An Evening with Friends and Ulah

Fourth of July came and went with tons of burgers, dogs, chips, dips and drink. A handful of friends, old and new came together for a night of beer pong, laughs and even getting shot with a bb gun (long story). This Independence Day was an eventful one, but that's not what I'm writing about. I'm here to write about the day after at Ulah Bistro.


Tired and hungry from a day of recovering, a handful of friends met at Ulah Bistro on 12th and U Streets to close out the weekend. We walked into a cozy yet modern and clean atmosphere surrounded by wine bottles and dim candle lighting. The decor was very sleek with cable railings on the staircase and simple table settings.


While we glanced over the menu, we wet our appetites with tapenade on pizza-style wedges with cheese. The tapenade had a nice fresh and robust flavor but not overpowering. The menu has a wide range for everyone, from crabcakes and halibut to meatloaf and pizzas.


I opted for the halibut sandwich with a saffron aoli. When the food arrived, it was colorful with the green from the lettuce and bright red roasted red peppers peeking out of the ciabatta bread. It was neatly put together and balanced and served with a cone of hot crispy french fries.


The halibut was cooked perfectly- tender and flaky, the large lumps gently breaking apart with every bite. The fish was complimented well with the roasted red pepper, but I will be honest to say I really didn't taste the aoli. I found as much as I love halibut, there was just a little something missing from this sandwich. The fries were fantastic, however, clumping together in a fried crispy cluster.


My husband ordered the crabcake sandwich which gave me food envy from the start. The crabcake seemed to have very little filler. The jumbo lumps fell apart, and even off the sandwich with every bite. It was extremely messy, almost to the point where it was annoying, but it was delicious.


I was also fortunate enough that my friends don't mind sharing so I had a bite of the Ulah pizza with crabmeat. It, too was delicious, but I think a little too salty to have more than one or two small slices.


The service was nice enough and it was all in all a very pleasurable dining experience. I look forward to my next dine at Ulah and only hope that I won't be so exhausted from a long, fun weekend.


Ulah Bistro
1214 U Street
Washington, DC
http://www.ulahbistro.com/