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On 10/23/2017 at 9:10 PM, DonRocks said:

Fishing with Dynamite in Manhattan Beach! Go early or go late, and try to grab a bar seat.

I wasn’t in the mood to make the trek in hopes of getting a seat, but much to my surprise, Fishing with Dynamite was available from Uber Eats! 

Pictured below are gumbo, baby gem salad with green goddess dressing, and banana cream pie. 

The gumbo was exceptionally delicious; one of the best versions I’ve tasted. The salad was great as well. The salad was a great blend of textures and flavors. Crispy baby gem lettuce leaves, creamy green goddess dressing, smooth tomatoes, and crunchy nuts and toasted grains of some sort. 

The pie was the only week spot. The filling was nice, and it was topped with toffee bits and whipped cream, but the crust was unusually dense and chewy. 

Overall, it was a delicious meal. 

My question is extremely late, but I’m in El Segundo for a couple of days. Other than in-n-out, are there any spots I should consider in the area?

Wow. I chatted with her a few times at Requin before we moved away from Fairfax. Very down to earth, humble, and in my opinion, a very talented chef. 

Don, Not sure if you'd prefer to place this in the former "Family Meal" thread, but I didn't find another thread for Aggio in Ashburn.

I've been to Aggio three times now. We first visited before we moved to Ashburn, and I thought it would be fun to check the place out.  We sat next to the open kitchen to celebrate a birthday. Everything was great, but the place was empty and the service was a bit off. Oddly enough, there was little interaction with the chefs despite the fact the place was nearly empty.

We moved to Ashburn in July, and our second visit was a couple of of weeks ago. Here's what I posted to yelp (hoping to give a little boost to their business). I'm finally getting around to providing a mention here, in hopes that some of Rock's readers will give it a try.

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If you enjoy fresh house-made pasta and delicious drinks that are fairly priced, do yourself a favor and go to Aggio. The food certainly stands up to some of the best in the DC metro area, and the prices make the establishment an absolute bargain. 

Our server was excellent, and she was friendly and attentive during the entire meal. 
We enjoyed a couple of wonderful cocktails, that thanks to happy hour pricing they were also an incredible value. All drinks are half price during happy hour. $4.50 for a well-made boulevardier? Yes, please.

The warm focaccia arrived with whipped ricotta with accented with lemon zest and pepper, as well as a whipped mortadella spread that was plated on a *pesto reduction. Both were wonderful.

We chose the Burrata and the Brussels for appetizers. Both were delicious; the burrata dish featured beautiful and tasty heirloom tomatoes, and interestingly was topped with olive oil "soil". 

We both ordered pasta for our entrees; the Cacio e Pepe was a creamy, silky version topped with a 63 degree egg (think lightly cooked yolk). (No picture of that dish) The lasagna consisted of several layers of tender pasta that was crisp around the edges, and enveloping an incredible lamb bolognese. The dish was both light and rich and rich at the same time, and its certainly one of the best versions of lasagna I've tasted. 

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We paid another visit a week later, and the food remained excellent. I enjoyed a short rib dish, served with fresh corn polenta, glazed carrots, and gremolata,  that was superb. It had an interesting texture--very similar to pastrami-but the flavor was rich and the meat was tender. I asked about the preparation, and was told that the beef is marinated and then prepared sous-vide. We ordered a goat cheese ravioli that was described as "Ravioli, goat cheese, garlic scapes, corn" but when the dish arrived, it was prepared much differently, and served with roasted beets. Hmmm.

During this visit, our server was pleasant and worked hard, but it was very apparent she had not received nearly enough training. I'm not saying this to be harsh, but she knew almost nothing about the menu, and didn't know anything about wine basics. Fortunately, the manager, who we thought was just the bartender, visited our table when we asked about wine pairings. He recommended a red for the ravioli, which I thought was odd until he explained the change to the preparation. As it turns out, he has worked with Voltaggio for some time, and he had been brought in to help with the front of the house. I realize Ashburn does not have the server "bench" that's available to DC restaurants, but I really hope Aggio will devote some time to improving the service by educating their staff about the basics. They made changes to simplify their menu, so it certainly appears they are making changes to drive their business. Prices are reasonable, and I don't know of another place in this area that features homemade pasta. 

Yes. We had a had a flea issue we could not solve with over the counter products.. We never had any pets in the house, so it was puzzling.

Long story short, PestNow was the best value for money ($145). Their price was literally hundreds lower than multiple competitors. Some will not even provide an estimate until they visit. 

It took a few days, but we finally got rid of all of the fleas. 

Highly recommended. 

On 9/4/2017 at 1:46 AM, Sundae in the Park said:

If you're willing to travel off the strip and in the mood for Asian food, go to Raku. We talk about the Thai places in LV a lot but it' s hard to eat a varied meal by yourself at those restaurants unless you want to have a LOT of leftovers. But Raku has small, exquisite portions, so you can try many different things. Worth a thought!

Great suggestion. I recommend checking the prices of any nightly specials. It was years ago, but I ordered some sort of special Japanese eel that was as expensive as the price of the rest of the fish I had ordered combined. $20 something I believe. 

As mentioned upthread, we celebrated my daughter's birthday at Fiola on a Saturday evening. We typically save Fiola for special occasions, since the cost, while justified, is not something we can afford to do on a monthly basis. (Come on powerball) 

The three of us agreed this was our best experience at Fiola to date. If I had one criticism in the past, it was that nearly every dish was incredibly rich, and it was easy to be overwhelmed if you didn't order carefully. We were told Ed Scarpone is now the executive chef, and I think his menu is now much more balanced. The favorites remain, but there are new and creative dishes on the menu as well. (Perhaps Don or another expert here might be able to expand on chef Scarpone.)

Once again, John hosted us for the evening. (Referring to him as a server just doesn't seem to reflect his professional skills to me). I think he's the best Fiola has to offer, so we enjoyed spending time with him again. He has a quiet, wry sense of humor, and he knows Fiola's offerings inside and out. Great guy.

On to the menu. Fiola's menu changes quite often both in content and format, and this time the menu was divided into two main categories, "Evolution" and "Classics". While the printed options are 2, 3, or 4 courses plus dessert, as well as a 5 course tasting menu, you can literally any combination of any item on the menu. It's also possible to order half-portions of some items. The ordering flexibility was very useful to us, as I will explain later.

I'll try to provide highlights, but won't describe every bit of food and drink we enjoyed that evening.

I began with a negroni, which was mixed tableside. The gin and vermouth were pre-mixed, and a selection of amaros was provided so you're able to customize the drink to your liking. If memory serves, the amari were Capppelletti, Cardamaro, and Fernet. Delicious. John suggested I could keep some of the amaro as a digestif. 

"The Negroni Bar"

There were three of us, and my wife and daughter opted for the two course plus dessert option. My daughter is a vegetarian (not strict), and they were able to accomodate her requests easily. I opted for the five course tasting menu, with the understanding my dinner companions would share my food. 

Since we ordered a tasting menu, we were served two amuse bouche. The first was a lovely watermelon gazpacho, and the second, pictured below, was a "cannelloni" filled with whipped ricotta and a touch of caviar. (If you look closely, you'll see a bit of gold edible leaf.) This bite-sized treat was superb.

Amuse Bouche

My wife and daughter chose identical first courses of Heirloom Tomato Panzanella, served with herbs, Extra Vecchio Balsamico and olive oil. There was also a bit of foam, as you can see in the picture. The tomatoes were sweet and delicious, and the bread component was very light. Delicious starter.

"Heirloom Tomato Panzanella"

My tasting menu began with a Yellowfin Tuna appetizer, which was crafted to resemble veal tonnato. I don't recall all of the components of the dish, but it was well-balanced, beautiful, and delicious. Caviar and edible gold leaf made another appearance.

"Yellowfin Tuna"

My next course was a simple Cacio e Pepe. (I kid!). It was an incredibly luxurious Cacio e Pepe with black Australian truffles. This dish was insanely delicious; the pasta was light and perfectly cooked, and the sauce was rich and creamy. I'm not a truffle expert, but the Australian truffles were incredibly aromatic, and raised the dish to another level of deliciousness. The picture is sloppy, since I took it after I shared it with my wife and daughter. Easily one of the best dishes I've had at Fiola. 

"Cacio e Pepe with Black Australian Truffle"

The next dish on the tasting menu was also one of my two favorite dishes of the evening. Simply labeled "scallop" on the menu, it was actually a perfectly seared and lightly cooked Hokkaido scallop served on a lemon risotto. I'm not sure if I'll be able to eat a lesser version of a scallop again, since this was was sweet, tender, rich, and slightly briny. Amazing.

"Scallop"

More dishes are pictured below. They were all wonderful, but I'm running out of adjectives and descriptive phrases. 

"Iberico Scarpariello"

My daughter opted to leave the langoustine in the Sweetcorn Marubini dish, and she opined the shellfish was the best she'd ever had. I tasted it, and agree. The langoustine was superbly tender, and really pulled the dish together perfectly.

 "Sweetcorn Marubini"

90-day aged ribeye with wine reduction and bone-marrow hollandaise. The beef was cooked a bit unevenly, but I opted not to return it. Extremely rich as you might imagine.

"Ribeye"

"Summer Peaches"

"Tiramisu"

I'm going to guess Pokeworks. 

We're going tomorrow evening to celebrate my daughter's birthday, so I'll try to remember to report back.

1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

Why didn't I see this?

Well, no (Balka isn't a country).  But you do get points for a solid effort.

Okay, it's in Chantilly, within 100 yards of numerous ethnic restaurants.

The largest thing in the center of the plate is a boiled potato; everything else you see is Cows' Feet (oddly, I had Pig Knuckle Stew the following evening).

Betty's Grill

Izakaya Seki

5 hours ago, JimCo said:

No, it was in DC. I suppose generic barbeque platters are too hard to discern. It was Sloppy Mama's at Solly's Tavern. And the pulled pork was barely edible. I'll write more soon.

That's a shame. I've had great luck with their BBQ served from their food truck. 

I've been to Lockhart and sampled barbecue from a few spots, including Kreuz, but I don't recall if I went to Black's or Smitty's. 

There's interesting history about Kreuz and Smitty's that boils down to a family feud. 

I expect your barbecue will be delicious! Make sure you get some pickles, sliced onions and white bread to create the full experience. 

I'd be glad to contact a guy I play golf with. As someone who moved 10+ times in 25 years, trust is important to me. Send me a message and I'll be happy to provide details.

Sea Pearl

Is the second dish Onion Bhaji?

This just appeared in my email inbox. I can't make it, but perhaps someone else can. Looks interesting!

Table Available for Tonight's Chef's Tasting Due to last minute cancellation, we have one table available for tonight's Chef's Tasting Event ant 7pm. "Spring in Countryside" Menu puts a emphasis on Chef's European background, spending vacations in her grandma's country farm. One of the best food memories she has is eating a simple just plucked garden lettuce salad with young potato and dill, breathing in fresh country air and being surrounded by family. This is the feeling Chef is driven to evoke to the guests this time. Chef Juste's tastings are 30-seat interactive dinner parties. 5 course menu highlights season’s best accented with handcrafted techniques and inventive drink pairings. During the course of the night Chef herself will explain the thought and background of each dish and complementing drink pairing. Over 2-2.5h intimate experience modern and unique plates are served in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Reservations by phone only, call (703) 319-2177 with credit card info to book.   maple ave restaurant spring in the countryside chef's tasting menu sample june 6th 2017 7pm 5 courses $59 drink pairing $35 ◼ first cherry smoked beet soup herb buttermilk, young potato and dill, marinated egg pinot noir rosé ◼ second grilled mackerel house black bread, saffron aioli lithuanian kombucha ◼ third charred asparagus tart olive spread, olive oil poached egg yolk gruner veltliner ◼ fourth  nettle crepe stinging nettle puree, pork confit, sour cream berbera ◼ fifth manchego cake strawberry, hazelnut crunch lavender strawberry lemonade   Chef Justė Židelytė   $30 deposit required to reserve. If cancelled, deposit is refunded as Maple Ave Restaurant gift certificate, redeemable any time.

While probably not a true sports bar, One Hot Mama's serves excellent barbecue, and they have a ton of TVs.

I don't recall if I went to Casey's a few years ago, but that appears to be a place where you'll definitely be able to watch hockey.

15 minutes ago, TedE said:

There are myriad undercounter units out there, but I found that something labeled as "built-in capable" does NOT imply it is a true built-in unit; have to look for the front venting. Expect to pay double or more than a comparable free-standing unit.  I just went through this process buying units for our soon-to-be-built wet bar.  Unless you are going high-end, name brand like Eurocave there are tons of options in the 50-60 bottle range around $1000, many with dual zones.  As with any appliance you can get the same internals as the very expensive models for a big discount, maybe with not as nice finishes.  Lots of brands use the exact same compressors which really is the only thing that matters, and many you'll see have what look like the exact same cabinets and doors with a different label slapped on it.  Stay away from the really low end (Avanti, Haier), research warranty and company reputation.

Great advice.  

What did you choose? I'm looking for $1k or less. 

Just now, DonRocks said:

Do they exist? As far as I know, units that cool and humidify need to blow warm air out the back.

That said, I could *easily* be wrong, as I haven't checked this in many years.

Yes, you can usually tell by the grates in the front of the unit. I read you should not put a fridge in an enclosed space unless it's designed for that purpose.

We are considering an under counter unit for our future town home. I'm by no means a wine expert or connoisseur, but I do enjoy wine, and it would be nice to have a place to store wine properly. I've done some research, but I haven't found anything more reliable than this site.

While I love MarkS's setup, but that's well above our budget.

Hit me with your recommendations for units less than $1000 that are suitable for a standard under counter space.

Thanks!

6 hours ago, Ferris Bueller said:

if you do not have a convention oven, and you add one, you will use it all the time.  Check out a speed cooking oven as well; offers quite a few more options and configurations (stand alone or combo unit with conventional oven/advantium on top.  http://www.geappliances.com/ge/advantium-oven.htm

Also - for some pretty cool gas ranges, in addition to the Wolf (Sub-Zero owned), very cool colors and versions, manufactured in PA.  BlueStar: http://www.bluestarcooking.com/cooking/ranges/

Thermador (Bosch owned) will run you about the same or a little less than Bluestar and a fair amount less than Wolf. http://www.thermador.com/cooking/ranges Very similar look to Wolf and Viking.

Most of the companies offer some sort of unit bonus (to encourage brand loyalty and boost unit sales), so if you purchase a hood and range, they may throw in a free dishwasher or fridge or something along those lines.  NOTE: just using as an example, my recollection is not a guaranteed type of promotion, check the actual websites for whatever they may currently be offering.

Great advice. We are, however, building a town home, and as you can imagine, we are limited in our choices.

The standard GE appliances provided are very good/excellent (if you discount MarkS's setup), but those are limitations.

Thanks!

Deciding between a double oven plus microwave or an over under setup with a convection microwave and a conventional range. 

If you have gas cooktop opinions, please feel free to share those as well.

Popped in to the recently opened Mission BBQ in Chantilly this past Saturday to grab some lunch to take home.

Had my eye on the spare ribs, but they were out, so I chose a 5-bone serving of baby-back ribs and a side of potato salad. Instead of the more traditional half/full slab options, Mission offers ribs in single bone, 5-bone, and 10-bone servings. 

The ribs were falling off bone tender, just as described on the menu. I prefer them with a bit of chew, but these ribs were nicely seasoned with a slightly sweet, slightly spicy rub which had been applied with the right amount of restraint. While the meat did indeed fall off the bone, it retained a nice texture, so I really enjoyed them. Some "fall off the bone" ribs in other places may get mushy or mealy, but this wasn't the case at Mission.

The potato salad was tasty, and the side of cornbread was a quite respectable version.

The employees were very friendly and the service was fast and efficient despite a nearly full house.

Looking forward to a return visit to explore more of the menu. 

3 hours ago, Josh said:

I'm guessing you commented without reading the article or anything related to the issue at hand. The publicity came from an unrelated bystander, not the people flying on the pass tickets. 

Not true.  I admit I didn't know a bystander brought the issue to light, but that's another indication the story serves little or no purpose.