jrichstar

27 minutes ago, KeithA said:

Great review. Thanks for sharing. I have to ask what is neptune's pillows?

The "pillow" is a small homemade sesame biscuit.  It is filled with spicy tuna.  The pillow is topped with a piece of tuna sashimi and fresh wasabi.  Very tasty for sushi lovers.  What Neptune has to do with this, I have no idea.

I had many a pizza at "GJ's" when growing up when they were at the Twinbrook Shopping Center.  It has been many years since I've been to the new location.  Thanks for the reminder to head up and have me some of this awesome pizza to revive some memories!

22 hours ago, bookluvingbabe said:

Not Jiko.  On the monorail.  

Assume your hint means California Grill at the Contemporary at WDW?  Even if not, you evoked memories of fine meals we've had there!

Went there a couple of days ago with another couple.  Most of the items were winners.   The French onion soup and shakshuka were excellent appetizers.  Had the lamb dish which I thought was the dish of the night.  Nice portion of lamp atop rice, crispy chickpeas and pickled veggies.  Agree with above that it seemed overpriced.  The lamb dish is $30.  Though the food is good, given the competition at Pike and Rose is somewhat cheaper, Julii may have trouble at the price point.

10 hours ago, Marty L. said:

From the looks of those horrifying photos (esp. the "epic shrimp burrito"), I think you'd be much better off, in the Dupont area, stopping by the Surfside shack and/or MIKKO.

For the record, our family has been loyal fans of Surfside (in Glover Park) for many years.  Until the last couple of times within the past year or so when there was a noticeable drop in quality of all the tacos we ordered.  We've talked about going back but can't quite bring ourselves to go.  

Slapfish looks intriguing and we're looking forward to trying in the near future.

Any recent intelligence on how early you need to get in line for a Saturday night first seating?  Website says line starts as early as 3:15.  Someone on the site went last summer and said they were in line at 4 and were the last ones seated.  Restaurant opens at 5.  Thanks for any help!

To close the loop, the inevitable didn't take long: 

"R Family Kitchen & Bar Is Closing in Downtown Bethesda" by Joe Zimmermann on bethesdamagazine.com

In the third episode, it is mentioned that Meehan and Chang founded and ran Lucky Peach.  So let's see---ending a magazine with no advertising and moving to a sparkling deal with the most successful streaming media company in Netflix.  I see why they closed down Lucky Peach.  Follow the $$$$$.

If you liked Lucky Peach and have Netflix, Ugly Delicious is a must watch.  The show has the same wit, fun and humor as the magazine.  Even some cartoons and profanity mixed in as well, just like Lucky Peach!  Also watched the first episode and loved it.  Eight total episodes were released yesterday.

I read the Bethesda Magazine article and re-read this thread.  I've come to the conclusion that the main reason this restaurant will likely fail is due due to a poor concept and what appears to be below-average food.  Not due to a bad review from Tom Sietsema.   For what it's worth, the majority of the comments below the Bethesda Magazine article agree with my opinion. 

I'm of the belief that if a restaurant puts out good, creative food at a fair price point, it is more likely to succeed.  That is the primary driver.  Can an early review affect the outcome of success?  Absolutely.  These guys should concentrate on the food and prices and stop complaining about something they can't control (or maybe could have if they made good food?).

The thing that I have not seen mentioned in the thread is though these brothers are by definition a family business, they have four restaurants in Bethesda.   They are seasoned veterans and not some poor first time start-up. Bold Bite has been successful enough that they have opened two more in DC.  202 Donuts is always busy and is ranked highly.  They also just opened TacoArepa in Bethesda.  They look like they are making money hand and foot.  These guys were not born yesterday and know how the game is played.  Family business?  I'd call it family chainlet.

Looking at the menu of R Family, the cornerstone is "sizzle plates" of either salmon, chicken or steak with one side for $17-$20.  Given that many us can probably make something similar for 1/3 the cost, this is not going to fly with the public, who want to go out for something unique and not something they can make at home.  And when the long-time food critic says the food isn't even that good, well, shame on them.

I understand that Tom is not perfect and his reviews have a lot of sway.  But I don't think his reviews are the main driver on whether a restaurant succeeds or not in the vast majority of cases.   He has reviewed many restaurants over the years in the first month or two of operation that have received stellar reviews.  When you are open and charging full prices, you are ready to be reviewed.  That these experienced and successful restaurateurs are whining because of a poor early review is a deflection of blame and disingenuous.    

Last there in September.  Would love it if the black beans have improved.  Forgot to mention the Cubano.....kids usually get it and I steal a few bites.  It's good though I find the bread lacking.

I really do like this place and you can't get better Cuban in these parts.   Just have the reference point of Cuban food in South Florida in my head........

Hard to believe my last post for Cuba de Ayer was 12 years ago!  Still go 3 or 4 times a year.  I've noticed a bit of degradation over the last few years.   Mojitos used to be awesome---now fairly weak and not as flavorful.   Black beans not as smoky or porky.  My standard, lechon asado, has seen less succulent pork and onions and less of a bright garlic/lemon flavor. Empanadas, fried plantains and cafe con leche steady and good.

Still, it is the best Cuban I've found in the area and like it enough to keep going.  Looking forward to the best Cuban food on the next trip to Miami! 

An excellent article in the July/August 2017 issue of Bethesda Magazine on Peter Chang, by David Hagedorn, focusing on the debut of Q but also with many details on his life starting in China to the present.  I've not seen some of these details in the many past articles written about him.  Don't see the article online yet so at this point you'll need to purchase the magazine.

22 hours ago, Pool Boy said:

I find Ballston woefully lacking in adequate dining options. While it is true, I've only been working there for 4 months, I am....not impressed. Convince me to think otherwise.

Other than the Isabella triumvirate, Mussel Bar and SER are high quality.  Rustico and Cafe Tirolo are good lunch places (also great beer selection at Rustico). Rus Uz has received good reviews for Russian/Uzbek but have not eaten there yet.

I think it's a great magazine but always wondered how the finances worked with no advertising in the pages.  Guess someone's funding stream ran out.

52 minutes ago, DaRiv18 said:

For those reading this later in future, please note that today is the day that the Shaw Bijou closed after less than three months of operations. A common criticism is that the new chef is less than 30 years old and he had not much of a track record. 

I am interested in Komi's story. I wasn't really in the DC dining scene when Komi emerged, but I have always understood the opening crew was all under 30 and this place was just instantly adored. Looks like once did lunch here, did it start off modestly and they just gradually veered towards the high end?

Would encourage you to read the first year of posts in this thread when Komi opened in 2005.  In the early stages, Komi offered both a tasting menu and and a la carte.  Tasting menu was priced at $89. At a 2% inflation over 11 years, maybe that's $115 or $120.....not an insane $185.  But maybe the the biggest reason was that the food was actually really good and not "tepid" as respected reviewers described Shaw Bijou.  See Rocks' review from October 2005 when he called Komi one of the very best and most important restaurants in the DC area.

Don: thanks for pointing out the per portion size at Kinship.  Would also mention the same at Momofuku.  Though it's $67/chicken. who eats a whole chicken?  At costliest, 4 people eating a half a chicken each (a lot of food) is $34/per.  And you get pancakes and good sauces on the side.  The website mentions the meal is for 4-8 people so it may even be less per person.   These prices seem like reasonable DC prices given the quality and source.

Another vote for State Bird Provisions.

On 5/14/2016 at 9:06 AM, Lydia R said:

I have a new favorite!

While the dumplings at Pinch (at sec 302) are fresh and well-seasoned, plan to eat them at the nearby picnic tables because they do lose something when they travel (at least in the cold weather we have now). Pinch is much better run than the Isabella stands across the concourse. At a recent promotion for STH, the Isabella staff flunked line management; so I bailed. 

I've now had Haute Dog's tots with chili and their lamb sliders. The tots are hot & crispy and their chili beats Ben's* by a mile. My new favorite park food is the lamb sliders ($13 for two bigger than slider sandwiches) with juicy, griddled-to-order lamb patties, mint, diced onion, tomato, and savory seasonings. Because each is made-to-order, the sliders take six minutes to prepare and the freshness screams. 

Thank you, Morgan, for your kindness. I was your last customer yesterday.

At the previously known as Red Porch, the best of their all ABI line-up is (the recently ABI-acquired) Devil's Backbone Vienna Lager. Ole!

* Edit to add: before tonight's game, Dusty Baker escorted Viginia Ali to Home Plate so she could deliver the line-up card to the umpires. Guess he's a fan. Also, consider skipping the cheez sauce on the tots...

I was so excited to try the lamb sliders after your awesome recommendation.  Went to the game yesterday and unfortunately, they are no longer offered at Haute Dog.  Hopefully they'll be back.

As someone with Miami roots, have been meaning to go to Joe's for quite awhile and finally made it last night.

Bottom line:  it was a wonderful experience, with good food, gracious service and a relaxed atmosphere.  Though a bit on the pricey side.

We had to try the stone crabs, of course.  These were pretty small for the money ($7 a piece for "medium" (the smallest) claws).  They were good but just not enough meat, given the scrawny size, for what we paid.  My reference point, as with DanielK, is ordering them at seafood stores in Miami, where you get larger claws for less money.  Still recommend ordering these if you don't have Florida roots, as the taste of this unique crab, pretty darn close to the taste of lobster in my book, is a special treat up in these parts.

The break basket was excellent, with jalapeno cornbread, Parker House-type rolls, a kind of onion roll similar to bialys and some tasty homemade crackers.

Our mains were the branzino and sea scallops with bacon jam, which was a combination of bacon and some kind of aioli. Went perfect with the scallops.  The sides were the fried asparagus and crispy brussels sprouts which were very good.  There were like 10 kinds of potatoes but we decided to be good to save some calories.

Definitely recommend the key lime pie for dessert as the traditional end of the meal.  Excellent rendition here:  perfect balance of sweet and tart with a nice crackery crust.

Joe's is pretty much a must try for those who have been to the Miami branch and want to re-live some of those memories.  For others, it would seem to be in the higher tier of DC steak/seafood houses with some interesting twists that help it stand out.

On Saturday night our pizzas were as good as ever.  The Norcia (salami, roasted peppers), our go-to, was great.  The surprise was the Vongole (cockles, garlic, grana).....this I think was only the second time we got it.  When we poured the liquor from the clam on to the pizza, the combination with the garlic and cheese was salty, delicious magic.  The crust on both pizzas seemed especially tasty and well-charred on Saturday.  And as was talked about earlier in the thread, you must try the porchetta with white beans and chard.  Great combination but the pork is definitely the star---the garlicky flavor and that crispy skin is soooo good.

Thinking about Al Dente's comment as to why Jaleo doesn't get much love.  Seems to me it's the classic place that's just taken for granted as it trudges along providing excellent food and decent value without a lot of press or flashiness.  This thread was started 10 years ago!  How many restaurants provide this kind of quality for this long?  Impressive.

I've been there approaching 10 times and have never had a meal I did not enjoy.  And it seems most of the reviews on this thread also give positive reviews.

Like Jose Andres or not, he and his empire are doing all the right things with Jaleo.  I'm sure he's happy with his "boring" success.  And I like that it's always there for a nice meal when I don't want to seek out the restaurant du jour.

I love, love, love pilsners and kolsches in the heat of a DC summer.  And when it comes to pilsners, really like this beer, which has only become available this year in the DC area.  What puts it a cut above for me is a bit of a hoppy character driven by the use of German Saphir hops.  So refreshing and you can drink it with pretty much any food.  Pivo has a Beer Advocate score of 90 and is 3rd ranked for pilsners with 100 or more reviews (behind only Rothaus Pils from Germany and Victory Pils from PA).

The description from Firestone's website:

Everything we love about classic German Pilsner with a hoppy Bohemian twist.  Pils is a bright straw colored lager beer with playful carbonation topped with beautiful white foam lace.  Delicate lightly toasted malt flavors underscore noble German hop character. Hallertau-grown Magnum hops deliver the lupulin foundation while generous amounts of Spalter Select hops bring floral aromatic and spicy herbal notes. As a twist on the traditional Pils, we dry hop with German Saphir for a touch of bergamot zest and lemongrass. A refreshing, light-bodied and hop-driven Pils.

Never heard of "lupulin" before.  Looked it up.....it's the active ingredient in hops that helps to provide the aroma and flavor of beer.

I'd be remiss to not say that I'm a big fan of Firestone Walker.  Reviews of Double Jack and Stickee Monkee are on the VBT. Also think that Wookey Jack and Union Jack are excellent brews.  All of these beers have ratings of greater than 90 on BA.

Cheers!

Hung out here during the downpour yesterday.  It's a fun space and I'm a sucker for fusion food.  Thought everything was good to excellent.

Ceviche Clasico- fish was very fresh, mixed with sweet potatoes and little corn-nut like thingies.  Just a little bit of spice.  Very good.

Lucky Siu Mai- three types of dumplings (4 of each), including pork/shrimp (dorado), scallop (concha) and chicken (pollo).  All good though the Dorado was a standout with the peanut crunch and topped with a fried quail egg.

Sí¡nguche de Chancho Nipí³n- pork belly tucked into a lightly fried bun.  Combination with sauce and a bit of daikon makes this really stellar. Seems a bit overpriced at one bun for $8.

California Roll- potato is the base instead of rice.  Topped with crab salad and tobiko with really tasty, spicy sauce on the side.  Thought this was a little boring but really loved that sauce.

Concolí³n- first of two noodle/rice dishes, both must gets. This dish was prepared table side in a hot bowl.  Combination of pork belly, chicken, chinese sausage, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms (really juicy and delicious) and crispy fried rice.  A lot going on with all these tastes.  Can't decide it it's more like a Chinese version of bibimbap or a riff on Chinese sticky rice.  In any event, if you like this kind of thing, you'll find it delicious.

Aeropuerto- the menu says there are 20 vegetables.   Everything is chopped up fine along with some rice and thin noodles.  It's a really delicious mash-up when combined with a tasty soy-based sauce.

Kudos to Jose Andres for a unique concept. Only negative is the price.  It seems that the price for a proper meal here is $50-$60 per person and that's without drinks and dessert.