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  1. I'm a fan of Craft too - my advice, go for the simple and you'll experience great ingredients perfectly prepared. The only things I've had there that I didn't love were the more complicated dishes.
  2. I got the last seat at the bar at a crowded Riggsby, and immediately got an odd impression about the bartender. This was going to be an unusual evening - I felt it. He handed me the cocktail list, full of ordinary wines a touch too expensive for my blood, but I flipped it over, and there were some graphics showing some of the more upscale drinks; the problem, is that both the graphics and the text were so faded that they were barely readable. Strike one. But I wanted a Gin & Tonic, and that was the one list in the top-right corner, touting that it was made with Hendricks Gin and Fever Tree Tonic Water - I don't love Hendricks in my G&Ts, but I can live with it, so I ordered it. You're out of Fever Tree Tonic Water? Oh. Normally, I'd say Strike two, but you'd just been First Bitten the day before, so, no pitch. And plus, you told me you had their Ginger Beer, so I looked below it at their Moscow Mule. A picture of a beautiful copper tankard was accompanied by the description that the drink was made with a "high-quality" vodka with Fever Tree Ginger Beer, a little lime juice, and a wedge of lime - sounded good to me, so I went with it. Oh, you don't serve these in copper tankards like you have them pictured? Well, I'd say Strike two, but that's not really you're fault, so no pitch. Sure, why not. So I started my meal with a Moscow Mule ($8), and the vodka he used was pulled up from under the bar and poured like he was trying desperately to empty the bottle. The lime juice was measured, however - I thought it was supposed to be the other way around? It was a *strong* drink, but it didn't taste bad, and after all, it used Fever Tree Ginger Beer. But what was that vodka? It was in a blue bottle, and I became curious. I nursed my drink while perusing the menu, and by the time I got to the bottom, I was ready for another, and when he asked me, I asked him what type of Vodka he used in that first drink. He pulled the bottle up from underneath the bar, and held it before my eyes: Skyy. Strike two, my friend: this is a $14 bottle of rot-gut, and it's no wonder you were trying to get rid of it - what happened to the "high-quality vodka" in the description? Well, at least it was an $8 drink. He told me I could have it made with any of their shelf vodka's ... Tito's, Ketel One, Grey Goose ... okay, better. This one, I got with Ketel One. And he measured the vodka, and short-poured me - filling the measuring cup only about 3/4 of the way before taking a scoop of ice so large that there was ice 3-4 inches above the top of my glass which needed to be whisked off. The rest of the drink was made normally, but it's amazing how small of a cocktail you can get when your glass is absolutely full with small ice cubes. It tasted like a mocktail with no alcohol in it. And damned if I didn't get charged $12 for the drink. Strike three. He knew what he was doing; he was just anti-customer, or so I thought. I ordered my meal, a Schnitzel "a la Holstein" ($29), and asked what it came with - "warm, German potato salad," he said. Okay, it sounded potentially acidic, but I took my chances, and with it, I ordered as a second side order, something from the bar menu: Chorizo-Stuffed Mushrooms ($7) which took him aback - I guess people aren't ordering these things as sides with their meals, but it sounded like it would go just fine with my meal, so I verified with him, yes, I'd like it with my meal; not as an appetizer. No problem. A short while later, everything arrived from behind me, and I could see why my bartender had raised an eyebrow - my entree and its "German potato salad" had been cooked to order; my chorizo stuffed mushrooms were made earlier in the day and reheated - they were dried out, and really did look like pass-around canapes, or bar snacks. But the flavors were all there, and they did, in fact, go with everything else. The schnitzel itself was delicious, but pounded more thinly than I've ever seen a schnitzel presented before - I was hoping for something nearly twice this thick for $29. So they not only get you with a high price, but also with deceptively small amounts of meat. Still, the batter was delicious, the schnitzel was cooked very well, and it came with some anchovies (for some much-needed salt), capers, and a runny egg. Every so often I'd spear a new potato from its iron skillet sitting next to my plate (this was my "German Potato Salad" - it was halved new potatoes, with a little onion on the bottom and cooked with some jus, perhaps from the schnitzel, and they were *delicious* - a nice surprise in a meal where I felt like I was getting nickled-and-dimed. Likewise, I did the same with my chorizo-stuffed mushrooms, which were about the same size as the potatoes - yes, they were older and dried out, but when put on my plate and cut in half, they went very well with my other two items. Right when the food came, my bartender asked me if I'd wanted another drink, and I told him I was thinking about a glass of wine. He thought for a moment, and said, "I've got something for you to try," before pouring me a generous glass of Vermentino ($11), which is exactly the wine I would have chosen for myself. I complimented him on his call, and he began to warm up. So I enjoyed my rather expensive meal (the final bill was $73.70 before tip), then asked for the check. I reached for my wallet and mouthed the words, 'Oh, my God.' He saw me do this, obviously read my lips, and knew something was wrong. I had forgotten my wallet in the car. Embarrassed, I explained this all to him, and handed him my keys and iPhone, saying I'd be back in five minutes. (I did have the wits about me to take my car key off the ring.) No problem, he said, and I showed up a bit later, left a $15 tip, and all was well. "I could tell something bad had happened when I saw your face," he laughed. So, all's well that ends well, and I enjoyed my meal even though I was out $88.70. And the bartender wasn't such a bad chap after all.
  3. Ok so I apologize to the Leleboo in advance, I am sure my lackluster searching skills must be incorrect, but for the life of me I cannot find a thread on the Silver Diner, in multiple locations under diners or American food, or in Virginia in Clarendon. I then google searched to no avail. I just wanted to state that I am really liking their new menu. It's not a regular spot for me, but when you want down home comfort food, which I did, don't want to pay a lot, which I didn't, and wanted it delivered to my door, it really was good. Things seem to be made fresh with more care then in past times. Stepping things up I would say. We got take out last night. I got meatloaf with mashed potatoes, corn and veggie mix with a choice of soup or salad side, got veggie chili. The meatloaf was well seasoned and tasted good, the veggie mix were carrots, broccoli, and butternut squash (really... I really think it was), they weren't mush they tasted quite nice. The mashed potatoes tasted very real. Nothing tasted like it was from a box or prepared ages ago. All in all I was really happy with it. So much food I haven't eaten my veggie chili yet, but will have it for lunch tomorrow. Hubby got a burger and said it was a surprisingly good burger. The menu has lots of choices, healthy, not so healthy and lots of gluten free choices. I will be back (or at least order delivery) more often. I was really impressed. It seemed a lot different than in times past. Anyone else tried the new Silver Diner?
  4. DGDB (website) is currently open for dinner, rolling out brunch and lunch in the next few weeks. Boulud said this restaurant was going to be the most American of his French restaurants. Also it is noted because it will be serving the "Crabbie" with a nod to SpongeBob. But all that makes it sound so much less of what the opening showed it is likely to be. The bar, with marble and mirrored walls with etched quotes about libations was playful. I liked the height of the space and it made it feel a little less loud while quite packed on opening night. Wine, beer, cocktails were served, we tasted two of the cocktails which I have to say even on a packed night they were shaking up quickly and consistently, so kudos on that. The upstairs private dining was much more normal corporate feel with carpeted floors and blue walls, it wasn't as colorful, but still had fun views with big windows on each side. The upstairs was very loud, but there were also a lot of people up there because of the raw bar. I hope the guys shucking oysters aren't there normal crew because one guy was kind of butchering all of his. On the main floor going back towards the dining room from the bar there were shelves with plates painted by other chefs, cookbooks and other items. The plates were really the coolest part. Some chefs (cough cough Cathral Armstrong) were phoning it in, and some are really cool. A few are so well done I wonder if they had someone do theirs for them. But they were fun to see and some of the chefs I didn't know I was looking up to see what restaurants they were from. It gave it a very casual feel, while not being super casual, reminiscent of a less Southern Empire State South. The back wall can open up completely to the inner courtyard there of City Center which was a really nice feature, it really made the space feel open and kept that section a little less noisy even when really full. I assume they are going to have some patio space, which would be nice given the large courtyard. As to the food, there were a lot of excellent bites at the opening that represented dishes off the main menu. I think the food will be casual, but thoughtful enough to pull off casual well. There was an anchovy dip that wasn't bagna cauda that was really unusual, but so good, I hope this shows up somewhere on the main menu. There were some nice surprise tastes in what might be a very seen it dish, such as their tuna with harissa, and amazing roasted eggplant with very melt in your mouth soft flavorful lamb and an escargot dish that was more than just butter and garlic, in a good way. I thought the sausages in the chorizo ish hot dogs were well made and really flavorful. You could tell from the menu this is a place that will be able to serve all day, which I think in this area of town is a good thing. A huge advantage they have for them is the the bread will be from Mark Furstenberg. A French restaurant with decidedly excellent bread can never be a bad thing. This shouldn't be a surprise, but especially in DC it sometimes is, if the desserts on the menu are as excellent as the opening this is going to be a really strong portion of the menu, which is something I think is exciting. The desserts are the items that really stayed in my head and would make me want to go back. Overall based on the opening, I am excited to see the menu and try some dishes. I think it will represent as another solid option in that area. So we will see. But the opening was a lot of fun. If nothing else the man can throw a great party and be the star of it very well.
  5. RestonNow has Red's Table opening later this fall. Ryan, Pat and Matt Tracy will open up a new restaurant in the old Lakeside Inn space that will feature American cuisine with fresh local ingredients.
  6. Last night, after a quick 2 dozen oysters at Hank's ($1 each!!!), I met up with Kay and we were looking for a hamburger. Annie's popped to mind. Don't ask why, but something totally camp and retro was perfect. We stepped in and were seated in the front glassed in area. Kay was only one of 2 women at the time, but by the end of our meal, at least 3 other women walked in. So the male female ration was about 90 to 5. I ordered the chopped steak and Kay a hamburger. My chopped steak came with two sides so I opted for salad (out of a bag croutons and out of a large plastic jar Italian salad dressing) and Green Beans (out of a can supposedly in tomato sauce but seemed more like a splash of tomato juice to a huge can of beans. Its been a long time where I have had green beans that melted in my mouth with no resistance to tooth whatsoever. The Chopped steak came out as a sirloin and I was by then too tired to speak up. It was tough and devoid of flavor. A-1 sauce improved it immensely. Kay's burger, however, was damn good! On a nicely chewy bun, it was a large house made patty of pretty flavorful stuff. At $7.95 it was also a good deal. The steak fries, while out of a plastic bag, were also quite good. The drinks, a Tanquerey Martini and a Manhattan were on the other side of bad. Still in all, a fun evening was had. I would go back for the burger late at night, and hope that they can't screw up a bloody mary.
  7. Greetings Rockwellers, Just got off the phone with Patrick Bazin, the former executive chef at Occidental in D.C., who is poised to welcome guests to his new namesake restaurant tomorrow evening. Bazin has about two dozen dishes on his debut menu, including items like a Southwestern chicken soup with black beans and grilled radicchio, ricotta ravioli in a Meyer lemon sauce and a "double thick" Iowa pork chop served with vanilla sweet potatoes and braised Swiss chard. Most appetizers appear to be under $10 and the entrees top out at $26 for the crab cakes. The restaurant is located at 111 Church Street NW in Old Town Vienna and doors open at 5 p.m. for dinner. Just thought you'd like to know.....
  8. Late to writing this up, but was in New York a few weeks ago, and took the opportunity to hit THE GRILL with a few friends. Some background - the Major Food Group team (ZZ's, Carbone, Parm, etc) have basically taken over the Seagram building's restaurants - THE GRILL and THE POOL replaced the Four Seasons, and The Lobster Club replaced Brasserie. Much has been made of THE GRILL so far, particularly the cost of the renovation and the prices on the menu. If the crowd on our visit is any indication of their usual crowd I'd say things are going just fine. The redesign of the space is beautiful and the bar is an incredible showpiece, if not the most practical place to hang out for a drink at - seems as though it would function best as a stop prior to the table. I am a fan of MFG's retro style - the tableside preparations are very nice, and aside from the Jockey Club many moons ago I can't think of a place in DC (or in NY) who offers as many. Our group started with Pasta a la Presse, Scallop w/ snails and steak tartare. I only had a bite of the scallops with snails, but honestly it reminded me of Frank Ruta's gnocchi with snail fricassee that was on the menu at Mirabelle this winter, albeit with scallops instead of gnocchi. Very enjoyable. The tartare was very good, chopped to order and served with an incredible array of accompaniments. I had the pasta a la presse, which is a dish of house-made fettuccine in a sauce made of various game put through a duck press and incorporated into a sauce. The game is put through the press tableside and returned as a composed dish. I thought the dish was excellent, but will likely try the blue crab gumbo next time out to try and keep the meal a bit lighter. Our mains were the larded squab, pheasant claiborne and prime rib. I didn't get a chance to have the squab, but it looked excellent. I had the pheasant Claiborne, which was served in a cast iron skillet closed with a ribbon of puff pastry around the rim. The Madeira and truffles in the braising liquid made for an incredible aroma when the lid was removed! All in all a wonderful dish. Apart from the pheasant, the braised endive that came with it was sensational. Our third companion had the prime rib, which was carved at the table - he had a choice of the end he preferred and wisely elected to maximize the amount of rib cap included. Once carved, the captain came back with a deviled bone as well. We asked about the off-menu steaks on offer - the top end was some rib-eye for just over $300(!) - we didn't inquire about what it included or didn't. Aside from that ridiculous steak, all of the other prices were in line with similar establishments in DC or NY. The wine list, was broad, as you'd expect, and highly marked up, as you'd also expect. There are some excellent picks there for the astute wino, however. We were fully prepared to pay a multiple of what we ended up spending, which was around $65/ bottle for a '09 Raffault Chinon or two. All in all a great experience. We'll be back. Also, we didn't eat at the Lobster Club but headed down there for a drink after dinner. My goodness that place is an absolute scene!
  9. I guess I'm the last person on Earth not to know that FDB Eatery is now open under the same ownership as what used to be Frozen Dairy Bar & Boardwalk Pizza, and before that, Frozen Dairy Bar. (The original owner (Ray Fletcher) and the original location of Frozen Dairy Bar are both long gone - Joe H and I may be the only two people left in DC who fondly reminisce over the old building and the three original vintage-1946 Electro-Freeze machines.) <--- This really wasn't that long ago. Anyway, I walked in, and there was a handwritten sign saying that today, they were featuring "Local Peach Sorbet," so I decided to take the healthy route, and got a Medium Cup ($3.75), even though this was non-dairy and anathema to the original concept of Frozen Dairy Bar. Time marches on ... and the sorbet was wonderful. But man it's weird to see this place succumbing to the three-character, stock market symbol-type nomenclature:
  10. While searching for a place to eat with a small group before a show at Lisner Auditorium, I turned up District Commons near Washington Circle, but no mention of it on Don Rockwell. Sounds like it might be nice. Does anyone know anything?
  11. We used to go pretty regularly to the Chadwick's in Friendship Heights, and just recently went back for the first time in a couple of years. It's remarkable only in it's consistency in providing decent food at a very fair price. I usually get a burger or a sliced pork sandwich. In addition to the burgers, which are decent, J is fond of their ribs and small sirloin steak. We both like the fried calamari and the draft beer. For us it was a place to go, close to home, when I didn't feel like cooking and didn't want pizza or cheap Chinese, my husband didn't want to get dressed up or spend a lot of money, and our entertainment for the evening was going to be browsing in the book store afterwards. There are other places we've been going to in recent years, newer, trendier--Chadwick's is easy, cheaper. Rarely ever a wait for a table, parking isn't a hassle, etc. And when Veggie-teen was younger, she liked the big sheets of white paper on the tables and the crayons.
  12. Paty's American looks and feels familiar, which is no surprise given it's a new restaurant in the GAR group. To be clear, I've always liked these restaurants, believing they offer a good meal (and most often I think it's better than good), that's reasonably priced, and comes with excellent service. To be sure, thats my take on most "upscale chains" (e.g. Cheesecake Factory), and I'm not a tough critic in general, so you might need a grain of salt with this review. Still, one among an army of hostesses led us to a comfortable booth in a neo-industrial space (with one wall having a gigantic, and bizarre mural consisting of an eclectic collection of famous people), drink orders were taken promptly, and our server even asked our preference for bread in the soon-to-arrive bread basket (we wanted those donut hole-like rolls, natch). I had the Tex-Mex Eggrolls and the Louisiana Pasta and both held up their end of the bargain. We were handled by multiple servers and bus-persons, and everyone was eager to help. The boy got the Calamari, and the lobster ginger sauce that came with it was very tasty. The wife got the Charleston Salad, which looked fresh and comes with quite a bit of fried chicken. This restaurant holds the line with the others.
  13. Jessica Sidman of Washington City Paper reports that Woodward Table and WTF (Woodward Takeout Food), is now open. Has anyone heard anything about the opening Chef de Cuisine?
  14. I have been meaning to try Gazebo Cafe in Kentlands for a while because it has pretty good local press. They don't have a website, but they have some sort of Facebook Page [unofficial].. Located a short walk from my house in the Kentlands, this is a little space with a bar and a few tables inside and outside (probably can't seat much more than 15 people, if that). Whenever we have tried to go, we couldn't get a table because it is so popular. Today we tried and hit it at the right time and nabbed a table. Gazebo is pretty much a coffee car with a breakfast/lunch/brunch menu. It is Korean owned and as a result they have a Korean menu also. All dishes looked very fresh and like they were prepared with care and love. Today I opted for the 2 eggs, with Korean beef with scallions and waffle brunch item with organic ginger/honey tea. I ordered the eggs over medium. They were served on a plate with the beef. I broke the yoke and mixed everything together. The flavors were very good. The waffle was also good, from a Belgian press. The tea came with a bunch of fresh ginger in the bottom. The tea was perfect for me as I have a cold, and the honey coated the throat. My wife and daughter each got half a waffle with ice cream (which holds a spot in my wife's heart from her days dining in Long Island diners). My 5 year old daughter had no idea what she was in for and sat wide eyed in disbelief at what she had ordered. Needless to say she finished every bit on her plate and asked for a spoon to try and get what remained of her cookies and cream ice cream. The waffle had a generous scoop of ice cream, with whipped cream, some drizzled chocolate syrup and couple of sliced strawberries. My wife was equally pleased. The service was very warm, kind of like you were dining at someone's home. We will definitely be back. Oh yes, it wasn't a typo, but they do also have dry cleaning, although I am pretty sure it isn't done on-site. I need to go back and have a pure Korean dish. I am sure it will be good.
  15. Macdara's Grille, which was in the Squire's Rock Creek Chophouse space after Squire's closed, appears to have closed in February. I noticed today signage on the space for Hakuna Matata Grill, which bills itself on its Facebook page as authentic East African cuisine (but judging by the page not necessarily or not only Ethiopian). I didn't notice if they were open, but also judging from the Facebook page it looks like not quite yet. Their website is still under construction.
  16. Crave, a restaurant that specializes in sushi, wine and American cuisine, is the latest eating establishment to announce plans to be part of Westfield Montgomery mall's new Dining Terrace. Bethesda will be the first venture into the Mid-Atlantic region for Crave, which has nine locations in the Midwest, Florida and Texas.
  17. Continuing our tour through spectacularly divey, if culinarily mediocre McLean restaurants, the boy and I had breakfast at MFR on Sunday. We ordered basic items and the food was quite good, actually. We each ordered 2 eggs, over easy, and they were perfectly cooked, with nary a botched yolk. The two pancakes we large, plate-sized, striking a good balance between fluff and heft. Accouterments of bacon and sausage were good, with the bacon nicely cooked to personal preference (I like it brittle). The only miss were the homefries that just didn't have anything to it, and weren't prepared with any real thought. As with Rocco's, the ambiance was spot on and the service was friendly and attentive, particularly concerning drink refills. [i'm guessing this place also qualifies for the "oldest restaurants" thread, tho I didn't take notice of the date and they don't have a website.]
  18. Just for a dissenting opinion, we ate at Ford's back in August and thought it was excellent. Very good charcuterie and cheese, lovely salads, interesting entrees, a nicely creative cocktail program, and, for dessert, one of the most evilly genius things I've ever tasted - Toblerone ice cream. It's not fine dining, but it's not trying to be - if I had to describe it in terms of someplace around here, it would be as a more casual version of Sonoma.
  19. Pinea, the restaurant replacing J&G Steakhouse, is opening on Oct. 1, 2014 (via Washingtonian).
  20. It's not just the GARG joints -- the places run by GARG alums have many of the same/very similar items, just under different names. For example, the menu at Loudoun's thriving (for good reason IMHO, I'm a GARG fan along the lines of Dr. Delicious) Blue Ridge Grill mini-chain features: "Steak and cheese eggrolls" "Smoked salmon" "Brentwood Salad" (my go-to, it's a great deal and I get two meals out of it) "King Street Creole Pasta" etc
  21. Zagat Buzz has a good little blurb about this place ... have been eyeing the progress with every dog-walk down 8th Street and it's looking pretty good. Breakfast all day floats my boat, anyway; we'll see how the rest goes.
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