danfishe

That is the big challenge of the Dupont Market. There really isn't a place close by where you are guaranteed to find a place to park. The reason I go right at the beginning, is because fewer people are there and it is easier to find a space. I generally park near the Phillips Museum and walk a few blocks. Later on, it's a matter of luck.

Thanks. Are there any pay garages around?

Could anyone point me to where (if anywhere) I could find parking reasonably close such that I could bring along an infant? Thanks.

LP does well for 3 reasons.

#1 fresh product, since they go through so much of it every day. the food isn't terrible, it's just dumbed down.

#2 reasonable prices and large portions, it's pretty cheap if all you're going to order is spinach quesadillas. the apps are large enough to have as an entree

#3 premixed margaritas that come out of a machine and are wicked fast to pour for the large crowds of young ppl stuck there waiting for tables

ETA: also I think the space and decor there are attractive, on the inside. That tacky neon sign outside though has got to go. It looks like something that should be outside a Chucky Cheese's.

I agree; and don't think it deserves nearly the amount of crap it gets on these boards. Where exactly would people want a group of 10 LCs to go on a Thursday night at 8 pm; Palena? Two Amys? Come on. Lauriol Plaza is nowhere near the worst thing about the DC dining scene, and I wish there were more places like it (Matchbox is close, though it aims higher on the food and has a less conducive space; also gets an older lawyer crown versus Lauriol Plaza I think).

I drove by Lauriol Plaza about an hour ago, and there must have been 300 people in there. Who ARE these Martians?

Not sure I see why there is great mystery about Lauriol Plaza; it is decent, cheap Tex-Mex comfort food with great drinks, a nice space, a pretty crowd and large enough that it can seat large groups; it is strategically located in the middle of the downtown of a city with a lot of young people that love to go out and drink; a night at a large table of friends with margaritas and fajitas can be very pleasant, and I've done that many times; people are not going there for the nuances of the sauces or anything but it is a valid choice and the type of place I wish DC had more of (I know that is sacrilege here).

I wish I knew. There is some mention of it on the Chowhound thread, but I don't know when his season begins. Maybe someone who is in that area more frequently can shed some light.

The shaved ice cart outside the B&N in Bethesda has returned. There is also a granita cart at the corner of George Mason and Columbia Pike in South Arlington.

thank you for the compliment about the food, trust me, I am working very hard for give to our customers the bes food esperience, for the service, we are working to fix this problem, for the " ashending prices ",we are just following the market, everything in going up "flour, cheese, extra vergin olive oil, just an ezample...the price we pay for the bread increse of 35%......and we do not charge for that.

the wine list is still the same and really I don't see the declining.

any way thank you again for stop by, next time "if you wont" let me know you are in the restaurant and I will be very happy to say ciao to you

claudio

Claudio, I appreciate your participating in this forum. Could you explain how an Italian restaurant could run out of olive oil at 9:30 with a number of diners still in the restaurant?

Thanks.

Have there been posts about this that I missed? Are there any more details?

Enough already, take your own advice and stop going there!

You stay classy.

Because it appears everyone keeps going back to see if its gotten any better?

Actually, based on the (lack of) crowds I have seen my last two times and some discussions with one of the waiters, not sure they are turning many tables at all anymore.

On a side note, and Don, feel free to delete this part, given Joe H's exuberant puffing of Bebo in the past, I am genuinly curious to hear his take on the current situation.

I had a similar experience a few weeks ago when my wife and I went there after a play, not very late as I recall. The place was like a ghost town. We sat at the bar, were told the kitchen was closed but charcuterie would be OK, then moments later were told that charcuterie was not OK. I ordered a martini, specifying vermouth as is sadly necessary these days, and was told they were out of vermouth. I said to make me one anyway, emphatically asking for a twist instead of an olive. The drink took forever to arrive as the bartender did all kinds of other things with only one or two other couples at the bar. When the drink finally arrived it had an olive. When I pointed this out, a twist was added to my drink, so now I had both. The dessert we were able to order was quite good, but this place is just weird and would give Basil Fawlty a run for his money.

The oddest thing about my experience last night was that there appeared to be at least 3 or 4 manager types just standing around watching.

The real shame of this is that it is permanently scarring Roberto Donn'a reputation in D.C. I know that a number of people (myself included) will be extremely reluctant to try whatever restaurant he opens next, based on the customer abuse we encountered at Bebo.

I had my worst experience yet at Babo last night. Went there around 9:15, there were only 5 or 6 tables filled. We were led to our table by the host and then of course ignored for 15 minutes (no waiter, water, silverware, bread). Finally a new waiter ambled over to us and took our order. Amzingly, they had ran out of something like 8 out of 10 of the cured meats on the menu. Then radio silence for another 15 minutes, after which we finally got our cured meats. We asked for olive oil with our bread, only to be told that they were OUT OF OLIVE OIL!! At an Italian restaurant. Amazing. The pizzas finally came and frankly they were the worst I have had at Bebo. No zing to them, and the cheese and sauce were totally dry, as if they had been sitting under a heat lamp. The few diners at the restaurant were constantly getting up to bus their own plates, re-fill their own water, etc. since there was no service. It was a total embarrassment; I went with an out of town friend to Bebo instead of Two Amys because of proximity and really regret it; I will never go back, having given it around 5 tries; and the entire feel of the restaurant last night was of one on its last legs.

Much to our pleasant surprise, we walked by The Tackle Box yesterday and discovered that it was their grand opening! We were there around 4 or 4:30, and there was plenty of staff on hand--including Chef Seaver. For $13, you can get a "Maine Meal" that includes a fish, two sides, and a sauce. I opted for fried clams, mac 'n cheese, and grilled asparagus, and I decided to try the lemon garlic aioli (even though I don't usually put a lot of sauce on my seafood). The clams were huge and tasty, and the breading added great flavor without being heavy or overwhelming. The mac 'n cheese was just average and could have used a little more cheese and seasoning. The grilled asparagus were awesome--they had a wonderful char, and they were crisp but tender. The aioli was nice, but, true to form, I didn't use much of it. Boyfriend had the fried oysters, braised greens, and french fries, and he went with the tartar sauce. The oysters were big and juicy and bursting with flavor (I actually preferred them to my clams), and the greens were salty and delicious. The fries were seasoned well, though I would have preferred them to be a bit crisper. I didn't try the tartar, but it was gone by the end of the meal, so it must have been good.

The place is really casual, with big communal picnic tables and paper/plastic plates and forks. The quality of ingredients was apparent, and I thought the quantity of food was pretty good for the money (for example, I think boyfriend got about 8-10 oysters with his meal, and I got 5 really nice stalks of asparagus with mine). We asked about their hours, and it looks like they'll be open till 2 AM on the weekends--freakin' smart, considering the lack of GOOD late-night dining in this city.

We'll definitely be back--there's plenty of variety on the menu, so there were many things I didn't get to try that I would like to. I think this place is going to be crazy busy once the word gets out!

That's great that they are open late. Are they open for lunch? What's the parking situation?

What small spaces?

Believe me, we have been trying VERY hard to move our shop down to the Clarendon/Courthouse area for sometime. The problem is there is nothing really available. The problem is not really with the lease rates (even though they are pretty high in Arlington) but finding the right size place in the right location. Hopefully that will change soon......

I guess we are really off topic now, sorry to all who are looking for more cupcake info.

I'm not sure what I'm thinking about exactly but I know that there is a new gelato shop opening up in a small space next to whole foods, for example.

And I agree on the right location--you would need foot traffic--obviously as close to Clarendon ballroom as possible...

Sure, will you chip in for 1/2 of my rent?

BTW, they sell our chocolates at Biagio Fine Chocolate at 18th and T. They are open until 8 PM as well. However, if you do come across the river, please come by and introduce yourself....

Have you thought about opening a store in one of the small spaces in Clarendon? I know the rents are sky high but with those demographics I think you could charge a fortune for your products if you marketed them right.

Fact is, people like dessert places you can stroll in and out of after dinner, on a weekend afternoon, etc. There are really not that many places like that around. If a fancy cupcake place opened in Clarendon I can't imagine how much money it would make, especially if it stayed open till midnight on weekends. For those of you who have not lived in NYC, you would not believe the lines at Mag, Mary's off Jane and others late night.

I think the closest you might come to Hawaiian shaved ice is the shaved ice cart in Bethesda, which I wrote about a while back. Obviously lacking the condensed milk. As for other more Asian options with beans and the like - Bob's (both of them) is very tasty with tapioca balls and fruit, and Malaysia Kopitiam has a good version.

Thanks--do you know when the shaved ice cart starts? Is it there now?

Can anyone point me in the direction of a restaurant or market that serves or sells Kakigori?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakigori

Thanks.

I have never been, but Mark Slater does not seem to be impressed.

I think that references dinner, not the brunch.

Has anyone been here for brunch? I hear it has an incredible selection, though not sure about quality.

Yes. You can tell your grandchildren that you witnessed the Reston Town Centerization of Clarendon. Me, I'd take the Queen Bee and the Peruvian Motors used car lot any day.

Putting aside the merits of small, locally owned restaurants, used car lots are a horrible use of space in a urban village on a metro stop. The whole point of Metro is smart grown and smart density and you need big buildings for that; otherwise, all metro does is give the Lyon Village homeowners an easy commute...

the early bird gets the $1 well-shucked oyster: penn cove and olympic miyagi, both sweet and small with a mildly briny liquor; and narragansette, big and powerful, even funky. the first two were fine with a squeeze of lemon, but the east coast monsters, not that their gamy flavor was utterly intolerable and needed drowning out, tasted better, and good, with horseradish and red chili. i like mignonette, but seldom use it.

a special chourcoute plate was well-timed for a bracing early spring evening, the sauerkraut pleasantly light and unsharp, with a fleck or two of ham, and accompanied by good, grainy mustard; a small piece of pinkly rare and luscious salmon; a few mussels; and two plump, perfectly sauteed and deliciously seared scallops, their flesh soft, rich and trembling. the scallops deserved better than the rounds of potatoes on which they were perched, hovering between crunchy and just plain underdone, a vegetable that can't be rushed.

What time is the oyster happy hour? I thought it was only for February. Thanks.

Unfortunately, it seems that the Clarendon store might not be long for this world either, if the article's facts are correct. That's a bummer--the decor never makes me want to linger, but damn that coffee is good.

I agree-the loss of Murky would be really sad in Clarendon--the only possible upside would be that the horrible block it is on may finally get renovated, though if it is just another bank or CVS, what's the point...

A friend and I indulged in the Orca platter yesterday promptly at the beginning of Happy Hour, 3 p.m. We enjoyed it a lot, especially the large and succulent shrimp and the sweet, easily-accessible lobster. The crab claws seemed not quite thawed, and it would have been useful to have a nutcracker to get the last hunks of meat out of them. The clams were littlenecks, very tasty, and predicatably little. There were six varieties of oysters available. I asked for four each of the Katama Bay (from Martha's Vineyarrd), Rappahonnick River (VA) and Wianno (West Bay MA). They were all good-sized and suitably briny with plenty of liquid. If I had my way, OEG would provide a mignonette sauce in addition to that ketchupy stuff.

Parking is a problem down there, but we lucked into a spot a block away. When we were seated, the manager came over and chatted for a moment -- Merle is his name. He is eager to be accommodating, and Rockwellians might want to say hello.

The Orca platter is the best plateau de fruits de mer I have had in this area (I haven't tried Kinkead's yet). It is a real bargain, irrespective of the Happy Hour rakeoff. And the quality, with the possible exception of the crab claws, is very high. To my surprise, a bloody mary was only $5, but I'm not sure if that's part of the HH bargain.

There is actually free Valet parking starting at 6 pm, which unfortunately coincides with the end of happy hour...

I have always thought they did this because of the layout of the restaurant and the difficulty for the waitstaff to respond to people's needs while being in tune with what is going on in the kitchen. Regardless, it is infuriating to wait 20 minutes for a table, be seated, and see at least 3 other empty tables around you after you sit.

I've observed this nearly every time I have been to Matchbox other than a weekend night. I find it beyond annoying especially since the bar area is nearly impossible to navigate or wait in. I assume they do it for service reasons but they should hire more servers; or else they should not have expanded as much as they did. There have been a number of times I have refused to go there on a weeknight because of this exact problem. Poor management/communication.

I walk past Murky on the way to work every morning. Usually, I am pushing my son in a stroller, and I can't juggle coffee and a kid in a stroller without putting them both at risk, so I don't stop. This morning, though, I was kidless, so I was really looking forward to some Murky.

I was bummed to find "SEIZED" stickers all over the windows and a note, signed Nick, on the door about the closure. It it includes vague references to tax issues and heavy-handed behavior by the DC government. At Port City Java, which was Plan B, the staff believed that Murky had failed to pay sales tax. I know nuthin else.

This would not seem to bode well:

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/c...-murky-history/