oliveDC

Here's Sietsema's Weekly Dish on the new place.

We like to go Montrose Park in Georgetown, on R between 28th and 32nd.

For a great, secluded spot that feels miles away from anything, head to Montrose, walk down the path into the woods and head left at the fork. I think this is Waitman's lover's lane. There are these huge expanses on grass and every time I'm walking the dog there I think, "why don't we come here for a picnic." It feels very English countryside, if I may be so dramatic...

And more from the Biz journal here.

Also, as part of the lease agreement with Balducci's, Morou will apparently "create signature dishes which will be available in all Balducci’s prepared foods cases and will offer cooking demonstrations at Balducci’s locations in Alexandria and McLean, VA; Washington, DC and Bethesda, MD," according to a press release.

As long as this thread got bumped up, I'd like to point out that Pearl Jam chose MY local dive, The Raven, to go drinking Monday night.

That's how cool Mt. Pleasant is.

When Eddie Vedder said at the concert that he hung out in Mt. Pleasant the night before, I turned to my boyfriend and said, "Must've gone to the Raven."

They're hosting a dinner June 14, so it has to be before then ... The phone message still says May too.

maybe sietesma didn't get scooped. maybe said restraunteur called both kliman and sietesma to get the publicity rolling, and kliman's chat-blog happened to be a day earlier.

That's why he needs his own blog. Everyone else at the Post seems to be getting one.

Re: Bitters. I know both Derek Brown (now at Agraria) and Todd Thrasher at Eve make their own in various flavors, like orange and peach. And even though they're both doing innovative new drinks, if I were looking for classic cocktails, I'd head to their bars. Sounds like Todd has some cool classics in store for Eamonn's. Sebastian at Rasika also seems to care a lot about the history of cocktails and the "craft".

Rasika had a version of the Pegu Club on the menu last time I was there. I believe it was Hendrick's gin, orange bitters, fresh lime juice and Cointreau. It was very tasty.

Levi's in Oxon Hill and their restaurant on Barracks Row, Levi's Port Cafe, have pretty good NC barbecue. It's Eastern style so I'm assuming they're cooking whole pigs. It's chopped fine and nicely flavored with a good amount of vinegar. Their slaw was too sugary for me, but they have hush puppies, yams, collards and a whole lot else to keep you busy. I haven't found anything in the area as close to the 'cue back home in Cackalacky.

Not to be too self-promotional, or anything  but DC magazine (as opposed to DC Style) has much more extensive food coverage than either of the other two newcomers - including Amanda "Metrocurean" McClements for starpower wattage.

AND they pay their freelancers.

Aw, shucks, Dave. That's mighty nice of you.

In case you need a reason to pick it up (look at boutiques, like Muleh), Dave has a great review in this month's DC of Maestro, and I've rounded up some views from Cathal and Eric Ziebold on offal and discussed the French-goes-downscale trend. (And that's all for self-promotion and getting in trouble for veering off this topic. )

Does anyone know where to get good Carolina style Que in DC?

Levi's Port Cafe, down under the overpass on Eighth St. SE, is the best I've found. It's run by the same folks who own the Levi's catering and restaurant operation in Oxon Hill. They're from NC and the 'cue is Eastern NC style -- nice vinegar tang and no tomatoes! You can get a plate with a half pound of barbecue and heaps of sides for $8.95. They also make a mean red velvet cake...

I've been going to Viridian (it's now the closest restaurant to mi casa) since it opened and haven't noticed many hiccups in the quality of the food, despite the overhaul. The transition seemed pretty smooth. It's really nice to see a few more entree choices added. The Spanish mackerel was fantastic on my last visit, though the roasted potatoes we ordered weren't quite cooked through and I missed the homemade mustard they used on them before.

Our waitress dropped off the amuse, maybe a butternut squash soup?, with no description, which was weird. And not seeing the brussels sprouts with ginger was the biggest disappointment (I really loved them), though I can imagine how annoying it must be for a new chef to come into a restaurant with a somewhat established menu and have people whine when they take something off.

And now Periwinklein the Ritz Grand Cayman ...

It was too bad they didn't crack open a bottle of Blenheim's for it. Now that would've been good.

Johnny told Roll Call he hoped the move would happen by June. Also, it's now confirmed that La Colline Express is turning into a taco stand, according to the story:

"Meanwhile, the old La Colline Express carry-out will likely become a taqueria, with Juanita DeFlores, a longtime cook at Cashion’s Eat Place and a Salvadorean by birth, brought over as a business partner in the venture. Fulchino says the carry-out would likely serve breakfast and lunch tacos and be open on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m."

Very cool.

Zaytinya's Turkish coffee chocolate might be my favorite dessert in the city. I love the cardamom flavor with the choc. Just stumbled on the recipe.

There's some more info about the owners in the entrepreneurs story in today's Food section. I'm impressed that this is a start-up venture, but like Stretch mentioned, I guess the import business gives them a leg up. The location should too. (Sorry for the self promo but...) here's a link to my blog entry about it.

The Adams Morgan location has a tiny balcony off the back that used to be open occasionally for Blue Room patrons. They dressed it up with candles and a few plants. I'm assuming this is the patio in question?

Me too. The Raleigh paper where I used to work did the same thing a while back and I'm not a fan. My understanding is the coverage would be spread out all week?

Sure sounded like it from Tom's comment about Dupont's loss.

I have more info coming in today that they are closing ... next week. Stay tuned.

This rumor's been floating around for a few months and I tried to track down something substantial for a story I was working on back in November. The person I spoke to at La Colline was furious and said people keep asking them but they just signed a new lease. Johnny's said they were shopping at one point but it was off the table.

That's not to say it's not true, but those were the responses I got.

What's the name of the place?

Though I wouldn't recommend it for dinner, Mie N Yu does cocktail parties very well. The upstairs rooms would fit a party your size and their snack food is usually pretty good. Very cool space, too.

Others to consider: the lounge at Sonoma and Zola's new private party space.