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DPop

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  • Birthday 08/16/1979

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  1. I looked for a thread on this and couldn't find one. We stopped in on SB Sunday to a mostly empty Pastis for an early dinner to check it out. The space is like a bigger, cleaner Le Dip; nice tile floors, a big bar and outdoor seating in front with some nicely adorned chalets that will be nice as the weather comes around. I don't have detailed notes, but in short, the food was a bit of a miss for us. Not sure if it was the night or we didn't order very well, but we didn't come away that impressed. I got the Onion Soup, which was satisfying and fine in the weather, if a bit sweet and not as rich as the best versions that you would get. For mains my wife got the Moules Frites and I got the Duck Confit. The Moules were an unmitigated disaster; mealy, gritty, and with a distinct and unpleasant fish aftertaste. I've had bad mussels before so it wasn't a complete shock, but I couldn't believe what they were passing off as frites. Unlike Le Dip, which nails the thin, well salted style that you would get in a real brasserie, what was served to us were almost certainly prepackaged frozen french fries. As soon as they sat them on the table they were easy to spot. I was shocked that a new splashy restaurant like this would cut this kind of corner! The confit was overall decent if a bit overcooked and dry, saved only by the rich jus in the bottom of the plate. Not bad for sure, but certainly nothing I would come back to get again. Pastis is in a great location and a lovely space, but in the long run they will need to step up their game big time if they want to stay relevant in this space around the likes of Le Dip, Le Petite Cerise, Convivial, etc.
  2. I went last year and won't give a lot of detail but just did not love the experience at all. A lot of pomp and circumstance, stories about Chef's youth, and the only thing I remember that we had was the soft serve ice cream we got at the end of the night. No way you will see me back here unless someone else is paying.
  3. I went last weekend as well and was not as impressed. None of the dishes had the 'wow' factor that some had at the Wharf, and I found the mussels to uninteresting, the carbonara to be a big miss, the duck breast a bit bland, and the king salmon to be cooked into submission. All that said, I understand that it is probably hard to operate in the space they are in now versus where they were, and having a limited cocktail program and no wine (not their choice) really limits the experience. All that said, I will not be heading back despite this being very close to my house.
  4. Coming out of retirement briefly to put folks on this forum onto what is, IMO, the best lunch deal in DC right now. Chef Uchi, who is about the loveliest gent you will speak to, has taken up residence on a small 5 person counter on the outer edge of Casa Teresa, which is open from 11am-3pm Monday - Friday for the next 2 weeks, after which time Casa Teresa will take back the space to make part of its larger bar. The menu is a set Quick Omakase, consisting of 7 pieces of sushi, a bowl of miso soup, and a handroll, all for the preposterously low price of $45 per person (!). On Friday, the sushi was a piece each of amberjack, spanish mackerel, flounder, scallop, king salmon, lean tuna, and fatty tuna. Each piece seemed better than the last, perfectly adorned by Chef Uchi with the right hits of acid, salt, and wasabi. I can't remember having better quality sushi in DC outside of Nakazawa. The miso soup, which is usually an afterthought for me, was amazing, with a rich broth of mackerel and flounder stock and a generous amount of green onion. Umami heaven. The handroll, which is also usually not a favorite of mine, was a very good spicy tuna, although I still found this version (like most others I have had) to be a bit overwhelmed by the wrapper. I would be tempted to just ask for the fish and rice next time I go, and I will most certainly be back. Fantastic experience and I'm looking forward to what Uchi can do when he gets his own restaurant, which he told me he was hoping to have in the next 12-18 months, but will be doing some more pop ups in between now and then. In the meantime, get to the Square in the next 2 weeks to give this a try, he is certainly a chef worthy of your support!
  5. That Pappardelle should be in the DC Dining Hall of Fame. So good way back when at Tosca, great in its short stint at Posto, and still great now at San Lorenzo.
  6. Mirabelle is indeed gone, fully boarded up and looking like it will be branded as something different. We went to La Bise and we were pleased if not bowled over by the fare. It was step up from Brasserie Liberte, but what we had is not going to earn them a Michelin star. 75 mph, straight down the middle French food delivered with excellent service, which seems to be a hallmark of Ashok's restaurants.
  7. Crummy wine list aside, the beautiful bar is now open and has very extremely comfortable seats. We sat there on Saturday and had a lovely Angel's Envy special bottling (name is escaping me now) and really enjoyed ourselves. Almost felt like pre-pandemic times again, sitting at a bar without masks and chatting with people over a good glass of booze.
  8. Sally's is the best of the bunch IMO, perfect char and outstanding sauce. You really can't go wrong with any of the 3, though.
  9. I would venture a guess that this will be nowhere near the New Haven edition, which is excellent pizza if a bit inferior to Sally's and Modern, but I will still give it a hopeful try.
  10. If there is a better pizza being made in the DMV right now, someone needs to let me know. I had the one Rocks had the other day and the one with italian sausage and red sauce from last week and I was amazed on the quality of the very different pies. Johnny continues to impress after all these years, a truly transcendent talent that has chosen to stick around in this area. Lucky us.
  11. Like most in this thread, I have had overwhelmingly positive experiences at Litteris, but today was an unfortunate exception. Not in the mood for an Italian sub (more specifically, the heartburn that follows), I opted for the Gyro today for a quick takeout after shopping at Trader Joe's. At $10 this is a small sandwich, but that's not what was disturbing. This catastrophe was basically a cheap pito, frozen gyro meat, and an overabundance of tzatziki, canned olives, and discolored lettuce and tomatoes. Unwrapping the foil, this thing was a mess; it had soaked through the paper wrapping inside and fell apart with every bite. I made it about 3 bites in and threw the rest in the trash, which I almost never do as I hate wasting food. An anomaly for sure, but at the prices they charge at this place, they either need to do better or take things off the menu that they don't want to take care in making.
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