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EllenH

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Elvin Hayes

Elvin Hayes (12/123)

  1. How to Avoid a Thunderstorm: 1) interrupt usual commute home at halfway point (Dupont Circle), dash into Firefly, procure seat at bar 2) consume (2) glasses ice water, (1) glass Sauv Blanc, (1) shot Balvenie, (1) cup coffee, along with some heirloom tomatoes, PEI mussels, and [*new summer dessert alert*] chocolate napoleon 3) make small talk with tourists from Iowa next to you at bar 4) hassle Derek about when one might be able to order up a "Don Rocks" cocktail 5) notice it has stopped raining, close tab, exit Firefly, board Metro Can I do this every time it rains??
  2. My husband & I took a friend & his GF to Hank's for his birthday on Wednesday -- not my first choice due to recent Post review, but that's what he wanted :-) Anyway, sure enough the place was SLAMMED but we actually managed to score a teensy bar table to hold our beer while waiting to get seated. We started with what I would have to call the best appetizer I have eaten in the last year - popcorn shrimp & calamari. Oh. My. God. This is an app that is so basic, so prosaic (Popeye's, anyone?) that to have it achieve the transendance that it does at Hank's means that the recipe & technique is perfect. The coating was flavorful, super crispy yet light, and completely non-greasy, with molten tender morsels of shrimp and squid inside, obviously literally rescued immediately from the fryer and brought to the table; these were served with a remoulade that had a really good spicy bite to it. I could imagine an entire evening spent sitting at the bar, drinking a beer and eating basket after basket of these! It would be hard for any main course to surpass that, but my Oyster Po'Boy with Coleslaw was still pretty damn good. Of course, I had scarfed more than my fair share of the fried tidbits so only managed to eat half the sandwich before I gave up. The very large, plump oysters are fried (probably in the same batter as the shrimp/calamari) and served very plain inside a buttery toasted roll -- not the traditional French bread but something softer and kind of sandwich-bread-looking. The coleslaw came on the side & was a very pure rendition, I think just cabbage with a whisper of tangy dressing. I also ordered a side of mac & cheese (big enough for 2) that was creamy cheesy elbowy goodness with a nice browned crust on top. My dining companions didn't share, but everyone seemed to enjoy their plates (scallops; flatiron steak; halibut). I am a total wine novice, but really enjoyed our Argentinian Malbec at a very reasonable $30/bottle. I think a cool dessert to end it all would have been great -- sorbet, lemon pie, whatever. The only negative of the whole experience was the heat inside the restaurant. Either their a/c was on the fritz, or just couldn't handle the load of all the bodies...when we left at 10:15ish it was actually hotter inside the dining room than outside! But all in all, what a fun yummy place for a casual dinner with friends. Yay Hank's!
  3. It occurs to me that $20 Tuesdays coincides with"late" HH at David Greggory. Does HH count? Is it possible to spend $20 or less at DG? More importantly, anyone interested?
  4. Oh no!! Well hope you are having a good one (birthday that is) today anyway. Happy Birthday!
  5. My husband & I ate at Ceiba for my birthday last month; we had a really good time but I think that had more to do with the atmosphere & company than anything outstanding on our plates. It was pretty good, but definitely didn't measure up to the gastronomic delight we experienced at Firefly for his birthday. The main impression I took away about the food was that they give you WAY TOO MUCH of it! We each got our own appetizer (duck empanadas & crab fritters) and neither of us finished due to fears about filling up early. I was also a little put off by having them presented on the plate on top of a folded dinner napkin -- interesting visual before you start eating, but when you're done you have this plate with a wadded napkin covered in crumbs & fritter/empanada grease Entrees also huge, but I did enjoy mine. (what was it? can't remember) Husband got the giant-bowl-o-pork which he worked diligently at but was unable to finish. Very pleasant evening but I'm not dying to go back anytime in the ultra-near future.
  6. I've heard that at one of the old-line restaurants in New Orleans (Antoine's? Arnaud's? Galatoire's? can't remember which), requesting a specific waiter is an acceptable and even expected way to get the best experience, especially for the regulars who've been going there for years. This has always struck me as a little odd -- are there the "choice" waiters that those in the know get access to, and then a stable of second tier talent that the rest of us poor saps would get saddled with?
  7. Quoting directly from a recent Washington Post Travel article, and hoping it isn't a copyright violation: [it actually is a copyright violation, so I'll put a link in to the article itself here. (Normally I'd forward this back to Ellen and have her re-post it, but since Heather needs it on a timely basis, I'll do it this way.) Cheers, Rocks] Apologies for the length of the post. Also sorry I can't speak from personal experience. Hope you have a good weekend!
  8. How's about Indique (Connecticut Ave., Cleveland Park metro)? Didn't find a thread for it on this board. Spent a really fun HH there last Friday. A couple of lovely cocktails that went down WAY too easy (sparkling wine w/ lychee juice; tamarind "martini"). They have a page of Indian small plates that are reasonably priced and tasty, and the people-watching from the bar tables at the large window is quite entertaining.
  9. Ya know, me too... I visited a few times when it first opened & thought it was great. Once it got too popular to get a spot at the bar, I backed off. Then, went for my first visit in months about 3 weeks ago & was seriously underwhelmed. The service was glacial, food was lukewarm when it showed up, and every single dish we ordered had limp french fries on the side. The bright spot was my roast chicken which did have an amazing flavor. It'll stay in the stable of neighborhood eats but not anything more (ie a destination to bring friends too).
  10. Ooh ooh, I'm an architect, can I come along on your next expense-account visit to Citronelle? And now for my real question....when you travel for your "Postcards", do you use guidebooks to help select the restaurants you visit? Or do you rely purely on more up-to-the-minute sources (local paper etc)? I ask because I've noticed that it can be harder to track down current local recommendations, especially in other countries. Is there any particular guidebook series that you feel gets it right as to their restaurant listings? Thanks.
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