Rhone1998

So sad. RIP Mark Kuller. I didn't know Mark personally but he was always a great host when we'd see him at Proof from the early days, and I have a fond memory of exchanging sly messages with him on this site about a popular restaurant we'd both eaten at that neither of us liked. He seemed like an all around good (and fun) guy.

Love seafood stews and I'll follow this thread with interest. One of my favorites to make comes, I believe, from Jacques Pepin and starts by frying potatos in the fat rendered from sliced Spanish chorizo. From there I often wander off in different directions but I really enjoy that as a base.

I walked by last night and it was open.

I think it's trying to do both. Southern biscuits, fried green tomatoes, brisket, etc. on the one hand, an all-French wine list, steak frites, foie gras terrine, duck a l'orange etc. on the other hand. I wandered in to Macon Bistro tonight not having had any idea this place even existed, and made a quick dinner at the bar out of deviled eggs, chicken liver on toast, a roasted beet salad, and a Devil's Backbone Vienna Lager. It's a very nice, bright, welcoming, space, with a friendly staff and beautiful marble bar. The deviled eggs and chicken liver were really enjoyable. I appreciated how both incorporated some crunch and acid for balance in the form of finely-chopped pickles. The salad was ok, too many individual elements that didn't seem to work all that well together -- beets, goat cheese, kale, grapefruit, pigs ear. But overall this was a really enjoyable meal and I'm glad I stumbled across this place.

For those interested in trying this locally, I *believe* it is available on tap at Birch and Barley.

I agonized quite a bit about whether to write anything at all about my experience at Banana Leaf last night, given they've only been open two weeks, and if I did write something just how to describe it. In the end I decided just to post a note and make it as straightforward and factual as I can, as a cautionary tale to those of you who might be thinking of going anytime soon before they work out their service issues. I wish these guys all the best and I'd be very happy if and hopefully when they work everything out...to have a functioning Sri Lankan restaurant with good food in the area would be awesome. But we don't have one yet. At 6:25 last night (I have the receipt in front of me) I walked in and placed a to-go order of 5 items. The pleasant guy at the back counter who took my order told me it would be 35-40 minutes. At the time, I noticed 5 out of about 15 tables were occupied. I went over to a bar next door and had a beer while I waited, returning to a now-full restaurant at 7:00. For the next hour and ten minutes (yeah), I stood or sat near the back counter and had a pretty good view on how things were working. I witnessed: * Multiple tables trying to flag down waiters * guy comes up to the counter frustrated that he can't get anyone to give him the check. Complains one of the dishes they ordered never came out. * Confused looking customer wandering around the floor with the two sealed bottles of beer in his hand that his waitress had deposited at their table, trying to find someone to open them for him * a couple getting up and leaving in frustration * At the peak of the frenzy when there were about 55 seated at tables, 1 or 2 dishes would come out of the kitchen every few minutes. It was a pace that just couldn't even come close to keeping up with demand. I don't think the kitchen could support half the tables in that space. * The pleasant gentleman who took my order kept telling me he had just gone to the kitchen and my food was just about ready. It never was. * At 8:10, 4 of my dishes came out. They said it take more time for the fifth one. I said forget it and got my money back on that one. * When I complained about the service, it was more excuses than apologies, which was pretty annoying. Most striking of all, when I pointed out in response to them saying how crowded it was, that when I ordered there were only 5 tables occupied, the guy said he had to prioritize in-house orders over take-out orders. Meaning, presumably, that orders that came in well after mine were serviced first. I don't know what to make of that, though, since the patrons in the restaurant weren't having much better luck than I was. *Sigh* The menu is pretty interesting and honestly about half of what we got, I'd rush back to try again if I knew they'd fixed the service issues. There were some really tasty fried fish spring roll type things in the appetizer platter with some delicious and unique (to me) tasting cutneys. Another dish I really liked was kind of like a chicken curry with chopped roti all mixed together. Good, interesting stuff you can't find elsewhere around here. But man, they've got to fix how they deliver this food before I will ever trust them with my time again.

The Taylor outpost in my neighborhood, on 14th St., definitely sees just a small fraction of the crowds it had when it opened...

And just to clarify, what I saw there were piles of individual nigiri-sized slices.

That is an interesting and fair question. At my end of the counter, I could see four or five things, and everything was pre-cut except for a solid block of tuna. On the other hand, the two chefs who were working stood at the other end of the counter, and so I didn't actually get to see how any of the fish in front of me was being used. I had two orders of nigiri, which were fine, not exceptionally good or bad. The main part of my lunch was a bowl of ramen, where other shortcuts were in evidence, including a pre-cooked soft-boiled egg that was still cold when it reached me.

I was surprised to see pre-cut fish drying out in the refrigerated case at the sushi bar at Kaz. If I saw this at Kotobuki I wouldn't have given it a second thought, but at Kaz? Not that this is a pillar of global sushi gastronomy, but still, it's one of the higher end places in the city. Should I not be surprised? Is this common practice?

The Union Market location is now offering the burger every day.

Look I'm not interested in getting into a pissing match about whether this is the best dining experience in America or not. Who cares? If you think you'll like it, go, if you already liked it, go back. If you don't, don't. All I'm saying is I think it's a reasonable inference from my experience to say that Roberto's 8 is not crazy difficult to get into and you shouldn't fall all over yourself in desperation to get a reservation. I'm no VIP...from their perspective I'm just some schlub off the street who inquired once about getting a table, and over the course of the next few months they gave me several opportunities to eat there. And when I was finally able to make it, it was half full. Maybe it is very hard to get a seat for a specific night, I don't know. But if you can be flexible and you send them an email asking them to let you know when something opens up, anyone should be able to get in within a reasonable amount of time, I think.

Eh, I'm not so sure it's that difficult to get in anymore. After I emailed them requesting a reservation sometime early last Spring, I would get emails maybe once every 2-3 weeks letting me know of an opening and asking if I wanted it. None happened to be convenient until about mid July, when we wound up going. Granted it was mid week, but that night only 4 of the 8 seats were taken.

I'll be a solo diner in Palo Alto Monday night (though with a car and willing to drive a bit). Any recommendations? I'll take anything good that's not super expensive, more interested in someplace low key and where I can eat at the bar, and bonus points if it's the sort if food I can't get easily here. Thanks!

In two tries now, the ground beef from Harvey's Meats at Union Market has made my homemade versions the closest I've been able to get to the best hamburgers I've been served in restaurants (e.g., the black label burger at Minetta Tavern). Today it was straight out of the display case, unlabelled but I believe 85/15. The burger I made, with nothing but the loosely packed meat, last-minute salt and pepper on the outside only, and pan-seared, was very good. The time before, I asked specifically for them to put together an 80/20 mixture for me, which they did graciously and quickly. Prepared the same way. Awesome.

I can't recommend the sandwiches like I used to. The bread is still great, but both the roast beef and turkey sandwiches we had tonight were extremely skimpy on the (nothing to write home about) fillings and just overloaded with mustard. I found them out of balance and just not enjoyable. But for what they do best, their baked goods, they are still very, very good.

Yes, that was the eight of us in the back having a good time.

Thanks to everyone at Dino's for helping make a reunion of old grad school friends last night a big success. From not making a big deal about a straggler to letting us linger and chat over dessert, to providing great service (my friends noticed how much thought our waiter put into our wine pairing) and a really enjoyable meal overall, we really appreciated it. And even though evenings like this are much more about the company than the meal, everyone commented really positively on the food afterwards.

Made it to Doi Moi tonight for the second time, and the first time under the new chef. The six dishes we had were a bit of a mixed bag, but overall it was an enjoyable meal, and a step up from our first experience there. I thought the appetizers were more interesting than the entrees -- highlights were small radish cakes with crispy fried garlic, very nicely deep fried zucchini flowers stuffed with crab and shrimp meat (dish of the night), and kind of a Thai version of scallop ceviche, thin slices of scallop in lime juice with lemon grass, chiles, and that same crispy garlic. "Crispy duck confit with chili-basil sauce" wasn't all that crispy, but was delicious nonetheless. The Khao Soi was a disappointment - bland and strangely lukewarm, as if they were reheating a dish that had been sitting at room temperature and just didn't heat it long enough (there was similar...laziness?...on display with a pineapple tart dessert, which was fine overall, but used room temperature previously-grilled pineapple chunks instead of grilling them to order, which would have made a huge difference.) Overall dishes ran from mild to incendiary and it was kind of hard to tell from the menu which would be which, so you should ask if you're sensitive to heat. The above mentioned tiki drinks were great, particularly a pina colada that was brightened with the novel use of a coconut cream soda, I believe. I think the clock is ticking on their tiki menu, so head over soon if you want to try it before they move on to something else for the Fall.

Good to know A&H is selling good seafood. I haven't been there since I lived in Bethesda, 8 years ago now, but at the time I limited myself to their grocery items and a few cheeses. Do the fresh fish they sell lean more toward Mediterranean varieties?

Really curious to see whether anyone mentions anyplace other than Blacksalt Market or District Fishwife in this thread.

An article in Fortune about this trend: "Next On The Menu For The Fast-Casual Craze: Pizza" by John Kell on fortune.com

Thanks, everyone. I'm agonizing over this one. My wife, who's been following this drama, said I'm not going to get price, location, and good food all in one place and that's kind of the crux of it. Knowing Woodley Park, I was planning on compromising on location first of all, but it's really hard to find decent, interesting places in DC with entrees below rather than above $20. Don, Mama Ayesha's might be a bit out there for some in this group. Gadarene, Roofers Union looks interesting, but judging from the picture on their web site (I've never been there) it looks *loud*. Can we have a quiet conversation there? I was also thinking potentially of the new Dino's, or maybe Cork.

You know what was completely shocking to me? One of the owners told me that Saturday is their busiest day.

Getting some pushback that New Heights is too pricey. Ripple is roughly in the same price range. I think I need to take it down a notch.