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jiveturk21

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Everything posted by jiveturk21

  1. jiveturk21
    I have not been here. But, my very good friend who is sitting next to me right now, and who I trust from a culinary perspective, says that it is not worth going to. There are much worse places and it isn't going to kill you if you are asked to go there by a friend/colleague, but you have better choices in that area.
  2. jiveturk21
    I watch Top Cehf religiously. From time to time, I have issues with the show, but I think that it is clearly the best cooking competition show on TV. This summer we have resorted to watching Next Food Network Star and Master Chef. Both are terrible. If it weren't the summer and if we didn't have a little kid, I doubt that we would watch either of these shows. In fact, since we DVR these shows are we are already a few episodes behind, maybe we won't end up watching them.
  3. jiveturk21
    I am not an expert on Indian food. And, Indian food is probably not the best choice for lunch when it is a bajillion degrees outside (I foresee me leaving work early today). But, my lunch at Naan and Beyond (LStreet location) today dealt a blow the Indian food craving that I had. Lunch special (rice, naan, chicken curry, vegetable) was tasty and a good value at $8.35. The vegetable samosa had good heat to it, but they should have called it a potato samosa because there were no other vegetables in it. It was a pretty good size for $1.25 and not greasy at all. Overall, I would say it is a good lunch spot, especially if you get it to go (it was pretty steamy in the shop at lunchtime today).
  4. jiveturk21
    I was at Ted's in Crystal City last Thursday for a business lunch. It was awesome to see my dining companion and it was a near perfect day outside, but the food was quite bad. My salmon (asked for it medium rare) was cooked to a point where no moisture was left. The green beans and fries on the plate were both terrible. The roll that came along with it was fine and I quite like the pickles that they put on the table, but when those are the saving graces of a meal, that is saying a lot. I also hate those freakin straws, they disintegrate in your drink, gross.
  5. jiveturk21
    I put both the RDV Lost Mountain and Rendevous in the case (although I have not given it to him yet, his birthday is July 4th). I didn't want to have two wines from one winery, but I already have it and my search lost steam (that happens when you chase a one year old around all day long).
  6. jiveturk21
    My wife and I went to this event last night. This was only the third movie that we have been to since my daughter was born (May 2012) and this was the best, by far. The movie itself is captivating in a variety of ways. I am not a documentary guy, but this one was simply awesome. The wine tasting beforehand helped set the mood (I was easily getting half glass or more pours with each wine). We did not get a chance to stay afterwards for the Q&A, we had to get home to the babysitter, but I'm sure that was a great addition to the entire event. Did anyone stay for the Q&A afterwards? Any interesting tidbits come out of that?
  7. jiveturk21
    I went to the 19th and K location today for lunch (I think that they opened in the last week or so). The space is big, it looks nice inside, lots of seating outside. I went early (11:15 AM) and they are training staff, so there were about 7 employees for every customer. The menu is large and they have plenty of chips, bars, desserts, drinks to choose from. I ordered the chicken chili quinoa bowl. It tasted good. I think that I did a bad job ordering though. The chicken chili quinoa bowl, if I remember correctly, is $7.19. The chicken chili, if I remember correctly, is $5.99. I am pretty sure that they serve both of these in the same sized bowl (16 oz.). So, I essentially paid them $1.20 more for them to take out some chili and replace it with quinoa!? I may be wrong on the prices, but I am almost positive that is the case. Either way, I liked the food. I will go back again to try some other things on the menu, they have lots to choose from.
  8. jiveturk21
    My sentiments exactly. Not sure what that says about both of us though. I will likely never go here because Del Ray is FAR away from us, and we have a one year old, but I hope that they do well.
  9. jiveturk21
    Orange Early Mountain Vineyards has built a very impressive building, however, their wines aren't the best. They are doing something interesting though - they are including other Virginia wineries (maybe 8-10) in their tastings and selling their wines at the winery - so that makes it a good place to stop and try a wide variety of wines. The staff there was knowledgeable and very nice. Elmwood at Sparks is a solid place for lunch. Nothing is creative, but all of the food is good and is a great value. If you are looking for a drink with lunch, I would instead go to the Light Well. We did not eat there, but walked in and they had a pretty extensive bar, and they seemed to have a few people that can make a cocktail. If you are going to stay anywhere in the area, the Inn at Willow Grove is as good as it gets. In fact, in all my years staying at fancy places to attempt to impress the ladies, this is the best of the bunch. We stayed in the Overlook West room, I can't recommend it enough. Granted, that is the only room that I saw, but just looking at the property, I can't imagine any of the 14 rooms are bad. Dinner at Vintage, the restaurant on site, was a whole other story. I think that something was going on in the kitchen that they did not divulge to us (short staffed, new chef, etc.), but our meal ended up being below average on account of it. I give them credit for taking responsibility and comping all of the food (two appetizers, two entrees, one dessert), but it was quite a miserable experience. I would, however, go back in the future because the space is beautiful, the wine list if very strong and the food that we got was good. But, clearly they have some serious kinks to work out.
  10. jiveturk21
    Jason's Deli is what I can think of off the top of my head. I could give you a rundown of every restaurant in the Fair Lakes area, but since I have never gotten catering in that area, Jason's Deli is the one place that I know will do it. Other than that, I agree with Don, Whole Foods will definitely cater as well, but I don't know if they deliver or not.
  11. jiveturk21
    I am in the process of putting together a half case of wine for my dad for his birthday (July 4th). I already have the five wines listed below in the case. Glen Manor 2010 Hodder Hill Barboursville 2008 Octagon RDV 2009 Lost Mountain or RDV 2009 Rendevous (I think I am only putting one of these in the case) Delaplane Cellars 2010 Left Bank Reserve Linden 2010 Hardscrabble Red I was planning on adding the Keswick 2010 Cabernet Reserve, but I haven't had any luck finding it in the area (not really keen on paying for the shipping). With that being said, does anyone have a sixth, and final, Virginia red wine that I can add to the case that compares to these others and can be find somewhat easily in the area?
  12. jiveturk21
    Almost everything that we ate here last night was good (fruits de mer petite plateau, tete de cochon, apple tarte tatin) to great (steak frites, veal escalope, crème brulee, bread basket) to exceptional (chocolate pot de crème). The only miss, in my mind, was the baba au rhum. I was also a bit dismayed that the sea scallops (four large scallops) were cut horizontally to make it look like there were more on the plate, but the person that ordered that dish said that they were not overcooked and very tasty. From a food perspective, it was pretty much spot on. I will also say that I liked the wines on the list, even if some were a bit pricey. I can't say that I liked my thimble sized sazerac, but the others seemed to like their cocktails. The service ranged from knowledgeable to obnoxious to nice to overzealous (all in one waiter!). I would say that the service was about 50/50, but I was ultimately turned off when a bottle of wine that we ordered was out of stock and was then told that other comparable bottles in that price range included bottles that were $22, $25 and $31 more than what we ordered (I think that the second two numbers are right, but I am sure that the first one is). It only caused me to order a bottle that was less expensive than the one that I originally wanted. It sucks, but seems to be par for the course at many places these days. I won't let the below average service deter me from coming back though, I will definitely come back for the food.
  13. jiveturk21
    We had skate, along with many other dishes, at Le Diplomate last night. It was quite good.
  14. jiveturk21
    I like to go out. I like to drink. Money, for the most part, is not a concern of mine. But, as I get older, I get more upset with restaurants charging out the wazoo for drinks (specifically cocktails and wine). At the same time, the pure market capitalist that I am says that they should be able to charge whatever the market will allow. On the other hand, I can't believe that places mark-up at the levels that they do (wine at 300 or 400%!). On the flip side, when I like to go out, I want to have fun and that generally is going to include alcohol. However, it burns me up to see a bartender mixing a crappy drink and charging me $15 for it. Then again, I want to try out the newest restaurant and having a few drinks is part of the experience. Can you tell that this is a personal struggle that I deal with all of the time!? And, no, I am not drinking right now.
  15. jiveturk21
    I went here for lunch today, this was my third time at Bub and Pop's. After thinking about it some, I also think that it will be my last time there. Today wasn't particularly bad, nothing terrible happened, I just don't think that it is good enough to return to. I think that their prices are high for what you get, everything is oversalted, the menu reads much better than it tastes and all of the sandwiches are a mess (messiness doesn't equal flavor to me). Again, it is not bad, and they seem to be nice people trying to create a great sandwich shop, but it just isn't close enough to its' competition at this point.
  16. jiveturk21
    I went to Jettie's for the first time today (downtown location). My sandwich (turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mayo, sourdough) was great. They could have done a better job constructing the sandwich (don't load everything into the middle of he bread) and I hate that they made me fill out an order form when I literally was just ordering a sandwich, but the sandwich made up for it. Jettie's is added to the long list of solid sandwich places within a block or two of my office - Taylor, Bub and Pop's, TakEatEasy, DC PoBoy. It is almost an embarrassment of riches.
  17. jiveturk21
    I have been to Georgia Brown's once, maybe eight or nine years ago, on a first (and only) date that ended up with my date getting mugged later that night (after I dropped her off at her apartment). I figured that my experience couldn't be as bad as that first one, so I tried the $25 luncheon menu today (appetizer, entrée, dessert). There were a good number of appetizer (3) and entrée choices (7, I think), but you got whatever dessert they want to serve that day. I appreciate the choices and the price and the portions (not huge, but not miniscule either). I picked the gazpacho for my appetizer (a bit too much sweetness from the apple in there), the fried chicken for my entrée (very juicy, good collard greens, mashed potatoes were a bit gummy) and they gave me coconut cake for dessert (I really liked the whipped cream, the cake was average at best). I ate at the bar and the bartender was pleasant and helpful. I wanted to sit outside, but even on this nice day, there was no shade and I didn't want to end up with a burnt scalp at the end of my meal. I would go back for lunch.
  18. jiveturk21
    It seems as though the Food Network totally disregarded the post I wrote almost a year ago. Gone are the teams led by Giada, Bobby and Alton. Back are the "larger than life personalities" which (so far) is leading to a lot of unwarranted drama. I know that this is what sells, or at least that is what people tell me, but it is still disappointing to see.
  19. jiveturk21
    I would say that over the past two or three years, the number of servers that I have heard say, "Everything is better with bacon!" would likely be in the dozens. Some things are indeed better with bacon, but other things (like a bacon martini that I had at Restaurant 3 once) are most definitely not. Please note that I pretty much loved everything that I ever ate at Restaurant 3, but the bacon martini was not one of them.
  20. jiveturk21
    Went to Lincoln for lunch last week. Not sure if it was the group that I was with (not as much fun as when I was there last year) or the meal that I ate (lunch instead of dinner), but my experience was much better in 2012 than it was in 2013. When I try to think about it objectively, I just didn't see as much creativity in the menu last week as opposed to what I saw last year. This is not a cutting edge restaurant by any means, but when you look at the lunch menu, it just reads heavy. I feel that when I was there before, they relied on great ingredients and interesting combinations to make the food great, now it seems as though they are relying on deep frying everything. Of the food I had last week, the deviled eggs, crab hush puppies, cowboy fries, spinach and artichoke beignets and chicken pot pie were all average. The only thing that we ate that I would say was pretty good was the macaroni and cheese and the grilled cheese (although I think that the bread for this was doused with too much butter). The atmosphere is still fun and the drinks are still good, but I was simply not impressed by the food when compared to last year.
  21. jiveturk21
    Went for lunch yesterday. For the most part, I like it, but I'm not sure if it is much better than the other burger places in the area. Since I may go to a burger place once a month, my palette just isn't good enough to compare Black and Orange to Bobby's Burger Palace to BGR to any other place.
  22. jiveturk21
    After walking out of Founding Farmers dumbfounded (we made a reservation via OpenTable, they didn't have it in their system, we showed them the confirmation email, they told us they wouldn't seat us), my colleagues picked Paul as our dining destination because 1) it was across the street and 2) I couldn't convince them to go to Johnny Rocket's. Normally, I wouldn't try to convince anyone to go to Johnny Rocket's, but after my experience at Paul last month, I really wanted to avoid going again. My sandwich (pastrami) suffered the same fate as my last sandwich there, not much more than bread to the sandwich (the bread is quite awesome though). Getting my iced tea was also a struggle (they pour it behind the counter for you, but won't bring it to your table, so I had to wait for whoever was the iced tea bitch for the day to do it). But, the biggest complaint that I had this time was the "table" that we sat at. It was a four top, but you could not actually fit all four of our plates on the table without one or more of them hanging precariously over the edge of the table. With one hand on my plate and my bag of chips between my knees, I was able to eat my bread sandwich with my other hand. One thing I will say about this place, it is always an adventure when I walk in there.
  23. jiveturk21
    I have never been to Spain, but my family planned a trip there a few years ago (we had to cancel at the last minutes). During my planning, I definitely don't remember thinking, "Wow, these prices in Barcelona are MUCH cheaper than at home in DC." Maybe I'm wrong, maybe things have changed, I don't know.
  24. jiveturk21
    I had an excellent (almost perfect) Vine Street Expressway (chicken cutlet, prosciutto, pesto, sharp provolone) for lunch today. What kept it from being perfect is that it was a bit high in sodium for me. You know that from simply reading the menu - all of these ingredients are pretty salty on their own - so when you add them all together, it turns out to be more salty than I like. In the future I may go with the grilled chicken instead of the breaded chicken or maybe get it without the prosciutto, which gets kind of lost in the mix. In the end though, it really was a great sandwich.
  25. jiveturk21
    I got a lunch special there yesterday - knockwurst and a potato latke - that I wouldn't order again. The bun for my knockwurst was on the stale side and the sausage itself was non-descript. The potato latke was heavy and dense, much more so than I would expect. I will return here, because I have to try some of the sandwiches, but I am wary at this point.
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