mbalaver
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Everything posted by mbalaver
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I second Andelman on the salt cod fritters, described on the menu as Chatham Salt Cod & Haddock fritters, parsley puree, stewed peppers, tarragon. I didn't love the idea of having fried food as a starter (along with a sweet(?) Italian roll and feta bread) before moving on to cheese and bread (in the autumn and Vermont pizzas), but I remember loving the salt cod fritters at the old Cafe Atlantico on Columbia Road years ago and couldn't resist. They were worth it -- and the peppers and parsley sauce were nice accompaniments. (There's a 30% chance I made that up about Cafe Atlantico, but I'm pretty sure that's where I used to get them.)
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I went a couple of weeks ago and loved everything except its popularity. We got there around 6:35 on a random Tuesday, and seemed to have timed it perfectly wrong -- we were the first people standing, and it ended up taking more than a half hour to get a seat. (Given that it's a bar, not a restaurant with a host stand and waiting list, waiting to get seats also meant engaging in a combination of survival of the fittest and musical chairs, where snagging a seat required a combination of aggressiveness and perfect placement.) But aside from that, we enjoyed the wine (for me, who cannot drink reds (hopefully temporarily), the McKinley Springs chenin blanc and the Duckhorn sauvignon blanc, if memory serves), a trio of cheeses, and the bresaola and canard a l'orange. With the accompanying bread, I found this plenty for a night out (though I recognize for those with heartier appetites this wouldn't be more than the prelude to a proper meal). I loved the atmosphere, and though I kept thinking if they had more tables (particularly some two-tops) they'd be able to seat more people, I also liked the relative spaciousness in such a small space.
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What's the table set-up like inside? From the outside it seems like a small space. Is it a good spot for meeting 6 or 8 friends for happy hour, or better just for a twosome? Also, will they let you sit at a table if you're just drinking wine? (That might sound like a dumb question, but I remember being asked to vacate a booth years ago at Bardeo because we weren't ordering a meal.) On the flip side, is it a place you can make a meal out of, or more of a first stop for the evening before heading out for dinner somewhere else?
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I went to Liberty Tavern for the first time a few weeks ago (a good friend recently moved from Dupont to Clarendon, so I'll be expanding my horizons). I started with the watermelon salad, which I agree was very good (the tarragon and shaved ham providing a nice contrast to the sweet melon), though it's a lot of watermelon -- better to share than to eat on one's own. We got two pizzas: Adam's Linguica, with the homemade sausage referenced above, and the "summer" pizza with Black Mission fig, Calhoun’s country ham, fontina, sage, and fig vin cotto. I surprisingly found the sausage pizza a bit bland, but the fig pizza was a nice combination of sweet and savory -- and a good contrast with the Linguica. Has anyone else had the Linguica? The server recommended it, and I don't know if mine wasn't as good as they are usually or if it's just not my bag.
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I can't comment on the crowds on Sunday nights, but I went tonight (Wednesday) a little before 7:00 and waited ony about 10 minutes for a table. I've been determined to take advantage of everyone being out on vacation, and this was a good way to do it. I was nervous I'd oversold the place to my friend, but he declared his medium-rare hanger steak to be one of the best steaks he's ever had. If you're interested in going and avoiding the crowds, best to get in over the next few days before the invasion of the returning vacationers.
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Has anyone eaten at Ardeo lately? I haven't been in years, and everything I can find about it is pretty dated -- particularly if the prior chef did leave as reported in February.
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Has anyone been upstairs during the Friday night singing? We have reservations there this Friday for a birthday dinner, and based on crackers' comment my friend called and they confirmed there will be singing in intervals starting at 8. I'm not a big fan of live music over dinner, but it's a bit late to get reservations elsewhere. I'm wondering if anyone's experienced the music up close and personal.
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Colorado Kitchen - Vailed.
mbalaver replied to hillvalley's topic in Washington DC Restaurants and Dining
This is too late to help you, but I'll post it to clear up the issue. I received the following email from Colorado Kitchen last week. I think I signed up for the emails last time I ate there. (I've included the whole email given the info about the beer dinner this Wednesday -- at least that's not old news yet.)Again, our apologies for having to close Sunday because of our persistent plumbing problem. Those of you who have been with us from the beginning know that this is deja vu all over again. It seems now we know what the problem is and hoping that we can limp along until it can be fixed for permanent. Just some news to keep you up on the latest happenings: Chef's got to drive her daughter, Sian, up to Upstate, NY for band camp on Sunday, June 24th. So we will be closed that day. Make plans to come in on Saturday, June 23rd to satisfy that Donut Jones. If you're planning on attending the Beer Dinner on June 27th (Wednesday at 6:30, $50 per person), please call and talk to Robin. You'll need your credit card to reserve your space. Call or come in ASAP tickets are going fast. Your ticket enters you into a drawing for the Tasting at Home Door Prize. We'll draw a number and the winner takes home a pack of the nights brews. We know you don't want to miss what's going to be a night of great food, great beer and a great education in the fabulous processes that bring us one of the world's favorite concoctions. Here is a picture of Tom Nida, the wine dinner's drawing winner, and wine girl, Ali Claypoole. See you soon, Chef and Robin -
I've gone to various locations in NY over the years. I love it for 2 things. One is that it's a great place to get a nosh. Say you're walking around NY all day and it's 3 pm and you're hungry for something savory, but don't want to get filled up and ruin dinner. They serve several items that are assortments of breads, spreads, cheese, cornichons, charcuterie, etc. One I recall is a Tuscan assortment that includes bread, olive tapenade, sundried tomatoes, ricotta cheese spread, olives, and the like. It's a small serving, enough for one person, not some big spread. The other thing I love is the communal table, which can provide some interesting people watching. All in all a good addition, I think.
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I don't know how new this news is, but I was at Matchbox last night and saw a sign above the bar saying they're now open on Sundays. I'm a big fan of Matchbox but rarely go because the waits are always so long (we got in last night with only a 5 minute wait -- the trick? arriving shortly after 10 pm). Sunday's always seemed like a good option crowd-wise, so I'm glad to hear it's now open then.
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I didn't know what to expect either, but it pretty much looked like a tail -- a thick triangular piece of fish. It was roasted and served with a rich pinot noir and veal sauce.
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I think this place serves a couple of niches very well. I went one night last week for dinner. The service was friendly and accommodating (for example, we said we were splitting a salad and it came on two plates), I liked the long, high communal table running down the middle of the restaurant, and they were playing Van Morrison on the video. As for the food, we had the sliders, which were good (though I agree with JLK that they were a bit overcooked -- this didn't bother me, but those who lean rarer should take note), the salad was very good (I can't remember the details, and the website isn't coming up), and the yakitori was fine. The pizzas served to people on either side of us looked and smelled great, but we didn't try them. Although they have full dinners, the small plates and casual food make this a good place to meet up with a friend for a casual dinner or just a drink. There aren't a lot of places like that in Dupont, so I appreciate having it there. Or go for coffee in the morning. I went on the early side last Sunday before the farmer's market opened. It was empty -- I don't know if this was simply a reflection of the early hour or of the fact no one knows it's there yet. But I got a cafe au lait and a normal-size muffin (they also sell them in big-as-your-head size). Inside because of the long, high communal table I mentioned, as well as a bar area, there are lots of places to perch for a coffee (unlike a lot of other coffee places, where they tend toward the cushy chairs and sofas that people camp out in all day studying for the GRE). There was something a bit European about the bar area in the morning -- I could picture Italians standing at the bar drinking espresso. Though I was happier sitting outside on the spacious patio.
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My friend and I had a very nice meal here Saturday night. I started with the onion soup, which was hearty and rich and I only wish I could place the elusive herb in it (thyme maybe?). I couldn't decide between the sous-vide pork and the roasted monkfish tail. The entrees come with a choice of sides, and our terrific waiter offered that he would recommend the leek puree with the monkfish and the fries or potatoes with the pork, which was just the tip to help me decide because I'd had my eye on the leeks. My friend had the pike filet mousse with crab and cognac broth which he said was good (but I couldn't taste due to a pesky shellfish problem). My friend ordered the wine, so I can't comment on the vintage debate. I only wish I'd thought of it at the time to ask the waiter about it! The space is a little strange -- it's very attractive, but a bit sterile and too brightly lit. The upstairs room is broken up into two parts, and we were in the quieter back part. The ground floor has beautiful tiles floors and is probably -- or will be -- packed at happy hour time. At 9:30 at night it was pretty empty, which created the impression from the outside that the place was dead despite a reasonable crowd upstairs (if we hadn't had a reservation I wouldn't have been particularly tempted to go in). I had the sense that a number of the other diners were guests at the Willard, which is not surprising, but that and the somewhat austere setting in the Willard made the place seem less fun, for want of a better word, than, say, Central. But dinner was delicious, service was friendly and efficient, it was a short walk form the E Street Cinema, and I had no problem getting a reservation, so I'm not complaining. Dinner for 2 with one app, 2 entrees, and a bottle of wine came to $90 pre-tip. Here's the menu again.
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I don't know if this belongs here or in Shopping and Cooking, but Michel Richard was a guest on today's Washington Post food chat.
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I walked by last night on the way to the movies and noticed that the red in the presumably Italian flag had faded so much the flag looked Irish. Not a good sign!
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Thanks Manguito. I received this after dinner so actually did order the aji de gallina (shredded chicken with peanut sauce), which I agree was a bit bland, though I wasn't expecting it to be spicy. I also got to try my friends' lomo saltado and cabrito norteno (goat stew), both of which were quite good. Speaking of spicy, I loved the dip that came with the bread, but I'm glad one of my friends tried it first and warned me about how spicy it was so I didn't slather it liberally on the bread! Four of us split the appetizer of fried mashed potatoes stuffed with beef and olives, which was delicious and not greasy or heavy (at least split four ways). The ceviche tasted very fresh and bright, and was a good-sized portion. We started the meal with the pisco sours, which I loved though have never had before for comparison. They were served in short, narrow glasses, and the creamy foam was topped with nutmeg. It was an elegant start to the meal, and a nice segue from a long work day. The service was both efficient and gracious. For example, after the first appetizer a server brought us new plates for the ceviche. Little touches like that go a long way. (Also, we'd checked before ordering the ceviche de pescado that it didn't include any shellfish. When a server brought us a plate with at least a shrimp sitting on top and we were about to inquire, our main server swooped in and removed it, to replace it with the correct dish. As usual, the quick correction made more of an impression than the initial mistake.) Also, the atmosphere, though not plush to say the least, was warmer and more comfortable than I expected. In general, I wouldn't say the food was outstanding, but the meal was a big hit.
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Has anyone been to El Chalan lately and have any recommended dishes? It was recommended as best Peruvian by my friend's cab driver one night, and we're headed there tonight to try it out.
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I passed by Lex Cajun Grill on Connecticut in Woodley Park and it looks like it has closed, though the sign is still lit up. Anyone know whether it's history or just being renovated? I'd love to find it out's being replaced (as long as it's not with a souvenir shop).
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From the better late than never file, here's my post on my dinner at Komi last week. Thanks so much to Pete, Cooter, and bbq4me for their ordering advice. I've worked so much since that night that I'd have forgotten half the things we ate, but the day after our meal I emailed the restaurant asking for the names of the wines we had, and almost immediately Anna Koeckeritz, the Maitresse d', responded with the following detailed list (only the last of many nice service touches). Fortunately it also includes all the food we ate, which I tried, but failed, to commit to memory. (A cheese course also appeared before the dessert.) Among the wines we particularly liked the Nostos-Manousakis from Crete that was served with the last few mezze items. I'd love it if they offered a tasting menu that stopped after the pasta course, because although I liked the Guinea hen dish I had for a main course I was pretty satisfied by the time it arrived (my friend ordered the capretto, which was also delicious). I suppose when you go a la carte you could share a few of the first course items and order pastas. But something about that parade of small bites was fantastic. Mezze Course: -Clos de l'Epinay, Vouvray, Tete de Cuvee, Brut, NV (Loire, France) -paired with the fresh olives and warm dates -Prager, Gruner Veltliner, Federspiel, 'Hinter der Burg,' 2005 (Wachau, Austria) -paired with the mackerel w/capers, crispy taramosalata, and grilled octopus w/ housemade mortadella -Nostos-Manousakis, Roussanne, 2005 (Crete, Greece) -paired with the foie gras crostini w/ cranberry mostarda, haloumi saganaki, crispy oxtail gyro, and blood orange with feta Macaronia: Pappardelle -- Conti Sertoli Salis, Valtellina Superiore 'Sassella,' 2002 (Lombardy, Italy) Agnolotti -- Poggio il Pino, Negroamaro, 'La Corte,' 2002 (Puglia, Italy) Meat & Fish: Guinea Hen Saltimbocca -- Azienda Agricola Ceuso, Nero d'Avola, 'Scurati,' 2004 (Sicily, Italy) 72 Hour Capretto -- Guzman Aldazabal, Alavesa, 2000 (Rioja, Spain) Dessert: Chocolate & Olive Oil -- Bodega Olivares, Dulce Monastrell, 2003 (Jumilla, Spain) Hot Apple Pie Spedini -- Marchesi di Gresy, Moscato d'Asti, 'La Serra,' 2005 (Piedmont, Italy) ************ Ms. Koeckeritz described the chocolate & olive oil dessert as follows: "It's two quenelles of gelato -- one is bittersweet chocolate gelato on olive oil streusel, toasted olive oil crostini, and Castello di Ama extra virgin olive oil. The other is olive oil gelato on a bed of chocolate streusel and a cocoa nib tuille with bittersweet chocolate sauce." The olive oil gelato is subtly flavored, but unmistakably tastes of olive oil. The whole dish is delicious -- thanks to all who recommended it. They served my friend's hot apple pie spedini (like a trio of square apple flourless fritters) with a birthday candle. Another nice service touch! If you'd like more detail on any item, just let me know.
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I went to Bistrot du Coin last night for the first time since its recent menu change. I went with the pan-seared salmon, leeks, and polenta in a champagne sauce. I found the sauce a bit bland, but the salmon was nicely seared and I loved the leeks and polenta. It was certainly the lightest meal I ever had at BdC (for the saucephobic, it was mostly on the plate), and a nice change of pace. More importantly, I love the atmosphere there. I know a lot of people complain about the service, the noise, the crowds, but I've always had decent to good service, and I like a noisy boisterous place from time to time (and last night was Sunday, so it wasn't packed). I went once last July with my brother and his girlfriend visiting from Columbus, not realizing that France had beaten Brazil in a World Cup match that day. Half the people there were wearing team jerseys, and at one point some strobe lights above the bar went on and everyone sang La Marseillaise, then some soccer songs. (Do they do the strobe lights and/or Marseillaise regularly?) A rowdy group of French fans had put a sign on the quietly gruff but good-natured waitress that read "Gerard Depardieu 1, Girl From Ipanema 0." It was an unexpectedly, ridiculously fun night. Oh yeah, and my steak was good too.
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Colorado Kitchen - Vailed.
mbalaver replied to hillvalley's topic in Washington DC Restaurants and Dining
I received an email from Colorado Kitchen saying that after this Sunday (December 17), they'll be closed for the holidays until January 3, when they'll have a "new menu and a great new selection of wines." -
I'm heading to Komi tonight, and trying the tasting menu for the first time. I read the posts above, but don't know how often they change their menu. Any suggestions from anyone who's been in the last few weeks?
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Does anyone know where you can buy chocolate-covered strawberries this time of year in the DC area, other than Wegmans? I'm trying to avoid the added expense of mail order, though if anyone can vouch for ones by mail I might be willing to try it. Thanks.
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We ended up having quite a nice night in the bar. The service was both welcoming and efficient. We sat at a chair grouping, avoiding the fishbowl rooms, which seemed unappealing even more for their wooden benches than for their glass enclosures. The mini garlic breadsticks were a nice touch and went well with the Manhattan I ordered from their classic cocktails list. I had the angry trout with pears, bacon, hazelnuts, and sage. (I happened upon a recipe for the trout on The List. Looks reasonably easy, though I don't happen to have a ball of caul fat lying around.) It was really delicious -- slightly sweet, and with lots of different textures from the pear and hazelnuts (the dim light made each forkful a bit of a surprise). I was a little disappointed with the fries -- the flavor was nice, but I guess I prefer my fries more thinly cut. I also had brussels sprouts with chanterelles and pistachios; they were good, but not standouts. Four of us shared the gigantic apple pie, which I highly recommend (both ordering it and sharing it).
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I have plans to meet friends at the bar tonight, possibly to eat in the bar. Don's mysteriously omninous quote gives me pause. Care to elaborate? Has anyone tried the bar menu? We'd be going on the early side.