AlexC

Um... say hi next time? Strangely enough, I was also at Volt and enjoyed the wine-paired restaurant week lunch offering today. What a slickly-designed restaurant, with cool private spaces and great art choices. We sat near the open kitchen that looks out onto 16-20 seats, a small enclosed space that surely houses a chef's table at dinner. Some of Volt was funky -- the servers wear brown low-cut chuck taylors and the hardware choices in the bathrooms (bulky sliding doors? a 3/4 glass wall separating the ladies room?) were, ah, not traditional. The food is fantastic. That's the most important bit. There were no misses on the restaurant week menu. The dishes were beautifully composed and executed. $20 for 3 courses felt like robbery. If pressed for a favorite, I'd have to sheepishly admit to the tuna tartar. Overdone, cliche, hurl whatever stones you want. The housemade crackers, the wasabi "caviar", the smear of avocado, this was a wonderful dish, as good as I've had and it's a dish that everyone takes a crack at. If you combine a meal at Volt with a brewery tour at the Flying Dog brewery, well, you'll have a hell of a Saturday in Frederick. I just did. Alex

Apologies to Biggie, but this is the definitive sardines song in the District: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaMLTVs2f30

I never made it up there, but I like to think that "Titan's Ramrod" made the Blue Oyster look like Chuck E. Cheese. They used to run a special night for "Bears, Otters, Cubs and Wolves," and even my gay friends couldn't reach consensus on the definition of that demographic. Dakota Cowgirl, however... that place is happily in the rearview. Bring on Birch & Barley. Alex

I feel like Frank Costanza over here... "SERENITY NOW! SERENITY NOW!" Any firmer idea when this place is gonna open up? Alex

I went ten days ago... As I recall, cocktails were about $12 a pop, rolls ranged from ~$6 for the spicy tuna / california rolls of the world, up to ~$12 for the fish and chips, maybe as high as $15 for the top end, larger ones. Oh, and I had a "Samurai" beer for $8. The Sake menu was extensive and the prices were all over, depending on the bottle size and quality. One thing that jumped out at me were the kobe sliders -- cooked med-rare, patty just as big as the bun, expensive (can't remember how much, but remember being shocked) and delicious. If you find yourself at the intersection of "deep slider craving" and "price is no object", do check them out. Alex

Ended up going for the matzoh ball soup at Firefly, and it was a good decision. Thanks for the help!

A friend is on a medically-imposed soup-only diet for a few days, but she's determined to go out to dinner tonight. I'd like somewhere that is a little less formal and pricey than Corduroy (though maybe we could eat in the bar?), but still delivers a great soup. Definitely in DC, ideally somewhere in the Chinatown/Logan/Dupont/Admo/Woodley/Cleveland Park corridor. Thanks for you help! Alex

Sad to see such a capable and well-connected beer man go, especially under suspicious circumstances. At the same time, Beck isn't simply left twisting in the wind here -- Thor Cheston is capable of running a top-flight beer program, as anyone who spent time at Pizzeria Paradiso during his tenure can attest. One of the commenters on the City Paper article made a remark about Beck being turned into the "new Pizzeria Paradiso" by this move. It's an unfair comparison. Today's Birreria is a a substantially different animal than it was under Cheston, and I'm confident Beck will continue to serve well-researched, unique and appropriate beers.

Fritz's old joint, Cafe Roval in Potomac Village, was part of my childhood and I've transferred my affection to Matisse. I agree on most counts -- the food is well-prepared classic french, not exceptional and not inexpensive. However, the menu is reliably tasty top-to-bottom, and in a neighborhood with a dearth of quality options, the service, ambiance and food at Cafe Matisse stand out. But, come on, not better than what gets cooked at home? Sure, maybe if your name is Zora Margolis... oh, wait... Alex PS - Inaugaurapocalypse!

Great Wall, Mei Wah, City Lights and Mr. Chen's all deliver dinner to me on Logan Circle, so you should be fine with any of them and I suspect they deliver lunch as well. Of those, I think Mei Wah is the best overall but I really like Mr. Chen's tiny little dumplings, and the bill themselves as "organic". Mayur Kabob does good indian delivery, and is far less expensive than delivery from Heritage in Dupont. You can compare menus and grab phone numbers at http://washingtondc.menupages.com/ Alex

I recently had brunch at Darlington House. It has the same owners as Cleveland Park Bar & Grill and Sesto Senso. The "Red Flannel Hash" was a heaping, gooey, delicious mess of potatoes, beets, bacon, cheddar, onions and sour cream, topped with two poached eggs. I'll go back for it . The chef is Alex Schulte. I don't know anything about his background, but he can probably do some Seaver-esque cougar baiting if he puts his mind to it. Alex

They offer an array of creative rolls (unlike Sushi Taro), at a higher quality and a comparable price point to Uni. This place fills a valuable niche in the Dupont Circle sushi universe.

I am fairly certain that they fill empty wine bottles with Franzia and bring them out to the table, when they feel they can get away with it... as they did to a bunch of just-out-of-college kids six or seven years ago. They certainly couldn't offer an explanation as to why they started bringing out wine bottles that had already been opened. That night at Marrakesh was enough to warn friends, acquaintances and people reading the odd message board to stay far, far away. Chicken wasn't bad. Alex

Five of us did a walk-in omakase at Sushi Taro last night, to celebrate the birthday of my fish-lovin' sister Liz. We put our name on the list at 7 and were told it'd be an hour. We went and had a glass of wine, they called us 40 minutes later and we sat around 745. The waitress asked if we preferred it on five plates, or would we like "the big one". Around 75 minutes later, close to 9 PM, with only a miso soup and some edamame to tide us over, they wheel over Noah's Ark. Toro. Octopus. Squid. Salmon. Mackerel topped with ginger. Fat pieces of yellowtail sprinkled with scallion. Frilly sliices of giant clam leaning against crescents of lemon. Alternating slices of scallop and kiwi, strung out in a clam shell. Amberjack with a miso sauce. Raw sweet shrimp, with their heads deep fried (delicious, like a potato chip). The most visually impressive element were the "masts" - a sardine spine and head, deep fried, hooked around a yakitori skewer at the bow, and a fried mackerel spine and head hooked together on another skewer towards the stern. In front of the masts was the fish itself. The mackerel came chopped raw and mixed, with ginger and a very light sauce (the nice cuts were used in the ginger and scallion-topped sashimi) and the pungent sardine was cut into thin little steaks. They also dropped a softball of real wasabi down. We finished the boat. It was a Herculean effort, but everything was so good, it just had to get eaten. Afterward, when we were fat and happy, the entire staff of the restaurant (from the GM on down), crowded around our five-top and belted out "Happy Birthday Liz" as loudly and happily as I've ever heard it done in a restaurant. You could tell they were proud of what they'd put out, and excited that someone would give them the chance to put such a thing together. What a fun, fun dinner. So, if you go, get the big plate. Alex

I really like the tangy, so much that I go and get a tangy with granola and fruit a few times a week. The flavored yogurts have been hit or miss for me, but I love me some tangy.

I've been to the Commissary three times in the past week, just to check the place out. My verdict is "meh". I don't really care for the interior -- it feels a little slapdash, and doesn't have an ounce of that comfortable coffeehouse vibe that I was hoping for. The food is as inexpensive as it gets for a sitdown restaurant in the area, which will certainly keep the place bustling, and their happy hour food-and-drink specials ($3 drafts, very cheap appetizers) are great. Still, most of it just feels generic and bland. Of the things I've tried, the most exciting was the chicken salad BLT. It wasn't a large portion, but every ingredient, from the creamy chicken salad to the thick bacon strips to the grilled-not-toasted bread was thoughtfully made, so if you're there, check it out. Alex

Through what can only be characterized as a gigantic scheduling snafu, a friend of mine is unable to attend this event tomorrow. She's got four tickets available and would love recoup as much of the value as possible. If anyone is interested, please let me know! Alex

Six of us had a lovely dinner at Vinoteca on Sunday night, a place that I hadn't been terribly impressed with a few months back. Though the Redskins victory / Adams Morgan Day festivities are preventing me from recalling the experience with crystalline clarity, a couple things did leap out... The menu seems to have changed substantially. It's shorter and it offers some pretty creative stuff -- I didn't expect a $6 uni pearls in consomme on the menu. The house-made oversized bowtie pasta was both cute (it really did look like a floppy bowtie) and cream-rich delicious and the not-house-made charcuterie was portioned out generously for $3.50 servings. They also have a nice cheese selection and, of course, a lengthy wine list that I was in no condition to parse. So... if you're in the neighborhood, and looking a spot to have a glass of wine outside and a snack or two, check it out. Alex

Thanks for the suggestions... As this will certainly be a recurring engagement, I'm sure they will each be given a go.

Looking for more of a sit-down, waited-on experience...

So, I've got this "friend" who is having dinner with a particularly noxious relative. He'd like to have a good meal, somewhere in downtown DC or maybe a close-in suburb, but would really like it to be more of an in-and-out. Meal speed is key here -- the quicker the better. I'm thinking restaurants that don't serve dessert are a good bet, but also think somewhere like Ray's would be good too... any thoughts? Thanks. Alex

I went to a rehearsal dinner in the back room at Central that was outstanding.

I had a pretty tasty carolina bbq pork sandwich from the Blue Ribbon BBQ stand (www.blueribbonbbq.net)... that and a triple-helping of demolition derby awesomeness. Alex

Spezie's restaurant week menu features a selection of their signature pastas and entrees, making it a good way to sample their food without shelling out $30-$40 an entree. Each of the pasta dishes we tried sang -- the fresh ricotta gnocchi, the pasta twills with eggplant and smoked mozarella -- and the salads were bright, crisp and fresh. The entrees weren't universally appreciated -- the grilled baby octopus was simple and done well, as was the the vinegary cucumber & endive accopmaniement. The duck was slightly overdone, the asparagus risotto cake a bit dry and granular. The "pork korobuta and cheeks roast" was off the bone and similar to pulled pork -- rich, delicious, but a surprising preparation. If I went back for Restaurant Week, I'd stick with salads and pasta, which were great. Alex

I've stepped in as one of the writers for Brightest Young Things' still-developing Food section. We've recently put up a Restaurant Week guide and a few articles reviewing local restaurants, including a Sushi Taro review that discusses their planned renovation this fall: www.brightestyoungthings.com/food/konichiwa-bitches-sushi-taro-report/ Feel free to browse the food section content here: www.brightestyoungthings.com/category/food/ I hope you enjoy it! Alex