lekkerwijn

The hand-poured coffee is excellent -- worth going out of your way for. My sense is that they're experimenting with various purveyors of pastries and other baked goods. The muffins and croissants now are perfectly fine (not St. Michel caliber), but way overpriced (more than $3 for a croissant).

My understanding is that the cupcakes are from BakeshopDC.

Had another enojoyable du Parc experience this past weekend. Two friends and I had a mini-spa-staycation day planned at the Red Door in the Willard. We met up early for croissants and cafe au lait. The weather was lovely and the outdoor seating was the perfect way to start the day. After some pampering at the spa we had a late lunch outside. My friends both had the Nicoise salad, which looked great and they both finished every drop. I had the moules and frites. For dessert we all had chocolate eclairs. Crisp white wine for all- we could have been in Paris.

The whole experience nearly perfect except for one small-ish detail, which to be fair is outside of the control of the restaurant. IT IS OBNOXIOUS TOURIST CENTRAL!! The red double-decker busses and the trolley both have transfer points in front of the W and the Willard. It must be their drop off spot for the White House.

...which is precisely what surprises me to hear these anecdotes. Because Kimpton is a slavish adherent to the secret shopper/checklist school of QA, which dictates prompt if formulaic service (and lots of upselling). I mean, you used to be able to swear that the Poste FOH must have been reading off a script, with somebody running a stopwatch in the background.

(Cripes. Looking upthread, I'm starting to sound like a broken record...)

I just read these comments and it immediately made me think about something we observed on our last visit to Poste. We were sitting outside in the bar area on the banquette in the southwest corner of the courtyard. It was such a lovely evening. We were having a great time drinking and nibbling with friends. A light goes on behind us in one of the basement level windows that is just above ground level. And we we can't help but notice a man undressing in the room below. Maybe this is what you get when you priceline a room at the Hotel Monaco? Or perhaps Poste has red-light district style entertainment?

Tosca has long been our go-to RW choice. Clearly the word about their phenomenal RW menu (aka their entire menu) has gotten out. The place was packed last night. Portions large and food perfectly cooked. I also want to give praise to the front of the house staff. A co-worker was also at the restaurant last night and clearly on a date. Not wanting to "cramp her style" I suggested that she and her date not be seated next to us. They were so understanding and accommodating. I hope their extra effort allowed my co-worker to have as delightful of an evening as we did.

At 8:30 pm the place is packed with a mix of families and young hipster types. We are seated right away in a semi-clean booth. Our waiter is disinterested and perhaps stoned? He informs us that they do not have unsweetened iced tea, only Honest Tea. Seriously, they don’t make their own iced tea!?!?! So I inquire about the Italian Blood Orange Soda. He tells me it is very sweet, but very good. So I try it. My husband orders a NY dark beer with a weird name.

Our salad comes out quickly with the beer and a second beverage. The salad, not what we ordered. When flagged down, the waiter looks confused and admits it is for another table. A few minutes later, our Caesar salad arrives. The portion is kind of small. It is garlic-y, appears fresh but is a tad overdressed. Unremarkable. Second beverage, by the way is water. No Italian Blood Orange Soda ever materializes. Not worth sending the waiter back to get it, he has disappeared.

A new waiter materializes and clears away the salad plate and my fork, which is never replaced. Our pizza arrives and we are informed it is very hot. It is a fork and knife, gloppy, wimpy version of thin crust pizza. We ordered the Jimmy- tomato, mozzarella, garlic, onions and meatballs. There are precisely 4 meatballs on the 12 inch pie- perfectly described by the Washingtonian as lilliputian they are heavy on fennel flavor and gummy. If garlic and onion are on the pizza, they are invisible and tasteless. It isn’t a bad pie, but $13?

The check arrives. We need the Italian Blood Orange Soda removed. The original waiter is genuinely shocked when we explain the big, red, plastic tumbler in front of me contained only water. We paid $26 plus tax and tip for: 1 beer, 1 Caesar salad and 1 small pizza. Dinner tonight proved than any restaurant capable of producing half-way decent food with mediocre service at a price that does not constitute total highway robbery can thrive in a neighborhood with limited choices and a high density yuppie population.

We generally enjoy our meals there. Usually end up with an omlette or something and usually find it pretty satisfying and tasty. I particularly like the wild mushroom one. I think it is a tad overpriced, but when you think that the breakfast includes rolls/muffins, juice, and coffee - it isn't the most terribly priced breakfast (considering a place like Steak n Egg will run you $12 for an omlette and coffee). Add in an always entertaining clientele and stimulating conversation to overhear because of the tightly spaced tables and it's a good value.

Perhaps Kramerbooks seems like a good place for brunch because there seem to be few alternatives? (Here is an open invitation for the provision of much welcome alternative suggestions)

They may have dropped "wellness" from their name on the menus, but it still appears on the signage. On their opening night I walked by and looked at the menu. In my mind "wellness" suggests vegetarian-type foods, whole grains, wheat grass smoothies, salads etc. So I was pretty surprised by their menu which has none of those foods and leans more trendy. I asked the waitress standing by the door what made this a "wellness bistro" and she said the food is organic and sustainable. My fear for this restaurant is that their signage sends the wrong message- attracting (and then disappointing) some while perhaps dissuading those who their menu and concept is hoping to attract.

So they offer sandwiches to go in the bakery section? (I mean, ones made to order as opposed to the aforementioned fridge case items?)

As I sit at my desk eating one of the pre-made sandwiches I am thinking that the hot sandwiches made to order from the bakery are much better. (yes, they are available to-go as well)

LOVE their goodies in the bakery case and they have fresh, hot cinnamon rolls every morning.

I recently had a party for 12 people in a private room at INOX and it was really wonderful. Food, wine and service were all terrific. There was a minor issue with the food that was handled beyond my expectations, swiftly and professionally. I would have an event there again without question.

In planning that party I called many places in and around DC. I thought INOX had the most innovative menus available for a private dining room. Courduroy was also high up on my list (but not handicap accessible). I believe that Marcel's, Hook, the Source, and Equinox also have private dining rooms. I was unimpressed by what was available on the private dining menus at Citronelle.

This past weekend Obama was in NYC eating at Blue Hill. (Since when is Blue Hill someone's neighborhood restaurant?)

From Marion Nestle's Blog:

NYC celebrity sighting: The Obamas at Blue Hill!

One of the things about living in New York City is that you run into celebrities all the time and pay no attention. As it happens, my partner and I were meeting Sidney Mintz and his wife tonight at my neighborhood restaurant, Blue Hill. We wondered why the street was blocked off, a huge crowd gathered at one end, and secret servicemen all over the place.

The Obamas! At the next table! Six feet away! I can’t tell you what they ate because Dan Barber cooked for them. But I saw the President pay the bill.

Turns out this was their promised night out, and the Republicans are already complaining that it cost the taxpayers too much. From the applause in the restaurant when they were leaving, the picture-taking mob in front of the restaurant, and the crowds lining 6th Avenue, this is one expense nobody minds. They looked they were having fun. We did too.

Potenza is officially my new lunch-go-to place

Today was a roasted vegetable omelet panini. An egg omelet filled with roasted veg (including red pepper and asparagus) and cheese between super thin crispy bread.

ONLY $4!

Haven't tried the pastries or the gelato yet. Breakfast for lunch today, dessert for lunch tomorrow??

Only question: Why the premade sandwiches in the fridge case? Everything else is so good. Those, not so much.

Sign me up!

I just watched the Youtube video. Is the location in Deanwood not happening anymore? Michael only mentions one restaurant in development, not two.

Swine Flu is NOT a food safety issue. There are plenty of other legitimate food safety issues that deserve our attention.

Sign in the window says "Absolute Thai"

Our favorite place, and the only restaurant we went back to a second time during our week in Barcelona in 2007, was Cal Pep. Forget about the seating area in the back and wait in line for a spot at the friendly, casual bar. Pristine seafood prepared in front of you, great staff, very casual and reasonably priced. I loved this place.

I will warn you though, the photos on the web site are horrible! Don't let them discourage you (or your parents) from trying this place.

I have also been to Cal Pep. I echo this poster's sentiments and suggest getting a seat in the back. The front bar is overwhelming. I was with a group of 5 and we were able to get a reservation. If the fried baby artichokes are available, ask for two orders.

Eating in the Boqueria is also a great Barcelona experience. I particularly love the places where you pick your fish from the fish monger and they cook it for you in the same stall.

We had dinner at the Source on Friday night. The restaurant was never more than 3/4 full at any point between 7:30 and 9:30 while we were there. In the future, I think I'd go back and just eat appetizers at the bar. Clearly that is the side of the menu to order from.

We started with the crispy sucking pig and tiny dumplings. Both, were as the were reputed to be. Very delicious, I'd eat them again tomorrow. Serving sizes were generous. For dinner I had the whole, flash fried fish. It came served with a bowl of rice (half brown, half jasmine). I wish they would have let me filet my own fish, because it came back to me in awkward chunks and lots of bones. It was not overcooked and a large portion for one person. But a big portion of white fish and a big bowl of rice is not the most appealing looking plate. It was garnished with a few sprigs of cilantro but that was it. I felt it was lacking some vegetation to give it both more visual an flavor interest. My husband had the scallops served with drunk noodles. In contrast to my huge portion, his plate shows up with three scallops. With the benefit of the doubt that in raw form each of them was closer to 2 oz, in cooked form they looked small. That plate needed at least two more to seem less like an appetizer and more like a main course. The drunken noodles were a good accompaniement. They were not substantially dissimilar from what you might find at a good Thai restaurant. Dessert we shared the chocolate souffle. The portion on this dish seemed appropriate for the price. It was good, not amazing. With the chocolate sorbet melted into the middle, it was similar to a molten chocolate cake in texture.

A quick word of advice to restaurant employees: sometimes customers are lucky enough to be sitting next to the "waiter's station". Yes, there is a mesh partition in between us and you can't really see my face, but we can hear everything you are saying loud and clear. Its the hospitality industry, act hospitable!

I think the former Cafe Trope location with its potential for shaded outdoor seating could do great brunch/lunch/happy hour business if they have the right price point, menu and acceptable food.

My sister and I were both in the mood for sushi tonight. The weather was beautiful, we put the top down and drove all the way across DC in the middle of rush hour traffic to Kotobuki. We got there a little after 7 and the line was literally out the door. A quick call to Sushi Ko in Glover Park and we were thrilled to learn it would no problem getting a table in 15 minutes. The place was 2/3 full when we got there. She had the seaweed salad, salmon/mango negiri, crunchy toro roll and washington roll. I had the lobster soup and tuna five ways. We had a great meal, exactly what we were craving and not terribly more expensive than our original plan.

FYI: link to the Sushi Ko website at the top of the thread is wrong

We had yet another great meal at Dino on Thursday for the second night of Passover. Kudos to our waiter who was super gracious- my parents were in from out-of-town and had read on the website about the free corkage on Thursdays. They showed up in DC with a bottle of Spanish Kosher for Passover wine that they had purchased at the temple gift shop and insisted upon bringing it to the restaurant. Our waiter very patiently opened the bottle, gave me dad a taste and it lived up to its "mevushal" reputation. We did the wine pairings instead and they were great. The food was also wonderful, particularly the chicken livers and gefilte fish.

I've only ever seen it in restaurants in South Africa. I recall it being very good. Can't speak to the sustainability issues. But its a really ugly looking fish. Are they selling it whole at Harris Teeter?

well, sadly, it looks like murky is closing either way. according to their website, they are moving to chinatown and opening up 'wrecking ball coffee' and the owners of liberty tavern will be taking over the space, renovating, and opening a coffee shop in the old murky space in clarendon.

i hope that the new owners will keep the same sort of ambience. i love liberty tavern's food and service, but if they duplicate that same decor and ambience, its going to ruin it.

also, i while i hope this turns out to be an april fools day joke, i sincerly doubt it is. nbc 4 has picked up the story and claims it is not a joke. sad.

http://www.murkycoffee.com/2009/04/letter-...-customers.html

Real coffee and Bakeshop DC cupcakes will available a block from home!?!? YAY! A welcome addition the neighborhood. I hope no one tries to order an iced espresso . . .

We are going on vacation in Spain this summer and will be travelling through Rioja. Is this a winery that welcomes visitors?

Closest places seem to be Capital Grille, The Source, Le Paradou, D'Acqua, none of which I think offer a reasonably quick and cheap lunch.

I probably need to stay at $15 or under. What's cheap and good in that area, and walkable from 6th and PA on a lunch hour? Razzes to whomever proposes Cosi or Au Bon Pain.

For just you, or for a group of people?

Bar at Proof

Jaleo (special lunch menu)

Rasika

if all you want is a sandwich, Clydes on the Walk is pretty good and its cheap

The menu at Burro Grill says they first opened in 1993, which obviously doesn't apply to the Arlington location that just opened, so I asked if there was another location. The person behind the counter said there's also one at 2000 Penn. The Burro. (And looks like the 2000 Penn Burro is/was related to the one that used to be in Dupont Circle a long time ago.)

When I first moved to DC in 2001, I used to love to go to the Burro Grill in Dupont.