reedm

Thanks to ulrath's post, I stopped by for lunch today. Since I thought my wife would like me to bring lunch home, I ordered enough for two. As it turns out, she wasn't going to be home, so I ordered way too much food, but got to sample a variety of items.

I'd rate the fish at least a 9, particularly since this is a fast casual (I don't really like that term) restaurant. The fish was perfectly cooked, fresh, and quite delicious. The fries were cooked properly, but unremarkable.

Coincidentally, I ordered a barbacoa taco and a carnitas taco. Both were ample portions, and I agree that the fresh corn tortillas were tasty.

I also ordered a chicken mole tamale, which was obviously house made. It could have used a bit more seasoning, but it was also satisfying.

The lady running the register was incredibly friendly and helpful, and the restaurant was very clean and modern looking inside. Great to see a promising new spot in the area.

Plenty of great ideas already, and it certainly depends on what your guests are likely to enjoy.

Rasika or Rasika West End

Fiola or Fiola Mare

Old Ebbitt Grill (Don't hate me--it can be a great spot depending upon your needs)

Hill Country Barbecue

Fabio Trabbochi's restaurants have become a bit of birthday tradition in my family, so my wife's request for a birthday dinner at Fiola was an easy choice. Fiola remains a top choice in DC; the food, the service, and the hospitality is certainly first rate. Fiola is still very expensive for dinner, so for me, it will remains a special occasion destination.

First, I incorrectly assumed the $40 negroni was the most expensive cocktail in town. I overlooked "Cocktail Bill", a drink featuring Willett 8 year cask strength rye, and priced at $45. (in the unlikely event anyone from Fiola reads this, Willette is spelled incorrectly on the menu.) I opted for the more reasonably priced Fiola G&T. It featured a "seasonal ice", which appeared to be a frozen berry puree, as well as some edible flowers. My wife enjoyed a seasonal mint julep, and my daughter really loved her Pom Pom Fizz, a tangy blend of pomegranate juice, lime juice, and ginger beer.

The main dining are was packed, surprising for 7pm on a Wednesday, and there was also a large private party taking place. Our server, while friendly and polite, seemed a bit flustered initially, and the pacing was a bit off. It took quite a while for our appetizers to arrive, but Fiola's knack for hospitality turned a minor inconvenience into a nice memory when we were provided with half a dozen Shigoku oysters. Trabocchi's restaurants prepares seafood better than anywhere else I know of, and their version of oysters, served with a touch of caviar and a lemon granita, is one of my favorites.

Another item Fiola has mastered is burrata, and predictably, that was what my wife ordered. Similarly, my daughter remembered the tuna carpaccio from a previous visit. Both were as delicious as they had been before. I opted for the "Flight of Duck", a decadent trio composed of a generous serving of foie gras, thinly sliced smoked duck breast and poached figs, and a beautiful duck egg.

My wife and daughter chose pasta as their entrees, and selected the tajarin "Al Frutti Di Mare" and the cavatelli amatriciana. The pasta, prepared tableside, was full of perfectly cooked seafood, and the tangy brodetto accentuated the freshness of the seafood. The ricotta cavatelli was delicious as well, and the amatriciana sauce was velvety and rich. I had a tough time picking an entree, but my wife wanted to taste the signature veal chop, and since it was her birthday, I played along. The chop was impossibly tender, and enveloped in what I believe was a mushroom duxelle, and then wrapped in ultra thin prosciutto. The accompanying mushrooms were perfectly cooked, and made for a rich side dish. The porcini crema and ossobuco jus were incredible, and complemented the veal nicely. Since I was driving, I behaved myself and had a single glass of a super tuscan wine, but I don't recall the details.

We thoroughly enjoyed our evening, and Maria Trabocchi chatted with us for a bit. She mentioned that they keep notes on their guests, and said we had the best seat in the house. That was certainly a nice touch, one that I appreciated and had not requested. The banquette provided a view of the entire room, and it was fun to people watch, and observe the staff as they went about their business.

If I lived or worked closer to downtown DC, I'd visit more frequently for lunch and/or happy hour. Looking forward to our next visit already!

Heading there tomorrow for a birthday dinner. While scanning the menu, I noticed they now offer a $40 negroni. That price makes Capella's $22 Manhattan look like a bargain.

Finally managed to make it there for lunch yesterday. I will agree the place is a bit challenging to sort out, but in the end, the food was delicious, and if I lived closer, I would be a frequent customer.

As I may have mentioned in another thread, I'm a "customer friend" of James, and he always impressed me with his Union Market offerings. He was working when we visited, so I was able to talk a bit about the concept, ordering, etc. When we visited, the cooking/prep area was in full swing, but it was apparent customers were not seated in the area. I learned the area is used for seating only in the evening, as is the bar, and that the open areas, while used for lunch, are for socializing, etc. (I didn't ask him, but it certainly seemed the "controversial" plastic ware is for lunch only.)

The soup was delicious, as was the num pang. The pork buns were great, as were the leek buns. The portions are quite large, and although we should have known better, we over ordered.

Bonus points for the choice of still or sparkling bottled water that is free of charge (the name escapes me). The retail goods were interesting, and although I'm older than their target demographic, that part of Maketto did not dominate the space.

Overall, I agree that this is a cool concept. While it is new, Maketto is unique in the area, and deserves some slack as it gains its footing.

I'd certainly consider Casa Luca. I'm a huge fan of Trabocchi's DC restaurants--they are pricey, but well worth the money. I've eaten at Casa Luca only once, and that was for lunch, but I think you'll find it is well regarded.

I'll add Del Campo as well. Even though it features beef, I wouldn't categorize it as a standard steakhouse.

And I thought there was a dog connection...

Are you going to post about Toki? I've been there a handful of times and found the ramen to be uniformly delicious.

My second and final guess; TKO burger.

Kangaroo Boxing Club

Green Pig Bistro - I love that place.

Rose's version sounds incredible, but it is unlikely I will ever try it since they refuse to take reservations and I refuse to wait for hours.

Green Pig was my local place for about a year. They endured a mediocre review from Sietsema, but survived and have thrived since. I have always felt the review was the best thing that could have happened, since it allowed them to grow a bit, work out the kinks, etc. Sietsema's follow-on review was much more complimentary and realistic. (More to that story some day)

Best bacon cheeseburger in town, awesome "buffalo" ribs, snail toast, I could go on.

I know many don't care for Rose's policies, but I truly enjoyed it both times I went.

What place in DC or MD has the best fried chicken.....currently? I need to know where to scratch the itch when I am too lazy to make it myself.

Three very different ideas for you:

Central serves up a high end and unique version that's hard to beat. I believe they used to serve it "to go", but I've never done that.

Rose's Luxury's pickle-brined chicken is outstanding. Not sure if they serve it regularly, and of course the wait may be a factor.

My dark horse is Green Pig Bistro in Arlington. It's their blue plate special on Monday's, and although I haven't had it in some time, it has remained on the menu for good reason.

I'll add a fourth: Popeye's is really hard to beat, as long as it is fresh.

3 COURSE AT ROGUE 24 $55.00 PER PERSON  TAX 5.50 PER PERSON  BYOB (WAIVED IF YOUR A MEMBER) SERVICE CHARGE IS UP TO YOU......

I haven't been to Rogue 24 yet, but I'm a big fan of Gypsy Soul. Sounds like an easy choice! (Note to self: get to Rogue 24)

Great post, but your first sentence made me laugh out loud.

I certainly know what you mean when you are tempted to invoke the 5 second rule when overpriced food drops to the ground. 

Being a huge fan of Chef Ruta it kills me to write anything less than glowing, but I've been back to the Grill Room several times now and I'm chiming in to agree with a large bulk of what DPop and DanielK have said. The Restaurant Week Lunch was by far the best and most consistent meal I've had there, and my return trips have been consistently good with sprinkles of greatness. I've noticed inconsistency in the service as well - sometimes the service is spot on, other times I've had servers making awkward conversation and had problems like others have mentioned with my water not being filled up, noticing the rest of the dining room with empty water glasses too (and also witnessed a knocked over glass that the server kind of cleaned but someone else had to follow up because there was still water on the table). I'm really not sure what to expect now from one trip to the next, but I've never left unhappy, just not as happy as I'd hoped at times. Everyone is always very pleasant, though, regardless of whether or not the service was great. As to what I've thought about the dishes I've had so far:

Starting bread - The first time they set a basket of bread in front of me I was really sad that they switched away from the small fresh loaves of bread from before. That sadness didn't last long. It looked like there were some slices of the previous bread, which I tried first. Still a lovely crust and a wonderful crumb. Next was some multigrain wheat bread that was also good. Then I had the biscuits - wow. These were so fluffy and moist and buttery and delicious I could have gorged myself on a basket of them and died immediately of coronary heart failure. The cornbread was last, which was some of the finest cornbread I've had at a restaurant, probably behind only Jacques-Imo's in New Orleans - a little sweet but not too sweet and perfectly moist with just the right texture. Unfortunately, it's been inconsistent on return trips (either that or my judgement is inconsistent). I've found the biscuit to range from the perfectly made bliss to pretty good but a little dry, and the cornbread to range from wonderful to pretty good but a little bland.

Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese, Yukon Gold Potato amuse-bouche - This was a delightful and delicious bite, all of the flavors worked well and I was sad I wasn't at a table with people who hate fish so I could steal theirs.

Rabbit en Porchetta - At first I was a little disappointed, but as I kept tasting it the flavors kept sneaking up on me, and by the end the bites were positively singing. The bits of pickled vegetables were delightful, as was the perfect little slice of endive on the side. This was an excellent dish.

Oxtail Consomme from the tasting menu - This was a tasty soup, but I guess I was expecting the delicacy of the consomme I had (the one time I tried it) at Palena. Like DPop, I found it disappointing, although maybe that's just from the bar having been set so high before. The vegetables, mushrooms, and beef I thought were all a bit chunky and not nearly as tender as I expected. On a side note, they really need to switch to new spoons. The ones they're using are long and narrow and TERRIBLE for eating soup. It's like you're pouring things into your mouth with an ice scoop, and it's damn near impossible to get to the broth at the bottom of the bowl.

Stuffed Veal Breast with Quail Egg - I had a similar experience as with the Rabbit en Porchetta, where at first I was okay with it but by the end it was wonderful. And, like the endive with the rabbit, the asparagus that accompanied it was absolutely perfect.

Gnocchi - I have to admit that I was never huge on the gnocchi at Palena, and while I enjoyed it this time more than before, DPop pretty much nailed my thoughts on it. The gnocchi itself was perfectly cooked and ridiculously soft and velvety. The flavors were wonderful when I found them, but they were so subdued that most of the time I was left with that same feeling of blandness. I found myself savoring the small amount of broth at the bottom of the bowl to liven up the bites. The dish also left my mouth as soon as I finished it, which is unusual for a Frank Ruta dish for me. Typically, even if I was ho hum about a dish while eating it, the flavors linger around for a long time afterwards in the most wonderful way possible. I do think, though, that if you loved the gnocchi at Palena, this will not disappoint.

Goose Egg Ravioli - Holy crap this was good. The ravioli were amazing, and the pork belly was insane. If I had any criticism, it would be that the pork belly was so tender it bordered on being spongy, but this dish has been the highlight of my trips so far.

Roasted Chicken - After a perfect, amazing rendition of the roasted chicken during restaurant week, I came back and ordered it again. While it was still a delicious, flavorful, juicy chicken, it was probably the driest I've ever had from Chef Ruta. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't dry, but it didn't quite have the same moistness, succulence, and tenderness I've gotten used to. It was still just as flavorful and the skin was still perfection, but I wasn't sure any more about shelling out $28 for it. I've also noticed that I hear a lot of conflicting things about the brining: I've heard at least 3 days to brine, and I've had servers at Grill room tell me that the chicken is brined for at least 1 day, and this last time I was told at least 12 hours. In my experience with brining, 12 hours (or even a day) is not nearly long enough for a 3 lb bird to reach the proper level of salinity by normal techniques, but I have no idea if what they're saying is accurate.

Angus Beef Oxtails Vaccinara - It took me a little while to figure out how to get the meat off the oxtails gracefully. Once again, on my first bite I was very so so about this dish, but as I kept eating it kept getting better and better until it I was really loving it by then end. My first impressions were that the beef was cooked too far, a bit bland, and the tomatoes weren't incorporated very well into the stew. Wrong on all counts, this was a wonderful dish. The asparagus (white, in this dish) was, again, perfectly cooked and the egg added a great thickness and flavor. I wasn't sure about the pine nuts, though.

Just Say 'Ah' - I'm not a big dessert person, but I enjoyed this. The fennel sorbet was lovely, and the dish had a very earthy quality I loved.

Baci Sbagliati - I enjoyed this one as well, the mousse was velvety and delicious. I was sad I had finished my coffee before it came out, they would have been lovely together.

Parting trio - Chef Aggie sends out a trio of desserts to end the meal, a wonderful little macaroon, some of the most delicious caramel I've had the pleasure of eating, and... well, I don't know what it technically is because I'm a culinary idiot, but some sort of fruity, rich, delicious, red block of gel.

All in all, I've left happy but not euphoric from my meals at the Grill Room. For the price tag that accompanies the meals, that's not a good thing. While everything's been good, I've found it moving farther and farther away from the level of what Chef Ruta was putting out at Palena. Inconsistency in the cooking and service are probably to blame, but it's unfortunately making me more and more hesistant to go back.

Great review. I fully agree with your comments about the high prices. The food should be memorable at $200 per person. In my mind, all of Trabocchi's places are a better value.

Despite my brief description of dinner, our experiences were very similar, and you did a great job describing your meal. ( I thought the consomme was superb, and forgot about the annoying spoon! lol)

A few thoughts for you.

First, these are opinions, right? Mine is that the Evans' BBQ, which I've had three times, is somewhat better than DCity, which so far I've had just once. More visits to both could change that view but not sure they will for me. Not every post on this thread has been a rave. Rare for any place. All good.

Second, have to react a bit to your use of "reheated" in your 'critique' (putting it nicely) of the 'q at The BBQ Joint/UM. My DCity ribs didn't come straight off a grill or from a smoker. I know because I saw where they were pulled from....ready for it? A warming cabinet. I have zero doubt, knowing where Chef Evans' BBQ comes from (because I talked to him about it) that on any given day and time, the food one has at UM or at DCity could be the fresher one. For reference, Pasadena, MD is about 30-40 min from Union Market.

Third, resume obviously matters much less than what's on the plate but, as I understand it, the excellent (as I posted) DCity is helmed by a former Hill Country pitmaster. Chef Evans, of course, is a trained and accomplished fine-dining chef who has been obsessed with improving and perfecting his BBQ for many years. Did you know he has been competing--and winning--BBQ competitions, on the national circuit, for about ten years; since graduating from the CIA more than 20 years ago? Again, maybe training, experience, wins or even passion don't so much matter to you but they're at least explanatory for me. By that I mean, they help to explain or lend context to what I'm tasting. Many chefs in America are over hyped. In my humblest of opinions, Chef Evans isn't one of them. If at all interested to learn more, can check this out.

Fourth and finally, I of course respect any opinion or preference, even if different from mine. And, if you review my original post with which you took issue, you'll note two things. I really enjoyed DCity. I'm a fan. That said, a main driver of my preference for The BBQ Joint/UM was what I felt was DCity's fairly assertive seasoning on most dishes ordered.

I'll be back to both of these spots more in the future. I think we're lucky to have both in DC. You should, of course, "write off" whatever you like and go where you like.

P.S., Wondering if something is off with your posts or what undisclosed offline loyalties you may have since you've said you only "felt the need" to try the Evans 'q once (just a couple of months ago) and, on that thread, you posted you only had the sausage. So, no brisket? No ribs? Seems an obvious point but pretty tough to compare if you aren't at least trying similar things. If you're going to slam a BBQ place, on two threads, might be cool to support that view with more than a few assertions. That you persevered more for parking by DCity, and heroically "dodged locals," seems a little disconnected from the broad and unsupported assertion made about the cuisine. And, if your food critique is seriously based only on a single link of sausage from the BBQ Joint/UM, may need to do a bit more "research" if the goal is to form a balanced and informed opinion of any kind.

I didn't intend to take issue with your observations; I was merely adding my own opinion. Your point that my comments were based on one visit is well taken, so I will give them another go at some point. If I remember correctly, I had eaten something else at UM, and wanted a smaller portion of something, and the sausage seemed to be the logical choice at the time.

Offline loyalties? I'm not quite sure what you mean. I'm admittedly a bit selective about the quality of barbecue, and I'm not bound to any regional variations, and I really don't care much about the background of a cook/chef/pitmaster. I'm certainly a bit biased because I lived in the Austin area for more than 12 years (all pre-Franklin), and I've driven my family a bit crazy with road trips to places like Cooper's in Llano and Kreuz's, Black's, and Smitty's in Lockhart. To my disappointment, great barbecue in this area is tough to find. In addition to DCity, I'm a fan of Hill Country, despite the DC prices. I've tried Willard's a few times, and didn't find enough to like to make me drive out of my way to get food there.

As for "feeling the need" to return, I mean that I have a handful of personal favorites which seem to take priority when I'm at UM. If the BBQ Joint was close to Fairfax, I might be a regular. (My favorites are the Maketto pop-up, Red Apron, Rappahannock, and District Fishwife, not necessarily in order.)

My "dodging the locals" comment was my attempt to convey my opinion that DCity is in a part of town that is less than comfortable for many. During one visit, a rather large "gentleman" followed me down the alley briefly and shouted at me asking for money. (His female companion convinced him to let it go).  Parking is also hard to come by. In short, it's more challenging than UM, in my opinion.

Finally, I've eaten at DCity four times, and found everything to be delicious. I highly recommend the Meaty Palmer, one of the best bbq sandwiches I've ever had, as well as the brisket champ, the pork ribs, and the wings. The pickles are delicious as well.

I love to cook, grill, barbecue, and smoke (on my Big Green Egg, that is), but I'm not a chef, and I'm certainly not affiliated with DCity.

Thanks for your comments.

Opening day and Womens' NBA Hoops semis tonight so...BBQ! (with full admiration and respect for all Easter Celebrants, which we celebrated with brunch earlier).

Finally and belatedly crossed a spot off of our "to try" list by ordering some 'Q for a smaller battalion from DCity. I was a little hesitant to do this given the higher stakes today and recently more-mixed reviews.

In three words though, Glad. We. Did.

We took home ribs, brisket, collards, beans and fried onion rings. Here's the rundown.

Ribs. A savory dry rub applied generously to larger, spare ribs yielded nice flavor even without sauce. Good balance of fat to meat yet very meaty and thoroughly moist. Maybe a tad too much salt but really nitpicking to say that.

Brisket. Like the ribs, thumbs up on flavor/smoke, marbling and moisture. Very nice. Someone upthread called the meats, or all dishes here, "adult bbq" and "aggressively seasoned". Definitely agree and thought fine with one exception explained below.

Collards. Bit of a miss only due to the liberal application of red chile powder or flake. Still, the flavors apart from the spice were very good and tasted of slow braising.

Pinto baked beans. OK but maybe too thin and, like the collards, chile powder? This tasted more like a meatless thin chili than a side of baked beans.

Fried onion strings. Very good and easily recrisped at home with 20 minutes in the oven.

For us, this seems one of the better BBQ spots in the District. Not to the level of Andrew Evans at Union Market nearby but very good. I like spice and heat in many cuisines but not so much in collards and baked beans sides. Still, the meats here were very nicely done. Staff all very nice.

BBQ places are more challenged than most types of restaurants to ensure consistency but, that qualifier aside, not sure if you've been able to try Andrew Evans' Q at Union Market (aka "The BBQ Joint"), Daniel? If not, you should.

I've got to tell you Andrew Evans' reheated barbecue is nowhere close to being as good as DCity Smokehouse's offerings. I'm willing to write some of that off to the logistical challenges, but very little given the prices.

More than once, I've driven out of my way to go to DCity, and I've found parking spots after long searches. I've even dodged some of the locals who were less than welcoming. On the other hand, I've been to UM on a regular basis, and after my first experience, I've never felt the need to return.

Four of us enjoyed a great evening this past Saturday. Two of us ordered the tasting menu, and our wives ordered a la carte. I don't have time to provide details now, but we enjoyed every minute of it. Highlights included the duck (incredibly complex sauce featuring harissa--much more like a mole), the consomme, and the goose egg ravioli.

I'm don't typically focus on desserts, but their offerings were incredible. In particular, the madeleine offering was superb. Buttery, crunchy, not too rich, and smooth. Their pastry/dessert chef is amazing.

To top it off, Keith is a master sommelier, one of only four in the DC area, and he hit a home run with the wine pairings, as well as with the by the glass offerings.

Service was beyond my expectation, and I'd return again.

Prices were fair, but be advised we spent about $200 per person, inclusive of tax and tip.

Cheers.

We ate at the Toki pop-up this past weekend.  I don't know who the chef was for the pop-up, it wasn't Mr. Burner-Yang, but he had a hilarious sense of humor, we really liked him.  Almost walking into Union Market you could smell the goodness of the noodle soup happening back there, and as we got closer, the addictive smell perfumed the air and changed our somewhat hungry notions into a desire to consume food immediately.  We had no idea what was being served, people just were walking up and walking away with stuff.  Asking a few people in front of us they said noodle soup and Chinese buns, sounded fine to us.  We asked what was in the soup- lemongrass, chilies, tilapia, poached egg, etc.  Sounded good.  We managed to grab seats right at the two tables and watched the chef making little bowls of steeping goodness.  The buns were doughy and fresh filled with a spiced barbecue filling that was a delicious mix of meat spices and just a little veg.  It had just enough spice to set off the sweetness of the sauce, it was wonderful.

Then came the soup.  As soon as it arrived I could smell how spicy it is.  At this point I should note, I love spicy food.  I cannot say exactly how or why this came about, but I really enjoy it.  My companions had varying degrees of spice acceptability.  My SIL probably draws the line at mildly spicy "thai" food from her local takeout I would put her at 1 pepper on the menu acceptability.  My other companion I would put at a two pepper.  I don't think either was prepared.  Of course it was only after we sat down that we heard it was a Spicy Laotian Fish Curry (I knew what this meant, but at this point we were sitting down and I knew I would be fine and they didn't seem to want to back down, so who was I to intervene...).  I had a couple sips of the broth, to which I coughed.  But oh it was good, it was spicy, but you could still taste all the flavors of the soup, it wasn't palate killing spice.  A few more bites and I had a progression of sneezes, but then my sinuses opened up and I digged in.  I loved the thin noodles in the soup, they made it fairly easy to eat.  The poached egg and lime eased some of the heat and gave this rich and almost unctious feeling to the dish.  The fish was firm, but soft to the spoon, not overcooked.  The cabbage was crunchy, but got softer as the dish cooked. The peanuts were a delightful crunch and added texture to the dish.  This dish had it all.  Spice and acid, a bit of sour, richness, crunch, it was good.  We downed at least three carafes of water on the table eating it, not that it was spicy, we just were really thirsty, yep that was it.  We lamented how greedily we had eaten our buns pre-soup.  I ate all my filing and maybe had a little broth left.  My companions tried to make the best dent they could.  My poor Sister In Law, the bravery she exerted in the face of sheer terror was astounding.  I hope I can ever get her to eat an Asian noodle soup again, it won't be able to be spicy, that's for sure.  I loved every moment of it.  It was a real experience.  Sitting there with friends, having interesting cuisines cooked right in front of you, laughing when any of us breathed in too much heat pre-bite.  Watching other people it was a real show.  As we left the chef laughed telling us it was $2 for soup, $13 for water.  This was a really great meal.  I haven't been to the real Toki, but it makes me want to go.  This is not the type of soup you think, man I want this tomorrow.  I don't even know if I could face it again tomorrow, but next week, I would maybe give it another go.

There are a few excellent spots to eat in Union Market, but one of us usually ends up with a bowl of soup from James at the Maketto pop-up whenever we stop by on the weekend. Some time ago, we also had the Laotian fish curry, and while delicious, it was incredibly spicy. James is indeed as nice as they come, and every soup he produces is exceptional. Last weekend, it was "Cambodian Pho"; not spicy, but it was perfect in every way.

We're also big fans of Toki, and my favorite is the Kimchi ramen, which when compared to the Lao fish curry, is not nearly as spicy. (Getting hungry as I type this...)

Stop by Honeycomb, their small asian goods store in UM. They make many of the products themselves, and there is always something new and creative, including pickled vegetables and kombucha.

I'm looking forward to checking out Maketto when it opens. Word has it that it should be open in a matter of weeks.

I was searching around Google Maps the other day for "seafood restaurants" and saw this place pinned on the map. I assumed it was an error based on the location, but I guess not.

It's certainly not a restaurant, as there is no indoor seating. (The clam chowder will taste delicious while eaten in a car, though...)

Been there a couple of times, and I'm a fan. A family-owned business whose regular trips to Maine developed into a business. I've ordered live lobsters and they were fresh and delicious. I've also had their excellent lobster rolls as well as their clam chowder.

They do supply lobsters to many of the area's name restaurants (Jose Andres restaurants, for instance)

The comment about the industrial park was spot on. I initially stumbled across the place while I was on the way to an auto body shop.

Not sure about the first web site, but I used online ordering from the second, and it worked just fine.

Oh! How often does she fry cod instead of blue catfish?? I would love to try that.

I'm not sure, but I do know everything they make is fresh and delicious. They also appear to quietly partner with other Union Market vendors.

Their fresh seafood is undoubtedly excellent, albeit expensive at times. That said, fresh seafood is worth the price.

I believe their prepared foods are under appreciated. Don't miss the fried cod and chips whenever they have it. Their curry dishes are also quite delicious.

I must have visited on an off day. Shortly after they opened, I tried their sausage, and it was unremarkable. The cheese permeated the sausage, but it was in very small cubes, and the texture was much too fine for my taste.

The corn muffins are vastly over priced, even at $1.25, since they are tiny.

Union Market can be pricey, but this outlet does not offer much value, particularly if you know DCity Smokehouse serves up much better barbecue at a better price, and it's a short drive away.

Chuy's is not only good--it's great. They make everything from scratch, the prices are good, and the food and drink is tex-mex without apology. I spent some of my best years in Austin, and ate at the original Chuy's in the early 80's. A few years ago, I lived in a town just north of Austin, and the Round Rock Chuy's took me back to the original location.