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jmd

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  1. jmd
    Mad Momos has closed for business
  2. jmd
    The Great Falls location is smaller than the first, but meets the same standard of cuisine. Not an issue for me, but unlike the Fairfax location (and pretty much every Indian restaurant in Virginia I know of), there is no lunch buffet available.
  3. jmd
    I've eaten here for lunch a few times. Very generous portions, at a good price, of some very "home-cooked"-style (and vaguely Mediterranean) food - pile of rice, meat and vegetable, salad and drink for under $10. Lamb, roast chicken, and wild salmon are all good choices. A very practical, everyday lunch spot in Clarendon
  4. jmd
    Went in for a glass of wine before Inherent Vice on E St, ended up skipping the movie when I spotted this bottle on the wine list for $75: 1995 Albert Mann Grand Cru Pinot Gris. A rich, intense wine in prime condition (virtually no oxidation). Dry, at 13.5% abv with a touch of botrytis. Just a bit of funk with its gorgeous fruit. Paired with duck liver mousse and sweetbreads. This comes from the owner's personal collection, and given the absurdly affordable price (for the quality/rarity) they seem to be pricing this off its cost at release. A very memorable bottle, and one that will have me going back to see what else turns up on this list. Any other wine lists in the city offering these types of finds at reasonable prices?
  5. jmd
    Wandered in at 5:30 hoping to catch a seat at the bar, which was full, but we were offered a table, even though reservations had been limited for the (soft?) opening night This restaurant is beautiful (and smaller than I imagined), and the service is equally attractive - casual but fairly polished. Cocktails were all on point, other than the "Ma Collins." And the food was pretty to look at, and satisfying across the board. The ceviches are winners (but think composed, not hearty). There is a section of sushi/causa hybrids (causa being a Peruvian potato preparation); I enjoyed the uni. Siu mai came across as authentic, despite the inexplicable gold flakes (is that a thing?), and the vegetable fried rice dish was plenty tasty. This menu admittedly plays into my wheelhouse, but despite my biases I would be surprised if this wasn't well-received broadly
  6. jmd
    For some reason, I can never resist the urge to order the enchiladas de pato (duck confit with mole negro).... every time. Has anyone else enjoyed this dish? Any other dishes I am missing out on?
  7. jmd
    Crispy smoked pigs head, tiger beans, hen egg, and arugula. One of the 2014 dishes I'm still thinking about
  8. jmd
    Said farewell to CityZen with a stop by the bar last night for the three-course menu with beverage pairing. The eight seats filled up immediately so we waited until 7:00. First course shoat belly was served with a 1996 Auslese Riesling from JJ Prum, an astonishing wine in pristine form at this age. The exceptional duck course was served with a current vintage Priorat from the regular BTG list, followed by a cheese course with a sweet Vouvray. Comic relief was provided when guests came in from a wedding in the lobby and started ordering mimosas, screwdrivers, and vodka-ginger ales, to the befuddlement of the CityZen staff. We finished at 8:30
  9. jmd
    Wine list: all-domestic, concise but great selections (a good mix of classic and esoteric), with a full 3x mark-up across the board Food: salmon was cooked perfectly. Surprisingly dainty portions for a restaurant called America Eats, and excessively expensive. Many dishes appeared unimaginative or otherwise unexciting, including all the desserts Service: bumbling, but it's unfair to judge at this stage
  10. jmd
    Exceptional service and meal at Izakaya Seki last night. We were a large, slightly boisterous group, and we arrived a bit late, worried we might have lost our reservation on a busy Friday night. Instead, we were welcomed in graciously and never rushed despite our leisurely pace. We hardly looked at our menus, as we were happy to let our server guide us through a variety of courses. As such, I don't even know the proper names for most of the dishes, but here are the highlights as I recall: monkfish liver, jaw of some fish (tuna?), and short ribs - all amazing. The sashimi special was good and generous for the price (including toro, etc). My favorite sake was the Narutotai Ginjo Namagenshu - a cask strength, unpasteurized Ginjo. Very expressive and full-bodied. I am not qualified to say if it was lacking for subtlety, but I did enjoy it immensely.
  11. jmd
    After a couple aborted attempts in the past months, finally made it to Serow. Arrived just before 5 and narrowly missed the first seating, but one Sazerac at the Tabard Inn later, we were called back to the restaurant at 6:30. After being asked in several different ways if we "knew what we were getting ourselves into," we were seated and began the meal. A steady (but not rushed) barrage of dishes ensued, served by interchangeable, genial servers in high-collar dresses, leggings, and oxford shoes. Outside of the salted prawn, which was uninteresting to me, everything was well-executed and mostly very memorable. The menu fits together nicely as a whole, balancing itself in interesting ways (though I noticed a few people burn out on the heat around course 5; to me the main challenge was the sheer volume of food). I never quite settled on a drink pairing that worked; the best was a Belgian dubbel, with its nice contrast of malty sweetness, but ultimately it became too filling. I hate to say it, but I think the menu could use a clean, generic, pale Euro pilsner - light, refreshing, and just a hint of sweetness and hop spiciness.
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