KeithA

Went back for lunch today around noon and it was pleasantly busy (the couple of servers were a bit harried and they could probably use another). Ordered the 1/2 chicken platter which was pretty good - nice smokiness, juicy. The chicken is smoked, dipped in their Alabama white sauce and finished on their grill. The grilling adds a bit of good char to the skin, but the sauce dip is a wasted step as I could see some sauce on the skin, but it was mostly wiped away by the grill fire. That being said, the white sauce was my favorite on the chicken (I asked for a bottle for dipping). The sweet and mustard as a combo or just the mustard were also good on the chicken. I was told was a 1/2 lb, not a half chicken (" a breast, but a really big one" said the server) - but I got a half chicken cut into 2 pieces (breast with wing attached and thigh with leg). I told the server and he said that they must have given me extra meat, which I said thanks for, but I still don't know what the proper amount is. Both the white and dark meat were tasty (I ate most of the white, picked at the thigh and brought the rest home). Either way, it is a good, or if you get the amount I got, a great deal at $12.50 which also includes 2 good sized-sides. For sides I had the Waffle fries and the creamy coleslaw. The fries were meh - supposedly seasoned with Old Bay - they had virtually no seasoning, not even much salt. Dipping them in the sweet or spicy sauce wasn't bad though. Probably would skip ordering these again. The creamy coleslaw was good - same veggies as vinegar slaw but with a light mayo coating instead. I prefer the vinegar one here though. I also saw another tables order of pulled chicken and it did look more like regular chunks of pulled chicken that you normally see - not as I described earlier here. So not sure if I had an off early day or what, but I'll report back after I try the pulled chicken again.

We have been on a jamming/canning tear this summer after doing it for the first time last summer. A few weeks ago when strawberries were still ripe and available at the farmers market and for picking at Larriland, we made a couple of big batches of jam with the Ball low-sugar pectin that turned out great. Even better was the addition of a fresh vanilla pod (scrape out and then the pod thrown in) to the fruit while cooking - delicous strawberries and cream like falvor. The plain strawberries with fresh picked from the farm were really good too. Can't wait to do blackberries and peaches again later this summer.

I'm a big fan of sauteed zucchini - chopped into medium size chunks cooked over medium heat with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and any other good herbs - especially oregano or thyme or both. We either it alone as a side vegetable, topped on pasta with some cheese and cherry tomatos, or a really nice combo is sauteed with corn. I've found we like it best when we use smaller, skinnier zuchinnis for these recipes. However, every summer we typically don't find some zucchini in the garden until it is too late and end up with some big monster ones. In the past, we've done zucchini bread (which is ok, but like others above I don't think the zucchini adds much to them) and zucchini fritters (I like the middle eastern ones that are more like puffed up pancakes due to the addition of baking powder and good with a yogurt sauce). Over this past weekend, I found a big guy and decided to slice it down into small spears to fit into pint size jars and make italian-spiced quick vinegar pickles. These were excellent even after only 1 day sitting out on the counter. I modified some recipes I saw to make a mostly, herbal savory but not too vinegary pickle. After slicing the zuchinnis to spears, I let them soak in a bowl with a quarter cup of salt and cold water (with a few ice cubes) for about 1.5-2 hours. Drained, rinsed, drained again. For 3 pints, I mixed 1 1/2 cups water, 1 cup unseasoned rice vinegar, 1/2 cup of white balsamic vinegar infused with oregano (using up a leftover gift from awhile ago), 4-5 black peppercorns, 1 TB+ fresh oregano, 1TB+ fresh thyme, and 1 Tsp+ fresh rosemary and brought it all to a boil. Added a sliced half of garlic clove to the bottom of the jar, stuffed in the zucchini spears (also added a few cucumbers too to pack the jars completely), and then ladled in the brine on top and sealed. Left out on the counter for 1 day. Now they are in the fridge. Great way to use up a bunch of stuff in the garden for a delicious treat.

I've now eaten lunch the last three days, M-W, from Fat Pete's each time sampling different stuff from their large menu. I agree that it gets a passing grade, but bear in mind they are still learning the ropes. They only got their smoker installed a few days before opening last week and are still developing their cooking and tweaking the menu (some sides have changed from the original menu and maybe more to come). Prices: Portions of meat are ample about 1/3 lb for sandwiches or platters and come with 1 side and bun *(sandwich) or $1.50 extra for 2 sides (no bun). The prices are very reasonable around $10-15 for one meat sandwich or platter. Meats: All of the meats and proteins (salmon and tofu on the menu currently) are smoked here - they have a grill, but it doesn't look like many items go on it. Sliced brisket was the best meat so far. Medium thickness with a bit, but not too much fat. Nice pink smoke ring, but only a subtle smokiness. Soft texture, but not fall apart (they also offer chopped brisket and burnt ends which I'll try soon). I think a bit more smoke flavor would be good, but this went well with the sauces. Unlike Hill Country and other Texas-style places, I'd recommend saucing all of the meats here - which is actually my preferred, DC native style of BBQ "Pulled" Chicken tasted rather good and had a subtle spice and good amount of smokiness. I say "Pulled" though because it was more like shredded and then dice - almost as if it was in a cuisinart. So the flavor was good, but texture a bit odd. I had it as a platter, but if you ate it on a bun as sandwich it probably would be fine. I asked several people about the texture because whenever I've had pulled chicken is still usually in small chunks like chicken salad but supposedly when they hand pull the chicken it kind of falls apart like this. I was also told it was a mix of white and dark chicken. I'll have to try it again and see what comes out. Hopefully, next time it'll be a bit chunkier and not have the small bone in it. My toddler who we're slowly getting to eat chicken thought it was ok too. They also offer a half-chicken that is smoked and finished on the grill, which I'll likely try soon. Turkey was my least favorite so far. Nice medium thick slices of breast meat with a bit of skin on the edges. It tasted just ok - not much different than any fresh roasted turkey. It lacked smokiness. I don't I'd get his again except maybe if I'm sharing with the smoke-adverse. I don't do pork so someone else will have to report on the ribs and pulled pork offerings. Sauces: They have 6 sauces covering pretty much all of the major regional cues. They are made inhouse and tasty, but could use a bit more complexity for rounding out the flavors. I achieve this effect somewhat by combining sauces. I love having different sauce options in all cuisines so I tried out all of them on each of the above meats alone and in combo (who says it isn't fun to play with your food). Sweet - a ketchup base that is slightly thick and bit too sweet for my taste. Although it was nice to combine with the mustard or spicy sauce to mellow and sweeten those out. Not spicy at all. Good on beef, chicken, or turkey. Spicy - tomato base I think that is a bit chunkier and mostly has a chili spice flavor (probably 5 on the Cal Tort Wall of Fire 0-10 scale). It is better than plain hot sauce, but still mostly a one note spiciness. Nice in combo with the Sweet sauce though. Good on beef, chicken, or turkey. Carolina Vinegar - a dark vinegar sauce that has tomatos in it I think. Seemed to be thicker than other more straight vinegar BBQ sauces I've had. I'm not so much a fan of vinegar BBQ sauce at all and so wasn't surprised I didn't like this one much either (but was better than others). Bear in mind I didn't put it on pork which is more traditional. Only ok on pulled chicken, didn't like it on the sliced brisket or turkey. Mustard - yellow mustard base and pretty good. It is pretty spicy - comparable to the Spicy sauce. I'm a fan of mustard in my BBQ sauce so I liked this one on its own or in combo with the Sweet. Good on beef, chicken, or turkey. Alabama White - my first time trying this type of mayo and vinegar mixed sauce that is a bit runny. Not spicy. I was surprised I liked it a good deal on the chicken, so so on the turkey and not good on the brisket. Texas Mop Sauce - a runny vinegary brown sauce that only tasted good in a light layer on the brisket. Flavor was similar to a beef broth like for a french dip sandwich, but less beefy and more vinegary. My least favorite of the sauce, but it was good on the brisket. Not good on chicken or turkey. Sides: Vinegar coleslaw - really good. Typical shredded cabbage with a bit extra veg - but the vinegar wasn't too much so was balanced well with the sweetness in the cabbage. (I also don't usually go for vinegar slaw because I find it to sour and not sweet enough for my taste). Very good top on some meat with the sandwich. They also offer creamy coleslaw too. Hush puppies - disappointing. A small side with a meat is 5 small balls with a bunch of honey butter on the side. Best part was the sweet butter. The balls just tasted fried dough without any corn taste and delivered no other flavor despite having a dab of goat cheese inside and flecks of poblano in their crust. I think it is a nice idea, but I'd much prefer traditional, fried crispy outside and soft cornmeal insides. Their fry job was good, but the recipe needs revision. Cornbread - a side is two good size pieces with honey butter. It was good bread, but more dense than I like and not sweet - although the butter easily compensated for that. Overall a good side and big portion. Collard Greens - ok if you want a vegetable. they stew them with onions, some vinegar and a chicken stock (no other meat in it). Flavor was ok but nothing special despite the additions. Recipe likely needs some work. Atmosphere: The space is exactly as it was at Pulpo - which may be a tad too dark for a BBQ bar since so many of the tables are set so far away from the big front window and lights are rather dim. A bit hard to read the sauce labels and the 4 brownish red ones look similar. Service: I ate in Monday (table with toddler) and Wednesday (alone at bar) and then got carryout on Tuesday. Overall the service is very friendly and eager, but still smoothing things out. One thing they need to figure out is the sauce distribution. Each table has a random assortment of 2-3 of the 6 sauces and it is a bit cumbersome to have to ask for missing sauces. Better to put them in smaller bottles and have a sauce caddy at each table or some other way. Also they need to rewrite the menu or figure out what they want to do with the sauces. Some items come pre-sauced, some don't. Some are described this way on the menu and some aren't. Yesterday I suggested to the friendly bartender that they shouldn't pre-sauce anything since almost everything comes out of the smoker dry, everyone has their own sauce preference, and the sauces are available on the tables or at the carryout counter. What they should do is list of the menu sauce recommendations for each item like I did above. She took a note, so maybe my wish will come true. So far business is doing well - even for lunch which is great to have another weekday lunch place in CP. They really want to develop the latenight bar side of the business when food may not be available. Best of luck that they work out the kinks soon. Worth trying if you are in the area - probably not worth a special visit. I'll probably be back next week a few times.

As an Olney native (I grew up there and my parents still live there), I think this distinction is about right - both colloquially among Olney residents and close to the zip code definition too. The odd thing about the mailing address is that Rockville extends (or at least used too) way into some of the SW areas that are adjacent to Olney. One of the demarcation lines near my parent's house is actually the big electrical wires - which is why my elementary school was Olney, but 2 blocks away where Cashell elementary is, it was Rockville - both with different feeder middle and high schools. Either way I don't get out to Olney as much these days, but when I do, we miss BJ's and have been enjoying the Big Greek Cafe for carryout. Also, the Chinese place in the Leisure World shopping center (again not in, but on the way to Olney) was pretty good Chinese-American fare. Never heard of this place Full On, but I'll post if we try it. BTW - the center of Olney still is 108 and GA, right where the Olney Shopping Center is and which used to have a corner gazebo that was originally a blacksmith shop about 30+ years ago.

In OC right now - hunkered down during the remnants of Hurricane Arthur. That didn't stop us from enjoying a wide assortment of beach food yesterday on the boardwalk and around town. Thrasher's fries on boardwalk are as good as ever, tried a filled pretzel roll from the Wrapper stand a few blocks north of the inlet (interesting concept fill fresh pretzel rolls with various meats, cheese, and veggie combos - but it is was only ok), forgettable pizza and soft pretzel from boardwalk stands, great regular popcorn from Dolle's stand (which I didn't realize is an OC, not Rehobeth original has been on the OC boardwalk for 100+ years - really top quality popcorn and candies), and we also had dippin' dots ice cream of the future (little kids love it, I wasn't so impressed). Dinner at Dumser's on 124th street was pretty normal - dinner food is freshly made, but lacks seasoning and is mostly fried stuff. Ice cream is good as ever - coconut chocolate chip is a treat for coconut lovers, but I would pass on the Hawaiian Delight (vanilla with cherries and bananas and no pineapple as advertised) - it is their great vanilla but the fruit just freezes and adds nothing. Based on earlier comments, I think we'll have to head back to Captain's Table (haven't been in years, but it was a favorite of my grandmother who lived in OC year round).

Freestyle donburi: steamed rice topped with sweet, brown donburi sauce with onion slices simmered in it and egg omelette. Added garlic sauteed dinosaur kale and red bell pepper garnished with various pickles - tokuan neon yellow radish and deep purple eggplant I bought at Hana and some homemade vietnamese-style daikon radish and carrot slices.

Surprised that no one has posted on this shop since it opened. It seems to be doing great business the few times I've been in the past couple of months. Last week, I stopped by for a snack and saw that they had canele pastries ($2.50) (all of which they make inhouse) and had to try one since I recently discovered and enjoyed this french mini cake at Breadfurst ($4). The LRF canele paled in comparison - it was very stiff with a thick/hardish crust and no rum flavoring at all - whereas the Breadfurst ones are ethereal. I guess they are still worth the extra cost. Today for breakfast though I had a really good fried egg sandwich at LRF. Toasted ciabatta bread with a runny fried egg, apple butter, gorgonzola spread, and some lettuce - seems like an odd combo but it was very filling and delicious. They'll also add bacon if swine is your thing.

Went to DT for the first time at the downtown location for lunch yesterday - I got the 3 taco combo and found them to be good, but not so great worth making a trek for them. I had chicken, beef barbacoa, and carne asada steak - all on corn tortilla, "Mexican style" with cilantro and chopped onions. All of the meats were pretty tasty - carne asada probably the best especially with the combo of the medium, dark brown salsa which was probably the best part of the meal. The mild tomatillo salsa and the pico de gallo were fresh, but underwhelming. Good eats if you are nearby. Also rather cheap - I think my bill was $7+ for 3 tacos which made a decent sized meal.

Opening date is July 1st according to their sister restaurant's website, Cleveland Park & Grill. I poked my head in the construction site and the space looks pretty but they are doing the finishing touches. They also posted a pic on their twitter feed recently that their massive smoker was delivered. I'm very excited for another new addition to the neighborhood - hopefully the food is good and I hope they serve lunch weekdays (crossing fingers).

Ok I'll bite - how is Sri Lankan food different than Indian or other surrouding countries? I've found myself wondering the same thing on the opposite end of India regarding Nepali cuisine too (the few Nepali places I've seen open in the past couple of years seem to have very similar food to Indian or are even combo places like Laliguras in Van Ness).

Happy to report that Singer's meats' corned beef and pastrami is now available sliced to order at Breadfurst. Yesterday, I grabbed a small amount of corned beef and a corn rye loaf for homemade sandwiches. First time trying the corn rye - boy is it a dense bread. Outside is very stiff and inside is very hearty with a strong rye flavor (no seeds though). I think may prefer a bit lighter rye bread. BreadFurst should broaden their sandwich options at lunch and offer these deli meats on choice of bread with a smear of mustard - they already have all of the ingredients, probably could use a meat steamer and then they'd be all set. Also, ate another canele while there - really good (apparently they also contain a bit of rum for flavor - yum!) Also I didn't report on last week's second trip. I liked the gravlacks sandwich - house smoked salmon, hard-boiled eggs, beets, and some spread on thin slices of whole wheat bread. I really nice combo of flavors and textures. The non-salmon flavors were stronger like eggs and beets and so the salmon got a bit lost but still nice. I also had the soup combo and had a cup of very fresh vegetable soup with a bit of sofrito and some croutons. I had a bite of my wife's curry chicken salad. She liked it, but I thought it had too much mayo and was a bit bland. We had a bunch of desserts - lemon bar was very good (although our friend told me they are very easy to make at home), the chocolate chip cookie was better this time (but still nothing special), the molasses ginger cookie was excellent (probably the best of all the cookies there).

You beat me to it! Really excellent meats and my slice job yesterday was a bit better - I asked for thin and they showed it to me and wrapped it up nicely. My slices were a bit fatty which I don't remember from the popup, but they still taste good. According to Singer's email yesterday their meat is also available at Smucker Farms on 14th St and another local shop too. Plus you can buy direct for the same price too in larger quantities.

I see upthread that there was a question about where to put this thread. There already is an OC thread in the traveler section that I know has several posts over the last few years including a few by me. We just got back from OC last weekend and went to one regular - OC Kabob at Gold Coast Mall around 110th St - always good for excellent chicken kabob for casual eating. We also ate for the first time at BlueFish at 94th St - a sushi-heavy pan Asian place that had good Yelp reviews. Pleasantly surprised by the good sushi - well made traditional rolls and lots of interesting modern combo rolls - I liked the Godzilla (pretty presentations too for the modern stuff). The quality of the fish was good too (not Sushi Taro or Kaz good, but respectable). We ate in the first time and it was bustling on Sat night. On Sunday night we got carryout from the Chinese side of the menu ("traditional" Chinese-American fare) - large portions of decent stuff - vegetable lo mein was good, Eggplant with garlic sauce was ok. Worth checking out if you want something different than MD seafood. Prices were pretty standard for sushi and chinese compared to DC prices.

Yes, oh yes the canele is excellent! My first time trying one yesterday afternoon and I was won over. It is a pretty unique kind of mini-custardy cake with a thin, caramelized sugar shell. I asked the bakery guy what his favorite was and he steered me to this. Apparently, they require a good deal of effort and special equipment to make (beeswax and special molds). The perfect kind of item to go to a good bakery for - excellent quality pastry that you wouldn't likely make at home. I also noticed they added a number of tables and chairs out front likely doubling their seating capacity. And I new sign by the front door recommending you put your devices away and delay responding to email. This sign doesn't surprise me as the vibe of the place has never been linger super long, but I think it is a bad idea. They are a bit out of the way, but serve drinks and menu items from breakfast through dinner - why shun the mobile worker? The only reason I can think of is that they don't want people occupying the few seats all day. I know if they had wifi and encouraged lingering, I'd probably stick around for breakfast and lunch at least once a week.

After seeing the Post article, I headed over for lunch at the Singer's Significant Meats pop-up today (Sun and Monday lunch only for limited time, unclear how long). I met Doug Singer who was doing FOH and his partner Pete cooking in back. Very friendly gents. Also really good meat - hefty sandwich of thinly sliced melt in your mouth meat with a bit of fat, but not too much on thin sliced toasted rye with a shmear of mustard. Decent pickle with it too. The only odd thing is I ordered pastrami, Doug and I went back and forth a bit to confirm that I did get the pastrami. He swears it was their pastrami but I'll say it was a really good corned beef. I say this becasue there was no pepper/spice crust and it wasn't peppery or smoky in flavor - it tasted like good cured corned beef. I probably should have asked for a corned beef slice to compare but didn't have time. Either way, go enjoy a sandwich but don't necessarily expect your usual pastrami. http://www.singersmeats.com/

it seems to book up pretty quickly on the coming weekends, but Rock Creek park locations are available later in the summer for $25/half day or $50 full day. Check out recreation.gov. Nice thing about Rock Creek is the central location in DC and it is still accessible by car.

Hana Market on U St usually has them in their refrigerator case.

True to my word - I did go back for breakfast today. English muffin was as described above - hearty, a bit sour tangy and good. I don't know though if it is worth the extra cost vs a store bought pack. It wasn't that much better. The opposite holds true for the pain au chocolat - a really flaky, even crunchy, and buttery pastry filled with excellent dark chocolate. I would definitely go out of my way to get these.

Opposite of my last visit, today Breadfurst was all aces. Tried the baguette and really enjoyed - both plain and for a banh mi sandwich I made later in the day. Very good bread and mine was not fresh out of the oven but had been around for at least an hour or more - yet still good. Excellence was the bostock - it looked like french toast - but is in fact a french un-french toast - thick slice of brioche with almond cream on top and baked. Really really good! I almost bought a second one. I came earlier today around 11 and got to see all of the morning pastries (pain au chocolate, swirl rolls with raisins, etc.) and I think I'll definitely have to go back in the morning more. Although, they were turning over to lunch when I left (apparently there is a slow shift between 11-12) and they had some new pre-made salads in the deli case, and mini-red fruit (I think cherry) pies. I think I need to do more of two things this week - go back to Breadfurst and hit the gym ;-)

Impromptu BBQ last night - grilled a bunch - honey dijon chicken, red bell peppers, sweet onions, corn, and store-bought sausages plus best grilled item was the romaine lettuce (quick brush of canola oil, sprinkling of Montreal grill seasoning) and once it came off the grill some heavy spoonfuls of quick, freeform salsa verde (chooped chives, oregano, cilantro from the garden, a bunch of olive oil, a few splashes of red wine vinegar, a small chopped garlic clove and a pinch of berbere spice (I couldn't find the chili flakes in my cabinet grab). Mojitos with mint from the garden and neighbor's soda stream water. Neighbors brought some salad. We also had whole wheat pita, homemade hummus, and eggplant caviar (Foods of Israel by Joan Nathan recipe).

Banh mi sandwich - leftover grilled chicken, toasted baguette from Breadfurst, cilantro from the garden, sliced cucumbers, sriracha mayo (just mixed regular mayo and rooster sauce in a 4 to 1 ratio for not too much spice), and quick, sweet pickled daikon and carrots (Serious Eats recipe). Next time, I'll use some jalapeno slices too for added heat kick.

According to the owners' facebook page for their sister restaurant, the Cleveland Park Bar & Grill - the new BBQ place will be called Fat Pete's and as of late April, they we're looking to open June 1st. Not clear if that deadline will be met. When I've walked by recently, there has definitely been some activity in the location but the Pulpo sign is still up and they have blacked out the main window to stop looky-loos like me from checking on their progress. Hopefully, they'll open soon and we'll get some good BBQ.

I'd love to do the 1 restaurant review a week thing and play restaurant critic in a more formalized way. However, I know it isn't going to happen due to time commitments. I think I've been posting on this board almost since its creation, and while I still do my part to share reviews of most of my meals out - those have decreased some since I've had kids. On the flip side, in the last year since I started working from home in the city, my lunch reviews have increased as I need excuses to get out the house (hence all of my recent reviews of Palena's coffeshop and Breadfurst). So I could seeing doing lunch reviews in DC about once or twice a week if anyone else is game or interested.

Went for a late afternoon snack yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to see they have two barrels of Number One Sons pickles - there District Dills and Kicky Kosher varieties (75 cents a piece). As I've written on the Pickles thread, these are currently my favorite pickles. I also tried a slice of the Palladin bread (now labeled as our ciabatta) and it was definitely better IMHO than the levain. I enjoyed it but I wouldn't go out of my way to get it. Based on Joe H's recommendation above, I tried the chocolate chocolate cookie, which was rather good - much better than the bland, disappointing regular chocolate chip. The Choco Choco had a real fudgy flavor. Next time, I'll have to do a comparison with Potbelly down the street which sells a similar cookie (I'm sure the ingredients aren't as fancy, but taste is king).