Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'Illinois Chain'.
Found 11 results
-
Prince of Petworth on the receiving end of another game of telephone regarding rumors on Joe's Stone Crab coming to DC. (The typo in the title of that post and the subsequent comments are comedy gold). If true this is pretty awesome. We've resorted to next day FedEx of a few dozen claws when we get the hankering when stone crabs are in season. With shipping it ends up being about what you would pay at retail, but any time I've found them in this market they have been less than fresh. If there was a place I could plop down at the bar and get a half dozen or do when the urge hits ... sweet. -
People are handing out fliers on the street today. Supposed to open in two weeks. -
Tonight, we headed to Stella Barra to try something different. My wife and I used to secret dine for Lettuce Entertain You, and they hit on a lot of what we used to look for. Greeted quickly, clean restaurant, glasses are clean, no smudges on salt and pepper shakers, waitress greets quickly, checkback after 2 minutes, bathrooms clean, etc. Service is attentive but not pushy or overbearing. Their restaurants are across the board professionally managed. Their philosophy is that this might be the only meal of the year that the customer has out and we want to make it a great experience. This is to the point where the almost care more about giving the customer a top notch customer service the experience over the quality of the food, which is almost secondary. The food is always solid though. Sorry for the digression. They share a space with Santa Monica Summer House which is on the left. Stella Barra to the right. The space is somewhat dark and lit by edison light bulbs. The walls are brick and their is popular music (not pop) playing at a relatively high volume. It is an overall hip dynamic. Lettuce always has an expansive kids menu which has the basics, but are generally made more healthy, and it also has some more choices headed towards the adult side. Grilled cheese is made on whole grain bread for example. Fish sticks have salmon for the fish and are made in house (kids meals are also displayed in a fun ceramic cafeteria tray). The adult menu is all about sharing. There are apps, salads and pizzas. The server said that food comes out when ready. We had the buratta to start which came out with four pieces of crusty toasted bread, and a bunch of smoky "roasted" grapes dressed with a bit of fig vinegar. The grapes were a great complement to the silky and gooey buratta. Pizzas have a choice of traditional crust, or thing "roman" style. We shared two pies, one with spinach, kale, pecorino, roasted garlic, and parsley. We ordered this one with a traditional crust, as recommended by our waitress. All in all it was a solid pie. The crust had a good bite and flavor to it and the toppings played out well. The second pie was a shaved mushroom pie, which we ordered Roman thin style. The pie was almost paper/cracker thin, covered to the edges with shaved mushrooms, guyere, melted onion, truffle and herbs. All the flavors came together and it was very enjoyable. We did not order desert, but went next door to Summer House, which has a coffee bar in front with a huge selection of daily made cookies. We got a s'mores bar which was some sort of base, with a layer of ooey gooey chocolate and charred marshmallows on top. We got a chocolate chip crunch cookie (chocolate chip with rice crispie treat bits sprinkled on-top. The s'mores bar was so rich we couldn't eat the cookie and took it home. As a side note, the dishes next door at Summer House looked really good and want to hit it up.- 7 replies
-
- 2
-
-
- Illinois Chain
- North Bethesda
- (and 4 more)
-
Only the greatest sandwich shop EVER!! OK, it was the greatest sandwich shop in Evanston, IL when I was in college (and drunk). Fresh bread, great price, and they delivered free until 2:00AM or something. We knew our delivery guy by name, and he'd stop off to pick up beer for us if we asked. If you went to a large school in the Midwest (almost every Big Ten school at least) in the last 15 years or so you probably know JJ's. I literally almost crashed my car on the way back from IKEA when I saw the one in College Park. Our previous closest sighting was in Pittsburgh. Looks like there's one in Alexandria near the Eisenhower Theater now, too. Man, now I want JJ's for lunch. They would make a killing if one opened up near GW or Georgetown.
-
In the Healthy Dining topic, khoww mentions Protein Bar: Has anyone been to Protein Bar? How's the food? I saw that there's a Protein Bar coming to Ballston (on Glebe Road near Wilson) so I'm curious about it. One's open in Penn Quarter. Another is coming to 19th & K. It's from Chicago, and according to their website, they have high protein healthy food and drinks. Protein Bar's website is www.theproteinbar.com The first I'd really heard of Protein Bar was on the City Eats blog. Nevin Martell wrote a series of articles describing his "Protein Bar Challenge" in which he decided to eat at Protein Bar for a month. He also exercised and lost 12 pounds by the end of the month. His final article (with links to his prior articles) is here: http://blog.cityeats...nds-in-a-month/ -
A few colleagues and I stopped by the recently opened Cooper's Hawk restaurant in Ashburn for lunch last week. This is a small chain based in the midwest that seems to be undergoing rapid expansion, with a location in Richmond and another opening soon in Reston. Overall the food was quite good, but service could use some work. After the usual background speech about the restaurant, the server let us know that each guest can order two free tastings of any of their wines with their meal - every dish has an accompanying recommended bin number for pairings. There is also a large barrel of a red blend in the middle of the room that "changes monthly, and no one knows what the blend is that month." Interesting idea to keep things moving, but the explanation came across more as what they had in open bottles at the end of the evening. Everyone took up the offer of the two free tastings but passed on the mystery barrel... Meals start with an offer of pretzel bread, which was fine except it's always awkward to cut the communal loaf when out with business colleagues (hope everyone washed their hands). My Napa Chicken Salad ($14.99) was fresh and not over-dressed. Others at the table had the Brussels Sprout Salad ($7.99 [appetizer]), Chicken Madiera ($18.99) and Turkey Burger ($11.99). Nothing too adventurous but all solid meals given that it's a chain. A limited lunch menu is available with lighter portions and prices. A few nits - no one ordered an appetizer ahead of their meal or dessert and lunch was more than an hour and a half, which according to one CH frequent flyer at our table was not abnormal. It would seem that a restaurant that caters to the lunch crowd by having a separate menu would try to move things along a bit more to draw in the business crowd. Service was awkward and slow throughout the meal, with the waiter having to come back twice to confirm orders that he had written down, and serving an entire round of incorrect drinks. If this place had opened last week I'd understand, but it's been open for over a month now. Lastly, and this isn't limited to Cooper's Hawk, but.... I applaud restaurant who offer lighter menu options, but naming all of the lighter options "Life Balance XXX" makes it embarrassing to order. At Cooper's Hawk these are just lighter versions of other menu items, so there isn't really a way around saying "Life Balance" because they are not different names altogether. Having said that, "Life Balance" is still better than the Cheesecake Factory's "Skinnylicious" section. -
Popped into Bar Louie in Gallery Place last night around 9:30... their first night open. Its below the Lucky Strike bowling alley and movie theater. Space is very large, although not quite as big as the Clyde's next door. This'll be a beer & bar food joint. Opening night was not without its kinks, but its opening night. No draught beer was available (CO2 problem) and a few of the bottles weren't either. But, the draught beer list was long and looked promising. Kro, Summer Heat, Paulaner Weiss, and a bunch of others, in addition to the usual standards. Among the less common bottles: Fat Tire. The food menus includes both small plates (of course... its Gallery Place) and regular entrees. We got only an artichoke fritti, served in a cone (like frites at Poste, etc.) with marinara sauce attached. The artichoke chunks were lightly battered and piping hot. The accompanying banana peppers, fried in the same batter, were quite tasty and I'd even go for them as a bar food item of their own. The round bar in the middle is ringed with about a dozen TVs with Direct TV (not yet activated so it was playing the Direct TV promo loop). I asked the waiter if it'll be generally a sports bar, and he didn't seem to think so. The service was attentive, friendly. The wait staff is quite large... -
And Hunt Valley at the Hunt Valley Towne Centre. (In general, I'm willing to cut shopping centers some slack for using the spelling "Towne" or "Centre," but not both. <Buzzer goes off!>) -
Old Town Pour House opened in Crown a month or two ago. I have had the chance to check it out twice. The Caps won on the first visit, and lost (in overtime) on the second. The space is very well done with a very high ceiling. There is an outside seating area which looks pretty comfortable. Inside, there are big windows to match the high ceilings, some of which open to the outside. There is a small separated "non bar" space with table, but the majority of the space is the "bar" with ample tables and booths and a huge bar. Tons of big TVs, and during the games I have been at, they have a DJ that plays music/funny videos during commercial breaks. On the design side, the one drawback for me is that it is very loud. They have a ton of drafts, both beer and wine (I think about 100) this is unheard of in Montgomery County. Prices are decent (not the best, not the worst, but fair) and they have a really good selection, including some things which I would classify as hard to come by (especially in Montgomery County). They have a rating system on their website and if a beer is highly rated it stays. The food was above average bar food. I had the fried cheese curds both on the first and second visit, they were battered and fried to perfection with a side of a smoked tomato sauce which was a good complement. Also had the nachos, which were an interpretation with fried wontons as the chips, duck confit, some white beans ,a cheese sauce, sliced fresh jalapenos, and other stuff which escapes me. They were good, but I think I prefer a traditional style. I also had the burger, which was really good, cooked to temperature, with tomato, lettuce, cheddar, and onion rings--very tasty. It came with a side of fries that were really good. My friend had the burnt end brisket sandwich--it looked really good and he enjoyed it. It gets pretty busy and they do take reservations (even for a table in the bar area), so call ahead and reserve something if you know you will be there when a game is on, or when you expect it would be busy. Will definitely be back.
-
Not sure if there is another thread somewhere about this place but I couldnt find it so thought I'd offer my two cents. The premise is simple: order pizzas or salads online or via phone, pick up, follow cooking instructions, and eat about 15 min later. The execution wasn't quite that smooth in my lone experience. I chalk most of it up to growing pains as the place gets up & running though, I'd expect it to get better over time. The menu includes probably 10 pre-conceived pizza options as well as a build your own option with a list of 45 potential ingredients. We ordered 3 pizzas from their favorites menu: The Miesian - their version of Margherita with Roma tomatoes, roasted garlic, basil, and mozzarella, The Spinach Pie - spinach, feta, black olives, sundried tomatoes, and a plain cheese. Advised to pick up in 35 min, ended up being close to an hour after some miscommunication. Cooking instructions easy to follow - heat in oven on parchment cutouts provided and they're ready in 15 min. Pizzas were good overall, a solid option in the carryout universe though not to be confused with any of the better pizza options we're fortunate to have in the area. Crusts are relatively thin and crisp up nicely. Topppings are well portioned. Service could improve, as I mentioned, though I'm sure it will. Also, I didn't do a dollar for dollar comparison vs. competitors but it didn't seem like these pies were priced at a relative discount to account for the fact that I had cook them at home. Maybe they weren't intended to be, but I think we paid close to $50 for two large and one medium, which was more than I would have guessed I'd pay. We'll go back. It's in the neighborhood and, though the pizza won't blow you away, it's a good carryout option. -
After going to the movies yesterday, we ate at Mon Ami Gabi, which it seems, is a branch of the restaurants of Chef Owner Gabino Sotelino (the card says Chicago, Oak Brook, Las Vegas, and Bethesda) I made the reservation thru OpenTable.com without knowing anything about the place other than what I saw on the website because it was right next door to the theater. My wife started with the Steamed Artichoke. It was served with a lemon-mustard vinaigrette. While she said it was good, she did think it was a little undercooked. She then had the Onion Soup Au Gratin and the Butter Lettuce Salad which came with apple, Gruyère cheese and walnuts. The soup was very good, but much too much cheese for her tastes. The salad on the other hand was ordinary, the lettuce and Gruyere only so so. My son started with the Gazpacho, which was perfect for the very hot weather, and the Escargots de Bourgogne. They were excellent, very tender (not at all over cooked) lots of garlic and butter, and piping hot. He then had the Beef Short Ribs, fork tender (even mor so, they were falling apart to the touch) and flavorful. Served on a bed of baby potatos in butter and parsley. He loved it, but felt the potatos were a little undercooked (is a theme emerging?) I started with the Onion Soup, which I loved. It was huge, had enough cheese to start a heart attack, and was delicious. In addition I had the Duck Leg Confit & Barley Salad, a wonderfully cooked confit and a very tasty barley salad accompanying it. While I wish they had not been served together (I'd have preferred the soup first, then the confit), they were both delicious. For my main dish, I had the Steak Provencal. It was cooked just as ordered, medium rare, and delicious. Very tender and flavorful. It came with a huge mound of frites that were like none Ihad ever seen before. Thin ribbons of potatos, french fried and not at all chip like, but unlike any frites I'd ever had. They were very good. We accompanied the meal with a 2001 Cháteau Moulin de Lavaud that was quite good (if a bit young but what can you do, it was the best value for Bordeaux on the small, all French, but well chosen and relatively well priced list imho) and which my wife really enjoyed. (She even asked why since she doesn't normally like the Bordeaux that I prefer, but since this was a Lalande de Pomerol and thus pedominately Merlot, I knew it would please her.) Service was excellent, attentive without being too attentive. Water glasses were kept filled, empty plates were removed quickly but without anybody being rushed, and once I said I'd take care of it, the server left the wine alone and did not try to keep filling the glasses. The only problem was that it was so hot outside (high 90s) that the airconditioner was laboring to keep the restaurant cool. All in all, it was a good meal with some misses, but some very good hits too. Considering the location in the middle of Bethesda, the prices were reasonable. Dinner for three with wine but no dessert (we went next door for ice cream), with tax and a 20% tip was just under $200.
