cantjosh

1 minute ago, dslee said:

Where did I dine?

Pork Blade Steak served with Vermicelli, Nuoc Cham, Peanut Sauce, Fresh Herbs and Lettuces, Pickled Radish and Jalapeño

Emilie’s 

5 hours ago, lhollers said:

Himitsu and the upcoming Emilie's (both by Kevin Tien...well, Himitsu for a bit longer, at least) both used the same system to raise pre-opening funds.

Will Kevin be leaving Himitsu when Emilie’s opens?

We had dinner at Elle this past Saturday and really enjoyed the whole experience. We ordered the country loaf with nori butter, gem salad with curry green goddess and crispy lentils, tuna crudo, kimchi toast, and hot duck and biscuit. The kimchi toast really stood out to me, but the whole meal was great. If I had to pick a weak point, it's probably the tuna crudo. I'm really looking forward to eating here again soon. 

We had a nice evening and a great meal at A Rake's Progress over President's Day weekend. We got the reservation a couple weeks in advance, but they were very flexible when we called the night of to see if we could eat a bit earlier.

I'm a huge fan of Woodberry Kitchen, so I've been excited for Spike's DC restaurant to open. A Rake's Progress is more formal than Woodberry, but maintains much of the family feel. The staff seems to buy in to what Spike is doing, which is a big part of what I've always enjoyed about my visits to Woodberry Kitchen.

We started with 1/2 dozen Chesapeake Oysters, which are served with miniature bottles of cocktail sauce, mignonette, and hot sauce. The oysters were decently sized and very good.

Next was the ham board with 3 different types of aged ham, arranged from oldest to youngest. I wasn't taking notes and it has been a couple weeks, so I don't remember exactly what was served. It was delicious and the small sweet potato biscuits, gougeres, and peach jam served with it were fantastic.

Next we ordered the Bacons & Greens (aka Greens & Bacon) from the Small Plates section. Our server explained that the dish's name was an homage to the poem "Bacon and Greens" by Bakus Huntington. This dish involved kale, pork belly, and pork rinds with pot liquor poured over the plate at the table. I would highly recommend ordering this if it's on the menu.

We shared the Kilt Salad with a hot bacon mustard dressing, served with an egg and crisped ham. It's brought and presented tableside and then taken to a central station to be tossed. The salad was more than enough for two to share. The salad was slightly overdressed, but very enjoyable.

Finally, we finished with a Pork Porterhouse, supplied by Parts & Labor in Baltimore. The meat was very good but to my surprise the star of this dish were the sides. The whipped sweet potatoes and grilled brussels sprouts may have been the best bites I took all night.

As many have noted, the dessert menu is quirky and endearing. We opted to skip dessert, but they brought us a very miniature cake since we were there celebrating a special occasion.

I can't find a drink menu online and didn't snap a photo, but I had a rum punch that featured the verjus they're using as a citrus substitute, which was ok. The second cocktail I had was made with egg whites and fish peppers--it had some spice to it--fantastic. I so wish I remembered more details but will update this if I find a drink menu!

Overall, I really enjoyed my first visit to A Rake's Progress. The prices will probably keep it from being a frequent destination for me, but I'll certainly be back and may have a new favorite place for a special occasion meal. I'm very curious to eat at the bar where the food is a bit simpler and more affordable.

On 2/14/2018 at 9:35 AM, giant shrimp said:

What is the story behind reservations at this restaurant?  Phenomenal popularity? A secret? For the next month, they show availability for only a handful of weekdays, for seatings near closing time.

They’ve since opened up a lot of reservations at more reasonable times in March. Lots available now 

12 hours ago, FranklinDubya said:

I always like Washingtonian's best of and find it to generally a bit less head scratch inducing than some of Tom Sietsema's dining guides.  Still though, I don't know how you put stuff like All Purpose (which I really enjoy mind you) above Kinship and Rose's Luxury.  They also seem to have a habit of putting a Trabocchi place (Del Mar this year) way higher than what would seem correct, but then again I haven't been yet.  Interested to see the rest of it.

EDIT: It seems like they don't repeat any chefs / restaurateurs in the top 25 which would better explain no Fiola, Roses, Little Serow, Kinship.  I don't necessarily agree with that logic if that's the case but it would seem to better explain it. 

Overall I think it's a solid list. For what it's worth, I asked Jessica Sidman today if they purposefully did not include more than one restaurant per group and she said no.

With that said, I totally agree with you and don't know how else the restaurants you mentioned weren't in the top 25

2 hours ago, TedE said:

Does anybody know he actual line rules for this place?  Is is truly first-come-first-served where you get in line and if they just seat you whenever space opens up, or can you line up and 5:00 but say you want a table for 7:00-ish and they will text you when ready as close as they can?  I'd love to try it for an upcoming birthday dinner on a Friday night, but both of us would never be able to make it in time for one of the first seatings, and I'm of the age where showing up at 7:00 to wait until maybe 9:30 to eat is not going to happen.  If I can be there right before 5:00 and put our name down for a later time it would be worth a try.

You can line up early and request to be in the second (or third) seating. They'll provide an approximate time and text you about 10-15 minutes before your table is ready. We were there this past Saturday and a few people in front of us did this. The hostess was telling guests that 2nd seating would likely be around 6:30-7p and third seating around 8p. 

I don't think you can ask for a specific time to be seated, however, so your party will still need to be semi-flexible and ready to move somewhat quickly once you get that text.

Also, for the record, 2 of us arrived at about 4:55pm on Saturday. There were ~30 people already in line when we got there. We were included in the second seating (we would have eaten right away if available) and got our table at 6:30--had a drink across the street at Petworth Citizen while we waited.

Having recently relocated to the DC area, I finally made a stop at Union Market last week and was pretty pleased with the place. We picked up a couple DC Empanadas and some fresh juice and wandered around, overwhelmed at what to try next. A cocktail with fresh herbs and strawberries at Buffalo & Bergen capped off the trip. Overall, Union Market lives up to the hype, but I'm not anticipating finding any really good deals there. It seems to serve its purpose as a place to sample whatever is trendy in DC at the moment.

Also wandered around the block to check out Angelika's Pop-up, which is a temporary movie theatre housing a bar and offering "gourmet snacks" in a warehouse that I still can't really wrap my head around. According to the man working in there, a permanent fixture will be opening adjacent to Union Market "in the next couple years." He said that Angelika's will continue to operate until the permanent theatre opens. It can be hard to find, but is located right next door to Dolcezza's Coffee Lab at 550 Penn.

I think it's particularly interesting considering that area off of Wootton Parkway/Tower Oaks is somewhat of a restaurant desert - nothing notable between Park Potomac and Rockville Pike besides these two, that I'm aware of.

Agreed, and I think it will get even more interesting if this "death of the office park" continues as many around the area (country) presume it will. Right off 270, it could be an attractive location for a developer, but with Park Place so close, the distance from metro, and the mass that is Rockville Pike on the other side, I don't know that developers would be fighting over that land any time soon. I would guess that vacancy rates in the office buildings will determine whether or not more restaurants see it as a viable location as is.

I totally forgot that we got 2 great sandwiches from Anthony's, which was right next to the Hilton we stayed at. I was surprised that it was listed as a top "restaurant" on trip advisor (which s how i learned about it), considering it's a deli counter/sub shop in a liquor store. True enough, i had one of the better Italian hoagies and chicken salad sandwiches I can recall (I split them...I'm not a total pig, ok). Good bread, good semi hot and sweet peppers, well stuffed with meat. A bit pricey in the $15 range, but for an excellent sandwich (or two) it's worth it.

Agreed. Anthony's is an Ocean City staple. The sandwiches are on the pricier side, but they are quite large. Another great stop before the beach if you're staying down that way.

I can't speak for Sprecher's, but on several recent occasions, I've had the good fortune of consuming a number of bottles of Not Your Father's Root Beer, a 10% ABV "spiced ale" from Small Town Brewery, of Wauconda, Illinois.

It's deceptive, this one.  Some bottles taste pretty much like a rich (nonalcoholic) root beer...and make for a pretty decent ice cream float.  Others seem to have a more pronounced alcohol bite.  Or, very possibly, I had been standing out in the sun too long.

Per their retail locator, this appears to be readily available in Virginia and Maryland, but not MoCo nor DC.

I managed to pick up a 6 pack at Quench at the corner of New Hampshire Avenue & Randolph Rd this weekend. Tastes just like root beer to me.. I probably wouldn't have known there was alcohol in it had it just been handed to me.

Yet another summer with some OC trips for me this year. I tried Hooked for the first time and have to agree with the consensus that it is the best restaurant I've been to in Ocean City. I got to sample a few items on their menu including the PEI mussels, crab dip, jerk wings, crab cakes, shrimp taco, fish & chips. Mussels and fish & chips were standouts for me. Everything was very good. I probably wouldn't order the crab cake again, not because it was bad, but because I've had it done better elsewhere around OC. Also, fresh squeezed OJ available at Hooked.. always a way to win me over.

Other than Hooked, I mostly went with my old standbys.. I've enjoyed Rippon's, Anthony's, Ponzetti's, and Lombardi's for years. I do enjoy the occasional sub from Primo Hoagies. Touch of Italy has opened in Ocean City as well. I haven't yet been to that location but their locations throughout the Delaware beaches have served as a good option for subs to grab and take out on the beach

The Cat Cafe appears to be undergoing some changes. Raising prices, reducing crowds, and switching to what sounds like some like snacks, coffee, and tea from Patisserie Poupon. More here:

"D.C.'s Cat Cafe Raises Prices, Offers Free Drinks and Snacks" by Jessica Sidman on washingtoncitypaper.com