With an established branch in Silver Spring this combo street food cafe and upscale Mexican restaurant (Buena Vida, on the second floor and open only for dinner and weekend brunches) has made a much ballyhooed entrance into the Clarendon area. I managed two visits in a week to the the downstairs cafe ("TTT") and there are real pluses with a few minuses. On the plus side the food is very good. The four salad offerings are unique and flavorful. The "mix and match" tacos come on hand-made tortillas which melt in your mouth and the guacamole is delectable -- basically mashed avocado with a kind of salsa fresca. The crispy potato taco is "beyond", a small fried treat which will warm the cockles of your tastebuds with a crispy outside and a smooth, soft inside. The refried beans are vegetarian (yay!) and breakfast items are available all day. Those are the strengths. The weaknesses impact the overall dining experience. There is price gouging. You can order guacamole but the chips are extra (really???) You can switch out the beans and rice for a small side salad, but it will cost you $4. The wait staff is severely under-trained. On the first visit our waitress disappeared after handing us menus and we nearly had to get up to flag someone down to make our order. It took three requests to get the bill and at the end of the meal she mixed up the receipts and credit cards, returning the wrong bill with the wrong card. On the second visit I specifically asked the waiter to check on how vegetarian the egg dishes were, then got ham on my plate. After it was sent back (I hadn't had a single bite), I was charged double for the dish. Lastly, the bathroom is on the second floor (broken/inaccessible elevator) and was completely out of toilet paper (except for the many bits all over the floor). I was handed a roll of paper towels by a member of the staff, but I found that "insufficient". Bottom line -- the food is worth it. If they can clean and stock their bathroom and get their wait staff up to par, then we may have a winner.
Three establishments in one -- a downstairs cafe with "street food", an upscale Mexican restaurant and a rooftop bar
2900 Wilson Blvd, Arlington and 8407 Ramsey Ave, Silver Spring
https://www.tttrestaurant.com/
Three establishments in one -- a downstairs cafe with "street food", an upscale Mexican restaurant and a rooftop bar
2900 Wilson Blvd, Arlington and 8407 Ramsey Ave, Silver Spring
https://www.tttrestaurant.com/
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