Savour

Wow, this was disappointing. We came here as a result of a Groupon coupon, but I can’t say we’ll ever be back. I should have realized that something was wrong when the dining room was empty at 7pm, but Wednesday isn’t restaurant prime time. Let me assure you, there’s a reason it’s empty.
1. We tried to order chickpea fritters for an appetizer. The waiter comes back and tells us that they are all out. We order Jerkiyaki Tofu bites with cilantro lime yogurt sauce. The waiter comes back and tells us that the sauce isn’t available. My husband orders spring vegetable risotto. He takes our order, then comes back to tell us they don’t have it.
2. Wine is half-​price on Wednesdays, so we order a bottle instead of glasses, since the bottle was essentially the same price as two glasses. The waiter couldn’t figure out how to work his waiter’s key (eventually we took pity on him and showed him where to place the fulcrum). We ordered a Malbec, which was not bad, but far too warm. It was improved by dropping an ice cube in each glass. Also, our wine glasses were completely mismatched (different shape and size). I don’t think this was a fashion statement, as all the other china and flatware appeared to match from place setting to place setting.
3. I order the flat-​iron steak, medium. It came several shades past well-​done: dry and tasteless. The dipping sauce was tasty, but it couldn’t disguise the shoe leather underneath. The french fries were awful, though: mealy frozen fries; I’ve had better in cheap diners. The arugula tomato salad that accompanied it did not appear to have more than one or two leaves of arugula in the standard mix of baby lettuces. It was dry and undressed – and the greens could not stand on their own. A little vinaigrette would have gone a long way.
We didn’t bother with dessert.
A large part of the reason why I decided to give this place a chance is that the reviews online were mixed, but the complaints mostly focused on the service – the food got better comments. But in my opinion, this was a disappointment all around. Don’t waste your money. There are many great restaurants in DC, but this is NOT one of them.

I would’ve been a little more hesitant to review this place after going there for dinner the other night had it not been for the other Unilocal reviews I just read. You see, when we got to Savour for dinner on March 17 (St. Paddy’s Day), we were promptly told, as soon as we stepped into the restaurant, that it was not serving alcohol of any kind for the night. The reason? As a punishment for having committed some sort of violation (serving underage people perhaps?) Anyway, we decided to stay because I had a Groupon.
In addition to us, there were only two other tables so we were told we could seat wherever we wanted. As an appetizer we ordered the Soy «chicken» tenders (fake chicken, obviously) with Buffalo sauce ($ 7) and the Jeriyaki Tofu Bites ($ 6). Both dishes came out very quickly. The cilantro-​lime yogurt that came with the tofu bites was bland. Not salty, not sweet, not sour. It tasted a lot like… plain yogurt really. The other sauce, the mango-​rum was only slightly better, but this is because it had a little kick to it. Nothing to write home about. The «chicken» tenders turned out to be nothing more exciting than deep fried breaded tofu. When dipped in the Buffalo sauce they became a little more interesting. But only marginally.
After indulging in all the fried appetizers, I was very much in the mood for a salad as a main course. I was very disappointed, however, to find that Savour’s salad selection was very poor. Only four choices, and three of them not vegetarian. Not that this mattered much because we were told that two of those salads were not available anyway. So then I decided to go with the veggie burger ($ 9) and my friend ordered the expensive Seafood Pasta ($ 18). After waiting for our food for about 20 minutes, the waitress, who by the way was really nice to us, came out and apologized for the wait, as she explained that the chef was extremely overwhelmed, being the only one in the kitchen that night. As I looked around the empty restaurant, I shrugged and told her not to worry about it.
About five minutes after that, our dishes came out. My friend’s seafood pasta was cold. Like, ice cold. He had no choice but to send it back and we sat around waiting for it for another ten minutes. Then it came out again, in a hot plate but otherwise still cold. Then my friend tells the waitress to please just stick the plate in the microwave… really. So she apologizes again and takes it back once more. Another ten minutes go by and, finally, a hot plate of pasta comes out. Third try is the charm I suppose. At this point we had been at Savour for so long that we took a few bites of our meals, and hurried up in asking for the bill.
Given the special circumstances that took place that night, I would be tempted to give Savour a pass. But, judging from all the other reviewers’ experiences with the slow service, I’m going to go ahead and say that this was not an isolated incident.
First and last time here.

Sooooo slow. Slow to the point of being painful. Everything about this place was slow. I should have seen the writing on the wall when we had to wait over 20 minutes to be sat even though we showed up on time for our reservation (8:30 pm on a Saturday). The manager did buy a round of drinks for us, but even that was really slow because by the time we got the drinks, we were being sat. The drawn out dining process would have been forgiven if the food was amazing, but it wasn’t.
The spicy crab and lobster fondue was ok, but nothing special. It wasn’t that spicy and was a rather unappealing brown color. The scallops and crab cake were edible, but unmemorable. The highlight of the meal was the calamari which was actually really really good. We should have just had a couple of orders of that.
Both a friend and I ordered second glasses of wine. The pour that we got was poor, if not laughable. Certainly not a $ 14 per glass pour as I got only a fourth of a glass. It was just another sign of a troubled dining experience. By the time we were done with dinner (about 11 pm), we were all tired and instead of continuing the night, all three couples called it a night and headed home.
Sorry that this was not a great place because the space is really cute, although the layout is terrible — you walk in and the bar is all the way in the back on an elevated level. The hostess stand is also near the back. Not really inviting or functional as a layout.

Yesterday marked my third visit, and it seems that each of my trips have been rather consistent. As a pescetarian, I definitely appreciate any place off the bat that has more than a ‘veggie burger’ on the menu. Savour definitely gets kudos for that one.
The atmosphere is a little odd, and it seems that everywhere I have sat, anytime the front door opens I get a gust of cold air. A nice curtain or a storm door would really do them some wonders.
One of the oddest things is that this place has been there for almost 1.5 years according to the worker, but each time in the last 6 months I have been there, there were maximum 2 other tables filled. What gets to me the most on this, is that each of these times there has been some food issue either about food temperature, texture etc.
Their «signature» soft-​shell-​crab sandwich was soggy and greasy and lacking the crunch that you expect, and was almost inedible.
Beer selection is not too great either with just about an 8 bottle selection of macros.
I hate to see any place shut their doors, but I have to wonder how this place survives with a handful of people dining each night.

I stopped in on a weekday early evening and it wasn’t very crowded. The waitress was very attentive and made excellent suggestions. I started with their sou du jour — crab and corn chowder with applewood bacon. Yummy! Then I ordered the rack of lamb as my entrée. It tasted fantastic! The lamb came with asparagus and potatoes. I’d recommend both dishes to future visitors. I enjoyed my meal with an Echelon Pinot Noir which tasted great. I did not order dessert, but did have a chance to see the menu. The pecan tarte looked really tasty. Looking forward to visiting this establishment again soon.

This place is all wrong. First, it’s not dim enough, it’s not warm enough and the seating setup is anything but private. During a late-​night dinner, it felt like we were at one of those pay-​by-​weight lunch cafeterias — too sterile, too open.
What’s worse is that the food is no good. Our first item, the lobster bisque, had a funny taste that, after a few bites, we decided is what we imagine arsenic tastes like. We then had a chicken sandwich, which was marginal and came with the most unexciting potato fries I’ve ever had. The scallop entrée was alright, but there was a long hair cooked right into the topping, really stuck in there, which killed my appetite.
The waiter was nice, but pretty terrible with actual service.

I almost feel bad giving this place 2 stars, because everything is great here except for one huge problem — the management is absolutely awful. I would break the ranking down as follows: Food: 5 stars, Service: 4 stars, Atmosphere: 3 stars, Management: 0 stars.
We got there at 8:37 for our 8:30 reservation, and they were running WAY behind because they were overbooked. The host gave us free drinks at the bar due to the wait, and we finally got seated at about 9:15. Thankfully I had the foresight to order an appetizer at the bar, so we managed to keep a pretty steady stream of food arriving so we didn’t starve to death, because my entrée did not make it to the table until 10:30pm. We ended up getting free drinks and dessert out of the deal before we finally left at 11:15 or so.
In conclusion, the food itself was amazing, the staff was really trying — the problem was that whomever runs this place doesn’t know a damn thing about running a restaurant well, not to mention the facility itself was pretty poorly laid out. I don’t mean to be arrogant with the latter comment, but I have designed a few restaurants in my career, and who the heck puts the bar at the back, plus the kitchen is obviously undersized/​staffed to be serving both the lounge upstairs and the restaurant at once.
My advice to the owner — fire your manager and fix your layout, because your staff (particularly your chef) deserves way better. My advice to you — awesome food, but DON’T EVER go here on a Friday or a Saturday night.

I tried out this new place last Thursday and was happy to see something different in Adam’s Morgan than the typical divey bars. I dont exactly picture fine dining when i think AdMo and while i certainly wouldnt categorize Savour as fine dining, either, it is way better fare than what you typically find wandering the upper echelons of 18^th street.
We ordered the lamb lollipop appetizers which were some of the best lamb i’ve eaten. That is saying a lot because i am typically not a lamb fan (lamb fan!), but these were tender and tasted less rank like lamb usually does. There was no mint in sight for the lamb, which is a good thing.
For main meals, i ordered the soy chicken cutlets and my friend had the ahi tuna BLT sandwich. I lost my man card ordering that entrée, but it looked really good and my instinct did not disappoint. They were cooked perfectly and it was crisp and full of flavor. A pretty awesome vegan option, of which i am not, though. I didnt try the BLT but my friend picked it apart and basically ate the insides, so the bread must not have been all that great.
We split an apple tart for dessert that had a scoop of cinnamon ice cream. It was good, but nothing special to write home about.
The food was great at Savour and right in my wheelhouse as far as price. After a 3 course dinner and a few glasses of wine apiece, tax, tip and whatever, i spent $ 84 for the 2 of us. Thats great for such good food. What is strange about Savour is everything else. Being new, the place was all but empty on a Thursday around 8, which gives mixed feelings. Due to that, the hostess and servers were overly attentive. They came and cleared my plate while my friend was still eating, which i find very rude. Who wants to feel like they are pigging out while the other person doesnt have even a plate in front of them? In addition, twice they tried to clear her plate even though she wasnt finished. The hostess was nice, but sometimes lingered too long making small talk at our tabgle. I get it, it is dead and youre bored, but we are not trying to make new friends with total strangers. Then the oddest part came when they took forever to get us our bill. All night long they were breathing down our necks only to have the close take 20 minutes? It was baffling.
All in all it was a good experience, i like the look, feel and price of the place. I hope it gets busier so it will stick around, Adams Morgan needs something of this caliber. I really do still think about those soy chicken patties and my mouth waters…

So I used a
coupon which is $ 25 off $ 35 minimum purchase but 18% gratuity is added on the original bill and 10% DC tax so it sorta adds up.
I ordered a glass of Reisling which came semi-​cold and my boyfriend ordered chicken skewers. The chicken was really dry and the mango chutney sauce was really thin and flavorless.
I ordered the rack of lamb medium which was very tender and had a lot of flavor. My boyfriend ordered the NY steak which came out overcooked, sent it back and it came back much better. Order it less cooked than usual and you will like it bc they tend to overcook their steaks. Lamb was $ 24, Steak was $ 19.50.
Expect to wait 45 minutes foeryour entrée. Ambiance is nice. The manager was pretty nice to us once I complained the steak was overcooked.
I thought the price point was a little high for the food but overall good value but would not come without the coupon.
Worth coming at least once to check it out.

This place has a lot of potential, it clearly fills the void of a higher end dining establishment inbetween all the sports bars and jumbo pizza slice places. The décor was well done and the food was good, which is why I am disappointed in having to give it 2*. The food was definitely 4* quality or better and was very good, more on that later. However, the service was just horrible, slow and inattentive.
Everything started off ok; we opted to sit outside and were promptly brought our menus and water. It took about 15 minutes just to get bread. The bread was warm and very good, tasted like it was baked that day. It took another 15 minutes for me to get my appetizer, the Jerkiyaki Lamb Lollipops. They were very tender and I really like the cilantro lime yogurt sauce. In fact I asked for extra bread for dipping. As you may expecting this took between 10 – 15 minutes to bring out.
Shortly after I got the second round of bread our entries arrived. I had the Grilled Portabella Sliders, like the lollipops I enjoyed them. However the server left before I had a chance to ask for mustarded for my sliders and vinegar for the fries. When I was almost finished with the second slider someone came out to check on us. I asked for the mustard and vinegar. However, I never got either of them.
My friend partner ordered the seafood pasta dish. He had been complaining to me a few times about how long the food was taking. However he wasn’t shy to say he thought the pasta was good. It looked to be full of claims, shrimp and other goodies from the ocean.
I might give the place one more shot and sit at a table inside. I hope this place can get their act together because the food is actually good and Adams Morgan could use the diversity.

Attended here for my birthday the other evening. The ambiance of the place was relaxing and the wait staff was ingratiating. The food was really tasty though so in coming to the table. However, we were in no rush so I found the slow pace to be really enjoying. The menu is diverse– a mixture of Caribbean and Asian which was an interesting mix of flavors.
I would recommend Savour if you are not in a rush and seeking a place that has good food for reasonable prices.

Restaurant was completely empty when my guest and I entered Sun. evening. That really bothers some people. Personally, I love having the chef all to myself. And what did the Savour chef make for me? Some very nice food, dear Unilocaler.
Waitress sold me on the shrimp and corn chowder. Very large bowl, served the correct temperature, and shrimp just right. Shrimp can get chewy in a soup. Not this stuff. It held. 5 stars for the soup.
My guest had never tried mussels, so we ordered them as an appetizer. So, so. Bacon and gouda sauce, some of the mussels were a little chewy. Three stars for the mussels. OK.
Had the hanger steak which was very good. Ordered it well done and correctly prepared. Terrific sauce which gets 5 stars on its own merit. Started sweet then got hot warm and spicy. Loved that the steak was served with a simple arugula salad. Why not. Really, why not? Let’s give the dish four stars.
Guest had the jerk chicken. Juicy, flavorful and plentiful. It should be noted that the menu listed on their website is not correct. They have a new menu which is similar, but I would describe as a bistro menu. Not as ambitious as the menu on the website, and the current menu is probably a better fit for the location.
Savour has a lovely interior. I’d recommend it for a simple date night. If want to see the crazy of Adams Morgan without being part of the crazy of Adams Morgan, try Savour.

Food was a slight step below mediocre. Service is really why I’m never going back.
SERVICE
The staff were inattentive even though there was hardly anyone there! My friend and I had empty glasses of water for 5 – 10 minutes at a time once at the beginning of the meal and three times towards the end (yea, I drink a lot of water, but really, that’s a long time when there’s no one else around). I had to ask other waiters to refill our waters. However, the waitress did let us know what was most popular and what she personally liked — which is something i wish more waitstaff knew how to do.
FOOD
The veggie burger was way too salty and french fries tasteless. Granted, this was not one of the recommended dishes from Unilocal.My friend got something that the waitress recommended. She got an entre with lamb and asparagus. it was nothing impressive but certainly edible — it was the sauce that made that dish good. The rosemary potatoes she got as an extra side were okay. Glad i used a groupon to go here. I’m not going back.

Came here for an anniversary dinner enticed by the Asian-​inspired Caribbean cuisine, fittingly so as I’m of the former and my g/​f the latter. Savour had the potential for a romantic aura, but given its connection to the dance club next door, the candlelit dinner with lounge music playing around us was invaded by offerings of an eclectic DJ. Lucky for us, we loved every song he spinned.
We had the Atlantic Salmon with Soy-​Ginger Glaze and Coco-​Jasmine Rice and the Pepercorn-​crusted, Cuban-​grilled Chicken Breast with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes. The fusion was right-​on, married well with expert proportions of flavor.
The only downsides of the dining experience were the relatively modest proportions of food and being the only table dining at 10pm on a beautiful saturday evening momentarily curbed our excitement for the evening ahead. Nevertheless, service was great and would reccomend to friends.

I just had one of the best meals that I have ever had on 18^th street and probably in all of DC. My friend and I decided to try Savour since it was offered in the Passport to Adams Morgan week promotion. It has only been open since January and I had never eaten here before so really had no idea what to expect. I am kind of worn out from so so DC food that is overpriced so was really happy to experience how good this place was. I find the food here to be of exceptional quality for the price. I found the atmosphere to be a step up too. I really like the high ceilings and the way the skylights let some extra light in. I enjoyed the soothing lounge music they were playing today too. They have succeeded in creating a posh (but unpretentious) atmosphere where you can really relax and enjoy the food and company.
We ordered the Shrimp Creole Penne and the Chicken stuffed with spinach. The Penne had the right amount of spice. The shrimp and the chicken were both very fresh. I recommend them both. For dessert we had the Apple pie and cheese cake. Both were very good. Our server, Haeden, gave us excellent service and made us feel very welcome. He informed us they are moving to a menu that will be more of a Mediterranean East Asian fusion that their new chef is putting together. I look forward to trying it. I also look forward to trying their Sunday brunch they will be offering in the future.

We came to Savour bearing a Groupon and I hate to say it, but I’m glad we didn’t pay full price for our meal. It was fine, just not worth a repeat visit as far as food is concerned.
I had the pork chops. I realize pork chops these days generally aren’t the tenderest or most flavorful of meats, but I don’t think you should be getting an arm workout trying to saw your way through them. The veggies on the side and the sauce were tasty, but the meat, both in texture and taste, was eh. The crab cakes were pretty good, but the salad was middling – I’ve had better vinaigrette elsewhere – and the tomatoes were mealy…
I will say the service was excellent and the ambiance was nice. We were the first party seated inside for dinner and our server was very attentive and eager to please, without being cloying. Maybe we’d come back for drinks/​atmosphere, just not the food.
One thing that struck us as kind of odd – they had placed a plate of crab cakes on the waist-​high wall outside the restaurant, presumably to entice passersby. But leaving your food out in the heat of a DC summer is not a great way to convince people that said food is worth eating. Most people seemed confused by the crab cake display. They’d kind of lean over and scope it out and then keep walking. Doesn’t appear to have been a selling point that evening.

Hands down the worst dinner I’ve had after a year in DC. I went for a Tastings Journal prix fixe dinner last night that started off subpar and steadily rolled downhill from there:
1. Cesar Salad — Served with an odd vinegar-​based dressing, very little cheese or croutons, no fresh pepper and no bread
2. Cream of Asparagus Soup — clearly from a can, had a skin on it, had to send back because it was cold, ok when reheated
3. Crab cakes — burned on bottom, canned crab & not very well seasoned
4. Stuffed chicken breast — overcooked, inedible — served with barely warmed baby carrots, soggy french fries and undercooked asparagus — I was finished after 2 bites
5. German chocolate cake — was actually just chocolate cake, sitting in a puddle of what appeared to be caramel watered down with a reduced liqueur. The «sauce» was not tasty so I avoided any cake that touched it but the rest was acceptable. Not great though, not even good.
6. House white wine — not drinkable, mostly tasteless with hints of grape and urine on the back end.
Service: Surprisingly poor given the jolly temperament of our waitress. There was a long wait between courses and we were not given a price reduction (or apology) for the terrible entrée we didn’t eat. Our water glasses were frequently topped off, so congrats there guys.
Synopsis: I paid over $ 50 for one of the worst restaurant dinners I’ve ever had. To get the rancid taste out of my mouth I bought a 7 – 11 hot dog on the way home, which tasted like manna in comparison. I would never advise anyone to go here. Ever.

Great food. I got filet mignon and it was cooked perfectly. Of course, I asked for it medium rare knowing that it would be a little over done (just like every other restaurant out there) and it was. But, luckily, it ended up exactly how I wanted it and it was really fantastic. The asparagus soup, which was on special, was also really delicious and nicely balanced.
The service was almost too attentive because there was only one other table in service (we were there on the early side).
I highly recommend this place. They seem like nice people and the food was totally awesome! I just hope they can survive as an American restaurant in the sea of ethnic restaurants that is Adams Morgan.
I would have given it 5 stars if they didn’t put a bottle of A-​1 sauce on the table… and if they had cloth napkins. For the price, there should be cloth napkins. And A-​1 should only be used in dire circumstances.

I went to Savour with some friends prior to a show at the DC Arts Center which is just a few steps away. It was pretty early in the evening, but we were the only people there and the staff were quite friendly. While it was a little awkward that the place was so empty, the décor was simple and elegant and we were able to relax and enjoy prompt service without worrying about missing the show.
I ordered the cream of asparagus soup to start and the citrus pork chop for the main course and both were very good. Nothing fancy, but well prepared and very good value for the money. My friends had the steak and crab-​cakes for their main courses. The steak was cooked perfectly and the crab-​cakes were okay, but nothing special. Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by Savour and recommend that you check it out.

Overall, this was a decently good dining experience, especially for the price. The place has a clean, understated but elegant atmosphere. It was decent sized, and did not have the cramped feeling that many of the Adams restaurants do.
My friends and I found the menu a little unspectacular. The choices were common variations on American dishes (burgers, grilled chicken, shrimp scampi, etc.) I had the NY Strip Steak with Baked Potato. The steak was a good size (8 – 10 oz?) and was seasoned well, but was overcooked. My friends thought their crab cakes were decent, but a bit small. We spoke with the manager, and he said that they are trying to be healthy/​green but not offering oversize portions.
Service was pretty good, but it was also ¾-​empty (week after Christmas and a new place). The owner/​operator came over to greet us before and after our meal, and was very grateful to have our honest feedback.
I would recommend Savour to someone wanting a decent meal but not looking to spend a lot of money. Mostly, I think if they used a bit more imagination with the menu, I’d be inclined to recommend it to someone.