KeithA

My wife and I went for the first time this past weekend. We liked the concept and kitsch - probably the best ping pong game in town. But we hated the pizza. Everyone has different tastes, especially for pizza, and Comet did NOT suit our tastes. It was like eating a giant saltine with toppings. I mean this in the full sense - we were served big very salty crackers made to look like pizzas. The "crust" crackled all the way through to the center when we cut it (note it wasn't burnt, it was just so thin) and my wife couldn't finish her tomato pie (ie standard cheese), because she was overwhelmed by salt and she LOVES salty foods. My olive, greens, riccota #3 special pie was worse. It was super dry and the greens lost all flavor in cooking. The caesar salad was fine though.

The place was packed with a wait and a crowded bar, so people definitely seem to like this pizza. Although I'm not sure why. I checked out other people's tables to see if we had bad pies, but everyone else's looked the same. This is just not for me. Be forewarned, this is a DIFFERENT kind of pizza. I'll stick to Vace and 2Amys, both close by.

I've had a bunch of lunches at Kaz recently and the featured bento box of the day is a steal at around $12-13. Although some days of the week are better than others - Chicken Katsu (fried cutlet) with miso sauce was great whereas chicken terriyaki was not so great. Also the roll that comes with the featured box always seems to be salmon skin - which is ok, but not very exciting - the 2 pieces of nigri are better (1 salmon, 1 whitefish). Oh and the miso is very good. My new favorite is the signature salmon with mango puree which melts in your mouth. Good pick for people like me with a sweeth tooth. The edamame is good and a big portion to share. The age dashi tofu app is ok - sauce is good a flavorful, but the fried tofu isn't great - the tofu in this dish is usually silken whereas it was very firm here.

OK, maybe $40 was hyerbole for dinner, drinks, and tip. But seriously, my special lady friend and I rarely spend more than $50-$60 total on a dinner out, and I don't think we're cheap--although people with chronic halitosis rarely think they have bad breath, so...

We'd spend about $60 at Simply Home on two entrees and drinks, maybe an appetizer.

This is the miscommunication problem that always seems to happen when people ask for a good, less-expensive place to eat. Someone throws out $100 and others (including me) think $100 is expensive for a night out for 2. I'm more of a $30-40 is cheap person. But this is the rub, for some eating out especially for romance is not complete without the apps, drinks, and desserts. There are lots of nice places where you can do eat for around $30-40 if you only get two entrees and maybe share 1 app. To me as a youngish married guy this is a date dinner out. It is only on the special splurge that we go for the whole shebang and spend $100 or more (which is why I love RW - despite its naysayers). Now if your like me and you don't need several courses for the date, the trick for romance then is setting/decor of place - which I have to say is lacking in lots of places (usually too loud or tables too close). I recommend going for some place that is not too "hot" at the moment - a good neighborhood quiet place with good food. In Cleveland Park, higher end of price spectrum (but not breaking the bank)- I say Ardeo or even Bardeo (which is sexier) or Indique. On the lower end in CP, Nam Viet which has tables close together, but recently got a sprucing up. As I've come to learn though the key is what is "romantic" to the lady - is she into big meals, decor, or just being out (because while at home is nice - it can become routine).

After reading some of the suggestions in the thread, I ordered the "pickle platter" accompaniment which I figured would be different kinds of pickles. Stupid me, I guess for not asking. It is actually three tiny cups of pickled garnishes: 1) pickled sour lemon bits (good and not insanely sour like those at Indique) 2) some kind of chopped up vegetables (cauliflower??) and fruit (papaya or mango??) "pickled" in a tamarind and strong horseradish chutney and 3) a green spicy paste of cilantro, chillies, and mustard (I think I could be wrong on the ingredients). The 2nd one was the best and most unusual - it wasn't very spicy or sour - but rather sweet from the tamarind and sharp from lots of horseradish.

The owner wrote me explaining what is actually in the pickle platter and I'm posted it with his permission, because like I thought I was wrong about a number of ingredients:

"Indian pickles are a varied lot and totally unlike those in the Western cuisine. Pickle plate is our house made pickles and are as follows

Lemon: Southern Indian with flavor of ground fenugreek and asafoetida

Mix veg : Carrots, Turnips & cauliflower with jaggery, malt vinegar, garlic and Garam masala from the Northwest.

Chilli: Jalapeno peppers with anise and ground mustard from East-Central India"

Had the burrata cheese and the mixed green salad over the weekend. The cheese is the usual burrata of riccota wrapped in mozzarella. It was a 6 out of 10. Good, not great. The ricotta was tangier and more assertive then I've had with other burrata's and the mozzarella layer was very thin (i.e. mostly ricotta). Nowhere near Dino's which I'd give a 9 for the cheese and push up to a 10 with the roasted tomato and red pepper tapenades (the olive with it is ok too, but not as good as the other 2). However, 2 Amys is half the price at $6 and comparable size. I guess you get what you pay for.

I also mention the mixed green salad because while it is just greens (lettuces and frisee) and alittle endive with oil, I found it to be excellent again over the weekend. The perfect mixed of crunch with hints of pepper. I almost ate the huge portion all by myself.

Also fyi - our waiter said the upstairs is ready except for permits. So the opening should be some time soon in July. On a down note the waiter told us that he foresees problems because the kitchen is already operating at full capacity. So once the addition opens maybe a table will be quicker had, but possibly longer waits for food. I think I'd prefer the table with wine and wait for the food. I guess we'll see.

The new bar and patio menu is up.

Also, there appears a welcome back Wabeck deal according to the special events page:

"3-Course Dinner with Complimentary Wine Pairings

$38.00 (Exclusive of Tax and Gratuity)

July 9 thru July 31"

Anyone know the details on this deal? like what the choices are for the 3 courses - limited or the whole menu?

Just got back from a nice lunch at P to I. It was pretty empty for lunch despite having the lunch special menu. I had the Kabab Khazana which was pretty good. It is a combo of fish, lamb and two different chicken kababs (tandoori and one covered in a green sauce). A good medium size portion that won't stuff room and leaves room to fill up on the rice and any sides you get. The fish was the best kabab by far - juicy and a mild yellow curry that accented the fish. Second was the green curry chicken which was moist and flavorful. The tandoori chicken was ok, but nothing special. The lamb was a big molded sausage kebab with onions and herbs in it which was also only ok. This came with a very nice dal and rice pilaf. We also ordered naan which is one real big piece that is very good and fresh. After reading some of the suggestions in the thread, I ordered the "pickle platter" accompaniment which I figured would be different kinds of pickles. Stupid me, I guess for not asking. It is actually three tiny cups of pickled garnishes: 1) pickled sour lemon bits (good and not insanely sour like those at Indique) 2) some kind of chopped up vegetables (cauliflower??) and fruit (papaya or mango??) "pickled" in a tamarind and strong horseradish chutney and 3) a green spicy paste of cilantro, chillies, and mustard (I think I could be wrong on the ingredients). The 2nd one was the best and most unusual - it wasn't very spicy or sour - but rather sweet from the tamarind and sharp from lots of horseradish. We also had an okra and onion dish which was very nice and light. Okra was cook well. Overall the place was nice (very pretty room) and the food cooked well. The flavors are alittle muted (i.e. less firey and assertive) compared to some other Indian places, but they are also well blended. I'd go again if I was in the area, but don't think it is worth a trip. The non-lunch prices were also kind of high.

Looks like the new menu is on the website now: http://www.newheightsrestaurant.com/DinnerMenu.htm

It seems most people are sampling the appetizers. I'm curious if there is a bar area or not, because the apps sound good and the price point for the entrees is kind of high for a casual night out (at least for me). Hope to sample at least some of the menu soon.

Maybe its the nostalgia that 3 generations of my family ate here, but I think that Parkway is pretty damn good deli (this having lived in NYC and regularly eaten at Carnegie and Katz's). It is by far the best deli in the DC area that I've had (I have to admit ignorance of Deli City - where is it?). Like most neighborhood places, you have to find the winning dishes and ignore some losers. I like there pickle bar, great pastrami and corned beef (albeit Carnegie CB is a hair better, and Katz's or Attman's pastrami is a step above), my favorite is the Deli Twins on tasty onion rolls where you get a serving of each meat. The desserts are good and gooey too. The matzah ball soup is rich and the balls are big and soft if you like that variety (too bad for those meshugenahs like my in-laws who like them hard as rocks). Potato knishes are pretty good too (although nothing like the real homemade at Carnegie). Service isn't the best, but when was a deli known for its good service? The coleslaw could be a bit better. I like BJ Pumpernickel's slaw though (which is supposedly Hofberg's old recipe). These are the things I measure a deli by - not the faucockeh wraps and goyische what not that all of the delis including Parkway have added to the menu. So I say go to Parkway its worth the schlep and they have parking too. When in Baltimore though I do recommend Attman's - get a cloak and dagger or a dog - both are great.

Unfortunately, the little lady got the downer of the meal; a pizza topped with white truffle oil, asparagus, carmelized onions, and a grated cheese similar to parm that I cannot remember. All fun, good sounding ingredients but a sweet, sticky mess when combined. She got through about 1/10 of it before she pushed it away and gave up. This needed more cheese (which I rarely say, I always like less cheese on my pizza, but this needed some cohesiveness), less onions (sweet doesn't work on pizza unless it's tangy like pineapple, in my opinion) and something other than truffle oil for a sauce. Nice idea that really doesn't work.

Yeah, too little sauce or cheese is one problem with some of 2Amys pizza creations. When they forego tomato sauce, sometimes it works, but often I find it is too dry. Like you, I still like trying these creations and when its a dud, sometimes the way to fix it is to ask for a side of sauce that you can add a bit from.

I also went last week and had the usual good Margherita. But thought it worthy to comment on some of the appettizers. First, we had the salt cod croquettes again - which were fried perfect, but saltier than usual. Also, still don't know why they serve 3 - instead of 4 - making it a fight among a foursome. Also had the white beans with chives and oil. This sounded good - but ended up being rather plain. The beans could use longer cooking, but the chive-flecked oil was very tasty on the bread. Lastly, we had the special ricotta with arugula - which was very good. A nice amount of light fluffy cheese to go with nicely dressed salad. The best of the night.

Anyone been here lately? How is the food? We're set to go there in a few weeks and I want to make sure its not a dud.

Went back to Dino last night for dinner. Finally got to try the burrata I had heard so much about. Definitely the highlight of the meal. The mix of mozzarella and ricotta melts in your mouth. It came with three small tapenades: olive (ok - pretty standard), roasted red pepper (good - not great), and roasted tomatos with garlic (wonderful). The plate also comes strewn with oil and pesto adds a nice extra flavor to the cheese.

For main courses, we had the Asparagi and the Gramigna Funghi. We were not very wowed by the asparagi. While it is a perfectly cooked plate of grilled vegetables with a nice light tomato sauce (and a bit of mozzarella), it is still just a big plate of vegetables. The accompanying spinach and potato cakes was very bland - my wife called it a sad latke. This would be better as a side dish, not a main course.

The gramigna funghi was better. The ample amount of mushrooms and light cream sauce (kind of runny consistency, not thick) were very good and blended nice. The pasta is an unsual shape - tubes that curl around on into almost circles. While it is always fun to have a different kind of pasta, I don't think this shape goes well with this sauce. The pasta is rounded and lacks ridges and so most of the sauce slid off - leaving me with a soup bowl of sauce in the end. I think a different pasta might be better for this dish.

We finished with the gelato and aged balsalmic. It was a nice combo - unsual flavor. The vanilla gelato was perfect. The mixture with the vinegar kept reminding me of a sour chocolate sauce. Definitely worth a try once, but I think once is enough.

Another thing worth noting was my wife's coke. Yes, it is worth noting, because it was not the usual coca-cola, but Boyland cane sugar cola. A lighter, less sugary taste. Very enjoyable.

Next time, we might have to get the bistecca fiorentina. Another table got this monster steak brought out on a big butcher board. This caused lots of stares and even a look of digust from one woman who I assume was vegetarian. I've never seen another person twist their face into such contortions over someone else's meal. Odd experience. The steak is more than enough for two to share and was cooked a perfect medium (I could see from my nearby table). The only bad thing was that the steak was so juicy that the juices spilled all over the place (but the staff cleaned it up quickly).

While I know many love the half-smokes and the rest of the food. I think my favorite part of the menu is the milkshakes. Good rich chocolately flavor and thick the way I like them.

...He ordered...and mushroom pearl pasta risotto....

How was the risotto? I saw them prepping it on my last visit and it looked really good. I'm curious because we plan on going back and getting mostly appettizers and desserts (we thought they were more interesting than the mains and ample in size for a meal). Thanks.

Went to Matisse Cafe Restaurant near Tenleytown on Sunday for brunch. Very nice setting with comfy chairs. They had a small but varied menu ranging from brandied french toast with strawberries (very good - thick french bread - not too eggy) to various egg dishes and lunch items - like quiche or roast chicken. Not amazing, but a nice alternative for a semi-fancy brunch (prices around $10-15 entrees). Lots of dessert options too - I think the waitress rattled off about a dozen. We had the good and very light apple tart (puff pastry with sauteed apple slivers and a caramel sauce) and the homemade mango sorbet. The service was very nice and accomodating of seating requests and a food substitution. One weird thing though was when one person wanted a second glass of their fresh-squeezed orange juice, our server informed us they had run out - at 12:30pm. Very odd, not sure why they couldn't make more or why they'd let that happen - especially when the place was only half full. Oh well, it was probably an off-day.

We had a pretty good and entertaining dinner at Central on Saturday night for our first visit. The entertaining part came from being seated at one of 2 tops directly next to the open kitchen. At first, we thought this would be annoying having staff run by us all the time, but it proved to be lots of fun watching the chefs run around and prep the food. For those of you who want a more private meal, you can still catch a lot of the action through a glass wall that peaks into the kitchen from the hallway to the bathrooms.

Now onto the food:

One thing to note at the outset is that almost all of the portions are large, if not gargantuan. We saw lots of dishes coming out and only a few were small to normal size. I think next time, I will definitely order less and share. (not to be confusing but the main part of the entrees seemed normal to large (e.g. 2 medium size pieces of fried chicken) - but they fill the plates with starches and little salads, so the dishes become super-sized).

Appetizers:

Goat cheese caesar salad - very good in a unique presentation where a bunch of rommaine lettuce is molded/stood up (sorry hard to describe) and then topped with a slather of caesar dressing and bits of tomato. On top of that is placed one super thin, airy and crunchy crouton. Tasted like a really good creamy caesar dressing with the added tang of the goat cheese.

French onion soup - really, really, great. The best thing we had. Very rich onion flavored broth with lots of caramelized onion bits along with 4 hunks of bread stuck in to soak up the broth. Then about a cup of cheese - (guyere I'm guessing) - yes that much, I saw them making them - on top that forms a thick fondue like consistency.

Entrees:

Fried chicken with mustard sauce - I liked it a lot. As lots of folks have mentioned, it is a panko-like crust. I really enjoy the extra crunch that came with it and the mustard sauce was a perfect complement. The chicken consisted of one boneless breast and one boned-piece of dark meat (which could have been cooked alittle longer - parts were pretty pink). It also comes with a side salad of lettuce tossed with a vinagrette and a huge pool of extra creamy and buttery mashed potatoes.

Fish and chips - very underwhelming. After reading great things about the chef's frying abilities, this was a real let down. The fish was battered in a light breading that was yellowish and seemed egg heavy (less crunch). The real problem was the massive over-salting of the fish. The tastes I had were like mouthfuls of salt. My wife didn't want to send it back though because she got turned off and was full from the huge salad. So we took most of the dish home. It comes with two good size fish filets and a lot of fries. The fries weren't so special either - good, homemade, but nothing special and lacking salt. I wonder if the chef accidentally salted the fish instead of the fries. The fish comes with a very good tartar sauce on the side which helped to mask the saltiness of the leftovers.

Side:

Thinking we would want some more vegetables, we also got a side of green beans which were not necessary due to the large portions. However, they were good. Most cook well, some a little floppy for my taste. Sauteed in a buttery sauce with bits of caramelized onions. A surprise, surprise, the portion was pretty big, enough to share for 2-4, depending on your appetite.

Dessert:

We were so full from the large dishes that we decided to share one of the somewhat smaller desserts. Small is relative though because the kit kat bar is about a foot long and the banana split comes in a huge, packed trough. So we shared the apple brown dowdy a la mode. It was good, but not great. Apples and raisins are baked with lots of brown sugar and topped with a sugar crumble top. The ice cream was good and I was amazed that despite all of the sugar in the dish, it wasn't too sweet.

Overall, a pretty good experience despite the one bad dish. Next time, I might skip the entree riffs on American food and share some apps and desserts which were better.

PS - thanks to those of you who posted the link to the menu. The prices have gone up $1-5 for most, but not all items.

Anyone ever been to Matisse in Tenleytown/Chevy Chase for brunch? Please share your thoughts. Thanks.

Please help me, I have a close friend who we are taking out to dinner for her birthday in a week and she only made one request - she wants to be able to order a vegetarian risotto (no seafood or meat, cheese is fine of course). I have no idea who has that on their menu now. So please reply if you know of any place serving a good veggie risotto - preferably in DC or MD (VA is too far). Thanks.

On Saturday, I had a chance to sample the LT cafe in Silver Spring (after having been numerous time to the one in Rockville years ago and a few times to the Woodley location in the past year) and I found it to be pretty good. Some dishes were excellent, some were ok, and a few were duds. I recommend sticking with the mezze. We had the Lebanese Feast - 12 mezze (almost everything in that section of the menu). This is a huge amount of food that provided enough for 4 with leftovers for 2 lunches for me. Here is my rundown:

Great:

M'Saka - eggplant and chick peas baked with tomatoes, onions and garlic - very nice combo of flavors, this salad was the first to go.

Shakshouky - eggplant with garlic, scallion, tomato and pomegranate molasses - very good and different from the m'saka - it had an unexpected sweetness to it. One of the more unusual choices.

Kibbeh - very tasty crushed wheat shells filled with spiced ground beef. and lamb. This was a stand out and not just because it was one of the few beef dishes we had that wasn't bland.

Tabouleh - heavier on the parsley and garlic and a lot less bulgur wheat than usual. It was really good - but only for garlic lovers.

Good:

Fatayer - mini pastries filled with spinach (I heard good but didn't get a taste), cheese (very tasty), and beef (blah - bland, the pastry was its only redeeming quality). If not for the beef one, probably be in the best category

Hummus - very good traditional hummus

Baba Ghanouj - not too sweet and not too smoky

Lebanese salad - typical but tasty with lots of flavor in the vinagrette and fresh veggies. Maybe a tad over dressed.

Yogurt salad - very similar to greek tzatiki but with less tanginess.

So-So:

Felafel - I thought they were kind of tasteless and bland. Everyone else thought they had a bit of a kick and enjoyed them. My standard is closer to Amsterdam Felafelshop though where they come out hot and fresh.

Grape Leaves - weak. Not any flavor in the rice mixture.

We also got overzealous in our ordering and got a beef/lamb schwarma sandwich and chicken kabob. The schwarma was not good at all. The meat was cooked to death and flavorless. The accompanying garlic paste (which is so garlicky it is spicy - which I liked) couldn't even revive it. The chicken kabob was good though - nice grilled flavor to the meat and it comes with what appears to be ketchup but is actually a light tomato sauce. Rice and salad on the side were ok.

Overall, I'd give it a B+. I wouldn't travel out of my way for this food unless I had a kibbeh craving, but it was a good meal for a very good price $25 for the feast. They also have smaller mezze/entree combos which would be a steal and probably a more manageable portion. Too bad the Woodley location doesn't offer mezze combos or sampler.

So having read the posts in this thread, I'm psyched to check out Central this weekend (lucked out with a reservation on open table). I've heard about many of the items on the menu,but was wondering if anyone had a link to the full menu or could describe at least most of the entrees choices? The website looks like it is still being developed. Thanks. Also, I'm curious what is the price range for entrees?

What is this "sexy salt" you speak of KeithA?

My guess is that it is a brand of special salt that like everything else uses sex to sell. 2 Amys lists it as an ingredient on a lot of specials. My take is that it is a larger salt crystal - a gourmet kosher salt.

Went there on Sunday and checked out some of the new specials. While my wife almost always gets the Magherita (and enjoys it a ton each time), I usually end up with a special pizza. On this trip, the special I tried was a white pizza consisting of mozzarella and small cubes of another cheese similar to pecorino - the name was something like cacio de ____, along with roasted sweet peppers, roasted scallions, and cherry tomatos. Interesting combo. The pizza was pretty good. Highlight was the roasted scallion - added a good onion flavor but more mild than your typical raw onions tossed on as a topping. The only complaint is that the flavor of special pecorino-like cheese was mostly hidden by the large amount of mozzarella. This special cheese was really good too because we had it with an appetizer of green beans, chopped fresh chives, oil, and sexy salt. Good appetizer but pretty pricy at $7.95 for grean beans. Next time, I'll have to resort to our favorite standard app - salt cod croquettes - delicious fried balls of salty fish that brighten up with the accompanying lemon wedge. Try it if you haven't had it yet. Also a better deal at around $5 for 3 big balls.

Picked up a dozen assorted donuts this morning. They were still hot when I got to work and judging by the rapturous reception they received people seemed to like em! Some pretty crazy flavours/toppings available....but I guess thats the point...

Yes at weird as it seems to eat a bright green donut - the Peppermint Patty flavor is my fav.

I've been charged with charoset this year. There are tons of different recipes (I did an interesting Yemenite one last year). anyone have a good recipe with some twists (doesn't have to be too fancy as long as it is good)?

The chef at Lavandou in Cleveland Park sent out an email on the CP listserve that he is taking orders for seder meals to go (to serve at your home) and he says he has lots of passover experience. Not sure the price or menu - I think he is willing to accomodate requests.