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B.A.R.

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Everything posted by B.A.R.

  1. B.A.R.
    My wife had a fun dinner at the bar last night. She and a friend ordered the chocolate and rum tasting for dessert. There was just one tiny problem: "I really couldn't taste the rums. They were all too warm, and all I tasted was burning alcohol."
  2. B.A.R.
    That's awesome. My first meal there on my anniversary was the best meal I have ever had. Subsequent meals were just as good. Masaya is the younger chef and he is a blast. To me, this is the best dining experience in the city. You get charged a little extra at the end if you go full-on otter during the sashimi portion of the evening. I have tried to remain somewhat reasonable because of this, but that is $30 well spent.
  3. B.A.R.
    That's true. To clarify, you wont get a bad meal off the regular menu. In my opinion it just has been inconsistent and overreaching relevant to the price point Yelp! is the wikipedia of service/attitude/price-to-value issues of <<insert business name>>
  4. B.A.R.
    Your mistake was ordering off the regular menu, which has been hit-or-miss over the past few years. It seems like they are "trying to hard" in the kitchen with the ala carte menu, The bar menu has not let me down in quite some time. The charcuterie and cheese plate for two is always excellent.
  5. B.A.R.
    Sushi Kappo Kawasaki
  6. B.A.R.
    I look at $65 for drinks as a too-low ceiling.
  7. B.A.R.
    its been my experience that if you walk into a restaurant and spot Mark Slater watching over the dining room, you're pretty much going to eat well and drink well. That was certainly true a few nights ago. A colleague and I popped into Pennsyvania 6 and the space is quite nice and comfortable. Despite the snow it was still bustling, although not busy. I feel for "new" restaurants that open up and then get hit by a blizzard. Makes things tough. We basically ordered some crudo and an assortment of shellfish, and Mark suggested a bright and crisp Albarino that was perfect. The shellfish was delicious and if I had any complaint it would be that the shucker needs to work on his clam skills a little more. The clams were delicious, but a bit mutilated. The carpaccio of beef was outstanding, as was the rose that Mark suggested to go with it. A well made macchiato and a rich amaro capped off the night. Penn 6 is a delightful addition to the neighborhood and is easily one of the best restaurants within the area.
  8. B.A.R.
    Brett, I love your Cava grill locations - I really, really do. It has become the go to for a quick lunch or dinner with the kids. Well done. Thank you, and congrats on your success. Brian
  9. B.A.R.
    That's awesome. I loved working in restaurants and switched to a career in hotels after working pretty much the first year and a half of my 2 year old daughters life. No regrets. You MAY lose a little bit in creativity, but you'll gain in stability and quality of life. Congratulations.
  10. B.A.R.
    Don has cultivated a phenomanal website, and utilized it to build a real community, where actual people meet in person to share food and drink and stories and life experiences. Throughout the years, this community has engaged in multiple philanthropic endeavors, big and small, that I dont recall occurring in any other forum. Even though I don't post much, I love this site and respect Don immensely. I celebrate Festivus, so all of this "praise" needs a counterweight. Don Rockwell is Keyser Soze - always around, nobody's every seen him. He once had dinner RIGHT NEXT to my wife and I at Toki Underground and never said a word.I mean, we have been online dating since the eGullet days and he's sitting right next to me and doesn't say bubkus. No Bueno, Don Rockwell. I have also been advocating for my name to be changed from the generic "Leviathan" to something more apt, like "Pedantic Asshat" . Does Don Rockwell listen to his loyal members and act on their wishes? Nope. Happy Festivus. ETA - Nice.
  11. B.A.R.
    Sadly, they do not fly to Cleveland.
  12. B.A.R.
    Friend flew first glass on Emirates a month ago and there was a shower. A motherfucking shower. And the "Referesher" bag was from Bulgari. I once paid for the "A Group" boarding on a Southwest flight from Orlando. That's how I roll.
  13. B.A.R.
    I think Asian and Mexican cuisine to be some of the most exciting cuisines of the world, and find myself craving them (specifically Vietnamese) more than any other. It is odd that Mexican and "Asian" are the defacto cheap-eats in America. So we went to the Source last week, a restaurant that I thought exciting and fresh on my last visit, maybe 4+ years ago. The dining room is still sleek and gleeming, but the aesthetic exudes more luxury cruise ship than warmth, and isn't necessarily my cup of tea, save the curved paper lamps dangling above the tables. My meal was rather disappointing. The hallmarks of "pan-Asian cuisine" is just a quick google search away: Salty, Sour, Spicy, Sweet. Our meal, across the board, had only one of those components, and it was sweet. From the cocktails, to the sesame tuiles in the amuse, to the sauces, to the laksa, just way too sweet. None of this was inedible, and some could argue (and some at my table thought) that the meal was very good. I did not. Perhaps, because I have probably had 100 meals of this broad cuisine type between my last meal at The Source and this one, what I had previously thought of as exciting is now more pedestrian. It seemed to be very much Pan-Asian American cuisine to me. I'm adding this after the fact, but the service was across the board gracious and charming. I wish they would rethink the wine list. If there are two dozen wines under $60 I'd be surprised, on a wine list with between 400-500 selections. The pricing, and the selections themselves, are curated towards the expense account set rather than the cuisine. I hate not being able to order wine - because of COST - at a meal that is going to be $100 per person. On the whole, this was a perfectly good dinner, but not special. I admire Todd Kliman's opinion, but I dont see how he could think this is the second best restaurant in the city** ETA - **Apparently this was several years ago, so times change, as do opinions, rankings, etc. My bad for not recognizing this.
  14. B.A.R.
    I completely agree. I believe this to be true (and their original intention) and completely understand their no reservations policy in this light. It is absolutely a neighborhood restaurant and was seemingly set-up as such from the start. My brother in law lives on North Carolina Ave and drops into Rose's regularly, The demand from outside the neighborhood and the District isn't their fault. *Thanks, Rocks. Sorry I was an asshole. It's been known to happen.
  15. B.A.R.
    I don't believe so. I've had two meals at Rose's...both very, very good. I am happy for their success and accolades, the former justly deserved, the latter leaving me a bit more puzzled. I just don't understand them from my personal experience. I disagree with Tom's 4-star assessment. I am stunned that others believe this is the best new restaurant in the country. I am astounded a cottage industry has sprung up where people pay other people to wait in line for a table. None of this means Rose's Luxury sucks. It is a very good restaurant, one this city is lucky to have, but its rabid appeal is lost on me.
  16. B.A.R.
    The Fish and Chips and that seafood bar at WF Fairfax is pretty good but the rest of the food is merely meh. The BBQ eatery is serviceable, the Ramen Bar is very good, and the food and drink in the Sports Bar is a straight-up steal, especially when they have various food stations outside during happy hour. I rarely shop at WF Fairfax, but I eat and drink there all the time
  17. B.A.R.
    I'd like to commend Mr. Slater for featuring MANY wines on the list in the $30, $40, and $50 range.
  18. B.A.R.
    As someone who is in the business, this is born of tunnel vision restaurant policy rather than practicality. A check can be transferred from server to server, even if they are working in different revenue centers (ie: BAR -> RESTAURANT). I hate this with a passion and should never occur at a restaurant of this caliber. ETA - This may also be just one rogue bartender and not the policy of Fiola Mare as a whole.
  19. B.A.R.
    Would rather have Rocks "treat" me to his special recipe of geoduck than eat and any of the aforementioned establishments.
  20. B.A.R.
    I believe it was a restaurant highly rated by Zagat Italy that did not exist
  21. B.A.R.
    I would never mention my participation on this board. Ever (even though I have a DR Dining Card!). That being said, I have eaten your food numerous times and consider you to be one of the most talented chefs in the city. I am just over tasting menus. At virtually any level, I am done with them. Too long. Too expensive. Too kitchen centric, rather than guest centric.The only tasting menu I would even consider is EMP or Per Se, because when I read the description of the food I know, essentially, what I'll be getting. I could not say the same for Alinea or Noma -not that I am going to any of these restaurants, any time soon. I read your most recent menu posted above, and I have no doubt that the dishes will be prepared impeccably, with precision and skill. I just dont know if I am in the mood to eat any of them, because they all seem deliberately opaque and mysterious. And I absolutely don't want that course after course, for 2-3 hours. I am sharing this with you because you asked, and I am truly respectful and appreciative of your talents and what you have done to raise the bar in this city. And if I may, I thought Gypsy Soul was magic and am sorry for your loss. More of that would appeal to me. But I am just one patron.
  22. B.A.R.
    Ok, so tonight I happened to be in the area and stopped in for some quick carry out. I ordered the Twice Cooked Pork Hunan Style. I am by no means an expert on this food, but I have ordered lots of food that I had no idea what it was, and gulped it down happily. I hated this dish. It was a big plate of braised and fried pork belly, sauteed with a bunch of leek like things, chilis, etc. Smelled heavenly. It was not very spicy hot, and had a wonderful smoky flavor, and I was really beginning to enjoy it when all of a sudden everything tasted different. I had a very tart, astringent taste in my mouth that was acrid and vile. I tried to drink some water and even the water tasted bad. It was almost as if my mouth had been numbed. The effect persisted about 10 minutes before it finally waned. I threw the rest of the food away, something I have never done. Anyone have any idea what the seasoning was that I had or had a similar reaction?
  23. B.A.R.
    Danny Meyer: No More Tipping
  24. B.A.R.
    For me, I think its the messaging. I thought that one of the reasons that Roses has a no reservation policy is that they wanted to be part of the neighborhood and also wanted to be as open to all as possible to all - a noble ethos. My "resistance" (for me, this is more like a NYT Ethicist question) is purely fueled by this notion. My position is likely hypocritical, because I wouldn't even think twice if I was told that people are being paid to stand on line for others at, say, Little Serow. Little Serow, to the best of my knowledge, has always stated that the reason they do not take reservations is to keep the prices down and the place full - purely economic reasons. There are enough people in town who want to eat there, backed by personal wealth or a fat expense account, that could quickly co-opt the "line" and render one if its goals obsolete. To be clear, I dont believe Rose's is doing anything wrong and they dont HAVE to do anything to change this. Let's just say $500 a night is spent on line waiting. My first thought was that Id rather the money go to Rose's directly. But maybe the money going directly to individuals in the community does serve a greater good.
  25. B.A.R.
    Nick Kokonas has, and started a company with a a few restaurateurs and techies called Tock
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