Tujague

An overnight trip to Manhattan last week gave my partner and I a couple of dining-out opportunities that are worth reporting on. On Thursday night, his grad-school prof treated us to dinner at Triomphe, in the Iroquois Hotel. Although it was hard to find any recent reviews of the place, much less any online buzz, what I could locate indicated that it is one of the better places for a meal in the Theatre District, so I was intrigued to try it out. By and large, I found it to be an excellent choice. Though the menu doesn't come across as anything particularly special, there is obviously a steady hand in the kitchen who does well with good, classic ingredients. My salad of mixed greens, goat cheese, beets, pistachios and rum-soaked raisins was a bit overdressed but the flavors were fine. My partner was satisfied with his beefsteak tomato salad, though I cringed at the thought of ordering such a dish at this time of year. The entree special of perfectly grilled halibut over a ragout of white beans, chorizo, and spinach doesn't sound like anything special, but again, the cooking was spot on so it lingered in the memory. Our host's partner had a small plate of quail that made me jealous, given that it looked every bit as good, and larger-portioned than what I had had at Restaurant Eve a few nights prior. I don't recall much about our desserts except that a blueberry ice cream that was part of it. It's a relatively small, awkwardly shaped space with closely placed tables, but I didn't feel that we were intruding on other diners, or vice versa. Very professional staff and a lovely evening. Keep this one on your list for a good Midtown choice. Truth be told, however, the best meal I had on our trip (and better also than my birthday meal at Restaurant Eve) was lunch at Sylvia's, the classic soul-food restaurant in Harlem. Given that we arrived just as a local college graduation was completed and many of the grads and their families were heading there for a celebratory meal, we were lucky to get seated almost immediately. I gravitated immediately to the grilled catfish, while Bob had the grilled ham, which each came with two sides. We both opted for the black-eyed peas, then he for the collard greens and I for the mac 'n' cheese; a wonderfully light, flaky cornbread came on the side. (One downside: it's served with little plastic cups of Promise margarine.) The sides were a hit--the greens cooked with smoked turkey were salty but deeply flavored. The black-eyed peas were perfect, and the mac 'n' cheese was hands-down the best I've ever had. The entrees were almost an afterthought--the catfish was fine even if the portion was relatively modest sized. Bob's ham consisted of four thin slices, each nearly the size of the platter and served with pan juices. The damages? $30 plus tip. Outstanding! Sylvia's obviously gets the tourists (it's even listed on the subway maps), but outside of the margarine I couldn't see that it's compromised its cooking to that trade (chitterlings were that day's special). I'd go back there in a second, if only to get a full portion of that mac 'n' cheese!

Has anyone heard how much money was raised at Marty's last night? It looked like a big crowd in the TV footage. I just saw the city's proposal for housing the Market vendors while it is being restored--it basically involves a huge prefab building that would be situated at one of three nearby sites. (Before you say ick, the drawings suggest something that won't be totally ugly or out of place in the neighborhood.) Once plans are approved, they may be in business there sometime in August or sooner, depending where they locate. It's good to see things moving forward so quickly on this dimension, at least. Also, Jose Canales tells me that he will shortly be selling rotisserie chickens and deli meats out of the Tortilla Cafe across the street, which he also owns.

You mean the north wing, right? I've heard that they're already looking into retrofitting that to accomodate some of the vendors. Perhaps the Canales Deli could set up some limited business over at the Tortilla Cafe, which they also own. I was even wondering about that strange little mall space next to CVS on Pennsylvania Ave., which is mostly empty and up for sale/lease. It's at least close by, though the parking would be a problem.

Even for us relative newcomers to the Hill (just past 8 years), this is a horrifying event, so I can only imagine how longer-term residents like HillValley and Pat feel. I too didn't want to see it, but I'm glad I did--the damage is terrible, but to my eyes at least, it looks salvageable--the old girl has some strong bones on her. I suppose the question is, Will it be the same Eastern Market that we knew and loved? Mayor Fenty was there this morning and I said to him, with tears in my eyes, "Please, bring it back." He looked directly at me and said, "You have my assurance." I know that many of us on the Hill and beyond are going to hold him to that promise. And I think the fact that so many in Congress, like Eleanor Holmes Norton, Carl Levin, Lois Capps, and others, live on the Hill and frequent the Market regularly may bode well for this getting federal aid as well.

Three stars from Tom Sietsema. Strained analogy of the week: "the haunch of meat is as routine as a Simon Cowell crack on 'American Idol.'"

Last month, my fourteen-year-old cats starting exhibiting signs of early-stage kidney failure after eating some of the Safeway Priority brand (on the recall list)--vomiting, diarrhea, and increased water consumption over a several-day period. But I noted that they seemed to hold the dry food down just fine and they weren't otherwise distressed, so I stopped giving them wet food and the symptoms quickly abated. Then I weaned them back on to wet food with their regular Friskies, and they've done just fine since. I didn't make the connection about what had happened to them until I heard about the recall, so it freaked me out a bit to realize that they easily could have died. Even if I'd taken them to the vet, he probably could have diagnosed the kidney problem but wouldn't have been able to make the pet food connection, and couldn't have done much to help them, maybe would have even suggested putting them down, given their age.

Note also Michel Richard's nomination for "Best Cookbook from a Professional Point of View" for Happy in the Kitchen.

Huh, I thought that the Post was simply continuing to promote its pro-gay agenda with this recipe title--after all, aren't gay men the only people who actually cook at home anymore? Isn't the '50s thinking that "Man-Catcher brownies" would only be appealing to women?

My partner and I weren't wild about Otto when we were there last May--I expected it to be much better. Maybe it was because we were stuck in the narrow section between the bar and the main dining room, but the noise was oppressively loud, particularly the music, which was a really grating alt-rock. The salads we had were excellent (escarole and sunchoke, arugula with tomato) and huge, gelato was good, the wine and service were decentenough. But the pizzas themselves were disappointing, a very ordinary margherita D.O.C., and particularly the thoroughly unpleasant funghi and tallegio pizza, which had a really nasty, musty flavor. It made me appreciate 2 Amys that much more!

Neither. (And sorry for the error, I was quoting from memory.) jm chen makes my point perfectly in his comment on the line "The first course doesn't come with instructions for eating."

Two and a half stars from Sietsema. ("Within mere points away of being a three star experience" he says.) Is that the phrase that will drive Rockwellians to distraction this week?

Well, Tom Sietsema gives it two stars, if that's any help.

Lead time at the magazine has tightened up considerably in the last couple of years, particularly for columns--it's more like 2 weeks or less now. That's not to say he didn't fudge at all on his stated "one month" rule, but the math doesn't necessarily work out the way you think. And I didn't see much here that would necessarily change over 90 days instead of 30 days. I mean, how many restaurants of any nationality whose recipes tend to get spicier or more flavorful over time? It's usually the other way around. And the service comments weren't "opening month jitters" type offenses.

An excellent RW dinner at Notti Bianche on Monday night--we felt very fortunate to get a last-minute reservation at 6:30. The RW menu was almost identical to the regular menu, four options for the first two courses (antipasti or salad, pasta or entree), with only the risotto left off. I started off with the belgian endive salad, two endives tightly wrapped in prosciutto and topped with grapes and pears, with a gorgonzola cream dressing. The dressing could have used a bit more punch, or the offer of some pepper to heighten the flavors, but it was otherwise delicious. My partner had the brodo di pollo, a rich chicken soup with malfatti (which I believe Don was raving about recently). We both opted for pastas for our main course over the "carne e pesce." I went for the cannelloni, two large rolls filled with poached chicken, Italian sausage, on bed of wilted baby spinach. The server described it as the best pasta dish he's had from chef Chittum, and indeed, the first bites were rich and exciting--the balance of chicken and sausage was perfect, and the pasta delectable. If I was a bit less enamored by the end, I think it had to do with the overall richness of the dish--I was sated. One cannelloni would have been plenty, and by the end, the chicken seemed slightly bland to me. Still, I'd go for a half-portion again in a second. My partner had the rabbit ragu with pappardelle, which I tasted, finding it flavorful--and again, great noodles!--and it seemed like a good winter comfort food. For dessert, the options were restricted to a panna cotta and a sort of deconstructed tiramisu--marscapone cream in a chocolate cup topped with chocolate covered espresso beans and two ladyfingers sticking out (hmmm, I had a lot of phallic food, come to think of it ). Both were fine, but I was disappointed the profiteroles weren't available on the RW menu. For wine, I stuck with a glass of Malbec. At $9, I at first thought it was a bit pricey, but it was a large pour and a good value for that. As a RW selection, NB wasn't the best buy, especially sticking with the pastas--we only saved a few bucks apiece off the regular price. But on the basis of the quality of the food, I didn't feel cheated. I'm late getting on the Notti Bianche bandwagon, but I now a definite fan--I'm glad I finally got here.

Christmas Eve 2005 I went with family members to Rioja, down on Larimer for a late-night dinner. Granted, it's not the best time to sample a restaurant, but it didn't give any indication that it was not at its best. We all enjoyed our meals, which ranged from pasta to fish to lamb, all expertly prepared. (I understand the house-made pastas there are their specialty.) I would rank it with some of the better neighborhood restaurants in DC, such as Ardeo or Sonoma--not top rank, but very good. In fact, we had planned to return there this past Christmas Eve, we liked it so much, but my flight was delayed and we were forced to cancel our reservation, so I can't report if it's kept up its quality. The Fort, in the foothills outside Denver, near Red Rocks, is not outstanding, but a good place to go if you like to eat game and more "western" type foods.

Cooking Thanksgiving dinner for myself or anyone else was just not in the cards this year, since I was coming off a grueling five days of chatting up religious scholars at the Washington Convention Center. Surely after such torture, I deserve someone else to cook me a nice holiday dinner, right? Last year's dinner at 701 had been merely pleasant, so this year I decided to try to locate a reasonably priced buffet that might have a bit of a "chefly edge." Viridian proved to be a good choice overall. Any Thanksgiving must be judged first by the quality of its turkey, and Viridian's hand-carved bird was deliciously moist and flavorful. Two other carving stations offered prime rib and ham, but I only tried the beef. It was an okay roast, juicy but a fattier piece than I would have preferred, and the accompanying horseradish sauce was tame. Nevertheless, these were good choices, done respectably. The real stars of the show were among the nine side dishes offered. Best among these were a really decent mac 'n' cheese, just-right turnips and carrots, and an excellent rendition of green bean casserole, featuring al dente beans and flavorful wild mushrooms. The pumpkin and foccacia dressing was tasty, though it clashed a bit with the turkey gravy, and the sweet potato gratin was tasty, though almost cloying in its richness--a little went a long way. Mashed potatoes were nothing special, but the brussels sprouts with lardons were good. I liked the collard greens fine but my partner found them too bitter, and the cheese grits were surprisingly bland. The three salad choices were uninspired, except for the yummy candied pecans offered as garnish. The four dessert choices split down the middle for me. I loved the gingerbread parfait, and the bourbon pecan ice cream was nice. But the chocolate pecan pie was a bit too dry, and the pumpkin mousse (in a hollowed out cake was too sweet. An inexpensive Luzon wine made a nice meal accompaniment, and we topped it all off with French press coffee. The service was a little too informal (our server spilled our wine when she opened it--fortunately on herself, not us), but pleasant. Overall, we left stuffed and happy--just what you want for Thanksgiving. It was nice to see a trendy-looking restaurant pull off a downhome concept so well.

One and a half stars for PS7's. Wow, this is like the third new "big deal" restaurant (following Agraria and Urbana) to get a less-than-(two)-stellar review recently.

Two stars for Mendocino. Tony and Joe's is not so lucky.

The Weekend section and the Magazine are totally different staffs; I doubt they consulted with each other at all about these articles appearing within a few days of each other. And Fritz Hahn's bar scene write-ups are of a totally different flavor from Tom's reviews. My guess is that all the Magazine columnists are working on shorter publishing intervals these days, as everything in it--Weingarten, Stuever, the dating column--seems a bit more current than previously. If so, Tom could still stick with his basic ethic, write the review, and have it appear much sooner than expected. That said, I thought this week's review was a bit of a stretch, even combining the two operations; throwing in another limited-menu establishment to balance it out would have made more sense to me (I don't know what that might have been, though). On the other hand, Todd Thrasher is really a chef in his own right, so extending him this sort of space is not unfitting.

Well, Eve Zibart is taking on Lia's tomorrow, so I'll place my bets now on Bastille. Whee! Sietsema speculation is fun!

PS7 only opened Sept. 14, so if he's reviewing it, he's only started his visits this week (and might he wait until it's opened for lunch before a review?). My guess is a place with a new chef, like Mendocino, or maybe Bastille, down in Alexandria.

Tom Sietsema weighs in with 1.5 stars ...

Tom Sietsema's just confirmed the rumors. Saturday is the last night for Oyamel in Crystal City before Roberta Donna moves in, and then it will move to Andale's old space.

Close--it's in the space where Johnny's Half-Shell was on P St., near 20th St.

It's Scossa Restaurant and Lounge in Easton, Maryland--but only two stars.