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  1. Thank you Frank. And to the stranger at Tonic in Mt. Pleasant who, in January of 2006, upon overhearing my conversation of where to work next, kindly urged, without hesitation, "go to Palena. It's the best place in the city." I just re-read the first 10 pages of the Palena thread and with the exception of the Pojarski detractor (a dish you will have trouble finding anywhere else, in this century, and is representative of Frank's scorchingly low heat classical repertoire) and grumbles of service, long waits for a table (for a damn burger) and other bullshit white whines there was near universal and effuse praise for the food, on a weekly basis. We all misfire from time to time but on Frank's watch those fumbles were rare exceptions. Frank's tenet #1. Anything worth fucking up once is worth fucking up twice. Jonathan and I (Logan, Brian, Sarah, Carl (now CdC at Craigie on Main)) and quite a few more are fortunate to have fallen through that door to culinary Narnia and been able to work at Palena. After 8 years cooking for grand fromages Laurent Manrique, Charlie Palmer, Gerry Hayden, Buben, Cathal and Bryan Voltaggio I thought I knew a bit, as most young-ish cocky cooks are wont to do, but all the while we were playing brash checkers to Frank's brass chess. We unlearned some clumsy, bastardized -though standard- practices and were exposed to an entirely new reality of deliberate discipline, finesse, proper technique, sound theory, resourcefulness, professionalism, practicality, humility, layering of flavors and elegant compositions that highlighted traditional techniques of yesteryear, seasonality, regions and well established combinations that made sense and had exceptional flavor. Never anything that was purposely random or conceived because of the pervasive "it sounds cool" variety of insecure ideas. Decadent, but no gimmicks. Nothing left out in the sun to softly spoil and call it our own clever sleight of hand. We learned to make everything that was worth the while. Tenet #2: Anything worth doing is worth doing right. We were treated to premium, tippy-top shelf products. We had the privilege of cutting up and cooking wild Atlantic loup de mer, glass eels, abalone, live urchins, live snails, periwinkles, crayfish, turbot, Dover sole, shiimaji, fresh anchovies, the Kraken, fresh Alaskan king crab, all types of things with wings, cockscombs, wild game, the best beans, olive oils, grains, luxury mushrooms, truffles, all sizes of animals all in raw state and then all the stuff from his garden which you can't really make out from Google Earth, but probably rivaled Le Potager du Roi. We learned a better way to make pasta (a well made dough never, ever needs eggwash for sealing ravioli), a better way to make stocks and sauces, a better way to cook rice and grains (stirring risotto is folksy and romantic but totally unnecessary if you do it how he learned in Italy), the proper way to butcher, season, cure, brine, marinate, sear, grill, simmer, roast, poach, braise; to turn vegetables and glaze them; to taste, test, feel, smell, and cook until tender; to be patient, to make breading, doughs, condiments, soups and an ethereal consommé; assemble stews and ragouts; to be efficient, be professional, make use of everything and waste nothing, to stuff things, to better use collagen, fats and proteins to thicken or emulsify; to use recipes, proportions, percentages, formulas, to measure, calculate, take notes, to write recipes and be remarkably consistent without sacrificing soulful cookery. Seeing how the butter was cubed on the stations was the first of 5 1/2 years of revelation and immeasurable inspiration. Frank is said to have learned from stalwart Olympic heavyweights at that White House during the gilded salad years (Messrs. Haller, Raffert, Flay, Messier), bonafide masters of the trade who knew how to do everything better, faster and slicker than the rest. A flabbergasting amount of skill and craftsmanship to be exposed to, and 50 ways to cook a potato. He regaled us one day with some pictures from his White House tenure (needlessly apologizing for the barely distressed 20 year-old photos). Drive-in theatre sized glasses, an unruly soup strainer under the nose and one of those unfortunate mini-aprons that wouldn't conceal one of those random workplace erections. There was a nougat cauldron with sherbet flowers courtesy special pastry tips from the WH engineers, lobster Bellevue, elaborate centerpieces with stuffed this and jellied that, monkfish ballotines, booties on crown roasts, a dozen of hundreds of sweet potatoes whittled into Santa's boots for the Christmas party "L'Art Culinaire Moderne" and Escoffier's whimsical highlight reel revisited by Kodak. I sucked up that inspiration like a depraved tick. Palena was DC's premier seminary for learning crucial fundamentals and essential practicum (then go to Cityzen for a proper polishing) and I'll never know another chef personally that so heavily influenced my passion and who's style was in my immediate, hopelessly dated orbit. I helped in a retrospective dinner that celebrated the White House years back in 2010 and Frank made the following salmon bavarois with stuffed artichokes. There aren't many others, if any, who have the diligent digits and formidable mind to fabricate such a professional old timey composition, these days. Frank can do it all; baking the breads (all antique starter based, naturally), butchering, curing, puff pastry, vinegar, mostarda, donuts, savory tarts, occasional plumbing, pies, even torrone nougat petit-fours. And all the fancy napkin folds cradling the even fancier canapés. This a working chef who cooked something every day for almost 14 years gracefully, with composure and absolute pleasure. Tenet #3: Perfection doesn't happen by accident. I am eternally grateful for Frank's particular flavor of tutelage and congratulate his remarkably quiet reign. Palena's untimely expiration is a legitimate bummer. That's life.
    41 points
  2. Hey guys! As promised, I'm here to tell you about my time at The Shaw Bijou. As mentioned in this thread at length, I have been very excited for The Shaw Bijou to open. We were great fans of Eleven Madison Park in NYC before moving to DC this year -- it's a very special place for my wife and me, as the hospitality we've experienced there is second to none. We got engaged in their kitchen. Our favorite server at EMP told us to keep an eye on The Shaw Bijou, as Chef Kwame was an EMP kitchen alum. In April, my wife and I went to the Philly Wing Fry event that Chef Kwame had at Union Market and met Greg Vakiner, Kwame's business partner and General Manager of The Shaw Bijou. We learned that Greg was in the kitchen when we got engaged at EMP. When reservations went up, we made one on day one. For the avoidance of doubt, we paid full price for our dinner and drinks, have no financial or otherwise personal connection to the restaurant, and were not comped/discounted/etc. in any way. Also, I used to be able to easily embed Instagram pictures, but they've made it a huge pain in the ass to do so, so I'll link them for anyone curious. Sorry! I arrived and was greeted by two hosts who offered to take my bag and ushered upstairs to the bar. I am offered a seat in one of the infamous Icelandic sheepskin chairs while I wait for my wife to arrive. They are just as comfortable as you imagine. The bar is manned by Ben Long, a Sasha Petraske and Convivial alum, and a gentleman named Zac Hoffman. When my wife arrives, Ben asks us our cocktail preferences, likes, dislikes, favorite spirit, etc. I am prepared a green chartreuse smash and my wife is prepared a maraschino liqueur variation on a martini. Yes, the cocktail glasses are chilled with liquid nitrogen. The bar is a cool spot and the bartenders are skilled -- I wish the bar was open for cocktail service and not tied to dinner service only. The glassware is all different too -- it is sourced from different antique shops around the Northeast. I notice a bottle of William Larue Weller and ask about a spirit/whiskey list. Zac tells me that they haven't drafted one yet, but talks a bit about the spirits they have. The WLW in question is an '07 and is seemingly one of the easier bottles to get in their collection. Zac's Twitter highlights some of them. One cool bottle is the Colonel E. H. Taylor "Tornado Surviving" Bourbon - a bourbon that was in barrels when a tornado destroyed the rickhouse surrounding them, leaving the intact barrels to be exposed to the elements outside as the buildin was repaired. Our first course was served in the bar - a pastry filled with La Tur goat cheese and hazelnut oil with Jamaican jerk-dusted duck prosciutto. This was spectacular. It was a cool take on a charcuterie plate and the flavors worked together really well rather than clashing, not easy with strong flavors like goat cheese and Jamaican jerk. We finish our bites and cocktails and are brought downstairs to the kitchen for our second choice. The chef at the "canape station" explains that The Shaw Bijou is designed to feel like you're at a dinner party in Chef Kwame's home -- from the bar, to the kitchen, to the dining room -- and that the dishes are inspired by different times in Chef Kwame's life. The bite in the kitchen was "chicken and lamb over rice", an homage to the halal carts of NYC, and was lamb sweetbreads, golden rice crisp, and emulsion of smoked sesame seeds. As a frequent halal cart veteran, the reference was clear and appreciated....and delicious. Afterwards, we were walked through the (surprisingly small) kitchen and saw the spice wall, which despite the hype and endless photos, is bigger in person than you expect. We chat a bit with Chef Kwame and Greg Vakiner and some of the other kitchen staff (many EMP veterans) before being led to the dining room. We're offered still or sparkling (complimentary) water and brought a wine menu -- The Shaw Bijou offers a wine pairing ($185), a beverage pairing incorporating "off the beaten path" wines, beer, and cider ($85? $95?), or ordering off the menu -- half bottles, full bottles, and glasses are available off of a fairly small (two page) wine menu. Our server also said we're welcome to continue with cocktails from the bar. In part due to Sietsema's lauding of the wine pairing, we elect to splurge on pairings, though we normally choose a bottle or two. Wine is served in impossibly delicate Zalto crystal glasses that make me concerned I'm going to break them. The flatware, like the glassware at the bar, is sourced from antique stores and each piece is different. Our first course in the dining room is "black clams" with chilis, lime, and caviar. It's delicious (how can caviar not be), although my wife mused that she would expect each of us to receive one rather than this being a course for two. Next up - beet cured hamachi with avocado puree. It's simple and elegant at the same time -- you can tell that the seafood is amazingly fresh by this point. Continuing with the seafood, the decadent "garlic butter crab" is served -- it's king crab poached in garlic butter with uni bottarga on top. This is a highlight. Another highlight is the squash veloute with parmesan foam -- it takes a lot to make a soup of any sort really good to me, and this did it. Next comes bread and butter -- it's some sort of flaky buttery bread that almost reminds me of paratha and carrot butter -- along with the seared foie gras course, served with shrimp and pork marmalade (which I failed to get a picture of). Contrary to Sietsema's review, I didn't find this overly salty or anywhere close to it. This was my wife's favorite course. It was pretty spectacular -- topping foie gras with meat seems risky but it wasn't too much. Around this point I am compelled to mention a constant theme since the beginning of our dining room experience. There's a table that has been pretty loud (though complimentary) that has a (seemingly drunk) patron that began loudly trashing the restaurant, the service, and the food. The person was taking live videos of her doing a speaking review, complete with yelling stuff like "NOT IMPRESSED with this AT ALL" as she was being served courses and name dropping all of the other restaurants that she preferred. Given that they were talking about how good the food was before that, it seemed like she was clearly trying to get a free dinner. Multiple tables were clearly upset and disrupted by her behavior -- I locked eyes with more than one other patron who was clearly offended/disgusted/amused. The staff at The Shaw Bijou handled this with the patience of saints and excellent customer service. I wasn't privy to everything that happened, but they were offered additional off-menu courses (which she loudly said was "the right decision" when a staff member was in earshot). They left mid-dinner, it didn't appear they paid for their wine pairings, and profusely thanked the staff and said they'd like to be back. It was the worst and most disruptive behavior I've seen outside of a fast food restaurant and it was handled in a far nicer manner than I would have handled it. In a newly-serene dining room that I could hear the music for the first time, we are served the sunchokes with tamarind. This is followed by the "steak and eggs" -- house dry aged Wagyu beef, onion subise, and pickled quail egg yolk. We're told about the in-house dry aging and the different kinds of beef that were experimented with. This was my favorite course. The beef was simply sublime and was only complimented by the "egg" part of the dish. I would kill for a full-sized entree size of this. The last real savory course is "mojo", inspired by the red beans and rice place Chef Kwame ate at in the Bronx, and is squab with crispy skin, habanero puree, and red bean puree. I'm a big fan of this -- I like squab generally and love when a "fine dining" type place can incorporate ingredients like habanero and red beans without a failed fusion-y overpowering effect. We're served a palate cleanser of a little cornet pastry with sudachi and elderflower sorbet. The first dessert course is "beets and cream", inspired by red velvet cake that Chef Kwame used to eat as a kid (which was originally made in part with beets). I love this -- I love red velvet cake and the inspiration shines through. I was skeptical of the beets, but color me converted. I am not a super sweet-loving person (and even less so a big chocolate bomb), so this was great for me. My wife would have preferred a sweeter dish. The next dessert is "floating icebergs", a twist on the classic French dessert. I disagree with Sietsema that the meringue was too sweet, finding it to work really well in this dish, but am just as puzzled as he is by the celery twists floating in the bowl. It seems like an attempt to incorporate something weird in a dessert that doesn't really have a reason. We're brought a tray of mignardises -- squash doughnuts, "butterfinger", "Twix." The squash doughnuts are great and were clearly just made as they are still warm. The Butterfinger and Twix bites are good, but not remarkable. We're given a bag with a small jar of sunchoke jam, a chocolate bar, and an engraved spoon as well as the menu. We head back up to the bar for a last cocktail, which was as fantastic as the first. The wine pairings were very generous -- the sommelier informed us how long each glass was to last/for how many courses, and if we were low before we should have been, we were frequently topped up, which was a very nice gesture and very appreciated (I like when the perks of a restaurant you read about from Sietsema happen to "normal' people too)! We were a bit surprised there was no dessert wine offered -- our pairing concluded with the Barolo. I had asked the sommelier to email me the wines we had during our pairing. I was really surprised to see a dessert wine on the list -- somehow our final (1 of 7) glass of wine was omitted. A bit disappointing as we both love dessert wine and the pairing was already pretty pricy, let alone with nearly 15% of it missing. Sietsema's comment that they could go for pizza afterwards seems weird. It was more food than Minibar. My wife left full, and I left definitively not hungry. It isn't the stomach-busting experience that a classic French tasting menu (I'm looking at you Jean-Georges) can leave you with. Wow. So that was a really long and a bit rambling review. Way longer than I meant it to be. Sorry! Anyway...the question lingers in every review - would you go back, and is it worth it? The price is going to be that sword of Damocles hanging over The Shaw Bijou's head -- it's priced with NYC giants like Eleven Madison Park and Momofuku Ko, and exceeds critical darlings Pineapple and Pearls and Metier, leaving only Jose Andres's Minibar ahead of it. The answers are yes....and I'm not sure. Everything was good at minimum, with some room for improvement, and several were standouts. But at this price, everything should be a standout. The mess-up with the wine pairing is particularly hard to take (and reinforces my bias against wine pairings). As everyone here knows, I have an emotional connection to this place and want nothing more than for it to succeed, especially in the face of the backlash and hate it's getting. But it's not the unqualified perfection I wanted it (and it probably needs) to be. I'll consider going back -- but not before I have the chance to experience Pineapple and Pearls, Masseria, and Metier, at the very least. Wine Pairing: 2013 Albert Boxler, Pinot Blanc, Reserve 2011 Neumayer, Grillenbuhel, Riesling (this was supposed to be a Champagne, but we don't particularly care for champagne and love riesling, so the sommelier offered a substitute) 2012 Fritz Haag, Brauenberger Juffer Sonnenuhr, Spatlese 2006 Domaine Faiveley, Mercurey,Clos du Roy 2012 Moric, Reserve 2010 Giovanni Manzone, Gramolere, Barolo
    35 points
  3. Don, Thanks for your great website. While I'm a relative newcomer, I have found to it to be an incredibly useful resource. Your writing skills are spectacular, as are those of quite a few of your readers. There is no doubt your website flies under the radar, and that you are under-appreciated. I've learned a great deal about restaurants, cooking, and even shopping. To top it off, it is apparent you make it personal, and that's something that resonates with me. Thank you.
    28 points
  4. At the end of a French holiday I scouted some Gallic birds at some French markets, seeing about a dozen breeds as well as guinea hens, ducks, turkeys, squab, geese and live quail at a market in the Southwest Bèarn region. The quality, variety and availability are stunning and being able to buy in the marketplace whatever premium ingredients are being served at a restaurant is remarkable. While much of the posh poultry takes showcase real estate during the weeks leading up to New Year's Eve, it is still available all year round and revered birds have not sunk to any pedestrian levels on home or restaurant menus. They fetch high prices that are commiserate with the cost of raising them (slower and longer growth rate), more pampered slaughtering, (elite Bresse birds being plucked by hand on account of the thin skin) and smaller production on pasture. The best of the lot are sewn up in cloth bags (au torchon) to hold an elongated shape. Fancy schmancy chickens aren't going to bring world peace or resurrect Elvis, but we spend lots of money to battle the consequences of raising shitty ones (shitty water, shitty land, dead fish) and it is still the cheapest commodity animal that we have. And we each eat about 100lbs of it per year. More than anyone else, but they are catching up down under. In it's raw state as a whole bird, more than likely. You can kick the tires and tell from the feet if it has bumblefoot (associated with confined animals), breast blisters (Cornish cross birds have trouble lifting their bodies), leg to breast ratio which varies from breed to breed, check the teeth, see if the beak has been cut, whether it was scalded or plucked, air-chilled, if there were too many birds in the tumbler and they broke wings or legs after they were bled, how they took the crop out, the color and size of the legs compared to the breasts, the thickness of the skin and if it was slaughtered with care. Basically you can tell if it lived a life worth living. However, the quality of slaughtering is crucial since a creature can be impeccable the moment it leaves the farm but then gets carelessly hacked at. I am not confident that many people, sadists or otherwise, aspire to work in slaughterhouses and it is part of the trade that demands a deft, if not unflappable hand. Tendonitis no more, though the bird in the foreground has something ticklish on it's foot which doesn't seem normal The less processed the better (about 70% meat yield from a whole bird); feet allow for pulling tendons from the drumsticks so they don't shrink back and gelatin for stock with the neck & back; wings, giblets and so on what with some resourcefulness and know how -plenty of which is abundant or ex-tractable on this forum, books or the intertubes. Yellow chicken from Gátinais (Gers, north of Paris). 3-4lb, $4.35/lb. Marché Popincourt, Paris 11th. All cooked in the same manner, probably, though texture has much to do with affecting what we perceive and lump together as "taste". All this chicken chat ruffled by feathers and I would have been remiss if I left a France trip without tasting any. On my last night last week I had a Poularde de Gátinais, an old French yellow-skinned breed which, like most birds on the market, benefits from an IGP designation (Protected Geographic Indication) at La Cave de L'Insolite, which at 21€ it was the priciest of a limited post-Christmas menu, but modestly priced at the market. I enjoyed a deboned leg that was seared only on the skin and basted with some duck fat. It was cooked to the cusp of medium well and while one could be excused for calling the American embassy in a panic and Yelping about it, I was indifferent, because it wasn't an industrial bird and over there the onus on food safety is not on the consumer (Frontline has a documentary about the health liabilities of factory chickens that is sure to get stuck in your craw). It was ever so slightly crimson, the way leg meat should be, exceedingly tender but firm, savory, juicy and reminiscent of guinea hen. They had taken out that unpleasant bit of fat in the thigh and knee cartilage thing and cooked it to order. Cornish Cross legs in comparison are the same color as the breast and taste like bland wet packaging material. Blue-footed Orléanais (Loire valley).3-4lb, $20 each. Marché d'Aligre, Paris 12th. If you know what to look and taste for, hopefully. If it is something entirely new there might not be a benchmark to relate it to. I'm not sure when in time chicken became neutered of all descriptors relating to breed (exceptions for eggs) or style other than the manner in was raised, by whom or how the thing got cooked. While beef has it's Angus, Hereford, Scottish Highland, Charolais and other pedigrees and the pigs carry fashionable names but they are more novelty than anything since most heritage breeds have died off for very practical reasons (lard breeds like Old Spot Gloucestershire have no real use in the age of refrigeration, non-stick pans and readily available cheap(er) calories). But the hapless chicken is *just* a cheap vehicle for meat. Chicken from Landes (Gascony, southwest France). 3-4lb, $46 each and blue-footed Bresse Marché Popincourt, Paris 11th. Depends on how much you value or pay attention to food that goes into & out your food holes. And the consequences of eating food which extend far beyond the immediate "taste" but short of blood diamonds. Maybe in the realm of that seafood decoder ring thing with varying colors of shame based on creatures in short supply you were planning on having over for dinner and their habitat you just wrecked. Bravo. Bresse chicken "en torchon". (Burgundy) $13/lb Marché Popincourt, Paris 11th. Eating is more than fattening up on calories out of necessity (or boredom), sustenance and "tasting good", Different foods have pros/cons like virtually everything purchased be they robot vacuum cleaners, cars or electronics which will be obsolete in a year. But food has more of an impact on one's well-being and while I've gladly sacrificed some days for the next by not wearing a helmet the instant I step out of the house, getting starched on too much of brown liquor and the drugs, 2 of those are legitimate non-essential vices stashed in the unfinished catacombs of the food pyramid. Chicken on the other hand serves more of a purpose for keeping your machine ticking"¦ unlessn' your idea of a Thelma & Louise flavored bender is fixin' up with Josiah to get yer chin curtains greased in chicken juice and Cheetos while listening to a clandestine ham radio in the turnip cellar. The food dorks in R&D over at Pepsi Co's snack lab ($38 billion in sales in 2014) have worked tirelessly to engineer items that taste Grrrrrrrreat! first and foremost and the palate might not be able to taste the additives or notice the nutritional handicaps, environmental consequences, animal welfare, human labor toll at slaughterhouses (disturbingly detailed in Fast Food Nation) and distribution/packaging resources used. If you think of food as fuel for your body, why skimp on something that can cause costly and often painful repairs and will only set you back the cost of 2 movie tickets and popcorn. Guinea hen from Challans (western Loire) and Bresse chicken $65 each. Marché d'Aligre. Paris 12th. The overwhelming majority of the broiler chickens you find on the market place are the Cornish cross hybrid broilers. It has been a triumph of genetics for those who like lots of white breast meat, and the scourge of poultry. They are cheap to raise, lean and mostly white meat. Kind of like shitty bread. The birds have been bred to grow very quickly and faster than their bodies can adapt to the weight. Almost 70% have crippling leg problems and videos used to rate gait abnormalities aren't pleasant to watch, even if it is just a chicken They are lazy, don't scratch or forage for bugs on pasture, suffer from internal and skeletal issues and pretty much just sit there. There is probably a proverb that correlates the physiology of consumers and such birds via consumption. Broiler chickens are often billed as "no added hormones", which is true, like that trendy gluten-free grapefruit juice, but growth hormones have been banned in poultry production for over 50 years now, and the slick eager beavers over in marketing just want to remind consumers of how honest the caring the factory farm is. Those chickens are given an equally trendy "vegetarian feed", even though chickens are most certainly omnivores and those at the bottom of the pecking order get cannibalized dead or alive. "Hormone free" labeling has been ruled as gibberish by the USDA since all living creatures and even chickens have hormones. It's what gets them laid. Foie gras and capons from Gers, $72 each. Marché st. Quentin. Paris 10th. Other older heirloom breeds have their merits, depending on whether they are being raised for meat or eggs, different feed conversions, ease of raising, temperature resistance, growth rate and such. Some USDA inspectors have adverse reactions to seeing birds with feathers leaving a slaughterhouse, but like closer inspection of a wine cork, the feathers also prove breed bonafides and the care taken in plucking them, so some finer producers leave conclusive feathers around the neck and tail. Capon from Bresse. 2015 Agricultural award winner. Marché st. Quentin. Paris 10th. $30/lb Perhaps, but this is about an occasional chicken, not yachts, and we aren't living in post war Stalingrad. I don't think hobos are lining up at Kinship either. This is the 3rd wealthiest region of the richest country on the planet, by a large margin. And somehow as a nation we spend only 6% of our annual income on food, which is less than half that of Western Europe and other contemporaries and a pittance compared to the rest of the world. And what do we have to show for it other than a population with 30% obesity, 600,000 deaths from heart disease (almost 50% in the African American community) and 10% type 2 diabetes? Of course lifestyle affects health just as much as food, but if the food is intentionally and willfully deficient, then that is a problem that surely affects our prosperity and efficiency as a country, not to mention the other kind of heartache. Browder's certified organic Poulet Rouge (French heritage breed). Equally sized legs and breasts. Mattituck, NY. $8/lb. Top shelf quality and flavor. 125 are slaughtered a week on the farm. Tom Colicchio is a reliable customer and neighbor. US has managed to devalue and industrialize the majority of its top 3 meat productions. More than 90% of pork is raised indoors, mostly on concrete and while administering growth hormones to pigs (and poultry) has been outlawed in the US for quite some time now, the questionable ractopamine is perfectly legal here, but has not been approved in the EU or China. 75% of all US beef is feedlot raised on concrete and growth hormones are legal, but reassuringly labeled as "all natural" or some other stretched out bullshit, as if CAFOs and the highly industrialized feed is natural. Potato Baron Simplot's Grandview feedlot in Idaho is the largest in the US with 150,000 head of cattle squeezed into 750 acres, or 200 animals per acre, each with 218 sq/ft of dirt to call home. By law, Bresse chickens -which are much smaller than cattle- must have at least 102 sq/ft per bird. 8 Hands Farm organic Poulet Noir (black footed French Challons breed). Cutchogue, NY. $7.50/lb. Very large and long legs for those who want legs that go up all the way, and small breasts. Top Chef Tom buys with approval as well, and their lamb. Virtually all meat chickens in the US are raised in confinement. Consumer Reports found that "an analysis of fresh, whole broilers bought at stores nationwide, two-thirds harbored salmonella and/or campylobacter, the leading bacterial causes of foodborne disease. That's a modest improvement since January 2007, when we found that eight of 10 broilers harbored those pathogens". As for what's out there in stores and restaurants: the liberating, wholesome and groovy sounding Freebird are allegedly "guilt-free" which is terrific, and "free to wander in barns on family farms" just like one is free to roam around at a packed Skynyrd cover band show at the 9:30 club. Tyson, Cargill, Koch Foods and Purdue are also family owned. 3lb birds cost $1.29lb wholesale. That means that after hatching, feeding, slaughtering, processing, packaging and shipping to a wholesale purveyor, $1.29 is enough for everyone to get paid and makes a profit. That's cheap, and they sell to almost every Whole Foods in the Mid-Atlantic, which is a lot of birds and/or family farms. There is no indication of what breed they raise, but they look very much like Cornish Cross. Senat Poultry sells Penobscott/Cobb breed birds ($1.89/lb wholesale, 3.5lb average bird) that have a better leg to meat ratio, thicker skin, darker leg meat and are Halal slaughtered which allows them to keep their necks & feet. They are "fed a strict vegetarian diet", like orphans, and are probably scolded too. Bobo chickens are definitely Cornish Cross and at times are massive, but with the $2.29/lb pricetag you get a whole bird that has only been eviscerated, liver and gizzards included, just like batteries. It is a wonder the birds can walk. I tried to yank tendons from one that looked like it had clubbed feet and all the meat came out. The birds are slaughtered Confucius style which means that are kept intact with the head & feet which requires a religious exemption for the slaughterhouse. The first 2 claim their growers don't use antibiotics, but when raising that many, their claim is suspect. Much better is Ayrshire Farms (800 acres) in Upperville has American Bronze, Dominique, Red Caps and a few other breeds which retail for $6-$8/lb for 3-4lb birds. Excellent Scottish Highland grass-fed beef as well. Like many renaissance farmers, Sandy Lerner built a nest egg (co-counder of Cisco Systems) and raises better animals with integrity for the pleasure more than the profit, because she can All budgets, minds and tastes should be able to enjoy chicken and I am not advocating draconian chicken mandates, but perhaps there should be more and better choices and the nutritional standards raised for the good of the flock rather than filling the pockets of fat cats who benefit from a population that has little other option to wean itself from the cheap chicken. If Mr. Ziebold and others take pride in doing the calculus and serving what they deem to be a products that meet a tolerable balance of taste and consequences, and there is a demand for it, good for them. No one is under any obligation to split a whole roasted chicken at a finer restaurant between 2 people for a benign dinner no more than they need a Bugatti to get there, but it is nice to spoil oneself and after flying 1st class, coach might as well be a chicken barn.
    25 points
  5. I admit we had the inside track from the get-go. But there was always something more. Stephanie and I met Eric at a boozy Thanksgiving dinner hosted by Jarad Slipp and his charming and exceptionally tolerant wife Anna "“ a dinner highlighted (for me, if not for the impressionable teenagers I had in tow) by a loud and often obscene discussion of the personal and professional proclivities of a number of industry leaders "“ a discussion led by a certain food website host and joined by a couple of industry vets and regular high-end diners. Eric largely abstained from this free and frank exchange of views, but was charming and polite "“ no hint of the hot-shot chef showed through. We had coincidentally made a reservation to celebrate Stephanie's birthday at CityZen two days later and we always appreciated the chance to meet and suck up to someone whose restaurant we had on the agenda. But Stephanie's major takeaway seemed to be: "that Eric Ziebold, he's such a cutie-pie." The subsequent meal ("Spain gave us Dali, Surrealism and Jose Andres, who took clam chowder apart and spun cotton candy around foie gras. France gave us Monet, Impressionism and Michelle Richard, who puts tradition in the sous-vide and brings it back with brighter colors and softer edges"¦. And Iowa gave us Grant Wood, Prairie Style and Eric Ziebold, who serves pizza and boiled beef on his $120 tasting menu") goddam near killed us with the extra stuff Eric sent out but we were awed and charmed by the chef and the food "“ maybe more charmed than awed, much to Eric's credit -- and CityZen became the go-to for major life events for many years. It wasn't just the food, though the food always impressed and occasionally astounded -- even the lowly bar menu. Especially when she was working at home, I was working in jeans, the kids were still around, and money was tighter, we enjoyed the fuss and circumstance "“ the last minute pressing of critical garments for the Big Night Out, fighting for mirror space, bumping into each other as I tried to hop into my trousers and she wrestled with her hose"¦. It seemed that all the frantic preparations followed by the anxious dash for the cab actually heightened the endorphin-stroking elegant calm we encountered as crossed the threshold (late) handing off coats, bags, cares en route to a chilled martini or crisp Champagne. There were celebrity sightings, too: Thomas Keller at the next table (and Don Rockwell at the bar); sitting with HillValley when Harvey Keitel and family picked up something for their room and his buddy Bobby D. looking in to see when he'd be back upstairs; a certain famous ice cream socialist (and friend of a friend) who arrive stoned and tieless and flirted shamelessly with Stephanie all night, which she hated not at all. And always the food "“ dishes you never forget, especially the odd ones: the chili consumee or the truffle pizza or those weird, deli-inspired treats that kept showing up on the bar menu, pickled lamb flank or some such thing. Of course, we got schmoozed. We knew Eric, kind of. And when Jarad came on as Majordomo, it wasn't just the Rolling Stones bringing in Mick Taylor for the best albums ever by the best rock and roll band ever, was CityZen bringing on a guy who'd had had dinner at my house and had fed me at his. And I'll take that. A couple of middle class kids who loved dining walking into the best restaurant in town and being coddled by people who enjoyed seeing you "“ it felt like million bucks. And sometimes if there wasn't a place at the bar they'd stick the flowers somewhere else and make room. And we got the Parker House Rolls even if we sat in the cheap seats. It felt like a million bucks, and it didn't cost nearly that much. We mostly ate at the bar "“ though our bar tabs were pretty impressive. And I could never understand why Andy so damn nice to us. We spent a tiny fraction of what we could have spent on that carefully-curated wine card. And then, every time, I'd get too drunk to remember what the hell he was pouring anyway. His genius was lost on (or washed out of) me. And yet bottles and glasses were always appearing at the table and occasionally disappearing from the check. I can still see Andy coming through the crowd with a broad grin and a bottle of red held high, like a shark fin cutting through the waters off Martha's Vineyard and announcing "it's been a long night, your palates are tired so you need this Pinot. It's utterly lacking in subtlety and completely delicious." He could have poured us anything "“ it almost didn't seem like dinner if we weren't drinking something that was introduced with "you've probably never heard of this before, but"¦." CityZen was allegedly a formal dining room but Eric's food was never effete, our servers "“ though sometimes mystified "“ never distant and Andy and Jared brought a barely concealed and slightly deranged glee to the whole show. It wasn't just good, it was fuckin' rock and roll and we liked it. And I guess they liked us. Three days after Stephanie's funeral, just before dawn, I was alone in my house when someone woke me up by shoving a pistol in my face and yelling "where's the fucking money?" I poured Stephanie's jewelry into a pillow case and poured myself a pre-dawn vodka and thanked the Lord (with whom I don't much chat) that the kids weren't home and that they weren't orphans and reflected on a pretty tough week. By sunset I was surprisingly sober and feeling pretty kicked around and my son had come into town and we needed to go to ground "“ I needed a drink and a decent meal and somewhere very, very civilized where I could hide from life for a couple of calming hours. I called Jared and promised a great story if he'd break the rules and hold the last two seats that I knew were open at the bar "“ shamelessly playing both the regular cards and the death card in the same sentence "“ and he said he would. Dylan and I sat down and Jarad dropped both the dining room and the bar menu in front of us and said not to worry about anything. Andy dropped by to let us know that we were in her hands. And, of course, Eric came by when he had a chance. For a little while we ate and drank well, and talked about every damn thing in the world except what we didn't want to talk about any more --with friends. We left the restaurant that nigh warmed and nourished and grateful. I was back again the other night -- back to good friends, with good friends. The dinner was delicious "“ as a friend says, playing chords rather than notes on the palate. I was pleased and surprised to see Sharon back for the wind-down, she was part of many great meals and used to make Stephanie a little jealous (not that Stephanie didn't have a huge mom crush on EZ). It was great to see Michael, who was our waiter for that first birthday dinner, in charge. Dave (whose first week was, a faulty memory suggests, that tough week that I was talking about) was running the wine cellar and sold us some excellent Riesling and a stellar Spanish whose name I drank too much to remember. Plus í§a change... This new dynamic duo doesn't yet bring a deranged glee to their jobs "“ I told Dave that he could pick up a lot of credibility points if he'd just take a few cheap shots at Andy's wine list, and he wouldn't take the bait. But they have their own style and they'll have their own dining rooms and cellars and clippings soon enough and they'll see me strolling through the door and say, "I thought I ditched that guy." I'm pretty sure Eric doesn't tell me anything he doesn't tell everybody else, but I was reassured to hear that he hopes to keep doing what he does well, and there won't be any gourmet burgers or faux gras in his future. Nothing wrong with Michel Richard's Centrale. It was just never nearly as good as Citronelle. I suppose everybody knew that Eric would move on someday. I'm just glad he's not going to New York. And I guess I've moved on in some ways too. Not everybody loves the pomp and elegant excess of fine dining. Nothing is more tedious than retreating into the good old days, chasing a moment that won't and shouldn't ever be cast in amber. There are new things to discover that you can't find sitting around a table saying "remember when"¦?" But it was a moment. And am glad I was there. . When Stephanie was angry at the kids --who each rotated through a couple of years when their job was to set the places for dinner -- for flinging the silver and the napkins and the glasses into random sullen arrangements, she would scold: "LaLa [grandma] always said that you should set the table with love." Eric's team, the team he created, trained and led, loved what they did. And you felt it whenever you sat down to dine at their table.
    24 points
  6. I should chime in here to provide a little more information about this article. While I do that I might romantise the whole situation because I am very much emotionally connected to Fishnet. I also appreciate the support from you people. you have been great, giving a lot of information, very much needed constructive criticism and your hard earned money. When I opened the doors in Shaw, I had the intention to serve the same high quality fish, mostly as a sandwich, simply prepared with homemade sauces and sides. I started with the same exact menu from Cpark, same prices and same counter service. I did not have much time to train my staff and some mistakes were inevitable. I probably offended some and am very sorry. However, what started as a very promising business, died down in a very fast pace. I'm talking about 130-150 people daily to 30-40 people, in a very short period of time. During that time I also experienced some of the worst comments and behaviors from some people. Sending food back to kitchen became a daily habit. Nobody liked the crab cakes I made(actually they were hated by most). Apparently if a catfish is fried, it had to be in corn meal. Using a tempura batter was a big sin. Many of the fried catfish was also sent back because it was not cooked enough for many. Charging $3 for a homemade coleslaw seemed offensive not to mention the $5 local tomato soup was a bigger offense. To top these, I personally had people came to the kitchen wishing me a 'I hope you fail and close your shop soon'. I still can't believe these but trust me all these happened. These were the offensive ones. I also had many people asking for plated fish items because not everybody wanted to eat bread and not many people wanted to pay more. Looking back in my life, I grew up eating this stuff. Somehow Shaw had a different idea than I did. (Gordon Ramsay would be furious if people told him how to make fish and chips). And when I say Shaw, that is the local people who had been living there for a long time. Many of these people have connected roots in south. That was the time I wasn't able to figure out on my own and started seeking professional help. I doubted my self and the identity of Fishnet. I had many talks with Tom Power and other professionals from the restaurant industry. They were helpful but did not remedy the situation so I emailed Todd Kliman. I did because he has been very supportive of college park Fishnet and gave good reviews. He was quick to respond and we had a phone conversation close to 2 hours. He in fact gave me thoughtful ideas and some other restaurant examples who had faced the very similar challenges. It was about bringing the neighborhood together and relaying the message starting from the kitchen, how I use high quality fish and local produce which at the end effected my prices. I never really advertised my local, sustainable, fresh, sometimes organic, seasonal produce/fish/homemade sauces..etc which highly effected my $12 fish sandwich. At the end of the conversation, Todd asked me to do a follow up with him to see how it effected the business. He was very interested and sincere and curious. I said I would update him. My investor had a different route in mind. She simply thought we needed more exposure and a PR person. She loved the food and the way I operated. When the PR person came on board she tried mostly everything on the menu and convinced us that we needed more exposure(what a shocker, right!). She is well connected and had a team of consultants. The problem was going to be solved with an addition of a bar, switching to table service and education of what we do, how we do the food. Maybe it did help a little but after 6 months of her work, we didn't see much of a business increase. I also started Fishnook in that time which created more confusion of the identity of who we are as Fishnet. So I, once again,very frustrated and stressed , started to look for help which lead me to find the current consulting company. We had few initial meetings and they started their assessment. It was a 30 page report. Which got me into a huge shock. It was clear that I lost the sight of what I wanted to do. Very next week after I had the report, I was in touch with Todd. I felt that he should know. The whole article started that way. I don't believe it was in his agenda to write this article. After reading the story online my emotions hit a new high level. I was a little confused, as well. After digesting for few days, I now think it couldn't have said or written better. Todd nailed how I felt and what I have been through. He was also very gentle so the article would not hurt the business. The story is, as he said, not about the bread and filling. it is what it means to local people in Shaw. So respectfully, I disagree when somebody thinks this story is not related to the neighborhood. Fishnet is in Shaw. I would have very much loved if I was able to connect with locals. I did in college park and the local community has a huge support of the restaurant. It is getting late as I try to type this on an iPad which I find it very difficult and I spent a lot of time thinking and writing. I did not mean to be disrespectful or hurtful to anybody. Personally or business wise. To sum it up, I will have a new operation with a new direction on the identity, in few months. It might be called Fishnet or the grill from somewhere on an unknown island. It may be more fish sandwiches or none on the menu. But it will not be a fine dining priced place. I would love to make it accessible to everybody. It is also very ironic, as I am finishing up, on the radio it is playing ' don't let me be misunderstood by Santa Esmeralda'.
    22 points
  7. As a Hong Kong native, I'm pleased to report that dinner at Tiger Fork was a satisfying taste of home for me. The combination of technique and ingredient quality accounts for much of the positive experience. Cantonese food in East Asia (and, for that matter, in Vancouver, Toronto, SF, and NYC) is represented across the full price spectrum. In the DC area, I feel that most Chinese cooking available to us is clustered around a relatively low price point. The Source comes to mind as an exception, but I've always found their interpretations to be too muted in flavor. In interviews, the team behind Tiger Fork talk about research trips to Hong Kong and the menu reads like a collection of their favorite finds. Nothing wrong with that. There's a focus on dai pai dong (street-side food stalls) classics, with some dim sum and HK BBQ thrown in. They really did their homework; I think the flavors and textures are pretty spot-on. Cheung Fun with Shrimp and Flowering Chives and the "Kowloon Buns" showed expert dough technique: chewy but not tough. The cauliflower part of the Chinese Cauliflower dish was unremarkable, but the star was copious stir fried flowering chives which were crisp and fragrant and just the right amount of oily. The BBQ Plate of pork belly, char siu (why do so many restaurants, including this one, spell it "char sui" on their menus?), and soya chicken showed textbook preparation, but was elevated by use of high quality cuts. Minor nit: the char siu marinade tastes exactly like the jar of Lee Kum Kee I have in my fridge right now. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that they happened to have perfectly reverse-engineered it for their house-made version! We didn't try any of the (heavily hyped) baijiu cocktails, but the Hong Kong Milk Tea was good: properly strong and not too sweet. We wanted to try the Coconut Rice Cakes for dessert, but they were already sold out at 7pm. The HK Style Egg Tart is, according to the Washingtonian piece on the restaurant, out-sourced to Maria's of Rockville. It's not a great egg tart. (Tiger Fork: if you're reading this, please in-house the next version. I suggest studying the Portuguese egg tart from Fat Rice in Chicago.) Front of house was run perfectly--there were no signs that it was opening week. By the time we left, the bar and dining room were packed. This is a great addition to the local scene and I'm looking forward to trying more of the menu (especially the announced dim sum brunch expansion).
    21 points
  8. Okay, time for a new spin on an old favorite. I know this is late for this week, but we will be doing this every week until we change it. The Dr.com tasting menu Discount Edition II. Now, the tasting Menu every Friday and Saturday Night, regularly $55 for the unclean masses, will be $40 for Dr.com types AND we will donate $10 per purchased dinner to the Yellow Ribbon Fund (YRF is also the Charity we and other Bethesda restaurants are supporting During Restaurant Week from July 29th to Aug 4th) http://www.gazette.net/article/20130712/NEWS/130719482/1124/bethesda-chevy-chase-restaurant-week-to-support-yellow-ribbon-fund&template=gazette I will post, at the end of the month, the total that is donated.. So we will see in three weeks how much you all care about our injured soldiers. We will still do the wine pairings for 1/2 price as well. Menu without wine pairings: Amuse Bouche Shrimp Etouffee, Rice Fried Chicken , Waffle, BBQ Sauce Hanger Steak Frites Choice of Dessert
    21 points
  9. [My goals here are straightforward – First, I wanted to put together a primer on Middle Eastern food so that Rockwellians don’t walk into a Middle Eastern restaurant and scratch their head like I do when I walk into a Chinese or Korean or Thai or Martian restaurant. May you all place your orders in a slightly more informed manner from this day forward. Second, I wanted to encourage the rest of our experts to do the same in each of the cuisines they happen to be experts in, so that this site can have a respectable ethnic food guide. Please pile on.] The topic of Middle Eastern food is as broad as the topic of Asian food. There are regions to be discussed, then countries within regions, and then localities within countries, all of which bring differences and nuances to the discussion. To frame it properly, I’m going to focus on the 20 Arab countries across North Africa (the Magreb), the Levant and Mesopotamia, and the Arabian Peninsula or Gulf States. I will also touch on but not dwell on the related cuisines of Iran and Turkey, although each has a sophistication and complexity that requires its own treatment. In passing, I will touch on Kurdestan and Armenia, although they no longer exist as geopolitical entities. I will generally avoid Israeli food except for Palestinian food and the food of Yemeni and Moroccan Jews who came to Israel in the past 70 years or so. But the rest of Israeli food that was imported from Eastern Europe will not be addressed. And up front, if you like pork you won’t be satisfied at most Middle Eastern restaurants. Islamic Halal and Jewish Kosher laws prohibit pork. And if you want alcohol with your meal, you can also avoid Halal restaurants like Mount of Lebanon. However, a very good alcohol enjoyed by the Christians of the Middle East is Arak – Raki in Turkey, Ouzo in Greece. The best Arak available to us is the Lebanese Al-Massaya, an almost artisanal version available on the Web (and in my liquor cabinet). Next, consider the geography and history of the region. It sits at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe, and therefore has sent traders and conquering armies to all of those regions, and in return received traders and conquering armies from all of those regions. As a result, refined cuisine like Lebanese reflects the influences of Byzantine raiders, Crusaders, Ottomans and French. Similarly, the Turkish meat sandwich Doner is as prevalent in Germany as Bratwurst, and Couscous with a spicy sausage called Merguez was recently voted one of the most popular foods in France. Any discussion has to begin with bread, the staple of the Middle East. The Arabs claim that they cannot taste other foods without bread and the bread types they have to choose from are numerous and varied. Arab bread comes in many textures, sizes, and shapes. Without question, the mother of all these Middle Eastern breads is pita — by far, the most popularly found in the Middle East. Called Khubz Arabee among the Arabs in that part of the world and once called flatbread or Syrian bread in the United States — until Syria became a country of dubious political behavior — it is now widely known as Pita Bread — a Greek name. Pita bread, like all types of Middle Eastern breads, is usually soft and pliable — perfect for the Arab way of eating. One of the greatest advantages of this type of bread is picking up meat, vegetables, and salads and as a scoop for sauces, dips, yogurt, and just about anything else. When the loaf is cut into two, the top and bottom of the loaf separate easily and the halves form pockets that can be filled with hot falafel, shawarma (barbecued meats), kafta (the Arab version of hamburgers), kebabs and/or salads to make delicious sandwiches. There are other Middle Eastern breads as well – Yemeni bread, Bedouin bread (Chubab), Injera (more around the Horn of Africa) and Lavash. The point is that you’ll have bread with every meal you order in a Middle Eastern restaurant and it will probably be fresh, warm and good. For some regional distinction, consider that the northern African countries use Couscous, which is actually a pasta, as the most common carb. In the Levant – Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and what would be Armenia and part of Iraq – the common carb is cracked wheat, or Bulgur. In the Arabian peninsula and around the Gulf, rice is the carb of choice. Of course, that rule is general and you’ll find plenty of rice dishes in the Levant and plenty of Bulgur dishes in Egypt and Tunisia. However, the spices will be different depending on the region. Which brings me to a dish like Mujaddarah (Arabic for “smallpox” because it looks like the effects of smallpox). It is the rice and legume dish of the Levant, with plenty of fried onions on top. In Syria and Lebanon, brown lentils with rice is the base of the dish. In Jordan and Palestine, red lentils with Bulgur define the dish. And the version you’ll find in Egypt is Koshary, the national dish. Mujaddarah and Koshary, in all of their variations, also reveal another feature of Middle Eastern cuisine – you can eat quite well on the Vegan side of the menu. Speaking of national dishes, they are widely varied, and often differ within localities in the same country. My grandparents were Syrian immigrants, and my moniker reflects the national dish of Syria and Lebanon, Kibbeh. Kibbeh Nayeh (colloquially pronounced Kibbee Nayee in northern Syria) is the raw and most delicious version, my death row meal. Our best on-the-menu versions around the DC area are at Mount of Lebanon and Me Jana. The best order-ahead version is available from Mediterranean Gourmet Market, although Layalina has been known to prepare a very good version as well. [My son gave me a Christmas present of 2 lbs. of Kibbeh Nayeh from Mediterranean Gourmet Market, and it was gone in about an hour!] Mansaf is the national dish of Jordan, made of lamb cooked in fermented and dried yogurt, served over flatbread, and topped with rice and pine nuts. A variation is Mansaf made with fish in the southern part of Jordan around Aqaba. The national dish of Saudi Arabia is Kabsa, which is a hodge-podge of rice, beef, chicken, vegetables, raisins and nuts – the Saudis eat more chicken per capita than just about any place in the world. Maqluba is the national dish of Palestine, an upside down rice and eggplant casserole with lamb and lots of yogurt. Machboos is the national dish of Kuwait, which is nicely flavored mutton, chicken, and/or fish (variations depend on whether you live near the gulf or inland towards the desert), over rice. The Egyptian national dish is Koshary, a hearty carb-loaded dish of chick peas, lentils, rice, macaroni, tomato sauce and fried onion, followed closely by Ful Madames, which is fava beans in olive oil with parsley, garlic, onions and lemon juice. Cairo Café in Lincolnia provides some of the better Egyptian dishes in our area. Iraq’s national dish is Maskuf, which is an impaled trout dish. Across northern Africa, the national dish is each country’s version of Couscous, although Tagine and Pidgeon Pastilla share the honor in Morocco. Tagine is named for the conical clay braising pot that produces tender, juicy stews. The Moroccan version of Coucous is “Fez style” with seven vegetables plus lamb shanks. Tunisian Couscous is considered the best, cooked in a couscoussiere and consisting of a mound of Couscous covered in steamed onions, garlic, potatoes, tomatoes, chickpeas, chili pepper, harissa, celery, cinnamon, black peppercorn, carrots, turnips and squash, then topped with meat such as mutton or chicken. But in the areas close to the Mediterranean, bass or red snapper is used. And if you’re thinking about having 100 Bedouins over for dinner, the Arab version of turducken is a whole camel stuffed with four lambs and 20 chickens! I’m not making that up! Now I’ll focus in on the Middle Eastern foods and restaurants in our area and what to order when you step into one. The sequence generally flows from Mezze to Mains to Sweets, with detours to sandwiches and pizzas or tarts along the way. Mezze – You can either fill your table up with an assortment of these small plates – consider them the Tapas of the Middle East – or you can order a few as appetizers before the rest of the meal. Remember, it all starts with Pita Bread, sometimes with olive oil and za’atar as a dipping sauce. The vegan side of the menu is an incredible combination of flavor, satisfaction and good health. Try Tabouleh (parsley salad), Hummus (chick pea and tahini dip), Baba Ghanouj (eggplant and tahini dip), stuffed grape leaves (the vegan version has rice and pine nuts or chick peas in them, and the meat version has a nicely flavored rice and meat stuffing), Labneh (strained yogurt with olive oil and garlic), Lubieh (green beans) bil Zeit and Bamieh (okra) bil Zeit (either one, stewed in garlic and tomatoes), Ful Madames (fava beans) and Fattoush (salad served over toasted Pita Bread). The meat dishes include some amazing flavors and textures. Try Hummus topped with Shawarma and Pine Nuts, Soujouk (spicy sausage), Ma’anek (mild beef and lamb sausage), Kibbeh (shaped like footballs, stuffed with meat and nuts and then fried, or if you’re lucky, raw Kibbeh Nayeh), and Warak Enab (grape leaves stuffed with rice and meat). Also, most places offer combination Mezze Platters, which are usually good deals. Don’t forget accompaniments like olives and pickled turnips, which are standard. The Lebanese serve a whipped paste of garlic with dishes like Kibbeh Nayeh. These are the highlights – pay attention to any daily specials, because they are likely to be good. And at places with their own butcher connections like Mount of Lebanon, try the Lamb Brains or the Lamb Testicles. Trust me. Mains – Here is where the dilemma lies. I can easily order Mezze and be satisfied at just about any Middle Eastern restaurant. Alternatively, I can go with a sandwich or a few meat pies. But the main courses in Middle Eastern restaurants are rib-sticking comfort food with incredible flavors. You can start with Shish (“skewer” in Turkish) Kebab (“meat” in Turkish), flavorful grilled meats – lamb, beef, chicken, or mixed – over rice pilaf. You can argue all day long over whose Kebabs are best between the Arabs, Turks, Persians, Afghanis and Pakistanis, but they’re all good. Kafta is the ground meat version, formed over the skewers and grilled the same way, considered the hamburger of the Middle East. Lamb is probably the most common meat in the Middle East, so ordering it in any of a variety of ways – Lamb Shish Kebab, Lamb Chops, Lamb Shanks (braised), Lamb Shawarma (see sandwiches, below), Lamb Ouzi (rice and lamb platter), Lamb Stew, Lamb Feteh (lamb with yogurt sauce), and on and on. Also, the Arabs are damned good at stuffing things (“mahshi” in Arabic and “dolmas” in Turkish), so when you see stuffed grape leaves, stuffed squash or stuffed cabbage/eggplant/peppers/onions, just order it and you will also be stuffed! Stuffed Cabbage, or Malfouf Mahshi, was my father’s favorite. The closest I’ve found to it in this area was at Kazan, the Turkish restaurant in McLean. Sandwiches, Pies and Pizzas – Think about it, if Pita Bread is the staple of the Middle East, and if they’ve been making it for many millennia, you would think they have developed a few tricks to turn it into a meal, right? Shawarma is by far the most popular (“Doner” in Turkish), similar to the Greek Gyro (but with different seasonings and bread). It’s strips of lamb, skewered with seasonings and herbs in between layers, and then placed on a skewer to rotate upright against a heat source. The best version I ever had in my life was in East Jerusalem about 20 years ago. And then there’s anything you can stuff into a Pita, including Soujok, Ma’anek, Kafta and Falafel. Yes, Falafel is Arabic street food, and probably originated in Egypt. All of these Pita sandwiches include lots of veggies and usually a tahini or yogurt sauce, and are served wrapped in foil to keep the yummy juices in. As for Pies, meat, spinach, yogurt and cheese, mixed with spices or vegetables, are variously baked inside small open-face pastries or closed dumplings. If you see Sambousik, it’s a fried Lebanese lamb dumpling. The Mediterranean Gourmet Market makes the best and most varied versions, as they do Lebanese Pizza – Lahmeh B’Ajeen (baked with beef, onions, tomatoes and herbs), Manakish bel Za’atar (my favorite pizza on the planet!), Spinach Manakish, Manakish bil Jibneh (various cheeses). Sweets – You probably didn’t know that Syria consumes more sugar per capita then any other country. This part of the meal starts with Turkish coffee – the Ottomans ruled the Middle East for four centuries, until World War I – and almost always includes Baklava. In this case, the Greek version is far inferior, too heavy-laden with honey. The Syrian and Lebanese versions are washed in a simple syrup cut with cinnamon and rose water, and it is the perfect end to the feast. Kataifi is a shredded wheat version of Baklava, and Ma’amoul is a nice shortbread and almond cookie stuffed with dates, pistachios and/or walnuts. And now, Kibbee Nayee’s first-ever ranking of Middle Eastern restaurants in the Washington DC Metropolitan area: Mediterranean Gourmet Market in Franconia – More of a mini grocery with a few tables, but George and Lilian turn out the best Lebanese dishes in the area. This is my go-to Lebanese restaurant. Me Jana – Climbing my list because of consistent quality. The food is good, but they reach for general patronage with Calamari, Chilean Sea Bass, and Crab Cakes, but they deserve special credit for Potato Kibbeh, a Lenten version of Kibbeh. Mount of Lebanon – No alcohol, but the best Kibbee Nayee at the best price in the DC area. Whenever I’m missing, you can probably find me here. Lebanese Taverna – The original on Washington Blvd. in Arlington is still turning out quality food, but the rest of the kitchens are lagging behind. However, I had a few good meals at the Tysons Corner location in the past year. Mediterranean Bakery in Alexandria – A nice but over-priced grocery, with the area’s best Pita breads fresh out of the oven, and the best selection of olives anywhere in the DC area. The food that comes out of the back is good, and the Za’atar Bread is first-class. Jerusalem Restaurant in Falls Church – Frustrating service, but pretty good food with somewhat of an emphasis on Palestine. Layalina – The only place that actually advertises that it serves Syrian food, with the area’s best selection of Hummus (Hummus bil Flay-Flay is a spicy version with Aleppo peppers, and it’s really good) and some of the best lamb shanks in the area. Cairo Café in Lincolnia – One of the only places where you can get real Koshary, so it has to be on the list by default. Shamshiry – I don’t want to ignore the Iranians here. Their food is really good, but just a little bit different than some of the Arabic dishes. Zaytinya – Lower on the list because it lacks some authenticity and throws in Greek and Turkish to make it seem like “Middle Eastern fusion” cuisine, but let’s face it, this is a good restaurant. Mama Ayesha’s – This place has its ups and downs, but it’s been around for a long time and its daily specials are damned good. Cedar Café in Burke – Serviceable neighborhood Middle Eastern lunch counter. Consider this a once-over, to be updated as the mood or new information strikes me. Hopefully, the members of our community who shy away from Middle Eastern food because they don't understand it will now partake with some confidence. May you have your meal with gladness and health! (bil-hanā' wa ash-shifā') بالهناء والشفاء / بالهنا والشفا
    20 points
  10. I've been moiling over the last hand full of post this week for the last couple days trying to organize my thoughts and figure out how to say what I'd like to say, as a lot of what's been said has been on my mind for sometime now, and I think this might be the perfect forum to say it. Instead of pre righting and reading over it several times I'm just going to go for it, so please excuses my terrible spelling and grammar as I'm a cook not a writer"¦. Just prior to opening The Shack I had been working for another company that more or less opened a restaurant for me. As I did not see eye to eye with this group on vision or business I realized that working for someone else wouldn't be in my cards. There was a restaurant down the street from our house in Staunton that I had done a pop up at and it was for rent. My thought was to open a temporary restaurant in that space to have some income to support my family and myself while a wrote a business plan for a larger built to suit restaurant and hopefully entice some investors in the mean time. Yes The Shack was supposed to be a temporary spot for 8 months, hence some of our issues with HV/AC which we didn't have at all, noise, limited work space in the kitchen and limited space for check out etc. Things do change! Our third service open we were excited and honored to have Joshua Ozersky dine with us, and everything changed!!!!! Over the last nine months The Shack has gotten more media attention then I have gotten over the course of my 23 year restaurant career. As you may or may not know this is a blessing and a curse. People speak of hype a hell of a lot when talking about The Shack. The reality is that we did not create the hype, that was created by people whom have enjoyed there time with us and of course the media. That's not to say that I'm not grateful for every thing that's been said. I get a bit emotional about it quite honestly every time a read anything about it. Especially because this place is such a personal restaurant to me and my wife. It's named after the little shack that my wife's grandma Tissy's raised her 5 kids out in Swoope VA about 20 miles from here. Unfortunatly I never got to meet her, but this place is an homage to this woman that meant so much to my wife and her family. Look I tell this to every reporter, food writer, blogger that every speaks with me, the press is great and I feel blessed, but it doesn't mean shit. I still wake up every morning come to work and run a restaurant. If i don't love what i do then non of this means a damn thing. The attention is gravy but it's not what drives me on a daily bases. I didn't open the shack to be on the cover of a magazine or wine awards or get recognized. I did it to do what I love, which is cook food that makes people feel good and hopefully they connect to it. Thats it! Once again I feel very fortunate for all of the attention, but if it all went away I wouldn't be upset as long as I can run my business and support my family doing what I love then every thing is good in my book. Some realities that we are currently dealing with. We have already taken steps to fix our lack of HV/AC, so things will get better. We are hoping to expand our kitchen in the next several months so we may deal with issues as far as timing of courses. We hope to deal with some dinning room noise issues in the near future to help with the sounds as we are only 400 sqft and a brick building that's close to 100 years old. And of course we strive every day to put to the best food we can. Yes as a chef your only as good as your last plate, but everyone has an off day. I hope this helps people understand what and who we are. In the future if there are constructive things to say about what we do please do not hesitate to contact me, as I'm not an ego driven chef and will not disregard criticism. Thanks for reading this. Ian Boden Chef/Owner The Shack
    20 points
  11. I started writing this response 3 different times and then deleting it, but everytime I come back to this thread I get annoyed and start it again. So here I go.......... I don't. What's the point of this thread? Are we playing "I've got a secret"? Is the whole point of it to be able to brag about being first to break the story once there is an actual story? So far here's what we know (excluding the post about Palena which everyone seems to be ignoring): "Something is about to happen somewhere around here to someplace that some of us like. And it's probably not good news since grieving will be involved." I guess my issue/point/complaint is: Either tell us or don't tell us! Don't dance around in tease-ville!! Thank you, I feel better now.
    20 points
  12. Here is the opening menu for Chloe: We had a reservation at Chloe, and were cordially greeted, and given the option of sitting at a table, or the Food Bar - the tables seemed a bit close together, so we opted for the latter, mostly to optimize side-by-side sharing (everything at Chloe is designed to be shared, our server told us). Having just sat down, we were given the option of house-filtered still or sparkling water - we ordered still, and each began with a cocktail not on the menu: My friend ordered a French 75 ($12, with which our friendly server was unfamiliar, but he was fairly certain that the bartender would be familiar with), and I ordered a Gimlet ($14) with a neutral gin (Plymouth?) - I said that to avoid the dreaded Vodka Gimlet. I was then asked if I wanted my Gimlet up, or on the rocks (up!), which was much-appreciated, and when the cocktails arrived, they were very good, if perhaps just a touch towards the sweet side (but not over the edge by any means). The menu, top-to-bottom, features dishes which increase in size as you progress downward. We were very much in a fishy mood, so one thing we definitely wanted was the Crispy Whole Sea Bream, which our neighbors at the bar seemed to be enjoying - alas, we were told that they'd just served the last portion. (Chloe had just opened about one-week before, and on a Tuesday evening, the restaurant was fairly well packed, so I suspect they're selling more product than they had guesstimated - a good thing for them). As good as the Spice-Roasted Chicken sounded - and it sounded wonderful, marinated in Pho-like seasoning - we were "Chickened Out" over the past few days, so decided instead to go with an armada of smaller plates for our meal, and we're glad we did, because every single dish was good, and one in particular was earth-shattering. Cobia Crudo ($14) with avocado, Thai chiles, lime, fish sauce, crispy shallots, and puffed black rice was the first dish to arrive, and it went *perfectly* with my Gimlet (the lime in both the drink and the dish really complemented the other ingredients). Raw cobia is a rubbery fish, not unlike raw octopus, and this dish was textural heaven with the crispy shallots and puffed black rice, but it was also wonderfully acidic in nature with the lime and Thai chilis - everything cut by the avocado and the firm, assertive, spanking-fresh cobia. This was a great dish, perfectly balanced, and the pieces of cobia were ample enough to cut in half (although that isn't necessary) - I got chills thinking about Chef Karoum, and what he had been doing at Asia Nora (which I once had ranked in Bold in the Dining Guide - read the first post in the Asia Nora link: You'll get a kick out of it) - would Haidar Karoum feel liberated enough from Proof to let his wilder side shine through once again? This dish gave me hope (which was to be completely fulfilled a couple of dishes later). Notice also how well and proportioned everything is cut here: In the interim, we'd finished our cocktails, and ordered a bottle of Fleuriet Renaissance Sancerre "La Magie des Caillotes" (a painful $50) which, primarily to its moderate oaking, won't win any awards in my house, but was well-made, correct both for the varietal and region, and ushered us throughout the entire meal (or could have). Thankfully, beverage director Tyler Mitchell seems not to have been indoctrinated by Mark Kuller's proclivity for 16%-alcohol Chardonnays that were beaten with the Oak Stick (Mark and I got along famously, but I could never reconcile our tastes in wine - when Proof opened, I gave him a bottle of 1966 Lafite-Rothschild, and to this day, I'm left wondering if that incredible wine was completely overwhelmed by an Aussie Shiraz - ack). Broiled Local Oysters ($13) with horseradish glaze, rutabaga kraut, brown bread crumble was an interesting dish. It arrived on a large tray, fancifully served on small, white stones, and looking like a bigger dish than it actually was. But as long as you don't mind paying $3.25 per oyster, you'll be well-rewarded with this: Assuming you eat the oyster in a single bite (which you must), you'll be greeted with all four flavors clearly delineated, as well as a downright symphonic combination - this is a fabulous melange of flavors and textures, with the simple brown-bread crumble taking it over the top. Spiced Beef Hummus ($14) with pickled radish, harissa, buttered almonds, and snow-shoe naan was the dish of the night for me. Haidar has some Lebanon in his ethnicity, and this dish is running through his blood - there was something about it that said, "This is my soul." While I've never been to the Middle East and tried the magnificent-looking Hummus at the amazing restaurants there, this set a new standard for me in the DC area. Not only was it the best hummus I've had locally (and I've had dozens), but the beef turned it from a very good dish into an "Oh my God!" dish, and the almonds lent an almost-thrilling texture atop the beef. If you love hummus, and don't mind eating beef, this is one course you absolutely must order at Chloe - and to scoop it up with, the snow-shoe looking naan was hot from the oven. This may not have been the best bread I've had (it was firm on the outside, and very bready on the inside - more so than almost all naans I've had - not that there's anything wrong with that); nevertheless, it was a great vehicle for scooping up the plate of awesome sitting in front of us. Chloe's Hummus is the one dish that has been calling to me, and even as I write this, I would drive down there *right now* for another plate of this magnificent cuisine. Roasted Kabocha Salad ($11) with kabocha squash, green apple, watercress, pepitas, and cider vinaigrette was served alongside the Hummus, but since it was cold, and the beef and the bread in the Hummus course were hot, we saved it for something of a trou Normand, plowing through the Hummus with only an occasional bite of watercress. Although this was the least fascinating dish in a fascinating meal, it served its purpose very well, as it transitioned us into what would be a very rich, flavorful gnocchi. A perfectly dressed watercress-based salad, I would recommend doing a little more with the kabocha, rather than laying it atop the salad - if the kabocha had been served hot and seasoned (maybe even with a small dotting of yogurt), the dish might have been transcendent; as it was, it was merely very good and pleasant, with the apples and pepitas adding slight sweetness and texture, and the cidar vinaigrette adding acidity - I again emphasize this was perfectly dressed. We'd forgotten to take a picture, so instead, when we remembered, we made a smiley face to show our approval. Russet Potato Gnocchi ($16) with smoked king oyster mushrooms, kale, black pepper, and pecorino was to die for, and a deceptively rich, filling dish. I'm well-aware of how good that picture looks, and I promise you this dish was every bit as good as it appears. I consider this to be more of a mushroom dish than a gnocchi dish, due to the attention the smoked king oysters commanded, but the gnocchi - a rather robust gnocchi - wasn't afraid to stand with it, side-by-side. Even the kale, which might sound extraneous, made the dish better (the butter didn't hurt either), and the pecorino as a generous finishing agent was just perfect. If you're a vegetarian who eats dairy, and are looking for a meat substitute, then get a double-order of this, and you'll die happy (perhaps literally). Maine Scallops ($17) with celery root, pomegranate relish, wilted greens, and celery salad was a dish of four *perfectly cooked* scallops resting atop puréed celery root, and was just about a peer to the gnocchi dish. This dish, in addition to the scallops, really played with and showed off the aspects of celery, and the pomegranate relish again added the texture that was a theme throughout this tremendous meal. If you like scallops, you'll *love* this dish - rich, satisfying, but also playful and cognitive (who would think to put pomegranate relish on scallops with celeriac?) - a wonderful finish to a wonderful dinner. Well, not quite ... Meyer Lemon Tart ($10), and these were definitely Meyer Lemons, was topped with a homemade type of blueberry compote, and stars of lightly blowtorched meringue, all in a graham cracker crust. The consensus was that this was a wonderful tart, and could only be approved upon by a thinner graham cracker crust if possible - I even had the thought that it would be in keeping with the evening to serve it in phyllo dough instead of graham cracker crust - this would highlight, rather than compete with, the other ingredients, and allow them to show their formidable flavors. We were stuffed before we ordered this, but it looked *so* good when we saw one come out that we threw caution to the wind, ordered two glasses of Calvados ($12 each), and ordered this very good tart. It's amazing that Chloe had been open for about a week when we dined here - it was bustling with people, and if we hadn't gotten a reservation, we probably wouldn't have gotten a table, and this was on a chilly Tuesday night. You can assume Chloe will be packed in the near future, and count your blessings when you get a reservation here, although I do recommend sitting at the food bar - it was a wonderful place to eat, stay warm, and watch the show, although prices do add up quickly here for two people. That massive Grilled Berkshire Pork Chop is in grave danger the next time I darken this door - or should I get that Chicken? An excellent beginning for the restaurant, and a welcome return for Haidar Karoum - Chloe is comfortably ranked #1 in its neighborhood, and easily meets the criteria for an Italic ranking in the DC Dining Guide.
    17 points
  13. Oh,Godchildren! Don't worry! There are people who are interested in buying and, while there may be change, The DG will live on. I had a GREAT time.It was my savior in many ways but I have much to do that I wasn't able to squeeze in while I was working so many hours.I will have another,smaller business of some kind....or a few businesses.I have ideas, just not enough time. Thanks for you support and kind words. Liz
    17 points
  14. Don't worry about showing support; worry more about getting a seat. I stopped into Comet Ping Pong last night, after two Tweets (made with the blessing of James Alefantis) which, for me, were a bit on the controversial side, thinking I'd be walking into an empty restaurant; I could not have been more wrong. There was a gentleman working the front door who had been hired from a security agency, just to make his presence felt, but there were also some people eating outside on the patio, some others waiting at the door to get inside the full restaurant, and a completely full bar area, with several people (including me) standing against the wall waiting to get a seat - I probably waited at least twenty minutes for a single seat to open up, and another girl would have taken it if I didn't need it (I offered it to her repeatedly, but she said she had another friend coming, and that it was okay - if it wasn't difficult for me to stand right now, I would have never taken her up on it). Comet Ping Pong's bar was as busy at 6:30 PM on this Wednesday night as I've ever seen it during the week (they were, according to James, closed Monday, but apparently things went swimmingly last night). The bar offers 15 interesting beers in bottles and cans, in the $5-7 range with one outlier at $3 (PBR) and another at $8 (Victory Dirtwolf Double IPA), then four British pint drafts at $7, and several wines by the glass and bottle. I also counted 66 bottles of liquor on their two small mixed-drink shelves behind the small bar, but this is, for the most part, a place to have a hipster brew. Comet Ping Pong's menu (that's a 180K .pdf file) is larger than I've ever seen it, I hadn't been in a long, long time, and I went back to an old favorite, the Comet Hot Wings w/ Dipping Sauce ($7). You get a plastic tray, lined with paper, with six, jerk-style wings in a thick, creamy, horseradish-based dipping sauce that's something like a pudding in texture. Even though the sauce provides some nasal-toned heat with the horseradish, its cool creaminess helps to neutralize the jerk-like heat generated by the chicken, which I suspect is due to Scotch Bonnet (Habanero) pepper used as part of the rub. These are really delicious wings, hot but not super-hot, and very different from what they once were under Carole Greenwood (but similar to how I remember them from a few years ago - they've been jerk-style wings for years now). The quality of the chicken itself was better under Greenwood, but this is still a quality product, and one which I would gladly get again, and am happy to recommend to you. I hadn't eaten anything all day, but the wings curbed my hunger. I compromised by ordering a Chopped Salad ($9) with chopped romaine (that's the "chopped" part), chickpeas, radicchio, provolone, Savoy cabbage, no salami (which was optional), and oregano dressing. This was a diptych salad, with half on the left (the provolone, chick peas, et al), and most of the greens on the right - why they do this, I'm not sure, but it worked well enough - it was dressed reasonably well, and was a good combination of flavors. The chopped salad from Comet Ping Pong was better in the past, but there was nothing wrong with this, and I'm glad I got it, without feeling the need to urge others to do the same. As part of the compromise, I ordered two Tomato Pies to go ($8.95 each) with Comet Tomato Sauce and Fresh Mozzarella. Comet used to bottle their own tomato sauce at Toigo Orchards, and they still may be - it was Carole Greenwood who started this (there are pictures of this on her chat), and they still may be using Toigo - I suspect they were using Toigo's surplus of non-perfect-looking tomatoes in order to make this wonderfully fresh sauce. I only ate two pieces while they were hot, and this is very good pizza, without hitting the heights that it hit under Greenwood's baton - my biggest problem is the outer periphery of crust, which is just too big for its own good, and the pizzas themselves seem to have gotten an inch or two smaller in diameter over the years - they're pretty small pies, definitely individual-sized (they've always been individual-sized, but now they're even smaller). I had a really nice dinner at Comet Ping Pong (which included a few of their $5-7 beers - well-stored Great Lakes Beers are *always* welcome in my life). Most importantly, I'm happy to report that Comet Ping Pong was *rocking* last night - it was swamped with loyal customers, showing solidarity against terrorism, and proving that while there may not always be safety in numbers, there *is* confidence in numbers, and this was on full display last night - there wasn't a worry in the house, and I can assure businesses in the area who are worried about this, that you have nothing to worry about (other than competition from Comet Ping Pong). Folks, please don't forget that these other surrounding businesses took a hit as well - please throw your support their way if you're in the area; Comet is doing just fine!
    17 points
  15. After two years moving to the United States, few months removed from my last ESL class I stumbled upon a TV series called “Bill Walton’s Long, Strange Trip”. I was immediately drawn to its title since I felt like I was at the beginning of my own long, strange trip. Also, the word strange was interesting to me since I didn’t use it all that often as I was learning English. Bill Walton once said “Life is about growth. People are not perfect when they’re 21 years old.” I don’t believe people are ever perfect but at least for me, life is certainly about growth. The first part of that quote has been the instinctive guide of my life. So what does this have to do with anything in regards to Sushi Capitol? I like to think it has to do everything with it. A window into the mind reveals goals, desires, intentions, and many more things about the person and consequently the business. Because what makes Sushi Capitol isn’t the fish and the furniture, it’s the people behind it. And people behind Sushi Capitol, under my leadership, in unity, take opinions, comments, and suggestions to heart and evaluate them to determine their validity (or their essence) to further our growth along in our journey. I am writing this because I care. I care for you as my guest, I care for this community as a healthy platform to interact with like-minded people, and I care as an individual trying to grow. The conversation under our thread here is an interesting one. Early on, a dear fellow member claimed Ogawasan didn’t know how to properly make a maki. And recently I notice there is the subject of pre-cut fish. Being bi-lingual, I feel that English is a lot like a blanket. (Or maybe that’s my failure to adequately learn the language.) A word or a term covers a lot of things underneath and it pays no attention to different shades under that blanket. Words like love, pain, and happy cover a lot with no differentiation in between the actuality of the exact emotion. And in the food industry, words (phrases) like fresh, frozen, pre-cut, farm-to-table, and home-made cover a lot of ground. When I read pre-cut fish in the post of our another dear fellow member, I too felt egregiously. Confucius once said “He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.” I did not want to be neither lost nor be in danger thus before confronting my chef in regards to pre-cutting the fish, I reached out to the sushi chefs that I know. Names and locations of these chefs may surprise some, after all how can a Turk in DC can reach out to some of the chefs I was able to reach out, but luckily they liked me enough to answer my call. After 16 conversations, I noticed a similar trend in their answers. They all asked about the conditions surrounding my question. I explained that one chef is in charge of all nigiri and sashimi and with 20 seats and take-away orders, and during our two seatings, he has to prepare aprroximately between 180 to 240 pieces in less than 30 to 40 minutes. Almost all of them followed up by asking how long has the fish been cut prior to service. I didn’t know the answer to that question since I still didn’t confront my chef about his egregious act. Once again, almost all replied that makes a big difference. From what I gather from their response, pre-cut fish at 11 am to be served at 8 pm is bad. Cutting a fish 5 to 10 minutes or even 20 minutes prior to serving is acceptable. I felt comfortable with my overall knowledge on this issue and I move forward to confronting my chef. He politely remained me that he takes pride in his work and wouldn’t put forth an effort that is bad or less than what is expected of him. Also he told me, at really busy times, prior to 10 minutes or so before our seating time (since we have two seatings, we are very efficient at predicting our busy times) he does slice the fish to be served in the next 20 minutes. He assured me that is done only of the busiest expected times. In regards to serving Omakase piece by piece or in a group of 3 to 6 fish at a time, once again the answer depends on the conditions surrounding it and the person doing it. In a casual setting in which a guest at the counter is free to order a spicy tuna roll while being seated next to someone who is ordering the Omakase, the pace of the food is decided by the chef running it. And for a menu that is “respectfully leaving another to decide what is best” there seems to be a lot of absolute rules and surmise in existence. This took me back a while. It made me think the about the core values that I envisioned Sushi Capitol upon. I envisioned a fun, energetic setting offering variety and quality with generally accepted affordable prices. (I understand affordability is relative, but my use of affordability in this instance indicates that it is accessible by every demographic in our city.) And three years in, I believe we are achieving all of those points day in and day out. And we don’t want to exclude any of the guests who make up the success of our restaurant. In addition, our city, whether you think or not, is not ready for an exclusively sushi menu in which the pieces are served one by one regardless of the price point. That is not my opinion, that is my reality based on my personal daily experience at our sister restaurant. I am one of the biggest believers of the notion “Guest is always right.” And I purposely used the word guest instead of customer because I don’t have customers, I have guests who I welcome into a space for which I am emotionally attached. I have spent so many hours within those four walls for them to remain a just a store for me. So as my guest, I extend an invitation to you. Any day that we are open, it would be my pleasure to host you for an Omakase meal in which all your expectations will be met: everything will be cut before your own eyes, and will be served one by one. Please text me at five seven one, two five one, five four four four to arrange it at your convenience. And my offer above is extended to anyone who is reading these lines. After all, without our guests, we are just individuals between four walls. My fellow community members, please do not fear that our expansion efforts are effecting our performance. Because we are not expanding, but rather we are growing. And with growth, we learn, adapt, and overcome the challenges that we are presented with. But be assured, our efforts aren’t expanding, they are growing in a way that we are working harder, longer, and with increased passion to be part of our city and our community. Life is long, strange trip much like this post. And we hope to grow in this long, strange trip together.
    17 points
  16. I've been to Maketto once, and liked it, and have been to Bob's and liked it, but they are so different. I think what's being said above is infantilizing to Asian culture and Asian food, and yes, Asia is more than one country, but we are talking about more than one of them. Authenticity is one marker of good food but not the only one, and there are many components of it. You want authentic food that most Indian people eat and in the setting they eat it in? Okay, picture yourself in the grass in rural Gujarat, off of a dirt road. You're in a clay hut with a five foot ceiling. You have one buffalo for milk and nothing else to call your own. You have access to the milk from that cow to make tea. You make rotla (a thick corn rotli), some daal, with some chili, and maybe some rice if you have the money for it. And guess what? You eat that every single day, basically, for the rest of your life. That's what the majority of them are eating every meal, 1-2 a day. That's authentic. Doesn't make it great, in any way. But it's authentic. They don't grow past 5'5" and they die at 57 years of age, but hey, it's the real deal. It's what the people actually eat there. So, should our restaurants be serving that? I hope not. I used to love my dad's servant in India, and when I visited, we would hang out all the time. He wasn't allowed to eat with us in the house, and I thought it was stupid. So, I ate my meals with him. Made my point, but certainly didn't think the food was all that, and eventually he was allowed to join us (he never would, too embarrassed... he died in his late 50s). There is an aspect of the negative about Rasika, and Don (maybe others) says one person basically created the myth, but that's not true. It's just not. I'm Indian American. My friends go there all the time - for special events, for taking out of town people out, for graduations (try to get a table in May), and we love it. It's not completely "authentic". But that's not Indian food. Go to India right now and go to a restaurant where their versions of hipsters are eating. They are eating at INDIAN restaurants that serve "Chinese" food, that serve "Thai" food. These food items share very little with actual Chinese food or Thai food, but also very little with authentic Indian food, yet that's what it is, and it is what India - an amalgamation of India, other countries, modern, ancient, the common and the rare. That's the authenticity of it. Many people focus on just the "Indian, ancient, and common" as authentic, but that's incomplete and wrong. I usually don't say someone's opinion is wrong, but I think what some people are saying about authenticity is wrong. You're saying that Asian foods and culinary preparation doesn't compare to French and Europe, and then you have someone like the Chef at Rasika attempting to recreate that, doing a damn good job, and then the complaint is that it isn't authentic, that it's too westernized? Which one do you want? Do you want it to remain "authentic" or do you want it to become elevated? I've taken several people who lived in India recently, and almost all of them were blown away, and PROUD (and it gives me chills, a bit, about how proud they were). It's like an Indian immigrant who came from nothing but a meager peasant town who comes to America and sees his son become a pretty talented oncologist (thanks, Dad). I read a recent travel review of Delhi (it was people covering Prince William and Kate's one week trip to India), and they were talking about PALAK CHAAAT!!! Dude, that wasn't there before. It may have been some random thing you'd see once in a while. But, now it's a thing. Because it was cool in America, so it came to India, and then they are going to do what they do to it - Indianize it, and make it amazing. French country cuisine had it's roots from peasants from a 1000 years ago. These French restaurants aren't copying what those people did, they are elevating it. Sure, if France still had third world pockets (real third world, not our Western conception of it), I'm sure someone on this board would say "oh, well Bistro XXXX or Metier or Bastille are so inauthentic. you should go over to France and have the real stuff." But, no. Nobody wants food that is prepared just for survival, with technique, and art, and flavor being less important that getting enough protein, fat, and carbohydrates to let your neurons develop and your body grow so you can go to work, find a spouse, and reproduce. Europe had thousands of years to go from food for survival to food as art. India and China are just having it's parts of it's billions leaving the middle class. They are finally not eating rotla and dal on the side of dirt road. They are changing it up, they are modernizing. They are learning how to read. They are going to culinary school. They have enough money to go get a latte now, when before that money had to be spent on pure survival. They have disposable income. They can go for careers like culinary, because before that wasn't a career - that was how you made it past your 30s and survived. You're watching the transition right now from peasant food to elevated food. It's jarring. It's confusing. But I think it's pretty insulting to consistently here about how this and that place isn't authentic, when there is so much more to that word that a crappy hole in the wall with spicy food.
    17 points
  17. So, your favorite band goes off the road and you listen to other stuff while they rehab and sue their manager and pursue solo projects and make ill-fated forays into acting and sleep with their nannies or whatever rock stars do when they're not on the road. And then one day they're back in town and you're standing there in the club sweating and half drunk and the warm-up tape has been cut and the last roadie is still wrapping cord behind the keyboard and the spots come on"¦and you wonder if they've lost their touch during their time off the road and it's an oldies show that's still fun but somehow less important than before. Or, if after all that time to think and rest and experiment and fuck up and learn, is the rock and roll back and better than ever? I think the rock and roll is back. And I think it's better than ever. It was a short set, and we are, to some extent, "on the list." But I and my (less gourmande-ish, or perhaps less star-struck ) companion truly enjoyed dinner last night in a way that we've enjoyed few (if any) meals this year (including Michelin stars in Berline and the 2014 Beard "Best New Restaurant"). In fact, as disloyal as it feels to say, we might have enjoyed last night's meal more than some of our (full fare, not just barstool) journeys through Citizen. I would requote a friend who said during dinner at Citizen "people talk about food hitting the right note, here we should talk about chords." Like your favorite rock and roll band members, the ingredients, while worthy and distinctive on their own, come together to form something extraordinary. One high-end dining trend that I've tired of is wretched excess in terms of fat and cream and starch and salt "“ a Cheesecake Factory approach. And God knows, when you order Maine Lobster on French Toast you could very well be setting yourself up for some morning-after self-loathing. But the persimmons (looks at menu "“ "so that's what those things were"), cukes and sesame mousse (which lent more tang than richness, oddly) pulled it back in the nick of time, adding complexity and rendering the dish rich but not obscene; interesting, instead of just decadent. The clam ceviche was took a different approach"“ a crunchy little rhythm section of flavors (yuzu, shiitake tempura, garlic fried rice"¦) that begs one to use the word "refreshing." If there's another high-end dining trend that I've tired of it's ridiculous austerity, as though sauces were evil and braises suspect, and all plates must appear as though their components were disassembled for transport. That is not the case here. The entrees were simply awesome power chords of flavor with-stock based sauces adding depth without smothering nuance, and sides "“ I guess they're not really sides, you kind of want to get a little bit of everything on every forkful"”contributing texture and detail. You can't really screw up pork and cabbage but shoat loin and Hungarian sauerkraut are a classic lifted to new heights -- like when Hendrix did "All Along the Watchtower." And again, with the duck with cabbage and apples and stuff "“ the flavors kind of exploded in your mouth. My companion did aver that there should have been more peanuts, but she orders Kung Pao and eats around the chicken. The entrees were somehow both very French and very soulful. At this point Michael Chesser, last majordomo of CityZen, current veteran of Volt and Minibar, FOH boss-in-waiting of Metier, showed up. It was great to see a familiar and talented face "“ Michael served me my first meal at Citizen "“ and I was glad to hear that Eric had brought him in. I was maybe less glad to see the mixed grill he had in his hand, as I was relatively full. But we powered through the perfectly cooked lamb sausage, chops and shoulder with a sort of Provence-y salsa (think cold ratatouille with olives) on the side -- a recreation of the Ziebolds' Christmas dinner. The Valrhona custard cake (with praline ice cream on the side) was -- as described by our (delightful, skilled) server -- truly decadent and did that thing of pairing salty and sweet so it's easier to eat way more than you need to. The bar is light, open, and vaguely reminiscent of an Ethan Allen furniture showroom, has very pretty Martini glasses and is tended by very friendly and very concerned "“ every time we looked at our drinks funny he dashed over to make sure that everything was OK "“ gentleman. The main dining room is very stripped down. Wood floors, white painted brick, clusters of cylindrical lamps hanging low from the ceiling. It is way more austere than the food. Portions are modest "“in line with the prices "“ but by no means small plates. Each menu column ("Craft," "History," "Ingredients," "Indulgence") is structured as one might structure a tasting menu. Reading down you'll spot a couple of appetizer-type dishes, a couple of entrée-ish things and a dessert. A big guy like me might eat three savory courses (though two would suffice many nights) and have room for something sweet. A less hearty diner might opt for two and share the Valhrona. You wouldn't have to try too hard to bring in a pretty goddamn swell three-course dinner for under $60, which strikes me as a bargain. (I won't name the restaurant, but in looking over the menu of a well-regarded new-ish, "moderately" priced place, of which my girlfriend's somewhat less-nuanced opinion is "that place sucked," I see that it runs even a little more expensive that Kinship.) You could drop a lot of money on wine "“ the $90 half-bottle of Beaucastel '09 was pretty good, though, if not nearly at the list's top end. I think some of the bottles for Metier are in. Or you could get $31 bottle of premier cru Chablis. Or even tasty glasses of Cali Pinot Noir or upscale Beaujolais, for a price that seemed reasonable at the time, though I can't really remember, because of all the wine. Maybe, for my first time in, the thing that pleased me most about the place was just seeing Eric and Celia with a restaurant of their own. There's kind of a feeling that it's a big win for the good guys -- that in an age of ego and PR, two people who earned this opportunity simply through hard work and talent really have a chance to show the world what they can do. They're doing it in a restaurant defined not by flashy design or media buzz (although there is certainly some of that) but by what's on the plate and the people who get it to you. And, from what I can see, they're doing something pretty wonderful. When it was over I was tempted to hold my lighter above the table and call for an encore. PS: As things are progressing smoothly Eric has freed up a couple more tables on Open Table, which may not be taken yet, and the full menu is available at the bar.
    17 points
  18. There are three people in the DC area whose lack of James Beard Awards show what a travesty the entire process is. One of them is Cathal Armstrong, whose time may now have come-and-gone, but who should have absolutely won the award sometime during the past six or seven years for Restaurant Eve. Another, perhaps even more egregious oversight, is the great Peter Pastan, chef of what was easily one of the Top 3 restaurants in Washington, DC back in the 1990s: Obelisk - ahead of its time, and with *Frank Ruta* as its Sous Chef. Perhaps even more importantly, he opened 2 Amys, arguably the most important restaurant in the history of Washington, DC. Between these two restaurants, Peter Pastan deserved to have won Best Chef - Mid-Atlantic, if not the National Award for Outstanding Chef. He is a first-ballot Hall of Famer in the pantheon of DC-area chefs, and our young demographic has forgotten what an influential trailblazer he was (and continues to be) - he was perhaps the very first chef in the area to truly care about deeply regional Italian cooking. It had been too long since I'd been to 2 Amys, and while driving up Nebraska Avenue yesterday, I gave a brief glance down New Mexico Avenue, thought momentarily about Al Dente, and then continued driving towards 2 Amys. I found a great parking space on Macomb Street, walked in, and grabbed a seat at the bar, where the always reliable Debbie Johnson was, just as she seemingly always is. 2 Amys is a wine restaurant, but I really wanted to refresh myself with a beer, so I started with a draft of Reissdorf Kölsch ($7), brewed by Brauerei Heinrich Reissdorf in Köln, and it was exactly what I wanted - low in alcohol, high in taste, cold, and refreshing. I finished it before taking a single bite of any food, then getting a 1/4-liter carafe of the 2 Amys House Rosé ($11), currently from the 2012 vintage, and made from 100% Sangiovese grapes - it's not quite a rosé so much as it is a "bled red" (only a wine geek would chuckle at that), but it went perfectly with every single course I ordered, and I ordered with gusto - the fascinating items on their menu made sure of that. Look at this awesome selection of small plates! In no particular order, because they were all served within minutes of each other, and I nibbled and picked at each, all of which, by the way, were served at room temperature and assembled before my very eyes. This is the strategy of dining at 2 Amys' bar: Look things over, point at what looks good, and ask questions. You'll be as happy and as amazed as I was: Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart ($7) - I saw, in front of me, a rectangular tart, perhaps 15 inches long, 5 inches wide, and 3 inches high - uncut - and knew I had to have it. It was flaky pasty crust, filled with goat cheese which hadn't been whipped into air, and topped with slices of heirloom tomato. This was primarily a goat-cheese dish, as that comprised probably 75% of the tart, and it was a healthy slice - perhaps about 1/5th of the entire tart, so it was very rich (as quality goat cheese generally is). Considering the powerful, unctuous nature of my other three dishes, this served not only as a wonderful vegetarian plate, but also as a much-needed palate refresher between bites of the other three dishes, which were even richer and more filling. "What is that with sage on it?" I asked Debbie. It was noisy, so I didn't hear every word of her answer, but she said it was fennel (I thought sure it was yellow pepper, but sure enough, it was fennel), and when she added, "It's actually a lobster dish," she had me. Lobster Salad with Fennel Braised in Orange and Saffron ($10) was the food-lover's dish of the night - it was awesome, the barely cooked (if cooked at all) lobster accented with vanilla, and added to the yellow-pepper-looking fennel just before serving. I'd never seen this dish before, and come to think of it, I'd never seen any of the four dishes I had last night before. How does someone come up with this? Is it in some obscure cookbook? Does Chef Pastan just think of these things? My goodness, it was ... amazing. These final two dishes are where things got over-the-top rich, as they were finished with really good olive oil, but were also extremely rich to begin with. This is my fault for being an overzealous food maggot, but there's no way I wasn't going to order them, so sue me: Romanesco Cauliflower with Capers, Olives, Pine Nuts, Spicy Bread Crumbs, and Tuna Spuma ($7) was just downright evil, and was most likely illegal in several states. It was *so* rich, and along with the three slices of delicious, homemade bread I received, could have easily been a meal by itself, especially a lunch. It was all-over decadence, and hard to believe that the only meat in it was tuna in the spuma. Quality ingredient followed quality ingredient, all mounded together into a large pile on the plate, and it was just so rich that I struggled mightily to finish, but finish I did. And finally, Oven-Roasted Swordfish Belly with Lemon, Bay Leaf, and Green Sauce ($9), the green sauce resembling something of a *very rich* pesto, the slice of swordfish belly - perhaps a 3-inch by 2-inch rectangle which didn't look like much, but it was - sitting innocently on top, with two lemon slices beneath. The richness of this dish forced me to pretty much wave the white flag of surrender, and only eat the fish, just barely dabbing it into the green sauce. The last time I had swordfish belly even resembling this, it was at Woodberry Kitchen, but even there, it was grilled. These four dishes came to a *total* of $33, and was more food than I could finish. How much is Restaurant Week again? If you're a Restaurant Week pigeon, you owe it to yourself to read this post over, and over, and over again, until it finally hits you that you can get a meal that is better than 99.99% of Restaurant Week dinners, in terms of quality - absolutely - but also in terms of *quantity*. I had not eaten a thing all day when I arrived, had exercised earlier in the day, and could not finish my meal. I only ate one piece of bread, and while I finished the "big ticket" items such as the swordfish belly and lobster, there was just no chance of me being able to swab up all the rich sauces - something which I *always* do. No chance - this was just too much rich food. As my mom always used to tell me, "Donald, your eyes are bigger than your stomach," and boy did that hold true in this case. You know, lately, I've been saying that Oenotri in Napa, California, where I've now been at least four times, is "like 2 Amys, but a little better." But that's not true; it's "like 2 Amys, but a little less rustic." Another restaurant I recently went to that reminds me of 2 Amys is Pizzeria Bianco (for the second time) in Phoenix. And I have no doubt that Chef Pastan is flattered by these two comparisons; one thing that surprises me is that, although I've seen Johnny Monis here in the past, I've never seen Frank Ruta here, and this is exactly the type of food that Frank Ruta respects and enjoys. 2 Amys is one of our city's great treasures, and is arguably (not definitively, but absolutely in the conversation), arguably the greatest and most important restaurant in the history of Washington, DC. And if you don't think so, think again, keep educating yourself, and keep coming here. The stroller crowd is pacified, yes, but the toughest of culinary critics are, too. Thank God for Peter Pastan.
    17 points
  19. I apologize for the website being offline - I have some personal things going on right now, and I know that an unmoderated website will quickly spiral out of control. At some point this month and next, I'm going to have to take a few days of personal leave. Maybe instead of putting the site offline, I can make it read-only. Unless you're working with this, day-in and day-out, you don't realize how precarious the balance is, and how much work is involved in keeping things civil and organized without appearing heavy-handed. Please trust my decisions in terms of titling, tagging, and moving posts to other threads that are more appropriate. If anyone has a question about a post, please send me a PM and ask me; writing about it in the forums can be extremely disruptive, both to me and to the community. Almost always, if someone thinks a post was deleted, it has simply been moved to another topic - members can click on "Find Content" in their profile, and the post will be there. Please re-read the sentence in the Everyone Is Welcome Here post which begins, "You may as well begin hating me now" - I wrote that over ten years ago, and for the most part, it has remained unchanged. I'll be happy to print out a listing of every single post I've deleted in 2015. In ten years, I haven't deleted one single post without a very good reason - the vast majority of times, it's because it's a duplicate, or because the member asked me to delete it, or because it was an off-topic one-liner that didn't make the Laugh Committee laugh; less often, it's a personal attack against someone for voicing an opinion, or a strong opinion that has already been stated several times which prevents others from making theirs; in a very, very small percentage of cases, it's because the post is nothing more than a public chastising of a moderation decision I've made - moving a post to another topic, for example. That's about it - I can scroll through the deleted posts and see if there are others, but in ten years, I've never deleted a post that shouldn't have been deleted, and I don't think I've ever had someone write me, asking me to restore something, and haven't accommodated them - I said in 2005 that this is something I take very seriously, and I mean it to this day. There aren't many things I know how to do, but moderating a community is one of them - all I ask is that I'm allowed to do my job, which is essentially to organize things, keep things civil, and then stay out of everyone's way. I have a lot of things going on right now, and it's impossible to run the website the way I know it needs to be run, but I'll try my best. Thank you to everyone for checking in on me; I greatly underestimated the impact of not having the website online - I guess even if I'm completely unavailable, the website must remain online.
    17 points
  20. Three years ago, I lopped off the top of a grocery store pineapple, trimmed off the remaining fruit and stuck the spiny top into a glass of water. Several weeks later roots sprouted, so I planted the thing to see what would happen. Now I am fortunate to live in a big old DC apartment building with a lovely sunroom. We are above the tree line so even though it is Northeast facing we receive abundant sunlight. In fact we joke that the growing climate in the sunroom is such that it is several growing zones south of DC. We can't grow herbs to save our lives, but citrus no problem. The pineapple took right away. Soon new spiny growth was shooting up. Soon we had spines that were 3-4 feet long. It was almost becoming a health hazard...watch out for your eyes when watering, you might get poked. Fast forward three years to January 2013. I was watering the pineapple plant one morning and saw the most curious thing... Why I think we have a baby pineapple! And the baby pineapple grew and grew... By March we had what was looking like a real pineapple... This past weekend it was time to harvest. So what does an a DC apartment grown pineapple taste like? The best damn pineapple ever. Super fragrant, a long lush pineapple flavor that washes over your tongue. None of that harsh acid one gets with an unripe supermarket pineapple. I suppose like most fruits and vegetable, one that is grown on plant and harvested at full ripeness just tastes better than one that has been picked early and shipped across the country. So now we are starting again. Maybe in three years we will have another pineapple to enjoy.
    17 points
  21. First, he didn't have an enjoyable experience, and that means a lot. Over the past 8 years that I have known him, I have read many of his reviews, spoken to him about many meals, even sharing some, i have learned a lot about his taste, so it means something to me. That doesn't mean that I would agree, as we dont always, but that is why it is good to have this kind of historical relationship. Second, he loves the decor and thinks the kitchen in the center is cool (as do I). But some people want a visible kitchen so they can watch food prep, like at Rose's. If that is what you are looking for, this wouldn't be the right place. I agree with that completely. Third, he likes fully composed dishes and didn't find that here. My step-father often has this complaint and would find it useful. I don't really, but whatever. Fourth, he felt the wine pairings were not a good deal. He explained exactly why he felt that way. It seems he may not have had the standard service in this regard. He can't be blamed for that. But I know him well enough to know that he isn't some chump that thinks the glass should be filled to the rim. Fifth, he listed the menu and described some dishes, which is very helpful to give people an idea of what to expect. Sixth, he thought the oyster was overpowered by the cucumber. Clear criticism. Seventh, he really liked the avocado dish and thought the presentation was cool. Eight, he thought the potato and lime gel overpowered the sepia and smoke. Again, very clear criticism. Ninth, he thought the urchin was good and creative. I certainly wouldn't have understood that the coffee was crumbled but not for his description. This one really piqued my interest. Tenth, the pigtails were in springroll form and good. Although he liked it, I don't much care for spring rolls, and I seem to recall that he does, so this tells me it is probably very good but I doubt it would be my favorite as it is more his bailiwick. Eleventh, although he had a predisposition against the snail dish, it was good and interesting enough for him to enjoy it at least moderately. Sure there were a lot of words that weren't that descriptive, but he clearly wasn't trying to write a masterpiece. He was trying to give his impression and some take aways. I think he did that extremely well. It would be wonderful if all posts had this much detail and were written by people who have allowed us to have so much insight into thier tastes (note, I only know MDT though DR and DR-related events).
    17 points
  22. One of my most memorable dates with my then-fling, now-wife was the DR.com dinner at Ray's original Courthouse location, when Mr. Landrum did all the cooking and the serving I believe almost completely by himself. This was my first experience with the captivating devilishly good eggs, and only my second with DR members as a large group. StephenB poured us a sip of something red out of a decanter and I remember neither what it was specifically nor how it tasted, though I remember vividly thinking "so this is what good old wine is supposed to taste like." But I reserve my strongest memory of the evening for the bonhomie that suffused the room as the evening went on. We half giggled, half rolled up the hill back to M's apartment, with my impending departure for elsewhere rendering us unaware that we were falling in love. We eventually figured it out, married, and made regular visits to iterations of Ray's a feature of our times back in DC. Our eldest son got to try the steak at Ray's next door but he won't remember it, and our two youngest never had the opportunity. You will be missed. Edited to add: the dinner was December 2005 -- and now I remember it was one of my very first birthday presents to my girl.
    16 points
  23. Some may consider walking into a restaurant opening week a bit of a gamble. However, nothing ventured, nothing gained, particularly in this case. I know the chef-owner has led a number of well-regarded restaurants, so I had a feeling things were going to be just fine. I snagged a very early reservation for our party of four, so when arrived just after opening, there were only a handful of customers. The restaurant interior looks terrific--I'm sure others will do justice to the layout, furnishing, etc., but the space looks beautiful, and it is obvious someone spent a lot of time designing this restaurant. We enjoyed cocktails at the bar, which is stocked with some fairly unique labels, and the the cocktails and service were great. You can't go wrong with any of the choices. Before we knew it, it was time to be seated. In a classy touch, the hostess gathered our drinks and walked with us to the table. Our server, who was quite skilled and very engaging, did a nice job of walking use through the menu. Nearly everything is meant to be shared, and portion sizes are not necessarily apparent on the menu. That said, our server provided excellent advice about the number of dishes to order. (Of note, the four of us consisted of two married couples and close friends. Keep that in mind if you are averse to sharing and/or are worried about germs) Here's a rundown. Nibbles (my term): "Roasted Marcona Almonds" with Espelette chili; a wonderful accompaniment to our remaining cocktails. Plenty to share. "Plate of Pickles"; the portion was perfect for sharing, and featured fairly quick-pickled cornichons, olives, garlic, and slightly spicy long, narrow green peppers. "Sheep's Milk Ricotta"; Impossibly light, and somewhat mild cheese topped with honey and herbs. As a minor quibble, it arrived with only three pieces of toasted bread. We forgave them, since the bread was out of this world. No doubt it would have been easy enough to get another piece or two. A bit larger; (my description again) "Roasted Kabocha Salad:; this dish, served cool, was light and refreshing. The roasted kabocha squash was dressed lightly with a vinaigrette and served with arugula and crunchy pepitas. "Roasted Kaleidoscope Carrots and Parsnips"; simply roasted vegetables served over a fragrant and delicious vadouvan-spiced yogurt. Wonderful. "Crispy Cauliflower"; until our server told us this had been flash fried, I would have sworn it had been slow roasted. The flavors of tahini, lemon, garlic, and mint were not unexpected, but the puffed black rice was. Another hit. "House Bavarian White Sausage"; my friend said his standard is the Boudin Blanc at Marcel's. While I know the sausages are not the same, my friend was extremely impressed. Actually, we all were. The sausage was impossibly light, and the spaetzli accompanying it were wonderful. Fantastic. The "Russet Potato Gnocchi" appeared to be a simple dish of gnocchi, roasted mushrooms, and some greens, but this was another terrific dish. The gnocchi were like soft, fluffy pillows--I've never had gnocchi as soft and light as these. The "Spiced Beef Hummus" carried a bit of heat courtesy of some harissa. To be honest, I don't recall if it was mixed into the hummus. I do remember the accompanying naan was impossibly soft, and it was the best I've ever enjoyed. That's saying a lot considering the number of times I've had Indian food. Entree- sized dishes: Our favorite entree was a toss-up, as both were outstanding examples of the respective proteins. The "Spice Roasted Chicken" consisted of a half chicken that arrived in one piece. The skin was mahogany and impossibly crisp, while the meat was juicy and tender beyond belief. It was served with greens and a dipping sauce somewhat resembling nuac cham. This has to be in the running for the best roast chicken in DC. (And yes, that includes Kinship's version) The "Grilled Berkshire Pork Chop" was a beautiful double-cut pork chop which was close to the color of the chicken (at least it appeared that way in the light). It was served with a handful of roasted fingerling potatoes as well as some greens. It may seem like I'm using hyperbole to describe some of these dishes, but I assure you I'm not. The chop was virtually fork tender, juicy, and fantastically flavorful. Despite the amount and variety and amount of food we'd consumed, the pork was devoured. Dessert? At this point there was simply no turning back, because everything was so delicious. The four of us split a meyer lemon torte as well as a winter panna cotta, the latter of which was topped with roasted fruit topping and some crunchy bits as well. (My memory fails me). The pannacotta was a bit awkward to share, but we managed. I don't have the background or memory to describe the wines, other than to say we had a lovely white Burgundy, as well as a remarkably good un-oaked Chardonnay from the Willamette Valley. The variety of flavors, textures, and ingredients was memorable. While we did perhaps slightly over-order, none of the items were heavy in the least, and we felt nothing but joy when we departed. Without a doubt, we had a tremendous time, and unanimously agreed that this was one of the best meals in memory. Not to sound the least bit pretentious, but for comparison's sake, we've all eaten at many of the top DC restaurants, and our friends have eaten at some of the best places in NYC and California, etc. We all agreed that Chloe was phenomenal. How they pulled this off on night two was even more impressive. Highly recommended, and I hope to read about the experience of others soon! P.S. No pictures, but there was a table full of very polite bloggers next to us who were taking picture with some fairly serious looking lighting, so I imagine you'll be able to find some nice photos on Instagram soon.
    16 points
  24. I was impressed with how the kitchen tour was incorporated not only into the structure of the meal, but the design of the restaurant. I've had some excellent kitchen tours (EMP) and some awful (Grace), and this ranks with the best. The first visit to the kitchen follows the pre-dinner drink at the upstairs bar. We were offered an amuse platter inspired by the hallal carts of New York. We were free to take as many photos as we liked. Kwame stood at the end of the pass with a smile on his face, ready to shake hands and answer questions. Once at the table, we were given the option of either a lamb's head or squab for our main. The lamb's head sounded like the more adventurous of the two, so it was a unanimous decision. When the penultimate moment for this course arrived, we were escorted again to the kitchen where Kwame waited next to a roasting pan with the carcass of a lamb's head, and shots made with jalapeno pepper juice that he would toast with us. This kind of interaction with the chef is rare at any restaurant, so it was welcome. The ultimate question to be answered is of value. At $185 (sans tax and gratuity), Kwame and his business partners are taking a gamble. Only time will tell if it was successful. The first notices have not been completely negative, but we have yet to see a ringing endorsement. And for a restaurant with this asking price, the advocacy of local critics is crucial to its long term prospects. As a whole, I thought it was a respectable if not outstanding meal. With the exception of the excellent squash volute, courses ranged from average to very good. And the foie/pineapple course was a miss for me. I would have to agree with franch here. At this price point, I would expect that nearly every course is special. But this is just my opinion, of course. My friends loved it. Mike even when so far as to say he liked it more than Pineapple and Pearls. I like Mike, so I forgave him for his hyperbole. If this were a diner's first experience with a tasting menu, I could understand if they walked away impressed. But if you've had this sort of experience before, you may not leave with the same response. And that could be a problem, as that's the core audience that Kwame wants to appeal to. These are the diners who are most likely to return. However, one meal here and one may feel as though they got the complete essence of Shaw Bijou without any need to come back. I cannot help but wonder if we would be having a different conversation had Kwame and Kelly decided to take a more measured approach to their debut. A chef with this kind of talent should give himself the best opportunity to succeed. It is my belief that if they started with an a la carte format, we would be talking about DC's next great restaurant. They could have followed a model similar to another former Top Chef contestant, Nick Elmi. His restaurant, Laurel, opened with an a la carte menu and tasting menu option at a relatively affordable price. With time, they were able to convert to a tasting menu only venue because of their great success. I sincerely want to see this restaurant succeed. And I plan to return sometime in the future. In the meanwhile, I hope that if this current format does not work out, they are willing to change course. I would hate to see a chef with Kwame's talent leave DC if the success he wants does not come.
    16 points
  25. Well, though Bronx-born, he was raised decidedly middle class and his exile to Nigeria (to live with a former academic) came about because he was being a jerk around the house, not out of some extended stretch of poverty. It's colorful, but not exactly Dickensian. [And nobody whose ever ridden the New York Subway has any sympathy for the mendicants trying to sell you candy or save your soul]. Kwame's problem is that, at this point, his attitude dwarfs his actual resume, the undeniable pretentiousness of his restaurant (nitrogen-cooled cocktail glasses, the members-only club) overshadows the sort of things that actually would impress a hardened gastronome crowd (the BP gig, the seat-of-the-pants multiethnicity of his catering). He's chosen to leverage his personality into millions of dollars of backing and thousands of words of publicity. He's charging prices that the best chefs in the city -- guys who spent far longer than he did working hard and honing their craft -- don't charge. It's a risk he chose to take, and he surely must know that it rubs a lot of people the wrong way. In three months, he'll either be the Joe Namath ("We're going to win. I guarantee it") or the Jeb Bush of the DC culinary scene. In the meantime, it's pretty easy to find the guy more than a little off-putting, to say the least.
    16 points
  26. Today was certainly an adventure, friends. I spent the hours of 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM in a hospital emergency room after suffering a sudden onset of shortness of breath and extreme fatigue. Heart rate of 100+ and the early morning DC traffic did not help matters in the least. 9 AM, I get to the hospital, sign in, they take me within 10 minutes. Hallelujah, maybe this will be quicker than I thought. I fill in paperwork related to my allergies and describe what has me visiting. They take my height, weight, temperature and then I'm following a pretty blonde who was, I'm guessing, maybe two years my senior (I'm 22). She leads through several long winding corridors. At this point, I think to myself, "I'm not gonna be thrilled if their idea of a remedy for shortness of breath is a long, leisurely walk through the hospital hallways." After what felt like an hour, we arrived at the room that was going to be my personal hell for the next 9 hours. After settling myself down on the hard, ruthlessly uncomfortable torture device they have the balls to call a bed, an entourage of medical professionals bombard me. One wants to attach a blood-pressure cuff. Okay, fine. Another requisitions one of my fingers so they can put a sat probe on it. I briefly consider giving him my middle finger. No, better not. I've done this enough times to know that isn't how you get out of here quickly. Next, I'm asked to take my shirt off. Okay, probably to put on an EKG. I guess correctly. At this point, I entertain the fantasy of the pretty blonde nurse coming in and being enraptured by my shirtless body. Then I look at my scars and realize they aren't the macho war-hero scars, just the boring surgical ones. Shortly after, the doc comes in and starts asking me questions. What are you in for, what's your medical history, yadda yadda. He has a funny last name that ended with "gosh." I was immediately reminded of the previous night, when I had watched Anthony Bourdain travel to Budapest, where he ate authentic goulash made by the locals. It was at that moment that I realized I hadn't eaten all day and it was already 1 PM and normally I'm having lunch around this time and holy shit I could really go for some goddamn goulash right now. I interrupt the doctor to ask if I can order in delivery. His answer is no. Shit. Can I grab something from the vending machine, then? Still no. Shit. Okay, well, why not? Because the tests I'll be administering require your stomach to be empty, is his reply. I let out a yell inside my head to rival Charlie Brown's when he misses the football. His questions answered, he leaves. My questions were also answered. The difference between the two of us is I didn't get the answers I wanted. Next, the two right-hand men of Satan himself entered the room. This is what I had been dreading. The one on the left brandished a miniature sword from his pocket. This, I could tell, was weaponry of the finest quality. Hattori Hanzo himself would have prostrated himself in front of the steel this man wielded. What do you plan to do with that, I timidly asked the demon, although I already knew the answer. He explained in the infernal tongue long forgotten by men that this blade had been forged for the very purpose of extracting my blood. My face went white. The abomination on my right withdrew a similar cut of steel, although this one could not be called miniature by any standard. A long tool, I could tell from gazing at its tip that it had been formed from the tongue of an elder dragon. Mere legends, I thought. But the reality was as sharp as the weapon itself. This, too, thirsted for my blood, but the eldritch horror standing next to me explained that the cut would have to be much deeper than I was used to. Before I could steel myself, I was caught in a pincer attack. The demon to my left attacked the underside of my arm, striking gold. Hot crimson blood fell and was absorbed by the blade. At the same time, the one on my right went to work on the underside of the area where the hand meets the arm. The pain was unlike anything I had ever felt (no, really, I'm not exaggerating the description of how it felt). Despite my best efforts, tears fell from my eyes in copious amounts. I yelled bloody effing murder. I swore, I screamed, I thrashed. It was unbearable. Warm bile threatened to escape my mouth but I held it down. Finally, the demons had finished their work. The next trial was maybe worse: Boredom. Sheer, complete boredom. Boredom unlike nothing else. Not even my cell phone, with its apps and its whoozits and whizzits and whazzits could keep me entertained. The internet had done what I never thought possible: It bored me. And then, hunger. Thirst. And those goddamn tests still hadn't happened so I couldn't even do anything about it. Finally, the person who was to administer these "tests" I had been hearing about, and were beginning to suspect had been made up, arrived. His job, annoyingly, was simple. I needed an X-ray. A goddamn normal x-ray. I've had x-rays. You can eat food and have an x-ray. I've done it. But I wasn't about to argue. I wanted out of here. His job done, he left. Then he pops his head back in and says "There's nothing to eat really but I can get you a Gatorade. How's that?" YES, YES. GIVE ME EVERY GATORADE I AM SO THIRSTY. Minutes later, he returns and hands me the bottle. I thank him profusely and then twist open the bottle. The bottle is empty approximately 5 seconds later. Then I take a piss. Then I wait some more and the doctor comes back and goes over my results. I'm not being admitted to the hospital, hooray! Also he puts me on steroids for what he's pretty sure is an infection. The two demon hellspawn return but this time they've exchanged their grotesque appearances for angel robes and halos. They remove the needles for me and I am filled with intense love for these two men. At that very moment they are the most beautiful creatures I've ever seen. They leave. I get to leave. I GET TO LEAVE. I then realize I am extremely, ravenously hungry. I no longer crave goulash but now I have no idea what I want to eat. Bonchon chicken is nearby but it isn't on the way home and I really want to go home. Also they take a while if you don't order ahead in my experience. So I start driving home, looking out for somewhere to stop on the way. I drive by several fast food places, including McDonalds and *shudder* Arby's. For a moment I actually consider going in and ordering one of their items that they generously call "food." I keep driving. My GPS route takes me through Old Town Alexandria. Hey, that place has good places to eat, I think to myself. I'd really rather not sit down somewhere, though. I drive through, intent on making my way home. Stuck in traffic on King St, I eye Eamonn's on the corner. Eamonn's! They're good! I haven't been there in forever! Fish and chips it is! I go in and there's no line. God is smiling on me. So is the person at the counter. You look like hell, he says (I'm paraphrasing). Fucking A, I reply (paraphrasing again). I tell him I just got out of a 9 hour ER visit and I'm glad I tell him because he turns out to be very kind. I show him my fresh needle bruises. Thankfully he doesn't mistake me for a heroin addict and he says he'll put something extra for me in my carry-out bag. I thank him and leave with my order of cod after a short wait. Get home, heat the fish up in the oven according to the instructions that were in the bag, and dig in having added my choice of chesapeake sauce (old bay/mayo). I'm certain it was because of the hell I had gone through but that cod was the most amazing thing in the world at that moment. Perfectly crispy batter with a light flavor that blended excellently with the sauce. Delicious. I was especially surprised at how well it kept on the drive home and how well it it heated up in the oven. It hit every spot there is. My belly pleasantly full, I look into the bag to see what "extra" the man left me, thinking it was probably an order of chips that I could munch on tomorrow or as a midnight snack. Instead I hit the jackpot. The overwhelmingly generous man had left me a $100 gift card to use at Restaurant Eve. I cried. It was such an act of generosity and the thankfulness I felt at that moment, after having gone through such a long and troubled day, was too much to bear all at once. That's my story guys.
    16 points
  27. I apologize for not responding earlier, I actually did not see Tony's first post until this morning. And Tony, thank you for graciously coming in to Ghibellina and eating dinner. I'm glad you enjoyed our pizza. I am not the owner of Ghibellina, and do think you have nailed it when it comes to our lack of recognition for our pizza. Ghibellina is intended to be a GastroPub with pizza. My enthusiasm, passion and dedication to the craft has made the pizza what it is today. Also, I do agree with your criticism of the pizza being a bit thin at times. Our pizza is not supposed to be true Neapolitan pizza. I have worked at Neapolitan pizza joints and worked with 900-1000 degree ovens. I wanted our pizza to be a bit crisper on the bottom and more developed flavors in the crust. So I use a mix of flours (one being 00); I do not cook my pizzas in a 900-1000 degree oven, and I cook them ideally for 3-3.5 minutes. Lastly, I do not consider myself a pizza snob, but more a pizza lover. When I worked at Franny's in Brooklyn, I ate pizza every day. And then on my days off, I ate more pizza. More often then not, it was slice joint NY style pizza. But I also frequented the Lombardi's style places and I also went to the Neapolitan joints sprouting up all over the place. I love pizza. No matter the style. Roman, Naples, Sicilian, NY, NJ (i bet I'd like good deep dish if I tried it). I too have studied pizza. I am aware of what constitutes Neapolitan versus NY. I am aware of why a deck oven operating at 500 or 600 degrees can't use buffalo mozzarella or 00 flour. That NY style pizza tends to use oil and sugar in their dough to keep it tender to make up for the long bake time, etc. My initial criticisms of Wise Guys probably had more to do with expectations, which is not your fault, Tony. Todd Kliman raved about it. And I read it. And I went. What I ate did not live up to the expectations of what a food writer expressed. And this, unfortunately, is what all of us in the restaurant community have to deal with. Sometimes trying to live up to unrealistic expectations. I owe you a second visit and will be in to try it. I promise. As for Grana and Pecorino. I love the cheeses. Parmeggiano is great too, the king of cheeses probably. I find them all to be delicious. As for the olive oil on the pizza: we use http://superolive.com/Frantoia-Italian-Extra-Virgin-Olive-Oil-3-Liter-FREE-SHIP-limited-time-P5101367.aspx It is one of my absolute favorite olive oils. We do use a different olive oil on the table. As for tomatoes, I use canned tomatoes as well. I don't know a single pizza joint that uses fresh tomato. We strain our canned tomato, mill it, add back some of its liquid, weigh it and add salt. Any spices go on the pie directly. I tried true red because a friend of mine in the know told me that a venerable pizza establishment that I respect uses it in their sauce. So I got a sample from my purveyor. Upon trying it, I found it not to my liking at all. More like tomato paste with spices than something bright and blank canvassy (for lack of a better descriptor). Any way you slice it....hehehe...pizza is amazing and I love how it elicits great passion in people here and around the world. Some people would crucify me for putting shaved raw fennel on a pizza (see Anthony Mangieri) or having a 2-3 day ferment. But I make the pizza that I want to eat and do not confine myself to any rules. Heck, even the pizza places that supposedly follow the rules (I'm looking at you 2 Amys and Pupatella) don't...they just probably find it a nice marketing strategy.
    16 points
  28. The original Chefs have left...thoughtfully taking most of the kitchen staff with them. But I have it on a good authority that the kitchen has been placed in more than capable hands. Psst...it's me
    16 points
  29. I would like to acknowledge the class act that Ted's Bulletin on 14th Street was this morning. My husband's son is visiting from Germany and he took him to Ted's for breakfast. Mark is a Green Beret who was seriously wounded a year ago in Afghanistan and still wears a sling and leg brace. Mark ordered 3 things off the menu: the breakfast burrito, 3 eggs and 2 pancakes. He asked that the eggs be put on top of the burrito. The server returned and said that the chef would like to know if it's ok if he gets "˜creative' with the dish. Sure. The chef himself delivered the finished dish to the table and struck up a lengthy conversation with Mark about the Wounded Warrior project. When the check came, it was for $0.00. My husband left a generous tip. Thank you so much to the chef and server (whose names I unfortunately do not know) "“ you are a credit to the Matchbox group and you really made a wounded veteran's day today!
    16 points
  30. Thank you Beachgirl54 and DonRocks for the recognition. A little history about us, we've been in business for 3 years strong. We are a family owned and operated Afghani Halal restaurant. Healthy, home cooked to order food that's never frozen can be seen through our open kitchen (we often have to apologize in advance to our customers who ask for ice with their beverages as we don't have a freezer in our establishment so you know it's fresh! ) A customer service family vibe is our goal. We aim to stay Eco friendly by recycling, using biodegradable containers and to-go order utensils are upon request. Much of our daily posts, updates and fun facts can be found on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ArlingtonKabob I thank you both again for the awesome posts, we love hearing from our customers! P.S. We do have steak and cheese on our menu, not Afghani cuisine at all, however reason behind it is our family restaurant 35 years ago was #1 in having the best steak and cheese in Arlington. We thought it be fun to bring back a piece of history greatness. It totally rocks and has been a top seller on fresh baked to order naan and in house cut Halal rib eye steak! Best, Sophia Qader Arlington Kabob Owner/Customer Relations Manager
    15 points
  31. If I may: Executing a multi course tasting menu takes an extreme amount of knowledge, skill of technique and humbleness for the craft. This is an extreme undertaking, that with youthful vigor and bravery does not have fear for "failure". Why so? There isn't enough experience to understand the successes and pitfalls. This does not mean there isn't talent, it merrily means there isn't enough life experience. Is failure forthcoming? No, remember all a young 26 year old opened Komi, and it blossomed to the extraordinary. However, Johnny learned from the experience and started moderate and grew; smart move. What we are experiencing is the multi media hype to swell the public minds of the extraordinary, when what it is is just youth and will see many growing pains. Media promoting youth to me more giant then reality: Remember DC we had RG3, high priced, and where did it lead! Wish the team, the chef and the investors good luck. We all have a choice to dine or not. Just like tomorrow. Peace from the south. rj
    15 points
  32. I've written elsewhere on this website about how tasting menus are just not my thing. Besides wanting control over what I order, I also like control over how much I order. Between food allergies and intolerances and a husband who's a squeamish eater, there's no value in a tasting menu for me. And, my palate is jaded. There's not much that excites it any more. Nonetheless, I wanted to try Pineapple and Pearls because I have a lot of respect for what the Rose's Luxury team has done. I don't have the vocabulary to describe how wonderful the meal was. Many dishes presented had crazy combinations of ingredients that couldn't possibly work together, but every one did. They were brilliantly conceived and perfectly executed. We sat at the bar, where beverage pairings are not required. At the end I was presented with a bill for my one glass of wine; service was included. $150 per person (tax and gratuity included) was a bargain. Before we left, we'd made a reservation for another dinner there (to celebrate our upcoming wedding anniversary). I can't wait. There's no use to me describing the food. I loved it, I loved the experience (they know how to be hospitable), and I can't wait to go back to see what Silverman and his crew come up with next. Important note: if you have a restricted diet, they can work with you. I told them (in advance) of my restrictions, and added that my husband doesn't drink at all, and that we don't eat organ meats. They handled it beautifully, even preparing one dish without alcohol for Mr. P. They told us that they can handle just about any requests, and already have served vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free customers. They will email you and you can sort out the details. Don't let any dietary concerns keep you from going. ps someone had a hell of a lot of fun designing this place and shopping for the service pieces; check out the crazy anime plate in the picture below.
    15 points
  33. The best thing about Masseria is their pasta bowls. At first glance, they're the same sort of inverted WWI Doughboy helmets that everyone, including probably most of us, use these days. Except these have a little lime-sized hemispheric divot just above the base where you can spin your spaghetti around your fork without resorting to a spoon. It's fuckin' genius. The other best thing about Masseria is that despite the bomb-shelter bones of the dining room, the lighting, staff, décor and guests come together to make the place feel not just 14th Street-trendy but a little stylish. Possibly even a little elegant. Some of the ladies seemed to think so. (Gents: time to up your game). The other, other best thing was that the food is pretty darn good. Available only in three "“ or five-course tasting menu, dinner emphasizes creative, fresh, modern Italian cooking. A first course of lobster and tripe in a tomato lobster broth reminded me of wearing my best broken-in blue jeans with a fine linen sport coat (which is what I was doing at the time, sometimes the similes just write themselves) "“ proletarian grub topped with something the swells might swill to umami-ish effect. Despite being cow guts, tripe is actually rather rich and subtle and by the third bite (of maybe five) I was pretty darn OK with the combination and oddly, now, it remains the most vividly memorable taste of the night. "Open ravioli" turns out to be an envelope-sized sheet of paper-thin pasta folded back on itself a couple of times, with its stuffing curled into the folds. With shrimp, fresh vegetable and herbs, it was light, summery and refreshing. I don't remember exactly what the XO sauce "“ a paste, really "“ is, but it certainly has a great deal of cured ham and garlic pureed into it and, spun with spaghetti around a fork in that lime-sized divot, it delivers an excellent dose of salty goodness. You can't really say "no" to cruelty-free (ie you can hardly tell it from lean beef) veal with a bit of bone marrow "“ if it was a little unseasonal it was a lot good. The cheese course offered cheese -- which I like in a cheese course -- at a $10 supplement, which I don't. At least it was served in good-sized chunks. If there was a disappointment (aside from the tastefully uncomfortable chairs) it was the half of the bread "course" served as charming breadstick ringlets hung on the upraised the tentacles of a smiling porcelain octopus. Dry, forgettable. The Focaccia was good, however and the tomato "fondue" was quite good. Sietsema mentioned a "hotel-priced" wine list and the list is quite pricey. I don't know enough about Italian wines to opine on the value it may or may not offer, and I was told that the list is incomplete -- though whether that means more $200 Barolos or more $30 Chiantis, I don't know. There were a few seeming values if you're not out to double the cost of your meal, though, and the wines by the glass ran a very reasonable $8-14. The ones we tried all tasted great, especially that white one that's not the Basque one (which we liked) or the Chardonnay (because why am I going to an Italian restaurant to drink Chardonnay?). I would be remiss if I did not mentioning our waiter, John (or maybe James -- I'm pretty sure it started with a "J"), who was charming and efficient in an understated sort of way. Or to put it another way, refreshingly professional in an era of amateur hour servers. There were a few hiccups early on "“ not John (or James's) fault "“but, like Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, the team seemed to work better as the place became more crowded. DC will always have sort of a penis envy relationship with New York "“ their grime is more grimy than our grime; their elegance more elegant. New York's people are more beautiful and its chef's more talented. But Masseria -- engulfed in the ambiance and perfume of decaying wholesale food warehouses and the drunks who piss behind them yet offering top-flight food in a sophisticated space -- matches Manhattan at its own game, without your ever feeling that it's trying too hard to be anything but itself. [Full disclosure: David Kurka, late of CityZen, is a part owner and the wine guy and a fond acquaintance, but he did not try to bribe me with free stuff (damn him).]
    15 points
  34. When the chef asks for constructive feedback at the end of the meal and the best you can come up with is "charge more", you know the meal has been a success. Our first course was a red snapper ceviche with corn & avocado. Chunks of snapper with avocado & just barely blanched Georgia corn, marinated for only about 30 minutes but with a pleasant abundance of acidity that was balanced by a touch of sweetness from a drizzle of cream of balsamic. The second course was a parsnip soup with shitake mushrooms, the former of which was poured "tableside". As I dug in the questions started forming. First, what kind of stock did he use (a friend had noted a "meaty" flavor but I argued that was coming from a mushroom stock - the answer was dashi, aha). How did he manage such a smooth consistency to the soup? The answer, which became a sort of inside joke for the evening - a Vitamix. Honestly, this was one of the best soups I've ever had. The parsnips gave the soup a sweet but earthy flavor and the consistency was heavenly, incredibly smooth and creamy, but airy and light. Third course was a large scallop, perfectly seared and served over squash puree and baby bok choy. The squash puree was pure concentrated squash flavor, again with an amazing consistency and the dish was finished with basil oil, which brightened the dish and lent a nice contrast to the sweetness of the squash Fourth course was a risotto with Maine lobster, peas and parmesan cheese. There was a long wait for this course, but frankly it was needed as the meal in its entirety is a lot food. The risotto was well worth the wait. Not much for me to say about it except that it was excellent. Final savory course was a salt baked dorado - even in his experiments, Ferhat excels (this was the first time he had tried salt baking the filets, rather than the whole fish and he let us know there was a back up if it didn't work out, but the back up wasn't needed). There is some tinkering to make this dish as flawless as the rest, but the fish, once extricated from its salt casing was perfectly cooked - moist and flaky - and seasoned well with the dill, garlic and lemon and served on top of a turnip (I believe) puree with cubes of kohlrabi and daikon that while leaving the dish lacking in color created a lovely contrast in flavor. Dessert was a home made tiramisu. A delicious end to the meal, but with the major caveat that I am not a big dessert person, something that probably won't remain in my memory for long (I was also quite full at this point). We like others also had a few courses not listed on the menu. We started with homemade waffle chips with local thyme. While waiting for the risotto we had the aforementioned shrimp on top of garlic mashed potatoes. The shrimp, which tasted of the ocean, was seared on a salt block and then seasoned to perfection (who knew a salt block wouldn't actually lend a salty flavor to the food cooked on it). We also had a pre-dessert - a beer float. Mocha ice cream floating in Port City porter with a drizzle of Nutella on top. Honestly, heaven in a cup and as with all of the savory dishes I found myself scrambling to empty out every last bit. I plan to make this at home, with any porter or stout I can get my hands on and some Talenti salted caramel gelato. We all opted for the wine pairings, which went well and were generous. I was happy to start the night off with a glass of bubby. This was followed by an Albarino from the Rias Biaxas region of spain, a sauvignon blanc from France and a pinot noir from CA. Ferhat has a nice little list of scotch and bourbon available after dinner along with coffee and while I probably should have skipped it, I couldn't and ordered the Balvenie Doublewood 12 year. A relaxingly paced dinner along with the after dinner drink took close to 3 hours. At the end of the meal, Ferhat also asked what our favorite courses were. Again, a testament to how good the meal was that I honestly couldn't pick. This is a long ass post, with probably too much superfluous description. The bottom line is that I was scraping every last bit of each course from the plate or bowl and if there hadn't been a photographer from a local magazine there I probably would have been licking the plates clean. If you don't already have the pleasure of knowing Ferhat, he is warm, engaging and has a great sense of humor to boot and is happy to answer all of your questions. Add to all of that that the dinner is only $55 and as DanielK already said, if you aren't trying to get a reservation right now, you're making a huge mistake. Go. Now. Just don't make your reservations for the night I want to go back.
    15 points
  35. Went yesterday for our first foray to Annabelle. Lucked out with parking just a stone's throw from the front door. A good start. The bar is right up front and center. Arriving at 8pm made for a bit of a jam near the doors with people arriving and departing, but it all worked. We were shown to our table in the left/back area that I think they call the gallery room. Very nice space with comfortable banquettes and chairs. Spacing between tables was adequate. There are enough nooks, crannies ad the like to break up the potential for being too loud - something I really appreciate. Pretty room. I really like the lighting in that room. Oh and the bar area is really beautiful. I think it might get pretty cramped in there if all of the seats are taken, but I am sure it'll all work out. Looking forward to getting a Frankburger in the future at the bar (especially now that Dino's Grotto is closed, sniff). We settled in, chose some cocktails (Penicillin and Sazerac - looking forward to more options here in the future), and perused the wine list and menu. I noted the wine list on line and the one we chose from were slightly different - we ordered a magnificent 2017 Turley 'Frederiks Vineyard' Zinfandel - amazing bottle. I was hoping to see some choices from the Veneto (Valpolicella, Amarone) but the current list does not have any - maybe in the future. Anyway, the menu was still a more limited selection, with no consommé available sadly (another reason to go back!), but we did not lack for choices that would please us. We decided to go for 3 courses plus a shared dessert. We were not disappointed. The bread basket - the croissant-like rolls were delicious and buttery - butter was served (not needed) but I guilded the lily anyway. Underneath were very delicious rolls with a top encrusted with flavor augmenting salt and other goodies. Braised celery waldorf salad with smoked trout. The bite I got of this was very delicious. The braising of the celery is something I would never have thought to do. Transforming components in a way to make them different but at their core true to themselves is a skill I wished I had and am very appreciative to get to experience. Really tasty. Gnocchi with rogue river smoky blue cheese, pears, hazelnuts. Yet another variation I've now had over many years - pillows of perfection with a nice range of textures and flavors to keep it interesting. Caesar-esque salad with pickled mackerel. I got a bit of this and enjoyed it. The choice of pickled mackerel was an inspired choice! MMM. Lettuce wedge with peekytoe crab, potatoes, artichokes and lardons. It all worked really well together. The sauce underpinning it all was the star of the show here. My only desire would be to have a bit more of the crab, potato and artichoke. It was all in balance - I just wanted more of it. Tasty. Aged duck breast with quince, pistachios and braised endive. I only got a bite of this but the aging of the duck made the texture almost like beef - wild.A very good dish, where the quince really brought it all together. The piece de resistance - The Chicken. I only rarely ordered the various incarnations of chicken from Frank Ruta's past gigs - not because they were not good, but I was always distracted by all of the other goodies on the menus. But this is what I was really feeling from the menu options available. I knew I'd made a good choice when the 4-top next to, two of the people got this dish. A triumph of a dish it was just perfection. When all was said and done, there was nothing left on my plate but bones (sans even cartilage mmm). So moist and juicy. So flavorful. Perfect skin. Lots of interesting 'warm spices - I would swear there was something like cardamom in there, but basically just magic on a plate. Goat Cheese Cake, Caramelized Buckwheat Puff Pastry, Huckleberry-Balsamic Sorbet, Spicy Urfa Honey - Wow. This dish looks (well just the cake) a lot like the kasekuchen my mother would make. But what we had here was so, so, so much better. The cake is so light and yet full of flavor all its own. Augmented by the honey, the pastry and especially the huckleberry balsamic sorbet, this was a great way to finish the meal. Not overly sweet, not savory really, just a threading the needle kind of finish of arguably a perfect dessert. We had some tick, full decaf coffee to go with (really pretty cup service, too). There were some minor issues with pacing and service that I easily overlooked given we showed up just a week after opening. The restaurant was certainly busy. The hum of the room was nice but not too loud. The service was attentive, generally, and also enjoyed the wine service. We're looking forward to connecting with the staff more, on future visits. It was great to finally have some Frank food after an almost two year gap for us. We're looking forward to the menu expanding in the future and eager for more. I can't wait for Spring and Summer. [EDIT - one thing my wife reminded me that was a meaningful annoyance was that, some of the plates used for service, sitting on top of the rather slick table surfaces, meant that when you tried to cut something, the plate had a tendency to spin. Not sure of the best way to solve that problem, but a bit of a distraction for sure when you are trying to eat and enjoy.]
    14 points
  36. I'd like to kick myself in the ass for having never been to 2 Amy's before last night. Sitting at the wine bar with a roasted porchetta on the carving board in front of us, sampling wine, and ordering delicious little bites was a perfect way to spend a rainy night in DC. Now not everything was perfect, the pork duck rillette was served too cold, so it lost a lot of flavor, the crostino bread was over toasted to the point of being hard, the roasted cauliflower was calling out for some salt. But otherwise we ate well, very well. The tuna spuma which accompanied the cauliflower was decadently rich. The whole squid stuffed with breadcrumbs, anchovy, capers, and pine nuts were engorged and delicious. The simplicity of salt cured sardines, bread, and butter. Shaved matsutake mushrooms dressed with lemon and olive oil...so earthy. A plate of white beans, perfectly cooked, it didn't need anything else. And the porchetta: succulent, fatty, with crunchy crackling served with roasted peppers and beet greens and radicchio for $14...lesser restaurants would charge twice the price. Our two servers behind the bar were also excellent. Suggesting dishes, offer wine samples (we probably tried 6 different wines before settling on our choice), clearly having a fun time interacting with the customers. The wine bar was so good, I may never try the pizza at 2 Amy's.
    14 points
  37. [if I'd known jandres374 was in the house, I would have waved. Looking forward to his take on the meal we shared] Dinner at Pineapple and Pearls last Friday was refreshing. It was restorative. It was the return of Spring after grim winter and Monsoon rains, with buds popping, bits of chlorophyll exploding and– given the Japanese accents echoing around the meal – cherry blossoms bobbing gently in the breeze. Perhaps the only disappointing course was the entrée, mole smoked beef ribs which sort of sat there failing to excite regardless of how much timid mole I spooned over it. Otherwise, it was a verdant, many-coursed feast that nodded to France and Latin America in addition to The East, striking subtle and delicious notes for two and a half hours. Most of the card tricks were played early on: the gilded maraschino cherry in the bourbon lemonade, the fennel and absinthe bonbon, the potato ice cream paired with Ossetra caviar: quick hits that intrigued but didn’t quite dazzle. Then they brought out a Rubik’s Cube of ice sitting in mound of rock salt, sporting a golf ball-sized dimple filled with soba noodles, peas and sea urchin. That dazzled, with the peas and sea urchin dancing an invigorating Springtime ballet that Stravinsky and Diaghilev might have cooked up. The arguable highlight was the next course, a spring garlic egg drop soup prepared tableside (bar side, in our case), with one of the cooks dumping an eggshell’s worth of whipped egg into copper fondue-ish pot before ladling the soup into the obligatory artisan earthenware bowls set before us. “Egg drop soup” almost seemed a misnomer, despite the egg being dropped into the soup, as that conjures for me something hearty, wintery and warming, whereas this leaned brightly in the direction of delicate and perfumed. Whatever, we lapped it up to the last drop. From there to the short rib we meandered through France (an almost sweet fluke “Veronique” – steamed and topped with paper-thin slices of grape) and Asia. Porcinis shaved over a grain porridge looked beige but tasted delightfully off color as the bits of dried scallops minced into the (dry) "porridge" brought a bit of fish funk to the experience. And the white asparagus was vaguely tempura-ish, rolled in crumbs and deep-fried, topped with bonito flakes for further funky fish. After the entrée we wolfed down an inspired pecorino cake – imagine pepperoni-sized Italian cheesecakes -- and basil gelato, and a perhaps inspired but not especially inspiring coffee Kikigori (Japanese shaved ice). Interestingly, after one of the lightest, greenest meals I’ve ever eaten, they brought things home with some hard core, OG shit: a chocolate soufflé with buckwheat and honeycomb ice cream, which was every bit as deliciously decadent as it sounds. And then, in lieu of mignardise, we got Chartreuse, Campari, Grappa and Nardini donuts. The dessert underscored an interesting conundrum, perhaps for further exploration on another day: as delicious and thought-provoking (not quite “challenging” but more than “interesting”) as a meal like this is, is there something in the human soul that needs fat and protein to be fully satisfied? Despite eating probably a third of my companion’s meal I arguably came away more intrigued and impressed than sated, though that may have more to do with my size (large-ish) and current training regime (intense-ish) than anything else. And they do offer seconds on the short rib, which I declined, so I feel a bit of a churl even bringing it up. But there it is. The wine pairing was interesting, I will leave it to others to do a price/value analysis. We began with a blanc de blanc Champagne and then moved to a village Chablis at which I initially raised an eyebrow. It was priced and $26/glass on the wine list, which seemed a bit dear for village plonk and village plonk seemed a bit plain for a meal of this caliber but -- perhaps because of its age, it was a 2003 -- it was so rich that it felt like a cross between a Chablis and a Meursault and went quite well with the first courses following the champagne-accompanied card tricks. From there we moved to a stimulating, strawberry-scented rose and finally to something Spanish (Rioja?) which matched the rib and cheese well. One advantage of sitting at the bar is that if you finish your glass too early – each variety accompanies a series of dishes – they immediately pour another splash. Or two. (On my next trip, maybe I’ll test the system by really knocking the stuff back, just to see how accommodating they are. A couple of extra glasses of that Chablis would have been fun.) Another advantage of sitting at the bar is the chance to chat up the staff. I don’t recall the names, but the gentleman was the bar manager for both Rose’s and P&P, affable and a font of information. The main lady (another lady spent most of her time facing the door and greeting new arrivals) was quite friendly and quick with a pour, and gave us the inside scoop on how dishes are created (hint: the cook who serves your course may be the one who came up with it). Everyone seemed delighted to be there and delightful to dine with. Any early kinks seem to have been worked out: service was more or less flawless. The room matches the food, light and the modern and the atmosphere approaches elegance without even waving at formality. I assume this place is going to get (and deserves) four stars from the Daily of Record, so I would go now, especially as we approach prime fresh produce months. The kitchen seems to have a way with fresh, local stuff and about the only thing that might make it better (OK, maybe a butter sauce around the ninth course and better bread) would be a better variety of stuff, which will be rolling in from the farms for the next few months. The bartender told us that farmers regularly knock on Chef Silverman’s office door to offer up some special fungus or legume. It will be well worth the price of admission (if you’re feeling pinched, btw, sit at the bar, drink water and save $100) to find out what they have and how he cooks it.
    14 points
  38. How to tell the difference between the two from a distance, on an island overrun with both: "Tail up goat. Tail down sheep." Such is the origin behind the name of Adams Morgan's hottest new restaurant, Tail Up Goat - and I loathe to use the word "hot," but that's what it is, yes, already. Late on a Tuesday evening, around 8 PM, I called just to make sure it wasn't full, and was told that the bar area is first-come, first-serve, and that a couple is finishing up their entrees right now (so yes, it was full). I suppose I arrived around 9 PM, trying to park in the lot just south of the new building housing both Tail Up Goat and Philz Coffee (Tail Up Goat is hard to see, but it's around the corner, on the north side of the building, on Adams Mill Road). I pulled into the parking lot, which had a bunch of towing signs on the wall, and began to turn around and leave before seeing an attendant. "How much is parking?" I asked. "Twenty dollars," he replied. "Nah, that's too much," I said, and he answered, "How long will you be here?" I said "About seventy-five minutes," and he said, "You can park for ten dollars." It was Tuesday night at 9 PM, and even in Adams Morgan I knew I'd find a space, so I politely declined and went on my way. Take note: the "twenty-dollar" parking charge might be negotiable. I walked into a full Tail Up Goat, and while the main restaurant on the other side of the divider was full, there were two seats available facing the wall on the side counter near the bar, and I nabbed one of them (I hate seats like these, because the wall is right in front of you - but they're designed to be a holding area). Unfortunately, I sat there for about five minutes without being waited on (was I supposed to walk up to the bar?) Anyway, two bar seats opened up a few minutes later, and I looked at the hostess, inquisitively - she nodded her head, I took one of them, and from that point forward, service was delightful. You'll be initially taken back by the price of beverages here - they're expensive, and there's no getting around it. I desperately searched for something in the single-digits before stumbling across something I'd never seen before: a Grapefruit Radler ($7 for a 16-ounce can) by Stiegl Brewery in Salzburg, Austria. And boy am I glad I did, because not only was it delicious, but it went perfectly with my entire meal. It was essentially a beer mixed with grapefruit juice, about half-and-half I think, and is less than 3.2% alcohol - that was fine by me, and you'll be surprised at how good this is (it's not overly sweet, which makes it something of a mead-like beverage). Tail Up Goat has three "bread courses" which *start* at $10 each. 'This had better be some pretty good bread,' I thought to myself, before asking, and finding out that they were essentially open-faced sandwiches; not just bread (this is not clear from the menu, so don't let it scare you away). I began my dinner with a Brown Rice Bread ($10) with fermented turnips, yogurt, and hazelnut picada, and I knew right away that I was in new culinary territory with Tail Up Goat - I'd never had anything like this in my life: An absolutely delicious wedge of bread, cut in half, about the length and width of a woman's forearm from elbow to wrist, and almost an inch thick - slathered with these wonderful vegetarian toppings which were unlike anything I'd ever eaten. The bread was homemade and pretty-much perfect - calling for a knife-and-fork cut - and the flavors from the toppings knit together in a way that defined synergy - the sum was greater than the parts (even though the parts were wonderful), and this was one of the most delicious things I've eaten lately (I also hadn't eaten in well over twelve hours, so I was starving). I didn't feel any need to change from my Grapefruit Radler for the duration of the meal, and continued with a small main course - a pasta dish - Maltagliati ($17), wide, sheet-like pasta, house-made, with fermented honey sausage, pea shoots, and a buttery or semi-creamy sauce that brought it all together. I was surprised at the intensity of the pea shoots, because there weren't *that* many of them, but that's what quality produce will do for you, and even though there wasn't much sausage, that, too, permeated the dish - the sauce was the vehicle for all the flavors to co-mingle, and it was like a party of complimentary tastes, the pasta itself lending texture and substance. Although not a huge dish, the quantity rested in the quality. About halfway through my pasta, I asked my kindly bartender if I could order something to go - I wanted to try some more of their menu, but my tank was getting full. Unfortunately, they don't do carryout (unless you have leftovers on your plate), and it's probably for the best. So I decided to stuff myself, and ordered a Mortadella Sammy ($6), which immediately got my bartender's approval - she said that's a dish where nearly everything is made in-house. The wonderful, brioche-like roll (this is essentially one single slider), house-made mortadella, fermented fennel, and preserved-lemon aïoli - I could have *sworn* there was cheese in this sandwich, but the menu says otherwise - *something* lends an intense flavor and binds it together, probably the fermented fennel. My bartender asked me if I wanted to see the dessert menu. "See it, yes," I said, "but *only* see it, because I'm stuffed." Oh, it hurt to pass on the Budino, but that's what next-time's are for. I've never had food like I had at Tail Up Goat, and I'm not even sure how to classify it - when I asked my bartender, she said that it couldn't be pinned down to a single country, and she's right. 'It's sort of Mediterranean,' she said (or something like that), and I can see that, but I can also *not* see that. For now, I'm calling it "Modern Alpine" (a term I just made up because I can't think of another) as well as "Modern Mediterranean" which doesn't feel quite right - although I've been to Scandinavia, and even had dinner at the Michelin two-star Bagatelle in 2000, which was the only Michelin two-star restaurant in all of Norway until 2012, this was nothing like that, as Bagatelle was much more traditional and very seafood-oriented (the Porgy for Two caught my eye at Tail up Goat, and is something I plan on trying one of these days). However, there's *something* about Tail Up Goat that gives a Scandinavian "feeling," although I don't know why - it's kind of how I picture the modern-Scandinavian movement led by Noma, but I really don't know much about that movement or its cuisine, and quite honestly, I really don't know why I think that - perhaps it's because I can't think of anything else! Needless to say, Tail Up Goat is ranked *strongly* in Italic, and is now officially christened as the #1 restaurant in Adams Morgan. Cedric, if you were at Mintwood Place full-time, it might be a different story, but I associate you now with Convivial, and in my mind, it's essentially impossible for a chef to play ball at this level in two different restaurants, especially if they're in different neighborhoods. Although you may not agree with me, I hope you understand. And for those who are curious, I would have had Convivial instead of The Dabney in the James Beard Awards for Best New Restaurant - regardless, I have it ranked as the #1 restaurant in Shaw, which is exactly where it belongs. Although there is some painful mediocrity in the DC area of late, at the top level, life is awfully good right now, and Tail Up Goat is right up there. This is an important opening, and I predict great things for Tail Up Goat - congratulations to all who are involved with this fine restaurant which doesn't even blink when it comes to using fermentation, mild sweetness, and texture as integral parts of its cuisine.
    14 points
  39. I almost logged onto to Chowhound but was put off by creating yet another username/password. Thank you for all the work you do for this community.
    14 points
  40. These came from Tar river North Carolina. I saw plenty of shad at Reading Terminal in late January, not sure where they came from. Provení§al culinary folklore makes charming, though disputed, claims that slow cooking the shad for 6-12 hours stuffed with sorrel (oxalic acid) and in brandy melts the bird's nest of 400+ tiny secondary bones (much like pickling softens herring bones) but the results were discouraging and left discomfort in the craw. The "y" shaped pin bones are as remarkable a choking hazard as they are irritatingly baffling. One set of roe doesn't have a practical yield so the sacks were opened up, the eggs cured like caviar and used to baste the garnish. The flesh was picked through and fish cakes were made; a somewhat common practice in Virginia 50+ years ago when canned shad roe was still available and the shad still plentiful. The second shad was butterflied through the stomach and entirely deboned. Deboning shad is an enterprise in another reality of fish butchering and the handful of old timers that still know how to do it cleanly and efficiently deserve a comfy repose somewhere between the Smithsonian's American History and Folk Art Department. It was stuffed with the roe and a forcemeat of shad trimmings, scallops and sorrel which, without contact to the air or too high of a poaching temperature stayed green after cooking. It will be treated as a ballotine; seared in lard and served with cured pork belly and a sorrel sauce thickened with onions and rice.
    14 points
  41. We went to Convivial on Valentine's Day and had their prix fixe meal for two, and it was wonderful, start to finish:
    13 points
  42. Yesterday was perfect to dine al fresco and people watch in Georgetown. A bottle of Louis Dumont Brut Champagne ($70, a better value than the $20 per glass; I’d like to see a half-bottle of Champagne on the menu here) escorted us the entire way through the meal. I forgot to take a picture of the Boudin Blanc ($13). Soft Shell Crabs in a Meunière Sauce ($38) Grand Marnier Soufflé ($13) Just as it always does, La Chaumière delivered with great atmosphere and service, and classic French cooking that’s good enough to return for - this is one restaurant that has been remarkably consistent over the past twenty-five years.
    13 points
  43. Let me start by saying I've never been to Japan, and I've never been to Masa. That said, for my personal preference, Japan is second only to France for my favorite cuisine, and I am very much of a sushi and sashimi hound - it's just about my favorite thing (along with foie gras, caviar, etc.) I had, without much doubt, the best Sashimi-Sushi Omakase I've ever eaten on Wednesday night at the Sushi Bar at Sushi Ogawa, and I've been to most of the great sushi specialists in the U.S. and Vancouver. The only option is a $100 omakase, and I highly advise all diners to call and see if Chef Ogawa will be working before they commit to this meal. My friend made the reservation under her name, and I have no reason to think I was recognized, but boy, this sure seemed like more than the "12-14 courses" they advertise. I don't rule out the possibility that I was spotted, but regardless, I'm spotted at most other top Japanese restaurants in DC, and nobody has put out sashimi and sushi like this before, not even the great Sushi Taro. I had made an exception to my own unwritten rule (the only other one-visit Bold I've ever made has been Elements in Princeton, NJ), and initialized Sushi Bar at Sushi Ogawa as such (this was absolutely the best meal I've had in 2017, my dining partner said it was by far the best sashimi-sushi she's ever eaten, and I've spent nearly 8 weeks this year in Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles), but just to be prudent, I'm going to wait for other people to chime in. There are numerous Michelin 3-star sushi restaurants in Japan, but I honestly cannot envision any sashimi-sushi-driven meals being much better than this, even though I'm sure they are. Still, this raised the bar for me, personally, by a fair amount. About the only thing that fell short of excellence was the crème brûlée (it was fine, but Koji Terano can rest easy). If you go with another person, treat yourselves to a .720ml bottle of Eikun "Big Hawk" Junmai Ginjo sake ($65 on their list, and it will carry you through the entire meal).
    13 points
  44. Not sure if this is a mini-review or a brag. I took a 4 yr old on girldate to sushi zen because when I offered ramen or sushi she said "shu-shi" so of course, I asked again. Yes, "shu-shi" she insisted. By the time we got to lunch it was about 1:30 on a Saturday and the place was doing a steady business about 1/3 full. For 14.95 we shared a lunch special of 3 rolls: california, tuna, and salmon. It came with a little salad and a little miso soup. It's fine, solid, good sushi from my perspective but her's is more interesting so this is the review from my 4 yr old: 1. Miso Soup: Mommy, don't eat all of my soup. It's good! (big eyes). What's this green stuff? (seaweed). I LOVE SeaWeed! (big eyes again, open mouth). What's this white thing? (tofu; H, L and S really like it). Sad voice: I don't like the white things (neither do I). Well then don't eat them! (for clarity, she said that to me.) 2. Salad: I gave my only daughter my only tomato and only cucumber and the least salad-dressing covered iceberg pieces: Gemme that one (asking for a drenched slice of lettuce). I did, she at it up along with quite a few others. 3. California Roll without roe: I like this. It is good because of avocado! (ate 3 of 6) 4. Tuna roll: What's that (tuna) Can I have one? (yes). It's yucky. I like that and that but not that. (likes the seaweed, rice, but not the tuna). 5. Salmon roll: What's that (salmon) Can I have ones (yes) YUMMY! (big eyes again. ate 2.) There is a children's menu so aside from the rolls mentioned above, there are some other mild variations on the adult menu. And sorbet; mango. Yum.
    13 points
  45. The night before, my five year old had demanded Chick-Fil-A (please bear with me) and for reasons only she understands, my spouse acquiesced. Ended up it was a thirty minute wait to get their meal there (not sure why), during which my child and my spouse went thru various stages of their relationship with each other as they waited impatiently. Cut to: last night as I headed home, I made the last-minute executive decision that the family meal would be at Sfloglina, just around 6:30pm. I walked in, found that there was an outside table available (inside tables were spoken for), was seated. The fam was across the street, getting a loaf of bread, and were about 5 minutes away. Still in executive decision mode, when our lovely Italian server promptly came over just to greet me, I ordered for the kids off the kids menu: pappardelle in tomato sauce and beef ribs over polenta. She returned a minute later to pour water, and I, feeling flush wielding all this executive power left and right, decided to order the rigatoni and the brazino for the parents. And an Aperol Spritz just for me, I clearly deserved it. Probably about three minutes later, the kids entrees arrive, followed by my cocktail a minute later, and the adult entrees 5 minutes after that, just as my family were arriving (later than I thought they would). Everything was delicious, I know fresh pasta cooks quicker than dried pasta, and the proteins were either cooked for 72 hours or were thin enough to not be cooked extensively. The kids drilled thru their noodles and "steak", thus avoiding making a hangry scene in public, and we enjoyed the rigatoni in an heirloom tomato arrabblata and the fish filet with faro. We did not do the dishes justice in terms of savoring every bite, but really just gratefully demolished it all. The humidity was a bit uncomfortable for us, so we opted against dessert, the family left for the car and I settled up. By my watch, my wife and kids were seated there for 25 minutes, thus beating their time at Chick-Fil-A the night before! I tried to share my story with our server, but due to my in-artful delivery as well as a slight language/cultural barrier, she did not laugh but actually wondered if we had enjoyed our meal here, or preferred our experience at Chick-Fil-A. Perhaps she even thought the kids didn't like the food here, so they went to Chick-Fil-A instead? I can only speculate, but we enjoyed our meal here.
    13 points
  46. My wife and I went last night for our inaugural dinner at Mirabelle. In short - Wow. In shortish - Amazing space, great service, great food and drink. A place to linger and indulge. Not cheap. At all. But for me, worth it. And now for the long form review. Parking - It's a little tricky in that area. They have valet right out front, so you always have that option. Fortunately, we only spent a couple of minutes circline and we found a great spot less than two blocks away. The Space - They have outdoor seating, but it was not yet ready. They are apparently planning on installing large patio umbrella over the whole space as well. The main doors are twofold right at the corner of the building. There's an interior door and the host stand is immediately to your left at the head of the main walkway toward the bar. We were a little early but they were able to seat us immediately in a booth (yay!) - big enough for four, but most of the booths had two people in them. It was not crazy busy when we got there, but filled up during the course of the evening (we were there from 8 to midnight). It really is a beautiful space with a lot of attention to detail. The chairs, the bar chairs and the booth seating is at the same time beautiful, sumptuous and above all comfortable. I especially like that the bar seating has seat backs (note, they are still not serving the menu at the bar). Designs are echoed across elements as well - it's well thought out. And the bathrooms are on the way to the kitchen and that hallway is where a lot of wine is stored/displayed (similar to my experience at Tin Lung Heen). It was funny, I mentioned to my wife that the space was not technically authentic Parisian, because the tables were not close enough together (haha - just kidding, I love the spacing here!). The Service - What a treat. Warm, well-informed staff are thorough and engaging, and know very well how to be unobtrusive as needed. They almost all predicted things we'd want or need before we ourselves knew. Katy was our server, and we hope to be always be under her care on all of our future visits. Jaren and Jennifer kept us well taken care of with some half glass pairings for our first course. Jaren in particular helped, when we decided to go Rhone instead of Burgundy, not only nailed the selection, he did it in a way that made it work with a difficult to manage line-up of courses we'd picked. We saw some Palena alums there as well - glad to see them again. Though we did not really experience the tableside finally delivery from pan to plate (exception - our first course soups), we did see this happen quite a bit. Fun. And though we did not see the actually cheese trolley, we were seated right next to the trolley of brandies and other goodies. I found it quite wonderful to watch how the staff managed a demanding customer with grace and professionalism - ultimately addressing the customer's desires while maintaining perfect decorum. Lastly, I forgot to mention the cocktails. They have a fairly sizable list of their own creations/variations. We tried the Coda (really, really good) and the Paul's Spritz (a little weak as compared to the Coda, but interesting). The food. Frank and Aggie have been on their game, both of them, for years. At Palena, then at Grill Room and now here at Mirabelle. But I have to admit, I think it is possible that they have raised their game again. While I will miss the sprinkling of Italian bits and pieces through Ruta's dishes, he just adapts to the situation and makes things fun. And, I am getting ahead of myself here, but Chin's desserts are exceptional. Truly. Bear in mind you will have two paths to follow on the menu - 1) a six course proposed meal (4 savory, 1 cheese, 1 dessert) with optional wine pairings and 2) picking from the regular menu (I So, without any further delay, here are the courses we selected-- Spring soup with buckwheat tempura walleye pike, tapioca with curry flavors and coconut. This dish was so good. The coconut and the curry were such great elements and the crisp of the tempura really held up in the soup and provided a nice textural contrast. Jaren helped us pair this with a 2015 Domaine Mardon 'Tre Vielles Vignes' Quincy (a sauvignon blanc I believe). Ruta's consomme is legendary. I crave this at the center of my being. I live for his endless variations of this dish and this one did not disappoint at all. Consomme...enveloping poached foie fras with chrysanthemum and spring radish. Hoo boy so good. And what a heady aroma. Anytime anythig with consomme or other brothy variants are on the dish, we have a standing rule that one of us needs to order it. Jaren suggested the pairing of a 2014 J. Fritsch 'Schlosserg'Riesling that I think was not only one of the best pairings I have ever had, but was also one of the best Rieslings I have ever had. Wow. Boudin blanc - cicken and foie fras sausage with house made lardons, spinach coulis and poached raisins. Clearly house made everything. The sausage was so fresh and perfectly prepared, it was almost quivering with glee as to got it in to your mouth. So damn good. And, while picking rankings of dishes is splitting hairs, this was on the bottom of the list of dishes we tried not for lack of being an excellent dish, but just because there was so much strong competition from the rest of the dishes we had at this meal. Tete du porc with baby leeks and truffle vinaigrette. I love all of the bits and parts of the meats I love so much and this, this is me on a dish in many ways.The mustard was clearly house made and provided the sharpness and mild sting to counter the richness of the planks of this pork. But there were also the lightly pickled carrots to help provide texture and zing. They event rolled up the carrots and stuffed it with a çarrot green top'on the one in the foreground. Too fun! I would order this again and again. We fell in love with beef tartare on our Alpine trip several years ago, liking perhaps the best the variants in Lucerne, Switzerland and Schladming, Austria (though the versions in Verona, Italy were amazing, though different). So we had to try this. This version is quite good. My wife liked it less than I, mainly because she pines for the more 'Germanic versions indicate above (the Germanic versions tend to only very lightly bind the meat, and leave all of the various pickled and other additions off to the side for you to endlessly experiment with combinations - sometimes even adding butter to the plate - note the butter in the background, but this was not served with the dish but the lovely breads we had earlier in the meal) - but I digress. I totally loved this dish. It's rich and decadent and wonderful - especially with the poached egg broken and leaked all over the lovely tartare. The brioche was a nice textural play and IIRC there were tiny potatoe strings spinkled on the top of the tartare that were tasty and provided more textural fun. The razor clams, I think, were added to the dish so as to cleanse your palate a bit between bites of the tartare. I didn't eat them that way as I slurped it all down before jumping in to the tartare. But I can see how and why it was added to the dish, I just personally think it was unnecessary. Squab nantua, the breast roasted with spices, the leg braised with morels, crayfish and spring asparagus. This was a spectacular dish. Perfectly cooked squab, well seasoned and just fantastic. The underpinning of the sauce (likely the braising liquid for the legs?) was the star of the show - it seemed almost ever so lightly goulash-y with a hint of light paprika and other mystery spices (maybe marjoram? no idea). So.Damn.Good. Order this. This paired really well with the 2014 Domaine Tunnel St. Joseph that we selected off the list with Jaren's help. It threaded the needle of fruitiness, but also a meatiness to it. Honeyed elements and a more thick viscosity revealed itself well after being open for a while. Yum. I went for this dish since we veered in to squab. It was a hard decision because there were other significantly tempting other mains to consider (the chicken, the bouillabaisse, the turbot, and more). But I went here and was not disappointed. Angus beef sirloin, dauphin potatoes, with beef tongue, bone marrow glazed carrots and spring onions, sauce bordelaise. I reallynot need to say anything more about this dish, right? The spring onions under there seemed to have been first grilled or seared, and then lightly braised. Wow. Again, a role player basically stealing the show again. And this on a plate of spectacular food. It's what Ruta does all the damn time. The Domaine Tunnel St. Joseph also paired well with this. Strawberry 'mille feuille' - buckwheat puff pastry, vanilla fromage blanc, strawberries, toasted buckwheat ice cream Where Chin got these strawberries this early in the season is curious, but they delivered for sure. And the buckwheat elements to this dish were lovely. It makes us want to experiment with this in the kitchen when strawberry season is in full swing as well. Matcha Rhubarb Roulade, matcha cake, yuzu cream, rhubarb compote, rhubarb sorbet. We have decided that if Chin has a dessert on the menu that involves anything on the tea spectrum, one of us needs to order it. I fell in love with and still dream about her 'Spot of Tea'dish she came up with while at Grill Room. This is a worthy successor in that line of thinking. I mean, this was the piece de resistance. A triumph. A masterpiece in flavor, subtle sweetness and amazing texture and flavor interplay. Wrapping things up on things I forgot to mention - they had three breads offered up for service - a pumpernickel, a baguette and something else. We tried the two I mentioned and enjoyed them a lot. The butter is whipped and the proper temperature and seasoning. If you got some off of the serving dish on to your knife, you were left with a peaked swirl on the butter still on the serving dish. Amazing! The cheese was excellent and they had maybe 12 to 15 to choose from. Katy offered to have us come look at the trolley to view them, but we were too lazy and ordered off of the list instead. Much to explore there. Enjoyed a 1975 Calvet-Thunevin GRenache 'Maury' Vin Doux Naturale from Roussillon, France with dessert. And then one of the Absinthes at a 3-to-1 ratio that we doctored up with a little more ice and water to probably the 4-to-1 ratio. Interesting to try but not my thing. I'll explore the brandies the next time. The thing is, it was almost unbearable that we did not order the proposed menu, because there was so much amazing stuff on that list that we knew we were passing on, but hey we will just have to come back. One thing to remember, you cannot currently order anything off of the proposed menu as an a la carte item. Yet, anyway. However, if one person in your party wants to the proposed menu, and others do not, they will happily accommodate you. Oh and you also get tasty petit fours at the end! All in all, I was very pleased with our first experience there. Dinner will often be our main experiences there, though lunch I am sure will be excellent as will the coming breakfast. Not sure if they are ever doing brunch, but you never know. It is expensive, I will admit. But the attention to detail here on not just the food front, but the service and the beverage program, not to mention the space and everything else that goes in to the experience, is, in my opinion, worth it. Plus, it is relatively easy to keep a lid on costs - we ordered a lot - cocktails, a couple of half glasses of wine, a total of 5 appetizers, a nice bottle of wine, two mains, a cheese course, two deserts, a dessert wine, a try at the absinthe and the petit fours at the end. You could easily omit several of these things and be full, satisfied, and drop a lot fewer dollars there as a result. And to experience the food elsewise, there is always lunch and the coming breakfast to allow you other opportunities to get back more often. And now...I'm hungry for more.
    13 points
  47. On a rainy Monday evening I was heading downtown to have dinner somewhere - perhaps Purple Patch, or Thip Khao - but I thought to myself, at 7:45 tonight, this is my best chance to get into Rose's Luxury, so I went to Barracks Row, driving around-and-around for what must have been over twenty minutes, trying to find a parking space that wasn't zoned. Finally, I succeeded (anyone who thinks Rose's Luxury isn't a neighborhood restaurant only needs to try and go to it from another neighborhood - the fact that they don't offer valet parking almost by definition makes them a neighborhood restaurant). I walked in, and despite there being no customers at the host stand, the hostess told me there was still a short waiting list, but the bar upstairs might have seating - I walked up, and as I did before, grabbed the very last seat at the bar - this restaurant was now completely full on a rainy Monday at 8 PM. My bartender clearly demonstrated why Rose's has such a fine reputation for service - he was as friendly to me as he could have possibly been, and while I saw some professional service lapses when I was there (not from him), the service staff is absolutely there to please the customers. The service at Rose's really does make a customer feel like a welcome guest, and that the staff is glad to have you there. Why can't other restaurants use such common sense in dealing with their clientele? Wanting to unwind with a drink, I began my meal with a cocktail from the "everyday" section of the "Cocktails" menu: a Dry Rye Gin and Pumpkin Spice Tonic ($12), and despite it being stirred with a deft hand, it was like so many other pumpkin-based drinks are: overwhelmingly of pumpkin. Pumpkin, nutmeg, and sugar. Oh, it was a real cocktail, but if you get tired of pumpkin being the dominating flavor whenever you order something with that word in the name, I would advise turning your attention elsewhere. My kindly bartender advised me that even though the restaurant features "small plates," they add up quickly, and for me to get two or three, depending on how hungry I am. I made my meal nearly vegan, save for a bit of yogurt in one dish, some grated cheese in another, and of course the generous use of butter in the wonderful potato brioche that everyone receives who orders dinner. This is one of the best bread services in town, and is an early way to go straight to the diner's heart - a smart move, and a wonderful treat. The crust keeps the bread warm inside, so there's no need to tear right into it, if you want to wait and have it with your meal (although it's hard to resist the bacon, chives, and butter which come along side, just for one, little piece before the meal). The bread knife they supply is a good imitation of a Laguiole (but it isn't). Rose's Luxury was offering 13 plates total on this evening, 2 of them family style. From the "warm & grill" section, I began with Charred Carrots with Harissa, Housemade Yogurt, and Pearl Onions $12. In my limited experience with Rose's, I've noticed that they take seemingly disparate ingredients, and mix them together in a bowl, figuring the flavors will work when taken as an ensemble. In this case, they worked fairly well, but the execution is what fell short - my first bite of carrot (they were cut into bit-sized morsels) wasn't completely cooked, and was very firm, almost to the point of being crunchy. I didn't know if this entire plate would be al dente, but I didn't think this worked at all. My second bite of carrot, on the other hand, was cooked all the way through, and was the typical mushy carrot you've come to expect. The harissa atop the yogurt made this a fairly spicy dish, and the little pearl onions hidden underneath added a nice touch of sweetness. This was a good, innovative, and somewhat interesting dish, but not something I'd get again in the future, as the flavors didn't really resonate with me - even if the texture had been perfect, I would have merely "liked" this creative dish. Before my first course, I opted for the only Rosé on the wine list: a glass of 2014 La Grange Tiphaine, Tournage Riant, from Touraine in the Loire Valley ($12, retail price $16.99 a bottle). I had no idea what type of grapes went into this wine, but it was a fascinating mix of Grolleau Noir, Cot, Cabernet Franc, and Gamay - no Pinot Noir! Unfortunately, the wine is red and fruity, more in the style of a Spanish Garnacha, and I was hoping that it would be a typical, bone-dry, pale, French Rosé. Having clearly undergone malolactic fermentation, where tart malic acid (think: apples) turns into soft lactic acid (think: milk), this had a nose of yogurt, which I find off-putting in my rosés, and without the perceived acidity necessary to work well with food. I was wondering, after taking the first whiff, and knowing this would be a highly lactic wine, whether or not the yogurt-on-yogurt combination would work; it didn't - this dish, because it had sweetness from the pearl onions, needed a more neutral or acidic wine. It's a shame this is the only Rosé on the entire list. Of note: diners get a tasting pour before having to commit to an entire glass here, so I certainly had the option presented to me to change wines, and opted not to. This is yet another wonderful service touch that Rose's is so famous for. For my second course, I ordered from the "pasta" section: Hand-Cut Chitarra with Caramelized Cauliflower and White Wine Soffrito ($12), chitarra being a relative of spaghetti, and soffrito being the Italian cousin of a French mirepoix. This dish was very uninspired, if pleasant, and the caramelization of the cauliflower was the one thing that made it stand out from being something you might make at home. With the Rosé, it was actually somewhat ponderous, but when I switched to my final drink, a glass of 2014 Weingut Muller-Grossman Grí¼ner Veltliner ($11) from Kremstal in Austria, the formidable acidity took over, lifted the butter and herbs, and made the pasta dish better than it previously was - a perfect example of food-and-wine synergy, and a fine pairing. Weingut Muller-Grossman makes several Grí¼ner-Veltliners, and I don't know which this was; I suspect it retails for around $14. In summary, if youÅ•e going to get this pasta dish, have it with the Grí¼ner and not the Rosí« - the Grí¼ner stayed with me for the rest of the meal. My final small plate (my bartender was correct: three was plenty) was Vadouvan Curry with Sweet Potato and Caramelized Banana ($12), a typical, Rose's Luxury dish due to its unabashed use of sweetness as part of a savory course. In this case, it was something of a thick, squash bisque in nature, despite having no squash - it came in a bowl, was to be eaten with a spoon, and had distributed throughout it, bite-sized chunks of sweet potato and banana. Vadouvan is a French derivative of masala - essentially aromatic herbs to enhance the curry. This was another fascinating fusion of the Far East, the Near East, and Europe, all in one bowl, and I'm afraid to say it didn't work within the context of this meal - by itself, for a quick, healthy lunch, it would have been fine. I don't know what the base was, but I'm thinking there might have been some yogurt in it - regardless, this thick, sweetish "curry" went beautifully with my zippy, acidic Gruner, and was another match made in heaven. Once again, the execution had some problems - for example, my first bite of banana was actually cool, cooler than room temperature, but not cold, whereas everything else in the curry was warm. I was wondering if Chef Silverman was pulling a José Andrés and playing around with temperatures, but my other bites of banana, except one, were all warm, so it was a mistake in execution. Chef Silverman exudes confidence in mixing savory and sweet, and such disparate flavors from around the world into one melange. I applaud it, and I respect it, while not necessarily liking everything I have here. Wine selection is absolutely crucial, because with the right wine, these dishes either improve, or they decline - order wisely, or ask for help - and think: acidity, acidity, acidity: This food cried out for a crisp wine of at least medium body, preferably without any oak - my Gruner Veltliner. Out of 10 wines by the glass featured on the menu, my Grí¼ner was one of only 4 which were $11 - the least expensive price. You don't need to spend a lot here. That said, by the bottle, there are two slightly pricey examples of "orange" wine (I still want to know who coined the term, "orange" wine - it's appropriate, and I never saw it before the first time I ate at The Red Hen). I have yet to encounter one, anywhere, that's fairly priced - these are not expensive wines. In retrospect, I was wishing I had saved room for dessert, because I'm sure they were both fabulous and partly savory. My bartender handed me the menu, and I had to decline because I had been pleasantly sated. Midway through the meal, I ordered one item from the "Family Style" section of the menu to take home with me for lunch the next day: Smoked Brisket, White Bread [Actually, Texas Toast], Horseradish, and Slaw ($29) which was delivered and explained to me just as I was paying the check (perfect timing, Rose's, and a good all-around job with the service!) I was encouraged to make sandwiches, and so I did - I had enough for two full sandwiches: four pieces of Texas Toast, five generous cuts of brisket with a good proportion of fat attached, a tub of horseradish, and a tub of beautiful, red cabbage slaw. One of the two sandwiches is pictured, in two perspectives, in this post. You might be asking yourself two obvious questions: 1) with tax and a 20% tip, the price of each sandwich came out fo $18.85. Is this a crazy amount of money for a couple pieces of brisket on toast? 2) Equally as interesting, is this the type of thing you'd expect to see in an absolute, very best, top-of-the-top, lines-down-the-street, nationally recognized, restaurant that has critics fawning and assigning the highest possible rating? I have enough faith in our readers where I feel no need to answer either of these questions. Rose's Luxury is an excellent restaurant that does so very many things right. It's also not trying to be an elite, cross-town place to dine, or a destination restaurant like Inn at Little Washington. Rose's Luxury is to be lauded for doing exactly what it set out to do: Be a comfortable, exciting, neighborhood restaurant that exceeds the normal standards of that moniker. Aaron Silverman is to be commended for taking all the inexplicably lavish praise in stride, and for sticking to his guns. Although I've never met Aaron, we've talked on numerous occasions, and I think very highly of him as someone with his head screwed on properly. He won the lottery by opening Rose's Luxury, and should enjoy this ride for as long as it lasts - this is perhaps the single most successful restaurant in the history of Washington, DC., outdoing every queued-up place from Pasta Mia, to Georgetown Cupcake, to Little Serow (well, maybe not Little Serow) - my point is that there's no logical possibility that Aaron could have predicted, or should have predicted this extraordinary level of popularity, and from what I can tell, it couldn't happen to a nicer person. In the Don Rockwell Dining Guide, Rose's Luxury is maintained as "Excellent," and is ranked 3rd in Barracks Row behind Garrison and Sushi Capitol, although I can easily see how any informed, reasonable person could shuffle that order around. Though I most likely prefer The Red Hen (which opened at almost the same time as Rose's, and was completely drowned out in the publicity wars and social-media chatter - Rose's is a genuine cultural phenomenon), I have all four of these restaurants rated as "Excellent," and consider them all to be peers. Beuchert's Saloon and perhaps Montmartre (I haven't been since a recent change occurred) are not that far behind. On any given day, I could not say one is better than the others, and (this is important, so remember I said this) neither could anyone else. We're lucky to have all six of these restaurants, five on Barracks Row where Belga Café used to be the best game in town (and I could name a dozen more area restaurants on the same level, or even at a higher level) - Rose's Luxury is an excellent restaurant that will most likely remain in Italic for as long as it wants to stay open, and is certainly one of the Top 10-20 restaurants in the Washington, DC area - I say that as a high compliment and honor, even though people will read that and want to approach my house with pitchforks and torches, and burn it to the ground for committing heresy - to these people I simply say that Rose's Luxury was not, is not, and never will be aiming to be ranked in Bold - they are not *trying* to be the best-of-the-best-of-the-best. Nothing of the sort - I suspect that, like Mike Isabella (btw, have you heard anything at all about Graffiato lately?), Aaron feels as though he won the lottery, and if the press wants to rave about his restaurant and make him and the investors millions of dollars? Good for them, I say - I'm happy for them. I'm happy for them all. No, I can't explain it, but I can't explain a lot of things - I just hope that the quality, or at least the press, remains where it is so the dining public remains happy as well.
    13 points
  48. I don't even know where to begin. I don't feel I have the writing skills to do justice to my experience at Marcel's last night. First off, the food wowed me. The seared ahi tuna with togarashi, the revered skate dish, and the infamous boudin blanc were flawless. The muscadet paired with the skate was my favorite pairing of the night and the bordeaux that Adnane chose for the boudin blanc a close second. The langostine and sweetbread dish was excellent as well - those perfectly crispy on the outside, melt in your mouth on the inside sweetbreads are something I could eat daily although I wasn't sure about the cook on one of the pieces of langoustine. I only wish the white burgundy paired with it would have been a bit warmer, but I have a bit of a pet peeve about the temps at which most restaurants serve their white wines, especially chardonnays (and I did not feel this way about the muscadet). The venison satisfied my craving to finish off the meal with red meat. Unfortunately the cube of sausage on the side of the dish was dry and heavily salted (I mean to the point that I found it inedible and I like salt) but the rest of the dish was excellent. Too often lately I've had beautifully plated, well executed dishes, that while I could find no flaws with them left me feeling less than enthused (my recent meal at Cityzen comes to mind). These dishes were not that. They were of course beautifully plated and well executed, but they were also generous, packed big flavor punches and really took me to a place where I was happy to sit quietly and relish every incredible bite. These dishes were, for the most part, more than the sum of their parts. But where I really want to give praise is Adnane. Waitman was right earlier to point out that he deserves high praise. I walked in and was immediately greeted by name and led to my seat at the bar, where there was a place setting already waiting for me despite the bar being empty (I had called earlier to check whether I needed to be concerned about getting a seat since the dining room was booked). That's just one of many little touches that add up to an exceptional experience. Throughout the night, I only needed to glance up and Adnane was there asking what I needed. I wanted to start the night off with a sparkling rose, but when I realized there wasn't one on the by the glass list anymore, I said no worries, just something bubbly. Adnane wouldn't settle for that and a bottle of brut rose was found and popped open. When I mentioned that I used to be a part of a blind tasting group, Adnane poured me a taste of a special wine to put my skills to the test. Later in the evening when he found out it was my birthday (I was purposely keeping that to myself as I didn't want special treatment) I was of course treated to a little dessert with "Happy birthday Jen" written across the plate. There were touches like this all evening, right up until I went to leave and I got a warm hug as if Adnane and I had been friends for years. And I think that's really where the exceptional experience comes from - that Adnane treats each guest like an old friend and has an amazing ability to read people and figure out what they need, when they want to engage, when they want to be left to their food, when something is off. The service too is more than the sum of its parts. And it's both of those things that leave me looking at my budget, trying to figure out how soon I can return.
    13 points
  49. Don't know where to begin but I will start at the beginning of my time at 2761 Washington Blvd. I was young, 15 years old, and I had snuck into the back through a door left propped open by a dishwasher. It smelled of smoke and stale beer but it was awesome. Whitey's was named after the original owner who in fact had a long white beard. My father eventually became the second owners lawyer, a guy named Calvin Seville who went by the nickname of Fuzzy. That's not the whole story of my experience. Life's not that short. I had my first real bar experience at Whitey's which included a stale domestic beer served in a frosted mug, Onion Rings doused with Blue Cheese dressing and a celebratory cigarette while playing darts in the back room. The years went by and Whitey's became less of what it originally started out as, a bar. Calvin did everything to bring in business but there were no takers. He installed a $200K kitchen to cook $7 hamburgers. Times were not kind to Calvin and Whitey's in its last years, the building just felt empty because it was in fact empty. The good times of listening to Bill Kirchen and other local musicians quickly faded to large TV's, game boards and lousy food. Something that I always remembered about Whiteys in the early days was the fact that the food was always good, even in a dive. Whitey's used to have lines wrapped around the corner to get in, but no more in its final days. The neighborhood rallied around to get the liquor license revoked by the County board because too many times mailboxes were smashed or lawns were pissed on. Guess what? They won and the dagger went right to the heart of Whitey's. They closed the doors and the Eat sign went dark. Years later a young restaurant group tinkered with the idea of a wine bar that served a little bit of everything from Shortribs to Baby Burgers. Small plates meeting for the first time grown up food. But where? The paper went up in the windows, the old bar ripped out, walls came down, and the old often never used $200K kitchen was cleaned up, over and over again. Whitey's was getting a facelift, but no longer Whitey's, yet Tallula. The neighborhood of course was nervous that the old habits of young adults pried with the right amount of booze would soon be back to smashing mailboxes and peeing on lawns. The owners assured them something different was about to happen and it was in the form of wine. This wasn't going to be a place to pound shots of Jager, or crush 24 ounce Miller Lites, but instead a place to sip a glass of Viognier, or enjoy a bottle of Gigondas. This was an adult restaurant where adult behavior would be the norm, and the chugging history of Whitey's past was long gone. The day before Thanksgiving in 2004 Tallula opened its doors, albeit 4 months behind schedule. Maybe a sign of its future would be on that same very night the restaurant lost power. Guess what, only half of it did because the building is supplied by two power sources. The left side, restaurant, is powered by a grid that sits next to Mr. Days. The right side, the original Whitey's, is powered from behind the building. So on that night the restaurant closed halfway through, but the bar stayed opened. How do I know? I was behind the bar that evening as I was so fortunate to be a part of the opening team at Tallula. Over the year I left the bar and became the GM and Wine Director, something that to this day I take great pride in and realize how incredibly lucky I was to be in that position. I worked with some fantastic people and talent. When I think back to Tallula during the early years I fondly remember the place being packed on any given night, the hum of the kitchen under Nathan Anda's control, the clinking of Wine Bottles left and right, and a building that once again was breathing life after years of dormancy and neglect. I left Tallula in May of 2007 for a decision that sometimes I regret, but because of a greater influence, my family and the hopes of an easier life. Kids will do that to you. Tallula ushered in new blood, not just in my place but everywhere. The kitchen was turned over while Nate created his new passion with Red Apron, congrats Nate, job well done if I never told you that before. Some fantastic chefs came through the door including Andrew Market, Barry Koslow and now Robert Rubba. Matt Moleski took over the reins and seemed to be the leader for the FOH and from my interaction did a great job. The years passed by Tallula much like Whitey's as people change and grow older, sometimes the place they used to frequent becomes a distant memory. Tallula never stopped caring. I, along with 5 others last night, sat in the dining room talking about days past at Tallula. I stared at the fountain in the middle of the restaurant remembering the days of having to scrub the tiles and cursing at it. The six of us ordered food and from what I can remember it was just as Tallula had delivered on its first day of business, solid. The six of us all met at Tallula, and as one could imagine with the boys on one side and the girls on the other side we were perfectly matched up with our wives. You see I met my wife at Tallula. Granted we did not have a romantic involvement while we worked together at Tallula, that was way down the road, we initially met there as she worked as a cocktailer, and I as the GM. to be honest we didn't really get along that well with each other when we did work together. The guy I share an office with today, who has worked with me side by side for the last 10 years, also met his wife while working at Tallula. She was a waitress, and he a Bartender. The other couple met there as well and had their first date at Tallula. You know the phrase, small world. We laughed into the night but I couldn't stop thinking about Tallula. Where did it go wrong? I may never know that answer but I do hope that while we see the last week bring this version of Tallula to an end that some of you find it in your heart to give that old building one last send off. The 'Eat' sign will again go dark, but the memories for the six of us, who remain best of friends, will always be very clear to what Tallula means to us and hopefully to many others who enjoyed its passion over the years.
    13 points
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