mktye

Chipotle wrapper

amongst the decaying leaves --

was the meal happy?

(Creativeness spent,)

(off to the commissary)

(to waste yet more time)

Alright, maybe I was freaking out a little there. I'm better now.

"Best fries in a paper cone on a metal stand"

"Best fries that come with a non-tomato-based dip"

Oh, to combine the two...

Ferhat Yalcin said:

If This was west cost  no  doubt to say `In-n-out burger rocks`

I've never understood the fascination with In-N-Out. Good burgers, but not worth driving an hour+ to get one (and I know people who have!). I actually prefer Carl's Jr. Western Bacon Cheeseburger to In-N-Out. Of course, after eating either, I feel as if I am about to keel over for the next day or so!

But back to DC-Area burgers (on which I have nothing to add because I have not eaten a burger in the almost 2 years we've been back here)...

I've been served a BLT slathered with what appeared to be dijonnaise at Luna Grill in Shirlington. Ugh. Luckily, the last time I was there I was happy to discover that they've stopped that sacrilege and my BLT was sporting plain mayo.

Today's Chat

Not to copy our fearless leader, and I'm not going to do it often, but I thought I might copy Bilrus...

My previously posted experience at Cityzen last fall, about 1 month after they opened:

(Caution: this is long!)

For first impressions, the staff at the front of the hotel certainly does make quite the impression, both in sheer numbers and helpfulness. After valet parking the car (free with validation from the restaurant), we were escorted into CityZen, to a table in their lounge (there is also another lounge in the main lobby of the hotel that has a better view), and our escort even informed the hostess of our presence so she could inquire to our reservation name & time. Very smooth.

I won’t go into the lounge menu since Mr. Rocks described it already, but I do want to say that it is entertaining reading. In fact, I think the cocktail waitress was a little exasperated with us because we were too busy being amused and were not making any decisions as to what we wanted to drink.

Now, for full disclosure, I’d better stop here and say that I was prepared to find fault with CityZen. Not because I’m a pessimist, but because our dining companions were my oldest sister and her husband. My sis is a big foodie, a huge Thomas Keller/French Laundry fan, and her preconceived notion was that the evening could not be anything other than absolutely perfect. So, in order to have the fodder for our requisite arguing, I was cast in the role of skeptic. But on to the food…

We all ordered the 5-course tasting menu for $90. Officially it was: Appetizer, Fish Course, Meat Course, Cheese Course, Dessert. But in reality is was: pre-Amuse, Amuse, Appetizer, Fish Course, Meat Course, Cheese Course, Sorbet, Dessert, Petit Fours. The meat that night was ribeye and I eat very little red meat (and never steak), but they were more than happy to allow me to substitute a chicken dish off the regular menu.

After we ordered, we met Christopher Hile, the sommelier. What a sweetheart! Very personable & approachable and obviously passionate about his job. He totally impressed my sister by picking out the exact two wines she would have chosen herself.

Then they brought the pre-amuse which was a chinese-style soup-spoon containing a layer of red beet aspic on the bottom, covered with a small mound of yellow beet cubes and topped with a bit of horseradish mousse. The beets were great – not overly “earthy” tasting as they sometimes are, but I personally would have preferred a bit more kick to the horseradish mousse. The only downside was that the gelled red layer was very firmly stuck to the spoon with no utensils present and no lady-like way to get it out. Our husbands had the same problem I did, but my sis said that hers came out of the spoon fine. (We later decided it was because she has a big mouth. )

Next was the amuse – a gratin of sunchokes with Osetra caviar on top. It was excellent. The low-notes of the gratin really balanced well with the salty-fishy of the caviar. My second favorite dish of the night.

Oh, I almost forgot to comment on the bread! Three choices served out of what appeared to be a little wooden treasure chest (very appropriate reverence for bread, IMO). A nice tasting sourdough, although we native Californians who were raised on S.F-style sourdough thought it a bit too holey of crumb and ciabatta-like. The second option was an excellent cheese (I never did hear what kind – Asiago?) and bacon bread. The third bread was a rye. It was a light, deli-style rye (but no hint of onion that I could tell) and was a bit lackluster for my taste and outshone by the other two breads. Also served with the bread were a salted French butter and an unsalted Virginia butter. This lead to some interesting discussion on ones’ patriotic loyalties, but the bottom line was that the Virginia butter had a much fresher taste and was favored by all but my sister.

The appetizer was a matsutake mushroom tart topped with shavings of parmesan, arugula sprouts and sea salt. This was my favorite of the evening. The thin, thin, thin crust had an incredibly buttery flavor while retaining just the right amount of bite. The balance of flavors was exceptional with nothing overpowering anything else. The mushrooms were plentiful, the parmesan was young & not too strong and the sprouts were surprisingly flavorful.

On to the fish course… Salmon-themed. In the middle of the plate was a piece of butter-poached salmon (as I was informed by my sister, who knows all things Keller) sitting on top of a puddle of melted onions & chives. To one side were a couple of medium-thin slices of house-cured gravlax and on the other side a tempura-like puff of roe (FYI – trying to determine what waiter with a French-accent is saying when he says “puff of roe” is not easy). The gravlax had nice texture and a very subtle taste – you definitely want that to be the first thing you eat on the plate. The poached salmon really was perfection. Tender and flavorful with no hint of fishiness. The roe puff was fine, executed well and I really like that taste, but I thought it slightly repetitive after the caviar on the amuse.

As this point, we waited. All along there had been decent pauses between courses, but in a good way – enough so the meal didn’t feel rushed. However, this time the interval between courses was about 5-10 minutes longer. We were then informed that the chef was “unhappy with the way our meat course had looked and it was being redone”. We were the last table seated that night and I suspect that as things slowed down in the kitchen Chef Ziebold had the time to perfect some of his staff’s technique. (Or it was a great excuse for the kitchen being slow – that Far Side cartoon with the airplane pilot and the “turbulence” comes to mind).

As I noted previously, I deviated from the rest of the table at this point. My meat course was chicken and dumplings with celery, tiny (<1/2”) pearl onions & black truffle slices sitting in a pool of oh-so-buttery chicken gravy. A very home-y flavor overall. The only downside was that the chicken was almost too salty. It was fine for me because I like a lot of salt, but I suspect that many people would not have been happy with it.

Everyone else at the table received the ribeye that was served with baby turnips, two slices of potatoes Anna with a dried plum in between and a plum-based sauce. When my brother-in-law finished off my sister’s ribeye he noted that hers was salted more than his and tasted much better. My husband later said that his ribeye lacked taste which makes me wonder if it was also undersalted.

With the meat course was a “last-minute chef’s surprise” box of mini parker house rolls. Little one-inch, butter-drenched balls of goodness served in a ~3”x8” wooden jewelry box with a hinged lid (after we quickly devoured the rolls, my woodworker/engineer husband had to examine the construction of the box – he pronounced it “nicely made” ). I think the chef’s “whim” may have been a bit more planned than implied because the rolls had that wonderful yeasty flavor that only comes from a long, cold rise.

Now for the moment my sister had been waiting for all evening – the cheese course. The cheeses were a triple-cream brie from France, a pecorino, a cabrales and a goat from Adante (a small cheesemaker in California who currently only produces enough cheese to sell to select wholesale outlets & restaurants). The cheeses were accompanied by warm, toasted raisin bread, an apricot jam for the pecorino and a smear of fig puree for the cabrales. The goat cheese was, without doubt, the highlight of the plate. I found the other cheeses good, but nothing spectacular. In fact, I have the same exact pecorino (that I bought at a military commissary) sitting in my refrigerator right now.

At this point, pretty much everyone was getting quite full and not sure if we really wanted anymore, but out came the sorbet. Intensely green apple-flavored and accompanied by a tonic jelly. I could only eat a bit of the jelly – the bitterness was great for refreshing the palate, but a little went a long way.

And for dessert… A “fudgesicle” made up of a hazelnut/chocolate crisp wafer topped with a rectangle of semi-frozen chocolate mousse and covered with a couple spoonfuls of warm chocolate sauce that hardened into wonderful chewiness once it was spooned (tableside) onto the mousse. There was also a smear of hazelnut syrup on the plate and a little quenelle of crème fraiche. It was all very good, but not being a big chocolate lover, my favorite part was the wafer.

So were we done yet? No. Last was a plate of petit fours: blueberry financiers, chocolate truffles, french macaroons, florentines and raspberry jellies. All excellent, but frankly, we were all just a bit too stuffed to really enjoy them. However, we did hear a gentleman at the next table stating that he could have eaten more! (He was told the 5-course menu can be supplemented with additional courses if desired.)

As to the décor, it was very well done and the atmosphere was quite comfortable (although a tad too loud). Lots of wood, marble, and stone accented with just the right amount of metal. The tablecloths and napkins were a weighty non-lint-shedding (a pet peeve of mine since I often wear black) raw-linen looking material in beige and caramel tones that added to the organic feel of the decor. And there was an overall opulent heft to everything – the menus were huge in dimensions and heavy due to metal decoration on the exterior (I’m glad I lift weights!) and the various plates our courses came on pretty much ranged from big to giant.

Throughout the evening, things ran surprising smoothly for such a new restaurant. There were a few minor signs that routines needed to settle in a bit more, especially in the front of the house (I had my back to the glass-fronted kitchen, so I could not see what level chaos was going on in there). The waiters often appeared to be playing musical chairs when they came with our various courses -- always two of them (each with a plate in hand), they would stand opposite each other and then put the plates down. However, there often seemed to be some jockeying for exactly which side of our round table each was to stand. But this was more entertaining that anything else. And there was an error with our check – we were charged for 8 tasting menus instead of 4! Yikes! I’ve never seen such a dumbfounded look on my husband’s face as when he initially looked at the $800+ bill. Of course, everything was graciously corrected once our relief-induced giggles ceased and we brought the overcharge to the staff’s attention.

Overall – an excellent meal that I felt was worth the money, especially once all the high-end trappings and service are factored in. Will we go back? Yes. Soon? No, we’re just poor military folk. Was my sister right in her high expectations? Yes, damn her.

Perhaps we need to set up a poll to decide who wears the chaps.

I don't think I can fit in either pair of mine anymore...

We've only been once also... (and never in the company of the hunky Jacques Gastreaux!)

We need some organization here. 

Yes, since Al Dente cannot come we certainly won't be winging it...

Mr. mktye & I will be attending, but have not yet decided what food we'll bring (other than it will be high in carbs!).

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned La Cuisine in Old Town Alexandria.  I've found things there nobody else had. 

And they are one of the few places to buy chocolate transfer sheets in the area. But if you want a bigger selection and can use larger quantities, American Chocolate Designs is said to be a good mail-order source.

For mail-order/online I've had good luck with Bridge Kitchenware, especially for hard-to-find items.

I've bought PVC pipe at Home Depot and had rwtye cut it into appropriate lengths for individual-size ring molds for non-hot applications (or else they can melt!) . You also might want to keep your eyes out for cheap, over-sized metal cookie-cutters. I once picked up some ~3" hearts on sale at Michael's for less than $1 each (and they probably could not fanthom why anyone would buy 12 of them) -- they are not as sturdy as "real" ring molds, but certainly get the job done.

And for pre-cut half-sheet sized parchment, I usually get it at KAF Baker's Catalog. $15.95/100 sheets and I really like the quality.

Another place to consider is BigTray. They state in their FAQ that they also sell to the public. They have half-sheet pans for $4.99 each (but be sure to note their return policies -- within 30 days & a 20% restocking fee for non-equipment and non-special orders, plus you must contact them for return authorization). I've thought about ordering from them on more than one occassion, but never have...

I also vote for the 15th.

Will there be any type of theme as to what we should bring?

You know, he really didn't classify what kind of shrimp we are.

You can see that Herr Rocks is a "grouper".

I hope there is a scallop classification... and maybe that shellfish-bashing JPW can be stuck with it forever!

All sorts of other ocean-dwellers come to mind... king crab, giant squid, puffer fish, humpback... and is the ultimate of the ultimate to be a ventworm?!?

(Of course, I would have chosen a pastry theme... palmier, profiterole, beignet, cannoli, eclair, croissant, danish, cinnamon bun, strudel, gateau paris-brest, croquembouche... )

I'll vouch for the cotton candy, although they only had pink, no blue or purple.  Light, fluffy, enough sugar to get you through all nine innings.  The popcorn isn't half bad either, as long as you avoid the butter.

Anybody know what the rules for tailgating are?  I bet we could put together one hell of a spread, if we can get a couple of spots in the lots of course.

Ooh, I forgot about the cotton candy -- it appeared they only had purple on Sunday...

I don't know about official rules, but our friends drove and said that they witnessed a lot of tail-gating where they parked (in one of the closer-in lots). They got there about an hour before the game and said there was plenty of parking available.

DID ANYBODY SEE TODAY'S GAME???

We went with friends... the weather was gorgeous, our seats okay (way out by the left field foul pole, but they cost us nothing, so no complaints), taking the metro was no problem at all, the game decent (both teams had fielding problems), and the food...

The hotdogs "were not ready" until sometime after the game started, the pizza was deemed surprisingly acceptable by Mr. mktye (although the crust was definitely a bit soggy ) and the pretzels were a predictable waste of perfectly good flour. Other foods observed, but not eaten by our group were: nachos with shockingly (even by ballpark standards) neon-orange cheese; french fries (the spiced batter-dipped kind -- like curly fries, but these were not curly); chicken fingers which were apparently good enough that the gentleman in front of us was compelled to interrupt his singing during the 7th-inning stretch to take another bite; and that oh-so-strange pelleted ice-cream-like substance.

The biggest downside of the game was a PA system that was far too loud and relentless. It turned what should have been a relaxing Sunday afternoon into an assault on the eardrums and gave the impression that the announcer was afraid we would all get bored and leave if we were not "interacting" in some way every thirty seconds. Take earplugs, seriously.