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Marty L.

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  1. Marty L.
    I get the sense that a lot of great places--most of them very familiar--don't get very much play on the boards these days, perhaps because there's not a lot new to say about them (which is, generally speaking, a good thing). There have also been a slew of new and intriguing openings in the past 12-24 months, many of which haven't been reviewed very extensively here. I was hoping, therefore--and Don encouraged me to post this here--that I might entice many of the regulars to give us a sense of your "favorites." What I'm looking for is not your "10 Best" lists--this isn't intended to be a recapitulation of, or correction to, e.g., Sietsema. What I have in mind, instead, is something like a list of the places we most enjoy going to regularly. Which places stand the test of time? And which newer spots keep you coming back (at least for now)? The criteria for these lists are, roughly speaking, three: (i) great food, of course; (ii) consistency; and (iii) relative value, or bang for the buck. That wouldn't rule out, e.g., Komi and P&P, because they might be worth the steep price; but what I'm really looking for is inspiration for what ought to be in my regular rotation. For me, anyway, there's a fourth criterion in play, too: Most of the places on my list are, not coincidently, restaurants where there's obviously a real investment in the enterprise by both the kitchen and the front on the house, and at which I (and many other patrons) always feel welcome. Perhaps it all adds up to something like this: What are those places you don't feel any trepidation about choosing--no fears of a bad meal, a (relative) waste of $$, or an impersonal "scene"? Or, the converse: the restaurants that you are invariably happy to revisit. Ten is a fairly arbitrary number -- feel free to include fewer, or more. When enough of us have weighed in, perhaps there'll be some mechanism by which our consensus views (if any) can be shared more widely on the site. My list, for starters, looks something like this, in no particular order except that those at the top are the places I go to most frequently and/or that I love most unconditionally: 1. 2 Amys 2. Little Serow 3. Thip Khao 4. Tail Up Goat [full disclosure: my kid works there] 5. Seki 6. Daikaya Ramen 7. Indigo 8. Sichuan Jin River 9. Amoo's 10. Maketto I'm fairly certain that Hazel, Himitsu and Timber could soon be on the list, too, after further visits. Perhaps Kyirisan, too. And of course Bad Saint, although I expect I'll rarely be able to get a table there. (I haven't yet tried Ruta del Vino, among other places.) Other favorites include: A&J, Arlington Kabob, Baked & Wired, cf folks, District Fishwife (for lunch and, well, fish); Dairy Godmother (although I haven't been since Liz Davis left), Donburi, Drift, Hong Kong Palace, House of Mandi, Kabob 'n' Karahi (which might make the Top 10 if it weren't so far from me), Mi Cuba Café, Mi La Cay, Nido (and perhaps Mola, soon), Northwest Chinese Food, Pho 75 (Rockville), Pimento Grill, Ray’s the Steaks, Rose’s Luxury, Sushi Taro (esp. for chirashi or ramen at lunch), Taco Bamba, Takumi, Teaism, Thai Taste by Kob, Thanh Son Tofu, Vit Goel. Little Viet Garden might make the list if it turns out to be as good as Banh Ta Deli was—but I’ve only been once, and it was good then, not great. I’ve eaten at Full Kee and Jaleo (downtown) more often than anywhere else save 2 Amys, and they can both be great, but they aren’t quite as consistent as they once were. Bar Pilar is another old favorite that seems less consistent nowadays. R.I.P. Palena, Eat the Rich w/Julien Shapiro, Proof/Estadio as they once were
  2. Marty L.
    Different from week to week. Generally speaking, if you're willing to eat on the late side, just go at around 5:30 or 6:00 and tell them that; most days you'll be ok. If you want to be in the first sitting, good idea to be there by 4:45 or so. In between, it's very hard to predict . . . .
  3. Marty L.
    FWIW, Tyler Cowen opines that KOKS is perhaps the best restaurant . . . in the world! https://tylercowensethnicdiningguide.com/index.php/is-koks-the-best-restaurant-in-the-world/
  4. Marty L.
    Haven't been to Black Salt in a long time, for two reasons: (i) Have always thought the value/cost ratio was less than ideal (but that's true of many very fine restaurants 'round here); and (ii) had heard rumblings of downhill alerts with chef changes, etc. We have, however, had several fine happy-hour meals there in the past, at more reasonable prices. Black Salt might well be the best D.C. restaurant west of 2 Amys, and perhaps even better than Afghan Bistro. But if the latter is half as good as reported here, I suspect we'll frequent it much more than we do Black Salt, if only because it'll be much more affordable.
  5. Marty L.
    Just checked: 5100 Macarthur, just south of Arizona; Sept. expected opening. It might well immediately become the best restaurant in DC west of 2 Amys.
  6. Marty L.
    No Supreme Court Justices when we were there last night, but nevertheless a fantastic meal. Basically agree with all that lhollers writes above--the elote (popped sorghum!), hamachi and strawberry/tomato/insane parsley-tarragon sauce were particular favorites. I really liked the rapini dish, too. And the nigiri--wow. Best ikura I've ever had, among other things. What a wonderful addition, to Petworth and to DC. (Is that now the best eating/drinking block in town? Chantal Tseng honoring Zadie Smith this weekend, btw.)
  7. Marty L.
    Where?! (Be still my heart.)
  8. Marty L.
    Thanks, Mark and lhollers. It's been too long and I'm hankering to get back.
  9. Marty L.
    Any recent dinner experiences/recommendations?
  10. Marty L.
    and a bit of schmaltz
  11. Marty L.
    You're making a big mistake if you don't go to Little Serow in the next four days for what might be the best Golden Mermaid menu yet. Week of May 9, 2017 lon pla duk warm catfish relish / coconut / yellow bean gaap kai buu coconut husk / mud crab / shrimp paste laap pla gapong isaan barramundi / galangal / rice powder kanom bung na gapi shrimp toast / khi nu chilies / tamarind suki haeng pla muk glass noodles / squid / garlic chives pla tod whole fish / salt cured ginger sankaya chae yen frozen custard! $59 ** sorry, no substitutions; dishes may contain coconut, even when not listed
  12. Marty L.
    The pici is (are?) simple but amazing. (One other tip: The bread dishes are indeed delicious but very filling. If you don't order one, order an unadorned side of bread and butter instead. TuG has the best bread in town, IMHO.)
  13. Marty L.
    On Sunday they were packed solid from noon onward until at least 8:00. Many items 86'd very early on. Go figure.
  14. Marty L.
    Which is a great rendition.
  15. Marty L.
    dslee: The website shows a four-course (not seven-) tasting menu, with options of all or most of these dishes, for $59. What was the cost of the seven-course? And the cost of the wine pairing? thanks
  16. Marty L.
    Sietsema gives it 3.5 stars. Dinner menu here.
  17. Marty L.
    In light of the problems that plagued them early on (see upthread, discussing waits of well over an hour for food), this passage is downright shocking: "Like greyhounds out of the gate, the food at Dolan Uyghur races to the table. Order a few dishes at a time, then, to prevent your entire meal from showing up in minutes." If true, good for them for figuring out how to fix what might have been a fatal failing . . . .
  18. Marty L.
    Darn -- now we'll never be able to get in on the day of, after seeing the menu . . . .
  19. Marty L.
    Stopped by for carry-out yesterday. All of the food looks delicious, both on the large menu and coming out of the kitchen. Alas, in the 20 minutes or so that I waited for my food, several different seated parties walked out, having been waiting an hour or more for their food. It's a very small kitchen, and they simply haven't yet figured out how to keep up with the demands of a full-service restaurant. And that was with the place only half-full. (Seeing that others were still waiting who had been there far longer than I, I cancelled my order, which they had not yet begun preparing, in order to ease their burden.) This is a shame. They must have paid a fortune for the space; and the (extended) family running the place seems lovely and very hard-working. I hope they do figure out how to operate--which would probably entail consulting with others who have done this sort of thing before. (I don't know if more prepping is what's required, or if there are simply some things on the menu that are unrealistic given the logistics of the kitchen. Or something else.) As I said, if the food is as good as it looks, this could be a wonderful addition. For now, however, you might want to tread gently--go, if at all, at non-peak hours, until they've figured it out.
  20. Marty L.
    They still have the Shio Chintan (or did a couple of weeks ago; it's just not on the menu . . .
  21. Marty L.
    With some trepidation (see Momofuku thread), may I ask: What are the approximate food and drink prices?
  22. Marty L.
    Hey, knock yourself out, Eric. Most of us don't have that luxury, and thus greatly appreciate when Don, and others, regularly advise us that one dish or restaurant is not worth the cost.
  23. Marty L.
    Keith: I'll say it again: It is not my purpose to indict Ziebold or Chang, both of whom I admire. Or to accuse them of price-gauging. For all I know, they're taking losses on their chickens -- perhaps each requires 17 hours of labor or something. I'm just saying to the readers of this blog that I think the dishes are not remotely worth the cost to the consumer--that there are great chickens elsewhere at a fraction of the price, and that one's 56 or 67 dollars can get you much better food at Kinship and Momofuku themselves. Aren't such judgments the whole point of this community--to advise one another on where best to spend our restaurant dollars?
  24. Marty L.
    With all respect, Keithstg, of course it's only my opinion--that's the point of this website--and of course no one has to ever patronize any restaurant or order any dish. Duh. The purpose of my post--writing as someone who has great regard for both Eric Ziebold and David Chang, and who has had great meals at both places--is that to say that, IMHO, their chickens might be quite tasty, but that one's scarce food dollars are better spent elsewhere.
  25. Marty L.
    I asked her on twitter; her response: "loved the Liang pi (cold Xi'an noodles) and the rou jia mo (Xi'an 'hamburgers')" Those are the two items that appear to be the most consistent. Otherwise, I've found PG to be hit-or-miss (though I haven't been in a while). Lately, I've been frequenting Northwest Chinese Food, which also excels in Shaanxi cooking (or something similar--I'm no expert) and is, I think, more consistent.
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