DC in DC

Is Palena open on Sunday for dinner?

When I clerked in Alexandria, I used to be a regular at this deli behind the federal courthouse (I think called New York deli or something like that). They had a great "california club" that was hand-carved turkey, avocado and bacon. Definitely YUMMY, if any of you lawyers (or jurors) find yourself down there (the courthouse is a bit too far from Old Town to walk). (Halfway through the year, I gave up pork so I had to get that sandwich without the bacon; it was still good though!)

Never had them, but the salads at Breadline always look good with a wide range of toppings.

Thanks to Don, Hillvalley, and Chef Krinn for a fabulous night! I think the consensus at our table was that the winner of the night was the Scottish langoustine cassoulet. I could have put away a few more of those! I was intrigued by the sablefish-- I will definitely look for that fish in the future. As Chef Krinn noted, the fish has such a great rich flavor that it can really stand up to the miso marinade. I also loved the amuse bouches-- so much flavor packed into those little bites. Finally, I was very impressed by the complexity of the dessert-- so much going on in that cylinder of chocolate and congac! Really enjoyed meeting and chatting with the others at the table-- Rissa, silentbob, clayrae, mktye and mdt!

Three of us went to Buck's on Sat. night. There was a 30 minute wait, which the host was very apologetic about. No problem-- we were in fact seated within that time frame at a nice four-top, which didn't have the "too close to your neighbor" feeling of the two-tops in the front. The dark red decor and the dim lighting created a very cozy, intimate ambiance, which we really liked. Starters: we shared the chopped chicken liver and the mozzerella salad. Both were very good. The chicken liver was "strong," though I didn't mind that at all. There was a nice pesto accompanying the mozzerella salad, which our server gave us more bread to mop up. Mains: Two of us had the BBQ duck with mashed sweet potato ($17). I had the fried oysters with fried green tomatoes and basil mayonaise ($20). All of us thought the food was excellent, but the portions were on the small side. My husband (who is not a big eater) thought he could have eaten two of the duck entrees, and I thought that I definitely could have done better getting the Oyster Po'boy at Hanks (which more fried oysters in the roll, at $13). Dessert: we shared the devils food cake and my friend had poached pear with a chocolate sauce. All were excellent, without being too sweet and rich. They were out of an apple tart that my husband had been dying to try when he first saw it on the menu. When were were done paying the bill, the manager came over and asked us very apologetically and politely if we would mind having a drink on the house at the bar because another party was about to murder him if they were not seated. We had no problem with that...and I had a very nice glass of port at the bar. I second JLK's wish for more "bar food" because the bar really is quite cozy and the bartenders fun. As I noted in the Indique thread, we sat next to Chef Vinod, who made our day by telling us that they were opening another branch in Friendship Heights-- a neighborhood sorely lacking in decent dining options that aren't too pricey (e.g. Buck's, Dahila's). My final verdict: Great place that hit the high notes in almost everything I find important about dining out-- excellent service, food, ambiance. The only downside, as others have noted, is value. The portions are definitely a bit too small at that price point. (My husband had a bowl of cereal when he got home.)

Last night we were at the bar at Buck's and one of my dining companions thought she recognized the person next to us as the chef at Indique. Lo and behold it was him. He said they are opening a second location at Friendship Heights above the metro station (probably in the old Restaurant Terraza space?). Holy batman! We are so excited as there is a serious dearth of dining options up here.

Attire?

Thanks for the report! I too was disappointed by the high price point; like Bucks, also near me, a bit too pricey to just drop by on a regular basis. All of the scallop dishes Tom mentioned in his review sound great, but I don't eat pork, so I'm a bit bummed about the scallop and grits dish (I LOVE grits.). With all the pricey development going on at Friendship Heights, why isn't it a more appealing place to put a good restaurant? I guess maybe TOO pricey to attract an independent place without a lot of investor-backing.

Hmmm. I definitely want to try Sonoma out, but it seems like it's more of a dinner/lounge-y "night" type of place. What kind of brunch food was it? I am not a huge breakfast foods person, so I'd probably go with lunch-food option. A few years ago, we had brunch at Monmarte and I had an omlette that I still remember to this day. Perhaps that would be a better option?

Last night I went to the Dupont location for a birthday happy hour. They have a great happy hour special where all their appetizers/"tapas" dishes are half off. A friend and I shared somosas, tikka lol (?--tasted like tandoori chix), and calamari. The somosas were very good. The calamari was similar to the calamari dish at Indique but better-- this one had a distinct coconut milk flavor. Very good deal-- The total for all 3 dishes was $15. The bar seemed a bit understaffed -- only two bartenders to take orders and handle drinks, but it was a pretty festive setting. I really like the Chicken Tikka at the Glover Park location, but I am so turned off by the service there that I'll only get take-out.

Went to Rice twice in the last year. I like the decor a lot-- modern, simple, brick walls-- minimalist. One time, we sat inside and it was pretty dark-- I couldn't really see my food or my dining companion. The other time, we were out on the patio. There appears to be a pretty happening bar scene on the weekends. The food was fine--- as Thai goes, not as good as Thai Square or Bangkok 54 in terms of authenticity and complexity, but better than Thaiphoon and that level of restaurants. Also, for you, JLK, last year there was a whole pumpkin menu that was in effect until December (I don't know if it's there this year). Overall, I think it's a fun, hip, place to go with servicable Thai. Prices-- a bit more than the usual Thai, as I recall (low teens), but I guess they have to pay the rent for the Logan Circle location.

I asked the same question a few weeks ago after Tom posted the little blurb in the Weekly Dish. I definitely want to check it out because it's close to my home in Friendship Heights. I do remember that Tom liked Smith Point, but going never appealed to me becuse of the bar scene etc.

Has anyone gone to Sonoma for Sunday brunch? How is it?

Do people think roaches are a big deal? I am no expert, but I tend to think that where food is, roaches will follow (so a stray roach is no biggie, though they are gross). My husband (who has worked in a restaurant) begs to differ and thinks roaches are a sign of uncleanliness. Over the weekend, we watched a small roach crawl out of the vent at 2 amys, fortunately pass our table, but actually crawled onto our neighbor's table. (This was at the bar area with the tall tables against the wall, at the same height as the vents.) We mentioned it to our server, but didn't expect "anything" for it, of course. (Had it crawled onto our table, it might be a different story.) (We LOVE 2 amys and this won't change our view of the place.)

Has anyone done this KC-limo ride deal? It sounds like it would be a very nice evening. I went to Marcel's once about 3 years ago on a recruiting dinner and had an excellent steak, but haven't returned since.

We had our rehearsal dinner at Bacchus (in Dupont) 2 years ago. It was pretty good; much better, I thought, than Lebanese Taverna. The prices are pretty reasonable so I'd give it a shot.

I think Evening Star Cafe has a 3-course meal offering as well (all the time--not just an "early bird special," I believe), but I think the options are pretty limited (choice of one of two entrees). It works out to a free dessert, if my memory serves me correctly.

Is the grill on for this week? I have to be in the area for an errand anyway. Also, as a non-pork eater, is it even worth going?

Half-portions for half-price pastas at Tosca. Don't know if it's at the bar only, but you can definitely assemble a great meal.

I love the Jessie's Grove Zinfandel!

Very interesting guys. We live a few blocks from there and have always bemoaned the serious lack of dining options up in Friendship Heights. Usually we end up getting in the car and going to Colorado Kitchen, 2 Amys, or Cleveland Park. I guess you guys are saying that Bambule is not in this league, but could be worth going to since it's close. (But, I hate spending money on just OK food--I'd rather just cook at home or GO someplace decent, even if we have to drive. )

Hey Jael-- Thanks for the tip. Maybe we'll try that instead! I have a pasta craving. When we go, we try to make it by 6:15 but it just seems so ridiculous. I can't believe that it's still like that after all these years. And what is up with the empty back area that they save for their friends? (I guess exactly that )

damn- this is hiliarious. 73 within 2 miles of work (downtown DC) 64 within 2 miles of home (Friendship Heights). I am not *gasp* coffee drinker (I prefer my caffeine in the diet coke form in the AM), so I only go to starbucks to get the mocha drinks. But after we bought the house, I tried to cut those out of my budget. I saw a story a few months ago on how much $$$ people spend on Starbucks per year. Crazy.

Anyone been to Pasta Mia recently? I don't think I've been for years, but I used to like the eggplant fusili there. Nice generous portion that creates leftovers for the following day. We're thinking about going this weekend and are at a loss for a casual "cheap eat" that is not "ethnic" (Hanks would fit the bill, but we went last weekend.). When I used to live in Woodley Park, I have to say that I was never tempted by Pesto. Remember when it was Mrs. Simpson's ? Always looked a little pricey without someone to vouch that it was worth it.

I recall that Tom has said that he comes in early on Weds to read through the pre-submitted questions and type out responses. (This statement has usually been made when a reader attacks him for not reviewing enough restaurants and being a lazy ass.)