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Josh

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  1. Josh
    If you are lucky, on the weekends, Fiona sets out bake-at-home fish pies of various flavors/fish types. We've had 4 or 5 over the past several months and have never once been disappointed.
  2. Josh
    Sad to say that my experience at Boss Shepherd's has also been mixed. My first and 2nd visits (at the bar) were great. Friendly bartenders, great fried chicken, solid bourbon. The 3rd visit, with out of town guests who are very into whiskey was just short of a disaster. The food was excellent, but our service was abysmal. Drink ordering was almost comical, as they were out of 4/5 bourbon/ryes that we tried to order. Once drinks were ordered, long waits ensued before they came, one...by...one. The waiter was very difficult to understand, and kept calling my wife and the other women at the table "Lady." (As in, "Do you want another drink Lady? What else you want Lady?). It was like being waited on by Jerry Lewis. I would still recommend the place, but probably only if you're sitting at the bar, and don't have your heart set on adventuring out into bourbons you've never had before.
  3. Josh
    Don't they have some ownership interest in Hikari on H St. NE? After a couple disappointing trips there, we haven't been back, so I have no idea how it does business-wise.
  4. Josh
    We stopped in for a late-night bite last night after seeing "Boyhood" at the Angelika Pop-up at Union Market (which I highly recommend). Glad to see Ocopa is still putting out great food, even late on a frigid weeknight. Service was smooth, and the wait for my "Traditional Chilcano" wasn't long at all. I dug the drink (which is basically a Moscow Mule with Pisco, I think), but I think it would be better in the warmer months. Our mixto ceviche was fantastic, though the leche de tigre was a bit tamer than our first visit. They have also moved from a brunoise of sweet potato to larger cubes. Of course we had to have the anticuchos de corazon again, and they were once again perfectly grilled to medium-rare. I could eat them all day. The mixto platter of causitas was interesting, but ultimately not something I would order again. These were 3 different protein/sauce preparations served over a ball of mashed potato. The crab and chicken versions were too close in flavor to one another. They were both very good, I just wouldn't feel the need to get one of each next time. The escbachado was the best of the 3: fried smelt, pickled red onion, sweet potato, and a beautiful purple sauce whose color I think comes from olives. I can't wait for warm weather to return so I can sit at the bar overlooking H St. with the windows open, chasing down ceviche with a cold Cusquena.
  5. Josh
    I don't think anyone has mentioned the khao soi yet, but my wife and I shared that and the kua kling for lunch yesterday. The khao soi was absolutely delicious...thick, rich, warming curry broth, contrasting soft and crunchy noodles, fall-off-the-bone chicken thigh, and just the right amount of sour cabbage to cut through the curry. It'll be hard for me not to order that again when we go back. The kua kling was certainly hot, but with a good complexity of flavor underneath the heat. It was served simply, with steamed rice on the side, and I'm sure that's traditional, but I would love to use the pork in a ssam-like preparation, with sticky rice and lettuce leaves. I think something acidic would have been a nice addition (even as simple as a squeeze of lime). Our little guy had the grilled pork neck, which was good but not as deeply caramelized as our first visit, and a side of eggplant with sesame and ginger. This was a nice, flavorful but mild (heat-wise) compliment to the other dishes we had. The eggplant was nicely cooked in that it retained some structure and "bite" and wasn't mushy at all.
  6. Josh
    After spending some time at the Playseum on Barracks Row with the little dude on a rainy Saturday, we ran a couple buildings over to Matchbox for lunch. My first impression of the space was that I felt like I just walked into a chain restaurant in the suburbs (which I guess is kind of what Matchbox has become). Service was nice, if nondescript. (That's a good thing in my book.) They were kind enough to bring over a kid's menu and crayons, but I ended up sharing food with E from the main menu. We had a chopped salad and the "oven dried tomato and fresh mozzarella" pizza. I was looking forward to the spicy meatball, but figured I'd play it safe with the 2-year old. Everything was fine...but I really missed the pizza from our standard weekend pizzeria, Menomale. The place was slammed, so people clearly like what they're putting out. While I can't poke any big holes in the product, I can't really say that it is worth choosing over better pies at Menomale (or Ghibelline or Etto if we feel like venturing across North Capitol). I can't decide if I'm crazy for thinking this, but doesn't it seem logical that a pizza place would have some sort of child's size pizza on their children's menu? They had the standard mac and cheese, chicken fingers, etc....but no pizza. Odd, I think. Then again, Menomale doesn't have a kid's menu and we are regular customers there...
  7. Josh
    I just can't muster much sympathy on this topic. Slowing traffic in urban settings saves lives. The evidence suggests a big difference in pedestrian injury severity when the car is going 25 vs. 30 or 35 mph. Click. And actually, there are warnings...DC mandated that zones with speed cameras post a yellow warning sign on the speed limit signs before you get to the camera.
  8. Josh
    I haven't heard of anyone getting a ticket for going less than 5 mph over the limit...
  9. Josh
    How about slow down, follow the speed limit, and stop at red lights (and stop signs) when you're driving in the District? Can that really be so hard to do?
  10. Josh
    We got caught in the Taqueria Habanero tractor beam last weekend and found ourselves right back for more yesterday. Having now had all of the meats in either taco or huarache form, I feel pretty comfortable calling this place the best taqueria in the area (overtaking Taqueria La Placita in my ranking). Stand-outs are the al pastor, lengua, and barbacoa. Lengua is my go-to, and the version here is kind of the Platonic ideal...crispy on the outside and meltingly tender in the center. I can't decide if I like it more with the fresh green salsa or the smoky red. Either way, a small sprinkling of the habanero on top adds a perfect amount of heat. Don't overlook a side of nopales...cactus strips blistered with onions and served with lime. They've had chicken in mole poblano on both visits, but I couldn't talk myself out of tacos...maybe next week.
  11. Josh
    Seoulia is in heavy rotation when I'm in my Laurel office (competing only with Da Rae Won, Yia Yia's, and Pho 88). Everything I've had there has been great. In general, I stick to the soups, and all have been winners. The pajeon is great (and massive), and the dolsot bibimbap is a fine rendition. They were advertising duk bo ki this past week. For $12.99 you get an embarrassingly large serving of rice cakes, fish cake, and bean thread coated in red pepper and soaked in fiery red sauce...and topped with 4 pan-fried mandu. Between that and the banchan, that $12.99 covered 3 full meals over the next couple of days. With winter upon us, one could do much worse than the various hot soups on offer withiin a very small radius in Beltsville.
  12. Josh
    I would sign up for that.
  13. Josh
    Bullfrog announced on twitter yesterday that you can now place online orders for pick-up Saturday and Sunday. From the description, you have to place your order prior to 10pm the night before to ge guaranteed a pick up time, but this may help the wait-factor. Instructions on their website
  14. Josh
    To modify the saying slightly...Say hi this time. My wife and I have 9:30 reservations. I wear black glasses and a beard. Stop by if you're still around.
  15. Josh
    Man, if I could transplant Soba-ya from the East Village in NYC down here I would be a very happy camper.
  16. Josh
    I've had each of these sandwiches multiple times at the Union Market location. I'm not going to go on record saying they are revelatory, but they sure aren't worse than Potbelly. What went wrong that these were unfinshable "unmitigated disasters?" Was the bread made of acid or something?
  17. Josh
    Actually, I would bet it's sansyo...
  18. Josh
    This whole debate boils down to a difference in what a "reservation" means to people. I'm of the (apparently majority) opinion that a reservation is a sort of contract with the restaurant. I wouldn't reserve a table unless I had decided on my plans for a certain evening. When I travel, this means I spend (too much) time poring over reviews and menus to decide where to eat. I normally pick a backup or 2 to call if I can't get a spot at my first choice. Adam seems to view reservations, at least ones made several days out, to be more of a "bookmark," to be reviewed and cancelled when a firmer decision is made. I find this practice irksome, but as Don rightly points out, this is likely the new reality, and instead of just shaking a fist at the sky, we should start thinking of new ways of dealing. I wonder if one option might be to offer a much larger number of reservations early on (say a month or more out) with the option, but no requirement to secure with a card. Baked into this would be the idea that if you secured with a card, you would be guaranteed not to be "bumped." Some specified period before the night of the reservation, everyone would be required to secure with a card. It would be filled on a first come first served basis, so that if the spot you had an unsecured "reservation" for had already been secured by someone else with a card, you'd be out of luck. Seems awfully complicated now that I wrote it out, but it sounded simpler in my head.
  19. Josh
    Don, I can't tell. Are you being facetious?
  20. Josh
    Hmm...This strategy strikes me as ethically dubious. Certainly better than no-call/no-showing, but you are knowingly booking a table for a restaurant you have no intention of visiting. In the case of large and very popular places like Rasika and CityZen, it's probably less of an issue, but I could see that hurting a smaller place.
  21. Josh
    Ah...well that sounds fantastic too! Interesting...I've always made my Martinez with equal parts vermouth and gin...but definitely with an Old Tom. Sounds like I have 2 new gin drink variations to try.
  22. Josh
    What you're describing is a Martinez...and yes, they are quite delicious.
  23. Josh
    Exactly. My avatar notwithstanding, I agree with Dean. Do you want a chilled shot of gin in a fancy glass? Just ask for it. A martini is a specific cocktail containing gin and vermouth. Would anyone consider bemoaning the difficulty of getting a "dry" manhattan? I never understood this.
  24. Josh
    Just to pile on the CityZen love, we celebrated my wife's birthday there this week, and once again affirmed that it is hands down the top find dining experience to be had in DC.
  25. Josh
    Bullfrog Bagels did a few pop-ups around the city, but has now opened a permanent store on one side of the Star and Shamrock bar on the East end of H St. I stopped in around 8:30 this morning, and there was a line of about 18 people. The selection today included all the standard bagels as well as a reasonable looking bialy. I needed to get in and out quickly, so decided against any of the breakfast sandwiches (egg & cheese, lox, smoked whitefish, etc.), and got a sesame and everything bagel to go, with sides of scallion/chive and smoked salmon cream cheese. The little guy got a bialy. The everything bagel was indeed everything. Almost, but not quite too salty (which is the perfect amount of salty for a bagel), with a shiny, dark brown outside and perfectly chewy inside. This was a damn fine bagel. The sesame looked like it could've used a few more minutes in the oven, and was a bit pale and soft on the outside. Overall, it was still a pretty good bagel, but didn't compare to the other. I'm not much of a bialy expert, but this one at least looked like the ones I remember from NYC. Nice softened onions and poppy seeds filled the middle. Given the crowd, they're definitely filling a need. Another day, another quality opening on H St.
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