DCDeac
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Everything posted by DCDeac
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Hit up Virtue for the 2nd time this weekend. Still packed and bustling, we beat our reservation by 30 minutes and hung out in the upstairs seating area. Loved the fact that there was a server ready to hit us with drinks and water and we didn't have to fight at the bar for a drink, and it was nice that they had no problem transferring the drinks to our table. Service was great - no snags like I saw in my first visit. Food was again excellent. Deviled eggs are near perfect, the calamari had an ideal texture. 2 of our mains were good - the Shaggers Pie and the Scallops. One was great, the braised pork shoulder. Based on the previous negative review of the pork (I haven't ordered a single item from the other negatives), maybe it's been lucky timing, I was curious. But nobody even glanced at a knife after that pork hit the table - it was tender and the vegetables delicious. A rustic, simple, satisfying dish and easily the best of the 3. Bread pudding was just ok, the only slight disappointment on the night.
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I work right next to Graffiato, and while it's a solid food spot, the drinks really are criminal. Right around the corner you have PS7s for cocktails, and right around another corner you've got MatchBox serving solid beer. I would say roughly 20 of my coworkers have stopped in for a post-work drink and a snack or two. Everyone liked the food, but they avoid Graffiato like the plague if they just want a drink or two. $7 for 10 ounces of DC Brau? $9 for a half-pour of gin? It's like someone made a huge mistake buying glassware and it dictated their drink makeup.
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Just had to stop by and talk up the Repeal Day Ball. My group had a blast. Can't wait for next year!
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Ernie's windows are now decorated by a bunch of Chinese food advertisements, along with a neon SUSHI sign. I'm skeptical, but then again it's two minutes from my house. Ernie's really has sushi? Is it any good?
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Half price Tarts would be a great deal - if the Tasting Room actually kept the hours it says on its website. We've now been turned away 3 times. Once was during the snow storm, which I understand - although we did walk into the semi-crowded restaurant and noted that some people were still ordering when we were asked to leave. The last two times we thought to call first - once at 10:30 on a weekday and once at 11:30 on a weekend. Both nights we were told they were "closing up early, sorry." Too bad for us, I guess.
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I've been there a dozen times, and about 50% of those visits featured horrible service. The last time I went (which was my "last time ever" as well) I had the aforementioned Eggs Benedict, and the English Muffins weren't even toasted - just plucked cold from the package and thrown on the plate under a decent effort at poached eggs, canadian bacon, and hollandaise - although the entire dish was barely luke warm. We never got the drinks we ordered, but were charged for them. We pointed out the charge, and the waiter said we should have complained about the drinks earlier, and he didn't offer to remove them from the bill because they "had been poured, just not brought out." These were not alcoholic drinks - it was Sweet Tea and a Coke. Contrast this to, say, the Eggs Benedict from Vermillion which are $.01 more expensive and are served over toasted Brioche... I mean, I love Del Ray, and I would love to support Fireflies, but I've given up at this point.
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Saw the awning last week while waiting on someone for a meal at Eamonn's - very cool. Can't wait to finally try the burger joint!
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Made it to Farrah last night for a late dinner... Quick impressions: Deconstructed Caesar was a nice idea that just lacked a little something. Other appetizer was a scallop with bacon crumbles on one side and bacon powder on the other. Much better, perfectly seared, very good. Ah, but then there were the main courses. Perfectly fried, delicious softshell crab with a great chopped tomato topping, and a melt-in-your-mouth braised duck breast with one of the best sauces for duck that I've ever had. Cherry/plum/chocolate, sweet but not too sweet, and plenty on the plate to perfectly cover each bite. Braising the duck in lemongrass and then adding ginger to the accompanying veggie was a great touch that brought the whole plate together. Really a great meal, service was still a little off, but nothing serious.
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"Ravioli filled with roasted veal and prosciutto with a red wine reduction, butter, fresh sage and Parmesan cheese" Had this two weeks ago along with one of their fish-ravioli specials. While the fish was extremely fresh and very good, the veal/prosciutto was one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had. The sauce was fantastic, rich but not heavy. Everything they served was perfect.
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Thanks for the response. And I'm a fan in general and always recommend Rustico to friends. "The increase in pricing for mixing and matching is an effort to keep at bay the chaos that would ensue when trying to translate and expedite this process through multiple languages." I thought about this comment for a while... Personally I think the answer is just to limit the menu to what you can handle translating and expediting on a given night, and make each one a dollar cheaper. But what do I know, they're probably flying out of the kitchen in 3's like crazy. Anyway, love the creativity and look forward to trying more of them - the next time I'm there with a bigger group of course...
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Showed up on a weeknight thinking a small wait would get us a table, but it was packed! Ate at the bar though, and had a great meal. Easily the best thing we had was the asparagus soup - were those little pieces of beets in it? Anyway, it was fantastic. Entrees were the strip and the house-made pasta. The strip was interesting - cooked just a shade too much but the butter on top made it very good overall. The salad on the plate was a little out of control but no big deal. My date loved the pasta, obviously fresh, cooked perfectly and had a great selection of fresh veggies. The bartender was extremely friendly and took some serious time to make the perfect limeade which we appreciated. Can't wait to go back and try some more things.
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Hit up Rustico again a week ago, and it continues to be hit-or-miss. First off, while I actually really like the mosaic idea and had a couple very good ones, the pricing scheme drives me nuts. I wanted to mix and match, but I found myself bitter that I had to pay a penalty for it - taking off $4-$6 for getting all 3 feels like you're really getting taken for a ride when you mix them. Not everyone shows up with a party of 4 - I'm not typically all that excited to eat 3 pot pies by myself if my somewhat-vegetarian date isn't interested. I've spoken to 4 people since who have agreed that it bothered them to the point that the didn't order any. The ones I got, however, were great. The cheddar and ale was a little strong but good. The tuna was perfect and sauced well. The ham and cheese was great if a little small, even for a mosaic. And the beer pairings helped me pick a couple interesting beers I might not have otherwise chosen, since the food they were paired with gave me an idea of what to expect. The veggie pizza my date got, however, was not good by any measure. Moderately warm on delivery, it was so thinly covered that patches of bare bread could be seen in the middle of the pizza, and the line from the ladle that put the sauce on could be clearly seen, stopping 3 inches before the crust. I forget which pizza this was - I remember it was an odd combination of ingredients and it has since been removed from the menu. It was not so much pizza as it was bread with a tiny bit of sauce and a sprinkle of toppings. I'm never one to complain at a restaurant, and because I frequent Rustico's I gave them a pass, but we were close to sending it back. In my opinion, and that of many of my local friends in Old Town, Rustico is close but still not there yet. Consistency is still an issue, and the pricing scheme just seems odd on the mosaics. But when it's good, it's great - and the beer is unreal. I'm keeping the faith...