Just the 2 of Us: Shady Lady

I've been wanting to try the Shady Lady so we decided to stop by there for dinner Saturday night.

It is on the R Street Strip (15th & R) along with Cafe Bernardo, Burgers and Brew, Empire, Magpie Catering and a couple other establishments. The intent of the decor is that of a old time saloon. Lots of wood brick and the walls papered in red velveteen flocked wall paper. It actually reminded me of a bordello. As you walk in the bar area is in front with booths along the side, kitchen in the back.

The menu is brief, salads, sandwiches and small plates. We opted for the small plates. We got the Clams Casino, Bacon and Deviled Eggs, Mussels, and Pasta Puttanesca. The eggs had a good flavor but were a tad dry, the bacon was the thinnest sliced bacon I've ever seen you could practically see through it. I guess the thinnest of the bacon worked not to overwhelm the deviled egg. The clams were good but instead of putting the topping on top of the clam in the shell, they took the clams out and chopped them up and maybe added other chopped clam? When you dug into the clam shell you got red peppers,shallots,bacon and bread crumbs on top with pieces of clams rather than the clam itself coming off the shell. Plus the clam was tough, not like it would be if it had been just the original clam in the shell. The mussels were good, steamed in a broth of stout and chorizo and served with 3 slices of toasted and buttered french bread slices. In fact my husband ordered a second order of them. The Pasta Putanesca was my favorite. It was pasta in a spicy tomato sauce with capers and olives, and anchovies. . delicious. I also got an order of Fried Green Tomatoes. These were good with a crispy crust on a bed of aoli. Desert was a good authentic Strawberry Shortcake. It was made with a great tasking biscuit, whipped cream and strawberries.