Chorizo, eggs, grits & toast (a breakfast special from Tony's Carryout).
Maybe you've eaten the food before, or maybe you've just seen the sign outside. I'd heard before that Tony's Carryout (1400 block of H Street) offered some of the best greasy spoon breakfasts around. Yesterday I was having a bit of a craving & decided to check it out. There was quite a crowd inside & I could tell from the interaction between customers & the ordertaker that many were regulars. The sign proudly proclaims that Tony's offers "More than just fast food," & it's absolutely true. The offerings are extensive. From the breakfast menu you can get either the special (with a choice of 10-15 different main "meats," which could be salmon if you prefer) that comes with a side & two eggs any style, or you can order a sandwich version of any of the meats with one egg. My food was tasty, even if I had forgotten how greasy chorizo really is. I should mention that they offer homebrewed ice tea (I even saw a guy come in specially to purchase a gallon for an event). If you aren't in the mood for breakfast, you can order something from the lunch menu even if it isn't past 9am. Tony's also features seasonal offerings (like bean soup, or beef stew in the fall). Tony's is closed on Sundays.
23 comments:
that place is actually open?? wow! everytime i walk by, it looks like just another abandoned store front.
Tony's is definitely open & drawing a regular crowd. Let me assure you that Tony's is nothing like Crown Chicken, or some of the other carryouts in the 800 block where characters lurk inside & dudes shoot dice. The customers at Tony's are clearly there for the food. Also, take a look at the building, it's clean & well maintained (check out the aparment up top with the side entrance.
Somehow, every time I've had the urge to try Tony's, it's been on a Sunday. One would think they could do brisk business with the post church crowd. I'll have to pull myself together and get in there on a Saturday.
I stand at the corner of 14th and H every morning to catch the bus. That place does serious business. Always crowded and always lots of people stopping by to pick up phone in orders.
Breakfast places are in really short supply around H st (heck, in DC for that matter). I sometimes go to Grace deli at the SE corner of H and 7th for a quick breakfast sandwich, and the place is always packed. And the food, while adequate, does not seem to be in the same league as Tony's.
Never been but will after seeing that breakfast. Speaking of good food, the Ohio Restaurant is diagonally across the street. I have been fixated with the place for years and finally went (twice) last week. Great soul food. They do chicken and ribs on a outdoor BBQ. They fry chickens inside and they have a mess of great sides (I recommend the sweet potatoes, greens and cornbread). One of the owners greeted me on both visits. The chef came out and sat with me and talked food on both nights. I was introduced to a gentleman who worked there in the 50's (he hung the bathroom door that is still there). The atmosphere rocks. It's an old school lunch counter. It's clean, comfortable, and classic. The owners have big plans to expand the menu and start doing b-fast. They are also purging the clientele of some trouble-making folks that frequented the place under previous ownership. I highly recommend it. They need to build a customer base and I think we need a sit-down restaurant on H that represents a little old school.
PS: they sell alcohol, which is a plus for me
If they started dishing out the breakfast at the Ohio, I'd be thrilled. I've wanted to check it out, but I'm a vegetarian, and southern food and vegetarianism are two great things that don't go so great together. Breakfast would solve the problem nicely.
No lie, if you are a vegetarian, you're option are severely limited at the Ohio but, the owners, who are Ethiopian, plan on phasing in some Ethiopian dishes soon. Maybe some vegetarian stuff too.
Birdland is also open for breakfast. I don't know that they are open on Sunday morning for breakfast.
Birdland was closed when I tried to go around 11am on a Sunday.
As long as we are on the topic of some of the older, less-trendy, establishments on the corridor:
If you go to Home Depot for your plumbing needs, you are missing a great resource on H Street. Sonny's Plumbing, at the corner of 10th and H, was the first store I ever stepped into on H Street (about 7 years ago). Our house was a plumbing disaster and I was pretty lost on how to get started.
The guys at Sonny's were unbelievable. They listened carefully to the issues I was facing , loaded me up with tools and parts and explained exactly what I needed to do. When there were questions about which particular part I might need, they gave me all the variations and told me to bring back those that I didn't use and they would bill me for the one that I actually used.
Sonny also gave me his cell number and said that I should call him if I got stuck.
Try getting that kind of service at Home Depot!
Almost makes me wish I had plumbing problems...
Also try Eastern Plumbing @ 12th & Florida Ave (a friend of mine swears by them). I've also had good luck with FRy Plumbing when I need someone to fix things for me. They do furnaces & stove hook-ups too.
Tony's has the best sausage egg and cheese on wheat, where have you guys been, pancakes are great as well!
Easterns Plumbing is convient, nut extremely expensive, home depot or fergusons at bladensburg and eastern are much more economical.
That photo looks yummy and makes me hungry.
Inked - just got back from R&B. Sign in the window read "Soul in The City postponed until further notice, please visit us for our regular hours."
Any word on this? I'd be quite disappointed if they gave up on it, I was a big fan.
thanks for the heads up, kerry. good thing i read this before going over.
They didn't say anything yesterday when I was in there. I do know that Alphonso is currently laid up with a knee injury.
Soul in the City is being suspended because it isn't economically feasible for R&B without a liquor license.
At the risk of asking a stupid question. What is that stuff in the picture. I recognize the eggs, but what are the other items in the box?
You are looking at Chorizo (a Mexican sausage I ordered out of nostalgia for my summer in Austin, TX), toast, & a whole lot of grits.
So will they be pursuing a liquor license?
Already in the works, but these things take time.
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