DanCole42
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Everything posted by DanCole42
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I'm looking for recommendations. Not sure what they want to spend, so I'd love to see low-, mid-, and upper-ranges. Thanks so much you wonderful people.
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Rub raw garlic on the bite like your life depends on it. It'll sting, but man up. Or just do what I did and marry someone who's way more delicious to bugs than you are.
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I can only assume that this thread only has one page of posts on it because everyone here who dines at Ashby comes back carrying too much awe that they forget how to read and write. My wife and I went for lunch on this gorgeous past Saturday. We had what amounted to a fourteen course meal (four snacks, two split apps, two split entrees, two split desserts, three different lagniappes and bread) plus five outstanding glasses of wine between us, plus tax and tip, for under $200. Cashew and bacon brittle, grilled asparagus risotto, smoked butter burger with anchovy mayo, chocolate pound cake with salted butter ice cream (holy fuck... HOLY FUCK!!!!!!!) and many more incredibly artistic and flavorful dishes, all served here: That's a glass of 2010 Hume vineyard rosé. It tasted like the day. You guys... you guys... seriously. You guys. You guys!! No excuses. Get out there. This is some of the most exciting food happening anywhere in the country. And innkeeper/sommelier Neal Wavra does a great job of making you feel like you're coming home every time you visit!
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So... what's out there?
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From Todd Kliman's Twitter: "Clayton Miller, formerly of Trummer's on Main, in Clifton, has been named the new chef at Michael Mina's Wit & Wisdom in Baltimore." FWIW, he was still there on Saturday.
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I will heartily second an overnight stay at the Ashby Inn. My wife and I stayed in the "Fan Room" which is DIRECTLY above the restaurant. It was great to be sipping port before dinner while the sun set over the mountains and the scents of the kitchen wafted up through the open doors of our balcony. Then we went downstairs and ate our fill of the food that was producing said scents. And then, drunk and full, all we had to do was head upstairs. It was perfect.
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Massive water main break on Connecticut Ave right outside this place. Seems the whole building flooded, too. I'm thinking insurance scam.
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Not gonna comment on the food, service, etc. I'm just gonna sum up and say that Rogue 24 was just a really good fucking time. A blast. And you should absolutely go if you have the capacity to be literally entertained by food. And after all, isn't that why everyone except Don goes out to eat in the first place?
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Racism Charges Leveled Against Fojol Brothers Food Trucks
DanCole42 replied to DonRocks's topic in News and Media
These are racists: These are hipsters: For shame on anyone who wastes a single molecule of neurotransmitter being offended by the second photo when people like the ones in the first photo exist on this planet.
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So my plan tonight was to hit up the Vidalia bar menu after work: get one of everything, a few drinks, and just relax on the couches until my wife tells me I need to come home. Unfortunately, the timing doesn't quite work out for me and I'll need to be in Clarendon. What's a good place in that area that would duplicate the Vidalia experience? I won't have a car.
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Racism Charges Leveled Against Fojol Brothers Food Trucks
DanCole42 replied to DonRocks's topic in News and Media
If I see a hot lady on the street and she makes me horny, she does not suddenly have an obligation to make herself ugly so I'll stop being sexually frustrated. -
I know, which was why I was disappointed to see, as a bare footnote on an otherwise amazing tequila list, only two mezcals: Monte Alban and one other on the same tier (the name is slipping my mind). If there's smoke in it, I will eat it, drink it, smoke it, shoot it, breathe it... I bet you could come up with some really great artisinal mezcal.
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Picante, Chantilly Park Shopping Center
DanCole42 replied to ol_ironstomach's topic in Washington DC Restaurants and Dining
It's been a long time since I've reviewed a place, and even longer since I've done "suburban ethnic." I went in fully expecting typical Sysco-subsidized, homogenized mediocrity, but went away pleasantly surprised by the selection and the shockingly well-seasoned and spiced meats. Don't expect super-traditional, but do expect delicious. Chiles en nogados ($6.95) - Fresh cream and queso fresco are the bullet points on the menu, but the beef and pork that covered these halved jalapeños were seasoned with a spice mixture so aromatic and savory that I forgot who I was for a few minutes. Torta Cecina de Res ($9.50) - People who think that a taco is the Mexican equivalent of a sandwich have obviously never had a torta. This one on crusty, airy telera bread was, just as the menu advertised, smothered in beans, sour cream, thin sliced beef cured with salt, lime juice and herbs with avocado, onions, tomatoes and queso fresco and garnished with pickled jalapeño. I would not be surprised if the jalapeños had been house-pickled. Tacas al Pastor (two for $12.50) - This wasn't your typical schwarma-sliced tacos al pastor with the giant wedge of pineapple. However, the pork was, just as with all the other meats we'd enjoyed, seasoned in a way that was laughably exciting. Packed in a doggie bag with onions, lime, and cilantro, our leftovers made amazing second-day picnic eats. I will say that it took a long time for our food to arrive: what our server described as a "backup in the kitchen." That said, the service was friendly and welcoming. I ordered a shot of mezcal to start. The server was uncomfortable telling me that there was only one shot left in the bottle, and that I would likely end up with the worm, so he sent the manager over to do it. I said I was fine with the worm (show no weakness!), and poured the little guy down my gullet. Afterwards, the owner himself (who in my head I've named "Don Picante" - real name: Guillermo Manoatl, which is basically the same thing) came over to meet the man who drank the worm. He gave me the bottle to take home. I guess I didn't realize it was a big deal. It actually turns out that they have something like eighty different types of tequila, and that the owner hosts a $10 tequila class on Thursdays. I'll probably go at some point and report back, but I was made a little wary when he described mezcal as a cheaper, lower form of tequila when it fact it's a completely different drink with its own unique and smokey character. I'll definitely be back. -
How did you hit $90 a head without wine? Our four top last night had three excellent bottles and only just barely hit $90 a head. As to the flavor, have you had real dry-aged before? It definitely tastes a bit different than regular steak, and it's not for everyone, so that could be why the flavor seemed off to you. I for one think it's freaking amazing. I can confirm that the menu online is accurate as of last night. http://raysthesteaks.com/Images/2300_menu_2.10.11.pdf
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I never dine alone at a table-service restaurant. It's probably my crippling fear of being judged. "Oh god, the poor handsome man is eating by himself! Do you think his date stood him up? There must be something really wrong with him, because he's so sexy. I bet he has scrotal hyperwarts or something." Even at counter-service restaurants I'll generally order "to go" if I'm by myself. Oh god I'm so afraid of being alone...
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One of my parents' earlier dates!
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Where does anything Don say criticize the business model? No one's arguing that they're very good businessmen. The question is whether or not they're good chefs.
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The short answer is that this is a public forum about DC food, so everthing from "who's your favorite chef" to "which area McDonald's bathroom is the SEXIEST" falls under "necessary." The difference as I've seen it between Spike and the chefs that Don named is that, whether you love the work those chefs are doing or not, they're letting their food speak for their talent (or lack of it, if that's your opinion). Spike is letting his talent speak for his talent. See recursion.
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Finally made it to Ray's^3 for lunch. The steak and cheese... oh man, like Michael said it's definitely not a "philly cheeseteak" but it IS an amazing sandwich. It's basically a bunch of sweet and delicious beef char held together with creamy provolone. Even the bread works great with it. Fries were not bad. Get some picanha sauce to go with them.
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So how are the frites?
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So how are the frites?
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You know, I've always been kind of a snob about my Taco Bells. I only ever patronized Taco Bells that were standalone - no Taco Huts, KF Bells, and most certainly no KenTacoHuts. My thinking was that offering the additional options would in some way dilute the quality and flavor I'd come to expect from my runs south of the border. Well I stand corrected, and I apologize for my snobbery. It turns out that, at least at the two combo restaurants I've been to, my chalupas were every bit as chewy, crisp, and crunchy as they were at the "purer" 'Bells.
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My family comes from the mountains outside Genoa - west of Fabio's own Marche, but still very Northern Italian. Off-the-bat good signs were that they had a cocktail called the Jolanda (my grandmother's name) and the Teresa (her dear, dear sister's name). The Jolanda (Maraschino Liqueur, Lemon Juice, Liqueur de Violettes, Prosecco) is my wife's new favorite drink. Shout out to Jeff Faile! The food was not groundbreaking per se(i.e. nothing made me say, "I should try this!" - not like a burger on an English muffin), but it was what it was: perfectly executed, evolved, refined, and scrumptious rustic Northern Italian. The pork belly served with black truffles, parmesan foam, and beans was delicious in its own right, but what really blew me away was the fact that the subtle brown tomato sauce that went with it was just about a dead ringer for my grandmother's own sauce - the one I've been eating every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter for the past 32 years. The fact that Maria Trabocchi is also a dead ringer for my grandmother - elegant, blond, tough-as-nails-no-shit-taking Italian (yes, I'm aware she's from Spain) - (but of course much, much, much younger) completed the illusion for me. Wine pairings were spot-on and also extremely Italian. I've strayed from my roots... preferring French and Mexican lately - but Fiola brought me back!
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This is our new go-to place for "fuck it, I don't feel like cooking and I need a goddamn drink" nights. During the week there's always ample seating at the bar, and while there are always new, inventive, and highly seasonal cocktails coming along, my favorite remains the refreshing, signature Titanic ($8 on Tuesdays). Anything with an "SA" (as in, sick-ass) is a menu staple, and worth getting. From the burger served on an english muffin to their warm chocolate sundae. Be sure to order some smoked (or curried) mayo to go with your fries. If we're there and the Caps are playing that night, be prepared for my wife to be yelling at the TV...
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Brûléed sottoncenere cheese, bacon toasted, scrambled egg espuma, ham balsamic. Black chocolate spongecake, barley ice cream, whipped chocolate, vincotto. 70 layer lasagna, preserved tomato jus, arugula salad, parmesan. Korean hot pot filled with all different kinds of succulent, moist meats. And that's just the stuff I remember. There were also at least four different snacks plus two appetizers, all of it served in a cozy country inn nestled in a mountain pass (like someplace out of Lord of the Rings). The fact that my wife and I got this much food from a chef who's a goddamn artistic genius for around $100 is mind-boggling. Seriously, GTFO to Ashby before Tarver King wins a Beard award and gets famous.
