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Gadarene

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Everything posted by Gadarene

  1. Gadarene
    Agreed, and I think that was Bart's point (or at least Bart's hope). I would add that, even if the chef doesn't find the relentless money-seeking douchiness of his co-owners off-putting, I would expect that he presumably had some sort of say in a concept that expressly disavows seasonality and inventive technique in favor of cramming a bunch of tritely luxury ingredients into dishes (caviar! foie! lobster!) and calling it a day. Like, I'm sure the food will be good, and I'm sure he's a great chef (positive, in fact, based on everything I've heard), but that approach seems more than a little lazy to me. And I find it disappointingly transparent as a way to justify charging an insane amount of money, as well.
  2. Gadarene
    Start with the waterproof Icelandic sheepskin bar seats and the sommelier calling you several days before your (uncancellable) reservation to assess how much you're willing to shell out, and go from there.
  3. Gadarene
    I agree with this 100 percent.
  4. Gadarene
    I've eaten at the Adams Morgan location twice now and really enjoyed it both times. I think the first time was only a couple of days after your review, Don, and they no longer had the Garnaxta Blanca on the menu. But I had something else, which was lovely (forgive my lack of recall -- I'm not good at reviewing my meals in detail). The lobster roll slider and the crab imperial were delicious and high-quality; the wings and radishes were good; the gumbo was tasty but lacking a bit in depth of flavor. On my second visit I took a chance on the chicken braised in late summer green chiles, because I'm a sucker for dishes that overtly acknowledge their seasonality (and things that are braised! and green chiles!), and it was superb. It know ordering chicken at a seafood place is zigging rather than zagging, but I'd order it again in a heartbeat. Lovely flavor, lovely heat, and the chicken was more than just a sauce delivery device (but the sauce was phenomenal as well). For "dessert" on my second visit I opted for a half-dozen oysters, and it was a great decision; they were quite delicious. On the whole, I'm really happy to have this in my general neighborhood. The bar is long and excellent (and the bar staff quite personable), and it feels much less stuffy to me than Cashion's did. I tried Pop's Raw Bar once and never went back, because it was predominantly about fried food and I don't love fried food, but Johnny's menu is varied and interesting and I will certainly return.
  5. Gadarene
    Heh. Different strokes, then...I find the atmosphere and sceniness of the Dabney off-putting, but I've really enjoyed all the dishes I've had there. Granted that their prices do also twinge my annoyance meter, but I've found it better value. Maybe in part it's that few things on the Convivial menu ever tend to jump out at me as appetizingly must-try the way they do at Dabney or (as I just mentioned in another thread) Hazel. I went into Convivial a few weeks ago with the intent of getting something fairly light at the bar, since I was snackish but didn't want an entree or anything too heavy. The only thing that jumped out was the Heirloom Tomato Salad, but the pricetag ($13) and the fact that it was, generously, at the tail end of tomato season dissuaded me. (Looking at the menu online now, it looks like the same one I was given then -- surely they're not still serving the heirloom tomato salad? -- I also considered one of the pickled/cured/crudo fish dishes, but I remember having the rockfish before and thinking it was, while tasty, a pretty tiny portion for $16, so instead I just got a glass of wine and left.) Again, it's more than possible that I just don't mesh with this type of cooking. The dish I remember liking most out of the two or three times I've been to Convivial was the Leeks Dijonnaise, but while I really enjoyed it, there's something about the sense-memory of it that has kept me from ordering it again. I'm sure I'll give Convivial another shot at some point; the rainbow trout on the current menu looks tasty.
  6. Gadarene
    This is Rose's-lite, and I mean that in the best way. Larger menu, slightly more upscale (but still comfortable) feel, but definitely going for that same sweet spot of conviviality and seasonal, flavorful, well-executed comfort food (as Bart says, "funky and eclectic"). And not so hyped (yet) that you can't easily grab a bar seat on a weekday or snag a day-of reservation. Plus a really interesting cocktail and wine list, and -- best of all -- everything is pretty reasonably priced, especially for a new place in a new space in a hot neighborhood. (Contrast with Tail Up Goat, which -- and I am a giant fan and have been there probably two dozen times -- is certainly not cheap, especially its drinks.) I might actually try to hit the bar here tonight. If only it was a little more convenient to me, I think I'd be here a lot.
  7. Gadarene
    I've been consistently underwhelmed the several times I've been at Convivial. Everything seems a few dollars too expensive for how the dishes taste. I think I just don't get it (other than that beef heart salad I raved about a few years ago, I've never really LOVED Mintwood Place, either).
  8. Gadarene
    It couldn't have less to do with his being on Top Chef.
  9. Gadarene
    I've walked in twice on weeknights (I think Tuesday both times) as a solo diner around 7 pm and been able to get served at that little ledge near the bar, albeit not the bar itself. I don't know what it's like for people wanting a table; both times it was lively but there was no line or milling crowd and it didn't seem like they were turning people away in volume. In any case, the food is good but not great, in my experience; I actually think Bar Pilar offers better value of late, though Compass Rose has a more interesting wine list.
  10. Gadarene
    I'm more talking about how Shaw Bijou has been ridiculed for being pretentious, douchey, exclusionary, and expensive, and they double down by offering a totally different thing that is pretentious, douchey, exclusionary, and expensive. I don't think I would get along with the guy, is all.
  11. Gadarene
    This is absolutely amazing. Gorsuch may be one of the more tone deaf people around.
  12. Gadarene
    I don't mean to be seen as criticizing, and I apologize if it came across that way. Your review was exceptionally well-written and immensely helpful in allowing me to make a decision about whether or not I'll be trying the restaurant in the near future, far more than any ranking, italics or otherwise, would have. As I said, I think I could easily name many more than 5 restaurants in the Shaw area that I think I'd have a more consistently better experience, based on your review, but that's subjective quibbling. We both agree that Sietsema ranking it as the #1 restaurant in DC seems like stark insanity, and that's the important thing!
  13. Gadarene
    Devil's advocate: it's being able to do that 10 percent consistently that separates great restaurants -- or at least restaurants that are a cut above, which is how I've always interpreted the Italics -- from mediocre or even good restaurants. Knowing that I could have an experience like yours doesn't make me want to go there, particularly at that price point...and ESPECIALLY if you only ordered the dishes that you had reason to believe the kitchen was proudest of, since those should, theoretically, be the ones in which you can have the most confidence from night to night as a diner. And that pizza looks frightening.
  14. Gadarene
    I have to say, this doesn't sound like an Italics review. It's a wonderful, evocative review, but it makes me want to steer clear of All-Purpose far more than to go there. I feel like I could pretty easily name ten better restaurants in Shaw, if my experience there were to be comparable to Don's.
  15. Gadarene
    I've always been pretty disappointed by Donburi, which pains me to say, because I really want more good, interesting, small-space options in town.
  16. Gadarene
    Sorry, I thought you posting that photo meant that it was back up and running. And I've just been pretty down lately generally, so apologies for any snarkiness in my post.
  17. Gadarene
    Cool, I guess. I've been a serious cocktail drinker in this town for years and years, back when Adam was at Bar Pilar and Tom was at Cork and Gina was at PS7's, but I've never been hip enough to earn the merest whisper of an invite to the secret places where the cool kids drink. Seeing that Hummingbird thing just reminds me of that fact.
  18. Gadarene
    And, to link the Dining Guide discussion and the Bib Gourmand discussion, color me pretty surprised that Boqueria received a Bib Gourmand over either Estadio or Barcelona (or Compass Rose, or etc.).
  19. Gadarene
    I'm going to need to make it back to Jaleo, then. I remember back when it was one of the first "good" restaurants in the Gallery Place area in the early 2000s, and I definitely remember the phase you're talking about where it just felt tired and touristy and mediocre and I stopped going. If it truly has experienced a sustained renaissance, it needs to be back on my radar. (Disclaimer and perhaps unpopular opinion: I like many things on Estadio's menu, but (small voice) I find I like Barcelona better in most respects...other than the perpetual teeming crowds anytime but brunch, of course. The free bread and olive oil at Barcelona is delicious and, well, free, the portions of ham and cheese are a little more generous (and I think cheaper) than they are at Estadio while being comparable quality, and I'm always surprised at how good their boquerones are -- better than most places I had them in Andalucia or Madrid. I struggle to remember a bad dish I've had there. I think Barcelona tends not to get much respect because it's a chain restaurant and overrun by the 14th Street hordes, but it really does have surprisingly good and interesting food and drink (and that brunch bloody mary bar!).)
  20. Gadarene
    Anecdata, but I've got some upper middle-class friends who are originally from India, are reasonably well-traveled, and now live in the DC area, and one quite wealthy acquaintance through those friends who is some prince or other in Rajasthan and is now living in New York; last I heard, all of them think Rasika is one of the best Indian places anywhere. Like you said, for whatever that's worth.
  21. Gadarene
    I enjoyed it! Food was uniformly good; got to chat with one of the sous chefs a decent amount since I was seated at the counter. Nice atmosphere and service. I was pretty full from having gone to Geranium and Radio the day before, which probably made it a little harder for any single dish to be memorable (and meant I didn't drink anything!), but there was something they did with shellfish stock that was especially awesome. Lunch is the time to go here, because (as far as I remember) you get the same menu as dinner, but it's significantly cheaper. Plus the view is great over the river. I didn't end up going to Geist (as per the post you quoted) because I heard a number of mixed things about it from bar and restaurant folk over the previous few days. Instead I was super, super-excited to try and snag a walk-in spot at 108, noma's more casual offshoot that's supposed to be really delicious in its own right. Plus they're open Sundays! I think their opening time is 5, so I was going to get there around 4:40 and didn't expect to have much of a problem; apparently around half of the space is reserved for walk-ins, and this isn't like D.C. where you need to stake out a spot in the Bad Saint or Rose's line a couple of hours beforehand. My plan worked perfectly: I showed up at 4:40, and there was no one there at all! Except, literally, there was no one there at all: a sign on the door informed me that they had had an electrical outage and would be closed that night. I know I had already eaten at noma a couple days before and thus couldn't really complain, but still...I was pretty disappointed. More so when I then went to two Relæ-affiliated properties for dinner instead, up in Nørrebro. The first one, Bæst, was pretty good -- tasty pizza, good conversation with the bar staff. But they then recommended that I go to Manfreds wine bar for a further snack, and I didn't really like that place at all. Service by the oh-so-French bartender was distant, spotty, and off-putting, and he seemed more intent on upselling certain dishes than he did on providing a good experience (despite what the guy at Bæst said, I found the steak tartare at Manfreds bland and overpriced). The other thing -- and maybe this is just me -- is that they had a spit bucket behind the bar, and it was apparently the directive for staff to (1) taste each wine before serving it and (2) spit most of the taste out. Which is fine, I guess, except that those of us seated at the little bar had a continuous view of waiters and bar staff spitting wine out of their mouths, often from a reasonable height. I found it weird and not conducive to a good appetite. Only positive note is that I got into a conversation with the American sitting next to me, and he and I had a great time talking; we then continued the conversation down the street at Mikkeller & Friends brewpub, and the people at Mikkeller could not have been nicer. That was a really fun place. Manfreds, not as much.
  22. Gadarene
    ...or if so much of the city wasn't government buildings, embassies, nonprofits, and churches. You jest, but it's pretty hard to argue that if more people lived closely together, there would be more food options to accommodate them.
  23. Gadarene
    Fair point. It may not be a dispositive factor, but it's certainly a factor. Absent the height restrictions, how different do you think the downtown dining scene would look? I'm guessing pretty different.
  24. Gadarene
    An ocean-fresh lobster displayed on a tablet computer doesn't sound particularly astonishing, in my opinion.
  25. Gadarene
    I have a hard time believing that Sietsema really finds the lack of three-star designations for D.C. to be "shocking." If so, he's far more blinkered than I would have thought.
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