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cigarnv

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Everything posted by cigarnv

  1. 6 of us went to the new Fairfax location this past week for dinner and were not impressed. Beer was good as always but the food was poor to average at best. We also got slugged for an automatic 18% gratuity for a party of 6 which I did not notice and over tipped another 20%. I should have paid closer attention to the bill so I accept full responsibility for the error but was surprised to see the add on for 6 folks. Possibly I am just out of touch....
  2. We visited Trummers on Main in Clifton last evening and were quite pleased. While Trummers still has a few rough edges it is nice to have a respectable dining spot in western Fairfax that appears to have great potential. Clifton is a nice little town that is an oasis of calm sandwiched between Fairfax and PW counties offering an escape from the traditional "town center" restaurants or an abusive drive into DC. Trummers can seat 210 people. The menu was well conceived and covered all the basic food groups with a leaning towards fish on the entree side. As for starters we had the grilled romaine with a poached egg that was very good as well as a tomato water risotto which was prepared perfectly. Entrees were suckling pig and roasted chicken... again both were very good. Serving sizes were respectable and the food presentation was on par with most upper end DC restaurants. The wine list was well thought out with a decent range of offering. Wine pricing by the bottle was reasonable with by the glass prices being a bit to the high side as was their bourbon pricing. Service was attentive and friendly with the owners close at hand to make you feel welcome. Our bill for 2 including a bottle of wine ("Roaring Mel" NZ Pinot Noir), starters and entrees was $113 plus gratuity Overall Trummers did a very nice job at a reasonable price point. Being new they have a few small kinks to work out but none that impacted our evening. While not in the league of Citronelle, Trummers appears capable of holding their own against most upper end dining spots in the metro DC area.
  3. Mark, what ever you do you will be great at it and have a huge following!! Looking forward to seeing you soon where ever that may be...R
  4. The Palm is run by a sharp group of business folks. They are currently running a filet and lobster special for 2 for $89 and on Wed. all wine is 50% off. They were packed with a waiting list Wed. evening in Tysons. Clearly these folks understand that the restaurant business is different in this economy and the focus is to survive... they get it.
  5. Four of us recently ventured to Wine House a combination wine shop and bistro in Fairfax City. Wine House has been open about 10 months from what I can gather and seems to be developing a loyal following. We were there last Thursday evening at about 8PM and waited for about 30 minutes for a table. The restaurant / bistro is small but comfortable with high tables and chairs as well as a small bar. Wine shelves line 2 walls with several hundred offerings covering all regions and price ranges. One of the attractive aspects of the Wine House is you can enjoy any wine from the "shop" in the bistro for an additional $10 corkage fee. Michael, the owner from Australia, is very hands on and makes one feel like an old friend even though you have just met. He is committed to you having a nice time and understands the concept of good value. We enjoyed two bottles of wine that Michael recommended ( $20 and $32) along with a very nice meal. Apps of mussels in garlic broth, a garden salad and mushroom risotto ... all well prepared and nicely sized... they could serve as a small entree. Prices were in the $7 to $15 price range. Entrees were in the $18 - 28 range. I enjoyed the rack of lamb which was two double chops over mashed potatoes and spinach... perfectly prepared and very tasty. My wife enjoyed the roasted chicken which was also very good. Dessert was a perfectly done bread pudding. While Wine House is not a "bargain" it is a good value. We spent $140 including tax and tip for a nice 3 course meal and wine (for my wife and me). The owner does seem to understand what it takes to attract diners in this challenging economy ... something being missed by many owners and chef's with empty dining rooms who have not caught on that substance is in and big plates with little food is out.......
  6. Went to the Wine Kitchen with a friend for lunch last week. Very comfortable spot with a very friendly and helpful staff. We had the quail and waffles for an app.... excellent and perfectly prepared. Had the roast chicken special which was moist and delicious. Wine was a shared bottle of Northstar Merlot which was a nice choice for $42. I think our bill for two was about $85 for both of us including tip and tax. Well worth it!!
  7. We gave Alto a try for lunch a few weeks back... a Thursday at 12:30PM. It was only 3 of us and another table of 6.. the rest of the place was empty. Lot's of cars out front in the lot so we thought they would have a decent lunch crowd???? We waited at least 10 minutes after we were seated to get menu's, waiter disappeared for another 10-15 minutes before he took our order. A good 20 minutes before our food arrived... Salmon salad's, medium rare and a beef dish. Salmon was not edible it was so dry, beef was ok. Did not want food replaced as it was so poorly prepared and the service so poor we just decided to grab some Pho down the street. Asked for check.... at least 10 minutes before it came.... we left at 1:40 and didn't even eat.... I can't imagine how this place has survived to this point...
  8. Joe, the foot was on the plate and easy to identify and not eat... this was not the issue. My problem was very small pieces of rib bones that had been broken leaving them very sharp and not removed during prep.
  9. We had dinner at INOX last evening and thought it was good but not great. The restaurant was not at capacity as far as we could tell which may be a reflection of the economy. It also appeared that the bar was quite light all evening. As mention by the poster above the music was quite strange as it got loud and then would die off. A few other notes on the night.... Service was very good, which was a huge improvement over what we typically struggled with at 2941. Wines prices for the most part seemed to be reasonable as were the food prices. The space was well done and comfortable. The food as mentioned above was good but not great. I got off to a questionable start with the quail which was poorly boned coupled with a piece of foie gras no larger than a dime. The flavor was very good and well prepared but dealing with several needle like bones in the breast portion dampened the dish. Our other app was the lobster which was very good. The lamb entree is best described as being good but nothing special and a bit smaller serving size than I expected. The barley was excellent and was the best part of the dish. Our other entree was the duck which was very good and nicely sized for an entree. Dessert was interesting.. we shared the bread pudding and the tangerine offering. We found both to be OK but did not finish the tangerine offering. It would appear that the pastry chef is reaching a bit to do something different and it just did not work for us..... others may find them quite good. While we were dining with others I have only spoken to the food that my wife and I tasted. No one in our party mentioned being disappointed with their food but no one suggested anything they had was exceptional. Possibly we were expecting too much given some of the "wow" food JK would knock out in the early and simpler days when he was putting 2941 on the map. Overall it was a nice evening with good food, very good service and good drink.
  10. We recently went to 2941 and walked away disappointed. The fixed pricing makes for an expensive night out for food and service that is just not at that level. 2941, IMO, has always suffer service issues and it appears little has changed. As mentioned by others if I am going to spend this type of $$ I am far better off at Citronelle for a few $$ more. We dropped $300 per couple (with tax and tip) for fair sevice, ok food, a decent bottle of wine and very small portions. The place was pretty empty (Thursday night) and given the value proposition currently offered may not survive the current expense account crushing financial downturn we are dealing with. It is unlikely I will return....
  11. Pho Bistro in Centreville (by the 28/29 intersection) serves up one of the best pho offerings in the DC area. Huge portions, high quality ingredients and super fast service makes it a great stop for an under $10 meal. The menu also has a number of other offering, the summer rolls being another fine offering. Always packed the owners are now expanding into the defunct restaurant next door. Their lean brisket pho is not to be missed on a crisp fall day... expect a wait for lunch and dinner...
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