401 replies to this topic

[DonRocks]

This thread is borne of writer's block.

I haven't detailed any meals in awhile because I've been busy and tired, and I'd rather not write anything at all than write something poorly. This works fine for awhile, but if nobody writes anything, there's nothing to read.

So I propose this as the lazy thread - the thread for when you just don't have the energy to write a lot of detail, but you don't mind tossing off a thirty-second list. Even without commentary, I think people are still interested in knowing which restaurants you try - I know I am.

With that in mind, let's give this thread a shot for a week and see how it goes. (And if you don't mind, I'll move any substantive follow-up discussion into the individual restaurant threads). Hey, it's a way of reconciling your credit card bills if nothing else...

Bebo Trattoria - completely packed at 8 PM (as was Jaleo), pizza oven down, walked in and walked out, followed by Sette Bello - Caesar Salad, Lasagna, Pizza Margherita, Peroni Draft, glass of Dolcetto.

Last night, Kaz Sushi Bistro - an endless river of sake, Erath Pinot Noir, a bunch of small plates, followed by BLT Steak - a ribeye, baked potato, and carrot cake

Cheers,
Rocks.

[Pat]

Slice of buffalo chicken pizza at Whole Foods Old Town--much better than I would have thought. I pointed at it thinking I was getting cheese pizza, then realized what it was. It was a lot better than the cheese pizza slice I had there a month or so ago, which was the only other pizza I ever got there.

[John Wabeck]

Bar Pilar.

Adam's manzanilla cocktail. Housemade boudin blanc. Kidneys and bone marrow. Pappardelle bolognese.

Oui.

[Seeker]

Sunday dinner at Marcel's: Four courses. Lobster bisque en croute with lobster tartare. Salmon with sundried tomato. Boudin blanc. Epinoisse with Granny Smith apples. Amuse bouche was a small cup of creamy mushroom soup and a tiny Parmesan stick with a dusting of sundried tomato. Wines chosen by Adnan. Lovely service.

Now I can die happy.

[JeffC]

Last night was Dino. A glass of red, three cheese polenta with wild mushrooms, wild boar pasta, and gelato with aged balsamico. I am completely in the tank for the polenta and the pasta, but next time I'll get the nutella. I love gelato and I love balsamico even more, but the combination doesn't quite work for me. (I have a feeling I'm the exception.)

Lunch today was the #10 lunch combo at Ruan Thai. The red curry is so good that after finishing the chicken/peppers/rice, I eat the remaining curry broth with a spoon.

I stopped at Bobby's Crabcakes after work and had the jumbo crabcake sandwich w/fries. Only an act of supreme self-control kept me from having the key lime pie. As always, the crabcake was good and the fries are the best around.

[NiceDocter]

Wendys.......had 2 items off the dollar menu. Used the money I saved to take PepsidAC later on...
Next day.......Subway 5 dollar special
That night......Firehouse Subs chefs salad to go ( used my own salad dressing)
a nice bowl of Breyers with Dove hot fudge to wash it down
to drink I highly reccomend the Zephyrhills water
dont forget to take your baby asprin and your fish oil
.................the Docter

[porcupine]

Barbeque pork ribs, pulled pork, potato salad, hush puppies, baked beans, sweet tea from Buzz and Ned's. Yeah, we drove to Richmond for lunch Sunday. We're geeks.

[chickenlover]

Saturday Lunch: 2 Amy's. Sliced meats, pork sausage pizza, cannoli. Sadly, the pizza was a little soggy. I think this was due to miscommunication with the server though. She either didn't hear me say well done or just didn't bother to write it on the ticket. I strongly recommend the lomo to anyone looking for a charcuterie fix.

Monday and Tuesday lunches: Lentil soup at Greek Deli, biryani and samosa at Naan and Beyond. Both were OK. I am trying to give up eating meat for weekday lunches and these are some of the better vegetarian options around my office.

[DonRocks]

Wendys.......had 2 items off the dollar menu. Used the money I saved to take PepsidAC later on...
Next day.......Subway 5 dollar special
That night......Firehouse Subs chefs salad to go ( used my own salad dressing)
a nice bowl of Breyers with Dove hot fudge to wash it down
to drink I highly reccomend the Zephyrhills water
dont forget to take your baby asprin and your fish oil
.................the Docter

[Rocky! When did they release you?! I would delete this if you weren't my brother; still might. ]

[Al Dente]

Slice of buffalo chicken pizza at Whole Foods Old Town--much better than I would have thought. I pointed at it thinking I was getting cheese pizza, then realized what it was. It was a lot better than the cheese pizza slice I had there a month or so ago, which was the only other pizza I ever got there.

[hit backspace twice] That stuff is pretty damn good. It has a nice tang...

The only other thing I have to add is that I've written SOMETHING about every one of my recent dining out experiences. That said, I don't really get out much.

Oh, yeah, almost forgot-- props to the deli downstairs in my office building. Nice job on redecorating, and you're doing a much better job on the sandwiches. I was getting a little tired of seeing the christmas light santa 365 days a year.

[turbogrrl]

Since I locked my house keys and my wallet in the house yesterday, and didn't notice till I was at school, yesterday was very sad. Fortunately, I realized I had no wallet before spending my last $1.25 on a bottle of water; I got a Dr. Pepper instead. That held me until 4pm, when I found an emergency Kind nut bar while turning my car inside-out. (hoping to find a $10 bill to spring the car from the pay lot. $75 ticket if you can't pay. A different ticket if you leave it overnight. I only found a $1 and some change.)

Walked the mile to my office, borrowed a $10, scrounged more change from my desk. Ate some awful cheese and peanutbutter crackers. Walked back to the car, moved it to my assigned student lot (in delaware or new jersey, can't remember which), walked the two miles to the metro. Was 10 cents short to exit the metro.

Got home (magic!), scarfed down a Weihenstephan.

Somehow, after all this, the comfort food I settled on? A pint of cider and a veggie quesadilla at Kramers. Maybe it was the books. Maybe I was craving corn with spinach and cheese. Who knows. (Actually, Nick's Google-fried steak was kind of tasty. But mostly I stole his spinach.)

[DPop]

Speaking of Buffalo Chicken pizza, I encourage everyone to go to Stoney's and try their version, which I had Sunday night and was really good. Tangy, a little spicy, but not too greasy or overwhelming, which seems to happen a lot with this pizza at other places. Get a side of the blue cheese dressing for dipping. Mmmmmmm....

[brettashley01]

Sunday brunch was rotisserie chicken with salad at Bistro d'Oc, with bites of my date's croissant. Mimosa. Oh my god that chicken is good. Still full.

[synaesthesia]

Lunch yesterday was from the NEA Cafeteria, which is actually very good. Roast beef, cheddar, caramelized onions on focaccia bread with a little mayo, lettuce and tomato. Pressed on a panini press. They have a good prosciutto and mozzarella, and they're happy to heap on roasted peppers and eggplant.

[DanCole42]

Crispy pork with chili-basil at Bangkok 54 by the Cinema & Drafthouse. Crispy and chewy - very good. Would have again.
Roast beef sub at Wegman's. Always top notch.

[giant shrimp]

not quite a passage to india, but your first bite of the rockfish with papadum and lentils at colorado kitchen will tell you that somebody here really knows how to cook fish. pineapple upside down cake, with a dollop of whipped cream, remains one of the best desserts around, as is the glazed lemon cake that has been popping up on sunday nights. by the way, the cheeseburger i last had here on a sunday night was a fat and juicy classic, with no gimmicks. no one can deny the supremacy of the burgers at central and palena (where the fry plate has been out of commission for some time and is it for good?), and this kitchen's burger, in its own humble way, is right up there with them.

tabard inn under chef paul pelt has been as good as ever, judging from two dinners this winter, but with an aversion to eating solid foods before noon, i must be one of the last persons in town to have found out about the brunch. i would go again just for the medium-sized sugar doughnuts, $1 a pop, which come with a trace of cinammon and can be taken overboard by slathering them with vanilla cream. eggs benedict with ham was good, too, accompanied by even better cottage potatoes. the menu ranges into dinner territory, as well, but the next time i feel up to solid food before noon i'll be looking for the poached eggs with pork belly -- a spur of the moment decision that will probably land me at the bar. reservations for brunch here fill up quickly, it seems. i used to think that quirky service was my favorite, but the brunch service was so smooth and nice that now i'm not so sure.

[jiveturk21]

Assorted sashimi and rolls at Tachibana in McLean, washed down with some unfiltered sake. Then onto some sweet cream and hazelnut ice cream at Moorenko's. Overall, not bad at both places, but to be honest, both seem to be slipping a bit.

[WWZ]

Not sure if this counts - but we were in NY this weekend.
Lunch at Momofuku - pork belly buns, veal sweetbreads, and the Momofuku ramen (more pork belly, shredded pork, collard greens, top with a poached egg) - all totally excellent. Very good deal for the quality of food.
Also dinner at Bon Chon for Korean friend chicken - crispy even with the soy garlic glaze slathered on it. So good.
Pinkberry for dessert - blakcberries, mango and mochi topping - when are they opening in DC??

[dinwiddie]

Sunday night, That's Amore on Shady Grove Road in Rockville. Except for some excellent grilled calimari (the only reason we returned there after not having been in years), all it had going for it was that the portions are HUGE.

Monday, lunch at Urban Burger. Great burger, cooked perfectly, and fries as well as the wonderful Root Beer.

Last night, I took my wife to Il Pizzico in Rockville for her birthday (her choice) excellent as usual. Ate too much, and shared a nice bottle of a Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano.

[Gus]

Kotobuki last night - the fish was up to its usual Tuesday-night excellence--maybe it's psychosomatic, but I always find Kotobuki better on a Tuesday than, say, a Sunday. I particularly love the salmon and the yellowtail. Chef Abe may have been getting tired by the time we arrived (we showed up at 9:30), as some of the sushi was slightly irregular in form (e.g., some oddly-shaped rice).

[ladi kai lemoni]

Comet Ping Pongzzeria on Saturday night. I had "The Jimmy" which is essentially a hot mess of a meatball sub on your crust. I dug it a lot and I liked that the crust was super crunchy and thin, even if the pizza itself was a bit of an oilslick. However, the middle was floppy and all that, but I just don't see how it COULDN'T be. Everyone talks about their pizzas being soggy and stuff in the middle and how this is bad, but I guess I don't get it. Either way, the taste was there and the lady's hazelnut, green bean, and smoked mozz was really tasty too...I was a bit envious of hers as well and she of mine, so when we go back to Comet, I'm pretty sure we're getting what the person had the previous time.

[lackadaisi]

Thai Square on Saturday afternoon - I love the crispy duck!
Teaism on Sunday afternoon - Has the Salmon Ochazuke gotten smaller? Still good though.
Dubliner last night - Reuban was edible after several gin and sodas.

[jpschust]

Friday- cafe boulud in new york
Saturday- eleven madison park in new york (who it seems lost their single star and feels like it might be starting to slip)
Sunday- vintage wine bar in chicago
Monday- at home with my lovely fiancee cooking something healthy
Tuesday- back to vintage wine bar in chicago because it was close and it's reliably good
Wednesday- tonight- dinner at home, bottle of 98 Corison to open.

[ohstate]

Wednesday: Barracuda on Virgin Gorda, BVIs. Great new addition to the island. My current favorite higher-end place there. There are some divey places that make great rotis though.
Thursday - some little place in old San Juan. Followed by nasty airport food.
Sunday - Taquerio Poblano, Del Ray
Last night - Hard Times in Old Town for beer, wings and sliders w/friends

[cleveland park]

Went to Pesce on monday and as usual had a great time, ordered the following dishes:
- caesar salad with boquerones - I´m a sucker for boquerones
- tuna tartar - If you like the carpaccio at west end bistro, pesce´s tartar has a similar olive oil infused flavor
- grilled sardines - EXCELLENT
- mussels in white wine - nothing to say about this dish
- sauteed giant prawns - finally a prawn that has rich deep flavor, not the usual tasteless shrimp you get everywhere
- seared fresh cod - Great piece of fish and good sauce (some kind of soy + demi= good sauce)
- Guayaquil chocolate tart - not really into deserts but a good way to end. Nice bitter chocolate that wasn't too rich

all with the help of Jose Pariente 2006.

[Spiral Stairs]

Sunday, brunch/lunch/whatever-you-call-Indian-food-at-11:30am at Woodlands in Langley Park. God, I love that place. We hadn't been in a couple months, which made everything taste that much better. Some of faves were on the buffet -- Aloo Bhaaji, mushroom curry, vegetable fritters (whatever they are called).

[cjsadler]

Yechon for lunch on Sat. The bulgogi was fantastic, the short ribs and oyster-scallion pancake good. Some of the prices seemed expensive (bbq entrees about $20), but these three dishes were enough for four hungry people.

[MelGold]

Last night was Jaipur (in the bottom of an office complex on Lee Highway between Nutley & Pickett). We had a big group with a few newbies so we ordered "safe" - appetizer platter with an assortment of deliciously fried items from samosa to paneer to salmon, butter chicken, lamb goscht, goscht paneer, eggplant, chickpeas and tons of na'an. Have no idea why this place is so quiet on the weekdays, but for $27 a head & belly full of Indian goodness it's my go-to place outside the Beltway.

[lggl]

Friday night Rasika. Sunday late afternoon at the bar at Liberty Tavern with one paper, two pizzas and a couple more than that dogfish head IPAs.....

[ferment everything]

Greek Deli: meatballs and green beans. I've been pretty good/boring this month so far, so this (and last night's beef+pork dinner) was a treat.

[Walrus]

We've done almost nothing but order in for about a month. It sucks, even when the food's good. We did finally remember that we own Mr. Bento, so for two days running I've had a hot lunch in the office. Sunday was Delhi Dhaba because they only serve Bel Puri on the weekends. This weekend they served it with...Rice Krispies. No joke! Monday night was Liberty Tavern take-out, but the lobster pie wasn't nearly as good as the first time I had it -- the intent was there, but the lobster meat was lame. Even the cat wouldn't eat it. Yesterday lunch was leftover Indian food -- Dal Makhni, my fav. Last night was Old Glory -- better than you'd think, really, and an astounding amount of food. Lunch today was leftovers. I have no idea what dinner tonight will be. I'm going cuckoo with this hopping on one leg thing...praying I get to start walking on it on Friday...

[zoramargolis]

Sunday late afternoon, after a trip to Home Depot
Fortune's dim sum, what little they had left over:
Beef chow fun
Dry fried string beans
baked pork buns with sesame seeds
"bbq" spare ribs

Pork buns and string beans were very tasty. Chow fun was just okay. Spare ribs were nasty--gristly and lacking flavor.

I hadn't been there in a couple of years. In the immortal words of Bette Davis: "What a DUMP!"

[brr]

Friday: Blacksalt. Their rockfish entree is one of the tastiest dishes I'vehad in a while.
Sunday: American Flatbread. Very underwhelming. A bruschetta special seemed out of place in March and inconsistent with their shop local philosophy (unless someone in VA has mastered the art of growing tomatoes in Winter). Pizza was ok but nothing special. I would take 2 Amy's or Comet over this any day.

[Andelman]

I was in Chicago over the weekend, so...
Fri. Night- A Mano. Got some good charcuterie, 1/2 plates of pasta, and a decent carafe of wine. Oh, gelato too...

Sat. Lunch- Al's #1 Beef I think these Italian beef sandwiches are a bit overrated. I will take a cheesesteak from Jim's (in Philadelphia) or a pork sandwich from DiNics over an Italian Beef any day of the week...

Sat. Dinner- Blackbird This place was great. We enjoyed everything we got and the service was tremendous.

Sun. Brunch- Diner in Lincoln Park with some old friends. Good times.

Sun Dinner- Alinea Pretty amazing experience. By far the most I have ever spent on dinner for 2. Everyone should go to this place at least once, it's a wild ride.

Mon Dinner/Tues Dinner- Tuna Noodle Casserole at home

[cheezepowder]

Sat dinner - (Not my choice, got invited by friends) Cafe Asia in Rosslyn. Sushi.

Yesterday lunch - the buffet at Woodlands in Langley Park (I see upthread that Spiral Stairs was there Sun.) At one point, a waiter was going around with a tray of small-sized masala dosas and offering them to folks at the tables. However, the smell of burning incense in the restaurant detracted from my enjoyment of lunch.

[Saycheese]

Thursday evening -- the bar at Equinox -- lovely shad roe -- the first I have had this spring -- served on a bed of mashed potatoes, with celery of all things, but it was a very nice, subtle accent. The pale green of the celery on the bed of mashed potatoes enhanced the feeling of early spring. Chopped pecans and a little bacon added to the texture and rounded out the flavor sensations. Truffled mac & cheese -- always a hit here. Salad of rabbit -- rabbit 3 ways (or was it only 2?) -- either way, the dish was excellent.

Friday evening -- at home -- made the Goan Shrimp Curry recipe from last Wednesday's New York Times and had it with brown rice and a bottle of Domaine Weinbach Gewurtztraminer Vendanges Tardives 1990. The wine was a happy accident, because +1 pulled it out of the cellar without noticing it was a vendanges tardives, and it turned out to be spectacular with the curry. Will definitely make the curry again and again -- it was quick, easy, uses cheap ingredients, and is full of flavor.

Sunday evening -- Brasserie Beck -- sadly, we weren't part of Michel Richard's post-CityZen birthday celebration, since we were there too early. We had mussels, frites, and the special roulade of quail appetizer (with foie gras). The roulade was lovely -- rich, flavorful, cooked absolutely perfectly. The mussels were somewhat shriveled -- a problem I have had there too many times (I didn't order them this time, someone else did, and shared).

Tuesday lunch -- The Oval Room. Cobb salad and toasted coconut cream tart with green tea and lemongrass sorbet. I found the salad to be quite substantial, but the large pieces of lettuce, although attractive, made it a bit awkward to eat. The coconut cream tart was delicious, although I'm not sure I noticed the green tea enough. I like the food here quite a lot -- it seems very elegant and well executed, and the service is always attentive and not intrusive.

Still to come -- weekend in NYC -- late dinner at Yakitori Totto on Friday night and dinner at Telepan on Saturday night. Saturday lunch tbd.

[deangold]

Last night - Old Ebbit for Kumamotos & St Simon's (1 dz each). The Kumi's tasted like last weeks delivery... low miosture, dried out little things. Too Bad. The St Simon's were fabu. A whole Lobster that seemed to disappear right in front of our eyes, torn to little shreds and sucked dry. Magic Hat #9 for Kay and 2 bloody maria's for me. Restraint is a good thing! Plus a slice of peanut butter cheese cake made with Skippy. The less said about that the better as I woke up with a fat and chemical taste in my mouth.

[Tujague]

Friday night at Cafe 8 (Capitol Hill): Skorthalia appetizer (spinach, garlic, and walnuts), in need of much more garlic punch, and Doner Kebab--thinly shaved veal and lamb in light tomato sauce over rice--very tasty. Also a taste of Bob's sausage pide.

Saturday night: Chinese take-out from Hunan Garden, Capitol Hill--cloying sweet and sour chicken, not bad twice-cooked pork.

Sunday night: Bangers from Canales deli at Eastern Market--man, are these things mealy--really bad. Mashed potatoes and braised greens. All told, probably my worst-ever mix of flavors cooking at home.

Lunch today at Fourth Estate, National Press club: Potato leek soup--nothing special; herb-crusted grouper with potato cake--a nice cut of fish.

[Rhone1998]

Last Friday night, BLT Steak for the first time. Overall impression of the food was...very mixed. And overpriced. A few random thoughts:

chicken liver pate -- delicious
popovers -- also delicious, but do I need so much starch before all that food that's about to come?
oysters -- tasty but very poorly shucked.
beet salad -- forgettable
hanger steak -- tender but bland
skirt steak -- fatty but (and?) wonderfully flavorful
sommelier -- robotic is the best word I can find to describe him
dessert -- can't remember what I had, and it's only been a few days

[DanielK]

Dinner tonight: A&J (Rockville). Various dumplings, wonton noodle soup, fried chicken, gluten w/mushrooms. Only miss of the night was the 1000 layer pancake, which needed to be cooked for one more minute.

[Al Dente]

the ma-in-law can be a real sweetie sometimes. lately, my wife meets her at Joe's Noodle for dinner, and MIL buys me take out for the wife to take home to me. i've had 3 or 4 meals lately with this scheme! tonight, the dumplings with hot sauce, and the cumin lamb.

here's to ellen and joe's!

[DonRocks]

At Cork, chicken-liver bruschetta with shallot marmalade (even better than the excellent, free version served at BLT Steak) paired stunningly with the Jurancon Sec (Bin 12, if I recall - a classic, life-changing food and wine pairing that must be tried to be believed), mussels with Muscadet, a stuffed quail, followed by a Margherita pizza downstairs at The Source (good, but not as refined as Sette Bello's two nights ago) and a fine Pinkus pilsner.

[hmmboy]

Dinner Tuesday at Rasika - we shared 4 apps, 2 mains, 2 breads, and 3 side veggies - all were delicious!!

[MMM]

Dinner last night at the Pines of Rome, Bethesda - our standard when no one feels like cooking. I think the Pines puts out an excellent pizza - had a large mushroom - nice crispy crust, good toppings. My husband had the branzino, a special that's been turning up pretty regularly, simple preparation, whole fish roasted, quite nice. Of course accompanied it all with tumblers of house wine - some variety of sneaky pete!

[turbogrrl]

for lunch- instant noodles at TenRen (they stick a tea-soaked egg in it), and steamed pork buns. its the best food i can find within walking distance of campus- and free wireless.

for dinner- didin't feel like going far, didn't feel like eating heavily- dithered between the bar at palena or dino- went to dino. Mmmm, burrata, mmm, boar. (Why is it that most of my comfort foods would make my mother scream in horror?)

[ol_ironstomach]

(Why is it that most of my comfort foods would make my mother scream in horror?)

Considering some of the dishes that make up traditional Bawl'mer holiday fare, a little turnabout seems like fair play

[legant]

Dinner, last night:

Pre-theater: Central; burger. Wasn't that impressed with the burger -- hated the fries -- but willing to give Central another chance.
Post-theater: DC Chop House; calamari. Quite nasty; left more than 1/2 on the plate. Was in such a hurry to get away from that oily, tasteless mess that I left my glasses.

[In fact, I may go back to Central for a do-over when I retrieve my glasses tomorrow.]

[KeithA]

Last night - Teatro Goldoni for a disappointing happy hour. Good half-price deal for bottle listed $150 or under, but weak on the free apps. Some folks got a little calamari, our party ended up with one plate of homemade potato chips and bread. Ordered the 3 bruschetta appetizer which was good, followed by a magherita pizza with weak tomatos and no basil in sight. Also it was way overpriced for the food. Don't plan on heading back anytime soon.

[starfish]

Very nice meal at the bar at Cashion's with two friends on Saturday night. Warm serano ham with gorgonzola stuffed figs was the star of the evening in my mind (company excluded.)

Several good to exceptional meals at Granville Moore's in the last several weeks. Teddy Folkman is cooking some great meat right now.

West End Bar Crawl a couple of weeks ago (Hook, Mendocino Grille, West End Bistro, Hudson, Vidalia) all of them were great for a cocktail and app (I do wish that more places offered wines by the half glass though.)

A train wreck of a bartender competition at Beacon Bar & Grill on Monday night. Bad competition format, the most poorly organized event I have ever attended (not hyperbole,) when the scant bits of food that were offered made it to you they were tasty enough. The things we do for friends.

A solid evening at Capitol Grille two weeks ago - very good smoked salmon, my favorite fried calamari in the city, but the kansas city strip was not as good as usual.

Restaurant Eve rescued my evening from the horrifically bad place that I went first with their always lovely service and great food.

Coppi's twice more since it got back on my radar screen a few weeks ago.

Suprisingly good ribs, mac 'n' cheese and fries from the Adams Morgan Diner at 4am or maybe I was just really hungry.

A great meal at Per Se but I wasn't paying the check.

edited to be more specific about the which diner

[legant]

Suprisingly good ribs, mac 'n' cheese and fries from the Diner at 4am or maybe I was just really hungry.

Which Diner?