monsterriffs

I had also gone for lunch here with some friends about a month ago. I went with the gnocchi, which were pretty good, but don't hold a candle to Palena's. However, my coworker's pumpkin and amaretto ravioli were outstanding. That's a great dish right there.

You so totally spoiled this for me. Thanks. Wanna kick my dog?

Do I!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love this on the menu at Saigon Bistro's website:

That's cutting it pretty fine.

Actually, it occurs to me that it's not quite fine enough. If the white meat is $8.51 and the dark meat is $8.55, surely half-n-half ought to be $8.53?

The actual menu in the restaurant lists all those options at $8.55

SO, myself and Ms. Goodeats made it over to the Saigon Bistro to sample the goods, and as I had been craving, I got the pho. Specifically, I ordered Phở Tái Chín, which is brisket and "rare beef". To sum up: I was underwhelmed. The previous assessment upthread was more or less spot on. The broth is pretty thin and strangely sweet, which was not exactly what I want out of pho. The beef itself was relatively flavorless and rather lacking in terms of amount. The noodles were pretty good, but that wasn't going to help bring this bowl of pho back to life. Still - the restaurant space is pretty nice and I think, if the chef takes some of the pho suggestions under consideration, I think this place could actually do pretty well. I would probably go back if I had the craving since it is really centrally located to my office, but I think the place needs some time to improve.

I was there a few weeks ago with some relatives and I was pretty much totally underwhelmed by the food. I ordered the red snapper hoping for a nice substantial filet and was rewarded instead with two teeny crispy/soggy pieces of snapper on top of a hot mess of sauce and what appeared to be hazelnuts (or something, I can't recall). I don't mind mediocre food if it at least looks pretty, but this had nothing going for it on any level.

I was hesitant to go to Redwood to start with, but I was tired of fighting with my family about going into the city for some decent food, but their borders begin and end with Bethesda....

I think I am going to shoot for Saigon Bistro tomorrow for some pho. Anyone interested, say, around 1 PM?

So I'm headed to Nandos for the first time on Thursday...what should I know about the heat levels? I like spicy, but I also want to be able to taste the chicken and the flavor and not be gasping for some milk. I was leaning toward getting "Hot," but am open to advice.

Medium should actually be just right. You can also mess around with their sauces. Man, I wish the Nando's on Connecticut Ave would hurry up and open already.

Don Rockwell is like the Matrix. He's all around you, always eating, and you never realize it....

Walking back from the new Pret in DC today, I noticed that the Jack's on 19th St (between L and K, just up from Java Green) is now serving Pho. I popped in to see how much they charge for it, expecting an inflated DC price. And that is what it is...$7.99 for a small and $8.99 for a large. I did see a waiter walk by with a tray full, and it looked and smelled quite good. Definitely better than the dishwater sold at Asia Bistro, but that wouldn't be hard to do. I asked the table if they had eaten it here before, and they said yes, it was good, and yes, it is better than Asia Bistro.

So who around here wants to be the guinea pig? Just thought I'd mention it in case someone is downtown and can get here before I have a chance to give it a whirl.

Today's not going to happen, but having pho near the office, esp. if it's edible, will be something I'm interested in. I hope someone can report soon.

That's because you're not old, sweet pea.

I need to order cheese there a few more times, but Proof's cheese selection is on its way to surpassing Vidalia's, IMO.

Hey now, I was smack-dab in the Beasties target demo when "Ill Communication" came out. I was just too busy listening to Nirvana and Pearl Jam like a good adolescent of the early 90s.

Hahaha, I only remembered it as a sample from the Prodigy and had to look up the fact that it was a Beasties clip!

WOMP WOMP.

I think Todd and Ellen might want to stock up on all the ingredients that went into creating "The Obama Meal," and sooner rather than later.

Cheers,

Rocks.

Good luck getting a table here now..

*I don't remember what it was, but it brought to mind this line: "oh my god, that's the funky shit"**

** Tell me what line that song is from, and I'll buy you TWO drinks.

Originally from the Beastie Boys' song "Root Down", and later sampled by the Prodigy for their song "Funky Shit."

Just watched last night's episode off the DVR. Does anybody else think that the new judge, Toby Whateverhisnameis, is incredibly annoying?

Yes - he goes to great lengths to come up with one-liners that he thinks are hilarious, but the amount of sheer force that he puts into trying to come up with some clever remark robs them of all humor whatsoever.

Haven't been yet - NQD just found out about it this morning. And I'm not going any time between now and the Inauguration. Maybe late next week...?

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm there post-Obamapocalypse.

I did go on the first day it was open (horrendous service confusion, but I'd never dock a place for issues before its grand opening), but you really think $7.50 for a turkey sandwich is a solid price?

I feel like that's just above average for the area. If I'm not mistaken, CF Folks charges roughly the same amount for a sandwich. Also, I had been referring to the breakfast prices that I noticed on the chalkboard, and I was not offended by them.

I've had coffee here several times this past week during their soft opening and have been quite enamored of their cappuccino. It's tasty, not OVERBURNT coffee which is the real redeeming factor. The food looks really good but I have yet to try it and the prices are pretty solid too.

Obviously, service is a bit slow, but hey, it's their first week. I'm pumped on this new addition to the neighborhood.

"EEZ NO TOP SCALLOPS!"

Fabio is the only reason I watch this season. Part of it is because he's a good chef, and part of it is because he makes no effort to dispel the stereotype of the Italian chef.

Quick update - I stopped in here a little while ago. Got a tasty cappuccino and the kitchen was humming along nicely with the staff preparing tons of food. They also have breakfast which is a big big plus.

Looking forward to the full operation when things take off next week!

I am going to say either 2 Amys or Comet Ping Pong. Kid-friendly, excellent pizzas (which he likes) and a pretty liberal atmosphere.

I was just thinking about Manouche today. His pretzels with the onion topping was a late night favorite of mine. Also, the urban legend was that "extra relish" was the code for him to sell you weed.

I am interested. Please, tell us more about your grandmother and her cooking. If you don't mind.

Not at all. My grandmother was from the town of Kymi, which is on the northeast coast of island of Euboea. If you look at the map of Greece, Euboea is the long island which runs parallel to Attica. While she was not the most refined of cooks, her food was had that warmth that you associate with grandmothers. That, and a lot of butter. Dear God, she loved the butter.

So, it should come as no surprise that her baklava, which is a fairly common variation, has a lot of butter. The recipe was typical of Kymi, but not exclusive. As I mentioned above, the baklava is characterized by many, many layers of phyllo (i'd venture to guess at least two packets) as well as many, many almonds. The almonds are ground up in a milling device and distributed evenly over each layer, which has been basted with clarified butter. Then, I believe, a simple syrup of sugar, water, and lemon juice is poured over the baklava and its baked. I could be wrong about the order. I'll get the actual recipe and post it here so people can have measurements and procedures.

Either way, whenever a crudely wrapped package with her characteristically large script and 10 stamps arrived, we knew it was the annual baklava shipment and my dad and I would tear into it. That crunchy yet syrupy confection cut into elegant and elongated diamonds was always a sign of the holidays. We were still working through the batch she sent us when she passed in February of 2006. The last piece from that batch is still in our refrigerator...

Haven't tried it yet, but this one sure looked good on TV.

We just made the version that my grandmother used to make annually before her passing. The version that most people are familiar with is the Lenten variety, which uses olive oil, pistachios, etc. The kind that we currently have at home is decidedly non-Lenten (aka non-vegan). It comprised of at least a dozen layers of phyllo, ground up almonds, clarified butter, and syrup. If people are interested, I'm sure I can find the recipe with the specifics.

Is this open yet? I am looking for an interesting spot for a casual meeting with two contacts tomorrow in the Dupont vicinity.

What are the hours on this joint? I might stop by here for lunch today since it's just a half block from the office.

Got in here for dinner today. Overall, I enjoyed the secondi more than the primi. Split the Pesce Spada and Polenta with my ladyfriend. While the polenta came with some tasty and hearty sausage, the polenta's gelatinous consistency was kinda unappealing. The swordish wasn't really doing anything for me.

For secondi, I got the braised veal cheeks and my companion got ravioli. I only tasted one ravioli, but it was nice and meaty as were my veal cheeks, which had no problems at all. These were just really nice rustic dishes for the cold weather we've been having.

I'd say Posto is worth a gander and I'd like to go back and try the pizzas and maybe some of the other first plates. It's a good addition to a great dining neighborhood.

Two questions:

1) What foods do you have extreme aversions to?

2) Is there a food that you're really curious about but have never tried? (i.e. natto beans, durian fruit, etc.)