Utopia on U St

Back to eating non-prepackaged foods!!

Utopia is on U and 14th St. It was great! When we walked in, the atmosphere was very relaxed. It was 8:30 pm on a Friday night and the bar was full, but not crowded and there were plenty of open tables. I was not overwhelmed :D

Getting seated seemed to take a bit longer than necessary, but after that, everything was smooth. As for drinks: there was no beer on tap, but they had a good bottled selection. They also had lots of wine and martinis. We had some beer. Next, we were served some fantastic, fresh, warm rolls. For dinner, I ordered vegetable couscous curry. The menu had no description for this dish, so I had no idea what to expect. I don't usually like food surprises but this curry was better than anything I could ever imagined! There were zucchini, yellow squash, red peppers, onions, broccoli and carrots served in ample amounts of creamy curry sauce. Was it coconut? I'm not sure but it was delicious! It was served with a mound of couscous on the side. The portions were large - I couldn't eat it all....but I ate most of it :D

Later, around 11pm, they had live jazz. I don't know much about jazz, but I enjoyed it. We were pretty close to the front, so it was a bit loud, but I think in other parts of the restaurant the noise level was perfect. I liked that we weren't rushed out - it was very laid back.

Utopia gets my approval. I recommend this place mostly for: good food, eating slowly, and lounging afterwards. I think the bar would have been good as well, but it was too crowded for me :P