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Showing results for tags 'Modern American'.
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I have a reservation at Osteria the Sat. before Christmas. It's on the early side, 5:30, but I thought better to secure a spot than take a chance later. My only problem is that I'm going to have to eat a DiNic's pork sandwich for breakfast at that rate! Although, I'm very intrigued by Fork etc, which is a cafe next to Fork. The concept seems very unique; a great restaurant, Fork, that opens a cafe to serve breakfast, lunch, dinner to go and high quality local products. Perhaps Sunday brunch. -
We stayed in Easton a few weeks ago and enjoyed several fine meals. One of them was at Out of the Fire, a beautiful, high-ceilinged space in downtown, oldtown Easton. While the menu does extend beyond pizza, that was our main focu so we can't comment on the other dishes on offer. The first sign that this place might be good was the fact that the only slot for 4 they had available on a Friday night was for 8.45. We settled in and split a few salads, while choosing a nice Chianti Classico from a very reasonably priced wine list and then ordered the Mushroom, Spinach and Goat Cheese pizza and the Italian Sausage pizza with smoked mozzarella, roasted red peppers and olives. Both were delicious, thin crust and clearly made with fresh ingredients. For dessert, they were out of a bread pudding concoction that sounds delicious so the 4 of us split a pepermint fudge type thingy, and some type of meringue thingy (sorry, I didn't take notes, it was late, and, well, I was drunk) - they were good, but obviously not good enough to indelibly imprint themselves on my brain. They also have an extensive and ever changing selection of wines by the glass. Service was relaxed, friendly and excellent, highlighted by the fact that when we inquired about wines by the glass our waitress gave us generous samples of 3 different wines so we could better make a choice. Oh, and its cheap. 2 apps, 2 pizzas, 2 desserts, a bottle of good wine and 3 glasses of wine came to a little over $100, not including tip. This place is a real gem, and you can get there in about 80 minutes from DC. -
There was a review of Sax in the free Express today, complete with a photo of the interior and...it looks seedy as all hell. Basically like a Baroque Hooters, or perhaps a Crazy Horse-like entertainment dinner theatre. But the review of the food wasn't that bad. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised if it thrives. DC is very much the type of town that would go for this type of thing. Old Boys' Club, bachelor parties, and all that... -
Saw this banner walking home from Barracks Row the other day. 735 8th St SE, pretty much right across from the barracks. Can't find much other information besides their Facebook page which says they're opening this December. Anyone have any other info? (Sorry if there's already an entry on this somewhere; I searched and searched and couldn't find it.)
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My wife and I had a great meal at Townsend last month - low-key setting, good service, great cocktails, and for the most part, excellent, interesting food. I had the hamachi, the escargot, and the swordfish, while my wife had the gazpacho, crab risotto, and the skate. The hamachi, swordfish, and risotto were standouts, while the gazpacho was a bit underwhelming. I had a phenomenal cocktail called the One Block Down with an unusual combination of mezcal and bourbon. -
Went to Mr. Rain's Fun House, a new restaurant that opened late 2009 on top the the American Visionary Art Museum. They had a special La Grande Boucherie happy hour in celebration of mardi gras- $15 for several pork courses. It was ok. We started with head cheese served with bread and some honey mustard (?). Course 2 was some hunter sausage- a tad dry- possibly the meat was ground a bit too fine. Third was some pulled pork off a whole pig they roasted. Sadly a but dry as well, but he skin as nicely seasoned. Last was Tasso ham- it was a alright as well, but I still do not understand honey mustard. What was nice was a flight of American whiskeys- my favorite was the Rittenhouse rye. Not sure about the restaurant, but might head back to try their regular menu at least once. -
We had a fantastic dinner at the Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare on Friday night. Despite its reputation for being one of the hardest tables in NYC we made the reservation a few weeks ago with no difficulty and there were two empty seats at the 10 pm seating. The food was pretty much impeccable and we found the staff to be very friendly. It is a little annoying that they don't let you take pictures nor do you get any sort of menu or wine notes at the end of the night. This makes it harder to give a detailed accounting of what we ate and drank. The menu was very seafood heavy with a wagyu and duck course for meats. Mostly small bites of food and despite being around fifteen courses you don't walk out feeling sickeningly stuffed at the end of the meal. Wine pairings were good (not amazing) and seemed to pair well with the food. Overall a gorgeous meal and worthy of the accolades. -
Rose's Luxury is accepting reservations. For a larger party. Well, actually, you're going to need to get a small group of people together since it is designed for 8-10 people. This is for their "private luxury roof garden" tables @ $125 for "all you can eat" per person and as much time as you want to spend. Plus, "booze", tax and tip. And they "have an awning." This is a private dining "rooftop" which is designed for eight to ten people. (You can reserve for two but you'll pay for eight.) They accept reservations on Monday mornings @ 11:00AM through their website (no phone calls). They are also already booked through May.- 54 replies
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- Capitol Hill
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Romeo & Juliet Garden Café has replaced White Tiger at 301 Massachusetts Avenue NE, opening Jul 16, 2015. "A New Restaurant On The Hill Applies for Late Hours, Hiilarity Ensues" on barredindc.com "Romeo & Juliet - Garden Café Coming Soon Signage Up at Former White Tiger Space on Capitol Hill" on popville.com Website - Facebook -
Tom Sietsema reports that Chef Shields "is poised to sign a lease" in Georgetown.- 10 replies
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- Georgetown
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Per Bethesda Magazine: "Former Food & Wine Co. Chef Working To Rebrand Kentlands Restaurant" by Andrew Metcalf in bethesdamagazine.com Michael Harr is taking over the dreadful Largent's in the Kentlands and rebranding it as Kentlands Kitchen. If he succeeds, it would be a welcome boost to the area.- 8 replies
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- Gaithersburg
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So my friends and I have been Mighty Pint patrons for over 5 years now, as in we were there pretty much 10+ times a month for 5 years straight. Many relationships started and ended there, many friends gained, many memories lost. So as a last hurrah for our beloved TMP, we booked a 15 person reservation for Second State on its opening weekend. At first glance, "WOW." They really revamped the entire place, we were all extremely impressed with the new decor. TMP was pretty much the definition of dive, and to be able to convert from that to a fine dining establishment is no small task. We're talking some major construction work completed in half a year. The drinks were ok, pretty standard for a barstaurant; I ordered the "Second Statement ($14)" (a sazerac), which was pretty good. Other table ordered a few bottles of wine. --- A sample of the dishes we ordered: 2 orders of mac&cheese: very inconsistent, one was mostly noodles, the other was mostly heavy cream. I guess if we had a pot to mix it together ourselves, it would've been pretty good. We returned the heavy cream order. Broiled sprouts: decent, farm fresh! Bone In Ribeye ($36!!!): my friend usually gets steaks rare, the waitress suggested she get it medium rare because last time a customer complained that it was too rare. Well, my friend's medium rare steak was actually a well done. Ossabaw pork chop ($25): I ordered this, it was pretty good, the apple chutney was delicious. Garlic-parsley fries: pretty good, this was their top item from the Alexandria restaurant though. Oysters: unshucked (what?) returned. Our appetizers also came either during or after our entrees. We ordered a bunch of other dishes, but these are just the ones I remember most clearly. --- The service: We didn't have waters for the first 25 minutes at the table, we had to request waters from 3 different waiters. One person didn't have silverware until she got her food. For most of the entree-eating, we didn't have water refills. The waitress was very apologetic, I suppose they were busy/frazzled/in growing pains so they were unable to provide a "great experience". The manager later came by to give the table whiskey+chocolate liquer shots (they were pretty strong/good). --- Overall, a disappointing experience. I was very sad leaving the restaurant, for TMP was easily one of my most favorite bars in the city, I could always bet on having a great time there with the beers, wings, or shenanigans. What does Second State have to offer? They're just another "fine dining restaurant" in Dupont Circle, and a poor execution of one at that.- 22 replies
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- Dupont Circle
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On the strong advice from a friend (and Pete Wells), we had lunch on Monday at Dirty French. One of the things I miss about living in NYC was how wonderfully empty the city was on long weekend holidays, and this Memorial Day was no different. We stayed in SoHo, and the neighborhood felt like a ghost town as we made the walk east to the LES. So for lunch at noon, we had the restaurant to ourselves. Our waitress was charmingly odd, recommending things not by saying "this is one of my favorites," but "Oh man, I totally want you guys to get this...it's just so cool," and then stopping by later to make sure we thought it was as cool as she did. She also wanted us to get a particular dessert just because she hadn't seen it before and heard it looked cool. Like I said, odd, but a little endearing. The grilled flatbread that comes out gratis with fromage blanc is addictive. It lasted about 90 seconds before we completely devoured it. The mushroom mille-feuille is as amazing as it was cracked up to be in Wells' review. The buttery mushrooms paired with a thick Thai green curry, crunchy snow peas, and lightly pickled red chiles and ramps. Go here and order this. (Paired nicely with a Loire rose.) A salad of kale with chèvre, fried sun choke chips, and pear was a refreshing counterpoint to the heaviness of the mille-feuille. A "banh mi" of foie gras and duck confit was totally ruined by being served on a thick, dense, sesame seeded roll. We ended up scraping out the innards, and leaving all the bread behind. We passed on dessert, planning to grab some gelato near the high line later, but the selections sounded promising.
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Foti's: Is an outpost of English civility in a town whose name could have been Mayberry except its founding fathers decided on Culpeper. The hundred plus year old building houses a very personal and private restaurant with a dark brown pressed tin ceiling and wooden floors to match with chandeliers, recessed lighting and table top candles, an exposed brick wall lining one entire side and occasional Grecian columns outlining a particular area of this very special and romantic dining fantasy. With subdued lighting and exuberant staff along with the escapist small town charm this is an extraordinary setting for what is the best new restaurant of 2006 for the Greater Washington area. Foti's captures the charm and sophistication of Georgetown or Old Town while retaining the warmth and innocent appeal of a sleepy southern hamlet where Juliet might be enraptured with the cuisine of Romeo-if he were a chef. Even Verona has nothing on this setting for dining and romantic indulgence. In Culpeper Juliet is named Sue and Romeo is Frank. Both met in Little Washington at The Inn. They and six or seven others from The Inn, over time, have moved here to create a truly special place in the Mid Atlantic. Foti's now has a three week wait for a table on Fridays and Saturdays because of rave reviews in both the Washington Post and Washingtonian. With the connection of the chef and hostess along with the former sommelier from The Inn at Little Washington, Foti's has already been adopted by the Washington Press as the most recent outpost of Great Cuisine. And it justly is. Last night my wife and I did our best to work our way through its menu. A signature dish of a Great restaurant is one which literally causes your mouth to open, to uncontrollably exclaim "Wow" when it is served. To deeply inhale its enthralling effluvia, to moan after savoring its first taste, to breathe heavily and evenly after swallowing the first orgasmic bite. "Vanilla roasted Maine lobster with Jonny cakes and a Chardonnay butter sauce" is such a dish. Live lobster is roasted and shelled then the lobster meat is sautéed with chardonnay butter, lobster stock is added and then reduced down with caramelized sugar. All of this is plated on top of several Rhode Island Jonny Cake discs with the sauce drizzled around and over. Simply, a Great dish worth of The Inn nearby or The Fat Duck, the three Michelin star and one of England's two best restaurants near the home of Sue Maragos, Frank's wife and partner who together open Foti's. Sue moved here five years ago from her home near the Cotswolds, apprenticed at The Inn and now with her husband has moved onto a national stage much sooner than either of them may have anticipated. A "fried egg sandwich on garlic toasted Ciabatta with baby arugula, Virginia country ham and parmesan cheese" is another signature first course. Inventive, imaginative, excellent. Still, a short step below the imaginatively delicious excess of the vanilla lobster. "Olive oil poached tomatoes on a roasted garlic and fresh herb crust with sautéed winter vegetables" is a vegetarian entrée that we had as a middle course. It was delicious. For entrees two signatures stand out: "seafood paella with shrimp and lobster on Jasmine rice with a saffron scented tomato broth" and "Surf and Turf a la Greque" which is a "grilled beef tenderloin and pan seared shrimp with lemon roasted potatoes, sautéed broccolini and a Byzantine sauce." The seafood paella is an Americanized version of the Valencian dish, but no less for this. Fresh lobster and fresh shrimp along with chunks of San Marzano tomatoes nestled in Jasmine rice highlighted an excellent version of the Spanish classic. The "turf" portion of the "La Greque" included a filet which was as flavorful as any I have had on this side of the Atlantic. Succulently delicious, a savory worth savoring every bite. Desserts actually came up a step short: chocolate pots de crème were very good but not over the top good as, say, the pots de crème from Susan Wallace at Black Salt. A "chocolate mousse tower on a roasted cocoa bean and hazelnut shortbread drizzled with a citrus and vanilla clear caramel sauce" was very, very good. But similarly not quite up to the level of the first two courses. The hospitality and warmth of Foti's is distinctly European, perhaps Sue would say English for where she is from. Every customer is made to feel special, every table for each server and each assistant is set as the only table in the room. While there are other tables it is only yours' that matters. This is not The Inn. But it may be the English, perhaps the French countryside in a small town where one stops in and is accepted as a guest, the only guest in a house where the guest is all that matters. Foti's is a cross between Southern hospitality and charm and European romance and style. All in a small town sixty miles and sixty minutes south of the Beltway, but a Century and an ocean apart from anything else available here. The three week wait for weekends is only going to get longer; soon there will be a wait for weeknights. This is, indeed, a special place that only reinforces the Greater Washington area as one of America's best. We are very lucky that Foti's opened here. It could just as easily been near the Cotswolds as it is in Culpeper. Three and a half stars. Just a whisk away from four. I will also be hosting a private dinner there in late April/early May. Joe Heflin Links for reviews of Foti's: Tom Sietsema in the Post Kliman's review One more comment, this about wine. Last night we had a bottle of 2002 Artazu Santa Cruz, a single vineyard 100% Grenache from Spain. It was $60.00 on their wine list. We really enjoyed it. I just discovered that this lists for $43.00, their markup then an extremely reasonable 50% over what I may have paid for it in a store. In fact the best price that I can find on the internet is $32.99 from the Wine Library. My guess is that as this restaurant's popularity and fame spreads all of their prices will go up. For now this seems even more like a "bargain" of sorts for what it delivers.
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Leave it to me to write about a place I am yet to visit. But I plan to change that soon. Patrick Capiello of Gilt fame has redesigned the wine list here, and my goodness, just take a look at this collection of gems: Pearl and Ash's wine list There is something interesting, food friendly and affordable in every section, be it red, white or pink, Jura, Rhone or Germany. I've also been told there are older vintages, not listed on the website. According to very reliable sources, the food is excellent. I hope to follow up with an actual report, but if you are traveling to NYC, it sounds like you can't go wrong here. -
Another bombshell in that piece is that Gabriel Kreuther is leaving The Modern around the end of the year - he was the opening chef, and has been there since 2004.
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Rebelle is the new restaurant from the Pearl & Ash team. As a matter of fact, it's right next door to Pearl & Ash, on Bowery. And they've found a great chef in Paris, formerly the chef de cuisine at Daniel Rose's Spring. He's now in NYC, cooking at Rebelle, which opened Monday night. They have a wine list of 1,500+ bottles. And we ate there last night. Rebelle, A Touch of Paris on The Bowery -
They are having a tasting for some Kiwi wines tonight. -
Flatbush Farm is the sort of restaurant you walk into and immediately want to, hope to, love. A lovely restaurant design, with a handsome long bar, huge vases of wintery tree branches, a happening bistro vibe, and a manifesto to take "farm-to-table" seriously - the place oozes beloved local institution. Unfortunately, Saturday brunch was lackluster. The farmer's breakfast featured a mealy potato hash which was not a hash of any kind but just badly cooked potatoes; the thick cut bacon had clearly been cooked hours ago and had that old, dry, sitting around in a sheet pan look, parched bacon is no bacon at all. The two over easy eggs were fine. White beans with collards and a poached egg was a fine hearty bowl, but rather one note and bland. Tofu, as a general rule, should never be scrambled. But the side dish of braised kale...the kale was delightful. Flatbush Farm 76 Saint Marks Avenue Brooklyn -
Dropped a couple of hundred dollars eating everything on the menu (the tasting menu and the "from the vault" menu) at WD-50 the other night. Came away underwhelmed. I admit it might be me -- maybe my palate is just too juvenile to appreciate the nuances of this particular joint. It might be the whole "seasonal and local thing," because winter foods tend to be bland, what with all that squash and turnips turning up on the plates. And it might be Wylie, who seems to have stepped away from the mad scientist stuff I used to read about back in the day. I remember the first time I heard the acoustic version of "Layla" from MTV unplugged and thinking "when did Clapton start doing a lounge act?" Maybe Wylie should only play when he's plugged in. At any rate, even with the menu posted on line, it's hard to recall some of the dishes. A sweet shrimp with "pine needles" (one of the few science experiments I recall -- pine essence extruded and congealed to resemble needles) and chestnut came together flawlessly and intriguingly (it takes a second to to figure out if you really like pine flavor in your food), and popcorn soup was quite rich, understated and yet forceful. And the red meat dishes -- squab, flatiron steak and smoked duck -- were quite tasty. But any decent pho place would have served up a better broth than that accomanying the "pho gras;" bone marrow in a fake mashed potato "bone" needed more than a little pomegranate to wake it up and I barely remember the monkfish or the sea bass at all. Admittedly, I was was with a charming dining companion who may have proved a distraction, but I do remember restaurant meals where I don't remember the cab ride home (and the set list from Dead shows where I barely remembered the planet I was on), so the night is oddly blank. We found ourselves very hungry long before our nine o'clock reservations but were advised that there were seats in the bar, where a very friendly and knowledgeable bartender -- with help from an assortment of besuited management-looking types -- took excellent care of us at a comfortably sized four-top. Those who regard my reviewing with an appropriately jaundiced eye and wish to see for themselves without committing to the $155 tasting menu should know that the bar offers the option of ordering any two courses for $25, and additional courses for $15. When the bartender said he'd have to check and see if we could order both menus rather than choosing one or the other for the entire table (apparently SOP at WD-50) we threatened to get the two-course deal and then order every other plate on the menu at $15 per. And when he laughed rather than rolling his eyes and mouthing "what an asshole" to the manager, we knew he was a good guy. We put ourselves in his hands for the wine and didn't pay too much attention except to note an excellent Sylvaner early on and two Pinot Noirs, neither of them from either France or the U.S. -- and the Chliean version (the other was German) being excellent -- "Litoral Vineyards Casa Marin '09." Wylie Dufresne is, of course, under no obligation to be the madman he seems to have been back in the day -- or maybe quinoa fries just aren't as much fun as they would have been in 2002 -- but I would have enjoyed a little more zing in my cuisine rather than the understated elegance that was delivered.- 9 replies
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- Lower East Side
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Mad Momos opened not too long ago in northern Columbia Heights and we went up last Friday to check it out. It's a few blocks up from the main section of 14th St, so it wasn't too crowded when we were there. I'm not sure if it was an owner or manager that greeted us upon arrival, but from then until when we left, everyone was extremely nice and accommodating. It was too cold to take advantage, but they also have a very large and nice roof deck, a smaller front balcony, and a front patio that will all be very nice once spring rolls back around. One thing folks may like is that they offer a number of vegetarian and vegan options. And in case you're wondering, here is their definition of a "momo": "A momo is a tasty dumpling native to the Himalayan region. Almost all cultures have some variation of a momo "“ a savory or sweet stuffing wrapped in a sheet of pasta. Our unique artisanal momos are made on premise. We offer a fun, new, "mad" twist on the traditional momo with creative fillings, pasta and our dipping sauces complement each momo meal. Our pasta is made daily from scratch and our meats are all house-ground." Apparently they will be expanding their menu soon, but there were a decent number of options to choose from. As a group we shared two of the appetizers: mad wings (our signature mad bite - juicy tender chicken wings in our special sweet and smoky glaze sprinkled with toasted cumin seeds 6 for $9 | 12 for $15): Definitely more tangy and sweet than hot, but certainly a good flavor and decent-sized wings. pita and dal (whole-wheat pita bread, dal (lentils) accompanied with fresh garden veggies regular $6 | share $9): We all liked this a lot as a nice alternative to hummus or other dips. The dal is served warm and is quite a large serving (we had to ask for extra pita and veggies to finish it off). My +1 and I shared two servings of momos: the demazong (classic Himalayan momos with house-ground beef and sweet onions pairing sauce: fire-roasted tomatoes, fresh cilantro and green chili $14): This was our favorite of the two dumplings, but wasn't anything extraordinary. You can get them steamed or pan fried, and we had pan fried for both. compassionate vegan (full of flavor and packed with plant-based proteins | mushrooms, carrots, kale, lentils, sweet corn and nutty brown rice | pairing sauces: nutty lime $13): I liked these dumplings by themselves, but wasn't enamored with the sauce. However, if you like peanut sauces, you'd probably like it more than I did. I think more than the dumplings we actually really liked the sides. The tater tots, though somewhat trite these days, were cooked perfectly - crisp and perfectly salted without having any sogginess that some other places have. The slaw was also nice with red and white cabbage, dried cranberries, and it was very light on the mayo. With the awesome outdoor space and the decent prices, I think we'll plan to head back when it's a bit warmer out.- 2 replies
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I've been walking past the construction zone that became Roof Bethesda (and Smashburger) for a while now, so I was pleased to see it finally open and thought I'd check it out. From what I've been reading, I thought it was going to be more of a hip, rootop bar scene that also happened to have food, but I was happy to see that I was wrong...well, maybe not wrong, they're certainly going for the hip bar part...it's also a serious restaurant. And a darn good one at that. Let me start with a negative though. Unless your restaurant has some sort of really wacky concept, I really, really don't need the server to start with a long winded explanation of the menu. It's a restaurant. It's a menu. Appetizers are smaller than entrees. Yes, I can see that the cocktails are on top, and the wine is on the bottom. I get it. I've dined before. Don't get me wrong, our server was excellent and friendly...I know this comes from the top. Stop it. Anyway, we started with a Smithwicks draft, $7, and a Russian Mule, $10 (I think that's what it was called), an excellent drink with vodka, ginger and lime juice served in a copper cup, which stayed nicely chilled throughout the meal. Cute. We skipped appetizers and went right to entrees, Tagliatelle Pasta and Clams Handmade egg noodles, local clams, garlic, butter, tomatoes, $18 and Mountain Trout Almondine French beans, red bliss potatoes, almonds, caper-brown butter sauce $18 Both were excellent and, as you can see, reasonably priced. Nothing especially earth-shattering or creative, just simple and well made. Exactly what I tend to look for in a restaurant. We finished with a Sticky Toffee Pudding ($10 on the menu, charged $8) which could have used a big big scoop of ice cream instead of the chantilly cream on top, but was warm and tasty despite that. Food aside, I do have a few issues though. The main one is the lack of separation between the bar and the main dining area. It was loud, and the bar crowd was practically spilling into the dining room on a Monday night...can't imagine what it'll be like on a Friday or Saturday night. Might take some work to convince people that this is as much a restaurant as a bar. But the main room is beautiful....it's on the second floor of the building and is pretty much all window...you get a very nice view of the neighborhood. Also, and I know I sound like a broken record here, the menu on the website was vastly different from the menu we received, and didn't specify prices. Drives me crazy. I was really looking forward to the churros mentioned online, and was disappointed when they didn't have them. Ideally? Update the menu on the website daily. If that's too hard, note on the website that it's a sample menu, and post the full one daily on your Facebook page. Easy. In general though, this was one of the most pleasant meals I've had in Bethesda in a while. I know it's early, but it looks like I'll be adding this to the rotation along with Grapeseed, Food Wine and Co., and a few others as long as it doesn't get too loud and bar-oriented. -
Recently had dinner at Rogue Gentlemen and came away impressed. Impeccable cooking, a great cocktail program, nice atmosphere, good service, and plentiful neighborhood parking. And the prices are indeed quite moderate on the pocketbook. -
Has anyone been to Alchemy in Hampden? Their Crab Bisque and Chorizo Burgers are quite popular.
