Jump to content

eatruneat

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    381

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    43

 Content Type 

Everything posted by eatruneat

  1. eatruneat
    I think A. Litteri has three or four bottles of lambrusco in stock. @MichaelBDC and I stopped by on Saturday and asked for a dry lambrusco. Max, the wine guy, gave us two choices: a "deathly dry" lambrusco and a slightly less dry lambrusco. We went with the latter. It is still in the fridge so no tasting notes yet.
  2. eatruneat
    Hungover from New Years Eve festivities, I had the craving for Chinese food and convinced @MichaelBDC to roll the dice and order from Panda Gourmet via Postmates. We over ordered and ate throughout the afternoon and into the evening. Thankfully we did not have any major delivery issues that noticeably affected food quality. Altogether we ordered large hot and sour and wonton soups, steamed dumplings in red sauce, won tons in hot and spicy sauce, dan dan noodles, and liang pi noodles. The dumplings and wontons in sauce were a hit as well as the liang pi noodles, which were spicy, smoky, and overall very good. Hot and sour soup could have been better but really hit the spot for this hung over gal. Wonton soup was the only disappointment. The broth was very soy heavy. We didn't get to the dan dan noodles and are still in our fridge waiting to be reheated. We would order Panda Gourmet from Postmates again.
  3. eatruneat
    My not-so-little cousin started school at Georgetown and between the subpar cafeteria at Georgetown and instructions to call me whenever she is within a half mile radius of our place, @MichaelBDC and I were able to take her out to dinner at Daikaya last night before she went to see Michelle Obama at the Capital One Center. Between our frequent visits to Bantam King and Daikaya Ramen, we had left Daikaya Izakaya out of the rotation, but it seemed like a great place to take a hip teen. We ordered all our favorites and then some: grilled avocado (x2), pork and brussels sprouts okonomiyaki (x2), fried chicken skin, beef tenderloin (x2), the rock balboa, chicken karaage, fried garlic (now a special), takoyaki dashi, and abura miso onigiri (x2). For the most part, food was very good. Chicken karaage could have been executed better, especially because one piece was essentially fried chicken skin. I love chicken skin as much as the next gal, but the piece I had was basically deep fried flour and nearly burnt. The beef tenderloin, while cooked well, needed more seasoning. Otherwise, everything was very very good. The three of us left full and the bill was "only" $87, which we felt was a pretty good deal. We had really missed the avocado and the onigiri and there were a few other things on the menu we had wanted to order, so we won't wait too long before our next visit.
  4. eatruneat
    Another family trip means another dinner at Convivial. At this point, my family thinks I am playing favorites if I don't take them to Convivial when they come to visit. Our group of four started with the leeks dijonnaise, pickled rockfish, and beef tartare. All were excellent, and my family really liked the leeks dijonnaise. Just realized while typing this out that we ended up with all cold appetizers. No wonder everything tasted so refreshing! We then split three entrees: roasted Parisian gnocchi, moulard duck breast, and steak with kale au jus, blue cheese, walnuts, and crispy onion. The duck breast was my favorite dish of the evening. The duck was cooked perfectly with turnips and mustard greens. @MichaelBDC loved the gnocchi, which was a bit crispy and served with mushrooms mousseline and fricasse. My aunt remarked that the crispiness of the gnocchi reminded her of tater tots. The steak was a favorite of my aunt, a beef lover. I really enjoyed the blue cheese that came with it. To finish off the meal, the four of us split the celebration profiteroles with the sparkler. Five profiteroles total, definitely enough for us to split. As a side note, @MichaelBDC and I ran into Cedric at the host stand when we checked into dinner and @MichaelBDC used this opportunity to express his disappointment that the fried chicken coq au vin is no longer on the menu. Cedric said that about 40% of the people who ordered it were upset with the dish because they were expecting coq au vin, another 40% expressed disappointment that it wasn't truly fried chicken, and only about 20% of people liked the dish.
  5. eatruneat
    Given that the last post on this thread was over three years ago, I guess the best way to sum up the food options in Myrtle Beach is "nothing to write home about," which was certainly true of our most recent visit to the area. We stayed Garden City, ten miles south of Myrtle Beach proper. First dinner was at Gulfstream Cafe. Great view of the marsh if you have a table by the window but the food was average and pricey and food was left in the fryer for several seconds too long. We would've been happy to have had the fried seafood platter at a dive for half the price, though @MichaelBDC really enjoyed his blackened mahi mahi. Second dinner was at Peppers Philly Steaks & Pizza in Socastee. We split the cheese steak sandwich and though probably not authentic philly style, was a pretty darn good sandwich. We ordered an Italian sandwich to go, which was average and not worth ordering again, but would definitely get the cheese steak sandwich again if we are ever back in Myrtle Beach. Final dinner was at Catfish Johnny's along the marsh walk in Murrell's Inlet. The peel and eat shrimp and seared tuna sandwich were surprisingly good. Tuna was cooked to a perfect medium rare and was seasoned nicely. Wouldn't go out of my way to go here again, but a nice option along a bunch of tourist trap like places along the marsh walk.
  6. eatruneat
    After a brief stint as the Spanish tapas restaurant Calle Cinco, Conosci is now the neighborhood sushi restaurant Nama. The head chef, Handry Tjan, comes from Sushiko and Kobo. @MichaelBDC and I went and sat at the sushi counter on Thursday, their second day of service. Both Michael Schlow and Ed Scarpone (head of the Schlow Restaurant Group) were there to run quality control. We ordered the chef's selection of sushi & sashimi ($42 for 13 pieces), the tuna and jalapeno roll, octopus nigiri, and uni nigiri. There was a bit of a mixup as we assumed that the chef's selection was omakase (it was not) and that we had ordered one for each of us. We mentioned this to our sever and our comment was overheard by the chef and the two sous chefs in front of us so the chef sent out chu toro nigiri and a special nigiri of sweet shrimp topped with uni. After talking a bit with Michael Schlow, he sent out two orders of the beet nigiri for us as well. The fish we had was outstanding, and in my opinion, on par with O-Ku and Sushi Ogawa. We don't usually order shrimp due to @MichaelBDC's mild shellfish allergy, but the shrimp was sweet and some of the best I have had. Even the beet nigiri was great and is highly recommended. The only area where Nama falls short for now is the selection of fish, which is fairly limited and standard. There is not as much variety as Ogawa or even Sushi Capitol, but the fish they did have was very very good. Both Michael Schlow and Chef Tjan mentioned that Nama is intended to be a neighborhood sushi restaurant and that they were keeping things simple to start. Depending on the neighborhood and clientele, could add more variety fish and omakase to the menu. We'll certainly be back and crossing our fingers that this place is here to stay.
  7. eatruneat
    My family's vegetarian pho broth is a bit of a cheat, using vegetable broth, and includes leeks, star anise, five spice powder and soy sauce. Andrea Nguyen (author of acclaimed pho cookbook) has a similar recipe from the Pho cookbook as well as a more modern recipe that includes nutritional yeast.
  8. eatruneat
    After a very expensive omakase dinner at O-Ku, I woke up wishing we had gone to Ogawa instead. There were a few GREAT dishes but far too many okay dishes, and even some duds for the $100 price tag. Service was a rollercoaster, going from great and funny, to non-existent, to a bit off putting. We appreciated that the server, Marge, put together a special omakase tasting for our pescatarian friends (one with a gluten allergy). We did not appreciate her suggesting the two most expensive sakes on the list when we asked for recommendations. Also, the runners who brought the nigiri course did not describe the fish to us, leaving us a little confused. The good and the great: Sea bass with puffed rice, ribeye steak, sashimi, nigiri. The sea bass (in a sesame sauce) and the steak (on a skewer) were cooked perfectly. Both just melted in our mouths. My friend says she was ready to tilt the plate to her mouth to drink the sesame sauce that accompanied the sea bass. As mentioned above, the raw fish here is amazing. Easily the standout and @MichaelBDC and I definitely craved more (despite being very full by the end of the evening). The not so good and the bad: For the cooked dishes @MichaelBDC and I received the steak mentioned above and braised pork belly, which was fine but not great also something similar to what we make at home. Given the option between more sushi or pork belly, we would do more sushi hands down. Our friends received Japanese curry with sides of daikon and broccoli rabe. The curry was at room temperature and not particularly interesting and the broccoli rabe was simply steamed and cut into bite sized pieces. The best of the bunch was the daikon which was nicely marinated and crunchy. The biggest miss was the makimono, or rolls. We were stuffed at this point and received cucumber roll, yellowtail, and King California. The rice was very dry and the rolls were poorly wrapped. The seaweed barely held together the rolls and they fell apart as soon as we picked them up. Would have been a bigger disappointment if weren't so full at that point. At a high price point, we really expected to be in sushi heaven. In my view, the makimono (which, a la carte range from $10-$17) was inexcusable and I don't see a reason to go there ahead of Ogawa, Gakyu, and even Sushi Capitol (while the fish might not be as stellar, is still half the price).
  9. eatruneat
    I am actually a little bummed about this. I ran hot or cold with Taylor but could never stay away for too long. The convenient location and a solid sandwich hankering always brought me back. But I do call BS on the "whispers" that the owner's support for Donald Trump was the real reason for the closure is BS. I am a bleeding heart liberal and while I was taken aback by that particular piece of news, it was never a reason why I didn't go to Taylor.
  10. eatruneat
    In preparation for their move to the former Drift space in Shaw, Mason Dixie had a pop-up at Flight Wine Bar on Saturday. @MichaelBDC and I went with a couple of friends and found it a bit underwhelming. Opinions on the chicken ranged from underseasoned (me) to not crispy enough (friends) to not good (@MichaelBDC). The sides (collard greens, coleslaw, and mac and cheese) were good, but we all felt we could make those at home with the same or better outcome. The best part was the biscuits, but as mentioned in this thread, those could be found in the freezer aisle at Giant or Glen's Garden Market.
  11. eatruneat
    Banh Cuon Thang Long for banh cuon Nhu Lan for banh mi The tofu place for lemongrass tofu Huong Viet for grilled beef stuffed with grape leaves and a broken rice dish Little Viet Garden for bun cha Little Sheep Hot Pot is fun for a group but it's a lot of food and unless you practice extreme restraint in ordering, you will not be roaming anywhere after that.
  12. eatruneat
    Closing Sunday, maybe.
  13. eatruneat
    Spent 10 days in San Diego to do the wedding thing. Mostly based out of La Jolla, but were able to go here and there for meals. Trust - Highly recommend. Little brother scored our group of four the chef's table and it was a great time. Catania - Great 12 person dinner here on their patio. Everyone raved about the pasta. Hard to go wrong with tomatoes and burrata, but that was a standout as well. Pho Cow Cali - Family says Pho Hoa has gone down hill and Pho Cow Cali is now the place to go, especially if you enjoy a lighter broth. El Pescador - A bit on the pricey side, but the seafood is very fresh and the portions are generous. Taco Stand - Amazing tacos worth waiting in line for. Galaxy Taco - Had our rehearsal dinner here. Better than expected, especially the steak and the mushroom. Shrimp balls were also a fave. Whisknladle - Solid place. Duke's - Go for drinks and the view. Food is okay but not great and pricey. We Olive and Wine Bar - Great place for an incredible view and several glasses of wine. Snacks are good too. Sugar and Scribe - Great place for breakfast and sweets.
  14. eatruneat
    A group of 10 or so former co-workers gathered last Sunday to reminisce and catch up. It was a moderately scattered and loud affair and Convivial handled it VERY well. I couldn't resist ordering the pickled rockfish again, one of my favorite items on the menu. The plating has changed (instead of cubes or rockfish, they were neat little filets) but the dish remained as refreshing and delicious as I remembered. I couldn't resist ordering the Moulard Duck Breast with cherries, turnips, and mustard greens for our entree. The size of the dishes were very generous and It was too much food for me, but it was all so good! My former colleagues seemed to all enjoy their meals too and we had a great time. Thanks to Convivial for accommodating our lively bunch. I would definitely recommend for a large group.
  15. eatruneat
    I can't let Casa Luca close without memorializing the great meal I had there about a month ago. @MichaelBDC and I met up with his parents for a Sunday dinner and we had a lovely time. We ordered a multitude of appetizers including crostini, meatballs, spicy grilled calimari. It was all wonderful and fresh. The crostini was especially appreciated because Michael's parents didn't care for its preparation so the kitchen whipped up something sans seafood for them: squash, ricotta, a red pepper puree and they loved it. Meatballs were also popular. For entrees we had drunken tuna, lasagna, and a pasta I can't remember. We loved it all. The manager/sommelier suggested a nice bottle of Frappato to drink with dinner and it was so good we ordered another one. Dessert was the chocolate bomoblini which satisfied all the chocolate lovers' sweet teeth. Service was friendly and accommodating. Casa Luca left us with a great last impression.
  16. eatruneat
    Sundevich
  17. eatruneat
    Giving this a bump because @MichaelBDC and I are also DIY-ing the alcohol for our wedding. We'll likely be buying the wine at a Costco in San Diego. We are expecting 80 people, so about 48-ish bottles of still wine and another case or so of sparkling. Hoping to spend about $15/bottle, maybe more for a good red wine. Any recommendations on a white, a rose, sparkling, and a red would be helpful. Thanks in advance!
  18. eatruneat
    🙄
  19. eatruneat
    We probably should have done the dry hot pot you seem keen on but for many reasons we ended up with hot and sour soup, the stir fried spicy chicken, and the lamb with cumin. The lamb with cumin, with great use of the szechuan peppercorn, was our favorite. The spice in that dish really builds. Chicken had a great flavor but hard to eat with the bone in. Hot and sour soup was sub par and with glass noodles...unlike any other hot and sour soup I have had. Due to running late on our part, we had to pack most of the food to go and eat it during the first part of our marriage preparation retreat. Not ideal! But the food was good and we survived the weekend. Next time...dumplings and noodles, our favorite Chinese eats.
  20. eatruneat
    We went to Big Wang
  21. eatruneat
    Thinking of going to the Rockville location of Peter Chang this evening before being sequestered at the Courtyard Mariott for a weekend of everything the Catholic Church wants us to know about being married. Would this be our best bet for Chinese food or would Sichuan Jin River, China Bistro, Bob's Shanghai or Shanghai Taste work better?
  22. eatruneat
    My uncle's wife and her friend were in town for a visit and wanted to meet up with @MichaelBDC and me for dinner. They requested sushi but our #1 place, Sushi Ogawa, was booked and not knowing their budget, we decided not to push our luck with Sushi Taro. I ended up booking Sushi Gakyu after reading Tim Carman's review in the Washington Post. I used to walk by there everyday when I worked in the area, almost willing it to open, so I was very excited to finally be able to check the place out. When I made our reservations, I indicated that the four of us would like to sit at the counter and order omakase. The day of, the restaurant called to confirm our reservation and asked if we would like the $100 omakase option or $150 omakase option. As one could guess, the higher price meant more and higher quality fish. I selected the $100 omakase option but mentioned that we may order more if we were still hungry. We arrived right at 7:30pm to a mostly empty restaurant and our dining partners already seated at the counter. We would be the only ones at the counter the entire evening though there were 3-4 other tables seated and we did overhear one of the servers mention something about a party upstairs (perhaps Sushi Gakyu was catering it). Within five minutes of sitting down, we realized we were in for a treat. One of our dining partners was speaking in Japanese to Chef Ota and she insisted on ordering a bottle of sake from the "featured sake" list rather than the regular one. We started off with a bottle of Kotsuzumi "bloom on the Path" Junmai Daiginjo. It was so smooth and clear. We started with a refreshing salad of tomato, cucumber, seaweed, and dashi jelly. We also ordered edamame. That was followed by fried salmon cheek which was very good. Sashimi of sea bass with ponzu came next. Then came a taste of fugu/puffer fish (though I forget what part of the fish we got). A second bottle of sake. Four different slices of salmon nigiri. Three different pieces of tuna nigiri. Nigiri of seared prawn, raw scallop, and raw prawn was next. Finally, eel and a sweetened omelet. That was supposed to be the end, but we added small bites of uni from Maine and California as well as a little marinated squid. It was all fantastic. My only quibble with the meal is that the rice seemed a bit dry or undercooked, but the variety of the fish really made up for that. Our dining companions picked up the bill so the real price of dinner is unknown. Sushi Gakyu is certainly another option for sushi lovers out there and I definitely see us going back for another round of omakase.
  23. eatruneat
    I met up with an old friend for dinner here on Thursday night. We ordered the salted pimento cheese and smoked carolina trout dip bings. Both were really delicious, especially trout with roe and furikake. We probably should have ordered a third one. Clam toast came out next was another hit. Lots of middleneck clams but not so much sausage. Pork and shrimp dumplings were good but not great, especially compared to the first three dishes we had. Finally, we got the smashed fingerling potatoes, which were a disappointment. They would have been better if we had ordered a meaty entree but since we hadn't, they were just there. I would like a do over on that one. Overall, an enjoyable meal with some really great dishes. Momofuku has much improved over my last meal there over a year ago and am glad the place has raised its game.
  24. eatruneat
    FWIW, my brothers live in Orange County and San Diego and are enthusiastic ramen eaters. They think Daikaya is the best ramen they have had and always request Daikaya when they are in town despite me giving them other options.
  25. eatruneat
    Had dinner here two weeks ago with @MichaelBDC to celebrate our five years of dating bliss. I was battling a stubborn cold, but had really been looking forward to TUG and insisted we keep our long awaited reservations. We started with two glasses of lambrusco and then had yellowfin tuna crudo, a spring salad over red grits, Einkorn Sourdough, salami cotto, and a tomahawk pork chop that was on special. Midway through the meal, I switched to a riesling while @MichaelBDC had a glass of red wine. The food was delicious despite my taste buds being a little off due to the aforementioned cold. Each dish was interesting in its own way, had good texture, and was well executed. Service was warm and friendly. Looking back, the overall impression we were left with at TUG was just how solid the experience was. Our only regret was not ordering the lamb ribs, which looked amazing coming out of the kitchen. Next time...
×
×
  • Create New...