Simon

On 9/7/2016 at 2:22 PM, Simon said:

Where did I dine?  This was in DC, to narrow it a bit...

Alas, I'm hearing crickets.  Probably too nondescript.  Here's a hint, in the form of the dish name/menu description: 

Birds Of A Feather…..Rolled Together     $13.95

Braised Chicken & Duck Cannelloni, Herbed Ricotta, Spinach, Sweet Corn Leeks & Parmesan Cheese

Where did I dine?  This was in DC, to narrow it a bit...

So, how's the food in the "Spirits Library"?

Wasn't Lydia Chang supposed to be fired?

16 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

*What* a waste of talent - you never know which Yannick Cam you're going to get, if you're going to get him at all.

I haven't been recently, but each of the dozen or so times I've been here since it's opened, Yannick has been in the kitchen, and at the helm.  If you go when the restaurant is less busy -- I often went for Sunday lunch -- he's very approachable and will cook off-menu items for you if you ask.

Any tips on how to avoid them?

The menu layout and font look almost exactly those from the Per Se menu.  Same designer?

4 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Yes.

Which are the good locations?

Thanks, DanielK and pras, for your help!  I was released early, so I ended up going to Bob's Shanghai.  The XLB was so good...

1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

No boo! Have you seen Kinship's wine list? Try a bottle (or a glass) of their Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé and then let me hear you say, "Boo!"

Note: This is not the legendary Didier Dagueneau, who passed away several years ago, but a descendent - but no matter, because the wine is wonderful.

Métier has a full-time sommelier, Kerstin Mikalbrown, whose job it is to select good wines at a fair price. This is a luxe dining experience, and I (for one) have changed my mind about the virtues of walking into a restaurant such as this holding a brown paper bag (or even my black leather wine case). This place *must* survive financially - trust me, once you go there (if you haven't), you'll see why I say it *must* survive financially, for the good of Washington, DC (I'm talking here about the entity as a whole; I haven't been to Métier).

I, indeed, have, Don, and have been to Kinship three times.  Hard pass at those markups.  Last Saturday, I happily paid $50 at Kinship to drink my own Dujac.  For me, the choice is between BYO or, in all likelihood, spending less than $50 on wine with that kind of list (as I did on my second visit).  This is getting into personal territory, but you brought it there: I personally am not a heavy drinker so I don't need a bottle to split between two people and at these markups will pass.

ETA: I was told by Celia in December that Metier would also be offering $50 corkage, so this is something of a reversal.

Just now, Pool Boy said:

No corkage = booooooooooooo

+1

Any advice on places to get a good, relatively quick lunch near the courthouse in Rockville Town Center?  Thank you!

Everyone was right: I was absolutely not disappointed in the roast chicken.  As drasick, and maybe others, have said, it's the lemon-garlic "panade" that really makes the dish.  I will say, though, that the skin on my chicken was not crispy (and I was inclined to attribute that to the tradeoffs involved in this preparation--injecting the stuffing, and possibly brining?--but then I saw others reported crispy skin ... not sure what happened to our bird).  But that was a really minor disappointment.  It's a truly special preparation.

That said, dining as a pair, I'll be still be inclined to order a greater number of smaller dishes in the future, rather than one of the "for the table" entrees...

Also, as I've written before, the apple confit is the best dessert I've had anywhere in recent memory.  Get it.  

Does anyone have any more first-hand reports about the roast chicken?  Is it worth the "opportunity cost," when there are so many creative (and smaller) dishes on the menu?

The meal starts with hors d'oeuvers in the salon (I wonder if that's the little room just to the left of the front door at Kinship?) 

When I received a tour of the unfinished Metier space this winter, I was shown a cozy, living room-like antechamber in the basement (complete with a fireplace, if I recall correctly) that will lead into the main dining room.

On 4/7/2016 at 4:33 PM, Bart said:

 But the real reason I'm posting is to report on the still outrageous drink prices. 

They only had one Chardonnay on the menu an it was $19 a glass.   I found it online for $17 per bottle in France, and $20 per bottle in the US.

Their lone Rose' was $14 a glass ($17 a bottle online)

You can look at the rest of the insanity here:

momofuku drink menu.jpg

On 4/7/2016 at 8:59 PM, JoshNE said:

I don't know enough about the wines on the list, but the beers & cocktails seem to be at the (inflated) DC standard.

The wine markups are extortionate even by DC standards.

Since, apparently, I won't be able to send you to Tokyo -

Chettinadu Indian Cuisine in Rockville: neighborhood place reportedly serving excellent, authentic Chettinad cooking, but with spotty service - is it worth a visit?

DanielK and CajunJason were basically right.  It didn't suck.  The ceviche mixto was excellent, though I didn't eat the accompanying corn and what looked like sweet potato (?).  My friend's arroz con mariscos looked sad and perfunctory.  But the goat stew was solid, though one or two pieces were dry.  

During my mother's most recent visit here, a waiter told her: "The duck is good.  Other dishes ... may be better at other restaurants."

I'm being taken here tomorrow for the first time.  What should I order?

Zenebech for Ethiopian; BreadFurst for bread; Kinship for your "fancier" meal

ETA: And CF Folks for lunch in Dupont.  Sit at the counter, order one of the specials, chat up the cranky old guy.

I must be missing something also.  I've been to Rasika five times, and the only dish that "blew me away" was the palak chaat.

The lamb xacuti I had last night at the West End location was a perfectly fine, perfectly ordinary curry that was executed on a level I could have found at a half dozen (or more) other, less heralded Indian restaurants in the area.

It seems odd that they'd have great omakase, but not great sushi or sashimi - I've had all three (they used to "weight" the omakase in terms of "raw" or "cooked"), and have never been disappointed, regardless of which omakase I've ordered here, although I think my memory is telling me to type "cooked" as my favorite, with the raw fish being strengths; just not as strong as the cooked dishes - I'd need to go back and check my written reviews for this particular issue, but I can promise everyone that whatever I wrote, I believed in wholeheartedly at the time.

Don, I'm talking specifically about the omakase counter, and not the various tasting menus they offer in the main dining room.  And I'm also talking about value.  I've had middling to pretty good experiences with the regular menu, but they always felt overpriced -- proportionally -- to the omakase counter, where the quality of ingredients, attention to detail, and overall impact of the meal are that much higher.   What you get for ~$160 per person blows away any of the $125 menus in the main dining room.

I love the omakase counter, but I'll only otherwise come into the restaurant for the ramen.