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Marty L.

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Everything posted by Marty L.

  1. Marty L.
    Three drumsticks for $9. Six wings for the same. And not as good as my memories of BC (it's been a while). What are the current Bon Chon prices?
  2. Marty L.
    Sichuan Jin River. Or Hong Kong Palace in Seven Corners.
  3. Marty L.
    Before this devolves into a sharp dispute, please allow me to modestly suggest that perhaps both ozgirl and Mark have a point. Twelve dollars is a very steep price for a challah. And it's worth flagging for all DR readers that the prices at Bread Furst are undoubtedly high, on almost everything, including the non-baked retail items. On the other hand, you can't walk in the shop for twenty seconds without realizing that Mark's overhead costs, and his food costs, must be extraordinary -- the space (in a high-rent district), the work that had to be done to get all the utilities and other things up to inspection-ready snuff; the labor costs (there are some very accomplished bakers/chefs on staff); the food costs for such superlative ingredients. I am very confident that Mark is not trying to gauge anyone -- he's trying to set a fair price that will allow him to stay afloat. And his product is 1000 times better than Whole Foods'. (I haven't yet tried the challah, but I've found WF's to be virtually inedible.) Unfortunately, that quality comes at a cost -- and it's a cost that many quite reasonably will not wish, or be able, to bear. But I'm fairly confident that in this particular case, it is quite literally the cost of doing business.
  4. Marty L.
    If you go on the weekend, get the bialy. "They" don't make 'em like that anymore. But Mark does. The corn rye is also great, but take heed -- it's got a distinct anise undertone.
  5. Marty L.
    The yellowtail was terrific, and at half price was an amazing deal. Between Ferhat and Julien, is there any doubt about which is the best block for seafood in the city? Nothing else even close, unless Sushi Taro were to move in next to Seki or something . . . .
  6. Marty L.
    Wow. Just wow. Thank you, Julien, for that remarkable encomium. We all knew, of course, that something unique was happening there for these past 14 years. Still, it's humbling to learn just how much dedication, craft, industriousness, education, creativity, and sweat and blood were necessary to make everything appear to us, the repeat guests, as though it were so seamless and routine. It was so good, and so right -- the model of what a neighborhood/world class restaurant ought to be -- that I'm afraid many of us began to simply take it for granted. Whereas it was, in fact, a minor miracle, repeatedly daily on about 4000 occasions. This week must be deeply painful; but I hope that Frank and all the others who toiled all these years at Palena understand how grateful we all are for being the lucky beneficiaries of their collective, sustained labor of love.
  7. Marty L.
    My sense is that they're only serving as many people as their food supplies will allow -- that they (understandably) haven't purchased much in a few days, but don't want to turn away anyone who had already secured a reservation. The chicken was gone early last night. Bouillabaisse later in the evening. This morning at brunch there were no more brioche for the burgers. Three hours from now, when they serve the final customers, there may be very few choices remaining. But even if there's only one item left on the menu, it'll be a very special bite to savor . . .
  8. Marty L.
    Yep, we were lucky to get in, although I saw many others being turned away. Not surprisingly, the chicken sold out fast . . . that is to say, it is no more. Burger and bouillabaisse were apparently shortly behind, although there were still some orders available when I left at 9:00. A wonderful meal, as always. Very bittersweet (and not just the rhubarb).
  9. Marty L.
    Both dining room and cafe are booked solid for tonight and tomorrow, alas.
  10. Marty L.
    Fiona Lewis is doing great things there (and her enthusiasm is infectious). Not only are the fish and chips and the thai salmon curry delicious, but the retail seafood itself is fantastic. The buyer is Vernon Lingonfelter, formerly of the Lingonfelter truck at the Bethesda Farmers Market. Certainly Black Salt-level quality, possibly even better. Black Salt-level prices, too, but that comes with the territory. Between Fishwife and the Maketto pop-up (serving only two items -- a weekly soup and great pork buns), there's finally compelling reason to trek to Union Market.
  11. Marty L.
    Or, since "Amoo" is presumably long in the past, how about "Oveysi"?
  12. Marty L.
    It's not always consistent, but when it's on, the version at Sichuan Jin River is great.
  13. Marty L.
    Just called and they said no more ramen tonight . . . sigh
  14. Marty L.
    Just to be clear: I am not complaining about the wait, and it speaks volumes about the loyalty of TU fans. I simply prefer Daikaya, where the line is rarely that long.
  15. Marty L.
    You're right about heft, and apples/oranges. For me, though, this isn't the platonic ideal. To repeat what I wrote on CH: Finally got around to trying Toki -- the tonkotsu ramen, for lunch. Very nice, tasty bowl of soup. I'd get it again if in the area. But not remotely worth an hour+ wait and, more to the point, not nearly as good, IMHO, as Daikaya, which has better veggies, better pork, and much better noodles. Of course, they are apples and oranges in terms of ramen styles, and if your taste runs to the unctuous richness of tonkotsu, then Toki might be more your cup of . . . soup. But for me, Daikaya is it. (Ren's, too, which I'd rank between the two. And the Taro lunch special . . . .)
  16. Marty L.
    Bumping up, for those of you who still don't have plans for this evening . . . and to welcome Seki to its well-deserved third page!
  17. Marty L.
    The Buri sashimi was, indeed, delicious. Head's up -- Seki is serving a 21-item osechi box for New Year's Eve (until midnight, I believe), that is said to be enough for two people, perhaps even more if slightly supplemented by regular menu items. $110, which is approximately one-third of the price of the osechi box at Taro (http://www.sushitaro.com/OSECHI_poster_2014.pdf) (which I'm sure will also be great, but way out of my price range). If I didn't have longstanding dinner plans, I'd definitely be there! If you go, please report back here. Happy New Year, Cizuka and Hiroshi!
  18. Marty L.
    The stuff to order here is anything with the (homemade) tofu.
  19. Marty L.
    Unfortunately I'll have to pass on tomorrow since I happened to be up there today and stopped in for the first time. Excellent meal -- pork chop on rice, "not stinky" tofu, tong zai mi gao (I think), salt & pepper chicken. Much better than most of my past meals at Bob's 66, including at the new location. Cleaner space; cleaner and fresher tastes. FWIW, you might want to order the lobster, since virtually every table other than mine seems to have received the memo explaining that that should be the centerpiece of the meal!
  20. Marty L.
    Is this the most consistently well-reviewed new restaurant . . . ever? Talk about raising expectations . . .
  21. Marty L.
    A fantastic deal at Seki. Apparently it's often on the specials menu, but not always: The broiled "ara" -- cheeks, belly, etc; the bony parts of the fish that Chef Seki uses for sashimi. Last night there were five or six good-sized pieces, of salmon, kampachi and sea bream. All delicious. And all for only $12! Can't imagine passing this up again if it's available.
  22. Marty L.
    Hmmm . . . I tried it for the first time today, too, and I didn't receive the sprouts -- but I got three pieces of the pork! Other than that, I concur completely. It's a great bowl of soup. I think I still prefer Daikaya, because I just love their noodles so much. But it is really an apples/oranges comparison, since the broths and noodles are so different. (Pork is much better at Taro.) The really hard choice, in my view, is between the ramen and the chirashi, since the latter is fantastic. I suppose one could order the ramen the one day or so a month that it's offered, and the chirashi the other 29 . . . .
  23. Marty L.
    I agree with the responses above, Cizuka -- judging from the email, you don't owe the patrons anything and should not regret the manner in which you tried to accommodate them. Moreover, for whatever it's worth, I'm happy to attest here that, in our view, you and your staff are extraordinarily accommodating -- and very honest and straightforward when, for practical reasons, you can't be -- and you collectively (including your father!) set a perfect tone for what has become one of our favorite spots to dine. But the incident does raise one question of practice as to which I'd be interested in hearing others' reactions. You indicate that you are reluctant to ask a party to move down one seat apiece at the counter in order to squeeze in a waiting party, especially if the first party is in the middle of eating. Sounds as if, for instance, during some of the wait in question, there were two seats empty on either side of the seated party of three, which you filled when parties of two arrived, rather than asking the seated party of three if they would scoot over to make room for the party of three that had been waiting. I think that policy is completely justifiable. After all, you hardly want to antagonize the party that's in the midst of eating. Still, if I were the seated party of three in question, and I saw the other party of three waiting, I would have voluntarily moved down in a heartbeat to make room for them -- I do it all the time, and have had many others do likewise for me. That doesn't answer the question, however, whether the proprietor of the restaurant should politely ask the seated party to move down. I've seen many cases where it's done, and just as many where it's not. I think both practices are eminently justifiable. Any advice for Cizuka on which she should follow?
  24. Marty L.
    Yes, it really is that good. Seng told me that she brought it back by popular demand and that it will be a "regular" special, in the sense that it will be available whenever she is in the kitchen . . . which will typically be Friday through Monday, and most evenings (but only occasional lunches) Tuesday through Thursday.
  25. Marty L.
    Does this mean that Koji will be at the Chevy Chase Sushi-Ko?
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