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MichaelBDC

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Everything posted by MichaelBDC

  1. MichaelBDC
    In reference to Magnadoodle's post about how the fish was served, the omakase is served all at once like that because it's meant to be a progression in flavors. Start in the top left and work your way down to the lower right as opposed to just one piece then another and then another. And yes, I do believe you. I have no reason to think you'd lie about the pre-sliced fish. Just seems out of character for Can and his staff. I have been upwards of ten times - all at the counter - and have watched all of my sushi sliced in front of me and never taken out of a box.
  2. MichaelBDC
  3. MichaelBDC
    Also weird and repeated: the food is good enough to get some positive publicity, mostly via the "First Bite" blurb from Tom Sietsema in the Washington Post. Once the ink dries, the quality of the food and service start going downhill. The owner isn't the first person in the restaurant industry to play this game.
  4. MichaelBDC
    Confirmation and a peek inside from Chef Katsuya...
  5. MichaelBDC
    Looks like it is happening this week after all. "6 Things to Look For at Ramen / Fried Chicken Joint Bantam King" by Hayley Garrison Phillips on washingtonian.com
  6. MichaelBDC
    This is very sad news. I met John at the Drift dinner and very much enjoyed his company. My sincerest condolences go out to his family and friends. I'm sure he'll be terribly missed.
  7. MichaelBDC
    When I walked by about an hour ago on the way back from a client I was able to get a peek inside and it looks like they are ready to go. That along with this post on Daikaya's twitter feed ... ...makes me think that they might open next week. By the way, the cartoon in the picture is the wallpaper on one of the walls.
  8. MichaelBDC
    It's time to say goodbye to an old friend. You have been there for us many times, Sixth Engine, when we needed you for brunch. Whether it be after a run or after rolling out of bed hungover, you were always EatRunEat and my go to spot in the neighborhood. But things have changed, my old friend. The service is still excellent, but what you used to execute so well now seems like an after thought. Gone are the days when your bacon was thick and thought was put into the omelette specials. Now your omelette of the day seems more like last night's left overs thrown into an egg wrapper. The tortillas in your tostada used to be crispy and now they are soggy and inedible. Your only saving grace may be the tasso ham , fried egg and cheese the sandwich. The pretzel bun is great and the flavors blend nicely. Unfortunately, the one sandwich alone is not enough to keep us coming back. Thank you for all of the great brunches in the past and maybe we'll check in with you somewhere down the line to see if things have changed. We wish you the best
  9. MichaelBDC
    EatRunEat and I got a sneak peek into the space via Can's phone when at Ogawa this weekend. Looks to be very cool and I'm really excited for them. Only sad news is that Chef Aoki will be moving to the new location from Sushi Capitol. EatRunEat and I will miss his company at the counter.
  10. MichaelBDC
    EatRunEat, my family and I went to brunch on Sunday a few weeks ago. We were right on time and were greeted immediately by the two hostesses. Since we had a large group we expected to wait a bit while they put together some tables and got things set up...but not forty minutes. I wondered what the deal was as there were a LOT of empty tables and what looked to be sufficient staff. Once seated, we waited about fifteen more minutes for the waiter to come over. He took everyone's drink order - well, everyone except mine - and returned about ten minutes later with the drinks. I then ordered my drink and he went to get it. He came back to the table, dropped off my drink and asked if everyone was ready to order. We said yes and he replied 'oh good', at which point he walked away and took care of another table. He came back ten minutes later and was ready to take our order. He took the order swiftly, but had a little trouble grasping the concept of wanting one of the specials to be shared with the table as an appetizer. About half an hour later the appetizer came out followed by the main courses half an hour after that. At this point it was almost four o'clock and it started to feel odd to eat an omelette. The food was very good - the chicken and waffles were especially popular at the table - and the portion size was generous. By the time we settled up it had been almost four hours since out arrival and on the cusp of the early bird special at the retirement home. I was pretty upset as there were things that I wanted to do that Sunday. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed spending time with the family, but four hours at the table with them dwarfed the amount of time I spent with them at the table during Thanksgiving. This was the worst customer experience that I've had at any place in the city sans the nightmare EatRunEat and I went through at Alba Osteria and will not be going back. Especially since there are so many other good brunch destinations.
  11. MichaelBDC
    Eatruneat and I know a LOT about the DC dining scene but I need some help from my fellow DonnyRockers on this one because of the variables involved. My friend is looking for a place to go for his brother's 30th birthday and he wants it to be a memorable experience as you can probably imagine. Here's where it gets tough. My friend has a gluten allergy and is also lactose intolerant. On top of that, his brother's girlfriend is a pescatarian. Lastly, they want to keep the price point around $100 per person if possible. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Mb
  12. MichaelBDC
    Coming with eatruneat.
  13. MichaelBDC
    Chef Aoki told EatRunEat and me when we were at Sushi Capitol last week that Sushi Ogawa will be reservation only. At least right off the bat.
  14. MichaelBDC
    If the rumor of the opening is true, then congratulations to Can and his team! I know it's been a lot of hard work to get to this point. Guess I'll be splitting my time between Ogawa and Sushi Capitol.
  15. MichaelBDC
    A colleague of mine, who is dating someone who works there, just informed me that Convivial is opening to the public tonight and their Facebook page seems to confirm this by stating that they are open at 5:30 this evening. The soft opening was this past Sunday and tonight they're ready for the public.
  16. MichaelBDC
    If previous information was correct and La Colombe is opening across the street from the historic synagogue at sixth and I, then it looks pretty close to opening. One is obviously the front door and the other looking towards Mass Ave. Sorry if the attached pics aren't great. My phone is old and I had a few adult beverages prior to noticing the progress and taking the pics on my walk home.
  17. MichaelBDC
    I would like to thank the Pope. Not for his humanitarian efforts or his 'servant leadership' qualities. No, I would like to thank him for a much more selfish reason. I want to thank him because he was able to make DC a ghost town last night allowing EatRunEat and I to enjoy a gorgeous first fall evening while enjoying some incredible food at Maketto. EatRunEat and I arrived around 8 to find more employees than customers and we sat at the table of our choice. Our server, Adam, came over promptly and introduced us to the menu. He stated that the best thing to do would be to order everything at once so the kitchen could 'fire' the dishes at the appropriate times. This would ensure that the dishes arrived hot and we would not be drowning in a sea of plates. EatRunEat and I decided to go with the pork bao, fried chicken, Cambodian sausage and fish with curry. The bao was light and the flavor of pork was such that it didn't need the hoison sauce that it came with. Everyone gushes about the fried chicken and it's well deserved. It's fried to perfection and it's spicy enough to notice but not be overwhelming. I don't know where to being with the Cambodian sausage. Neither EatRunEat or I could put our finger on what the taste of it was but we enjoyed it. The sausage was tangy, somewhat sweet and savory with a little spice. We're going to get it again to see if we can pin down exactly what the flavors are. We finished up with the fish and it was quite nice. It was flaky and paired really well the the curry sauce. Lastly, I tried something that I'd never had before, sipping vinegar. I got the ginger vinegar and sipped it in between courses. If you haven't tried sipping vinegar before I really recommend it. Even if you end up hating it, you're only going to be out two bucks so it's no big deal. The food, weather and service combined to be one of the best dates I've ever had with EatRunEat. Gracias Pope Francis, gracias!
  18. MichaelBDC
    New menu with hopefully better results.
  19. MichaelBDC
    I have an affinity for inexpensive rye whiskey. Especially Old Overholt. So when I read that a new bar called The Airedale was going to serve Old Overholt soft serve ice cream I knew I had to try it. Eatruneat and I made our way up there around four in the afternoon on Saturday to find the place almost completely empty. Our friends met us soon after and were terribly disappointed to find that they were not serving food at the moment. Eatruneat and her friend had just run almost twenty miles and were in a 'caloric deficit'. But the kitchen was transitioning from the brunch to regular menu wouldn't be ready until 5. Eatruneat and her friend sucked it up and just ordered beers after our bartender and bar manager promised to take their order as soon as possible. At 4:57 one the cooks popped his head out of the kitchen and gave our bartender the nod. Eatruneat ordered the la mitraillette and her friend got the Royale with cheese sans cheese. Eatruneat's friend said that her burger was cooked to a perfect medium rare and the veggies on top tasted really fresh. As for Eatruneat's dish, I don't know where to begin...and I don't think she did either. Her 'sandwich' was insane. Imagine an open faced baguette with a butterflied half smoke topped with pieces of ground chuck topped with onions topped with french fries with mayo and ketchup topping it all off. It was truly a sight. After they finished their dishes it was time for the reason we went there in the first place, the ice cream. Eatruneat and her friend thought it tasted a lot like Old Overholt where as my friend and I though you could really only taste the whiskey during the finish of the ice cream; however we did find a winning combo. When paired with a 'hard' root beer the ice cream really shines. We will be back for that combo - and maybe that crazy 'sandwich' again - as well as the friendly staff and nice atmosphere. On a side note, Eatruneat's friend noticed that the stairs going to the upstairs, where the bathrooms and outdoor deck are located, are floating and she was pretty sure 'flashed half of the bar' when walking up them in her dress. Be careful, ladies!
  20. MichaelBDC
    It may be true that the Chiarli wasn't my favorite of the evening, but the pig heart-lardo salami was fantastic.
  21. MichaelBDC
    I didn't mean it as a slam. I just wanted to give the gentlemen of the site a heads up should they be considering going there during the dog days of summer. It's his place, his rule and I'm fine with it. Just wished I would have known before Eatruneat and I ventured that way. I'll be back in the fall.
  22. MichaelBDC
    Eatruneat and I went to Corduroy to try to have the 3 course for $30 meal at the bar. Due to the heat and humidity coarsing through DC Saturday evening, I wore a nice pair of shorts. Unfortunately, upon arrival at the upstairs bar, I was told that shorts were not allowed in the restaurant. Antonio, the bartender, was very nice in conveying the information and told me that the restaurant had a loaner pair of pants downstairs that I could slide over my shorts. I passed on the loaner pants and Eatruneat and I walked over to the izakaya at Daikaya instead. Gentlemen, consider yourselves warned.
  23. MichaelBDC
    Named for Bangkok's airport code, BKK Cookshop is the third restaurant from the team behind Thai X-ing. The taste and feel of this place is different from either the newly opened Thai X-ing or chef Aschara Vigsittaboot's sister's place, Beau Thai. The menu is a lot more focused and there's barely any mention of peanuts on it in any form. One thing that will be familiar to anyone who has eaten at Thai X-ing is the pace. I highly recommend that you order each course at a time and not all at once. Otherwise all of your food will be on the table within two minutes of ordering. Eatruneat and I had just begun to enjoy the spicy pork steamed buns and brussels sprouts when my bowl of pork boat noodle bowl and her tom yum noodle bowl appeared. We shuffled enough plates around to make everything fit and tried to eat everything as quickly as we could before any of it got cold. As we finished the buns and sprouts the waitresses appeared seemingly out of nowhere like vultures on a wildebeest carcass after lions have had their fill and walked off to snatch up the plates. Neither Eatruneat or I enjoyed my boat noodle bowl. The meat was tender and the noodles were perfectly cooked. There was just something off about the broth. And as anyone who enjoys soup from any part of the world knows, the broth must be good or nothing else matters. Luckily Eatruneat shared some of the broth from her tom yum soup, which was spectacular. Overall, it was a mediocre experience and I won't be headed back anytime soon. Well, maybe to have those pork steamed buns again after a few cocktails at All Souls.
  24. MichaelBDC
    The sushi burrito is basically an elongated maki roll that is cut in half.
  25. MichaelBDC
    Technically today is my Friday so when I saw the line for Buredo I decided to stick it out and take a little longer than I should for lunch. The staff was very nice and was handing out free wasabi peas to all of the people waiting patiently in line. I went with the Beatrix, which has yellow tail tuna and salmon sashimi, cucumbers, pickled napa cabage, green onion, 'tempura crunch' and unagi sauce. The fish was good quality - not Izakaya Seki or Sushi Capitol good - but not mediocre either. The rest of the ingredients were fresh and the size was bigger than expected. It cost almost $13 for finished product and I can't think of any other place in the neighborhood that you can get that amount of quality sushi for that price. Hopefully the amusement park roller coaster-esque line will shorten once the initial novelty wears off.
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