Bart

Has anyone been here in the last four years?  Have feelings changed or stayed the same?
 

My sushi loving daughter wants to go here for her birthday and I’m not sure if I should just say yes, or try to steer her to a better, and more local place. 

Anyone been here recently or have any intel?  I'm going tomorrow night and the food in this thread (from 5 and 6 years ago!) looks much more interesting than the current menu.

I finally have HBO again and just burned through Hacks which was great and fun and fairly light.  I also watched Mare Of Easttown which is also great, but dark and intense.

Both are well worth your time.

I had a wonderful and weird* meal here last night.  There were lots of interesting combinations of flavors and lots of interesting menu items such as:  Beef tongue and spicy jellyfish; Tripe; and Foie gras and chicken shumai.  All the dishes were super flavorful and lots had a really great smoky component, but one of the favorites was the Lo Sui Duck Drumette.  It was basically a duck "chicken wing" and the meat was incredibly and impossibly tender.  A total winner.  

We ordered nearly the entire menu and everything was really great.

I don't have Eric's experience or frame of reference (upper post) as far as authenticity or fusion goes, but I really enjoyed the meal much more than many recent meals at Asian and non-Asian places including Makan next door and the Duck and Peach at Eastern Market.

* weird = interesting, different, surprising, etc.  Weird is a good thing!

Here's shot of the menu.  I understand that it's constantly changing with the exception of the Diakon Fritters which is a menu staple.

On 8/4/2020 at 11:05 AM, KeithA said:

Anyone else have good recipes to share?

You're way ahead of this basic recipe, but I've been making pickles based on this video:

I don't use pickling spice and I stopped adding crushed red pepper flakes and just use slivers of fresh hot peppers instead.  They add great color and are easy to insert between the pickles.  The upside (or downside) is each jar ends up with a slightly different amount of heat.  But I get raves about this simple recipe.

Building on Don's comments above, I'll advise you to avoid damn near everything on the Haikan meun except the Ramen.  That's probably not shocking for a Ramen joint but I wasn't up for a giant bowl of Ramen so I ordered some apps off the menu that went from meh (the smashed cucumbers - - I make a much better version at home and A&J makes an infinitely better version) to inedible (the calamari - - it looked and tasted like unseasoned deep fried rubber bands and I left 90% of it on the plate).  The one saving grace was from the Specials menu - - the seared salmon.  It was perfectly cooked and seasoned.

It was only after I ordered and ate/didn't eat the apps that I noticed they had half portions of Ramen on the menu.  D'oh!  That's what I was looking for the whole time!  I ended up ordering a bowl and it was very good.

Summary:  Order Ramen at a Ramen place.     

Has anyone been here recently?  I just checked their website and I'm perplexed by many things. 

First:  The regular menu has been replaced by the "choose your adventure" menu.  This menu has no prices and the "adventure" is that each person gets to pick two items on the list.  I suppose this is nice for a group, but what do you do if you're a single diner who wants three items or a couple who wants five?  I'm sure they have a solution for that, but why leave us guessing?!?!

Not only are there no prices for individual items, but there is no price for the "choose your adventure" meal which appears to be the only way to dine there now.  Again, why the mystery here?  

Second:  I was looking into to making a reservation there for three people but they don't allow it!!!  You can make a reservation for one, two, four, five or six but not three.  Wut?

Third:  In trying and failing to make a reservation for three on their Tock page, I found the price for the Choose Your Adventure meal.  It's 75 bucks!!  Before drinks, tax and tip!!  (as far as I could tell).   That's 100 bucks with just tax and tip!  Probably closer to $150 if you get a drink or two.  

I long for the days when they advertised as being a neighborhood place where you could come in everyday (their words IIRC) and get a meal.

Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky but close to $150 per person for a meal seems a lot closer to a special occasion place than neighborhood joint to grab a quick bite.

Before the pandemic, they used to have Kibbee Naya on the menu at Zaytinya, but they have a reduced menu nowadays.  I always ordered it even though I think it was better way back when Mike Isabella was running the kitchen there.

This quote on Bibiana from Rapphannock News seems unnecessary.  😂

After six years in Hong Kong, the Addeos moved to Washington, D.C. where Mr. Addeo headed up the kitchens of the since-shittered Osteria Bibiana Enoteca,

I think I saw them come in!  I was in at 6 and walking out at 9.  I like eating early and commented in surprise that people were actually starting their meal at 9!  I realize that's fairly normal to eat that late, but I'm thinking about a couch or bed at that advanced hour!  😂

We were probably very close to each other.  I was in a both in the main room, but took the shortcut through the bar area on the way out so I missed you.

21 hours ago, eatruneat said:

Celebrated three years of marriage with @MichaelBDClast night with another fantastic dinner at Kinship.  

Wait!  What night were you there?!?!?   I was there Wednesday and had a lot of the same dishes.  Also congrats on three years!!

I was going to post something on my own about the service.  I've been reading in Tom's chat and other places about poor service, slow service, and many screw ups due to the pandemic and labor shortages, but the service at Kinship remains as it ever was - top notch!

We also got the sweetbreads and the red fish, both of which were absurdly soft and tender and only required a tongue to "chew" them!  The roast chicken remains amazing, but they no longer present it table side before carving it.

The duck and sweetbreads are pictured below

I thought Tom's answer was fine.  He wasn't aware that the owner went on Yelp and TripAdvisor and created a shit storm directed at anyone who said anything that wasn't a glowing rave about the place.  

If you're looking for some entertainment(?) scroll through some of the Yelp reviews and the owner's responses.  They are beyond bizarre.

Any chance we can squeeze this in before the next inevitable lock down?

Dean - I'm looking to you as the guide and MC!  😁

22 hours ago, dracisk said:

Also, does anyone know about how long we should expect the ANC service to last?

They are pretty short.  It's a very efficient and well oiled machine they have there.  Approx 40 mins from getting out of the car to getting back in the car.  I think we spent more time waiting at the visitors center/reception building than we did on the ceremony.  After the ceremony, you can linger at the grave as long as you like, but for my father's interment there was no gravestone in place yet so you're just standing on a lawn.

I'm a big fan of Cranes and their Omakase meal.  It was the last place I ate before the pandemic and the the first place I ate at (during and) after the pandemic. 

I was looking up and down for a fun and interesting place to take my daughter for a celebratory post graduation meal and I kept coming back to this place.  To me it hit the sweet spot between great and interesting (and beautiful) food at a reasonable price point.  Plus it's actually open, unlike P&P, Komi, minibar etc, (and all of those places cost significantly more than Cranes and would have been off the list for that reason).

Don't know where your friends are coming from, but how many places have a high end mash up of Spanish and Japanese?!?!?  I love the crazy and wonderful options we have in this town!!!

Ben Franklin quote from 1789 amended for 2021:

"But in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes, and that Donald Trump will eventually turn on you."

🤣

FYI- This place is still open.  They are mostly doing carry out, but have 4 or 5 tables on the main level for in-person dining.  I had to ask for the extra one-page menu to get the congee selections and other "weird" items like pig skin and turnips, pig's knuckle, and marinated pig's intestine.

I want to eat with you two!!!  😂

I was at that game!  
One of my friends had a quarter season tickets and managed to score 2 seats for this game. They were standing room only, and we arrived two or three(?) hours before they opened the gates to make sure we got a good spot.  Tragically, the Nats lost their final home but it ended up being one of my best nights in the park.  We got to boo Donald J Treason, straight to his orange face, and chant “Lock Him Up!“

8 hours ago, Keithstg said:

Ha ha ha - I'll have a drink with you anytime. Heck, I'll even buy 🤣.

Not of much help re: Linden dining scene, but Roma in Stephens City punches above it's weight, as does Regions 117.

It's a date!! 

Have you been to The Buttery in Millwood?  I was at an art show at the grist mill a few weeks ago and came upon that place and it looked pretty cool.  Three courses for fifty bucks!!  😂  There's also cool and related store next door called the Locke Store that sells wine and craft/artisan type food.  Some is prepared food and breads.  Some is from little artisanal suppliers.

6 hours ago, zgast said:

So jealous. I’ve almost pulled the trigger on land on Fiery Run Rd about three times. 
 

Make it happen!!!  We can get part time jobs bringing in the harvest at Linden Vineyards!  

If you're ever out there scoping out real estate, let me know!  I'll load you down with fresh produce from the garden.........I'll just need a half hour of weeding in return!  😁

2 hours ago, Keithstg said:

Upperville is going on this week - happy to meet for a drink if anyone from Dr will be out for the show (well, almost anyone).

 

I suspect this is about me.  😬  That's unfortunate as I just relocated to Linden and am looking for new, local adventures!!  😂

Thanks to Katelin for the 2019 updates!  Has anyone been here or Taos more recently? (he asks knowing the voided year of 2020 happened in the interim 😉  )

Great photos as usual Eric!  Are you just using your phone?  Do you tweak them with some app after the fact?

Don -

   You missed this little nugget.  $995 per person and if that wasn't ridiculous enough they add insult to injury by tacking on an ultra tacky $5 "fee".  

Also, this........😂

PS - I'm a fan of the chef and love Bresca, but what did Maya Anjelou say......."When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."   😂

16 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

 

The service and food were fantastic.  I'm just not sure I really buy into the pricing of high end sushi.

 

Can you expand on this Eric?  What do you mean?  Are you saying that high end sushi is expensive, but it shouldn't be that expensive?  In other words if the piece of tuna on your plate cost $10 to buy, prepare and serve, they will charge you $20 for it?