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clchurch

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Everything posted by clchurch

  1. I talked to Chef Delgado when I stopped in back in June. He said the Peruvian clientele wanted more traditional items whereas he wanted to do more cutting edge dishes that you might find in modern Lima restaurants. Not sure what percentage of the clientele was Peruvian, but it appears the traditionalists won out.
  2. In my early days in the Navy, during Chiefs' initiation, many of the messes would make the selectees eat balut as an initiation rite. They'd moved away from those hazing type intiation rituals by the time I made Chief, so I never had the opportunity to try it.
  3. The chef is Howsoon Cham (originally from the Gambia, from what I recall). He previously headed the short-lived Newtown Grill on U Street, and before that a restaurant (can't remember the name) in Dupont that had been BEDUCI (currently Scion), and before that Red Ginger in Georgetwon. I think there was a thread about Red Ginger on here where Charlie Adler touted his skills. I've never eaten at any of his restaurants, so I can't speak to that, but I hope that this does better than the preceeding three.
  4. Having spoken to both Ogawa-san and his partner Higashijima-san, currently at Perry's in Adams Morgan (they are both veterams of the late, great Hisago in Georgetown), it is my understanding that it will go into the old Pines of Florence space on Connecticut Avenue in Kalorama, which is quite an (uphill) hike from Sushi Taro.
  5. The beer program is not as robust as when Leland Estes was in charge. He had 20 taps installed, only to realize that they only had storage enough for 10 kegs (or more likely, sixtels), and expanding the storage area wasn't feasable. Still, they had the best draft beer selectioin in Brookland (and really, all of NE DC outside of H Street) until last year's opening of Brookland Pint and Smith Public Trust (it's still better than Brookland's Finest and Steel Plate, in my opinon).
  6. When I walked by yesterday the windows were papered over and there was a sign in the window with a giant question mark and a cryptic message that read something like "Don't worry, be happy".
  7. I would also point out that Harrar and Sidamo (DC branch) roast their own beans in house.
  8. A few late additions: - Malmaison under the Whitehurst Freeway in Georgetown has a coffeeshop component. They use Cuvée beans from Austin for their espresso beverages (supposedly they are the only place on the East Coast to do so). - Azi's on 9th and O NW near the convention center. They use Illy coffee for their drinks. - Lot 38 Espresso Bar next to Canal Park in the Navy Yard area of SE makes their espresso beverages with Illy too. - H Street Coffeehouse that replaced Sova on H Street NE makes excellent espresso beverages using Ceremony beans from Annapolis, but i just doesn't have the same cozy charm as Sova. - La Mano uses Ceremony Mass Appeal beans for their espresso drinks. Mine was excellent, but the place is tiny and not really conducive to lingering, more of a grab a coffee on the way to Metro kind of place.
  9. I stopped in for lunch yesterday (yes, it is now open for lunch/brunch on Saturdays and Sundays). I hadn't been under the previous chef, but I can say that the triple stock ramen they are currently serving is definately worth a visit; it's rich and has much in common with Hakata (tonkotsu) style broth in my opinion.
  10. Tried to stop in for lunch on a Saturday earlier this month. Despite the hours posted saying they opened at noon on Saturday, it was 12:40 and it was shut as tight as a drum.
  11. When I asked if the chef was from Szechuan, my waiter told me he "spent a lot of time there", so it's possible he is originally from Xi'an.
  12. Could be. I think it was called Joe's Noodle House or something like that. And as I recall, the Chinese government took over this entire Days Inn a few years back to house the workers they brought over to build their new embassy housing in Cleveland Park, so this may be some kind of hold over.
  13. Not sure if this is on anyone's radar, but I discovered this place through another website that shall remain nameless (begins with a Y), but even there, it seems to be flying under the radar except for people of Chinese extraction. Anyway, I decided to check it out last weekend. Here is a synopsis of what I have posted elsewhere: My server seemed eager for me to try some of the Szechuan specialties which are printed in English on both the eat-in menu and take-out menu, rather than the Chinese American menu items (maybe it was because I expressed interest in the crispy pork intestines). Anyway, the menu has a section with "Szechuan and Country Style Entrees" and "Szechuan Chef's Specials, Appetizers and Cold Dishes". I stuck with the appetizers: String Beans in Ginger Sauce, Shrimp with Scallion Sauce, Dan Dan Spicy Noodle with Minced Pork, Steam Dumplings in Red Hot Sauce, and Sauteed Duck Eggs with Green Pepper. I definitely got the lip and tongue numbing sensation caused by Szechuan peppercorns. Personally, I thought the steamed dumplings were the tastiest of the lot. The dumplings themselves were a slightly thinner versions of pot stickers/gyoza. The duck eggs were what are sometimes known as thousand-year-old-eggs, century eggs, etc. and the green pepper was actually jalapenos. Although I didn't try any of the mains from the Szechuanese menu, it included such Szechuan staples as Double Cooked Pork and Ma Po Tofu in addition to more interesting sounding items such as Lamb with Cumin and Shredded Duck with Szechuan Sauce. But, to add another twist, there is yet another menu of specialties (on a separate menu) from Xi'an called Rouga Mo. These are like muffins/biscuits/flat bread split down the middle and filled with pork that's been cooked with five spice powder. According to my waiter this is what a lot of what the Chinese clientele (the majority of the diners) come to order. That and Chengdu Spicy Noodles. He was kind enough to offer me one on the house, and it certainly would make for a great lunch/snack.
  14. Yes, I've been to Justin's since I first started this topic, and it's not bad. I am really looking forward to Bluejacket though. As for East of the River, it's seen Ray's and Uniontown Bar and Grill both come and go, but there will always be Players Lounge and Now Big Chair, which seems to have morphed into more of a bar than a coffee shop.
  15. So, it's been over four months now, any word on when, or if, it will ever reopen? And what happend to Barton Seaver?
  16. They probably have Bavik on two of the taps because it's (relatively) cheap and appeals to people who don't really like the taste of beer all that much and thus is probably quite popular. My impression of the bar at Beck's is that it;s more of a scene and less of a place filled with people who really enjoy their beer (for contrast see Granville Moore's). To me, Bavik is just an alternative to Stella, or fllls in for Miller Lite for those folks who like that kind of thing. I guess I'd call it a starter beer (or a gateway beer!)
  17. I'm no expert, and haven't been to many, but In the District you have the following (that I know of): Ghanian: Ghana Cafe (Logan), Bukom (Adams Morgan), Akosombo (Mt. Vernon Square), Buka (H Street NE) Sierra Leonean: Sumah's Carry out (Shaw) Liberian: Kendejah (Brightwood) Senegalese: Chez Aunty Libe (Brightwood/Manor Park) Oddly I don't know of any Nigerian places. I've only ever eaten at Kendejah and wasn't overly impressed. I've heard many good things about Chez Aunty Libe though. I believe Tod Kliman did a write-up on it when he was at the City Paper.
  18. Which liquor license did she purchase, Chaos'? That space has been vacant for a while. If she were to bring something like the Black Squirel to that space, it would be great. Jack's apparently was trying to appeal to the beer crowd since they installed a bunch of taps last fall and were advertising "the most number of drafts on 17th Street" but when I went in they only had 9 of the 12 advertised and it was a pretty lackluster selection. Plus the burger was almost inedible.
  19. I concur with DPop on this one. While the beer wow's mom, the food left me underwhelmed. It's pretty carb heavy, but I guess that's what people want/nead when drinking a lot of beer.
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