DPop

Also, it addition to this, what is the ambiance like? Is it the kind of place where one would get dressed up, or is it more casual?

If you are just going for the beef, look no further than Ray's the Steaks (or, if you're in Maryland, Ray's the Classics). Best cuts of beef at the cheapest prices you will find in a legitimate steakhouse in the area.

Saw Obama sitting down for a casual dinner at Ceiba two Wednesdays back, with Secret Service strategically placed all around what was a pretty busy restaurant at 10 PM on a school night. I do not go much as I am not a fan of the cuisine (and certainly not of the prices), but Ceiba appears to be a very popular spot for movers and shakers these days.

Had another great meal last night at eleventh, trying a few of the new menu items along with a few old standbys. The crab and cucumber is a creamy delight with HUGE chunks of crab dominating the hockey-puck sized gathering. If you are sharing this, fool your companion into not trying it with the marinated red peppers and cucumbers so that you can horde them all for yourself. The calamari salad, as usual, was light and outstanding, I loved the smoke flavor that you get in each bite. For the second round, we went with the hot dog on the new barbecue menu, which comes with a great spicy mustard and some onions and relish. Antonio was even nice enough to throw in some of those great sweet potato fries on the side, which was a nice gesture and a perfect addition to the plate. We also ordered the smoked salmon pizza, which was tasty (the woman loves it) not my favorite thing on the menu. For $4, however, you will never hear me complain. A couple of half price Belgians and mojitos later, we are out only $44 poorer after tax and tip. Can anyone think of a better happy hour deal in the DC metro area where you get close to the same quality that comes out of eleventh's kitchen??

The portion size, for the price, is a little high, but that's not my gripe. I was only in love with the dried prosciutto of the meats on the plate. I thought the lamb rillettes did not deserve the praise they got on here, relatively dry and boring, and the pate was creamy but relatively tasteless outside of the salty bacon. Did I walk away hungry and unsatisfied? No. Would I ever order the plate again? Unless someone in my party really wants to get it, I will not.

There is still coleslaw, along with some spicy mustard to top it off. The corned beef is the star of the show, though, it is so lean and sliced to the perfect thickness. What a nice surprise, I really wasn't expecting this sandwich to be THIS good.

Well, I'm sad to say that Beck's has gotten progressively worse each time I have been. The service today was mediocre at best, the charcuterie plate was fresh and tasty but certainly not worth $24, and my companion was very disappointed with their duck roullade. It would be a damn shame if this restaurant took a real turn for the worse, as I love the concept and space and the service I got the first two times I visited. Lets hope I've just had bad luck the last two times and there truly is no issue at all.

Best. Corn Beef Sandwich. EVER.

After reading this post yesterday, I decided to run back over to Central to give the burger a try to see if the soggy texture and general sloppiness issues had been worked out. I have to say that not only had they not been worked out, but more problems have arisen. The burger as a whole, while very tasty, is about a half inch too tall. Maybe it's just me, but I don't particularly like having to squash the sandwich down and watch the copious amounts of fat and mayo drip out the side just to get it into my mouth. Nothing to do with flavor, but for $18, it would be nice to have something easier to manage and not cause me to use my entire napkin to keep clean. The potato crisp, mayo, touille and meat are all very nice, but the bacon (which used to be Canadian but now appears to be the Jimmy Dean variety), the overly buttery brioche, and the pedestrian cheddar make this not worth the mess and price tag. It's almost an insult to compare this to Palena's, as the burger that I got today would never have seen the light of the dining room outside of Frank Ruta's kitchen. In short, there is still no burger in the DC area that can carry the one they're serving in Cleveland Park's jock.

I had the dish on Monday night and I have to say that I was not impressed at all. Too much breading holding in the piping hot temperature of each of the little "crabcake" balls. Not enough flavor and certainly not worth ordering again, this honestly reminded me of something I would get at PF Chang's or 1Gen. The seared lobster with creamy ponzu sauce and avocado, however....

Light and very flavorful, which was kind of surprising from a piece of grilled salmon and lentils. The fish is lightly crusted with what tasted to me like pepper and corriander, but I may be wrong on that. Either way, the taste is faint and very nice, as the medium-cooked, moist piece of fish is fine on it's own. The lentils, as mentioned before, are the star of the show, as they have a slightly creamy texture and a tanginess that meshed perfectly with the rest of the dish.

All this talk about hamburgers and short ribs and gougeres when the best things on the menu are the charcuterie plate, the shrimp burger, and the salmon with lentils. Maybe not as glamourous or greasy as some of the other options, but damn do they hit the spot every time.

Got out to 2 Amy's for the first time and left encouraged that there is good pizza in the DC area (even if the environment isn't ideal for my taste). We started off with the deviled eggs (I've become a bit obsessed as of late) and enjoyed them, although I wasn't crazy about the texture of the included yolk, it made them seem a bit goopy to me. Salt and pepper was required even with the anchovie-pesto sauce that was included, but there were certainly a decent start. Next was the star of the show: the Ripieno Extra Ricotta. I loved the dough (it was a bit soft, but I like my calzone/stuffed pizze to be a bit softer as it is thick and should be doughy) and the pork inside was splendid. I would have preferred heavier sauce and maybe a little less ricotta, but that is a minor complaint and something I will inquire about next time I order. This pizza gave me hope that I had lost after Matchbox started its decline several months back that I will have a relatively inexpensive go-to pizza place that is close enough to where I live. Unfortunately, the little lady got the downer of the meal; a pizza topped with white truffle oil, asparagus, carmelized onions, and a grated cheese similar to parm that I cannot remember. All fun, good sounding ingredients but a sweet, sticky mess when combined. She got through about 1/10 of it before she pushed it away and gave up. This needed more cheese (which I rarely say, I always like less cheese on my pizza, but this needed some cohesiveness), less onions (sweet doesn't work on pizza unless it's tangy like pineapple, in my opinion) and something other than truffle oil for a sauce. Nice idea that really doesn't work. Based on what we saw, though, we are really looking forward to heading back for another round, the kiddies and cramped seating is a bit much after a while, but good pizza and a friendly atmosphere are enough to bring me back for another go.

I took the parents into Dino last Saturday and was very very pleased with the experience. Love the non-pretentious atmosphere and friendly service. We started with the burrata, which I thought was outstanding with the pesto and roasted red peppers. It has been a while since I had a creamy cheese like the burrata in a restaurant and was that pleased. Very fresh. Next we moved on to the saltimbocca and the polenta with pancetta. The saltimbocca was excellent, great texture and very flavorful, it's nice to get something other than the regular beef meatballs sometimes and these hit the spot. The polenta was probably the highlight of the meal. I disagree with JLK; I think all of the different flavors and ingredients meshed perfectly together, with the salty delicious pancetta as a nice topper. This is a MUST HAVE if you go, I have not had anything like it in a restaurant in the area and it is excellent. For the mains, we went with the lobster pasta, lasagnette, and the grilled asparagus. First, I liked the lobster pasta, but not as much as everyone else on here seemed to. The ingredients, like everything else, were fresh and clearly of a good quality, but I found the sauce to be a little bland and not quite as thick as I like my cream sauces. Still a nice dish with plenty of large chunks of lobster. The lasagnette was the best of the mains we had. Great twist on the dish with the fonduta and veal bacon, both of which were full of flavor and gave a nice switch in texture to the soft lasagna noodles. Definitely would order again. The grilled asparagus were nice as a switch from the heavy cheese and pasta dishes we had so far, with the potato cake really standing out. A good, hearty vegetarian dish is always nice. Lastly, my dad and I had the gelato with balsamic for dessert just because we had to try such an interesting sounding dish to see what it was like. We were ecstatic we did. The ultra rich, sweet cream meshed perfectly with the tart balsamic, giving an outstanding flavor. Overall, a really good dining experience that was made better by the great service by the tall, black-haired lady with the slight accent who was helping us (didn't catch her name). Rarely these days do I have memorable service at a DC restaurant, so I have to commend you for finding her, Dean, she was very attentive and helpful (didn't hurt that she was quite attractive either ) Can't wait to get back!

Had another nice experience at Central on Monday. I switched it up a bit and got the 72 Hour Short Ribs that everyone on here has been raving about and have to say that, while they were good, were probably my least favorite of the 6 dishes I have tried at the restaurant. I would go so far as to say that the accompanying salad is the highlight of the dish (love the mustard vinegarette dressing). The short ribs were tender and cooked the way that I like them, but I was not crazy about the gravy and the amount of fat (fairly high) that came with the meat. Of course, I've been spoiled in my past short rib experiences at davidburke & donatella in NYC (where they are immaculate). Still a nice dish, but not something that I can see myself ordering again. The little woman had the shrimp burger again (she's addicted) and that was predictably outstanding. We also decided to give the Kit Kat bar a whirl for dessert and we loved it. Great combinations with the hazelnut, chocolate, and wafer, a really good finisher for the meal. I'm also in love with the short glass of Blusser. Refreshing, fairly light yet full of flavor, and a great price for a beer that you will find nowhere else.

Last night we stopped by eleventh to sit outside and enjoy the gorgeous weather. We had the mini burgers (good, but not my favorite), the beef tartare (excellent) and the truffled deviled eggs (great, very interesting flavor). All of these plates are only $5 at happy hour and a total steal, as with two more you could easily fill up two people. We decided to try out the regular menu, however, and were very happy we did. The smoked salmon reuben is quite possibly the best take I have had on the original. The gruyere meshed perfectly with the salmon and the bread was toasted just how I like it. Really an excellent sandwich. We also tried the grilled calamari, which had a nice sherry vinegar sauce that gave the fish a little bite. Very light and healthy, a great dish especially if you are out to have some drinks and do not want to feel very full for the rest of the night. Kudos to Antonio, who has turned eleventh from 'a fun place with a great happy hour, but eat only if very hungry' to 'a fun place with a great happy hour and excellent food that is all under $12'. Our experience was so good that you have converted my girlfriend, who I had to practically drag there last night because she was so disappointed with her food the last time she went (before your time). She made me promise that we would go back soon so that she can get her smoked salmon reuben fix!

I'm assuming you'll be here all week?

After an unfortunate incident at Corduroy last night where they told my girlfriend that they could not let her in because she was wearing shorts (the fashionable kind that are now in style), we decided to head down the road a bit to find a place where we could eat outside. Having been to DG before and remembering it being pretty good, we decided to stop by and take advantage of their large outdoor seating area. Upon arrival, we were told by the manager that there would be a relatively short wait to get a table outside. This was fine, we figured we could sit at the bar and take advantage of their excellent happy hour special on Tuesday. We ordered drinks (me an Eggenburg and her a Key Limetini, which was not good at all) and the calamari appetizer, which was quite good. As a sign of the potential problems to come for the night, the bartender was in a really bad mood, constantly complaining under her breath and really letting her frustration show in pretty much everything she did for the patrons. It was not really a big deal, more funny than anything, but it was odd to listen to this person basically complain and give their fellow staff a hard time while we were sitting right across from them. After about 15 minutes, we were told that our table was ready outside. When we were seated, we were not given menus, silverware, or any indication that someone might be helping us. A waiter finally came out and asked us "Do you know what you want?" I did my best to hold in my sarcasm and said with a smile "We'd really like some menus". He said "Ohh, OK, I'll be right back". Ten minutes later, he comes back with one bar menu (the one we had just looked at). Again, I smiled and said that we wanted to have dinner, so could we have the dinner menus. English was definitely not his first language (which is fine), and I think he had some trouble figuring out what we needed. I eventually got the attention of the manager and asked for dinner menus and he came back with them. At this point, we're about 20 minutes in at the table, starving after the calamari whetted our appetites, and still without even a drink. The waiter disappeared for another 5 minutes or so before coming back to ask about drinks, at which point we were not smart enough to realize that we should order our food or risk not seeing him again for another 10 minutes. Of course, he shows up with our drinks 10 minutes later and we finally order our food. 35 minutes in and just ordering our food we were quite anxious, but figured it would not be much longer until we at least got our appetizers. Once again, maybe it was our fault for not tempering our expectations, but we were sorely mistaken. After another 20 minutes, my girlfriend just looked at me and said "I don't care if our food is ready right now, I do not want to eat here anymore". I had to agree, it was the worst service I have had in DC in recent memory, which is saying a lot considering I rarely get good service in this area. Ironically, our food was coming out of the kitchen just as we asked for our cheque, but we decided to just cut our losses and take off for Delhi Club. For as good as the menu sounds (and may taste), I can't see myself going back there to spend considerable money (entrees are $23-32, drinks $9) and have to deal with the type of service we received last night.

OK, headed to Corduroy tonight for my first time. I'm sold on the duck egg salad to start, but what should I have as an entree? All the talk in here appears to be of a cassoulet that is not on the menu, so lets hear what else I should be having.

For anyone planning to go or order from TNR, I would highly recommend getting either the Chicken or Shrimp Ginger Casserole. Really interesting sauce, it tastes like nothing I think I have had before. I also appreciate the fact that they only lightly fry the shrimp or chicken that they give you so you are getting substance rather than breading.

Donna's name being attached to the restaurant must have a lot to do with it.....

I had a great experience last Monday at the bar, it is a really nice space and had a very good crowd for a non-weekend night. The Maple Manhattan is a great take on what I think is usually a bad drink, the maple did a good job of taking away the overly strong taste of bourbon that you usually get. The shrimp burger was excellent, the mousse that holds it together is barely evident and the sandwich had a nice, light taste to it. The fried chicken was quite honestly the best I've had, although I wasn't fortunate enough to have gotten it at RTC before it was taken off the menu. I couldn't get enough of the mustard sauce it came with. The smoked salmon appetizer was also very nice, the corn bread accompaniment was an interesting touch on the dish.

I was finally able to get in on Saturday and had to agree with everything said above. A very nice space in a good location. The burger was outstanding (the sauce and bun were great compliments to a perfectly cooked patty) and the fry plate was good, although ironically the fries were the disappointing part about it, as the lemons and mashed potatoes clearly outshone them. I also ordered the gnocchi, which was excellent. Perfect texture and I loved the gorgonzola sauce (although it was probably the cause of me passing out shortly after getting home). My only complaint was the awful service from the waiter (the host staff was very pleasant, however). He rushed us as soon as we sat down, asking us what we wanted before one of the members of our party had even gotten back from the bathroom and never really coming back over the course of the meal. He was also rude about them not being able to serve us the chicken, not really giving an explanation as to why (which, I'm assuming was because we came in around 9 and he did not want us in late enough for it to be cooked). We were then rushed out of the restaurant, never being offered a dessert menu and given our check without us asking for it. The food was good enough to take me back there for another time, though, and hopefully the service issue was an isolated incident.

That's what I was thinking. The rent must be astronomical.

This is just another place I find to be incredibly overrated and not nearly worth the ridiculous wait to get in. Granted, I am a bit of a snob when it comes to southern Italian, but besides the fact that this place plops down about 2.5 lbs of pasta in front of you, what makes them so special?? The packaged pasta? The bland, soupy sauces? This is all before you get to the nasty waitstaff that runs the place, who makes you feel about as uncomfortable sitting down and paying them for food as anyone in the city. Sorry to sound so bitter, I guess I had one too many bad experiences waiting 45 minutes to get into the place only to be disappointed.