The great thing about a 6:00 pm arrival at Reagan National Airport is that the dinner options are limitless. I was arriving coming off of a four day conference of cancer care professionals. One speaker had illustrated the benefits of diet and exercise as it relates to cancer care prevention, and his presentation had me thinking. Uh oh.
Anyone who knows me (or who has read my blog) knows that exercise is low on the priority list for me and that dining out is at the top of the list. This speaker and his charts and graphs had gotten into my brain and as a result I wasn’t sure what I was in the mood to eat.
We decided to head towards the Barracks Row area. It is a burgeoning area that I have wanted to explore but it always seems a little too out of the way. This was the perfect opportunity.
We strolled past Cava, Matchbox, and a couple of other places that I hadn’t heard of before and finally landed in front of Ted’s Bulletin. Ted’s is owned and operated by the sameteam that owns Matchbox. The atmosphere and menu are of a 1930’s diner. I normally prefer more creative fare, and at first glance the meatloaf, fried chicken, and ribs didn’t hold much appeal. But then the list of “adult milkshakes” caught my eye. I know, what about the diet and exercise? Is it really so bad if I split a Bailey’s Caramel Macchiato shake with my husband? The shake was a tough pick. Flavors include Mocha Kahlua White Russian, Pina Colada, Spiked Thai Coffee, Fuzzy Navel, and Strawberry Daquiri. These are destination drinks. Half a shake was more than enough and this was my favoriteStarbucks drink but with a kick. Delicious!
I did have a difficult time selecting my entree. I settled on theSouthwestBurger– avocado, roasted Red peppers, green chile sauce, and white cheddar on a sesame seed bun. Not to worry, I took a deep breath and ordered the turkey burger. My husband ordered the same thing as a veggie burger. His burger was a bit crumbly but it had far more flavor than my turkey burger. It wasn’t just that the meat was dry and had no flavor. The other ingredients didn’t have much going on either. Perhaps I should have known better, but I really was trying for a healthy alternative to a beef burger.
Something about the nostalgic feel of the place made it ok. There were some really nice touches to the décor and I enjoyed simply looking around and taking it in. It was a quick, casual, inexpensive dinner and maybe I was too tired to be terribly disappointed.
At the entrance to Ted’s Bulletin is a bakery case. As we were leaving I suddenly remembered that Ted’s serves a homemade pop tart that’s supposed to be great. No room for dessert but I put my guilt aside and ordered a peanut butter and jelly pop tart and a chocolate chip cookie to go. I only had a few bites (yes, really) but both were amazing and again destination-worthy.
Ted’s Bulletin is certainly a winner in the sweets department. And I wouldn’t mind going back to try the breakfast.
The next morning I chose a Zoomba class at the gym instead of my usual trip to a Farmer’s Market. I’m not necessarily committing myself to a life of strict healthy eating and daily workouts, but I am definitely going to think about maybe sometimes trying to be a little bit better.
Ted’s Bulletin,505 8th St SE, Washington, DC 20003
My rating (on a 1-5 scale): 3.3
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