4bigreddogs

I had to share our memorable night that ended with no power on the night of the derecho. It was our first visit, and I was seated with a nice view of the kitchen. It was warm in the restaurant, and the ice in my Pimms melted fast, so it tasted like very weak lemonade. The waiter was infectiously enthusiastic about the food. He loved what he was serving and as others have said, there was no pretension. The staff overall had a friendly, teamy vibe. Shrimp roll and pig taco were fantastic. Octopus and pork cheeks were good, but I needed a few bites to adjust to the soft texture of the octopus. Rabbit cake and rockfish delicious. Red wine needed a chiller (especially given the heat). My favorite ice cream is peanut butter so I had to have the donut for dessert. It was perfect...not too sweet. Then the derecho hit. The power went out and the restaurant went pitch black. Everyone sat calmly until the generators kicked in. The temperature dropped and the atmosphere became festive, as it was the end of the night and most folks were wrapping up their meal. Icee pops were distributed by the bucket-full to tables, so we left with pops in hand to face the destruction outside. We'll be back!

Finally had dinner there Thursday night. We were hoping to add a new place to our go-to family dining list, but Mad Fox didn't make the cut. Go for the beers and maybe some bar food (frickles), but dinner was disappointing. Everything was over-sauced. The Cesar salad was swimming (not sure about roasted red pepper in a Cesar either), the BLT was dripping in pesto (bread thickness could be dialed back by half and bacon portion doubled) as were the potatoes served with the chicken. Little dog raved about the chicken fingers from a prior visit with friends, but declared them greasy this time around. He'll be back for the fun of the automatic bathrooms. We'll try again, visit the bar and focus on the beer.

Just wanted to post again since my mid-Summer post described a just ok/disappointing experience. We've been back several times since and can likely be called regulars now. Service has been good every time and pizzas/dough have been consistently good to great. I discovered the Quatro Stagioni on the last visit. The flavor combination was delicious. Soups are also tasty, which is the preference of a little dog #2 who does not like pizza (I know.....his sister doesn't like chocolate. I can't explain.......).

Fabulous meal last night. We went for the tasting menu (ahi tuna tartare, ricotta cavatelli, halibut, lamb tenderloin, spiced carrot cake). Out of four, we had two "wine" drinkers who didn't add the beer pairings. After hearing Greg's description and historical background of the first pairing and picking up on his enthusiasm for the craft, they immediately ordered the pairing to share. Every dish was a success and the pairings were all excellent matches. Tuna and cavatelli were stellar. Our only slight adjustment would be on the halibut dish, which could have used a tad more salt. When we thought about the impending arrival of the carrot cake dessert, we joked about having no room left for the classic Cheesecake Factory-sized piece, but were greeted with a perfect portion of cake served with a flavor explosion of pineapple sorbet and coconut flan. The server was excellent and the staff very attentive. It was fun to sit near the open garage door on a Summer evening. We plan a return visit to try the Brunch soon.

Tonight was our first visit. Arrived at 8ish and there was a light crowd (6 - 7 tables). After being seated near the bar/video games, we waited for quite awhile for any acknowlegement from staff and finally waved to the group of idle waiters (grouped near the bar) for assistance. It wasn't clear whether we had been assigned to someone earlier, but our server was extremely pleasant and attentive through the rest of the meal. Ordered the fried mussels (lemon aioli was good, but the mussels were fried on a stick (surprise), the batter had a gummy texture, and the mussels were unevenly cooked). Potato Crocche had a nice creamy cheese texture. I love anchovies, so had the Romana. Tasty, but it was a "no cheese" option. I missed the cheese. Big Dog had the Margherita Doc with pepperoni. Very delicious (buffalo mozzarella with the pepperoni was a great combination). The dough is indeed chewy and flavorful. Love having the addition to the neighborhood, but I'm not ready to declare this my favorite DC pizza.

Ack! Just checked for the time and see this was yesterday (missed the Monday, not Tuesday earlier in the thread......). I HATE no shows. Please know it wasn't intentional. I'm sure a good time (and meal) was had by all.

Thanks all! In the end, we didn't make it out last night (!) but have Et Voila on the list for next week (need to get back to BlackSalt soon...had a just ok meal there a few months back).

If not too late, can you add two more?

Crossing the Chain Bridge tonight. Friends suggested Old Anglers for the patio. How's the Irish Inn? Would consider anything along MacArthur and don't want to venture much beyond Glover Park. Outside options are of interest but not required.

A very belated post! I'll echo the comments at the DCDining forum.....that Thai X-ing was a very surreal experience. My friend was skeptical when given the address, so he went early on a Friday. I'm skipping over stories of colorful characters both in and outside the restaurant. My friend came back later, and tried to order....was told it would be two hours. So at Taw's suggestion, he placed an order to be ready by 5pm the next day. When he went to pick-up the food, Taw seemed very pleased at the follow through and said he would make the crispy fish special - the way his grandmother made it. While we usually go for a spicy version, Taw's sweet/sour version had a very unique and delicious flavor. The food was very good and far from Americanized Thai. It was a fun experience (with good food). Given the time commitment, tough to say when we'd be able to pull if off again in the future.

Our usual Thai haunts are Rabieng, Dungrats and Busara in Tysons. Our DC friends refuse to cross a bridge this weekend. Where to go?

Stopped by last night at 8pm with no reservation and the place was packed. We got a table after a 30 min wait (and a bottle of bubbly) at the bar. We've been several times and have always had a very good to great meal. Last night may have been the best. Littlest dog (age seven) had the lamb chop appetizer and declared them to be the best ever. Big dog had fond memories of the pork shoulder and found it again to be excellent. I had the perfectly cooked rockfish special. The food came out of the kitchen HOT. Other dishes to try would be the crabcakes or any of their beef dishes. There's always an interesting salad on the menu that can be hit or miss. Mine last night included poached egg with lardon. I've had amazing variations elsewhere and this one was quite bland. We split the apple cobbler with a double scoop of ice cream - always a nice ending.

We went to Etete, which was perfect. I bought the $10 advanced parking ticket, so we parked at 9:30 Club and walked over to Etete. We sat upstairs in the back corner and it was so dark that we couldn't read the menu. We asked the waitress to order for us (we were open to everything and don't mind serious spice). I can't tell you the exact names of what we had, but it was a nice, varied selection of meat, fish, veggies. Everything was delicious and it was just the right amount. Like past visits, we found the service to be slow but very friendly. We were told the injera had some wheat flour, but my friend took a chance and said he felt fine after.

I'm looking for suggestions near 9:30 Club for tomorrow night before the show. I thought of Etete, but it's not the best choice for our gluten-free friend. It wouldn't have to be within walking distance, but at least on that side of town.