mdt

Finally stopped by Circle Bistro tonight after a long day at work and met Shogun at the bar. I had passed by way too many times driving into the city to hit the market or other restaurants in the DuPont Circle area. This place is about as off the beaten path as possible being as close to DuPont Circle as it is.

Anyway, after all of the talk of steak tartare I was craving this dish and Tom's recent comments on this dish sealed the dael.

I settled in with a glass of Pinot Noir and started with the Billy Bi, a creamy mussel soup, that I just realized that Tom mentioned in his review. The gratin of mussels topped with garlicky bread crumbs were a great accompaniment to the creamy soup. It was nice to have a saffron flavored soup that was not bitter or medicinal tasting as can occur if one is heavy handed with the spice. This was followed by a decent version of steak tartare that hit the spot.

I went against my normal instinct to have chocolate for dessert and instead chose a confit of spring rhubarb that was served with creme fraiche sorbet and a black pepper tuille. The meltingly soft rhubarb was flavored with orange and paired nicely with the sorbet. To me a twist on the old creamsicle.

We were lucky to catch Chef Cox in on his day off and we said hello. Great guy to talk to and he clearly enjoys what he is doing. The menu looks very good and I will be returning to sample some of the entrees. They have a good wine by the glass list and during happy hour (5-7pm) they are 1/2 price. There is a patio out back that would make for a great spot for a dr.com happy hour.

From a recent Citronelle email...

starting in April join us on the CITRONELLE TERRACE for the 'flavor' of dining outdoors in Paris, featuring brick archways and windows that look down into the bright and elegant main dining room.

Light fare menu and desserts are being served in addition to the full wine list.

Menu prices: $10. - $44. Wines by the glass: $7. - $18. Bottles of wine: $25 - $2200. no reservations

No menu given in the email or on the website. Gotta love that $$ range on the wine. I can only imagine what Mark has in the cellar.

I couldn't get to the grill today either. I'll be there tomorrow too.

What time for Circle Bistro?  I was going to hit Oyamel for happy hour, but I've been wanting to try Circle Bistro, too so I'll do that!

At the rate I am going now I will not get there anytime before 6:30p.

Speaking of steak tartare, and after a particularly nasty day at work, I am thinking of heading into the city and trying Circle Bistro's version this evening. Anyone up for a glass of wine or three?

I see I've made it to "clam".

You would think a shrimp is more 'advanced' than a clam...

Then, my dear Barbara ...

When the cat's away, the shrimp will play.

Hell, I was thinking dr.com road trip!

Washington, DC: What are your views on "blog" food sites? Do you think some of the posters are getting a little carried away with their views/oppinions? Just from experience they seem very one-sided.

Tom Sietsema: It really depends on who is doing the blogging.

Speaking of online food discussions, Don Rockwell, a former egullet host, has just launched a fun one: DonRockwell.com. Don is a fine writer, has good taste and eats out almost as much as I do. If you care about food in Washington, his is a site to monitor.

http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/z...tsema042005.htm

36 Guests on the forum as we speak...

According to foodreference.com today is National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day. How are you celebrating?

[posted on eGullet 2005]

Finally got to BlackSalt last night for dinner (9 pm res) and had an enjoyable meal. The restaurant was bustling when we arrived and we started with a nice glass of wine at the bar while our table was being prepared. We decided to order 2 small plates and 2 apps while we decided what to have for our main course. We asked our waiter if this would be a problem, and he said it was fine and that the 2 small plates would arrive first and then the apps. Well the apps came out first, followed a little bit later by our small plates. Not a huge problem, but I would have been happier without having all 4 plates on the table at once. Also our waiter told us that everything on the menu was wonderful and that all of our selections were perfect. Overall the service was acceptable and what I expected.

The small plates that we ordered were the white anchovy and baby octopus. The appetizers were the rock fish cheeks and foie gras and a market special tuna ceviche with lime aioli and avocado. The anchovies, as previously mentioned were wonderful and by far the best of the 4 plates. The rock fish and foie gras combined well with the pureed and crispy potato that they were served with. The next 2 dishes were disappointing. The baby octopus was on the tough side and tasted predominately of lemon zest. I do not recall the exact preparation at this time, but remember looking back at the menu to see what else this dish was supposed to be in the dish as I could not taste much of anything else. The tuna ceviche was not what I expected and I dubbed this dish, tuna nachos. On the plate were 3 corn tortilla chips, resting on some greens, which were topped with avocado, lime aioli, a piece of tuna, and finally a piece of pink grapefruit. The wonderfully fresh tuna, which I sampled a piece of by itself, was completely overwhelmed by the lime aioli. I felt like I was eating a chips and dip.

For our entrees I had the herb crusted long fin tuna with mushroom risotto while my friend had the bourride. The tuna was cooked on the rare side of the medium rare that I ordered it and was delicious. The spices on the fish, the earthy taste and creamy texture of the mushroom risotto complimented each other wonderfully. The tuna was also served with some greens and topped with pieces of pink grapefruit and some black olives, which seem to be a favorite condiment. The dish was also served with I braved the potential scallop health hazard and tried of piece of fish (that was far away from the scallop tongue.gif ) from the bourride. I really enjoyed the delicate licorice flavor and creamy texture with the piece of fish.

For dessert we shared a piece of the chocolate peanut crunch cake (or something closely fitting that description), that we were told was the pastry chef's signature dish. It was a wonderful way to finish the meal and I recommend trying it.

The total bill for dinner with 2 glasses of wine and tea was $132 and I was pleased with my meal and look forward to returning and trying some more of the dishes on the menu. I still think it has a little way to go before it can be compared to the top restaurants in the area.

I too caught a glimpse of their PBS show and it was kind of "train-wreckish". More Rachel Ray than Mario Batali.

Equally as scary on PBS is this cooking show...click

I wish we could!  I don't know if this is a great example of your brain influencing your sense of taste and the power of suggestion (after the first person said it tasted like pork, we all tried it and tasted the pork) or if there is some wonderful but strange chemical reaction between steak and grapeseed oil that mimics the taste of being cooked in pork fat.  Besides curiosity about being able to recreate this at home, I'm not sure I care to know.  Anything is possible in the world of illusion and all that.

Looks like we all have a weekend 'homework' assignment!

Edited to say that I finally did not double space after the quote.

Did I say Thursday? I meant TODAY.

Cannot do today myself.

Anyone up for the 1st DR.com HH on Friday? Where should we invade?

I'm still dumbfounded that there was no pork used in the preparation of that steak.  We all were fooled.  Who knew that grapeseed oil + great steak = rich pork flavor?

Please explain this 'pork flavored' steak for me.

Attended a Spanish cheese tasting class at Cheesetique over the weekend. The class started with a brief overview of the cheese making process followed by a tasting of 10 different cheeses. Other Spanish goodies (lomo and serrano hams, chorizo, marcona almonds, and membrillo -- quince paste) were on the plate to compliment the cheeses.

Cheeses in the tasting were a Nevat, Queso Tronchon, Mahon, Drunken Goat, Tetilla (shaped like the name), Garrotxa, Manchego with Rosemary, Raw Milk Manchego, Torta del Casar, and a Valdeon.

My favorites were the raw milk manchego and the torta del casar. The very creamy and earthy torta is a rare raw sheep milk cheese that is completely made by hand.

Overall a fun introduciton to Spanish cheeses and worth the $15.

Had to start a thread on the wonderful world of Komi!

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A group of us went out for the tasting menu last night along with the wine pairing. While things started off a little slowly for some of the hungrier in the group it finished (many hours later) with a bang! Sebastian was a wonderful host, introducing each wine course with a description of the wine and why he chose it. He made some interesting and delicious choices, like a sweet moscato with the carpaccio of tuna and a hefeweizen with the charcuterie plate. I think Sebastain said we went through 7 bottles of wine, but we were certainly not counting! 

Highlights for me included the crackers that so many have talked about. The marinated fluke, an amuse, that was a refreshing bite served on a spoon. The housemade charcuterie (who knew head cheese could taste so good!). This came with a fennel flavored housemade mustard that was a wonderful combination. The milk poached veal tenderloin, which was served with a piece of their homemade pancetta that was absolutely amazing (Jacques Gastreaux was actaully moved when he tried it).

Clearly Chef Monis is having a great time in the kitchen and it shows in his work.

Here is the full menu:

BARRON POINT OYSTER
caviar, Greek yogurt, pomegranate vinegar

MARINATED FLUKE
capers, lemon, first pressed Petrinas olive oil

DIVER SCALLOP
fennel, olive, dates

PASTRAMI OF WILD KING SALMON
pinenut, red wine mustard, quail egg

CELERY ROOT & MARCONA ALMOND SOUP
25 year balsamic

CARPACCIO OF BLUEFIN TUNA & FOIE GRAS
chive, sea salt, quince citronette

HOUSEMADE CHARCUTERIE
porchetta, salumi, headcheese, pate, housemade mustard

SPECK WRAPPED WHITE TUNA
farro, sweet-sour squash, truffled beet tzatziki

CHIAN CHESTNUT PASTA
braised lamb's tongue, teleggio

MILK POACHED VEAL TENDERLOIN
housemade pancetta, brussel sprout, apple, vincotto

SELECTION OF CHEESE
a selection of 10 cheeses that I wish I wrote down.

FLIGHT OF DESSERTS
skewer of pineapple and puff pastry, donut with chocolate marscapone cream, and devils food cake with ancho (?) chile cream

COOKIES & CONFECTIONS
lemon coriander, passion fruit gelee, amaretti, corn bread cookie with pomegranate cream

LOLLIPOP
ice tea and lemon