lion

I liked the Fish and chips at the Golden Hind.

Golden Hind, 73 Marylebone Lane, W1U 2PN (020 7486 3644) Bond St tube.

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...?

Hi Lion,

When I was living in California I was very spoiled from the amount of amazing produce that was available, and how easy it was to obtain. It took awhile for me to get used to the crazy weather patterns here that would wash out a field of crops and leave us with little to choose from.

The markets here get better every year, which is great. It would be neat if some of the smaller markets moved away from so much produce and maybe a local fish or butcher shop would join in. I know at the Dupont market you can get a lot of cheeses and meats as well, but some of the smaller markets could add something like that to strike a bit more interest. I think everyone just thinks of markets as having flowers and produce. That’s one of the great things about the San Francisco market, for example, they offer a lot more.

Rachael

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.

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?

This has to be the best place for eating every single part of a chicken in the US!

but i don't get all the hype.

To be clear this is undoubtedly the best place to eat chicken hearts, knees, necks, tails etc. All of which (except may the soft bone) taste like the grill they are cooked on.

My orders were grilled nicely, actually thinking about it now in the middle of the night, my mouth is watering in hunger! The texture and tastes were so good.

I'm confused, what do you mean?

Usually, Sapporo Draft beer from Japan comes in a can.

Totto has Sapporo on tap, which was very surprising to me, since never had that here in the US. Actually had three Sapporo during dinner which were very good, probably could have three more, but that was just the beginning of a karaoke night.

Go to Makoto and sit at the bar. You can get fantastic yakitori there.

Unfortunately, Makoto, a personal DC favorite, can't compete with Yakitori Totto or even it's downtown, downstairs, divebar, younger brother, Yakitori Taisho.

Totto is definitely the upscale version of a Yakitori place and since Sapporo Draft is real draft, a great evening was had on a recent trip to NYC.

By the way, if anyone goes around the block from Yakitori Taisho to buy sake at Sakaya, please give a review of the place!

Hi Rachel,

My favorite cooking utensil is a stainless steel grater. It's perfect for producing french fry style ginger root that is used in a regularly made dish and it's always missed when cooking in someone else's kitchen. Definitely extra work to get the right consistency.

What is your favorite cooking utensil?

I think Passionfish suffers the same fate as some of the other so called dining destinations at the Reston Town Center.

Economy, location, and it's featured menu is mainly just seafood.

Meat eating expense accounts will still go to Morton's for the nice bottle of Cab and a steak.

Working class singles will hang out in the Town Center, Jackson's, Clyde's, people seeking ethnic will venture into Il Fornaio, for a casual meal

or a real Italian regional fare. With a nice wine list available for the foodies. Or a jaunt to Mon Ami Gabi will entice them.

Places like Passion Fish will be a word of mouth type of venue, the rave reviews will be the force that drives business there.

I seem to think the summer brings out the seafood lover in even the casual diner, so they will see an up tick in business by then.

I ate there right before they opened and I was moderately impressed but certainly not dazzled. My shrimp with grits was spot on, but the Peruvian ceviche was not

the ceviche I ate in Lima. Popcorn in place of hot peppers is a poor interpretation. I think Hook in Georgetown is more of a real seafood place.

They stick to what they do best, and don't try everything from ragin cajun to New England Lobster rolls that are more expensive than any Lobster you'll find in Maine.

Service was not what I consider spot on but passable. The sushi is good but expensive. Hostess was not very personable and the server had to be prompted for drinks and utensils.

But I will chalk that up to opening jitters. I feel like a lot of the menu was a throw back to Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen and a Zagats tour of popular seafood recipe's re hashed by Tunks. I would like to see more creativity from a chef with such a good reputation. But leave the popcorn out of the ceviche... Good Luck.

I would point out the comparable restaurant you mention, Hook, is in DC, not VA.

One example with Passion fish that I particularity liked was the gumbo soup. There was a complexity in terms of spices, rice and seafood ingredients that I enjoyed very much.

It's one of the best restaurants in VA.

This IS the best restaurant in Western Fairfax county but, as Don noted, may be paying something of a price for being a block past the Jackson's/Uncle Julio's intersection.

Looking forward to trying it.

Exciting! Good luck Chef!

Grace Tavern is a good brewpub. Incredible sauces for simple things like fries and blacken green beans.

La Colombe Torrefaction for coffee off Rittenhouse Square. Worth the trip.

The last meal I had at Tachibana was a joke. They brought out some sort of salmon that was pale pink in color and said it was from a different part of the fish, nothing I had seen in 25 years of eating sushi. They brought out an order of yellow tail belly and it looked like it was cut in half. I dont know what the problem was that night, but in conjunction can someone please explain to me why their spicy tuna is brown??? I will not be back to my one of my old favorites for a long long time. When I told the older manager lady, she was pretty much indifferent as well.

I've been going to Tachibana in it's present location for over 12 years. There are a few problems at Tachibana such as too large portions, rice sometimes not being the right blend and most definitely toro being sold when it should be classified as maguro. Still, there are problems much more symptomatic of Japanese cuisine being adapted to the American tastebuds and size portions.

However, hands down, it's had the most consistent high quality salmon in the DC metro area. Actually the last time I was there less than a month ago, I complimented the sushi chef for that very thing.

Trying to emphazie simple point, I feel sushi in this city is overrated for the most part.

Have to agree. Most sushi places in the DC metro are sub-par for a city of it's size and international nature.

Personally, my favorites are Makoto and Tachibana. Sushi-ko and Kaz Sushi Bistro used to be included in this list, however the fusion element once unique and special in 1990s Japanese sushi restaurants, have gone over the top.

Most frequently, these days fusion elements in sushi are used to cover up lack of quality fish.

As for more local smaller venues, I would recommend checking out Sushi Yoshi in Vienna VA. A small restaurant with about 6 spaces at the bar and 30 spaces at tables in the dining room. It's a charming little sushi restaurant.

Actually, Bazin's, Church Street Pizza and Sushi Yoshi inhibit Church Street quite nicely. Additionally, if you're interested in visiting an incredibly charming toy store, Once upon a Time, is there as well.

I wonder how much restaurant business is down in the past month.

Being involved in some social activities in DC, seen a quick rapid drop, in people attending events.

I've been there three times now and it's only missing one thing...toothpicks.

Corn always gets stuck in my teeth.

Burger. Medium-rare, Amish Cheddar and Mayo. +1 Rootbeer.

Just plain good. Right out of the block, one of the best in DC.

I've been to all three of his places and each time great experiences. His places always make me feel like I'm getting great value with zero marketing/hype for the price. You would think others understand that simple idea. Work, improve and offer good value for the money. Hopefully more restauranteurs will follow his excellent example in their specialties and raise the quality of DC dining overall.

Church Street Pizzeria

115 Church Street

Vienna, VA 22180

(703) 938-1155

Hours:

Monday-Thursday 11am-9pm

Friday 11am-10pm

Saturday 11am-9pm

Sunday 12pm-8pm

Slice Price $1.75

Toppings $0.35/each

16' Pies $10.25

Toppings $40/each

Extra cheese $1.75

Pretty damn good. Much better than I expected. Had one slice just to test it out, had to have another one because the first one was sooo good.

Definitely one of the best New York style 'by the slice' places in the DC metro area, if not the best. It's nothing artistic, but it's a really good slice.

For anyone who feels that New Haven and perhaps Trenton are the closest outposts for great tomato pie I would direct you to Crystal City and Bebo. I strongly urge you to start with these two pies. Again, for myself, it is not just that Bebo is serving pizza better than Two Amy's, Comet or even American Flatbread (especially the one in Burlington). I continue to emphatically believe that he is in league with any pizzaria in the world.

Thank you, Roberto!

Hi Don Rockwell people!

Been reading for a long time, but de-lurked because couldn't resist talking about pizza and truly sorry to have missed the pizza tasting at Bebo's. I am a big fan of Roberto Donna and have enjoyed Laboratorio and Bebo meals many times. However we're talking about pizza- which is a serious topic!

Bebo's pizza is easily in the top five pizza places in DC and on any given night, the rankings could switch amongst themselves.

However, comparing Bebo's to Pepe's & Sally's isn't fair to either. It's like comparing apples and oranges. They've been making pizza for over 70 years and it's shows, other places just simply can't compete. Remember in many ways, they helped create and define American style pizza.

Bebo's pizza clearly is good. However like any rookie pitcher pulled up to the major league, sometimes the ball doesn't make it over the plate. Give it time, a few years to settle in before comparing it to those other legendary places.

In pizza, it's got to be good no matter who is manning the oven, what night of the week it is, or who you know, i.e...consistency.

Cheers!