Ericandblueboy

The menu got bigger.  The seafood pancake had nicely cooked shrimp as well as squid.  It would be perfect if just a little crispier on the outside.  The also have spicy jokbal - I really wanted to try it but my stomach just can't handle spicy food these days and I was told these were really spicy.  They also have a cold buck wheat noodle dish that tastes similar to japchae (sauce was on the side and they give you a plastic glove so you can pour the sauce on and mix the whole thing up with your hand).

The crowd is mostly young and Korean.  

The QR code menu has pictures of all the dishes....that really helped us.  The prices are reasonably, cheap even considering the amount of food they throw at you.

1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

But there’s too much good here (like the $100 price) to be focusing on the bad. I’ve had numerous You’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me one-star meals in DC, and this wasn’t one of them.

It's a pop-up for the time being.  I'm sure when he has his own place and his staffed trained, it will be a legit 1 star place.  I still don't know why Maydan gets a star and is one of the most sought after restaurants in DC.  

At Nakazawa, his movements are serene, not slapping things together as fast as he can.

It's a big step below Nakazawa based on our experience tonight at 5:30.  Uchi is slapping shit together as fast as he can and then passing them on to his helpers.  The rice is hot and almost mushy.  The fish hasn't warmed to room temp.  For $100, it's still a bargain based on the ingredients but it's far from a Michelin star experience.  Dunno what Rooster and Owl is charging these days but at one point it was $85 for 4 courses and that was most definitely a Michelin star worthy dinner.

On a night when his counter isn't full and he's fully prepped, I can see this being Michelin worthy.

I think Boston's got some great Chinese food.  

We had some delicious dumplings, baos, stinky tofu, sticky rice wrapped in intestine, and greens at Taiwan Cafe in Chinatown.  We also had some delicious dim sum at Dynasty, also in Chinatown.  Dynasty opens early (9 am).

Tried some acclaimed seafood.  Neptune Oyster had the best fried Ipswich clams I ever had (just great breading and nicely salted).  The kids loved their clam chowder.  I thought the Acadian redfish and chips were pretty good as well.  Unfortunately their Monday night special of lobster spaghetti was not good at all.  The lobster was way overcooked.  The spaghetti sauce was just your typical marinara (unlike Joe Beef in Montreal, where the sauce was made with lobster stock).  The scallop crudo was also fishy.  The Daily Catch at the North End doesn't take reservation or credit card, but a few blocks away is a branch (Waterfront) that takes reservation and credit card.  We had clams Siciliano, shrimp scampi, fritto misto and Vongole Neapolitan linguine.  Their clam linguine is chopped clams while the Vongole Neapolitan has clams in shells.  They didn't purge the clams so they were sandy.  The other foods were good but nothing special.  

Le's Vietnamese around Harvard is decent.  There looks to be some good food around Harvard but parking is a pain.

We stayed at the Harborside Inn. The room was quite big with adjustable temperature.  The fridge worked but there were no coffee/tea maker.  The location is great though, right next to Quincy Market.  We parked a couple of blocks away at 21 Well St.  It's valet only but with in and out privileges.  Found the parking on Spot Hero.

Quincy Market looks more like a mall food court than a food hall.  Nearby Boston Public Market isn't much better.  The Isabella Gardner Museum is amazing if you like sumptuously decorated palazzos.

Basically gigantic food courts (think 50+ stalls) except the rent is controlled by the gov't and because of competition, the prices are super low.  

Singapore

Somewhat delirious after flying 18 hrs and driving almost 4 hrs home from Newark.

Singapore classics that aren't really that exciting: Hainan Chicken (Tian Tian), Soya Chicken (Hawker Chan in their store and at their stall in Chinatown complex), Pork Noodle (i.e., current 1 star holder Hill St. Tai Hwa), Fish Head Curry (Banana Leaf), Nasi Lemak fried chicken.  I tried the most acclaimed places and just don't get the hype.

Singapore classics that I think are tasty:  Tulang Merah (Deen Tiga Rasa at Golden Mile, choose the beef bones), Bah ku Teh (Song Fa), Murtabak (Zam Zam), Chili Crab (Long Beach)

Lol....my favorite laksa is still in Urban Hawker in NYC (but I tried 2 in Singapore, the real Sungei Rd and a place in Hong Lim called  Trishaw Sungei Rd, which had a Bib Gourmand designation). 

I will not dissuade anyone from trying out the classics so I suggest you sign up for Monster Day Tour's food tour.  $70 Singaporean with visits to 3 hawker centers in Chinatown, tasting some of the most acclaimed foods.  Alternatively, download the Michelin app and just hit up all the ones in hawker centers.  We stayed around Robertson Quay (not the most exciting neighborhood for food).  I prefer Chinatown to Little India or Kampong Gelam in terms of hawker centers and proximity to other sights.

For some reason I thought this is some small operation but it's not.  Same owner as the Izakaya next door, basically catering to the well-to-doers in Arlington.  Potstickers are teeny tiny......generally overpriced but some of the dumplings were decent (lamb with carrot was heavy on cumin, soup dumplings were juicy).  The best part is they have good dumpling wrappers but the fillings weren't plentiful.  I wouldn't go back.  There are better dumplings elsewhere.  We spent $200 for 2 adults and 2 kids (with a bottle of pinot grigio for just under $40) - shocking amount of money for half decent Chinese food.

Going to Boston with my kids.  Any thoughts on where to eat?  Not looking for tasting menus.  

Aren't they (i.e., Parc, Le Dip, Balthazar, Pastis) all Disneyfied versions of a French bistro?  Le Petite Cerise wasn't particularly good when I went.  Convivial is great but apparently not Disneyfied enough to draw a crowd.  

Went to the new location today.  A sign says they no longer have hot water.  So no hot tea.  They give everyone a bottle of water instead.  I was with the kids and we just had some seafood pancakes, bulgogi and chicken noodle soup.  Everything was good, but nothing really stood out.

Went to A&J Annandale today around 10:30.  The restaurant wasn't open because they're no longer doing weekend brunch (i.e., soy milk, you tiao, stuffed stick rice balls, etc.).  Not sure when this happened.  Did they stop doing brunch in Rockville too?  Where can I go to get good you tiao?  Bob's Shanghai?

Ironic that the Washers claim to be Christians but all they want to do is to destroy their neighbors' business.

Any update on the booze situation?

1 hour ago, MarkS said:

Flamant has closed.  last day was supposed to be NYE but staff quit Christmas week when they found out about closing with no advance notice.  Owner didn’t win many friends with the closing.

Why did DePue want to close it?  I think his main gig is catering?

Took the kids to London - their first trip to Europe - for pre-Christmas break.  I shall recount our adventure over the next few days.

For 6 nights we stayed at The Resident Hotel in Soho.  We had a superior room but it was just one large bed and a cot.   There's a Brita filter on the faucet, a small fridge, a tea kettle and a Nespresso coffee maker.  Pretty quiet even in Soho....you can hear the occasional drunk howl but it's pretty muted.  I really liked the location but I always stay around Leicester Sq.  We walked alot....and Leicester Sq is very central.

So the big thing about getting in the city from Heathrow is the fairly new Elizabeth Line.  It goes to Tottenham Court Rd station, which is a a few blocks from our hotel.  It's faster than the tube but slower than Heathrow Express.  Also, you can just tap with your contactless credit card instead of getting an Oyster card (on the tube as well).

Jiwa is closed for good.  Not surprising.  Tysons can't support anything high end other than steak houses.  Also, the food wasn't great.  

“White House Condemns Protests at Jewish-Owned Philadelphia Restaurant” by Tim Carman on washingtonpost.com

We were going to Duck Chang but I spotted a new place on Google Map that looks interesting.  Chung Dam does not have an official website but it has an Instagram account.  You can see the current menu on Instagram.  After viewing the Instagram and Google Map photos, the place seems to cater to groups of people who want to drink and eat (and then belt out tunes)?  For example, the Jokbal (braised pigs trotter) by itself was probably enough to fill up Steve and me.  But we also ordered some stir fired kimchi and pork belly.  Everyone seems to order the Jokbal so we had to try that but we were at a loss as to what else to order and had consulted our waiter for advice.  We rejected his first suggestion of fried chicken gizzard but did accept the kimchi and pork belly because Steve loves pork belly and I just wanted some veggies.  As it turned out, the pork belly was overcooked and dry.  But the Jokbal was nice (but maybe under seasoned?)  The Jokbal came with dipping sauces so the under seasoning maybe intentional?  I happen to carry a bottle of finishing salt so that came in handy.  Maybe we can organize a group dinner here?!  Need someone who can guide us though.

Going back this weekend to see how their PD stacks up against THE Peter Chang's PD.  What else is good?

21 hours ago, DonRocks said:

The review mentions something called “Aom.” My guess (and it’s only a guess) is that it’s a variant spelling of what was formerly listed as “Orm.”

Sounds right based on menu description.  

Clydes group sued for junk fees by J. Sidman in Washingtonian..

There has to be some transparency in pricing so we can decide which restaurants to go to.  I don't like it when the menu price doesn't include all the "fees" and you're still expected to 20% on top of the fees?  

I don't usually order take-out but I would tip 10-15%.  Someone has to pack your take-out order and that's a service and it's more or less related to how much you spent.

I too deduct any service fee from the 20% tip that I would otherwise leave.  

7 hours ago, zgast said:

For the Reserve or one of the other Sapphire cards?

for Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Downgraded my Chase Sapphire Reserve and now I need to reapply to get a new card and the sign up bonus.  Anyone who wants to earn some referral points should send me an application link.