Kanishka

Just heard from Eli over at Sonoma that all is well with their space, though the smell of smoke was evident in the alley behind the restaurant.

I've never had Popeye's delivered, just had carry out. And in B-more, where my service was never, ever good. Maybe DC area Popeye's are just superior and I'm missing out.

Popeyes?!?

NBC4 says errant cig thrown in trash can. Wonder if this effects Sonoma at all? Wonder if I'll ever see Arlene, salty barmaid supreme, again?

Buffalo Billiards. Never had the food, but I was drinking club soda last night and was getting charged two bucks a pop. Can't you give me some free refills? This is America! (I'm leaving out the incredibly horrible waitress who was very rude to a rather large group of us -- one of the few groups there, as a matter of fact. Tip could have been very good... but it wasn't)

Belatedly reporting on dinner Friday night at Sonoma. We got there at 6 and bellyed up to the bar. Service was quiet and efficient and the pacing (we got three courses) was just right. First, the lowlight: though my companion loved it, something tasted off in the scamorza ravioli. It wasn't that it was too salty -- the dish just didn't have that earthy richness I remembered from the last time I had it. The broth was still fantastic, but there was an unidentified flavor in the ravioli I wasn't too keen on. On the other hand, the venison carpaccio with micro basil was delicious. Even better was the heirloom pepper and goat cheese bruschetta, which have an unexpectedly spicy kick to it and a shmear of cheese that was about two steps beyond generous. It was pretty awesome -- tangy (the goat cheese), spicy, and sweet (the peppers). Only a slight quibble -- I wish the bread were crisper. But it was a very nice plate. We would have enjoyed the venison carpaccio even more had we not preceded it with a half charcuterie plate -- speck, prosciutto, and Amish chicken pate. Of late I've been trying to order things I normally would not, hence the pate (not much of a fan... before). The speck was good, and the prosciutto was better. But the pate! Good god! Rich, savory, with an almost buttery texture. I wanted to ask for a tin to take home. Does anyone remember (this is sad) the "Uncle Jessie's Wedding" episode of Full House where Michelle reacted to a taste of pate by "need[ing] to go spit"? Clearly the young Mary Kate/Ashley was not served Sonoma's chicken pate. I hereby apologize for dropping a Full House reference. It couldn't be helped.

Near the intersection of 13th St and Mass Ave NE., across from the eastern edge of Lincoln Park. There's a reason you're unfamiliar with the place. In my opinion, you'd be better off with a bag of hot fries from the corner store.

Yep that was me. I'm very flattered that we actually made a restaurant wall -- that's very cool. What a fantastic place -- I can't wait to get back there some time soon. The prices are practically criminal.

The sign for the Park Cafe next to Lincoln Park has disappeared. Mysterious blue accents have been added to the windows and door... I didn't get a close look yesterday, but will investigate this evening. Anyone know what's going on? Has someone finally pulled the plug on this thoroughly disappointing establishment?

My favorite local bar, Tunnicliffs Tavern across the street from Eastern Market, is definitely not a dive if you judge it by looks... but if you go in late on a Friday or Saturday night, it has all the other trappings of one -- salty, fun bartenders; a dedicated clientele of regulars; beer flowing freely and cheaply; classic rock on the radio, sports on the tube; and a super cheap late night menu. And it's hilarious that Cliff Wharton of Tenh Penh and Rich Gunter of Eve are both regulars at Tunnis. And a few other local people in the industry (I recall a long drunken conversation with the manager of Ceiba one night) For a place with such mediocre food, it sure does attract some interesting folks -- the Clintons partied their a few months ago! (it was a closed party, natch) Friends have likened the place to a black hole... for some reason, it just keeps sucking you back in.

First FishbowlDC's Garret Graff, now Kliman? I think Washingtonian is worried about glossies like DC Style stealing ad revenue and are trying to freshen up. Freshen up ALOT. It's a smart move; Washingtonian was way too staid for it's own good. Edited to add: The more I think about it, the smarter it seems. Kliman has a lot of fans that may just migrate from the City Paper to read him in the 'tonian. And this gives hiim the room to write in the long form.

Good god. Just browsing the restaurant section makes me want to cry... and somehow amplifies JoeH's very interesting point that the truly excellent dining options in DC need to bang the PR drum a little harder. Seriously -- Maggiano's? Ruth's Chris? I will now go hang my head in shame.

Roberto Donna hired as a consultant to Bertuccis?

Serious guess, though I doubt this is it: see this Craigslist ad. Munehiro Mori was at Asia Nora before heading to Wolfgang Puck's Chinois in Vegas. I guess the big news here would be "good restaraunt may actually be coming to Reston" Then again, I might be way behind on this news. Edited to add: I am an idiot. Should have done more research -- that restaurant in Reston opened in June.

As some of you may know, I've been writing about food & drink (among many other things) on DCist.com for the last year. It's been a fun gig, but life changes have precipitated the need for me to step down and let someone else write about food on DCist. This site is clearly the best place to start the search. Writing for DCist is strictly a volunteer thing that we do in our spare time. The other writers are a fun mix of young people dedicated to covering DC and everything that goes on here. As a DCist food writer, the hope would be that you come up with 2-3 posts a week related to the DC food scene. This can be anything from news about new restaurants opening, controversies or interesting notes from the dining world, watching the markets for new ingredients and vendors, or reviews of dining options large and small, new and old. Check out our Food & Drink archive for a better sense of what we've been doing. Your writing would not be strictly confined to things gastronomic, but that would be the primary focus. There are no pre-reqs for being a DCist writer, though some writing experience is preferred. The exact scope of the job -- full editor or contributor, whether you'd be editing other people's writing, etc. -- is something that can be discussed. Perks include being part of a dynamic group that loves the city and being a writer for the second most highly trafficked site on the Gothamist network (we estimate readership at around 20K uniques a week). Though there's no monetary compensation, it's a great experience and a good time (I'm very sad to have to give this up!) If you're interested, please send me a private message so we can talk further!

I'm decidedly on the fence about the stemless glasses that I've seen pop up. I know Tallula uses them, and like them for red wines more than for whites... anyone know of other restaurants that use them? I thought Sonoma did but wasn't sure, and I want to try them out a few more times before committing to buying a set.

I'm trying to make my kitchen DC restaurant hip (this is to counterbalance the Voltron lunchbox) and made a really delicious beet salad last night: Chiogga beets Sungold tomatoes Boucheron cheese Mesclun salad Dressing: 2/3 extra virgin olive oil 1/3 champagne vinegar 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon capers, minced 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes All the ingredients were either from Cinda Sebastian, the Eastern Market cheese guy, or Prego across the street from the market. The salad came out fantastic; the sweetness of the beets and the tanginess of the cheese were great in combination. Beets are my official food discovery of the summer. They are the bomb.

It is really great that Laura chose not only a woman, but a naturalized citizen as top toque. Though I don't envy Chef Comerford's commute from Columbia... that's gotta suck. Of course, the guy from Dallas cooked up heirloom tomatoes on bruschetta in April. That can't be right...

JoeH, As I'm not much of a risotto fan (don't know why.. just not my thing) I was wondering if you could post your recipe for paella, which I've heard is amazing. Is it somewhere online?

Just got to read the article (thanks Mel!) and I find the idea of giving Mr. Heflin his own forum to relate experiences in very, very interesting... also, I really hope topics that seem to spur ad hominem attacks (Ray's and the Alabardero paella incident come to mind) don't follow the EG pattern. Welcome JoeH to the board, I look forward to reading your writing again. K

Man oh man am I looking forward to reading this article. JoeH's opinions may differ from some, and he may be cranky at times, but his experience and passion are amazing and give me tremendous respect for the man. Couple that with Kliman's writing, I'm sure the article is a great read... goddamned suburban office park means I won't get to read this until tonight! K

I know this has been covered somewhere, but I can't seem to find it... I'm looking for a metro-accessible place to buy sushi grade tuna. Is Whole Foods my only option? I want to try my hand at making my own tartare. Salmon is also a possibility. Something in my gut tells me not to use the fish from Eastern Market... but my gut may be mistaken. Thanks!

Haha. Yep, that's me. I operate on a strict no-pseudonyms policy. Also, given the one fateful post I did about Corduroy (lets not revisit that low moment) I'm glad to give the restaurant the recognition it deserves. Chef Power was very kind to this budding blogger, and the softshell crab was a blessing. Edited to add: It wasn't just DR folk who had glowing reviews of RW at Corduroy -- a number of personal emails about the meals came to me as well.

Chef Armstrong, Thanks for what has been a very interesting and informative chat. My question is a little out of left field, but I figured I'd throw it up there: With such an emphasis on seasonal ingredients impeccably presented, as well as the advantageous location in a country of plenty, are there any ingredients you wish you could get a hold of but cannot? I recall that when growing up, my mother would lament the lack of quality jackfruit, as well as several other ingredients that don't really have English equivalents I know of, in the US. Anything you wish was cultivated/available in the area more? In the same vein, are there ingredients you see too often that you wish restaurants would use less often? "Foodie" magazines always publish lists of "hip" ingredients (a notion I'm a little skeptical of) -- do you think about these kinds of lists when coming up with menus?

Went to Pilar last night around 8, and as is to be expected, the place was effing crowded. Belly up to the bar, trying to eat with my elbows glued to my obliques... not fun. It got a little better later on as the happy hour crowd melted away. Dinner was the lomo saltado. For those of you who enjoy your faux amis, this was an appropriately named dish -- the salt was overpowering. I was taking sips of my Viking beer after each bite just to chase the salt away. The whimsy of tater tots gave way to the necessity of some starch to dilute the overpowering sodium chloride. And I LOVE salt... when something is too salty for me, I worry about the normal people. I have used or referred to salt in this post five times, making it my saltiest post but not near as salty as the lomo saltado at Bar Pilar. Salt salt salt. K