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Simon

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  1. Simon
    One small data point: best thing, by far, I've had at Momofuku CCDC was the braised fried chicken (inspired by the version at Wu's Garden). (It was added to the lunch menu sometime after opening but only now seems to be on the "weekend lunch" menu.) It's exactly what it sounds like, and defies all logic, but it was disarmingly good and the only dish, for me, that's fulfilled Chang's promise of bringing new innovative dishes to his DC outpost. Naysayers should try it, though I haven't had anything else on the menu that's been nearly this good.
  2. Simon
    I did not get the sashimi supplement, but I did get the Miyazaki Wagyu. Honestly, I didn't even look at the menu before I asked for "omakase" and this is what I got. I would imagine without the beef it would have been $60.
  3. Simon
    I've never been to Sushi Capitol. Last night, the omakase (for $80) was: clear soup with shrimp ball; the "daily appetizer trio"; pomfret and fried shrimp head; Miyazaki Wagyu and uni; about sixteen pieces of nigiri; toro handroll; and dessert (green tea ice cream and persimmon). The starters, aside from the pomfret, weren't much to write home about, but the sushi was superb (as was the beef, of course).
  4. Simon
    The menu at Sushi Ogawa
  5. Simon
    Person answering the phone at Sushi Capitol says Sushi Ogawa's opening has been pushed back to February 1.
  6. Simon
    Just my experience: I had two amazing meals at Peter Chang Arlington right after it opened, but two decidedly lackluster meals (and lackluster preparation of the same dishes that were great in Arlington) in Rockville just after that branch opened (with Peter Chang reportedly in the kitchen both times). I haven't been to Joe's or Jin River in about five years but wanted to give them a try again.
  7. Simon
    Any more recent reports on Joe's? Particularly interested in the current rack-and-stack of Rockville Szechuan places: Joe's or Sichuan Jin River (I'm not really feeling Peter Chang's these days). Thanks!
  8. Simon
    Based on my dinner here on Monday, I very much agree with the spirit of Waitman's excellent review, with the one personal note that I was actually never a fan of CityZen. I had three consistently disappointing dinners in the main dining room there over five years, finding the cooking cold, underwhelming, and sub-Keller (the first time I ate at the Salon at Per Se, I thought to myself: "Oh, this is what CityZen trying to do, only this is good.") But I loved Kinship and think the cooking here is more personal and has much more heart. The flavors are direct and powerful, yet at the same time the cooking is creative and refined, with unexpected touches and moments of lightness to give the dishes a real lift. I won't get into a detailed review of the dishes, except to say I enjoyed everything I had, with my favorites being the torchon of white mushroom and the lobster french toast. It also made me very happy to see a rich, chanterelle mushroom sauce on a menu (the accompaniment for the hearty and satisfying Kinship Stroganoff). The foie gras stuffed quail was wonderful -- with the richness of the foie and the earthiness of the black truffles all coming together beautifully -- but probably not worth $50. I preferred the refreshing and delightful grapefruit terrine for dessert over the more one dimensional Valrhona chocolate cake. To lessen the sticker shock expressed upthread, I'd echo what Waitman said: not everything in the top half of the menu is appetizer sized (as I initially assumed just from reading the menu), but the dishes toward the bottom of each section of the menu ("craft," "history," "ingredients") are more substantial. I didn't order any of the "for the table" items, but I'd venture to say, based on my dinner here, and past experiences at CityZen, that the strengths (and value) of the menu probably are in the technique-driven dishes, rather than the more minimalist, ingredient-driven preparations. Based on my perusal of the wine list, I'll probably pay the $50 corkage next time. Looked like in the "soft open" period, the restaurant was holding back tables -- the dining room on Monday was never more than half full, and it didn't look like they were turning tables.
  9. Simon
    Not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but: does anyone have a good source of acacia honey? I used to love the acacia honey from Mario Bianco, imported by Neal Rosenthal, but they don't have any in stock at the moment.
  10. Simon
    Don, if you actually read the interview, I promise that you won't find it to be a pose, or a tough-guy or faux-populist act. It's unfiltered insanity.
  11. Simon
    It's no accident that the two better Thanksgiving meals I've had were with the chefs, Tom Power and RJ Cooper, in their respective kitchens.
  12. Simon
    Is it too early to discuss good choices for restaurants open on Thanksgiving? I just called Corduroy, and they have a three-course prix fixe for $65. OpenTable has an extensive list of restaurants open here. In the past, I've had good Thanksgiving dinners out at Corduroy and Vidalia (in R.J. Cooper's time). I had a memorably bad meal a few years ago at the Oval Room, which was so dispiritingly awful and perfunctory that we skipped dessert and went to Adour for a proper meal (thankfully, there were seat available at the bar). Any thoughts, all?
  13. Simon
    "Why César Ramirez Needs to Address the Claims of Racism at Brooklyn Fare [updated]" by Hugh Merwin on grubstreet.com I have no idea whether the allegations are true, but I'm not going to take the risk of an inferior meal while paying $300.
  14. Simon
    I've long been dying to judge for myself whether Brooklyn Fare is worthy of 3*, but I won't go because I'm Asian.
  15. Simon
    Sounds like EMP jumped the shark after Danny Meyer sold the restaurant.
  16. Simon
    Any recommendations for what to order from the brunch menu?
  17. Simon
    After several visits over the past few months, I've arrived at the ideal--for me--order: the shio ramen, minus the sprouts, with pork belly and an egg -- and extra noodles halfway through, if I'm feeling especially ambitious. Everything was good at lunch today, but the noodles are the star.
  18. Simon
    My dinner last Saturday at the new Momofuku Ko blew the meal I reported on back in 2011 out of the water. Interestingly, my favorite courses were still the dry-aged duck breast and the shaved foie gras with lychee (the only holdovers from the old menu, though the duck breast was a different preparation). But everything else was at a higher level. There's a clearer Japanese influence to the cooking now, and that brought with it much more refinement and clarity of flavors. It was also a meal that was greater than the sum of its parts. Yes, you can probably get better sashimi, better pressed sushi, better pasta elsewhere, but there was a clear aesthetic sensibility running through the entire meal that was highly persuasive. Note: my meal featured many of the dishes pictured in the Ryan Sutton review linked by cheezepowder: the mille-feuille with trout roe and matcha; razor clams with pineapple dashi; and uni with chickpea hozon puree. Service was warm and expert. Recommended.
  19. Simon
    My 2009 Beaujolais (an unusually cellar-worthy vintage, admittedly) are still going strong and, indeed, could even use some more time.
  20. Simon
    Any advice on where to buy tomato plants in Montgomery Co? Looking for interesting heirloom varieties like Black Krim, Cherokee Purple, etc. Thank you!
  21. Simon
    Were my first two visits to Peter Chang Arlington last month a fevered dream, a hallucination? The glories of those meals had taken on almost mythic proportions in my imagination. After my disappointment on Friday, I wondered whether those heights could ever be reached again "“ whether I had romanticized my first encounter with PC, or whether he really had now had spread himself too thin across his expanding empire. I had to find out, and soon. I also had to make sure the man himself would be in the kitchen. On Sunday afternoon, I called Rockville and was told, yes, PC is in and would be all day. Just to make sure, I phoned Arlington, as well. No, he wasn't in Arlington. It seems they are used to taking these kinds of call. Once we had arrived for dinner in Rockville, we were reassured by the host that the chef was in and maybe he would come out to greet us if he had time. I knew that was never going to happen. I contented myself with a glimpse of what I think was the back of his head through the kitchen window. The first test of the kitchen: the glorious Bamboo Fish that was my first taste of PC last month. On second encounter, it was very good, but just very good. The flavors were spot-on, and the heat subtly and expertly controlled, but the breading was thicker and heavier than I remembered. It lacked that last degree of finesse "“ that almost impossible lightness and delicacy that elevated the dish to the realm of the ethereal. The acid test of the kitchen would have been, of course, to re-order the Dry-Fried Eggplant. We mentioned our issues with the dish on Friday to our server, and she told us that the kitchen had been receiving complaints about over-saltiness and that "they were working on it." I decided to leave it for another time, knowing that disappointment was likely in store once again. The rest of the dishes, all new to me, were all excellent: the Shrimp Dumplings (wonderfully finessed), Peter Chang's Seafood in Stone Pot (with a delicious curry sauce), the Lamb Chops with cumin (thin and disappointingly cooked medium-well, but still tender and complex in flavor), and the Cold Wood-Ear Mushrooms with Thai Chili (a fine, acid-driven accompaniment). How would they have compared to the versions in Arlington, circa last month? Ignorance, perhaps, is bliss. The new Peter Chang in Rockville is a puzzlement. So much of the food, like the shrimp dumplings, is "better than it has to be." Much better. But it doesn't reach for the same heights as Peter Chang at his best "“ at least, as I imagine his cooking in my mind's eye.
  22. Simon
    No, I didn't see PC with my own eyes, and it wouldn't surprise me if it turned out he hadn't been in the kitchen. Tasting the eggplant last night was like seeing shadowy flickers on the cave wall instead of perceiving the real Form. But I'd also say, not just referring to my own experience, that it seems like the early reports from the Rockville location are much more mixed than the early days in Arlington, which was firing on all cylinders when I went there on days 6 and 7. The Rockville kitchen seems like much more a work in progress.
  23. Simon
    A disappointing meal at Peter Chang in Rockville tonight, especially in comparison with the two undeniably great ones I had in his first week in Arlington. In particular, something was going awry with the frying technique in the kitchen tonight. The dry-fried eggplant was limp, soggy, greasy, and way over-seasoned -- a sad, pale comparison to the marvel of technical finesse I enjoyed in Arlington. I complained and sent it back, and asked the waiter if PC was in the house tonight. He was indeed. They re-made it for me, and the second version, while less greasy, was also inedibly salty and still nothing like what I had before. (They did take it off the bill for me.) The cilantro flounder fish rolls, while better, were still greasier that what I had in Arlington, and also darker in color -- as if they had spent a little too long in the fryer, or the oil was too hot. (The eggplant was also much, much darker than what I remembered - and what's pictured on the menu.) The rest of the meal was mixed, with the tofu fish ball in chicken soup being the clear highlight. It's the best non-spicy entree I've had at PC. But the bottom line was, someone eating the food coming out of the kitchen tonight would not understand all the hype surrounding the chef. I wouldn't have believed it myself, if not for the two miraculous meals I had in Arlington last month. Has PC spread himself too thin and is short of the supporting talent needed to stand up yet another location?
  24. Simon
    I've never seen all that fat before and agree, it was too much this time. Still delicious, though.
  25. Simon
    Don, We're looking at 4/21, 4/22, or 4/23. We should have a definite date shortly (and understand time is getting short). I asked my boss again about hotels, and she was somewhat disclined because she didn't want the stereotypical hotel/banquet type food, and the typical restrictiveness of hotel menus options (e.g., making us choose an entree in advance) Yes, we definitely want a separate room. We don't need any equipment, though, except potentially a conference phone for someone to dial in. Simon
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