DIShGo

The Caps sure dominated the second period tonight, but that Tampa goalie is so good! I hope the Caps keep that momentum going in the third period.

Kudos to the chef at Garrison for taking fresh, seasonal ingredients and making them shine. After passing by the snaking line waiting to get in to Rose's Luxury, my friend and I nabbed seats at Garrison's bar. We started with drinks: for me, a glass of dry Rose, Tiburoune Clos Cibbone ($14), and my companion chose the Jungle Bird, made with a House rum blend, Campari, pineapple and lime ($15).

We split four dishes, and all were thoughtfully executed and delicious. Our first starter was one of the Tavern Specials--the pierogies ($12). These were some of the best I have had, a bit on the salty side, but not overly so.

Our next dish was my favorite--the Warm Spring Blini, with local beets, figs and goat cheese ($15). This was perfection on a plate. It tasted as good as it looked, and it looked amazing! I highly recommend this dish, which is described on our receipt as a Beet Crepe.

We shared two pastas, and both were fabulous. The Sheep's Milk Ricotta Ravioli, with stinging nettle pesto, toasted pine nuts and parmesan ($27), was fresh and delicious, with oh-so-light pasta and a delightful sauce. The standout pasta, however, was the Toasted Farro Corzetti ($28). This dish, featuring pasta made with sheets of farro dough, stamped into circles, was topped with fresh asparagus, peas and parmesan. Innovative, fresh, and tastes like Spring - I say get it while you can!

I saw "Onibaba" a couple of days after I saw the Oscar-winning "Best Picture" of 2017, "The Shape of Water." While the latter disappointed me, the former was a delightful surprise--a gripping tale of human survival. 

The film is set in the 14th Century, during a Civil War In Japan. Beautifully shot in black-and-white, it tells the harrowing story of a middle-aged woman and her daughter-in-law who must resort to drastic measures to survive in their war-ravaged world. Basic human needs--food, water and sex--are the things the pair desire, and they do what they must to acquire them. Although it is set in Medieval times, "Onibaba" has a timeless quality, and could take place in any war, at any time. 

The women's hut is surrounded by fields of tall grass. Much of the film is shot low in this grass, creating a claustrophobic mood. The viewer feels anxious and trapped,  just as the women surely felt hiding there.

The acting is wonderful. The story is gritty, intense, erotic, and full of suspense. I highly recommend this film.

I saw "Onibaba" for free at the Freer Gallery of Art as a part of their Japanese Film Classics, offered at 2 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the Month. The next screening scheduled is "Drunken Angel," a 1948 film directed by Akira Kurosawa, on June 6.

My current four favorites are:

2 Amy's (sitting at the bar!)

Kinship

Sushi Bar at Sushi Ogawa

Little Serow

When I don't feel like wandering far from South Arlington, I like:

Thai Square

Boru Ramen

Takohachi

Has anyone tried Mirai? 

On 10/9/2016 at 7:27 PM, DonRocks said:

Aug 4, 2016 - "Updated: Chinatown Ping Pong Dim Sum Reopens After Brief Closure" by Courtney Brown on borderstan.com

Feb. 6, 2018 - "Penn Quarter’s Ping Pong Dim Sum Has Closed" by Warren Rojas on dc.eater.com

Has anyone been here since they changed names and revamped the menu?

I had lunch at the Pennsylvania Avenue Capital Grille yesterday with three friends visiting from California after we toured the wonderful Newseum. Call me a sadistic guide--I made them walk up several flights of stairs to enjoy the spectacular view from the museum's top floor, instead of riding up in the glass elevator (oops!) so we were all ready to sit for a spell and enjoy a relaxing lunch. They all ordered the burger with bacon and raved about it. All three said it was perfection and they wouldn't change a thing about the dish.

I ordered a crock of French Onion Soup and it was quite good--laden with cheese and rich with onion flavor.

To this wonderful community on its 13th anniversary-- and to its tireless founder, DonRocks, who made this all happen.

I see this place has just opened. Anyone try it yet?

My copy is blue, with clouds on the cover. DonRocks recently bought the 20th Anniversary Edition, which is white with red lettering. Both are about 2 inches thick. "Infinite Jest" is a time investment, but a worthwhile one.

K1 (Beer Advocate rating) is a neighborhood gem for beer and wine. I am planning to visit Belgium, so I stopped in at K1 to buy a bottle of Chimay. I was delighted to find several types of Chimay here, but I didn't buy any because there were so many other interesting beer selections from Belgium. I wound up trying two beers from Bruges, where I am planning to visit for a few days. 

This store is small, but it has a great selection of adult beverages--particularly beer. 

On 6/17/2016 at 5:33 PM, DonRocks said:

"A Few Months After Opening, Mulebone Lays Off Its Chef" by Becky Krystal on washingtonpost.com

Mulebone didn't make it, and neither did "Ancient Rivers," a restaurant that took over the space last fall, but not for long.

 "Short-Lived Ancient Rivers Has Closed" by Warren Rojas on Eater.

13 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

Really??

Okay, how's this: As much as I like the 1955 Academy Award winner for Best Picture, "Marty," I think "Goodnight, Sweet Blues" is its equal - and it was a 60-minute TV anthology that can be watched as a standalone episode.

If you've never seen a single episode of "Route 66" before, watch this one, and in just one hour, you'll fall in love with 9-10 people, maybe more.

As much as I liked "Marty," I preferred "Goodnight Sweet Blues."

2 hours ago, dcs said:

Sounds like you might like the improbably long named Heritage Brewing Co. Brewpub and Roastery at Market Common.  Been here maybe a half dozen times since it opened, mostly during the day on weekends.  Warm space, not too big.  Music good.  Never too crowded but always reasonably full.  They seem to pay attention to the food.  Hand-cut fries.  Daily soups - today was a squash soup with some apricot accent.  On another visit I enjoyed the house made chicken liver pâté served in its own little jar with some good bread.  That and a grilled endive and citrus salad and you got yourself a nice mid-day meal.  It is not a large menu, and maybe it will not appeal to all tastes, but they do convey the impression that they care about what they are doing, but without noticeable affect (except, perhaps, on their website).  Most of the beer they make out in Manassas.  They have the ability to brew small batch beers on site, but I have never seen them actually pour anything.  Full bar, if that's how you roll.

Sounds good! I will try it.

I went to Convivial for the first time during Restaurant Week and enjoyed an exceptional meal at the bar. We were given the choice of three courses for $35, choosing one item from three of the five different categories. From the first section, I ordered the brandade, a rich, satisfying starter of salted cod, potatoes, creme friache and rustic bread tuile. My friend had the confit duck gizzards with puy lentils and a duck egg. We shared these dishes, and I loved them both. If I could only have one, however, I'd order the confit.

For the second courses, I had bouillabaisse (with sea bass, prawn, crab, scallop, clam, mussel and  octopus), and my friend ordered the daurade, with sauteed squid, celery root and sofrito. Again, my companion edged me out with his ordering skills. The bouillabaisse was fantastic, but the daurade was by far my favorite dish of the night. Unfortunately, my blurry photo does not do justice to this wonderful dish.

We ended our meal with two cheese courses--actually the cheese ended up in a take-home bag as we were already stuffed when it arrived. The tasting menu would have been the perfect amount of food for us, had we not ordered one extra item from the nibble section--the latke, two portions each of celery root and dried lamb, and whitefish salad and golden caviar. This dish was good, but not necessary with all of the other courses that came after.

On 1/22/2018 at 8:53 AM, arlingtonkabob said:

Has anyone been to the new sushi place called Takohachi on the pike in Arlington? $1 nigiri seems to be drawing people in at the moment

We went there last night and had the $1 nigiri. I thought it was really good, particularly the yellowtail. It isn't Sushi Ogawa, but it is a great neighborhood spot. I plan to go back often.

On 12/23/2017 at 5:29 PM, TSchaad said:

Don - Still no license. As with almost all permitting in Arlington, this is another work in progress.

They have their license now. We enjoyed sake and beer with our $1 nigiri last night.

15 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Shall I go ahead and close this thread?

Fergie's inspiration?

31 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

The *moment* I saw Mrs. Obama's portrait, I said to myself, "Miss Everything!" 

I just found an email that I received from Ms. Sherald - now I'm *really* going to treasure it.

I loved "Miss Everything" the moment I saw it. And I think this is a wonderful portrait of Mrs. Obama.

2 minutes ago, ktmoomau said:

Make Es Teler or Es Campur!!!

Mmmm. Es Teler sounds good! I'll give it a shot!

4 hours ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

I had TJ's jackfruit-in-the-can. It was semi-tasteless with a sour finish. If that's what jackfruit really tastes like, I'll pass....

I bought this on a whim the last time I was at TJ's. It is sitting in my pantry, unopened, because I don't know what to do with it...

This restaurant closed on Jan 31, according to this Eater article and Cafe Ole's tweet.

I just saw this film at the Drafthouse in Arlington, and I loved it. "Lady Bird" and "Get Out" are the two frontrunners for Best Picture for me from what I have seen of the nominees so far.

I lived near Sacramento for more than 20 years, so I enjoyed the references to the area. Plus, both of my children attended Catholic school, so this part of the film hit home as well. This is a funny and heartfelt coming-of-age film that rings true throughout. 

I popped into Streets Market one day after taking a yoga class at Mind the Mat in Del Ray. I needed a couple of things for dinner that night, but I wound up buying much more.

Streets is a small store with a really nice produce department, an interesting beer and wine section,  and some specialty items, such as a specific chili mix and a black cherry jam that I haven't seen in a store since I moved here from CA.

Today I went there for a Carroll Shelby chili seasoning packet to go with some ground venison from Gourmet Butcher, and I ending up buying mochi ice cream and a huge papaya as well. The only thing I haven't bought here is meat, which seems to be the weakest section of the store.  

On 3/19/2015 at 8:03 AM, Tujague said:

And now also Orange Anchor.

I read in the Washington Business Journal that Orange Anchor has closed and Guapos will be taking over the space.