Nick Freshman
-
Posts
127 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
5
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Articles
Dining Guide
Everything posted by Nick Freshman
-
We've launched a new Bar Menu in the Lounge. To the delight of many I am sure, the beef sandwich and the chicken and waffles are back! Also, we are going to try to offer three entrees from the Dining Room in the Lounge. These three items will be available until 9.30PM. We have a few new beers and spirits as well--Caldera Amber is my new favorite. I hope you'll stop by and let Matt know your thoughts on the menu, since it is a work in progress.
-
Our keg is gone, alas. Fear not though; I just found out that we are getting a couple kegs of Sierra's Hoptimum Imperial IPA very soon. Haven't tried it, but it promises to be big: IBU 100, 10% ABV...We'll see if it is also balanced.
-
We have a keg of Hopslam on tap at Spider Kelly's as of yesterday. Tasty...
-
ARL.now doesn't miss much, do they? We are fine over here. One of our heaters did indeed spew a bunch of smoke right after closing, but there was no damage, and we'll be open at 4 today as usual.
-
Forgive me if there is a topic on this already, but I couldn't find it. We've been able to get each one of these that have been released so far. We just got in the third in the series, Jack & Ken's Ale, named after Ken Grossman, founder of Sierra Nevada, and Jack McAuliffe whose New Albion brewery sparked craft brewing in the US. The whole experiment by Sierra has been really cool, and we feel lucky to be able to carry them. Only 1,000 barrels of this one were released. Described as a cross between an Imperial Porter and an American Barleywine, all I can say is this beer is BIG. 10.2 ABV, and lots going on. Come by for a pint of history. More on the beers is here. And a cool article on New Albion is here.
-
Went there this past weekend. What a terrific place. Kind of like a Lost Dog Cafe--retail beer (and some wine), bar, dining, brunch, coffee. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, but they quite pull it off. Extremely eclectic and unique draft selection, and a cask option as well. Didn't eat, but the menu looked pretty good. Truly got lost looking at the beer that they had for sale. Great service at the bar, especially patient with the fact that of the ten or so taps, I had not ever had or heard of a single one they were offering... I would also recommend a trip to the Starr Hill Brewery. Housed in a converted ConAgra factory (apparently the former home of the Hungry Man dinner), the place has a very funky feel. Great little tasting bar set up in the middle of a vast space with all their beers to sample, including some that didn't make it to the stores (an 11% ABC Belgian Trippel. Tasty.). Brief, informative tour and lots of cool merchandise. Blue Mountain Brewery, a bit farther out, is pretty much just a restaurant (no tours), but with really great beers--and their own hop vines! Sits on a hill in a beautiful valley. Drink fresh beer on a deck, look at mountains, order another beer. Whoops, have to drive back to town...
-
M&S Grill, Downtown, Reston, and Baltimore
Nick Freshman replied to drsmoke's topic in Washington DC Restaurants and Dining
I agree with you about the national chains and the local chains with the exception of the above. Seems a bit harsh. I had dinner with my family at Artie's last weekend, and I thought it was pretty damn good. I hadn't eaten at a GAR restaurant for a couple of years. The hyper-enthusiastic service feels a bit forced, but the place looks great, the menu was straightforward and appealing, and everything we ordered came promptly and correctly. My wife freaked over the desserts, and my steak was cooked correctly and well seasoned. Sure, the chocolate waffle was nothing on a par with Heather Chittum's creations, and my ribeye was certainly not hand cut by Michael Landrum, but the meal was by no means soulless. Not particularly cutting edge, sure. But "sucks?" Really? -
On a related note, the T.O. signing party will be next door at Spider Kelly's--Dave, I saved you a front row seat! Then, I'm bringing him to Eventide so he and Donovan can split the Locavore salad--damn the fee! We don't agree on everything on this board, but I am sure we can all agree that the Skins are pretty much a lock for the Super Bowl now that all the pieces are in place, right? The fact is certain things in the NFL--offensive lineman, coaching consistency, depth at all positions--are just plain overrated. What matters is big names, big plays and gauging the most loyal fans in football. That's my team...I still love them. Alas.
-
Stopped by today for coffee and sandwich. Both were excellent. So nice to have good coffee in our end of the 'hood again. Congrats to Alison and the whole LT team.
-
We did kill the SK burger. Ironically, I have gotten a lot of grief about that and the chicken burger not making the transition. The SK burger had many fans, but it was inconsistent. It was hard to get the ratio right, and they cooked differently than the regular burgers. We just never seemed to be able to dial it in. There was no way we could handle it with our new capacity of 455, so we decided to stick with just the beef burger. One of the problems with growing is that it is much harder to be creative with the menu. Right now, the guys are still holding on for dear life during service, but soon we'll revisit the new menu and start messing around with it.
-
Thanks to those of you who have come to see us in our new digs. If you have ordered food, you're more than likely aware that we are still...adjusting. Going from 70 seats to over 300 with a menu that has nearly doubled has completely destroyed a kitchen that had a scant few days to practice before opening--my new chef, Pino, is my hero. We're trying like hell, however, and we are making strides in service every day. My apologies to those of you who may have come in only to wait too long for the food. Hey, at least we have draft beer! That said, I hope you will all come by and see us sometime. We've worked very hard to assemble a terrific staff front and back, and as they learn their way around the bar, they'll get better every day. My brother Ben, whose photography still hangs in the dining room, has moved on to a day job and the domestic bliss that comes with being home to his beautiful wife every day by 5, but the management that we have is doing a great job of filling his big shoes. Please introduce yourself sometime to our Bar Manager, DJ Suan, or our Floor Manager, Emily Wroten. Both were cornerstones of the original SK who have been promoted to handle new responsibilities. I'll handle the General Manager duties, and I hope you'll say hello--and give me your most brutally honest feedback--if you decide to swing by. Meantime, the new menu is on the web site here. The Virginia ABC, in their sad, outdated, hyper-bureaucratic brilliance prevents me from mentioning--or in their mind, advertising--my happy hour specials, so if you're curious, send me an e-mail here, and you will get an auto-reply.
-
Oops. Email me
-
Spider Kelly's is finishing up a major expansion and we are looking for someone to take over the kitchen. Our menu is comfort food made right--fried pickles, fresh burgers and chicken noodle soup. Here is a chance to take over a successful menu, help to expand it and supervise a kitchen that got a two star review from the Post. Our most recent menu is here. I am hiring immediately and looking for someone who can jump right in, learn fast and keep their cool through the fog of an opening. I can offer a good salary, benefits and reasonable hours for the position--NO LUNCHES!! Send me an e-mail with a note and your resume if you are interested. Thanks, Nick Freshman (soon to be) General Manager & Owner Spider Kelly's
-
Same place. Same night. Totally different experience. Found myself with an extremely rare Saturday night off, and took my wife to Rustico. We caught the tail end of the Oktoberfest debauchery, and they certainly seemed to be a bit overwhelmed, but from the hostess to the bartender to our server to the food, everything was great. Our server was extremely knowledgeable about both the menu and the beers whcih helped make it a great night. Halfway through our meal, the chaos has largely subsided, and the staff seemed to have caught their breath. I heard there was several thousand at the festival, and when it ended Rustico was about the only place to stumble, so in retrospect I am surprised it was not more insane. The cask condtioned beer they had, Clipper City Marzen I think, was just awesome.
-
Hi Folks, I wanted to let you all know we have revised and expanded the menu at Spider Kelly's in response to customer feedback. We crossed the six month mark, and we figured it was time for some tweaking. The core items remain--still making the burgers daily, still doing the fries by hand--but we now have more options for appetizers, sandwiches and entrees. Some highlights: Fried Pickle Appetizer. A bowl of fresh cut dill pickle discs lightly dredged in flour & cornmeal with just a hint of pepper. Served with home made buttermilk ranch dressing Crump's Buttermilk Fried Chicken. Half a chicken soaked in our special brine before being dredged in our special batter and fried to order Chicken Noodle Soup. Our own stock is the base for a hearty mix of chunky vegetables, savory pulled chicken and fresh herbs The rest of the menu is on our web site. In addition to the menu changes, our bartenders and managers have created some specialty cocktails. A couple examples: The Kelly Black. Maker’s Mark, Ginger ale, Blackberries Ad’s Sparkling Sangria. Champagne, White grape juice, Mint, Strawberries The beer list has been expanded to include some more eclectic selections, seasonal offerings and large format bottles. Right now we have Ommegang's Three Philosophers and Hennepin as well as Stone's Arrogant Bastard Ale in big bottles and Blue Moon Full Moon and Magic Hat Roxy Rolles for the winter seasonals. We also added a digital jukebox which has been a lot of fun. We still offer 1/2 price burgers, but it's now on Tuesday nights. We will be open for business at 8PM on Christmas Day for those of you needing an escape from family, and for New Year's Eve we'll have decorations and specials, but--you guessed it--no cover charge. We hope to see some of you soon, and we wish you the best for the holidays. Nick
-
Great Restaurants In Crystal City
Nick Freshman replied to DonRocks's topic in Washington DC Restaurants and Dining
So this Saturday marks five years for my wife and I, and as luck would have it--we can't find a babysitter. The irony is just awesome. We've decided thus to stroll down to the strip and have an anniversary dinner with the rugrat, and I was looking for a little help. We have been to Pizzaiolo a ton, and want to try one of the others on the strip. Freddie's was fun, but we think old school Italian could be good--garlic bread, veal parm and the like. Portofino looks like it might not be for the little one (she is 16 months and generally awesome in restaurants, but...). There are a couple other Italian places on the block--anyone been? We're not looking for great food, just lots of it and easy. If the Italian is totally not good, steer us elsewhere. Thanks! -
Dining in Shirlington
Nick Freshman replied to deangold's topic in Washington DC Restaurants and Dining
I got roped into a brunch there with a large party, and it worked out really well. It was not at all busy, we had a large group and the food was totally fine. If you are a large party, it might be at least a good backup. -
Welcome to Rockwell kneelconqueso! Kind of... Joking aside, many of the issues that kneel brought up we are aware of, and I have addressed in the PM I sent to him/her. The fact is, we are having a few growing pains. We opened quickly and are still trying to get ourselves stable--but we make vast strides everyday, and the staff is working very hard. I just wanted to clarify that the burger special will run ALL NIGHT on Mondays. That was a miscommunication with the staff. Thanks.
-
And we look forward to seeing you. Seems the Going Out Gurus already made it by. They nailed it as far as the congestion when it gets busy, but it is a problem we are working on diligently. By the way, we are offering 1/2 price bottles of wine on Sundays and 1/2 price burgers on Mondays in addition to beer specials through the week.
-
Thanks so much for coming in the other night. I bought some white wine chillers for the tables, and we have been shuffling cooler space to make sure the bottles are coming out cold. I really like that Chenin Blanc, and it tastes great with a little chill. Next week we are switching bakeries for our bread to go with something that fits a little better. The challenge is finding a bread that can hold up to the burger and doesn't turn to soggy mush. We keep the patties loose and there are a lot of toppings to choose from, so the bun needs some body. As to the burger itself, we season the grind, but it always helps to have some extra salt and pepper when it hits the grill. We'll iron that out as well. The fries you got were way smaller than the spec for the portion, and you won't see those again. As far as the consistency, I can only guess they were pulled from their second blanching a little early. Another easy fix.
-
"Two Bread To Go!!" Music to my ears when I hear that and my order is filled. I can never seem to resist throwing on a samosa or two either. This place is so consistently good, I just never have any interest in exploring the other Kebab options in Arlington.
-
You pegged it right. Years of admiring and studying the birds at Pollo Rico led to this product. We think we got it close, and I am really glad that you liked it. We're using four pound birds as well, which puts a lot of food on the plate. We are planning on staying open until last call every night, and we are planning on serving food every minute that we're open.
-
Hi Everybody, Sorry I haven't jumped on earlier, but we've been frantically trying to get ourselves ready for primetime. We're shooting for sometime next week. We took over the space at the beginning of May, so the pace has been akin to barreling down a hill with no brakes. The menu on the web site has been updated to reflect what you will see in person, but the one that some of you may have seen already was very similar. We will be grinding all the burgers daily (including the chicken--trust me, it's good), and just about everything will be made from scratch. We will have two grinds for the beef--one mixed with fatback and one without. Try the one with fatback; it's gooood. The man behind the line is Steve Candler, late of Farrah Olivia and Poste. We have a list of about 20 beers, and a selection of wine that is reasonable, eclectic and very tasty (in my unbiased opinion). I think you will find that across the board, our drink prices are pretty good. Our General Manager is my brother, Ben Freshman, and he should be posting on here at some point as well. He is also the man responsible for the photos on the web site and the walls of our space. I hope that you will all come by and see us to say hi. Oh, and by the way, for no particular reason I feel compelled to point out so that no ambiguity remains--we do not have a dress code and there is indeed never a cover charge...
-
My Mom has been treating my brother, my wife and me to this event for about five years now--it is always great. A staggering amount of preparation goes into it for what ends up being a frenzied two hours or so of eating. They have a great deal of info on what the Zoo does and what your dollars are benefiting (suffice it to say it is a hell of a lot more than panda food), and it is set up well for grownups and kids alike--this year I had a one year old in a stroller and a backpack (she couldn't decide), last year I pushed my Mom in a wheelchair... All the big name places are there, but you can always stumble upon a gem you didn't expect. It is also a great chance to chat with the owners and chefs of restaurants as many are on hand. Highlights for me this year (other than Pilsner Urquell at the beer stands) were Dino's braised veal and mushroom crostini (served up by the man himself), DC Coast's pork tacos and Willow's insanely sinful Monte Cristo drizzled with a raspberry (I think) sauce. So sweet, so salty, so friggin' good. And as we left, giant firehook cookies in hand (parting gift), the rain finally started--perfect timing.
-
Thanks to Jason for making me look awesome on Mother's Day. Gave my mom a box of the assorted and a box as well to my wife along with the surprise hit--roasted almonds dusted with cocoa powder. A delicacy I thought my wife would not like is already gone--those are some good god damn nuts! The chocolates were met with choruses of "they're too pretty to eat" which lasted only until the first one was tasted. Soon after there was total carnage, and I basked in the glory. I owe you, man. Grabbed a couple of the brownies as well, but those didn't make it back to the house.