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eatruneat

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  1. eatruneat
    A 12.5 mile run in this weather will really do a number on a gal. After taking some time to stretch and foam roll at Vida Gym, I crossed the street to check out the new and nameless shop from Baked and Wired. The space is really open and has a very contemporary feel with bright white countertops and clean lines. There is a small retail area on the right after you enter with items such as pickles and jam made by Baked and Wired, coffee beans (Stumptown and Blueprint coffee from St. Louis), granola, bars of chocolate, and some baked goods. Additional baked goods (bread, biscotti, brownies, etc.) are behind the counter where you register. The place has a lot of seating, including a nice looking communal table. The food offerings looked pretty tasty including the much talked about artisinal toast, quiche, and yogurt and granola. A good option for a light breakfast or snack. The coffee offerings were also pretty interesting ranging from regular drip coffee to pour over to espresso drinks and even iced coffee on nitro. The service is still working itself out. Everyone was friendly and eager to help but it took awhile to ring up simple orders as the employees seemed to still be getting used to the cash register. Also, there were a few people behind the counter that kept asking people if they needed help which seemed to be confusing to people who were expecting to order at the register. Finally, when food and espresso drinks came out, one person was just shouting the name of the customer and it caused a bit of confusion. If the pace keeps up, I think it would be much better if they moved to giving people numbers at the register so food can be delivered to the appropriate table. I walked in around 10am and the place had seemed to settle into a good pace and not too busy, but within five minutes about a dozen people had streamed in and it was a bit more chaotic and busy. I ordered a pour over of the Blueprint coffee and a chocolate almond biscotti. I really enjoyed the pour over and the biscotti did a good job of holding me over until I could make my post run breakfast tacos. While I love Chinatown Coffee Company and La Colombe, this Baked and Wired sister place is the place where I would want to sit down and spend some time or meet with friends. In other news, on my walk home I saw signage up for L'Hommage Bistro Francais (from the owner of Alba Osteria) two doors down. According to the Washington Business Journal the place also has plans for a bakery and cafe, so it'll be interesting to see how A Baked Joint and L'Hommage co-exist. Then across the street, the Rays joint seems to be coming together (I saw dining tables set up!). If good Kushi (not the mediocre/bad Kushi of the later years) were still around and the strip club formerly known as the Cloakroom/Louis Rogue could be replaced with something respectable, the 500 block of K would be an interesting block to spend some time.
  2. eatruneat
    MichaelBDC and I had another very good meal at Daikaya last night. We mostly stuck with our favorites, which can either be good choice (dishes we like done just as we like them) or a not so good choice (tired cooking from the kitchen) and last night was squarely in the "good choice" camp. We started with a few specials that included braised beets with pickled green strawberries. The dish was served cold and the beets and green strawberries turned out to be a fresh and welcome starter dish on a very hot and humid evening. We followed that up with a grilled head of saba served with a tamari dipping sauce. MichaelBDC, the proclaimed lover of face meat, really enjoyed the dish, as did I but not as much as he did. We then moved over to the regular menu and had our usual grilled avocado and fried garlic which were great as always. Next, we had the chicken kara age (we asked for and received a mustard dipping sauce rather than the chili mayo that the chicken was served with, the pork and Brussels sprouts okonomayaki and two servings of the abura miso onigiro ball. The chicken kara age and the pork and Brussels sprouts are the two dishes that can be middling at times, but last night they were as good as ever. The chicken was fresh out of the fryer and were incredibly hot but also light on the batter and the frying. The abura miso onigiri was my favorite of the night. The salty pork seemed to melt into the hot rice. It was a welcome comfort dish despite the hot weather outside. I am really glad to have this place in the neighborhood. Between the downstairs ramen and upstairs izakaya, Daikaya, more than any other restaurant in the area, is our go to spot for a fun and delicious meal when we don't want to go far.
  3. eatruneat
    From the Washington City Paper: Patrick Robinson is out, Akhtar Nawab from NYC is the new chef
  4. eatruneat
    Although our last meal at Table was fantastic, MichaelBDC (formerly known as "the boyfriend" from previous posts) and I hadn't stopped by in over a year. Between the spotty service and the chef change, we were in no rush to put Table in our rotation. However, a wonderful experience at the Family Meal in March and recent good reviews put the restaurant back on our radar and we finally pulled the trigger this past Thursday. MichaelBDC knew a few people who worked at Table so we were treated very very well by the GM, Chris, unnecessarily so. Overall, we had a wonderful meal and are happy we decided to revisit a good neighborhood spot. Below is a rundown of what we ate/devoured. We also had two generous glasses of wine each and left happy as clams. Due to the restaurant and Chris' generosity we ended up with entirely too much food between the two of us, but we were so glad we had a chance to try a lot of Table's offerings. Pate en Croute -- We had decided not to order any cheese/charcuterie, but Chris brought out a serving for us to share anyway. The pate was delightfully bright and served with cubes of cherry gelatin on top. The pastry was buttery, flaky, and very good. The pate was served with pickled garlic, whole grain mustard, and frisee. We both really really liked this dish. Gazpacho -- Cool and smooth, with diced cucumbers for some texture. Although I am not a fan of cucumbers, I happily ate every last drop of the soup. Spring Salad -- Another good simple salad. As much as I dislike cucumbers, I love mushrooms and couldn't get enough of the warm morels. Guinea Hen -- I had a bite of MichaelBDC's guinea hen and really really enjoyed it. The skin nice and crisp and the meat was tender. Spring Lamb Leg -- This was my favorite dish of the evening. The lamb was cooked a perfect medium rare and came out juicy and tender. This came with a sweet puree (apricot?) on top, which paired well with the lamb. A crispy potato cake and a sunchoke were also well cooked added some interesting elements to the dish. I would happily order this dish again tonight if I could. Sorbet/Ice Cream -- We split two scoops of ice cream, a raspberry yuzu for him and hazelnut (I think) for me. Both were a perfect end to the evening...or so we thought. Ricotta Beignets -- Chris also brought out an order of the ricotta beignets. I had two and asked for the rest to be boxed up for me to take home. I really enjoyed the two I had and the leftovers as an inappropriate breakfast. The kitchen is doing some great work right now and once again, I am happy to have another solid restaurant in the neighborhood. We can never have enough!
  5. eatruneat
    My boyfriend and I stopped by Brookland Pint for brunch after a short Sunday morning run. Unfortunately, the meal was disappointing. We came for the breakfast burrito of the week but when we sat down saw that the kitchen was offering a version consisting of chicken, spinach, and Havarti cheese. That seemed more like a wrap than a burrito and both my boyfriend and I passed. I ended up ordering the American Breakfast Platter and a cup of coffee. My boyfriend ordered the chilaquiles. The one word to describe the meal is "warm." The coffee was warm, not hot. I'm not sure how long our plates sat under a lamp before being brought out to us but both of our food was warm. That was especially true when it came to my breakfast potatoes which would have been quite good if they were hot. My boyfriend's chilaquiles were good and could have been very good if it was served hot and plated differently. The ones at Brookland Pint had the eggs and chorizo underneath a pile of tortilla chips smothered in tomatillo sauce. That required him to dig through a lot of tortillas before getting to the eggs, which he did not enjoy doing. Other versions I've had elsewhere had the eggs and chorizo on top of tortilla strips. The black bean paste was the best part of his entrée. Service was pleasant as our server and a runner made sure the warm coffee refills kept coming and our glasses were always full of water.
  6. eatruneat
    It's not just the ara yaki on the menu, the last time I went to Izakaya Seki, I ate the body of a large prawn from a plate of sashimi, sucked out the brains, and left the crunchy head on my plate. Our waitress noticed and asked if I'd like the kitchen to deep fry the head. Of course! So the shrimp head was taken away and brought back to me perfectly deep fried, crispy, and crunchy like a potato chip. A revelation!
  7. eatruneat
    I can't believe I have lived in DC for ten years and have never had a soft shell crab. I fixed that character flaw Thursday with a trip to the bar at Corduroy. My boyfriend and I got there around 7:15pm and there were only three other people at the bar. By the time our entrees arrived, we were the only ones at the bar and unfortunately we may have been the last party of the evening. Fortunately for us though, that meant we had a lot of space to stretch out a bit and enjoy our meal and chat with the friendly Antonio. I started off with a refreshing kale salad with parmesan, crispy proscuitto, and anchovy dressing while my boyfriend ordered the shiso salad. We both really enjoyed the healthy start to our dinner, though my boyfriend felt his salad could have used a smidge of salt or acid. A good simple salad can be so satisfying yet so difficult to nail, but Corduroy does it expertly and the salads I order never fail to hit the spot. For our entrees, my boyfriend ordered the pork loin, cooked perfectly to medium rare and served with a cherry chipotle sauce and a side of kale. I had two bites of the pork loin and loved it. My boyfriend was very happy with his entree and in lieu of raving about the dish or complimenting the chef, proceeded to pat himself on the back for the duration of the dinner for suggesting Corduroy and ordering a winning entree. My softshell crab was everything. Lightly battered and perfectly cooked, served on some lightly dressed greens. We finished our meal with a trio of sorbets for him and the pistachio bread pudding for me. We both enjoyed our desserts with the pineapple sorbet being the standout of the dessert portion of our meal. We had already had drinks at A&D prior to dinner, so we only had one drink each: a glass of rioja for him, and a bottle of Hitachino Nest Beer for me. We had a chance to talk to Antonio a bit and discussed why the bar was not busy that night. Antonio said that it had been slow in recent weeks, though the restaurant is still very busy. I suggested that it might be because the people are taking advantage of the nice weather to sit outside before the really truly miserable summer heat and humidity hits. Regardless of why the bar has been relatively empty, right now is the perfect time to go and enjoy a meal at the bar at Corduroy.
  8. eatruneat
    The boyfriend and I went to Sushi Capitol twice in the last month, most recently for our anniversary a few weekends ago. Needless to say, we are big fans and cheerleaders of the place. Sushi Capitol has become our go to place for special meals and Can and the team at the restaurant are a big reason why. Recently, I have noticed that Can has gone out of his way to make sure that my boyfriend and I are served a a good variety of fish as part of the omakase so that we don't find the meals there repetitive and boring despite numerous visits. At our April visit, Can and Chef Aoki introduced us to gizzard shad, which was so unique (to us) and refreshing that we requested it again on our most recent visit. One of the highlights of recent visits is talking with Chef Aoki or Can about a specific fish on the specials menu, and then receiving it as part of our meal. I am very excited to see what Chef Ogawa and team can do with a larger space up in Kalorama.
  9. eatruneat
    After reading about some good recent reviews of DBGB, the boyfriend and I decided it was time to get back there and check it out. We arrived promptly for our 7pm reservation and were immediately seated in the back, quieter, room. We decided to share everything we ordered and our server, Patrick, was great at spacing out the dishes and bringing us fresh plates after each course. To go with our meal we ended up going by the glass, 3 glasses of the carignan and 1 of the Cotes du Rhone. The first two dishes to arrive were the excellent curried cauliflower and the tarte flambee. The tarte was delicious though the crust on one end was burnt (and I don't mean charred). I was able to eat around the burnt ends but it would have been nice not to have to deal with that. The cauliflower was excellent. The vegetable itself was perfectly cooked and the curry did not overpower the cauliflower or anything else on the plate. The green apple and celery added a nice sweetness and crunch to the dish and the purple potatoes were also nicely cooked. The presentation of the plate was really beautiful with the various colors and made the dish that much more enjoyable. Our next dish was a pair of sausages: boudin blanc and tunisienne. The two sausages were also really good. I enjoyed the boudin blanc and its accompaniment of apples and pommes mousseline even more. The apples were great and the potatoes were very smooth and luscious. The Tunisienne was also good but we expected a little more "pop" in the flavor department since it was advertised with harissa. Everything was cooked and I especially enjoyed the lemon braised spinach. Our last dish of the evening was the sherry glazed duck, served with wild rice, roasted beets, and pomegranate. The duck was tender and perfectly cooked with just a touch of pink in the middle. I love a good duck. My boyfriend especially enjoyed the wild rice while I couldn't get enough of the beets. The pomegranate added a great flavor contrast to the other elements. The entree exceeded our expectations and is a great example of not only a well executed dish but one that had been thought out carefully so that each component complemented everything else on the plate. Overall, I really enjoyed our second dinner at DBGB. Everything from the food to the service was much improved from our first visit in the opening weeks. French bistro food isn't my boyfriend's cup of tea so I will have to find a new dining companion for my next visit.
  10. eatruneat
    I hadn't thought to order the vegetarian ramen until reading JoshNE's comments. I ordered the veggie ramen with a spice ball Saturday night and was glad I did. The broth was indeed fantastic, very flavorful and with a lot of depth but at the same time light and delicate. It was a great change of pace from my usual spicy miso, which is less subtle. I also enjoyed the various veggies, though in hindsight should have added menma. Thanks for the recommendation Josh!
  11. eatruneat
    The grilled avocado and fried garlic are two things my boyfriend and I almost always get when we go to Daikaya. I also enjoy the beef tongue and the pork and brussels sprouts from the skewers section. The chicken kara-age is great and I like to round things out with an order of the soy and seaweed onigiri. I like the creamy tuna poke but my boyfriend doesn't care for the mayo. I agree with DaRiv18 that the Pancit Udon was a miss, at least for me. And while the shishito peppers weren't bad, they are basically similar to every other plate of shishito pepper you can get around town except with an egg.
  12. eatruneat
    I have really wanted to try FishNook but the boyfriend has an alleged shellfish allergy which makes the FishNook experience a non-starter. I have been trying to eat more fish so I convinced him to grab dinner at Fishnet last night. We started with the cauliflower soup for him and the micro green salad for me. The soup was a hit. The flavor of the cauliflower came out perfectly and the soup was thick, velvety, and smooth. Not sure what the thickener was but if it was heavy cream the soup still tasted more of cauliflower than dairy. The salad was also good, nice and peppery. I am also trying to eat more greens which is the reason why I ordered the salad but I liked the soup exponentially more. For our entrees my boyfriend ordered the grilled octopus with burnt avocado and tomatillo sauce. The octopus was cooked perfectly and was still tender with just the right amount of char on it. The burnt avocado reminded me of the grilled avocado from Daikaya and reminds me that I should grill my avocados whenever I can this summer. The tomatillo sauce was a standout and it worked well with both the avocado and the octopus. I had a platter of grilled mahi mahi, green beans, quinoa, and spicy aioli. The mahi mahi was a little dry but overal very tasty. The green beans and quinoa were cooked well. I especially enjoyed the green beans. The spicy aioli was a great sauce for the fish and the quinoa. Other than those at Fishnook, only one other table was occupied the whole time we were there. Mondays might be a slow night so I am hoping that the restaurant is more busy other nights of the week. On the plus side, the boyfriend and I very much enjoyed our quiet and delicious dinner.
  13. eatruneat
    I was born and raised in San Diego but fast food has never been my thing. The only times I eat at In-N-Out when I am "home" is either when I have a traveling companion with me who wants to check it out or if I get back on a late flight and the only options available are fast food. Unless there is a long line, I have never had to wait 15 minutes for an order. And In-N-Outs do have drive thru windows, so I would put it firmly in the fast food category. In my view, In-N-Out beats McDonalds, Carl's Jr., Jack In the Box, etc. On the other hand, I don't love and crave In-N-Out as other Californians, especially those who have moved to the East Coast, seem to. I think a lot of it has to do with nostalgia. Ten or twenty years ago, the burger craze isn't what it is now. For fast food, In-N-Out was the way to go. So I think the nostalgia, the hype, the hype about the nostalgia, all rolled into one create this idea that In-N-Out is a MUST if you ever set foot in California. And I still think a burger there is good, it's just that there are a lot of other options now for a good (or better) burger. Would I recommend In-N-Out? Let's just say that if you were my friend and we were going to San Diego for a week, In-N-Out would not be on the agenda. However, if you wanted to go, I wouldn't advise against it. I would even go with you and devour a double double animal style.
  14. eatruneat
    I stopped by Yona last night with a friend. The menu we received last night was shorter than the one posted online, which was a bit of a bummer but we managed to order well. Between the two of us, my friend and I ordered three appetizers to share and we each had our own bowl of ramen. Our first dish was the smoked hamachi. The fish was clean and fresh, but I felt as though it needed a little acid and/or salt to bring out the fish more. There was some chojang (chili sauce) on the plate for which to dip the fish in. The chojang added a nice hint of spice but otherwise completely overwhelmed the fish. This was probably the least successful dish of the evening. The yook hwe (veal heart tartare) came out next. This was my favorite dish of the evening. The veal heart was smooth and cool and I really enjoyed the addition of the sunchoke chips and asian pear. Our last appetizer was the brussels sprouts as described above by sunshine. This was my friend's favorite dish. I thought it was very good and it reminded me of the Okonomiyaki-style brussels sprouts at Daikaya, minus the pork. My friend ordered the "Miso Porky" ramen which he thought was fantastic. I had a spoonful of broth and agreed that it was very good. I had the Tonkotsu-Shoyu Tare ramen. The broth was very rich and tasted more of soy than of pork. I would have preferred a little more pork flavors as the broth got a little tiresome towards the end. It was still good though. Although good, the ramen was not great and, to be honest, a bit disappointing. The noodles were more like the egg noodles served with wonton noodle soup rather than the springier ramen noodles at places like Daikaya and Toki. I love those egg noodles so it wasn't so terrible for me, but I still had the feeling that the noodle did not match the soup. Additionally, the soft egg was ice cold, indicating that it had been poached beforehand and was sitting in an ice bath. It was not pleasant to eat. If I went back, I would try to miso ramen. Overall, this was a nice experience. I am glad I was able to check out the restaurant here in DC but it is unlikely that I will head out to Ballston to try it once it opens in its permanent space.
  15. eatruneat
    I snagged two tickets to Table's family meal tomorrow at 5pm. I bought a pair of tickets without realizing that my boyfriend and most of my friends would not be able to join me at such an early start time. I though this is something someone in this community would like to attend. If anyone here is willing and able to join me tomorrow evening, please let me know via PM/DM. Thanks!
  16. eatruneat
    On Mondays, Osteria Morini offers some great deals including $10 bowls of pasta, $20 bottles of Lambrusco, $35 bottles of house white or red wine, $5 for their wine by the glass on tap, and $6 cocktail specials that include a Moscow Mule, an Old Fashioned, and a play on the Corpse Reviver #2. The downside of "Morini Mondays," as the restaurant calls it, is that the restaurant offers a modified pasta menu that does not include many of the selections that include cost-prohibitive ingredients. For example, the scallops and calamari in the casarecce nero are replaced with a mound of mussels and the bucatini with sea urchin and crab is not offered on Mondays. On the plus side, this deal is available throughout the restaurant rather than just the bar as these deals tend to go and $10 for a bowl of luscious, satisfying, and, perfectly cooked pasta is nothing to complain about. My boyfriend and I have gone to Osteria Morini for the $10 pastas twice now, more recently with his parents a few weeks ago. Our table started with a trio of crostini, which were a hit despite reservations from my boyfriend. We especially enjoyed the smoked trout and the parmigiano "gelato." My boyfriend and I also split the rucula salad (wild arugula, shaved speck, hazelnuts, and capra). The salad was simple but very good and I really liked that the pepper notes in the arugula were complemented by the saltiness of the speck, the sweetness of the hazelnuts, and the light citrus in the dressing. The boyfriend's parents split an endive and radicchio salad that I was able to get a taste of. I really liked this salad as well. For the entrees, I ordered the pansotti pasta (cauliflower filled pasta, roasted shallots, caper gremolata), which was very good. I don't remember much about it because I had a few bites of the lasagna verde my boyfriend ordered and was overcome by jealousy. The lasagna was the best dish of the night, in my opinion. The noodles were perfectly rolled out and cooked, the ragu was luscious and seemed to melt in my mouth, and the béchamel added to the richness of the dish without overwhelming it. As a lover of pasta who rarely indulges herself, I have been dreaming of that lasagna. We also had sides of the charred rapini and brussels sprouts (with pancetta, of course). Everyone enjoyed the sides, especially the smoky rapini. We rounded out the meal with orders of the torte di limone (lemon tarte and vanilla gelato), tortino (chocolate cake, hot chocolate filling, and vanilla gelato), and a scoop of gelato. The torte di limone is a favorite of mine as the tartness of the lemon caps off the meal without making me feel too gluttonous. The tortino was also very good, but also very chocolate heavy. I love chocolate as much as the next gal, but after such a heavy meal, I preferred a lighter touch for my dessert. Service has been very good both times my boyfriend and I went to Osteria Morini. Aside from a long wait for coffee that was ordered with dessert during our last meal, service has been efficient and friendly. Can't wait to go back, Mondays or any other day.
  17. eatruneat
    I went about three weeks ago on a Monday evening. The restaurant was about half full at 7:30pm. Service was speedy. Perhaps a little too speedy because there was a point when everything we had ordered was on the table and did not fit. It was awkward. The grilled chicken heart from the jungle menu was very tasty.
  18. eatruneat
    Two and a half stars from Tim Carman and the Post. John told me that Sushi Capitol would be reviewed by the Post when I was there last week for a celebratory birthday dinner. The birthday dinner, was one of the best meals I have ever had. My boyfriend mentioned that it was my birthday so I think we received a few extras that evening. We asked for the omakase (we have never had anything other than omakase here) and we were blown away by the variety of nigiri brought out to us. I think this is the best progression we had at Sushi Capitol to date. We started with fish so fresh it tasted like the fish were plucked out of the sea and plopped onto the plates and ended with fish that were so buttery the nigiri basically melted in our mouths. I'm surprised that the only mention of service was a ding about one server's lack of knowledge as to the fish presented to Carman. I don't doubt that that can happen at times, but I have experienced nothing but enthusiastic and welcoming service from John which the review makes no mention of. It's a shame that the only mention of service is a negative one when I think the overall service at Sushi Capitol is one of best in the city.
  19. eatruneat
    On Sundays, my boyfriend and I run (literally, we run) to breakfast/brunch. We had been on a breakfast burrito kick and found Brookland's Finest to be our favorite so far. But we have only ordered the breakfast burrito here. I wouldn't say that it is amazing, but it hits the spot after a 3-ish mile slightly up hill run.
  20. eatruneat
    Goodeats, are you being served nuoc cham (fish based dipping sauce) when you order the bun dishes? Bun and banh hoi really need to be drenched in fish sauce to avoid dryness. If the restaurant doesn't give you enough, you should ask for more. For a long time, I didn't enjoy bun and banh hoi that much because I thought they were dry and I didn't use a lot of nuoc cham because my family's version was so spicy. It wasn't until my tolerance for spice grew and I could drench my bun and banh hoi in nuoc cham that I grew to like those dishes. I love a good pho (or hu tieu) ap chao, though I haven't had either in a while. Ap chao is stir fry but the cooked noodles are sauteed/fried (almost deep fried) first or separately so they make a little noodle pancake shape before the sauce and toppings are poured over top. Sometimes liquid smoke is involved to give the noodles a little smokiness which is really great. Regular stir fry, where the cooked noodles are added at the end and mixed up with everything else is usually referred to as "xao."
  21. eatruneat
    The hot dog type thing could be "lap xuong" a dried Chinese sausage that is common in Vietnamese cuisine, most commonly found with sticky rice but is also in spring rolls sometimes. Also great in fried rice!
  22. eatruneat
    My boyfriend and I had a truly disappointing meal at The Partisan on Thursday. We showed up promptly for 7:45pm reservations and were told that the party seated at the table reserved for us were paying their checks and we would be seated shortly. We went to the bar and ordered some drinks, a shot of Old Overholt for him and a cocktail, Maybe a Joyful Noise, for me. We ended up waiting 40 minutes, during which I checked in once with the hostesses. Luckily, we ended up chatting with Jeff for the majority of our wait which made the time pass quickly. As my stomach started to rumble and we were debating just eating dinner at the bar, a hostess grabbed us and told us our table was ready. Jokingly, I replied "Oh, thank goodness! I am so hungry I was about to gnaw my arm off!" Her response was "Awwww!" in the tone one would use when seeing a puppy playing in the snow. Maybe I was hangry at that point, but I found that really annoying. Surprisingly, there was not one apology for having to wait 40 minutes for our table. We didn't ask or want anything free, but an apology or acknowledgement of the situation would have been nice. The food started out great with an order of five charcuterie: curried pork pate, red menace, foie gras and truffle bologna, salame di mugnano, and the speck. We liked them all a lot though the red menace, our usual favorite, wasn't as spicy as previous times we have ordered it. We also ordered three small plates: the cocoa and coffee spiced quail, the roasted mushroom and kale salad, and and the baked fermented paccheri. The roasted mushroom and kale salad was my favorite of the three, probably because I had a craving for vegetables that started in the afternoon. The quail was also good and perfectly cooked although at times the cocoa and coffee spice overpowered the quail to the point that I wondered if the skin had been burnt. It wasn't! Finally, the paccheri, which we had enjoyed previously was barely edible. I felt something was wrong as soon as the waiter put the dish on the table. The sauce was so thin it looked like a broth and the pasta was swimming in it. That was not the case the last time we ordered this dish. The whole dish was overly sweet. The pasta was sweet and unpleasantly chewy. I understand it is supposed to be chewier than regular pasta but this time it just seemed undercooked. The sauce was watery and also overly sweet. The ricotta salata was good but even that couldn't save the dish. My boyfriend and I could barely choke down more than two bites of the paccheri and when our waiter asked us about it we stated that we did not enjoy the dish at all. Our waiter ended up taking the dish off the check. I am sad to write this review. I have always raved about The Partisan and have enjoyed dining there and grabbing breakfast at Red Apron many many times. I am big fan of the team at this place from Nate and Ed doing the food to Jeff and Peter doing the drinks. Hope it was just an off night!
  23. eatruneat
    Here is an explanation that most closely follows what my parents told me when I was a kid and asked that question. Just from my own personal experience, I think older pho places that have been around before pho became very popular tend to be named more traditionally, like "Pho (number)" or "Pho (name of owner/chef)." These also tend to be opened/operated by people who immigrated to the U.S. around the fall of Saigon. Whereas more recently opened places are more likely to be either owned or operated by more recent immigrants or second generation Vietnamese-Americans and they tend not to follow that same practice.
  24. eatruneat
    I have never been so happy to be so wrong! Snapped this picture over the weekend. Apologies for the poor picture quality. ETA: Well, I am hoping I am wrong at least. Could be leftover stuff that hasn't been cleared out yet. But I am really really really hopeful that this is a sign of progress.
  25. eatruneat
    Renting a car to drive to Thanksgiving festivities again this year. I am not leaving until tomorrow afternoon but am picking up the rental car today. My boyfriend and I are thinking that if the weather lets up and it stops raining (I'm a California girl so driving a rental car in inclement weather is not going to turn out well), we should venture out to Rockville or somewhere in the suburbs for Chinese food. We went to Sichuan Jin River last year, which lead to my first ever donrockwell.com post! We have narrowed our choices down to: China Bistro Bob's Noodle Bob's Shanghai Joe's Noodle House We are also open to other suggestions. Anyone out there with some advice? What I really want are dumplings and noodles. Thanks!
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