Jump to content

DPop

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    865

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    17

 Content Type 

Everything posted by DPop

  1. DPop
    Really surprised there hasn't been more engagement on this, as I was at Uchi's new stand on Friday in the Square (he took over the one that Cashion's had for what seemed like a couple weeks) and it was buzzing at the 5:30 seating. The dinner version of his omakase has 15 courses, about 5 of which were non-sushi, and it is $100pp, but worth every penny IMO. The quality of the fish and the creativity of Uchi really shine through in this expanded menu, which he does at 2 seatings at 5:30 and 7:30 as he continues to wait for his restaurant to be complete right across the way in the Square. I'll look forward to getting this several more times again going into the summer as I'm sure the price of this will go way up when he gets into that space.
  2. DPop
    I looked for a thread on this and couldn't find one. We stopped in on SB Sunday to a mostly empty Pastis for an early dinner to check it out. The space is like a bigger, cleaner Le Dip; nice tile floors, a big bar and outdoor seating in front with some nicely adorned chalets that will be nice as the weather comes around. I don't have detailed notes, but in short, the food was a bit of a miss for us. Not sure if it was the night or we didn't order very well, but we didn't come away that impressed. I got the Onion Soup, which was satisfying and fine in the weather, if a bit sweet and not as rich as the best versions that you would get. For mains my wife got the Moules Frites and I got the Duck Confit. The Moules were an unmitigated disaster; mealy, gritty, and with a distinct and unpleasant fish aftertaste. I've had bad mussels before so it wasn't a complete shock, but I couldn't believe what they were passing off as frites. Unlike Le Dip, which nails the thin, well salted style that you would get in a real brasserie, what was served to us were almost certainly prepackaged frozen french fries. As soon as they sat them on the table they were easy to spot. I was shocked that a new splashy restaurant like this would cut this kind of corner! The confit was overall decent if a bit overcooked and dry, saved only by the rich jus in the bottom of the plate. Not bad for sure, but certainly nothing I would come back to get again. Pastis is in a great location and a lovely space, but in the long run they will need to step up their game big time if they want to stay relevant in this space around the likes of Le Dip, Le Petite Cerise, Convivial, etc.
  3. DPop
    Did anyone attend the NYE dinner? The menu sounded amazing.
  4. DPop
    Any idea when the NY style pizzas will be back? Those were the best pizzas in town during the pandemic. The Grandpa slices are good for sure, but they are not at the same level.
  5. DPop
    Anyone been recently? Is the food as good as it was 8 years ago?
  6. DPop
    I went last year and won't give a lot of detail but just did not love the experience at all. A lot of pomp and circumstance, stories about Chef's youth, and the only thing I remember that we had was the soft serve ice cream we got at the end of the night. No way you will see me back here unless someone else is paying.
  7. DPop
    I went last weekend as well and was not as impressed. None of the dishes had the 'wow' factor that some had at the Wharf, and I found the mussels to uninteresting, the carbonara to be a big miss, the duck breast a bit bland, and the king salmon to be cooked into submission. All that said, I understand that it is probably hard to operate in the space they are in now versus where they were, and having a limited cocktail program and no wine (not their choice) really limits the experience. All that said, I will not be heading back despite this being very close to my house.
  8. DPop
    Coming out of retirement briefly to put folks on this forum onto what is, IMO, the best lunch deal in DC right now. Chef Uchi, who is about the loveliest gent you will speak to, has taken up residence on a small 5 person counter on the outer edge of Casa Teresa, which is open from 11am-3pm Monday - Friday for the next 2 weeks, after which time Casa Teresa will take back the space to make part of its larger bar. The menu is a set Quick Omakase, consisting of 7 pieces of sushi, a bowl of miso soup, and a handroll, all for the preposterously low price of $45 per person (!). On Friday, the sushi was a piece each of amberjack, spanish mackerel, flounder, scallop, king salmon, lean tuna, and fatty tuna. Each piece seemed better than the last, perfectly adorned by Chef Uchi with the right hits of acid, salt, and wasabi. I can't remember having better quality sushi in DC outside of Nakazawa. The miso soup, which is usually an afterthought for me, was amazing, with a rich broth of mackerel and flounder stock and a generous amount of green onion. Umami heaven. The handroll, which is also usually not a favorite of mine, was a very good spicy tuna, although I still found this version (like most others I have had) to be a bit overwhelmed by the wrapper. I would be tempted to just ask for the fish and rice next time I go, and I will most certainly be back. Fantastic experience and I'm looking forward to what Uchi can do when he gets his own restaurant, which he told me he was hoping to have in the next 12-18 months, but will be doing some more pop ups in between now and then. In the meantime, get to the Square in the next 2 weeks to give this a try, he is certainly a chef worthy of your support!
  9. DPop
    That Pappardelle should be in the DC Dining Hall of Fame. So good way back when at Tosca, great in its short stint at Posto, and still great now at San Lorenzo.
  10. DPop
    Mirabelle is indeed gone, fully boarded up and looking like it will be branded as something different. We went to La Bise and we were pleased if not bowled over by the fare. It was step up from Brasserie Liberte, but what we had is not going to earn them a Michelin star. 75 mph, straight down the middle French food delivered with excellent service, which seems to be a hallmark of Ashok's restaurants.
  11. DPop
    Crummy wine list aside, the beautiful bar is now open and has very extremely comfortable seats. We sat there on Saturday and had a lovely Angel's Envy special bottling (name is escaping me now) and really enjoyed ourselves. Almost felt like pre-pandemic times again, sitting at a bar without masks and chatting with people over a good glass of booze.
  12. DPop
    Sally's is the best of the bunch IMO, perfect char and outstanding sauce. You really can't go wrong with any of the 3, though.
  13. DPop
    I would venture a guess that this will be nowhere near the New Haven edition, which is excellent pizza if a bit inferior to Sally's and Modern, but I will still give it a hopeful try.
  14. DPop
    If there is a better pizza being made in the DMV right now, someone needs to let me know. I had the one Rocks had the other day and the one with italian sausage and red sauce from last week and I was amazed on the quality of the very different pies. Johnny continues to impress after all these years, a truly transcendent talent that has chosen to stick around in this area. Lucky us.
  15. DPop
    Been on there a while now, that was the first I have had it. It's in the Hot Sandwich section
  16. DPop
    Like most in this thread, I have had overwhelmingly positive experiences at Litteris, but today was an unfortunate exception. Not in the mood for an Italian sub (more specifically, the heartburn that follows), I opted for the Gyro today for a quick takeout after shopping at Trader Joe's. At $10 this is a small sandwich, but that's not what was disturbing. This catastrophe was basically a cheap pito, frozen gyro meat, and an overabundance of tzatziki, canned olives, and discolored lettuce and tomatoes. Unwrapping the foil, this thing was a mess; it had soaked through the paper wrapping inside and fell apart with every bite. I made it about 3 bites in and threw the rest in the trash, which I almost never do as I hate wasting food. An anomaly for sure, but at the prices they charge at this place, they either need to do better or take things off the menu that they don't want to take care in making.
  17. DPop
    This sucks.
  18. DPop
    😀 Hi. I’m Happy Gyro. I like vegetables. CARRY-OUT RETURNS MAY 19
  19. DPop
    Wanted to give these guys a quick plug for running a great special for delivery on Caviar right now. It's a Fried Chicken Feast ($40) and comes with 2 enormous breasts, 2 thighs, 2 wings, a side of mashed potatoes, 2 biscuits, gravy, and a salad. We ordered this with a side of Truffled Mac & Cheese ($12) and Crab Hush Puppies ($12) and it was delicious and enough food to feed 6+ people easily. Chicken was moist and well spiced, the gravy with the potatoes rocked, and my kids loved the mac & cheese. Would definitely recommend if you're looking for something good for the family that won't break the bank.
  20. DPop
    Logged in this morning to find this terribly sad message Hi. I’m Happy Gyro. I like vegetables. CARRY-OUT CURRENTLY ON HIATUS
  21. DPop
    If it comes back, definitely get the Mushroom Shwarma, that has been my favorite dish of the many great ones that this team is putting out.
  22. DPop
    Hit this place on Sunday morning as it is right across from where my kids go to swim class. We got two platters with burnt ends, moist brisket, and chicken with sides of Texas Caviar, mac and cheese (jalapeno for us and reg for the kids) and potato salad. I would not get the burnt ends again; they were not worth the upcharge and overseasoned with brown sugar, but every other thing was solid to very good and my kids could have eaten 10 sides of either mac and cheese (the jalapeno is not spicy at all). All this for $30? Nice recommendation once again from dr.com, thanks all!
  23. DPop
    My wife and I, despite living a mere 2 miles away, had yet to get here until early January of this year, and we are kicking ourselves for not making it that long after having been here a few times. We have tried a total of 12-15 dishes and had nothing that was less than 'very good', with a few things venturing into the 'excellent' category. If they ever have the Sourdough Scallion Pancakes, do yourself a favor and order them, they are superior to anything I have had in this area, even better than Joe's Noodle House back when it was still good. The Wok Fried Noodles is one of my favorite vegetarian dishes in DC right now, this is what I'm always hoping for when we order carryout from the myriad of middling Asian restaurants in the area and almost never get. Oodles of fresh mushrooms, green onions, chilis, fried onions, there's no point in getting the pork add-on ($10 upcharge!), this dish is so flavorful it absolutely does not need it. Staying vegetarian we have not gone on one visit without ordering the Mushroom and Leek Bao, which is a pleasantly doughy bun packed with stewed vegetables and sitting next to a smear of a spicy hoisin paste that takes the dish up to the next level for me. Also, you can eat well here for 2 people (with drinks) for well under $100, which is next to impossible these days in DC. Last night we had 4 appetizers, 2 cocktails, a beer, and the wok fried noodles for $79 before tip. A great deal for a great meal.
  24. DPop
    We made it out there last night, nice big space that was more than half empty so we saddled up to the bar. My wife and I love artichokes, so the Carciofini Fritti was a no brainer as an app. I have to say, while we enjoyed this dish, it was startlingly simple and a grip at $16 for a plate of about 10-12 hearts. The highlight of the meal by a long bit was the Malfatti Al Maialino, which was a dish of perfectly cooked pasta shaped like leaves and a generous portion of unctuous pork sitting under a covering of appropriately bitter arugula, which danced nicely with the richness of the lemony sauce. I'd be hard pressed not to order this again if I ever come back here. The Fettucine Con Gamberetti was well cooked but a bit bland, a sprinkle of crushed red pepper really punched this dish up a notch and made it lovely. My one minor quibble was that I was hoping to get "gamberetti" like you get on the Amalfi Coast in this dish; tiny, ruby red shrimp with the shell still on that are addictive to eat like potato chips. The shrimp in this dish were of a good quality, but no different that what one might get out of the seafood window at Whole Foods. For the main we split the Pollo Alla Diavola, which was well prepared but a little boring and not as spicy as I would have hoped and overall not that interesting, which was the theme for the night. Well executed food that just was not exciting enough for me to be thinking about my next trip here.
  25. DPop
    Oh yes, and it was wonderful.
×
×
  • Create New...