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I just got the following email from "Team Firefly" (this should include complementary ibuprofen):

Friends and Neighbors,
I would like to extend to you an invitation to attend Firefly's Arbor Day festivities. Starting Monday, April 25, and continuing to Friday April 29, we will have a special Happy Hour every day from 4:30 to 7:00 P.M. We will be festuring $5 glasses of Woodford Reserve in addition to other food and drink specials. We hope you will be able to join us.

Snacks

"Truffle twigs"
Fries tossed in truffle oil and parmesan
$7.5

"Spring logs"
Pork and cabbage spring rolls
$6.5

"Crispy bark oysters"
Fried oysters with a chipotle remoulade
$11.5

"Cornmeal wood chip dumplings"
Cornmeal dumplings with a portabella mushroom ragout and pablano chile cream
$6.5


Drinks

Maple Manhattan
Woodford Reserve, sweet vermouth and a maple sugar rim
$8

Bourbon & Birch
Woodford Reserve with a splash of ice-cold spring water
$6.5

Cherry Blossom Martini
Effen Black Cherry Vodka, sake and plum syrup
$8

Old Pine Martini
Bombay Sapphire, dry vermouth, orange bitters with olives or a twist
$8

$5 Woodford Reserve Bourbon
(rocks or neat)

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[posted on eGullet 2003-2004]

Who would have thought that one of Washington's best Indian dishes would come from our own John Wabeck at Firefly? Even when a restaurant becomes so familiar, so comfortable, that you think about it in the same way you do the slippers that the dog fetched and dropped on top of the La-Z-Boy, there are still a couple of dishes you haven't yet tried, and at Firefly, the very last thing I ordered off the menu was the bowl of Eggplant Curry with "Firm Polenta" and Slivered Almonds, simply because it never occurred to me to order it. Well, wow. Next time I go, I'm going just for this, and I'm going to order the entrée-sized bowl and have it with a couple glasses of the Sauvignon Blanc (which, I was surprised to hear from John, is 52% Sauvignon Blanc, 48% Semillon, putting it squarely in the white Bordeaux range despite it having overt grassy/cat-pee overtones). This curry is clean, not oily, but also bold and assertive, and for some unknown reason, the polenta works with it - who would have thought? At the risk of sounding trite, the papadam is a perfect textural counterpoint, and this dish will no longer fly under my radar screen.

What you don't want to do is order it on the same night as the gnocchi which is terribly named, because it's a classic Polish dish of potato pancakes and kielbasa (John is Polish). If you're looking for gnocchi, you're going to hate it; if you're looking for something Babushka Wislawa Szymboraska would make you on a Sunday afternoon, it's going to taste like home. I love this dish, and I have ordered it at least a half-dozen times, though I do feel obliged to accompany my praise with the standard health warning from the American Heart Association.

The Tongue at Little Washington - Mall space is limited, and Mick Jagger was just knighted, so in the public interest, I hereby designate the painting in the back room at Firefly The Rolling Stones Memorial: make a pilgrimage to Firefly, walk into the back room, look about 2/3 of the way up the painting at the big orange thing in the middle, and you'll see why.

Have I mentioned my favorite name for a geological formation? It isn't Lake Titicaca although that must surely be in the top five (in France, elementary-school children call it Lake PipiCaca). This is something more akin to the Hawaiian state fish whose name astonishes people when you tell them you'll buy them a drink if they can name it, and then they always smile and say "mahi-mahi" and expect a drink, and when you tell them no, it's the humuhumunukunukuapua'a they don't believe you.

So anyway, it's more like that, and it is in fact the Drygalski Ice Tongue.
Cheers,
Rocks.

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Craig and I went to Firefly last Monday to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary and my &^#%@@ birthday.

This was the first time we had eaten any food there, after having been to the bar for drinks a couple of times in the past.

The weather that evening was just about perfect for the walk to Firefly from Adams Morgan. The dining room was wonderfully soothing and, although the tables were close together where we were, we were able to converse without having to shout at each other. I loved the quietness of the place, eventhough it was mostly full. Must be old age.

While I was prepared to order the corn dumplings as an appetizer, I couldn't overlook the mussels. Craig doesn't care much for mussels, so I eat them when we go out whenever I can. So, HE got the dumplings and gave me a couple of bites (that was my birthday present :P ). The mussels were in contrast to the very garlicky ones at BdC; i.e., no garlic but lovely nonetheless.

He ordered the lamb sirloin and I ordered the roast pork with polenta. I have to agree with some others who were a little unhappy with the pork. I think this dish, which was otherwise wonderfully tasty, cries out for BRAISED, not roasted, pork. What should have been fork-tender was too dry. Craig enjoyed the lamb and the mac and cheese.

It was also nice to be able to order decent wines by the glass. I had the Reisling and Craig the Cabernet.

We didn't have enough room for dessert. As it was, I couldn't finish the pork and took home a doggy bag (and don't they do THAT up right! I reheated it for lunch the next day and it was none the worse for wear).

In retrospect, I think the perfect meal for me would have been made up entirely of appetizers: the mussels, the corn dumplings, and a salad would have been just about the right amount of food. I just wish I had the moxie to order a meal that way.

An odd note: the service was just splendid, but I think the Junior Varsity was on duty--it WAS Monday, after all. Mrs. Busboy introduced me to Espresso Martinis there a couple of months ago and I had been longing for another one ever since. I ordered one as soon as we sat down, but was told that they don't have them. I looked so sad that the waitress said she would see what could be done. They did bring one, although it was somewhat different from the first one I had there. Nevermind, it was delicious. The funny part came on the check. The cocktail was listed thusly:

RAIL VODKA 5.75

MARTINI 1.50

ESPRESSO 2.00

What's up with that :lol: ? I don't believe I've ever seen a drink broken down that way before.

CONFIDENTIAL TO BILRUS: You asked me on another site if people still gazed at each other over the table after 15 years of marriage and had use for a setting as romantic as Firefly. I responded with a "No Comment." ;) I would like to amend that response this way: Someone once asked the question, "Who would you most like to run into unexpectedly on the street?" My answer to that has always been, "You mean besides Craig?"

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It had been quite a while, so I decided to make my way over to Firefly Friday night after work where I enjoyed a few drinks along with some beautiful slices of seared tuna. Derek had me sample his version of a Long Island Ice Tea. It's a work in progress, but shows a lot of promise. Look for it in the near future. It has the usual suspects, booze-wise, but it includes lychee juice and Cricket Cola-- a more "adult" cola with much less sweetness. Chef Wabeck also had me try a French White wine that I took the trouble to write down the specifics on and then promptly misplaced it later that evening. Perhaps he can elaborate, but it had an unusual origin and a rarely used varietal if I recall correctly. I'm not very good at wine speak, but it was acidic and citrusy up front and quickly changed character into more mellow melon and pear flavors.

Big menu changes are on the way. Apparently very few dishes on the current menu will be on the new one, so get there soon to enjoy your old favorites and plan a return trip when the new menu is up!

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Big menu changes are on the way. Apparently very few dishes on the current menu will be on the new one, so get there soon to enjoy your old favorites and plan a return trip when the new menu is up!

Hmnn...

I was just thinking we hadn't been there in ages...

Any idea how soon he's ripping our beloved favorites away???? We have Nats tickets twice this week. Time to go negotiate with hubby.

Jennifer

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Hmnn...

I was just thinking we hadn't been there in ages...

Any idea how soon he's ripping our beloved favorites away????  We have Nats tickets twice this week.  Time to go negotiate with hubby.

Jennifer

I had the impression it would be in the next couple of weeks, but I'm not sure.

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It looks like we're headed to Firefly tonight.  I've never been and I know many of you love this place so while the current menu is still available - what are your favorites that I shouldn't miss? 

Thanks.

The fried oysters are very popular with this group and the mushroom dumplings are very good. The lamb sirloin with mac 'n cheese is a perennial favorite. I am fond of the pork ragu with polenta. Several of us are meeting at the bar for a drink after work, what time are you going?

Edited by Jacques Gastreaux
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The fried oysters are very popular with this group and the mushroom dumplings are very good.  The lamb sirloin with mac 'n cheese is a perennial favorite.  I am fond of the pork ragu with polenta. Several of us are meeting at the bar for a drink after work, what time are you going?

Thanks for the recommendations. I'll be there later around 8:30. If you all decide to have dinner and stick around, come say hi I'll be the guy with 4 women ;)

That is my wife and her 3 friends :lol:

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A last minute decision got us to dinner at Firefly at about 7. (Work was really lousy and I just didn't want to cook...)

Lovely as always.

Oysters, cornmeal mushroom dumplings and a martinini--oh my!

Two rib-eyes--both medium although they came out much closer to rare. I ate mine anyway (two spoonfuls of peanut butter for lunch will do that to you.) Mr. BLB sent his back and they fixed it without a problem.

(I did suggest that perhaps degree of doneness was sliding along the same scale as clothing sizes since we repeatedly run into the rare steak pretending to be medium these days... He scoffed at this but I'm still pondering it...)

The bittersweet panna cotta was amazing and the chocolate chip cookies were perfect.

I went home happy and content and ready to face the office today.

Jennifer

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A last minute decision got us to dinner at Firefly at about 7.  (Work was really lousy and I just didn't want to cook...)

Lovely as always.

Oysters, cornmeal mushroom dumplings and a martinini--oh my!

Two rib-eyes--both medium although they came out much closer to rare. I ate mine anyway (two spoonfuls of peanut butter for lunch will do that to you.) Mr. BLB sent his back and they fixed it without a problem.

(I did suggest that perhaps degree of doneness was sliding along the same scale as clothing sizes since we repeatedly run into the rare steak pretending to be medium these days... He scoffed at this but I'm still pondering it...)

The bittersweet panna cotta was amazing and the chocolate chip cookies were perfect.

I went home happy and content and ready to face the office today.

Jennifer

You should have come to the bar and said something (like "hello") to the rowdy DR.com'ers who were hogging all the bar stools and drinking all the wine in sight.

edited to add: And PS: Chef Wabeck gave me a draft copy of his upcoming new menu, but I left it in my coat pocket from last night so I can't post it just now. It looks really really good. The lamb sirloin will be replaced by braised lamb shoulder.

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You should have come to the bar and said something (like "hello") to the rowdy DR.com'ers who were hogging all the bar stools and drinking all the wine in sight.

edited to add:  And PS:  Chef Wabeck gave me a draft copy of his upcoming new menu, but I left it in my coat pocket from last night so I can't post it just now.  It looks really really good.  The lamb sirloin will be replaced by braised lamb shoulder.

I thought about it but was afraid I would be saying hello to random strangers who would think I was crazy....

I'm chronically shy....

Sigh.

Jennifer

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I thought about it but was afraid I would be saying hello to random strangers who would think I was crazy....

I'm chronically shy....

Sigh.

Jennifer

Jennifer,

Here's a tip: Ask the host/hostess or the waiter/waitress in the bar area if the dr.com (or eGullet) people are there for HH. And, ask loudly enough to be heard by the bar patrons. By the time you got there last night, we had been talking with John (who was behind the bar holding forth on wine and such) and the bartender was taking care of us. They at least know Jacques Gastreaux on sight and he was there when we got there. It's really easy to be welcomed into this group.

I for one, was sorry not to meet you; I've been enjoying your submissions to this site.

Barbara

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Jennifer,

Here's a tip:  Ask the host/hostess or the waiter/waitress in the bar area if the dr.com (or eGullet) people are there for HH.  And, ask loudly enough to be heard by the bar patrons.  By the time you got there last night, we had been talking with John (who was behind the bar holding forth on wine and such) and the bartender was taking care of us.  They at least know Jacques Gastreaux on sight and he was there when we got there.  It's really easy to be welcomed into this group.

I for one, was sorry not to meet you; I've been enjoying your submissions to this site.

Barbara

Thanks! I'll do it next time--I'm working on coming out of my shell... :lol:

Jennifer

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Jennifer,

Here's a tip:  Ask the host/hostess or the waiter/waitress in the bar area if the dr.com (or eGullet) people are there for HH.  And, ask loudly enough to be heard by the bar patrons.  By the time you got there last night, we had been talking with John (who was behind the bar holding forth on wine and such) and the bartender was taking care of us.  They at least know Jacques Gastreaux on sight and he was there when we got there.  It's really easy to be welcomed into this group.

I for one, was sorry not to meet you; I've been enjoying your submissions to this site.

Barbara

This pretty much applies to most places we go too. And if you are lucky the invisible man may make an appearance. :lol:

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Last night, my party of 5 had a very nice first visit to Firefly. Thanks to all for the recs. First off the service was very friendly and good and the ambience is very cozy and fun.

As the for the food, I thought it was pretty good, but not great.

Appetizers: We started with the cornmeal dumplings with mushrooms which were so-so. The mushrooms were pretty good but the "dumpling" was like a stale cookie as one of my companion remarked. Another person had the mushroom-barley soup which looked good with a deep brown color and thin broth with whole roasted garlic cloves in it. She said she liked it but I didn't get to sample it before she slirped it all up.

Entrees: Some were good and some weren't. Since most people didn't like the dumplings and we had 2 orders because so many people reccommended them, I ended up eating most of them and was getting kind of full. So I had the PEI Mussels appetizer as my main course. The size was perfect for a main course there was probably 20+ nice sized mussels in a tangy broth that was slightly creamy. Not the best I've ever had, but good.

Two others had the mahi-mahi with mushrooms and chestnut topping which I tasted and thought is was very good. The fish was very firm and well seasoned and match the mushrooms well. (I really like mushrooms too so all of these mushrooms dishes were a plus for me). One person thought it strange that their fish was warm and the salad underneath of swiss chard was cold. I don't know if that is the way the dish is supposed to be or not, but she didn't think it detracted too much from the dish.

Another person had the trout stuffed with crab which was a very large portion. She said she liked it but again she finished before I could get a bite. These were some of my wife's friends who don't know that your supposed to share bites with everyone else or at least me :lol:

The last and best dish was the extra creamy risotto. I did taste this dish and thought it was great. Best of our picks.

Oh I almost forgot, we got the truffle, parmesan fries too. I thought they were just ok. We actually got sent regular fries first and only after we ate a few did we we realize there was no cheese, chives, or hint of truffles. The service was very quick about replacing them with the proper pommes frites. The sad thing was that I think I would have been fine with the regular fries. The special fries had a nice zip to them, but only a bit. And the sauce that came with the fries was quickly shunned by all since it tasted like a runny thousand island dressing that didn't complement the cheese or chives at all. Maybe it was the big meals, but the fact that alot of fries were left over at the end illustrates they didn't win over my crowd.

We finish with the mango sorbet which was very nice. 3 scoops of very fresh fruit flavors that unlike alot of sorbets actually tasted like the fruit and not an excess amount of sugar.

Overall, it was a nice experience but I'd probably go back more for the ambience then the food.

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I stopped by Firefly for the wine happy hour yesterday evening. A very nice Crozes Hermitage and an excellent soave (Johnny R. was inspired by the discussion in the "wine scene" $15/bottle thread) were on offer.

I mentioned to Johnny R. that I sort of missed the sparkling wines he used to do on Fridays. He said that he would bring some back out if there was enough interest. I'll start some discussion on getting a group together for this Friday under the "whim" thread. Or you can PM me or Johnny R. if you are interested.

I also asked him how come he wasn't in on the "young, hot and cooking" event; his response: I guess I'm too old.

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Damn. Looks like I need to get my butt down there this weekend if I want spring rolls. (Everything looks great but I LOVE those spring rolls...)

I have the worst schedule this week.... I'm supposed to be meeting friends for Ethiopian on Friday. Wonder if I can switch it...

Jennifer

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I love the flavors of summer ... fresh tomatoes, wild salmon, sweet corn ... I can't wait to taste what John has put together! By the way, I head over here quite a bit. When does everyone usually meet for happy hour?

Check the "On a Whim" thread for when there is a "meeting" for the wine happy hour. There was a pretty good crowd of us in there for the sparklers last Friday. Funnyjohn, me, Melgold, Babka, JPW. Heather and party were there for dinner. The busboys showed up just as Funnyjohn and I were leaving.
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Check the "On a Whim" thread for when there is a "meeting" for the wine happy hour. There was a pretty good crowd of us in there for the sparklers last Friday. Funnyjohn, me, Melgold, Hillvalley, Babka, JPW. Heather and party were there for dinner. The busboys showed up just as Funnyjohn and I were leaving.

Yes there was a good turnout last Friday. Wish I had stayed, but probably a good thing I didn't -- champagne has a strange affect on me laugh.gif
Edited to add: Er, I mean "sparkling wine" Edited by RWBooneJr.
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Does a listing exist anywhere of what is being poured at the "wined down happy hours?"  I thought I had been on an email list previously, but I must've been dreamin'...

I think Wabeck decides what wines to pour on a day to day basis; meaning, he doesn't know when he gets up in the morning what two wines will be on the board that evening.

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Check the "On a Whim" thread for when there is a "meeting" for the wine happy hour.  There was a pretty good crowd of us in there for the sparklers last Friday.  Funnyjohn, me, Melgold, Babka, JPW.  Heather and party were there for dinner.  The busboys showed up just as Funnyjohn and I were leaving.

Thanks for the tip. I will definitely try to meet up with everyone sometime!

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Got a chance to try a couple of new appetizers while sipping rose at the bar Friday night. The mushroom/goat cheese/garlic crostini are good, but could use a bigger hit of garlic for my taste. The smoked salmon pupusa is a cool deconstructed presentation that got a mixed reaction but I liked it. I only got a taste of the tomato bread pudding but I'm now looking forward to tomato season so that I can get a whole one.

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Yes as noted above the braised lamb shoulder is a winner. So is the pork scallopine served on a bed o mashed potatos with chard. Unfortunately, due to the lateness of the hour my wife and I dined there last Friday (after another enjoyable happy hour(s) with the gang) we were unable to have dessert. Next time I'll order it first. :lol:

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I stopped in for a glass of wine and an app before the ball game last night. I was surprised to see that the corn dumpling mushromm appetizer has been replaced with a crimini mushroom crostini. The corn dumplings had not been around that long and I really liked them. The crimini mushroom topping on the crostini is OK, but nothing like the portabella with the poblano cream sauce from the dumplings (I really liked the heat on the back of the tongue from that sauce). And the "crostini" part tasted like it was made from leftover tiles from the space shuttle; it really took some bite action to get my teeth through the toast.

Please, oh please bring back the corn dumplings.

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And in the category of "The Dish Most Like Dirty, Shameful, Possibly Illegal Sex" the winner is...The Braised Lamb Shoulder with Heirloom Tomatoes and Tomato Bread Pudding by John Wabeck at Firefly.

The mind behind this dish is neither sane nor well.

If you plan on ordering it, and I recommend that you do, make sure to bring protection.

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