DannyNoonan

I had an eagerly anticipated dinner this past Saturday with my wife and friends at The Source. Maybe it was because our expectations were so high or that the food was rather expensive, but we all expressed a modicum of disappointment after our experience there. Arriving early for our reservation, we found seats in the bar area to enjoy our drinks. My Hendricks martini with olives was nicely made, though my wife's sidecar was much too sweet for our tastes. The bar area definitely exudes a hip urban vibe and I did enjoy socializing over drinks in that atmosphere. The noise level was a bit high for casual conversation but I didn't find it overly intrusive. Service in the bar was attentive and friendly. Ascending the stairs to our table, I scanned the remainder of the soaring space and was again impressed. I agree with the earlier post that said this does not feel like a DC restaurant. Seated in a booth upstairs, we were greeted by a friendly waiter who ran down the myriad off-menu selections and capably answered the numerous questions our table asked. Soon after placing our wine order for a bottle of Oregon pinot gris, the sommelier arrived tableside and arranged a small table, 5 wine glasses, and launched into a curious ritual of pouring a taste of the wine into each of the 5 glasses before offering the wine's selector a taste. When we asked about the ritual, the sommelier said it was a traditional approach to pouring wine. Kinda weird in an Asian-themed restaurant and with a wine with a screwtop (don't have to worry about a bad cork). Not good or bad, just kinda odd. My wife and I opted to split the appetizer special of California roll made with king crab. The roll was quite tasty and certainly pleasant as the ingredients were well proportioned and it was redolent of actual crab flavor. But, although a nice dish, it didn't blow us away and seemed almost pedestrian. Maybe that was a case of unrealistic expecations on our part but I think we expected more. This sentiment carried over into the entree portion of the meal. I ordered the special of lobster with thai basil and a brown sauce (I apologize with the coarse, undescriptive language but I can't recall the servers more eloquent description) served with white and brown rice. My wife ordered the Hong Kong Style King Salmon with bok choy and a soy-ginger sauce. Overall, both dishes were again quite nice. My lobster was cooked perfectly, the sauce was tasty, and the rice was again perfectly cooked. It was a generous portion to boot. Likewise, my wife's salmon was cooked perfectly, as were the accompaniments. Yet, in both cases again, there was just something missing that prevented us from fully embracing the dishes. Again, maybe we expected too much but I feel like we could get similar quality and similar preparations at other restaurants at something less than mid-$30s per entree. I wanted very much to love everything about this meal as it was the first time my wife and I got out for a real night out since having a baby in the fall but The Source just didn't resonate with us. I can't put my finger on why - maybe it was the corporate vibe as suggested earlier - or maybe it was the the onus of expectations associated with a #3 ranking in Washingtonian - but I don't think we'll be returning here. The Source is pretty to look at and it's a hip place to say you've been but I go to restaurants to eat first and the food here was missing something.

I would concur, if less emphatically, on the salads. I haven't experienced the funky or otherwise subpar ingredients, but I have been disappointed at the lack of flavor and the preposterously large amount of lettuce relative to other ingredients. These issues could be addressed relatively easily I would think and I hope they are because the pizza quality far exceeds that of the salads.

I was wandering around Clarendon killing some time on a frigid Friday afternoon and decided to stop into Screwtop. I was fortunate enough to meet the owner, Wendy, who was super friendly and quite helpful in helping me pick some bottles of wine to give as gifts. I bought her recommendations for myself as well and found them to be both quite good. I am not a wine expert by any stretch but I like the selection at this shop. According to Wendy, they offer many selections from smaller producers, which probably explains why I see wines here that I don't see at other stores. The handwritten descriptions that accompany each wine on display are also written in decidedly non-oenophile language, which i find quite helpful as well. I didn't eat but I plan to come back with wife and kids, brunch would be easiest by Wendy's reckoning, so I'll report back when we have. To sum it up: A nice person, who is taking risk opening her own business, has created a unique shop that deserves at least some of our business. These are the people we are supposed to be supporting.

Went to Bernie's for a few beers with some buddies a couple nights ago and found it to be a most agreeable neighborhood watering hole. Nice assortment of beers on tap, friendly bartender, and a nice atmosphere. I am not a meat-eater so the menu isn't my cup of tea but I like everything else about this place and plan to return.

Not sure if there is another thread somewhere about this place but I couldnt find it so thought I'd offer my two cents. The premise is simple: order pizzas or salads online or via phone, pick up, follow cooking instructions, and eat about 15 min later. The execution wasn't quite that smooth in my lone experience. I chalk most of it up to growing pains as the place gets up & running though, I'd expect it to get better over time. The menu includes probably 10 pre-conceived pizza options as well as a build your own option with a list of 45 potential ingredients. We ordered 3 pizzas from their favorites menu: The Miesian - their version of Margherita with Roma tomatoes, roasted garlic, basil, and mozzarella, The Spinach Pie - spinach, feta, black olives, sundried tomatoes, and a plain cheese. Advised to pick up in 35 min, ended up being close to an hour after some miscommunication. Cooking instructions easy to follow - heat in oven on parchment cutouts provided and they're ready in 15 min. Pizzas were good overall, a solid option in the carryout universe though not to be confused with any of the better pizza options we're fortunate to have in the area. Crusts are relatively thin and crisp up nicely. Topppings are well portioned. Service could improve, as I mentioned, though I'm sure it will. Also, I didn't do a dollar for dollar comparison vs. competitors but it didn't seem like these pies were priced at a relative discount to account for the fact that I had cook them at home. Maybe they weren't intended to be, but I think we paid close to $50 for two large and one medium, which was more than I would have guessed I'd pay. We'll go back. It's in the neighborhood and, though the pizza won't blow you away, it's a good carryout option.

Dinner at Liberty this weekend, another positive experience. The place was packed to the gills so clearly the word is out about how good this place is. Started with a nice rendition of a sidecar from the bar. Maybe a tad heavier on the lemon than I would have made myself but still nicely made. Rock shrimp appetizer was a bit of a dud, though. Shrimp were bland and lifeless and the sauce didn't add much. A rare miss for this place. Entrees were a hit though. I ordered gnocchi for the 2nd visit in a row and was not disappointed. Brown butter sauce with sage, mushrooms, and butternut squash complimented the not-gummy gnocchi well in this very filling dish that is perfect for fall. My wife, unsurprisingly, ordered the Amish chicken and was again fully satisfied. Another in a long line of pleasant experiences at Liberty.

I think the breakfast menu is relatively fixed but the daily lunch specials change daily. I have seen fajitas, some kind of diablo shrimp dish, and carne asada as specials in the past.

Our initial dining experience at AF in Clarendon was a positive one. Rainy Saturday evening so the crowd was a little thin, and I guess they have only been open for 2 weeks too. We were greeted warmly, seated promptly in the dining room with a good view of the giant oven. I started with the greek salad special, which was a pleasant start. Nicely dressed, fresh greens with goat cheese and black olives. My wife had the evolution salad - she noted with zeal the tangy ginger dressing. Both salads portioned generously. We split a flatbread - half with Med Bread (tomato sauce, 3 cheeses, herbs) and half with Punctuated Equilibrium (black olives, roasted red peppers, red onions, goat cheese, mozzarella)- and both really liked it. The crust is definitely different from most others pizza crusts - more bready but quite good. The crust was flavorful and crunchy/chewy and married well with the toppings. Overall, a nice effort. Dessert was chocolate chip cookies warmed in the oven sandwiched around vanilla ice cream. The cookies could have been warmed a bit more to make them a bit softer but otherwise, a really good dessert. I'm encouraged by my first visit here. They seem to be off to a good start. I suspect that this place will quickly become a popular neighborhood spot for those looking for good food in a relaxing, low key atmosphere

Pretty good dinner with work colleagues at 3 last night. I started with the garden greens salad - nothing really to write home about but pretty good. Produce was fresh and not overdressed with a mustardy vinaigrette. Bread basket was not that good - very dry cornmeal muffins that had passed their prime and uninspired baguette hunks. Halibut entree with cucumbers, tomatoes, shrimp and light citrus vinaigrette. Halibut was nicely cooked and overall the dish was nicely prepared. If anything, it bordered on the bland side, maybe needing the vinaigrette to assert itself more, and was certainly not a hearty meal by any stretch but overall a good meal. I need to eat here a few more times and sample more of the menu to really decide what I think. For now, it seems to be a decent place but not sure if it's worth a spot in the regular rotation. It seems to be aspiring to a place beside Liberty Tavern and Eventide - above Harry's, Faccia Luna, Woodgrill, etc - as the upscale neighborhood dining destinations in Clarendon but not sure it's there yet.

Sushi Zen is near our house so we get carryout from there every 4-6 weeks or so. We have never been blown away by anything we ordered there. The rice is ok, the fish is ok, nothing especially noteworthy. But, we continue to go back because, while the food's not outstanding, it's never bad either. And the people there are very genuine, they make a real effort to make sure you're satisfied, and the owners seem to care about the community (as evidenced by their various involvements in community efforts). These reasons, and their close proximity to home, will keep us going back. And who knows, maybe someday we'll be bowled over by something we order.

Disappointing night this past weekend at Rustico. Food was subpar, service too. This contrasts with our previous visits in which we were pleased with both. Admittedly, there seemed to be an Octoberfest celebration so the place was mobbed. This understandably had an adverse effect on the service. It was annoying to wait for water, drinks, and then for our food but not all that unexpected given the crowd. We didn't expect much different and were ok with it or else we would have dined elsewhere. I'm not sure if it was the crowd that adversely affected the food as well but we found the food across the board to be less enjoyable than previous visits. Things started good - my beet salad was good. Tangy goat cheese and sweetly flavorful beets. And my wife's butternut squash soup tasted like autumn in a bowl. Auspicious enough beginning. The entrees were most disappointing, however. I ordered the roasted mushroom pizza. Goat cheese, spinach, roasted mushrooms, and mushroom cream sounded promising but failed to deliver. Bland, chewy crust, shriveled dry mushrooms, and only a smattering of the other ingredients. Another diner's scallop dish was ok though the portion was quite small. Three scallops perched on a small tart of some sort was small indeed. The scallop was cooked well but the odd sweetness in the accompaniments gave the whole dish a weird taste. My wife did like her roasted chicken breast and the sweet potato puree was ok but the sauteed greens served with it again had a weird sweet taste to them. Not sure if they finished the greens with apple cider or something sweet but it was an odd taste. I think we'l have to eventually give Rustico another try to see whether it was the crowds that night that resulted with our subpar experience or if the cooking really has gone downhill but this was a disappointment.

Ate at Guajillo again last night: 1. fish tacos - fantastic. 2. salsa - packed with smoky flavor and good amount of heat 3. guacamole - creamy & flavorful with lime and jalapeno 4. service - friendly & attentive Incidentally, it did seem a bit more crowded at our usual time on a Saturday so maybe more people are wising up to Guajillo being good food.

Nice dinner with my wife at Indique on Sat. night. Maybe it was the three Manhattans I had at Bardeo before we went in but I thought the meal was fantastic. We didn't order anything fancy - started with aloo tikki, which was a nice slighly spicy was to start. My wife asked if they could make saag aloo, though it wasnt on the menu, and they gladly obliged. I ordered alu chole and we split some naan. Washed down with a Frog's Leap sauvignon blanc. Naan was perfect crisp/chewy combination, chickpeas spicy without blowing my head off, and the spinach in my wife's dish was actually quite flavorful instead of insipid, bland variety that often characterizes this dish at other places. Service was attentive and courteous. Overall, a fine meal. We'll be back.

Yes, I believe so.

Good new food cart in Rosslyn (near the metro). They have a menu of breakfasts tacos and I think they're open for lunch now too. I stopped by this morning when I was in the neighborhood. I had two tacos with egg whites, peppers & onions, pinto beans, and cheese on a flour tortilla. Only cost $5. Very good food, especially for the price. Nice warm, soft tortillas stuffed with flavorful beans, crispy veggies, and soft egg whites. Add a bit of the medium salsa and it's a good meal for a low price.

So, we ventured back to Harry's, despite our subpar visit last time around. Happily, we had a much better experience this time across the board. Service was friendly and attentive. My summer salad - grape & cherry tomatoes, frisee, and goat cheese with a light vinaigrette- was quite nice and the tomatoes actually tasted like tomatoes are supposed to taste this time of year. My wife's house salad was much better than last time as well. I ordered the shrimp po'boy and my wife the turkey burger and we got a side of sauteed spinach as well. My po'boy was great. Maybe it was because it had been a while since I had eaten one, but I loved this sandwich. The bread wasn't too hard or crunchy to make it hard to eat and the shrimp were nicely fried and flavorful. My wife liked her turkey burger, as she generally does. Flavorful and moist are not attributes that generally come to mind when describing a turkey burger but Harry's version is just that. And their fries are really good too. Our 3 yr old had the grilled chicken with fries and fruit from the kid's menu. Nice to see kids' offerings beyond grilled cheese or previously frozen chicken tenders. Good to see Harry's bouncing back. Not sure if we caught them on a bad night last time around but this visit has brought them back into our good graces again.

I had lunch with my wife and daughter at La Sandia yesterday. Not my first choice, given my aversion to eating in malls, but not a ton of good options in Tyson's for a quick lunch so in we went. Not a terrible experience overall, but clearly nothing to write home about either. Guacamole was ok, it was mixed tableside. Nice consistency but very salty, to the point that it made me really thirsty. Quenched my thirst with a watermelon agua fresca, which was ok but a little weird but maybe just because I wasnt expecting that strong of a watermelon flavor. I liked my wife's strawberry lemonade better. I ordered baja tacos - fried tilapia, with crema and shredded cabbage. Not terrible but far from good - fish was overcooked, cabbage added crunch but crema was bland. Worst part was what seemed to be a store bought tortilla, big turnoff. My wife enjoyed her chicken tinga tacos better but not more than a lukewarm reception there. The rice on the side was pretty good, if a bit dry, but the beans were a bit gloppy and glue-like despite decent flavor. I guess this is what you get dining in a mall. I set the bar low for this meal and my expectations were barely met.

Unfortunately I won't be back there until next summer so nothing further than the dispatch from earlier this summer. Let me know what you end up doing and what you think when you get back.

Saturday evening dinner at 2 Amy's confirmed why I love this place, shortcomings and all. Heirloom tomatoes with sheep's milk ricotta - fantastic. The olive oil and salt they use here are superb - not sure where they source them but they almost make the dish. Mixed green salad was a bit underdressed, which was disappointing since I love the marriage of the subtle dressing and the sharp tang of the arugula. Followed up with the usual margherita pizza for me and marinara for my wife. Both fantastic, especially with Grotta del Sole, their fizzy red wine. I think it's funny that the word FIZZY is bolded on the wine list and that the server also cautioned that it was fizzy when i ordered. I guess maybe it catches some people off-guard but I like it, especially in the summer My daughter loved her polpettine too. Pacing was not an issue this night either and the service was prompt and courteous. Altogether a fantastic evening. I love this place.

Another nice Sazerac at The Majestic in Old Town. Sazerac rye, Peychaud bitters, dash of sugar - mixed vigorously in Pernod-washed glass. Smooth but still with bite. Nicely done.

Nice dinner at The Majestic on Sat. evening. Started off nicely with a well-made Sazerac from the bar - Sazerac rye, Peychaud bitters, dash of sugar vigorously mixed in a Pernod-washed glass. Nicely done. My wife and her mom also enjoyed the "mocktails" put forth from the bar. One with fresh blackberry syrup and the other a peach concoction - both light and refreshing. We started off with the tomato & mozzarella salads, served with pesto and balsamic. Sweet tomatoes, creamy housemade mozzarella, and a hint of tartness from the vinegar. Perfect summer appetizer. I ordered the corn ravioli as an entree. I was as attracted to the accompaniments of chanterelles, cherry tomatoes, and peas as I was to the actual ravioli and was not disappointed. The corn filling was sweet and creamy and the raviolis were plump and well-cooked. Ordered the summer succotash side dish as well (field beans, corn, tomatoes, pearl onions) and found this went particularly well with the ravioli and brown butter sauce as well. Paired with a suprisingly pleasant unoaked Virginia Chardonnay. Overall, another very nice offering. My wife had the brick-grilled chicken. I seem to remember them getting their chicken from Polyface Farms in the past and it seems as if they still could be based on how flavorful and moist the chicken was. Nothing complicated, just really good. Strawberry shortcake and key lime pie for dessert. Both sublime, esp the shortcake in the former. Nice ice wine from VA (I forget the name) to round out the meal. Overall, an outstanding effort once again.

Don't know the gentleman's name, but I had a fantastic Sazerac at Inox in Tyson's a few months ago. Chilled glass, coated with absinthe, tossed in the air, then I believe Sazerac rye, Peychaud's bitters, and simple syrup. Served neat, very smooth, quite nice. I had another nice Sazerac in Charleston, SC at FIG if you happen to be down south. I didn't see the drink being made to not the ingredients but the product was nice.

Just back from a long weekend in Kiawah with my wife and have some dining comments to share: We stayed at The Sanctuary on Kiawah, which is a top quality resort. Great facilities, location, service, etc. Worth the money. They have two main dining options on the premises: Jasmine Porch and The Ocean Room. Jasmine Porch serves a great breakfast. You can get the buffet option, if you want to try a wide variety of dishes and eat alot. Omelets, waffles, pancakes, potatoes, pastries..the usual breakfast fare done with a southern flare. Breakfast menu items include shrimp & grits, pancakes, and the Charleston egg sandwich. I had the egg sandwich with a side of potatoes both days and didn't need to eat lunch either day. Very light brioche-type bread sandwiching scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, grilled tomatoes and aioli (and bacon, though I ordered mine without). Fantastic sandwich and quite filing. Very nice potatoes with onions and asparagus on the side. My wife had the buffet one day and was impressed by the waffles and pancakes. She ordered the chocolate chip pancakes the next day and they seemed to be a hit. Overall, they do a nice job with breakfast here. (NB - the ice cream shop across from Jasmine offers bagels, muffins, and fruit every morning and free coffee if you are looking for a less costly and less caloric breakfast but you should try Jasmine's breakfast at least once) A recent menu change paradoxically means The Ocean Room is a steakhouse, which isn't exactly our cup of tea, so we dined at Jasmine Porch twice for dinner. The first night was fantastic. I started with a tomato salad with feta, grilled peaches and frisee. Nice ripe tomatoes, light vinaigrette, nicely done. My wife had the seasonal salad of arugula, shaved red onion, grilled peaches, and a goat cheese round. Again, simply done and very nice. I had the special of wreckfish, which I had never heard of, but found it a medium firm, mildly flavored fish similar to grouper. Very simply prepared and quite good when paired with a Marlborough sauvignon blanc. My wife had the grilled local mahi mahi with potatoes, baby carrots, snap peas, and lobster jus. Fantastic entree. The second night was a completely different experience and I'm not sure why. Things got started on the wrong foot when I ordered a negroni and they forgot to include any gin. Then we waited a long time for bread. We ordered the same salads as the previous time and found them just as good as before. Entrees were a different story altogether though. We both ordered the mahi mahi but found that what we were served didn't match the menu description. It was served with a too-sweet teriyaki type sauce and potatoes, not the veggies as described above. And the fish was way undercooked. I understand that fish isn't supposed to be cooked well done, despite many peoples' tastes, but this was pretty much raw. To their credit, they took the entrees off the bill when they noticed our uneaten entrees and heard our complaints. We aren't normally complainers but we had to speak up in this case. I'm not sure what happened. We have eaten here multiple times in the last few years and have never had anything but a positive experience so I'm willing to chalk it up to a fluke and give them another shot next time we're down there. It is nice to see that The Sanctuary has developed an increasing focus on sourcing local ingredients and recognizes that the high quality ingredients don't need complicated preparation. We went into Charleston another night and had one of the most memorable meals of our lifetime at Fig. This restaurant also makes it a point to source ingredients locally and to let them speak for themselves. Our experience started with a gracious greeting from the staff upfront and a nicely made Sazerac at the bar. Once seated, I started with a roasted tomato tart tatin with goat cheese and tapenade. Simply spectacular - tomatoes bursting with flavor, pastry with perfect texture and creamy goat cheese. Awesome. My wife had the heirloom tomato and watermelon salad. Heirlooms of all shapes and colors dressed simply with olive oil and salt, paired with watermelon slices. Again, completely awesome. I had the triggerfish entree served with tomatoes, black olives, and farro risotto. My wife had the sauteed snapper served with potatoes, white shrimp succotash with several kinds of peas and corn broth. Side dishes of roasted potatoes and roasted beets to round out the meal. Quite possibly the best meal we have ever eaten. All the ingredients were so fresh and prepared to let them shine. Never had beets so tender, more flavorful corn broth, or more perfectly cooked fish. Ordered chocolate molten cake and homemade mint chip ice cream for dessert with a glass of Madeira. Simply fantastic start to finish. You have to try this place.

Went to SK's last night after work with a bunch of guys from work. We were glad to grab a table there just before the rain started and the crowd outside looked for cover. Sat in the back with a good view of the TV, though we were soon disappointed by the satellite feed periodically dropping out. We all ordered various beers, I like the diversity in the beer list here, and a bunch of appetizers. I thought the onion rings and fries were good but the fried shrimp were way too chewy. Entrees were burgers all around. My portobello burger with provolone and grilled onions tasted good but was very hard to eat with the mushrooms slipping out the sides with every bite. Not sure how you alleviate that but the mess i made might give me pause before ordering it again, despite it being rather tasty. Service was attentive and prompt, as usual. Beer were cold, orders came out of the kitchen in a timely manner, and noise level was actually such that you could hold a conversation. So, a good evening overall.

Dined at Liberty Saturday evening with my wife and daughter. Once again, a pleasurable experience end-to-end. Good service, drinks, food, and atmosphere. We were in the neighborhood and stopped in to see if they had a table for a walk-in, expecting to be denied, but were surprised when shown immediately to a nice table outside. Beautiful night to be outside so we were happy. I started with a LT G&T, Hendricks gin with Fever Tree tonic. I'm a big fan of Fever Tree products so I am just happy to see this product featured here. The drink was fantastic, as expected. The snifter that it was served in was a bit unwieldy, i find them hard to drink out of especially when the drink is on ice but I suppose the snifter was necessitated by the large slices of cucumber in the drink. Not exactly traditional but they worked well with the cucumber notes in the Hendricks. I had the goat cheese & chevre tomato salad and my wife had the tavern salad for appetizers. Not sure exactly what I was thinking ordering tomato salad in July after a cool spring, I think I really just wanted the cheese. The salad featured cherry tomatoes with a smear of goat cheese and big tomato slices with chevre. Both cheeses were great, esp the chevre, and the basil/salt/olive oil combination went a long way toward helping the rather bland tomatoes but again, that's what you get ordering tomatoes before their time. The tavern salad is always good and was that night as well. Nice light vinaigrette and fresh greens. For entrees, my wife got the Amish chicken as she has virtually every time we have eaten here. She was again rewarded by her consistency. The chicken is perfectly cooked, tender and full of flavor. Mashed potatoes were as good as ever, though we again questioned topping the potatoes with some sort of lemon curd type concoction. It looks kinda like gravy so when you taste lemon, it's kinda off-putting. A minor quibble though as it is easily scraped off. Nicely cooked asparagus rounded out the dish. I debated between the Classico pizza and the gnocchi, eventually deciding the latter and being happy I did. The gnocchi was served with a sweet corn & fava bean succotash, trumpet mushrooms, and brown butter sauce. The gnocchi were very nice, not overly gummy, and were a great backdrop that allowed the outstanding other ingredients to shine. A fantastic dish overall. Service was friendly and even-handed, even with us being outside. They are always very accomodating when we bring our 2yr old and were just as gracious this evening. This place is a real gem. It takes neighborhood dining to a new level and sets the bar for the competition. Thoughtful cocktail menu, good wine list, well executed, uncomplicated dishes in a friendly atmosphere...hard to beat.