Let's Eat Vegetarian at 9:30

TNG Zack and I got an odd invitation the other day: Come see queer icon Lou Reed play for free at the Nightclub 9:30. All you have to do is eat some free food and write about it on your site. Zack and I were definitely up for the challenge. I discovered that their menu, which is buried deep in their website's FAQ, has a large vegetarian section, and my mouth watered as I perused the items. The full review is one click away, below the fold.

Anyone who's been in DC as long as I have undoubtedly remembers the old 9:30. Back in the day, what is now known as the Nightclub 9:30 used to be the 930 Club located at 930 F St NW. Back then, before the transition from F St. to V St., from a maximum capacity of 300 to 1200, the club was located on a desolate and run down block of what is now booming Metro Center. Walking to the club from my college dorm rooms in Foggy Bottom was always an experience, strolling past the White House and the late-night tourists and protesters, past the Treasury and into a neighborhood that appeared all but abandoned.

In that time, the 9:30 club was only identified by a digital-clock-looking 9:30 frosted onto the transom above the glass door that lead to a long hallway that then led to the club's box office and another large glass door that opened into the club's main performance space. Aside from this frosted logo, the only other indicator on that desolate gray decaying street that you were heading in the right direction was a sign that hung above a door near the club's entrance. The sign was yellow, and it said "FOOD" in red lettering. That sign was how I knew, when I was an 18 year-old freshman off to see Blur, Lush, Chapterhouse, Ride, or one of the other 20 or 30-odd shows I saw that year... That sign was how I knew I was only a half a block away from my destination, where I'd be safe from that scary empty street and wrapped in that foul yet comforting odor that accompanied the club.

Who would guess that, nearly 17 years later, I would be invited to the Nightclub 9:30 to sample and write about their wide selection of vegetarian menu items. Menu items that are ordered and received through a window in the corner of the club, under a yellow sign that, in red letters, that reads "FOOD FOOD". The yellow sign a coincidence? I think not.

I'll skip the details of how this invitation came about or what I thought of the Lou Reed performance that occurred during and after my meal, and jump right to the "meat" of the matter. The food.

For appetizers, we ordered the hummus and an order of nachos. I was tempted to order the Nachos of Ulysses just because of the name, but I thought we'd upgrade to Macho Nachos which had chili on them, too. The hummus, as we were warned by our hostess, was very garlicky but otherwise good. (Skip this if you're on a date.) Definitely home made. It was served with an assortment of raw vegetables, including wedges of raw tomato. An odd choice for a veg to dip, I thought. The nachos, piled high with cheese, sour cream, salsa and vegan chili, proved interesting. The chips were stuck together by the cheese, but at the same time were rendered soggy by the salsa and chili. After the first few crispy corners that peeked out of the mess of toppings were eaten, all that remained was a mound of delicious layers of unwieldy goodness. Ordering the nachos? Get a fork.

The club's menu now features paninis. Chances are, you've seen an ad exclaiming "New 9:30 Paninis Are Here!" I was curious to see whether they were worth the exclamation points. I sampled the Caprinini (fresh basil, mozzarella and tomato), Veganini (spinach, roasted red peppers and grilled onions) and the vegan version of the Weinernini (veggie dog, sauerkraut, mustard and ketchup). The first two were served on foccacia bread which seemed to want to break apart as I was biting into the smallish triangular sandwich halves, while the dog was served on a potato bun which held together rather well. In general, the sandwiches were pretty good. The Caprinini's balsamic vinaigrette seemed to make the bread a bit soggy, and the Veganini could have used a touch more salt. The Weinernini, probably the best of the three in my opinion, included a vegan dog that was a bit too heavy on the artificial smoke flavor.

I also sampled what, in my opinion, was the most exciting offering on the club's menu: "Great Balls of Liar...The 9:30 Vegetarian Meatball Sub." This awesome sandwich is worth the high price tag. (At $9.75, it's the highest priced item on the menu.) This sandwich consisted of a crispy warm bun loaded with veggie meat balls, tomato sauce and a significant layer of mozzarella cheese. The fake meat balls were authentic, tender and well seasoned. Even our hostess, who hadn't tried this sandwich before, found it convincing.

We finished our meal with some desserts, which included a delicious pecan chocolate chip blondie.

Over all, the vegetarian food at the Nightclub 9:30 is pretty damn good. All the sandwiches are served a la carte, so if you come hungry, get a "Sound Bites" starter.