as a reminder that this creation, though, was far more restaurant than rural.

Ultimately, Teddy is not as put-together as its counterpart Lincoln. The service is a bit rocky and the menu needs some tweaks. However, like its namesake did at the turn of the century, Teddy must fight on to achieve its own legacy. Not everything has come together for Teddy & the Bully Bar, but it is nonetheless off to a great start.

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