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Showing results for tags 'Local and Seasonal'.
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This is about Yellow, the cafe that is open next door from about 8 until 2. I have been buying their 6 packs of fresh pita for $12 plus tax + fees (sumac and za'atar, I assume, are the toppings). They are extraordinary. The pita come out hot and amazing. I've never been able to make my own pita that come close to this and I'm pretty good with bread. My timing is such that I get there before their hummus is ready for the day, so we've been having these with hummus from Little Sesame and also the red Fresno chile hummus from Foxtrot in Georgetown. The people who work here are delightful, helpful, and friendly, but I find the place not all that efficient. I just accommodate for that starting out.- 1 reply
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- 5
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- Georgetown
- Casual with Good Food
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We went to Albi for dinner on Father's Day. Sat outside on what turned out to be a nice day. We tried all 3 snacks, namely Sfeeha - lebanese meat pies with a pizza like crust that was better than most pizza joints Kefta - wrapped around cinnamon stick, good but I don't think the cinnamon stick added much flavor Arayes - eggplant + squash blossom + kashkaval cheese, reminded me of an eggroll Ordered two apps Smoke pork with hummus - garlicky pita, smooth hummus and bbq pork. I think the hummus is really good but when mixed with bbq pork, gets kinda lost. Yellowfin tuna kibbeh naya - very interesting dish served with lettuce and mint, pickled onions, etc. The tuna by itself didn't have much flavor but when combined with mint and onions, became well balanced. Finally, one entree: Smoke whole Bobo's chicken with corn succotash. The picture only shows half a chicken (I forgot to take a picture until we ate half the chicken). Served with feet on, while interesting to look at, I didn't fancy this dish. The skin was crispy but I didn't care for the sweet sauce. I think this place is fantastic. Would love to see some of the dishes he use to do for M. Isabella.
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- 5
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- Navy Yard
- Modern Levantine
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Sep 30, 2019 - "The Chef of Nina May Wants You To Scrap the Menu and Let Him Cook for You" by Laura Hayes on washingtoncitypaper.com Looks like Colin's moving on to his own thing! He's a talented chef and a legit good dude to boot.- 11 replies
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- Logan Circle
- Modern American
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Surprised no thread on this one yet - not sure what the lack of chatter means but curious if anyone has been and what folks think. -
Scored a reservation for four this Friday, and I'm certainly looking forward to it. A friend of mine ate there two or three times before the place became well-known, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a bit of a drive, even from Ashburn, but I know it will be great. Haven't read anything here--has anyone been? -
"Traci des Jardins To Close Jardinière Next Month" by Janelle Bitker on sfchronicle.com -
I have to admit that I haven't eaten at a lot of restaurants with 3 Michelin Stars, but the meal I had at Saison this week was the best meal I have ever eaten. The attached menu merely hints at the dishes I enjoyed, but the ecstasy in my mouth cannot be described by words. A bit of background -- I did not choose to go to Saison, rather, the invitation was thrust upon me. A well-heeled company hosted an event on a Monday evening, when Saison is normally closed. So the place was rented out for a special event, and I was one of the 30 or so lucky invitees. Last Monday night, I considered myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth, with due apologies to Lou Gehrig. The event began at the bar, with hefty pours of champagne along with lovely appetizers from the kitchen. The bites of lobster were amazing, but every mouthful was a total tastebud delight. We eventually were seated, and the menu doesn't show the amuse....it was a delicate bundle of 8 herbs with Meyer lemon zest, tied into a perfect bouquet, and served in a tea cup. Hot water was poured over, and that little cup of "tea" was exquisite. It was the perfect palate preparer for what would follow. I should mention at this point that service was precise, like a real brigade, with well informed and pleasant staff delivering each course with perfect choreography. Next came the Saison Reserve Caviar, served over a spinach and seaweed composition, accompanied by champagne. At this point, I should mention the stemware, which was delicate, balanced, and polished to a clean shine. Next came the diver scallop, which was incredible, and accompanied by a Puligny Montrachet. As lucky as I thought I was for just being in attendance, Imagine my pleasant surprise when the person seated next to me said he doesn't like scallops, so he gave me his! The next dish was the King Salmon cured over Sake Lees, and it blew me away -- easily the best salmon dish I have ever tasted. The Loire Valley "Roche Aux Moines" was a perfect accompaniment. Next came the radish dish, which I viewed as a palate cleanser. It was a bit of a salad made from every part of the radish -- tiny bulbs, leaves, stems, foam. What a surprise, and I've never seen so much goodness coaxed out of such humble bits. It paired well with the Zwickl from Austria. The grand finale of dinner was Omi Wagyu, lightly fired over the wood fire, and served with Obsidian Ridge "Half Mile" which was perfect. The Wagyu was perfect, the wine was perfect, and the meal was perfect. Dessert was served as a buffet back in the bar area, but the highlight for me was the Sauternes. This was easily the best meal I have ever eaten, and I will remember it forever.
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- Chain Basin
- Modern American
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I haven't really been enough times or in years, but I think Market Lunch would be a candidate here.- 8 replies
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- Capitol Hill
- Eastern Market
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Andy Hayler's Reviews
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Andy Hayler's Reviews I'd second Harwood Arms - it's a bit of a haul though from Leicester Sq - probably about 40 minutes. -
An Evening at Victor's Italian Restraurant
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No thread on this place? You're slipping, Don. My wife and I went to Stable on Saturday night and were very pleased with the offerings. It's a quaint, if oddly configured space with a dark yet cozy atmosphere. The food, while certainly Swiss, has some French and American leanings, and tends to be on the heavier side. I could see this turning some folks off, but on a cold, rainy night for this guy who spent 6 early years of his life in Geneva, this menu suited me just fine. We started with a couple hearty appetizers in the Famous Stable Wings and the Landjager. The wings came out piping hot, sitting on top of a Cafe de Paris sauce that added some moisture to the very crispy skin, but in my opinion did not necessarily take the dish to the next level like you would want a wing sauce to do. The chicken, which the owner told us is a typical preparation for a whole or half chicken, was really lovely, as there was absolutely no flabbiness to the skin. We finished all of the dish, but I think we might try other items when we return next time. What we will get next time, though, is the lovely Landjager, a style of sausage that I have always loved but unfortunately not seen as much in the States. This hard, wonderfully smoked link came with a small pile of pepper and a lovely peppercorn mustard for dipping. Simple, yet fantastic, my wife was pining for us to order another, but I knew that we would be stuffed to the gills after our entrees. After going back and forth a few times (and being a bit disappointed by the 4 person minimum for Raclette), we went with the Veal Zurich Style and the Vol-au-Vent. I think that we wound up going a little safe with our entrees, but it didn't matter as they were both delicious. The veal is exactly how you would imagine it being a Swiss restaurant; pan seared in a mushroom cream sauce with a side of very crispy Rosti. Everything was cooked just how it should be and I wouldn't blink if I had to have this again, although I think next time I would probably get the Venison or Pork Cheeks a la Chasseur to really get a feel for the non-cream based cooking. My wife absolutely loved the Vol-au-Vent, which was a fun preparation that paid homage to the traditional while modernizing a bit, adding some green to the plate with some roasted brussel sprouts on the side as opposed to the french fries. I got a few bites before she finished it off and shamelessly swabbed up the remaining sauce with the excellent Wurzel bread. This cooking is devoid of gelees, smoke, foams, or really any modern culinary gimmick, and thus may never be a darling of critics or regional award ceremonies, but it hit all the right notes for a good Autumn/Winter night. We will definitely be back.- 6 replies
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- 4
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- H Street Corridor
- Swiss
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Andy Hayler's Reviews
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Last week, I went to the Rye Street Tavern, NoHo Hospitality Group's latest foray into Baltimore. It was on a Sunday evening, so we naturally gravitated towards their "Southern Fried Sundays" - a fried chicken dinner, served family style. Keep reading, because I'm going to tell you a little secret about ordering this meal that wouldn't be at all obvious to a first-time diner. and it will make the difference between you "liking it," and "loving it." The cocktails were somewhat expensive, but were well-made and delicious: And a little loaf of cornbread comes out just before everything else arrives: Then, the family-style dinner: Everything about this meal screamed "Repeat!" - everything, that is, except the price: We paid $70 for those two little assemblages of food that you see just above (plus the cornbread). "Geez," I said, "$70, and we got *four* pieces of chicken!" I mean, it was great and everything, but as you can see, there are three starch-heavy items: the cornbread, the biscuits, and the potatoes, and we both paced our dinners so that we finished everything at the same time. We were mildly full, and yes, the richness of the cooking made everything satisfying, but come on! I wanted more chicken, darn it! So, just as we were winding down, our server came up to us, and said, "Would you all care for some more chicken, or side dishes?" "Wat?" Okay, so ... spending my money so you don't have to ... we asked for some more chicken, potatoes, and collards (made with delicious bacon, btw), and got a healthy second portion; the rub is that we had *no idea* it was coming, so we filled up on starch, when we would have really preferred a better balance with another piece of chicken. Remember: Those second portions are coming your way, but not a word was said about them until we had almost finished the meal - if you take *that* into consideration, and use it to your advantage, then $35 is a very fair price for this meal. Also, the restaurant gave us two spice muffins "to have with breakfast the next morning," which is always a nice touch. To Rye Street's full credit, they offered to box up the second helping which we couldn't finish - we felt sheepish about this, since boxing up all-you-can-eat meals is something of a shady practice, but they would hear nothing of it. Keep in mind: I don't know if this is all-you-can-eat; I suspect you get two helpings, and *maybe* a third helping if you really do a number on everything, but I wouldn't count on that. Still, in no way did they seem like they were trying to skimp on things, so this was merely a lack of knowledge on our part - learn from our mistake! Go here on a Sunday night, get this exact same thing, and *remember* that it's essentially all-you-can-eat - I can't guarantee we'd have gotten a third helping, but who knows? There's no need to stuff yourself with carbs, merely so you don't leave hungry. Furthermore, the restaurant, and the grounds it's on (it shares acreage with a distillery) is beautiful - there's even a battleship in the background! And that is damned good fried chicken!
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- Port Covington
- American
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Alison Cook has listed Roost in her Top 100 for a few years now, placing it at 29 in this edition. From reading about the restaurant, Chef Naderi introduces a new menu monthly, highlighting local and seasonal ingredients with little regard for staying in one particular "lane" of cuisine. Cristina and I had a quiet and pleasant dinner the other night. Top-line assessment: Pleasant enough to be a neighborhood fave, but in a sprawling food town like Houston, it would be tough to recommend traveling for a special visit. We started with 2 appetizers: the much lauded fried cauliflower with bonito and miso dressing, and the "bread service" of a Slow Dough giant (GIANT!) pretzel, with 3 spreads (marinara, pimento cheese, and furikake butter). The cauliflower was indeed tasty, reminiscent of takoyaki. The only thing I would say is that after a few bites, they became a little dull (as in, not sharp), and could've used some sort of acidic element to brighten things up (capers maybe? a squeeze of lemon? I don't know). The pretzel itself was massive, warm, buttery, and delicious. The spreads...eh. The marinara was totally off-putting in a way neither of us could put a finger on, but it went completely untouched. The pimento cheese was a totally straightforward take, without any noticeable spice. The furikake butter won out, mainly because it was butter. This dish seemed like an afterthought. I moved on to the "Country Captain" chicken - pan seared, along with deep fried wings, and topped with a vaguely curry-ish sauce with raisins. All in all a nicely cooked, but standard take on a Lowcountry classic. Cristina had fried quail served over black eyed peas and greens. I much preferred this dish, mainly for the delicious peas. Earthy and with just enough bite to them. We drank a South African Cab blend (2013 John X Merriman Stellenbosch) that played well with everything we ordered - medium bodied, with a good amount of earthiness that I enjoy. Roost has a small but nicely curated wine list and a number of local beers on tap. Given that the menu changes monthly, I think it's probably worth another look down the line, but for now I have it in my good-not-great category.- 1 reply
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- Montrose
- Modern American
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What is the story behind reservations at this restaurant? Phenomenal popularity? A secret? For the next month, they show availability for only a handful of weekdays, for seatings near closing time. I have encountered a similar roadblock at Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore, though at the opening bell it is not that difficult to find something in the bar area. It's discouraging, though. (And making the journey to Spike Gjerde's award-winning kitchen is expensive and not always quite as transporting as it used to be.)
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Scenes from this weekend: Enchiladas con mole de pollo - sauce of chiles, chocolate, nuts, shredded chicken, tortillas, onion and queso fresco. Tacos de carnitas - two tacos of braised pork, orange, bay leaf, milk, cinnamon, beer, jalapeño, onion, cilantro and tomatillo salsa. Nopalito 306 Broderick Street (Oak Street) http://www.nopalitosf.com/
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- Local Chain
- Lower Haight
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We went to Frances for dinner tonight. I can see why this restaurant is consistently ranked in the top 10 establishments in San Francisco. Perhaps we need another visit to compare notes but having said that, neither B nor myself were impressed enough to return right away. The company was wonderful though, and that saved the evening. Applewood smoked bacon beignets, with maple chive crème fraîche.Nice "snack" to start. Light, airy and there was just enough maple in the crème fraîche to be of interest. Watermelon and Early Girl tomato gazpacho, with Gulf shrimp, English cucumber and shiso. Little Gem salad, with heirloom tomatoes, avocado, smoked bacon, pecorino and balsamic vinaigrette. Sounded wonderful on paper, but not in execution. Too much dressing on the lettuce - if I can see it and it's pooling on the bottom of the plate, then someone had better restrain their hand in the kitchen. Croutons were tough. And the balance of flavors clashed against the wine we were drinking. Seared snapper, with fregola, Castelvetrano olives, pistachio fennel slaw. Duck confit, with habañero stone fruit jam, ricotta dumplings, and grilled broccolini. The duck was dry and a touch overcooked, the jam of little interest (barely spicy and nearly sweet enough to be ketchup). The dumplings were just "ok" and the broccolini might as well have been raw. If they were grilled, I didn't detect anything that tasted as if they were cooked that way. And yes, those are also grilled turnips. At least those were prepared well. Roasted cauliflower and Gala apple fondue, Nicasio reserve, pickled grape. The English language has only so many ways to write "mediocrity". Clearly prepared well, but totally uninteresting to me. As if roasted cauliflower needed a cheese sauce. The grapes which were clearly there to lend acidity/contrast were just an afterthought. BTW this "side" which consists of maybe 5 tablespoons of food, cost $10. WTF?!? Blistered Romano beans, pepita and nigella crunch, arugula and sunflower pesto. We were comped this side by the kitchen. I hated the pesto, the crunch didn't contribute anything, and the beans were "ok". There are four elements in that bowl that don't belong there IMHO. Warm apple crumble cake, with butterscotch and cinnamon brittle ice cream. Somewhat better, although B remarked that the cake reminded him of a muffin. He could've been eating breakfast. Lumberjack cake with Medjool dates, Yali pear, apple and muscovado ice cream. Dense, flavorful but not moist cake saved by intensely flavored ice cream. The dates were "fine". They also contributed nothing IMHO. You can detect a trend - too many ingredients that don't make sense together and aren't interesting. But lots of folks like this place so maybe it's just me. My main criticism is - if you're going to charge top dollar with your two most expensive dishes on the menu in the mid-$30s, then you had better damn well make sure that what you're serving is perfect. I wanted to like Frances. I really do. Their style of cooking is market-driven and it's what moves me, but all the little things add up and based on this experience, it'll be a while before we return. Other observations: there is very little sound absorption in the restaurant. In fact, it might be more accurate to say that there is none. It's all wooden surfaces with square tables and wooden benches. Even with the restaurant half full and windows/doors open, prepare to be swallowed up by a wall of sound. We had to lean in against each other in order to be able to make ourselves heard. Frances3870 17th Street (Pond Street)The Castro http://www.frances-sf.com/
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The parade of mediocrity continues that consists of restaurants that exist in the Castro. B and I have date night once a week. We usually alternate between a cheap/moderate place and an expensive place. Last night, we went to Starbelly and I was reminded why we hadn't gone there since 2015. Grilled fig and cress salad with blue cheese, panna cotta, honey and balsamic. The panna cotta was tasteless and added nothing. And there were literally three figs on that plate; technically, one and a half figs since the fruit was halved. For this, we were charged $9. It could have been dessert. Also, horrible plating. Try (!) to have some effort. Bavette steak, salt-crusted potatoes, grilled cebollita, mojo verde. Steak was slightly chewy and the potatoes served as "filler". Note the amount of potatoes in B's dish. I thought to myself: 'The farmers' markets in this city have amazing produce that makes the rest of the country weep for joy when they first taste what's on offer, and THIS is the best you can do for this plate? That's insulting. Really and truly.' I object to potatoes used as filler. At least they were prepared well. Halibut, grilled Little Gem lettuce, butter bean purée, chermoula and olive salsa. The halibut was overcooked and dry, and the purée an afterthought. Bill came out to $95 (with tax and 20% tip) for barely average food. We went there so you don't have to. Starbelly 3583 16th Street (Market Street) The Castro Afterwards, we went to the Castro Street branch of The Ice Cream Bar for some dessert. Brownie sundae with buttermilk ice cream and mint chip ice cream, whipped cream, caramel sauce
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Le Marais has a few branches in San Francisco. We had brunch at the Castro location today given that we live in the neighborhood. Croissant. On par with the ones at Tartine. A bonus is that the staff at Le Marais has ZERO attitude which practically ensures that we'll be back. Butter and jam. The jam was nothing to write home about however. Their hot chocolate was basically a cup of steamed cream with a shot of cocoa. Oh well, can't get everything right all the time I suppose. Croque monsieur with ham and gruyère, small salad. Unlike at other places we've been to so far, Le Marais uses brioche instead of croissants for their croques. Vinaigrette had a touch too much mustard and acid. Duck confit with roasted potatoes, mushrooms and small salad. Same issue with the vinaigrette here as above. Plate was otherwise perfect. Le Marais 498 Sanchez (18th Street) The Castro
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We hadn’t been to L’Auberge Provencal in a few years, but headed out last weekend with a couple friends for a German Wine dinner, hosted by Elite Imports. We had a five course meal with accompanying wines. Each course paired very well, and we wouldn’t hesitate to return to La Table Provencal for a “regular” meal. Fluke Sashimi, preserved lemon, green apple, mango vinegar - Graacher Himmelreich Reisling Kabinett, Joh. Jos. Prum 2015 Excellent first dish – the preserved lemon and green apple matched particularly well with the Kabinett. We also received a peach gazpacho as an amuse, but this was rather unceremoniously plunked in front of us and as a result didn’t know what it was (apart from obviously being a gazpacho of some type) until later. Service was a bit choppy – we were often left to review the printed menus to understand what we were eating. The waitstaff didn’t describe the dishes at all. Scallop, spaetzle, heirloom tomato, chili flake - Graacher Himmelreich Reisling Spatlese, Joh. Jos Prum 2015 Maybe my favorite course of the afternoon – I taste any chili flake, but the acidity in the Spatlese and the tomato cut the richness of the scallop and spaetzli nicely. A small portion though - as the scallop was definitely singular. Maultaschen, bratwurst, Asian pear, dates, caramelized onion - Zeltinger Sonnenhur Reisling Spatlese, Joh. Jos Prum 2015 Another good example of how an off-dry or even sweet wine with enough acidity can pair with heartier foods. This dish included three silver dollar sized pieces of bratwurst – the maultaschen was in a ravioli-like format and the pear and onion were carmelized in a sort of rustic jam. At this point we began to notice two things – that the portions were pretty small, and that wine glasses were not topped up during courses (and were relatively small pours to begin with). Baker Farm pork roulade, potato, cabbage, fig, juniper - Weingut Bernhard Huber, Baden Pinot Noir Spatburgunder Trocken, 2014 Excellent dish – and a great pairing with the Spatburgunder, however I think that the wine suffered by comparison as it was such a departure from the gradually building sugar profiles in the wines until this point. The majority of the group ranked this wine as their least favorite of the afternoon, but I wonder if that would have been the case were it served earlier. The roulade was good, but two slices – cabbage manifested itself in the form of two cabbage leaves, and the potato salad was two spheres of potato with the traditional accompaniments. Peaches, Olive oil cake, vanilla yogurt, pine nut brittle - Wehlener Sonnenhur Reisling Auslese, Joh. Jos Prum, 2015 I was fully prepared to hate this course, but boy was I wrong. As delightful as a box of birds. Enjoyed the olive oil cake and yogurt as they were on the savory side and provided a very nice contrast to the sweetest wine of the evening. A great time was had by all - with two caveats. Portions were on the small side, as were the pours. I understand that there is a fine line in tasting menu portion control and wine dinner/ lunch pours, but the pours were considerably less than a half glass. The other caveat was the service – I’d describe it as perfunctory – bring plate, drop plate, clear plate. The service may have been compromised by the fact that the reps from Elite were often talking to the group between courses. Given the 2015 vintage’s reputation in Germany it was a nice opportunity to taste through some Rieslings and bring back a few cases.- 3 replies
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- Clarke County
- White Post
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Franny's Closing Sunday August 20
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Copperwood Tavern Website I didn't see a thread... Hubby and I wanted to go to Texas Jack's for July 4th, but they were out of bbq. So we kept going to Shirlington, which I was a bit hesitant about, but at that point I knew so little was open in VA and Hubby wasn't crossing the border into DC and wouldn't agree to go to Old Town. He had a decent brunch at Copperwood Tavern the other weekend, and wanted to go there. I didn't love the menu, I felt it was very heavy for the summertime, and really struggled on what to order. I settled on a Caesar salad and mussels. We were brought small corn muffins, on a plate that lacked any character and just made them look like they came from a carton from Giant, the taste wasn't anything special. My Caesar salad came to the table and was soggy and obviously either made earlier OR the lettuce was not in a condition I would use, it was supposed to have kale in it, but it seemed to have baby greens, which didn't appear to be any type of kale I am familiar with, which added no texture. It didn't have anything to make it interesting- no capers, no anchovies, no texture. I ate some of it only because I was starving at that point, and Hubby had a long day working and I just didn't want to make a fuss, he saw that it wasn't great so he gave me a bunch of his brussel sprouts to eat instead, those were better, although I think they needed to be roasted at a slightly higher heat. My mussels were an appetizer portion, but were good. The menu didn't note that there was cream in the dish, but it appeared there was and I normally can tolerate a small amount of blue cheese with a pill, but definitely had a reaction to lactose that appeared to be more than just that, I wish that would have been noted, I wouldn't have ordered it. The bread served with the mussels was burnt and hard even where it wasn't burnt. Hubby got a venison steak which was really good, but for $34 I would have expected some side on the plate, I mean, no offense, but it is deer meat. Anyway, I am sure some people think this place was fine, and July 4 certainly isn't a prime night for a restaurant to be on, but I really would be hard pressed to go back. I wish we had gone to Carlyle instead.- 2 replies
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- Local Chain
- Shirlington
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Great night at Riel a few days ago. I went in with very few expectations, other than remembering that I read somewhere that the chef was Canadian, and at some point served borscht. We didn't opt for the borscht on our first visit, though we will certainly get into it (and the plate of Montreal smoked meat) next time. Cocktails are interesting, well-crafted, and well-priced at $10. I started with "Oslo in the Summertime," a nice riff on a Negroni, with Aquavit subbed in for the gin. Cristina is a sucker for gose, and started with a refreshing beer cocktail (Ready Set Gose) of Real Ale Gose (which has dominant lime notes), Cocchi Americano, and cucumber. It was feeling like that kind of night, so we opted to roll hard and start with the caviar service. Beautifully presented on a cut log platter, were were served 3 varieties - American, Russian, and Iranian along with house made butter (fantastic), freshly made rye blinis, and traditional accompaniments. Just as I was about order a couple glasses of champagne, the manager came over with an ice cold bottle of house infused vodka. All the better. (Click the arrows on the photos to see the crab and hangar steak.) Tempura cauliflower was served with a slightly too-salty kimchi sauce. The cauliflower were nicely breaded and fried, drizzled with the smoothly pureed sauce. There was some spice, but I would have liked a little more kimchi funk. Seemed like a popular dish, as we saw several plates heading out from the open kitchen. Having spent the last few years in DC, it's almost impossible for me to pass up a seasonal soft-shell crab special. Riel's comes lightly breaded and fried, served with greens and a tamarind sauce. Great dish that balances the salty fried crab with the sour tamarind. Bright and aggressively spiced. We wrapped it up with the 44 Farms hangar steak, cooked to a perfect medium rare, served over a horseradish cream sauce alongside pan-crisped potato-cheddar pierogi. Another winner of a dish. Simple, unfussy, but cleanly presented. Riel generated a lot of early press, but still somehow feels a little under the radar. Such is life in a sprawling city with so many choices. That said, I'm confident we'll be back, and would be happy to recommend a meal there to anyone visiting.
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