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eatruneat

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  1. eatruneat
    Ended up going to Ray's the Steaks near his office. Turned out to be a good idea since it ended up being a stormy night. (Former) boss was really impressed and kept saying how good the steak was. He mentioned he will do other business type dinners there. Will write something soon, but overall a great meal.
  2. eatruneat
    Had another wonderful meal at the bar a few weeks ago with @MichaelBDC. There was a private party on the second floor, but otherwise the restaurant was pretty empty. @MichaelBDC and I were the only people at the bar until we were about to leave, at which time another couple came in for the bar menu. That is too bad because summer is probably the best time to try Tom Power's cooking. He does great things with the seasonal produce at hand and doesn't use a heavy hand with sauces, letting the ingredients shine. A good example is the soft shell crab I had that night. It took me a long time to come around to soft shell crabs, but now I seek them out every summer. The ones served by Tom Power are my favorite in DC. I just love the simple preparation, letting the crab be the star of the show. The crab is served on a bed of simply dressed and slightly wilted greens, which I really like. Also, Corduroy is probably the only place where I want to order a soup on a 90 degree day in July. All around, a wonderful meal on a hot evening.
  3. eatruneat
    Several years ago, my cousin and his wife came down from NYC and treated me to Palena. My cousin is not much of a wine drinker so the sommelier opened a few large format beers for us to drink through dinner. When we finished one bottle he asked us what we would like for our next one. My cousin jokingly asked if they had any "OE." It took a beat before the sommelier realized he meant Old English, but called my cousin's bluff and said that he would go to the closest liquor store and pick one up for us if that is what we wanted. We did not and moved on to another large bottle of very good beer.
  4. eatruneat
    Grabbing dinner with a former boss and current mentor the first week of July to catch up. Needs to be somewhere in DC where he can find parking relatively early. While I would love to go to Mirabelle, that is probably a bit too pricey to ask of my mentor who will likely be paying. Thinking Oval Room, Central, or Fiola. Any other suggestions/thoughts would be much appreciated.
  5. eatruneat
    Went last Thursday for our annual trip to The Dabney specifically for the soft shell crab. Don't remember all the details now, but overall we really enjoyed our meal. Food was very very good and the plating was really lovely. Part of me wanted to take pictures, but (for one night only) I decided not to be that person. A few other notes: The bar had plenty of seats when we walked in around 7pm, which was surprising but it filled up quickly closer to 8pm Favorite dish was the country pate on toast with a half of a farm egg and herbs Soft shell crab was really good, but I think I prefer more simple preparations @MichaelBDC had the grilled mahi mahi on a bed of mixed greens dressed in a green goddess dressing. He really liked the salad, especially the dressing. Fish was cooked well Split the hearth roasted vegetables with a smattering of farro and a few dots of ricotta. Good dish but for what was basically a side dish, not sure it was worth $15, two dollars less than the mahi mahi Bartender was great, but there was an unusually long wait for our entrees, for which we received a top-off on our wine I really like The Dabney and have always enjoyed my meals there but for reasons I can't pinpoint, I don't love it. If it weren't for my love of soft shell crabs, I am not sure I'd ever think to go there.
  6. eatruneat
    My go to roast chicken as well. Used to do a more complicated herb crusted roast chicken, but this recipe made me re-think how I was roasting chicken. Love Marcella.
  7. eatruneat
    I've had my eye on this place since it first opened, especially when I pass it nearing the end of my long runs, but being without a car and generally trying to avoid Georgetown, I hadn't stopped in for a visit until this past weekend. After an afternoon of kayaking on the Potomac, @MichaelBDC walked up to Stachowski's and grabbed a 4 meat grinder and some potato salad for dinner. A few hours later, I inhaled my half of the sandwich though I did start just focusing on the meat and insides with about 10% of the sandwich remaining. @MichaelBDC ate a little over half of his portion and wrapped up the rest for later. We deemed it a GREAT sandwich and compared it to the 9th St. Italian Sandwich from Taylor Gourmet. For the same price, the sandwich at Stachowski's is not only leaps and bounds better, but also larger. Taylor Gourmet is only a few blocks away from my apartment but Stachowski's may be worth the trip to Georgetown.
  8. eatruneat
    Last night, we roasted a whole chicken using Marcella Hazan's simple roast chicken with lemon recipe. Served alongside a farro salad with herbs, cherry tomatoes, radish, and pistachios.
  9. eatruneat
    Took a break from our run-dates for a proper one at Kyirisan last Thursday. We had the raw sea bass and seared mushrooms and tomato tartare to start. Sea bass was excellent and our favorite dish of the evening. Mushrooms and tomato were also really tasty. Loved the combo of the warm earthy mushrooms and the sweet and cool tomatoes. Our entrees were good but not quite as enjoyable as the appetizers. We ordered the duck confit and the scallops with coconut risotto and basil ice cream. Duck confit was a mound of duck confit. No vegetables. Although well cooked, it ended up being entirely too rich and after a few bites we boxed up the rest and I put it into some scrambled eggs for a few breakfast sandwiches this week. Scallops with coconut risotto and basil ice cream was an interesting dish but the parts of the dish were better than the whole dish. Scallops were perfectly cooked but I am not sure if it went well with the coconut risotto as the coconut milk overpowered the dish. Basil ice cream swirled into the risotto is a fun concept but not sure it added much to the dish. In hindsight, both entrees were rich and we needed some vegetables for a contrasting flavor. At the end of the meal, @MichaelBDC said that he would be happy to return, sit at the bar, and have the raw sea bass and a glass of wine, which also sums up my thoughts on a return visit.
  10. eatruneat
    Celebrated @MichaelBDC's birthday with some friends at Le DeSales a few weeks ago. We had a reservation on the early side (6:30pm), which worked out well given our leisurely pace. Except for two hiccups, service was attentive and our water glasses were always full. Our party of four started with a bottle of Zinfandel and a mocktail for one member of our party who is nine months pregnant. We also ordered a platter of charcuterie and cheese to share: jambon cru, duck proscuitto, comte, parmigiano reggiano, and prefere des montagnes. This was a decent board of meats and cheeses, but nothing was particularly interesting or unique. The first service hiccup occurred when we wanted to ensure that the cheeses on the menu were pasteurized. The server said she would ask the kitchen but thought they were all pasteurized. When she came back to take our order, we realized she hadn't checked as she had already told us that she "thought" all the cheese were pasteurized. So we had to insist she go back and check with the kitchen. Turns out all the cheeses were pasteurized, but it was a frustrating back and forth. We ended up finishing the bottle of wine relatively quickly and ordered a second bottle, a Mourvedre from France. For our entrees, we wanted to share the other dishes - a mix of appetizer and entree sized plates as well as sides which the restaurant accommodated, but left for a very full table. We ended up ordering: beets with avocado, miso and quinoa; duck egg with paprika potatoes, soup de pain, and watercress; pork loin with carrots and preserved lemon; cod with turnip and clams pesto; bass with cranberries, cashews, celeriac, and chive oil; broccoli with peanuts and mustard; grilled leeks with sunflower seeds and buttermilk; and the fries. Highlights for me were the duck egg dish, the beets (not super interesting but well executed and loved the crunch of the quinoa), and the broccoli (an odd combination but successfully executed and very tasty). The cod, pork loin, and leeks were well executed but not particularly memorable. I passed on the bass and the fries so I can't comment. For dessert we had the deconstructed cheesecake, chocolate tarte, and creme brulee. Again, well prepared and satisfying, but not outstanding. The GM/owner also brought out four glasses of champagne for us. Not sure why we were on the receiving end of such generosity but we appreciated it. By the time we were done, the restaurant was packed and it took us awhile to flag down our server and get our check. Overall, I was pretty impressed with Le DeSales. Food was well executed and some dishes were really interesting and outstanding. Glad to have more French options to choose from.
  11. eatruneat
    Say hi next time. @MichaelBDC and I were there last night as well and ordered pretty similarly to you. We ordered the ground chicken in tapioca skin, grilled mushroom salad, thai vermicelli, and grilled beef red curry. The entrees were recommendations from our waiter. We enjoyed everything, though I think we missed our old standbys khao soi gai and the chicken with bamboo shoots. The only mishap was that I found a piece of plastic in the thai vermicelli dish. I was crumpled up and I couldn't chew it so I pulled it out of my mouth and realized what it was. I was almost done eating at the time, but Michael brought it up to the waiter who asked the kitchen to make me a new order to go. Unfortunate, but not bad enough for me to avoid the place!
  12. eatruneat
    Had dinner with a group of five friends here on Friday and left underwhelmed. While I ordered the lasagna special, everyone else at the table ordered a burger (four cheeseburgers, one bacon cheeseburger). We also put in orders for side salads, brussels sprouts, cornbread, and fried pimento cheese. Of the items I tried, the cornbread with maple butter was outstanding and I would have eaten the whole order myself if I could. The fried pimento cheese was also good though I would have liked it a bit spicier. I had a second bite of the cheese before our entrees were cleared and it was no longer piping hot. Needless to say, not very good at room temperature. Not the restaurant's fault that no one wanted the last pimento cheese though. I had, and still have, mixed feelings about the lasagna. On one hand, I love lasagna, it was cooked well, ratio of meat:cheese:noodles:sauce was about right, and it was a very filling portion. On the other hand, the sauce was very sweet and that nearly overpowered the dish. I didn't dislike it that much as I ate half and took the rest home for lunch on Monday, but I was still a bit disappointed. For dessert, we all shared the caramel pots de creme, chocolate mousse, warm chocolate cake, and the bread pudding. They were all very good with the caramel pots de creme being the favorite of the bunch. I also really liked the chocolate mousse but it was very rich and I couldn't have more than two bites. It was a fun dinner for a group with varying tastes, but I am not likely to rush back, especially since I don't live in the area.
  13. eatruneat
    Any of the Jose Andres places might work. For something quieter, how about 701?
  14. eatruneat
    Commemorated four years of dating bliss with @MichaelBDC at Kinship last night. We managed to not over order and had an amazing meal. We started with the ramp-ricotta dumplings and the asparagus dijonnaise for appetizers. Both dishes were a lovely celebration of Spring. Especially loved the dumplings and the fricasseed artichokes that accompanied them. For our mains, we had the rockfish and the quail. Both were cooked perfectly and showcased the quality of the main ingredient. I have been cooking a lot of fish at home lately and wish I could come close to executing fish that well. My favorite dish of the evening was the quail which was served with seared chicken liver, garganelli, chive blossoms and espelette broth. I couldn't get enough of that broth. We finished off dinner with creme brulee, which we ordered because of @MichaelBDC's love for grapefruit. He loved the grapefruit sorbet and I loved the creme brulee so it was a good choice for us to split. Service was lovely. Megan steered us away from an Italian red that would have been a bit too heavy for our meal and towards a similarly priced and wonderful I Custodi. She also deduced that we would be sharing everything and we were set up accordingly and plates were placed in the middle. My only regret is that we did not order the chicken. With our late reservation and the length of time it takes to roast the chicken, we didn't want to wait until 9:30pm for our entree. Next time, we will need to get an earlier reservation and order that chicken.
  15. eatruneat
    I think this is the thread you are looking for.
  16. eatruneat
    Modified steak ssam from the Momofuku cookbook. @MichaelBDC and I weren't up for eating the steak in lettuce wraps so we put the steak, ginger scallion sauce, and kimchi into a bowl of sushi rice for a steak ssam bowl. Not quite bibimbap, not quite ssam, but delicious nonetheless.
  17. eatruneat
    The Washingtonian reports that Mockingbird Hill and Southern Efficiency will be a series of pop-ups for the foreseeable future, aka as long as there are lines down the block to get into the theme du jour. Derek Brown is still involved. Although the article says that they could always change the bars back to what they were, I would bet a lot of money that Mockingbird Hill as we know it is gone as Chantal Tseng is no longer involved in the operation.
  18. eatruneat
    Every time I tell my cousin about the delicious sushi I am eating in DC, he responds that Masa would blow anything in DC out of the water. He says he'll take me the next time I am up in NYC but never remind him of his offer because of the price. Instead, we have gone to Batard, Mission Chinese, the Dutch, Parm, and a number of very good but less expensive restaurants. Maybe next time I will take him up on his offer.
  19. eatruneat
    Washington City Paper's Laura Hayes asks, have we reached peak uni? My answer: no.
  20. eatruneat
    Daikaya Izakaya serves poke. They change the preparation from time to time and are currently serving it with diced yamaimo, basil pesto, and rice pearls. Compass Rose also has poke on the menu. One of the best poke I have had was at the Hillcrest Farmers Market from San Diego Poke Company. Didn't hurt that a nearby stall was selling fresh uni -- as in they opened the shell and cleaned it in front of you -- which @MichaelBDC and I ended up splurging for and putting on top of the poke. That was an amazing bowl of poke.
  21. eatruneat
    The owner of Mirabelle decided to open a restaurant that caters to those with expense accounts, pricing out many fans of Chef Ruta who can not make this new establishment a regular habit (or even a special occasion restaurant). Self included. That is unfortunate. I haven't eaten there so I can't comment on whether the food is deserving of the high prices. For those upset about the lack of affordable fine dining in DC, Chef Ruta had such a place. It was called Palena and it was not a sustainable business model. Can't imagine that a new build in downtown DC is more affordable in 2017 than Cleveland Park in 2014.
  22. eatruneat
    Went back to the NYTimes Cooking well last night and made the tasty Marinated Celery Salad with Chickpeas and Parmesan and Spaghetti with Sausage Alla Carbonara Earlier this week: yogurt marinated leg of lamb from Cucina Urbana with a different chickpea salad. Also, cabbage, leek, and potato soup with lemon creme fraiche. @MichaelBDC and I have become fans of La Pasta ravioli, mainly because we are too lazy to make raviolis ourselves and it is better than the Buitoni that Safeway carries. We usually pair it with Marcella Hazan's very easy tomato sauce, but we'll have to try something similar to what you did to mix it up.
  23. eatruneat
    Anyone still going here? I kid as Sushi Capitol was completely occupied when @MichaelBDC and I arrived shortly after 8:00pm last night minus two seats at the counter that were awaiting us. Pleasantly surprised to see both Chef Ogawa and Chef Tetsuya behind the counter. Seems to me that there is more of a neighborhood vibe here than a year ago, and that is not a bad thing! The omakase was enjoyable as always. I don't know if Chef Tetsuya remembered our love of octopus or not, but he thoughtfully gave us a bite of charred octopus on top of warmed radish midway through our meal. The toro was so good I asked for another serving at the end. Better than the fish, was the hospitality of the chefs and Mourat, who has ably taken over for Can as the GM.
  24. eatruneat
    The brunch deal (three courses for $18) is definitely amazing but not sure that menu is where the El Sol standouts are. @MichaelBDC and I stopped by for lunch shortly after 11am on Sunday and between the two of us we ordered: queso fundido, ceviche, breakfast burrito, and breakfast quesadilla. We declined dessert because we were stuffed and they were out of the flan. The queso fundido came out sizzling in a very hot stone bowl with a sprinkling of chorizo and a side of warm flour tortillas. As fans of cheese, @MichaelBDC and I really enjoyed this but looking back, it could have used a little more chorizo and maybe even jalapeno or something to make it seem less like a blob of cheese. Ceviche was good but could have used more acid and a touch of salt as it was not as "bright" as I like my ceviche. Our entrees were good and filling (the breakfast burrito was enough for both of us to split) but definitely needed a lot of the salsa verde to liven things up. Things seemed a bit one note after a couple of bites and I kept digging into the burrito to find something that tasted more than just egg and cheese as the beans were pretty flavorless. Next time, I will try the huevos rancheros or chilaquiles or even order off the regular menu. If you go here for brunch, definitely go before noon. When we arrived, there were only two parties seated: a large table of construction workers and a family of three. A little after noon a large party of twenty somethings came in and the place filled up fast and there was a wait by the time we left.
  25. eatruneat
    Went last week with a friend and I would venture to say that Red Hen is as good as ever. Friend who lives in the neighborhood says it was one of the best meals he has had at Red Hen. We started by splitting the chicken liver mousse and the grilled octopus. Both were excellent. Although the chicken liver mousse is a staple of the menu, it really stands out among the many similar options around town. The perfectly grilled octopus was on top of a cauliflower/almond crema with some nduja breadcrumbs which provided a nice crunch. My friend really liked the octopus. For our entrees, my friend went with the short ribs while I ordered the scallops with polenta. Scallops were perfectly seared and cooked on top of an incredibly creamy bed of polenta. A little pile of shaved brussels sprouts laid at the center and provided a nice contrast to the richness of the polenta. This is a simple dish but had to be perfectly executed given that scallops have a small-ish margin of error and polenta is not as easy as it seems. Loved the bite of I had of my friend's short ribs. For dessert we split an order of the donuts with coffee ice cream and some amaro. Perfect ending to a really lovely meal.
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