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Finally had a chance to try Buck's for dinner on Friday night. Found the atmosphere and service really pleasant. I started with the homemade cottage cheese. I ordered it mostly out of curiosity and was really pleasantly surprised. The curds were much bigger than I expected and reminded me of the fried cheese curds I once had at the Minnesotta State Fair. The heirloom tomato pairing made it a really nice and refreshing dish. For my main course I had the dry aged $40 sirloin. I was reluctant to spend that much for a steak but had heard so many people rave about it that I needed to try it. And you know what? It was worth every penny. The steak was really big and had an amazing flavor due partially to a very light glaze they apparently brush on it when it's cooking but mostly due to being cooked over a wood fire. You could really taste the difference and I would definitely have it again!

I was really surprised to discover that nobody has posted anything about Teddy's Roti Shop on Georgia Avenue. This is truly a holy-in-the-wall shop (plan to do take-out if you go rather than dining in) but serves some amazing Trinidad and Tobabo-style rotis. My personal favorite is the goat Bussup Shut which the shop's website explains translates into "burst-up shirt" and is derived from the appearance of the paratha bread, which resembles torn pieces of cloth. Basically, it's a huge serving of curried meat served with curried potatoes and chick-peas and accompanied with the "bussup shut". If you order this for lunch, don't expect to need any dinner and I challenge anybody to finish the paratha by themselves and the meal is a steal at $12.

I finally tried the Pattison Avenue last night. It may very well have been the best sandwich that I have ever had. There was just something about the way the flavors worked together and the quality of the bread that made it a great experience. And who ever came up with the idea of adding broccoli rabe is a genius. If I didn't have plans tonight, I would definitely go back for seconds…Especially since my girlfriend ended up eating half of my sandwich since she liked it so much more than the one she ordered.

I had the Omikase dinner on Friday night and think that it might have been the single best dining experience that I have ever had. I say "experience" because there was so much more to it than just the food. Sure, the dozen or so courses were expertly prepared and the fish was of a quality and variety that I had never seen before. But I've had amazing food before. What made this meal standout was that the decor, service, food and atmosphere all somehow combined to create a magical atmosphere that I will not soon forget. The setting is very private and intimate since the bar is effectively in its own room. While the bar seats 6, they only seat two parties at a time and only have one seating per night! On Friday night it was just me and my girlfriend and one other couple so the four of us had the undivided attention of Sushi Taro's chef/owner and his exective chef...for almost 4 hours. 2 chefs for 4 customers for 4 hours. Not a bad ratio, huh? At no point did we feel rushed and the chefs were happy to answer all of our questions. I also learned a lot about the food we were eating and about Japanese food in general. In fact, the owner explained that the reason he so drastically changed Sushi Taro from its previous incarnation was becasue he wanted to show Americans that there is so much more to Japanese food than just Sushi. The star of the meal is definitely the food. All of the fish is wild and flown in daily from Tokyo's famous Tzakizi market. It's amazing what a difference this makes. I feel like I'm now spoiled from eating sushi at other places. I don't remember the exact order of all the courses but they consisted, more or less, of the following: (1) hot sake infused with blowfish fin; (2) their famous sesame "tofu" with sea urchin; (3) a really refreshing chilled "hairy" crab from Japan served with its tamale; (4) a box of various small but intricate snacks including monkfish livier pate, ginkgo nuts, and macherel (with roe) slow cooked for 10 hours; (5) some sort of a sweet potato/lotus root dumplings; (6) a small bowlfull of tiny, traslucent baby eels; (7) sashimi, (8) blowfish sashimi; (9) blowfish head soup; (10) stewed butter snapper head; (11); oyster roasted in its shell; and, of course, (12) sushi.. I didn't particularly enjoy the baby eels due to their texture but everything else was amazing, especially the white salmon and flute fish (neither of which I had ever had before). The seared kobi beef sushi was also amazing. I wasn't sure what I would think of the stewed fish head but really enjoyed that too. Both the sashimi and the sushi were essentially served all-you-can eat. Unfortunately, by the time the sushi course came around, I had already eaten so much that I could only managed 7 or 8 pieces but the chef made it clear that we could keep trying all of the fish, get more of our favorites and simply keep ordering to our hearts' content...and this was all included in the set price for the meal!!!! Once you factor in dessert (not included in the Omikase menu), tea, tax and tip the meal set us back around $160 a person so it was definitely expensive. But to the extent that any meal can be worth so much money, this was definitely it. I've eaten in various fancy restaurants including Michellin 3-starred places in Paris and while those experiences were amazing in their own right, none could match the intimacy and atmosphere of this meal. Here are pics of some of the courses:

Had dinner at Siroc with three friends last night and had a very enjoyable experience. Regarding appetizers, the sweetbread and stuffed portobello were both excellent but the flavor of the "Baby Octopus Salami" did not match its imaginative presentation. One of the great things about Siroc is that you can order half-portions of their great, home-made pasta. If you can't decide which one to get you can also order two different pastas as a main course and have them served on a single plate. All of the pastas were a big hit (my personal favorite was the black pepper tagliatelle). I can't say they were the best I've had in the city but I'm biased and spoiled because I live around the corner from Palena (run, don't walk, to try the gnocchi there if you haven't already). The best thing about Siroc though is the value. This place definitely fills the void in this city for high-end restaurants that don't break the bank. Dinner for 4 - consisting of 3 appetizers, 4 main courses and a $40 bottle of wine (an excellent Barbera D'Asti) - set us back $40 per person plus tip. A steal when you also consider the high level of service and atmosphere. I will definitely be back.

I had dinner at Palena tonight and learned that the best restaurant in DC is in fact expanding into where Macgruder's used to be. Instead of simply offering more tables however, it appears that the new space will offer a different menu with more casual Italian-themed dishes such as pizza and pasta.

I think the Fry Plate at Palena is the best in town since, in addition to excellent fries, it comes with crispy onion rings, potato croquettes and, best of all, fried lemon wedges.

I finally went to Domku yesterday for brunch and have been kicking myself ever since for not making the trip sooner. My first impression was that I had walked into a smaller version of Tryst due to all the local hipsters and deep couches but as soon as the food arrived, I realized that I was in a restaurant masquerading as a coffee house, not the other way around. My friend and I split an order of the ablskiver (fluffy pancake balls dusted with powder sugar), I had the hash topped with salmon and a perfectly-poached egg, and he had the Norwegian apple pancake. All three were excellent and extremeley affordable (the pancake was $12 and the hash was $8). Of course, our bill ended up being a bit higher because we washed down the food with several excellant coctails. For those that like extra spicy Bloody Marys I highly recommend the Bloody Domku which is made with a home-made habenero-infused Aquavit. While eating brunch, we couldn't help looking at the lunch and dinner menus which seem even more impressive (the entrees cost between $14 and $18) so I'll definitely be back there soon. This time however, I'll be sure to make a reservation which I was very surprised to learn that they take for brunch, lunch and dinner.

I went to Blue Duck Tavern last night specifically for the bone marrow. I was momentarily heart-broken to learn that the dish was only available in the main restaurant and not at the bar but the waiter allowed us to order it anyway. The bones were nice and think, cut length wise and perfectly prepared (the addition of a whole roasted head of garlic was a nice touch). To go along with the marrow we got some Iberico ham (!) and an assortment of cheeses. Throw in a couple drinks and it was perfect evening in a very nice setting. This was my first time to Blue Duck Tavern but I will definitely be back.

While I realize that bone marrow disgusts many people, it is one of my favorite - and most decadent - things to eat. I've had it at Montouris on P Street but that place is now closed. Does anybody know of any other restaurant (preferably French) in the area that serves it? Please help me satisfy this craving.

I used to sometimes eat at a Jason's Deli when I travelled to Ft. Worth, TX for work. The sandwiches are underwhelming but they offer a variety of extra large baked potatoes topped with anything from cheese & broccoli to BBQ pork. This might have just been a Texas thing since everything there seems to be bigger but they cut the rounded ends off of two potatoes and stuck them together to create one giant, 10' mutant potato. It's not the most atkins-friendly dish but definitely hit the spot when craving comfort food.

Hey everyone! My name is Vlad. I've been in DC for about 8 years and work for the federal government. I follow a number of DC food blogs and figured it was time to join this one since it keeps getting referenced. My main interest in this blog is finding places that offer high-quality yet reasonably priced food. Afterall, it's one thing to eat well for $100 -$150 a head but quite another thing to do it for $25 - $50 and sadly, I've found that most places in that price range suffer from either horrible service or uninspired food. My current favorite dishes around the city: Cheeseburger, roast chicken and gnocchi at Palena Penang Prawn Mee Soup at Malaysia Kopititam Chicken and Waffles at Creme "The Smoky" pizza at Comet Ping Pong The Pho and any of the steamed-flour cakes at Saigon Cafe by Eden Center