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genericeric

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Everything posted by genericeric

  1. genericeric
    I realize that I'm in the minority in thinking that these moves can improve the beer landscape. I was at Devil's Backbone Outpost in Lexington recently and had a very nice cocoa beer and barley wine. Revolutionary? No. Innovative? Maybe. But I had a nice meal and a few good beers in a facility that was providing jobs and rewarding brewing quality. It was owned by Budweiser. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Dogfish long ago passed the threshold of being a small brewer, with 175,000 keg production. Sam Adams is also a behemoth. Both make some good beers, though I personally find both flagship brews to be middling. But its hard to argue that neither has earned their place in craft brewing for advancing the industry. So we can celebrate an industry to martyr brewers (an admittedly desirable land for martyrdom) who produce a quality product but realize low financial gains. Or we can celebrate an industry that rewards innovation and success in niche categories, mixed with financially successful, mass-market product lines, to raise all ships. (this post written while drinking a Dogfish Dragons and YumYums in Collaboration with Flaming Lips - a "Pale Ale brewed with dragonfruit and yumberry, passion fruit, pear and black carrot juices" - Bud Light it is not)
  2. genericeric
    I had the soft shell sandwich at Ebbitt yesterday and the crab was surprisingly large with a light, crisp cornmeal batter - one of the better soft shell's I've had in awhile. We may be getting to the point where the size is getting more reasonable - others I saw were similar size.
  3. genericeric
    The artist renderings are depressing - the space is being turned into Just Another Hotel Restaurant. Is it Barrel and Bushel from the Tysons Hilton? Fire and Sage at the Marriott? That space has not been kind to recent restaurants, maybe they should be throwing in the towel, but in doing so they're removing a lot of the character from the Hotel Washington. Downstairs is a great space, but has an accessibility problem from within the hotel. I'm sure the craft beer/pizza concept will appeal to the tourist masses during the summer, but its always going to be a tough fit until access is easier for guests.
  4. genericeric
    5-star resorts are in a tough spot. A more accurate designation would be 'Anything more than 4 stars' as you're measured against a wide range of competition. There are also so many factors that go into a resort property versus a standard hotel. Room, dining, activities, grounds, etc. The resort largely places itself on the spectrum with its cost - in The Salamander's case, basic rooms start at around $500 per night. This property has beautiful common areas, competent service, and comfortable guest rooms. Does it compete with similarly-priced properties? Eh. I assume many leisure guests go to The Salamander for a getaway. My wife and I went for that reason - a short trip, for the purposes of not leaving the property during our stay. Unfortunately, the property's flagship restaurant is closed on Monday and Tuesday for dinner. While reviews online suggest we didn't miss much, it was likely still more enjoyable than eating at the bar (its marketed as a wine bar, but that's a stretch). The rooms themselves (the basic king room) are comfortable but nothing to write home about. Small things like being at a resort in wine country, with wine in the mini bar, but no corkscrew or appropriate glasses. Don't get me wrong. It's a nice place to lay your head down at night. But at the price point, small missteps become harder to ignore, as does the lack of the main dining room two nights a week.
  5. genericeric
    I'm admittedly a creature of habit. Each time I'm in New York, I tend to hit a few places from my list of "regulars" - though I try to squeeze in one or two new ones when I'm there. So it's with that context that I say that I've been to La Pecora Bianca in NoMad the last 4 times I've been to the city. LPB isn't the best italian restaurant in New York. And it isn't the best restaurant in NoMad (which, in my opinion, is the NoMad Restaurant inside the NoMad Hotel). But it fills a gap left by the closing of Craftbar (which wasn't technically in NoMad but close enough). It is a restaurant that serves good food that isn't super high priced where we can meet friends for dinner without a reservation 4 weeks in advance. It's always the place chosen on the dreaded text message chain the day before when someone asks "where should we meet for dinner." From the appetizers, I recommend Whipped Ricotta with truffle honey and country toast ($14) and the Meatballs ($14). Roasted Cauliflower with raisins, pine nuts and mascarpone ($15) is also good, but I'm not a big cauliflower person in general. From the pasta menu, Gramigna with house made sausage, broccolini and pepper flakes ($24) is a favorite, as is the Tagliatelle with bolognese ($24). And the Tiramisu for two ($15) is worth the caloric splurge. Fair warning, they are strict about the wine pours, which can change the glass vs. bottle mathematics.
  6. genericeric
    Popped in for a quick appetizer and a drink on Monday evening - I will say that this was a more challenging solo bar seat than Rose's Luxury (with a one hour difference in arrival times). The bar staff was friendly and eager to make an off menu cocktail (sweet/spicy with mezcal) - the resulting drink was too sweet, but to be fair I did ask for an on-the-fly custom drink. The Kampachi Crudo with hearts of palm and grilled asian pear (16$) was fantastic - light and refreshing without being dainty. The menu didn't mention the accompanying cucumber (?), which I was grateful for, otherwise I may not have ordered. I drove home from New York on Monday shortly before going to the restaurant, and I do believe they have successfully out-Brooklyn'd Brooklyn. Not necessarily a bad thing, just need to be in that mood.
  7. genericeric
    Walked in as a solo diner at 8pm Monday night and was seated at the bar upstairs immediately. Was fully when I arrived, but by 8:45 there were only 2 other people. Had what I would consider to be my first 'miss' here, which was an off menu special of gnocchi topped with quite a bit of shaved black truffle. The gnocchi were not rolled but were flat discs, so it ate largely like a plate of mashed potatoes topped with truffles. Ok, so maybe not a 'miss' because who WOULDN'T like a plate of mashed potatoes topped with truffle, but it came across somewhat flat. Oysters here are fantastic unless you're a real purist (the chamomile-honey granita can overwhelm nuanced flavors), and I'll hold judgement on the sopresini since it ended up being take out.
  8. genericeric
    Visited last night as part of a corporate private party. I'm sure there are a number of spaces/configurations for private events - we were seated in the front room upstairs, which was very comfortable for 15 or so guests. Service was fantastic as always and the food was a unanimous hit - some dishes I hadn't seen on the menu before (though I hadn't visited in some time). I wasn't part of the planning process so unsure what options or prices were available. The two wines for the evening were a Sancerre that carried us through the first 2/3 of the menu, followed by a french red but I didn't catch the specific type - that being said, the full bar and wine list were available. A quick rundown from memory as there was no printed menu: Foie Gras amuse Coconut ice cream with caviar Oysters with cream and spicy granita English Muffin with clotted cream and orange marmalade. This was the highlight for me - yes, the bread course. Lychee Salad Squash blossom rangoon. This was the low for me (but was still pretty good). It was salty and fried, but beyond that I wouldn't have been able to tell you it was a squash blossom or contained crab Honey fried chicken Rigatoni alla vodka with calamari - just a fantastic pasta dish Linguini with shrimp and garlic Wedge salad Tomahawk steak (picture below) - impressive presentation. Came with roasted garlic, also separate pans of roasted mushrooms and potato straws. The steak was fantastic - the mushrooms were very balsamic and cold - seemed better suited to a salad than a steak accompaniment, particularly the temperature Cinnamon toast crunch ice cream topped with crushed cereal ("palate cleanser") Chocolate pecan pie topped with chocolate mouse and vanilla ice cream They honestly could've stopped after the chicken and everyone would've been satisfied, but the servers were good sports about making to-go boxes. Also noted that one member of the group had a severe shellfish allergy that the restaurant handled very well.
  9. genericeric
    I assume One Loudoun is next, which would be more interesting assuming they meet the state law criteria.
  10. genericeric
    According to TheBurn.com, Bar Ahso is coming to the new Chefscape Food Hall/Incubator/Commercial Kitchen/Event space at the Village at Leesburg. I really want Ahso to be successful, and want Bar Ahso to be as well, which is significantly closer to where I live. That being said, this development seems to be a tough place to thrive in, and this mixed concept doesn't inspire too much confidence.
  11. genericeric
    I believe the restaurant that is geographically closest to Dulles without actually being on airport grounds is the Cracker Barrel just off 28, and if you are aiming for brunch, you could do a lot worse.
  12. genericeric
    Was devastated in early August when we came here and found they had closed Le Verdure, the vegetarian-themed restaurant. Ok, devastated may be dramatic, let's go with deeply disappointed. While they were under construction on its replacement, the wife and I had a delightful meal at Manzo - splitting a cheese plate and a fabulous sweet corn ravioli. Popped in yesterday and the new Il Pastaio has opened. This may now be the largest counter space in Eataly - significantly larger than Le Verdure. The opening menu has 12ish pasta bowls. I had the Casarecce with tomato, almond, basil, pecorino romano (15$). While not really what I was expecting (was more of a tomato sauce and less fresh tomatoes), it was a solid dish of pasta. But that's all it was - no bread, no grated cheese, etc. I got the sense that this counter may have just opened this week, so may take some time to iron out the kinks. All-in-all, I enjoyed Manzo more - a more complete, composed dish. Side note - $7 for a Peroni in Manhattan isn't bad. I had a second, doubting I could find another at that price nearby.
  13. genericeric
    These were fine, definitely not in the 'really good' category.
  14. genericeric
    I would go back for the biscuits. After we sat down at the bar and the biscuits came, I was relieved that they were so shamelessly an attempt at Red Lobster's biscuits, but much improved. Lighter, softer, but nailed the taste exactly. And that is the last nice thing to say about the food at this restaurant. Well, the conch fritters were fine. The hush puppies seem to have changed since Tom S.'s initial review and were straightforward, dense balls of fried cornmeal, dusted in too much old bay, served with honey butter that tasted like they ran out of honey. It was the first of several dishes that tasted of murky salt, and not much more. The Shrimp and Grits followed suit, with a brown sauce that tasted only of salt, and grits so loose they dissolved into the dark goo. Sweet Tea chicken brought two pieces of fried chicken (menu and plate didn't match) over a brownish puree of what I later learned were peas. No brightness whatsoever from the peas, the chicken was rubbery underneath the over-salted skin. I have a feeling this is a place that could be decent if you know what to order and stick to it. Raw seafood, some of the fried options. The bartender took my plate of chicken away with only two bites missing, and asked sadly "I trust everything was ok?" while looking down. It was - we had a fun and lucky night at the casino without a toddler. It just would have been better if we'd eaten somewhere else. --- Conch Fritters (DonRocks)
  15. genericeric
    While I've never seen Wildfire "busy" in the dining room, they seem to do a decent happy hour with local office workers. It may be a little more approachable than the Palm or Capital Grille. I just go in on a monthly basis when I'm next door at the Grooming Lounge (and I don't seem to be alone there).
  16. genericeric
    We did confine ourselves to the wines by the glass. It felt to me that the whites (it was hot as hell the day we were there and a red didn't sound good) trended too sweet for my tastes. The flight is currently riesling, which totally makes sense in August in New York, but again, just not as much to my liking. I'm not saying its a bad list, but for a guy that likes a lot of oak in a chardonnay, it wasn't the list for me. The waiter we had at Aldo Sohm was condescending and was having a hard time reading the table. I don't mind waiters gently restating a french term if I've mispronounced it, but doing it three times in front of a group becomes tiresome. Requests for recommendations were met with eye rolls, etc. Perhaps why we had a hard time finding wines we enjoyed. The decor felt dated to me but that is entirely personal preference. Note - while the service at LB wasn't the style I enjoy (a little too formal for my liking), it was entirely professional. Aldo Sohm was not.
  17. genericeric
    The wife and I stopped in on Tuesday night for a pre-theatre snack in the lounge, and had one of the better bites of food I've had in the last several years. Seafood Causa ($26) "Lobster, Crab, Shrimp; Potato Mousseline, Aji Amarillo Pepper, Avocado, Lime". This was seafood and avocado topped with the potato mousseline and then a few of the spicy peppers. A moderate spice permeated throughout. The result was the best 'potato soup' I've ever had - and certainly the first containing avocado. The lobster cappuccino ($17) was good, but not nearly as inventive (or satisfying) as the Causa. Cocktails were well made. Service was a bit cool and detached, particularly for sitting at the bar. Side note, the night before we'd spent a good amount of time at Aldo Sohm next door, not realizing the wine bar is operated by some of the same team. Honestly we didn't care for the wines offered or the shareable plates. Or the service. Or the atmosphere. Maybe it was us?
  18. genericeric
    The two happy hour drinks were from Graffiato. The $17.00 manhattan in plastic is from Wildfire.
  19. genericeric
    Thursday afternoon at 5:30 and the only portions of this that were open were the self service bar, the ice cream counter, and Graffiato. That is a massive amount of square footage to be closed within their posted hours of operation. This was 7/5, so maybe they were expecting it to be slow so they reduced capacity, but it didn't seem to bode well for long term prospects. Normally after I get my hair did at the Grooming Lounge, I head next door to Wildfire for a Manhattan. Consistency lately has been an issue, but more irking, they charge $17.00 for a cocktail that is served in what feels like a plastic martini glass. So the wife and I head to the 'self serve' section of Graffiato - order at the bar, someone brings you the food. Don't expect to get napkins, silverware, or a clean table. Two drinks were ok and the happy hour prices were decent. Two apps - french fries and meatballs - were oddly flavorless. Even my wife, who typically enjoys a bland meal, wondered how you could have a marinara with so little flavor. I can't imagine Isabella's press is helping, but he's not doing himself any favors with the bland food and shuttered concepts.
  20. genericeric
    This place seemed doomed from the start (Aggio, not Family Meal). The last meal I had at Family Meal was depressing, and the canvas sign/banner hung on the exterior saying Aggio while the building itself still said Family Meal didn't leave me confident. I'm amazed it stayed open this long as I never saw anyone in there. While I think the location became a problem as the developer shifted parking from lots to garages and further away from the restaurant, there is a sad blueprint for successful restaurants at OL - Uncle Julio's, Matchbox, Eddie Merlot's - all larger chains. I'm amazed at how busy Uncle Julio's is considering the prices they charge for sub-par food and bad margaritas.
  21. genericeric
    If you're like me, and find that fitting your 6'3" frame into a standard airline seat is challenging, it sounds like AA is no longer going to be an option, reducing their seat pitch and removing all IFE. At some point, you may as well be on Spirit. Dec 2, 2017 - "American Airlines Just Reduced the Amount of Legroom on Its Newest Planes (Yes, in First Class Too)" by Chris Matyszczyk on inc.com Nov 30, 2017 - "No, American Airlines' 30-Inch Pitch and Bring-Your-Own Entertainment Isn't All Passengers Need" by Gary Leff on viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com
  22. genericeric
    The swath America West's legacy has cut through the airline industry is quite remarkable. US Airways was never leading the pack in terms of customer service and satisfaction, but it wasn't a bad airline to fly on pre-merger. Then came the years of charging customers for a glass of soda on board their aircraft, and the much more serious charges of under-fueling aircraft to save weight and pushing pilots to fly in weather some considered unsafe. 15 years ago, American Airlines came through 9/11 in better shape than many - acquiring TWA in the process and was generally held in decent regard - particularly as Delta and Northwest experienced the pains of their merger. But, economics caught up, and the corporate culture that started at American West and eventually gutted US Air moved in - not surprising given that CEO Doug Parker has been at the helm of the shifting company since the America West days, and now leads AA's parent holding company. My wife was bumped from an American flight last week. I'll spare the details, but it was a situation caused by human mismanagement, and she is clearly entitled to compensation according to current DOT rules. Having said that, it was a minimal inconvenience and she wasn't inclined to make a big deal out of it. But there was no apology. No attempt by the airline to make amends. Only a manager rudely telling the gate agent to give no vouchers or compensation, and then walking away without ever acknowledging the 20 or so jilted passengers stuck at the airport. American's response is to say that she (and I guess the 20 other passengers?) were denied boarding because they were late to the gate. She was not, nor were the others - the company simply fabricated an excuse that is difficult to disprove to get out of paying the DOT mandated money. So now an appeal is filed with the DOT. Even if the appeal is denied, it would have been a lot cheaper for a low level manager to say "I'm Sorry" at the gate.
  23. genericeric
    Midtown is tough, but two restaurants in NoMad that were good last month - NoMad restaurant in the NoMad hotel, and La Pecora Bianca at 26th and Broadway. There's another thread on NoMad - La Pecora Bianca was a solid, straightforward italian restaurant. Excellent pastas, relatively accessible. Not anything revelatory, but a really solid meal. Both are semi casual and both, I believe, take reservations, though we were able to walk into LPB and grab a bar seat without issue.
  24. genericeric
    The service at Mekong has never been its selling point. But man, had an experience on Saturday night that may bump this favorite of mine off the list. Posted hours until midnight. 9pm, the place is still busy but handwritten sign on door on a piece of torn notebook paper that said "Closed". Seeing as the place is still busy, I thought maybe, just maybe, its an old sign, etc. Hostess screamed at me and asked if I didn't read the sign. The wife, knowing how badly I wanted some Mekong (this may have been toward the end of a long day of Richmond breweries), and being more persistent yet also more polite than I am, called to see if maybe the dining room was closed for a private event, but we could still get takeout. She was also screamed at before the hostess hung up the phone. It was the most bizarre, infuriating "service" experience I can remember. I get that places close sometimes, that's ok, but whoa attitude. Looking at some recent online postings, I'm not alone. These days Richmond has a lot of really good beer options, and a lot of really solid food options. No need for this.
  25. genericeric
    You're really lucky to have gotten it - its typically saved for "special" guests as it's so highly prized
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