where to eat in dc | roofers union

Roofers Union, the newest restaurant to grace 18th Street in Adams Morgan, takes elevated food and makes it approachable - in portion sizes, taste, and price point. For instance, Zan loves sweetbreads, and I shudder at the very thought. But at Roofers Union, they've taken the fancy schmancy food and made it into a po'boy sandwich. And you know what? It's delicious! The $12 price-tag doesn't make me cringe, either.

It's the sort of restaurant that falls right into my comfort zone. It feels blue-collar with the old union uniforms hung on the walls, refurbished wood, a bar with standing room only, and a few TVs playing the sporting event of the day. But it has the careful, thoughtful finishes of an upscale restaurant, too - like the wine list curated by someone in the know, a beer list that's even better than the wine list, dishes like the sweetbread po'boy that poke fun of fancy but embrace it, too, and floor-to-ceiling bay windows that create an ambiance of romance, if that's what you want to find.

Roofers Union is under the same owners as Zan's and my neighborhood wine bar, Ripple. My favorite part of the connection to Ripple is that the two restaurants share a chef - Marjorie Meek-Bradley. When she first arrived at Ripple, she offered a bar menu with options like a chicken sandwich and a lamb burger. While Ripple is our go-to spot for wine, we rarely eat there because of the food prices and options (upscale). I was so excited to see a new bar menu that appealed to my tastes, but before we even had a chance to try it, it disappeared. I've only met the chef very casually once or twice in Ripple, and while I don't know her, I have a hunch that the Roofers Union menu is really her style. And if so, I love her style.

The standout dishes for us were the crispy brussels sprouts - fried just to perfection, the sausage trio (the chicken sausage with a pretzel roll was absolute, total heaven, and I will become a regular for that sandwich alone!), and the sriracha-honey glazed chicken thigh sandwich. They offer the same glaze on chicken wings. That sandwich is money, the glaze is crack, and I can only imagine that if I try the wings, I'll never be the same again.

If I had to pick one thing for Roofers Union to work on - it'd be the fries. Ripple's fries have been rumored to be fried in duck fat, truffle oil, and all sorts of other, wonderful things. They are, hands down, some of the best fries in the city. If Roofers Union brought those over, too, it would - without a doubt - be my new favorite restaurant in DC.