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funkyfood

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Everything posted by funkyfood

  1. funkyfood
    I haven't been to a Five Guys in a while, but I do know that airport versions of restaurants are usually not nearly as good as non-airport locations.
  2. funkyfood
    Friend is having a baby so we decided to book a last-minute big brunch for our group of friends to celebrate. Just called--Chef Maupillier answered the phone himself and squeezed us in for a party of 10, this Sunday, during peak brunch. Can't think of any other high-end place in this city where the chef is answering phones and taking reservations. Great restaurants don't fall far from the tree.
  3. funkyfood
    13 friends and I decided to visit Philadelphia for New Year's because, why not? We had no hard dining plans except dim sum and cheesesteaks when one of my friends had the audacious idea of calling Zahav. Reservation for 14 three days before New Year's? Fat chance, I thought. Little did I know: they had a (huge) private dining room available for the night, all we had to do was hit a minimum which worked out to about $140 per person (including drinks, tax and tip). In exchange, we would get a huge chef's tasting menu and two dedicated waiters. Expensive, but very reasonable all things considered. So we did it...and wow. That place is incredible. We arrived at 9 and started with some great hummus and fresh pitas, before turning to a slew of about 8 fantastic veggie dishes (carrots, fennel, twice-cooked eggplant, flash-fried cauliflower that reminded me of Rasika's palak chaat, beets, others I'm forgetting). At this point, I was pretty full already, and that was before they brought out the lamb shoulder (extremely flavorful but actually a bit dry) and some of the best chicken I've ever had (smokey). Dessert was good but nothing to write home about. Too stuffed to finish it all, the wait staff boxed everything up for us as soon as we told them we could eat no more, which made for some great leftovers the next few days. We left at 12:30 drunk and stuffed. Considering the rackets that most places try to pull off on New Year's, $140 for a private room with seemingly endless great food and lots of booze at one of the city's best restaurants was worth it, and then some.
  4. funkyfood
    Had a no bueno meal here last night. Walked in with my friend at 7:30ish to a surprisingly long wait--45 minutes. No big deal; we went to get a drink at the Airedaile. 50 minutes later, we went back to Thip Khao and asked for an update. They said 20 more minutes to which we replied "you said 45 minutes 50 minutes ago--will it really be 20 minutes?". The hostess rudely said "I told you 45 minutes to an hour" (she didn't). NOTE: There was a large party for a 10-person table that seemed to be running quite late, so this wasn't her fault entirely, but she wasn't exactly pleasant about it. Nonplussed, we waited a bit before seeing the mini-table next to the bar open and deciding to sit there. The staff cleaned off the table with some strong ammonia and mildewy-smelling towels, a smell which faded with time but was unpleasant to start. While we waited 10+ minutes for our waiter (the bartender) to greet us, I went to the bathroom to wash my hands, only to find the sink clogged and filled with dirty water, preventing me from washing my hands without dipping into it. No thanks. When our waiter came, we each ordered three dishes. He didn't bother writing down our order, a move that annoys me and most diners I think. At the end of my order he asked which of the soups I ordered and I reminded him. Three minutes later he came by to ask the same question. When the food started coming out, they first brought out 4/6 dishes, one of which was incorrect (the waiter later admitted to inputting the wrong dish). The fifth dish came not too long after that, but the last dish came only after we asked a staff member to check on it. We had to ask the hostess for silverware to eat with. The food itself was good. My friend got some beef slices that were not as chewy as some places (a good thing) and some delicious fried rice with sausage. He's a pepperhead, so he got the spicy papaya salad, which we both agreed was just too spicy for its own good. I cannot imagine anyone enjoying that dish other than to prove that they are a tough guy. My less-spicy version of the same salad was good, but both portions were maybe too big (not the worst problem to have). I also had a delicious coconut soup with catfish and some pretty flavorful shrimp. I originally got white rice with my meal instead of sticky rice, which I received upon request. I thought it came with everything? On the way out, the hostess cheerfully told us "See you soon!", to which my friend muttered under his breath "No you won't."
  5. funkyfood
    have you been to El Sol?
  6. funkyfood
    Jeez this place is good. Been ordering it often through UberEats to work and it's never let me down. I find it a pain to go there and wait in line, then wait 30+ minutes for food--ubereats seems to be quicker. Edit: a bit salty though
  7. funkyfood
    its owners are going to be so so so rich
  8. funkyfood
    this is a very interesting and thought-provoking analysis
  9. funkyfood
    I went in one night for dinner with some friends and was shocked by the prices. the average entrée was in the $20s. we left and went to great wall.
  10. funkyfood
    Went on a whim last night with my girlfriend and boy am i glad we did. They were full downstairs, so we were offered seats at the bar--which turned out to be a monumental break in our favor. Upon asking the bartender some questions about the wine by the glasses (we don't know much about wine), he said how about i try all the whites and my girlfriend can try all the reds. he pulled out 3-4 glasses each, poured non-tiny amounts of a wine into each and asked us which we liked best, considering what we planned to order. selections made, he topped off our chosen glass, then took our orders. to start, I had some of the best escargot i've ever had (parlsey, butter, garlic...), plus some delicious red snapper with salmon roe and mussels. my girlfriend had a nice winter salad, then the scallops, which were large and perfectly cooked and served with a delicious green broccoli-based sauce. all of this served with endless fresh-cut bread (not as good as le diplomate of course, but what is?) to sop up the sauces. best yet, our bartender poured us a glass of champagne each mid-meal just beacause, and upon finishing our wine, gave us each another glass of wine, gratis. throughout our meal he was attentive and chatty without being overbearing. wish i got his name, but he was clearly a pro and is a huge asset to the restaurant. one of our favorite meals out recently and such a nice departure from the scenes of mobbed small-plates restaurants further east. PS the couple next to us at the bar brought their own wine, which was welcomed by the bartender, who decanted it for them and served. not sure of the corkage fee, but good to know it's an option.
  11. funkyfood
    Went here for brunch yesterday. Sat at the bar and enjoyed a delicious insalada ghibellina, the pizza with olives (can't recall) and a portabello mushroom and avocado sandwich (each split two ways). We loved the salad and pizza, which was as good as ever in our estimation. The sandwich was fine but nothing to write home about.
  12. funkyfood
    Any ETA for their place in Shaw? Haven't heard much in a bit.
  13. funkyfood
    funny--i've LOVED Convivial every time i've gone, but feel the exact same way about the Dabney that you do about convivial.
  14. funkyfood
    This has become our go-to spot for brunch. The white fish tartine is one of the most beautifully presented brunch dishes I've seen, the side of potatoes are deliciously crunchy on the outside and well seasoned, and my companions raved about the fried chicken and waffles. Plus the cinnamon bun is to die for.
  15. funkyfood
    Sage advice. Thx
  16. funkyfood
    I live right around the corner, so I've been to AP a few times. I thought it was fantastic opening night and my second visit; less so in my recent visits. I also had what was definitely the worst negroni of my life here: really, really sweet somehow. It was described as a "perfect negroni" on the menu...is that a variation on the negroni or just a superlative?
  17. funkyfood
    Saw this on Facebook. Great deal for all you can eat: Send us a message via the contact form on our website to get a Balkan Experience for the promotional price of $25! For those of you who don't know, the Balkan Experience means UNLIMITED food for only $25. This offer is valid until Sunday, October 16th.
  18. funkyfood
    Went here Saturday night with my girlfriend. Arrived at 7:10 and were told it would be a ten minute wait for upstairs, or a 30 minute wait for the bar downstairs. Easy choice: we waited for the bar. During the downtown, we tried two Japanese craft beers: a pretty good stout and a really interesting (not-too-sweet) ginger lager. The ginger lager is definitely worth checking out next time you're there. Our seats were thankfully right in front of Chef Seki and his staff. They work perfectly in sync, without appearing to ever utter a word to each other. Watching the organized chaos is part of what makes this place so great--you don't get nearly the same experience sitting upstairs. For food, we asked the waitress to bring us whatever was good that day, and she happily obliged. We started out with some fantastic sashimi (a typical, yet delicious assortment), then came some pickled Japanese vegetables, some fried baby octopus, a large portion of simply grilled Spanish Mackarel, perfectly fried crab croquettes and beef ribs. To finish it off, we had a homemade "sesame" flan, that reminded me strongly of poppy-seed hamantaschen. The dessert itself showed some creativity I haven't seen from Seki before, not that doing the classics impeccably is a bad thing. My only qualm is that our very busy waitress often did not have time to walk us through our dishes as they came. All in all, came to about $90 a person or so with tax and tip and a bottle of sake. One of the best restaurants in the city, no doubt.
  19. funkyfood
    I've had great experiences at McClellan's Retreat in Dupont. Great drinks and knowledgeable, unstuffy bartenders.
  20. funkyfood
    I've gotten into PP lounges multiple times without my car. just needed account # and expiration date. who knows if that is the case with all lounges though.
  21. funkyfood
    I've stopped myself from enjoying the 3 for $30 at Corduroy's bar a few times when I didn't want to have a drink with dinner. Does anyone else feel obligated to get a drink when enjoying that special? Do you think it would be rude/cheap to just have a water? Assuming you tip well.
  22. funkyfood
    I'd second Rakuya. Also check out Banana Leaves in Dupont.
  23. funkyfood
    Ah, what's a little fraud between friends! I'm sure you're just kidding though. Anyway, this title should be updated to reflect that they have a location at 14th and Florida. I've found the pizza to be good, but only the goat cheese and beet salad to be decent otherwise. Their FREE FOOD happy hours are also somehow catch-free and worth doing.
  24. funkyfood
    Three friends and I were lucky enough to be hosted by Marcel last night on the patio at the new Rakuya. Full disclosure: we did receive the discount he offered above. Marcel graciously introduced himself to the table and explained that the change from Raku to Rakuya was motivated by a desire to change from a fusion concept to a more pure Japanese concept, though many non-traditional rolls remain on the menu. We excitedly tried much of the menu, including (but not exclusively) tuna tartare, sashimi, seaweed salad, tofu, a number of inventive rolls, some traditional sashimi, black cod and dessert. I wanted to order the ramen too, but decided we had enough food as it was. Marcel was even gracious enough to send over some treats from the kitchen, including some fantastic salmon belly and tuna and some skewers of simply prepared chicken (skins, livers, etc.). We particularly loved the tofu, black cod (which was a large piece of fresh, flavorful fish for quite a reasonable price), the chicken skewers, and pretty much all the raw fish. The rolls--which came on a massive board that made us wonder if we could finish it all--were I remember them at Raku: creative and delicious. Unfortunately, the menu on the website (which didn't come up on a Google search btw, had to find it on Yelp) is a bit outdated, so I can't walk through what we had. Some had truffle oil, which most of my table loved, but I thought was a bit overpowering for the fish. I also thought the seaweed salad wouldbe better off without the iceberg lettuce added in. We ordered all four desserts. The croissant bread pudding was one of the better versions I can recall having, while I didn't enjoy the traditional Japanese dessert as much, though that may just be a lack of familiarity with some of the ingredients. The service was perfect from start to finish . I'm not sure if we got "special" treatment, but I don't doubt that the service is always good. My friends live nearby and used to order takeout from Raku all the time. Marcel said they expect to start takeout again in the future, but want to get running on all cylinders first. To my eye, they're not far off that now.
  25. funkyfood
    If you find yourself in Hvar, you must go to a new place called Black Pepper. By far the best meal I had in 10 days in Croatia.
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