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schulju

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Everything posted by schulju

  1. schulju
    Thanks for the recommendations. William Jeffrey's is one of the places we thought about as well.
  2. schulju
    Sorry I wasn't clear, the funeral is at Arlington Nat'l Cemetery. It's December 1st. (current backlog on funerals is 7 months)
  3. schulju
    I was really bowled over by my first visit to Komi last night. I was enjoying myself too much to take copious notes on the procession of dishes, but the mains were suckling goat and suckling pig and the three of us were arguing over which was better. Both were amazing. When I made our reservation they asked for any food aversions/allergies and if it was a special occasion. I mentioned that one of our party was having a birthday and that his favorite thing is oysters. While I don't know if they were served at any other table last night, I can tell you that we were served oysters and our waiter indicated that they had been flown in as a special treat for the birthday boy! All of the wait staff as well as our sommelier (Basheer) were warm, gracious and attentive. As I was driving, they were more than happy to accommodate me with a partial pairing. When our waiter noticed that I pushed one wine to a companion as it wasn't to my liking, it was immediately replaced with another choice. Unlike any other pairing I've ever seen, glasses were kept filled until it was time for the next round. Is it expensive? Yes. Is it a good value? Hell Yes!
  4. schulju
    Any recommendations for a gathering of 20 or so people around 4pm on a weekday? We're probably just looking for drinks and finger food rather than a full dinner. Since it's a somber day, would prefer a restaurant over a bar. Doesn't need to be a private room, but would be nice if we had a separate area. I expect Virginia is easier than going into town since we'll have a number of cars that need to caravan from the cemetery. Thanks for your help!
  5. schulju
    Nice article on CMG on The Motley Fool Congrats Brett and team!
  6. schulju
    Admittedly, my favorite thing about 17th Street is the company as a dear friend lives there, but a recent visit to Floriana (my first) was wonderful. We stuck to the appetizer section of the menu and ordered several to share, the squid ink gnocchi was one of the better dishes I've had this year. The arancini were also excellent. The calamari was a bit off, for some reason. Not bad, just an odd taste that wasn't to my liking. We also ordered the roasted cauliflower, though I'm not sure why as neither of us really like cauliflower. If you are a fan, you'd probably really like this dish.
  7. schulju
    My third Restaurant Week foray took me to Central. (Yes team, that's three RW meals in two days (with one more on tap for tonight)...I will need to fast for a week after this!) Unlike Monday night's experience at Ruth's Chris, Central was definitely not phoning it in. This was my first visit to the restaurant that I'd wanted to go to for a long time, but it will not be my last. (And isn't THAT the point of RW??) Even the biggest eater would not have walked away hungry from Central's promotional menu. The servings were huge, the service impeccable, and the quality of the product was very high. Their menu is on-line and it includes their iconic fried chicken and the chocolate bar dessert, both of which I enjoyed immensely but could not finish. As an appetizer I chose a frisee salad with lardon and poached egg. It was generously sized and excellent. I prefer my egg white to be a bit more cooked, but that's a small quibble. Where other restaurants are starting to charge for bread, they brought a complimentary loaf of hot french bread to the table (and refilled it when we demolished it). The bread was excellent! So simple, but so good. I looked at the regular menu and determined by dinner would have been $50 had it not been for the promotion. At full price I would have felt that I had received a great value and been very pleased. At the promotional price, the value is amazing. I highly recommend Central as a great RW option.
  8. schulju
    Second Restaurant Week foray was dinner Monday night at Ruth's Chris in Bethesda. Their website indicates they have complimentary valet parking, but I didn't see anyone in front of the restaurant when I drove up and blocked traffic for a few moments on Wisconsin. A call to the hostess stand informed me that the valet are on a side street (quite a ways down) that requires one to go past the restaurant and double back through a neighborhood to get to. I'm sure they field those calls regularly, and I was a put off by how snippy the hostess was with me on the phone. The service was classic RC. Which I always find a bit overbearing. Our server spent a lot of time trying to up-sell us to items that were either not part of the Restaurant Week promotion or carried an additional charge. As it was, we did order a side of their lobster mac & cheese (not a very large side, and it was $17!). I was glad I had ordered it though, if I hadn't, my husband would have left the restaurant hungry. Their promotion includes a choice of either a Cesar or tossed salad, one of three entree options and ice cream or sorbet for dessert. While the entree's were typical of their menu, I felt they didn't really try to do anything special with either their appetizers or desserts. I ordered the mixed grill which came with a small crabcake, chicken breast and a very small piece of filet (4oz, pre-cooked weight). My husband ordered the 6 oz filet, and I gave him my 4 oz portion. We both ordered our steaks medium, but mine came closer to well done. The entrees included a small side item, but the choices were limited to garlic mashed potatoes (almost no garlic flavor), spinach or sauteed mushrooms. We each ordered chocolate ice cream for dessert and it was literally just ice cream in a glass dish with a mint sprig on top. I think RC was really just phoning it in for Restaurant Week. Since I don't eat beef, it's not generally a place we go, but I thought it would be a nice treat for my husband during Restaurant Week. Next time we'll choose a restaurant that is more enthusiastic about participating in the promotion.
  9. schulju
    Passionfish was the first of my Summer Restaurant Week reservations. I went with three co-workers for lunch on Monday. For $20.14 you could choose one of 11 appetizers (10 on their on-line menu and one special of the day) any lunch entree off their menu and one of three desserts. All three of us chose the crab cake sandwich entree. Mine had a bit of shell in it, but the flavor was very good. The fries served along side were excellent. I had a terrific beet salad for my appetizer and a caramel creme brulee for desert. Overall a terrific value for the price. Service was great, we didn't feel pushed to items that carried an "up" charge (of which the lobster roll was the only entree, it carried a $10 charge). A solid restaurant week effort on their part. Like Kibbee Nayee above, I do feel this is the best option at RTC.
  10. schulju
    Brunch Sunday at OAI was my first visit since the BBQ that Nick held for us in the beer garden and marked the first visit for my friend. We lucked out and the rain held off on Sunday so we had a lovely table on the front patio next to the fountain. The brunch menu includes two courses for $28. Both my companion and I chose the berry salad and the french toast. The salad was beautifully composed with a mix of greens, roasted beets, berries, peaches, pecans and a couple of pieces of St. Andre drizzled with honey. It really did taste like summer! The french toast was a very large serving served with warm maple syrup, two slices of bacon and a pile of fresh fruit. Service was attentive and it was a truly and enjoyable brunch. OAI has always had a great setting, now they finally have a kitchen that can produce food worthy of it!
  11. schulju
    If the folks at Sugo decide to ditch the bottomless brunch, you can blame our group for it. I'm sure our table bit into any profit the $30 bottomless deal brings in, as we ordered a ridiculous amount of food this past Sunday. Between the four of us we probably ordered at least one of everything on the menu. The chicken & waffle, french toast and carbonara were all excellent. I didn't partake of the breakfast pizza, but by way of warning, know that it is a full-sized pizza and plan accordingly. Honestly, I think the only dish anyone had a quibble with was a lack of seasoning on the steak accompanying the steak & egg. Service continues to be a weak point, and the timing of some of the dishes was strange. For example, we ordered 3 french toast plates all at the same time. Two came out together and the third came out 15 minutes later. Similarly, the breakfast pizza was ordered early in our meal, and later we actually forgot about it. It showed up about 40 minutes later just as we were throwing in the towel. They boxed it for my friend to take home. Still, the food is pretty great and the value is unbeatable. Make sure you schedule your visit for a day when you don't have anything else you need to get done. Food comas are a valid concern!
  12. schulju
    "Taylor pork roll sandwiches"....music to my ears!!
  13. schulju
    I've been to the Coal Fire in Gaithersburg (Kentlands) several times. It was better when it first opened, both the service and the quality have gone a bit downhill since then. The pizza is okay, sometimes a bit too charred for my taste. My favorite thing when the first opened was the Coal Fire salad. Unfortunately, the quality of ingredients, especially the "house made" mozzarella (which they use to add for free and now charge for) has really gone down hill. I haven't had their calamari in a while, but I recall it was very good the last time I tried it.
  14. schulju
    Good luck Seb! Make sure the folks over at Foodtruckfiesta.com are acquainted with your truck. Many food truck fans use their web site and email blast to find out which truck is where in the area.
  15. schulju
    Hubby has stopped in twice on the way back from skiing. The first time he had corned beef and thought it was pretty good. The second time there was no corned beef and he had brisket. The brisket was bad enough that I don't think he'll be stopping by again.
  16. schulju
    Brunch at Ris on Sunday marked a first visit for me. A group of four of us enjoyed great food and excellent service at around $55 per person tax and tip included. Given we were all had entrees, shared a large cookie plate and had a couple cocktails a piece, I think that's a great value for the neighborhood. 2 burgers and fries and 2 Benedicts. I went the traditional route with ham, while Hubby went with the Maryland style that included crab and a super yummy onion potato cake. (Yes, for those paying attention that was back-to-back Benedicts..Ris won.) A side of asparagus was quite large and really tasty too. Wish the outdoor seats offered a bit more comfort, but that's the only negative of an otherwise great visit. Would like to get back to explore the dinner menu.
  17. schulju
    First visit to Black's this Saturday. We had been in Bethesda for a few hours buying a car, and so by the time we got around to eating it was 3pm. Granted a weird time to go into a restaurant, and perhaps that's why our experience was, well, weird. The room is pretty much split with the bar are to the left and the more traditional dining area to the right. The space is pretty, but starting to show some wear and tear. The bar area was fairly full, but there was no one in the dining room. We were offered a booth in the bar and told to seat ourselves; just to find out that there actually weren't any booths available and we had to go back to have the hostess seat us in the dining room. This meant we had a server all to ourselves. She was very sweet, but overly attentive. We couldn't utter two complete sentences to each other the entire time without being interrupted by her. If our glasses are empty and we are still waiting to be served our entrees, we likely want refills...(water and ice tea...not alcohol), so do you really need to interrupt a conversation where we're both head's down over a document to ask, twice? Hubby ordered the mussels, which he thought were good, but not great. The one I had was a bit gritty. Similarly, the broth was okay, but seemed under seasoned to me. The bread served with the mussels was a portion of a baguette. I like to dip bread in the broth when he gets mussels, but both the broth and the bread were ~meh~. I ordered the buttermilk waffles and these were very good. They were crispy and airy, served with strawberries and blackberries, sweetened butter and warm syrup. A perfect brunch plate. Hubby had the eggs Benedict served with braised pork belly. He thought they were okay, but said he would have preferred Canadian bacon. Overall a B rating. Not bad, but I'm not in any hurry to return.
  18. schulju
    Oh Rasika, how I love thee. What can you say about a restaurant that never disappoints...that combines gracious service with consistently exquisitely executed cuisine...that never fails to find a seat for a frequent customer who "pops" in without reservations...and that allows locals to believe that DC, not NY, not SF, not LA is the epicenter of refined restaurant culture? Go Eat Believe
  19. schulju
    I think Old Anglers owns the "oldest" title as the Inn dates back to 1860 although the current ownership purchased the Inn in 1957. How many closed restaurants on this board have more posts AFTER they closed than they had before?
  20. schulju
    A hearty thanks to Chef Nick Palermo and the team at OAI for a great time last night! We were treated to some of the best ribs I've ever tasted as well as super tender pulled pork, pit beef, burgers & dogs and some truly awesome fried chicken along with an assortment of sides. I'm still full this morning! The smoker is onsite and the proteins we were served (other than the fried chicken) are available in the Beer Garden every Friday-Sunday. The setting is so green and peaceful, a great place to hang out when the weather is nice. Hubby and I will be taking advantage of it again soon, I'm sure. Thanks also to everyone who came out. I got to see some familiar faces and meet a few new ones. I always enjoy the company of this community online, and even more so when I can meet you in person.
  21. schulju
    The restaurant purchased a special license from the County to allow people to BYOB if they so choose. Of course, with a full bar, you can also purchase anything you'd like from the restaurant. Looking forward to seeing you all tonight. I will likely be there early since I'll be coming from my office. Look for me in the bar if you don't see me in the Beer Garden!
  22. schulju
    Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow evening at Old Angler's. Hopefully the rain will hold off.
  23. schulju
    Ate here last week with a friend. Similar to the comments above, we found the room to be beautiful (and almost empty on a Thursday night the entire time we were there). The food was a bit of a mixed bag. We each started with the Crispy Pig Ear salad. My friend really enjoyed hers, I thought the greens were a bit too bitter and would have liked a mix of some less bitter greens in the salad. The soft egg on top was nice...I believe this was poached and not sous vide (just a guess based on the thickness of the white), but I do love a soft cooked egg over a salad. In addition to her salad, KL enjoyed her soft shelled crab. This isn't on the online menu, but was available in either a small (1 crab) or large (I'm guessing 2 crabs) size. She thought her sweet potato fries were just meh. The piri piri prawns were the stand out. These were happily not head-on as the online menu suggests, but they were very large, sweet and perfectly cooked. My side of onion rings was better than the fries, but not something I'm likely to order again. All in, we liked the casual vibe of the restaurant and the space is quite nice. Given we both live in MoCo, neither of us thought the place worthy of a special trip into town, but is definitely a place I would visit occasionally if I lived in the area.
  24. schulju
    Separate menus and winelists; however we had no issues ordering a wine we knew was on Range's list that didn't appear on Aggio's list. I failed to report on a first visit a few weeks ago. The service was MUCH better than what we've experienced at Range. The space is actually quite nice, and as it's a bit tucked away...you don't get that "I'm eating in a mall" vibe that carries into Range. That said, the food was mostly just "okay". The best dish of our night was the lamb ragu. All the dishes are fairly small (the servers do tell you this), so it winds up being more expensive than Range.
  25. schulju
    Don, I'll let Nick respond to your "what to expect" question. I've only been to a few small DR events, but have never seen name tags used. I'm happy to pick some up if people want to use them. But for 5 members and guests, I'm not sure that is necessary. I believe the count is now 13: Schulju +2 DanielK +2 AGM +1 Marks Crazeegirl +3
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