sacrilicious

I stopped in last Saturday mid-morning out of curiosity and I totally agree that the place is the strangest food establishment I've visited in a long time. But knowing what businesses go through in this city to find a retail space and then navigate the DC business bureaucracy and (in CP at least) occasional neighborhood busybodies, and considering the thought of yet another empty CP storefront, I just can't bring myself to snark on the place. Not that I can really help them succeed. I wanted to try something just to put a little money into the neighborhood economy but unfortunately I don't like oatmeal, sweet yogurt, or coffee. (And I've got plenty of cereal at home.) The place was busier than I expected though, and most of the patrons seemed to be having the aforementioned oatmeal or yogurt or coffee. Considering it's replacing Starbucks, a coffee shop with light breakfast fare just might make it.

The cheesesteak cart (not far from where we were sitting in 306) was hopping on Monday. Monday did turn out to be a bit of a disaster, and I'm not even talking about the Nats' performance. A number of stands ran out of food or beer, and it seemed like half of the credit card machines were down. The only potential upside was that on the metro ride home, the drunk obnoxious Phillies fans seemed slightly less drunk and obnoxious than usual.

I was looking forward to a recent dinner at the Penn Quarter location since I hadn't been there in months, but I was extremely disappointed to find that the (formerly) excellent veggie burger on the menu seems to have been replaced with a food-service company pre-formed "organic veggie burger"-slash-hockey puck. No taste whatsover and no identifiable vegetable, grain or protein - just some sort of chewy meat substitute. The previous incarnation was clearly housemade, with rice and vegetables. It is also now served with a boring salad (greens, a couple of grape tomatoes) instead of the slaw. At least the bread was still ok.

I don't think it's been mentioned yet, but the Dino coupon is also good for one year, which is 6 months longer than most coupons.

I also had mixed results at Masala Art, but in general I was happy with the food and am looking forward to trying more of the menu. We started with vegetable samosas. I rarely order samosas in restaurants, because I find them overly heavy, bland, and greasy. These were very good - crispy and greaseless, with the correct amount of spice and the proper tangy hint from tamarind powder. The green chutney accompanying it, however, was so wan and watered down with yogurt (I assume that's what they mixed it with) that I couldn't identify whether it was mint, cilantro, or what. For entrees, we had the dal mahkani and tandoori malai paneer with tomater cut (described as "velvety cottage cheese cubes in a tangy tomato sauce"). I always order dal first when trying out a new Indian restaurant, and this version was creamy, well-seasoned, and also nicely spicy. Very good. Unfortunately, the malai paneer was terrible - overly chewy grilled cheese cubes floating in a sauce reminiscent of canned tomatoes with no other discernable flavors or spicing. Both entrees came with brown basmati rice, and were a reasonably generous portion (although not enough for leftovers, especially after slogging through the snowy sidewalks to get there ). We also had the puffy / crispy rock salt and cilantro naan. I love cilantro so I would have liked tons more on there, but it was still a tasty accompaniment to the meal. The waiter noted several times that bottles of wine were half price last night., which appears to be the case on Sun - Thurs nights (I'm getting this fact from Tom S's review, the waiter wasn't that helpful on questions, and unfortunately the place still doesn't have a website that I can find). The menu notes that half portions of the vegetarian dishes are available as sides for $5. I was hoping that meant we could order a few different ones as small plates, because I was eager to try out more of the menu. But the waiter explained that it meant as a side to an entree. Since we were on our way to a three hour performance of Richard II at Shakespeare Theatre, and needed to stay awake, we decided to do without the extra wine and food. While there are some glitches, the prices were reasonable, the decor is pleasant.... I'll give it a few more chances and hope that the hits outnumber the misses. It's not like we're overwhelmed with dining choices in the neighborhood. Plus the location near the metro makes it more convenient for post-work takeout than Heritage in Glover Park.

I would agree in general with this assessment. I recently went for lunch with some co-workers and we all really liked the food, although they both commented on the tiny portion that was my wild mushroom strudel entree. I cannot complain at all about the dish itself - it was creative (not always a given with vegetarian entrees), with a mixture of greens, mushrooms, crispy phyllo, and an excellent creamy goat cheese sauce. But I was still really hungry after eating it, which forced me ( ) to order dessert - a very moist, nicely spiced carrot layer cake. My co-workers each ordered the flat iron steak salad, which was a normal size portion. Service was pleasant, if a little slow. (If I were at dinner, I doubt I would have noted this last point, but it ended up being a 2 hour lunch, which was a little longer than I expected.) Although I guess ymmv on what is a "reasonable" price. The mushroom strudel was $15 at lunch (steak salads were $16) and the carrot cake was $9, which would probably move it into the "special occasion lunch" category for me.

Dang. I missed this one too, and I pay extra close attention for any Groupons involving food. I guess some Groupons may be targeted by location? I always feel a little awkward and guilty about using them. Even though I know, logically, the restaurant promoted this and the servers will be expecting to see some, I still feel like I'm waving a big sign saying, "penny pincher here!" Of course I tip on the original amount of the bill (overtip, actually - see guilt, supra) but obviously the server won't know that yet when they first see the coupon. Still, in each case they have been happily accepted by the server or cashier with no hint of an attitude at all. These coupons have been a good experience for me so far.

My parents were staying at the Omni across the street for the holiday weekend so we met up here for family breakfast on Saturday. Everyone loved it. I had the waffle (next time, I'll ask them to hold the powdered sugar, which was a bit too heavily applied for my taste, otherwise it was perfect), rest of the family ordered a breakfast sandwich, multigrain pancakes with banana-walnut sauce, and a pizza. Everything was well-prepared, the service was friendly and efficient, and the ginormous mugs of hot beverages were very welcome on a damp chilly morning. I'm sure this was due to the holiday and the relatively early hour (10 am), but parking and crowds were not bad.

Has anyone spotted vanilla beans in Trader Joe's recently? I have bought them at TJs before (convenient and the price was right), but the last couple of times in the Foggy Bottom and Bethesda stores I couldn't find any. Rodman's was out, no time for mail order, and I want to make vanilla ice cream for dessert on Christmas.... I suppose Whole Foods might have them for $150 or something.

Thanks! Fortunately (or unfortunately), the responsibility for dinner arrangements has been transferred to someone else, but I will suggest it as an option.

I have to arrange a dinner with family / friends (5 of us) for Saturday, December 26th. Some will be in Hagerstown, MD, others will be coming from DC, so we're trying to pick somewhere roughly in between. Frederick seems to fit the bill. Everyone's first choice is, of course, Volt. Three of the group are vegetarians (and one of them, while not formally vegan, also tends to avoid eggs and cheese). Volt was very accommodating with the menu the one time I was there. But I'm not sure, post-"Top Chef," whether a reservation would even be available. My second choice is the Tasting Room, which I've never been to. But their menu looks heavily meat and seafood based. I'll have to call to ask whether they can substitute or offer an alternative. Are there any less obvious choices I should consider? Other restaurants maybe outside of Frederick but still in the area?

Yeah, what was up with that? I don't remember them twisting that particular knife in previous seasons, or making the 3rd place finisher leave the room.

I live in the neighborhood, and I feel somewhat personally responsible for success of local businesses. Unfortunately I haven't been eating out much lately (watching calories and $) but I always enjoyed my visits to Enology, and I'm glad you're staying in any form. Also about the @#$%*&! long-overdue Giant project (at the thought of it I automatically start muttering curses), please know that many of us do not think a bunch of empty storefronts is a victory for the neighborhood.

I wasn't familiar with Goodstone Inn before. They definitely gave out more than just a "tasting" portion of the lamb - it was huge and on a big pile of mashed potatoes. Personally I liked another meat and potatoes dish better (the one with the sweet potato puree), but I can't remember who was serving it - it might have been another catering outfit. Actually for the most part I forgot which dish went to which restaurant. After about 20 minutes it started to turn into a blur. The wine might have accelerated the forgetting process. (Except a couple of the bad ones, I do remember those, but they shall remain nameless.) I have to give special props to the chocolate dipped strawberry cheesecake lollipop from Coco Sala, by far my favorite dessert of the evening.

I'll be there. I went last year - we were standing right in front of Barton Seaver's parents during the food fight portion of the show. It's a great event, well-organized and a ridiculous number of tasting stations. Plus as a Top Chef fangirl, I can't wait to see Bryan Voltaggio and Carla Hall live and in person! (I have been to Volt, but I don't think he was in the kitchen that day.)

I drive my car like twice a month. I'm just not that skilled a driver, and the NH / University intersection just intimidates the hell out of me. Next time I will have to figure out a route to Woodlands from DC that does not involve making left turns or U-turns. It may involve driving several miles out of my way.

I recently tried the Bethesda location and have a mixed review. Tahitian vanilla was somehow flat and lacked vanilla flavor and aroma. I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong, but it was completely different from the incredible gelato I've enjoyed many times at the Georgetown location. It was relatively late on a Friday night, I don't know if it had been sitting around picking up off flavors or what. The dulce de leche and black mint were quite good though.

I have been to Udupi Palace many times, and finally ventured across the intersection to try Woodlands last weekend when I was craving South Indian food. I ordered the poori bhaji and paper dosai. My friend ordered the special vegetable curry because she insisted we needed some vegetables. (C'mon, in South India, potato is a vegetable. ) The pooris came out hot and puffed perfectly, and the potato was tasty, if just a tad mushier than I would have liked. The paper dosai was excellent and surprisingly ungreasy even after it cooled. The special vegetable curry was, to me, less appealing - the curry gravy had a sweet undertone (coconut, I assumed) that I didn't like, but then I prefer North Indian vegetable preparations for the most part. My friend loved it though, and when I heated up the leftovers the next day I mixed it with a little more rice to tone down that flavor a bit and it was quite good Along with the accompaniments (rice, sambar, raita etc) we had a table full of delicious food with enough for leftovers. The dining room is very spare and pretty devoid of decor, and perhaps is a little less inviting than the booths at Udupi. (Not that Udupi is anything special either in that department.) My experiences with the food at Udupi have been just as good, however, so maybe I'll just split my business between them. A stop next door at Subzi Mandi grocery for bags of Indian snacks is required too. I do think Woodlands is much better than Amma Kitchen in Georgetown and Saravana Palace in Fairfax, which are the only other South Indian restaurants I've tried around here.

Well I think it's now clear that Mike I didn't just get a "bad edit" from the producers. He really is an obnoxious tool. And those leeks looked awful. I too was surprised by the lack of grains, beans or dairy in most of the dishes. I wasn't expecting CraftSteak to have tofu laying around (nor would I want to see them cook tofu -- they probably would have just used tofu as a stand-in fake meat anyway) but I'm sure any restaurant kitchen has rice, flour, eggs, cream, cheeses, etc. Some of the dishes looked like tiny little amuses of vegetables and basically hewed to the stereotype of vegetarian meals as "rabbit food." I just don't see the requirement that a dish be vegetarian as a huge limitation, personally, but it seemed like many of the chefs saw it that way.

It wasn't "Masala Art," by any chance? An Indian restaurant by that name appears to be opening on the block south of the Tenleytown metro, in the space formerly occupied by Kuma. Not a fan of Delhi Dhaba either, so I'm hoping they're not related.

I'm one of the poor souls who work near Union Station and finally got over here for lunch today. For a tiny place they offer a huge variety at lunch - sandwiches, pizza, lasagna, a few (large) salads, plus specials on the blackboard outside - a soup, pastas, and cannolis. I had the zucchini/spinach soup, which was a thin green puree with small globs of ricotta. The predominant flavor was spinach and salt. I was expecting something a little more creamy with chunks of vegetables. To me it was boring; I wouldn't order it again. The margherita pizza (tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes, thin strips of basil and regular mozzarella) was also a bit salty but had a nice chewy crust. I don't think I'm just being hypersensitive to the salt thing; I do like salt on my food. My co-worker also mentioned that her lasagna, while good, was oversalted. We got there before noon so there was plenty of room on the pleasant outdoor patio. According to the cashier, they're hoping to have it covered and heated for the cold weather. Apparently there is a small seating area upstairs, but today they had a large group up there so she steered us to the patio. Prices are steep -- the soup was $5 for what I would call a small cup, just about everything else was $9. Actually the pizza slices are pretty big and a good deal at $3. No italian sodas or interesting sides. There's iced tea (free refills), fresh lemonade, San Pellegrino, and cans of all your basic high fructose corn syruped- and artificially sweetened-sodas. Oh, and today the Utz chip options included BBQ in addition to plain and sour cream and onion. The sandwiches look pretty good though and given the dearth of options in the area, I'm sure I'll be back to try more of the menu at some point. But at $9+ it really isn't going to be a regular lunch stop.

Had a nice dinner at Eatonville last night. We ordered the fried green tomatoes, which were maybe a bit thickly cut for my taste, but the corn salsa and red pepper sauce complemented it well, as did the greens and goat cheese accompanying the dish. My friend had the Oyster Po'Boy and thought it was quite good. Her only comment was that she would have preferred regular french fries rather than the inch and a half stubs it came with. For only $9, it seemed like a pretty generous portion to me. I had the catfish and grits. The fish was lightly breaded in cornmeal, and served with a "tomato butter," which had more flavor than I expected from the description. It was more like a roasted tomato sauce. The greens were good too; unfortunately the jalapeno-cheddar grits didn't taste like much of either. The texture and creaminess was good, but the lack of punch lent an overall bland quality to a dish that I think otherwise would have been very good. We also had a side of mac and cheese, which was excellent, with a nice cheesy crust on top. For dessert, my friend really liked her pecan pie (with ginger, I think?). I had a lovely moist almond-y pound cake, served with strawberry rhubarb sauce and ice cream. The entire check including two cocktails was under $90 including tip. Service was efficient and friendly but non-intrusive. The place was hopping at the beginning of the evening with a nice mix of families, couples and groups of friends, but it was pretty quiet by the time we left at 9. (With the high ceilings and open layout it's on the noisy side, but then I find most restaurants too noisy lately.) I felt it was a good value; IMO it can be hard to find restaurants in this price range that serve reliably good- to-really-good food.

Re: Union Station Cap City. I had repeated bad experiences with both the food and service, so I've been avoiding the place for at least a year. But I reluctantly went along to a lunch with co-workers recently, and it seemed noticeably better. One of my issues with the place (in addition to the mediocre food and waitstaff) was that the menu had nothing for vegetarians, except maybe one pizza. So I was pleased to see they now have a veggie (black bean) burger. It was surprisingly good - made on site, not a frozen disk. It came with a choice of several sides; I went for the vegetables, which were steamed and coated rather generously in butter sauce. Nothing gourmet, but I likes me some butter, and they were decently seasoned, so no complaints about that either. My co-workers had salads with meat, so I didn't try them. The service was a still slow, but not interminable. I've always tried to get there before noon for lunch, otherwise it's at least 2 hours. We got seated right away and I think we were out of there in about an hour and fifteen minutes. I realize that saying it's better than before is faint praise. But it's not on my "avoid at all costs" list anymore. I work nearby and frankly there aren't that many moderately priced sit down lunch places in the neighborhood. So I might give it another chance.

I'm so glad to have this market in the neighborhood. It's great! Just the right number of stands, a good variety without being overwhelming. Cute kids and dogs. Live music. Food demos. All without having to deal with crowds and jostling and long lines. I'm a longtime patron and fan of the Dupont market and while I'm thrilled that it's so successful, I like having a little elbow room, so this is a much better option for me.

I tried a veggie wrap from this cart (I think it's called "The Healthy Plate" or something similar). I believe it was grilled eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onions, and maybe feta in a spinach tortilla with a small amount of some kind of spread, which I'm guessing was supposed to sun dried tomato. I couldn't identify any particular flavor because it was quite possibly the blandest wrap ever created, but it's a fair option if you're not in the mood for, or can't eat, traditional stadium greasebomb food. It would have been much improved with a more assertively seasoned spread. But I couldn't find any aioli packets in the condiment stands.