Laura24601

Where do you take visitors for dinner--more specifically, visitors on a budget with meat-and-potatoes tastes? Old Ebbitt worked really well for me in this situation last weekend. Lively, lovely atmosphere, a very friendly server named Michael, and plenty of people-watching. The food--crab cakes, New York strip, parmesean-crusted trout, and cornmeal-crusted cod--was good (not great) at a good price. The wine and cocktail lists had something for everybody. But the desserts really WERE something special, specifically the bourbon walnut pie with a chocolate cookie crust. Insanely rich and good, with a strong bourbon presence, and of course the vanilla ice cream took it over the edge. We were talking about this pie for the rest of the weekend. It's just nice to have an old standby where you can take a large group of visitors; it's simple, good, and does feel special.

My heart, she is broken. I am wallowing in a pit of despair. Break-ups are awful, but when you throw the spectre of "deployment" in there, it just gets brutal. A beacon of hope? "Splitting" (my 70 to my friend's 30) a bottle of Cristalino Rose Cava; patatas bravas that happily came out very crispy and golden; croquetas de pollo that had a crunchy exterior and a creamy, satisfying interior; rich and hot chorizo on mashed potatoes, which I would like to say reminded me of home, because they are that comforting and wonderful, except I grew up not knowing what chorizo was, so thank you, revisionist history; and tender grilled beef loin with roasted green pepper and Cabrales sauce. It is my best practice to skip dessert at the Crystal City Jaelo, as the overall impression of that course at that locaiton is "dry," so later on, I continued to marinate in tears and Ben and Jerry's S'Mores. After a few days of not being able to bring myself to eat, this was a spectacularly good meal. Jaleo is always there, like an old friend. An old friend who occasionally confuses my order or forgets to refill my water, but a friend nonetheless.

I wish I had visited Ten Penh before Saturday night (mid-October). It was fantastic! We sat at the bar, after trying to get a group of four a table or at the bar at Central (no!) and then being offered an immediate seat at Ten Penh's lounge or a 45-minute wait for a regular table. I'm so glad we ate at the bar. The service was very friendly, the cocktails were top-notch (I had the Emporer's Geisha and the Beijing Blush, both unusual and beautiful), and the food was excellent. We started with shredded pork empanadas, which were spicy, almost sweet, and perfectly lightly fried. I had the lamb potstickers, which were juicy and packed a lot of heat. Two of my friends split the whole crispy fish, flounder, which was again expertly fried. The white meat was so flaky and tender. My other friend had the glazed salmon, which I did not sample but which looked very good. It was a very busy night at the bar, but our bartenders made great suggestions and were a lot of fun. I am sure I will be back to the bar soon.

Not that Matchbox is hurting for more fans, but I am happy to be added to the list. It is worth the wait, I think, for the coziness (well, it is a bit loud, but it is also warm and the service friendly), the fresh basil and buffalo mozzarella pizza, and the South African wine by the glass. (I think it was called vinum Africa on the menu, very light and I tasted lime.) Our server was very gracious on a busy Friday night. Cursed Lent, no mini-burgers for me. Next time!

Fries, burgers, wings and the like...7 p.m. at Whitlow's on Wilson TONITE! But don't come for the food; come to watch me take home the $1,000 karaoke prize for my highly stylized rendition of "Ice, Ice Baby." Take heed, 'cause I'm a lyrical poet...

Funny, true, and interesting in the point about this is "how it is" because we, as diners, have allowed--even encouraged--it to be so. And I must admit, there is something attractive about echoes of this attitude...I enjoy the amuse "from Chef," I like it when a server "compliments" me on my choices, etc. Although there are definitely times when that sort of interaction feels genuine and times when it feels affected. I suppose the current state of affairs as described by Bruni reflects that there are theatrics and egos on all sides of the dining experience. For every arrogant chef or server, there is an impossible table of a-hole customers. For every "double-confirmation" on the part of the host there are dozens of diners who don't have the courtesy to call and cancel/change reservations. This was great food for thought!

Other than the fact that it was established in the 70s, I haven't read anything about Taverna Cretekou in Old Town on the boards. I'm sure many of us have been here before, but in the name of all that is gastronomic and remind-ful and thorough, a new thread. I visited on Friday after work with my aunt and uncle. We didn't have a destination in mind other than, "Hey, remember Old Town?" This is a lovely place and we were treated very warmly by both of our servers and a nice hostess whom we later found out was Denise, wife of owner Christos Papaloizou. None of us were very well-versed in the cuisine, and our server and Denise both helped with recommendations. (The Web site really jogged my memory of everything and is kind of fun in and of itself--www.tavernacretekou.com.) We started with an appetizer for two that was more than enough for three. The highlights were Taramosalata--red caviar mousse with olive oil and lemon, Dolmadakia--grape leaves filled with rice, scallions, and dill marinated in olive oil, and Tzatziki--homemade yogurt, cucumber, and garlic. Lowlights were a rather bland eggplant mousse and the Spanakotiropita, which is the one dish I'd had elsewhere before, spinach and feta in filo, which was rather limp and flavorless. We didn't mind the less successful dishes, because the ones that worked REALLY worked, and that caviar mousse especially was memorable, very light and fresh. My aunt was happy with her rockfish special, and even happier that they asked her ahead of time if she wanted the head on (she didn't) and if she wanted them to take the large center bone out for her (she did). It was very well and subtley seasoned. My uncle had the veal special, which had a very sweet tomato-based sauce. I ordered Exohikon off the regular menu, lamb baked with cheese, artichoke, peas, carrots, onions and pine nuts in filo. Sooo good. Perfect for winter. The filo was very flaky and held up nicely throughout the meal, not turning to mush as the Spanakotiropita did. The lamb was really tender and flavorful. We wrapped up with ouzo-enhanced coffee, which again was perfect for the cold. When I come back I will definitely explore the wine list, which had a lot of house and Greek selections. Overall, it just seems like a really warm, family-owned place where people can have a good, relaxed time. Live music on Thursdays, according to the Web site, and that must be fun. Sometimes it's just nice to go somewhere laid-back and not in the mix of all the "foodie" talk and just have some DINNER, you know?

So sorry if there is already a thread for this restaurant that I didn't see... Aroma on 19th and I is one of those places near my office that I see and wonder about all the time...and last night I finally went. Although the dining room was almost as cold as the outdoor air, the atmosphere is very pleasant, the staff was friendly, and my friend and I had a great time. The lamb roganjosh (with almond paste, garlic, and tasty saffron rice) was tender and very good. I didn't try my friend's chicken murgh makhani, but it smelled very good and it pleased him. Nothing out of this world, but a pleasant stop. I'll try it for lunch next week and give an update.

Thanks to everyone for posting their RW reviews...it really helps when considering where to go in the future. I've been wanting to try Rasika and hope to get there in August! My "love letter" to Willow is on that thread, but I did want to post here to say that Willow is a great RW choice. The food, service, wine, atmosphere, all wonderful. They made my party feel most welcome, they had lovely RW menu choices. No rushing, no upcharges, no RW drama. Just a great meal with wonderful friends.

An Open Love Letter to Willow: Dear Willow, I wasn't expecting much, as Sunday was the tail end of Restaurant Week and I've seen and heard mixed reviews about you. Baby, please forgive my low expectations. Girl, you look GOOD. Dark, gleaming woods; honey lighting; interesting artwork. And hey, thanks for the free parking right in the building. Baby, your friend Gabby is a remarkable server; very friendly, attentive, and informed. And your friend the sommelier also was very nice, presenting our $35 Standing Stone Riesling (fresh, fruity, smooth) and later coming over to check on us and to thank us for visiting. But you know why I love you. The FOOD! Thanks for the hot, fluffy roll that told us you give a damn about the bread basket! The savory, rich potato ravioli with two sweet shrimp and fresh herbs was elevated by the bacon crumbles to make a great starter. I was totally jealous of my friend's fried chicken, which had plenty of herbs under the skin, was moist inside, and had a nice crisp skin--and perfectly mashed potatoes and fresh-tasting spinach. But damn, girl. The pepper-crusted filet, perfect medium rare, bursting with juice and flavor. Yum. And two of the sides--red wine marinated olives and crispy, flavorful, thin onion rings--were so awesome that I forgave the "meh" potato tart. Willow, I never knew I would sing the praises of a CARROT CAKE, for crying out loud, but yours is so moist, so delicate, with such rich-yet-light cream cheese frosting that I WOULD SELL MY GRANDMOTHER for another slice. The chocolate mousse pie was delightful and pretty, and the pear crumble with ice cream was wonderful, but I would gladly kill a kitten just to get more of that carrot cake. Baby, it was that good, and it was the perfect ending to a great night. In short, I will be BACK because I love you and your wonderful food and your great service, and because the mere thought that that carrot cake might be there is enough to make me sleep in a pup tent for longer than I did trying to get U2 tickets. Love, Laura

Mr. Brown has visited his old stomping ground, GW Law, a few times and has always been a treat in person. A few weeks ago I got to sample an actual CakeLove CAKE, a six-layer chocolate-on-chocolate concoction that was moist, airy, and perfectly frosted. Sweet but not too sweet. Yum. So for those of us who aren't crazy about the cupcakes, I think the cakes/other treats are well worth a try. Side note: I've had vanilla and chocolate cupcakes from the much-ballyhooed Magnolia Bakery in NYC, and I must say...bleh! The frosting is way, way too dense and sweet. I would take a CakeLove cupcake over a Magnolia any day of the week. Then again, I would take one of my own cupcakes (thanks, Giant brand!) over either of the two as a rule. And in still other news...my pants are looking and feeling more like sausage casings these days. After a RW trip to Willow on Sunday, I am going to be good!

I dedicate this post to poor people. Went to Cafe Asia in Arlington on Friday night. Happy hour=$2 drafts and dollar per piece nigiri; I had the smoked salmon, yellowtail, crab, eel, shrimp, and scallop. Can I get a witness? It was all fresh and good. Throw in a $4 bowl of edamame, some tasty spring rolls, and there's dinner. We were four very happy, if destitute, worker bees. I can't say much for the speed of the service, but it was friendly enough, and the place has an overall good vibe.

Yes! One small step for Falls Church, one giant leap for my waistline.

Dear Jesus, Thank you for the steak frites at Firefly. And for Albarino. And for Alyx, a very patient server with a good sense of humor. Love, Laura

My "wish list" is VERY different from my "actual" heavy rotation list, which is: Tallula Faccia Luna Tabaq Legal on K (business lunches out of my power) Kramerbooks Cafe Cafe Asia Spices Bistro Francais Poste Daily Grille (I'm sorry) Russia House (cocktails and perogis and extremely bad behavior)

Hello from a "long-time lurker, first-time member and poster." I had a great happy hour at the Dupont Pizzeria Paradiso a few days ago, and wanted to share what I think are some great deals (weeknights 4 to 6:30): $4.25 pizzas - One half of selected eight-inch pizzas Antipasto plates - Your choice of three of our altre cose, small plate $6.95 and large plate $12.95 $3.50 draft beer, $3 select bottled beer Not sure what the Georgetown location is up to (I really need to get over there...everyone says it's the better location), but if you're in the Dupont area after work, it's really good food for really not a lot of money. Here's to the first of what is sure to be many carb-focused posts...