Marty L.

6 hours ago, DonRocks said:

[Because your humble moderator has the ability to "see" Nepal and "type" Yemen.]

That's a shame -- Pakistani/Yemeni would have been quite the mashup!

Just curious:  Why does the new title of this thread refer to Yemeni food?

9 hours ago, Pat said:

The only person I know who has worked here became frustrated at the rigidity of the training protocol.This is someone who has worked at restaurants at different levels but put a lot of effort into service.  The comment about the Wharf taking away the good servers is a bad sign.

"rigid" certainly captures my sense of the service in my one meal there:  we didn't experience any of the problems other have identified, but almost the opposite--very formal, precise service, bordering on chilly, whereas we'd greatly prefer the more personable type of service we found at Palena and many other current faves.  (This was several months ago, however--presumably before the Manager's move to the Wharf.)

Attended the soft opening last night.  (Doors officially open today.)  Very reluctant to post this, because I'd dearly like to be able to secure a table regularly, but it won't be a secret for long, anyway, so . . . :  Yes, as we hoped, this is the best restaurant in DC west of 2 Amys.  I was somewhat afraid they'd be overwhelmed and have trouble with the consistency of what's on the plate--there are 100 seats, compared to the 40 in Springfield, and the menu is vast even before one gets to the daily specials (we had two--veal and a lamb shank; both delicious).  If last night is any indication, however, they're up to the task.  (Wisely, they've closed the VA location for a couple of weeks and several of the staff there are helping BA get up to speed.)  I don't have time just now to do it justice; suffice it to say that everything was scrumptious.  The (extended) family is extremely solicitous of their new customers, and eager to share their love of the family matriarch's reservoir of recipes.  And although not inexpensive (think Amoo's), it's quite reasonable for what they're serving, especially in light of the rent and the $$ they had to invest to get the old Listrani's/Bistroquet space up to code and retrofitting it for what they're doing.

Just go (but for my sake, not too often, please).

It's a passable neighborhood place, but doesn't hold a candle (esp. on the Nam Khao) to Thip Khao, just a few blocks away.

On 7/19/2017 at 6:54 PM, DonRocks said:

Sashimi cut from a whole (small) fish, and then the rest of it cooked and presented as (I assume) ara yaki a few minutes later.

We had yet another fantastic meal Saturday night (sashimi; ara; baby octopi; matsutake; tofu; sardines; croquettes).  Seki is not only extremely consistent -- it's also the rare place that's conducive to easy conversation, and also very fairly priced.  And it was not even full on a nice Saturday evening.  (Don't get me wrong; I'm not complaining--if it were a block further south, on U Street, there would always be waits of more than an hour.  I only hope that it remains profitable for the Sekis at these price points, so that we can all continue to enjoy it.)

The fact that Sietsema did not include Seki (or 2 Amys) among his top 43 or whatever is, frankly, absurd--inexplicable, in fact.  It's one of DC's finest gems.

Komi and Metier each get a star--everything else stays the same.

7 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

But now we're entering the world of house-made ice creams at the hands of a pastry chef - don't you think this is different? If not, what about places such as Kinship and Mirabelle? Hell, even Joe H's house.

I think a more apt comparison would be Dolcezza, no?

It's better than Dolcezza.  (I liked the pistachio and the almond brittle better than the goat cheese/cherries.)  Not sure about the comparison to Jubilee, which I haven't had in a while.  I'd probably choose whichever has a shorter line.

It was fine, very good in fact, but not earth-shattering.  2 Amys remains the standard-bearer 'round here.

Tim Carmen's Top 14.  To his great credit, he stresses that the list might look very different from day-to-day.  Best I've had lately is at Etto.  Anyone been to No. 1 Inferno in Darnestown?  (How I wish Edan McQ. were still around these parts so that he could opine/remark on all of this.)

4 minutes ago, Tujague said:

It occurred to me in part because he's recommended it a lot this past year in his chats. I've shared your skepticism about Isabella, but my visit there convinced me he's the real deal. And, with the big article in the NY Times about Isabella yesterday, this feels like his moment.

OK, you've persuaded me -- Arroz.  Which means that TuG, Komi and LS, as well as Fiola Mare and Kinship, won't make the top 10, which is a bit silly (albeit par for the course).

2 hours ago, Tujague said:

Y'all know that he loves Rasika. But I wouldn't count out Arroz as an underdog choice.

I think highly of Rasika, but that would be a very disappointing, somewhat absurd, choice.  I thought about the Dabney, but figured that Tail Up Goat is more likely along those lines.  Arroz is an interesting thought--I haven't been there yet, in part because I'm wary of the Isabella Industry.  

16 hours ago, Marty L. said:

Any predictions on his top two?  Note that this year he's describing it as "top," not "favorite" or "best"--without any effort to describe what the criteria are.  Nos. 3-10:

3. Himitsu

4. Minibar

5. Métier

6.  Bad Saint

7. Tiger Fork

8.  ChiKo

9.  Salt Line

10. Sfoglina

I assume the contenders for the top two spots are:  Komi, Little Serow, Tail Up Goat, Rose's Luxury, Pineapple and Pearls, Kinship, Convivial, Fiola Mare, and All-Purpose.  Am I forgetting any possibilities? 

(My prediction:  TuG and P&P.)

P&P is No. 2.  Unless he pulls a weird All-Purpose surprise again, I'd say the top spot is almost certain to go to Komi, TuG, or Fiola Mare.

Any predictions on his top two?  Note that this year he's describing it as "top," not "favorite" or "best"--without any effort to describe what the criteria are.  Nos. 3-10:

3. Himitsu

4. Minibar

5. Métier

6.  Bad Saint

7. Tiger Fork

8.  ChiKo

9.  Salt Line

10. Sfoglina

I assume the contenders for the top two spots are:  Komi, Little Serow, Tail Up Goat, Rose's Luxury, Pineapple and Pearls, Kinship, Convivial, Fiola Mare, and All-Purpose.  Am I forgetting any possibilities? 

(My prediction:  TuG and P&P.)

Please, hie thee to one of these establishments forthwith; drink up; and contribute.  (I can vouch for the Painkiller at Tail Up Goat--it's great.)

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/food/article/20975823/with-ties-to-us-virgin-islands-tail-up-goat-kicks-off-citywide-irma-fundraiser 

If you haven't yet had the "watermelon sorbet, nut + seed crumble, feta, mint" dessert, do yourself a favor and order it this--its final--week.  Much better than it sounds on paper, I think it's the second-best dessert I've had there, after the swoonworthy carrot/pineapple cake, and an ode to the fading summer.  Order a Painkiller while you're at it -- part of proceeds go to relief efforts for Irma-ravaged areas (and it, too, is much better than it sounds).  (Oh, and I really loved the new porgy prep, too.)

3 hours ago, Gadarene said:

This probably belongs in the Little Serow thread, but I impressed some folks from Isaan greatly while in Thailand by reading them Little Serow's menu, because it has dishes that they did not think were served anywhere in America.  Now I'm just waiting for Little Serow to do a spicy ant egg salad, so I can compare it to the amazing one I had at an Isaan restaurant in Bangkok.  I'm not holding my breath.  😀

Chef Seng has occasionally made a spicy ant egg salad at Thip Khao, and it's delicious.

12 minutes ago, Charles Tsui said:

Tiger Fork has to be appreciated in-context. Is their BBQ, for example, better than what I've had at the best specialist shops in HK? No way. But I don't really expect a $1.50 char siu rice box joint to pop up on Blagden Alley anytime soon. As I wrote above, if this place opened in Vancouver, it wouldn't merit much attention. But it's in DC, and there's nothing else quite like it right now. 

I do appreciate authenticity and focus. But I also understand why dilution may be necessary to succeed in a given market. 10 years ago, you couldn't really get a proper bowl of ramen here. Then, Toki Underground opened with a pretty non-traditional take on the dish (which they were frank about). But it did open a lot of people's eyes to the idea of ramen that didn't come in a plastic bag, a menu focused on it, and a new price point for it. Now, we have a diverse selection of ramen-only shops, like Ren's and Daikaya, which could hold their own in Japan. But, unlike NYC, we don't have dedicated soba or udon restaurants, so there continues to be room for the market to evolve (mature).

Tried Chi-Ko yet?  Hardly "authentic," and the name is cringeworthy; but I was very pleasantly surprised by my meal there last night.

10 hours ago, jandres374 said:

Looks to be closed. Sign in front says on vacation until mid-July. Lights are dark and no signs of life.

Website is also gone.

It's where Afghan Bistro will be opening (purportedly) in September.

27 minutes ago, DanielK said:

I am hearing 3-5 hour (!!!) wait on weekends.

A friend of mine's son is the one that built the dragon for them.

Drove by a 5:00 in the afternoon yesterday--over 200 people in line. Can this possibly be worth it? Don't think I'd wait that long even if there were rumors of a return of Julien Shapiro.

18 minutes ago, afelton said:

I went last night and thought it was good but not as transcendent as some of the other posters seemed to think.  Perhaps the problem was that I sat in the dining room, where I had the $80 omakase, rather than at the bar.  Appetizers included a pumpkin-eggplant dish that came out without eggplant (and was not remedied when pointed out to the server).  The fish was very good but mostly standard varieties like salmon and tuna - I wish I would have gotten some of the types referenced above, like uni.  Also the nigiri had a lot of wasabi put on by the chef between the rice and fish.  I like wasabit but it was a lot for me.  My wife had to take off the fish and scrape it off.  The dessert was a chocolate pudding with some blueberries and strawberries on top.

Putting together this, plus several severe downhill alerts at Sushi Capitol, plus Don's bar rave, adds up to the possibility that Chef Ogawa is putting all of his energies into the bar at Ogawa, and that it doesn't make much sense to choose either of the other two options.

11 hours ago, DonRocks said:

I had lunch here today:

I might say Mangialardo's, except I don't think they have any seats.

3 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

I think this is right.

If it is, it's a miracle; a rare successful shot in the dark -- I haven't been to Pesce in at least 15 years (mostly because of prices; always liked the place), but the plate stirred up old memories . . . .

42 minutes ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Trout Almandine at some bistro?  I don't recognize those plates.  I'll guess La Cote D'or?

Pesce?

1 hour ago, Jessica Strelitz said:

Well, I just did an Indian piece for Arl Mag, so you can send it to your friend with options for the future (if she can overlook the Kohinoor Dhaba mention), Also, I didn't include this because it just changed hands and I wanted to see if things changed, but Saffron is Falls Church is amazing. My go-to for sure.

PSA: Kohinoor Dhaba still has a buffet. The last update above, before yours, Don, indicated it was gone, but I definitely have eaten it several times since 2013. 

Saffron was amazing before it changed hands, or since?