susanmab

Another vote for Central being the best in town. It's better than mine. And I'll almost never admit that! Not really a place for a four year old. But yum.

Yeah, it does. but I've only been seeing this fellow for a little while - I don't want to telegraph "hey, let's do something in July" if you catch my drift. I did have the good fortune to catch La Cuisine right after they had a cancellation for this Sunday's class, so problem solved. Only one spot, so I'm sending him there alone, but I still think it's a nifty birthday present if I do say so. Hell, one of the reasons this guy got a date was because he got the raised eyebrow when at a party he mentioned wanting to take a knife skills class. For me, I'll keep trying.

He got me when he started the bit about the manchengo and apples talking to him. Loved that, and now I think I like him a little more.

oh, man, Wagamama was a staple of my student diet when I lived in London. It was what qualified for a treat (eating out instead of cooking on a student budget). mmmmm.

oh, what a popular class! I'm trying to sign myself and a friend up as a birthday present for him. Can't find a class anywhere that even has any available dates - all published dates are already sold out. Does anyone have any suggestions? Birthday is next week.

ooh, I was hoping that with another few weeks things would be a little more consistent. some good: a nice selection of wines by the glass, including some better wines that you don't often see served that way. the cheeses and charcuterie were both really good, although the way they were served was puzzling (three of us, five cheeses, four meats. all crammed on a too-small board served with five little slices of bread). the quiche was outstanding. arugala salad? bland (hard to mess that one up). the vinoteca salad had way too much vinegar. the dining room was still pretty cold (after reading the above, I assume it would have been remedied by now). the wine list still seems to not quite understand the difference between "new world" and "old world". and, dare I say this, I would probably not go back just because of the crowd. I am a woman, I often have dinner with female friends. but the demographic was a total turn-off even to me. the volume of the giggling and the sheer gaggle of girls wasn't something I am fond of. this bums me out, I was really wanting to love it. I'll watch this space for any things that might change as they are open longer.

I can't say enough good things about this place - I was happy to see the new space last weekend and I look forward to the wine and cheese bar even though I'm not sure exactly what the setup will be. You have to love a place where the proprietor gets happy when you go in and say "what do you have that's stinky?". I've never gotten a cheese there that I didn't love. Which is as much a nod to the knowledgable staff as the cheeses they carry.

A vote for Nam-Viet in Clarendon. They do a seafood version which I hear is tops (I'm allergic to shellfish, so I can't confirm this). I've been addicted this winter. Like once a week.

I'm sorry to hear that the pizza has gotten inconsistent. I live nearby and will order for delivery from time to time (kid-friendly is not a plus for me). I am happy to hear they are open Sundays now. It's the night I least want to cook. On the other hand, perhaps I wish I didn't know...

We live in the neighborhood and have dropped in about once ever two or three weekS since the week Bebo opened. The food is indeed inconsistent (black olives on a pizza that clearly states green olives, no gorgonzola on the gorgonzola pizza, salad alternately swimming with or absent of dressing), but it's usually good enough to keep us coming back - that, and we like seeing local businesses succeed. The single most bizarre thing about the place, however, is the defensiveness of Donna et al over the criticisms. I can honestly say that we've only had what can be characterized as "good" (decent, no glaring errors) service once. Every other visit had at least one thing go wrong that affected our ability to best enjoy our food. Examples include: my fish being served when I didn't have a knife and our inability to catch anyone's eye for ten minutes (fish went cold while I tried desperately to make eye contact with anyone in the room); Coffee and tea (ordered with dessert) arriving a full fifteen minutes after empty dessert plates were removed; An inability to receive sugar for the iced tea despite asking the server three times and a busboy once. It has become nothing less than a comedy of errors, "what's going to go wrong tonight" - but at least it's a comedy. We feel slightly masochistic for continuing to go, but it's like a fun adventure: will they ever get it right? I have no agenda other than being a foodie who likes to dine out; I have no "vendetta" against Donna - before the Bebo debacle I considered him one of our city's cultural assets (I probably still do, although it's tempered a bit now). But it seems to me that he does his reputation a great disservice by allowing his name to be on the front of a restaurant that can't for some reason attract, train, and keep high quality staff. The impression I'm left with is one of great arrogance, perhaps it's built on part by people like me who continue to dine there even though the service lacks even the most basic professionalism? I'd have much more respect for his establishment if there was any indication that he was aware of the substandard experiences his guests were receiving and did not find them acceptable. The old "please bear with us; we're working on it" would go a long way.

I'll be out of town this weekend, so we're going tonight - to celebrate our fifth anniversary and pay our respects to our favorite pizza in all of DC. Goodbye, extra-large with black olives. Nowhere will we find a pie with the salty oil-cured goodness that we have come to love so well. EDIT: Well, as expected, our four-hour pizza was worth the wait. Got there 6:50, seated 9:50, received pizza 10:40. We'll miss it so very very much.

So I finally went there recently, it was the choice of a friend for his birthday. My gentleman companion got it right I think, "fine dining for non-majors". The meats weren't bad, some of them were really excellent. The salad bar was impressive. But the service managed to be both pushy and inattentive at the same time (whenever you could get a server's attention, they seemed to want to ask if we were ready for "that next bottle of wine yet"), and seemed downright unskilled at times. So now I've been there once, and that was plenty. I'd be interested in going to a non-chain churrascaria sometime to see if the experience would be any more pleasing.

I had forgotten just how much a cut above the sushi at Kaz is. Just went there with a party of six for my birthday. Wow. It's not inexpensive, but damn, it is good. That tuna with foie is such a standout. The other thing I love is that the nigiri is actually in bite-sized pieces. I refuse to shove a huge piece all into my mouth, and biting it in half is so awkward.

We live nearby and are confirmed pizza junkies. We finally got around to giving this place a try. I was really impressed. We had a Neapolitan with Kalamata olives and baby bella mushrooms. The service was efficient and polite and the pizza did indeed rock. This is one of those "cursed locations" - it's changed hands a few times since I've lived in the hood (five years). They appear to be a family-run business and I sure hope they last. I'm a little worried at how close they are. This could be dangerous. I guess I'll have to do my part!

We live in the neighborhood and have been to both. Enjera is a lovely and lively place. The staff was pleasant and efficient. But I found the food a bit bland for our taste. Harar Mesob is as good as any I've had locally. My current favorite is Dukem, but this is nearly as good, if not a little better. We were big Addis Ababa fans when it was on 18th, but the Silver Spring location has seemed a little dull. My only wish from Harar Mesob would be sambussas, and a little more comprehension from the staff. Our favorite dish is Mesir Wat (the spicy red lentils); at first we tried to order the vegetarian combo "for two", but when it arrived it became clear that the server didn't understand that we meant two whole orders. So then we tried to order a "whole order" of Mesir Wat, but again, we couldn't get our point across. We also had trouble getting enough injera for the meal - when we requested a bit more (with more than half our dinner left on the plate), we received one half of one bread (for two people). I think they might all be new place issues that I assume will be resolved when the place is open a little longer. The server seemed shocked when we ordered the Wat, and more shocked when I asked for extra Awaze. But the food was really, really good. The beef Wat was particularly amazing as well. We're Ethiopian food junkies, and at times have it more than once a week.

Can someone verify the end of July closing date? Does anyone know if they'll be taking reservations for their last night? We're just gutted about this. I've been going there since high school (I'm in my thirties now) and I really don't know what I'm going to do. I'm so very very sad.

I'm so happy I saw this thread had been bumped - it's been over a year since I've been out there and we're way past due.

I'm glad to hear this place is at least promising. I live walking distance from there and have been meaning to try.

We're huge fans of Ethiopian food and have tried many different restaurants in the area. When Addis Ababa was on 18th, it was our favorite. Hands down. We've been to the Silver Spring location, but we find it doesn't really measure up. Since the Adams Morgan location closed, our new favorite is Dukem on U. Does anyone know if Meaza on Columbia Pike will be reopening anywhere? They had the best injera. (and do I have to say something silly like "long time lurker first time poster" here? I finally registered a little while ago so I could use the search but I've been reading for a while).