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horacebailey14

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Everything posted by horacebailey14

  1. horacebailey14
    Ate here last week with a couple friends. I had the bogan bun. Also tried a bite of the hot tiger bun. Everyone agreed they were good, but not amazing. We also tried the spice bag at the suggestion of our waiter. Also good, but messy and the fries weren't quite crispy enough (a cardinal sin according to my wife). Service, however, was excellent. Small, but good, selection of happy hour drinks. I'd go again if I was in the neighborhood and wanted a burger, but wouldn't make a special trip for it from where we are in VA.
  2. horacebailey14
    We stopped by for dinner recently and very much enjoyed it. We had bolani, mantoo beef dumplings, buranee kadoo, and morgh kebab. All very good. Kadoo is a particular favorite of ours and the version here is a little different than we've had elsewhere, with the pumpkin kept in large chunks instead of pureed, but cooked until is was soft and sweet. Very tasty with the yogurt sauce. We finished with the dessert special of the day, a pistachio and pomegranate cake. Delicious as well. More french with Afghan flavors, expected since the chef at Malmaison prepares the desserts. Topped with pomegranate seeds that were very well soaked in alcohol. The dining room is very full, with as many tables as can possibly fit. When it's full, as it was when we were there, this makes for a bit louder background noise - you have to speak with a slightly raised voice to be heard across the table. But the space is inviting, the service is good, and the staff are very friendly.
  3. horacebailey14
    Jeni's is delicious, no doubt about it. Friendly service who let me try a few too many samples before deciding. I really like that you can get as many half scoops as you want to try as many flavors as you're up for. Brown butter almond brittle and Pistachio & honey were the standouts for us. We've tried Jubilee but think Jeni's is a step above. I admit we haven't tried 2Amy's (didn't know people thought so highly of the ice cream until recently), but at the moment Jeni's is definitely at the top of our DC list. For several years now we've lamented the lack of an ice cream place in DC to rival our favorite of all time, Toscanini's in Cambridge, MA. Glad to find out that we've finally got one.
  4. horacebailey14
    Went here for dinner the other night. We only tried three of the tacos but they were very good (asada, al pastor, and carnitas). It's counter service, very casual, with very friendly staff. The tacos were full of flavor and the meats were perfectly cooked. Both green and red salsas served with everything were delicious, spicy in the best of ways. They've also got huaraches, tortas, and quesadillas, as well as several other meat fillings. We'll definitely be back to try out some more of the menu.
  5. horacebailey14
    We enjoyed an amazing dinner here a few weeks ago to celebrate our anniversary. We first ate here in February and were blown away, couldn't wait for an excuse to come back in summer and try a different menu. Pasta with trout roe and squash blossoms - wonderfully creative and unexpected dish. The strachiatella (with peaches and oats right now) was rich and delicious. The star of the show for us this time was the lamb ribs though: fig puree, with olives and yogurt sauce. Service was incredible as always. They brought us the wrong pasta dish and immediately said we should enjoy it as a treat while they prepped the one we ordered. In no time they brought it over with more apologies. Amazing drinks, amazing food, amazing service: can't wait for another excuse to go back again.
  6. horacebailey14
    We ate here a few nights ago and tried the tonkotsu and spicy miso ramen. Really delicious stuff. The pork was tender and flavorful. The broth was rich, and thick, and fatty in the best of ways. The noodles were excellent too, much better than other ramen we've had recently. The staff were friendly and attentive and the space itself is very pleasant. At the moment, this is definitely our favorite ramen in Arlington and we'll be back soon.
  7. horacebailey14
    Where's the best place to get banh mi these days? Our go to was Banh Ta, but since it became Little Viet Garden we're not sure where to go. Are there other places in the Eden Center worth trying?
  8. horacebailey14
    A group of 10 of us met for dinner at Kogiya recently. Very busy, but they usually can accommodate large groups if you call ahead. Agree with all the previous poster's comments: panchan were great, especially the egg and stew; meats were all good, especially miso pork and spicy chicken. We also really liked the brisket. A fun experience, particularly with a big group of people, and very good food.
  9. horacebailey14
    We used to live in Woodley Park for several years. My anecdotal impression is that Woodley Park is ruled by tourists and conference-goers. I remember when Bar Civita opened saying to my wife: "it looks like a great restaurant, I hope it does well, but I'm guessing it won't last." A chef driven restaurant isn't what the tourists want (unfortunately). I'm surprised District Kitchen has lasted this long, but kudos to them for figuring out how to adjust to the marketplace from their original vision. Open City serves what the tourists love. I know from first hand experience having taken parents and parents-in-law there several times. The location certainly helps, but I'm guessing that if Bar Civita had Open City's location it still wouldn't have made it.
  10. horacebailey14
    We were craving a classic (and unpretentious) brunch recently and decided to give Le Diplomate a try. It did not disappoint. No bottomless mimosas, just unbelievably good french pastries. Nothing innovative, just perfectly cooked eggs, with perfectly cooked hollandaise. We had eggs norwegian and duck sarladaises along with the pastries. Everything was simple, but perfect -- often the hardest thing to do. It was too much food, but they gladly wrapped up the extra pastries for us (even the jam too), a bonus treat the next morning. The staff was attentive and friendly, very good service. I can't speak for lunch or dinner, but we'll gladly return for brunch.
  11. horacebailey14
    We had brisket and pork ribs the other night at the bar. Both were very good, but a notch below what we remember of our previous visit with Chef Lang. We also had brussels sprouts and cornbread, both delicious. Collard greens were back on the menu but we just weren't in the mood. The place was packed on the Friday night we went. I'm glad to see it. At the moment we'd rate Federalist Pig higher, but that's a long drive into the city after work. It's nice to have such a good option in Texas Jack's so close by. I also wouldn't be surprised if the meats got even better as the new pitmasters keep at it.
  12. horacebailey14
    We happened to find ourselves in Philadelphia this past weekend and ended up at Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodles for lunch. Fantastic. Noodles were perfect and the broth was delicious. The roast duck noodle soup was the best I've ever had. Stir fried noodles with beef also amazing. Our only disappointment was that it's so far from home. This place by itself puts all of DC's Chinatown to shame.
  13. horacebailey14
    Stopped in here for a quick bowl the other night and really enjoyed it. We're not pho experts by a long shot but the past few times we've been here we've been very satisfied. The minimalism appeals to me. Within 1 minute of sitting down you've ordered and have a piping hot bowl of deliciousness set in front of you. Few things are more satisfying on a drizzly night.
  14. horacebailey14
    We stopped in for dinner on Sunday. We ordered our usual: two bowls of mussels (Saison and Roasted this time), fries, and a couple of Belgian drafts. Their beer selection is always spot on and I overheard the bartender say they were quite busy during the craft brewers conference last week. The mussels and fries were excellent as always. We haven't tried all the renditions of these in DC, but their's is still our favorite. My lone complaint was the quality of the bread. A delicious bowl of mussels needs a good quality bread for sopping up all that brothy goodness. The bread was a bit stale and didn't seem like it would have been that great even if it had been fresh. This marks 5 years in a row we've gone to Granville Moore's around this time of year. A bit of a tradition for us and few things I enjoy more. Looking back, the quality of the mussels and fries has never wavered. I can't speak to the rest of the menu as we never stray from the basics. The bread used to be much better, definitely a disappointment this year. The prices have gone up a few dollars but still well worth it and well deserved.
  15. horacebailey14
    We ate at Yona shortly after it opened a while back. We thought the small plates were tasty but that the ramen was not that impressive. The space seemed cramped and the menu very disjointed. At the time it felt they were trying to combine the upstairs and downstairs concepts of Daikaya into one room, and that there was a reason why Daikaya chose to separate them. I know it's gone through some personnel changes since then and I can't speak to how the food is at the moment. Maybe we should go back to see if they've settled into things better. We ate at Gaijin about a year ago and thought it was pretty good. I recall mine being a bit too heavy on the garlic, but that's easy to ask them to leave out and I know some people quite like it that way. Not my favorite, but worth a second try eventually.
  16. horacebailey14
    I didn't see a thread about this new addition to Clarendon so thought I'd start one (feel free to modify or move if I'm incorrect). My wife and I went a few nights ago with high hopes but were disappointed. We live in the area and love ramen, but I doubt we'll be back to Hanabi. We ordered the tonkatsu and the miso ramen. The tonkatsu broth was just one note, none of the depth of flavor I'm used too. Similarly, the miso tasted like the same broth but with an overwhelming amount of chili oil. Different noodles were served with each bowl, but the flavor and texture were off on both. The tonkatsu noodles especially were too overcooked, and too thin. Fix-ins were fine, but nothing outstanding. Sadly, our bowls hardly compared to the standout places in DC, let alone what we remember from Tokyo. Perhaps we caught them on an off night, but next time we're feeling ramen we'll head into the city.
  17. horacebailey14
    We went to Federalist Pig this past Saturday. We got there just after they opened and they were already packed. Tons of take out orders as there weren't nearly enough seats for the business they were doing. We managed to squeeze in a couple seats at a shared table and chowed down on their pork ribs, pork shoulder, and brisket. The ribs and shoulder were incredible. The brisket was very good but perhaps just a touch too dry - didn't stop me from finishing our portion with some of their sauces though. Crispy Brussel sprouts and potato salad were great as well. It's small, but has a great feel. Very friendly staff and you could tell everyone working there was having a great time. That attitude definitely showed through in the food. Can't wait to go back.
  18. horacebailey14
    We had a great dinner here on Saturday night sitting at the bar. Their selection of sour beers on tap is first rate and will always keep us coming back. We had charcuterie (speck, culatello, szechuan peppercorn), braised pork arepas, and the bacon cured spare ribs. All delicious. Considering we ordered all pork anyway we probably should just have gotten the Pig Feast. A good excuse to go back.
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