squidsdc

Not sure why I don’t recall Song Phat? 😝 I do know it was formerly An Loi. An Loi was originally in Wheaton Plaza and then moved to Columbia when it had been closed due to construction. I can attest it is still as good as it always has been. Very consistent and always delicious.

We attended the “Home for the Holidays” dinner on Dec 17 and it was wonderful. Only downside for me was minimal; I am more of a traditionalist with Prime Rib and the outside seasoning was not. Didn’t keep me from enjoying it however! (It was a LOT of food!)

You missed out on Kosher Pastry Oven in Kemp Mill. Freshly made, simple, raspberry filled, very light and lightly dusted with sugar. Would have loved to know how they compared to your other tastings!

25 minutes ago, saf said:

OK, made it here last Friday. I've been having a bumpy few months with too many things going on at once. So it was only me and the boy on Friday and we decided to splurge, and to go see Kevin at the bar. Delicious cocktails. Nice wine by the glass, but my goodness the bottles are expensive. Food was excellent. The boy had soft-shell crabs and roasted halibut. I had beets and tagliatelle. I had the pretzel dessert, and he had a nice dessert wine.

Service was fabulous, and no, it was not really affordable. But.. It goes on the special occasion list for sure.

They have been having Sunday night family dinners at a more affordable price and hopefully those will continue. Haven’t been there in a bit, because I am not downtown but once a month these days. But it is still one of our favorites.

1 hour ago, saf said:

We have not been yet, but a good friend just started bartending there. I would love to go see him and enjoy his excellent cocktails. But it looks really expensive! Is there a a way to eat here affordably, or should we starting planning it for our next special occasion meal?

I don’t consider it more expensive than Kinship. But they are now doing Sunday Suppers that seat only 14, so you have to jump in early to get it @ $68pp. 

On 5/17/2021 at 7:22 AM, zgast said:

Reviving this topic.  Looking for recommendations for a fun restaurant that might make for a good 21st birthday dinner for my daughter.  Looking to spend $50-100 per person for 2-4 people.  Food should be good, but the lively scene is where my knowledge falls apart as these are the places I generally don't go out of my way to frequent.  Would be great if they had a cocktail menu or interesting drinks as well.  Would Nina May fit the bill here?  Any other new places I should consider?  Thanks!

Wow, my niece who was the subject of this original post is turning 30 this year! 

On 2/22/2020 at 11:14 PM, DonRocks said:

I'm glad the lawsuit is over, and hope that Frank and Aggie got paid what they were owed.

Now, I really hope Annabelle can concentrate on putting out a product that's commensurate with the Ruta name.

Sorry you did not have a good experience when you went. We did, but they are still very new and probably need to work out the kinks with consistency.

Hmmm, I was just wondering how busy the bar may be tonight since it is Valentine’s Day...

@deangold I discovered shiokoji when I discovered Miyoko's products. I was making a mushroom pate for Thanksgiving, and wanted it to be vegan for my SIL. I was thrilled to find the cream cheese and butter products from Miyoko were very tasty. And that I also was able to eat them, due to no soy!  I just started to look on all the options on Amazon, so glad to know what works and does not work for you. I may be asking for more detailed instructions if I try to replicate some of your efforts 😁

These photos were taken the night we were there-we were sitting just to the right of the photographer!

(We had everything that was shown in these pictures, plus more!)

Not this weekend, but driving home now from a delicious dinner. Palena 2.0 🥰

Seriously-Mr. S said the chicken was just as he remembered it, and missed it. The menu was pared back from the original opening plans to better be able to manage and for the kitchen to get in its stride. We had no hiccups tonight. I’ll post menu and what we ordered after we get home.

Las minute--If anyone is around town tonight, I find myself possibly waiting for Mr. S while he has a dinner meeting at Joe's Stone Crab. I was thinking of hanging out in the bar and getting a bite and wait for him, if anyone would like to join? I'm also game to go elsewhere nearby... (He just texted me about this-originally thought his meeting was Wednesday so I would have made plans sooner!)

43 minutes ago, weezy said:

Caps are going thru their typical mid-season slump lately and it's been painful to watch them lose to teams they should be handily.  But it's a long season and the all-star break is coming up to give most of them a chance to recover, rest and re-set for the push to the playoffs.  

I almost prefer the slump now, so they can come back stronger, meaner, faster...!

Annabelle's website showed that it was "open" at 5:30 today. Must be the soft opening, as official opening is Friday 17th.  Popville has the bar, dessert, and wine menus as well. It reads very much like Palena, to me (and I don't see that as a bad thing.😁) If we hadn't already had plans today for Mr. S' birthday, we would seriously have considered popping in to the bar. Plan is to celebrate when we go on the 21st!

Fingers crossed - Annabelle was slated to open "mid January" but I haven't heard anything anywhere about it. I found it interesting that today's article in the Washingtonian about the top ranked restaurant openings they are looking forward to in 2020, did not even make a mention of Annabelle! Good- better chance for me to get a reservation! 😉

2 hours ago, weezy said:

Carlson did some fine , fine work last night capping things off with the game winning goal.  But as nice as that goal was, the really sick goal was TJ Oshie's second one:

 

Yes-Oshie had a great night! I was actually referring to Carlson’s outstanding defensive play throughout the game. The goal was just icing on the cake.

Carlson was on fire tonight! Nice win for the Caps.

I’m sorry to say I’ve totally missed seeing  this topic! Hopefully my reply will ensure I see the next class/gathering. 😁 Always wanted to learn to make tamales, but not adventurous enough to do so on my own. 

Whenever I find myself searching, it is by location first, then i can see what is nearby and what I am in the mood for... if neighborhood or area listings are lost, I don’t see it being as useful for me.

Dang. If I like it, it closes. 😟 Unfortunately neither location was convenient for me, but I would go out of my way when the weather would allow, to grab a coffee and sandwich for lunch.

I sure wish Dino's was open for lunch. 🙁 Off at 2 today and need to wait until 6 for my ride home...would've been a perfect opportunity to stop in!

On 7/20/2019 at 3:13 PM, Kibbee Nayee said:

Well, with Frank Ruta working with Ashok Bajaj and Knightsbridge, shouldn't we be looking for his heralded hamburger to reappear at some point?

Obviously I've missed something - link?

I've never enjoyed eating at the Rockville location of Matchbox. Too busy and crowded. Had a very nice meal at the new Silver Spring location this weekend, however. It is a considerably smaller footprint so feels much more intimate. The service was excellent and good food to match. Nice for a quick after-move bite.

On 6/6/2019 at 7:10 PM, kardut said:

So our daughter is getting married, and we’re trying to choose the caterer. We must use one on the venue’s list (unless we want to pay an extra $1k). 

Have received all the proposals, and have it narrowed down to:

Main Event — our favorite menu; most reviews are good, but some of the negative ones have us worried

Purple Onion — again, an interesting menu, but have heard a lot of mixed reviews about quality of food and service

A La Carte — was actually leaning toward them until I got Main Events proposal; major downside is that they require 50% deposit (which makes me question their financials a little bit), and they require final count 45 days prior

Serendipity — until recently used to be Savory Fare (in Warrenton; not to be confused with Savoir Fare in Loudoun), which I had heard great things about. But not sure how much has changed with new ownership, so I’m ignoring all past reviews and remaining a bit hesitant about going with a new company  

Ones we’ve ruled out for one reason or other are Chefs Table, Catering by Uptown, and Pampas Fox. But if I hear glowing reports about any of those, I may be persuaded to reconsider. 

All are close in price to each other. 

Thanks for sharing any experiences— good and bad!

@kardut just saw your post. I highly recommend Rochelle Myers catering. I know she is not on your list, but worth checking out. My cousin’s daughter was recently married at a NVA winery and I referred her to Rochelle. Without any other input from me she spoke with Rochelle and did a tasting, and said the food was far superior to the other caterers.  And I can vouch from the experience that the food and service was exceptional.

Dad has a birthday on Tuesday, so we are going to see a movie at Montgomery Mall, then out to dinner afterwards. There are caveats:  He wants something he can't get at Riderwood, where he lives. So Korean, Thai, Vietnamese are options he would like, as well as loving bbq beef ribs (which no one has!)  But Mom is very picky (low or no fat, will eat seafood but not red meat, and sister has lactose intolerance, as well as no pork or shellfish. And if I can find one thing on the menu I can eat, I'll be happy. (Garlic, Soy, Legumes, all allergies)

I contacted Al Ha'esh, and think that may be an option. But I made the mistake of suggesting Kpot BBQ and he really likes that idea. Haven't spoken with them yet to see if I can eat anything but yeah, Korean is one of the most difficult for me to navigate.

Oh, and Mom is in a walker so has to be accessible. Any gems I am missing? @DanielK ?  I also looked at X'ian but the menu was overwhelming and I don't think that would go over too well. Open to going up to Rio if we can get there pretty quickly. Mom is used to eating around 5ish and the movie won't get out until after 5. TALL order, I know! TIA for any suggestions.