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monsterriffs

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Everything posted by monsterriffs

  1. monsterriffs
    Blue Pit BBQ in Baltimore has jackfruit tacos as its token vegetarian item on the menu and, which, from what I understand, is the only good item on the menu.
  2. monsterriffs
    You should go to Dooby's next time. I'm usually really happy with their bibimbaps, but I admit I ought to branch out and explore more of their menu because it's quite extensive and I have no reason to believe it would be bad. Fun fact - a couple of years ago at Maryland Deathfest, the owner of Dooby's had set up a taco stand called Pork Lord Tacos and, in a desert of festival food garbage, they were an oasis. Back to the topic - go to Sugarvale; I may end up there tonight in order to update this thread with additional information.
  3. monsterriffs
    Rounding out the top 3 current cocktail spots in Baltimore is Sugarvale in Mt. Vernon, from the owners of Dooby's. Rather than focus on a particular spirit or theme, Sugarvale's cocktail menu takes a light-to-dark approach in terms of the strength and flavor profiles of its drinks. So there is a menu of classic cocktails, as well as menus devoted to lighter sipping drinks and spirit-heavy concoctions. Though it's been a minute since I've dropped in, memory recalls consistency over multiple visits. The space is seemingly built out of a basement apartment, and does a good job of maintaining the cozy vibe. Good menu of bar snacks, including some Korean-inspired ones due to the Dooby's connection. You could easily do the Charles St. sweep on one evening starting at Brewers Art, getting dinner at the Helmand, and wrapping up at Sugarvale.
  4. monsterriffs
    Hampden recently got a proper cocktail bar, the Bluebird Cocktail Room, which took over a former art gallery space that sits above the De Kleine Duivel Belgian beer hall. The space itself is extraordinary. To enter the establishment, you walk through the heated patio that has been outfitted with bench swings for those longer, summer days, up a flight of stairs and through a hallway at which the space opens up in front of you. Marble tables anchor the center of the room, while a long marble bar features to the left of the space and cushioned benches ring the remainder of the room. Cocktails here vary from poor to outstanding, but there are more misses than hits. The price point is, dare I say, far too tied to DC prices and should really come down a couple of bucks across the board. Nevertheless, the liquor selection is excellent, but lately, I have stuck to the Old Fashioned because it is potent and delicious, and is something the bartenders can consistently produce. Bar snacks are also not an afterthought here, and some of the more noteworthy items from the kitchen have been a merguez sausage and a salmon crostini. A batch of fries recently, however, was forgettable. I'm happy to have this space here, but I'd like to see less silliness and more consistency across the board with regard to the drinks.
  5. monsterriffs
    Ladies and gentlemen, your number 1 cocktail bar in Baltimore. The original establishment from Lane Harlan - who also owns Clavel Mezcaleria - WC Harlan is a cocktail joint that really does do a far better job at the speakeasy vibe than most places that would actively market themselves as speakeasies. The focus here is on amari, with an extensive menu of familiar and rare bitter spirits, and stuff that I'm amazed they procured. I need to plan a visit so I can take advantage of the amaro-tasting options. Seats can be hard to come by during peak days and times (weekend evenings primarily) owing to the fact that a lot of people go here to grab drinks while they wait for the call from Clavel. Nearly all cocktails are great, with the occasional miss (fiancee recently got something that was effectively borscht in a glass). Harlan's is non-descript but arguably one of the earliest forces in the rapidly accelerating development of Remington.
  6. monsterriffs
    There should be a thread for Dylan's, which should be regarded as the best (or a top 3) restaurant in Hampden. Spotlight here is on oysters, naturally, but easy to say that the remainder of the menu often steals the show. Bar program is high-quality too, with an emphasis on whiskies (the main bartender is a serious whiskey nerd). Highlights over several visits have included: - Coddies - basically giant cod croquettes; these are must haves - Fish sandwich - rotating selection of delicious fried fish on sesame bun with added hots. - Ramp toast - a seriously loaded-up roasted ramp and ricotta (I think? this was in the spring) toast. They occasionally have a burger special, which is supposed to be fantastic, and there is a rumored off-menu item called a "Smasher," which is essentially a coddie with the fish sandwich bun and accouterments. Sidewalk eatin' is great here too with an fun view of the busy intersection of Chestnut Ave. and 36th St. (aka "the Avenue").
  7. monsterriffs
    I love Hersh's so much. Every time I go, everything---especially the pizza---is great to excellent. This place should be italicized in the Dining Guide.
  8. monsterriffs
    Aromes closed about 6 months ago; Chef Monnier is working on a new space downtown. A new restaurant named Foraged, run by an alum of Blue Hill in NY and Fleet St. Kitchen, has since moved in to the space.
  9. monsterriffs
    McCabe's closed back in 2015. It has since been replaced by Wicked Sisters.
  10. monsterriffs
    I don't know if I agree with this. Belvedere Square has more of a "market" feel in that there are actual shops from which to buy groceries and other goods (the wine place and Italian market), but the options feel much more limited than R. House or Mt. Vernon Marketplace. Depending on what time you get there, your choices may only be down to Ejji for ramen or Atwater's for sandwiches, etc. I do hope R. House mixes up the stalls because I always thought that place would be an incubator of sorts for new chefs, etc., and there's really only a couple of places that are consistently good.
  11. monsterriffs
    There's no thread for R. House? Guys, c'mon --- it's the closest thing we have to Union Market! If I had to rank the stalls I've tried in there --- no comments on White Envelope (Arepas --- my fiancee was not impressed), ARBA (Mediterranean), Little Baby's Ice Cream, Hilo (poke and sushi) --- it would go as follows: 1) Ground & Griddled - the reincarnation of the beloved, and now shuttered, Cafe Cito in Hampden. Focus is solely on coffee (Stumptown Roasters) and breakfast sandwiches on their signature ciabatta. 2) BRD - had this once and it was an outstanding, ridiculously large fried chicken sandwich. 3) Be.bim - pretty good to occasionally middling bibimbap; usually my go-to option if I'm not feeling anything else. 4) Molina - a new addition; pretty decent brick-oven pizzas that I need to try again now that they've had time to work the kinks out. 4) Stall 11 - caveat: I pretty much get one thing from here, and one thing only, and that's the crispy cauliflower; this thing get me every. damn. time. Done in a Korean BBQ sauce, it's sweet, tangy, and crunchy with plentiful scallions. I wish I was eating some right now! 5) Amano Taco - fugouttahere with this crap; do you love overly stuffed tacos drenched in different variations of a mayo sauce? Really? This sounds like your joint, but I'll just go to Clavel. R. Bar deserves a separate paragraph independent of the numerical ranking because it serves the entire hall. They have a good selection of amari, whiskies, and other fine liquors, as well as good beers. Cocktails range from excellent to wtf-were-they-thinking.
  12. monsterriffs
    Was just here a few weeks ago. Cochinita was indeed excellent, and they had some delicious house-made tepache on the drinks menu as well (a current obsession of mine; been making it successfully at home, but the habanero addition brings way too much heat to make it enjoyable on its own).
  13. monsterriffs
    A Baci flavor on the menu last week brought the ruckus, especially when combined with the always outstanding 'Nanner Pudding flavor that was also back in the rotation.
  14. monsterriffs
    As the sole (?) Hampden resident on the board, I will be the first to boost the 'hood. Dylan's Oyster Cellar and the Bluebird Cocktail Room are excellent additions to the Avenue, Foraged is apparently promising, and the Charmery, Paulie Gee's, and Spro continue to produce excellent and consistent product in their respective realms (ice cream, pizza, coffee). Corner Restaurant and Avenue Bar & Grill also lend some good, casual options that produce good results from time to time as well (Avenue's sidewalk patio area is clutch in the warmer months). The main gripe I have with Hampden is, perhaps, an unfortunate remnant of its prior lack of diversity. That is, there are very few, if any, good-to-excellent ethnic food establishments in the area. We have 4 Italian restaurants (Grano main, Grano Pasta bar, Paulie Gee's, Daniela's), but not a single decent East or SE Asian restaurant? In general, Baltimore lacks in the ethnic foods department, save for a few exceptions. It is my hope that, if the city ever recovers from this devastating spiral, it attracts further diversity in population and cuisine.
  15. monsterriffs
    Another restaurant from my DR.com "heyday". . . . Sigh. I hadn't visited since the ownership changed but, during its time as a Ray's venue, I enjoyed many a fine meal here. Steaks were pristine, the sides ample and tasty, and cocktails were top-notch---especially the house-brandied cherries! Fare thee well.
  16. monsterriffs
    I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, a dinner in the bistro room in 2007 (or 2008) was one of my first "fancy" meals (not much longer after joining this board) in the area dining scene. Because of that meal, I learned to appreciate gin again and had one of the best duck dishes of my life. But subsequent meals, both in the tasting room and the bistro room, were not particularly memorable save for one or two dishes. The service, however, was always exceptional. Nevertheless, I always got the sense they were due for a significant refresh, particularly considering how much food in DC (and Baltimore, for that matter) has evolved. While I would hope they manage to pull off a stunning revival, Eve shouldn't be ashamed to go out on a high note.
  17. monsterriffs
    Sad news - Vidalia will be shuttering. Even though it had been many years since I had gone, Vidalia was the site of some of my first "fancy" meals, which roughly coincided with my joining this community. Though I seem to recall getting shrimp n' grits, it was the petit fours we had one day during a bar lunch that jump to mind with particular force. I think I just felt them to be a wholly classy and elegant to cap a very enjoyable lunch. Adieu, Vidalia.
  18. monsterriffs
    I have had the pizza on a few occasions and it's quite good. I still think they're ironing out the kinks and working to expand the menu, but it's the pizza place that Hampden desperately needed. That said, I still think Hersh's pips them in the pizza category.
  19. monsterriffs
    Or that people are snarky on the internet. How novel! But what I was getting at, really, was the dismissal of Plume. I have no opinion on that establishment because I haven't been, but I wanted more out of him than just "the dishes are less than memorable." I thought the defenses of Komi and Rasika were far stronger because he actually elaborated what is good and noteworthy about the food there. This is my lawyer lizard brain at work. Trump. Tom may be a critic, but at least he's pleasant more often than not.
  20. monsterriffs
    I am stunned not to find a thread for my favorite ice cream place in the world. This is --- hands down --- the best ice cream I have ever had. I appreciate that they're willing to go out on a limb with flavors, even if sometimes, they are a huge miss. But, they do reliably good to great work with the berry flavors (strawberry and raspberry, in particular), and the banana flavors are stunningly good when they are on the menu. The liqueur flavors are generally excellent too; a Fernet flavor was noteworthy, despite being runny (they admit it is due to the alcohol content).
  21. monsterriffs
    I take exception to the use of "Trumpish." He is a bottomless, black well of human misery, preying on the worst of humanity. I'm just pointing out a coincidence on a dining forum. That said, it's entirely possible Michelin did think to release their list on the same day as the Fall Dining Guide. Either way, regardless of who thought to release their guide when, the timing of the release does give the appearance of being calculated to generate buzz.
  22. monsterriffs
    I'm coming out of exile just to comment on this, because I think it's hilarious. Ever since Michelin announced that they would be rating DC restaurants, Sietsema has become more and more delirious because, it would appear, he cannot fathom the idea of an "outsider" coming in and reviewing his precious restaurants. There is zero coincidence in the fact he released his dining guide on the same day as the Michelin Guide was released. And the above "editorial" is less about poking holes in the Guide than it is about assuaging his ego and his opinion of his taste levels. Being the local critic does not somehow imbue his subjective taste with an extra level of authority that the Michelin inspectors cannot possess by virtue of not being local to DC. Instead of writing this hot take, Sietsema should have considered taking the next week to a month and actually revisiting the restaurants about which he's scratching his head and try to see what the Michelin inspectors saw. If he did that and articulated his disagreement based on facts, I think that would have been more credible than the above article. That said, I absolutely agree that the omission of Komi and Little Serow was a deep error. I think the Michelin inspectors completely missed the mark on Komi—Greek food is not necessarily about harmony and progression. It's about the communal table and the poikilia—the variety. Seafood, greens, meat, cheese, etc. The mezzethakia course of the Komi progression captures that idea of having a little bit of everything when you're dining with friends and family. I don't want to omit certain things from my plate because they do not "harmonize" with the main dish—we're having little grilled fish? Great, I will also have some tyropita (cheese pie), because I can and it's delicious and it's available. Extreme example, and Monis obviously is much better at the progression, but I think it gets across the point I was trying to make. Notwithstanding Sietsema's bruised ego, he is correct that the inspectors got it completely wrong on Komi. </end rant>
  23. monsterriffs
    I just got delivery from here and, holy god, I am stuffed. Cauliflower 65 was terrific as discussed above; definitely for people who love the textural variety that different preparations of cauliflower can offer. The Dahi Vada (lentil donuts w/ sweetened yogurt sauce) were also great; moist and flavorful. Maybe need some more salt, but that's about it. Oh, I do think their service issues extend to delivery, because they ignored the instructions I gave on the Grubhub order and didn't really bother to apologize when they finally brought my delivery.
  24. monsterriffs
    I feel like a *collar tug* icon would be a great addition to the board for situations like these.
  25. monsterriffs
    According to Young & Hungry, Diego's improvements are apparent in its guacamole 2.0.
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