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dcandohio

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  1. dcandohio
    We went last night amid the early NCAA March madness - all those Bucknell fans were cheerfully spending money here in the District! Here are the good things about Hill Country. They take reservations, so we breezed in even though it was a mob scene at 6:30. They can easily handle large groups. There are numerous large tables and the paying system makes it easy for everyone to be responsibile for his/her own check (think Vapiano's system, sort of). The staff was very pleasant and unruffled even though it was kind of crazy. The lean brisket, as described above, is still juicy and to my tastes, is mighty delicious. The collard greens were flavored with a lot of bacon, and who doesn't love that? Servings for sides are huge - too much for the average person, I think. I would like to get half orders of two sides rather than a large portion of just one with the combo specials. Here are the negatives from my view. At 6:30 the place was so loud we had to shout across a two-top. Seriously, I had a headache from the noise when we left. The music was blaring and all those hard surfaces create a lot of clatter. The ordering system is highly self-service, as described above. It's very quick to get food, but if you want to relax and be doted on, this is not the place! The line to pay was very long. I imagine that this will become the biggest complaint at this place. If you are in a hurry, there's no escape from the cashier line, which was as long as 30 people at some point. It was a very CVS moment, saved, as described above, by the offer of a free cookie while waiting. Finally, I tasted some of the +1's chicken and it just wasn't very good - an overly sweet taste from a brine or rub completely permeated the meat, overpowering any smoke or poultry flavor. I realize chicken might not be the best choice here, but +1 is a big chicken fan and she was disappointed. The noise factor and the highly self-serve nature of the place means that I am far more likely to take out (a pound of brisket for picnic sandwiches? Yes, please!) than dine in. I did see a yummy looking sandwich headed to the bar, and I don't think it was available on the main menu, so I might try the bar dining experience at an off time when it isn't so noisy.
  2. dcandohio
    My experience last night was pleasant and mostly positive. I liked sitting at the grill counter and watching the action. The staff was friendly and efficient. Much of what we ordered (11 plates + gelato + beer and sake) was good, especially all the vegetable preparations. This would be a great place for a group with mixed tastes, or for a first date, or with people you don't know well - there's something for everyone. At first I was critical of the portion size and believed I would net a poor value outcome, but in the end, we got quite a lot of food, and left very full, for $75 before tip. That included 3 beers, 1 sake and the 11 plates plus dessert. So comparing with a lot of the places we eat at regularly, this was a fair value. There were some negatives. I didn't like the grilled rice ball, and I suspect this is an acquired taste. The chicken skewers (scallion and wasabe) were kind of boring. The plates came at us too quickly. In hindsight, we should have only ordered a few at a time - and I blame myself for not realizing that by writing our entire order at once (you enter quantities of desired items on a pre-printed slip) I didn't give us the chance to slow down the pace. It also seemed that some of the chefs weren't very assiduous about food handling - using bare hands to skewer several kinds of proteins without gloves or without washing in between. I know not all the items are raw when handled by the chefs, and I'm sure the place lives up to whatever standards of cleanliness are imposed by the local laws. It just seemed like gloves or washing would have been safer. I would definitely return for a drink and several plates of things I didn't try on this visit.
  3. dcandohio
    Restaurants have outdated web sites, with menus that are no longer available, incorrect hours of operation, specials that are no longer honored...I think that sometimes actually informing people of changes falls through the cracks because so much time goes into *making* substantive change. True, Taylor should have removed references to the supplier when the supplier was no longer used. Menus should have been updated. But Taylor is hardly the only perpetrator of these kinds of inaccuracies. I'm going to cut them some slack.
  4. dcandohio
    I've never eaten at any of Gillian Clark's restaurants, but I saw the videos. Watching one could lead the viewer to conclude that an amateur videographer was having some fun in a restaurant setting. Watching the whole, set, however, leads me to conclude that there is some basic level of contempt for customers. Hey, I get that people can be rude, incompetent or indecisive; and restaurant employees may be subjected to more of it than other customer service employees. And I know that owners/employees dish privately about their customers in every industry. But to put a series of unfunny videos in a public forum to document your obvious disdain for your customers just seems childish and unprofessional. It's not like they're letting the customer in on the joke. It's a bad business decision. This series makes me think that I'll spare Chef and Robin any undue inconvenience and avoid their restaurants on the remote chance that I might do something to become the subject of another lame video.
  5. dcandohio
    It's a fine place to have a drink when everyplace else around is packed or closed. The staff is always nice. I haven't eaten there, and from what I see of the food that comes out, I doubt that I will.
  6. dcandohio
    We had brunch today. $25 for a Bellini, a starter and a main. Great deal. I had beets with greens and riccota salata; and then the sausages with lentils and fennel. +1 had the Brussels sprouts and the boar ragu. The food was really tasty, the service was good, the atmosphere was relaxed...sadly, the place was empty. What a nice way to spend an early Sunday afternoon! Brunch at Dino is a great experience. And, to add perspective to that of earlier posters, we were full as ticks when we left - could barely move! Portions were generous by the most demanding standards. We walked from Cleveland Park to Dupont Circle to work off some of that yummy brunch.
  7. dcandohio
    Tried Ba Bay for lunch on Thursday while on vacation. My +1 has the banh mi and I tasted it - totally agree totally about the bread used in the banh mi. Just perfect. I had the noodle dish in a pork/shrimp broth. So, so yummy. I could really taste the shrimp in the broth. The portion was huge, and I suggested to the staff that they might consider a half portion, especially at lunch. I was in a blissful noodle coma afterward. The one miss was the house made pate. It was bland, and the pear (?) mustard was not a good match. But with so much else to explore on the menu, I am eager to return. The staff was simply lovely. Maybe because the place wasn't crowded, or maybe it was the happy holiday vibe, but they couldn't have been more enthusiastic about the food, more helpful or more gracious. I hope this place succeeds!
  8. dcandohio
    We ate at Afghan Grill last night, and liked it very much. The vegetarian sampler (not sure what it's called) has pumpkin, spinach and (?) eggplant (can't remember, it might have been a variety of squash) which was fun for sharing. The spinach was spicy and my favorite on the plate. The pumpkin was too sweet for my taste, but my partner scarfed it up. We also had a lamb kabob which was quite fine. The rice served wtih it needed more of the sauce they served - the rice/sauce was tasty. The hostess told us they had a reservation for 15, when in fact only 4 people showed up for the table. I hate to see this - a small, local place that gears up for a big reservation on an otherwise quiet Sunday night mght bring in an extra staff person or more inventory - you could tell the hostess was disappointed when the party of 4 assured that no one else was coming. I assume this is a function of the proximity to the mega-hotels. Conference attendees are notorious for being indecisive. Anyway, the small room is cozy on a cold night and the food is better than many of the options in that immediate area.
  9. dcandohio
    Continuing my celebration of end of hiatus from DC by eating out as much as possible. Early dinner at Oval Room Saturday was very nice. It's very quiet there early, for anyone seeking a saner dining experience. Pre-theater deal is quite good if you like the subset of the menu chosen for the special. Special shout-out to Brent Kroll, the sweet young sommelier who spent a lot of time helping us choose a wine, and steered us to one of the more reasonably priced options in our choice set, assuring us that it was a great match for our meal. He then checked in to make sure we were happy with our choice. He's delightful.
  10. dcandohio
    Had a nice time talking to Kas (Quas?), the owner/manager, of this new Indian place based on the Chipotle concept - you pick a base (chaat, rice, naan, salad), then add a protein and various sauces/toppings. He festures an option of rotisserie chichen, served in large, on-the-bone pieces, which is seriously yummy. I had that chicken on chaat (sauteed peppers and onions and chick peas) with the raw onion condiment and the hottest sauce offered. It's not Rasika, or is it trying to be, but it's a really good quick meal. The plate was under $8, the owner is charming, and all of his food is made to be lower in fat than traditional Indian food. Check it out if you're in Penn Quarter (7th and D, just north of Oyamel). However, Kas (Quas) said that he's slammed at lunch, so go early or late if you disdain lines. As an aside, his rotisserie chicken, without sauce, is as good or better than Nando's, and the other flavor options will likely make me choose this over Nando's if I'm feeling like roasted chicken.
  11. dcandohio
    After a long hiatus from DC I happily returned last night to a very pleasant experience at the newly refashioned Ardeo/Bardeo. The renovation was a success, IMO. The Ardeo side is refreshed, and seems more hip but also more welcoming. I like the center bar, and being able to see the pizza oven and the former Bardeo side. I didn't get to try some of the things I wanted to try because we ordered as a group and made choices to please everyone, but there were some outstanding dishes. The salad with the smoked trout (don't remember the exact menu name) was glorious - beautiful presentation and a blast of lively flavors. The octopus small plate was also phenomenal - char grilled octopus on top of some smashed lemony potatoes. The salad and this octopus would be a great light meal on their own. I also tasted the veal ragu which was good. The pasta had a great texture but the ragu was slightly less robust than I thought it would be. Wasn't blown away by the flatbread - a rather ordinary pizza on an industrial-tasting crust. With so much that sounded exciting on the menu, I'd skip the flatbread next time. The service was friendly and efficient. The place was very quiet until about 7:30, and then it became very lively, but not overly loud. I would like to return to try some of the fish dishes and more of the small plates. I always liked both Ardeo and Bardeo, but last night delivered on a higher level than before. Nice evening!
  12. dcandohio
    My partner used to live very near the Silver Spring location near the metro. Silver Diner was the place we went when we were tired, pissed off, feeling low or otherwise depleted. It was perfect for a burger and a beer, totally free of attitude with a gentle price. I kind of miss it now that I live in Southwest and don't get back to Silver Spring much.
  13. dcandohio
    I had lunch there yesterday, and was particularly underwhelmed by the goat cheese Caesar. There was, as you say, no real garlic flavor. The goat cheese was more a topping than a dressing, and there really wasn't much dressing at all. It was more like a tightly coiled spiral of romaine with goat cheese smeared on top. My #1 had the hangar steak and a side of mac and cheese. They steak was fine, no issues. The mac was good, but again, nothing really special. On the plus side, the service was very nice and I enjoyed the onion soup on a wet, dreary day. However, I think at Central's price point, the food should really be better than it was yesterday.
  14. dcandohio
    When I had the chicken it came with a rich brown sauce, with no discernable tomato. I wonder if the sauce has changed? The chicken was very good, but next time I'll definitely inquire about the sauce. Chef Boyardee = yuk.
  15. dcandohio
    It's clear that this area is still in tatters post-Katrina and the oil spill has hurt it, too. The casinos hurt that area, too. Pre-casinos (which pre-dated Katrina) there were some wonderful local restaurants on the Mississippi Coast. We would go every summer for a week. I grew up in New Orleans, and Mississippi was the vacation spot when we didn't have the money or the inclination to go "all the way" to Pensacola. The casinos killed all the local restaurants. There used to be a place called White House, or something like that, in a huge ante-bellum home. OK, it might have been fake ante-bellum. I was a kid, easily impressed. But every summer we looked so forward to our meal there. I remember lots of crabmeat in sauces. There was also a little restaurant in a house in Pass Christian that sold a killer sandwich consisting of not much more than lump crabmeat and a cheesy mornay sauce on french bread. We'd stop there on our way to the Holiday Inn in Gulfport (or was it Biloxi?). Good memories. I am sorry that the area has changed so much.
  16. dcandohio
    Saturday, 5:00. Just happened to be near Estadio and with nothing better to do, we went in. First impression: Hostess told us and two groups just behind us that we were "too early" and that they were not ready for us. Honestly, we only were kept on hold at the door for a minute, so why not just let us in to sit? She said, "someone left the door unlocked," as if it would have been preferable for us to wait outside in the searing heat for one minute more... We sat at the fixed stools at the center bar. I know there has been some discussion of these stools. My problem is that I am vertically challenged, and I am too short to rest my feet on the footrest. There is no bar rail, so my legs had to dangle the entire time, assuring cessation of circulation to my feet. Who tests these things out? Does anyone ever ask a petite woman to get comfortable in one of those stools? Bartender was sweet, but clueless. We asked for a wine by the bottle list. After perusing the whites, my better half asked a question about one of the varietals. He stammered around for a bit and finally said, "that's a red wine." No, dude, it isn't. It's listed right here under the "blancos" and among other white varietals. So I said, "No, this is the white wine side of the page. I know this is a white, I just don't know anything about it." His brilliant reply? "I mostly sell glasses so I'm not up on the whole bottle thing. I'll get the sommelier for you." The sommelier came over. It's hard to take a guy in a pork pie hat seriously as a wine expert. Anyway, he was slightly more helpful, assuring us that a wine we were considering was his "most popular" white. He fetches the bottle for bartender, who has a moment of clarity and says, "Oh, yeah. We DO serve a lot of this..." OK, so far, we are not digging the place. We didn't dig deeply into the menu, but the food we had was better in every respect than the stupid service would have lead us to expect. We did not challenge the place, ordering only the spicy almonds, the heirloom tomato salad and two of the open faced sandwiches. The tomatoes were just gorgeous - perfect examples of everything that is right about summer. They were overdressed, which I did not mind as I sopped up the dressing with the crusty ends of the open faced sandwiches. The sandwiches had a base of nice chewy bread, with a good balance of fresh ingredients. One open faced sandwich would make a nice light lunch. But the food we tried was mostly just good ingredients, assembled competently. So I'm not raving yet about the food. Estadio is good theater - a little piece of Barcelona on 14th street with Spanish-inspired furniture and vintage soccer videos, the servers in their precious matching black Chuck Taylors, the wine guy in his pork pie hat, the oversized heterosexual eye candy on the bathroom walls, the mad crush of patrons - and I hope it does well as there is a lot (and increasing) competition on the 14th street corridor. But I'm not inclined to rush back. The place feels corporate, mechanized. I compare this experience (not that it's at all relevant or fair) with our Wednesday evening meal at Dino, and to me the difference is that Dino has a heart and a soul, while Estadio has a theme.
  17. dcandohio
    We have had the lunch special at Ghana Cafe twice recently. Both times the place was empty (Saturdays) which is a shame. This is slow-cooked, soul-satisfying home cooking. The lunch special, which is less than $9, offers several choices. I had a plate of beans/rice (wakye), chicken curry and fried plantain. Ask for the house-made hot sauce if you want more spice. The beans and rice reminded me a bit of really good New Orleans red beans and rice in flavor. They seem to be cooked together, giving the rice a lot of color and saucy goodness. The chicken curry contained a whole piece of bone-in chicken (thigh) which was falling off the bone tender. And the plantains were just fine. WIth all the pomp and circumstance in many of the places around the Logan/14th/U area (Estadio, I'm talking to you - but that's another review), it's so refreshing to find a place which is just about a family serving the food they know and love. If you are in the area, please visit this place so it survives! And it's on the 14th street circulator bus route!
  18. dcandohio
    That mirrors my last experience at Ceiba. I had a salad that was close to nasty - aging lettuce, watery dressing in huge quantities...a salad that was surely composed hours before it was served. But the ceviche was delicious. I think one has to order carefully here. But the bar specials are great, and for that alone, Ceiba stays on my radar.
  19. dcandohio
    And as for aiming medium to low...we went to Cava on Barracks Row Saturday before the Nats game ended. It was very crowded, though not cheek-to-jowl slammed, and a restaurant like Cava should be prepared to deal with that kind of traffic on a Saturday night. The noise level was deafening. We sat at the bar. Our service was terrible. The guys behind the bar were hustling but plates were not being cleared, people were not getting drinks and we received our food (flaming cheese!) without bread or utensils. While it's hard to dislike flaming cheese, I very much dislike having to watch it cool while I try to flag someone down for bread and a napkin. The disco fries were disgusting to me. SO really wanted these, but they were greasy and gloppy and painfully salty. So gross. The lamb sliders were fine, but also very salty. Hey, I love feta and olives, and I know those are salty treats, but does everything else have to be obliterated by oversalting? While we watched service deteriorate all around us, one of the managers (hosts?) spent about 15 minutes engaged in chit chat/flirting with two young ladies seated next to us. It's fine for an employee to show the love to customers, but this guy was totally oblivious to the dirty dishes on the bar, the parade of empty glasses and the patrons trying to get attention to order. This inattention to operations is indicative of employees who care more about their personal social lives than customer sevice. We strolled past many of the places on 8th street that night. Some were equally slammed and some were empty. As we walked we tried to guess why Cava was so crowded. Certainly, the food can't be the draw. It was a very young and pretty crowd, and there were a couple of large groups having celebrations (also young and pretty people). This area seems to be evolving from a funky and unique neighborhood to a bland (if salty) string of see and be seen joints. I hope not, but my brief attempt at Chesapeake room and last week's trip to Cava certainly seems to confirm that this is true.
  20. dcandohio
    YES. It's been a few months, but IIRC there was ulimited sparking wine served with a smile, and a large enough variety to satisfy us. There were a few meat dishes, a few vegetarian dishes, something egg-based, rice, pickle, salad...Though I am fuzzy on details I definitely remember having a great time. You can dress up (or down, but most people were dressed up), listen to the cheesy piano music and enjoy a lot of really tasty, well-prepared food. It's a good time.
  21. dcandohio
    My generous students gave me a gift certificate to Equinox, and as soon as reservations were accepted post-fire, I booked. We dines on Friday before the 4th of July holiday. At 7:00, the restaurant was nearly empty. This is a shame. Maybe folks are not aware that Equinox has risen from the ashes already, or maybe the regulars had skipped town for the long weekend. But if you have not been since the fire, GO. We had the eggplant fries (I think that was the name - fried eggplant sticks) from the "for the table" part of the menu. As my SO said, "if our table had more than the two of us no one else would be getting any of these fries." I then had the soft shell crab appetizer, served on a black eye pea "salad" of some sort. The crab was really sweet and fresh, and the pea salad was tart enough to serve as the acidic foil for the fried crab. It was a large serving - and had I known it was so substantial, I might have ordered it as my main course. As it was, I ordered the Carolina trout on a corn relish. The skin on the trout was perfectly crisp but the flesh was moist. It's really, really easy to screw up trout, but this was perfect - three generous pieces. SO had the crudo (sashimi? I can't remember how it was listed) and the halibut. I tasted both, and both were just wonderful. Oh, and we added a side of the cauliflower. And a Sancerre. No room for dessert. The service was gracious and friendly. The room (the glass enclosed sun porch overlooking the outdoors) was quiet and relaxed. Overall, it was one of the nicer food experiences I've had in DC. WIth fairly gentle pricing (entrees under $30, for the most part) for an experience of this caliber, this is surely one of the best values in the city, too.
  22. dcandohio
    Acadiana does crawfish boils on Fridays from 3:30 until 6:30. Being a Louisiana native, I am kind of skeptical about translating the iconic notion of the crawfish boil to the civilized environs of the city restaurant. In south Louisiana, crawfish boils are day-long outdoor affairs where everyone drinks beer while the sacks of live, wriggling crawfish are procured, soaked and cooked. Tables covered in newspapers are piled with mountains of steamy mudbugs, and everyone eats until they are stuffed. After walking around a bit, and having another beer or three, you return to the table for a second (third) round of sucking the heads, pinching the tails and creating piles of crustacean waste. The Acadiana experience is nothing like that, but it's still a fabulous way to begin a long weekend. A pound of crawfish (barely an amuse bouche for me) is $13, and the platter comes with a potato and a half ear of corn. These are traditional additions and while I'm not a huge fan of corn, I love that the potatoes absorb the spicy, briny, sweet crawfish flavor. Acadiana's bugs were clearly pre-cooked, and pre-portioned. When an order was received, chef dunked the order in a vat of bubbling swamp water, which from the smell and taste, was flavored with Zatarains crab boil. I don't mind cold boiled crawfish, but lots of people only eat them hot. I observed that the chef was showering the bugs with some powdered spices after the re-heat (Old Bay? Zatarains seasoned salt?). In any event, I don't like that and asked for mine to be served without the added spice. The crawfish were flavored perfectly. It's hard to screw up using Zatarains, but I was worried that chef might use too light a hand to appease naive palates. Not so. Bravo. My only complaint is that perhaps the second cooking was overkill - some of the tails did not slip cleanly out of the shells, a sure sign of overcooking. Anyway, they were delicious. I urge you to experience this while crawfish are available and the weather is nice. Roll up your sleeves, order a bucket of Abita beer, and enjoy this little visit to the bayou.
  23. dcandohio
    We dropped in Friday during lunch and the place was busy. We had already eaten so we had a beer. My observations: The indoor dining room is small. Servers were engaged in a complicated series of ballet moves to avoid crashing into one another. If/when that bar gets slammed, moving food is going to become seriously difficult. The gentlemen next to us had a barbeque sandwich of some sort - served in a hollowed out half-loaf of round bread. He said it was tasty but impossible to eat as a sandwich. The loaf is cut into crescents, and the crescent is served facing upward, like a boat. Burgers looked good. The patio is huge, and I'm sure it will be a very popular spot in nice weather.
  24. dcandohio
    My last meal there was bad. The details are fuzzy because it was a few months ago - but one thing I remember distinctly is the dish of radishes. I love radishes, and even more love radishes on bread and butter. The plate came with (I kid you not) about 6 razor thin slices of radish. It wasn't even a whole radish worth of slices. And it wasn't a fancy, exotic radish, either. Just a plain white fleshed radish, the kind that come packaged in a bag at Safeway for $2. I don't remember what the plate cost - probably only $4 or $5. But even for that price, you shouldn't have to cheap out on the star ingredient. I seem to recall, too, that we complained to each other about the roasted potatoes - but I can't remember if it was a quality or quantity issue. We left very sad, and took the green line to Penn Quarter, on our way home, for cupcakes to relieve our grief.
  25. dcandohio
    There's a Sushi Rock here in Columbus, where I spend a lot of time. It's an OK place for drinks, but the food is mediocre and over priced (certainly for this market) and the location here attracts a lot of hipster wannabes. You can get better sushi and steak elsewhere.
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