Kibbee Nayee

Welcome Bud. Looking forward to your participation, suggestions, reviews, insights, commentary, whatever. The more people who contribute their thoughts and experiences, the richer is the experience that is DR....

Second Kellari Taverna. Also, a few blocks down from Farragut West, near 18th on Eye St., is Kaz Sushi Bistro, some of the best and most innovative sushi in the city, and right around the corner on 18th is Taberna del Alabardero, which is as genuinely Spanish as Jaleo.

I'll simply note that Tuscarora is Native American for "hemp gatherer"....

Thanks. I'll try it because I am frequently in that area, but I'm not sure about the "smoked pepper aioli" ...

I'm on a quest for the best of the Washington area Cuban sandwiches. I've had many, most recently last week at Shelly's Back Room, and my quest continues. If this merits a separate thread, then so be it! For now, I'll tag onto the sandwich thread. Last week at Shelly's Back Room, I enjoyed a passable Cuban sandwich with the requisite pork, ham, cheese, pickle, and mustard, on a hot-pressed bun. I would give it roughly a B-, and the accompanying fries featured a lot of potato skin. The Guinness draft that washed it all down was a nice mid-day diversion. In fact, I had a second. Unfortunately, food at Shelly's has to be enjoyed through clouds of cigar smoke, thus diminishing the enjoyment. A few months back, I noticed the Cuban had arrived as a lunch menu item at the very underappreciated Blue Iguana in Fair Lakes. It was an impressive attempt, a good B+, almost Tampa-like. I had tried to make it over to Jackson's Roasting and Carving before it closed, and found out that the Cuban was only offered as a Friday special. I missed it....but heard it was quite good. My favorite all-time in the DC area was a special at Acadiana about a year ago. Reviewing this thread, I saw that Ceiba also offered it as a special last year. Someone needs to whisper in Chef Tunks' ear that it needs its own regular place on the menu. The one at Acadiana was a good B+/A- and I have craved a repeat performance ever since. It could be served in Miami. People have told me about Cuba de Ayer, and it's on my short list, but I get to Maryland infrequently for food forays. I will have to trust a field report and catch it on an occasional Maryland venture. What I'm hoping to beat out of the Board is a no-BS list of must-consume Cuban sandwiches in the DC metro area...

My vote is for the much-missed New Orleans Emporium in Adams Morgan. The restaurant was downstairs, but the upstairs bar was nice. Oyster shooters, Cajun popcorn (batter-fried crawfish tails) and Dixie beer. I miss that place a lot...

By the way, I love your signature link! How else could I find out that "lupDujHomwIj lubuy'moH gharghmey" is Klingon for "My hovercraft is full of eels"...?

I'm in. It's the day after my birthday. Will there be pork products? Will Antonio be frying Twinkies again? Will Jake be pouring libations? Yum....

I'd like to try this, but the same plaza has Sabor Latino and Gamasot, both of which draw me in and fill me up every time I'm in the area. Just curious, but the tempura shrimp being frozen and warmed up in the toaster oven, and the diameter of a Pringles can, are comments not intended to be positive, are they?

I think they call it the Lighthouse Platter, or something like that, and the Happy Hour bargain is not to be missed. It can feed four people and it's about 47 bucks. In order, my favorite parts of the feast are (1) shrimp, (2) oysters, (3) lobster, (4) claws, (5) clams...

Not to chime in needlessly -- I have no knowledge of either one -- but I note that Maestro as well never really found an identity in the past year or so. A friend who is on the Board at the Tower Club told me in the recent past that Tysons is not prime territory for new restaurants right now. The combination of horrific traffic, exacerbated by the maddening construction associated with the express lanes on the Beltway and the impending expansion of the Metro, make Tysons a wasteland for new restaurant ventures. Another part of the problem is the domination of the lunch market by the expense accounts of the IT industry, who tend more towards the chains like The Palm and McCormick and Schmick's. Too bad for Tysons....maybe it's time for a Ray's the (Bar? Rent? Roof? Volume?) in Tysons. Are you there, Michael? I guess I really didn't say it right, but I meant that the Maestro space just a block away from Inox and MBFG never found an identity....even the Gordon Ramsay rumors never materialized.

I believe our fearless Board leader may have expressed such a sentiment... Tell you what, turn some of your exquisite beef into Kibbee Nayee and I'll become a daily regular.

Nice job on the photos. They are now on my Facebook page. You guys were great, Sam and Rima were ecstatic and a good time was had by all....I just polished off some leftovers....!

I think the Post did a good job of capturing the unique contribution he makes to our local food scene, but may have played up the Steak Nazi persona a bit much....

Thanks to all of you hearty souls for braving the elements and enjoying the feast. Sam was very pleased with the event, and I am stuffed to the gills....I am glad to hear that it was enjoyable for you. I'll meet you back there as soon as I can actually buckle my belt again!

Thanks for all the ideas. I will definitely try the one in Laurel, but I probably should have asked if there are any Pennsylvania Dutch restaurants in northern Virginia or the District. By the time I cross the bridge and go all the way to Annapolis or Germantown, I might as well keep going another hour to Lancaster for the genuine commodity.

We are still on! No sign of rain or snow at 4:00pm, and I know the kitchen is working hard to make sure we are all well-fed. If the messy stuff starts later this evening, we should still be in good shape for a nice feast and a safe ride home! Thanks to all and I look forward to seeing you tonight!

One last push...! I told Sam to expect about 20 people, so I wouldn't want to disappoint him with such a modest turnout for what will be an absolute Syrian feast!

Sam and I discussed the menu today, and believe me, it's all-out and all-you-can-eat. Actually, it's probably more than we can eat, but there's always doggie bags! Please bring $50 in cash to make things easier all around. Your $50 gets you all you can eat or drink of all of the following, with tax and tip included: Your appetizer mezze will include hummus with pomegranate, hummus bil flay-flay (red pepper), beet salad, falafal, kibbee (cooked) and tabbouli salad. Lots of each, plus endless pita bread. Your main courses will include lamb-stuffed baby eggplant, Rima's roasted chicken with rice stuffing, grilled kafta and shish tawouk, and Rima's oozi (seasoned rice with lamb in phyllo). And, of course, plenty of kibbee nayee! Desserts will be "selection of the day" and I encourage you to save a teensy bit of room. Beverages? There will be limitless coffee and tea, Middle Eastern style, as much arak as we can all tolerate, and up to six bottles of Lebanese wine (3 white and 3 red). Parking after 6:00 next door in the animal hospital parking lot is not a problem. And if you arrive as late as 7:00pm, I don't think there will be an issue. As Sam explains it, the kitchen will just continue to pour forth all night long, and we'll just be tucking into drinks and appetizers/mezze by about 7:00pm. They close at 10:00pm but in true Syrian style, nobody will get the boot if they're eating and drinking and having fun. I am looking forward to this event....and I'm already thinking about another one....

Let's make it 6:30...!

I'm figuring more like 6:30pm?

OK, here we go! Our dinner will be on Tuesday evening, Feb. 2nd, at Layalina. We are going to keep it at $50 a head, inclusive of tax and tip. It will be an RSVP-type event, so if you haven't already done so, please PM hillvalley so we can track responses. To the extent that our number travels well past 20, we will then have a lottery, or, if Sam and Rima can handle it, a bigger party. We may already be close to 10 if we include organizers and a few others who expressed interest, but please reconfirm and we'll keep a tighter list. Layalina is in the Ballston area, but I wouldn't say it's walking distance from the Metro. It's at 5216 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington. Blink and you'll miss it....there are a scant 3 spaces for parking in front, but the gracious animal hospital next door can hold another 10 or so cars. The menu will feature mostly Syrian dishes, with Rima going almost all-in with her repertoire, including special order items and off-the-menu items. I will finalize the menu with Sam this week, but we have targeted $50 a head, inclusive of tax and tip. There will also be plenty of Kibbee Nayee, which goes without saying. I'll post a more complete menu later in the week.... There will also be Lebanese wine -- Syrian wine is not good, trust me, but the French taught the Lebanese a few lessons in winemaking -- as well as arak. And in true Syrian fashion, save room for sweets. Come celebrate Groundhog Day, Syrian style...!?!? Actually, February 2nd is not a holiday in Syria, but maybe we can come back on March 16th and celebrate Mother's Day (عيد الأم)....! Remember, if you're coming, please RSVP to hillvalley!

Ilaine, you an on! I'd love to try a $20 tour of Brookfield Plaza sometime. Of course, I've done it on my own a few times but I would prefer to assemble a gaggle. Oh, by the way, Kibbee Nayee is a "he"...!

Not to get ahead of myself -- I'll post a more complete report closer to Sunday evening with arrangements and logistics -- but I stopped by today and had lunch with Sam. Let me modify that statement...I stopped by today and allowed Sam to stuff me to the gills. Close to five hours later, I'm still in a Syrian food coma. We settled on the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 2nd, for your planning purposes. More later on menu, cost, RSVP process, etc. Just know that Rima will focus on Syrian specialties, including off-menu and order-ahead...and Kibbee Nayee will be there in person and on the plates...!

Your consolation is that Four Sisters is only half a block away!