Kinship - The Upstairs Portion Of Eric Ziebold's New Mount Vernon Square Location, 7th and K Street NW

[Bart]

2 hours ago, youngfood said:

Look forward to your report and other recent ones as we're getting excited for our first visit. 

He's talking about you Don............................

[DonRocks]

28 minutes ago, Bart said:

He's talking about you Don............................

I sent him a PM - no way I'm going to finish a review of Kinship this week.

[Pool Boy]

16 hours ago, youngfood said:

Look forward to your report and other recent ones as we're getting excited for our first visit. 

The outside of the restaurant is quite low-key. I walked past it before realizing I must have passed it. A dark doorway with I think a single light. Popped inside and they offered to seat me while my wife was running a little behind due to Metro delays. While they were getting ready to walk me back, I peeked at the bar which is to your left. It is long. ;ight colored with very nice looking bar chairs (with seat backs - yes!!). It looked very inviting. There may have been some high two-top tables in there too. I never got in to the bar itself while I was there, but it would not be a mistake to do so. The bar looked really well stocked, too.

I'd asked to try to get one of the few booths I saw in the pictures I saw in the Washington Post, but apparently those are reserved for parties of 3 or 4. I had put it in the notes only, did not verbally point it out again. No matter, the chairs were comfortable and fine (for long legged folks, a sliiiiightly longer seat bottom would have been nice but I am nitpicking). The room is really nice and warm. We went early, but as the room filled up to capacity, it never got too noisy - which I consider good design. Never had to raise our voices and lean in to hear each other.

Good service all around, from the waitstaff that took the orders, walked us through the menu (which fortunately I was already aware of), answered questions, etc, to the folks that served up water/bread and later the dishes we orders it was all really good service. Never in our way, never missing, friendly. I think the team is still getting comfortable with this all being so new, but I think they are doing a great job.

The cocktails were quite good. While the Champs-Elysees was delicious (I am on a green Chartreuse kick), the Midnight Sun was the clear winner. My wife started with the playful Torchon of White Mushroom (with celery root and mushroom salad, huckleberry gastrique and toasted brioche - like a fois gras impersonator this dish!) that was really great. I opted for dish that involved corned tongue, so greenery on top of it and the most amazing sauce melange underneath it - I could eat gallons of that sauce it was so, so good.  My wife moved on to the Ouef a la Brick au Thon (tuna confit, egg, sweet pepper melange) that was wonderful. I went for the crispy sweetbreads (with english peas, bacon and green lettuce) - this was very nice, but outclassed by the tuna. Do not get me wrong, the dish was executed well, and the sauce/melange under the sweetbreads was very, very good, and the sweetbreads were crispy and texturally correct, I just thought the sweetbreads were a bit underseasoned (your mileage may vary). We washed it all down with a still too young (but damn delicious nonetheless!) 2007 Domaine Du Pourra, La Réserve, Gigondas (opting to not partake of their $50 corkage fee option).

We finished by sharing the Valrhona Guanaja Custard cake, which was quite good as well. MMmmmm.

It is easy to spend a lot here, so be careful if that is an issue.

 

I was trying to upload 3 pictures here, all of which are under 2MB, but the forum software keeps telling me I cannot upload even one of them. Will have to ping DR about this.

[Simon]

Does anyone have any more first-hand reports about the roast chicken?  Is it worth the "opportunity cost," when there are so many creative (and smaller) dishes on the menu?

[Bart]

You won't be disappointed with the chicken.  I think I mentioned it upthread, but it's worth repeating:  they somehow "inject" a stuffing like substance between the skin and the meat which is great on its own, but being "fused" to the skin and the meat raises the it to a whole other level.

When we ordered it, we also had the "problem" of too many great smaller dishes but decided to get it anyhow and take the leftovers home.  We had a lot of leftovers and my son devoured most of them later that night when we got home, but there was still some left so we stuck the cardboard "to-go" box back in the 'fridge and forgot about it.  That happened on Friday night.  The following Thursday night, we rediscovered the box and had a moment of shock and depression because we left this great meat in the 'fridge for a week, drying out, but when I tasted it, it was as moist as the day we bought it!!  It spent 6 and half days sitting in non-air-tight box and the chicken was still moist!  Amazing.  And I'm talking about the white meat here!  We sometimes pick up those rotisserie chickens from Safeway, and white meat on those isn't even most when we get it home, but this stuff was moist a week later!

 

[dracisk]

24 minutes ago, Simon said:

Does anyone have any more first-hand reports about the roast chicken?  Is it worth the "opportunity cost," when there are so many creative (and smaller) dishes on the menu?

I'm almost never inclined to order chicken in a restaurant, but I thought the chicken was well worth it. I had to convince my friend to order the chicken because she was interested in the rabbit to share.

The lemon-garlic panade in the menu description is inserted between the meat and the skin of the chicken (as I believe others have discussed) and was so delicious. The chicken was extremely moist and tender with a hint of lemon and garlic from the panade. The skin was delightfully crispy. And of course it's a high quality bird (but the portion size was still quite ample). The potatoes that came with it were also delicious.

My friend and I are big eaters, though, and despite ordering the chicken we were still able to sample of bunch of other things on the menu. The waitress warned us that we might have leftovers from the chicken given everything else we ordered, but we proved her wrong. :-)

[DanielK]

10 minutes ago, dracisk said:

I'm almost never inclined to order chicken in a restaurant, but I thought the chicken was well worth it. I had to convince my friend to order the chicken because she was interested in the rabbit to share.

You wouldn't have gone wrong with the rabbit either - that was a stunning dish.

[dracisk]

15 minutes ago, DanielK said:

You wouldn't have gone wrong with the rabbit either - that was a stunning dish.

I'll just have to go back. :-)

[youngfood]

We had a wonderful dinner at Kinship last night.  Thanks to Don and all of you who have so lavishly praised and convinced me not only to finally get there last night, but to book it a second time before we had a chance to enjoy our first visit. 

As Pool Boy notes above, I found the entrance and the space very inviting.  The bar looks lovely and was surprising empty last night around 8 pm.  I anticipate coming back and dining there the next time I'm unable to get a reservation. 

We came with high expectations and were pleasantly surprised that they were met and exceeded.  If you have not been to Kinship yet, it is a must try restaurant and is firing on all cylinders right now.  It fits nicely into a space where you could celebrate a special occasion with a blowout meal or a more casual, if not inexpensive, dinner out.  As someone who prefers to live somewhere between the two, I really appreciate Kinship making it so easy to create my own tasting menu without dropping $500 for dinner for two. 

At Don and our lovely server's recommendation, we started with the Goat Cheese Bavarois Marinated Artichokes, Fried Olives, Nicoise Olive Crumbs, which was delightfully creamy, tangy, and had just a touch of crunch to add a nice texture.  I wouldn't have ordered this without the recommendations, but am very glad we did. 

The Scallop Navarin Sautéed Sea Scallops, Baby Turnips, Braised Pea Shoots, and Navel Oranges was another big hit.  Three beautiful, small, perfectly-caramelized without being overcooked sea scallops in a really lovely beurre blanc-like sauce.  Just lovely.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about the dish reminds of Corduroy's always perfect take on soft shell crabs. If you've had them, you know that's a very good thing. 

The Sautéed Moulard Foie Gras Duck Scrapple, Bacon Vinaigrette was a rich, unctuous, savory presentation.  We sometimes order foie as a last course, but this dish was more savory than sweet and belonged here.  Foie, duck scrapple, bacon... need I say more?  We enjoyed this dish quite a bit, but I think it would have been too much for either one of us to eat alone.  Our server (who was really terrific throughout) nicely paired it with a slightly effervescent white wine I can't recall that she described as from a grape typically used in Cava and with the Oregon Pinot from the by the glass list. 

I rarely order steak in restaurants, but the Grilled Martin Ranch Dry Aged Ribeye (13 oz) Grilled Asparagus, Steamed Gruyere Pudding, Sauce Dijoinaise knocked our socks off and was as perfect of a steak as I've had anywhere.  The steak was presented table side before being sliced and, like the other entrees, comes with the famous parker house rolls.  The steak itself was stunning.  Nice grill marks, perfectly rendered fat, bright pink slightly short of medium rare, just exactly the way I want my steak, but rarely seem to find it.  The Gruyere pudding was a treat, served sliced into lovely little wedges that somehow held their shape.  Asparagus was first of the season for me and wonderfully tender.  I know the chicken and the rabbit have been all the rage here from the entrees, but I feel very good about our decision to veer to the steak here. 

At Don's urging, we opted for the decaf coffee service with our dessert.  I wont describe it further other than to say that while I never order coffee after dinner, I highly recommend it.  Same with ordering dessert, as our experience with the Valrhona Guanaja Custard Cake Pecan Nduja, Espelette Caramel, Pralines n Cream Ice Cream leaves no doubt that Kinship is putting just as much attention towards producing superlative desserts as they are the rest of the menu.  Kudos to them for doing so and for including the desserts on the menu that you're presented at the start of the meal to help highlight them. 

All in all, our meal at Kinship last night exceeded any other we've had recently -- including a great one we had at Pineapple & Pearls a couple weeks ago.  Looking forward to returning to celebrate my birthday next month and eager to see more of what this team does with Metier soon too. 

[Simon]

Everyone was right: I was absolutely not disappointed in the roast chicken.  As drasick, and maybe others, have said, it's the lemon-garlic "panade" that really makes the dish.  I will say, though, that the skin on my chicken was not crispy (and I was inclined to attribute that to the tradeoffs involved in this preparation--injecting the stuffing, and possibly brining?--but then I saw others reported crispy skin ... not sure what happened to our bird).  But that was a really minor disappointment.  It's a truly special preparation.

That said, dining as a pair, I'll be still be inclined to order a greater number of smaller dishes in the future, rather than one of the "for the table" entrees...

Also, as I've written before, the apple confit is the best dessert I've had anywhere in recent memory.  Get it.  

[jandres374]

Any recent experiences eating at the bar on a Saturday night.  Have a birthday this Saturday and was too late in making reservations but thinking about walking in and trying to eat at the bar.

Suggestions for a Plan B if that does not work out? Thinking the bar at Corduroy.

[DonRocks]

Very doable if you're before 6, doubly so if you're before 5:45.

And I hate to think of Corduroy as a "Plan B," but it *is* a good Plan B, and served as such for me the night of the ice storm in January.

[jandres374]

Thanks Don.  Had a feeling the suggestion would be to get there early. Unfortunately, we need to make a stop at a Derby Party beforehand, so unlikely to arrive before 7 pm and more likely 7:30.
Decisions, decisions...

[DaRiv18]

I ate at the bar this past Saturday, it was halfway full as I left at 7:30pm.  

[Josh]

The bar was sparsely occupied when we arrived at 6:45 tonight, and open seats were there for the taking until well after 8:30.  

I'm not going to give a long review other than to say that the roast chicken is the truth.  It is real, and it is spectacular.  Pair it with the 2005 Calabretta and you're doing well.

[Keithstg]

On 5/14/2016 at 10:37 PM, JoshNE said:

The bar was sparsely occupied when we arrived at 6:45 tonight, and open seats were there for the taking until well after 8:30.  

I'm not going to give a long review other than to say that the roast chicken is the truth.  It is real, and it is spectacular.  Pair it with the 2005 Calabretta and you're doing well.

Totally agree on the chicken - was at Kiniship last Tuesday with a bunch of friends and had a fantastic time. Kinship is superlative in every way and is a GREAT deal.

After a few moments looking over the menu and figuring out how it was oriented, I decided on an order of the mushroom torchon, lobster french toast and the roast chicken (split with one of my tablemates). Other orders were the sweetbreads (x2), another torchon and the Martin's Rib Eye. Everyone enjoyed their meals - I was able to to have a taste of the sweetbreads and they were fantastic - decided to forgo a taste of the rib eye as I could then eat more of the chicken (and we buy Martin's by the half steer).

A lot has been said about the chicken at $56, and I think more should be said with respect to it's value as well as that of Kinship in general. The pommes rissolees were fantastic and the frisee salad served with the chicken was also excellent. In terms of a composed dish for two breaking down to $28/ per I can't think of a better deal in DC fine dining, especially when stuff like '04 Chateau de Bellevue or Simard are available off the list for $70 or so among other bargains. We could have drunk as well for less money too, but I didn't select the wines.

[DaRiv18]

I've tried about half the menu at Kinship, and am impressed by the service, ambiance, and most dishes.  I am not a fan of the roast chicken, even though I enjoy the taste.  The texture of the breast (which appeared ginormous to me when initially presented uncarved) was too sticky for me, and the finish is like chewing on taffy.  I probably would not order it again, but I am very sensitive to texture.  I will be back to Kinship soon, however, to try more of the menu.

[ktmoomau]

13 minutes ago, DaRiv18 said:

I've tried about half the menu at Kinship, and am impressed by the service, ambiance, and most dishes.  I am not a fan of the roast chicken, even though I enjoy the taste.  The texture of the breast (which appeared ginormous to me when initially presented uncarved) was too sticky for me, and the finish is like chewing on taffy.  I probably would not order it again, but I am very sensitive to texture.  I will be back to Kinship soon, however, to try more of the menu.

Going this weekend because Matt dealt with an incident of my Mother's car getting towed at our condo and I owe him a nice dinner.  Are there dishes not on the online menu right now?  I was really hoping they might have softshell crab.  What are your favorite dishes?  Matt is really sensitive to textures, as well, but loves roast chicken so I appreciate the description.  I have read all the reviews and am trying to figure out the best things to order.

[DaRiv18]

The menu online now looks the same as what I've seen.  And I have really enjoyed everything else (all vegetable dishes, sweetbreads, lobster on toast, the seafood).  Admittedly I haven't really dived into the $80+ Indulgence stuff.  

I've known that I don't enjoy some chickens for that precise texture reason, we talked about whether chickens are worth it or not in another thread, so this is a very very narrow criticism of the restaurant based on my preferences.  I've been to another bolded restaurant where I had the same experience with the chicken, so I am beginning to think this is closer to a cilantro preference issue than it is an ingredient sourcing issue.  I think Matt will have a great time at Kinship, I don't think you can go wrong here!

[ktmoomau]

We went to dinner on Saturday night and had a really nice meal.  I like that the space is really minimalist on the inside.  I am not sure what a normal Saturday night was like, but Memorial Day Weekend the bar was pretty empty which is good to know, but Memorial Day Weekend is a terrible gauge for a normal weekend.  We drank cocktails, I had the wolfhound and I am not sure what MK had, but we both liked them.  I started with the mushroom torchon and was very impressed with the textures and flavors.  MK had the succotash which looked very good.  We then had the tongue, which was my favorite dish of the night, it was really flavorful.  (It wasn't as good as Frank Ruta's tongue dish in his head to tail dinner, but a close second) It had a soft texture, but a nice acidic sauce and then the crunchy veggies worked well with it.  For entree MK had the redfish and I had the lamb.  The shortrib part was ok, I liked the more steak like textured parts of the shoulder better.  I really enjoyed the sauces with this.  We split the lemon meringue "pie" for dessert which was MK's choice.  This was the one dish of the night I didn't love.  The meringue was good, but there wasn't enough of it in balance to the curd, the preserved lemon bits in the dish were the best part.  I found the whole crust in the middle part to be not to my liking.  But the sherry newtons on the side did give you a little more crust.  It was deconstructed, but it wasn't composed enough as a lemon pie to make me really enjoy it.  I kind of wish it hadn't been "for the table" size because I would have ordered something different.  The bill wasn't terrible given how nice the meal was and that was a pleasant surprise.

[Pool Boy]

On 4/21/2016 at 10:03 AM, Pool Boy said:

The outside of the restaurant is quite low-key. I walked past it before realizing I must have passed it. A dark doorway with I think a single light. Popped inside and they offered to seat me while my wife was running a little behind due to Metro delays. While they were getting ready to walk me back, I peeked at the bar which is to your left. It is long. ;ight colored with very nice looking bar chairs (with seat backs - yes!!). It looked very inviting. There may have been some high two-top tables in there too. I never got in to the bar itself while I was there, but it would not be a mistake to do so. The bar looked really well stocked, too.

I'd asked to try to get one of the few booths I saw in the pictures I saw in the Washington Post, but apparently those are reserved for parties of 3 or 4. I had put it in the notes only, did not verbally point it out again. No matter, the chairs were comfortable and fine (for long legged folks, a sliiiiightly longer seat bottom would have been nice but I am nitpicking). The room is really nice and warm. We went early, but as the room filled up to capacity, it never got too noisy - which I consider good design. Never had to raise our voices and lean in to hear each other.

Good service all around, from the waitstaff that took the orders, walked us through the menu (which fortunately I was already aware of), answered questions, etc, to the folks that served up water/bread and later the dishes we orders it was all really good service. Never in our way, never missing, friendly. I think the team is still getting comfortable with this all being so new, but I think they are doing a great job.

The cocktails were quite good. While the Champs-Elysees was delicious (I am on a green Chartreuse kick), the Midnight Sun was the clear winner. My wife started with the playful Torchon of White Mushroom (with celery root and mushroom salad, huckleberry gastrique and toasted brioche - like a fois gras impersonator this dish!) that was really great. I opted for dish that involved corned tongue, so greenery on top of it and the most amazing sauce melange underneath it - I could eat gallons of that sauce it was so, so good.  My wife moved on to the Ouef a la Brick au Thon (tuna confit, egg, sweet pepper melange) that was wonderful. I went for the crispy sweetbreads (with english peas, bacon and green lettuce) - this was very nice, but outclassed by the tuna. Do not get me wrong, the dish was executed well, and the sauce/melange under the sweetbreads was very, very good, and the sweetbreads were crispy and texturally correct, I just thought the sweetbreads were a bit underseasoned (your mileage may vary). We washed it all down with a still too young (but damn delicious nonetheless!) 2007 Domaine Du Pourra, La Réserve, Gigondas (opting to not partake of their $50 corkage fee option).

We finished by sharing the Valrhona Guanaja Custard cake, which was quite good as well. MMmmmm.

It is easy to spend a lot here, so be careful if that is an issue.

I was trying to upload 3 pictures here, all of which are under 2MB, but the forum software keeps telling me I cannot upload even one of them. Will have to ping DR about this.

OK I think I found some of the pictures. Enjoy.

[Genevieve]

In your pictures, what is the dish under the mushroom torchon, and what is the dish below the cake?

Thank you!

[DonRocks]

27 minutes ago, Genevieve said:

In your pictures, what is the dish under the mushroom torchon, and what is the dish below the cake?

Thank you!

Mango Cream Choux and (I'm guessing) Tongue and Asparagus Ravigote.

[Pool Boy]

23 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

Mango Cream Choux and (I'm guessing) Tongue and Asparagus Ravigote.

Correct, DR to the rescue!

 

[ktmoomau]

Note, I think the tongue dish on the menu is now different, as I had a very different dish.

[malokd]

We had friends from San Francisco coming into town on Friday who share our love for good food and wine.  I had booked a reservation here for 8pm. As the date approached I was having second thoughts---the menu made me think that the food would be heavy and less appetizing given how hot it has been.  I have to say that I was completely wrong--these guys know how to run a restaurant and the food is excellent.

The service was amazing--easily the best service I have received in a DC restaurant by far.  Our waiter was always available but never intrusive.  Glasses were filled rapidly.  When we were ordering he would give us more information about each dish to make sure we knew what to expect.   He did not lead with the typical" Have you guys eaten here before?" line that is really annoying. He was funny and pleasant without interrupting our evening or being overbearing.  His wine recommendations were perfect, and when one of us had ordered a glass of an orange wine that we had not had, he brought an extra glass for my wife to taste because she had appeared interested in the selection.  Hats off to the team.

Regarding the food--easily one of the best meals I have had in DC in the last year.  We led off the crawfish panna cotta, the garlic bavarois, the mushroom torchon, and the sorrel and lettuce salad.  While the mushroom dish was as good as everyone had said, the dish that really was incredible was the crawfish.  In  the center of the plate was a circle of a pale mousse perfumed with this amazing ethereal shellfish flavor that was subtle and smooth.  It was topped with fried shallots, crawfish tails, pickled ramp stems--a perfect combination.  This was one of the best dishes of the night.

The lobster french toast consisted of perfectly poached lobster segments overlying two pieces of brioche french toast overlying what seemed like a fruit scented beurre blanc that was nicely acidic and not overly rich.  It was excellent and components such as a sesame mousse and pickled cucumber segments .

For the mains we ordered the dover sole and the roast chicken.  The chicken was excellent--the layer of panade underneath the skin is thin and just salty enough--the skin was crisp and the meat perfectly cooked.  The side of shredded dark meat with frisee was forgettable.  The parker house rolls were good but we were so stuffed that we could not eat many of them.  The sole dish was underwhelming--it was topped with batter fried pieces of the fin segments---gelatin like with an intriguing texture however they came off as greasy--not a great fry job.

Overall an excellent meal --definitely a must go

 

[plunk]

My wife and I ate here on Saturday night.  I will echo the comments above about the food being delicious and the service being spectacular.  One thing I'd note, however, is that in my opinion the portions are small.  I know this is a fancy-schmancy place and I'm not expecting Bucco di Beppo-sized portions.  However, I ordered the pigs feet and sweetbreads (both excellent, particularly the pigs feet) and we split dessert and I left hungry.  A bit frustrating given the cost, especially because we were steered away from the roast chicken as being too much food. 

[Pat]

We dipped our toes into the waters of the Kinship menu last night, constructing a four-course meal from the top portion of the menu (i.e., we didn't order anything "for the table").  As an entry point, we split the Chick Pea Falafel navel orange, poblano pepper, and marcona almonds $16.  In the back of my mind, I think I wanted to order this as a tiny point of comparison with the Pineapple and Pearls (lunch) falafel, though they're obviously very different. This was a creative take on the subject but probably my least favorite of the things we ordered.  It made for a nice start to the meal, though.  There were three small oval falafel on the plate, and we each got one and a half and an adequate sampling of the other flavors.  

After this, we each got our own item from the top line of the menu, sharing just a little bit.  My husband got the already legendary mushroom torchon, and while I would certainly order this for myself. I was happy enough with a bite this time around, and feasting on my Sorrel and Butterhead Lettuce Salad radish, Darden ham, compressed strawberry, goat cheese, and lemon-thyme dressing $14. The goat cheese worked its way into the dressing, making it creamy as well as brightly herbal and acidic.  A great seasonal salad.

For our main courses, my husband got Roasted Lamb Loin roasted cauliflower couscous, carrot emincee, and cumin-cilantro broth $29, which we both agreed tasted a bit gamey, but in the "wow, this actually tastes like real lamb" sense.  I think he wishes he had ordered my Sauteed Atlantic Halibut Spring asparagus, royal trumpets, potato confit, and tarragon-asparagus emulsion $25, which he sampled, but I greedily kept most of it to myself.  For quite awhile after the meal was over, we both kept saying, "oh...that halibut...!"  (Actually, I said it this morning too.)  I don't have words, except inadequate ones.

Because I asked, I discovered it was possible to get the Parker House rolls without ordering one of the big entrees that includes them, if the kitchen had enough.  Our waiter (who was fantastic) checked and they were brought out with our main courses. It was $10 well spent for the add-on.  The standard bread service (one multigrain and one citrus slice for each of us, plus THAT BUTTER) was also wonderful. We declined additional slices, knowing we had the rolls coming. Now I have to get back to Garrison to compare .

In an unusual turn  for me, I knew before arriving that I wanted to order dessert and just what I wanted to order: Salted Caramel Peanut Bar brown butter marshmallows, whipped chocolate ganache, bourbon ice cream $12.  We split it, and it was just the right way to end the meal.  This managed to be sweetly satisfying without being real sweet. Chocolate was an element on the plate but did not dominate, which is great for me because that's how I like chocolate to be.

All of the portions were fairly small, but with the bread and some dessert, we both had enough to eat.  I also had a couple of glasses of Daguenau Sauvignon Blanc ($12), which carried me through the whole meal.

[dinoue]

Went Sunday evening to celebrate our anniversary. Arrived a little late due to traffic from a conference at the convention center and the shuttle buses clogging the street, and also occupying all the street parking we would have otherwise been able to park in on a Sunday evening in DC. We were seated quickly at the first table on the left as you enter the dining room which we quickly noticed is much louder than sitting in one of the booths which seem to dampen the noise. It wasn't excessively loud, but there was definitely more energy, and a different experience from our first time eating there.

First thing we noticed was the menu was very different from the one online. It has since been updated online. We had a lot of trouble deciding and so ended up getting 8 dishes: tuna, redfish, softshell, halibut, lamb, morels, lobster and foie gras.

First out were the Softshell, morels, and lobster (the one repeat dish from our last visit) Of the three, the fricassee of morel mushrooms was the favorite for both my wife and me. The components just balanced so well with the earthiness of the mushrooms brightness of the peas, saltiness of the ham and creaminess of the soft boiled egg. Our son liked taking his piece of egg and putting the components in it and making an egg bowl to eat everything together. The softshell was good, but nothing especially great. Plus the crab itself was a little cooled off temperature wise. None of our dishes was especially hot, but this one in particular since fried, would have been nicer a few degrees hotter/fresher from the kitchen. The amount of radishes also seemed a little out of balance with the amount of crab. I also am not crazy about the practice of mincing things up so tiny. I understand it is great technique to cut them up so uniformly small, but it's also harder to scoop them up. The lobster remained the favorite of the kids and no different from my memories of the last visit.

Next were the fish courses. Like Pat above, the halibut was definitely our favorite. Perfectly cooked fish with perfect accompaniments on the plate. This was the inspiration for my attempt at searing some fish on Tuesday night, which did not come close to this, but defintely got us into a groove for craving more fish. Thankfully, asparagus is one thing neither kid likes. The tuna tataki was the most interesting dish with the dashi broth in gelatin form. The kids loved the shiso tempura and have requested we include that the next time we make tempura at home. The redfish jambalaya was good, but the flavors just seemed out of place with the rest of the dishes in this course. I think I ate the most of this as it was not as popular with the rest of the family. Overall, one thought I had while eating the various fish dishes was the parallels with the recently shuttered Crane and Turtle, which should not be surprising at all. 

At this point we were pretty comfortably full, but still had two more dishes coming. Our eyes had definitely been bigger than our stomachs. Some help from the waitstaff would have been helpful as she exhorted us to order all eight dishes with no suggestion that it might be too much. We suspected it might, but this is where guidance from the waitstaff would have been appreciated. 

The last two dishes were the richest, lamb and foie gras. The lamb was cooked perfectly and the carrots surrounding the cous cous and lamb were absolutely beautiful and tasted as good as they looked. The foie gras was rich thoguh the onions were a little overpowering and as full as we were at this point left largely untouched. Conversation with my son about the foie gras was, Me: Try this Son: I don't want to Me: Eat it, did you like it? Son: No I don't like that Me: Are you sure? Do you want more? Son: I don't like it (Again but this time nodding his head yes as he takes another bigger bite as it is offered.) It is amazing how as children, they make up their minds visually before trying it, but after trying it, can quickly change their minds.

In spite of all this we did order a dessert for the table with the chocolate nougat. This was a nice collection of chocolate items with the tart creme fraiche to balance it out. They also brought out two drinks for our anniversary which was very nice and refreshing and palate cleansing, especially after the heavy last courses. I thought she said they were mimosas, which they were not really, and looking at the drink menu, I think they were the Sicilian Spritz mocktails.

We also had a bottle of Donnhoff Riesling which went well with pretty much all the dishes well, especially with our fish heavy ordering.

Overall a great dinner experience with just the few drawbacks of too much food and sometimes food not being as hot as I would have liked. Perhaps things not getting done at exactly the same time and sitting at the pass while the other dishes caught up. Also, our water went unfilled several times through the night, which for the adults was not a problem since we had our wine as well, but for the kids who didn't have another drink, sometimes involved swapping water glasses with slower drinkers. All the staff were good at wishing us a happy anniversary and me a happy father's day as well. Not perfect, but worth the splurge.

[Bart]

Nice review!   The morel/pea/ham/soft boiled egg dish sounds amazing.  Now that my peas are finally coming in, I may have to attempt to make this dish* this weekend, with frozen morels I found earlier this spring.  (* = I may have to beg my wife to attempt this dish).   Any chance you took a photo?

Thanks again for the review.

Oh yeah, I want to be one of your kids!

[DanielK]

8 hours ago, dinoue said:

...ended up getting 8 dishes: tuna, redfish, softshell, halibut, lamb, morels, lobster and foie gras.

... Our eyes had definitely been bigger than our stomachs. Some help from the waitstaff would have been helpful as she exhorted us to order all eight dishes with no suggestion that it might be too much. We suspected it might, but this is where guidance from the waitstaff would have been appreciated. 

Don't know how old your kids are, so that could be a factor, but based on the current menu, you ordered 4 starters and 4 entrees, so not out of line from the volume of food they normally recommend.

[dinoue]

39 minutes ago, Bart said:

Nice review!   The morel/pea/ham/soft boiled egg dish sounds amazing.  Now that my peas are finally coming in, I may have to attempt to make this dish* this weekend, with frozen morels I found earlier this spring.  (* = I may have to beg my wife to attempt this dish).   Any chance you took a photo?

Thanks again for the review.

Oh yeah, I want to be one of your kids!

We're done with having any more kids. :-) Here's a pic.

 

[Bart]

Thanks!  What's the crunchy looking stuff to the right of the egg?

[dinoue]

8 minutes ago, DanielK said:

Don't know how old your kids are, so that could be a factor, but based on the current menu, you ordered 4 starters and 4 entrees, so not out of line from the volume of food they normally recommend.

4 and 7 so they obviously would not be eating as much as an adult, though sometimes they do eat more than I expect. And that would be the other challenge with the Kinship menu, it's not always fully clear what is an appetizer and what is an entree. Sometimes the cost can be an indicator, 10's vs 20's, but even then, some entrees are also more substantial than others.

[DanielK]

1 minute ago, dinoue said:

4 and 7 so they obviously would not be eating as much as an adult, though sometimes they do eat more than I expect. And that would be the other challenge with the Kinship menu, it's not always fully clear what is an appetizer and what is an entree. Sometimes the cost can be an indicator, 10's vs 20's, but even then, some entrees are also more substantial than others.

I was told by my server in each of our trips that in the Craft, History, and Ingredients sections, the top two are appetizer-sized, the next two are entree-sized, and the last a dessert. Indulgence also goes from appetizer to entree to dessert, though the counts aren't always the same. If they didn't explain that, definitely a slip.

[dinoue]

Just now, Bart said:

Thanks!  What's the crunchy looking stuff to the right of the egg?

That's the chicken fried morels. That was definitely preferred by the kids, and myself, over the unfried ones.

[Bart]

Ahhh, now I see them under the batter.

[Pat]

1 hour ago, DanielK said:

I was told by my server in each of our trips that in the Craft, History, and Ingredients sections, the top two are appetizer-sized, the next two are entree-sized, and the last a dessert. Indulgence also goes from appetizer to entree to dessert, though the counts aren't always the same. If they didn't explain that, definitely a slip.

Our server explained this too.  It struck me as somewhat similar to the way the PS7 menu was set up (and maybe also sort of like the original Atlas Room menu). 

[CapitalGourmand]

My first experience at Kinship was the first week they were open. I was finally able to make good on my promise to return this Friday night. I can almost see why Sietsema felt slightly let down by his experiences at Métier. The food coming out of the kitchen is at such a high level, it almost feels like an a la carte version of Métier.

The pan seared halibut with asparagus, royal trumpet mushrooms, and potato confit could easily have a place on the Métier tasting menu. For me, the star of the pekin duck breast dish was the leek and duck confit cannelloni. The duck confit filling could be the starting point of a new dish, maybe a ravioli. 

My favorite dessert was the salted caramel peanut bar, but the winner for nostalgia points was the chocolate chip cookie dough soufflé. It reminded me of when I was a kid and would under bake those cookie dough rolls and eat it with ice cream. Except the Kinship version tastes much better.

[nmorrell]

We had an outstanding evening at Kinship two weeks ago for my husband's birthday. I'm remiss in only now posting the review and unfortunately my pictures seem to be more than 2MB so I can't get them to post but rest assured everything was delicious!

I have to say, I loved the restaurant from the moment we walked in, the gas light entrance and large wide door tucked into instead of out towards the street gave the feeling of stepping into a private supper club. 

Naturally we started with the Torchon of White Mushroom and this more than lived up to the hype on this thread. It was melt in your mouth extravagance. I could go back to that on every future visit. 

I should say, even though I'd read through this thread before going and thought I understood the menu concept, I was pleased to have our waiter go through it again, clarifying it for me, at which point I really "got" it. And because this was a surprise dinner for the husband, he hadn't read up on the menu at all so it was very helpful for him as well. 

We also ordered the Soused Pied de Cochon. I'll admit, neither of us knew what that was but we were immediately sold when our waiter explained it was slow cooked pigs feet. I mean, when is slow roasted pork ever a disappointment?  It was fall apart tender and the flavor was just exactly what you want pork to be, salty but not too much so and oh so flavorful. Another must order! 

We hemmed and hawed about what to get but finally settled on splitting the Kinship Roast Chicken and were very pleased with the choice. It is, as described, more than enough for two. We had plenty to take home and enjoy the next day. I've read that some folks had differing accounts on theirs but ours was crispy and delicious! I would certainly recommend ordering it. I appreciated the tip from an earlier poster about being able to order the parker house rolls (for an up charge) regardless of meal choice and I had planned on doing so as we have oohed and awwhed over those rolls during our occasional visits to the Mandarin over the years but because they came with the chicken, it was a mute point. They were, as always, amazing! 

We ended the evening with the Salted Caramel Peanut Bar. It was just as delicious as it sounds. I normally only have a bite of dessert when my husband orders one as I'd prefer an after dinner drink but I certainly had my share and possibly more. Again we had a tough time deciding between this or the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Souffle.. next time for sure! They also brought over a little birthday dessert treat that genuinely could have been a menu item on its own! Delicious!

Speaking of drinks, we had a delightful conversation through out the night with the sommelier. I'm sure she was quite busy but she lingered at our table chatting and answering all our questions as if we were the only table in the restaurant. I love wine and so I really enjoyed hearing how she came up with their list and which were her favorites. We had an early reservation so we ended up having a glass of white port at the bar (again a lovely conversation with the bartender) after dinner and before I knew it we were being invited downstairs to the kitchen to meet Chef Ziebold. I'm pretty sure this was a mistake as, I mean, who are we but we rolled with it and relished every second of this little VIP adventure. Like every staff person we encountered, you'd have thought we were the only ones dining that night. The kitchen was bustling but not chaotic and by all accounts seemed to be humming along like a well oiled operation. Chef Ziebold seemed relaxed and was so generous with his time talking to us about the restaurant. After a few minutes we politely excused ourselves to let him get back to work. And when we went upstairs our leftovers we're waiting for us at the door. I'm terrible about leaving boxed up food at the table and I appreciated that once they took my plate away, they boxed it up and had it waiting for us before we left. 

All in all, I have to say this really is a restaurant not to miss! We'll certainly be back again... and again. 

 

 

[Bart]

Another epic meal at Kinship!  This place just keeps getting better and better and is pretty much ruining me for every other restaurant in the city.

My wife and I were celebrating a promotion so we snuck in on Friday without a reservation, but we got there early enough to snag a booth in the bar area.  Those seats are quickly becoming my favorite place in the restaurant. 

As usual for us, we over-ordered and as usual there were about twice as many dishes that we still wanted to try but we couldn’t fit in.  We could have returned the following night and got all different dishes and still would have had more things we’d like to try.  The menu is truly amazing and ever changing.  If you see something you like, better go there soon because you never know when it will be swapped for something else you’ll like.

We started with the Kinship Spritz which is sparkling wine and vermouth drink.  VERY refreshing and very enjoyable for two mixed drink non-drinkers.

I’ll go through the dishes below, but the big take away was everything was fantastic and everything was completely different than everything else.  Each dish seemed 100% unique with no repeat sauces, textures, flavors or looks.  The variety and layers of flavors within a single dish was remarkable, but looking back over the course of the night, the variety was simply staggering!

The dishes we got were:

Fricassee of Morel Mushrooms with soft boiled egg, peas and Darden Ham – This may have been the favorite of the night.  Mind blowing on so many levels.  Unlike Capitol Gourmand’s photo above, our egg came out perfectly egg shaped (no flat end).  It looked just like a hardboiled egg but it was completely runny and liquidy in the center.  They lightly cook an egg, then peel it and put it on top of the dish without it breaking open.  Truly amazing.  They said they lose about half the eggs during the peeling process.  The dish included plain and breaded and fried morels, peas, Darden ham on top of some sort of light bread/waffle thing surrounded by an amazing sauce.  I don’t know what it was and it’s not described on the menu, but damn!  It was good!!  We had to request extra bread to mop up the sauce….they need to include a spoon with this dish!  The combinations of flavors and textures, not to mention the egg yolk mixing with the bread thing made this the most high end breakfast dish ever.  There’s no mystery as to why it’s listed on the “Indulgence” part of the menu.

Sautéed Moulard Foie Gras with smoked onion marmalade – This was also from the “Indulgence” column.  Shocker!  Of course the foie gras was luscious and decadent, but surprise co-star of this dish was the smoked onion marmalade.  It was tiny squares of onion (about the size of the letters on the “keyboard” when you text on your phone) that were soft and caramelized yet still retained their shape and form with a very slight crunch.  Not really a crunch, but there was some body to them.  If they were strictly caramelized, I think they would have disintegrated into mush.  Long after the foie gras was gone, I was still spooning up the onions and eating them. 

Chick Pea Falafel with octopus and navel orange – This seemed like a slightly different version of the dish that Pat had above.  Ours had octopus in it and she didn’t mention that in hers.  Normally falafel is something I wouldn’t order (my wife is much more a fan), but this dish could change my mind.   The octopus, orange, almond and mint yogurt sauce added so much to the dish……….I even enjoyed the falafel on its own!!

Chesapeake Bay Softshell Crab and rhubarb gazpacho – My wife loves soft shells so this was a no brainer.  The crabs were great, but the unexpected star of the dish was the gazpacho of rhubarb, radishes, cashews and arugula.  It was “broth” of tiny, crunchy pieces of radishes and (I guess cashews and rhubarb??).  Who knows what the breakdown was, but it was very surprising and different and very good.  The small pieces of arugula look huge compared to the tiny dice of the items in the gazpacho.    

Soused Pied De Cochon with globe artichokes and Dijon Mustard-thyme emulsion – We got this one based on nmorell’s recommendation above.  Our waiter did a special description of this dish and wanted us to be sure we knew what we were getting because apparently some people ordered it thinking it was an artichoke dish and not a pig dish.  The meat was succulent and moist and everything you’d hope it to be and the Dijon Mustard-thyme emulsion was this neon green burst of flavor that made you shake your head in wonder. 

Sautéed Atlantic Halibut with asparagus, potato confit and tarragon-asparagus emulsion – This one had a different neon green sauce and at this point (3 days later) I honestly can’t remember the differences other than it was a completely different sauce.  Like I said above, there were zero repeats anywhere!  The fish was perfectly cooked, as were the mushrooms, potatoes and asparagus.

Crispy Pekin Duck Breast with leeks and duck confit cannelloni – Perfect meat, great stuffed cannelloni and another amazing sauce.  I’m running out of words here, but this was another great dish.

Like I said above, every one of these dishes was completely different from the rest and I’d gladly order every single one of them again.  The only problem with that is there are so many other interesting looking dishes on the menu that I can’t justify a repeat dish without trying more new things.  In fact, we’ve been wanting to re-try the Lobster French Toast every visit since our first, but we always end up with too many other new dishes that it gets bumped off the list. 

The service has reached new levels too.  Not that there was ever an issue, but it was really perfect tonight.  And the amount of staff here continues to amaze me.  We probably had 5 or 6 people serving us, not including the people who brought the water and bread plates. 

Like I said in my opening paragraph, this place has ruined me for other restaurants in DC.  There are dozens of new and old places I haven’t been to, but if I was going back out to dinner tonight, my first pick would be Kinship. 

[Marty L.]

8 hours ago, Bart said:

Another epic meal at Kinship!  This place just keeps getting better and better and is pretty much ruining me for every other restaurant in the city.

...

Like I said in my opening paragraph, this place has ruined me for other restaurants in DC.  There are dozens of new and old places I haven’t been to, but if I was going back out to dinner tonight, my first pick would be Kinship. 

Thanks for that great write-up, Bart.  Can you please give us a sense of what the tab was for that meal?

[Bart]

My sainted wife was treating but the price break down was:

Fricassee of Morel Mushrooms - $25
Sautéed Moulard Foie Gras - $28
Chick Pea Falafel - $18
Chesapeake Bay Softshell Crab - $18
Soused Pied De Cochon - $15
Sautéed Atlantic Halibut - $25
Crispy Pekin Duck Breast = $27

Wine, which I didn't mention above,  was a nice (and economical) Rose' for $40

Coffee was $6 each

That comes to $208 before tax and tip.  It honestly felt like a bargain for way too much high quality food. 

The other thing I forgot to mention is that we were there for just shy of 3 hours and it never felt slow.  At one point, between a couple courses, there was a much needed pause in the action which allowed us to rest up a little before eating some more!

 

[Pool Boy]

Went here agin a couple of weeks ago. This place scratches some of the itch I have for Palena's cafe. It's still a bit more formal than the Palena cafe was, but they do some pretty cool things here on the food and drink front and are cool with folks being pretty casual, but damn comfortable, about being there and experiencing it. No pictures this time, but here is the rundown--

1. Soused Pied de Cochon - with artichokes, and dijon thyme emulsion. So damn good. If you like piggie products done deftly, get this.
2. Softshell carb with radish, arugula, cashews and rhubarb gazpacho - yum. really good, crispy and light crust on the crab, too. I'll echo the bit about the accompaniments outshining the supposed star of the dish as well.
3. Fricasee of morel mushrooms with chicken fried morels, english peas, soft boiled egg and ham. Man this was SO GOOD. We asked for a spoon as well, and also saved bread to mop up as well. Good gosh this dish is spectacular.
4. Sauteed Atlantic Halibut with asparagus, royal trumpet mushrooms, potato confit, and a tarragon-asparagus emulsion. A delicious dish that came with perfectly cooked fish. I only had a tiny bite of this, but managed to make sure I got some of that potato confit as a part of that bite and I am glad I did.
5. Brunswick Stew - OK, this was a completely inspired by Brunswick Stew dish, but reinvented in a completely modern and different way that really does not appear on your plate looking like the traditional dish. Braised rabbit (leg I think), okra, corn and creamy grits. But again, the clincher here was the glorious broth that made the melding of all the flavors possible, and was outstanding by itself on your spoon. A great experience and a treat to see something reinterpreted in a way that holds true to its core and does not fall apart because the chef tried to get too cute/weird/artistic with it. No, this dish was great.
6. Blackberry Betty with two ice creams - cinnamon and honey. This was a part for the table, but honestly two people easily finished this off. I mean, if you went a tiny bit light on your dinner, one person could totally down this. It was good!

Washed this all down with a splurge - a Quintarelli Primafiore. Wow.

 

[Bart]

Any DonRockers going to the "For the Table" dinner tonight?  

[DonRocks]

Kinship: The First Six Months of 2016

Between January and June, I went to Kinship fourteen times, and developed a strong sense of how the menu changed to reflect the seasons (primarily), and the creative mind of the chef (secondarily). It would be fruitless to recount each course from each meal, so I instead wish to convey a "sense" of Kinship, from a diner's perspective. Having gathered fourteen menus, I had absolutely *no* idea as to the correct order of them, and literally spent hours (multiple hours) piecing together my meals via the menus, subtle changes on the menus, a few receipts, and my credit card bills (I had no intention of coming here so many times, but it just kept calling me back, and got voted for a member-requested review, so I was left with everything in disarray, starting from next-to zero). On June 16th, I had my final meal in a restaurant for the summer - I'm taking three months off - no restaurants, no alcohol, only trace carbohydrates except sweet potatoes - and my next meal at a restaurant will be on September 18th, before I embark on a surgical strike of the many restaurants that I have forsaken of late: I have quite a bit of catching up to do, and catch up I will, hopefully writing two reviews per week until I'm satisfied that I have regained the mastery of DC restaurants that I have now temporarily lost, or at least misplaced. One will be decided by vote; the other decided on by me, based on the many restaurants I have neglected recently.

I hope it says something that for the first six months of 2016, I could have gone anywhere I wanted to for dinner; yet, I chose to dine at Kinship 14 times, without an expense account, using my own money, and I wasn't going to say anything about it to anybody. I had no intention of reviewing the restaurant (in fact, Eric specifically requested that I take the time I'd normally spend writing a review, and come back in for a nice meal instead). It also says quite a bit that I was able to piece together the menus in the correct order (at least, I *think* they're in the correct order), based almost entirely on small changes between the seasons. For example, when White Alban Truffles came off, Black Perigord Truffles went on. When Whole Roasted Turbot came off, whole roasted Dover sole went on. It is from these tiny changes that I was able to sleuth my way back into some semblance of order, and I'm now comfortable that I have my meals correct (or close to being correct) - all without taking any notes, or getting any help from the restaurant. The seasonality of Kinship is remarkable.

While I'm not going to dote on each drink and each course, I will say that Kinship is on the fast track to becoming the most important restaurant Washington, DC has ever known. I say this having never set foot in Métier: You're getting Cityzen-level cuisine from a hell-bent, driven genius who, this time around, has an equity stake in the restaurant. And you can walk in wearing a decent pair of jeans if you wish, and feel just as welcome as if you were dressed in black tie. Most people think Eric and Celia only have one child; I've witnessed first-hand that they have two. I won't embarrass Eric and Celia by making any grand proclamations (although I suppose I just did), but I will say that this is where I choose to dine when I'm not running all over town and country reviewing meals.

I apologize for the rough notes, and I'll be happy to fill in any questions - I thought it was more important to produce *something* than nothing at all, and this should be considered a historical document; not a review. I will fill in the rest of it later; right now, I'm too damn tired, and I'm just going to put it up in first-draft form.

1) 1/13 $242.60

Half-Bottle of Delamotte Champagne ($60), Torchon of White Mushrooms, Maine Lobster French Toast, Path Valley Farms Sunchokes, Kinship Roast Chicken, Sticky Toffee Pudding, 2 Decaf Coffees ($4) with Toffee

 

2) 1/17 $112.40

Small Bottle Sparkling Water ($5), Gimlet with Hayman Old Tom ($12), Oeuf à la Brick au Thon, Hungarian Sauerkraut, 1 Glass 2014 Jean-Paul Brun L'Ancien Beaujolais ($14) + 1/2 Glass ($6), Coffee ($4) with Toffee

3) 1/29 $149.50

I'll figure this out later.

4) 2/05 $145.50

Kinship Spritz ($6) with Cocchi Americano, Dolin Blanc, and Blanc de Blancs Sparkling, a glass of 2014 Jean-Paul Brun Beaujolais "L'Ancien" ($11), 12-Ounce Martin Ranch Dry-Aged Ribeye, a fuller-bodied red for the second part of the steak, a glass of 2014 Phillipe Plantevin Côtes du Rhone "Le Pérussier" ($9), Decaf Coffee ($4) with Toffee, which I took home, since I got an order of Valrhona Guanaja Custard Cake

 
5) 2/12 $129.50

1 Glass Chateau Monfort ($12), Fairytale Pumpkin Salad, Warm Smoked Pavé of Salmon, Ruby Red Grapefruit Terrine, 1 Glass Guirauton ($9), Double Order of Sunchokes To-Go (a man must have lunch the following day)

6) 3/10 $101.70

1 Glass Trienne Rosé ($10), Takenoko Tempura, Chesapeake Bay Rockfish, 1 Glass 2011 Tyler Bien Nacido Chardonnay ($20) 

7) 3/15 $164.60

Sicilian Spritz ($6) with Salted Blood Orange Cordial, Grapefruit, Club Soda, and Lime, The Bee Sting ($6) with Coffee-Infused Honey Syrup, Ginger Beer, and Lemon, Torchon of White Mushroom, Scallop Navarin, Maine Lobster French Toast, Double Creek Farm Rabbit, Black Rock Orchard Apple Confit, Decaf Coffee with Toffee, and a second Sicilian Spritz

8) 3/25 $144.40

Baby Beet Pot au Feu, Grilled Japanese Kuroge Beef

9) 4/2 $142.70

A glass of Francois Dilligent Champagne ($18), Maine Sea Urchin, Duck Ballotine, a glass of *perfectly aged* Littorai Pinot Noir - it might have been a 2000 "Thierrot Vineyard," but this was fully mature (more mature than you'd expect from a 2000), and truly special to the point of being profound in its clarity ($35), Kinship Ambrosia

10) 4/17 $218.80

Bottle of Jean-Claude Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé ($55), Goat Cheese Bavarois, Scallop Navarin, Herb-Roasted Bounty Hill Farm Rabbit, Rhubarb Clafoutis, and a glass of the 2014 Jean-Paul Brun Beaujolais "L'Ancien"

11) 4/19 $179.80

Bottle 2014 Gilbert Picq & ses Fils Chablis ($48), Takenoko Tempura, Louisiana Crayfish Panna Cotta, Petit Pois à la Française, Warm Pavé of Skuna Bay Salmon, 2 Decaf Coffee ($8) with Toffee

12) 4/23 $54.40 (Discounted Check, $50 Tip + Cash left for staff)

Torchon of White Mushrooms, Tongue Salmis, Goat Cheese Bavarois, Mango Crème Choux, Glass Sparkling Rosé, Glass Dessert Wine, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Soufflé, Coffee ($4) with Toffee (to go - was gone later that evening)

13) 5/8 134.70

Wolfhound ($14), Sorrel & Butterhead Lettuce Salad, Warm French White Asparagus, Glass Domaine Pichot ($12), Valrhona Custard Cake, Glass Raventos ($14)

14) 6/16 $183.60

Island Time, Garden Party, Chick Pea Falafel, Chesapeake Bay Softshell Crab, Roast Chicken, a second Island Time and Garden Party, and Whipped Chocolate Nougat

[Dr. Delicious]

How many people are the "For the Table" selections expected to satisfy?

[lotus125]

Just now, Dr. Delicious said:

How many people are the "For the Table" selections expected to satisfy?

It depends a lot on the item.  The cookie dough souffle (no longer on the menu) was basically a souffle for one.  The fishes, such as the dorade on the current menu, work well for two but could feed more if you added more small plates. 

[DonRocks]

8 hours ago, lotus125 said:

It depends a lot on the item.  The cookie dough souffle (no longer on the menu) was basically a souffle for one.  The fishes, such as the dorade on the current menu, work well for two but could feed more if you added more small plates. 

Lotus, from my experience, everything *but* the Soufflé is for two (the Clafoutis, for example, was enormous). Certainly, all the savory courses are for two people (or more, if you're structuring your meal that way): with the exception of the lobe of foie gras, which I haven't had, plan on generously sized entrees for two people. 

Regarding the lobe of foie gras, I know that it is (or was) the larger of the two lobes. Many years ago at CityZen, I split the *smaller* of the two lobes with one other person, and it was an unbelievable amount of food - it was decadence in excess. So, I would plan on the lobe of foie gras being a Gargantuan entree for two, or an appetizer for four - at $150, I suspect it's well-worth the money, and I was simply never with someone who wanted to invest that much of the meal in this one course; I would be delighted to get it.

Maybe for our Member-Influenced reviews, starting up again this autumn, I'll go with one-or-more of our members to whichever restaurant is selected. If Kinship is selected again, you won't have to twist my arm to order the lobe of foie gras ...

I also want to point out that several of those restaurants on the nomination list were nominated by Mix Meyer, who is no longer with us.  I may review those on my own, as a way to honor Mix.

[Bart]

7 hours ago, DonRocks said:

I suspect it's well-worth the money, and I was simply never with someone who wanted to invest that much of the meal in this one course; I would be delighted to get it.

When I read the above, my first response was, "Call me!"  Then I read the below:  (Yes and Yes! (to the Mix part)).

7 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Maybe for our Member-Influenced reviews, starting up again this autumn, I'll go with one-or-more of our members to whichever restaurant is selected. If Kinship is selected again, you won't have to twist my arm to order the lobe of foie gras ...

I also want to point out that several of those restaurants on the nomination list were nominated by Mix Meyer, who is no longer with us.  I may review those on my own, as a way to honor Mix.