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Ericandblueboy

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  1. Ericandblueboy
    Finally went back to the Arlington location with Steve for lunch. We ordered our favorites: dan dan noodles, dry fried eggplant, crispy pork belly, fried diced chicken, and bamboo cumin fish - all from the hot apps. Dan dan noodles were overcooked and the sauce very watery - nevertheless good favor. The diced fried chicken was bland. The eggplant, fish and pork belly were good. It's just a bunch of fried food, hard to tell if the cooking is really back up to par.
  2. Ericandblueboy
    Danny Meyer wants proof of vaccination to eat in his restaurant. I'm just trying to test the logic of that statement. Vaccinated people can still get covid and spread covid. In fact, I see lots of vaccinated people who don't wear masks in tight quarters. I'm leary of all people who don't social distance or wear masks (because my kids aren't vaccinated), including those who are vaccinated. I guess we won't be eating at Maialino Mare for a while. This paragraph from Washingtonian just confirmed that vaccinated people are catching and spreading covid.
  3. Ericandblueboy
    I’ve got that marked down. The pheasant ballotine with foie was delicious. The same goes for the tempura calamari. The portions aren’t big so i had two pheasant ballotines. Veuve is $16 until September i believe.
  4. Ericandblueboy
    Fitzgerald’s and The Tombs have the same menu right now but the Tomb is still closed, lacks staff. $16 for a glass of Veuve is dirt cheap.
  5. Ericandblueboy
    Saturday morning just after 10. The restaurant was at most half full while I was there. The dim sum comes out first in trays and then they go into the steam cart. The same people that ran it that last time I went are still running the place, but they have some very new staff. I tried some chicken feet ($4.5), spare ribs ($4.5) with black bean sauce, daikon cake (very black peppery, $4.5), shark fin dumpling (no shark fin but lots of cilantro, 4 for $6.5), and spring rolls (3 for $5.5). The spring rolls' filling is a mystery to me, tastes a little yammy but I couldn't be sure. The prices may have gone up a little since my last visit. Quality is good/decent, on par with Vinh Kee (but I like Vinh Kee because you order off a menu). With the carts, you never know what's available. They did update the dining room, it's bright and clean-looking now.
  6. Ericandblueboy
    From Tysons Reporter:
  7. Ericandblueboy
    Right now the plan is drive from DC to the Cloisters on Saturday, then check in at the Opera House Hotel. I was having a really hard time finding a place to eat around the hotel. Finally booked at Beatstro - it's walkable. Sunday we'll go to the zoo, and if we have time, the botanical garden as well. Then we'll check out Little Italy and have dinner at Mario's (where I look forward trying tripe Livornese). We'll be parking at the Southern Blvd lot. Any idea whether we have get out of the lot by 5 p.m. when the zoo closes? I was hoping to keep the car in the lot while we have dinner. ETA: Just read that Mott Haven isn't particularly safe. Canceled Opera House Hotel and Beatstro. Staying at The Edge Hotel in Washington Heights instead.
  8. Ericandblueboy
    Went back to Maialino Mare this weekend. We started with fried artichokes, fried sardines, and Testarella (crispy suckling pig head). At first I thought the pig head meat, fat & skin would be picked and then mushed back together into a block, but nope. You get half a head and a steakknife. The skin was crispy and wonderful, very delicious with all the fat underneath. My only concern being the number of calories associated with such a fatty dish. There is a little bit of meat, which actually doesn't taste nearly as good as the skin. I really wanted to order the MALFATTI AL MAIALINO (Roasted Suckling Pig, Grana Padano, Arugula) but it wasn't on the menu. So we ordered TRENETTE ALLA VONGOLE, SPAGHETINI CON BOTTARGA, and PAPPARDELLE ALLA BOLOGNESE. All the pastas were really salty. I actually had to send the clam pasta back for a refund. I would've sent the mullet roe pasta back too had I tasted it before sending the clam pasta back, but I ate it anyway (the kids tried it and hated it). They at least ate some of the pappardelle. Other than the saltiness, the pastas would've been really good.
  9. Ericandblueboy
    Went back to try a few more dishes. Fried Hog's Head Cheese - grilled sweetbreads, tarragon-crab remoulade. Excellent preparation with tender sweetbread, nicely breaded and seasoned. None of that awfully offally flavor. Paneed Skate Wing - crab, kale, beet, sherry & creole mustard beurre blanc. Bottom line - nicely fried well seasoned fish. Cochon de Lait - grilled pork neck steak, red beans, collard greens, puffed rice. Looks boring and tastes kinda boring.
  10. Ericandblueboy
    I was able to get a 11:45 reservation at Matunuck for Monday Aug 2.
  11. Ericandblueboy
    Messi finally won one for Argentina but "it" didn't come home. The Italians took "it."
  12. Ericandblueboy
    Saw O Dinis featured on one of Andrew Zimmern's shows. While I like Portuguese cuisine, their menu is too rustic and not enough seafood (only one bacalao dish!). Thanks for the tip on Cap 'n Jack. I plan on making reservation for Matunuck 3 weeks out but it's good to have an alternative. For fun, (day 1 Monday) Biomes on the way from the Bronx after lunch, (day 2) all day touring the Newport Mansions (only the Topiary Garden, Breakers, Elm and Marble are open at this point), (day 3) Rogers Williams Park Zoo. Not sure what else to do on day 3. Boat tour? Audubon Nature Center & Aquarium? Blitheworld? I think Waterfire is canceled this summer?
  13. Ericandblueboy
    I love tripe. Will check out Old Canteen (if I get off my butt and call them for reservations) because the menu is huge (eels, escargot, frog legs!). Does Zuppardi's allow dining in?
  14. Ericandblueboy
    Thanks. I'm going to try Mario's just across the street because they accept credit card and reservation on Opentable.
  15. Ericandblueboy
    Had a wonderful brunch today. Started with the Pâté en Croûte (foie gras, duck breast, cured pork shoulder, veal sweetbread) and Brandade Beignets served on top of ratatouille. The brandade is mixed with mashed potatoes and then fried, so it's really more of a croquette than beignet, but delicious nevertheless. Then we had Shrimp & Grits, and Quiche with leeks and gruyere. I don't think the shrimp & grits are anything special but the shrimp were tender and the grits were creamy, so very well executed. I haven't had quiche in a while and almost never order it at a restaurant but the version here is fluffy and flavorful. The kids actually thought the quiche was the best dish of the day.
  16. Ericandblueboy
    Going to the Met Cloister and the Bronx Zoo. Spending 2 nights at the Opera House Hotel next to St. Mary's Park and just north of Mott Haven. Have no idea where to eat. So far the only thing I found is Jalisco Taco, where they have pancita/menudo and tongue tacos. Found this guide from Eater for Little Italy.
  17. Ericandblueboy
    Taking the kids to Rhode Island for 3 nights. What's good to eat in Providence these days? I already booked Oberlin and Hemenway's for dinner. Al Forno is already full. Also stopping at Matunuck Oyster Bar on the way there for lunch. Chengdu Taste looks like a back-up plan for authentic Chinese food.
  18. Ericandblueboy
    I haven't been in awhile but Lotus Garden was terrific in Vienna. Nothing really good in McLean, Fahrenheit is decent but overpriced. Not sure if Asian Origin has reopened. Han Palace has good dim sum but i haven’t been there for a regular meal.
  19. Ericandblueboy
    I've been to Vinh Kee several times recently. As a regular, maybe I get special treatment, but I doubt it. Dim sum quality has been the same since before the pandemic. I read those negative yelp reviews - sounds like they're mostly bitching about price. Dim sum costs more here than in NYC or Philly but Vinh Kee isn't more expensive than Mark's Duck House or Hong Kong Pearl.
  20. Ericandblueboy
    I found Limoncello on Opentable. I know nothing about the place but the menu included pasta with sea urchin. Further digging found it's in the top 50 restaurants according to Baltimore Magazine. So I took a chance and booked a table. Upon arrival, I was told by our server that Limoncello is an authentic Italian restaurant, that the owners are from Italy. I thought I had hit the jackpot. Alas, the restaurant still has to cater to its base (I'm guessing). Grilled shrimp - totally overcooked. Fritto Misto was actually very good, nicely seasoned cod and calamari with crispy batter, but the shrimp was a little overcooked. We ordered 3 pastas. Paccheri Medusa - sea urchin, cherry tomatoes, blue crab. Nice al dente pasta, but there's not even a hint of sea urchin flavor. The crab was plentiful but dry. There's barely any sauce on the pasta. We ate very little of this dish. Linguine Vongole & Arugula - overcooked pasta but the sauce is flavorful. It would've been really good if they cooked the pasta al dente. A Genovese - pasta with braised beef and caramelized onion ragu. Again, overcooked pasta dragged down a lovely sauce. So they did not execute properly on a majority of the dishes. What a shame.
  21. Ericandblueboy
    @Tom Sietsema gushed about this new restaurant so I had to check it out. We started with some seafood and boucherie. I've had blue crab fingers (cracked claws) before in N.O. so I know they're easy to eat. In this case, they were dipped into a slaw of tarragon remoulade & celery root, very delicious (beware of small pieces of crab claw in the slaw). The fish dip was a bit bitter due to the preserved lemon salad (tasted like zest). From the boucherie, we had some banh mi chicken liver mousse, rabbit pate, and mortadella. The chicken liver mousse served with pickled veggies was fantastic, and the rabbit pate was almost as tasty. However, the mortadella did not make an impression on me. We ordered the $10 bread basket to go with the boucherie (which comes with crostini), but it had only one small baguette, 2 small biscuits, and 2 slices of toast. From the cooked foods, we ordered the Oysters Dauphine, chargrilled oysters with spinach, pecorino and supposedly horseradish (which I didn't taste). They were plump, juicy and perfectly cooked/seasoned. In addition, we ordered hangar steak and potato puffs. The steak was tasty but a little chewy. I'm definitely returning to check out more of the menu.
  22. Ericandblueboy
    They're supposed to open at 8 am. Went in at 9 am on a Sunday morning, only 1 person was working the counter (who said others failed to show up for work) The bagel with nova was undertoasted, way too much cream cheese, but the salmon was good. The New Yorker (hot pastrami and chopped liver) was made with cold pastrami and a heavy dollop of tasty chopped liver. Maybe Sunday morning is not a good time to go to Attman's. Or maybe the people who work there are just lazy and not motivated.
  23. Ericandblueboy
    We went in Faidley's at 10 am on Saturday. The lady at the counter says they're not open but she can help me?! So she took my order, back fin crab cake, 2 coddies, fried clam strip, steamed clams, mac n' cheese, and onion rings. The clams were just steamed, with a side of still congealed butter. The crab cake was delicious as usual, so was the coddie. The rest was to make sure the kids didn't leave hungry.
  24. Ericandblueboy
    We had dinner at Bistronomy and Hank's. Bistronomy is mostly French with some Asian touch, creative and generally well executed. Hank's feels like just another corporate seafood restaurant. Our peel and eat shrimp weren't even deveined. The fried flounder had a strong and not fresh smell. The fried shrimp were overcooked. I tried to make a reservation about a month in advance but The Ordinary, Fig, and Darling Oyster were all already booked. If you want to book The Ordinary or Fig, I suggest staying up to midnight. At 9 am, you'll only get 5 pm or 9 pm tables.
  25. Ericandblueboy
    After 3 nights in Orlando, we drove to Savannah. On the way, we hit Timwah for dim sum in Jacksonville. The dim sum was decent and thankfully not really out of the way. In Savannah, we checked out the JW Marriott Plant Riverside, a new swanky hotel with a museum of natural history-like lobby. We stayed at the Embassy Suite and ate at Husk. The peel and eat shrimps were served deveined, but not shelled and served on ice. The white BBQ sauce and old bay seasoning were served on the side just in case the kids couldn't handle the spiciness (probably not necessary). The kids loved them and the chicken liver pate. I tried the kohlrabi caesar and decided that it's just okay. A balanced diet may be over-rated. For entrees, we had some seared scallops with Carolina gold rice and NY strip steak with chimichurri. Every dish is well executed. I just wish they have a more interesting menu.
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