Ted's Bulletin

I'd been wanting to check out Ted's Bulletin since I read about it on some food blogs a few months ago. Recently it's felt like if a new restaurant wasn't opening in my neighborhood on 14th St., it was opening somewhere on the Hill. This casual, upscale diner is the latest addition to Barracks Row, on 8th St., SE.

I finally got the chance to check out the new restaurant on Sunday evening of Memorial Day Weekend. Upon entry, I was immediately charmed. The art-deco accents, which were taken from an old Philadelphia Convention Center, transported you back in time. The first area you see is the bar -- where plenty of folks had popped in for traditional (or "adult" -- with booze) milkshakes or other old-timey beverages, like a can of Schlitz.  There are a couple small TVs hanging in this area of the restaurant, outfitted to look like retro sets with bunny ear antennas, playing old movies (in this case, it was "Some Like It Hot," which very much pleased my company, the Cangany siblings, who have a soft spot in their hearts for this movie).

Past the bar is the dining area, which is a relatively small space filled with cozy booths. This room boasted a faux-film reel projector that also played "Some Like It Hot" on a bigger wall. The room had a large skylight, which was great while the sun was still out, but the room got fairly dark by later in the evening (which explains my lack of food photos).

For dinner, I ordered the meatloaf, something I'm always drawn to, mostly because I didn't ever have traditional American meatloaf until I was in college so there's still a bit of novelty value when I see it on a menu. The serving size was generous - two large meat patties, probably 3/4" high. The meat itself was tasty - it had a nice spice and flavor accents from a mixture of onion and red peppers, all topped with a classic ketchup glaze. For my sides, I ordered the mac 'n cheese (deliciously creamy) and brussel sprouts with blue cheese & bacon. Both were solid sides to accompany my plate o' meat.

My two diningmates both ordered Ted's famous grilled cheese & tomato soup, because you have to try something that's called famous in a restaurant that's been open less than a month. Also, grilled cheese & tomato soup is delicious.  This one didn't disappoint. The toast was thick, but not greasy, and the tomato soup was slightly creamy and incredibly flavorful (in fact it reminded me a lot of the tomato soup I get from the prepared foods section at Whole Foods...).

We ended the meal by sharing a strawberry milkshake. It was standard, but delicious. Thick enough to spoon, if you wanted to, but liquidy enough to drink through a straw. And in true diner fashion, we were given the entire shaker filled with the leftovers, so it was a huge portion and I was sufficiently stuffed.

All in all, Ted's Bulletin is a nice dining experience - if only for the decor/atmosphere. The food was good, but not outstanding, and it seems like the service still has a few kinks to work out. Upon being seated, rather than being told about daily specials, or recommendations, which one might expect, we were told what they were out of (a handful of entrees) and no longer even offered (the roast chicken, which was still on the menu). Also, many of the blogs I read talked up Ted's "breakfast served all day," which is also prominently stated on the menu, yet the first thing I was told by the hostess was that this was not the case. 

Our server -- when posed with the question about what kind of cheese was in the grilled cheese -- answered with, "I uhhh, yeah, I think it's American blended with something." When he realized he should probably check, he came back to tell us it was, in fact, only American cheese.

Much of this seems like basic new restaurant service stuff, so one can only hope within a few months Ted's will have worked out all these details -- or at least updated their menu to reflect any changes! I'm not sure I'd travel back to the Hill for any particular menu item, but if I lived in the area, I'm sure I'd make more frequent stops into Ted's for a quick bite or to grab a shake.

More images on Flickr.