Night Owl

Do you know if the chef's left or something? We went out there a few months ago for lunch on a Sunday and ordered our "regulars" - just about everything we ordered wasn't up to the usual standard... Maybe he wasn't there that day? We were bummed and haven't been back since.

p.s. I agree w/you on the dan dan noodles - never had it before with dried, shredded pork either and had the same reaction.

Will be going to soft opening lunch on Friday -- very excited. Ris rocks.

You are correct - there isn't an existing thread. It's on my list and darnit that I didn't go before the review came out, as it's hard to travel up to Darnestown area of MD for me. I think it would be worth trying the Hainan Chicken rice, as, if done well, is really, really tasty. I would be more venturing toward the Taiwanese dishes, since that would be my purpose for going there. Please do report back, though when you do go, or let me know, as it's more fun going in a group (Bueller, Bueller?).

This has been a family favorite for quite a while -- another "strip mall" gem that my parents turned me on to. My father has followed the chef from restaurant to restaurant in the area for about 20 years.

Favorites:

• Szechuan wontons
  
• Soy/Vegetarian chicken (I always get an extra order to bring home)
  
• Steamed vegetable dumplings
  
• Steamed pork buns (though not soup dumplings)
  
• Beef tendon with hot sauce
  
• Shredded pork with fresh chili peppers
  
• Salted fish and chicken fried rice (a Cantonese dish, but done very well at this Taiwanese place)
  
• Hainan chicken (their specialty - simple, but good sauce)
  

I'm Chinese, my husband is a French chef and his daughter is a finicky eater, especially when it comes to Asian food. They both love the place as much as I do -- and stepdaughter's favorite dishes are the veg/soy chicken and salted fish fried rice, not a "babysitter" Americanized dish. In fact, don't bother ordering anything remotely Americanized -- it's inedible... a good sign!

We had an extended family dinner there the day after the Wash Post review and they were unbelievably overwhelmed. But time has passed and it's gone back to a regular crowd. Small place, so if you're going to be a table of more than 4, make a reservation.

We live in DC, so it's a hike to get there and we don't go nearly as often as we'd like because of that -- but it's well worth the drive when I'm homesick for good Chinese food. If you haven't gone yet, try it. I'd be interested in what you think...

Teatro at 19th & K -- $13.95 bar lunch for an entree (extensive choices) plus a glass of wine... delicious. They also now have a $20 express lunch, consisting of salad, entree and dessert all on one "bento"-like tray.

<<groan>> I'm with Daniel on this.

As a regular, I'm so disappointed to hear about the move and hope fervently it won't be IN the mall. Even though I agree it's a destination restaurant, the sheer volume and nature of mall traffic has the potential to drive down the demand for the quality experience it now provides.

We went last night for dinner. Ordered the chicken salad BLT, pizza margherita and a burger (medium rare). Like others said, the burger was overcooked. I thought my chicken salad BLT was pretty good. The pizza was really soggy in the center. The table next to us ordered the chicken stew, which looked good and they seemed happy about it.

All that said, I'd go back -- I like the concept and hope the quality of the food gets better as they smooth out the bumps that inevitably happen when a place opens.

Went to a soft opening dinner with 5 other friends. I'm sorry to say it'll be a long time, if ever, before any of us return. The concept is great and I want to support it. But the food was definitely substandard.

Understandably, our waitress was not as up to snuff on everything, but she had a really great attitude and I'm sure her service will improve with time. The food, however, was a different story. First the positives... the mussels, salad and Italian meats appetizers were good. The entrees were not. At all. From bone-dry meatloaf and overcooked halibut with huge clumsy raw vegetables served over it, to a bigger-than-your-head NY strip and inedible house-made pasta, each one of us was more than disappointed with our dishes. Dessert was fine -- but by then, we'd had enough.

Again, I'm sorry to have had this experience. I'd love to have a restaurant in a great location that's all about supporting locally grown food and draws from sustainable materials in its design. I hope things improve. A lot.

Fried grasshoppers as a filling in tortilla with guacamole... and braised cow brains... all compliments of a client hosting us for dinner in Mexico City.

The image of a lone charred little grasshopper leg dangling from her mouth is still burned on my brain. my brain, not the cow brain I had to eat.

We got this sandwich cube contraption from The Container Store with a closed compartment for a sandwich on the one side and two open compartments on the other side. It works well for dry things and cuts down on plastic baggies. I've been wanting to go back and look at their other containers.

Thermos are definitely back in a big way. Those food jars I linked to are sold out locally and in most online places too.

We're using the same Container Store sandwich "bento" for our daughter -- it's great! The perfect size. In the continued quest to cut down on disposable waste, they also sell a great fork-knife-spoon combo you can pack for your kid (http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=74067&PRODID=10021291)... they were sold out of it right before the school year started, but it's back in stock.

As for thermal bentos for the kids to use, I've just ordered the zorosushi mini (this site has the best price I've found: http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=2454338), so our daughter is psyched since she loves warm lunches...

Just got a preview invite, will check it out. Interested to hear what others who go think about it...

Has anyone tried it? I'm a fan of the chef -- interested in this new place. Thoughts?

We're addicted to orzo. Here are a couple of easy favorites:

Mediterranean Orzo Salad

Toss cooked and cooled orzo (I like to cook in chicken broth, too) with:

> black olive tapenade

> grilled and diced zucchini, yellow squash, Asian eggplant, red bell peppers

> halved cherry tomatoes

> finely chopped tarragon (or just flat-leaf parsley)

> lemon juice and zest

> salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

> extra verigin olive oil, as needed

Lemony Orzo with Peas

Toss hot, cooked orzo (again, cooked in chicken broth) with:

> baby peas, thawed

> lemon zest and juice

> freshly grated Parmeggiano Regiano

> butter or extra virgin olive oil, depending on preference

> touch of heavy cream (optional)

> salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Or just order takeout from the Greek Deli on 19th Street -- Kosta's hot orzo is the best.

Are they still doing the bar lunch special?

I was just there last week for lunch. The bar menu's still there... heard they're going to make some changes to it and raise the price a little.