Jump to content

lhollers

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    162

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    5

 Content Type 

Everything posted by lhollers

  1. lhollers
    Didn't see an existing thread on Bar Boheme, but there should be - these are some outstanding sandwiches. In Union Market, right beside Chef McCoy's other spot, Lucky Buns. We've tried the Lastarria, the Jambon Buerre, the Club Royale, the Fancy BLT, the Tacchino, and the Italiano. Designed to be a "European-style" sandwich spot, they bake the bread they use in-house, and make a lot of the ingredients themselves. They also have biodynamic wines and pour an excellent Negroni. With the nicer weather and the Union Market roof open for kids to run around, Bar Boheme has been a go-to for us for the past few weeks. Huge fan.
  2. lhollers
    Very much agree with Mark on the latter part of his post (we didn't make a reservation for a Monday night and were immediately seated). Went in with no real expectations, and were pleasantly surprised at everything we ordered except for the short rib, which was bad. One weak dish out of six, with multiple other dishes being well above average. Still hate the name, but we'll be back for sure. Edited to add: also, cocktails are $18...I get it, that's kind of the new normal, but in this economy? What am I, Rockefeller??
  3. lhollers

    Ivy City?

    lhollers replied to saf's topic in Help Needed

    I know it's nothing new or special, but the meals we've had at Via Ghibellina have been great.
  4. lhollers
    In a game that had little to nothing to cheer about for Nats fans outside of a moonshot Soto home run and an amazing relay to nail Pete Alonso at home, the Nashville Hot fried chicken sandwich from Roaming Rooster was a standout. The new system they have is an utter and absolute shitshow - you can jump in the regular line, or you scan a QR code and preorder but then just stand in another line where you show the number to the person working and they grab your order. Was not in any way faster than just being in the normal line, and seemed incredibly inefficient, almost prohibitively so. All that said, that was one of the best sandwiches I've had, in a ballpark or outside of one, in a long time. Was one of the busiest stands in the park last night, so everything was coming out hot and fresh, and the chicken was crunchy and juicy and spicy and really well-built. Will be making a return visit at tonight's game to see if that sandwich was a lucky break or the norm, and to see if the clusterf*ck of a system has been at all addressed overnight.
  5. lhollers
    Had a little babymoon overnight in Middleburg last Thursday, and can very much echo the praises for Knead's pizza. These were some of the best pizzas we've had in a long, long time. Got the Margherita (bright, sweet, acidic, and not skimpy on the basil), the Trucks (brilliant idea adding the pistachios for some textural contrast and lingering bitterness), and the Hendrix (the winner of the three, with incredible rough-ground fennel sausage and a garlic cream sauce). Wonderful blistering / char on the crust, and a really nice lactic tang in the dough. What a great addition to Middleburg, and worth a scenic drive from DC.
  6. lhollers
    Carly bought him out of Himitsu, though he'll still be a partner for a couple weeks.
  7. lhollers
    Himitsu and the upcoming Emilie's (both by Kevin Tien...well, Himitsu for a bit longer, at least) both used the same system to raise pre-opening funds.
  8. lhollers
    Also some of the best peel and eat shrimp in the area!
  9. lhollers
    Glad you made it to Big Board, though that day's level of packed was highly irregular.
  10. lhollers
    I would agree with this in large part, save for Little Serow, numerous dishes of which have been comparable to some of the best meals / bites I had throughout Thailand. Highly recommend!
  11. lhollers
    This is actually super interesting - does that prohibition apply only to "convenience" stores? (However that may be defined in statute.) I only ask because the new Craft Beer Cellar on 3rd and H NE allows you to build your own six-pack...wonder if you could just buy one beer (I've bought only four 16-oz. cans on occasion, but never less), or if you're forced to buy two to avoid violating that regulation. Thanks for the info!
  12. lhollers
  13. lhollers
    100% in agreement. Went with three others (myself and another are both former roommates of [new homeowner!] Chef Kevin's, and two others were in from out of town) on Saturday night. Amazing, as always. Walk in, say "please tell Chef to send out whatever he wants," say the same to Carlie, and settle in for the night. Funnily, Kevin's [also a new homeowner!] girlfriend and a big crew of our homies rolled in right after us. We got seated as a 4-top right away (this was at probably 9:45 pm). Fryer is on point - fried oysters were fantastic, plump and juicy and oceanic and paired with a bright green garlic spinach puree and dusted with fermented spinach powder. There's a new-ish squash dish that's Kevin's take on elote, covered in cojita cheese and popped sorghum that looks like mini popcorn. Charred radicchio was good, but you have to like bitter flavors. Composed raw fish dishes are still the Chef's forte; the hamachi with a fish sauce, thai chili, and orange vinaigrette has been on the menu since Day One (still great), but he has a new dish of bigeye tuna and compressed watermelon that's visually gorgeous and really, really delicious. Karaage because of course, and cabbage e pepe because innovative. Favorite dish of the night was the new tomato and strawberry salad that @jca76 referenced above - the parsley and tarragon puree that sauces this dish is insane. Bottle this, please. @Gadarene couldn't have put it better: this is one of the best restaurants in DC, hands-down.
  14. lhollers
    Went with a few others last Thursday night, and had the same experience we always do - super fun atmosphere and service / outstanding food. Highlights for us were the spicy laab, the pork curry (more like a porridge, and super good with the crisp raw vegetables alongside), and (surprisingly) the shrimp toast, which was almost like a pate spread into a warm brioche loaf. Note: the lamb ribs are straight-up not good. I love Erik, I love James, and I love the place...but the lamb ribs just aren't a good dish. Tough, stringy, gristly; maybe we got a bad batch, but the fried chicken here is just too perfect an entree (and the whole fish too perfect a substitute if you aren't feeling chicken) to waste time trying the lamb ribs. I get the intent, but the flavors and execution weren't there. But, takeaway: still hip! still fun! still great food!
  15. lhollers
    They do, but as Mark said, it's not really a huge focus. All beers are $5 during happy hour, and most are marked off between $0.50 and $1 at any given point throughout the night. (From regular prices of $6-7.)
  16. lhollers
    More than once, I remember looking up to see Brad darting in from across the street to take a break and grab some wings before heading back over to the kitchen at Boundary Road. Dude loves the Big Board's wings, as do I.
  17. lhollers
    AGREED. Also, miss you.
  18. lhollers
    @Mark Dedrick, sorry, just saw this. Definitely! I'll always have a place in my heart for it, as I ran their cocktail program for a while, but I think it's one of the better, more authentic, low-key French bistros in DC. Their happy hour is virtually unknown, but is ridiculous: half price off all beers (normally $4-$6), wines by the glass (normally $10-$12), and cocktails (normally $11); and on Tuesdays, they have half price cheese and charcuterie. Hard to beat the L'assiete des Moissons, a huge slate slab of three French cheeses, three charcuteries (usually two pates and a saucisson sec), jams and nuts, and a little side salad for $11. Also some of the best baguettes I've had in DC (made and picked up daily from a bakery in NW, though I don't remember which). Cheers!
  19. lhollers
    I have not, but $10 is also a steal, and Dino's consistently pumps out some ridiculously high-quality food relative to the price. Will report back! You're probably right, and I haven't been in a month or so...I'm a huge fan of thinner, crispier fries, and have always found Granville's to be a little too limp for my taste. Dipping sauce game is on point, though. I still think Le Grenier serves the best french fries on H St. Cheers!
  20. lhollers
    A.k.a. amazing mussels and mediocre fries. That $12 Mussel Monday is so hard to beat, though...
  21. lhollers
    Lived in San Francisco for three years prior to moving to DC, my apartment a few short blocks from Swan's. Your recap brought back a ton of awesome memories of taking out-of-town friends here for an outstanding experience.
  22. lhollers
    Have you been to El Sol, between Logan Circle and the Convention Center? I'm beyond miles away from being any type of Mexican food expert, but they have some delicious meals in addition to their outstanding tacos. ETA: Sorry, I'm a dummy - someone else already asked you this. (I review posts from oldest to newest and hadn't yet seen that they asked you the exact same thing...my fault.) [Don't worry about it - you committed no crime! Rocks]
  23. lhollers
    @DonRocks, sorry - poor writing on my part in the original response. I'm not in the food service industry; I just meant that when we've *dined at Hazel, we've been pretty clear that we want the plates coursed out. They've usually responded well to that, and we haven't had the trouble that you ran into with too many dishes piling up at once. And I do appreciate the thanks, though it's unnecessary - I think that everyone on this site recognizes the sacrifices you've made (and continue to make) to make this such an enjoyable and well-read forum. I'll continue to trumpet it as often as I can. I was more just giving you shit for the snide remark about the BYT Round-Up (of which I was a part). Not a big deal. I readily admit that, at least at BYT, we aren't exactly professional critics...just trying to keep the target demographic informed. Cheers!
  24. lhollers
    Sorry about the coursing at Hazel - we've usually been pretty upfront that we don't want a table full of plates, and they've accommodated. You'll have to get back and try some of Chef Rubba's other dishes. I was also not a huge fan of the gnocchi...which is weird because I love gnocchi and I love Korean flavors. Just not together, apparently. Kind of an unnecessary shot for a site that preaches civility, but fair enough. FWIW, I've never once referred to myself as (or claimed to be) a "food writer," nor do I consider myself an "expert." I just love talking about food and writing about it every now and then.
  25. lhollers
    Attended a media dinner last night, and was able to sample the majority of the menu. Space is gorgeous; knowing Maria, that's to be expected. Menu is very tight and concise, focused on traditional Italian small plates (divided between four $7 "nibbles" and four $14 "small plates"), pasta made daily in-house, and a few separate main courses (think short rib, braised sea bass, and roasted maitake mushrooms). Pasta menu has three traditional preparations ($22 each) and three "Seasonal" preparations ($25) that will rotate. There's also an option of putting together a three-pasta tasting for $60. Pastas were outstanding, as one might expect from a Fabio Trabocchi kitchen - highlight was definitely the Hand-Rolled Tagliatelle with three grams of umami-laden Alba white truffles shaved into the sauce; I also loved the old-school square white casserole dish in which the pasta was served...reminded me of my mom's Tuna Helper casseroles back in good ol' South Dakota. Wine list is very heavily focused on Italy, with a couple California bottles sprinkled into the super expensive bottle list. Overall, though, I was *very* pleasantly surprised at the affordability of the entire menu (including wines and cocktails). It's a mere two blocks from the Van Ness red line stop, so should be easily accessible for most, even though it's pretty deep NW. Like all the other Trabocchi restaurants, this one should kill. Cheers!
×
×
  • Create New...