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Thanks, Jake. I knew you'd come through for me. Also good to know that I can try to swap tequila and mezcal. I love the smokey flavour in drinks.

Mmmmm....another reason to love DC. I miss Oyamel. I also remember the great mezcal based cocktails at Sidebar.So does anyone have cocktail recipes for mezcal based drinks they could share? I found some interesting ones at the Imbibe website but I'd rather get recommendations from the people on this board.

DCist posted this article about the soon to open Columbia Heights eatery. Many know that I fawned endlessly over Sidebar (while never having eaten at Jackie's - what's up with that?). And I consider Gordon a friend. So take this with whatever grain of salt you feel necessary. But I think these guys are going to open a kick ass neighbourhood joint. Please - if you live in the area - give these guys your business. I cannot imagine that you'll be sorry. Please post reviews, pictures, and any other food porn you can imagine once this place opens up. I will enjoy it vicariously through y'all. Now....back to eating stale Zingerman's bagels with bologna and processed cheese slices.

Wow. Well, ML really nailed it. I was reading about this for the first time after Tim Carman tweeted about it. I had no idea that this was going on. As someone who has been asked more than once if I'm a "dot Indian" or a "woo woo Indian", I often get tired by these sad characterizations and depiction, yet I also understand stereotypes exist for a reason. So my initial thought on Fojol Bros is that it's probably not mean spirited racism but ignorant, stupid, and in poor taste. And (as ML points out), doesn't pretty much everything that is ignorant, stupid and in poor taste get rewarded in our pop culture? So let's direct our outrage where it truly belongs and quietly ignore the Fojol Bros - both their cultural parodies and the products they sell.

You promised you'd never tell anyone about that tatoo. So much for the sanctity of pillow talk.

So we're gone. We left DC for the Midwest. For a variety of reasons but family was at the heart of it. I'd be remiss not to say THANKS!! to Don for creating this family that took us in when we first moved here more than a decade ago. So many of the dearest friends we've made since then have been through this amazing community. We had multiple "going away" parties and all of them involved people we've met here. Scott and Claudia sent us off in amazing style, and who could forget that mind destroying night at The Passenger (actually, I don't remember much and I blame the Brown brothers and my dr.com compatriots for that). And of course Michael Landrum's cohorts at RtC made sure I would never forget DC. The point is....none of this would be possible without what Don started. So, thank you Don. You've always got a home in Ann Arbor (though I question why you'd EVER want to visit this foresaken place!). I miss all of you terribly and hope that I can crash the picnics and other gatherings when I get homesick. Until then, I raise my glass to all of you. We may bicker and differ on various culinary points, but at the end of it, this is a wonderful group of people and Lisa, Spawn and I will miss all of you.

yeah - I noticed that last week. Frankly, I wasn't surprised. We loved the food there, but the wait time was incredibly long. We kept giving it a chance, hoping they'd get things running smoothly. But we gave up after it took 1.5 hrs to do a two item breakfast order. It's a shame - they were nice people who made good food.

Yup - I went there yesterday morning to get some pupusas and sopa de mondongo and there are signs instructing locksmiths not to open the doors. DIsappointing. Dean - what's your suggestion for an alternative in area? Got to have good lengua and mondongo.

Hrmmm....maybe. I'm going to the Caps game at the Verizon Centre (and then playing my own game afterwards) but a few drinks beforehand might be fun.

Speedy recovery, RJ! I just put down a down payment on season tickets for the Red Wings. You'll have to make a point of seeing the Winter Classic with us next year (at the Big House, nonetheless!). All the best.

I went here for lunch with some of my co-workers based on the good comments here. Really enjoyed my taco platter (though the lengua was a little drier than I like). My colleagues who got the burritos and tortas were quite impressed. I have to admit - the torta looked damn tasty. Wish I had gotten that. So this is a nice, tasty local alternative to the strip mall hell in G'burg.

Anyone know if they'll still be doing their lounge menu while Chef RJ is recovering?

I recently purchased Brad Thomas Parson's excellent book, Bitters. I used the recipes in this book to make aromatic, grapefruit, and charred cedar bitters. So far, the aromatic bitters are the first that I've bottled and DAMN they're good in a Manhattan or even just in soda water. Less clove and more citrus than, say, Angostura. The grapefruit and charred cedar bitters will be bottled tomorrow. So - my question is - does anyone have any good ideas for culinary uses of bitters? There are a few recipes in Parson's book and the one that seems the most obvious is using bitters in a vinaigrette. I've often heard of people folding bitters into whipped cream for desserts. Any other good ideas?

Hanger steak poutine? That has potential to be the most awesome thing in the world, or complete crap. I worry about a restaurant trying to be so many different things. But the hanger steak poutine is good enough to bring in for at least one visit.

Yes, definitely. We frequently get takeout from here. The noodles and toppings are packaged separately from the broth.

Went here with another couple, hoping that the magic Hartzer worked at RtC when it first opened would be replicated here. First and foremost - holy fuck, but it's impossible to have a conversation in this place. We were virtually yelling at each other and could barely be heard. Comparable to a Dinosaur Jr show without earplugs. On top of it, sure, it was Nigel Tufnel Day but that's no excuse to crank up the sound system to 11. We started with a round or two of cocktails. There was a good sampling of "classic" cocktails on the menu, along with their own creations. I thought the use of black beer in The Saint (Hayman's Old Tom Gin, St Germain, Black Beer, Doulin Earl Gray, Lemon Juice) was brilliant. Their take on a Pimm's Cup (Brother's Grimm Cup) was also outstanding. Less impressive were the classics. My Manhattan was a little too sweet and lacked boozy body (I make mine at home with Rittenhouse 100 Rye). The eponymous Jack Rose tasted like they were using supermarket grenadine, which seems unforgivable if it's going to your namesake cocktail. Not sure why Sietsema poo-poo'd the biscuits. While the ham flavour was understated, overall I thought the biscuits were light and tasty. OK - 3 tiny biscuits for $8 seemed a little chintzy but we enjoyed them. The stuffed sweet peppers were about the quality of what you get at the olive bar at Whole Foods. 4 peppers for $8 - again, chintzy as well as underwhelming. The braised pork belly was much better. The anise flavoured broth was a little predictable, however the overall taste was good enough on a cool fall night for me to overlook it. My bison short ribs were pretty much what you'd expect, though there's a fine line between sear and burned, and my dish was walking that line. Lisa got the cod (a replacement for the char), which came with on a bed of underspiced lentils. The cod itself was delicious, but the lentils were bland. Maybe a hit of herbs would have woken them up a little. The winner of the night was the roast chicken. Nice crispy skin, moist meat, and well seasoned throughout. I was a little surprised that this dish would be the winner, but it seemed to be better executed than anything else on the menu. Overall, we got a good food and above average drinks but the price paid wasn't what I would consider a decent value. But maybe that's what you get when you dine out in Adam's Morgan. I'd come back for the booze if not for the overwhelming volume level. As always, your mileage may vary.

Has anyone been recently and tried the food? Are there actual entrees or is it all small plates?

Now open for lunch. 3 sandwiches ($7.50) and 4 pasta plates ($8). Place was packed today.

We went during the first week of operations and, to be honest, I was quite disappointed. We started with the bruschetta, which was served on untoasted, dense bread - not the grilled focaccia/Italian/French bread that I would normally expect. The bread had an almost "mealy" texture in my mouth. Not a good way to start! I had the ravioli and Lisa had the sciallatielli. The ravioli was really quite good - not outstanding - but definitely worth the $14 we paid for it. The sciallatielli was a little disappointing. It was definitely heavy on the salt and the homemade sausage was bland and overcooked. But take my comments with more than a grain of salt. This was in the first few days of operation, and they were having all sorts of issues with service. I'm sure their challenges extended to the kitchen. Lisa went again last night and said that things hadn't changed much. Her pasta (gnocchi) was good, but didn't knock her socks off. I really really want to like this place. We plan on going back at least a few more times once they get their liquor license (it's very close to home and quite friendly so we're willing to give them a few chances). I hope their execution and service improve in the meantime.

North Indian and Bengali food are as different as traditional offerings from Wisconsin and Louisiana. Same country - different food completely. I wouldn't expect to see (and indeed would be horribly disappointed) if I were to find chicken tikka or naan on the menu. Bengalis don't eat that. Lots of fish and veg, mostly, and not as hot as what you get in North Indian restaurants.

Happy Birthday, Don! Thanks to you for all the hard work you do keeping this site going. Have a great one.

Lisa and I don't get out too much these days - Spawn is a handful and babysitting costs a fortune. So when we do get out, we try to make it some place really worthwhile. Last night, we broke the piggy bank and headed out to Rogue 24 for the full blown 24 course dinner and pairings. I don't recall the last time I had so much fun while eating out. I was constantly amazed by the creativity and flavors from course to course. The menu is posted online and what we had was quite close to that, so I won't repeat the details of the dinner. There were a few "off the menu" items that came to us, including Chef RJ's take on poutine (foie gras gravy? Eat your heart out, Martin Picard!) and the ice cold bottle of Labatt's Blue which I assume isn't a standard part of Derek Brown's cocktail program. Highlights include the sea urchin (accompanied by "rocks" and "seaweed"), ossetra caviar, the shrimp and grits (the blast of corn flavour when you bite into the fried grits was fantastic!), the "fowl play" (I love the way the smoke hits you when the glass dome is opened ), the smoked char roe, lamb neck, and the jowl bacon. Dammit - nearly every course was another highlight, but the clean winner for us had to be the lavendar meringue topped with a generous portion of shaved foie gras. I hope that's on the Salon menu because I can totally see us dropping in for a cocktail and some more of that dish. I have to admit that I was skeptical of the tasting menu concept but Rogue 24 is so exquisitely executed and brilliantly thought out that it totally won me over. Thanks to Chef RJ and his staff for a gracious and delicious evening. ps...I reserve the right to retract all these nice comments if word EVER gets out of my public humiliation. You know what I'm talking about, Chef!

We actually got this yesterday for lunch and it's a really great deal. The food at New Kam Fong has always been much better than the average Chinese joint (but I can't say it's superlative), the menu is varied with some very unusual options, and the service is excellent.

Lisa and I went there last weekend and had the omakase (sushi only) at the sushi bar. While the selection of fish was quite nice, and the quality of what we received was exceptional, I can't say that we had anything that seemed especially unique or creative. The selection itself was nice but relatively common and the preparation was simple. Don't get me wrong - the quality was far above what most places serve. I guess that for an "omakase" type of experience, I was expecting either more unusual fish selections, or more creative preparation. It was a very good meal yet managed to pale in comparison to our previous visit to Kaz.

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