The 5-Spot Invades Your Post-Drinking Headache

Time of Entry: Saturday, 1:00 p.m.

Level of hangover: It's the holidays! Do you know what that means? Santa, menorahs, family angst and long lines are all acceptable answers but if you're me, you're also thinking that the holidays mean you're (I'm?) drunk more often than you're (I'm?) not. Friday night was no exception as I attended a fabulous party in Georgetown until the wee hours. As you can see by my arrival time at The Five Spot, Saturday morning came and went in the blink of an eye. Come 1PM, I still hadn't showered and on a scale of 1 - 10 (10 being a soul-crushing blow to your will to live), I blew past 1, 2, 3 and 4 to settle in at a comfortable 5.

Staff's level of hangover: Undetectable. The hostess was quick to turn over tables, the servers were on top of all the little details and because Five Spot has an open kitchen, I watched the chefs and cooks perform at top speeds, with impeccable attention to detail.

Remedy: 5 Spot doesn't have a traditional menu. Every three months, the restaurant undergoes a completely themed overhaul. These themes, which include iconic cities such as Washington D.C. or New Orleans, dictate the artwork, décor and menu. Currently, 5 Spot's been invaded by Roswell, New Mexico and their grub is a depiction of classic Tex-Mex. For those who aren't in the mood for innovation, they also serve up a handful of restaurant standards including scrambles and biscuits and gravy.

I chose a New Mexico feature - the Las Cruces Stacked Enchiladas - blue corn tortillas layered with red chile sauce, butternut squash, two cheeses and topped with a sunny side up egg, plus a side of lime slaw, pico de gallo and rice. My other half went with one of 5 Spot's classics - the Huevos Rancheros with black bean chili, cheddar, two salsas and eggs.

Everything worked remarkably well together. The red chile sauce delivered a spicy kick and the squash mellowed out the crunchy dish with its opposing texture. The only change I would recommend is the substitution of goat cheese for the pepper jack. The tanginess of a smooth, creamy chevre would take this dish from great to extraordinary.

The Huevos Rancheros lived up to its positive reputation. Unfortunately, not every brunch spot in town knows how to cook an egg. That's not the case here. Once we added the freshly made pico de gallo and salsa verde, we immediately understood why this egg-y goodness withstands the restaurant's thematic shifts.

Hair of the Dog: 5 Spot has a full bar but we still went with some old standbys - a mimosa and a Bloody Mary. It's hard to mess up a mimosa and Five didn't disappoint. The Bloody was decent but I would have liked to see more balance between the liquor, spices and tomato juice - this cocktail leaned too far into the untouched tomato juice territory. I also downed a Stumptown latte the size of my head, which made me incredibly happy.

Success of the Soak: High. A little New Mexico spice, a little orange bubbly and a collection of fake rubber snakes hanging over my head at the bar - how can you really go wrong?