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Showing results for tags 'Open Kitchen'.
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A return visit to Chinois on Main (my 14th visit over the past 12 years) continued to confirm my belief that this is an outstanding restaurant. Still, as part of heavy travel I've visited a number of better restaurants over the past month including Eve, Palena, Vidalia, Central, The Inn at Easton, Culpeper's Foti's, Philly's Amada, Hoboken's Cucharamama, Portland, Maine's Fore Street and Santa Clara's Parcel 104 among others. As I've noted elsewhere D. C.'s best (and I include Maestro, Citronelle and CityZen) in this statement are the equal of any in America. We are fortunate to have this level of excellence here. This is my 1000th post for whatever that means.
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- Santa Monica
- California-French Fusion
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Indigo is not cheap but it's worth it. Limited seating inside but a great patio for beautiful days like today (not sure what they'll do in cold weather "“ I guess more people will carry out). Very friendly and warm service. Family-owned and "“operated, and you can tell (in a good way). I had lunch here for the third time today and ordered the mango chicken for the second time. The first time I ordered it I didn't realize it was a special. I was disappointed that it wasn't available the second time I visited, but I ordered the butter chicken, which was also delicious. But the mango chicken is not something I often see on menus in the area (or anywhere for that matter), and I love it. Thinking back, I can't remember if the chalkboard menu described it as spicy (it may have?). What I got was definitely not spicy, and I wouldn't have minded some spice to counteract the sweetness of the mango. Nonetheless, I greatly enjoyed this dish. The chickpeas (chana masala?) served on the side, often an afterthought in other restaurants, were delicious as well with a deep flavor. My dining companion ordered dal, which I can usually take or leave, but this dal was amazing, smoky and complex. I could have eaten a big bowl of this dal with some rice and been satisfied. My dining companion is a native of Bombay/Mumbai and says this is as good as the best home cooking he had growing up. I'm not as much of a connoisseur (I ate Indian food for the first time in college), but I also love the food here!
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Help needed! and we pay for it Open kitchens are fun and exciting to work in. You get to see the entire dining room and patrons see your hard work, better yet, they taste it. Hearing `ahhs` is the best music you can listen during the service. We are hiring for a full time and a part time kitchen position. Email: ferhat@drifton7th.com with a resume please.
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- Shaw
- Drift on 7th
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I swear I've seen ongoing threads on both of these topics, but can't locate them so apologize if I'm in repeats. If one wanted to dine solo on a Sunday, where would you recommend? A place where you'd actually be made to feel well taken care of dining solo would I think be my only requirement. Bonus points if you could bring your own bottle of champagne for a reasonable corkage fee. Additional bonus points (I know I'm reaching here) if you could sit at an open kitchen type of arrangement like the 4x4 bar seats at Rogue 24 or the tasting menu option at Beuchert's. Oh, by Sunday I mean this Sunday so rez needed well in advance won't work. I'm not asking too much, am I?
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- Solo Dining
- Sunday Evening
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They opened the night before Thanksgiving to a packed house. The staff still seems a little shell shocked from Wednesday but they reported that Friday and last night were much better. At 7:00 it was packed. It should be noted that I am an unabashed fan of Palena so I do have a bit of a bias. But on to the details.... Going to the new space tonight was like going home to the house you grew up in after your parents have remodeled. It's warm and familiar, and the people are the same, but nothing is where you remember it. Those who worked at the old Palena are clearly enjoying their new home. It's fun watching them walk around in this mix between "Holly Shit, it finally happened" excitement and a sort of fog of "we are still Palena but we can't always find the champagne glasses because they are in a new place." The service isn't perfect and kitchen isn't yet up to speed and they know it. But they are in better shape than I've seen at other restaurants who are three days in. And the old timers on the staff are having a great time sharing their new digs. The menu is still a Chef Ruta'esque menu but there are signs that Jonathan Copeland is running the kitchen. Deviled eggs, duck rillets and one other item start the menu. The deviled eggs are a perfect example how good basic American food can taste when made with farm fresh ingredients. The main menu has a number of choices which are familiar: the burger, roasted chicken, gnocci and Caesar salad. The fries are there too, but it's only the shoestring, not the lemon or anything else you would find in the cafe (which is still operating in its regular manner). New additions include a pate, an antipasti which includes buratta, a veal dish and a steak. Finally, there are about half a dozen vegetable sides which I think are all $7. Seasonal veggies are of course the highlight. I had cauliflower ragu with a small, round pasta. It's warm and comforting with Chef's classic tomato ragu with black olives.. The pasta to cauliflower ratio was higher on the pasta side than I would like though since it's a vegetable side dish. For a main I had the gnocci with meat ragu. The soft pillows of gnocci are the same ones found in the other two dinning rooms. The final big new item is that there is a head to tail beef dinner which will be served family style. There is a minimum of 6 people and you have to give at least 24 hours notice but it only costs $50. I don't have any other details but already have plans to go. --- Click here to read Palena Cafe posts written before Thanksgiving, 2010 (interspersed with the main dining room thread since it previously offered both menus). And, had you not randomly met some guy sitting next to you at the bar many years ago, this website might not exist.
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- Cleveland Park
- Cafe
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