Rieux

To report back, friends decided on Jaleo Bethesda, which is not a bad option, I think.

8 friends want to get together for dinner in a couple of weeks. Some from NW DC, some in Silver Spring. Looking for a place with good, moderately priced food, preferably in NW, Bethesda, SS, good ambiance where we can hang out for a while. Please save us from ending up at Maggiano's! On first pass I thought of Buck's but I am sure there are other great options I am forgetting.

I had brunch there yesterday. The Egg Uttpam described above was pretty good, the Chicken Khati was delicious, the Avocado Golgappa was fantastic, and the Bhel Puri was also very good. I would have liked the option to order some naan to sop up some of the sauces, etc. but it is not on the brunch menu. The bloody mary was weak as sin and not worth even the low price it cost - it also had zero innovative qualities, nothing Indian about it. I will say also that the service was generally atrocious. I arrived first (before my friend) and checked in with the host, who started to talk to me, went to clear a table, and then came back and answered the phone, leaving me standing there waiting for him to take me to a table - there were multiple open tables. A nice staffer (a woman (manager?) with dreadlocks who seemed to be the only real professional working) saw me standing there awkwardly for several minutes and then took me to our table. The servers all seemed young, overwhelmed, and lacking in confidence and personality. Dirty dishes sat, there was little to no engagement, we waited too long for things -- all these little things added up. I loved the food, but really was bothered by the front of the house. I will go back, because it was delicious, but I hope that the A team works dinner and I was just unlucky to get the brunch B team. That said, the possible manager I mentioned above was hustling, and clearly noticed the failings of the rest of the staff as she mopped up after them.

Now that they are on Amazon, going to try them through a delivery order. Dan Dan Noodles sound like a must-order. Has anyone had the scallion pancake? How's the Ma Po Tofu?

A friend had a rehearsal dinner there in Sept, they handled our group well.

Yes, 5 years. I started the renewal a few months early so as to not have a lapse. Also, when you work in international development and travel monthly it's a lifesaver so I jumped on it a few months after it started.

FYI: I just renewed my Global Entry (It was set to expire in August). I had to re-submit the info already saved in the GOES system, add the new countries I've visited, and pay. Within a week they wrote me back saying I was approved and extended the expiration date of my existing number/card to my birthday in 2022. I did not have to be re-interviewed, although I have heard some people do need to go back in.

Closing per Prince of Petworth. Space to be taken over by a new concept from the Each Peach people.

New concept coming in: http://www.popville.com/2017/02/mola-spanish-restaurants-from-owners-of-nido-coming-to-mount-pleasant/

Opening another location/concept in Mt. Pleasant. http://www.popville.com/2017/02/mola-spanish-restaurants-from-owners-of-nido-coming-to-mount-pleasant/

Checking back - long delayed report on our trip to France. I'll write about our spectacular meals in Paris in that thread eventually but wanted to drop in here on two things: First, you can totally stay on the mainland and still visit Mont St Michel now after hours. The new causeway is connected at all times (except twice a year at REALLY high tides) and there is even a shuttle bus until midnight from the strip of hotels on the mainland (although the walk is worth it). We arrived around 3 pm after driving from Paris with a stop at Chartres, parked at our hotel (the San Gabriel, which is clean, basic, but nice and which includes free parking inside the gates of the hotel area (recommended), and walked on over to the Mont. It was early January and there were probably a total of 20 people there. We immediately went up to the Monastery and literally had it to ourselves until closing. It was amazing, spectacular, and one of the coolest places I've been. We stayed around until sunset, grabbed a cider in one of the local bars on the Mont, and then went back up to scramble around the ramparts in the dark alone. Later we walked back to the mainland and had a truly terrible dinner at the Mercure hotel (don't plan on eating well on the Mont or nearby). But TOTALLY WORTH IT as a trip, and I can see how it would have been ruined if there were many other people there. Thanks, Don, for the recommendation. Otherwise we would never have gone. We had fun several other days tooling around Normandy, (Honfleur and Bayeux). Nothing remarkable on the food front - some decent seafood and crepes in Honfleur, some nice visits to Calvados distilleries) but we had an exceptional meal at Le Angle Saint Laurent in Bayeaux. It's a lovely small restaurant with a husband-wife team (he's the chef, she's front of the house). Again, it was January, so things were quiet, and we walked in and got a table under a vaulted ceiling and rustic stone wall. I can't recall all the details of the spectacular menu, but it was wonderful. It was scallop season, so we both ordered the seven course scallop tasting menu. Every course was great and married nicely with the white Loire that the hostess recommended. Service was lovely, and the total price was not exorbitant for the quality. If you are nearby I highly recommend this restaurant. (Reviews of Frenchie and Chez La Vielle (Daniel Rose's newish place) to come in the Paris thread.

Fat pete's

Federalist pig

We went to the original Ottolenghi, which was delicious. It's kind of cramped so if you want luxury/space and a newer feel go to Nopi which we walked by and is nice in a white/gold theme. I kind of like sticking to the original though (and it is walking distance to my friend's house). We also went to Dishoom again (I previously had been to the one in Shoreditch - this time we went to the one near Carnaby Street). It was great (again) and I love the turn of the century Indian railway vibe they have going on (and the cocktails). One night before the theatre we went to Sputino near Soho - it is a wine bar/small plates restaurant with a vaguely Italian menu. Reminded me of Cork in DC. The food and drink were very good and it is tough to find a good, reliable casual place in that area full of tourist traps. Our other meal out was at a small Chinese noodle place near the Arsenal stadium (and a block from my friend's house) which was also good but not worth any kind of detour.

As I said upthread, I really enjoyed my meal at The Grocery (probably more than I did my meal at Husk)

I tried this place today, (the new branch at 14 and I, which is a block from my office) on the basis of this thread. I thought it was fine, nothing spectacular, but a decent lunch at a good price. I got the whole wheat pita with chicken, hummus, various veggies, chickpeas, and tahini. The chicken was a bit dry and didn't have a ton of flavor, but the combination I made was pretty good. At first I was worried it wouldn't be enough, so I also ordered a $3.99 side of tabbouleh. The tabbouleh was not good. Dry, unpleasant, I pitched it after three bites. But, I didn't need it as this was a substantial pita sandwich. If I just got the sandwich at $8.99, I would have thought this a very good deal and decent, but not amazing, lunch.

I was shocked, shocked, to find a Five Guys two story storefront on the Champs Elysees in Paris. I thought it was over-rated when it was one storefront in Arlington and can't believe the expansion!

I second the roll out tall boy pantry. It is my favorite item in my kitchen. So easy to organize spices, vinegars, oils etc.

Tried Hazel last night before seeing the excellent Seu Jorge sings David Bowie in Portuguese concert at the Howard. A friend and I shared: The chickpea tofu, the sweet potatoes, the English muffins, and a dessert that was basically chocolate and nougat. (See menu above for more details on the dishes). I loved the tofu dish - it reminded me of a lighter, crispier ma po tofu (we got the mushroom version). It had a nice heat, and complex flavor that was enhanced by the nuttiness of the tofu (made of chickpeas) and fried chickpeas. The potatoes were also very good with a nice mix of textures - crispy chips, soft roasted potatoes, nice heat from the peri peri. The English muffins I thought were just ok - a little too sweet and with not enough truffle flavor for me, but my friend loved them. The dessert was fine - I have had better but it was perfectly decent as a chocolate/peanut dish. We sat at the bar and the service was delightful. The bartender offered me a taste of the Orange wine when I asked about it which was a nice touch. I had a glass of it after tasting as it was pleasantly funky, just the way I like Orange wine. My friend had a semi-sweet cocktail, and I had one that involved gin and Montenegro that was fantastic. I loved the Star Trek TNG episode names as the names of the drinks. All told we each spent about $50, which I that was a good deal for a tasty, relatively healthy meal in nice surroundings. I can't wait to go back.

Best Coffee Shop? Best sit-down downtown lunch Best fast casual downtown lunch Best cheap downtown lunch

Apparently, Tom was there recently too -- first look published Friday (but I just saw it).

My husband and I wanted to grab an early dinner around 6:15 pm Saturday to make up for the anniversary dinner we had to cancel earlier in the week (it's a long story that involves a concussion - and said concussion is making husband very sleepy, hence the early dinner). We figured it should be no issue showing up at Himitsu at 6:15 to grab two seats either at the bar or a table. I figured that most people wouldn't be eating or even out yet on a Saturday at 6. Wow. I was wrong. The wait was over 2 hours long when we arrived so we decided to head elsewhere and got in the car to try our luck at Izakaya Seki. However, as soon as I turned down 8th st from Upshur we saw a new restaurant, that had a few tables, and figured, why not? The internet suggested that it was a new Asian street food restaurant (an old Prince of Petworth article), but when we looked at the menu in the window it was clear it was a Pan-Latin place. Since my husband and I both work in Latin America and travel there often we figured, again, why not? I asked the very nice hostess how long they had been open -- she said three weeks. We were seated immediately - the room is cool - lots of Edison bulbs, wood, exposed brick, plants hanging on the wall, central large bar. We both really liked the space. Service, throughout the night, was fine. A little distracted (menus sat on the table most of the meal until I asked for them to be taken away, long waits for water) and just a little inexperienced. But, hey, it was week 3, and the server was perfectly nice and did his job. Polish will come. The menu is broken down into four categories and includes a variety of drinks and dishes from Peru, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. One category is appetizers, which had empanadas, fish tacos, quiejo coehlo (A delicous slab of cheese with oregano that you eat on the beach in Brazil) and some other items. There was also a ceviche section with 4 or 5 choices, a section of sandwiches (a chicken milanesa, a choripan - which is a grilled sausage sandwich, and a Cubano), and a main course section with chiles rellenos, a carne asada hanger steak with yucca fries and chimichurri, a fish special of the day (a seafood stew on Saturday), an Aji Huancaina (Peruvian yellow chile sauced chicken) and a couple other dishes. We had the queijo and fish tacos as appetizers and both were very good - as good as or better than the versions we usually eat in Latin America. I had the carne asada for my main and it was fine. I liked it, but could make it at home with the pre-marinated carne asada from Trader Joe's. My husband had the seafood stew which had octopus, clams, fish, and mussels in a really nice broth. It was great. We didn't do dessert. The wine list is heavy on Chilean and Argentine Malbecs and Pinot Noirs, but I had a very nice glass of a Bolivian!! Tannat that is a rarity. I would have liked to have seen more Uruguayan wines on the menu, as I think they are great and under-represented. The cocktail list is also nice - my mole Old Fashioned was really great on a cold night. I think this is a nice new addition to the scene!

Anyone been recently? Tomorrow is our anniversary and we just now decided to go out to dinner tomorrow to celebrate. If we showed up around 6/6:15 do people think we'd have any chance of getting seats at the bar, or a table? Otherwise, maybe we will try the bar at Kinship.

My friend just had Cork market host a private dinner in their upstairs space. The food was good, and it was fun if you are looking for something a little more informal.

This is why it is important to make sure your frequent flyer number (which should be attached to your global entry number in your profile) is in your reservation well before the travel day