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Showing results for tags 'Modern American'.
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I was at Albi this week, and they have the same fee.
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Incredibly, Jônt, Chef Ryan Ratino's Chef's Counter on top of Bresca, received 2 Michelin Stars less than one year after opening. As of today (May 26), it's completely booked until Jun 24. A 14-course tasting menu is $225 ($345 including supplements), with beverage pairings available for $155. With tax and tip, the full experience here is $1,300 for two! The wines by the glass and bottle are very well-chosen for such a new restaurant, but so, so expensive with no obvious entry point (other than the wrist-slitting choice of their outstanding-looking non-alcoholic beverages). For a restaurant this rarefied, there can be no excuse for any typos on the wine list, not even online. Jônt is also the only Michelin 2-Star restaurant open in DC right now (Minibar and Pineapple & Pearls are still closed). There is very limited seating space, and a huge pent-up dining demand (Minibar created this niche by opening in 2003 for the artificially low price of $65 (for 34 courses), and subsequently going up in price like a helicopter). Congratulations to the team here for such a noteworthy achievement - this is the equivalent of winning the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in the same season. Now, the long-term question is: Will Jônt be remembered as Fred Lynn, or Ichiro Suzuki?
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- 14UP
- Modern American
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Exposed to a flurry of press releases announcing the opening of Café Riggs, claiming that it is a destination restaurant and not "just" a hotel restaurant, we decided to give it a try for lunch. After all, there was CityZen 'in the good old days'. The room was very pleasant indeed, with high ceilings, comfortable seating, low noise level, pleasing table linen and tableware. Reception was friendly and efficient, serving staff professional. For one starter we had a cold crab, pickled celery and mustard salad on top of a crab-flavored custard, reminiscent of chawanmushi except that the custard was very rich indeed. It was spectacular. For the other starter, a broccoli salad with a sesame-garlic vinaigrette and toasted quinoa to add some crunch. It too was very good, and we would definitely order both dishes again. For a main course we had Arctic char which, blessedly, was not overcooked, with super-crisp skin, couscous, a slightly-saffron-flavored broth, and slivers of snow peas. Good, and we would get it again. And a vegetable main, crispy sunchokes on top of freekah with mustard greens. The sunchokes were excellent, however the freekah with mustard greens was a good concept that needed perhaps some acid insofar as it became tedious after a few bites. For dessert, their version of palet d'or, a chocolate-hazelnut confection. The traditional concept was good, of course; the components were good; but it was poorly presented with crumbling edges. French patisserie is really marred by sloppy presentation. A destination restaurant? Well, not now; perhaps in the future. We will return: we kept saying "my, that looks good" as servers brought dishes to other tables. There is nothing wrong with a great burger and crispy french fries.
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- Penn Quarter
- Riggs Hotel
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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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Brohim and I went to Emilie's last night (Friday). We had a 6 p.m. reservation but arrived at 5:30 p.m. They promptly seated us at the counter and gave us the menus but it was a little while before someone came to take our drink orders. The cart menu was a little confusing and we had to have it explained twice. No bread comes with the dip, so you have to order bread (focaccia or sourdough) from the kitchen menu for $9. However, if you order a bread, it comes with your choice of one dip. Each additional dip is $3. In our case, we ordered focaccia - 4 pieces of rather chewy and dense foccia. We ordered the chicken liver pate and sichuan honey butter but due to their delay, they gave us all 6 dips (babaganoush, apple butter, seaweed butter, and mascarpone & jelly). I thought the chicken liver was fantastic. For apps, we ordered SCALLOP CRUDO - crispy okra, curry leaves, chili oil. BEEF TARTARE - cured egg yolk, crab fat mustard, pecorino. The scallops, after swishing around in the sauce, are fantastic. The beef tartare were even better. Mixed with egg yolk and pecorino, it had the texture of almost cooked meat. The combination of ingredients were new to me but the best that I can think of. Finally, we shared the PORK BLADE STEAK vermicelli, nuoc cham, peanut sauce. This is a straight up Vietnamese dish with a different cut of pork. The pork was tender, well seasoned, but fatty and sinewy which made it hard to chew. You can get almost the same dish at 1/3 of the price by going to Eden Center but that's an entirely different atmosphere. So I recommend you try both and see which you like better (just order grilled pork w/ vermicelli at any Vietnamese restaurant for comparison). This place will be a winner, similar to Rose's Luxury. Great, seemingly creative food that's really not, served at hipster prices for those who have disposable income, who rather stay in the city instead of venturing out into the burbs for authentic food. The lighting was awful. The only light source is the fluorescent light in the display kitchen. I also used a iPhone 6....and couldn't hold still while taking the tartare shot.
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- Capitol Hill
- Capitol Hill South
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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
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Rooster & Owl opened at 2436 14th St, NW, DC, on Feb. 7, 2019 (Washingtonian). Website -
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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This place is moving up in the Date Night queue. Anyone been? I've heard nothing but good things. -
When I moved to D.C., I rented a 2 bedroom condo located at 3222 Cherry Hill Lane, in Georgetown. It’s a quiet alley with few disturbances. I would’ve been mad as hell to have a restaurant in that alley, but since I don’t live there anymore, I’m gonna go raise hell. So has anyone been? Recs? To be honest, the menu looks weak/boring.
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Lunch today at Earl's Kitchen + Bar in Tysons was surprisingly good for a Tysons lunch spot. The place is large, bar-forward, sort of like a GAR place. Instead of a food-for-the-masses kind of menu, it has some interesting wrinkles like a truly good sushi roll menu and a poke bowl that my companions both raved about. I had the swordfish tacos, which were delicious if slightly messy to eat. The burgers coming out of the kitchen looked substantial. The heritage is Canadian but the menu is anything but. Definitely worth a try among the wasteland of lunch options in Tysons proper.
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- Earls Kitchen + Bar
- Canadian Chain
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Cristina and I spent our 13th anniversary at one of 2018's hot-spots. We arrived a touch early for our reservations, planning on a drink at the bar, but beware that there is really not much room for standing and drinking. Cocktails were great though. The Nancy Cakes (Johnny cakes with whipped butter and trout roe) have gotten a lot of press (and they're definitely good), but the lamb dumplings with crispy garlic were the star of the night for me.- 1 reply
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- EaDo
- East Downtown
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Well, he's carefully weighing options, and open to hearing more, with the idea that he's looking for something that will have longer term successes, and a place to build relationships. Many people have reminisced about Palena, and I think he'd like to work towards achieving and earning that status ... for both employee and guest. Frank is actively seeking work, as well as talking to potential employers already - if you're a restaurateur, you should contact him (through me, if you'd like).
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- Dupont Circle
- South Dupont
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I'm surprised there's no thread for this place yet. It's a very pretty warehouse in Ivy City across the street from Dock FC. Like Masseria, it's tasting menu only, with a variety of dishes of all styles to choose from. You choose 4 5 or 6 courses, with the last one having to be dessert. Each person much also choose the same number of courses. We noticed that there were exactly 20 dishes on the menu, so the four of us decided to go 5-dish ($87) and share everything on the menu. We all loved our cocktails, which were creative and well balanced. Instead, I got two mocktails which were nice, bubbly and gingery, as mocktails often seem to be. The food had some great hits and some bad misses. The bread and herb butter were nice to start, and they brought us seconds. The best dishes included sashimi style tuna, phenomenal scallops with caviar ($21 upcharge), a beautiful summer veggie salad with tiny carrots and radishes, chicken that tasted like Convivials poulet rouge, an egg a anson mill grains soup/porridge and an outstanding braised beet dish that was so creative and delicious. We liked the duck a fair bit too. The duds included halibut that was as dense as a brick and just as dry. The tomato salad, while still tasty and pretty (I love tomatoes) had too much basalmic. I dont eat pork, but my tablemates didnt even finish it and even had to spit out a chewy piece. Sweetbreads were decent but a tad salty. Everything was exceptionally pretty to look at and instagrammable. The most notable parts of the meal, I think, were a few odd service quirks. My friend was getting dripped on by the air conditioner far above him on the roof. Upon politely bringing this to the attention of the young manager, the manager could not have been less sympathetic. It was shocking really. He said they had no spare tables and that's just condensation from a new air conditioner being used in the summer. He gruffly suggested he could help move our table a few feet, but didn't seem to agree it was a big concern. He also suggested that they had no plans on fixing this apparently recurring problem before fall. So bizarre! Unsatisfied, my friend then raised the issue with another blazered floorman, who happened to be the sommelier. He was a bit more sympathetic but also said that's kind of just how it is, though at least he apologized and brought us some cardamaro. When the bill came, we noticed that they charged us for 5 four course meals instead of 4 5 course meals, which cost $45 more total. We brought it to the attention of the sommelier, who joked "that fifth one was for me!" and went off to fix it without apologizing for the error equal to the cost of 4 extra cocktails. When the manager came by with the revised bill, he was confused about what correction had been made and did not offer an apology. Not the kind of attitude that lead us to want to come back, even if the cooking is creative and has lots of potential. -
Congratulations to Brothers and Sisters (but everyone knows lists like these are a load of baloney, right?)
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We met friends at 71Above for drinks and some appetizers. We had to leave for a show so we did not stay for dinner (although our friends did). We sat at the bar and one among us took charge and ordered the appetizers and while they were uniformly good, I spent way to much time talking rather than focusing on the food so I cannot offer much more in the way of a commentary. But what I can report is.... Man, what a view! -
The NoMad Restaurant, operated by the Make it Nice group is the more casual, approachable cousin of Eleven Madison Park, located in the NoMad hotel. The maze of rooms makes this large restaurant intimate and comfortable, with excellent service to match. Stopped in on Saturday evening for a drink and a snack, ordering a few cocktails and the Crudite ($16). From Las Vegas to Denver to New York in the last week, I've eaten a lot of places - including the aforementioned Eleven Madison Park (for another thread), but the single best dish I had was this plate of raw vegetables and dip. Radishes, asparagus, cauliflower, carrots and chive cream. All quasi-seasonal, all fresh, crisp, and delicious. A wonderful example of perfectly executing something so simple and having the results be amazing. -
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.
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- Montrose
- Modern American
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A couple of weeks ago a friend and I walked up on a Friday in the hopes that we could snag a seat at Brother's and Sister's. As we walked up the front steps, we were "greeted" by two large bouncers, who when we told them we didn't have a reservation, boxed us out, and wouldn't let us even move further up the steps of the property and told us to leave. I guess a 40 year old lawyer is very scary looking and not the demographic they were going for. It was very off putting, I don't really know what the purpose was of the treatment, perhaps, they could have just told us they were fully booked and we should try for another night. I know it was Friday, soon after opening, but it was a pretty rude treatment.- 8 replies
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- Adams Morgan
- Lanier Heights
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Note Domaine Hudson's "Pastrami Carrots" dish, very similar to Rose's Luxury's. Note also their "About-Team" webpage, which highlights all the individuals responsible for the restaurant's success. This is a viable option on the way from Washington, DC to Philadelphia, PA, or to Princeton, NJ. Thank you for existing, Domaine Hudson!
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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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We managed to snag reservations at State Bird Provisions for next month. So excited! Hopefully our two young kids will find something that they're willing to eat.-
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- Fillmore District
- Modern American
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