Jonathan

4 hours ago, Marty L. said:

So with P&P at No. 2, what's his #1?  Rose's?  Metier?  Tail-up Goat? Fiola Mare?  Probably Rose's, which was his #1 last year.

I'm flummoxed.

55 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

I hadn't eaten the entire day, so I was truly hungry. For my entrée, I ordered the Grilled Skirt Steak with Broccolini, Romesco Sauce, and Cipollini Onions ($35). I'm not sure when skirt steak got so expensive, but this is one hell of a lot of money - and it didn't come out flopping off the plate as it sometimes does; it was sliced, thus difficult to tell about the portion size, but it was ordered and cooked to a perfect medium-rare, and everything on the plate was in sync. It was a great, if fiendishly expensive, skirt steak, and a large-enough portion so that I was quite full when I'd finished. One thing I noticed is that, despite it being a Monday night, every single detail on both plates was perfectly executed (including the all-important sauces) - when you have name recognition like The Spotted Pig, you get to hire the cream-of-the-crop when it comes to line cooks and sous chefs, and it really showed on this drizzly Monday - the kitchen was doing outstanding work.

I can tell you from experience (as I worked there in 2008), that no matter the day and no matter the shift, this place is run with the utmost attention to detail.

Back then, the skirt steak was $28 and it was served kind of like a Thai style steak salad. I remember thinking how outrageously expensive it was. But they were always full and people never really barked at the prices for the skirt steak or the beef tongue or lamb heart.

18 hours ago, Simul Parikh said:

Man. I feel like I'm the one kid who's noticing the emperor has no clothes....

And you can say what you want about ingredients or rents or etc... here is the difference that galls me most. Ghibellina and many others have these fired ovens. Much more intensive and difficult and challenging to master. Not that it's my favorite. I'm a deck oven guy, being from Detroit, but I respect that they are different in style and technique. However, Jonathan, correct me if I'm wrong but deck ovens are no harder than the fire ovens seen at Neapolitan or Neapolitan-like pizza places out there, but possibly easier and possibly a bit more forgiving. 

Pizza preference is obviously subjective. And most of us have had great pizza out of deck ovens and terrible pizza out of deck ovens. We have also most likely had great pizza out of wood-fired ovens and terrible pizza out of them too. And as the adage goes, even bad pizza is good.

The deal with gas deck ovens is that, unlike coal or wood-fired ovens, they can only get as high as 650 degrees. As a result, they take longer to cook. And because of this longer bake time, oils and sugars are typically added to the dough to make them more tender, to help caramelize, and to add flavor that would otherwise be gained by the high temperatures and resulting maillard reactions. In a coal or wood fired oven reaching 900-1000 degrees the high temperature cooking, leads to a shorter cook time allowing the dough to crisp on the outside quickly and have the inside remain pillowy and soft. The end product, whether it be coal fired from Frank Pepe or gas oven from Pizzeria Beddia or wood-fired from Pizzeria Bianco or for that matter deck oven, in a pan, like Buddy's, will all have their fans and detractors, and be cause for great arguments.

All that aside, I certainly had the most fun of my cooking career while manning the 900-1000 degree, wood-only, oven at the original Franny's on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. My buddy/mentor, Mike Conlon (now manning the pits at Hometown BBQ in Red Hook) and I used to always joke how we were the #1a and #1b pizzaiolo in South Brooklyn when we were on top of our game. No small feat considering the great pizzas in that part of the world. Cooking with fire, and at those high temperatures, is certainly more difficult and requires a greater skill than manning a gas oven or gas deck oven or conveyor belt oven.

Had the pleasure of visiting our own Poivrot Farci at 8 Hands Farm (website) in Cutchogue, NY last week. Poivrot is butchering, cooking, baking bread and farming at a small, sustainable farm out on the east end of Long Island's north fork.

The farm recently built an amazing kitchen for Julien to perform his craft. They also have a food trailer (a food truck on steroids) that will start serving homey meals featuring their chickens, pigs, and sheep. They are also building a cheese-making facility. Local resident Tom Colicchio is a big fan of Poivrot's work. 

Below is a shot from his walk-in. Very much worth a trip if you are out that way. Beautiful country, filled with farms, vineyards and water.

21 hours ago, franch said:

reminder: a Bib Gourmand cannot be awarded to a restaurant that gets a Michelin Star, and is supposed to be the "cheap eats" places - $40 for 2 courses and either a dessert or a glass of wine.

Bib Gourmands were awarded to:

Bad Saint
Bidwell
Boqueria
Chercher
China Chilcano
Das
Doi Moi
Jaleo
Kyirisan
Lapis
Maketto
Ottoman Taverna
Oyamel
Pearl Dive Oyster Palace
Red Hen
Royal
Thip Khao
2Amys
Zaytinya

A bizarre list of restaurants by a bizarre publication. I'm glad they didn't out El Sol or Baan Thai or the many other actual cheap eats that are far more delicious than this slapdash collection. But, hey, they will sell their books. And chefs and restauranteurs will have their bibs or stars to hang on their walls.

4 hours ago, jca76 said:

The physical bar is in the back of the first floor, but the wine bar menu is given to all the tables, so you don't have to sit at the actual bar to partake.    

But I find the atmosphere of the actual wine bar to be far superior to sitting in the restaurant (and in Siberia upstairs). 

You get to see the food sitting at the wine bar. And the bartenders/Jeffrey/Oliver are great.

1 hour ago, Simul Parikh said:

Man, id better come with an appetite!!

You'll be fine. They are "small plates made for sharing."

[tongue planted firmly in cheek]

28 minutes ago, jca76 said:

I generally agree with Jonathan's post (although my list differs because I'm pescatarian).  Because the white menu changes daily, there's no go-to that you can be assured of ordering.  Various gazpachos (sometimes tomato, sometimes fruit) with poached seafood (lobster on a few occasions, shrimp on Monday) have always been excellent.  Get a corn, mushroom, or green bean salad if available.  The savory tarts and pies also tend to be really good.  Roasted eggplant also appears regularly and is worth trying.  

I also like the fizzy Gragnano, although I prefer it room temp to cold (they'll ask which way you'd like it). 

Agreed. The eggplant with a green type sauce and pine nuts has been delicious as is any type of bean or corn.

if you can use the word "soulful" to describe food, then 2 Amy's is it. 

1 hour ago, Simul Parikh said:

Man, I've been 3 times and I just don't get it... 

Going to try again. What 3 things should we order?

The chilled sparkling Gragnano is my go to wine. Their beers are all winners.

pizza is an afterthought but I typical get the Norcia.

all dishes that are on the white wine bar menu that come from the actual wine bar are better than the normal menu items that come from their kitchen.

roasted cauliflower is always good. Roasted peppers with olives and tonnato. Cured meats. Porchetta. Marinated beans. Pickled and cured sardines. Smoked swordfish with olives and fennel. Basically anything drenched in olive oil. Make sure to ask for lots of bread and make friends with Kiersten or Jeffrey or Oliver or anyone working the bar.

13 minutes ago, brr said:

2 Amys is just so freakin good - been a couple of times recently and the bar menu just blows us away - the Porchetta is to DIE for, the tomato salad with ricotta and chives melts in your mouth - the meatballs are as good as ever - feel very lucky to be a 10 min drive and glad they are still top notch 10+ years after opening

it certainly gets lost in all the hype of the new restaurants that are continuously opening. But for my money, I'd take two stools at the wine bar, my wife, a crossword puzzle book and some of the most soul satisfying, seasonal food the city has to offer. Not to mention a beautifully culled wine list and beer list. All for a fraction of what you would pay elsewhere in the city.

6 hours ago, jasonc said:

I would like people really to pay more for top-quality Mexican food. I think it's the most undervalued, underappreciated world cuisine with tremendous, tremendous potential. These are in many cases really complex, wonderful sauces; particularly from Oaxaca, for instance, that date back from before Europe. I'm very excited about the possibilities for that cuisine, and I think we should pay more attention to it, learn more about it, and value it more. This is frankly a racist assumption that Mexican food or Indian food should be cheap. That's not right.

A restaurant, that uses high quality ingredients, prepares the food with love and care and treats their employees like family, should be able to charge enough money to make the restaurant a nice profit so they can continue operating...whether it be Mexican, ramen, BBQ or haute cuisine.

clearly there is a notion amongst a large swathe of people that certain foods should be cheap always, regardless. My wife and I have written a business plan for a Mexican restaurant where people would have to pay $50 for food on average...and we knew in our heart of hearts that many people would bristle...

the issue I have with the cost of food is not when I know a place treats its staff like family and uses top notch ingredients...its when a place like Rosa Mexicana uses gimmicks to charge $25 for enchiladas or other restaurants use hipster credibility, a loud mouth and some mismatched plateware as an excuse to charge $15 for a plate of carrots or $22 for a chicken thigh. In those cases, I'd much prefer to spend my money at a hole-in-the-wall taqueria or Peruvian chicken joint (and not pay a premium for their rent or their corporate profits) or a place that I know support the causes I care about.

10 hours ago, dinoue said:

He is becoming a caricature of himself, a lot of self promotion, particularly of a specific image he thinks will appeal to his perceived audience. Seriously, the only time I drink watery beer is when it's the happy hour deal for $2 at All Set. He claims to drink it all the time.

In my opinion, Chang has become a caricature of everything he has always claimed to be against in high end dining, but still thinks he speaks for the essence of pure food. The food might not be as bad as Guy Fieri's, but the marketing concept, which includes the location and it's accompanying high rent, driving it is more powerful than the culinary concepts.

I couldn't agree more. Not to mention, the cereal milk ice cream is terrible.

1 hour ago, Tweaked said:

Several of us weren't wowed by the crust, and there is far too much outer ring of crust (is there a proper term for the outer ring of crust?).  While they were both tasty pies, the execution isn't quite there yet.   

We all agreed that it was good introduction to All-Purpose, and we would like to go back and craft a meal from the Antipasti selections.  But I would agree with above, I'm not really getting the 3 star love from Sietsema.    

Cornicione.

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/01/how-to-pronounce-cornicione.html

and their crust needs some work. after visiting all purpose several times, along with pizzeria vetri and timber pizza, and knowing a thing or two about good pizza crusts myself, I think Timber Pizza has the best pizzas of any of the new establishments in the city. 

Just one guys .02 cents.

2 hours ago, Josh Radigan said:

Sister in law works at the original in NYC so info is on her down low. What I know is that he pays way above the average on kitchen $ and helps with insurance. When was the last time a non-corporate restaurant paid any part of insurance. I have worked for several in the past and not one did, and they were big guys.

In the post Obama-care world it is much more common than you think. Tail Up Goat, Mindful Restaurants are two I know from experience. And I was under the impression that he pays the normal $12-$15 per hour for cooks that is industry standard.

7 hours ago, Josh Radigan said:

Cost of Real Estate, factor in now that he is paying $$$ for staff to include benefits (something a lot of restaurant owners are now learning is a key way to retain staff) and that bowl of Ramen is starting off at a higher price point. Let me ask this, would you have gone to his place for lunch today if it were in Anacostia (lower real estate costs) and the service and tempo were ok, not great, maybe somewhat off (high turnover amongst staff) and said 'hey, that $12 bowl of ramen was worth going back for next week...'

Where is it written that he pays benefits and high wages to his staff? I remember reading that he wanted to pay his staff like $18/HR but never read anywhere that he was doing such things. And if he is paying benefits, what are they? What percentage is he paying of health insurance etc?

1 hour ago, Marty L. said:

What are your favorites for take-out from Baan Thai?

Northern Thai Pork Curry****

Khao Soi***

Green Mango Salad (best rendition I've had)

Kanom Krok for dessert (spelling is probably off)

Spicy beef salad with eggplant 

Spicy stir fried chicken with bamboo shoots

*****have to get!

13 hours ago, frogprince said:

My wife and I lived nearby before we left DC and regularly partook of the tongue-sizzling numbness that is (or can be) Great Wall. I've had fantastic dishes time and time again (Ma Po Tofu with meat, Szechuan Pork Dumplings, Szechuan Eggplant, Bok Choy with Garlic for instance) and some staggeringly bad ones (Peking Duck- well that's on me, poor ordering, Pork Belly, a few of the American-Chinese classics). Over the years, they were always consistent- that is, the Szechuan menu was on point, nearly flawless, consistently and the poor dishes continued to be poor

Oh for bowl of Ma Po Tofu...Chinese pretty thin on the ground in southeast Louisiana

You can add to frogprince's list of very good/great dishes (and like frogprince, I love the Szechuan Eggplant and Ma Po Tofu):

-Ma La Pork Chop (General Tso's on crack)

-Dan Dan Noodles

-Shredded Beef

-Twice Cooked Pork (which is the pork belly, but I've had some great batches)

-Boiled Fish with Mustard Greens (though I have never had it, people have told me it's fantastic)

The only reason I don't go here often is because it is a bit unhealthy compared to home-cooking or even Baan Thai. But it is a very good option to have for delivery.

2 hours ago, franch said:

same. preferred Ghibellina's from the time we were there.

Well that is flattering;) that's my pizza. And I'm very passionate about it.

2 Amy's, dollar for dollar, though, is the best restaurant in DC.

Franch...food is life. It's what sustains us. It's what I have given my adult life to...to enjoying food, cooking, shopping, cleaning, eating and running restaurants. Shaw Bijou is a a caricature. It's the Jersey Shore. It's Small Wonder. I Iike Sopranos,  I like Cezanne.,I like Sargent. It's as simple as that.

Shaw Bijou has been a non-stop parade of PR for over 2 years. The doors haven't opened. Prices have gone up. Memoirs have been inked. Cookbooks written. Ribeyes ordered. Ribeyes wasted. Shaw Bijou is all that I find to be embarrassing in the profession and world I am in everyday. Pardon my passion, but this is Paris Hilton. This is Real Housewives...this is our culture at our worst.

This isn't a celebration of food and wine and life. It's a celebration of one guys "story" and celebrity. It's mediocre food. It's vastly overpriced. It's so many things that I find offensive...that to actually speak my mind and share my opinion feels good. Feels calming. Feels cathartic. I can only hope that a meal for 2 in November or January or May 2017 (if they have opened yet or opened and then have since closed) feels half as good at quarter the price.(or some fraction of a fraction of a whole or what not)

*disclaimer: I have never seen Mozart so I cannot attest that they are markedly better than CREED. But a friend of a friend of mine that worked at '31 Flavors' told me that Mozart was bitchen'

1 hour ago, franch said:

plenty of concerts cost $562 for 2, and you can buy $400 of booze anywhere.

Paul McCartney.

Paul Simon.

Rolling Stones.

front row at the Stone Roses.

Hamilton (over priced and over hyped)

where else? And is Kwame as accomplished as those acts?

1 hour ago, franch said:

plenty of concerts cost $562 for 2, and you can buy $400 of booze anywhere.

please tell me what concerts cost $562 for 2 tickets...and where you would be forced to fork over another $400!!!! for transport, food and drinks?

Much appreciated.

and then tell me if this meal at Shaw Bijou will include a world class music act, transportation and a decent meal. Because as far as I know, it is an over priced meal served a block off of Rhode Island Avenue by a guy who is more concerned about his image than actually cooking for a living...at a price point so far out of whack of his experience, talent, and ability to execute that it takes a brave soul (not to charge as much as he is charging but) to call him out for his  bu!!$h!t.

1 hour ago, franch said:

plenty of concerts cost $562 for 2, and you can buy $400 of booze anywhere.

You have clearly shown your allegiance and excitement for Shaw Bijou. Now it would be appropriate to share any and all ties to Kwami, his partners, this project and/or Top Chef. Because you are quite the cheerleader...(will there be pom-pom's and short skirts? Sequins? Overpriced parking? Are you Dan Snyder? Will there be Cowboys and Eagles involved?).

Yes all sales are final for concert tickets. But what concert costs $962 for 2?

This guy is the equivalent of CREED yet he's charging prices more apropos to Mozart.

i wish this guy picked another city to open up in.

2 hours ago, DonRocks said:

As well you should be - a 26-year-old kid who staged at Eleven Madison Park charging $185 for a tasting menu? Enjoy your dinner, folks, and let me know how it is: I'll be at 2 Amys.

We're in a bubble, my friends.

I'm hoping Kwame Brown (DCs original wunderkid) can be the Maitre d'...

1 hour ago, DaveO said:

Congrats.  Its beautiful.  What are you gonna do in the winters?

Our goal is to open up a small pizzeria, so we will most likely be open all winter. 

We had a deal fall through on a pizzeria in Mattituck that was right next to the high school and seemed to do well enough during the off-season.