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sheldman

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Everything posted by sheldman

  1. sheldman
    A dissenting voice to all of this anti-Momofuku stuff. I think that the ramen there is extremely good. I also think that the vegetarian ramen is by far the best noodle dish that I have ever had in the DC area, and is innovative as well as absolutely delicious. Yes, the ramen costs more than it does at other places. And it is a luxury good, as so much of the food that we discuss here is. But I think that the prices are absolutely reasonable in comparison to other ramen-centric places in town. Some ramen places are nothing to write home about. E.g., Sakuramen in my experience (though I haven't been in more than a year). I would happily pay several more dollars for very good ramen than for meh ramen. Same as to the Lamen place in Chinatown, though it was better than meh. Some ramen places are a pain in the ass, at least for people who live where I live. Toki. The one time I had ramen there it was very good. But the rent is surely much lower there than at Momofuku. A fine place to go if you want pain in the ass experience with very good ramen, but sometimes you just don't, you know? The ramen at Daikaya is fantastic, to my taste. I would tend to go there a little more often than I would go to Momofuku, if I were going out for ramen a lot. And it is what, 4 dollars cheaper? That is nice. But what you are paying your $13 or $14 for at Daikaya is the chance to sit in a very loud and cramped place for about twenty minutes, rushed and slurping. Sometimes I love that experience. But other times I want to be in a place with somewhat more elbow room, somewhat less rush, and many more things on the menu that I can get instead of or in addition to my ramen (or that my companions would like to get). Though I am no restaurant economist, I would bet that the difference in rent-per-person's-space, and the difference in time-spent-by-average-diner (--> turnover per day), amply explain the difference in price between Daikaya and Momofuku. So I find it delicious and do not begrudge the price. As for Chang as a personality, I find him no more self-aggrandizing than any other chef I've heard a lot about. So, no big deal.
  2. sheldman
    On the very-contentious topic of donuts: I have now gotten them a couple of times from Zombie Coffee and Donuts (address 3100 14th St., but really it's on Irving Street between 14th and 15th). The first time I was amazed at how good they were. The second time they were nearly as good. What is especially good about them is that, unlike so many donuts, they have the crunch of having been fried. (I would call them, basically, "cake" donuts rather than "yeasted" though I am not an expert.) They have that good crisp exterior and a nice greasiness. They offer various "glazes" (including none, basic sugar glaze, chocolate, vanilla, maple, strawberry, lemon) and various "toppings" (including shredded coconut, cereals, candies, and even the absurd bacon). Then they are fabricated to order. Even with those additions they are not as absurdly cloyingly sweet as some (I'm looking at you, Fractured Prune). Check it out.
  3. sheldman
    yeah when i have taken the bolt bus that's just what you do, Don - you arrive at the stated intersection before the departure time, see the bus and the few people already in line, you give your "checked" bag to somebody who puts it underneath, and you grab a seat. easy as pie. worst case scenario is that the wifi isn't working and the traffic is bad, but that worst case scenario is not the worst day. bring a book just in case. plus, they used to have pirated first-run movies and you'd all take a vote on which one to see. not sure if that's still true.
  4. sheldman
    Well but it's also the fact that millions upon millions of our fellow Americans want their weapons readily at hand, either because they are fearful or so that they can have a better chance of living out their fantasies of killing somebody for a reason they believe is right. I have my opinion about why they want that - i.e., fear of the "other," generated by politicians who exploit perceived differences into fear/hatred in order to be elected/re-elected and to divide the non-elite - but it's not "corrupt politicians" so much as "awful politicians stirring up hatred" or "eh, human nature is to hate the 'other' and to want deadly power, 'twas always thus" - take your pick.
  5. sheldman
    The tempo for CPR on a baby?
  6. sheldman
    I tried the "kung fu noodles," i.e., spicy, today (from website: "Broth stew beef shanks, tea egg, scallion and season greens"). We have reached the enviable point in DC where a very good spicy bowl of noodle soup, with some good fresh greens and a tea egg in it, is just nothing to write home about. And it was good! But the noodles, at least in this dish on this day, were basically no more interesting (in texture or otherwise) than slightly overdone spaghetti. And the broth, though good, had no particularly depth or interesting taste other than spiciness. Also - and I get the sense that this is probably intentional, from reading the Carman article above - it is lighter, less pleasantly fatty, than the ramen one gets around town these days. Bottom line: if you want a good bowl of spicy noodle soup that won't leave your lips too greasy, and you don't want a hipster rock and roll open-kitchen stylish feeling while you eat it, check it out!
  7. sheldman
    Billy Ray's uncle was a client of mine, a union rep, long ago ...
  8. sheldman
    I continue to think that Tail Up Goat is the most awesome place in DC. They are doing great business, which is lovely for them, yet it is still possible to wander in early and grab a couple of seats at the bar (or get a reservation for next week if that's what you're into). Tonight my son and I sat and ate the two veg bread options - including the new "red grit sourdough, heirloom tomatoes, 1000 island, bread + butter pickles [13]" which is ridiculously good including the best tomatoes I've had all summer - and then dessert including "orange + olive oil sherbet, black lime cashews, ginger crumble [10]." My "thing" these days, in terms of cooking, is balance among textures and taste/smell senses - and this restaurant is perfect in that way. No dish is overweighted in any direction - each dish balances itself well. And in terms of atmosphere, it is friendly and warm. Someday I will explain my theory as to why such a restaurant could only exist now thanks to Uber, but that is for another day.
  9. sheldman
    Whatever level of distaste you feel for hotel restaurants with absentee "celebrity" chefs, multiply that by 1000x and you will have a glimpse of how I feel about this sort of thing as "music."
  10. sheldman
    I guess I should have realized before posting that I was walking into a minefield ... But in upper NW, west of Rock Creek, any hint of the possibility of another not-bad place to eat and drink in the neighborhood is an occasion for hope.
  11. sheldman
    Casolare opened a month or so ago, in the Kimpton hotel that is on Wisconsin Ave in Glover Park between Calvert and Davis (?). Apparently the "name" behind it is Michael Schlow, who has James Beard award(s) though I confess I don't know the name. It is a very pleasant warm place, bustling on a Friday early evening - mostly, apparently, neighborhood folks rather than hotel guests. Current menu is here and is self-explanatory - mostly Italian-ish. Everything we ate was well made - not revelatory but good to eat. I mean, it's a hotel restaurant, but one that we will happily go back to, and sit again at the bar, and talk to nice people and eat some good burrata. Park on Davis and check it out if you are in or near the neighborhood.
  12. sheldman
    I stopped in at Duke's Counter (across from the zoo) early this evening. My reaction is mostly in line with the above: perfectly good, and friendly, and lovely for the neighborhood, but wouldn't it be nice if it were more awesome? I ordered the cubano sandwich minus ham (so sue me), and I liked it because it wasn't dry (had lots of avocado and mayo). But neither it nor anything else on the menu seemed to have the balance that one would want from the Platonic ideal of a sandwich (in terms of textures and contrasting flavors). Maybe British people just don't like crunch or acid on their sandwiches???? Will happily go back, and they were doing good business. But more interesting would be better.
  13. sheldman
    Lunch here today, for the first time. I have a mixed reaction. The good: the vibe is exactly right, as near to a beachy fried-seafoody bar as you will find in Adams Morgan. I don't mean this as faint praise. It was a lovely place to sit and drink a beer and eat a sandwich with a friend during early afternoon. The not-so-good is that I can't vouch for the food. It wasn't bad, and I really mean that. But I would have liked better, for the price. For instance, the fried oysters (on both the burger-with-fried-oyster and on the oyster sandwich) had little flavor. And the oyster sandwich was not a poor boy but was on a smallish hamburger bun. There was nothing really wrong with anything, but for $12 per not-big sandwich one hopes for something more than "yeah that's pretty good."
  14. sheldman
    I happened to see these sculptures this afternoon while taking a random walk that took me through the zoo. As Tweaked said, they are very well done - much more interesting than you might guess just from a verbal description. Good message too, of course.
  15. sheldman
    To get this topic started: Kyirisan is at 1924 8th St. NW (between T and U). We enjoyed our first meal tonight. It is a pretty and hip space, all very stylish including decor, plates, people, etc. The menu is not huge but everything we had was good. They say it's "Chinese-French" and I guess I can see that. As you can see online, the menu is divided into three categories: basically, vegetables (though NOT all vegetarian), meat/fowl, and seafood - in each category there are smaller plates and bigger plates. "All meant for sharing," ok whatever. A shot of good rum and a shot of pickle juice - trendy and good. Fried tofu cubes in a spicy oyster sauce - yum. "Red Curry | Japanese Eggplant | Apple | Butternut Squash | Potato | Peanuts | Pea Puree" gives you a sense of the way that you are not definitely in a traditional "Asian restaurant in USA" environment - it is not a bowl of coconut milk curry but is instead an artistic composed plate of not quite enough food but beautiful and tasty. And so on. If you are a drinker and a pig like me, think in terms of $50 or so per person. Service was friendly and nice, atmosphere was friendly and nice, food was good but just realize that you are going for stylish and artistically-presented food that tastes very good, not for anything authentic to any culture other than Shaw in 2016. I like Shaw in 2016 and therefore will happily go back.
  16. sheldman
    I had this (at Drift) for lunch today, and boy was it good. Highly recommended.
  17. sheldman
    I think I have figured this out. Click on "unread content." Then change "read status" to "everything" and set the time frame for last 1 or 2 days, or whatever you want. I was then (can't remember exactly how) offered an opportunity to save or not save this as a "stream." Saved it, gave it a name, and now it shows up under the tab "activity" as a "custom stream." A bit of a workaround, but it's ok. Sorry not to have better step-by-step instructions.
  18. sheldman
    Like Eric, when I think about this situation I focus most on how and why it got in to the Post. I love much of what Carman writes. But what must have happened is (1) the know-it-all customer got more bent out of shape than was reasonably necessary, and (2) he (or friend) pitched the story to the Post, (3) which wrote up the story as clickbait, which constitutes way too much of the Post these days. I hope that if I were in this customer's situation, I would take it as indication that at least I ought to consider whether I was being a dick, and ponder that for a while - not run to the newspapers to try to end the job of the person who called me a dick. If I took the latter course, it would pretty much prove that the person was right in the first place! Nonetheless, the chef/owner was in a no-win situation that was not of his own making. And I hope that Carman learns something.
  19. sheldman
    The weird thing about B&J these days is that so many of the flavors are so similar - white ice cream with some choc and caramel and something that used to be crunchy - and really so boring. If Talenti goes down that beige road too, I will be sad. Why don't rich people eat strawberry ice cream any more for pete's sake?
  20. sheldman
    (No posts about this place in four years!) My first visit was last night. One post above says that it is suitable only for carryout. Now there are many tables outside (it finally stopped raining!), and I think that I saw tables inside but am not sure. Pizza crust is still as described above in DPop's first post (no heat-generated crunch, plenty of "sand" on the bottom). I liked it for what it was. You can create your own pizza, or choose from their nice and varied suggestions. On an early evening, it was a lovely place to sit outside, drink a DC Brau, eat some perfectly fine food, and marvel at the good and bad of rapid gentrification.
  21. sheldman
    Also congratulations to another local (though not a DR member as far as I know), Pati Jinich, finalist in two categories - she is a sweet person, a great cook, and a great cooking teacher. (I'm pretty sure she still lives here.)
  22. sheldman
    If you have an evening where you just want to hang out and get a sandwich and a drink in Adams Morgan, look at Songbyrd, which is a coffee shop, restaurant, music venue, and (small) record store. If you have a complete aversion to young people who might be called "hipsters," then you won't like it - but they aren't really pompous hipsters and it's a friendly place with food that is more than decent. Also you might want to peek at Bossa Bistro (also right there on 18th St. in Adams Morgan) - I can't vouch for the food, but there is often interesting music (e.g., old Ethiopian jazz musicians, or traditional music from Mali) and there is alcohol, so what's not to like.
  23. sheldman
    Three things about Joshua Tree NP: (1) it is awesome; (2) bring water as stated above, no matter what time of year; (3) on your way there or back, stop by Pappy and Harriet's, the world's greatest high-desert, country/hippy/artist, bar and restaurant and music venue and general place to hang out.
  24. sheldman
    Never liked Randy Newman?!?!? Have you listened to the record "Good Old Boys"? The first song, "Rednecks," is lyrically difficult (it asks, in uncomfortable ways with racial slur prominent, whether the listener is really better than the racist redneck narrator). After that, the record is funny, poetic, and insightful.
  25. sheldman
    I don't think that your conclusion follows. No one could refute that you like food spicier than you were served, and no one could refute that you found the pasta dish to be strange and not in line with what you expected or what you like. I personally agree with the point that the noodles at Daikaya are better than the noodles at Momofuku. But what else is there to refute or (conversely) to justify? Given how strongly David Chang has made the point that he is not seeking to serve the "authentic" food of any cuisine other than his own desires (and his chefs'), I am surprised that anyone would go to Momofuku expecting anything like Annandale in any dish. (And I am especially surprised if anyone would expect the server to say anything like "oh, you ask specifically if we have oi kimchi, well I should tell you since you are obviously a connoisseur that ours is untraditional" ...)
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