Rieux

The servers were sometimes scatterbrained, the food was not always perfect, but I did like Domku for the vibe, the food (when the kitchen was on), and the mission.  It will be missed.  http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/food/article/20780720/domku-is-closing-in-petworth

After a third visit Tail Up Goat is by far my favorite restaurant in the area. Sat at the bar tonight for dinner. The cocktails, wine, service and food were all perfect. I'm in love with a restaurant. 

On 5/2/2016 at 10:48 AM, DonRocks said:

I'd love to hear some recent details about DBGB (here, or here) - even just a few sentences about what you liked best, or didn't like.

Side note: Did you know that DBGB stands for, I shit ye not, "Daniel Boulud Good Burger?!" This gives me the heebie-jeebies, which is the only way I can remember the name.

We've been there twice in the last 6 weeks (most recently last Saturday night).  Obviously we liked it enough the first time to go back.

On the first visit (with friends) we sat in a booth in the "upstairs" part of the restaurant.  I can't recall the specific cocktails we had, but I recall that two of them were excellent.  The third was a disaster - my friend asked for a "very dirty martini" but the martini was so salty it was undrinkable.  It was sent back and the second had the same problem.  In the end he just asked for a regular martini with olive juice on the side, and that was fine.  For dinner we shared a bottle of Bordeaux that was delicious (my friend is from Bordeaux so he chose the bottle and I have no idea which one it was).  Two of us had sausages as appetizers - the boudin blanc I had was one of the best I have ever tasted and my friend enjoyed his Burgundy sausage.  For mains I had the coq au vin and it was everything that that dish should be, but a bit too salty.  Still I really enjoyed it.  My other three friends had various fish dishes that were great - I think this kitchen does fish well.  Dessert was rocky road profiteroles.  The dish is a large profiterole filled with coffee ice cream, a marshmallow, and crunch under a large chocolate dome (like the Biosphere).  When they pour the hot chocolate sauce over the dish the dome melts and the dessert becomes an amazing gooey mess.  Overall that night our female server was delightful, unobtrusive, but always there when we needed her.

Second visit last week was with my 70's-ish parents.  We sat next to the window downstairs in a booth (I had requested a quiet booth).  This table was not as nice, and the music that night started out as a loud punk, but eventually switched to a more mellow jazz.  I think I prefer the "upstairs" section for future reservations.  Our server Saturday was fine, but lacked a certain polish and food knowledge, I think.  That said, we enjoyed our meals for the most part.

I started with the charred leeks with soy, crispy egg, and dijonaise (I almost got the boudin again, but wanted to branch out).  It was inventive, and good, but WAY salty.  The preparation is unique - the grilled leeks have a large deep fried egg on top (like a scotch egg without the sausage) but somehow the yolk remains liquid.  The mustard was PUNGENT, but I like it that way.  Again, I liked this, and would maybe even order it again, but the salt needs to come WAYYY down.  My dad had the Vermont sausage which is pork and cheddar with a delicious potato cake.  I thought it was good, especially the potatoes

For mains, remembering how good the seafood was last time, all four of us had fish.  Three of us ordered the halibut with asparagus, fingerlings, hollandaise, and meyer lemon.  This was very good, not great.  The meyer lemon crumble was aggressively lemony, there was not much hollandaise, and the fish, which was seared and roasted, was a little dry (although the flavor was good) the fingerlings were delicious, smashed and roasted.  That said, my mother's fish dish was extraordinary.  I was jealous of her olive oil poached snapper (usually cod, but they were out of it and subbed red snapper) under a sauce of clam chowder.  It was delicious.  Why no one has ever thought to use clam chowder as a sauce before is a mystery to me, and it is a trick I will steal for home cooking in the future.  Dessert, again, was profiteroles.  Everyone liked their meal, and the parents seemed happy. 

After two good meals I think DBGB deserves to be in the rotation, the food is good, you can usually get a reservation through Resy, and it fits a lot of different situations.  The burgers look fantastic.  Next time, I think I will try one of them.

Dear all,

Just to close the loop, we ended up going to DBGB, which everyone enjoyed.  It was a bit loud (but almost everything is nowadays).  We mainly ended up there because of the myriad suggestions above, it was the one that we could get into on short notice.  

The parents also enjoyed lunch at Union Market (Dad, the porkstrami from Red Apron and mom, getting adventurous, her arepa).

Thanks to all!

Thanks, all, for the suggestions.  These are all great, but with the exception of Central, a bit more than we want to spend (we are not celebrating anything in particular).  I appreciate the replies!  I will let you all know where we end up.

Thanks all!  Corduroy is a great idea, and the steps outside are no problem, but the lengthy staircase to the bathrooms is.  I appreciate the suggestion, though!

Amigos,

My parents are visiting this weekend and we are looking for somewhere to go Saturday night.  They are in their 70s, and my father gets tired easily due to an illness.  That said, they are boisterous and fun-loving, but not too adventurous in terms of food.  Also, while we don't want to eat in a mausoleum, I think it best to go someplace not too loud.

Somewhere like Le Diplomate, early, would have been great, but they are booked.  Was also considering Red Hen around 6:30, but worried we will have to wait for an eternity (any recent thoughts on the waits there?).  I was able to snag a 7:15 at Chez Billy Petworth, and an 8 at DCGB (don't worry, I will cancel one or both by lunchtime).  Any other thoughts/suggestions??  Somewhere like the grill room is out, as it's probably too formal and expensive.

Some more:

Mu Shu Seitan with Homemade Hot Mustard 

Catalan Vegetable Stew with Crisp Fideos 

Shakshuka with Tofu Dumplings over Kasha 

Chilaquiles with Edamame Guacamole and Pickled Carrots 

Aloo Paratha with Mustard Seed"“Scented Eggplant 

Whole Wheat Fusilli with Mushrooms, Fennel, and Pecans 

 Brazilian Black Beans and Beets with Coconut Rice and Tropical Salsa 

Pa Jun with Quick Kimchi 

Broccoli Pasta with Crisp Butter Beans

 Mario Batali's Real Ribollita 

Red Lentil Stew with Cranberries 

Katsudon with Pickled Pea Salad and Tamari Cream

You are right, they only link to the current week.  But, if you are a subscriber you can click on each of the recipes you have gotten in the past and pull up the full recipe cards later.  I have not found the recipes to be carb-heavy, although there is some bread.  Some of the pastas are whole wheat, or alternative grains, or carrot "noodles".  The pancakes/dosa are usually non wheat flours.

I pulled a screenshot of the foods in our recent orders going back a bit - see below.  I think you can click on them.  Since these are public URLs, I don't think I am sharing any secrets here.  The only one that I have hated was the South Indian Coconut Pancakes, which was wayyyy too dry.  Some favorites were the jackfruit enchiladas, the Pa Jun, the Katsudon, and the miso-chile meatballs.

 Black Bean Burgers with Spiced Sweet Potato Fries 

Broccoli Pasta with Crisp Butter Beans

Aloo Paratha with Mustard Seed"“Scented Eggplant

 Soba Noodles with Bok Choy and Edamame 

Spiced Citrus Lentils with Rainbow Chard and Cranberries 

Avocados Rancheros 

Red Paella with Roasted Green Beans and Almonds 

Garlicky Greens Curry 

South Indian Coconut Pancakes with Homemade Chutney 
 
Jackfruit Enfrijoladas with Cilantro and Coconut Crema 

North African Orzo Risotto with Raw Fennel Salad 

Unstuffed Cabbage 

Potato Korma with Golden Raisin Pilaf 

Caramelized Onion Crepes with Warm Spinach-Mushroom Salad 

Pineapple"“Puffed Rice Chaat with Spicy Thai Tofu Fries 

 Miso-Chili "Meatballs" over Spaghetti and Carrot Noodles 

Winter Nií§oise Salad with Cashew"“Split Pea Páté 

Popcorn Posole with Jicama Salad and Pepitas

 Falafel Hash with Grapefruit-Arugula Tabbouleh 

Crisp Rutabaga Rösti with Garlicky Balsamic Spinach 

Creamy Polenta with Awesome Bolognese

I love Kapnos in DC, I think it is a great restaurant with good options for vegetarian friends.  I wish I could say the same for the outpost at National Airport.  

I had lower expectations, being that it is an airport restaurant, but the menu, food, and service were just bad.  My table was broken and wobbly, and no one seemed concerned (it was broken to the point that any pressure on it would spill a drink).  The menu is severely limited.  I was in the mood for a gyro, and there were pork, chicken, and vegetarian options, but no lamb.  I opted for the chicken, which my server said was "excellent".  It was not.  It was a cold pita covered in wan tzatziki with shredded iceberg lettuce (the kind you get a Sizzler) and 6 pieces of "grilled" chicken that had no flavor and had a really terrible squeaky texture to the bite.  Seriously, there was zero flavor.  The gyros don't come with sides, so I ordered fries.  The fries were a huge portion and excellent.  Still, for a pretty bad meal I spent close to $30.  Never again will I try this at DCA.

Looks like it's moving forward:

"Hallelujah - Movement at the Old Heller's Space...." on popville.com

Weird: "Ray's Hell-Burger Adding New Eatery in Rosslyn" on arlnow.com

We loved the Grocery and Two Borough's Larder.  The former is more "southern", the latter more inventive/hipster

We have a cuisinart, which was highly recommended by the tea experts my husband talked to. It has 6 different temperature levels.

Headed there Saturday.  Any recent reports, must-try items?

What a great meal we had on Tuesday!  Everything was wonderful, with some real standouts.

Service was warm, friendly, and efficient.  We loved the complementary shrub they give you to start off the meal, and appreciated the offer of carbonated tap water for free.  My friends had never tried orange wine before, so I asked about the ones on the extensive list and the sommelier came over to explain them.  He was a young, energetic guy who was a delight to talk to. He steered us toward a wine made by Cisturcian nuns in Lazio that was off list (and happily close to the bottom of the price scale) - Monastero Suore Cistercensi Coenobium Ruscum 2013, which we enjoyed.  Even better, mid meal he came by with a different bottle from the same makers (less time on the skins) and poured the three of us generous tastes so we could experience the differences between the two bottles.  Classy, and it really made us feel like we were among friends, not in a service environment.

We ordered:

The brown rice flatbread discussed above:  Really delicious, transcends the ingredients to be more than the sum of its parts.

The sunchokes with bottarga:  Fine, but not spectacular.  I've had better.  Some were not roasted enough and were still hard.  The least interesting dish of the night.

The rutabaga ravioli with gingerbread:  WOW.  I could eat 5 more plates of these.  One of the most interesting, delicious things I have eaten this year and truly spectacular.  Unexpected flavors that just work.

The stuffed Porgy:  A whole deboned porgy, stuffed with kale, served with potatoes, parnip "cream" and some roasted vegetables.  Also very, very good.  Moist, perfectly deboned/prepared.

We finished with the almond cake and the butterscotch budino.  Both were good, but I would have preferred the budino without the candied fruit that was in it.

For three of us, this was a perfect amount of food.  And, at about $70 each for bill, tax, and tip, it seemed to be a very good deal.  I am happy I live near this place!

We've tried Blue Apron and Hello Fresh, and have now been doing Purple Carrot for about 2 months.  I like PC the best.  We've been trying to cook vegetarian at home, even though we are omnivores, for health reasons, so when Bittman joined PC, I signed up.  I've been very happy. Almost all the recipes are very good, a few have been excellent, and there have been no real clunkers.  I've been surprised, as the ones that seem the strangest (celery root miso schnitzel, vegan Korean pancake with starches standing in for eggs) have been the best.   The ones I think I will like the most (Shaskushka, or Batali's bolognese) have been weaker.

I love having this as it forces me to 1) cook when I might otherwise order in, and 2) eat more and more varied veggies.  The only downside is that sometimes we get a little behind (if it's a week when we are out a lot, or exhausted from work and just don't want to cook for 45 minutes and we order) and I get stressed about having too many PC meals "piling up".  That said, they seem to last more than a week (the ingredients are really fresh) so you can wait a bit.  Serving sizes are good - they keep me full, but not feeling gross.

Also, twice I have subbed meat into a dish - once it was to add some left over ground beef into a pasta sauce instead of the tempeh they provided, and another time I subbed eggs into something for tofu.  But I don't do that regularly, and I don't feel I need to.

I had an extremely mediocre Chicken Parm this past weekend at Olazzo in Bethesda.

The cantina zaccagnino is a good red. It has a small grape stem tied around the top of the bottle for easy ID. $11.99. Not transcendent but a good every day red

Don, I had the same reaction as you. I would eagerly try this (and don't think it's a bad deal with all the charges included) BUT my husband does not drink alcohol.  I would be hard-pressed to think that a few mocktails would cost the same as the alcoholic pairings, and it makes me a bit uncomfortable that the price is the same booze or not....

Huitlacoche is one of my favorite flavors.  It sounds unappealing, but is so, so, good.

I had brunch there a few weeks ago.  The fried chicken and waffles with sausage gravy  and egg was, perhaps, the best brunch dish I have ever eaten.  It was a lot of heavy food, but still light, if that makes any sense at all.

What do you like in Vail?  I am headed out that way in two weeks to see my sister in Boulder and Vail.

Oops, meant Poulsard - just went back to look at the label.  I think I had a brain fart and was thinking about the singer Madeline Peyroux!  It was a Domaine Rolet arbois 2011 and I now need to find somewhere to buy it.

So, Fedora was excellent.  Great vibe, nice service. The Old Fashioned there is as good as everyone says - subtly smoky and velvety.  The four of us shared the chicken liver toast special app and the brisket stuffed cabbage.  Both were comforting, rich, but bright.  We paired the meal with a Peyroux wine which the waiter described as "funky and earthy" and it was, and it was wonderful.

The GM stopped by the table frequently - at first to describe the no-tipping policy and to tell us the tips were included in the prices on the menu and that the policy helped give the BOH more equitable treatment.  I applaud all this and TAKE NOTE SALLY'S MIDDLE NAME -- THIS is how you do this policy.  Not your asinine blackboard.  the GM also stopped by after our apps to give us all a free bowl of the pumpkin/foie soup because she felt our mains were taking too long (if they were we hadn't noticed). This was also silky, rich, and warming and thoroughly delicious.

Our four mains were the fried chicken, the pork chop with spaetzle and mustard, the short rib with mashed potatoes, and the porgy.  They were all good to very good (my short rib was fine, beefy, but not anything to write home about - the other dishes were very good) but the star was the porgy which was just perfect in every way.

We were too full for dessert, but they have a spectacular list of amari, so I opted for a Montenegro.  All in all, great food, wonderful atmosphere, and I thought a very good value.

We also hit Russ and Daughters Cafe for brunch and it was also exemplary with spectacular nova lox, etc.  Go there too