jasonrhoades

As Betty said, we decided to give NoPa a try on Friday evening. My first thought/fear when we got there was that its location would encourage it to lower its standards to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Unfortunately, upon seeing that one of its only eight taps dedicated to Bud Light, my fear was confirmed. However, to try and somehow elevate the thought of drinking Bud Light with brasserie faire, they charge the exact same amount for it as you would pay for every other beer on the menu, including some decent imports (except one, the domestic Goose Island Matilda XXX, which they charge $14 for and were out of, undoubtedly because there is always a certain segment that will buy the most expensive beer because it is the most expensive). With that said, I decided to momentarily block the beers from my mind and go with one of NoPa's signature cocktails, the "800 F & Tonic," with house-made tonic. Now, making your own tonic is mildly impressive, so I was hoping for something tasty. Unfortunately, in this case, "house-made" means "flat." At this point, it may sound like I had a horrible time at NoPa. That is not true. I loved the rosemary rolls and butter that were brought out fairly quickly. I also really liked the fried chicked and duck confit. The smoked salmon croquettes indeed tasted more like dill mashed potato croquettes, but I like that. I just wouldn't pay for them expecting an actual salmon flavor. I had a real hard time with the octopus. See, I LOVE olives of any kind. I can eat them day and night. To my surprise, that doesn't mean I necessarily like an olive reduction. This poor octopus, though well cooked, was swimming in an inky, briny sea of too much of a good thing. I found myself wanting to ask the bartender to rinse them all off and bring them back to me so I could actually taste the octopus and delay the ruining of my pallette with all the salt that was missing from the fried chicken...and then some. Dessert was awesome. I will have to disagree with Betty on her issues with the two ice creams that came with our selections. I thought they complimented each dish well and stayed true to what they advertised. By the time we had dessert though, I had eaten the majority of the octopus, so my sense of taste could have very well been tainted. Overall, seeing as how NoPa is new, I'd give it another chance, though not for a while. It needs to figure out what crowd it wants to cater to and stick with it. Also, it needs some time to work out its flavors. I would have had no idea NoPa was the product of the owner of Rasika. I have to hope that they are able to figure themselves out and provide their desired experience, given a little more time. There were so many good things about our experience, that it would be a shame if we couldn't come to rely on NoPa in the future.

Betty gave a good synopsis and analysis of our dinner last night, but there are a couple of points I wanted to expand on and a couple of points to add. First, I loved that there was so much space at the bar, with such a good view of the kitchen. I loved every bite of food we had, save the brandade, but that is a personal issue I have with things that taste "fishy". Betty loved it, so I'll take her word that it tasted exactly as it was supposed to. The beer selection was good, though it seemed to me that it leaned more towards a cooler weather time and less towards the upcoming summer. That doesn't mean there weren't a few selections for warmer weather, but the only two draught selections were dark. Maybe they are on the cusp of changing seasons and just getting rid of the initial stock. It would be nice, in the future, to have the draughts available written down somewhere so you don't have to ask the bartender. It was hard enough to get her attention to actually order something. Adding times to waive her down to ask questions isn't fun. That said, I will forgive a lot when you have sparkling water on tap. Yum! Again though, it would have been nice to know that up front, rather than having to watch her pour for someone else, guess what it was, flag her down to ask, then ask for some for myself. I have to echo Betty's sentiment about feeling like we were uninvited guests when there were regulars around. We had a great view of the managers/owners who tended to stand at the back of the bar/front of the kitchen and talk to each other and the bartenders, unless there were regulars dining. When the regulars were around, the managers would lavish them with attention. The bartenders would follow the managers' lead, as would be expected. On the few occasions that we were able to get the bartender to say more than a word or two to us, it was obvious that she knew her stuff and had the capability of being very welcoming. I just wish we were treated like guests you hoped would return, rather than patrons at a museum whom you are obliged to share your knowledge to, but don't plan on seeing again. I think we'll be back to The Red Hen, as it was convenient to get to, with very good fare. I just hope we are treated a little more hospitably - not because we've been there before, but because that's just how you treat people, whether they're in town for one night, or live next door.

When I die, whether I go to heaven, hell, get reincarnated, or simply become one with the universe again, I hope they serve those jalapeno cheese squares. I had a great time meeting everyone and I hope to be able to be at the next event!

I would hate for you to take up space in your fridge with a beer you don't enjoy. You just let me know and I'll gladly relieve you of this burden. I'm just a giving guy, I guess.

Hi Everyone - My name is Jason and I am the husband of fellow member bettyjoan. I lived up here in DC when I went to law school, before going to Atlanta for a few years. Just moved back to DC yesterday and I am looking forward to catching up on the food and beer scenes - especially the beer! The biggest thing I will miss about Atlanta is Taco Mac, where you can try over 1,000 unique beers, if you put in the work. I only got to 575 before I left, so I'm hoping to find some new stuff here, along with some old favorites. Oh yeah - and I'm currently an out of work lawyer. We moved back so bettyjoan could take a big promotion with her federal agency, so if you have any leads, feel free to pass them on!

The Bruery Sour in the Rye is my new favorite Sour. It's got the requisite sour taste with a ton of complexity and funk! I've only seen it in Atlanta, but the brewer is in California, so I see no reason why someone shouldn't be able to find it lurking around somewhere here in DC.