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Showing results for tags 'American'.
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According to ARLnow.com, the new place at the old Kitty O'Shea's location on Wilson Boulevard will be called Wilson Tavern. I guess "tavern" is just another word for "bar." It must be true, because they got themselves a nascent website. The internet wouldn't lie, would it? The craigslist ad for servers uses the dreaded "gastropub" term. I thought that sort of pretentiousness was reserved for further up Wilson Boulevard. -
A true American master: "Play It Close To The Muzzle And Paws On The Table" by James McManus on nytimes.com -
Bear Rock is open for business in the Westlee Condo building on Lee Highway. Looks like a interesting twist on the typical sandwiche place. 2200 N. Westmoreland Street Ph: 703-532-0031 - WiFi http://www.bearrockfoods.com/ -
And speaking of the Great American chain, I had some of the best, yes BEST, shoestring fries at the Fairfax Sweetwater with my lunch yesterday. The beer, well that was just OK. ETA: loctation -
In the former India Curry House spot, there's now a name on the window and hours and a web address on the door: Spider Kelly's (see the about section). -
This is a Greek restaurant where you can get Italian and American food. The people there are very friendly and try to make you comfortable. There is a small salad bar and nightly specials. Gyro's are great and the lamb is very good. They have a nice Sunday brunch. We often eat there when we are passing by and don't want to be too fancy. Try the dolmas, they are quite good. On some days they have a Greek buffet that is quite a good deal. -
Forget the truffles, the kobe beef, etc. Its got to be in the tomato: "What's In A $250 Burger?" Starring Chef Nok of Beer & Buns on cnn.com -
They also take about 3 days to get it to you (if you can find a server). Worst service I've ever had. I ended up getting up and walking out. -
Speaking of the Cowboy Cafe, it is now under new management. They are trying to upgrade the facility as well as the kitchen. This is a process I am told will take them through the first few months of next year. I sampled a crab cake apetizer with chipotle aioli and the cajun shrimp with a spicy cajun butter sauce over long grain rice, both of which were pretty tasty. They seem to be trying out new items each week. I wish them luck. I always like to support my corner bar, or in this case, my "in the middle of a long haphazardly developed block" bar.
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http://www.thealehousecolumbia.com/ With the addition of The Ale House, Columbia now has a nice selection of places really focused on their beer programs and I would venture to say that The Ale House has become my favorite. The description on their website summarizes them well: Join us for a delicious dinner, then stay for craft beers, cocktails, and live entertainment in our three indoor bars or on the spacious outdoor patio. Led by Executive Chef Juan T. Valdez, the menu offers a modern take on American classics as well as inventive new items. Equally as exciting is the impressive list of more than 50 craft beers available, including our house brand, Oliver Breweries along with a rotating selection of local and global seasonal brews. Decor is a bit commercial, but seating is ample and if you're looking to watch sports, there are a large number of flat screens placed strategically throughout. On both of my visits, the servers were friendly and for the most part efficient although there were times where our servers disappeared for periods. This last time perhaps things were a bit too efficient as our entrees were served while we were still working through our apps, but that's a relatively minor quibble. Food is good to very good, generally standard pub food but with little twists to keep things a bit interesting. Wings for instance are served with a siracha sauce that was on the spicier side our first time, and the sweeter side the second. The signature burger was well executed with an interesting twist of blue cheese, maple bacon and horseradish sauce. Mussels are available in 4 or 5 varieties. On both visits the Farmhouse mussels with pork belly, shallot, shoestring granny smith apples and thyme fennel cream were rich and nicely cooked. It's hard not to compare my experiences here with those at Victoria's and Frisco's. I can say with certainty that the food is definitely better here than at Frisco's and while it's perhaps not as creative or interesting as Victoria's, dishes are generally successful here, which isn't always the case at Victoria's when you venture outside of the well loved burgers and poutine. But the real star here is the beer program. They get huge points from me for offering all of their draft beers in either 2 or 3 sizes. Most are offered as 5 oz, 10 oz, and 16 oz pours, but a few are offered only as 5 & 12 oz pours. About half of the draft menu is dedicated to their own brews (some in conjunction with other well known local breweries like Stillwater) and for the most part are all successful. The Movember stout, which is no longer being offered (I believe I may have gotten the last pour of it this past Saturday) was a standout, as is the Draft Punk American IPA. I also enjoyed the 3 Lions Ale, a strong brown ale (not something in my normal beer repertoire) a lot on this last visit. One star from the other side of the draft list that I've enjoyed on both visits is the Lagunitas Brown Shugga. The list seems to revolve on an almost daily basis. I've been twice and on the second visit, only a week or two later, there were a lot of changes.They also have a really smart system where the next several beers that will be on tap are listed at the bottom of the menu. If a keg is kicked on a given day, it gets crossed out and the first one on the list at the bottom is automatically made available. That was actually how we ended up drinking the Brown Shugga on our first visit. One additional plus for The Ale House is the value. Prices are incredibly reasonable with most of the 5 oz pours hovering around $2.50-$2.75. The more expensive 12 oz pours seem to cap out at around $7. I can't speak to the 16 oz pours as I never ordered one and didn't pay close attention to the prices, but I did note that generally you aren't "penalized" for ordering the smaller pour of something. It isn't completely consistent, which is a bit odd, but generally the 10 oz will be twice the price of the 5 oz. This is a place you go to for the beer, but if you happen to be hungry while you're there, you can generally count on good food along with good value. Additionally service is very friendly. However, if you really want to geek out on the beers, you might be best served sitting at the bar because the real beer knowledge seems to reside with the bartenders. All in all, a place worth stopping by, especially if you live in the area.- 1 reply
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I thought we had a thread on Shaw's, but I guess not ... According to the City Paper, the stillborn Shaw's Tavern has been bought by the owner of the late Axis on U St. He is bringing along the chef from Leopold's to head up the kitchen. I always liked Axis, it was low key for a U St place, if a bit overpriced. Always a nice beer selection, though, which goes a long way in my book. As a nearby resident of Bloomingdale I have high hopes for another worthwhile neighborhood sit down joint. -
Immature? Check. Melodramatic? Check. Coarse? Check. But I remember reading Richard Cory as a college freshman, and loving it. By the time you're my age, it is what it is. Like an overplayed piece - the first movement of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata," or Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" - you hear the beginning, and roll your eyes, thinking to yourself, "˜no, not again.' However, despite being overplayed, both the Beethoven and Mozart are legitimate master works that have their place alongside the greatest piano pieces ever written. It isn't *their* fault they've been overplayed, nor is it their fault they've taken simple concepts and made them into something profound. I hope some of you, who aren't familiar with Richard Cory, will have that same, slack-jawed reaction that I did, long ago, in Mr. Moyle's English 102 class, when I was just a young lad of 18, trying not to let people see that I was fighting back tears. Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson Whenever Richard Cory went down town, We people on the pavement looked at him: He was a gentleman from sole to crown, Clean favored, and imperially slim. And he was always quietly arrayed, And he was always human when he talked; But still he fluttered pulses when he said, "Good-morning," and he glittered when he walked. And he was rich "“ yes, richer than a king "“ And admirably schooled in every grace: In fine, we thought that he was everything To make us wish that we were in his place. So on we worked, and waited for the light, And went without the meat, and cursed the bread; And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, Went home and put a bullet through his head. -
I started my day in Restaurant Hell yesterday by dining at Union Station's America. I was seeing a friend off, and we decided to have lunch before her train to New York left. We chose America because it was what appeared to be a nice place, and it was near the gate to the Acela. I guess I should do a better job of checking out restaurants. I ordered the Cuban sandwich. It arrived having been microwaved. The bottom half of the roll was soggy, thin and falling apart. The center of the meat was cold. I ate two bites. My friend, who is used to eating in New York, wasn't impressed. Now I have to buy her lunch. In Manhattan. At a place of her choosing. You'd think that by now I'd learn. Wayne Rash -
I can't seem to find anything on this place on here, which is probably due to my poor searching and/or reading skills. So apologies if this is a repeat thread. We stopped by on Friday night with a group of four to check this place out, and left thoroughly impressed. A few thoughts (and all from memory as they have no website so I can't cheat and look at things): It' much smaller than I expected. And much smaller than its two neighbors, Eat the Rich and Mockingbird Hill. In that, the front rooms of Mockingbird Hill and Eat the Rich are the same size as the entirety of Southern Efficiency. And unlike those two establishments, there are no tables here (or at least not now, there's a spot in the front window currently occupied by a Christmas tree that could easily house a couple of tables), only the bar, and a ledge opposite the bar on which to rest drinks and food. This configuration does mean that when it gets busy it's quite challenging to navigate from the bar to the restrooms. Right now at least they feature three cocktails on their menu, although they're capable of making many more (not probably to the extent of the Passenger do to ingredients). The three on the menu on Friday were the Blackstrap and Switchel (Cruzan Blackstrap rum, switchel, which is apparently some sort of apple vinegar, water and spices, of which I know ginger is one but I don't know the rest); the Stone Fence (Whiskey, apple cider and bitters? I feel like I'm off on this one although I know those three ingredients were involved); and the White Whiskey and Smoked Cola (self explanatory). The first two are pre-made and served in jars, while the last one is on tap. All were quite tasty. Forced to pick I'd probably go with the Stone Fence, but I was happy with both that and the Blackstrap and Switchel. They also had a hot toddy listed on the wall as a special, but I have no ideas on the details of this drink. I think they had four beers on tap, all from Virginia and North Carolina I believe. They had two wines, both Virginia, and the red was a Cab Franc. Tons of whiskeys on their menu. I really appreciated that broke bourbons down into "high rye" and "high wheat" categories. Really helpful if you're dealing with a whiskey you've never had before. We ordered the whole menu, four appetizers, three mains, one dessert, and everything was at least good, and some of it was excellent. Our favorite items were all three entrees (Country Captain, BBQ Pork Sandwich and Fried Catfish), as well as the trout appetizer (smoked trout, and smoked trout deviled eggs with pickled vegetables). We enjoyed the other items as well (Peanut Soup, Chicken Liver and Gizzard Pate and Pimento Cheese). The dessert, bourbon balls, were probably our least favorite item). Seemed very reasonably priced to us. The space makes it challenging to go for dinner with more than two people. We really lucked out and grabbed the corner of the bar right before it got slammed, which put us in a good position. We noticed others, however, perched in a huddle around the ledge behind us trying to eat peanut soup, and that can't have been the most pleasant dining experience. Anyhow, as expected it was good, and we'll be back. -
The Taste of Aloha has brought the taste of Hawaii to the border of Howard County, and it's worth the drive to bring a little sunshine into your winter. This is a small family-run restaurant in Arbutus that brings casual Hawaiian food -- with its mix of Asian and American influences, its range from light raw fish dishes through noodle soups to hearty burgers and "plate lunch." I don't want you to go with heightened expectations, but Taste of Aloha reminds me of R&R Taqueria. It's a guy who wants to cook authentic food. Bare-bones seating. A short menu that changes with the ingredients. And a real focus on making things from scratch. Let's just say that we left disappointed that we had passed on macaroni salad because lunch made us realized that we had probably underestimated it. Saimin and fish tacos First, you need to hit up Taste of Aloha just for the raw fish. Hawaiians make these wonderful dishes called poke where fish is cubed, then mixed with vegetables and often a dressing. There are endless varieties, and they were one of our favorite parts of vacation. Last weekend, Taste of Aloha was serving a poke cousin called spicy tuna chirashi zushi. A scoop of warm perfect rice surrounded by cubed tuna mixed with a spicy emulsion. A touch of creaminess, but mostly a bright, light spiciness. A dash of furikake gave a little salt and crunch. As a $6 appetizer, it was one of my favorite dishes that I have eaten this year. On a china plate, it would have been at home at a high-end restaurant. Second, you should come expecting authenticity. Hawaii has developed a unique culture with input from places like Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Portugal. During out single meal, we listened to two other tables exclaim about how the food tasted just like they remembered from their time on the islands. The menu included kalbi, chicken katsu, several burgers, and kahlua pig served as a hoagie or as a big plate lunch. My wife ordered mahi-mahi tacos that had perfectly grilled fish with a kimchi slaw and pineapple salsa. I tried saimin, a noodle soup that starts with a mushroom-vegetable broth and then lets you add spam, shrimp, tofu, dumplings or a bunch of other proteins to bulk it up. It was a cloudy broth and a filling soup perfect for a cold day. I jazzed mine with a dash of soy sauce and a squirt of hot sauce. Again, this is the vibe of R&R Taqueria where the folks take the food seriously even though they're cooking in a gas station. We heard folks talk about how the chef makes his own sauces and marinades, including his own teriyaki sauce. That's the kind of effort that we tasted in all our dishes and that makes me want to go back to try the kalbi, the roast pork, and maybe even the dishes made with spam. That was also when we realized that the macaroni salad side dish was homemade -- and probably delicious. Don't go with crazy expectations. This is a casual place with a one-man kitchen. But Taste of Aloha is really worth checking out because they're making an effort to do something special. Plus, it's a unique menu that will give you a little taste of the islands without even driving to BWI. If you're going to make a special trip, I recommend following the restaurant on Twitter or on Facebook to see when they announce poke, chirashi zushi or other raw fish dishes. -
One of my goals for the New Year coming up was to be able to create a brunch menu that caters to everyone. With that in mind, It always bothered me that there no restaurants in DC area that serve Persian brunch. I never understood why Italian, French and American restaurants get so much more hype then Persian cuisines. Persian food is as amazing if not more. In Iran you cant just slap a NY strip on the grill and call it the day! You will be disgraced.. no one will ever eat your food. I mean dont get me wrong, I love the western cuisine, a lot of what I cook consists of it. Its good if youre craving that kind of food. But at the same time, I feel like no one is doing anything about Persian culinary arts. A lot of chefs say that Tokyo offers to most prestigious and colorful culinary arts in the world. I agree, Tokyo is all about precision and craft, but so is TEHRAN!! Why hasn't anyone paid attention to it? Did you know in Iran they boil beets and eat them with roasted walnuts for breakfast? Did you know that we braise lamb for hours over night so it'd be ready for breakfast? Did you know that we have a dish called "Haleem" thats pretty much steamed wheat, brown sugar, cinnamon and braised lamb or turkey? It is The best brunch food I have ever had! For most of you, the Answer to my questions are No!! And That's probably because you were too busy eating the same old boring pancakes and/or oat meal.There's so much work and art that goes into Persian style of making food. Its not just about feeding good food, its about making sure that youre able to sense flavor, texture and smell all at the same time. Nothing is lacking and nothing is overwhelming, always perfect no matter where In Iran I have eaten brunch. Over the years, I've picked up on some really cool westernized cooking that I thought would be really cool and compatible with Persian style of making brunch. I want to show how relative and similar Persian food is to all of world's most popular cooking. And maybe for once Persian food is something people finally notice. And I thought the best way to do that is by creating a brunch menu that is collaborated by Persian and American style cuisine. Attached are photos of some of the brunch Items being presented next weekend. Saturday January 4, 2014 starting at 9am Amoo's will start serving brunch on the weekends. Please note, we have been getting a lot of calls regarding the new brunch menu, I highly advice that everyone RSVP via facebook link provided below in order to book your tables. Reserve NOW!! See you at Amoo's https://www.facebook.com/events/600041600062197/
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Leek American Bistro is now open. I stopped by for a quick to go lunch earlier in the week. I am not sure I am buying into the "homemade apple jam" on the "Carolina" pulled pork biscuits. Maybe if they dropped the word "Carolina" I might climb on board. I will reserve judgment further opinions while they work out the kinks (kick out the jams?). I think they just opened this week.
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From the folks who brought you Molly Woo's Asian Bistro:
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...7052300674.html Anybody been there? Heather? This is in your neck o' the woods. -
My first inclination when someone says "American Cuisine" is to think "McDonald's" and not think very highly of the genre. Yet we have some very nice respectable restaurants in many American cities that serve American fare. To what degree does that happen outside the U.S.? Are there respectable restaurants in, say, Tokyo that serve American food and strive for quality? Or is American food generally presented in a McDonalds style, or only slightly better, in most other places? Of course, as I travel I tend to want to enjoy their local cuisine, not American food. So frankly I haven't noticed, or when I did see an "American" place it was selling cokes and hamburgers. I'm confident our cuisine isn't considered on a par with the great traditional cuisines like French, Italian or Japanese. But just exactly how far down are we on the world stage? Is it as bad as I suspect it is?
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I met up with my Mom this weekend and we went to the Severn Inn for lunch so we could sit outside and listen to the waves crash into the shore underneath us. We had chardonnay and an umbrella to keep us shady and a nice breeze. Mom got a crab salad that was really good, crab salad served with sliced avocados, hard boiled egg and lettuce either for making cups, wraps or cutting up to be more of a salad. I got a chance to try it and the crab was nice and fresh and the flavors were very refreshing. I had a chicken sandwich on foccacio with mozarella, roasted tomatoes and peppers with pesto that was fantastic, the chicken was crisp and juicy and the whole sandwich was full of flavor and juice that got nicely soaked up by the bread. I was not expecting the lunch here to be near as good as it was, I was really impressed. -
Bassett's sits at the corner of Fisher Ave (aka White's Ferry Road, aka Rte 107) and Elgin Rd (aka Rte 109) in the middle of the old part of Poolesville. If you've driven through there, it is at the intersection where the old town hall building appears to sit in the road. If you are coming from Virginia via White's Ferry, this will pretty much be the first business you'll pass on the Maryland side other than the ferry itself. The restaurant is in a building that looks like it might have been a house at one time. The front has a three-season porch that is inches from the road, making for some nice "watching the world go by" on a clear day. The decor is country casual, leaning toward hunt-clubby. The clientelle are many of the local horse folks, Poolesville residents and those out on bike rides. I've been a few times for dinner and I'd say it falls between Baugher's or Hershey's (nicer looking and better food than those) and Monocacy Crossing (not quite there). The menu combines some country dishes like fried chicken and calves liver with more adventurous fare like kabobs and turkey burgers. My recent visit was for brunch and despite feeling under the weather, the trip was well worth it. My wife got the Eggs Chesapeake ($18), made with crab cakes covering either side of an english muffin topped with poached eggs. This was fabulous - the cakes tasted bright and seasoned but not too heavily - which sometimes happens and overpowers the eggs. I enjoyed the Country Breakfast ($10) with the highlight being the sausage links. I tend to like strongly seasoned sausage, especially sage. This sausage had a really nice, mellow flavor that was well below my norm and surprisingly I loved it. My kids each got omeletes ($9) that were good values though I prefer my eggs a little less cooked. The iced tea was really, really fresh and the side potatoes were nice and oniony. Adult orders come with champagne/mimosa after 10am. Worth driving a long way to visit? Probably not on its own merit. But if you're taking a leisurely drive across the ferry from Virginia, or out Route 28 from Rockville, what a nice way to spend an hour or two in a town that seems much farther away than it really is.-
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I had a good soup for lunch today at SBC Cafe. I would have sworn there was a topic on SBC Cafe around here somewhere, but that must have been in a previous life. So I'll bring things up to speed so my post has a little substance and to "expand the literature" on SBC. This little spot in a strip mall in Herndon got a bit of attention a few years back, early in its life after a rave from Sietsema and has been a favorite stop of mine for a nice lunch. When the owners left to open 21 P, they sold SBC along with the recipes. The new owners have done a lot of work sprucing the spartan interior up (new flooring and tile work and chairs and tables and pictures on the wall) and have done a good job keeping the spirit and quality consistent, although the service is a little overwhelmed at times these days. I'm a big fan of their soups - the regulars are Roasted Red and Yellow Pepper, Gumbo and Conch Chowder. Only once that I can remember have I ventured into their soup of the day and found it to be less than good (a gummy, over floured cream of mushroom). Today's special was Cream of Pepper Jack Cheese and Black Bean. A mellow cheese soup on one side of the bowl and a contrasting (in both appearance and flavor) earthy black bean on the other side (they do this same trick with the roasted pepper soups). Both were good on their own, but together the slight heat from the pepper jack cheese perked up the bean side and the texture of the bean soup eased back the richness of the cheese side. One of the best soups I've had in recent memory. -
We're having dinner at Luna Grill on Sunday, pre-theater (Theatre J). We would've liked to have tried Hank's Oyster Bar, but since they don't take reservations and our time is tight, it won't work. Those who've eaten at Luna, do you have any recommendations? I appreciate it very much. Thanks! -
Richard Gorelick of The Baltimore Sun has announced the opening of By Degrees Cafe in Little Italy, one block away from Heavy Seas Alehouse.
