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Marty L.

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  1. Marty L.
    Fair enough; thanks, Bart. (Of course, nothing prevents Sietsema from offering both lists.)
  2. Marty L.
    Then why doesn't he title the post "Top Ten Pack-Leaders" instead of "Ten Favorites"? For that matter, why bother telling us that the IaLW, P&P, minibar, Komi, Metier, et al., are the "standard bearers"? At those prices, they'd better be -- and anyway, everyone already knows that they are. The only news w/r/t these places would be if they had taken a nosedive (cf. Sifton on Per Se). What people don't know is where their scarce $$ can best be spent, or what TS's actual favorite restaurants are (either of which categories might include one or more of these places, or might not).
  3. Marty L.
    At least four of Tom S.'s top ten "favorite" restaurants--probably more (P&P, Metier not yet listed)--will be $150/person or more (in some cases considerably more) before wine, tip and tax. I wonder if they'd all be his favorites if he were footing the bill.
  4. Marty L.
    Some friends report that they went about a month ago, were informed by the owner that Edan and Thea were no longer working there, and then they had one of the worst meals ever, the polar opposite of what they (and we) had last summer. Not sure what happened--whether it's true that they're gone for good; whether perhaps they were on vacation . . . .??
  5. Marty L.
    Went tonight--got the Turu and Bentley, both excellent. Great place to have in Petworth. Jonathan is right--they are doing pizza as well as just about anyone in town. About 80% of the pizza combos are new -- they are changing every month or so, according to the chef. Here is the current menu.
  6. Marty L.
    The lardo crostino I got last night didn't work, either. But the chicken liver . . . wow.
  7. Marty L.
    You should sidle up to the bar and ask them what they're most excited about that day. But don't miss the ice cream. And if you order pizza (not necessary), make sure you ask for it on the well-done side. I concur with everything Don and Jonathan say above.
  8. Marty L.
    I tried that earlier on this thread, Sam! I, too, would rather the discussion here simply be about whether your (our) $18/tip/tax is well-spent, rather than on whether Chang is ill-motivated or whether he makes more or less profit than others. And on that question -- is this a good use of your dining dollars? -- it surely does matter that (i) I tend to think of ramen as a quick, affordable meal (usually lunch or very late-night) and (ii) although Momofuku's ramen is perfectly good, it's not better than several other bowls in town that are lower-priced. Therefore, my modest advice would be, if you're at Momofuku and have a hankering for ramen, by all means order it. But if you're looking for the best ramen value, without sacrificing on quality, go elsewhere--such as Daikaya, which is still my ramen of choice, and Sam's. (On the other hand, for instance, I'd never order Bantam King's fried half chicken for $33--because, again, I can get fried chicken that's as good or better for one-third the price.)
  9. Marty L.
    Sorry, I didn't mean that it was off-topic--it's all about Mofofuku. I just meant that it had turned to questions of Chang's motives, rather than simply whether the ramen is worth paying $18/tip/tax for.
  10. Marty L.
    Boy, this thread is straying from the relevant point, isn't it? I think it's fair to assume that David Chang and his financiers are no more or less profit-driven than 99% of the others in the business. I think it's also fair to presume that Momofuku is setting its prices so as to bring in approximately the same profit margins as anyone else. But for whatever reason -- perhaps most importantly, they chose to open a huge space, much of it not being used regularly, in the most prime real-estate area in town -- they have chosen to charge $18 (plus tip and tax, of course) for a bowl of (very good but not the best-in-town) ramen. And it's not worth the cost, even if their motives and business practices are entirely commendable. The same is true of many of their dishes -- I enjoy them, but rarely feel as if I'm getting my money's worth. I feel anxious spending what I do there, because it's hard for me to justify the cost. This is also true at many, many other places in town, some of which I would love to visit more frequently, but which I instead reserve for special occasions (and even then, I feel very uneasy). Prices have gone haywire in the District--starting with $15 cocktails and $11 glasses of juice, which are at least twice what they oughta be, and continuing from there. This is not an indictment of the proprietors-- the rents are undoubtedly sky-high at many of these locations, and if the market will bear those prices (as the long waits for tables suggest), then more power to them. Apparently there is an endless supply of disposable income in this town these days; but if so, I don't have it (and neither do many other Rockwellians). I'm just crossing my fingers that these trends don't price me out of the places that I frequent because their food is great and their prices are (relatively) reasonable (even if not cheap), such as 2 Amys, Thip Khao, Seki, Indigo, Little Serow. Prices have been inching up at all of these, too; but they all offer much better bang for the buck than many other very fine places. Don, I wonder whether it might be useful to start an "especially good value" thread . . . .
  11. Marty L.
    Remains to be seen whether it can, uh, "stack up" to Stachowski's pastrami -- but the more the merrier! On Saturday, I had the smoked chicken sandwich. The various components were very good, but there was a little too much going on to appreciate the chicken itself (and I got only a touch of mayo!). They might be wise to adjust the proportions to concentrate more on the protein. And I hope they'll jettison the tomatoes very soon, when the season passes. Very promising; but still needs tweaking.
  12. Marty L.
    I concur. I only went once and it was . . . fine, but overpriced, and nothing that would beckon me back. I'm sure it can turn out very good dishes, considering who's involved, but it's not even the sort of place that's aiming for three stars; and it doesn't come close to, say, Tail Up Goat (or, at this price-point, Thip Khao, where I've had three spectacular meals in the past ten days).
  13. Marty L.
    What are your favorites for take-out from Baan Thai?
  14. Marty L.
    "Pete Wells Has his Knives Out" by Ian Parker on newyorker.com
  15. Marty L.
    For those of you not familiar with it, it's directly across the street from Chaia taqueria. Very nice place, even if it can't compare to Baked & Wired (but what can?).
  16. Marty L.
    "my theory as to why such a restaurant could only exist now thanks to Uber" Lemme guess: No parking within miles; no metro nearby; expensive cabs. I'll bet you're right that upward of 75% of their customers are either locals on foot, or come and go via Uber. Me, I've found a parking space every time . . . but sometimes I circle for 15-20 minutes.
  17. Marty L.
    Well, it's "expansion" only in the sense that I think Chef Seng has had to hire more employees, in the kitchen and out, to handle the larger crowds. And I wasn't suggesting that it's improved because of this "expansion," but in spite of it. That's because she and Bobby really care about what they're putting on the table. Perhaps it's too good to be true -- I can't even be sure there aren't lapses and inconsistencies (which wouldn't surprise me). But the dinner I had this week was as good as any I can recall. (I sat at the bar. It also helps that Tim and the other bartender (whose name I forget) are so good at what they do, despite the fact that they're working like whirling dervishes.)
  18. Marty L.
    Is it possible that Thip Khao has gotten even better as it's had to expand to serve the larger crowds? Chef Seng and son Bobby hitting on all cylinders. This is a great summer dish (purple rice, lemongrass, galangal, dried shrimp, toasted coconut, shallot, green mango, long bean, ginger leaves, peanut, mung bean, lime zest, chilies, tamarind sauce); I wish it were on the permanent menu--could eat it every day. And Bobby's new dessert, with peaches and coconut, is delicious.
  19. Marty L.
    We thought it was fine; nothing special. Like so many places these days, a decent place, nice folks, but not worth the $$.
  20. Marty L.
    Not for groups smaller than six, unless it's changed its policy recently. Add 2 Amys, Daikaya ramen, Maketto, just to mention three of the best.
  21. Marty L.
    Have to get back to Lezo for that posole. Does Mi Cuba Cafe count?
  22. Marty L.
    Bon Appetit names Black Saint the second-best new restaurant in the country. Well-deserved kudos! And to think -- it's still only the seventh-best restaurant in Columbia Heights, per the Dining Guide. (Just good-natured ribbing, Don! But really, there ought to be an enormous gulf in that section between Bad Saint and Thip Khao, on the one hand, and every other place, on the other (with honorable mention to Mi Cuba Cafe).)
  23. Marty L.
    What Todd Kliman is doing over there is remarkable. What a remembrance. --- Todd Kliman's tribute now all in one place; someone really oughta get the Post to publish it:
  24. Marty L.
    And it's now available at their second location, too, across from the Zoo.
  25. Marty L.
    Let's add: Half- or whole chickens at upscale places that are not Zuni Cafe.
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