reedm

I like Jose Andres' approach. 

Last Sunday, my wife and I popped in for a bite after a movie. Surprisingly, the quoted wait time was about 15 minutes, but we ended up sitting at at the bar when seats opened up. 

Based upon reviews here and elsewhere, my expectations were not overly high. That said, while the ramen is certainly different than Toki and Daikaya, it was delicious. I've found the Toki version to be incredibly rich, highly seasoned, and delicious. Daikaya's ramen was not as rich, but it was well-seasoned and delicious as well. 

I ordered the Jinya #1, which is a spicy chicken ramen. The broth was not as "full-bodied" as other ramens I've enjoyed, but that's not a criticism. The seasoning was just about perfect, and while I enjoy spicy food, the heat was subtle. My wife ordered a chicken ramen and added brussels sprouts and a poached egg. The sprouts were a standout--nicely roasted and slightly smoky. 

I'd certainly go back and explore more of the menu.

I made this some time ago and it was great. https://www.google.com/amp/www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/southwestern-turkey-with-garlic-ancho-chili-paste-and-gravy-803/amp?client=safari

As another idea, you could save the rub and use it in another dish. 

I always admired Clemente, but I don't remember why. I was only 10 when he died, but I knew enough about him to be a fan. 

Great footage. RIP Roberto!

I picked this up at my local whole foods, and we really enjoyed it. It reminded me of many great house wines I enjoyed in Europe, so it's nice to know someone with your expertise enjoyed it as well.

*Mine did not come with a table tennis/ping pong paddle. 

I'm pleased to report our Thanksgiving meal at Field and Main was outstanding in every regard. The restaurant is located in a converted house, so there are two or three dining areas, including a small area in the kitchen. Another room contains a bar as well as some tables, but that area wasn't in use during our meal.

The decor is very subtle, but very stylish. The cutlery, dishes, and stemware are all of very high quality. One of the serving dishes seemed familiar looking, and sure enough, it was made by Cloud Terre, the same company Kinship uses. 

Our waiter, Ryan, was fantastic, which was no surprise given his background at a number of great DC restaurants. He provided some extra touches during our meal, such as offering to serve us half glasses of our wine pairings, that we really appreciated. 

I'll forego most details, but every single thing we had was delicious, and the wine pairings were great matches for the entrees. (I forgot to get a copy of the menu, but someone posted a picture of it on yelp). The menu provided a choice of four entrees, and we chose the prime rib and the turkey. The prime rib was beefy, smoky, and perfectly cooked, and it was served with tallow onions, which looked innocent enough, but turned out to be melt-in-your mouth delicious. The turkey was tender and moist, and I'd say its some of the best I've ever eaten. In addition to a generous portion of sliced white meat, it was served with a portion of cold dark meat morsels that had been fashioned into a salad consisting of brussels sprouts leaves, pomegranates, and a light vinaigrette. 

We had a chance to chat with Neal Wavra, one of the owners, and he could not have been any nicer. We passed our compliments to his entire team.

Very much looking forward to a return visit.

It might be a tough reservation to get, but the Shaw Bijou might be perfect. 

In all seriousness, Fiola and Fiola Mare are great options. 

Don, It should be easy to enter your Global Entry details into your profile for every US airline, but you should do this ahead of time.  As you have experienced, it's not a good idea to count on an airline or TSA rep to acknowledge your credentials in real time. 

Kinship's menu looked fantastic, but it appears to be a better choice for larger groups. Since it's just the two of us this year, we decided to try Field and Main. Even though it was mentioned in a recent WaPo guide, I didn't know about it, so I give full credit to LauraB for the suggestion.

The menu looks great, and it will be nice to enjoy a meal in a setting away from the hustle and bustle of DC. We haven't eaten at a restaurant during Thanksgiving in about 15 years, so wish us luck.  

On 11/3/2016 at 3:06 PM, dcandohio said:

Great topic.  My friends and I sometimes say that the best meals we eat are the meals we cook.  But there are lots of things I don't cook, and that is where eating out becomes exciting for me.  

I never fry at home, so good fried chicken or fried fish in a restaurant is a treat.  I've tried, and have some good results, but I never make Thai food or Indian food at home that is as delicious as what I can get at my favorite restaurants.  I don't have a high temperature woodfired pizza oven. I don't bake cakes or bread.  

But I do a very good job at a lot of one pot or more rustic kinds of dishes like soups and stews and chili.  My mom made a fantastic gumbo, and mine is getting very close.  I feel competent at brining and grilling or smoking.  I can roast a chicken, and cook a piece of salmon on a cedar plank, and grill a steak on a hot skillet on the grill.

So I am inevitably disappointed by soup or chili at a restaurant.  Pasta and sauce have to be truly superb for me to see good value.  But serve me a delicious house baked bread, or a fragrant plate of curry,  or a good quality pizza, and I am grateful.

We could be culinary twins, since that is my take as well. 

I'd rather have a professional prepare a nice piece of fish as well. Apart from salmon, it's too easy to overcook.

1 minute ago, Simul Parikh said:

Haha... Really? Are you sure? You're not just making a joke are you? 

I guess it was a bit tongue in cheek, but their pricing is really at another level, so it might take a few days.

"I'd give it four and a half stars, but yelp won't let me do that, so I'm giving four. You get a lot of food for your money here..." 

1 hour ago, Simul Parikh said:

Not a review on Yelp either.... 

I searched yelp yesterday as well, and the place wasn't even listed. I wonder if anyone willing to spend that much money on dinner even uses yelp.

Tosca Cafe

I second Swan Oyster Depot

Did anyone go see his live show last night? I thought about it, since I count myself as a fan, but tickets were wildly expensive. 

5 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

Oh darn, now I'm not even a restaurant critic even though I spend 2,000++ hours a year doing this.

I'm almost certain you're not counting on eater.com to validate you as a respected critic. You and your site are an incredible resource. 

While I haven't eaten at All Purpose, I'd be disappointed with a pizza that resembled the one in the photos.

1 minute ago, TedE said:

Given how much of a hit it was I would like to do a smoked turkey again, but a traditional roast bird would fit the bill as well.

I'm not necessarily averse to doing mail order for this, but all things being equal I'd like to do something cooked locally.  Keep 'em coming!

I favor local businesses whenever possible, but the convenience of a turkey delivered to my front door gave me one less thing to do. If my memory serves me correctly, I looked for a local option, but didn't find one that worked for me.

I have always cooked turkey, so I completely understand the stress involved when preparing the holiday bird.  

You are probably looking for a traditional roast turkey, but if you are interested in a smoked turkey, I highly recommend getting one from Greenberg's. I ordered one last year for the first time as a "supplementary" turkey, just to be sure I had enough for sandwiches. It was the best smoked turkey I've ever had. Additionally, prices are very reasonable, and shipping is a bargain. 

I learned Greenberg's is legendary within the state of Texas, so I'd recommend ordering early. Greenberg Smoked Turkey

1 minute ago, Keithstg said:

Out of curiosity - why is that important? The bidding feature that has inspired such pearl clutching is an optional feature - again, as someone who has actually used the app in question paying a premium is not necessary to request or make a reservation.

If anything, I would rather restaurants be able to experiment with more dynamic and market driven pricing models (let's face it, an 8pm reservation at Fiola Mare on Saturday is more valuable than 8pm on a Wednesday) if it allows them to maxmize profit and therefore (a) survive, and potentially (b) expand staff benefits, hours etc etc.

It is important only in the sense that I did not want to lead people to believe Fiola Mare is using the bidding feature. I could have been clearer in my original post.

This is important; to the best of my knowledge, the bidding feature is NOT in use in DC. 

Easy enough to call/email Fiola for reservations  

1 hour ago, Bart said:

What does "paying a premium" mean in dollars?

I had read restaurants could use a feature that would allow diners to "bid" for popular dates/times, but I'm not sure if it is being used here.  The linked article is several months old, but this quote is from Reserve's currently posted terms of service:

• Optional Bid. If a reservation you request is in high demand, you may be given the option to offer to pay the Restaurant a certain percentage (between 10% and 100%) over its standard menu prices in order to increase the chances of securing your requested reservation (an “Optional Bid”). If a Restaurant accepts your Optional Bid and confirms your reservation request, you agree to pay (through the Services) the percentage over the Restaurant’s standard menu prices that you selected as your Optional Bid at the end of your meal, which will be based on the subtotal amount of your bill at the Restaurant.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/why-your-next-hot-restaurant-reservation-may-come-with-a-price/2016/04/04/c7919d86-d5bb-11e5-9823-02b905009f99_story.html

7 hours ago, Genevieve said:

What is Reserve? (It's hard to google a generic name like that.)  Thanks.

It's also a reservation system that offers a guaranteed reservation, but at a premium. I've never used that feature, and I don't imagine I ever will.

I recommend you email them--that may allow you to forego the need to hold a table with a credit card.

Despite the fact I'm not happy about this in the least, there's a distinct possibility the wife and I will be eating in a restaurant for Thanksgiving this year. Not sure if it will be the two of us or a few more people. Neither of our college-aged kids will be home, and as of now, neither of our extended families will be here.

Not to be too dramatic, but I've cooked every Thanksgiving dinner for 20+ years, so this may be a significant emotional event for me, and one that may be made easier only by a wonderful restaurant meal. (No buffets, please. )

Please name your favorites.

10 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Too bad I don't think they do reservation on Open Table anymore.  

They've switched to Reserve, but you can also call or email. FWIW, I've found that Fiola Mare and Fiola to be very responsive and accommodating when I I made reservations via email.

I was at the game last night, and I'm glad I went Money for a ticket was well spent, and the lost sleep was worth it. My decision to park near Capitol South? Priceless.

Although it was not the outcome I'd hoped for, it was an exciting game. The crowd was fully involved the entire time, and although some had to leave because of the idiotic Metro decision, the park remained full. 

#Natitude

22 minutes ago, Bart said:

I didn't read it as him having an axe to grind, but more like, 'there's a lot of new great places on the landscape".  Couple that with the very small menu at Rose's and I can see why it might not make the Top 10.  

But it's rough out there this time of year if you're Tom.  Here's one disgruntled comment which I don't even understand. 
 
Q: Fall Guide 

So no place in MD made the top#10 and only your paramour's place in VA was reviewed for the guide. I guess your biases match the Washington Post's owner's and editorial board's so to expect you to be fair and unbiased and give all the restaurants in the DC area a fair shake is asking too much. Ms Richman must be barfing in her grave over your reviews and biases. You are a disgrace to this wonderful lady's legacy and hard work!

 

A: Tom Sietsema

I'm just curious. Which Maryland restaurant would *you* have put in the Top 10? 
Points of clarification: My SO lives in the city. The Post, of which I am an employee, strives for fairness. Finally, my friend and mentor, Phyllis Richman, is alive and well and probably glad she doesn't have to respond to people like you anymore.

What the heck does this guy mean with "your paramour's place in VA" mean??!?!?  Is he saying Tom is dating Patrick O'Connell?!?!?!?!

That's a troll who surfaces now and then. Not sure why Tom posts the nut job's  comments.