In a city where the dining possibilities are endless, selecting a restaurant can be a pretty tough decision,  especially if you are looking to try a new place. You never know what you are going to get.  Relying on recommendations from others can help, and if you’re lucky, you may just find a new culinary treasure as I have with Matchbox.

I had heard people talk about Matchbox on numerous occasions, but it wasn’t until about a week ago that I had the opportunity to experience it for myself. The restaurant located on H Street in Chinatown was very busy. The wait was about 45 minutes long but sooo worth it!  The restaurant itself is modern yet cozy.  The low lights, exposed brick, and glass ceilings give it a very romantic vibe.  The staff was very friendly and had plenty of menu suggestions.

My dinner consisted of pan-seared scallops, fried-green tomatoes, corn puree and rainbow chard.  The presentation was beautiful and the food was delicious!  My friend had the New York Strip Steak with roasted red potatoes, maytag blue cheese, sautéed cremini mushrooms and sautéed seasonal vegetables. I, of course, sampled his meal, as well, and can vouch that it was quite tasty.  The steak, cooked medium rare, was divine. In fact, I enjoyed it more than the scallops!

After we were completely stuffed, the waitress brought out the dessert menu.  Everything looked so good that we both found ourselves teetering about whether or not we could eat another bite.  We decided to call it a night, making dessert our reason to return and have another wonderful, fire lit dinner!