LustyPalate

Sorry to report that the abysmal service and substandard food has crept into the back patio as well. We stayed home this Memorial Weekend and decided to go for a nice bike ride with some friends, starting in Georgetown and stopping for lunch at Old Angeler's Inn. First, we called ahead to make sure they would still be serving lunch by the time we got there and we were told they were only serving their $28/per person brunch. We opted to ride there anyway, only to find out that they WERE in fact serving in the back patio, as usual. We had worked up quite the appetite and decided to eat there anyway for the convenience. The staff was friendly enough to help us move some tables into the shade, but that was the extent of good service. 1 - 90+ degree weather and I had ordered another Lemonade, which took 3 request & 1 additional annoyed request to finally get. 2 - After biking all day 2 friends and I opted for the healthy sounding seafood kabobs that came with a side salad for $14/each - Imagine our surprise and disappointment when we were literally slung ONE paper plate onto the table with 3 kabobs on it and told "This is for you 3." When we gave her the perplexed look, she said "Do you want plates?" WTF? Ummm, not only did we want plates, but napkins and utensils would have been nice too! Still perplexed and VERY annoyed, we asked about our side salads, when ONE 6 inch salad came out (with maybe 7 leaves of lettuce). We asked, "Do we have to share this salad too?" She laughed and said "No, our 2 additional salads would be out soon". So....it was $14 for just ONE seafood kabob which only had ONE square inch of fish, ONE scallop & ONE undercooked shrimp & a side of 7 leaves of lettuce. The shrimp was still transparent!! I usually like medium rare, but I had to send it back to the teenager who was cooking on the outdoor grill. What happened? Did we have to pay an upcharge to be served individual plates with our ONE kabob and 7 pieces of lettuce? The 3 of us who ordered the seafood kabobs were not only seriously disappointed, but we were still left quite hungry. My friends ended up ordering an additional $10 veggie sandwich to split because they were still so hungry. I was so disgusted that I refused to order anything else. 3- My 12 year old stepdaughter didn't fare much better. She ordered the chicken wings (only 5 to an order) While the glaze was tasty, these were the TOUGHEST, OLDEST chicken wings I'VE EVER HAD!! They were inedible!! She refused to eat it & didn't want to order anything else, SMART GIRL!! She herself was aghast at having to ask for individual paper plates, napkins & utensils AFTER the food arrived, and getting plastic utensils, especially considering what they were charging! 4- My husband was the only one that did OK by ordering the burger. We were all looking forward to tasting his fries which looked pretty good on all the other food orders coming out. Imagine our surprise and disappointment when he got chips out of a bag!! He didn't want to say anything and just wanted to get our meal over with so we could all just leave. Surprise, surprise, the next burger order that went to the next table had what....fresh french fries! Grrrrr!!! I am SO disappointed. Last year when I went & had dinner on the outdoor back patio after a lovely evening hike on the Billy Goat Trail, it had become one of my favorite places to go on a Thursday night. There was a nice band playing Gypsy Kings type music and their Ceasers Salad with salmon was just perfect! Oh....what a loss!!

I guess Beckett's does it differently because the black & white pudding served at Beckett's was the blood sausage mixed with oats, so they did look like little hockey pucks but they had a bread texture to them. We didn't get any separate white sausage or blood sausage without oats.

Boo...this place had become a ritual when we'd go up to Frederick to go hiking. Growing up in Miami, it brought back many culinary memories, but I also appreciated their own twist on some classics. Again, Boo

On Friday night my husband and I wanted to go back to DC & see some friends for dinner (we just moved from DC to NoVa). Given that it was cold, last-minute and my friend who lives in Adams Morgan and has a baby was joining us too, I wanted to try and find a place in Adams Morgan where we could get a table for 6 on a Friday night, have really good food for reasonable prices & hear each other talk. Their website says "Come experience affordable fine dining in a casual atmosphere". Well I'm happy to say THEY ARE RIGHT!!! We hadn't heard of Savour and OpenTable listed it as "American, Caribbean & Vegetarian", but once we were there, it also claims to have Asian influences too. We'd seen it walking by in Adams Morgan, but given the decor, it seemed pricier than it actually is. Given that my friend with the baby is a vegetarian, I also figured she would be pleased to find more than just a pasta or veggie plate available to her. They also have Vegan offerings. When we first walked in, we were drooling over how the steaks and the other dishes we saw going by looked. We were greeted & seated promptly & never had empty water glasses. All of the food was REALLY, REALLY GOOD, the service was REALLY GOOD and the prices were PRETTY GOOD too, especially considering the area & the quality of the food. - Spicy Lobster & Crab Fondue was PERFECT. Smoked Gouda, Fontina & Parmesan cheeses. Creamy, gooey & just spicy enough with noticeable chunks of lobster & crab. $8 - Plantain Crusted Diver Scallops were tender and REALLY yummy. $19 - Curry Crusted Ahi Tuna BLT sandwich with Avocado was VERY FLAVORFUL and a generous satisfying portion at $12. Perfect for lunch or dinner. - Sweet Potato Fries were PERFECTLY CRISPY (very hard to find in the DC metro area as observed and apparently been reported to my non-foodie friend by a chef). He raved so much that we all had to try them and ALL agreed these were FANTASTIC. - Portabella sliders were DE-LI-CIOUS (w/melted smoked Gouda & red onion marmalade), even the carnivores in the group said they would order that next time. The sweet potato fries only come with the portabella sliders or chicken sandwich, but they were so good I had to give them their own honorable mention. $9 The staff was very friendly and engaging (OK with us). They were all quite taken and very playful with the baby. Even the chef, who happened to come out, stopped by & played with the baby for a while. We were also very pleased with the low noise level, especially considering that they are adjoined to the Sutra Lounge next door (old Felix Lounge), but you'd never know it because you couldn't hear the jamming club music next door. This is a nice place to catch up and actually have a conversation over dinner. Like I said, it was a really nice surprise that the PRICES were PRETTY GOOD considering what you get and compared to other places with just so-so food, especially in the Adams Morgan/Dupont Circle area. We'll definitely all be going back often & are telling all of our friends about it. See menu http://www.sutraloungedc.net/www.sutraloungeadamsmorgan.com/Savour_Restaurant.html I forgot to add that ALL of their desserts are made in-house. YUM

Being brand new residents of Virgina (lived in DC for over 11 years) we coaxed our Capitol Hill friends to join us for brunch yesterday in Shirlington at Beckett's. We've walked by it a few times and had been curious to try it. Ambiance - Beautiful upholstery and interior. My husband, who's worked & lived in Dublin said it looked very authentic. Looks like a nice, fun place to grab a pint. Food - Since it was brunch, we ordered the lamb burger, traditional Irish breakfast, salmon fritatta & Irish mueslix & fruit. The lamb burger was delicious, it didn't taste so lamb-y (and I like lamb). The blue cheese melted on it was a perfect accompaniment. The fries were not crispy, slightly mealy & undercooked (an unfortunate common trend in the DC metro area) The traditional Irish breakfast had 3 types of sausage (bangers, rashers & black & white pudding). Black & white pudding is basically a black blood sausage (morcilla in Spanish), but this was was made with oats, so it had a bread texture to it. The salmon fritatta was tasty, but lacking in --- salmon. We only saw one forkful's worth of salmon. This was disappointing as it was quite tasty & they charge extra for the salmon. My guest didn't want to say anything to them, but if you are going to up charge, be sure to produce the item. Drinks - We had the Irish Breakfast Tea which was DELICIOUS. I'd go back just for the tea (and the lamb burger). Service - Friendly & knowledgeable Will give this place another try & go for dinner or lunch sometime. Definitely a nice place to watch soccer or the World Cup.

Here's a video of the Biergarten Haus from the Washington Post (note the outdoor flat screen TVs): http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2010/07/08/VI2010070802451.html Oh & GOOOOOO SPAIN!!!!

Did anyone make it out to Meridian Pint's Grand Opening today? My friend & neighbor is part owner, but I wasn't able to attend, so was wondering how it went. Check out the photos of the table taps, restaurant/bar & visit by Founders of Sam Adams, Dogfish, etc.

Great, Thank You!! Was beginning to feel like perhaps no one else had been to Hallowell before. Now if I could only get some new recommendations for Quebec City.

Any recommendations for Quebec City or Shawinigan, Quebec?

Oh OK...so during World Cup, that makes more sense. What did you think of the food & beer?

My boyfriend & I will be going to Hallowell, Maine (about 40 miles NE of Portland on 95) for this 4th of July & then to Moosehead Lake on our way to Quebec City. Any recommendations for these areas? [ETA: If you do have Quebec recs, please post them over here!]

I've been a fan of the original HE, when it was in that tiny strip mall behind the GIANT. About 9 years ago, my former Asian roommate is the one who introduced me to it. We would drive from DC to Wheaton any time we craved Chinese food. We'd always feast on: shrimp with the head on, Chinese broccoli, noodles & pork dumplings, and some other entree & bubble tea. One of my favorites was the lightly fried Ling Fish with ginger, cilantro & a yummy brown sauce. We actually started getting our manicures & pedicures a few doors down & expanded it into GIRL SUNDAYS...mani/pedi then late lunch at HE. - Went only once to their Dim Sum when they were on University Blvd...no big deal. China Garden in Rossylyn was better for Dim Sum. - Just went to the newly opened HE with my boyfriend & his 11 yr old picky eater. Gotta say the food was spot on. We ordered the Orange Chicken, General Tso's & the Fried Ling Fish, which was HUGE. All 3 dishes were delicious...even to the picky 11 yr old. Glad to see they are back....& better food than they had when they were on University Blvd.

There are sort of 2 Beergardens. The 1st one has a very high open air ceiling with a tent top, but is open to the elements on one side & has the 2 giant projection TVs against the wall. Those TVs could perhaps just be for the World Cup. But the other beergarden is completely Al Fresco, with only HUGE table umbrellas & a Fig tree for shade, and that's where we saw the 3 permanently mounted (yet still empty) TV brackets on the wall. We even saw the HDMI cables hanging from the roof to the TV brackets. I think they are waiting to have the outdoor cabinet enclosures built & the murals painted before mounting them. You have to realize that indoors, besides at the downstairs & upstairs bars, there are TVs, but NO seats or tables. I forgot to mention that the beer prices are quite reasonable & most of them are on draft ($6 for a .5 Liter & $10 for 1 Liter). Oh... and the Spicy Mustard (WOW that was good). Next time will definitely try it with a pretzel

We were looking for a place to watch today's World Cup game, when I read about a NEW place called Biergarten Haus on H Street, right next door to the Rock N Roll Hotel. Apparently they just opened a couple of weeks ago. Given the 99 degree weather, the outdoor BeerGarden didn't sound quite so appealing at 2pm, so we went elsewhere (Flanagan's Harp & Fiddle in Bethesda), but LATER (around 7pm) we decided to check it out. It's a 21+ only place, so it's not a kid friendly place to dine. Once you walk in, you feel as if you've walked into a nice, dark, cold bar in Germany, with oodles of German beers on tap...giving you a feeling that a good rendition of OKTOBERFEST is about to ensue. As you walk past the bar, you see the entrance to the large open air Biergarten. A very celebratory high tent top loosely covers 2 huge projection screen TV's, numerous wooden tables & benches, tables for 2 on actual beer barrels & an outdoor bar. A walk past that bar puts you passing the small stage where a fun LIVE polka band was playing & leads you to the truly outdoor Biergarten, covered only by HUGE outdoor table umbrellas & a fully blooming Fig tree. With so many German beers on tap & no clue what to order as I'm generally not a beer drinker, my boyfriend correctly suggested the yummy Franziskaner Hefeweizen, a smooth, ever so slightly sweet (but not like a Lambic) beer with clear tones of banana, honey & clove. A DEFINITE choice for non-beer drinkers or those that would like a soft & smooth refreshing beer. With all the right ambiance: outdoor Beergarden, live Polka band & yummy beer, we of course, had to try out the food which looked incredible. We all got the DELICIOUS Knackwurst Platter (veal, pork & fresh garlic) with the YUMMY sauerkraut (cooked with stewed apples, Caraway seeds & bacon) & the potato cake (taste was OK, but it wasn't crisp or memorable like its plate companions), topped with a tasty fresh white bun. After the more than satisfying meal, although quite full, we all decided that when in Rome (or a Biergarten), you gotta try the Homemade Black Forest Cake...and boy are we glad we did!! Rich sweet creme, soft & moist German chocolate layer cake & tart cherries, all topped with generous shavings of German chocolate. Ohhhh...I almost forgot. Don't expect to only hear live polka music & German drinking songs (plenty are played), but we were also treated to a sudden random karaoke rendition of Garth Brooks' "I Got Friend's in Low Places" Silly but fun, because it was only that one song. You could see they are still not fully up & running as we saw 3 empty mounted TV wall brackets in the full outdoor Biergarten. We overheard that they are waiting to have murals painted outside before installing those TVs. My friend who lived in Germany for over 1 year said he was definitely feeling this place, the beer & the food. Definitely a new favorite hang out spot. Curious to hear what others have to say about this place.

Really? Darn...and here I thought I came up with a cool new dessert idea...Doh! I've seen & had mini dessert shots/sundaes in restaurants, but had not seen or heard of cupcake tastings. I just experimented with one of the leftover Dark Chocolate, Candied Ginger & Walnut cupcake & dusted it with Chinese All-Spice (instead of Cinnamon)...and WOW was that good! I'll see if these leftovers are picture worthy and will post accordingly. ETA: Forgot to add that the above cupcake was topped with a rich Cream Cheese Frosting...a yummy contrast and base for the dusting of Chinese All-Spice.