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I wish I was there. Was the steamed cod nice and tender like the ones in Cantonese restaurants?

I was there tonight for an early dinner. Overall, its decent and hits the spot if you are craving for some spicy Sichuan food. We ordered pan fried dumplings, stired fried pea sprouts, spicy chili chicken, and water cooked beef. The space was bigger than Hong Kong Palace, but the decor was just as cheesy and outdated. Pro: The waitress was friendly and knowledgeable. The stir fried pea sprouts was tender and fresh, better than Hong Kong Palace's. For some reason, Hong Kong Palace always do a poor job on just plain stir fried greens (usually ends up being too watery, as if the wok wasn't hot enough). The portions are huge. My order of spicy chili chicken had almost twice as much chicken as the same dish from Hong Kong Palace. The same with the water cooked beef, the bowl was filled to the brim with tender slices of beef. We only finished half of the food we ordered. Con: The spicy and numbing level had being toned way down. I didn't drink any water during my meal except for some hot tea. China Star and Tempt had the spicest dishes, with Hong Kong Palace being more toned down, and Peking village even milder than Hong Kong Palace. Sichuan cuisine is not just about lip burning spiciness. Overall, Hong Kong Palace has the best balance between heat, flavor, and texture.

I used to go to the Chinese market next door to the Annandale A&J if I couldn't find what I was looking for in Grand mart. They had some unique cuts of meat, BBQ, pretty good Zhong Zi. It closed its door several months ago. Anyone know what became of the empty space? New restaurants? New market? Does Great Wall have live dungeoness crab?

I don't get why people get all defensive when their favorite restaurant receive bad reviews. Even the best restaurant in the world can have glitch, it doesn't mean my negative review is less valid than the 50 positive reviews posted by others. The people who still want to see if Palena have the best burger in DC can still decide for themselves. I am simply posting my honest opinion of the place and the verdict was it didn't live up to the expectation. I am not against giving it another try, but there are still so many other places in DC to visit. With so many competition in the restaurant business, you could say that sometimes restaurant only gets one chance to please their patron. Please spare me the condescending PC talk. English isn't my first language and I am guilty of speaking with an accent and making grammatic mistakes too. It shouldn't prevent anyone from try to speak clearer or slower when others can't understand them, and no amount of "English isn't my first language" could excuse being uninformed about the menu.

I was comparing Palena to similarly priced restaurants. For example, when I was in Rasika, we sat at the lounge and ordered a couple of app and two mains (the atmosphere was more trendy, but the entree was in the $12-22 range and the cocktail in the $12 range). One of our entree didn't came out even after we finish the first entree. I asked the server about it and said I would have prefer if the two came out together (I thought they were doing this on purpose since the lounge table was crowded). A few minutes later, the management came and apologized, asked me if I still want the entree, and offered to comp half of my meal. That was really unexpected since I didn't even complain, but still a nice touch that showed the restaurant cares about customer satisfaction and payed attention to any glitch that can occur. I have worked as a hostess for several restaurants (around Palena's price range) during college. Its the job of the front desk to make prediction about wait time, decide which seating arrangement would be the most efficient, and come up with backup plans, etc. In this case, I contribute our long wait to their misjudgement. Maybe I would have gotten seated 40 min sooner if I complained or made a scene, but that's not me. I never actively seek compensation or apologies, it's just nice when it happens. When I review a place, I think its fair to make distinctions between everything is perfect (Brasserie Beck), the management notices and try to make things better when a glitch came up (Rasika), and the management didn't notice or did nothing when a glitch came up (Palena). I was irked about the salad because the server didn't state it was the cafe salad. I knew it was the cafe salad because there weren't other salads listed on the menu, but it was not the customer's job to second guess the menu. She should have stated clearly that it was the cafe salad and suggested that maybe two people could share it as a pre-entree salad. If we all said yes to her question of "would you like to start with some salad?", we would have just ordered $44 worth of ettuce and dressing. Since she was new, I think maybe she was just inexperienced and not purposely try to up-sell.

I really want to like this place, but after Thursday night's experience, I don't know if I will return. I'll start with the good. My swordfish was particularly juicy and fresh. My mother in law enjoyed her pasta dish. The fry plate was crisp and I liked the extra touch of fried lemon slices. The only disappointing item was the burger. The meat was obviously top notch, however the bun was oversized and too dry. The condiment and cheese also didn't add any moisture to the burger. I heard amazing things about Palena burgers, but I have to say Ray's beats Palena by a large margin. The service on the other hand was terrible. When we arrived around 6:50 PM, there were two empty tables of two, but they weren't adjacent to each other, so they couldn't put the tables together. I was told it was going to be a 40 min wait and they'll probably give us one of the booth since the people sitting there have already received their food. There were no place to stand near the front door, so they had us waiting toward the back, right by the server station. It was just tacky. We waited, waited, and waited. Meanwhile we got at least three "your table will be ready soon" from various hostesses. Fastward, we waited for a total of 90 minutes and didn't end up getting a booth. They scooted two tables together and sat us. All the parties from the booth lounged for over an hour after they finished eating (I never lounge and I can really appreciate Ray's put their no lounging rule right by the front door ). It was really a misjudgement on the hostess part and we could have gotten our table alot sooner if they decided to put together two tables from the start. We didn't get anything complimentary or an apology from the management. The server was also unpleasant. She spoke with a heavy accent which made it very hard for us to understand. She couldn't make any cocktail recommendations when I told her that I don't want anything too sweet or bitter. When I inquire about getting something not on the cocktail menu, she said "no, we don't make anything else". The worse was when she try to sell us salads after we already ordered. She slipped "would you like to start with some salads?" after we already placed our order. The salad she was refering to was not a starter at all. It was an $11 cafe salad that comes on a large plate, so we declined except for my mother in law who probably thought it was a small salad that couldn't have cost more than $5 or $6. She only finished half of it. The lack of clarity and the effort to up-sell was just tacky. I am not a picky girl. I am happy as long as the food is delicious and the service is prompt and efficient. What I can not stand is when a place pretends to be fancy (multiple sets of silverwares, pretty decorations and lighting, trendy geometric plates, or dressed up hostesses) but still treats customers badly.

I don't know if I can go, but their menu looks delicious. Here is a copy I found online. It may be old, but it does have 8 treasure duck on there. http://www.dc495.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pacific_Cafe_Menu For those who can't read Chinese, the first page is their Chinese menu page. The food are mostly from regions around Shanghai. On the right side are their specialty dishes that require order in advance. -8 treasure duck -some kind of fish dish where the name doesn't tell you anything about the preparation -lobster meatball -fried and braised ham hocks -fermented bean curd pork -red braised jumbo shrimp -shrimp roe and sea cucumber -red braised fish belly -one fish three styles (red braised fish belly, red braised fish tail, fish head casserole) The left side does not require order in advance and it seems to have some pretty tasty options as well, such as Shanghai style smoked fish, Lionhead meatball, etc.

I had a great time and I look forward to our next gathering. The report and pic on four sisters is posted here http://www.donrockwell.com/index.php?showt...mp;#entry126798

I had a great time Thursday night at my first DR dinner, and as reward/punishment, however you want to look at it, I am doing a report on what we consumed. We ordered two sets of the combination dinner for 6 people and a couple of a la carte items. We started the night with some spring rolls and garden rolls. The spring rolls were juicy and meatier than what I usually get in other Vietnamese joints. The garden rolls were a refreshing alternative to the spring rolls. I would have prefer more herbs in the roll (more basil and mint). Once the appetizers disappeared, it was go time. Dishes after dishes came out and we tackled each one with enthusiasm. I present to you some drool inducing visuals. grilled lemongrass chicken with scallion oil http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3480/318091...f068b71e0_m.jpg grilled lemongrass pork with scallion oil http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3126/318090...b9c6a2604_m.jpg The two grilled meat dishes were both delicious. I liked the fragrant scallion oil on top and the nicely caramalized meat, however I couldn’t taste much lemongrass. caramalized fish http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3528/318090...04bb640fe_m.jpg Oops, I somehow didn't get a picture of the caramalized pork in the midst of my eating frenzy. Of the two, The pork won over the fish. Fish was a bit overcooked while the pork was tender and sweet with a little crispiness on the edge from cooking in the fat. shrimp with gingers and scallions http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/318090...781e720d9_m.jpg I was expecting a stir fried dish, but the shrimps here were deep fried and coated with a sweet sauce, almost a bit like walnut shrimp from a Chinese restaurant. I didn't really have a preference for it, but no complaints either. sweet and sour tamarind soup http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3442/318090...7fab986db_m.jpg It was not for everyone, but I like the sweet and sour combo (as long as the sweet and sour is not the gloppy red stuff that pretends to be Chinese food). The soup also had a strong fried garlic flavor for all you garlic lovers out there. shaky beef http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3125/318174...08b99f339_m.jpg The beef was cooked well done, yet not tough or dry. lotus root salad http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3126/318090...187a8348b_m.jpg papaya salad http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/318090...2213ff03b_m.jpg The two Vietnamese salads were pretty much identical. Nice balance of sweet, salty, and sour crunchy goodness. Texture is important here, and for that reason I liked the lotus root more than the papaya. It had a more chewiness (in a good way) than the papaya. Some greens to balance all the meat dishes. We are good people and love our fibers. asparagus with garlic http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3126/318174...7eb449de0_m.jpg Chinese broccoli with garlic http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3394/318090...847b7b9b2_m.jpg At this point, my photography was getting sloppy and I forgot to take a shot of the dish still in tact, so I present to you the two remaining dish on my plate. clams with black bean sauce and lemongrass curry chicken http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3128/318174...f27898fe2_m.jpg clams were the typical variety you get at Cantonese place, except the sauce was sweeter. Lemongrass curry chicken was tender, however, flavor wise, I didn't think it was anything special. It was the typical mass produced curry powder you get at Asian grocery stores, much milder and less complex than a good Indian curry. Overall, I like most of the food at Four Sisters. The dishes were on the pricy side for Vietnamese food. One common fault I find was the use of herbs was toned down for American taste. Almost every dish, I was thinking "needs more lemongrass, cilantro, or Thai basil".

Went to Dino's this Friday. Overall, the food was solid and the service was attentive, but not stuffy. The saltimbocca was the best I have ever had. It was so tender that I had a hard time picking it up with a fork. Husband and I fought over the last meatball. The free form lasagna was rustic, gouey, comforting. My only complaint was the seafood stew. The broth was a tomato garlic based and tasted robust and flavorful, however the seafood in there, especially the rock shrimp were overcooked.

Please add my husband and I to the Four Sisters dinner on Wed. I'll look forward to my first Don Rockwell outting. Thanks.

I love beer and it saddens me to see so many good restaurants only focus on wine while the beer selection is abysmal. Brasserie Beck to the rescue. Their beer list was impressive and the Beer Specialist Bill Catron was fun and engaging. We ordered a bottle of Stille Nacht at his recommendation. It was more hoppy than a typical Belgium ale and hides the alcohol very well. You weren't know it has 12% alcohol by tasting it. For food, we ordered several appetizer and skipped the entree. My dinning companion got the 3 piece cheese tasting (Pere Joseph, Petit Basque, and Chimay) and I got the onion soup. The cheese portions were bigger than I expected, the condiments were spanish almond, some kind of fruity gelee, and pickled onion. All were tasty and mild enough to not overpower the cheese. The onion soup was made unique by the addition of crispy fried shallots on top and the onion was sweet and nicely caramalized, my only complaint is that it doesn't have a beefy component to it. We also shared a steak tartar and an order or frites. The steak tartar was tender and the portion was generous, I detected a faint gamey taste to it, therefore, I still prefer tuna tartar over steak tartar any day. The frites were cut thin and crispy, without any excess grease. I liked three dipping sauce that accompany the frites (garlic mayo, maria rose, and curry), so much more flavor than the boring old ketchup.

I went to Mark's Duck House because of stellar reviews it received, but I was sorely disappointed by the experience. I was still unsure, maybe I hit it on a bad day, so I gave it a second try and still the verdict was the same. This place is overated. I think it may have been one of those place that's really good in the past, but have since declined, and their business still rests on their past reputation. None of the dim sum I had was memorable, some were making the rounds on the dim sum cart well past their edible state. I would rank China Garden and Fortune above MDH, although the best dim sum I have had was from Holywood East. The service was terrible, and that's saying something since I am used to bad service from authentic Chinese restaurants (I am going there for the food, not the ambiance or pat on the back) and I never complained until now. I once waited over an hour for a table of two while numerous tables of 3 or 4 were being seated almost immediately upon arrival. Their reasoning is that they are not going to sit two people in one of those square table that can sit 4 people. Several people along with me complained and they finally gave in and seated all of us immediately. Its not that they didn't have tables available, but they were being greedy and gave preference to larger party. Absolutely ridiculous

Wait what? They are giving out free soup? I love the concept of a restaurant specializes in one particular dish and does it really really well. This is very popular in China and other Asian countries. If you want Sichuan crawfish, you go to a Sichuan crawfish restaurant; if you want hot pot, you go to a place that only serves hot pot; same with xiao long bao, grilled meat on a stick, etc. I love the suleng tang at GAmasot. Its white, creamy, savory. The flavor and mouth feel of the dish just can't be duplecated at home.

Went to Blacksalt for some happy hour oysters and then headed to Brasserie Beck for more food and beer.

Went to 2 Amy's for an early dinner tonight. This is a bustling restaurant. A few minutes after we sat down, the girl by the door was already taking down names for the waitlist. The potato croquette was flavorful, but nothing extrodinary, and the outter crust was a bit too hard. I got the meatball pizza and the husband went for the Norcia (salami, tomato, grilled pepper). I didn't like my pizza at all, the meatball was dry and the pecorino was too salty to use on a pizza. The Norcia on the other hand was ultra tasty. I especially liked the sweetness of the grilled peppers. To end the meal, we got the cannoli and the raspberry penacotta. Both were delicious. The cannoli shell was light and crisp. The penacotta was not too sweet, perfect for me since I don't like sugary sweet deserts. The service was minimal as expected in a busy informal place like this. They take your orders, they bring you food, you get your water refilled, and that's it.

That's awesome. I will definitely make a trip there soon.

Is it common to see kids there? I have a 5 months old and I wonder if I can bring him along.

Oldtown Alexandria has several options (Le refuge, Bastille, etc). Are any worth visiting if I am in the area?

I was in Georgetown today and decided to give their early bird menu a try. $24.95 for house wine, appetizer, entree, and desert. It was good value and I was happy to find out that the place is actually not that formal and I saw some kids in the restaurant. The house wine was obviously a cheap variety, and too sweet for my liking. The apetitzer was 9 baked mussels in butter and lemon. The flavor was ok, but the mussels were too well done. For entree, I got the Chilean sea bass with leek and crab meat souffle in lobster sauce. The souffle was good while the lobster sauce only had a very faint lobster taste. The fish was still moist, although if I was cooking it at home, I would have had it medium well. The two small boiled potato that came with the entree was bland and waterlogged. The dessert was strawberry tart, while the strawberry was fresh, the tart was swimming in syrup. Everything I tried ranged from passable to it could have been so much better.

Leopold's Cafe looks modern and chic with its white tables and seats, however, I noticed the bad seating arrangements when I was browsing the delectable deserts. The only passage through the restaurant was the path right in front of the display case. The couple of minutes that I spend to pick out my desert, I got at least 10 "excuse me" from different waiters and patrons. This was extremely annoying and couple with the fact that most of the servers were cold and unwelcoming, left me with the feeling that maybe I should have dressed up for a cafe? Now onto the deserts. I liked my macaroons. I got pistachio and chocolate and of the two, I liked the pistachio more. However, I have never had a French macaroon before this, so I have no way of comparing. Somebody please share the info if there are other pastry shops in DC that make good macaroons . I also got something called esterhazy. Five layers of hazelnut cake filled with a light buttercream and toasted almonds. At $7.00 per slice, I was not impressed. I couldn't taste the layers and the almond flavor seemed artificial. I am willing to give this place another try before I scratch it off my togo list.

I went to Hook last night and between my husband and I, we ordered the following. -oyster on the half shell. I didn't find a single grit in there, very clean and fresh tasting. It was served with mignonette which I like more than the usual overpowering cocktail sauce. -tuna tartar and yellowfin crudo. I wished the waiter would have told us those two dishes are almost identical in flavor (salt, olive oil, herbs etc). -grilled calamari. I like the slightly charred calamari and pesto sauce, but I didn't like the potato salad that came with it. It was too sour and didn't have any other flavors. -beet salad. I like the addition of pistachio which gave it a nutty taste and the blueberry provided more sweetness. We are not of wine drinkers. We prefer ales and Hook's selection of beer was pathetic. In my opinion, the hopiness of beer is very compatible with food and I wish more restaurants put some effort into their beer list (how about some Chimay on tap )There were three on tap at Hook and not really the type I would order. I ended up with a ligonberry cocktail and husband got a bottle of Delirium Tremens. The seafood was fresh, but definitely over priced which explains the half empty restaurant at 7:00 on a Friday night.

What is your favorite place that serves traditional old school French cuisine in the DC area? I am talking about French onion soup, mussels, steak and frites, etc

We went there last night and ordered the small sashimi ($49.95). You get a big plate of sashimi along with various side dishes. There were soy beans, pancake, fried squid, raw spicy squid, seaweed salad, steamed egg, baked mussels, fried fish, fried rice, and some other stuff. Can't say anything really stand out for me, but it was more food than 2 people can manage. There are some really strange looking flat fish in the tank, but I don't think they are loach. The menu described them as strong flavored. To me this translates into "this is an acquired taste".

I tried Thirsty Bernie again tonight. Went for the happy hour and half price burger. The onion rings are fries are still underwhelming, and the burger although good came out medium well when we ordered it medium. However, the mussels were incredible in flavor and value. A Staub cast iron pot was filled to the brim with tender and garlicy mussels and a few slices of linguisa. I used the shell to scoop up the savory cream laced broth.