Josh
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Dining Guide
Everything posted by Josh
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On H: Ethiopic, Boundary Rd, Liberty Tree. Menomale is definitely used to kids since mine has been a regular there for 2 of his 2 years. Brookland's Finest is also super family-friendly. Dino's is a great choice if you want to head over to Shaw. Even further across town, Ghibellina and Etto were very cool with kids.
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Go to St. John's Bread and Wine...Dine on the early side and you'll have no problem with a toddler. I doubt they have high chairs though. Same with Nopi.
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Based on our visit last night, Ocopa is a place that should be getting more love than it is. We sat at one of the few tables along the wall, so I can't comment on whether or not they've remedied the bar stool situation Mark described above. The space is nice...smart looking and edgy without trying too hard. It is quite small, but didn't feel cramped. Granted, they were only about 60% full last night, so that may not hold true if it's packed. Service was competent and friendly, though the wait for drinks was a bit excessive. (Sietsema also commented on that in his First Bite column.) While we waited for our cocktails, we munched on addictively salty corn nuts, and sipped on a kind of fruit punchy concoction that was brought out to each table gratis. My traditional Pisco Sour was well made, and the care that went into making it was obvious. My wife had the "Chief" Pisco Sour, which added some herbal/savory notes to the standard recipe (I think thyme made an appearance, but I don't remember for sure). The classic ceviche was fantastic...bite-sized, meaty chunks of mackerel (the fish changes based on what was fresh and available that day), slivers of red onion, and marinated sweet potato cut into a perfect brunoise. The leche de tigre was pleasantly but not aggressively spicy, with a nice backbone of ginger. At this point in the meal, it was clear that however the rest of the night went, we would gladly come back for more Pisco and ceviche. Next up was the corazon anticucho. Two skewers of fantastically tender and perfectly grilled beef hearts. Another course, another big win. Every meal has ups and downs, and the only (mild) downturn of the night was the Chaufa (Fried quinoa and rice with lobster). This was by no means bad...in fact we wolfed it down pretty quickly, but of everything we ate last night, it was the only thing we wouldn't order again. The dominant flavor was of soy sauce, which is fine for fried rice, but I was left wanting something more. The chunks of lobster throughout were fine, but not seasoned...seemingly mixed in as an afterthought. Egg was incorporated as squares of omelet, but I think the dish would be several times better if it were served with a runny egg on top to tie everything together. Finally, we had the Carapulcra, and I heartily agree with Mark's take above. This was fantastic food for a rainy night. Pieces of stewed pork belly melting together with the dried-then-rehydrated potatoes, and topped with candied peanuts. We left feeling pleasantly full and excited to have Ocopa in the hood. It's great to see a serious restaurant open on that end of H.- 26 replies
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- H Street Corridor
- Peruvian
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DC Harvest was profiled in Sietsema's First Bite column today.
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Well, they haven't been open long, so hopefully they can make adjustments. Based on our meal, I'd recommend the tri-tip steak. The kid's portion my son had was actually quite good.
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Ask and ye shall receive. TL:dr version, DC Harvest is a pleasant restaurant whose food just doesn't measure up. The interior (at least downstairs) is warm and welcoming (except for a jarringly out of place neon corn logo on the back wall of the dining room). They put in a large, curved bar that really eats up all the space up front. We made reservations online, and requested a high chair in the comments section. I was shocked (in a very good way) that our table was ready on arrival, with a high chair already waiting. Nice touch. I honestly didn't pore over the drink list too closely, as I already knew I wanted a beer. Their draft list is a nice selection of local brews, and I went with the Port City Monumental IPA, while my wife chose better with the 3-Stars peppercorn Saison. We started with chilled avocado soup with pickled shrimp and an heirloom tomato salad with thai basil vinaigrette. The soup was very simple, with not much else going on other than avocado. The problem was that it was very, very thick (like almost hummus consistency)...all fine, except they tried to serve it by pouring it tableside, but ended up having to shake the carafe like a ketchup bottle to get the soup out. I honestly had to stifle a laugh. The tomato salad was super-rustic, with quarters of tomatoes placed simply on the plate with a heavy-handed dose of vinaigrette. I found it a touch too salty (which is saying something), but overall, our first courses were fine. My wife went with a vegetarian pasta choice: ricotta/kale agnolotti in a tomato confit sauce with eggplant. This dish was flat out bad. The pasta had a very unappetizing graininess to it, and unfortunately didn't have any discernible flavor to offset the texture. The sauce was simlilarly flat, and really needs to be re-worked. There were pieces of eggplant scattered around that also suffered from a lack of seasoning. These might have worked if they offered any sort of textural contrast, but they were soggy, and really added nothing. I had the daily special, a smoked-then-braised brisket. Our waiter (who was in a very "suggestive" mood...just on the wrong side of annoying with his attempts at upselling) "strongly" suggested I add a starch, so I ordered a side of roasted fingerling potatoes. Turns out, the brisket comes with a reasonably portioned side of simply sauteed zucchini, so I don't know what he was going for there. The brisket was completely forgettable, and sadly quite dry. It was served with what must have been a single spoonful of braising liquid over the top. I do compliment them on their kid's menu, which offers real food instead of crap. The boy had a petit steak, cooked perfectly med-rare, and served with fingerling potatoes. His steak was easily the best thing served at the table all night. For dessert, we had the honey-walnut tart, which the waiter strongly suggested we pair with one of their dessert wines...we chose not to this time. The tart was unfortunately quite dry, and we left a lot behind. The slices of pluot served alongside were pretty tasty, though. I really hate to give such a poor review to a place just a block and a half from my house, but it is what it is. I know they are aiming for a kind of rustic simplicity, but all of the dishes we had indicate they have a ways to go to translating that simplicity to dishes that are worth shelling out $18 or $23 for. I think they may also want to tweak the service-style a bit to a more laid-back, neighborhoody vibe. I look forward to hearing other reports back over the next few months, but we won't be rushing back for dinner.
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- H Street Corridor
- Modern American
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A note to folks with kids: Dino's brunch is perfect. Mom and Dad can head in the breakfast or lunch direction, and so can the wee one. As our son has gotten older (he's turning 2 this month), we've gotten bolder with our Sunday brunch choices. While we've had great meals at a number of places of varying levels of "sophistication" (for lack of better word), Dino's certainly makes it the easiest, with an amazingly large array of modestly priced choices for kids. (Today Elliott decided on roast vegetables and a cheddar and mortadella panini.) (For other parents reading this, we've had good times at Estadio, Ghibellina, Hank's, Belga Cafe, Brookland's Finest, and of course, our neighborhood stalwart, Boundary Road. At most of these places, even if there isn't a specific kid's menu, you can cobble together a good meal with sides/bites from mom and dad.)
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I'm in agreement with Don. ETR is fantastic all around. I love the juxtaposition of the fine-dining food with the laid back bar setting. It's kind of become the only restaurant I want to go to anymore.
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I spoke via email with the Rose's employee who manages the email reservation system. It is a 2-step system. Clicking on "Reserve" from the listing of available dates/times does not hold the reservation. There is a button on the next page that you must click to actually hold the reservation. I think it's somewhat unclear, and don't like the idea that it allows you to enter your credit card info without first holding the reservation, but it seems to work for most people. This system differs from the one at, say Momofuku Ko where one click gets you from the listing of available times to a held reservation.
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My son and I had a great dinner at Dino's last night while mom was out with her friends. I made a reservation, but at 7pm on Tuesday, we were one of only 5 or so tables in the restaurant. The staff couldn't have been nicer, promptly bringing a sippy cup with water and crayons for the boy and a glass of orange wine for dad. My starter of grilled white peach and "Tuscan bacon" (lightly cured pork belly) topped with balsamic vinegar was good, and made excellent by a pinch of salt over each of the 3 morsels. My half-portion of wild boar pasta was the perfect size to leave me pleasantly full, but not bursting at the seams. The kid's menu is beyond fantastic, and for that reason, I forsee the staff at Dino getting to know my son quite well. He had roasted vegetables in tomato sauce, simply (but perfectly) grilled fish, and roasted potatoes. The portions were extremely generous, but Elliott made a valiant effort to get through everything. I love restaurants like Dino (and Boundary Road) that put real food out for kids. We finished up with the almond torte with cinnamon gelato...I'm not so much a dessert person, but no meal with a toddler can finish without cries for "cake." The tort was fine, the gelato better.
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I agree with your take here. I actually lived in the East Village when Noodle Bar was just getting started, and later when Ssam opened. Chang and the rest of the staff there were always interested in how people in the neighborhood perceived their restaurants, and you would actually see pretty major changes happen according to that feedback. Ssam is a prime example of that flexibility...it actually started as kind of an Asian Chipotle concept that was not very well-received. The food was good, but I think people just didn't know what to do with it. I lived and worked just across the street, and would stop in for lunch pretty frequently. I remember Chang coming in one day and sitting with those of us eating and just asking for some honest feedback and advice as to what might work better. He ultimately ditched the whole burrito concept and morphed it into the wildly successful version that's there now.
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- New York Chain
- Downtown
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Wow, that's unfortunate. I haven't experienced anything like that in 4 or 5 visits. I hope this isn't a case of having to roll the dice on whether Chef Ogawa is there or not. I am sure he knows how to properly roll maki.
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Damn you, Kliman!!! This was supposed to be a secret. Good to hear. We never actually had the spicy rolls, but saw one at a table nearby. Since my initial report, we've been a handful of times. The quality rose appreciably from December to our last visit in July. Now that we can enjoy a cold beer with our nigiri, there really isn't a reason to head anywhere outside of Capitol Hill for sushi. One note: Kliman laments that he wasn't able to try the turkey shumai...He wasn't missing much. If you told me they were mass-produced and frozen I would believe you. Skip them and get more sushi.
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- Capitol Hill
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Well that explains why some jackass stole ours from the bathroom changing table while my wife was changing my son's diaper. I hope they impale themselves on the pointy hat.
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- Southeast
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This is in no way meant snidely or disrespectfully, but I wonder if the visceral reaction you had to the idea of eating ash colored the way you perceived the taste? We know that a lot of what we "taste" is heavily dependent on things other than the actual flavor of the food/drink we're consuming. Just a thought...
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Just a quick note that the "Garbanzos fritos" was a perfect lunch today. Chickpeas cooked in a tomato sauce with peppers and onions, and bits and pieces of various pork products (ham, bacon, chorizo). It wasn't "light," per se, but seemed just a bit more virtuous than a giant plate of beef or pork (which I've had here and are both excellent). Definitely consider trying this dish out rather than the standards next time you stop in. Since everyone else has commented on the value of the place, this dish is $11.95 and will easily last 2 lunches for me.
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This sounds exciting, but I can't imagine that this could possibly stay a low-key neighborhood dinner situation. With the heavy-hitters involved, this could be just as tough of a reservation to get as the rooftop at Rose's Luxury. (Not that there's anything wrong with that...just saying.)
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I just want to point out that Singer's is at Union Kitchen, not Union Market.
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- NoMa
- Union Kitchen
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I was recently in Geneva for a conference. The first dinner was a pre-planned group one at Au Pied de Cochon ( they served a set menu. The entree was the quintessential local dish of pan-fried perch presumably from the lake. Not bad, fresh fish and cooked well, but nothing to write home about. I have no idea what the restaurant is like if you go for the regular menu. The city as a whole was pretty empty, but the restaurant seemed relatively busy. For dinner the second night, we hit a classic Swiss restaurant in the old city, Les Amures (http://www.hotel-les-armures.ch/en/restaurant-geneva). I guess fondue isn't my thing, since I found it barely tolerable. It is served simply with bread and a dish of cornichons and pickled onions. We had a veal dish in a heavy cream sauce with mushrooms that was good enough (though heavy for the season). We sat outside, so I can't comment too much on the atmosphere, though the restaurant had a very worn-in and comfortable feel to it. The last day, we had lunch at Cafe de Paris (http://www.cafe-de-paris.ch/)...we had to hit the source for the famous sauce. No frills joint, no ordering. You get a roll, salad, and steak frites served with the eponymous butter sauce. I took 5 years off my life dipping all those fries in the buttery goodness. The meat is forgettable, but that's not why you're there anyway. I imagine the steak itself may be better at Le Relais de l'entrecote (http://www.relaisentrecote.fr/). We made an easy trip on the streetcar to the Carouge neighborhood. I highly recommend doing this. Picturesque place with shop-lined streets. Before dinner we had a couple glasses of rose at Qu'importe (http://www.quimporte.ch/), along with every local in Carouge. Great place. Dinner at Le Flacon (leflacon.ch) was the best of the trip. Le Flacon has a Michelin star, but unlike many of the other joints in Geneva, was quite laid back. My chanterelle ravioli appetizer was perfectly light...the pasta was more of a wonton wrapper in heft, and was served over a green pea puree. My wife's foie gras a la plancha was a miss. The foie itself was delicious and perfectly seared, but was served with 2 overly sweet accompaniments (a raspberry puree and a hazelnut mousse). Luckily those were easy enough to avoid. I had perfectly cooked sweetbreads for the main course, served with roasted mushrooms. The wine list is well-curated with a handful of reasonably priced bottles throughout. The menu seems to change often, if not daily, so these dishes won't be available, but I imagine the quality would remain. We stayed at an odd little Swiss-themed hotel between the train station and the lake called Hotel Edelweiss (http://www.hoteledelweissgeneva.com/). Perfectly comfortable, though not luxurious by any stretch. The restaurant looks like the Epcot Center version of Switzerland...we didn't eat there for anything other than breakfast. It's easy to spend a TON of money on food and drink in Geneva (try a $35 glass of whiskey at the Leopard Lounge), so tread carefully. We chose not to hit up any of the 2-star places...they seemed a bit stuffier than we were feeling at the time. If I find myself back there, we'll have to give Bayview in the Hotel President Wilson a try (http://www.hotelpresidentwilson.com/fr/restaurant-bayview).
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While I have Rockville on the mind, I should give a shout out to East Pearl for another great lunch. The beef chow foon was really killing it yesterday... acomically large portion perfectly cooked. Mixed throughout were noodles with just a touch of char, giving the whole dish that "wok hei" that is so often missing.
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I definitely wouldn't place too much importance on my one bad experience (though Dean also remarked on it). I thought the food was awesome. I definitely hope to read more positive reports from here, because I plan on returning. What I wouldn't do is explain subpar service away as some sort of authentic experience. And I do think that if such an attitude is tolerated by both customers and management, over time the quality of the food will decline.
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- Shanghai Chain
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Welp, I know where I'm going to lunch on Friday. Thanks for the heads up.
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No, it's bad service and poor management. Such things eventually lead to a substandard product. If the FOH environment is so lax, what is one to make of the kitchen/prep environment?
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Now this is what Iike to see: "What To Expect At H Street NE Peruvian Restaurant Ocopa" by Jessica Sidman at washingtoncitypaper.com
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- H Street Corridor
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My earlier post was harsh, and was reacting mainly to this "Kitty's Saloon" nonsense...their website describes their "concept" as "contemporary redneck cuisine." Ugh. Maketto will indeed be huge...James is putting out amazing food in the Union Market pop-up. Although I'm far from being vegan, Sticky Fingers will be a great addition to the West side of H. I like that they will have kind of a diner thing going in addition to the bakery. I have to say I am really bummed Micho's turned out to be basically Shawafel II. A sit-down Lebanese joint would've been awesome. I haven't stopped in yet, but my wife texted me "stick with Shawafel" based on her mixed kabob platter. I'll have to check it out myself soon. Of course we have a handful of great places on H already (Ethiopic, Boundary, Atlas, Toki), I just hope the newer places that are opening will aim high...at least higher than "contemporary redneck cuisine."
