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sphere777

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Everything posted by sphere777

  1. As I said in the DC Reviews section, I suggested the Fast Gourmet to Robert Sietsema via Twitter. As a long time reader of the Voice food section, I knew that Robert S. gets a real kick out of discovering that kind of obscure ethnic fare. Evidently he really enjoyed it so good on him. Rob
  2. As a side note, the best solo dining experience I ever had was at Komi. I had the full meal and then-sommelier Kat Bangs was more than happy to create a special two-glass pairing because I was on a budget. She even brought a special wine (at no charge) to go with a bonus course (crab and uni pasta). What a great experience.
  3. When Village Voice food critic Robert Sietsema used Twitter to ask for DC suggestions, I replied that he might like Fast Gourmet's chivito. He seemed more than satisfied with his visit: https://twitter.com/...823054801735680 Rob
  4. Well, that ship has sailed. Anyone up for this Friday?
  5. Thank you for all the wonderful pizza and goodies that you made for us. The Radius meals for DR were wonderful and I hope to see your cuisine in other contexts soon.
  6. That would work for me. Let's talk about it on Tuesday or Thursday.
  7. sure, I'd be glad to bring my dad along. let's figure out the details. Rob
  8. As a DR person who emigrated to Catonsville this year, I have been planning to pitch in for some time but never really got around to it. My dad is in town this weekend but I could meet up early next week.
  9. I agree. When I went there solo for the prie fixe lunch on a jam-packed Saturday afternoon, the service felt as gracious as if I was the only person there. Rob
  10. Don, It's been a while but I need to pitch in and back NovaLawyer. He has a right to his opinion as long as it is not slanderous. Rob P.S. But qwertyy is also correct.
  11. All of my reservations on OpenTable have been single-person reservations and I have had absolutely no problem. Perhaps some restaurants do have some sort of exclusion rule during the busiest hours but I've never noticed. Rob
  12. Well, let me cite specific examples: I have had poor bar service at EatBar, Medium Rare, and Jaleo in Crystal City. The EatBar problem was due to a packed house so I think that is excusable, but the other times I was at a nearly empty bar and getting no service at all. On the other hand, maybe I was more aware of being a solo diner at the bar so when I *did* get poor service, I was more likely to attribute it to being a solo diner. Perception is all, right?
  13. As another solo diner, I noticed that Savored.com didn't believe in us. I sent an email when the site first debuted and got some wishy-washy answer about "we will discuss this further" but evidently nothing has happened. My main advice for solo diners goes against Tom Sietsema: DON'T sit at the bar if you can help it. Whenever I sit at the bar, I get miserable service and I have never had a problem at a table. rob
  14. Hello from Catonsville! Since I have a new apartment and a new job in Columbia, I took the opportunity to track down R&R when I went home one evening. It is worth noting that I was misled by Google Maps, which seemed to think that the gas station was about a mile further down Route 1 than it actually is. For the record, R&R is at the Shell station on the intersection of US-1 and MD-175 near Jessup. In fact, it is right off Exit 41A on I-95 toward Jessup, so it is very easy to find. And I had four tacos, including lengua, al pastor, and tripa, and they were all great! Though I'll say the little plastic tub of pepper-red condiment was just hot but that didnt matter a whit given the greatness of the main event. rob
  15. I dunno. A few jobs ago, I was hired by a Very Big Corporation who had just acquired a Spunky Young Start-Up. Two years later they suddenly shuttered my office, ordered the developers to move north or else, and laid off the rest of the staff (including me). As a futile gesture of sympathy, the VBC manager (who knew all along) took everybody out to Applebee's. To punish him, I ordered the steak since it was the most expensive item on the menu. Instead, I was the one who was punished by the thinnest, toughest, grisliest piece of tasteless meat that I have ever eaten. Given the circumstances, the meal made a bad situation worse. So in the end, bad food does nobody good. And who deserves quality food, the diner who can send his filet back because it is medium instead of medium well, or the family who goes out to Applebee's because at least they can get out of the house for once? Perhaps we all deserve good meals.
  16. I visited Memphis Barbeque last week and I'm afraid Jay Cobb is right. Unfortunately, I am moving at the moment and have not had time to write. Fortunately, Jay did it for me. During my visit, I had the ribs and while mine were moister and had more meat, the bark (outer crust) was tough as hell. Either they were on the smoker too long or perhaps they are finishing them off at too high a heat. Also, the hickory smoke seems more like a coda then a theme to me. As for the rest: --The gumbo had flavor but not a lick of spice; --The marinated grilled squash side was no more than five slim slices. C'mon, that seems a bit on the stingy side; -- And finally, the best item was perhaps the BBQ sauce that came with the decent onion rings as a dip. Nice balance of heat, sweet, and hickory. Too bad it wasn't around for the ribs. Rob
  17. Well, your world-weary cynicism is quite the contribution to world philosophy, Waitman. Maybe you recall Wittgenstein's proposition: "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent."
  18. UrbanDaddy tipped me to a new event at Casa Nonna called Tavola 12. It sounded interesting to I called up the restaurant and they gave me the skinny: --Tavola 12 takes place every Friday and Saturday at 7:00 sharp. --The chef creates a 12-dish tasting menu for one seating of 12 people. --They take reservations for this event. Once they get 12 people, that's it. The woman I talked to did not mention their policy on walk-ins. --The event takes place at the restaurant's pizza counter. --The cost is $55 per person for food plus $30 for wine pairings. They have a menu at their web site. They do not specify whether this is a sample menu, the menu for this week, or otherwise (perhaps the menu for the upcoming Tavola 12 tomorrow). That's all I've got at the moment. As you might recall, Chef Amy Brandwein is behind the stove (at least her name is on the Tavola 12 menu) and I've heard good things about her on DR, so this sounds promising. Rob
  19. Memphis Barbeque is currently under construction in Crystal City and is hiring at the moment. The location is close to the Crystal City Jaleo and Buffalo Wild Wings. I have talked to the owner/chef twice and he has said that the restaurant will be opening in 30 days or so. Rob
  20. According to UrbanDaddy, the name of the place is Little Serow and it will be probably opening tomorrow night. They also claim their Thai prix-fixe meal will be seven courses for $45. However, these folks burned me before on Fiola IIRC so take their word for what it's worth. Rob
  21. Follow-up from a PoP poster named "anon" claimed that it was a separate concept called Little Saroh or Little Sarah. It is supposedly having a "very soft opening" and allegedly has a Thai prie-fixe menu of $45 for walk-ins only. Rob
  22. I am going out with a friend to Oyamel and she is a vegetarian. What would folks recommend for her? There's a small horde of vegetable-oriented small plates and I wanted to help her narrow down the field.
  23. Edan, I would like to thank you as well. The cured salmon was really good and the gazpacho with brioche croutons and bacalao was wonderfully rich and tasty. Naturally the pizzas were right on point, crust and all.I favored the Garfield (tomato sauce, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan) and the Aden (house made sausage, piquillo peppers, caramelized onions, fennel, mozzarella) myself. Yesterday, I hit the Oval Room for Restaurant Week. Honestly, the quality of Local 16's food made me compare your meal with theirs. Rob
  24. As Restaurant Week came closer, I had to narrow my choices from three to one. The Oval Room was the only restaurant left standing so I dropped by at 5:30 pm this afternoon and got ready to try a pretty snazzy menu. With the help of the server, I settled on the crudo of tuna, avocado, pineapple, and dragon sauce as the appetizer. I wanted the braised pork cheeks with cherry mustard, charred leeks and warm potato salad (as seen on the website) but unfortunately the pork dish had morphed into braised shoulder with cornbread gnocci (?) so I picked the charred jalapeno chitarra pasta, stewed tomatoes, smoked mozzarella, and pesto. Both the appetizer and the main course were fabulous successes though the flavors were very hard to dissect. I just really really enjoyed them. They were complex and rich and wonderful. The triple chocolate brownie torte with vanilla ice cream was not on the website menu but was quite delicious nonetheless. Overall, it was probably the best and most interesting RW meal I have had yet. Kudos to them. Rob
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