jpbloom

A quick update for those who remember Church Street in its prime.  The sit down location closed about a year and a half ago.  Since then it has been operating out of the Lombardi's location for delivery and brought to the car carry-out only.  During that time it has gone downhill progressively but I think this week's pie is the end for me.  The dry, hard cardboard-like crust did not have enough sauce or cheese to add the desperately needed moisture (or even flavor).  It's really a shame because this has been our go-to since it opened.  

Got an email from Roberto's mailing list that it is available for reservations by email for opening tonight.  Assume it's at least a modified soft opening since there does not appear to be any other notice of opening.

Northern Virginia Magazine is reporting that Frank Pepe is coming to Alexandria in the Alexandria Commons shopping center.  The lease was just signed so no anticipated opening date mentioned.  I enjoyed my one visit in New Haven so I'll at least give it a try.

We were near Herndon yesterday and looking for something interesting for lunch.  We had read about Enatye so decided to give it a try.  This is a hidden gem and I'm surprised it doesn't get more discussion.  No, it's not the best Ethiopian we've ever had but it was solid across the board.  We got the combination for two so we had a Yebeg Alicha and a spicy beef Tibs with five vegetable sides and I would not hesitate to order any of them again.  Nice to have a reasonable option to driving downtown.  We'll be back.

On 6/21/2021 at 10:39 AM, Dr. Delicious said:

Our last few meals have been disappointing, both in quality/taste of food and service. Regarding the food, we've just felt that the flavors have been off, and that the food has been bland overall (with a couple exceptions). Regarding service, they've been consistently and significantly late in terms of when they've said the food would be ready, and they keep forgetting items we've ordered. Last night, they forgot to give us rice! We've also not received full entrees, pancakes for the duck, and other miscellaneous items. I can't prove this has all coincided with their glowing article in the Post, which appears to have greatly increased their popularity and business, but it sure seems that way. We simply can't trust this place any more, and so we don't plan to return. What a shame!

While I'm sorry for your experience, I'm glad it's not just us.  This had become our go-to carry-out Chinese and while I hate to say we were regulars, we did carry-out about once every three weeks during the lockdown.  The past several visits have been awful.  We, too, have had forgotten entrees, pancakes, sauces, etc., and the food has been flavorless across the board.  While we have not found other reliable options in the area (and we've lived in Vienna over 25 years), this is no longer even a consideration. 

Another victim of the pandemic, this time a classic (although admittedly I was never that big a fan) - Amphora has closed in Vienna.  It was already well established when I moved here in 1995.

Bazin's in Vienna has them on the menu routinely as a starter.

Thanks for the reminder.  I haven't been to the Italian Gourmet in years, probably since Chase The Sub/The Sandwich Shop opened.  Based on today's experience alone, the sandwiches are quite good but not great.  I'll probably stick with The Sandwich Shop as my first choice but will include this one in the mix to sample more of their wares.

We've done carry-out from Clarity pretty much once a week since this all started, having been to the restaurant the week before everything shut down.  The smoked and grilled stuff has been wonderful and the composed meals were actually a great deal.  Fortunately for the restaurant but unfortunately for us, they are now putting  more emphasis on the parking lot restaurant so the carry-out offerings are more limited and no longer as good a value.  The smoked items are still worth getting.  We almost went to the parking lot restaurant this week for my wife's birthday but it's only a six course tasting menu and she can't eat that much at night anymore.

There may well be specials in the future.  Right now the menu is somewhat in flux.

The menu might be "boring" but it's basically what I expect at a bistro.

Desperate for something good after a week of really bad wine at a bad resort, we decided to try somewhere new to which we could bring our own bottle.  We decided to try the recently opened Parc de Ville in Merrifield.  This is a self-titled French Bistro and Wine Garden from the owners of Chez Billy Sud, located in the ill-fated former Gypsy Soul and Requin space.  While they've tried to give it a slightly more bistro-ish feel, the space doesn't look much different from its days as Requin.

While the menu is still in a little bit of flux relative to what is on the website, things were handled much more efficiently than I would have expected for a restaurant opened only one month.    Service was very good, attentive without being oppressive.  Staff was friendly but not over familiar.  Timing worked well, even though I dawdled a bit with my appetizer.  

The food was very good for a bistro type of restaurant.  This is not trying to be fine dining but that's not what we were seeking.  My wife really enjoyed her onion soup, a touchstone for her which has been disappointing in a number of places recently.  She opted for an omelette for her main which she thought was a very good lighter menu option.  I started with a chunky meaty pate which was just what I wanted - very tasty.  I had really been hoping for the lamb shank that is the online menu but, alas, it is no longer available with nothing comparable as a replacement.  The steak frites was actually very good, the NY strip a better cut than you normally see in that dish and cooked exactly to order, but it was really a second choice  and was picked largely because of the wine I brought.  Several people near us had the duck confit which looked very good and will likely be my or my wife's order on our next visit.

The wine list is largely bistro level, not bad but nothing really exciting.  The roughly 3x retail mark-up will probably lead me to keep bringing my own ($25 corkage, nothing on their list, which is not online).

Overall I'd give this a solid B+ at this point.  It was an enjoyable meal at the level advertised with good food and service.  I've never been to Chez Billy Sud so I can't give any comparison to that.  We will definitely be back.

Northern Virginia Magazine is reporting that Trummer's will reopen after renovations "sans 'on Main' with a new menu for a rotisserie-themed, upscale-casual, family-friendly restaurant."  That sounds like a press release but I'm not really sure what it means.  Anyone have more information?   

52 minutes ago, cheezepowder said:

New happy hour advertising law goes into effect July 1, 2019.  VA ABC site

Too late to help Chef Geoff's, which closes in Tysons this week. 

10 hours ago, DonRocks said:

It has quietly and unwaveringly welcomed the LGBTQ community for decades.

Honestly I had never heard that (so I guess for me at least the "quietly" is accurate).  If that was the criteria for the award, then bravo. 

I've lived in this area for 41 years and worked downtown for 35 of those years.  Annie's has never come up in a food discussion, I've never been tempted to eat there and nobody with whom I've dined has ever suggested going there.  What exactly makes this a James Beard American Classic?

5 hours ago, Mark Slater said:

The first recollection of a really "nice" restaurant I can remember from youth was a spot in White Plains, NY called Patricia Murphy's. It was a large building, huge dining room with a lavishly landscaped and lit garden behind it. This was when White Plains was somewhat rural. It was only for special occasions and holidays. The signature was the waitresses circulating with enormous baskets of fresh pop-overs. There was a branch in Manhattan for many years, as well. 

Patricia Murphy's was my first "fine dining" experience.  We had moved from Yonkers to Rockland County in 1962 (talk about rural) but went to Patricia Murphy's once a year in the mid '60s for a "special" dinner.

I moved to DC in 1978 for law school.  My first real fine dining experience (and the first time I spent over $100 for a couple for dinner) was at Cantina D'Italia, which I definitely could not afford.  I still remember that meal (and my date, who has been my wife for over 35 years).

23 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

Proof has been a mere shadow of a carbon copy of itself for many years now.

This sums it up.  Its closing is long overdue.

3 minutes ago, MarkS said:

I'm attending a wine tasting and dinner this weekend featuring Kurt Venge representing his Napa and Sonoma wines and Roda from Rioja.  Should be very interesting.

I've been to Roda - good stuff across the board.  You'll enjoy it.

(Sorry for the thread drift.)

47 minutes ago, MarkS said:

When in doubt I usually go to a Rioja.

Interesting that you say that.  Rioja is generally my fallback as well.

2 hours ago, Mark Slater said:

I don't believe in novelty for novelty's sake. A well chosen, well priced micro list can be fun to play with.

I like well planned micro-lists and really dislike the massive volumes at some places (I went to Bern's several years ago and, while there were some great finds, I would still be there if I didn't just pick something).  Mark's comment highlights the two big issues for me, though.

I don't want some trendier than thou wine list that has nothing to do with the food.  I don't care if the sommelier likes orange wines or can get Trousseau from the Jura or Arinto from the Azores if it does not go well with what is coming from the kitchen.

On the other hand, I don't want a list that just caters to the lowest common denominator.  Regardless of how popular they are or how well priced they may be on the list, I don't want to see Meiomi or Silver Oak Cab on a micro-list for an Italian restaurant.  A nice mix from various regions of Italy, some well known and some less so, is what I'm looking for.  (That  being said, I've got no problem with Pinot and Cab on big lists at Italian places that want to have something for everyone.) 

I was not a big fan based on the few times I went so this has no real impact on me.

The political angle is such a load of crap, though.  The Chicago locations both opened after the alleged Trump meeting fallout.  If it was suffering a loss of business, why expand?

DaveO got it right.  The money people and the operating people were not on the same page.  The business didn't have enough promise to have the money people keep the millions tied up and they left.  Simple as that.

16 hours ago, DaveO said:

Coincidentally I received and scanned an email today looking to raise a last share or so of about a total of $3.2 million for some food related “thingy”.   The last share is at $120,000.   An investment firm handling a “private placement” was pushing it.  I don’t recall how I got on the email list.   I get some of these things.  Most of the time I ignore them.

Depending on how the investment is structured, in most situations like this SEC rules prohibit a general solicitation of private placements such as you described.  The investment firm that sent you the email likely violated the rules just by sending the email.  In any event, before you invested the firm would have to ensure that you are a "qualified investor."

The number of people in this area who can invest $100,000 in a private placement is actually quite large and those investments happen every day.  Some pan out and some don't.  They are not for inexperienced or small investors, however (hence the requirement to be a "qualified investor").  Restaurants, in particular, can be risky, but sometimes pay off.  As Ericandblueboy noted, though, funding becomes easier with Top Chef celebrity (have we forgotten Shaw Bijou already?).

Back when I was in private practice, my firm represented a well-known local chef in setting up the corporation and raising capital for his first restaurant.  The chef opened a couple of others but wisely did not take on too much.  While not making a fortune, the original investors did okay.

Last night's dinner at San Lorenzo gets a resounding "eh."  While everything tasted good enough, each course was missing something.  Even a little salt or pepper would have helped.  My wife enjoyed the squash blossoms but found them fairly average.  While you could notice the basil in her gnocchi, it definitely did not "scream" basil like it did for Tom.  Similarly, I would have loved the rabbit ragu on my papparadelle to be as "herby" as Tom's.  Mine was quite bland, as was my Branzino, although that could be because it did not have the promised olives, which would have helped immensely.  The crostata was good with flavorful peaches and blueberries, although the crust was a little heavy for the dish.

Service was generally good, perhaps a little too attentive at times, but quite rushed.  Our first courses arrived before the bread and dishes were whisked away the second utensils were put down.  The tables are very close, so it's difficult for the servers to maneuver.

It is quite loud, particularly as the bar fills up with people waiting for tables or dining because they could not get a table.  I am glad we were seated in the small room up the stairs.  I could see the tables in the bar area getting quite uncomfortable because of the noise and the bar crowd standing nearby.

I'm not sure I get all of the comments about value.  Sure, this is priced lower than fine dining establishments but that is not what it's trying to be.  The pastas, for example, are priced like full size portions although they are appetizer sized.  Mains are priced reasonably but are not bargains.  With no drinks and a reasonably priced ($45) Chianti, we came close to $200 after tax and tip.

The evening was enjoyable enough but with several really good options within a block or two, I can't see myself rushing back.

On 1/15/2018 at 7:48 AM, DonRocks said:

My guess - and it's just a guess - is that someone from the company got an import license, and wandered around France (and perhaps other countries), approaching the *vast* number of unrepresented producers there, and saying to them, "We'll import your completely unknown wine to the U.S., and guarantee you some business, if you let us have exclusive rights to a certain amount of production," but I stress: That's just an educated guess - I have absolutely no facts to back it up with.

Not meaning to sound like a Total promoter, and I have no idea what they actually did, but isn't this what any start-up and even established importer would and should do?  Kermit Lynch established or at least popularized the model.  If they are selective and bring in quality product, that's a good thing, such that you can count on the importer's label as being a sign of quality.  If they just bring in dreck based on volume, that's a different story.  Assuming this is different from the Winery Direct wines, I have not had any experience with a Saranty import, so I can't express an opinion on how Total did it.

Some of the Winery Direct wines can be very good, however, and can be sold by Total at a very reasonable price, particularly when using the coupons.  I saw two totally (no pun intended) diverse views from the producer side during a visit to the Piemonte last summer, though.  Mauro Veglio, a modernist producer in Barolo, loves his relationship with Total.  Total takes his full line-up of wines (except some very limited production things he doesn't offer them) and they pay timely.  Giuseppe Cortese, a more traditional producer in Barbaresco, on the other hand is moving away from its relationship with Total.  It has concluded the typical Total buyer is not the market it is looking for.  Both valid and reasonable positions.  I happen to like both wines and buy them at Total (always with a coupon ) but can get them elsewhere.      

Eater suggests the closure is temporary, but no way to know if that's accurate.