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lion

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Everything posted by lion

  1. Great to see you on DR, I've enjoyed your blog for many years. Your photographs and La Tartine Gourmande's have been some of the most exquisite food photographs taken over the past few years. As for the topic at hand, I think photographs taken tastefully are not a problem. However these kind of rules are usually written for people who need them and unfortunately they punish everyone uniformly.
  2. Mistakenly, I was able to peak in last weekend, the front door was open, as they were training the wait staff. The interior looks great and the all day menu looks good. They have duck fat fries so interested in tasting them.
  3. Thanks! I didn't know about Hinata. Will check it out soon, since I'm in the mood to cook some fried fish with Japanese rice flour.
  4. Naniwa in Mclean is also gone, apparently it closed a few months and the owners 'retired'. Other than the new place on U Street, Hana Japanese Market, the Washington DC metro area has lost its Japanese grocery stores. While Super H Mart and other Korean or Chinese super grocery stores have Japanese products usually they are lacking higher quality ones.
  5. I stopped by a few weeks ago and throughly enjoyed the pizza. It had been a few years since my last trip, but it still is really good pizza and one of the best 'local' pizza styles in the US. Does anyone know the size increase of the new restaurant?
  6. I've read that emission laws prohibit coal burning restaurants and that pizza places that still do it have been grandfathered in. Is this true or even a law for every state? Not sure.
  7. The sweet potato fries were good. Just like I imagined them with root beer and burger. Thanks!
  8. Visited it last month and overall the experience was decent. The Pollo Arrosto was very tender, but the Rigantoni Salsiccia e Ricotta was a bit lacking. The restaurant itself was extremely loud on a Friday night, so if you want to have a conversation, it's not the place to go. Antico Forno was a second choice since our intended restaurant in the North End was closed for a private party. If you go, cab it to the North End and visit Mike's Pastries or Modern Pastry after dinner. Another option closer to the convention center if you're willing to go up a bit in price is Sorellina's. A local friend recommended it, but there wasn't a chance to get to it during the visit.
  9. Finally completed my tour of the three oldest NYC Steakhouses, Keens 1885 Old Homestead 1868 Peter Luger 1887 Had the porterhouse at all three, medium rare. Keens had the best atmosphere, it felt and looked like how a +100 year old steakhouse should. One of my friends said we wanted Peter Lugar to look like this instead of the non steakhouse like feeling it exhibited which was off putting. Surprisingly felt the porterhouse at Old Homestead was the best.
  10. French Fries are hard to do. Palena does them pretty damn good especially with the fresh ketchup. Actually they were so good, I didn't mind spending $120 for basically a two burger with fries dinner plus wine. As previously stated in this thread, I've wanted Ray's to have Sweet potatoes fries for a long time. However, an owner and chef must make decisions in terms of man power and financial considerations. That doesn't always jive with what the top 10% of customers may want. I think Mr.Landrum's success comes from giving people more value for their money than they expect. Personally, I may dine at Palena annually, but the trips to Ray's are much more frequent and at his prices $30, it's a bargain when the experiences are comparable. I would ask that Mr. Landrum keep in mind a few items for inspiration: -Sweet potatoes fries or even in the mashed form can be seasonal! -If you're in Philadelphia, hit Grace Tavern and try the fries and blackened Green Beans. Monk Cafe's famous bourbon mayonnaise for the french fries and the remoulade sauce for the blacken green beans are both incredible dippings sauces. Some sauce like that can really elevate french fries.
  11. Ten Tables was a very enjoyable recent meal in Cambridge.
  12. Joe, thanks for the update about Ledo's moving from the original location. Haven't been there in a few years, but now will definitely make a trip soon. Since my original review of Flippin' when I ordered an entire pie, haven't been back. Best pizza in DC? Nah.
  13. Good mangoes are going to be hard to find at this point in the season, here in the US.
  14. It seems crazy to recommend going to a pizza place for cheesesteaks, Lorenzo's is that good. Only problem is they close after lunch on Sundays. Lorenzo Pizza 900 Christian Street Philadelphia, PA 215-922-2540
  15. I ate there before a dance performance nearby. While the decor was interesting and beer decent, the sushi was not sushi grade quality. At the time, my remark was the place would be great if they just made it a yaki-tori place like the ones at St. Mark Place in NYC. Owners of Sticky Rice please visit yakitoritaisho.com
  16. Last summer I use to go Sundays ~4pm and there was barely any wait to order. I've had a craving for a Hell-burger the past month, but last week went to Palena to avoid the lines. I'm guessing lunchtime until closing it's slammed now. Anyone visited post-POTUS, when the line isn't out the door? Is there a window of opportunity, a magic time to visit?
  17. Great, now everyone will be going there! Lines out the door! The owner will get a swelled head! Congratulations Michael.
  18. I stopped reading Tom Sietsema's reviews years ago, though there was a brief period of time after his predecessor left, when his online chats were interesting to me. For the record, I have no beef with Tom nor do I know him in any way other than a reader of his reviews and chats back in those days, but in my opinion, he's just never been a good fit for me as the de facto reviewer, via the WP, of the metro area. And I'll be the first to admit, perhaps I judged him to harshly as I still miss Phyllis Richman's finesse. Now, I appreciate various posters at Don Rockwell, Chowhound, and even places like yelp.com to get a full range of culinary reviews on a restaurant. Of course, some are experts and others are just regular people who enjoy eating a good meal, yet in the diversity of opinion, you can get a sense if quality arises. To this degree, the reviews about Inox have all substantiated a high level of food, service and more importantly, foundation for the future. The pieces all seem to be there for good success. At the end of the day, I'm a big believer in word of mouth. So, even though, I have not visited Inox, personally have mentioned it as the place to check out in Tysons Corner to at least five different people. Soon, one of my friends or I will have a review that I trust.
  19. The crust is average. The toppings mildly better. Did like the old school small circle pepperoni. However, it's over priced. Church Pizza is much better. And American Flatbread is the best of the lot.
  20. Every President seems to have a DC area favorite restaurant. Does anyone know President Elect Obama's? Or perhaps we could speculate what it might end up being?
  21. I didn't really like New Tayyab, that much. The tandoori meat was kind of dry when it should have been moister. Also, the masala was bland and not complex at all. Actually Bombay Bistro in Fairfax does a better job! There are so many curry places in London, don't think it was worth the trip to East London. However, it was a kick to come out of the Churchgate tube stop and feel like you were walking thru India with hawkers selling the latest cheap copy of a Bollywood film.
  22. I liked the Fish and chips at the Golden Hind. Golden Hind, 73 Marylebone Lane, W1U 2PN (020 7486 3644) Bond St tube.
  23. Still great! Though missing the corn on the cob from the summer. A little baked sweet potato on the side during the winter months would be great...?
  24. Yes I would like high quality meats as well in some of the smaller markets! And it would even be nice if we could get raw milk from reputable farms. On my trip to Borough Market in South London, was particularly fond of the Spanish meats from Brindisa. They even sold these great sandwiches- the line was around the block! Had to buy one for then and one for later. Since we're on the middle of the East Coast we have a hugh latitude of food that can be driven to us within a day. I think it's a shame we don't have a major culinary landmark in DC to facilitate this kind of commerce. Hopefully some place like Eastern Market when it gets renovated will be able to support the community better in this regard.
  25. Hi Rachael, Thanks for answering my previous question. In the past year, I visited both San Francisco and London and was struck by the food markets in both of those world class cities. It was a pleasure to cook with such fine and fresh ingredients. As a chef, what do you think is missing from DC that could elevate it to the next level?
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