DC in DC

Does anyone have any recommendations for a restaurant in White Plains? My husband will be there for business Thursday night, and will have the opportunity for a good dinner.

Thanks.

Thanks for the update RBH!

We used Susan Gage for our wedding, and highly recommend them. We worked with Joe Carpenter, who was outstanding. He worked with us to create our fusion Jewish-Chinese menu which earned many raves. He also acted as a de-facto day-of wedding coordinator, and was indispensible. The staff was also excellent-- they worked with dietary restrictions (vegetarian, kosher, kid will only eat chicken fingers, etc.) without complaint. Definitely give them a call...

We were in the neighborhood last night, and decided to check this place out. Honestly, all I remembered about it (other than that it was part of the Black's empire) was the previous discussion of lack of available seating for someone's elderly grandmother. I had expected a tiny, cramped space with people waiting out the door. Not at all. The restaurant is in an old, restored house, with the dining space spread out over 3 rooms and a porch. It is also next to a park (and the MARC train line-- don't figure on no trains on the weekend; two CSX convoys rumbled through during our meal and it IS loud), and located in a residential neighborhood. We waited only 20 minutes-- sitting on a bench outside on the porch-- and it was a very pleasant wait. It helped that it was surprising cool outside (of course, we'll make up for it today). To respond further to the discussion below, Black's also seemed very accomodating to waiting parties. There were several chairs available in the hallway (which was very charming, with wainscotting and artsy photographs on the walls), and a few waiting parties had set up shop with bottles of wine poured by the waitstaff. In short, there is not an issue of lack of seating to wait for a table.

All in all, we enjoyed a very nice, low-key meal on the porch: fried oysters, BBQ shrimp and grits, and burger with blue cheese. Fried oysters-- I might still give my vote to Hanks on that one, but these were still very good. My burger was fine-- the wasn't quite enough meat to accomodate the large bun (give us a more substantial patty or use a smaller bun), but it was fine; the skinny onion rings were definitely a hit. My husband seemed to enjoy the shrimp-- I definitely liked the few bites of the grits that I had (with corn!).

Prices: not cheap, but reasonable. The entrees (except the burger at $12 with cheese) ranged from $19-$26, and appetizers, $6-$10

Notti Bianche

Reading the DR.com database debate made me think. I too am guilty of frequenting the same places, reluctant to try new ones unless they've been favorably reviewed or mentioned by someone I trust. I don't have unlimited money, and hate wasting it on a bad meal. So it got me thinking-- what's in my rotation? What are my tried and true, "go-to," reliable places? For much, such a place would have to be relatively affordable and not terribly "stuffy" or formal. In no particular order:

1. Bar at Palena
2. 2 Amys
3. Kotobuki
4. Colorado Kitchen
5. Indique/Indique Heights
6. Thai Square (before I temporarily gave up Thai food after I was in a car accident there)
7. Hank's Oyster Bar
8. Viridian
9. Majestic Cafe (one of my go-to places for out-of-town guests: not too adventurous, not too expensive, not too "hip")
10. Sushi Ko (so excited one is opening at Friendship Heights)

Places that have dropped off the rotation:
1. Costa Verde (too far)
2. Spices (don't live within walking distance anymore)
3. Cafe Atlantico (inconsistent, menu hasn't changed)

Places that would be in my rotation if I had unlimited funds:
1. Notti Bianche
2. Komi

What's in your "rotation?"

My thoughts during and after the DR.com dinner:

New Yorkers who frequent most food web sites are a smug lot. They smirk at us safe in their knowledge that their little island holds the best haute cuisine temples, the best pizza joints, the best Jewish delis, the best bare-bones steakhouses.

But I've got news for them. Ray's the Steaks is our Peter Luger. Sure, they have their different approaches, but look at the similarities.

Peter Luger's is all about the meat. And it is magnificent meat. Aged on the premises. Cooked the way you want it at high temperature. Deep, buttery flavor and texture. But Ray's is about the meat too. All the same praise that has been heaped on Luger's porterhouse can be said about Ray's strips or their other cuts. Maybe some will give Luger's meat a slight edge, but maybe that's just because they pour butter on their steaks right before serving them. Cheating? You tell me.

But give me Ray's crab bisque and scallops and Key Lime pie any day over Luger's tired tomato and onion salad. Ray's does more than one thing well. Luger really doesn't.

Granted, Luger has a 115 year head start on Ray's. But arguments can be made on both sides.

If only Michael would add an appetizer of thick sliced bacon, I'd never have to go to Brooklyn again.

I thought I remembered bilrus's take on Luger's and Rays. I actually sent this post to my aforementioned friend as enticement for coming down to DC....I personally have no dog in the fight as I've never been to Luger's.

After skimming through the egullet suggestions, we ended up having a very nice lunch at the Green Street Cafe. The restuarant is in an old house, and they grow their own organic herbs and veggies. All the entrees came with a cafe salad, and my father and I had scallops, served on a bed of wilted greens and mashed potatoes. Really awesome dish. My mother had the crab cake, with remoulade sauce. Very affordable.. the whole bill came to $40.

We also stopped at Herrells, which was as-advertised. (JoeH, I think I read on egullet that Bart's has closed). The ice cream was extremely rich and good, though I don't think it is as good as the homemade stuff at Obelisk or 2 Amys. Still, definitely better than B&J or other commercial fare.

The restaurant week craze has also hit Northampton...except there, the dinners are $20.06 and there was a handy guide with all participating restaurants and the menu choices they were offering as part of the RW promotion.

About 7 years ago, we had a fun meal at Vesta Dipping after a Rockies game (we were driving cross-country). In retrospect, the concept sounds kind of unappetizing (you chose various "dipping sauces" for your dinner-- kind of like Melting Pot), but at the time we really enjoyed it. Has anyone been; is it still around?

Dad (who moved with Mom to Beijing last year) will be in the DC area for 18 hours this weekend before several days of meetings in NY. Because good steaks are basically nonexistent in China, I'm thinking this is where we must eat. Given the likely Father's Day crowd on Saturday night, would we be okay arriving around 5:45 or will there be a long line at 5:30?

You and I will have to battle it out. We are planning to take our Peter Lugar-aficionado friend to Rays on Sat night after the Nationals game. He is a New Yorker and devoted carnivore, and we have talked up Rays as the place we must take him when he comes to town. We also plan to get there early since we are going to drive from the game and then kill some time, but I was hoping not to eat as early as 5:30....

I hope this doesn't lead to any sort of fuss, fisticuffs, or fracas... but what's wrong with a $10 bottle of wine if you happen to enjoy it? It doesn't mean the restaurant is losing money - the patron is bringing in outside wine anyway.

This is a slightly different situation, but I think if the place is a BYOB (like the many such establishments in Philly), you are free to bring whatever you want to drink even if it is $5 or $10 wine. Many restaurants serve wine that would retail at $10-$15-$20 at the store.

Definitely get the raviolini...it is wonderful and lives up to all the hype. We recently dined there and I got the raviolini as my starter and the hangar steak as my main. I wish I had gotten the full portion of the raviolini (my hangar steak was a bit on the rare side, but since I did it to myself-- when we ordered, I emphasized that I wanted it more rare than medium since I had been having a lot of overcooked meat lately-- I didn't send it back). Service was a bit spacey (water glasses not filled, different people coming back to ask us the same questions), but nonetheless, we had a nice evening.

I'm sure this was mentioned upthread before, but I had forgotten that while the cafe is open on Mondays, the back room is not. This results in a more limited selection, i.e. nothing from the regular menu (such as the gnocchi!), especially in the desserts department. The chocolate toffee torte was still on the menu, thankfully! I left the restaurant thinking with dismay--- did Palena dramatically cut back on the cafe menu until I recalled that it was Monday.

We had a nice evening at Creme Cafe about 2 weeks ago before the Memorial Day holiday weekend. It was nothing remarkable: we shared a mushroom appetizer that was a bit too salty. Entrees were shrimp and grits and the burger. My husband enjoyed the burger quite a bit-- it was medium rare, as ordered; I thought the shrimp and grits are OK but nothing special. I'd probably order something else if I returned. The service was extremely attentive-- it looked like our waiter was assigned to only our table. Anyway, I wanted to post to raise one question: we watched the kitchen staff use the microwave to nuke the chicken dish....it looked like the chicken was previously cooked and then re-heated. Also, the "microwave" could have been a convection oven, but it really did look like a microwave from our vantage point. We were collectively a bit amused: are microwaves commonly used in kitchens and if so for what purpose? Should this be something that is within the eyesight of the customers? Is its use "legitimate?" I would think it'd be hard to keep the skin of the chicken crispy in the microwave.

I'm not a chef so all I can base my opinion on is that one episode of Top Chef where the contestants had to serve Rotary Club members a meal was reheated *only* in the microwave (Successful: soup and a slightly undercooked fish that was able to "finish" cooking in the microwave; Not successful: quiche). It appeared to be quite a challenge, and all the "chefs" were grumbling about the unfairness of the task.

We're heading out to the Pacific Northwest for a much needed vacation in August. We're basically doing Seattle, Portland, various coastal areas, and maybe head down to Bend as well.

What should be on the menu in Portland? We'll probably do one upscale dinner, and then search around for some local color for our other meals. Beer, obviously, will figure heavily into the equation.

Thanks,

Al

We had a great meal at Wildwood in Portland. I don't remember the specifics now, but we sat outside in fabulous weather, had nice wine pairing, fresh ingredients, etc.-- all the right elements of a great meal.

You must go to Lark in Seattle.

Have a great trip! It's a beautiful part of the country.

Best food: salmon on Iceland Air

Bizarre food: Thai Airways served western-style food-- e.g. chicken with pasta + alfredo sauce. Can't be a good thing.

Cutest condiment: Air Canada included little packets of soy sauce in miniature plastic fishes. I didn't get the connection, but I wish I saved one.

Pet peeve that I'm sure most people share: passengers who bring stinky food on a long flight. Gross!

Sometimes we are tempted to order the kosher or vegetarian meal in order to avoid mystery meat or pork, but am not sure if all I'll end up with is soggy cheese sandwiches and steamed veggies.

Both Bart's and Steve Herrell's (almost across the street from each other) contend for the title of best store made ice cream in America. Herrell started Steve's in Boston back in the '70's which spread nationwide. After selling he moved to Northhampton and opened this gem. Still, I probably prefer Bart's overall which may be a bit richer at about 18% butterfat. Neither is quite as good as, say, Two Amy's. But both are superior to Thomas Sweet which I regard as D. C.'s best ice cream shop.

As an addendum I was in Cincinnati last week and stopped at Graeter's which has been an annual tradition for me for over 20 years (their strawberry chip is awesome). This time I was fortunate to go to Graeter's and Bart's within a couple of weeks of each other. Bart's is better.

Thanks Joe. My husband is an Ohioan (Dayton, but extended family from Cincinnati) and always raves about Graeters, and he will be with me in Northampton so I will definitely make sure we stop at either Bart's or Herrell's. I know its heresy, but I've never drunk the kool-aid, so to speak, on Graeters, but it just might be my contrarian streak. I will report back.

Ithaca

In Ithaca, there's a surprising amount of good food. Never been to Moosewoods... always meant to, but the vegetarian aspect of it never really motivates me. The best discovery in Ithaca is north of Cornell... The Heights Cafe. Excellent food and service that can rival any of the comparable places in DC. Expensive by Ithaca standards... moderate by DC standards.

I always liked Cosmo's for breakfast. I want to like Simeon's on the Commons, but it inevitably disappoints me. The one time I went to The Station, it also disappointed. The Thai place over by Wegmans was always good also. Forget about any Chinese food in Ithaca... Vietnamese place on Dryden Ave was always a good deal. Taughonnack Inn northeast of Ithaca is supposed to be a nice place also.

btw, Joe's Restaurant is back after a demise of a few years... I may go by when I'm there over 4th of July weekend.

I agree that Ithaca has a lot of really good restaurants considering its size and location (I have spent time in another college town--I'll give a clue, its initials are AA-- that had pretty mediocre food). I forgot to mention Thai Cuisine-- they claim to have the "best Thai food in NY state outside of NYC." My husband LOVES that place (well, based on a 10-year-old memory), but I don't know if it's really worth going to if you live in an area like we do with lots of excellent Thai options. As for the Moosewood being vegetarian, I had always found that as a non-vegetarian, there were always many good and inventive things to eat. Also, they serve fish, so you will not be eating a plate of string veggies. Finally, I have always wanted to go to Taughonnack Farms as I remember that in order to get a reservation for graduation, you had to write an essay. (I don't know if that's actually true or if it is still true.)

The problem with dining options in college towns is (1) many people's recommendations may not be trustworthy because they are based on what they nostalgically remember was "good;" was "good" for when they were in college; or was the expensive place to take dates and parents. (2) If you return to your alma mater, you are not likely to want to sample a new restaurant but rather return to your old stomping grounds. I'll probably never make it to any of the places I never tried before in Ithaca.

We are heading up to Northampton Mass for a wedding this weekend. Are there any must-eat places in the downtown/Main Street area that would be good for lunch? Not really looking for any college dives, unless they are actually good... Thanks.

As another Cornell alum, I suggest deep dish pizza at The Nines. I have heard, though, that its sister restaurant, The Chariot, is no more. Can anyone verify?

I have heard the same too, from someone who actually went to reunion. I loved the corn fritters at the Chariot!

Ithaca

As a Cornell alum, I had to chime in with two Ithaca recommendations: Just a Taste (excellent tapas/small plates-- not Spanish or Mexican, though) and of course, the venerable Moosewood Restaurant for vegetarian fare. If you find yourself in Collegetown, Aladdin's was good for Middle Eastern, though I have no idea if it's still around.

We were in a car accident overseas at the end of February, and we promised ourselves that when I returned to normalcy, we would treat ourselves to a special meal. Well, my first day back at work is Monday and our meal was Saturday night at Obelisk.

We got a reservation at 8:30pm by calling that afternoon.

The ambiance and service was as we remembered it from our last 2 visits (the last of which admittedly was in 2002). It's still low-key and casual, but the service does not suffer. For example, when we were asked to move to another table because the hostess erroneously seated us at a 2 top that was needed to be merged with another table for a larger group, she offered us two glasses of wine on the house (though that might have been after my husband gave her a quizzical-WTF look). Since we don't eat pork, we had risotto balls substituted for the house-cured meats in the antipasto course. All the servers were knowledgable about the wines, dishes; water glasses were filled promptly, courses came out nicely-paced, etc.

It's still $65 for 5 courses. We started with the antipasto course, and we really liked all the dishes. We started with an excellent ricotta cheese, served simply with fresh ground peper, kosher salt and olive oil. Soft-shell crabs that were very fresh and not overly fried. Peppery arugula topped with beets. Brushetta with fava bean and garlic spread-- very yummy (though with a tad too much olive oil). And the risotto balls tasted similar to their cousins at 2 Amys, except Obelisk's had mushrooms inside. This was my favorite course.

For our first course, we both had the gnoochi, served with peas and squash blossoms. We both thought the gnoochi was pretty good-- not overly rich or mushy. The squash blossoms really made the dish.

For our second course, I had the duck and my husband had the lamb. The duck was braised with fennel, and perhaps other ingredients, but fennel was the overwhelming spice. I thought the duck was decent, but not transporting or particulary unique. The skin was crisp, but the meat was a little over-cooked for me. The duck was served with artichokes and peas, which were also sauteed with fennel. These were also OK, but nothing to write home about. OTOH, upon his first bite, my husband LOVED his lamb dish, which consisted of lamb chops that, in his words, was perfectly prepared and cooked. (He actually said, this might be one of the best lamb dishes he'd ever had.) I had a bite, and it was very flavorful (without being too game-y), and nicely seared with the inside still pink.

Then came the cheese course. I am not a cheese expert so all I can say was that all the cheese were good to me, served with fresh fig spread.

By the time dessert rolled around, I was WAY too full. Unfortunately for me, the house-made ice cream was mint chocolate chip, one of my least favorite flavors. i was tempted to order it anyway, because I still have fond memories of the chocolate chip toffee ice cream I had last time. Anyway, my husband ordered it and loved the fresh mint flavor (not what you buy at the store for sure). I had a dish that was some kind of pudding made with a dessert liquor topped with an almond cookie. It was good, but a bit sweet.

All in all, we both enjoyed the meal a lot, although my husband defintely enjoyed his meal more than I. Nonetheless, I really like the overall package, especially its non-stuffy ambiance. The meal definitely kept Obelisk on our list of special occassion places. Everyone around us seemed to be raving about the food. (Although we overheard a woman, who had clearly had too many glasses of wine as her slurred speech evidenced, talking loudly about peeing in the shower. TMI!! Fortunately, we were on our way out...)

You can pretty much take over many smaller ethnic restaurants for a pittance. Huge quantities of food and drink, and a lot of fun to boot.

We did our rehersal dinner at Bacchus in Dupont Circle (which I've posted about elsewhere). They closed the restaurant (we had about 50 ppl), and there was tons of food. My family pigged out on all the appetizers (mezze, etc) before realizing that there was even more food to come. They also did a complimentary tasting dinner for us. I did a lot of searching for a reasonably priced RD and this worked out very well.

The only reservation that I had was that the restaurant was so casual about the reservation itself: we gave no deposit, we signed no contract, etc. They just showed us their reservation book with our night (Sat) blocked off. I was afraid that we'd show up and the place would be closed. But Bacchus definitely came through for us. I would strongly recommend.

All this praise for Clyde's! Perhaps I should put aside my snobbery and head to the Friendship Heights location tomorow. I am looking for an uncomplicated and inexpensive meal for an out of town guest tomorrow in my neighborhood (and he hates Indian, so no Indique Heights). If we go, I will report back.

We went to a lovely wedding at Ponzi Vineyards. I am no wine expert, but we really enjoyed each of the glasses that were paired with each course. The Pinot was a fairly big red (I am generally not a pinot fan, but enjoy the zins and cabs.) Ponzi also has a restaurant in Dundee that was pretty good too.

We picked up a map that laid out all of the wineries and vineyards, and basically just drove along the main highways.