eatruneat

Really really terrible service ruined what would have been a very pleasant meal for the boyfriend and me last night at Alba Osteria. We arrived shortly after 8pm and sat at the bar. The restaurant was nearly empty and the bar was a little over half full though it seemed that many parties had been there for some time. Even though there were three bartenders working, it took five minutes for us to be acknowledged and given menus. Then two minutes later, a second bartender asked for our order. Since we barely had a chance to look at the wine list we asked for a few minutes. It did only take us a few minutes to figure out our order but we had to flag down the second bartender to put in our order. Fortunately, the wines came quickly. Unfortunately, service disintegrated at that point. The two appetizers (cauliflower and meatballs) came out quickly and they were promptly followed by a half order of the tajarin. But the pizza was nowhere to be seen and no one stopped by to ask us if we were waiting for something, needed something, were enjoying ourselves...no one stopped by. At. All. We finally saw a pizza come out and hoped it would be ours. Much to our dismay, it was placed in front of two women who arrived much later than us. The women poked at the pizza and were about to dig in when another bartender came out and said that the women didn't order that pizza, they had ordered the one he had in his hand. We observed as the bartender we mostly dealt with took the pizza to various people at the bar (but not to us) and asked them if they had ordered a pizza. When she couldn't figure it out, she placed it below the bar as another bartender went back to the kitchen to figure out what went wrong. He came out and informed our bartender/server that the pizza was for us. Our bartender/server asked us if we ever received our pizza and we said no so she proceeded to place the pizza in front of us like we didn't see what had just happened! Both my boyfriend and I objected and told the server/bartender that we did not want a pizza that was nearly eaten by another couple and then taken around to other patrons and finally placed below the bar for several minutes. She said "oh okay" and walked away. No offer of offering a replacement, no question about whether we wanted to order something else or whether we wanted our check. Nothing. The three bartenders working proceeded to completely ignore us for what seemed like a very long time. Unless we yelled and rudely hailed one of them over, we could not even get their attention so we could get our check and leave. Finally fed up, I went to the hostess stand asked to talk to the manager. I explained the situation to him and noted that this was the worst service I have ever received in the District. I was livid. In the end, the manager brought out two pizzas in to-go boxes and comped our meal. My boyfriend really wanted to just pay the bill and get out of there but since the manager went to the kitchen and the servers remained clueless to what had just happened (seriously) we couldn't get our check. By the time the manager came back with the pizzas and apologized again, we were too irritated to remain in the restaurant so we accepted his apologies, thanked him for comping our meal, and sped out of there. As for the food, it was not bad. The cauliflower appetizer we ordered was really good. While dry, the meatballs were flavorful and tasty and I rationalized that maybe it was just a bad batch. The tajarin we ordered was delicious and I agree with Astrid above that it was one of the best pastas I've had in DC. The pizza...I had a slice when I got home (about a five minute walk) and it was just okay. The cheese and toppings were good but the crust was too chewy. Had we not had such a terrible experience with the service, I think my boyfriend and I would have put this spot in our neighborhood rotation. But even if I wanted to give this place another shot, I don't think I could convince my boyfriend to ever set foot in that place again. And I don't think I could take a guest there with my current reservations about the service.

When people ask me what my favorite restaurant in DC is, I usually reply, "There are so many good places, I can't pick a favorite. It really depends on my mood." But if you looked at my dining calendar, you would probably think my favorite restaurant is Izakaya Seki. And I think it is too. My boyfriend and I went to Izakaya Seki on Friday evening to celebrate one year of dating. The wait was only 20 minutes before we were seated on the lower level. We ordered a plate of sashimi with an additional order of toro because we can't get enough raw fish at this place. I really want to do one dinner here with just sashimi and cured fish but I can't help but ordering the cooked food as well. We added to our order with my boyfriend's favorite item, the taka wasa, a trio of vegetables (how is the spinach so much better than all other spinaches?), and the fried baby octopus above. We have ordered the octopus many times before but this time, Chef Seki garnished it with a baby crab (not alive) which was very cute and playful. We thought it was so great we took the crab home with us to have around until it starts deteriorating. Since we were sitting right in front of Chef Seki, we asked for his a recommendation and he enthusiastically told us to order the aji tataki (Spanish Mackerel served raw and then deep fried) and we are so glad we did. The fish comes out whole with cuts in the belly and served with herbs and ginger. We ate as much raw fish as we could pick with our chopsticks. Then the fish was taken away, deep fried, and brought back to us, at which point we ate the rest of the fish except for the head (though we tried to get as much flesh as possible from the cheeks) and the tail. It was excellent. Finally, we also ordered the chicken meatball, another favorite. I just wish there was still the option of the egg yolk to dip it in. My boyfriend and I have eaten at either Daikaya Izakaya or Izakaya Seki three out of the last five weekends. There is something to be said that neither of us have thought twice about going to either of the places on such a regular basis. Either the restaurants are darn delicious and fun or we are izakaya fiends.

My boyfriend and I stopped into Daikaya Friday night without reservations hoping to get a table. At about 8:15pm, we were quoted a 45 minute wait. Fortunately, seats opened up at the bar after a few minutes so we started ordering. We mainly stuck to our usual order but for reasons I cannot explain, the food was much better than the last time we were there. It was as if the food was made with more care and attention to detail and that those making the food enjoyed making it. The standout of the evening was the grilled avocado, the enoki mushrooms, the crab croquettes, and the tuna poke. We left completely stuffed with a bill around $80 for the two of us which included tax, tip, and two beers.

I had a great meal at Table the other week. My boyfriend and I sat at one of the two tops perpendicular to the kitchen as the table we had reserved was still occupied. Table just switched to a Spring menu which our server, Joe, was very enthusiastic about. Highlights of the dinner include the burrata salad, tiger prawns and foie gras poele, and the squab. Although we are not really dessert people, I couldn't resist the lemon curd which turned out to be fantastic. The chef also sent out an order of the ricotta fritters which we polished off despite being very full. Our last meal at Table was sort of a service disaster so we weren't in a rush to get back to Table. I am glad we found our way back. When this restaurant is on, it is my favorite date night place in the neighborhood.

When I lived in Woodley Park several years ago, dinners at Palena Cafe was the best thing about living in that area. This was before the revamped Ardeo+Bardeo, Ripple, and Medium Rare. And because I wasn't make much money then (and now) the cafe was a the best way to get a great meal on a budget. It is hard to believe that the burger and the chicken are no more (hopefully only temporarily). Like everyone here, I had so many good memories. Too many to recount. What a loss.

Since my last visit, I have gone to Sona twice for lunch on Friday. The food is simple but really good quality. I have bibb lettuce salad (very solid) and the Bruno's Big Kid (basically a grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with mac and cheese). The sandwich was really good and a very filling and rich portion. I really enjoyed it. The highlight of both trips are the cheeseboard. The cheeses are really outstanding (highlights are the buttery and creamy Ardrahan, the above mentioned cheese with truffles, and the fourmet d'ambert cheese). Served with very good different dried fruits, jams, and candied nuts, I have not had a cheeseboard I did not love. Also, the very good butter is now served with a smattering of flavorless pop rocks on top which add a great punch when you eat them. The wines are also interesting and enjoyable. It's hard to pair red wine with cheese (at least for me) but I have enjoyed the Andrew Rich Tabula Rasa Red on one visit. My most recent visit I had a very generous pour of a pinot gris which I thought was great. I sat at the counter the past two times and service was knowledgeable and friendly, especially the person at the cheese counter. I am looking forward to future visits (especially when I don't go during a Lenten Friday) and more cheese. Always more cheese.

My boyfriend and I walked to the Red Apron on D St. Sunday morning after I ran the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler. I am so glad this place opens at 9am because not only was I tired and hungry, I was in a sour mood as the race did not go as well as I had hoped. Fortunately, there wasn't a line when we arrive around 9:30am and we were able to order right away. At my boyfriend's urging I ordered to my stomach's content: spiced mocha, buenos dias breakfast sandwich, and a raspberry doughnut. I probably shouldn't have ordered the mocha and the doughnut since it was way too much sugar for me but both were really good. Thinking back, I didn't get any "spice" in the mocha but it was delicious nonetheless. The raspberry doughnut, which I split with my boyfriend, was really really good. Although I have a huge sweet tooth, I prefer a savory breakfast and don't generally order things like donuts. I'm glad I ordered this though as the dough was on the light side and there was a perfect amount of raspberry jam, the best part of the doughnut. I love a good breakfast sandwich and made quick work out of the buenos dias (chorizo, pickled red onions, egg, and sour cream on a tigelle). The sandwich looked small when it came out and I contemplated asking my boyfriend if he would split a second sandwich with me but it was very filling (I ate this before the doughnut) and I was sated with a singular breakfast sandwich after all. I left in much better spirits and on the way out, I picked up some very good pate campagne for the road. I couldn't help myself.

Friend and I were at Union Market yesterday and we stopped in for a late lunch. I, firmly seated in the struggle bus due to a few bad decisions the night before, had the porkstrami sandwich. I really enjoyed the sandwich although it didn't remind me all that much of pastrami, and I felt that the kraut could have been a little more pungent. Overall, a good and filling sandwich that put me on the road to feeling normal. My friend had the burger which was really really good. I will definitely have to order that one time. We also decided to purchase an insane looking bone in ribeye for dinner ($20/lb). I loved having the whole bone to show off. My friend cooked the steak on the grill later that evening and the meat was very very good. It almost melted in my mouth. Definitely worth the money. We also picked up some of the bourbon fig pork rillette which we enjoyed at The Partisan last week. It was as delicious as I had remembered.

A friend suggested we go to dinner at The Partisan a few Thursdays ago. I was initially hesitant because it was the second day the place had been open but I am very glad I just went with it rather than voicing my concerns. In fact, we liked it so much we went back this past Thursday as well! The place reminds me of Birch and Barley, which is not a surprise since they are part of the same restaurant group. I love the exposed brick and the dark furniture. We have had two great, knowledgeable servers, Paige and Brock, and the service is decidedly friendly and casual. It's the kind of place I want to be after a long day or week, slowly eating my way through the menu, ordering between what I have enjoyed before and eager to try new dishes. Here's a rundown of what we have ordered. Cocktails/Beer: Today Your Love ($13) "“ Ransom Old Tom gin, cocchi Barolo chinato, and kina l'avion d'or. This drink reminds me of a less bitter version of a negroni, yet not too sweet. I can definitely taste Jeff Faile's influence in this drink. Go To IPA, Stone ($6.50) Bell's Special Double Cream Stout ($7) Allagash Saison ($7) While I really enjoyed my cocktail, I'm not sure I want to make $13 cocktails a regular habit. Yes, the cocktails are well crafted and thought out, but one cocktail is nearly twice the price of a good draft beer. Additionally, the wine list is just so great that I see myself exploring that more than the cocktails. Wine: 2012 Qupe Syrah ($20/half bottle) 2012 Baileyana Pinot Noir ($4/half glass) 1999 Viberti Dolcetto D'Alba ($30/half bottle) I am in love with the wine list. I don't know much about wine except I know what I like and there is a lot that I like on this list. Additionally, the options for a half glass and half bottle that are priced comparable to a full glass or a full bottle encourage exploration. For example, a half glass of the Qupe Syrah is $5.50 while a glass is $10 and a full bottle is $40. These options worked for my friend and me the first time we dined at The Partisan as we had a round of drinks at the bar while waiting for our table and then ordered a half bottle of the syrah. We proceeded to finish the wine with one last dish yet to arrive at the table. In another situation, we would have either split a glass of wine or not have ordered any wine for the last course but that time, we both ordered half glasses of the pinot noir. Thanks to The Partisan for giving us these options and pricing accordingly. Charcuterie: Campari-rosemary salami ($4.50); Lamb leg with mint pesto ($4.50); Greek fennel-lemon verbena salami ($4.50); Red Menace ($4.50); Spanish Chorizo ($4.50); Bourbon poached fig rillettes ($5); Culatello ($6); Espresso Lomo ($5); Wild Boar Pate ($5) The charcuterie comes with tigelles, the English muffin looking bread except buttery and dense and pretty amazing. We only had two tigelles with five orders of charcuterie on our first visit and had to ask for more but on the second visit we only ordered four pieces of charcuterie and it arrived with four tigelles so it looks like the place is still trying to figure the charcuterie to tigelle ratio. The meats themselves were very very good, though there were some better than others. In my view the spreadables (red menace, pates, and rillettes) were better than the sliced meats. The espresso lomo was probably my least favorite as it had very little flavor and the lamb leg, while cooked very well, also had little flavor without the mint pesto. They can't all be hits, but I like having so many options, especially ones that are a bit experimental. And the pricing is pretty reasonable so I didn't feel like we were taking huge risks by ordering something that looked interesting but we were unsure how it would come out. We spoke to Nate Anda on our second visit and he said that he will be rotating the charcuterie. That is great news for this charcuterie lover but bad news for her cholesterol level. There is not enough running I can do in a week to offset regular trips to The Partisan. Menu: Roasted Mushroom and Kale Salad ($12) "“ The first time we ordered this, it was amazing. The kale was done just right, the mushrooms were earthy and plentiful, and the salsify and sherry vinaigrette added just the right punch. The melted goat cheese on the bottom rounded out the dish. The second time we ordered this, it came out way oversalted. I didn't think I would mind the salt too much but after a few bites I couldn't taste anything else. I was sharing the dish and between the two of us we managed to finish it, but if I had ordered this for myself I would have sent it back. Hopefully this was just a misstep in the kitchen. Kimchi Sauasage ($6) "“ I liked the idea of this sausage. I love sausage and I love kimchi. There were kimchi spices with some kimchi on the side and the flavor was good, but the texture was dry and crumbly. Also, the sausage was more like a breakfast link, which was unexpected. It also came with a tigelle but we had our fill of tigelles at that point and asked that one to be boxed up. (Note: If you want to order a tigelle to take home for your own breakfast sandwich, they are 50 cents each. That is not bad given a six pack of Thomas English Muffins will set you back more than $4 at Safeway.) Braised Spanish Octopus ($14) "“ This came in a tomato sauce with sliced fingerling potatoes. The octopus was cooked perfectly and I really enjoyed the accompanying sauce and potatoes. The only downside was that there were only three two-bite pieces of octopus. Not particularly measly but we were expecting more for the price. Squab Crepinette ($16) "“ On the menu, this dish is described "breast, confit leg, squab jus" so we expected a breast and a leg. Instead three slices of squab came out, with the breast wrapped in leg meat. The squab was perfectly cooked and I appreciate the skill it took to compose the dish but part of me can't believe we paid $16 for three pieces of meat. Despite ending on a bummer note, my friend and I really enjoyed dining at The Partisan. For the most part, the food is very good and we didn't have any misses (except for the salty kale salad which is excellent when it is done right). There is definitely more on the menu we want to try and are eager to go back. Happy to have this place in the neighborhood.

+1 I live in the neighborhood and Corduroy cannot be topped for its proximity to the Convention Center and Tom Power's really great cooking. However, there are also a few other choices that are better option than the ones you listed, Daveo. Proof -- If I were in your shoes, I would always be pushing to go to Proof. Every. Single. Time. Baby Wale -- Maybe not ideal for a business dinner but this place is a lot of fun and the food is really good. Table -- Solid, sometimes even great food, though I have experienced iffy service there. Thally -- I want to like this place a lot more than I do but the food is good, if nothing to write home about. I like the cozy atmosphere and there's an area in the back that can be used for semi-private dining. Alba Osteria -- I have only been here once and had a decent meal though service was an absolute cluster. That was when they first opened so hopefully the issues have been worked out by now. Still, better than Carmines. Eat the Rich -- Great for a smaller group of seafood lovers. If people are willing to go down to Gallery Place or over to the Metro Center area for mediocre to less than mediocre food, they should be willing to go up the road for some serious and seriously good fare.

I met a friend here Monday afternoon for some general catching up. We ordered a cheese board (cheesemonger's choice) and a couple of glasses of wine. Sadly, the cheese menu we looked at does not match what is on the website so I can't give a detailed rundown. I do remember that the cheeses were a firm blue, a soft cow, and a triple cream brie. The board also had some dried fruits, preserves, and house made butter. Although I am a blue cheese lover, this one was my least favorite of the three as I much prefer my blue cheese to be of the crumbly and veiny variety. The second cheese (I think it is the Fromage de Meaux) was very good. And I do remember our third cheese: the cremeaux des cieteaux aux truffes. Yes, with truffles. And it was amazing. So amazing I went to the cheese counter and bought some to take home. There is a 10% discount on cheeses that are on the cheese menu/bar (as opposed to those that are just from the case). I also had two glasses of wine, the Nero D'avola ($13) and the Saint Rioja Reserva ($10). I thought both wines were good. One of the co-owners/managers stopped by and let us know they are working hard to find wines from Washington State (apparently they are working with Schneiders on this and maybe on all their wines as well) so those may be some of the more interesting wines to sample. They are only pouring full glasses right now though I do hope they offer smaller pours in the future to encourage sampling and branching out. Finally, our service was a little...non existent. I took us forever to get out drinks and the cheeseboard with no acknowledgement that we had been waiting even though both owners and our server walked by several times. The cheese board eventually came out by itself and we debated whether or not bread should have come out as well. Finally, realizing they wouldn't give us butter to eat by itself we asked our server to bring out the bread. This also took awhile as it seemed as people were not attuned to the fact that both of us were trying, desperately, to make eye contact with someone and the cheese was not being touched. The time between asking for the bread and receiving the bread was also longer than expected since our server had to ring in another table's order which also took some time as it seemed that she was still learning the system. Overall, it was a good experience. Hopefully the service glitches were just due to it being newly opened. With Cowgirl Creamery closed, I'm really happy to have a new place in town with good cheese.

Went here with the boyfriend for the first time last night. We arrived around 7pm and found seats at the bar where we waited for about 15 minutes before our table was ready. The wines were a bit on the pricey side but we ended up settling for a glass of California Syrah on tap ($8) and a glass of frappato ($9). The wines were drinkable though not remarkable, which is to be expected for glasses under $10. For food we started with a selection of small plates. The standout for me was the cauliflower with saffron and pine nuts. My boyfriend's favorite was the octopus with gigante beans, which I also really enjoyed. We both also really liked the green onions wrapped in proscuitto with vincotto. Finally we had two of the meats, the venison and the spicy calabrian. We enjoyed both options. The disappointment of the bunch was the wild boar rillette. When the rillette was brought to us, the server mentioned that it had just been taken out of the refrigerator and needed to sit for a bit. It sat for a loooong time, so long that the server thought we were done with it and tried to take it away. That was annoying, but even when the rillette had warmed up it was tasteless. That was a big bummer as we both love rillettes. We also ordered the pizza on special (anchovies, artichokes, basil, and breadcrumbs). The pizza was not that great. I enjoyed the breadcrumbs and the anchovies but the pizza was overcharred and the artichokes were dry. We'll be back, but next time, we will stick to the small plates.

Met a friend here for dinner earlier this week. We each had an oyster back to kick off the night. If I had a higher alcohol tolerance I could drink these all night. Unfortunately I don't and it was a school night so I stuck with only one. I also had rye on the rocks as well as a stout for the evening. For food, my friend and I split a dozen oysters, four of each of the three varieties. They were all great and I have no complaints except I wish I had a dozen oysters all to myself. I followed the oysters up with the swordfish in your face, perfectly cooked and one of the better composed seafood dishes I have had in a long time. My friend had the brandade which he enjoyed. I had a taste and thought it was really salty but I am not sure if it's supposed to be that salty or was over salted. Overall, we both enjoyed our dinner here. I am loving these three Derek Brown bars.

Your beverages can be transported from the izakaya upstairs to the ramen shop downstairs. You just can't be the one doing the transporting. That is what happened last night as my boyfriend and I grabbed drinks upstairs while waiting for seats to open up in the ramen shop. Since our drinks were only half finished we asked if they could skip over us and call us when the next two seats open up but were helpfully informed that a host at the izakaya can bring our drinks downstairs. There is a way for staff to go between the two places without going outside so the beverages never leave the building. So we paid our tab at the bar, brought our drinks to the host, and were reunited with our drinks a few minutes later at the ramen shop. Daikaya Ramen now has spice balls you can add to your ramen to make it spicy (or spicier). Part of me thinks this is happening because people want their ramen to be spicy rather than appreciating the broth for what it is. I'm not sure how I feel about this even though I did add a spice ball to my shio ramen with egg and menma. The spice ball definitely added heat but the heat comes at the end rather than up front. I really enjoyed the ramen and drank as much broth as I could short of putting the bowl up to my mouth and slurping it all down. My boyfriend had the shoyu ramen with canned corn, his go to order. Even though I like to switch it up with my ramen selection, I think the shoyu broth is the best of the offerings.

I met my boyfriend here Wednesday night after a work event. Both of us really enjoy both the ramen shop and the upstairs restaurant and since Daikaya is in our neighborhood we end up going about once every 2-3 weeks. As we have explored most of the menu we ended up sticking to our favorites this visit. Our favorite dish here is the Wasabi Tako, raw octopus with wasabi sprouts, olive oil, and granny smith apple. We usually order two of these so we can each have our own but this time stuck with just one order. Another dish I really enjoyed was the burrata salad with arugula, tomatoes, dashi gelee, served with a ponzu vinaigrette. This is a great salad. My only complaint is that the dashi gelee is incredibly heard to eat with chopsticks and is such a key component in the dish that it is sad the much of it is left on the plate. Another great dish was the grilled enoki mushrooms. We also really enjoyed the tuna poke. We also ordered the grilled quail which was very solid (not overdone), but not great. Finally, we had three onigiri: one kombu (soy and seaweed) and three of the duck onigiri that was on special. I am not as big an onigiri fan as my boyfriend but enjoyed the duck onigiri very much, so much so that I asked for a second order. Service was fine, but a little rushed. Also, our server was very amped up and spoke in a raised tone for the whole night which was a little off putting. She also interrupted us to tell us we were eating the onigiri incorrectly (which we did on purpose), which resulted in a little side eye from me. We even felt a little bit rushed even though we were seated at 8:20pm, no where near the restaurant's closing time, and were out by 9:30pm. Overall, I really enjoy Daikaya and am really happy it is in my neighborhood.

My friend and I had a great meal at the bar on Friday night. We started off with a glass of the Cotes du Rhone and four cheeses. I can't remember which cheeses we ordered but one was the Valdeon blue cheese. When the plate came, the Valdeon was no where to be found and instead there was another cheese (also beginning with the letter "v") in its place. After consulting with our lovely bartender/server, Dee, we were told that the kitchen had run out of Valdeon cheese and gave us the other cheese. To make it up to us, the host brought out a smoky gouda cheese which was my favorite of the selection. After the cheese, we each had a soup, the cauliflower for him, and the rouge vif d'etampes for me. The cauliflower soup was served with a large parmesan crisp the size of the bowl. The soup was very good, silky, and rich. The rouge vif d'etampes (pumpkin), served with crisped proscuitto at the bottom of the bowl, was amazing. I could have had two bowls of this soup and called it an evening. Apparently it was a busy night for the restaurant as the wait for our entrees was quite a bit. Dee gave us a generous pour/re-fill of wine to make up for it which also kept us in good spirits. My friend ordered the faux rib eye. While he ordered it medium rare the steak came out a little more rare than he would have liked. I thought it was perfect. I ordered the fettuccini with wild mushrooms. As a lover of both pasta and mushrooms, I was very satisfied with the dish. Unfortunately, my friend and I may have had too much bread and only got through half of our entrees asking the remainder to be packed up. We also asked for our desserts, save for the accompanying ice cream, to be packed to go. These requests were graciously accommodated by Dee. One of the ice creams we were able to try was the a chocolate and caramel ice cream. It was the best ice cream I have had in a while. Note to self, put this place in your rotation.

I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by and grab a sandwich to take with me back to the office as it is pretty slim pickings where I work. I really wanted to try one of the flatbreads or the hot sandwiches but since I had to take the metro and head back to my office right away in subfreezing temperatures, I ended up ordering the Fowl Play to take back with me. The sandwich was packed with turkey, chicken liver, turkey bacon, duck cracklings, pickled red onions, and arugula. The bread wasn't quite thick enough to hold everything together but I enjoyed the sandwich nonetheless. I wish there were more places like this around the city.

I think the restaurant may have just stopped doing reservations through Open Table. I just looked on Open Table and get this message: "Please accept our apologies on behalf of Table. Online reservations are not available on this date at this restaurant." And when I searched for the next available date, Open Table said there is no availability within the next 15 days. However the website directs you to call or e-mail the restaurant. I understand the reasons why a restaurant (especially one that is on the smaller side) chooses not to go through Open Table. I'm just glad they are still taking reservations.

I've been trying to make a dinner reservation here for an upcoming Saturday evening. After coming up empty I plugged in a few weekday dates as well and the only times that come up are 5pm and 9pm so it looks like Table has stopped taking reservations for any time after 5pm and before 9pm. The lack of reservations -- that is essentially what the change is doing -- won't be prohibitive in my dropping by on a weekday (it's been pretty easy for me to get a table even at 8pm or so the times I've dropped by last minute) but I likely won't be dining here on weekends.

I'm glad at least one person has found my ramblings useful. I mostly stuck with places I visited during my stay in my reports but have a few other restaurants I didn't get to. I'm happy to send along recommendations for your next visit to America's Finest City. Also, Prepkitchen and Whisknladle are in the same restaurant group. I haven't made it to Prepkitchen yet though.

South Beach Bar & Grill (Ocean Beach) This is a 21+, cash only, divey place on the ocean in OB. It also happens my favorite fish taco place in San Diego. The baja fish taco (fried) is a must, despite any desire I may have to be a little healthy and go for a grilled fish taco. There is also a great draft beer list which can be ordered by the pint or by the pitcher. I happened to stop by with a friend on a late Thursday afternoon, which has all day happy hour: $3 tacos (except lobster) and $3 selected pint. My friend and I decided to go for a pitcher of Green Flash West Coast IPA even though it wasn't a happy hour special. I started with one baja fish taco and one grilled wahoo. Both were very good. Still a bit hungry and not quite ready to bow out after only two fish tacos, I ordered another baja fish taco. Service here can be pretty inattentive/non-existent and the kitchen is on the slow side but the great fish tacos make up for that. WhiskandLadle (La Jolla) I generally like to grab light happy hour bites or a nice-ish dinner here when I am in the area. This time around, I grabbed lunch here with my brother and two cousins. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I was in the early stages of a stomach bug so nothing on the menu appealed to me. Our table ordered the charcuterie and cheeseboard, which was skimpy on the meats and cheeses and heavy on the olives. Way overpriced for $22. I stuck with a warm brussels sprouts salad which was good and a good portion for $13. My brother and cousin had the lamb ragu and gnocchi which was good. Another cousin had the salmon, lentils, and beets which was also good. My only issue with the lunch prices here is that they were on the expensive side. I'll probably stick to happy hour and dinner here in the future. PB Fish Shop (Pacific Beach) I wasn't able to stop here this time, but I also enjoy the Fish Shop for fish tacos. The daily fish options are displayed in a refrigerated case, which hopefully means the fish is fresh. You choose your fish, a marinade, and style and the plate is served to you. A little bit of a higher price point than South Beach Bar and Grill, but a good option if you are in PB or just want something different. There is also a selection of local draft beers. Thursday is $1 Oyster Night. My recommendation is to go here during the day for lunch because PB turns into Adams Morgan-like madness at night.

Bo-Beau Kitchen & Bar (Ocean Beach) Bo-Beau Kitchen & Garden (La Mesa) When this place first opened, Bo Beau was short for bohemian boyfriend which is kind of a dumb name for such a great restaurant. When I think of having a bohemian boyfriend (which would never happen), I think of a penniless surfer who couldn't afford to take me to dinner, much less a French bistro, so I never understood the point of that name. That had always bothered me until recently when I found out that Bo-Beau now refers to bohemian beautiful, which is slightly better but still kind of odd. Fortunately, the food at Bo-Beau surpasses the naming weirdness and the location in OB is probably my favorite American restaurant in the San Diego area, though it has a heavy French bistro influence. The restaurant is a little off the beaten path in OB (a good thing!) and the atmosphere is like a beach bungalow. High school friends took me here when it first opened years ago and I have tried to go back at least once each time I am in San Diego. The cooking here is very well executed and my favorite dishes are the duck confit fettuccine, mussels in curry broth, and the chicken fricasse, though I have enjoyed everything I have had here. There is also a nice patio out back with an oven for the flatbreads which is fun to watch. The wine list here is also very good and reasonable. There is also a gluten-free menu here, which I have never tried. The popularity of Bo-Beau (OB) has paved way for a Bo-Beau in La Mesa, a suburb just east of downtown San Diego. La Mesa also happens to be my hometown and when my brother told me that Bo-Beau had opened up around the corner from where we used to take piano lessons, I was overjoyed. La Mesa is moving on up! Side note: Bo-Beau La Mesa is in the space where a restaurant called Gingham used to be. Gingham was a part of the Brian Malarkey (of Top Chef and other reality television fame) restaurant group which had restaurants named after various fabrics such as Searsucker and Herringbone and is also the reason (I think) why Tom Power had to change the name of what is now Baby Wale a few times before opening that restaurant. I have gone to Bo-Beau La Mesa twice already since it is closer to where I am staying while here in San Diego and for nostalgia purposes. Revisiting La Mesa is always a treat to me. The menu here is far simpler than the one in OB and there are fewer options on the menu in general and the options are not as exciting and adventurous. There is little French influence outside of three different types of mussels. While the different menu was a little disappointing, it is also understandable as this location serves suburban population that is likely to have lots of kids. In fact, there is not only a kids menu but also a school bus in the back outdoor space for kids to play in while adults eat and drink. Still, the atmosphere does not exude chaos but a cozy restaurant in the downtown square of a small town. The food here, while not what I hoped for, is still very well executed. Everything I have had here has been really good. I enjoyed the mussels in curry, brussels sprouts with pancetta and balsamic, pork shank, and fried chicken. There is also a good selection of wine by the glass here at reasonable prices. The upside to Bo-Beau La Mesa is that it is less expense than the one in OB. I was surprised when I only paid $45 (including tax +tip) for my most recent meal there which included splitting an appetizer and dessert with friends, a cup of coffee, entree, and glass of wine.

Jasmine Seafood Restaurant (Kearny Mesa) While this restaurant serves good Chinese food, the best reason to stop by is for the dim sum, served daily from 10am - 3pm. It is better to arrive on the early side in order to find a parking spot and a prime table. Dim sum here is served in carts and ordering is done by looking at the contents of a cart once it pulls up to your table and pointing to what you want. The dishes are priced according to a tier system and after the lady delivers your picks, she will circle or stamp the number of dishes you ordered and what tier they belong to. Soy sauce is provided on the table but hot chili oil needs to be requested. Favorites of mine are any of the dumplings (shrimp and pork preferred), steamed bbq pork buns, pan fried taro cake (cooked to order), rice crepes, and sticky rice in banana leaves. Also recommended are the tripe and chicken feet for the adventurous as well as a very good rice porridge and tofu in ginger syrup. There are several other dishes so you can eat to your hearts content but with limited stomach space I usually stick to my favorite dishes, only trying one or two new things at each visit. Finally, if there is something you want but cannot find a cart carrying it, you can hail a waiter who will get it for you. Tacos and Tarros (Eastlake) This is a really great Mexican spot specializing in Mexican street food, specifically tacos. The places is set up in the mall (sadly in between a Panda Express and a Jersey Mike's Sub Shop) and has framed itself as a sports bar. This is definitely away from the divey taco shops I liked to go to back in the day, but I actually like the non-divey restaurant serving very good food. For yesterday's stop after a few strolls around the mall, I had the grilled fish taco, the marlin style fish taco, and an al pastor. The grilled fish taco was good but nothing special. The marlin style taco is actually tuna but served with sautéed onions, chiles, and salsa. This was also very good and probably my favorite of the lot. The al pastor (while more adobada than al pastor) was chopped marinated pork. I really enjoyed this as well. My brother also highly enjoyed his chori-lingua taco (chorizo and beef tongue). The hot sauce is *very* hot, but very good. I really like this spot for a quick lunch or light dinner. Venissimo Cheese (San Diego Harbor, Del Mar, and Mission Hills) I forgot to write about this when I wrote about Pizzeria Mozza, but if you are in the SD Harbor area there is a delicious cheese shop (much like Cowgirl Creamery) next door. In addition to a very good variety of cheese (and very friendly with the tastes), there is also plenty of charcuterie, and a small selection of olives, preserves, and bread. I can definitely imagine buying some to stash in my hotel room were I here for a conference and stuck with mediocre conference food.

San Diego's (very) Little Saigon With pockets of Vietnamese restaurants popping up around San Diego, the original pocket lobbied and won Little Saigon designation earlier this year. This is a six block corridor along El Cajon Blvd. in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego. These are the places my family and I have in our rotation. Pho Hoa This is the best pho I have ever had. The restaurant used to be some sort of community hall and the ambience clearly reflects that. Furniture and ambience are bare bones to say the least. You walk in and someone who works there will ask you how many to which most people (even Vietnamese speakers) use their fingers to respond. The person takes you to a table (if it's busy you may be asked to sit with another party separated by just a seat or two) and drops off laminated menus. The operation sticks to the K.I.S.S. principle and serves only beef pho (you can pick which cuts of meat you want to top your bowl off with). I haven't looked at the menu in years so can't remember the price but I believe it's about $7 for a bowl. With one exception, all the bowls are the same size, and by that I mean LARGE. As a point of pride, I always finish a bowl but it is a struggle. The broth is clear and very flavorful. The meat is very generous and the herbs are always fresh. The one thing that sets this place apart from others in the area is the use of fresh pho noodles. This is not to mean that the noodles are made in house, but they use fresh noodles rather than dry noodles. It really does set the pho apart from other very good offerings. The pho is usually served within five minutes of ordering. Service is quick if not particularly friendly. Also of note at Pho Hoa is the Vietnamese iced coffee. In recent years places have taken to bringing out your order of Vietnamese iced coffee pre mixed, which allows them to fill a plastic cup full of ice and fudge on the espresso and condensed milk. Not here. Pho Hoa brings the coffee out in a drip along with a glass of ice. Once the coffee has finished dripping you can mix it, dump out the water from any melted ice as well as excess ice, and make your own iced coffee. Pho King (yes, seriously) A few years ago, this strip of hole in the wall Vietnamese places started blowing up. New and pretty and bright restaurants started moving in and Pho King was one of them. My family first tried Pho King because of the name but stayed because it just seemed cleaner and brighter. They also preferred this because there are options rather than pho and for a time my brother dated a girl who did not like pho so we went here so she can order something else. The pho here, while not as great as Pho Hoa, is still very good. There is also a chicken pho option. There are also a variety of non-pho options. My family thinks that the Hu Tieu options are the best, particularly the Hu Tieu Mi Tho Kho. It is a large bowl of translucent rice noodle topped with shrimp, fish balls, squid, imitation crab sticks, slices of roast pork, ground pork, liver, intestine, and heart. The broth is served on the side. Honestly, the first and only time I have had this dish it did not sit well in my stomach but I want to throw it out there for the adventurous especially since everyone else in my family loves this dish so much. Fortunately, my brother broke up with that girl and I can get my pho fix at Pho Hoa. Hoai Hue This place used to be a small hole in the wall restaurant that mainly did catered orders and takeout. Within the past years they have moved on up to a larger space and now it is a restaurant proper. My family does a lot of catering from here, usually ordering Banh Bot Lot (steamed pork and shrimp or vegetarian tapioca dumplings in banana leaves), Banh Nam (steamed flat rice flower dumplings with ground shrimp in banana leaves), and Banh Beo (steamed rice cakes topped with pork rinds, ground shrimp, and green onions) by the dozens. We also get our pork loaves there. This places is also known for their Bun Bo Hue (spicy beef noodle soup) which has always been fantastic when I have had it. Minh Ky This is actually a Chinese/Vietnamese mashup of a place that, while serving a variety of dishes, specializes in egg noodle soups. I usually order the Mi Sate Bo Kho, which is a bowl of egg noodles topped with slices of beef in a sate sauce with some onions and with the broth served on the side. It is a very oily dish so when I want something lighter I usually go with Dumpling and Won Ton Noodle Soup, served with egg noodles. The duck leg egg noodle soup is also very good. A Chau In the same lot as Minh Ky, this place has the best banh mi sandwiches. I usually order several of the special banh mi (with all the cold cuts and pate) and take them home to eat for lunch over the next several days. Sometimes I even pick a few up to eat on the plane back to DC and/or eat while in DC. There are lots of other restaurants in this six block strip of Little Saigon. Definitely an area worth exploring if you are interested.

Pizzeria Mozza (Harbor) When my brother and I drove by Seaport Village after picking me up at the airport, I remarked about how I hadn't been there for so long and how touristy it is. My brother said that San Diego has revamped the area to try to attract more people (tourists?) and opened an area called the Headquarters adjacent to Seaport Village in what was once a police headquarter. The Headquarters is anchored by four chain restaurants: Puesta (local upscale/mediocre Mexican chain), Seasons 52, Cheesecake Factory, and Pizzeria Mozza. Mozza is the Nancy Silverton/Joe Bastianich import from LA which I have heard good things about so I suggested my brother and I head there for lunch and to fuel up before some downtown Christmas shopping. We split orders of the bone marrow, chopped salad, and meatlovers pizza. The bone marrow came out on a large plate with three smallish bones filled with unctuous marrow alongside four pieces of grilled bread and small dishes of roasted garlic in olive oil, sea salt, and cilantro for our garnishing pleasure. While I have had bigger bones when ordering bone marrow, they have often had very little marrow in it so I was glad that while the bones were on the smaller side here, it was filled with marrow. Both my brother and I enjoyed this a lot. The chopped salad (enough for an entrée or for three people to split as an appetizer) was served piled high on a plate and sprinkled with oregano. It made for a great presentation but tricky serving, especially since my brother and I were sitting at the bar. The salad contained iceberg lettuce, radicchio, red onions, slices of provolone and salami, chickpeas, a smattering of cherry tomatoes and a nice dressing. My brother thought the radicchio made the salad was too bitter so I ate most of the salad (guess who got the third bone marrow?) which I really enjoyed. The meat lovers pizza isn't really called that but the menu just lists the ingredients on the pizza and when we ordered it the bartender proclaimed it the meat lovers so we went with it. On the pizza came about five large meatballs, bacon, guanciale, and pepperoni. The pizza was really disappointing. The center of the pizza was swimming in oil and the crust was soggy for it. The edges of the crust weren't soggy but pretty crisp in a not very pleasant way. The best part of the pizza was the meatballs and I would have gladly just had a side order of that in some marinara. I understand the pizza may have come out poorly because of our choice of order but for a place with such a pedigree, I really expected more. Pizzeria Mozza has only been open for a month though so I really hope they can work out their issues and serve the pizza that is acclaimed across LA. Unless, this is what LA pizza is supposed to be like, in which case Hopping Pig (Gaslamp) Ever the city dweller, I convinced my brother to walk the mile to Lululemon with promises of drinks in between. Our first stop was forgettable but our second was pretty good. Hopping Pig is on 5th between F&G and serves some good (if some overly wrought) drinks and an extensive beer list. There were three barrel aged cocktails that were being hyped (Viex Carre, Sazerac, Manhattan) but only the Manhattan (with Old Overholt) was available. I enjoyed it enough but didn't think the barrel aging added anything. Not sure if the culprit is the concept, the choice of rye, or what else. My second drink was a smoked Old Fashioned, with cold smoked bourbon, bacon syrup, and candied bacon as a garnish. It was good enough and I enjoyed the candied bacon but in the end, I just really really wanted a good old fashioned. Lou and Mickeys (Gaslamp) My brother and I ended our shenanigans at Lou and Mickeys. This is a steakhouse that is one concept of a restaurant group in Southern California known for a chain of King's Fish House. Here I got my Old Fashioned fix (though I did have to instruct the bartender to hold the muddled fruit). I saw that there were $1 oysters for happy hour so, being a fool for dollar oysters, ordered myself a half dozen. Out came a great plate of Rappahannock Oysters with the standard garnishes. The oysters were enjoyable, but I couldn't believe I traveled 3,000 miles for oysters I could have gotten at Eat the Rich, a mile up the road from my apartment.