wdcbrucefan

We had a great dinner last night at Eola. Off the RW menu, had Apps: fried pigs ears with tartar sauce coddled egg Entrees: smoked pork belly over white beans & kale Hereford beef Desserts: fried apple pies zuccini torte The entrees were the real stand outs, far & away,. The belly was smoked so well that when the waiter removed the done you'd have thought you were standing over the smoker. Superb red meat with a nice layer of perfectly cooked pork fat (1:2 ratio)... the pork meat looked like pastrami. I can still smell & taste the dish. The fried apple pies are two empanada-esque apple-filled tasty treats with side of homemade iced cream. Eola is definitely a gem and deserves more attention. It has something for the adventurous eater as well as the more reserved palate. We look forward to getting back to try the pork heart & head dishes too. In the meantime, get thee to Dupont & get porked.

We're going to Eola tonight. Have been meaning to try it since it was recommended to us over the winter. Granted its Restaurant Week. What's the latest? Looking for recent reviews & recommendations.

A group of 9 went last night to Georgia Brown's to celebrate a friends birthday. On the up-side, the food was superb. At least half the group (including myself) had the Devil Shrimp, which is 3 shrimp stuffed w/ crab on a mac & cheese & spinach mound. Saw 1 Delmonico, a grouper (quite good, crispy), a fried chicken, and another dish or 2. The apps -- fried green tomatoes & deviled eggs -- were both quickly gobbled up. I had the sweet potato cheesecake w/ pecans for dessert. This was heavenly. I was a bit surprised & very disappointed by the service however. First, the host got a call 10 days ago pulling our group's time up to 6:30 from 7pm. Struck me as odd, but I guess they were trying to pace the kitchen. We did see a number of large groups. But why not give another group the earlier time and leave a set reservation alone? (There was a bachellorette party and other 8+ groups.) They were not going to get another seating in behind us, so it wasn't a churn issue. My wife asked "what wine goes well with the grouper?" Waiter said he'd find out. When he returned a few mins later wineless, she asked if he'd gotten a recommendation. He then quickly returned and poured a glass of wine. You'd expect the waiter to offer a few suggestions, describe them, offer pricing info & let the diner choose. Nope. Wine for grouper is this. He didn't even bother to tell her what it was. I noticed it was pinot grigio since the label faced me as he poured. The group was having a great session of reminisciing when the entrees were mostly cleared. This was after several of us had to fend off waiters & busboys alike as they tried to take unfinished plates away from anyone resting & disgesting. After 7 plates were cleared, 2 women however weren't done, still had their plates & were still eating. The dessert menus were brought to the rest of us. Wow, rude, unprofessional and pushy. I couldn't believe it. At the end, we split the check among the non-birthday celebrators. Waiter brought back the charge slips. Someone thought to ask "is tip included already?" He confirmed it was. But he didn't offer this info, which is a bogus way for wait staff to try to get add'l tip. Bad form, bordering on fraud. I'd already written a 20% tip on, but was able to leave the other slip for him, leaving the 18% only. I had added 20% (despite the odd service issues), but my thinking was he'd tried to get away with duping us. Know this post is dated, but I'll provide this update: Last night, they had Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA on tap. Hoppy goodness.

This is a few weeks late, but we visited Dickson Wine Bar at 9th & U, across from Nellie's a couple weeks ago for their soft opening. The wines are all organic, from around the world. There were a couple reds that the 3 of us liked, but alas its been 10+ days since our visit & I don't recall them. The menu's a mix of charcuterie, bahn mi sandwiches, flat breads and other small dishes. (I'm linking to Metrocurean's pic of the sandwich, which she posted on Twitter.) Since the food was free during the soft opening, I'll wait to return as a paying customer to give a review. But, the lardo is worth commenting on now. It was great, and reminded me of a Parisian restaurant last year. Thin slices, served with costini, sides of pickles & nuts. The space is split into 3 levels. You enter on the 2nd floor thru a door beneath the old Dickson Building sign, which they wisely kept & took as the name. Inside, the 3 small levels are dark, with candles & a wall of backlit empty wine bottles. Downstairs still awaits its bottles, but I bet the customers can drink their way thru a wall's worth pretty quickly if the foods as good as it all sounds on the menu. From some of the seats, you can even watch Nellie's big screens across the street... so while enjoying the chill vibe of Dickson, you can sneak a peak at the Final Four next week.

Any recent recommendations for a moderately priced dinner with a coworker in Toronto? I've heard raves about Chinatown, but looking for some specifics. Am staying at the Sheraton Centre but can jump a cab if necessary for somewhere worth the trip.

Lemonade is very good, and the iced tea is real brewed. I've been for lunch a few times... had Grecco (lamb in abundance with roasted eggplant), the one w/ broc rabe and the pork shoulder. All really superb. The bread is top notch. I need to remember to check the daily specials in the case before ordering next time. The ribs have been huge and good looking ($9), shrimp salad, fig & squash salad, etc. Changes daily. Cannoli's in the case last week. Made fresh in house. I restrained myself but they looked excellent. As for the Utz chips, my hunch is they were left over from Banducci's and he's working thru them... I hope. Agree they're not a proper accompaniment.

We got there for dinner Monday. The food is in fact really good. The current "soft open" menu is prix fix, usually $30 per, for 3 courses. He seems to be testing to see what's popular. Monday appetizer was 3-4 shrimp over a corn & (sweet tomato?) sauce. Maybe a little too sweet for my taste, but the shrimp were perfecly cooked. Mains were salmon over risotto; duck over figs & roasted potatoes w/ red wine reduction; or [can't recall the 3rd...]. The duck was really great, and considering that I'm recently back from Dordogne region of France, my standard for duck right now is running high. Dessert list was very appetizing. I had the cheesecake, which was 5 stars. Dry (not a disparaging comment!) and tasty. This is not your mother's NY Cheesecake. The berry concoction on the side has a Coca Cola reduction base (I don't like soda, but it was good). Ms. WDC had panna cotta, which she thought maybe too gelatenous. The wait staff needs to learn about the wine & the food. Our waitress couldn't do much more than offer that the wines were red or white. For $10/glass, gotta do better than that. She also could not answer what the prep of the risotto was, other than "its something mixed into the sauce." I mentioned to chef about the wait staff and he seemed to agree. Likewise, descriptions of the desserts could have been punched up a lot. Just describing them as "Cheesecake," "chocolate cake," "panna cotta" does not due justice to the amount of time the young chef is clearly putting into these plates. They deserve more thorough descriptions. I think its all made in house by the chef. There's a gelatto cart set up too, for both customers & passers by (plentiful at that corner, 1 block from Union Station). Think its $1/scoop. Its homemade. Outdoor seating is plentiful. Bunch of deuces. And wooden picnic tables that seat 6-8 under Peroni umbrellas. I didn't check out the inside upstairs. Will be a challenge for him in the winter. The chef is out & about, asking how things are, meeting customers, asking what they like. I think the ultimate menu will have pizzas as well. Think he kept Banducci's ovens, and I saw pizzas on the menu over the range.

I'm considering stopping in & trying the DC location before a show tonight at the 930 Club. Am particularly interested in the Arepas, having gotten addicted on a few recent visits to Caracas in East Village. Am curious for a specific review of the arepas recently. Anyone? Thanks!

Banducci's at 2nd & F Streets NE is closed and construction's been ongoing for the past 6 weeks, inside & out. I spoke w/ the building owner (John) a few weeks ago. He says that a Roberto Donna protege (named Danielli?) is opening a rustic northern Italian restaurant. The chef also worked at Panache. The space is quite small. Looks like, as before, it'll be a counter downstairs and tables upstairs. Inside looks largely the same. They've torn out the overgrown bushes that used to seperate the patio from the first house on F St. Its paved and they've done other concrete work on the patio. From the look & sound of things, I'm not sure what will be so different from the old Banducci's business model. Its a small space with as much outdoor seating in the summer as he has upstairs year round. A website is up and also mentions catering. Interested to see what develops....

I hear they're closing as of the 15th. Big bummer.

There was a movie filming at Charlie Palmer Sunday night around 7pm. Lights and crew were all over. Any info?

So today's scheduled to be the opening. Anyone make it over during lunch? Reviews? First impressions? I'm considering a trip across the Hill tomorrow to check it out.

Yes, the Holiday Inn is gone. The restaurant wasn't open yet (early June). But I too have heard that its the Chicago chef who's taking over the kitchen.

Last summer, Jeleo (downtown) was serving a drink concoction of Hendricks gin, lemonade (from a seltzer bottle) and maybe something else. Anyone know the name of the drink? The recipe & proportions? We were back earlier this summer and they didn't have it again. Thanks!

Door was open this AM and I stuck my head in & checked out the progress. Looks to have been completely gutted. The guy in the doorway (owner?) said they're shooting for August opening. Still lot of work to go clearly, but much of the furnishings look to be onsite.

Re: the coming Capitol Hill 8th St. SE location: I observed a Matchbox "3-6-9"-branded delivery truck this AM near the new location. Perhaps things are getting close to complete? Also, today's Post Home section has Chinatown Matchbox manager searching for home furnishings... Which has absolutely nothing to with any of this.

Heading to Seattle this week for a few days in the city and a few more on Orcas. What are the current 'not to miss' restaurants? Here's the opentable list of last wk's top 10 most popular (I've eliminated Maggiano's & M&S and the like, which hold no interest for us). Any recent experiences at any of these? Salty's on Alki Purple Cafe and Wine Bar Dahlia Lounge Palisade Magnolia Restaurant Zoe Seastar Restaurant & Raw Bar Likewise, anything to zero in on on Orcas or other San Juans?

Are they now open for weekend lunch?

Heard or saw recently that Sticky Rice will be coming soon.... hopefully for real this time.

My friend was talking about the new one coming to DC (no details on which of the discussion locations is correct though). Am headed to Boston & Cambridge this week and will try to check out 1 of the 2 US locations there.

Any recent experiences? I haven't been in 4-6 months and am planning a trip by tonight.

New Italian bakery and coffee shop on the far eastern end of Capitol Hill, in the shadow of RFK and Eastern High School. Have heard that owner recently moved from Italy... its been open just a couple weeks now. Went in for breakfast Saturday. Breakfast options are thin (muffins, biscotti, donuts on the counter), but the real attraction is the authentic espresso machine and the cakes and pies in the case, all of which are apparently being made in-house. Atmosphere is very cute, with tables on ground level and a loft with 6-8 more overlooking the shop. Outside's been painted. Took home a whole tiramisu cake ($20) and got rave reviews from a full house that night. Also have apple (or pear) tarts, ricotta cheese cake (and chocolate ricotta cheese cake). Prices very reasonable. Plus Italian cookies. Man behind counter ("just helping out") is the real deal. Spoke endless Italian to a customer who wandered in. 411 18th St. NE, 202-652-1693 (yes, address is correct... its way out there, but worth the trip for the desserts!)

First time to Blue Duck Tavern, and we thought we'd go for Restaurant Week. Arrived to find it wasn't participating, but that's our fault for not checking. Whatever, not a problem. Initially seated at a table that kinda hung off the dining area, and felt a bit "left out" there. Didn't receive a wine list either. Asked for that, then asked to move to a table that had just freed up. Staff was smooth to move us, and did so with no problem. Appetizer: Alaskan king crab mac & cheese: Superb, cheesy, crabby with big and small chunks & strips. (Note though: Since we only ordered 1 app, waiter asked if we wanted the single app portion or the double entree portion to split. We took the single, which very large and more than enough to split and still feel like we were over eating. If there really is a double entree portion, it could easily suffice for 2 entrees!) The dish was superb, and its a different riff on the lobster mac & cheeses that have cropped up around (Zola, etc.) Entrees: I had the duck breast with medjool date compote. Its actually a full sliced breast and a leg. The breast slices -- with their beautiful outer coating and nice layer of fat -- are to die for. Cooked to a perfect medium rare (or less), combined with the dates, was great. And the leg just falls off the bone. And the stuffed quail recommended by the chef (chestnuts, prosciutto, etc. stuffing) was really excellent too. It also had a date compote squirt, although it had a very different taste to it in the different sauce... We had a bet that it was not date, because tasting them side by side showed a lot of differences, but waiter said it too was date. Sides: Sweet potato grits were creamy and tasty, but were far too overpowering to go with the duck. I shoulda thought of that, and I mentioned to waiter so he could suggest an alternative in the future. The chanterelle mushrooms were good, but a bit more spongy than we usually get. Both portions were far too big to finish, despite our best efforts or desires. Portions: Items are a la carte & served family style (each entree comes in a skillet). Waiter said sides are sized for an individual, however, they are really quite large. 1 side or veggie per person is more than enough to share for 2 or more people. Service was hot & cold throughout the meal. The 2 waiters were always pleasant and well informed when they were at the table. But they didn't appear when you'd expect (ordering initial drinks, for example) but became a bit too frequent when we didn't want it (like when we had dessert menus, plus a glass of wine each to finish... asked him to give us more time a couple times.... Note that they weren't rushing us, as our reservation was for 8:30 and they weren't looking to just turn the table over). Waiters were knowledgeable of the menu and definitely friendly. While the staff looked to be significant, perhaps 1-2 additional floor staff are warranted. Each table seems to be assigned 2 waiters. One staff member lead me thru the pasty kitchen to find the bathroom & upon trying to retrace my steps to return, I was stuck on the blind side of a panel door that isn't marked, doesn't open & isn't intended for customer use. Someone finally opened it from inside, and she was surprised to find me there, looking lost. It was a funny experience, and enjoyable for having gotten an up close look at the goodies. (I later realized you get the same view from the entry walkway, but I guess I was asleep walking thru on the way in.) Dessert: Carmel cheesecake with pears and raspberry sauce was a nice ending. I thought the pears were too hard, but she enjoyed them very much. Wine list: Very lengthy. The "selections" in front is a short list to focus you (with a couple $35 bottle), but they have a full regional breakdown also, and plenty of bottles starting at around $55, and the prices were wide ranging and decent. Prices: Overall, fairly priced items. Espresso & other coffees start at $6, which felt excessive though. Desserts at $7 was great for the excellent pastry chef's options. Bottom Lines: * Wait staff have eyes far too big for their stomachs.... diners would be grossly obese if they believed their descriptions of portion sizes * Definitely will return... maybe for next Restaurant Week...

I got thru Jaleo with plenty of time during a recent jury duty lunch. Thankfully, it was only a 1 day endeavor.

Does the menu ever change? I'd like to go in & see some new items, but these all ring a bell from my 2 visits.