Virtue Feed & Grain

It’s rather nippy tonight, and a long stroll towards the Potomac on King St. tests our ability to withstand the cold. The closer to the river you get the more colonial it feels. Right at the bank of the rivers is Virtue Feed & Grain, a two storied restaurant which raves about its bourbon selection, but also serves 20 different beers on-tap with a very limited container menu of macros and NA’s. There’s a bar on each level, with the upper level with a little more light than the bottom, and both with a lively atmosphere despite being a frigid Monday night.

Virginia and DC heavy with the taps, with myself ordering a pour of Right Properly Haxan, with a sprinkling of beers from elsewhere such as Sip of Sunshine and Two Hearted Ale. Just shaker pints for much of the pours with smaller pours available, as well as pre-selected beer flights.

Add to it a server who was quite outgoing, quick food service, and the food itself being proper (I helped myself to some beef short ribs), and you have here a spot that’s worth spending your time at.

Housed in a late 1800s grain facility, this venue is friendly, has a decent beer selection and is architecturally beautiful..recommended to visit, even if just for the staff.. Excellent !!!

I was here for a special event as part of a conference, but the food was great and the service was good. They had several local brews on tap, which for a visitor from outside the DC area was great.

 

 

 

My wife and I have been to Virtue Feed & Grain a few times for a beer, and went last night for Valentine’s Dinner. The atmosphere is quite nice. They take the theme to the next level with plenty of rustic decorations and items made from old grain sacks. Overall, it’s fairly dark and laid back in the place.

The service is a bit hit or miss. Everyone is always friendly, though the beer training isn’t the best. From the way the bartenders ask about what I’m planning on having, my guess is that a lot of the patrons don’t know very much about beer. That’s fine and all, but the bartenders should know a bit more about the product when it’s clear the customer is familiar with the selections.

The selection itself is decent. There are 20 taps and about 75 bottles and cans. Maybe 5 or so of the taps are dedicated to BMC-type products. A few of the others are dedicated to locals like Port City and DC Brau. Other than that, the rest were mostly-typical micros like Stone and Victory.

The food was decent, though not great. The calimari was a bit grainy, but was otherwise cooked well. I had a "Shaggers Pie," which was a Shepherd’s pie with lamb instead. The potatoes on top were quite nice, though the dish as a whole had too much rosemary. The prices for beer were fairly expensive, including $7 pints of local pale ale. The food wasn’t too bad.

Overall, it’s worth stopping in, as I really enjoyed the atmosphere. You can grab a quick beer as well, but I wouldn’t expect this to be a go-to place.