Why You Should Go to Bad Saint on a Wednesday.

Venturing over to Columbia Heights when there are still mountains of snow on the ground could only mean one thing:  I was on the hunt for food.  Not just any food, but food that is boasting some of the best Filipino (and only) in this town.  Bad Saint was the destination and I had to be strategic in how I planned to actually get in or I could face another Toki Underground situation.  Yes, Bad Saint is one of those restaurants that we often loathe in the District:  20 seats, long wait times and a list from here to the North Pole of people trying to get in for dinner.  I decided this needed to be a solo mission or at most, two person mission.

Snapshot of menu at Bad Saint

Heading there at the opening time was critical to at least ensuring an under 30-minute wait to get in, which I had already painted the happy picture of spending some time in a favorite pastime, Room 11, until my number was up.  Ironically, I showed up a little after 5:30 to find that there was plenty of seating and I should have brought along three friends because seats were still available.  Now let me be clear, this was a Wednesday and it was post #snowzilla so this is not a good test of what I can imagine a Friday night would look like in this place.  The hostess and waitresses (the bartender played dual roles much of the night as bartender and waitress) were all really warm and welcoming.  The music went from calypso style tunes to 1920’s jazz.  I like.  The décor is a circus for the eyes with lots of patterns, shapes and colors forcing you to somehow make sense of it all.

The food.  The food was exactly what I needed, a change and shock to the senses.  Bad Saint boasts a modern twist on traditional Filipino cuisine.  Unfortunately, I have never been to the Philippines so I will have to take their word for the traditional flavors.  What I can attest to is how phenomenally they play with their traditional roots and modern flavors.  The bitter melon found in the Ginisang Ampalaya is toned down to savory when stir fried with farm eggs and preserved black beans.  The Dinuguan is perhaps my favorite on the menu but I will warn you it is truly for the pork eater.  If you do not fancy pork, this is going to give you more than your daily dose where slow cooked pork and pork blood play the leading roles.  The menu changes constantly so you may never see these on your visit.  Try any and everything, it is like a trip around the world but you never leave DCA.

The menu does favor the vegetarian lover in you with most of the dishes leaving out the carnivores.  Additionally, I appreciate how the hostess asks you upon entry do you have any dietary restrictions or allergies.  The size of Bad Saint is perhaps the most disappointing part about it.  The District needed a place like this to shake up the restaurant game and unfortunately, it is going to have to do that 20 seats at a time…

Tags: restaurant reviews, restaurants, washington dc

Category: restaurant reviews, Reviews, Washington D.C.