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eatruneat

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  1. eatruneat
    The boyfriend and I went to Sushi Capitol on Thursday night. I called Thursday afternoon and made reservations, indicating that we plan to order the omakase. The GM, who answered the phone, indicated that they would be very busy that evening asked us whether 8pm would work be okay. That is our ideal dining time, so I agreed. My boyfriend and I got there right at 8pm and the restaurant was running a little behind so we waited a few minutes before being seated at the bar. Although we were going for the omakase menu, my boyfriend ordered the chicken kara-age, so that was the first dish brought out to us. It was very good but ended up being overshadowed by the nigiri we consumed. Next, each of us got a plate of three small bites that dinoue described above (eggplant, salmon with miso, and monkfish liver). Maybe for dinoue's experience, there was a mixup in the kitchen, and the intention was not to serve dishes out of order and the plates were not added after dinoue's inquiry (although it may have reminded them that they forgot to send out those plates in the first place). I guess in the debate on whether to serve something out of order or not at all, the restaurant decided to do it out of order. After those three small bites, we started receiving some amazing, delicious, nigiri one right after the other. I have nothing to say/rave that others had not said before. Probably some of the best sushi I have had in a long long time here in DC. Unfortunately, sashimi was not part of the omakase that evening, which was a bummer, but we couldn't really complain since we enjoyed the nigiri so much and were very full by the end of the meal. In the end, the kara-age was comped because of our small wait (which we said wasn't necessary at all), so for a little over $100 including tax & tip, we ate nigiri until our stomachs were about to explode. We will definitely be back!
  2. eatruneat
    Post has the back story. What a shame.
  3. eatruneat
    My boyfriend and I went to Mintwood two weeks ago and had a fantastic meal that I had forgotten to post about. Overall, everything we had was great and it's hard for me to see how you can go wrong. We started with the chicken liver tartine and the blistered shishito peppers. The tartine was amazing and almost melted in my mouth. The blistered shishito peppers were also good, but they didn't stand out from all the other blistered shishito peppers around town. For entrees, I had the roasted seabream with wilted spinach, mussels, and saffron veloute which I couldn't get enough of. The seabream was cooked perfectly and the veloute was really flavorful. I nearly licked the bowl clean. My boyfriend had the pork chop which he thought was very good. The one bite I had was great but I still preferred my entree. I also liked the chard and spaetzle carbonara that accompanied the pork. Reminded me of Cedric's days at Central. Hope you have as good a meal as we did, jsfairfax!
  4. eatruneat
    La Mesa is my hometown! I can't remember whether the Bo Beau in La Mesa is loud or not but the food is delicious. The menu takes in mind the residents of La Mesa, so hopefully your grandparents will find something on the menu they like. They also take reservations and you can ask them to seat you in a quieter area.
  5. eatruneat
    My boyfriend and I hit pause on our frequent Daikaya visits back in August because we realized the menu hadn't changed in a while and we always ended up ordering the same few dishes and the two of us wanted to switch things up for a few months. After a two month absence, we ended up back at Daikaya with one of the boyfriend's co-workers last night. I am so glad we did because we ended up having one of the best meals there in quite some time. Best of all, we ordered lots of new dishes and didn't lean on some of our "crutch" dishes. There was an extensive list of specials, both printed and not printed and our meal was mainly composed of the specials although we also ordered from the regular menu. We started off with a miso soup with mussels which I happily got all to myself since the other two at the table are either allergic to or don't care for mussels. Tasted just like one would expect and the mussels gave the soup a much richer broth. Also, from the unwritten specials we ordered a deep fried mackerel collar with cheeks and eyeballs. My boyfriend happily attacked this dish and the bites I had were delicious. The fish was served with tamari sauce on the side but I felt it overpowered the fish and preferred it without the tamari. From the printed specials list we enjoyed the "Rocky Balboa" which is a poached egg, cured roe, and uni in ponzu sauce. This was amazing and we were all fighting over the dish. We also loved the broccoli rabe, which was steamed and came in a dark sauce (ponzu? tamari?), skewered chicken skins, and mushrooms and tofu dishes from the specials. The one special that we didn't care for were the pork rinds, though in fairness we all expressed ambivalence for pork rinds in general but then proceeded to order them. Also, we ordered so much food, we just gravitated towards things we preferred and the pork rinds were left alone. From the regular menu we had two orders of the grilled avocado which was spectacular as usual. We also ordered the chicken kara-age, which was better than a previous order and I think brought my boyfriend around to the idea of ordering these again in the future. The last time we ordered these, he just felt it was nothing more special than chicken nuggets but he really enjoyed the kara-age this time around. I think the difference is that after mentioning that my boyfriend doesn't like mayo, the chicken kara-age was served with a side of mustard dipping sauce rather than the kewpie mayo and chili sauce. Our friend had one of the onigiri balls which he thoroughly enjoyed. Finally, our great waiter, Tom, brought out an order of the brussels sprouts okonomiyaki style for us to try. We all really enjoyed this and were left wondering why we don't this more frequently. Overall, a wonderful time. The food was inventive and creative and reminded me of the first few times I went to Daikaya and was getting wowed by nearly every dish I tried. The service was friendly and fantastic. Dinner just reminded us why we were going to Daikaya so often earlier this year. Hope to have more of these experiences ahead.
  6. eatruneat
    According to this blog, the transfer from the owners of Tel'veh to the owners of Rudy's is on hold to make repairs to the kitchen at Tel'veh. Odd.
  7. eatruneat
    I called the restaurant for clarification on the water situation. The manager said that their still water is Vittel bottled water and I should have asked for tap water. I told her that the options presented to us were "sparkling, bottled, or still" and that tap was not an option that was presented to us. At the end of the day we got bottled still water so I didn't care to demand $5 back for the confusion. Good to know for next time just to ask for tap water.
  8. eatruneat
    My boyfriend and I ate here last night and we also experienced some not-enjoyable service snafus. First, we weren't given menus when we were seated and after waiting for quite a bit I realized that our waiter (who we hadn't met yet) probably thought someone else had already taken our order so we had to flag down the hostess and ask for menus. After that, service was pretty good until the bill came. When I looked over the bill, I realized that our drinks from the bar were not transferred to our check. I pointed that out to the waiter who thanked us for our honesty and came back with a corrected bill. In addition to our drinks from the bar, we also got charged $5 for sparkling water. When I pointed out to him that we had still, not sparkling, water he said that all of the waters are $5 so it doesn't matter. I didn't want to quibble over $5 so just paid the check and left. After thinking back this morning, I am a little ticked off. We weren't charged for the water initially and only charged after we pointed out that they left off the drinks we ordered at the bar. Also, this isn't bottled water that I know of. This is water that came from a reusable bottle that the restaurant could have filled at the sink. And it didn't taste any better than any other still water that I've received at restaurants. What gives? Did anyone else get charged for still water? Also, we didn't get bread with our meal but saw that other tables had it. We definitely didn't see bread on the menu and it's not like we needed bread but not sure what to make of the situation. The food was quite enjoyable. We ordered the crispy egg, the chop chop, and the tarte flambee. I loved the tarte (nice cracker like crust and a good balance of onion and bacon) and the crispy egg. The chop chop was also good, although it seemed more like a bunch of delicious stuff tossed together in a salad bowl rather than a thought out salad. We also had the coq au vin which was rich and very good though the chicken was a bit on the dry side.
  9. eatruneat
    I went before the Bon Appetit story and the recent story in the Post and the wait was two hours at 5:45pm for a party of two. Friends who were coincidentally also at Rose's that evening were waiting over three hours for a party of four. Given all the recent publicity, I would estimate that the wait at 6pm will likely be over two hours for two people. Good luck!
  10. eatruneat
    Sundae in the Park, seems like we explore San Diego from opposite ends. While you come in from the northern part of the county and venture south, I stay with my brother in Eastlake (about five miles from the border) and venture north. La Jolla is about as far north as we get. Glad to see the good review of Juniper and Ivy. My little brother really wanted to go there, but we didn't make it. My boyfriend accompanied me this trip so I took him to my favorite spots and only went to two new spots. The first was Supernatural Sandwiches in Miramar (they also have a stand at the Hillcrest farmers market). It's a gourmet sandwich shop specializing in seafood sandwiches. My little brother works there so I may be biased, but the blackened ahi tuna sandwich I had was excellent. All the sandwiches looked really good. You may be wondering why go to Miramar? Well, there's not a lot of reasons except it is a great spot for beer tasting. We went to Ballast Point in Scripps Ranch that day and followed it with some beers at Saint Archers. We got a late start so didn't go to more but wanted to stop by Green Flash, Rough Draft, Societe, Mike Hess Brewing, and a few more. Our second new place is Harney Sushi in Old Town. Like every other place in Old Town San Diego, it was average. Here is my chance for a DonRockwell.com PSA: DO NOT EAT AT ANY PLACE IN OLD TOWN SAN DIEGO. You're welcome.
  11. eatruneat
    My boyfriend, cousin, and I had a great dinner at Abbot's Cellar. The restaurant prides itself on its beer selection so we asked our server to bring out whatever she thought would pair best with our food. I can't remember what we ate or drank but it was all really good. Highly recommend this restaurant. After eating out quite a bit (and with more eating out to come) I was really happy to enjoy an excellent meal at moderate prices. The price for three appetizers, three entress, and six fancy beers was $200 (including tax but not tip). I kept thinking that this is the kind of restaurant/experience I hope for every time I go to Birch and Barley. My boyfriend and I also had a less than great dinner at Lers Ros for Thai food. It is ranked in the SF Chronicle's list of Top 100 restaurants and while we had a decent meal we were not blown away. Maybe we didn't order correctly? Finally, I slurped down half a dozen oysters at Hog Island Oyster Company in the Ferry Building. All I have to say is that I love oysters. For coffee, I highly recommend Blue Bottle Coffee as well as Sightglass. Sightglass roasts its own coffee at its location in SOMA as well and I picked up a bag of beans for the rest of our vacation in San Diego.
  12. eatruneat
    Spent a few days in Sonoma earlier this month and had a few good meals. Went to Chalkboard for a pre-half marathon dinner. The restaurant is associated with Chalk Hill Vineyeards. Our meal was good but not great. Honestly, I chose this restaurant because I wanted some pasta and I didn't want to go to a great restaurant before a race because I wanted to really enjoy my meals in Sonoma and didn't want to eat too unhealthily before a race. For those reasons, Chalkboard fit the bill. After the half marathon though, it was no holds barred. The boyfriend and I met up with some of my family for brunch at Bravas Bar de Tapas. We ordered entirely too much food and it was all delicious. Later that night, the boyfriend and I had a fantastic meal at Scopa. It was probably our favorite restaurant meal in our ten days in California. A summer bean salad and grilled peach salad led to stuffed peppers and an eggplant pizza. All washed down with a bottle of Acorn Sangiovese. What a lovely place and a great dinner. For a pre-wine tasting lunch, we enjoyed sandwiches at Wild Sage Deli in Dry Creek. Nothing fancy but good, filling sandwiches.
  13. eatruneat
    The boyfriend and I had a really really good and satisfying dinner here last night. We walked in a little past 8pm without a reservation and were seated promptly. We started with the Spicy Forte Salad with spicy greens, percorino, and balsamic vinaigrette. Although simple, the salad was delicious and the boyfriend and I couldn't stop putting forkfuls of the salad into our mouths. The salad was perfectly dressed and as a result the balance between the peppery greens and the sharpness of the cheese was perfect. Our second appetizer was a taste of the three house made pates. Next to the salad, the pates were a bit bland. It could also be that I like my pates a little more aggressively seasoned. For entrees, my boyfriend ordered the free form lasagnette while I had the duck breast. We enjoyed both very much. The duck was perfectly cooked and flavorful. The lasagnette was straight comfort and deliciousness. We kept eating long after proclaiming how full we were. Between the food and wine (both delicious and decently priced) and the friendly service, I think we are going to put Dino's Grotto into the rotation.
  14. eatruneat
    I had a hair appointment Saturday afternoon in the neighborhood which was all the reason I needed to stop by Ghibellina for happy hour. Despite a 14+ mile run early that morning, I had only managed to eat a bowl of oatmeal and some fruit so I was completely starving by the time my boyfriend and I sat down promptly at 4pm. My boyfriend and I ended up ordering the quattro formaggi pizza which was ($8.50). While I love cheese as much as the next person, I am usually skeptical of four cheese pizzas as there can be such a thing as too much cheese. The cheese on the pizza included buffalo mozzarella, ricotta, grana padano, and pecorino romano. The pizza also included basil, pickled hot peppers, garlic, and oregano. It's hard to pick a "favorite" from all the great pizzas I've had at Ghibellina, but this pizza was very good. The cheese was not too heavy and I especially enjoyed the ricotta. The other ingredients balanced out the pizza so it wasn't too rich and cheesy. I probably ended up eating 3/4 of the pizza all by myself. I also enjoyed two rounds of the frizzante that Rocks described above. It was everything I wanted in a drink at that point in time and was only $6 at happy hour!
  15. eatruneat
    I walked by this space yesterday on my way to the gym and all signs point to Ray's not happening. That yellow sign in the window from the image above had been removed for at least a a few weeks now, which had me worried. New signage confirmed my fears as the permits indicate that Mind Your Body Oasis, a yoga/pilates studio and spa, is opening in that space. What a shame. I was really looking forward to Ray's opening in the neighborhood.
  16. eatruneat
    My boyfriend and I also (FINALLY) made our way to Rose's Luxury last week. We went on Thursday and the wait was around two hours at 5:50pm, which worked out well for us since we tend to be late eaters anyway. New Foodie, Turbogrrl, and Hillvalley did a great job of describing many of the dishes we ordered (jonah crab claw, crispy cauliflower, crispy squid, strawberry pasta, pork lychee salad, and so I don't have much to add except to echo opinions above that the pork lychee salad is phenomenal, the strawberry pasta was more interesting than great (I too only tasted strawberry and there wasn't even a hint of spice in the sauce much to our dismay), and the cauliflower was very tasty. Two other dishes we tried were very very good: the rigatoni with squash blossoms and the jerk chicken (gratis because (we think) my boyfriend and our server knew each other in a previous life). Whereas the strawberry pasta was disappointing, the rigatoni exceeded expectations. As we had more bites, the complexity of the dish became more apparent to us and we savored it to the last bite. The jerk chicken was another winner. It provided a lot of the spice and diversity of flavor and temperatures similar to the pork and lychee salad.
  17. eatruneat
    Thanks for the tips. Dinner at Rays to the Third was pretty good. The menu isn't as varied as what I found online but the food, particularly the lack of steak options. On Sunday, there was only one cut of steak (culotte) on the with a variety of marinades and "toppings." My boyfriend ended up ordering the steak au poivre with bleu cheese and sauteed mushrooms with truffle porcini sauce. I had a bite of the steak which was quite good and juicy, cooked just right to medium rare. I also ate most of the mushrooms and thought they were good, but nothing special and I couldn't taste the truffle porcini sauce. I ended up ordering the Big Punisher. The burger was grilled with their chipotle suace and then topped with charred jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, and grilled onions. There was also an incredibly spicy "piranha" sauce served on the side. I really enjoyed my burger, and the patty itself was very very good and juicy. Our table also ordered baskets of the sweet potato fries, tater tots, and regular french fries. All of them were good, with the sweet potato fries being my favorite. To finish the evening, my boyfriend and I split a milkshake. I can't remember what it is called but it had bourbon in it and was topped with whipped cream and crumbled bacon. This was a great milkshake and I wish I had more room in my stomach to finish it. As for drinks, I called the restaurant and asked whether I could bring a few bottles of wine. I was informed that in addition to being allowed to bring my own wine, there is not a corkage fee. YAY! I ended up bringing two bottles of wine from Paso Robles, both of which were a hit with the group.
  18. eatruneat
    Heading to Rays to the Third for an early dinner on Sunday. Has anyone been here recently? Any recommendations? Also, would we be able to bring our own wine and pay a corkage fee?
  19. eatruneat
    My boyfriend and I stopped by for lunch on Sunday. I had the spiced baby goat sandwich, which I really enjoyed. There was a good amount of goat meat and it was tender and evenly distributed through the sandwich. I also enjoyed the lemon potatoes and pickled red peppers on the sandwich. The harissa was not pure harissa but more like goat cheese with harissa. It was not bad but I would have preferred a bit more of a kick to the sandwich. I was only able to finish half the sandwich and took the other half home for dinner last night. Happy to report that it reheated well. I also had an order of the marinated green beans. The green beans were pickled and served with mint, shallots, halved grape tomatoes, and walnuts in a balsamic vinaigrette. This was really refreshing and enjoyable. I love a good vegetable side with my meaty sandwich. My boyfriend ordered the Greek salad with salami dressing (advertised as having been featured in Rachael Ray's magazine...ugh). He enjoyed it and the few bites I had were fine though nothing to write home about.
  20. eatruneat
    Against my better judgement, I joined my boyfriend and two of his co-workers for the Anju pop-up at Mandu Friday night. I'm very glad I did although I suffered for it the next morning while running the trails of Glover Park. This is a new event Mandu is planning to have every first Friday of the month. The owner, Danny Lee, plans to bring in a new chef each month to help him out. The place was already packed when we arrived shortly after 10pm, except for several tables reserved for industry folks. Our table of four ordered the following items: Yuk Hwae (steak tartare, miso cured egg yolk) - This was one of the best dish of the evening. I really wish this was on the regular menu. Ojinguh Hwae (chilled squid, chojang) - The squid was well cooked and the sauce gave it a good kick. Bo Ssam (Chilled pork belly, lettuce cups) - I frequently make David Chang's version of bo ssam and while this was good, I prefer the David Chang version. Bibim Guksoo (chilled thin noodles, kimchi, quail egg) - Another very good dish. I love noodles and these were nice, thin, and springy. Mixing kimchi with noodles was a new concept to me and I really liked it. I would happily order this again if it were on the regular menu. Ramen Ja Jang (fresh ramen noodles, black bean paste) - Others at the table liked this dish more than I did. The black bean paste was very intense and salty and really took over the dish, overpowering the ramen noodles. Kimchi Bokum Bap (fried rice, kimchi butter, bacon) - What is not to like about this dish? Not fancy, not authentic, and not really unique but very good. Budae Jjigae (fresh ramen noodles, spam, andouille, rice cakes, kimchi broth) - A spicy stew with lots of stuff in it, this was my favorite dish of the evening. I wish I didn't have to share it. Also, my first time eating spam! Sujebi (dashi broth, hand torn potato dough flakes, potato, kelp) - A very interesting soup that provided a very different contrast the the jjigae. This was delicate and smooth whereas the jjigae was very much in your face. I especially enjoyed the dashi broth. Since Mandu was packed, the kitchen was backed up and we had to wait a bit for the two soups. Service was a bit slow as I think they were understaffed, a problem that will hopefully be corrected the next Anju. We also had six drinks between the four of us at the table. All of that food + drinks + tax + tip = $34 per person. I'm really glad I went and I'm looking forward to going again!
  21. eatruneat
    After spending Saturday afternoon lounging by the pool and sipping gin and tonics, I was hit with a craving for mussels. The boyfriend, however, is allergic to shellfish and was craving steak. We spent an hour trying to figure out where to eat dinner before I thought of and we decided on Belga Cafe. Although I have lived in DC for nearly ten years (two of those on the Hill), I have never been to Belga. I'm glad we decided to go on Saturday as we enjoyed a very solid dinner. We arrived around 8:30pm and were seated immediately. The boyfriend had a glass of Malbec from a poor selection of red wines by the glass and I had a Rodenbach on draft. Neither of us particularly enjoyed our drinks. To start my boyfriend ordered the salade roulade (hearts of romaine lettuce wrapped around goat and blue cheeses, and roasted tomatoes with a basil vinaigrette). The presentation was beautiful and the salad was very well composed and refreshing. I ordered beignets d'escargot which I enjoyed very much. The beignets came with a side salad, garlic confit, and a parlsey sauce. Everything on the plate came together beautifully, and I especially enjoyed the bits of garlic. For our entrees, my boyfriend the biefstuk van de beenhouwer "au poivre" which was essentially a steak au poivre with a congac cream sauce, roasted vegetables, and frites. I didn't have any of the steak, which my boyfriend said was cooked very well though he would have liked more pepper. My boyfriend seemed to enjoy his vegetables as well. I had the mussels curry which hit the spot, although I would have liked a little kick to the broth. The pot of plump mussels was huge and I ended up sacrificing much of the accompanying frites so I could finish the pot. The few frites I had were very well cooked, although I am not a frites expert by any means. Service was friendly and efficient. Rose's Luxury gets a lot of attention (not undeserved) in that neighborhood but I can see myself ending up at Belga if the wait happens to be too long and leaving very satisfied.
  22. eatruneat
    I went to Huong Viet a few weeks ago and wrote a post about it. They have pho, but I have not had the pho there. The bun bo hue is first rate and I also enjoyed the com tam bi suong cha. I saw other tables eating some bun dishes (bun thit nuong or bun bo nuong sa) and banh hoi. Cash only. There is a pho only spot, Pho Xe Lua, which is good but not great. In one of the indoor shops you can grab banh mi from Nhu Lan. I bought six sandwiches (all of them #1) to go after my meal at Huong Viet and enjoyed them very much.
  23. eatruneat
    The boyfriend and I went to The Partisan to celebrate his birthday on Saturday. We ordered pretty well and left full and happy. On our way to our table, my boyfriend stopped to say hello to Nate Anda whom he is friendly with and I mentioned that it was my boyfriend's birthday. We started off with with five selections off the charcuterie menu. I can't remember everything we ordered but the highlights were the pickled half smoke and the thai basil cured bresaola. Nate also generously sent out a selection of prosciutto, four total, which were all very good especially the 40 month aged. To drink we had a half bottle of Amarone, a treat for the special occasion and two glasses of a sparkling lambrusco recommended by our friendly waiter, Jeremy. After we polished off the charcuterie we ordered the local asparagus served with a potato cake, bearnaise sauce, and tarragon. The asparagus was grilled and very well cooked. I also enjoyed the sauce, though my boyfriend didn't care much for it. We also ordered the carrot fusilli and the bolognese. Though different, both of the pastas were very good. I would order both again in a heartbeat. I really wanted to order the fried chicken but we were pretty full at this point and decided to wait to order it another time. We finished dinner with an order of the snickers terrine and espresso. Can't wait until the next visit already.
  24. eatruneat
    Hakan, Thank you for the post and the apology, which I fully accept. I'm sure I will go back to Alba Osteria eventually as restaurants do change over time. In the case of Alba Osteria, I truly hope things improve. The food is very good and the tajarin is a very special dish. Alba Osteria is a great addition to the neighborhood and despite my rant, I do want it to succeed.
  25. eatruneat
    I had to rent a car for the weekend so with a few hours left on the rental, the boyfriend and I headed to Eden Center for lunch and some grocery shopping. I haven't tried as many places at Eden Center as I would like, but that is because Huong Viet so so tasty and consistent. The boyfriend and I started with the pork and shrimp salad which was ordered out of necessity because he was hung over and I had gorged on Korean BBQ the night before. The salad was light and refreshing with cucumbers, carrots, some cabbage, daikon, peanuts, and basil. The pork was thinly sliced and didn't add much to the salad while the shrimp was a nice addition but nothing to write home about. My boyfriend ordered a bowl of the bun bo hue which he really enjoyed. I had a few bites and thought it was fantastic and one of the best versions I have ever had. The only thing missing was some congealed pork blood, not that either of us minded its absence. I would definitely order this next time. For myself, I ordered a plate of broken rice with grilled pork, shredded pork, and pork meatloaf. This is one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes ever and I really like Huong Viet's version of it. The rice was a little on the dry side, but nothing a good dose of nuoc cham couldn't fix. My boyfriend and I also ordered a plate of Chinese broccoli and shiitake mushrooms to split. While good, this remained mostly untouched because we were not as hungry as we thought we were. My boyfriend packed this to take home and eat later. I enjoyed this lunch with a nice glass of Vietnamese iced coffee, strong and with perfect proportions of espresso and condensed milk. Though I'm sure there are other great options to be had in the Eden Center, it's hard for me to not go to Huong Viet since my trips out that way are way too infrequent.
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