franch

was here with two others and ended up with the bread, scallop crudo, kanpachi crudo, champon noodles, fried chicken, jewel bowl (the uni dish maybe?), and the pb&j panna cotta. no salting issues, everything was varying levels of fantastic. i can walk here from home, so i'll be here a lot.

i keep wanting to go but i can't get past the pretentious menu

1 minute ago, DonRocks said:

Refer to Hotel Ehmondieu.

sir?

1 hour ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Things were off this past Saturday evening.  Noodle textures were too soft, and dishes lacked flavor.  Some of their specials (with photos on the wall) were not available.  Bathroom says do not flush toilet paper?   When I went to Athens (Greece), I read in my guidebook that the city's sewer is so screwed that you can't flush toilet paper.  I don't really understand how the toilet can flush poop but not toilet paper?  

lots of places you flush poop but not toilet paper. here's a guide for your travels: https://wheredoiputthepaper.com.

i went for dinner recently. i think i'm going to go back for the taco omakase. this was fantastic.

On 5/26/2019 at 11:17 AM, Pat said:

A friend was raving about this place yesterday. He got lunch there after shopping at the newly reopened Frager's. He got chicken kabob, I think with salad. He thought everything was good and high-quality. Not too expensive. I really should have taken notes. He liked it enough that I'm creating a thread without having tried the place. Perhaps someone else reading this has?

It gets high reviews on both Yelp and Google. They deliver through Seamless, Doordash, and Grubhub. It appears that they are closed on Tuesdays but are open for lunch and dinner the rest of the days and post-midnight all but Sunday.  202-544-0910.

it's good, especially in a neighborhood where there's not much, let alone late-night options. it doesn't beat the Arlington favs.

if Sietsema's review is correct and the food is that good, yet it closes in 12 months, Borgognone was probably right.

On 6/16/2018 at 3:07 PM, Keithstg said:

I give it 12 months, tops. Which is kind of unfortunate as my meals at Nakazawa in NY have been superlative- far, far exceeding any omakase I have had in DC.

A glowing review and your reaction is a condemnation to closing in 12 months?

On 1/21/2018 at 4:45 PM, aspgirl99 said:

Hello, I hope all is well.  My name is Angela.  I am originally from NYC.  I now live in northern VA, right outside of DC.  I am a lawyer and have moved a lot for work.  My husband and I love eating out and trying new food and wine.  We were truly introduced to how wine can compliment food by the former sommelier at 2941.  He was part sommelier, part storyteller, and part wine historian. 

We love to travel and find new and unique food and drink in other places.  I have found a deep connection between food and culture and have found dining a great way to connect with people all over the world.  I look forward to learning and contributing to this forum.  

NYC exile lawyers rise up!

$325 with wine pairings? not dramatically expensive.

this was pretty fantastic. i'll definitely be returning. wife and i popped in for an impromptu dinner. everything we ordered was good at minimum and most were great.

we started with cocktails - the Viens Avec Moi (gin, green chartreuse, citrus, absinthe, pineapple cordial - $13) for me and the Bresca French 75 (honey gin, clarified citrus, bee nectar, champagne syrup - $13) for her. both of these were outstanding. my wife remarked that she may enjoy the still take on the French 75 more than the classic.

we ordered a myriad of dishes and our waitress divided them into an appetizer course and a main course. for the appetizer course, we had the Buckwheat Pancakes (parsley root ice cream, trout roe, herbs and flowers - $25). this was pretty good, though not perfect. the ice cream and caviar were on the cold side of their respective expected temperatures. the flavors worked well enough, but i felt the execution could be better. next was the Nantucket Scallop Crudo (yuzu, asian pear, ponzu, charred scallion - $17). this was outstanding. just the ingredients alone make this a superlative dish, but it really was executed perfectly. the scallop was fresh and delicious and paired so well with the asian flavors without being overwhelmed by them (as something delicate can be if you just pour ponzu on it). final appetizer was the Foie Gras "PB&J" (madeleines, concord grape, celery - $17). and just holy crap. this was outstanding. i'm a sucker for foie gras in any form, but this was the essence of a super rich and decadent "PB&J". the house baked madeleines were still warm to the touch and were divine. this is a must order on every trip.

another round of drinks was the Boisson Royale (dark rum, cognac, pandan cordial, lime, strawberry bitters - $13), a take on a tiki type of flavor it seems without the cloyingness of the imitators pervading DC right now, and the 1906 Old Fashioned (bourbon, creme de yvette, bee nectar, bitters - $12) -- which, well, what can you say about an old fashioned, but it is really good with the creme de yvette - a welcome floral note.

the two main courses were the Koji Veal Breast (kuri squash, apple, kohlrabi, pumpkin seed & oil - $21) and the Sea Urchin Linguini (truffle, chili, yeast butter, porcini - $22). the veal was perfectly cooked - tender and a mix of unctuous fat with the breast meat worked perfectly with the accompaniments. i share this thread's concerns about the linguini, but ultimately, it was one of my favorite dishes. yes, the uni gets lost in the dish -- i actually heeded this thread's advice and isolated the uni pieces to have with a small bite of noodles rather than attempting to mix it in. but the pasta without the uni is just so divine. i'd order this every time at $16 with no urchin.

the desserts received high billing so we also shared one Foie Gras Cake Pop (hazelnut, chocolate, amaretto, gold - $5) and Tropical Ambrosia (tapioca, mango, meringue, passion fruit - $11). the cake pop was the best cake pop you'll ever have. it was reminiscent of the Foie Gras Snickers at Chicago's Aviary. if starbucks sold these i'd be 500 pounds heavier. the Ambrosia is my subjectively perfect dessert. light, but with the meringue and tapioca to ground it with some substance. tropical fruits are my favorite, and passionfruit tapioca is every bit as good as i wanted it to be.

i'd absolutely return, and want to try some of the other dishes, particularly the seafood ones. i also find the prices incredibly reasonable given the ingredients used and compared to other tapas places (even other tapas places just on 14th Street NW).

On 12/13/2017 at 2:15 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

I just had a falafel sandwich from the Halal Guys.  It sucked, compared to Amsterdam.  My balls were very soft, and slightly undercooked.  I don't see myself as a regular patron.  I'll just eat my crappy American Chinese food from Panda Gourmet next door (sadly I eat crappy American Chinese food all the time because I enjoy eating real vegetables).

you should go back and try the food you're supposed to eat there -- some sort of meat over rice.

18 hours ago, Mark Slater said:

No, my least favorite thing is thinking Sauternes automatically goes with any preparation of foie gras.

wait, it doesn't?

On 10/28/2017 at 1:52 PM, DonRocks said:

So you're fine with American cheese, but you detest Miracle Whip. Okay, fair enough - we all have our points of tolerance.

"What is American Cheese, Anyway?" by J. Kenji López-Alt on seriouseats.com

In this article, the author's closing paragraph begins:

"And to all you cheese snobs out there ...."

If I were to write a detailed rebuttal, my closing paragraph would begin:

"And to all you cheese slobs out there ...."

But I'm not getting into this, because it has been discussed before, in various other formats (Cheez Whiz on cheesesteaks, for example) - if people want Cheez Whiz on their cheesesteaks, or an entire box of Old Bay poured on their steamed Blue Crabs, or a well-done steak (like dear old mom), God love 'em. You'll never see me eating Cheez Whiz, ketchup, mounds of Old Bay on delicate blue crab, or American cheese - those fall outside of *my* points of tolerance, and such is the world - no moral judgments are being made here.

And I write this as I'm drinking a Diet Dr. Pepper, so I'm not without sin. 

you could have saved us argument time if you would have said upfront "I don't like proper cheesesteaks" tbh

diet dr pepper is great tho

On 10/25/2017 at 10:15 PM, Keithstg said:

There was not remotely enough bread for the dish

easily my least favorite foie gras in DC trend

16 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Neither does a glass of water, or, for that matter, the absence of cheese.

Can you imagine American cheese in Saag Paneer?

Right. You just cringed.

Never, ever, cook with a wine you wouldn't drink.

Could that mayonnaise have been Miracle Whip? Nobody would know.

Getting fancy quality cheese (that would be mild Cheddar; not American) on a burger is like listening to Beethoven's 9th (Symphony) with a good vocal section.

what does Saag Paneer have to do with it. that's like saying "can you imagine steak in chicken tikka masala" as an indictment of steak.

American cheese has places -- grilled cheese, burgers, and that weird roast beef sandwich at the Tune Inn. mild cheddar doesn't melt near as well.

(miracle whip is the worst. people would know.)

1 hour ago, Simul Parikh said:

Disagree, Don. American cheese complements a good burger because it doesn't compete with the meat. 

Getting fancy cheese on a burger is like listening to Beethoven's 9th, but having Avicii mix it.

agreed. i think Le Diplomate's does as well and believe it to be one of the best in the city. 

 -- thoughts on your meal there?

sure! though Sietsema's First Bite is out, i'm happy to provide my experience.

we swooped in to a lucky cancelled 7PM reservation (changed from our original 10PM), though OpenTable helpfully didn't update Kith & Kin's host stand. thankfully, this wasn't an issue at all - I showed the hostess our OpenTable confirmation for 7PM and we were seated within two minutes. our waiter promptly greeted us, told us a bit about the menu, and left a cocktail list, which he noted was rum-centric. we elected to start with a cocktail -- my wife had what Sietsema had, the Gin & Reggae, a twist on a classic G&T that includes mango and rum. she's a big gin fan, and greatly enjoyed this cocktail, noting it was quite strong. i had the Jost van Dyke, a small but intense cocktail with Bacardi Limón, Velvet Falernum, Aperol, African Rooibos, Lime, Ginger, and Mango Sorbet (the Sorbet takes the place of ice as the chilling agent). it was sweet, but not in a cloying way. it was a perfect start to the dinner, though i'd also think it'd do perfectly with dessert. both cocktails were around $16-17.

our waiter gave the now-familiar DC advice that two to three plates per person was recommended and that everything is designed to be shared. we knew we wanted to share the Seafood Plateau and likely a dessert, so we ordered three additional plates. a collage picture and individual pictures can be found on my Instagram if you'd like to follow along.

to pair with the seafood plateau and beginning courses, i ordered a glass of the 2015 Louis Latour Pouilly-Fuisse ($17), but unfortunately, the wine had not yet arrived at the restaurant. i opted instead for the 2015 Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen Eroica Riesling ($16), and my wife had a glass of 2012 Conundrum ($15). the Seafood Plateau ($39) is one of the dishes here that's going to be talked about a good amount, and with good reason. it isn't the $75+ raw bar tower you may see at Le Diplomate or other DC restaurants - it's a reserved (but not austere) small two-level tower that is perfect for a couple to share. the bottom level was cold food and contained four oysters with habanero, tuna kitfo (a take on Ethiopian steak tartare with berbere spices), and kanpachi ceviche with house spices. the top level had two dishes each of salmon belly, king crab curry, and snapper in a pepper sauce/broth. nothing was less than spectacular. my wife picked the oysters as her favorite, enjoying the combination of the very fresh oyster with the spicy pepper. as an Ethiopian fan and lover of all things berbere AND all things tartare, the kitfo was mine. however, everything was great and we'd happily order the plateau again unchanged.

next came the Mackerel with Jollof Rice and Nigerian Red Sauce ($14....?). i'm a big fan of mackerel and this is no exception. perfectly cooked mackerel melts in your mouth alongside a sauce with a tinge of heat and the incredibly flavorful jollof rice. a dish we were particularly intrigued by that didn't disappoint was the Mushroom Forest ($17), a plate of mushroom spread and charred eggplant dip topped by an array of roasted mushrooms and served with crispy msmen bread (a bread that recently made its appearance at the late Shaw Bijou). this was undoubtedly a highlight of the evening. i feel mushrooms can be incredibly versatile and varied in their tastes and textures and this dish showed that off in spades. 

around this time, a Kin Burger was dropped off at our table. when we explained we didn't order the burger, it was noted as compliments of the house. i'm not sure why or how that happened, but i am incredibly glad it did. we figured that the burger was the 'safe' choice for hotel guests or picky eaters at the table. it doesn't contain much of Chef Kwame's famed African or Caribbean influences -- it's beef, American cheese, lettuce, onions, pickles, and mayo, with only the jerk-spiced bacon to remind the diner they're at Kith and Kin rather than Le Diplomate or Duke's Grocery. i used those two places as a comparison for a reason. this burger is absolutely fantastic. it may be a bit out of place on the menu here, but if i happened to frequent the Wharf a lot or lived nearby, i'd come for a burger night. 

as we transitioned to heavier fare and our wines got lower, we opted for a glass of red wine. unsurprisingly, the red Burgundy counterpart to the wine that hadn't yet arrived (2015 Louis Latour Marsannay ($17) hadn't arrived either. i end up with a 2014 Overlook Landmark Pinot Noir ($14) and my wife ends up with a 2012 Amador Harazsthy Zinfandel. 

the finale was the Braised Oxtail Stew ($19?). the oxtails were braised in stock and served on the bone over rice with some carrots. as Sietsema noted, the meat falls off the bone effortlessly, sometimes even by picking the bone up. the meat is incredibly rich and unctuous, so much so that i almost wished there was more rice to balance the decadent meat and sauce. we ended up finishing most of this, but the unexpected burger addition meant we had to call it quits somewhere. the portion is deceptively large for the price, especially given how rich the dish is.

we had heard enough about the Habanero Peppers (Dessert) ($12) that we had to order them. when the waiter brought the habanero peppers on what appeared to be ice, we were dubious. i trusted the hype and Chef Kwame's instagram post with the immense numbers of these bright orange peppers enough to take a bite. it was delicious and super-weird to bite into what appeared to be a habanero pepper and be rewarded with a sweet grapey surprise. the peppers are filled with a paste/mousse that is a mix of grape and Japanese lime. as a bonus, the ice the peppers rest on is elderflower granita -- i'm a big fan of St. Germain and elderflower generally, so it was the perfect pairing to the unexpectedly delicious peppers.

so there we had it. our first re-visit to Chef Kwame's food since our last trip to The Shaw Bijou. undoubtedly a superior price-to-quality ratio. in all honesty, a pretty good PQR -- many of the dishes were bigger than expected, the ingredients were high quality, we were more than full when leaving. the service had a few hiccups -- nothing severe, and given that it's Week One, nothing unforgivable. i did notice upon reading other reviews that we never received our Coco Bread that people speak highly of. given the addition of the burger, i can't be too disappointed about that, and the bread probably would have been the difference between leaving full and leaving wanting to die, but it's still a mistake. i would happily go again -- there were many dishes cut from our order that we want to try -- the Beef Patties, the Brussels Suya, and the Goat Roti, to name three.

20 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Would you say the same if we got a Morton's?

Oh, you would?

Carry on.

not just if we *got* a Morton's. if we got a Morton's and reservations were hard to get and people were hyping it super hard and the fucking OBAMAS went there? yeah, i would. if Nobu opened and everyone yawned and accepted that it'd be a boring place for edgy 60-year-olds on expense accounts to branch out in their tastes, fine.

it's honestly embarrassing for DC that this is even a thing. it's not 1997, this is the 38th iteration of what's now an overpriced Vegas attraction. i'd much rather go to Sushi Ogawa, Sushi Taro, or Sushi Capitol.

as one would expect from donrockwell.com's infamous paid operative on the shaw bijou's payroll, i'll be going for dinner tonight. i'll report back.

6 hours ago, horacebailey14 said:

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?

Banh Mi DC Sandwich near Eden Center.

4 hours ago, Gadarene said:

Fad or not, it's really really tasty when done well, so there's no reason why it shouldn't be part of the D.C. food scene firmament.

no doubt. this is the best fad to come about recently. better than small plates.... 

On 5/9/2017 at 2:49 PM, Keithstg said:

So did those chairs end up on Rasmus or has someone involved with the place kept them?

Great subtle dig in the article as well: "Not a lot of people have seen the location, so we're not planning on a lot of modifications" Zing!

i want them so badly. i probably spent more time in those chairs than any other customer...

and thats amazing. didn't catch that. 

went for lunch. didn't take pics, sorry.

i had the Tasmanian Sea Trout ($17) to start. i'm a sucker for raw or smoked fish, and this was no exception. the blood orange complimented the smoked fish perfectly. my dining companion has a decadent-looking chicken and foie gras boudin blanc ($18) and he praised it highly.

i moved on to the famous Belleburger ($28), which i was asked if i wanted it "wet or dry." it was explained that it's a french onion soup inspired burger and "wet" basically included onion soup on top. i chose wet. it was absolutely delicious. it was also absurdly messy. i cut it into little pizza-sized wedges to save some sort of dignity. but it was delicious -- the only other "french onion soup" like burger i have had was at Minetta Tavern in NYC, and i'd take this one in a second. dining companion had the lamb salad ($27). he said it was very good. there was a large amount of lamb on it -- it could have easily been rearranged as a lamb entree (particularly at lunch) with a large side salad and no one would have noticed. too full of onion broth and lamb to continue to dessert. excited for summer intern season, this is easily going to replace BLT as my go-to lunch with summer interns!