Josh

Just got back from a business-ish trip to San Juan. All in all, I can't say I'd recommend heading to PR for the culinary scene, but there are some good things to be had. Firstly: Jose Enrique. Hands down our favorite meal of the trip. I could go into detail about what we had, but the menu changes daiily based on what's fresh and available. Suffice it to say that if they have the "carne ahumado," available, get it. Imagine a smoked carnitas. Muy sabroso. The skirt steak with chimichurri was enormous and perfectly cooked. El Jibarito is the only joint I would recommend in Old San Juan. No frills, but pretty decent. I'd stay away from the "Christmas Plate" which was a sampler...the only really good part of that one was the tamale. I would heartily recommend the camarones al ajillo served with a mixed mofongo. We also ate at Cafe Puerto Rico (skip it, and eat twice at El Jibarito), and Aguaviva. Aguaviva aspires to be a "nice" seafood restaurant, but just doesn't have the culinary chops. The ceviches were nice, and you could probably have a great evening just enjoying that and a glass or two of wine. The mains were no bueno, and the most expensive of our trip. A grouper filet was served with a really heavy cream sauce with bits of chorizo and limp asparagus...edible, but certainly not great. My wife's fried snapper and mofongo was dry, dry, and dry. If I had it all to do over again, we would really confine ourselves to Jose Enrique, El Jibarito, and whatever little local joints are nearby to where you are staying for sandwiches and fried things.

I had a business dinner at Range last week, and was way underwhelmed. We tried the rabbit rillettes and found them very, very wanting. Dry, and without much flavor at all. Hamachi crudo was nice...no complaints there. I had the uni/kimchi pasta, which was an interesting failure, but a failure nonetheless. I like the idea, but the kimchi needs to be toned way down to play nice with the uni, otherwise what you end up with is a salty, acidic sauce with none of the unctuousness (may be making up words here) of the uni. The seared beef heart was merely ok...again, not much going on in the seasoning department, though it was well cooked to med-rare. My partner's octopus dish was bad enough that he left 1/2 of it on the plate. The service was friendly, but despite it being obvious that each person at the table was ordering personal dishes, they served things one at a time, tapas style, creating really awkward waiting/nibbling until everyone got something put in front of them.

Lunch today convinced me that the Mrs. and I will spend a night celebrating our birthdays with the omakase here. This is the first time I've had sushi in DC and been wowed into quiet submission. One bite of the perfectly seasoned ama ebi was enough to tell me to shut my trap (which was easy, since I was alone) and just let the nigiri wash over me. Other favorites were mackerel and two slices of butter painted to look exactly like tuna and salmon. The waitress brought out a small bottle of soy sauce, though it went unused. Mercifully absent were chewy, sickly-sweet bbq eel, and rubbery cooked shrimp. At $25, the Sushi Jo lunch option isn't cheap, but it is a number of other things: filling (comes with miso soup, and 2 small vegetable dishes), beautiful, and heads and tails above the quality any where else in the area. I continue to lament the dearth of solid-quality moderately priced sushi joints here, but when you need the very best, Taro is there. I can't wait to return for omakase.

I stopped in here for lunch maybe 3 months ago. The food was...okay. Started with a lentil sambusa, which, I'm beginning to suspect, is just not my thing. I've had them at a few different places, and I'm never very excited about it. Not sure why I keep ordering them. The version here seemed about the same as what I've had elsewhere (Zenebech, Ethiopic, Dukem), with a moderately crispy outside and an al dente, very mildly spiced lentil filling. I followed up with the vegetarian sampler, and 2 of the dishes were disappointing. The greens were quite mild in flavor, boring even. I'm used to the green beans and carrots being served deeply carmelized, but these seemed like they had simply been steamed. Also lacking in the flavor department. The lentils and split peas were both pretty good. I kicked myself after I left since I forgot to get the teff injera. Could've been I hit an off day, especially since I was literally the only one in the place...maybe they were rushing things out that weren't quite ready. I'll have to stop back in sometime again soon. Has anyone tried out the kebab place right next door?

One of those H St. tweeters hangs out around these parts as well. Although the doctor in my DR avatar does not have glasses, I can confirm that in real life, I do.

Thanks to my other H St. NE neighbors for weighing in. I absolutely feel like a welcomed neighbor/regular there, which is why I started down this path of conversation to begin with. I'd also like to add that Brad was kind enough to reach out and engage me in a fascinating conversation about his mission for BR, and the farmers who provide his meat and produce...and I would highlight "conversation." He's certainly committed to his mission, but he is also committed to being a strong part of the neighborhood, and that (among many other reasons) is why I'll be back again and again (credit card bill be damned ). I'm also gonna start working on that whole will-power thing, but I'm not hopeful.

We went for dinner tonight. Service was odd...very fast-paced. Almost as though it was the lunch rush and they were trying to get folks in and out on their lunch break, except that it was 7pm, and the place wasn't full. Our entrees came about 2 minutes after the starters were dropped off, without any recognition that that would be an odd way to serve someone dinner. Anywho... The food was excellent. We started with the chopped liver and latkes. Both excellent, and it turns out our little dude L.O.V.E.S. liver. He has good genes. The pastrami sandwich was great. I agree with Brad...there was just the right proportion of thickly-cut pastrami for the sandwich. We also had the stuffed cabbage. The ground brisket stuffing was well-seasoned and nicely textured - not the dense gutbomb of overworked meat I got used to taking down at 4am at certain 24-hour Eastern European joints in NYC. The tomato-sauce was bright, and had a nice spiciness to it that is often lacking in the Eastern European food I've had. We'll be back for more liver, and to give the pierogi a try.

If anyone thinks I want to create a showdown between BR and RH, let me put that to rest immediately. I am a big fan of both, and hope that they both print money for their owners and employees for many, many years. BR is 2 blocks from my house, and they are very, very gracious when dealing with people dining with children, so I end up there more frequently than any other place on H or in the greater Capitol Hill area. My post above was really me just working out in my head where BR fits in in my restaurant world...can it be my "local" if I can't afford to dine there frequently? I'm also perfectly comfortable admitting that a large part of my problem with BR is that the food is so consistently good that I lack the control to just order a drink and a snack. Once I'm sitting there, watching what other tables have, I have to go all in. First world problems, and all that. You should definitely count burger/sandwich items. I'm not saying BR needs a burger, but I'm just saying I bet BR would have a hell of a burger (or any other sandwich they were to put out there). (I'm only half-joking.)

We visited Boundary Road with my in-laws the other night, and had a lovely dinner. As has always been my experience, the service was pleasant, the drinks fantastic, and the food well-prepared. Something that hit me this visit though, was the price. The current menu has only 1 main dish below the $24 mark. Contrast this with Red Hen, a place that I think has a similar ambience, where not a single dish on the menu is over $23 (and all of the amazing pastas are below $20). Up-thread, I mentioned BR as being my neighborhood go-to, and it still is...for drinks. Unfortunately, the price of the food precludes frequent dining there. This may fit in perfectly with the BR crew's vision of their restaurant, I just thought it was worth discussing. What are other people's thoughts?

That was the PG-13 version.

Excellent lunch today. I've had the cubano sandwich as take out in the past and was happy enough with it. Today I dined in, and had the pernil and tostones. The pork was nicely marinated and savory on its own, but even better when sprinkled liberally with the house hot sauce. On the whole, the medium sized chunks of pork were juicy, although one or two were creeping up to dryness (but still good). Mixed in with the pork were great strips of deeply carmelized onion that I wish there were more of. I got the rice and black beans separated, and would recommend this as the way to go. You get more of the broth with the beans this way, and if you aren't dipping your tostones in that, you're doing it wrong. Service was pleasant and efficient despite the restaurant being full. Next time, I'll have to go for the ropa vieja.

Anyone who tortures meat like that has no business opening a burger restaurant. I am shocked and dismayed.

Maybe flaunting that you don't offer your employees health insurance isn't the best way to drum up business in this environment... http://www.buzzfeed.com/bennyjohnson/this-bartender-will-charge-president-obama-702-for-a-beer?bftw=

This doc respectfully disagrees. Get that postpartum woman to Eve posthaste.

Thanks! Schneider's is in my hood, so I'll have to make a stop in this week. I actually have Pernod, and I'm sure it would be fine, but I have a weird compulsion that forces me to find every last ingredient...the harder to track down, the better.

Where were you able to find Arak? I haven't looked for it before, but I'd love to try that dish.

I should also add that I've been cooking my way through the book. Great success with the stuffed eggplant, as well as the turkey meatballs. The kohlrabi salad was just ok, but the spinach and date one will definitely be a regular in this house. The chicken and coriander rice was great, but the cooking times/liquids called for were off, and needed quite a bit of adjusting.

I made a double batch of the hummus today, following the recipe to the letter except for the addition of 2 more Tbsp of water. Served drizzled with olive oil and pomegranate seeds...perfect. It is a thicker and richer hummus than Sabra or Cava, but I count that as a good thing. Close in taste to what was served at The Hummus Place in NYC, which was helmed by Israelis. Man...now I'm missing their hummus masabacha and pickles. Always get extra pickles.

Funny thing about this place...The day after our first visit, we decided to make a repeat appearance just a few days later. And now that I'm thinking about it, I think we may need another visit, even if it is on the wrong side of North Capitol.

Well, not all are in Laurel, but within an acceptable drive. My current lunch rotation (I'm only out that way about 4 times a month) includes: Pasta Plus RG's BBQ Cafe Pho 88 Da Rae Won Taqueria La Veracruzana I tried Gourmet Shish Kebab a couple times...once good, once not so much. What other Indian options, btw? I tried Sapphire off 197 a couple years ago, and have seen no reason to go back since. Are there others worth checking out? And if you think Laurel is a restaurant wasteland, try finding anything worth eating in Upper Marlboro. 3 years in, and I'm still searching.

I saw Kliman mention this place in his a couple of his recent chats, and thought it was worth a trip. In short: the lunch buffet did not disappoint, and I'd love to go back sometime to order from the regular menu. The buffet is large, and well-appointed with about 8 different main courses, plus sambar, rasam, and a number of smaller appetizers and condiments. The restaurant was packed to the gills by 12:15, and the food was being refreshed at a pretty quick clip. There were no real misses, with everything in general being well-spiced and not swimming in ghee. Standouts included a daal vada (lentil fritter) that was nice and crispy without any greasiness...pretty suprising for a buffet. Topped with coconut and cilantro chutney, this was a great start. I tried a bite of just about everything on offer, but what brought me back for seconds was the haleem. Sietsma talked about it in his review, and it is definitely a dish I'll be craving from now on. The standard chicken tikka masala was a better than average version, with a touch more spice than you normally get. The naan was fine, but nothing exciting. I'm getting pretty spoiled by all the lunch options in the Laurel area...Curry Leaf will now be in the rotation.

1. Airbnb is your friend. We stayed in the Gracia neighborhood in Barcelona and loved it. In San Sebastian I would warn against staying in the old town, as we found it a bit loud. We had a great stay at Hotel Astoria 7 that is about a 15 minute walk from old town. Check the San Sebastian thread for my thoughts on our trip in 2011. 2. dunno 3. We always did lunch at the big stars and saved our evenings for tapas and wine. When we head back, we'll stick to the same plan. 4. No need for a suit.

This is going to be a long one...sorry in advance. Just off a 10-day stay in the Eternal City. My wife and I are batshit insane, and decided it wouldn't be a big deal to bring a 1 year old to Rome for over a week...it all turned out fine, but boy were we exhausted at the end of the day (typically around 11:30pm). So first things first: Rome is not a great place to have to rely on a stroller. One would fare much better in Paris. Looking past that, you'll find that most (but by no means all) restaurants in Rome are happy to accommodate a very young dining companion, and will often spend so much time with the wee one that you feel like paying them for babysitting services. As is our custom, we rented an apartment rather than getting a hotel. This affords us the chance to pick a neighborhood (this time it was the Jewish Ghetto), really get to know it, and skip having to stay in the more concentrated tourist zones. A word about the neighborhood: our apartment was on Via Beatrice Cenci, 2 blocks from Ponte Garibaldi over to Trastevere, and an easy walk to pretty much everything you would want to go to. I can't recommend the place highly enough. On to food. I think the best way may be to list by neighborhood. I found that the easiest way to organize my thoughts when planning our day. Ghetto Sora Margherita: Tiny hole in the wall (literally) serving Roman Jewish style cuisine. Look for a red beaded curtain with a bench sitting next to it. Reservations a must (stop by before they open for lunch and you'll see them rolling out the pasta on the tables). Carciofi were not in season so were meh. Cacio e pepe with ricotta was decadent and crave-worthy, and the meatballs were fantastic. Very rustic. Menu scrawled out on a torn piece of butcher paper in Italian only. Not sure anyone speaks English here, but everyone was friendly and helped steer us in the right direction. Al Pompiere: Just across the alley from Sora Margherita...a totally different experience. The restaurant is upstairs. White tablecloths in a beautiful dining room. Exceptional service from friendly staff. Sweetbreads with artichokes and baccala alla romana were both stellar. The menu offers a number of interesting offal dishes including lambs brains. I would love to go back to explore it further. Gelateria del Teatro: There are 2 locations. Ricotta with fig and lavender was my favorite. Chocolate with wine and other interesting flavors on offer. Campo De' Fiori Open Baladin: Kind of in between Ghetto and Campo, this is a temple to beer. Countless bottles line the wall behind the bar, and there are 40-50 on tap. The taps are exclusively Italian craft brews. The menu is an Italian's take on pub grub. I have heard mixed reviews on the burger, but I was really there to check out the beer, so I stuck to freshly made chips (American style, not British chips) dusted with paprika and served with a sweet, slightly chunky tomato sauce (not as zingy as ketchup). Salumeria Roscioli: This was our first taste of Rome, and we were pretty sleepy, so my memory is muddled. Astounding selection of cured meats and cheeses. Pricy menu that I've heard is executed well. We stuck to an enormous plate of salumi (I think 6 or 8 meats chosen by the chef) and cheese (4, including a gorgonzola with chestnut leaves that was awesome), and a plate of marinated vegetables. I've heard service can be atrocious, but they were friendly to the ragged Americans, and brought out some biscuits and chocolate for the boy. Note: they own a bakery (Forno Roscioli) just across the street with excellent pizza bianca and other breads that they also serve at the restaurant. Forno Campo de' Fiori: Excellent bakery with my favorite pizza bianca. Ruggeri Campo de' Fiori: Great store to stop in for meat to be vacuum-packed before leaving. Barnum Cafe: Small, stylish cafe/cocktail bar. We stopped in for cafe and cornetti, but would've gone back for late night drinks if we were childless. Ditirambo: This was recommended by an Italian friend who hadn't been for some time...it's probably declined since her visit. The menu promised greatness, but the execution was muddled. Pastas that sounded light and fresh were instead gooey and weighty. The wine list was great, and the amari on offer were well-selected and off the beaten path. Instead of just bringing out some house-wine swill when I asked for a red, the waiter/manager brought out 3 bottles and glasses for me to taste and decide on. Same story with the amaro at the end of the meal. Friendly guy who was really interested in making sure we were happy with our drink choices. I wish the kitchen would have been on the same level. Maybe it was an off day, and if you're in the area, I would definitely consider it for apperitivi. Piazza Navona/Pantheon Maccheroni: Restaurant in a touristy part of town...maybe the most touristy place we visited. That said, we ate well: ravioli with zucchini flowers and pasta carbonara. The carbonara at Perilli (see below) is touted as being the best, but I think the truth lies somewhere in between what I ate at Maccheroni and Perilli. I like the use of a long pasta at Maccheroni (versus the rigatoni at Perilli), but I appreciated the crunch of the pork at Perilli rather than the chew at Machheroni. Il Desiderio Preso per la Coda: We were brought here by a Roman business associate of my wife...a small restaurant and art gallery hidden just off the Piazza Navona. No tourists to be seen, everything in Italian. Food was fantastic, and not the typical Roman offerings. We will most certainly visit whenever we are in Rome, and I suggest you do the same. We started with an excellent soft cheese served with pear slices, honey, and toast. I had a pasta dish with calamari-shaped pasta and calamari-shaped calamari in a zucchini pesto-like sauce. Can't comment on dessert. Bar del Fico: Straight up bar. Great outside space in a tiny square. Stop for an Aperol Spritz after the crush of humanity at Piazza Navona. Rooftop at Grand Hotel Minerva: Great views from this place in a piazza close to the Pantheon. Heads up: cocktails are €16 each. Sant'Eustachio Il Cafe: Coffee shop with above-average coffee. We started most mornings here, or: Tazza d'Oro: On the square with the Pantheon. Known for their coffee granita with (a lot of) whipped cream. Great coffee in general. Il Gelato di San Crispino: Excellent gelato chain. My wife's favorite of the trip (we visited MANY more than are listed here). I had the honey and the vanilla bourbon. Monti (Near the Forum and Colosseum) L'Asino d'Oro: Pretty well-known place that has the best lunch value in town. €13 for a set 3-course menu (3 savory courses) with water and a glass of wine. The menu changes daily. Highly recommended for lunch, and the regular menu looked fantastic. Next time we'll go for dinner. La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali: Small family-run trattoria. Could've been a tourist trap, but was absolutely wasn't. Fantastic food (order off the specials menu). We started with a pancotto with chicory, beans, and tomato that I could have eaten 3 pounds of. We shared an excellent version of amatriciana and a pasta with prosciutto, sage, and pine nuts that stole the show. Urbana 47: Easily the worst meal of our trip. We thought we'd branch out to this place that sells itself as a locavore joint with all produce and meat carefully sourced from local farmers. The ingredients were all extraordinarily fresh and top notch, but were sadly ruined by a kitchen that didn't know what to do with them, and service that boggled the mind (2 hours in, and we still hadn't gotten more than our appetizer course). My wife had a pasta with sardines and fresh figs (very odd flavor combination that didn't come close to working...it was missing salt and acid, and even then may not have come together). I had fish that had been cooked to the consistency of cardboard. We normally would have sent everything back, but given the time, we just wanted to get out of there. I've seen this place recommended by some pretty knowledgeable people in Rome, but I would steer clear. 2Periodico: Great cafe/bar. It seems small up front, but there is a huge back room with loads of mismatched vintage couches and chairs. We only stopped in for a beer, but we liked the scene. Fatamorgana: Gelato. This was my favorite of the trip. Very interesting flavors using whatever herbs and other ingredients are in season. I had basil/walnut/honey and almond/coriander that were outstanding. Trastevere Osteria La Gensola: They specialize in seafood, and they do it well. We started with a fantastic sea bass ceviche with coriander seeds and a dish of sautéed chicory, potato, tomato, and bacon all topped with runny egg. Both were tough to follow, but were topped by an excellent spaghetti alle vongole and spaghetti with sea urchin roe. This was lunch, and we were too full to move on to secondi, but there were several fish preparations that sounded great. All around amazing meal...definitely a place to return to. Roma Sparita: We were brought here by some Italian friends who used to live in the neighborhood. It's insanely popular, and reservations are a must. Although they bill themselves as a pizzeria, the pizza is terrible (we ordered a margherita for our son). The real draw is the pasta cacio e pepe served in a crispy parmigiano crust. Outstanding. We also enjoyed a giant portion of excellently grilled beef served rare with arugula, lemon juice and parmagiano. Forno La Renella: Small bakery with excellent pizze al taglio (by the slice). All sorts of toppings. Filled with locals picking up bread for dinner. I preferred the pizza bianca from Forno Campo de' Fiori, but this was by no means bad. Open on Sundays. Enoteca Trastevere: We stopped in only for a couple glasses of wine on the patio, which was pleasant. Can't comment on the food, but it seemed filled with mainly tourists. Ombre Rosse: Great bar playing punk music instead of the ubiquitous, terrible house music. Several beers on tap, a few wines by the glass, and plenty of liquor. Small outdoor sitting area. Mainly youngish locals. Fior di Luna: Another small gelato place. Very into their natural ingredients. Didn't care as much for the texture of the gelato here, but it was better than the icky touristy places all around the Centro Storico. Testaccio Perilli: A real-deal old school Roman trattoria. No English spoken within a mile of this place, and no desire to help you out. We went for the legendary carbonara, which is served with rigatoni. I appreciated the crisp of the bacon, although several pieces were just on the other side of burnt. The cacio e pepe was great as well, with a tanginess to the cheese I didn't detect at other places. A pasta with oxtail ragu was okay, but nothing to write home about. Definitely try the punterelle. The roman artichoke was okay, not great. Roast suckling pig was fine, although the crispy skin was rendered soft and mushy by smothering it with a sauce before bringing it to the table. The bits without the sauce were great...seasoned similar to porchetta. Grilled sweetbreads were served simply, and were either nicely done or very dry, depending on the piece you got. An uneven meal, but a nice window into a traditional neighborhood place. Reservations highly recommended. Pizzeria Da Remo: Rated by many as the best version of Roman style pizza (see also: Pizzeria ai Marmi in Trastevere). Mobbed with locals, but they turn tables fast. Another highly kid friendly place, even though no one in the restaurant spoke any English. The waiter actually took his own belt off to fashion a little seatbelt for the high chair, and insisted on not only bringing the boy his own small pizza marinara, but then cutting it into small pieces for him. Roman pizza is extremely thin-crusted and crispy. We really enjoyed our margherita and pizza bianca with zuchhini flowers and anchovies. Suppli and other fried things were good as well. Giolitti: Super old school gelato. The original one is in the Centro Storico, but we happened by this place on the walk home from Da Remo. A good, solid place for standard flavors. Monteverde La Gatta Mangiare: Neapolitan style pizza and excellent fritti. It's pretty far out, but easy to get to if you hop on the #8 streetcar. All the fried things are excellent, and shouldn't be missed. The pizza is a great version of the neapolitan style, though I was happy to find that my favorites in the DC area stood up well against it (Pupatella & Menomale). We hit a number of other places that didn't warrant mention, but if anyone travelling to Rome has any specific questions, I'd be happy to try to answer or find someone who can if you email me.

Writing in from Rome to say good riddance. Hoping for a savior to swoop in and turn this great space into a great place.

Yeah, I didn't mention the music history to the rest of our party, but that's totally why I even wandered to check out the menu in the first place. (Would've loved to see Slint...)