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KeithA

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  1. KeithA
    These lunch meet up groups seemed to have died off a few years ago. Anyone interested in resurrecting one for occassional weekday lunch meet ups along or not to far from the Red line? I work from home now which is great for getting out to try new places, but it'd be nicer to have some company.
  2. KeithA
    These lunch meet up groups seemed to have died off a few years ago. Anyone interested in resurrecting one for occassional weekday lunch meet ups along or not to far from the Red line? I work from home now which is great for getting out to try new places, but it'd be nicer to have some company.
  3. KeithA
    According to the Post and from what I've seen around town, DC is having a pickle purveyor boom. Per the Post article, most of the picklers make quick pickles with vinegar, which can be great, but are different from traditional fermented pickles that rely on natural bacteria to turn the veggies into pickles. Recently, I ran across Number 1 Sons at the White House farmer's market and sampled a bunch of their stuff - which they'll happily tell you they are the only fermented pickler in the area . Overall I was very impressed. I liked the super sour whole sour pickles (bought a quart), the tailgate mambos were very different but good - strong aromatic like cloves (good for a few or maybe a pickle sampler, so I only got a few spears). They also sauerkraut, kimchi, kimchi cuke combo, half sours, but they were out of the Kicky Kosher (dill pickles with heat that I've tasted before and like if you want a really good traditional pickle with the added hot pepper burn). I'm not a fan of half-sour pickles - they are generally just cucumbers with lots of salt flavor. However, I found the Number 1 Sonds half-sours to taste actually like a mild pickle - not bad. Back at home, someone had brought a quart of full sours from Oh Pickles at Union Market. So what to do but have a pickle taste test. Number 1 Sons won hands down. Their pickles are not only sour and a bit salty but have garlic and other spice flavor notes. Whereas Oh Pickles were good pickles, but only tasted of sour and salt. I'd still get eat them happily, but Number 1 Sons really takes the flavor to the next level. So what are some other good local pickles to try?
  4. KeithA
    My friend turned me on to this place just north of K st on 19th St today. He used to work nearby and loved it. After a very filling bibimbap and a quick moving line out the door I can see why. While they have sushi and other japanese food in the back, everyone was pretty much coming for bibimbap or similar Korean-style mix and match ingredients with noodle or as noodle soup. Bibimbap is perfect for this kind of make your own mix selection and they have lots of choices. About 12-15 different vegetable and nut choices for topping, plus 3 different kinds of rice (white, black, or brown), then a variety of proteins (plain and spicy tofu, runnish eggs, bulgogi beef, kalbi beef, chicken, maybe some others too), 4 different Asian sauces (plus they have bottles at the carryout line and on the tables to add more to your liking). All of the toppings I had were very good and fresh - the proteins were good but could have been a bit better. Not the best bulgogi and the runny egg was pre-made and only runnyish. That said it was a huge bowl and I had probably way too many toppings. Some of the best ones were the kimchi, lightly seasoned and pickled cucumbers, and assorted mushrooms. My buddy said the radish slaw is really good too. They also have some nice dessert options - I didn't try the 3 mini pieces of mochi in assorted flavors but wish I did. The nutella filled cookie was a delight. Overall a really good lunch option and the line moved quick - maybe too quick it was hard to decide among all of the choices. Maybe next time I'll plan ahead - here is the menu: http://ricebardc.com/ (Click on design your own bibimbap for the topping options).
  5. KeithA
    I can't comment on a cronut sighting, but I was back by there today post-lunch and drooling over the huge variety of sweets. I mean it was really hard to decide - they had good looking cakes, cookies, gelato, donuts, peanut brittle, fruit empanada/hand rolls, a red velvet cupcake, rice crispy treats, brownies, blondies, tfruit tarts, various fancier chilled desserts, and I know I'm leaving a few out. I'm starting to sound like shill for this place, but I'm just impressed by the quantity and likely quality of this place. They have more than enough variety for any dessert/bakery place, but per my prior post also really good savory food. All of that being said, I finally decided to try to the Berliner donut (large round cake donut with fruity filling and dusting of powdered sugar). Definitely fresh and well made, but a bit heavy after I had eaten a big lunch (I should know better it is a donut after all). It was good and served as a good compromise from the other desserts I passed on - rich, cakey, and fruity. Still think that chilled grasshopper pie looks too good - next time.
  6. KeithA
    Stopped by WTF for lunch and was very impressed. We had the grilled corned beef sandwich with coleslaw and the duck confit reuben with purple slaw. Both were large, somewhat messy (in a good way) sandwiches with good quality meats. The kale and fontina empanada (they call it something odd like hand roll) on display by the register looked good and I'm so glad we shared one as an app. It was excellent! tasty flaky but solid crust and fresh ingredients. The array of desserts was really tempting but my better half helped me resist. I highly recommend this place.
  7. KeithA
    Went today for the first time and found it to be good, not great. Nice option if you're nearby, but not worth a trip by any means. I had the Milanese sandwich (breaded thin steak with roasted peppers, hardboiled egg, olives, lettuce, tomato and mayo on a soft roll) and it was made fresh on great bread. It was also huge - I ate half and took the other half to go. I would be a better sandwich with some tweaks IMHO - fried egg, not hardboiled, a bit more sauce and something more exciting than plain mayo, and more olives/peppers, also the steak doesn't need to be pounded to a milimeter thin, a quarter inch would be just fine :-) I subbed out the very boring looking fries that come with lots of the sandwiches for the beer battered eggplant fries - very nice crust and soft gooey eggplant inside - rather tasty. Again would be better without the ranch sauce - something a bit spicy would be better - but I enjoyed the eggplant a bunch without any topping too. Place was pretty clean, service was fine, and music/noise was loud. I was solo, but if you come with someone plan on shouting a bit if you dine in.
  8. KeithA
    So it seems like me no one on the board has been eating at Central lately (or at least not reporting about it). After not being satiated at Daikaya Izakaya, the wife and I headed to Central for entrees and dessert. The place was packed on Saturday night causing us to wait a bit past our reservation. The menu looks very similar to when I was last there several years ago. I had a duck breast special with a port wine sauce which was excellent. My wife had the 48 hour braised short ribs which she found to be too fatty for her taste, but I thought it was great. Per earlier comments above, the portions here are huge especially for items like the fried chicken and short ribs - easily could be shared by 2 people for a full entree each. Dessert was the chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream - just delightful. Also not cliche, but classic and indulgent (like pretty much everything at this restaurant). I couldn't resist and got the Chocolate Bar (aka best kit kat ever) - really spectacular combo of light mouse on top of crunchy hazelnut crisp with really good hazelnut sauce. It comes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream which is unnecessary but goes really well with the bar. I recommend you either skip lunch and pig out here or save some dough and split one of the larger entrees and desert (which would make a super reasonably priced meal of around $25-30 person).
  9. KeithA
    Went for first time on Saturday night with my wife. It had some highs and lows. I liked the space, very fun and funky bar with japanese decor - very reminiscent of what I experienced in Japan a few years ago. Service was very good - explained the unusual menu and daily specials fully but without a ten minute BS speech on the restaurant/chef's "concept", food and drinks brought promptly and servers were generally available for an extra spoon and to ge the check when needed. I also liked the cool handheld order taking devices the servers have so your order is sent immediately to the kitchen - very nifty and appropriate for this type of small plate dining. We had two cocktails to start - the Bruce-Lee-Chee which was on the sweeter side but not too sweet. I thought it was ok, but wife loved it. The Solstice? sparkling watermelon cocktail was a failure though - the menu warned it had pickled watermelon rind in it among other ingredients - but it was way to pickly/sour for our taste - great watermelon scent though. The burrata salad with tomatos and dashi gelee was a good concept. I liked the dashi flavor melting into the otherwise high quality ingredient but standard cheese/lettuce/tomato salad - but it was hard to eat right even with a spoon (vs. chopsticks). The dashi gelee just ends up falling to the bottom and coating the plate in what looks like gray slime - not really the most appealing and then you end up with bites without the dashi and just dashi bites. I think the chef has a good idea, but the execution needs to be tweaked. The fried garlic is awesome. Frying it makes the cloves come out creamy and mild but still garlickly and the pairing with the chili-miso sauce for a spicy kick is great. The assorted pickles were really good. I've had a lot of japanese pickles and they aren't usually my thing, but based on the reviews I tried them and really liked these ones. Especially the milder yellow one (sorry don't recall the name). The edammame was a large/regular size portion (I always find I get too much at restaurants of this side dish) that were cooked very well - but when they say chili is an ingredient they should emphasize it. The pods and oil underneath are coated in chili pepper making this a rather spicy dish. Unfortunately that ruined it for my wife who can handle some but not alot of spice. Beef tenderloin skewer was very good and straightforward - one skewer of very nicely charred steak. Based on my review of reviews before I went, I'm surprised no one has much mentioned the more traditional robatayaki skewers (vs. shisito pepper with cheese) - this is likely some very good eats that are more traditional izakaya fare. Lastly, the japanese eggplant with lamb and yogurt sauce was ok. The eggplant was oddly very sweet which wasn't the best contrast for the tangy yogurt sauce and ground lamb. I'd probably skip this dish next time. So I would go again but only with adventuresome eater and probably only for drinks with a few plates to share. I don't think this is my kind of full dinner destination. After the above, we were still hungry so we headed to Central.
  10. KeithA
    First time to Earl's today for lunch at Ballston location. I had the Turkey & Fries - same sandwich As Pork & Fries but subbed turkey for pork (I just don't dig on swine) - and I really liked it. Nice combination of flavors between fresh, pulled roast turkey (white and dark meat), sweet pickles, roasted peppers, and sweet/crunchy chopped onions but some added heft from the french fries. It would have been a bit better with crispier/saltier fries - these were somewhat floppy. Bread was a good hoagie-like soft roll (despite being called ciabatta) that held up well to the stuffed sandwich. Also, I saw some really good looking toasted roast beef sandwiches that'll have to try next time.
  11. KeithA
    I've been to Big Buns in Ballston three times in the last few weeks (while looking for new lunch places in the area since I'm nearby at least once a week for work). It is a nice place where they make the food to order and you can create an combo from their long list of toppings/sauces, etc. The hamburger is a nice juicy burger (I told them medium-rare and it was close, which can be tough for a thinner burger) on a big tasty bun. I also had the grilled chicken and grilled salmon on salads (choice of mixed greens or romaine - romaine held up better to grilled proteins). Portions are big. Salmon was least favorite because it was too well-done. You can't go wrong with grilled onions or mushrooms and the corn salsa is pretty good too. The sauces/dressings have been more hit or miss - some are not really burger toppings, but rather thicker salad dressings that don't go well on a burger. Good - Sweet chilli vinagrette, chipotle pesto (more like chipotle mayo, but still good). Not so great - buttermilk ranch. Fries are also made fresh and are pretty good - I like the sweet potato option. I haven't ask yet, but I heard they'll give you half & half. They also have good shakes including my new favorite - Nutella (vanilla ice cream, milk, and a good portion of nutella)! Doesn't really compare to higher end burger places but holds a nice middle ground - much better than fast food, but cheaper and much quicker than a sit down place.
  12. KeithA
    We had an impromptu dinner at Black Salt on our way back home when crossing thru Palisades during dinner time. At about 6pm on a Sunday night they were packed, but we lucked out and got the last table in the front near the market. Not great ambience for fine dining, but perfect with 2 toddlers in tow. When we were close, I called to see if by chance they had a kid's menu (expecting a no), but they did and they were very accommodating to 2 parents desperate for a good meal but somewhat quick while trying to entertain the youngins. All of that being said the real praise goes to the food: really excellent bread and nice assortment too - foccacia, buttery croissant-like pieces (less flaky but just as buttery), and warm crusty baguette. Our entree were extremely flavorful and well-executed. I had the barramundi with puttanesca sauce special - excellent and a nice spicy kick. My wife had the flounder which had more subtle flavoring which paired well with this milder fish. Delicious - if like us, you haven't been in a while, go check it out again.
  13. KeithA
    So I was stupidly surprised by my gargantuan, thickly slice pastrami sandwich with half-sour pickles sogging up the bread. I say stupidly, because if I had read Dean's and others' comments in this thread I would have known EXACTLY what to expect. I quote Dean because his thoughts exactly mirror my own. The sandwich is good and I ate a half of it in the shop - but just not my favorite type of Pastrami. I think it came down to too thick a cut (which Josef, Jamie's son, explained changes every time it is sliced - not sure why, but that is what he said). While in the past year or so, I've had really good thicker cut Pastrami at Langers' in LA and DGS here in town, Stachowski's was much thicker and less elastic as Dean says and so wasn't the best for me. That being said it was totally worth a special trip there to try it and it is a HUGE bargain even compared to the giant NY deli which would charge about $20 for this monster. I guess great minds think alike I was already planning on making hash from my leftover half. Anyone have a good recipe? (also the shop had its own tubs of pastrami hash for sale in the fridge). I also had a big duck sausage with very aromatic (juniper?) flavor last night - which was very high quality. Not sure if I did it justice though grilling for a bun for half and sauteeing the other half to toss with pasta (Jamie gave opaque suggestions when I asked, grill it, use it soup, or eat it - it is fully cooked). Overall I liked the shop and would try some other things there but probably get my pastrami fix elsewhere. Oh and street parking was no problem around lunchtime on Wed.
  14. KeithA
    I stopped by yesterday mid-morning between meal times and not surprisingly it was empty. Very friendly staff, but the peanut butter and jelly donut was only so so. The donut was expensive ($3.03 after tax) but large - think 2 to 2 1/2 of krispy kremes. Unfortunately, while the jelly was nice and the peanut butter glaze ok - the cake donut was too thick and heavy - more bread than donut. So in essence I had a really expensive, filling, and extra-caloried PBJ sandwich. Maybe I should have chosen one of the other donuts. The lunch boxes intrigue me so I may be back to try them.
  15. KeithA
    For those unfamiliar with this location, that is exactly what this is. Not that it should really matter. Chevy Chase Pavillion is a mini-enclosed mall that was recently renovated and now has this very cool new restaurant in it. I can't wait to try it.It would be awesome if they had some type of lunch special, hint hint, for those of us who work nearby.
  16. KeithA
    Stopped in here for a quick pre-dinner bite last night. Nice vibe - very cozy at the communal table. Since it was pre-dinner, I only had the 2 nice-sized, bulgogi buns, but they were very good. Reminded me of an Asian spin on a hamburger - beef, buns, lettuce and onions - but gussied up, leaner and sweeter than an American burger. Probably not the comparison they were going for - but very good nonetheless. Next time, I'll have to get the ramen - as a non-pork eater- I'm pretty excited that most of the menu is chicken broth.
  17. KeithA
    Any menu recommendations for this place for lunch? I am compelled to attend for a work holiday lunch and have found the food so far somewhat lackluster. It doesn't help that my choices are further limited by my not eating pork or shellfish (so even their burger which is mixed with bacon is not an option). Thanks.
  18. KeithA
    This is my go to neighborhood thai place and most but not all of the dishes are pretty good. (I have no basis for verifying how authentic/traditional they are - but some are pretty damn spicy). Chicken pad thai is a large portion and very good. Our standard. I especially like the Pad Eggplant - often with chicken. The larb gai is good too. I have not enjoyed the crispy spring rolls and their gloppy overly sweet sauce. The drunken noodles also good, but I like the pad thai better. Their curries are pretty good too but I think the noodle and other rice dishes are better. The servers are super friendly and the food is usually very quick whether eat in or carry out. It is not worth a special trip but definitely a good choice in the area. There is a competing place across the street, but Siam House is better seeming to make the chicken and other dishes fresh, not just reassembling overcooked, pre-made ingredients.
  19. KeithA
    Recently been to Dino twice and both times the best dish was what is probably a sleeper: Canestri - Kabocha & Lentils lentil & roasted kabocha squash ~ roasted garlic, pecorino cheese ~ shell shaped pasta My wife got it the first time and loved it. I stole a bite or two and was jealous. Second time, my wife was smarter and ordered it again. Awesome second time and one of our friends also ordered it like it. Great vegetarian dish and a good example of what I like about Dino at its best- interesting flavor combinations that produce very flavorful ingredient-forward tasty bites. On the other side, I was a bit disappointed in the polenta with mushrooms that I'd always enjoyed in the past. It was nicely cooked, but something was missing from the flavor - it was less rich for lack of better word. So go and try the Canestri for something different and yummy.
  20. KeithA
    I never got around to posting about our one visit to Pulpo a few months back, but your review is pretty similar - some food was ok, some was meh - but the most memorable part of all was this super-long illogical waits for food. I appreciate that the restaurant isn't fast food, but for a 20-40 (yes forty) minute wait between small plates is crazy. I had hoped they sped up their service or we had an off night, but looks like they are still having problems.
  21. KeithA
    Went to DGS on Friday for lunch and had a rather nice time. First time I ever made a reservation for a deli and got a confirmation call - so it was clear before we arrived they are aiming for a more upscale restaurant feel, than your typical deli. The food was mostly good with a few items needing improvement. Started with the pickle plate, which looks very pretty with a wide variety of pickled goodies (eggs, half-sour and dill spears, mushrooms, fennel, and turnips). It looked better than it tasted - the more unusual options - fennel and mushrooms were the best, the actual pickles were kind of weak flavored. But my personal preference is for well-done and these half-sours tasted more like 1/4 sour. Later on the sandwiches came with "half"-sours, it would have been nice if they asked if we wanted the more-done 3/4 dills. Next, matzo ball soup - very good, traditional soup - the ball will either make everyone happy or pissed - it wasn't super fluffy and wasn't super hard. Somewhere in between, maybe more to the soft side. I liked it. However, it wasn't very different than a Jewish homecook would make. The knish is definitely not traditional. Not exactly sure why it was even a knish except maybe the shape. A small round cylinder of dough filled with lots of lentils, some sweetness and maybe merguez sausage (I didn't taste it despite what the menu said). It is served on top of two sauces - one I guess is the "raisin mustard" but looked and tasted like apple butter. Don't get me wrong, this sauce went well with the dish for some added sweetness.to the earthy lentils. The other sauce was yellow and seemed to be like hollandaise, but maybe it was more mustardy. Hard to place when mixed with the other stronger flavors on the plate. Overall, this dish was our party of 2's least favorite. It was a nice try, but the flavor wasn't great. We shared the pastrami and white fish sandwiches. The pastrami was REALLY GOOD! It is moist, but not overly fatty, thick cut with lots of good meaty, lightly spicy flavor. Reminded me of the style at LA's Langer's deli. The sandwich wasn't huge by any means, but it was a good portion. I will definitely be coming back for the pastrami. Nothing fancy hear just really good deli meat on good rye with mustard. The white fish was gussied up a bit. Unlike the menu that says served on challah, ours was served on the montreal bagel which was chewy and good, less like a spongy bread than typical run of the mill bagels. The white fish itself was good, not great - the fish salad flavor was somewhat muted - but I did like the non-traditional addition of the tomato jam that paired well with the fish. I don't know why our fish was on the bagel, but I'd probably order it that way again. I've heard good things about the eggplant reuben. I'll have to try that next time.
  22. KeithA
    Went to Larriland Farm, NE of Damascus (about 1 hour from NW DC) this past weekend and had a really nice time. Apple picking and pumpkin picking. Sounds like smaller, a bit less commercial/slick operation than some of these other ones. Still had literally hills and hills of pumpkins to pick from and good size groves of apple trees. We went in the morning and it was crowded but not unbearable. When we left in mid-afternoon, there was a line of cars trying to get in and out of main parking lot. My favorite time to come though is for peach and blackberry picking.
  23. KeithA
    Last Saturday, we went to Dino to for dinner. As others have commented above, we had some service issues with our male waiter per Dean apparently is no longer working there. Its tough to find good help I guess. That being said, Dean and the other staff went above and beyond to compensate for the service issues. That didn't surprise me as over the many years Dino has been opens I've found the service to always be rather good and very friendly. We had a 3 cheese course which was pretty good. Nice portions fo cheese which was refreshing compared to some other restaurants that serve a postage stamp size piece of cheese that is good for maybe 2 bites if cut it and really savor it. I don't remember the specific cheeses but 2 were pretty good and 1 was just so so (it was wrapped in a fig leaf and the menu said hard to get). Then we tried a bunch of newer menu items. We then had half-orders of pasta/risotto. My wife had the beet risotto that seemed like a odd combo to us - but really worked. Great dish if you are a beet fan. I had the AMAAAZZZINNG Mushroom pasta. If you like mushrooms, run, don't walk to Dino and get this dish! Mushroom dishes have always turned out great at Dino. This bowl of ragged wide rectangles of fresh pasta with a nice sauce packed with mushrooms had tons of flavor and a nice heat in the background. This is the best dish I've had in a while and I keep trying to find time to get back there soon and eat it again. Bravo to the chef for this one. Then, we had the cabbage rolls and cervo venison. Cabbage rolls were a nice vegetarian (vegan?) dish which showed off both Dean's Jewish and Italian influences. Inside the crisp, but soft rolls was mixture of lentils, grains, and dried fruit and on top was a nice light tomato sauce. Rather tasty for a vegetarian dish. Another thing that Dino has always done well is offer a wide variety of thoughtful veggie options. The cervo was a hit and a miss. The side salad of greens mixed with ginger was excellent with a spicy zing. However, the venison medallions were not very tender and I could have used a sharper knife. The sauce and "tuscan mole" was a nice flavor combo, but could have been a bit stronger because the meat wasn't that flavorful. Overall, one really awesome dish - by itself making it worth the trip and some other pretty good things. Lastly, the wine by the glass I had was truly "delightful" (the second delightful on the menu). Wine also another strength of Dino. Thanks for the recommendations Dean.
  24. KeithA
    Palena Market - has its regular menu items, but for Pie Day or some other reason recently they had an AWESOME Smore's pie with a hint of peanut butter. This was a great example of how all parts of Palena often takes good dishes and improves upon them to make them delicious. I hope the Smore's pie makes it into the regular rotation soon. As for the "standard" items - I think the apple cake and honey ricotta cakes are very good.
  25. KeithA
    I'd love to say that everything was delightful and it had everything I need - however, I found the peanut butter cookie and chocolate ice cream sandwich to be good and so so. The cookies were delicious and would be great alone or in this kind of chipwich, but the ice cream wasn't that great. I was expecting creamier and richer chocolate - and it fell a bit flat on their opening day. Hopefully it'll get better because that looked like the best combo for my tastes. I did go back and try a chocolate chip cookie and it was excellent (just like the one's on Ripple's dessert menu) - but less gooey since it was in a case and not fresh made (we can't have everything I guess ;-). Definitely a good start and I plan to try out some of the sandwiches too.
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