DC in DC

My younger sister lives in Philly and has started sampling the dining scene (now, mostly limited to RW outings, etc). I thought she would really enjoy a community similar to what we have in this website, in terms of the casual get-togethers and happy hours, etc.

Would egullet in Philly or chowhound serve this role or is there another organization or website that you would recommend?

Thanks!

Anyone ever been to Juniper (24th and M, in the Fairmont hotel)?

I spent the summer at a firm next door and had almost weekly lunches at the restaurant that was in that space back in 2001. Nothing I would pay my own dime for, but serviceable hotel cuisine. I never had a horrendous meal, but never a really excellent one either.

What was really horrible in that area is Thai Kitchen and the restaurant that James Carville and Mary Matalin opened around the corner from the Fairmont (I believe that place has been put out of its misery.)

No idea but I have to drive past tonight and will check.  Didn't notice anything when I drove past last week but I may not have been looking!

Please do! As someone who lives up there and is dying for some more options! (I am waiting with baited breath for Indique Heights and Sushi Ko to open in Friendship Heights.)

Not that my meal on Friday night really deserves to bump Spices back up, but anyway. We went before the movie in search of a low-key, budget place. I had been to Spices last month, and had perfectly servicable green curry-- nothing, of course, on the level of Thai Square, but OK. (I think this is one of the legacy Yanyu dishes, which is what prompted me to try the curry there the first time.) However, Friday night the green curry was really mediocre. Someone in the kitchen must have dumped a ton of spice into the curry, which set my mouth on fire and masked any other flavor the curry might have had. I thought about sending it back, but we were trying to catch the movie, and it wasn't worth it. The ginger salad, however, was great as usual. I should just stick to that.

Also, they really like to pack them in there, especially in the back. It's always amusing to overhear your neighbor's conversations, and be able to direct the food runners ("edamae-- the table next to us ordered them"). But the place really felt like a zoo.

We should've gone with Plan B (movie first, then try to get to Palena Cafe).

Thinking about going back this Sat night.  Has anyone been for dinner recently? What's good on the menu, and in particular, is the Pot Roast back?

I had a great meal at CK on Sat night. We started with the foie gras toasts, which came with a poached pear. I hadn't anticpated that the foie gras would be cooked, but it was excellent. A little pricey at $12.50, but you get 4-5 toasts with a generous amount of foie gras. For the entree, I had the meatloaf with noodles and hungarian paprika sauce. This was a great, rich, homey dish and I loved every minute of it. My husband had the steak, and he cleaned his plate as well. It was cooked, medium rare, as requested. I had been tempted by the steak, but my last steak at CK in Sept. was not good-- don't remember the specifics now. However, my husband, who is pretty picky about steak, said it was excellent. Our friend had the fish, which he appeared to enjoy too. Desserts: pineapple upside down cake is my husband's usual dessert at CK, which is just swears by. I had the marbled pound cake sundae which was huge. I was way too full for it. Overall, great visit, and reminded me that we should go more often.

I also noticed that the beverage selection had degraded.  They had a bunch of homemade juices (beet/orange, carrot/something, etc).  I usually get a Cricket too, but had to grab a lemonade today.

Anyway, what I'm really writing about is the Oyster Po' Boy.  Oh. My. God.  It is SO good.  It has some fantastic slaw (with some pickled cabbage!),  a great relishy creamy sauce, and a TON of corn-meal fried oysters.  The bread was fanastic as well, none of that cut your mouth kind, but a big, soft, roll that softly cradles the fried to order oysters.  I hope its an every-Thursday thing, because it changed my whole day. 

Oh, and the saffron tomato soup was good, too.

OMB the Po'Boy is back on Thursdays? I will HAVE to go next week.

Thinking about going back this Sat night. Has anyone been for dinner recently? What's good on the menu, and in particular, is the Pot Roast back?

I am very interested!

Minh's is cheap-I think the most expensive entree is in the $12 range. You just have to remind yourself that there's no need to get schwilly at the Vietnamese joint, so that you don't order beer that your could get six of for two dollars more.

We just had a very nice dinner at Minh's. dinner for 3 (2 appetizers-- excellent shrimp cakes and spring rolles; 3 entrees) was about $48. It also has an elegant feel-- unlike some "cheap eats" kinds of places. I'd definitely go back-- in fact, I left wondering why I hadn't ever been.

We have plans to go for RW this Sat. night-- has anyone been lately?

Thanks!

A few years ago, we stumbled across the Little Rooster Cafe, which is just off the main shopping drag. It was a pleasant little gourmet sandwich shop-- if I recall correctly, we had really good salmon sandwiches. It had a nice "New England" feel, and while we were waiting for a table, saw that either Gourmet (or similar publication) had given it a mention as a "best" place for the area. Not being from there, I can't vouch for that, but I thought it was a great lunch place.

If solo diners enjoy sitting at a bar or at a table at a casual restaurant and read a book or newspaper, or bring a pad of paper and write a letter or catch up on other work, is that loser behavior?  If not, what's so wrong with doing it quietly on a laptop?

I don't know about loser behavior per se, but I would think dragging a laptop onto a bar could be somewhat cumbersome. They also take up more space than a newspaper, pad of paper, etc. so it could get awkward when your food comes or when the bar gets crowded.

I also find the sound of someone madly typing away to be incredibly annoying. Your keyboard is louder than you think!

Thanks Guys!!

I found a sur la table in Canton, CT, which I must admit I had to google because I had no idea where it was. AlliK, the Italian place sounds like it could be good-- I take it you don't have first-hand knowledge of the place.

I don't know if this is the right place to post, but I am interested in getting my parents cooking classes for xmas. They are Chinese immigrants (have been here for 30+ years), and don't cook with recipies, etc. etc. But, they've gotten really into cooking shows on Food networks and really liked what we prepared for Thanksgiving (my husband and I "took over" the American portion of the meal).

They live in Fairfield County, CT-- is there a culinary school or specialty food store in that neck of the woods, or another place you could recommend checking out? (I've tried William Sonoma, but their Westport location doesn't offer classes.) Thanks!!

We will be at Majestic Cafe-- Regular menu and you can make reservations on Opentable. What more do you need?

Sorry I cannot make it tonight, but I am very eager to hear the reports!!

I too may not be able to attend due to work, but we'll see how it goes.

From Warren's chat:

"We store all of our perishable products under refrigeration to protect our customers from food borne illness. We have to do this. The health department mandates it. Were we to store our cakes with buttercream, eclairs and buzz balls with pastry cream, and cheesecakes at room temp they would be a health hazard."

I am skeptical here.  Are bakeries required to store their goods with buttercream frosting in a fridge?  Do other bakeries in the area do the same as Cakelove?

Or more to the point, couldn't some number be taken out and warmed to room temp for same-day sale? I'm sure a business person can figure out which cupcakes are best-sellers and how many to have ready. I am very confused as to why this can't happen.

This reminds me of a recent experience at a restaurant in Harrisburg, PA that bills itself as a steakhouse.  When we were presented our menus, the waitress said "we are offering the hereford strip steak tonight, which is my personal favorite".  A few minutes later when one of our dining companions had a question about the hereford steak, our waitress replied "I've never had it. I'm a vegetarian".    WTF?

This happened to us at Viridian last Sat. We asked our waitress what she recommended, and she said she was a vegetarian and hadn't tried the meat/fish items. She was able speak about and describe those items though, and I didn't hold it against her. Although I don't know why it's necessary to tell us about your dietary restrictions. Requests for recommendations are not limited to what YOU like but what CUSTOMERS have liked, specialities of the restaurant, etc.

I went to Corduroy last week and recommended the spring rolls to my dining companion even though I don't eat pork (although it created a slightly awkward situation when she then wanted to split the dish with me and I had to decline).

I have to say that I benefitted from all the hoopola over the waiting period for CakeLove cupcakes-- yesterday I made carrot cake cupcakes that needed to be refrigerated (because of the cream cheese frosting) for an office function. I remembered to take them out of the fridge 30 min beforehand to get to room temp. Never would have thought of it otherwise (I am a novice baker.)

That's why I feel like some disclosure somewhere would be appropriate.  I knew with some degree of certainty that it wouldn't be chocolate as most of the world defines chocolate, and yet there was no comment.

I see what you mean, but given how good the rest of the meal was, I thought they would have figured out a way to make good vegan desserts (or not serve them at all). I'm only a novice baker, but I'm guessing this is an impossibility for some items (though our orange pistachio cake was good and I didn't notice the lack of dairy).

We had the apple tart (the absence of butter was painfully obvious in both the fruit and the disc pretending to be a crust) and a chocolate cake (that, as far as I can tell, wasn't really chocolate).

On the other hand, I loved the breads and thought the spreads (two to choose from: white bean and pumpkin) were really good.

My husband was also kind of wary of the non-dairy element in the desserts and tried to steer us to something that would work. Since I was totally full, I deferred to him. I was tempted by the chocolate cake, but it seems like we chose wisely.

My two cents:  I went in knowing about the concept and gave my guest the heads up.  I was very curious to hear how it would be handled (e.g., described on the menu or mentioned by the host), but the reality was that we were never told.  For some dishes, it was a non-issue, but the desserts were a vegan nightmare.

We also dined there Sat night and I loved it. Given that the restaurant also serves meat, I'm not sure it's really a vegan place. My husband had a mushroom soup and I had the chicken liver dish. I thought the chicken livers were great, two very generous servings accompanied with slightly crunchy bread and a raddish salad. (I couldn't help thinking of the puny duck (?) liver dish I had a Bucks, which was either the same price or more, but at least half the size).

For entrees, my husband had the rockfish, and he really enjoyed the simple preparation. I had the squash tart, which was a very interesting combination of squash, mushrooms, and greens (sprouts?) on top. I loved it-- it was rich and flavorful, without being heavy. We shared the potatoes with mustard and spinach (I thought too much mustard, so my husband happily finished it off) and mushrooms with thyme or rosemary (I thought these were OK; I'd probably order something else when I return).

Bread: Neither of us was a fan of the white bean spread, but liked the pesto. Had a nice kick to it.

Dessert: We had the orange pistachio cake with cranberry compote and almond "ice cream." I am not a fan of cranberries or pistachios so I can't fairly comment on that; however, I did like the "ice cream."

I loved the decor, which gave off a hip and elegant vibe; yet, the place had a nice casual and neighborhood feel, with a young girl (one of the owner's daughters?) showing us to our table and handing us menus. We also appreciated the acoustic tiles that really allowed us to hear each other at the table.

Overall, I thought the prices were extremely reasonable and I will definitely return. (Total for 2, including wine, tax & tip: $94).

I loved their burger with gorgonzola cheese in the center...but was utterly dismayed to find that the burger is now served w/o the cheese. Is this still the case?

So...no french toast on Saturdays??

You want to get the shrimp and grits. YUM.