darkstar965

Don, apologies but I've forgotten how to quote from a different topic. The above url is a question from TheHersch taken from the Help thread which seems better answered here. We went to Old Europe this past week to celebrate a close relative's 80th brithday. He loved it and the rest of us enjoyed it. I've been here several (even many) times previously but something about experiencing this through the eyes of or with an 80 year old with experience in Germany and love for the cuisine was new for me. If you've never been and like German food, you should go. We don't have outstanding German/Austrian/Alsatian cuisine in the DC area and this is about as good as it gets. But, it's a great example of a very old restaurant (1948!) whose formula hasn't changed much but still very much works. i won't detail all the kitsch and charm of the the venue since that has been described upthread. And, I can't remember everything we ordered but will describe the dishes I do recall. Didn't take a menu or notes and probably should have. Here are some of the dishes we enjoyed: APPS Hering "Hausfrauen Art" $8.00 Marinated herring in sour cream with sliced apples, onions and pickles garnished with a petit salad bouquet I've ordered this several times in the past. Herring may be an acquired taste for some but this is very tasty with a nice balance of salt and sweet if you know and generally like cold fish dishes like this. Gulasch Suppe $6.00 A chunky beef soup with paprika, bell pepers, onions and potatoes Big hit with the person who ordered it. I didn't try it and have never had it in previous visits. MAIN COURSES Pork Schnitzel or Chicken Schnitzel $20.00 I ordered this. A very generous portion (two large, crispy slices of well-seasoned pork) served with a hearty mushroom gravy. I had it with their very good spatzle and some red cabbage. Just a hearty and enjoyable dish. Old Europe Sausage Combo $22.00 A combination of handmade Bratwurst, Bauernwurst & WeiíŸwurst,on a bed of Old Europe sauerkraut and potato dumplings We've ordered this several times in the past. A very good rendition indeed. Schweinshaxe Bayerische Art $22.00 Bavarian style, roasted pork hocks, served with Old Europe sauerkraut and potato dumplings Another very hearty, rustic, Bavarian dish but really good for what it is. There was also a meatloaf type dish another in our party ordered and really enjoyed but I can't find it in the menu they have online. Finally, we shared a few slices of their Black Forest cake. Fresh and enjoyable. The 80 year old surprisingly said it was the best he'd ever had and he's been to Germany several times. Overstatement to me but enjoyed the cake. Something about this place is just warm, familiar, comfortable and thoroughly enjoyable if you like this type of cuisine. It was a huge success for a picky 80 year old celebrating his birthday. That they had four staff leading the entire restaurant in a rendition of "Happy Birthday" just sealed the deal. The 80-year old said he'd be a regular here if he lived in DC. Bottom Line for TheHersch (aka the questioner): the food is "good" and my sense is you should go. I think you'd enjoy it.

Don's Dining Guide comment on Obelisk includes the caution that main entrees have disappointed recently. I think that comment has been there for a long time but, after dining here last week to celebrate a close relative's 80th birthday, that comment is still correct. The service was excellent and, of course, the space lovely and intimate. The noise level was a bit high which surprised me given its smallness but the celebrant correctly identified a lack of soundproofing as the culprit there. Our antipasti course, the best course of the evening, included: - crostini with fava beans and pecorino: very tasty if simple - burrata: outstanding; maybe the best thing we ate all night - a salad of shaved fennel with two different kinds of citrus (one dime-sized orange wedges; not sure what those are) and a citrusy viniagrette); the acid level on this was a bit too high but it was still appreciated to cut the richness of every other dish in this course - duck confit: good but a bit dry - suppli al telefono: the fried risotto balls with cheese were hot, crispy and rich so easy to like Pasta Course - the 80 year old couldn't appreciate the chitarra due to the meatballs being made with pork and lamb. I tried it, thought it good but a bit heavy and straightforward. - a ravioli dish stuffed with ricotta and, maybe (?) egglplant, was better. We had only two mains represented at our table. 1) A double cut pork chop looked great to me but I didn't try it. The folks who ordered it enjoyed it but didn't rave. My relative tried it and pronounced it dry with strange texture but that's feedback that should be taken with several grains of salt given the other perspectives. 2) A spatchcocked chicken cooked Tuscan style with a brick. Good but very ordinary. Cheese Course Three different types, one of which was a Taleggio with the the other two harder Italian cheeses, one goat and one cow. Fine. smaller wedges/slices. Nothing special per se. Dessert We had a dense, somewhat dry chocolate cake with a much better honey, buttermilk ice cream It was a nice evening. Didn't work for our celebrant who not only didn't love the main courses but also thought it way too much food and would have preferred an a la carte ordering option (not Obelisk's fault obviously) but, for the rest of us, a nice meal probably not good enough to merit the cost of around $110 pp (all in) with just a couple of glasses of wine. At that price point, I'd go elsewhere for higher-end Italian food next time. I know Peter Pastan hasn't been cooking here in a long time but feels maybe in need of a bit of a refresh.

I wanted to close the loop on this request for help since just seems right to do that when people make an effort to help. Most importantly, big, big thank you to: weezy, pat, tweaked, gadarene, don, lion, daveo, thehersch, dinoue, ScotteeM, Tujague, Choirgirl21, Mark Slater and hillvalley for helping me with this challenging problem. I so appreciate it. As you'll read, you really did help and, in one case, I might have followed a suggestion different from the one I did if I had another bite at the apple. We took challenging but much-loved Uncle to Obelisk the first night and to Old Europe the next night. First, on Obelisk, this turned out to be a very bad choice I wish I could take back. Not because the food or service was so bad but, rather, because it wasn't familiar enough for him, he didn't much enjoy what he had and thus it felt like a colossal waste of money. There were three entrees on the menu the night we went. A cod dish sounded great and I might have ordered that left to my own devices. A pork chop also sounded great and I was sure (but dead wrong) that's what Uncle would order. I'd been hoping they'd have their veal chop on the menu since that could have changed everything but, even though I'd asked about it when booking and they have it semi-regularly and my Uncle was celebrating his 80th, no go. So, he ordered a spatchcocked chicken dish which was only available for two. So, I dutifully shared this with him. It was fine. Good even but a bit ordinary. He thought the same but was surprising more critical of the pork chop which he tasted (I didn't) that another member of our party had ordered. A lot of this has to do with the personality and age involved. Family can be difficult. But, from my own POV, the antipastos were the best course and thus, for the money, I'd favor other spots. But this just didn't work for him. That said, the rest of our party loved it. And, they did put a candle in his cake. Old Europe, on the other hand, was a huge success! This probably says something about the persona but everything from the kitchsch and decor, charming servers in costume, hearty German fare and "the best black forest cake [he'd] ever eaten" made it a huge success. And, in addition to a cake candle, four of them led the entire place in a rendition of Happy Birthday with the 1-2-3 count in German. He loved that. At less than a third the cost of Obelisk, I realized my mistake fully at this dinner. I'll post a bit more on the Obelisk experience on that thread but, again, just wanted to thank all of you. You're all awesome! If I had it to do again, I'd have probably gone with Il Pizzico along with Old Europe.

With a few friends in town two nights ago who'd never been, we headed for Rose's at their request. As a quick aside, being named "Best New Restaurant in America" by a national magazine seems to have a steroid-like impact on a place for an extended duration. :-) Line was about 30 or so an hour prior and well more than 100 at the 5:00 open. Putting this in the most clichéd and hackneyed terms possible, I think maybe the bloom is off the rose just a bit. No Big Problems, awful dishes or anything of the sort but, with the run Rose's has had and the stratospheric heights to which it has risen, guess some flattening of the trajectory was inevitable. The uber-professional yet impossibly sincere, friendly/casual service is a bit more mechanized now. Our server was fine but we did have to search for her a few times and her comportment was more perfunctory than the profoundly warm and engaging profile to which we'd become accustomed. Also, this was my first visit to Rose's where I felt the searing eyes of staff motivated to turn a table. We weren't oblivious to the crowd or extending our stay beyond any reasonable norm. But, being asked a few times if we were "still working" on dishes not yet emptied and with cutlery in hand got a little annoying. Our half-dozen fried oysters arrived as four crowded into one quarter of the dish with just one more across from the cluster. The servers' befuddled reaction when we asked about the missing sixth mollusk evidenced careless, versus creative, plating. Foodwise, I recommended my friends get the famed lychee sausage salad since, to me, that dish had exemplified Rose's knack for innovation without weirdness. A poster child for discovery and utter deliciousness. We ordered two. I can't identify a change in terms of its components but it just didn't prompt expected wows for my first-timer friends and was a bit too familiar (even, maybe, boring?) for me. We shared everything. A newer take on a pork blade steak, while interesting, was a bit too minimalist and distracting from the meat with its adornments. The brisket was the same as I remembered from previous visits; excellent. The peacake dessert more interesting than deliciously memorable. Our friends proclaimed the meal a success and enjoyed it. But the raves of visits past weren't there. I've been a huge Rose's fan on this website and stand by all my previous posts. And, at the somewhat moderate prices still characterizing the Rose's menu, I continue to think it very worthwhile for first-timer or visitors. But, between the long lines, some dog-earing of the overall model, and the explosion of omnipresent new options around the District, we probably won't visit as frequently as we have. More when guests or friends ask than self prompted. Edited to add: The quote is from Pat in post #252 upthread. I'd neglected to mention the bread but agree 150% with how Pat characterized it.

So, is the pressure on Ovi, team and fanbase for this latest Game 7 for tomorrow night as insane as even I, a hockey neophyte, perceive?

Today's hapless loss, completing a sweep at the hands of the Miami Marlins, was the fifth consecutive loss for the World Series favorites. Is hasn't happened since the disappointing season of 2013. The talent is there. It's a very interesting study in the importance of leadership and chemistry within an organization. Right now, the Nats seem to really be lacking both.

Overdue with this but wanted to share that I had opportunity to attend a class of sorts a few weeks ago led by, and adjacent to, Fiona at District Fishwife. Part of a series organized by Union Market and an outside event-management vendor, these sessions ran through the late winter and early spring, featuring different UM vendors like "knife skills" from the knife vendor guys and, I think Maketto may have even led one before they opened their permanent spot. Anyway, Fiona's was the last of the series. She was awesome. Simple format for maybe 15-20 people. First she demonstrated how to break down a fish (maybe a salmon; I'm forgetting some of the details now). Then she taught us the less-straightforward technique of breaking down a skate wing before demo'ing a simple sautee of the result after dredging and with butter, capers and wine. We all got to try the results. Delicious. Fiona claimed afterward that she'd been very nervous doing this but, I swear, she didn't show that at all. As I told her then, her accent probably gets her halfway there but she did a superb job.

Will be very interested to learn if such a thing exists that far out. It took a long time for DC to sprout some serious ramen shops (aside from Ren's) and, even now, can count them on one hand.

I'm far from an expert cook but enthusiasm and diligence have helped me develop some decent technique. Corned beef hash falls into a very small category. It's something I almost never order out since I can make a very good version at home. Now, great corned beef on the other hand? Totally different matter and what I mistakenly thought DanielK had raved about upthread. Guess this will save some driving in terms of Brooklyn's.

Reasonableness is in the eye of the beholder. My point was just that rumors of "multi-hour waits" might be a bit overblown. The place clearly feels zero need to adjust this policy. Now six months after the Bon Appetit recognition, they're still drawing lines longer than 100 by opening time. All said, they are opening a new spot that supposedly will take reservations, however tough those may prove to get. And, personally, will be awhile before I head back again partly due to the lines but more because the experience wasn't quite what it was.

The one enacting the policy would say it enables her to better distribute deserved rewards across more of her staff. My answer: It's not.

Many are served with honey. Maybe not really a "sauce"?

Lots going on with these guys. Some cool recognition.

Weygandt's is a great shop. The folks there are knowledgable, to your point generous and humble enough to help novices and experts alike. Good selection as well.

This is exactly what I suspected and why I made the post upthread joking about a Kosher app. I wasn't sure but trust Daniel on this. Make it at home? Or, work around the restrictions somehow? I'm going to ask some kosher friends about this and will report back. I'm not well versed on keeping Kosher. But, I do know people who are and I hate when Max's is closed and I'm at Friday or Saturday games at Nats Park.

To your point, I did only just learn from one of these threads (it was DanielK but can't recall which thread--maybe this one above) about Brooklyn's Deli in Potomac, which is top of my list now since never new it existed and Daniel calls it the "best corned beef [he] has ever had" or something like that from one who isn't typically hyperbolic. Whether or not Brooklyn's in Kosher and thus app eligible is unknown to me.

I really think the multi-hour wait at Rose's a red herring but that's based only my own experience of maybe half a dozen visits, most recently tonight. Nice weather on a Friday, we arrived one hour and ten minutes before open and were around 15th on line. People getting there 45 minutes (aka 4:15pm) before open made the first seating. By 4:30 or 4:45, it had grown longer and people arriving that soon before the open or after opening would have had to wait for second seating. All said, I've absolutely loved Rose's in the past and have posted as much on that thread. A little less so tonight and will post about that shortly. Same here over 6 or so visits though tonight wasn't quite the same for us. Will share the details soon.

This is really a head-scratcher. When we had lunch there Monday, the dry-fried eggplant was nothing like what you experienced. Did you actually see PC? I wonder if the staffer who said he was there was truthful? And, just my view on the answer to your closing question but, yeah, definitely. We already knew the food quality could vary widely when he was or wasn't in the house. If we now experience big variation like this when he is verifiably there, it's tougher to hypothesize what's going on.

Joel, Cannot thank you enough for sharing your knowledge, experience and passion for all things coffee with us on this chat over the past couple of weeks. From DC to Seattle and in response to questions basic and more complex, you handled them all with remarkable thought, grace and perspective. As donrockwell.com has been a leading restaurant/food site since its founding, coffee has been less covered here as with other food media. Over the past few years, we've built up a good collection of new threads for shops around town, but this chat and its fantastic advice and educational content up the coffee quotient here immeasurably more. I'll leave to Don to lock the thread when he sees fit since I'm sure he'll want to add his own thanks. This just to express my own appreciation and deep respect for you and for Qualia as a small business doing things the right way for the most admirable of reasons. And, all with exceptional results. For everyone, just a reminder that Qualia, the area's leading, small, independent and integrated roaster/coffee shop is at 3917 Georgia Ave NW in Petworth, just two blocks from the Georgia Avenue/Petworth metro station and online here and here. Joel's amazingly delicious coffees can be ordered for home use by mail, online or in the shop, always "fresh off the roast." As is so evident from this thread, Joel cares about perfecting coffee in a way that very few, even in the business, do. And, that's why his coffees taste so damn good! Thanks again, Joel. And, see you soon!

I never got this concept/menu. Guess others didn't either.

Admitting the very existence of the problem is such an important first step on the road to recovery. Nicely done.

So, sounds like they won a huge game tonight while the Nats did a faceplant. In other words, nothing like the perfectly wonderful DC Sports Hat Trick Tuesday night. But, while also not a big hockey fan (more fair weather come playoff time), I have to ask those who are. Aren't these Caps guys the ones who always impress early but never get it done as the playoffs advance toward actually crowning a Stanley Cup winner? Right or wrong, kind of what I've been thinking so hard to get too excited about a possible win over...what are they called again?...the Islanders.

Not here.

Aren't there a ridiculously small number of such places in most cities, including ours? In other words, u needa app for that?

Twas the night before end-of-chat And all through the site Not a poster was stirring After all, late at night With that first verse done and tomorrow the end of this fest Just one more query from me Which satiric coffee-themed coffee t-shirt best? And, in your opinion, Joel, why? Oh, and what's the most interesting coffee for any visitors to order at Qualia over this coming weekend?