KeithA

I think all of the talk of the "doneness" of the crust comes down to your personal taste. I regularly go to 2 Amys (its close by) and I always enjoy the pizzas. Typically the crust is doughy, yet never raw on the edges with some charred spots to and bottom has char. The slice is floppy in the center because it is very thin with usually heavy ingredients on it. Now I like that. Other times I'm in the mood for a crust that is crunchy and I go to Vace. However, I know lots of people love Comet which I think has the worst, saltine-like cracker brittle crust. So I guess read the posts to see what type of pizza suits your taste and patronize that place. We are lucky to have so many non-chain pizza places in NW that use fresh ingredients. That said I concur with the comments that some of the best stuff at 2 Amys is not the pizza but the salads, small plates, and wine. I typically go for one of the specials whether it be a pizza or something else and my wife every single time loves the Margherita. So each to their own.

How were the matzoh balls - hard or soft? I prefer soft, but my wife's family loves hard. While I'm sure the soup is good, I would hate to order it and end up with dense rocks instead of the light, fluffy gems that I think matzoh balls should be.

Not amazing, but compared to the complaints, I'll give a shout out the the Oval Room for having a decent selection of crusty french bread and dense, chewy foccaccia slices in its basket served with spreadable butter on a recent lunch visit. Also I disagree with the comment about Jaleo, I had lunch a few days ago there and their bread in the basket was crusty and enjoyable. The bread their bocato/sandwich came on was equally crusty and favorful. The olive oil served with the basket wasn't bad either. Neither of these places have not your socks off bread baskets, but they are similar to what I encounter in about half of DC restaurants - decent and somewhat flavorful breads that show they are trying. The other half seem to have weak, tasteless bread and/or frozen butter like Palena (one of my only consistent gripes with them). Now for those seeking warm vs. room temperature bread, I agree that is much harder to find, but I personally don't care that much about temperature as long as it tastes good.

Another addition to get a spicy and clear your sinuses effect is to add some pinches of cayenne pepper to your soup. My herbalist cousins swears it will help kick any colds butt and depending on how much spice you add you'll feel it.

I started the topic this way so it would be broad, but I have a specific request: Anyone know where I can find Spanish paprika aka pimenton in DC? Whole Foods in Tenleytown doesn't have it and neither do some other local supermarkets I checked. Thanks.

Actually, I never went down there, because the staff told us the cafeteria was now closed and unlikely to reopen as they due renovations. So plan on eating outside.

I went on Christmas day and it was packed. Who knew they had an upstairs. We got the usual vegetable dumplings, which I always think are so so because they are very doughy and fried noodles. I never get anything off the special menu - I say stick with the noodles here. As for the person who pulled noodles out of the soup, no need, just ask for the fried noodles with your choice of meat/seafood or veggie - it is the same noodles but stir-fried instead of in soup. I like them better than in soup, but my wife always gets the soup.

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. I ended up at Jaleo and had a great "bocato" (aka sandwich) of lamb, olives, cherry tomatos, greens, and some type of light mayo/light cheese sauce on a crusty roll. I wish I worked nearby the bocatos are a steal - around $8-12 for a very filling meal. Actually too filing, I ate half the sandwich open face because there was too much bread. And, the bocatos come with a choice of small side salads. I had the very good caesar with toasted pine nuts and capers. Plus you get the great amuse of olives, cornichons, and pickled cocktail onions. All for $9. Can't beat that. Definitely made jury duty more bearable.

So I have jury duty on wednesday, so I'm reviving this old thread with the hope of new ideas since some of the places have gone out of business. Any suggestions on good places to go for lunch that won't take too long (I seem to remember from 2 years ago, there is not a big time window for lunch) and won't cost to much, say around $10 or less? Thanks.

I haven't been able to at Whole Foods, but I would love to find any place in the DC area that carries it. Ever since coming back from Japan I've had a craving for dashi-based dishes and don't have the time to make it fresh. If anyone knows a place for instant dashi please chime in?

Had a great special pizza last night: tomato sauce, pine nuts, parsley, smoked buffalo mozzarella, and fried slices of eggplant. It was the second time I've had it and it seems to be a regular in the specials rotation. I especially enjoy the eggplant which gets crisp and charred on the outside and is mushy and sweet on the inside. Definitely a great creative pizza topping. We also started with the squash soup special which was good, but nothing special.

Lunch turned out alright. This time I saw more of the old-world "charm", definitely the place of choice for some that like to wear jackets or have gray hair. I went for the every Thursday turkey special. Huge portion of decent turkey (doesn't compare though to anybody's thanksgiving table), stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed sweet potato, and 2 sides. I enjoyed myself this time, but no one should choose to go there for this dish, it is just one of the ok ones slightly better than the middling ones.

Oops, I realize I wasn't clear enough. I don't eat shellfish (crab, lobster, clams, oysters, etc) but I do eat Chinese on Christmas if you know what i mean. I'm wondering if any of the other beef, meat, or fish (flounder, salmon, etc) or salads options are any better?

Went to the Prime Rib about a week ago for a business lunch. I went for the lunch special which is $25 for a 3 course meal. Started with the house salad which was ok, mostly drowned in dressing, then I got the prime rib which as described above is just a plain big hunk of meat along with some shavings of fresh horseradish. The meat was very juicy, but had no char at all and was not my cup of tea. It also came with two sides dishes: creamed spinach (very bad) and mashed potatoes (anybody's homemade are better). Ended with key lime pie which was good, but nothing special at all. So besides writing this review to share a bad experience, I need help. I am going AGAIN this week for another business lunch and desperately want to find something good on the menu besides the crab dishes recommended above (I don't eat crab). Any thoughts?

Despite all of the shitting on this franchise lately, I disagree. I'm not a BBQ expert, but I've had plenty in my life and I've eaten on several occassions at two different locations (Wintergreen and Glover Park) and usually enjoy it. I'll admit I've been less than blown away by their chicken, but I do like their beef brisket. I can't speak to the rest of their menu. Overall I'd rate the place a B, mostly because I wish their sauce was better. I just wish their wall of sauces was not mostly hot sauces, but actual BBQ sauces so you had more choice. So I say if you've read all of these rants, go try it yourself and see what you like - everyone's taste is different.

Probably a combo of lawyers/office workers from nearby on K St like me. Maybe some GWU folks too. Hopefully it'll be better than Legal was.

I planned on taking my wife to Agraria next week for her birthday dinner. After reading all of the bad reviews, I'm starting to rethink. Anybody had any recent experiences at the restaurant?

Siam House is pretty good. I live nearby so I've eaten in, done carry out, and recently did delivery (which was quick). The menu is almost identical to Sala Thai and many other local thai joints, but I find the food to be fresher. Unlike Sala Thai the chicken is not rubbery and overcooked/pre-cooked. It also has a very friendly staff. My picks are chicken pad thai and pra ram (although it was a bit spciy despite lacking a chili on the menu). Still it has some misses though on the menu - recently, the Pad See Eew wasn't that great and noodles were overcooked. I'd definitely recommend it, especially for carryout or delivery.

Last night for my birthday, my wife and best friend took me to Blue Duck Tavern, which I had been really excited to try for the first time (we hadn't been back since it was Melrose) and it did not disappoint. Unlike some other comments here, we had mostly hits and only a few misses. Service was laid back - a little too much for my taste, they didn't rush us at all, but they also left us holding our jackets for 5 minutes while they "checked on our table" instead of offering to check them, then seated us and promptly brought bread and butter, but no menus or anything to drink. Also, unlike many people who dislike the sometimes lengthy explanations of "different" menus, I would have preferred the explanation that the menu was a la carte (i.e. no sides at all, dishes served family style) when we got our menus instead of mid way through ordering. Overall though the service was good, there was just several of these minor snafus (plus the hint of a hard sell/"it's a steal" for a pricier bottle from the sommelier, who was still very helpful). Nuff said though, onto the food. We started with the Boston lettuce salad, spiced pumpkin bisque, and pot of smoked trout. The salad consists of big leaves of lettuces studded with bits of nuts and a light dousing of hearty mustard vinagrette. I liked it, but I like strong flavors - this one is only for those who like strong nut flavors. The bisque was great - creamy with a strong ginger flavor that went well with the pumpkin base. We all enjoyed the smoked trout, which as my friend said was "the best whitefish salad I've ever had." It is a small, but deceptively deep terrine of nicely salted fish with a layer of mustard sauce on top and some fish roe to cut the flavors. It is a pretty large portion, easily enough for a table of four to share. The only complaint is it is served with these super frail seasoned bread crisps that easily break when you try to spoon some of the trout on it. We resorted to slathering it on the bread from the bread basket, which worked better. For mains we had the beef "long rib", venison sausage, and whole roasted seam bream. The fish was good, but nothing special - typical flaky white fish with citrus and herbs preparation. The long rib was great - falling apart richly flavored beef with a thick savory sauce contain bits of what appeared to be carrot. The presentation is nice too - a terrine with a big flintstone-like bone sticking out with the meat lying atop the rib, but not attached with a pool of the sauce below ready for spooning over the meat. The venison sausage was my favorite - it is 2 big moist tasty, but not too gamey sausages served with german accents of not very sweet sauerkraut, an earthy sauce and a small pot of grain mustard to spread on it. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was great. For sides, we had the sweet potato grits (the best), pot of chanterreles (very good), and braised leeks (only big miss - too tough to cut with a knife and not very tasty). For dessert, we had the caramel goat cheesecake with cranberry sauce (nice, different, but not my cup of tea - I'll stick to regular cream cheese style cheesecake) and the apple pie. The apple pie was PERFECT - so much so I sought out one of the pastry chefs to compliment her. Like other said it is a big deep dish - easily a full size dessert for 3-4 people and I thought just the right amount of spice, flaky crust, and not too tart, not too sweet apples. We got it a la mode with vanilla ice cream which came served in a chilled dish on the side and was not necessary at all and nothing special on its own. Overall a very nice birthday feast - can't wait to go back.

Yesterday, 4 of us went to lunch at the Mazza location. The space is really nice in the main room with the huge windows letting in lots of light and the tables circling the pretty and large (yet artificial) tree in the center. The nutritional info listed in the menu started to turn off the ladies (I say this because myself and my brother just ignored it ), but when I reminded them that the calories and fat in a typical nice restaurant was 2x-4x the amount, they happily ordered and enjoyed their meals. I thought the meal was a slam dunk. Everyone enjoyed their meal, but I'll only write here about what I tasted myself. The hearty wheat bread with the eggplant spread, which had a nice olive undertone, was great. My wife and I shared the butternut squash soup which was very flavorful but thin due to the lack of cream usually found in this type of soup. The cream wasn't missed by us though and the tartness of the julienned granny smith apples slivers added depth to the taste. For entrees, I had the Bison burger and my wife had the yellowfin tuna salad. The bison burger was simply wonderful - very juicy with sweetness from the carmelized onions balanced by savory/spicy horseradish/dijon mustard sauce. It is a smaller mini-looking burger but managed to fill us both up without leaving us stuffed. The burger also comes with a good-sized side salad of lightly oiled greens and a couple of pickle slices. The tuna salad was a pretty big portion - 6 think squared of seared tuna that was crusted with something I couldn't place (looked like coconut, but tasted different) on a big bed of what is essentially a gussied up Caesar salad complete with anchovies and some radishes to be different. The tuna was very good too. Service was very friendly, not rushed, and thoughtful - asking if I needed my parking ticket validated after I completely forgot to ask them. I'd recommend this for a nice lunch. I did see the prices for dinner are more expensive and that the Bethesda location, not that far away, is less expensive too - so not sure if it is an ideal dinner spot. Also, while I thought the portions were spot on, people who like huge portions might be disappointed.

Well, 6 of us went for lunch on Friday and the place was almost completely empty so the space was fine. Seemed like the tables might be a tad close together, but not anymore than most restaurants these days. Before getting to the food, note the menu on the website is old with a new menu being served for fall starting recently according to our waiter - although some of the items are still the same. The lunch menu we had might still be different from the dinner menu, but I don't think much based on the similar items. As for the food, we thought it was alright, but not great. A few people started with the potato soup of the day, which was pretty bland. The oyster crowder was better - rich, but not too creamy. I had the frisee,beet, apple, and cheese salad which was pretty nice, but I would have preferred more lettuce and less fruit (almost a whole apple and half a beet). For entrees, we had the pumpkin ravioli and shepherd's pie with duck confit. The pumpkin ravioli with fried sage was really good - but a tiny portion. About 6 1/4 inch little pillows - each one or two bites. The sheperd's pie was different and a nice blend of flavors - room temperature duck confit (good, but not super flavorful) topped with velvety mashed potatos and then a good small amount of melted gorgonzola on top. While the recipe for the pie is definitely good, the dish didn't elicit any oohs and ahhs. The best dish was the chocolate bread pudding for dessert which was excellent. Really rich chocolately bread baked with some spots oozing with molten chocolates and others with hard chocolate pieces (think box of chocolates) topped with delicious caramel sauce, big blackberries, and a scoop of good vanilla ice cream. Definitely worth a second try - maybe more pasta dishes, but I'm not rushing back, except maybe for dessert.

What is weird about the space of the restaurant? Tables too close?

Well with that accolade, it sounds like I made the right choice for a birthday meal. I'm going for the first time on this Friday, what are the dishes that shouldn't be missed? Or if the menu changes frequently, what things does the chef do best (fish, pasta, meat, dessert, etc)? Also, I have one vegetarian in the party, any veggie recs would be appreciated too. Thanks.

I had the same experience and I think there is an earlier post on this, but the flavor is pomegranate molasses mixed with the olive oil. It is a delicious combo.

Had a very nice meal at Dino on Friday night. First time there with Chef Bouillon and you can see the changes right on the menu - a bunch more vegetarian options that made my wife happy. I started with the polenta with wild mushrooms which was very good. Less cheesy than the last time I had it, but equally good. Not sure what kind of mushrooms they were, but nice and woodsy. My wife and friend had the butternut squash soup of the day which was very well balanced with cream - not too much and not too little. I had a taste and wish I'd had a second taste, but they ate it all fast. Also I got to try the very good lamb pasta - although I wish it came with a different type of pasta. I've had the gramigna curved tube pasta at Dino before and I just don't like its shape (the taste is fine), it doesn't have an opening wide enough like a rigatoni to hold the sauce and it is big curve causes sauce to splash around when grabbing a bite (although it could be I'm a messy eater ;-) The 2 others split the halibut which they said was very good with a nice farro? unusual grain risotto. Ordering this fish gave our server an opportunity to shine - she noted that it usually comes with crumbled proscuitto which was a godsend because we don't eat pork, so we didn't need to push it off or send the dish back when we were surprised (the proscuitto is not listed as part of the halibut's lengthy menu description, but it should be - it is not like it is parsley or something minor). We also shared the burrata which was good,but didn't wow me over like the last time I had it (seemed like a smaller ball with less ricotta than I remember). What did knock our socks off was taking Dean's wine book recommendation to try one of his Reislings - we had the fruity, semi-dry Montchhoff which was so good, after I left I walked down the block only to be disappointed that CP Wines didn't have it in stock. The wine was a great accompaniment for the food. Overall, a really nice dining experience and with the more varied veggie options one that won my wife over to come back again soon instead of having to drag her there. So thanks Dean. One bit of constructive criticism, I know all restaurants need to maximize the number of seats, but in the front window 1st floor section, have tables of 3 in the center which are the same tiny size as the 2 tops is not very comfortable. Besides being in the center of the dining room with servers squeezing/bumping by, the table is just too small for 3 people's dishes plus the bread, side plates, and big salt/pepper shakers. When we arrived I asked for a bigger table, but was told that the bigger 4 tops are for parties of 4. Like I said I understand the need to fill seats, but for the odd parties of 3, these 2-3 tables downstairs are too tight IMHO.