youngfood

I can -- it does!

Simon, have you been back to Alley Light since Chef De Brito departed? Can you or anyone else vouch for whether it continues to be one of Charlottesville's best options?

We went based on Sietsema's rave review and while we enjoyed ourselves, our experience did not match Tom's. Mediocre to good, but not great seems about right. We tried most of the menu and weren't upset with anything we had, but left with nothing to rave about. We had scallop crudo at Rappahannock Oyster bar the next night and it was far better than anything we had at Conosci, so while I wouldn't be upset to go back here, I don't think it's likely that I would make an effort to do so again. Rappahannock strikes me as one of the most underrated restaurants around. Do not sleep on Rappahannock just because it is in Union Market or is labeled any "oyster bar" -- the kitchen turns out varied and excellent fish and seafood dishes of all kinds. Their oyster aren't my favorite, but it is my go to spot for other fish and seafood.

Say hi next time. I think we may have been seated next to each other... I'll just add another plug for putting that amazing sausage on the standing menu. Such a great balance of flavors and an amazing texture. Probably the most I've ever enjoyed any sausage anywhere. We were also impressed by the terrific job Colin did with the wine pairings. It's easy to forget how talented of a chef James Wozniak is and I didn't realize that Colin Sugaski is as skilled in selecting wines to complement Maketto's varied menu as he is at crafting delicious cocktails. Maketto is a lot of things and works better in different ways for different people, but there are numerous reasons that it won the RAMMY for best new restaurant and I'd encourage folks who haven't done dinner here yet to make a reservation to go and explore the menu.

I hear the nostalgia for sure, but it's worth noting that Joe Quinn has been with Proof since Day One and remains the wine director. Which is to say, I continue to see great value and enjoy a degree of continuity and his friendly and familiar face in my most recent visits to Proof. I trust Joe completely to pick wines for us and much appreciate his thoughtful and approachable manner, just as I did Sebastian's before him.

Yes. Go the the Vic again instead of Ten 01. I can't believe you haven't been there in two years -- I've always thought the food was underrated and very good aside from a brief period when they were between chefs a couple years ago.

The updated list looks pretty good to me. I haven't been back to Ocopa since Jose Andres pried Carlos Delgado away. I suspect it's still quite good, but it was so great when it opened with Delgado at the helm, that I fear it will pale in comparison. I would italicize Bullfrog Bagels, which has great bagels and does a terrific job with bagel sandwiches of both the breakfast and lunch variety. Ethiopic deserves italics in my mind as well. I'd also move Queen Vic and Granville Moore's up a few slots, but that may be a matter of personal preference.

Ouch. Does that include service like the meal itself? I'm still excited to try Metier, but this hurts more than I imagined it would and as much as I love a good wine pairing, I'm hard pressed to imagine going for either of these options.

We had a wonderful dinner at Kinship last night. Thanks to Don and all of you who have so lavishly praised and convinced me not only to finally get there last night, but to book it a second time before we had a chance to enjoy our first visit. As Pool Boy notes above, I found the entrance and the space very inviting. The bar looks lovely and was surprising empty last night around 8 pm. I anticipate coming back and dining there the next time I'm unable to get a reservation. We came with high expectations and were pleasantly surprised that they were met and exceeded. If you have not been to Kinship yet, it is a must try restaurant and is firing on all cylinders right now. It fits nicely into a space where you could celebrate a special occasion with a blowout meal or a more casual, if not inexpensive, dinner out. As someone who prefers to live somewhere between the two, I really appreciate Kinship making it so easy to create my own tasting menu without dropping $500 for dinner for two. At Don and our lovely server's recommendation, we started with the Goat Cheese Bavarois Marinated Artichokes, Fried Olives, Nicoise Olive Crumbs, which was delightfully creamy, tangy, and had just a touch of crunch to add a nice texture. I wouldn't have ordered this without the recommendations, but am very glad we did. The Scallop Navarin Sautéed Sea Scallops, Baby Turnips, Braised Pea Shoots, and Navel Oranges was another big hit. Three beautiful, small, perfectly-caramelized without being overcooked sea scallops in a really lovely beurre blanc-like sauce. Just lovely. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about the dish reminds of Corduroy's always perfect take on soft shell crabs. If you've had them, you know that's a very good thing. The Sautéed Moulard Foie Gras Duck Scrapple, Bacon Vinaigrette was a rich, unctuous, savory presentation. We sometimes order foie as a last course, but this dish was more savory than sweet and belonged here. Foie, duck scrapple, bacon... need I say more? We enjoyed this dish quite a bit, but I think it would have been too much for either one of us to eat alone. Our server (who was really terrific throughout) nicely paired it with a slightly effervescent white wine I can't recall that she described as from a grape typically used in Cava and with the Oregon Pinot from the by the glass list. I rarely order steak in restaurants, but the Grilled Martin Ranch Dry Aged Ribeye (13 oz) Grilled Asparagus, Steamed Gruyere Pudding, Sauce Dijoinaise knocked our socks off and was as perfect of a steak as I've had anywhere. The steak was presented table side before being sliced and, like the other entrees, comes with the famous parker house rolls. The steak itself was stunning. Nice grill marks, perfectly rendered fat, bright pink slightly short of medium rare, just exactly the way I want my steak, but rarely seem to find it. The Gruyere pudding was a treat, served sliced into lovely little wedges that somehow held their shape. Asparagus was first of the season for me and wonderfully tender. I know the chicken and the rabbit have been all the rage here from the entrees, but I feel very good about our decision to veer to the steak here. At Don's urging, we opted for the decaf coffee service with our dessert. I wont describe it further other than to say that while I never order coffee after dinner, I highly recommend it. Same with ordering dessert, as our experience with the Valrhona Guanaja Custard Cake Pecan Nduja, Espelette Caramel, Pralines n Cream Ice Cream leaves no doubt that Kinship is putting just as much attention towards producing superlative desserts as they are the rest of the menu. Kudos to them for doing so and for including the desserts on the menu that you're presented at the start of the meal to help highlight them. All in all, our meal at Kinship last night exceeded any other we've had recently -- including a great one we had at Pineapple & Pearls a couple weeks ago. Looking forward to returning to celebrate my birthday next month and eager to see more of what this team does with Metier soon too.

Look forward to your report and other recent ones as we're getting excited for our first visit.

I went for one of the soft opening nights and have nothing but good things to say, but wouldn't review a place based on that experience. Likewise. That said, Sietsema's very favorable review nicely describes a number of the things we noticed, enjoyed, and happily consumed.

Did you make a reservation or were you able to walk in? I have been meaning to try, but also feel like I've enjoyed most of the menu at other times and don't want to battle a crowd on Sunday morning if I don't have to. Your comments about the shumai and shrimp dumplings coupled with my recent realization that they also have don tot has me thinking I need to make a mid-Sunday morning visit happen soon.

Thanks. That's a great hire by Jose Andres. I'm sad to lose Chef Delgado on H Street, but will try China Chilcano again now that he's there. In the past, my meals at Ocopa blew my meals at China Chicano out of the water.

We had fine service on several visits here and I think they make really terrific pisco sours, but I agree with Josh that the food Chef Delgado was turning out was outstanding, unique and delicious. I'm really sorry to see him go. Not sure when he left, but I will admit to not realizing he wasn't in the house and finding my meal was similarly delicious to prior ones when we ate there a week ago, so perhaps it wont change too much. I certainly hope not. Anyone know where Delgado is going or have anything more about the new guy's background?

The business is already sold. The rumor is that Spike bought it and will open another of his pizza spots here. I preferred Pizza Parts to We the Pizza, but ranked it last on H Street after RedRocks, H & Pizza and Liberty Tree. I bought slices and occasionally ordered delivery, but I preferred the pies at each of the other spots. If We the Pizza is the next spot to land here, that will remain the case.

I have been to the Blacksalt market a couple times, but it's been years. I have had several of District Fishwife's offerings now and they have all been incredible to the point that I'm hard pressed to imagine it's possible to offer better product. I strongly encourage you or anyone else who likes great fish/seafood to find an occasion to see for yourself. And, while you are there, I also highly recommend the butcher next door -- Harvey's Market. Living near both of these places has been a real blessing for my home meals the past few weeks.

Absolutely agree. It's a huge addition to the Market and a huge plus for home cooks in the area. I was initially surprised by the prices, which seem to be a touch higher than Whole Foods until I tried their product, which I believe is without rival in DC. The fish and scallops we've had in our first few visits are certainly more impressive than anything I've had in years of Whole Foods seafood purchases and have all been nothing short of outstanding.

We celebrated a birthday there recently and an anniversary recently as well and had the same reaction -- really outstanding service that justified the long wait for reservations. I forget his name, but we also really liked the sommelier here who came up with good pairings for us on both occasions and is having fun sharing some older and interesting stuff thanks to his new coravin toy.

Agreed. We've had a ton of spot open and very few close -- I'd tend to think H Street's closure rate is actually remarkably low. I also disagree with Don's suggestion that increased supply might have lessened demand for individual businesses. Most H Street business owners I know suggest the opposite is true -- they once relied almost exclusively on neighborhood support, but have found that the more places that open along the corridor, the more customers come to the corridor. As a neighbor, more supply helps us be more selective in where we spend our money. That's surely part of why some of the inexperienced folks who saw the H Street goldmine and thought they could open a place that serves food and drink and get rich without doing anything haven't succeeded. Expectations are definitely higher than that here, especially as we have more options and ones of a higher quality.

Happy Anniversary and congratulations! How was your meal? We're looking forward to making our first visit here soon, so please let us know what you recommend.

Hi Nizam, Thanks for chatting with us. I'm a nearby neighbor of Ben's new H Street location and I'm excited that you've decided to join our neighborhood. Can you share briefly with us about the construction going on site? I was under the impression that you were just making modest adjustments to the existing building and that its historic faí§ade was being maintained, but I see now that it's been almost entirely razed. What will the new building look like? And what can you share about your plans to be good neighbors here? I noticed your comment about new neighbors to the original Ben's above and note that on H Street, you'll be the new neighbor and the store you are replacing is not one that previously generated much noise or trash (it was a men's clothing store), so while your presence seems very likely to be much welcomed by the vast majority of us, it will likely present a different experience for at least your closest neighbors. Thanks for chatting with us here and looking forward to having you up and running in our neighborhood soon.

Chalk it up to bad luck. Peregrine is as good a coffee shop as any in DC and I've purchased from them at Union Market 15+ times and never had a problem there. Much of the staff there came over from Peregrine's original outpost at Eastern Market and you'll even see the owner working the line from time to time, so I think they put a fair amount of effort into putting the same level of quality into their market offering as they did to their original café.

We have a similar affinity for BR. It's a gorgeous spot, the drinks of all types are great, the service is exactly what you want in your go to neighborhood spot, and the food is underrated and often terrific. I think all my neighbors feel like they get welcomed like regulars there. We certainly do. It's more expensive than you might like, but aren't most places? Boundary Road doesn't have a ton of competition nearby -- it is the standard bearer for the western end of H Street unless you want to make a great Ethiopian spot your local regular. If it suits your needs -- and being a convenient spot that's welcoming of your whole family is a huge plus -- it's probably worth the extra few dollars for a more expensive entrée. When I feel the need to save a few bucks, but still want to eat out, I cut costs by limiting our alcohol bill. One drink instead of two, beer instead of wine, can substantially reduce your bill without forcing you to go somewhere offering lesser product for a few dollars less.

As DCDuck notes, there's not fashion component at the residency (pop up) at Hanoi House. They do plan to have a coffee bar (from Chris Vigilante whose beans we've been buying for a while and who roasts locally) and a retail component (from Durkl) when they open Maketto on H Street. So it will be part retail, part coffee shop, part place to eat/order street food. As for the residency, we've been twice now and loved it both times. We've never been to Little Serow, but our friends who joined us this weekend have been there twice and said they preferred their meal at Maketto. We liked it as much or more as we did Pok Pok when we were there a few years ago. Erik is a tremenously talented chef and it's fun to see him doing more varied items that he gets to do regularly at Toki Underground. Maketto offers an excellent value, some very good food, and something pretty unique. I highly recommend folks who enjoy spicy and Asian food check it out.

Matt Cordes remains the chef/owner and is there daily. The new guy replaces Bobby Beard.