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Showing results for tags 'Fine Dining'.
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I think I'm going to like the concept. An accomplished foreign chef, like Jose Andres (or Jacques Pepin) comes to America and falls in love with our regional ingredients and traditions, and then gives them center stage with a slight uplifting from his culinary heritage. I'm going to like this a lot....- 46 replies
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- Georgetown
- American
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For any 40+ oenophile around Baltimore, The Milton Inn's closing is a huge loss. I haven't been here in probably fifteen years, but I've dined here - with untold number of wines - at least five times. Every time I drive by it - admittedly not that often - I'll have fond memories tinged with sadness.
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Thought people might be interested to hear about Chef Guo, a new restaurant featuring Chef Guo Wenjun's take on Chinese banquets. This is probably the closest the DC area has had to Chinese fine dining, and I'm interested to see how it fares. The chef serves a selection of two tasting menus, the Banquet of Eternal Bliss Hot Pot ($68 lunch, $98 dinner), and the Banquet of Peace and Prosperity ($158 dinner only), both of which feature 10+ courses in the style of imperial cuisine. Scroll through the website to see the full menus, pictures of the dishes, and a press release detailing the overall concept. So far there hasn't been much buzz about this place outside of the Chinese community, but some friends who have gone reported it to be luxurious, visually and conceptually unique, and a lot of (too much?) food, mostly very good to excellent. There seems to be a mix of traditional cuisine and modern/Western techniques. If I understand correctly, the dinner they attended was a special event combining dishes from both menus, with all of the guests at a shared table and Chef Guo himself coming out between each course to explain the concept behind the dish (in Chinese); it's not clear to me how different the experience will be once the restaurant gets settled in, but from their website it seems like they are definitely interested in catering to non-Chinese clientele as well.- 20 replies
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- Alexandria
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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. -
Kokkari Estiatorio is the San Francisco Greek equivalent of Komi in DC. It is high-end Greek, and it is superb. I was on a search for char-grilled octopus in San Francisco, and after some research, I headed to Jackson St., and scored a seat at the bar. The place was packed and fully booked, so I was lucky to get that seat. I ordered a double of the char-grilled octopus, so I ended up with two delicious tentacles, drizzled with olive oil. It was tender, with the mouthfeel you come expect with a properly executed octopus dish. Thumbs up on this dish.
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- The Embarcadero
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I am surprised that this little jewel of a fine dining establishment doesn't receive more fanfare. It's tucked in a the back of a strip mall a few doors down from the Virginian on Glyndon St., just off 123. Cafe Renaissance is not that big -- the main room might seat 50 on a Saturday night, and the little room off the front side might seat another dozen or so -- but it is probably the most comfortable and romantic dining room in northern Virginia. From the white tablecloths with fresh cut roses, the tuxedoed and attentive wait staff, the paintings and murals on the walls...this is where you take the significant other for a romantic dinner. Of course, that means it's not a guys-night-out kind of place, or one of those loud bistros where you have to shout to be heard by your dining companion. Saeed and Soraya are the Persian couple who own the restaurant, and Ocean Joseph is the Turkish chef who runs the kitchen. Ocean's food is the best kept secret in northern Virginia. He generally nods in the direction of Italy with a few Turkish riffs tossed in. The mussels are spectacular, with a garlic-y broth as the base, which I sopped up with almost a whole basket of bread. My girlfriend then enjoyed a tower of salmon, monkfish and crab cake, sauced with a wine and butter reduction, with a wonderful carrot puree that was poached in Grand Marnier for 4 hours. I had a mixed grill of lamb and steak, each bit tender enough to be cut by my fork, and sauced with a raisin glace. On previous visits I was able to enjoy my inner European foodie with pate, sweetbreads and calves liver. But whenever I have a hankering for a big pile of mussels, this is where I come. For flair, Ocean is experimenting with different dinnerware shapes and sizes, and he is also exploring some new twists on recipe themes. I'm looking forward to tasting the evolving repertoire over the coming months. A word about the extensive wine list -- Kirby Pope, who runs the Vienna Vintner in the same strip mall -- and worthy of a whole write-up on his own -- helped put together a very thoughtful and extensive wine list for Cafe Renaissance. You're not likely to find a better wine list this side of 2941. When you're in this part of Vienna, a visit with Kirby prior to a bucket of mussels from Ocean is about the best way I can imagine to enjoy a few hours of the good life.
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Maybe I'm coming to the table late with this, but has anyone ventured that far south that they have gone to Pomme? Everything I have read: "Also, the opéra cake on the menu epitomizes what chef Gerard Gasparini is trying to do at Pomme. “My style is classic French cooking with a touch of the chef,” says the French native, “I try to cook things that you used to see on menus in French restaurants that French chefs don’t make anymore.” Style Weekly, Richmond, VA makes Pomme sound like a definite destination restaurant. -
??? Maybe this is old news, but it's new to me. Anyone know when this transformation is going to occur? -
Andy Hayler's Reviews
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Can you explain this? [Daniel Patterson opened Coi in 2006 and has earned 2 Michelin stars.] -
So they have twitter account stating that this place is opening in Baltimore November 11th at the Four Seasons hotel. I have no opinion on this. -
Andy Hayler's Reviews
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Congratulations to Chef Corey Lee for winning the 2017 James Beard Award for Best Chef - West.
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Andy Hayler's Review
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Andy Hayler's Review
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My condolences to your friend. My unfortunate brother lives there. There seems to be only one standout restaurant in Crofton, but it really is quite good-- it's almost worth the trip from DC. Christopher's Try the carpaccio! They also make a mean steak and their fish dishes are usually darn tasty. -
Andy Hayler's Reviews
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Andy Hayler's Reviews
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Andy Hayler's Reviews
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Andy Hayler's Reviews
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Meadowood is near St. Helena, and if your parents have access to a car, have them consider John Ash & Co. at the Vintners Inn in Santa Rosa, which is about a 45 minute pleasant drive over into Sonoma Valley. We each have our own idea of fancy pants - this is not the French Laundry - very pretty setting amidst the vineyards, and fabulous wine country food. -
The Dining Guide does not contain an entry for Bonaroti's, so it appears. Yet, here is some of the finest 'burbs Italian around, ranking with Zeffirelli's in Herndon, Da Domenico's in Tysons, and A La Lucia in Old Town. It has the charm and visual appeal of Cafe Renaissance down the street, a deep connection to the community (with "Chris Cooley's Bresaola" and Spaghetti "Chris Cooley" on the dinner menu), walls of pictures of friends and local dignitaries, and a menu that really warms the Italian heart beating in all of us. I had the veal osso buco for lunch yesterday and I was blown away. The large pieces of veal were fall-off-the-bone tender, and it was covered with a thick, brown almost stew-like sauce, and accompanied by risotto that was cooked to perfection. It was delectable. This is a hearty lunch, ruining my New Year's resolution on, like, day 3. I had been here many times in the past and then I sort of forgot about it, but after yesterday, it's going into my rather spare McLean-Tyson's-Vienna-Fairfax Rt. 123 rotation.
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So Don, please move this where appropriate... Lunch at Bouley vs. Jean Georges Has anyone dined at Bouley recently? I'm not looking for the "best of the best" since I am limited by my many allergies. But Bouley used to be a very good place from what I've gathered online. As I posted in the JG thread, I have a feeling Jean Georges food may be better, but I am concerned about being really limited on what I can actually eat there. This is a big birthday celebration and I don't want to be terribly disappointed. My first choice was Le Bernardin, but I snoozed and am on the waiting list there. JG specifically said my choices would be limited, but did not define how so. I tried to get more info to qualify that statement but have not heard back yet and the reservation is for next week. This is what appealed to me on Bouley's website: "Please let us know of any special dietary or food preferences you may have- Chef Bouley works with his team to prepare tailored dishes for each guest before each seating. Just one of the reasons we will call to confirm your reservation!" Of course Bouley has my allergy list as well, but did not specify either way whether anything would be problematic. Please post if you have anything to offer re: Bouley; I guess I just want to make sure I am not making a big mistake by choosing it for my birthday lunch. According to a post a few years ago, Bouley had two Michelin stars vs. JG's three. If that is still true, I'm thinking any Michelin star restaurant is something I won't have an opportunity to experience too often in my life, and should stick with my Bouley reservation. -
A girlfriend and I had dinner in the small dining room up a set of stairs from the entrance at Tersiguel's. Fernand knew me tangentally as a young customer who was in the hospitality industry and appreciative of his restaurant. We ordered a bottle of Chablis from the Les Clos vineyard (producer escapes me) and Fernand stopped by the table. His wife had been battling cancer, and he shared with us their struggles and fear; and that he had built a shrine to the Virgin Mary in his backyard in order to pray for his wife's health daily. The actual details of the conversation have faded over time, but the tone of the conversation, the immense love and devotion coupled with his intense fear and sense of loss, have not. His son had just taken over the helm of the kitchen, and he was so proud of that, despite his obvious pain. And that entire conversation occurred because of a bottle of wine. Got to get to Tersiguel's soon, too.
