beezy

At one point, I went on a tasting tour of DC Kabob. Ravi is by far the best all around, best chole too. Word to the wise: if you want to eat there on Saturday afternoon, call ahead and get to go - you can't get a seat.

I give Bear Rock a solid "Meh" They have baked potatoes and salad, which is a nice break from the endless breadfest of most coffee places, but they're a) the size of my shoe b ) untasty as can be c) drowned in half a container of sour cream d) that wasn't the freshest ever. The coffee was fresh, but kind of weak and nasty to my taste (but if it's not whipped to soft peaks, I'm not a happy girl). I just want to know what's up with the wildnerness/log cabin themes in coffee shops - first Caribou, now Bear Paw. Does coffee taste better if it's got some fur associated with it?

I went to movie night a couple of Sundays ago, and it was kind of nice, but needs some tweaking. I'm really glad the bar is quieter and smokefree now. I had figs and marscapone, which were nice tasting, but runny and had texture problems. They seem to have worked out the problems with baby burgers, and their corn dogs, and I'm glad to see them restored to their past glory. (I still think they're pretty steep, though - I know there's truffles involved, but $3.50 for white castle sized burger is a little much) Mr. Beezy had an inexcusably fatty oily cheese panini. It was overfilled with oily cheddar cheese, and then soaked in butter (you actually can have too much butter), and underfried. On balance, movie nights bring truffle popcorn and free candy bars. I went for Rocky Horror Night, and the bartender gave me toast and other goodies. I really would like it if EatBar were 20% better. They still make great cocktails, and I love the idea of their small plates, but sometimes the execution is off. OTOH, the hospitality is good, and I can get much nicer drinks and food for a movie than if I'd gone to the drafthouse. But please - someone bring back the rum donuts from Whiteys - the only sure cure hangover in town.

I somehow doubt it if you a) have disposible income can afford to spend it there. <crankypants filter> I would be talking about all those kids in tank tops, wedgies and clutch bags with their fratty boyfriends who come to drink at those trendy bars. The ones who aren't old enough to be there. </crankypants> Beezy, who remembers when Adams Morgan was dangerous, cheap, and not be visited after dark.

I heard a rumor from a person in the know that Butterfield 9 is for sale - having problems with staff, and want to concentrate on New Heights, their other property. I had a business lunch last week, and it was just a train wreck. Wrong temperature, cooked wrong, tasted weird. Maybe DC is just trying to tell me to stay on my side of the river....

All right, haters, don't make me get started on Adams Morgan - the roads, the parking, the people [did I say that out loud?]. Seriously, Virginia is not the backwater of the world, and there's lotsa tasty things to eat here. I'm more of a bargain eater out since I bought my big fat house, but here's some good stuff: Arlington Liberty Tavern El Churrito Caminate [only order when there is a middle aged lady at the grill, not the young girls. Do not order in Spanish to be cute, lest you get scorned by the counter guy] Pollo Rico Thai 54 [i've heard about slumming, but so far, delivery is still golden] Ravi Kabob [kicks the saffron riced behind of Moby Dick] Ray's [when I can get there in time] Old Town Hank's [oh thank you thank you for not being only in Dupont] La Bastille A la Lucia Del Merei Whole Foods [not technically a restaurant, but dear God] DC Poste Zola [the new chef has made it good] Amsterdam Falafel [only on weeknights. damn kids!] Dino

Alrighty, kids, but here go some sacred cows - don't yell, these are all true stories: These are places where this behavior should just not occur. Ever. Period. They charge too much and try too hard to be classy places. Just to counter this negativity, 4 hosts that have given me their most are: Number One with a Bullet: Dino No matter what I ask, how big my party is (12 and lingering), or how much fussing I ask for, someone always answers my email, helps me figure out what wine to order despite that I'm a wine ignoramous, is patient with my 90 year old granny for ordering imported prime rib to a crisp, and makes me feel like an honored guest and overall superstar. Corduroy The only place in town that will bring you a birthday cheese plate, chat you up or leave you alone with unerring judgment. Man with the great big heart - Michael Landrum We all know Michael's dedication to charities and building a neighborhood restaurant. No matter how crankypants you think he is, it's coming from the right place. The only person to really piss off Mr. Beezy, then call back twice to apologize and make things right. Another person who is kind about my granny's steak ruining habits. Liberty Tavern I'm hoping this is going to be the place that everyone knows your name. Passionate smart servers, and a kind, efficient take-out service. Honorary shout out to the folks at Cheesetique, which is not a restaurant, but will be endlessly patient about finding you precisely what you want and feeding you cheese til you make up your mind. Hey Rocks - did Sweetwater tell you that it was 90 minutes? Or did they just make your wait and wait? I honestly don't mind waiting for a long time, if someone TELLS me, hey, it's a long wait. I can decide whether or not I care to stay. Plus, be nice. I will give Great American props for their call ahead service (when it works) - helpful for people with kids or guests who can't stand around and wait for whatever reason. Personally, I wouldn't wait 90 minutes for Sweetwater, but some people do like their meat and beer.

From time to time, I get the urge to go out to someplace popular on a Friday or Saturday on the spur of the moment when I ought to have made reservations earlier. Perhaps I'm walking by and it looks good; maybe it's just a whim. Personally, I don't think it's unreasonable for me to call and ask if there's a last minute cancellation, even on a busy night - how happy are we both if there's an open table or no-show? I recognize that it's not likely to happen, but it MIGHT, especially early or late. Maybe I can eat at the bar. Maybe there's take out. Perhaps OpenTable hasn't been updated. I would expect that there would one of two veins of answers when there are no tables free: 1: I am so sorry, but we are completely committed tonight. Thanks for calling! 2: All our tables are booked. You are welcome to come and dine at the bar if there are seats available. So, why is that when I try the approach of calling before I come over and cluttering up the restaurant's waiting area that I have the horriblest reactions ever? Perhaps it's me - perhaps I'm yet another jerky self-important entitled ass. But, I swear - I'm reasonably well dressed, I'm bathe, and I have good manners in public. I promise that I'm nice when I'm asking about cancellations or reservations. These things have all happened to me - is there something I'm missing? Note that it was not Restaurant Week, a holiday, or some kind of festival or special event - these are all average, nothing going on days. - It's 9:30 on Friday, and I call a nice restaurant in Arlington when they first opened, to ask if there are any tables free (this is before they had OpenTable). I get a snappy, nasty lady who tells me that they all full. Fair enough - it's Friday, after all, I ask if we could dine in the bar, and she snaps 'It'sfirstcomefirstserveandwecan'tguaranteeseating.' And hangs up on me. I get so annoyed that I refused to go there for two years. Last night at 5:30, (Saturday), Mr. Beezy really wants to go, so I cave into my boycott. OpenTable says that this place is again booked, so Mr. Beezy calls, gets the sister of the previous Ms. Nasty, and has the following conversation: Mr. B: I was wondering if you happened to have any last minute cancellations? Ms. Nasty: [hostile] Hold. * waits for a couple of minutes * Ms. Nasty: [hostiler] No. Nothing until 9:45. Mr. B: OK, thank you. Ms Nasty proceeds to hang up the phone so loud that I can hear it through the receiver, across the living room. I am ready to continue with the boycott, but Mr. Beezy looks sad, so, I call back, get a much more pleasant gentleman, who tells me that I can eat at the bar, and that it is not very busy right this minute, and please come on over. We had a fine time [save for the gentleman who insisted on yelling into this cel phone about his 2pm flight to London to interview Al Gore, as well as arguing quite loudly with his wife about his loud cel phone use, but the rant on the special place in hell for these people is best saved for a later time. I digress]. - 6pm Saturday, a beloved Indian restaurant in Penn Quarter. Mr. B and I decide to stop and get a couple of small plates and a cocktail before a show - it looks empty. There are two tables seated, one table at the lounge and two people sitting at the bar - otherwise, it is completely deserted. We approach the host stand. And wait. And wait. And wait a good 5 minutes out of perversity until the host stops chatting with both the waitstaff and the bartender. We ask for a table, and are told that they are completely booked. We ask if the lounge is free, and we are gestured to sit. Not, mind you, actually spoken to, just sort of waved at. And wait. Make eye contact with the bartender. And a waiter. And wait. And watch another party get waited on. And wait another 10 minutes, then get up and leave because no one has deigned to look in our direction. - and again - 4pm at a nice gastropub, walking in and sitting down with two other people in the place. The bartender lets us sit for 10 minutes, before telling us that there is no table service right now. Not, mind you, asking us if we would like to sit at the bar, or otherwise being helpful, just 'There is no table service right now' - 9:45 Thursday walking in to a fancy restaurant of famous restauranteur who has a lot of very famous restaurants in DC, and asking if there is a table. The hostess looks at us and says, swear to God 'NO!', like I'd grabbed her fanny. [There's open tables I can see right in front of me] I ask if we can sit at the bar. She says [swear to God, again] 'You're welcome to, but lots of luck.' *** Now, I can understand if the problem with the late nights were that they stopped serving food at 10, or there was a waiter's strike, or they had run out of onions, or the entire Washington Redskins backfield was due in 30 minutes, but can't we just say that? And what's the point of ignoring me until I go away? Did someone ban me from nice restaurants when I wasn't looking?

Ah, the pouty lunch: - Any one of the seasonal cocktails at Poste that features gin (oh my Hendricks! How I love thee!), plus mussels. - A masonic and a bruschetta from Liberty Tavern - A massive pitcher of cheap margaritas and queso at Mexicali, consumed outdoors, watching people Beezy, big lush

After last night's RW experience, I have to say Indigo Landing is smack in the middle, and has potential to do some really interesting things. First, had a 9:30 res, which may have skewed some of this (which is not to say that I condone being sloppy on the late shift - if that kitchen's open, you need to produce quality). First, I want to contrast this with the heinous dinner at Charlie Palmer that I had before. CP is supposed to be high-end, service, super high quality. You can read reverbbrad's notes on it, but the low down is that 1) little to choose from, 2) portions were poorly cooked and skimpy, 3) the things they skimped on were carrots and grilled polenta, which just made them seem super cheap. Given the choice between showing a plate that looks hefty and not, this is not the time to put a wee teaspon of CARROTS and one teensy lone round of polenta. CP broke the contract that restaurants have with their patrons. A long time ago, I got into a cab, and had a 15 minute lecture from the cab drive about the contract that the rider makes with the driver. I think it's the same with restaurants. The restaurant ought to: 1) Be welcoming. Greet you pleasantly at the host stand, give polite service, and not make stinky faces when ask for something special or don't order cocktails. 2) Produce what it says it will produce. So, at Annie's Pancake diner in the teensy shack by the side of the road, I expect reasonable pancakes served hot and promptly. At Bistro Bis, I expect expert service, high quality ingredients cooked with skill and attention, and a decent level of hospitality. If you're open til 10, you should be able to serve me at 9:30. At Colorado Kitchen, I'll eat it that way and like it, or don't go. 3) If it's not right, offer to fix it. Salad hot? Bring a new one. 30 minute wait for reservations? Escort the customer to the bar, and make sure they're comfortable. 4) Behave professionally & be knowledgeable about what's being sold. No throwing food, no being a jackass, and be able to explain what bronzino is when asked. 5) If the diner asks for someone unreasonable, politely, give them a polite no back (I call and ask nicely to see if someone might have canceled their Friday reservations at the hot new place, the answer is 'I'm sorry, we're committed. You're welcome to come and try to get a seat at the bar, which looks fairly open right now.' not 'There are no seats.' then hanging up.) The diner must: 1) Respect the restaurant: no flaking on reservations, dress appropriately, be polite to the staff. Tip - don't be cheap. 2) Be nice to the waitstaff. If you need something, ask politely for it. 3) Tell the manager. If it's out of the control of the waiter, get the manager. Don't yell at the waiter for something he can't do anything about. 4) Roll with the punches a little bit. A restaurant is a place that produces unpredictable things, and stuff happens. If there's an extra 10 minute wait, and you've been warned, calm down and go with it. Ask the waiter to fix what you find unacceptable; tell the manager if the waiter can't help. So, what does this have to do with Indigo Landing? I felt like they were trying to hold up their end of the bargain, but need a boost to be really good. They have a lovely room with a fabulous view, even at night. Their waiters are mostly struggling with english, but they are still service oriented. When I dropped my purse and spilled everything, my husband started to get it, but a waiter came running up, insisted that he sit down, and got down on his hands and knees, put everything back, and handed it to me, asking if everything was there. My waiter was very enthusiastic, ending every interaction with a 'yes ma'am' (I think I caught a heel click). In short, they're nice, and they're trying. The food had the same attitude. It wanted to be good, and there lots of things to like, that are different from other food you can get around town. I had a ham and crab monte cristo, topped with a citrus and argula salad dressed with a tangerine sauce. The sandwiches were seasoned with celery seed, which is unusual. I respect that it's something different! However, it was a little greasy, so some of the flavor was lost in the frying. My husband had shrimp and grips, which suffered from a little too much butter, and a little too much heat lamp. The shrimp were huge and quite nice, there was a lovely little garnish of cherry tomatoes, and overall it was pretty good. But it could have been so much better if it hadn't been dried out. I have fried chicken, a portion as big as my head, with a super crunchy crust. Sadly, it had been fried in tired oil and tasted of fish. It was served with some mashed potatoes and truffle gravy that didn't punch you in the eye with the truffle; again, they were a little doughy. Dessert was quite interesting - I had a lovely sweet potato pie in a little buttery tart crust. There was a side of cold sweet potato with some knid of sour dressing that didn't grab me, but I could see that it was meant to counteract the sweet pie. It was an interesting approach, that just needs a little tweak to be splendid. So, I think I'll be back, if only for a drink and snacks. There's so much potential, a clear generous spirit of hospitality, and a different point of view in cooking, that I hope that the missteps I encountered were 9:30 on a restaurant week-itis.

OK Kids, I'm about to cancel that Equinox reservation. So, anyone want that 7:30 Tuesday spot...dive in!

Majestic has a sunday dinner that's supposed to be the bomb, and is something like $75 for 4 people (menu link isn't working for me).

I just had the theater dinner a couple of weeks ago, and no one asked me where I was going. Didn't zola recently get a new chef? I used to find the food bland and heavy, oversauced and made you feel kind of gross after dinner, but my recent visit showed a great improvement. I had a nice composed butter lettuce salad. It was half a head of butter lettuce, with a chopped topping of gouda cheese, nuts and other stuff. The presentation made it a little hard to eat, but it was substantial without being heavy. We also ordered skate and bronzino, which were fresh, and not overly sauced. Dessert had was a bit too rich, but the peanut butter parfait shows promise. (Banana mousse cake is too sweet for my tastes.) Sadly, they took down the secret doorway to the bathrooms, which always made me feel a little hipper for it being there.

I visit the Bailey's location, and while sometimes the chicken is a little salty, it's also consistently crispy and juicy. Two words: Yucca Fries. Not greasy, super crunch outside, super creamy inside. I think there's some kind of reconstutited something going on with them, but they're light and tasty. Maybe they're the Pringles of Yucca, but this gringa girl loves 'em. I think it's nice that if you eat-in, you get a real plate and silverware, plus table service.

I have to say, I thought that they were the blandest pickles EVER. I'm in agreement with the service issues at DelMerei, although I think they're well-intentioned. I've had bend-over backwards service, and I've had a debacle involving two rounds of raw chicken followed by raw fish. I'd never returned, except for the abject apology and good make-it-rights. I'm glad that more people are trying to have a good priced-right neighborhood restaurant, but not very many people are executing it well. Instead, we're getting a lot of Harry's Crap Room types of places (the place I have the biggest hate on for, largely due to their heinous service, cold food, and bizarrely prepared dishes) that overcharge for mediocre food because they make it out of (what they claim are) organics, small-producers, or otherwise quality ingredients. Old Majestic was wildly inconsistent (haven't been to the new one); I seem to be the only person to have a great experience at Liberty Tavern. How come we don't have more Ray's the Steaks? God knows it's successful....

The Arlington Farmer's market has three remarkable things: 1. True fair trade coffee - Hondo Coffee Company. A local guy bought a coffee farm in the honduras as an investment, and is running it low-pesticide & environmentally friendly. He also pays twice local wages. He's still working out the kinks in the blends, but the quality is pretty high. 2. Creekside Farm tomatoes. Headquartered in Berkeley Springs, the former tomato capital of the world. The farmer swears that the springs give his vegetables some special magic. I don't know what it is, but they're damn fine. he also has yellow wax beans, oh so good, and lovely squash and zucchini. 3. Smith Meadows pasta, eggs, and sausage. The eggs and sausage are high quality free-range products (not quite as good as polyface farm, but we can't all have their setup). The pasta is handmade in small patches, with some kind of whole-wheat flour that gives it a great texture and flavor.

TJ has had a problem with their frozens ever since I've shopped at the store (SoCal in the 90s). I find the Old Town store to be better than the Baileys or the Springfield on this point. I also only have problems with sweets - never meats or vegetables. Maybe it's social engineering? : )

​Rehoboth I went to Rehoboth two weeks ago, and just to add: - Back Porch remains consistently good, although a little pricey. I had a fantastic lunch of orzo salad, and some grilled chicken. Mr. Beezy's gazpacho was quite remarkable. - Retro's breakfast seemed pretty tired. My breakfast quesdilla eggs were bland, smothered in cheese (it's a quesadilla, yes, but not a block of cheddar), with some bac-o tasting bacon. The lemon ricotta pancakes were pretty good, but a little dry. Coffee was completely anemic. - The Grotto's gelato was no better than Kohr Brothers, and twice as expensive. - There's a great place on the north end of town that's brand new - the Pig and Fish. As the name suggests, there's lots of pork and seafood, both fresh and good quality. I had a great meatloaf studded with mushrooms. They're also a microbrewery, although we didn't imbibe since we were on the way home... I am glad to see that there's still nasty beach food to be had - GusGus, the Grotto and the like are still thriving. As frou frou as Rehoboth is, it's still the beach.

I just finished my third or fourth visit, and here are my 10 reasons for being in love and wanting to marry Liberty Tavern: 1. Seasonal ingredients that are consistently of super high quality. 2. Cocktails. Super stiff, super balanced. Give me a Masonic after a hard day in place of that top shelf Martini. I understand that they'll be introducing 'The Industrial' soon, which they describe as a top shelf margarita at bargain prices. 3. Press coffee for a decent price. Personally, I'm tired of paying $6-7 for a press service (you know who you are) that still tastes weak and nasty. My favorite part of coffee service is the little egg timer that the waiter brings by to tell you when it's time to push down the press - no more guessing, no more crappy coffee. 4. Bronzino with spaetzle. I've seen this other places in town, but Liberty makes a great skin-on roast with something added to the spaetzel so that they're creamy and rich, not pasty and nasty. Plus, baby carrots in some kind of lavender butter that adds a hint of citrus and aroma, without tasting like mom's undie drawer. 5. Devil's food and red velvet cake. It tastes like a super quality ho-ho covered in italian meringue that's what marshmallow fluff wants to be when it grows up and goes to charm school. 6. Servers who know and love food. I know it's hard to hire good help, but I'm going to scream if I go to one more quality restaurant where the waiter can't tell me what the ingredients are, can't remember the specials, has no opinion on what tastes good, doesn't know what beverages I should order to go with what entree (that includes coffee), and seem to subsist on wonder bread and peanut butter. My favorite waiter, Ethan, can sell me on anything - including the bizarre sounding Fruity Pebbles ice cream. We can't promote the creativity of the chefs if the servers can't sell it when they're pushing the envelope. 7. Someone who tries to cultivate me as a regular. Today, I came in at 4:45 (15 minutes before the dining room opened), dressed crappy, and the worst of all restaurant sins, a woman alone ordering only dessert. I had the owner seat me in the lounge, only (graciously) telling me that they would be happy to serve me dessert, but that it would take a few minutes since it was early. He personally served me my coffee and dessert, and had someone check on me every 20 minutes or so while I lingered for almost two hours reading. Compare this to my earlier experience at another comparable Clarendon restaurant, where my 5:30 reservation and request to be seated at a quiet table in the dining room was met by seating me in the bar area next to a family with 4 children under the age of 4 and a super macho business dinner. When I asked to be moved, I was told that I couldn't because "the dining room opened at 5:30." 8. Market greens. 9. The crostini with lamb sausage and fava beans. It eats like a funky hummus with lamb, on bread that has just enough crust to be crunchy and flavorful, but not so textured as to wage war with your teeth and dislodge the contents so that they go all over your shirt. 10. Right-sized portions. The food is rich and flavorful, but I never feel overwhelmed or dismayed at the amount on my plate. Not enough restaurants understand the difference between lots of stuff and quality. I'm not seeing tons of love for Liberty, but I think they've really hit their stride, and do a good job of providing something for everybody, both on the menu, and in the way the space is set up. The dining room is a much tamer place than the bar - don't be dismayed by the fratastic Ballroom crowd overflowing on the street on the weekends.

Hey - I have Tuesday 7:30 reservations at Equinox, but something has come up and I can't use them. Does anyone happen to have Monday reservations (anytime - I'll take the 9:30 spot, I'm not fussy) that they'd like to swap out for mine? I don't know quite how we'll facilitate this, or if I'm doing something terrible (I'm sorry if i am - this is with best intentions), but I would hate to have to miss this. I'm going to cancel Monday around noon if I don't hear from anyone to be fair to the restaurant (I'm sure they'll get snapped up - Equinox at restaurant week is a rare treat), but please PM me if you can help me out. thanks for this in advance.

So sad. You could have eaten at Walter's and had the Afghan fries. (Pomona alum)

Who can forget all the bagel injuries from 10 years ago when we all tried to balance the bagel on the counter/slice in our hands/do some other fool thing? My two worst injuries: - Cooking pasta when very very tired, and having the whole pot of hot water back-splash on my bare feet. (No, I don't know how that worked exactly, but I've got the scar to prove it) - Cast iron skillet. Filleted leg of lamb. Reaching up to the cabinet over the stove while wearing a slightly too small t-shirt. I am deeply grateful for aloe vera and ice packs.

I had lunch at Extra Virgin yesterday, and I have to say: it wasn't bad. They have an addictive olive puree/olive oil dipping sauce, with splendid bread. The rest of the food was average: fried calamari, a kind of weird celery soup, and orichiette with sausage and rabe (except tagatelle with bolognese, which was rich, and splendid and housemade). I have to give a shout-out to the service. Mr. Beezy and I went late, on a Monday lunch, and there was only one other party in the restaurant. This is usually an excuse to ignore everyone and spend time getting ready for dinner. However, our waiter was attentive, and made suggestions about food and wine. When Mr. Beezy didn't eat his calamari, the waiter not only asked, but comped it, as well as bought us a dessert. (He didn't fuss, or anything, either - just politely said that the calamari was not what he liked.) I know we argue a lot about how comping has gotten ridiculous, but I was impressed by the fact that this restaurant that doesn't have the best food reputation tried so hard to please. The waiter and the manager seemed genuinely interested that we have a good experience at lunch. That's gotten hard to find in this city....

There's been a lot of talk going on about how that eating "drastically less" can endure your lifespan. They call it the Calorie Restriction Diet, and New York Magazine wrote this piece October 30. "The 1,800 daily calories I’ve been consuming fall well short of the minimum 2,500 recommended for adult males, and two months on this caloric budget has shrunk my 43-year-old, five-eleven frame from an almost officially overweight 178 pounds to a high-school-era 157. Friends and loved ones, I’ve noticed, have started sounding more concerned than impressed when they see how much weight I’ve lost, but here within the charmed circle of tonight’s dinner party, I don’t feel so much scrawny as trim—dashing, even. Standing around the kitchen’s broad butcher-block prep table with these five world-class calorie restricters, I recognize our thinness as sophisticated and sane, the height of a slender, Nick and Nora Charles sort of elegance." Is it me, or is this just silly? CR seems to be a competitive fetish of nutrition and portion control, but it's not so bizarre to think that you ought to watch your caloric intake. Salon wrote this rebuttal today, asking if it's worth it if we're hungry all the time. I'm trying to lose a lot of weight by eating 1700 calories a day, plus the outflow of a stringent gym regimen. I'm (mostly) not hungry, and I'm certainly not starving. I don't eat everything that's available to me (fast food, prepared food, fried food, frequent dessert), but I'm still eating out 2 or 3 times a week, and not ordering the salad with dressing on the side. Thoughts?

As do they at Booeys. No nuking here!