Jump to content

DaRiv18

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    976

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    21

 Content Type 

Everything posted by DaRiv18

  1. DaRiv18
    True. And I actually would never bring my toddler to Bistro du Coin, way too loud. But Central, Bras. Beck, Firefly? Clyde's or OEG? Yes. Marcel's, Corduroy, Komi? No, even though Corduroy has accommodated my kid with a nice kid's meal during a private party. Nor the Atlas Room. But I've seen alot of younger kids at Fiola's of all places, and they were seated front and center. That's a pretty animated place too. Mark Kuller's places are lively too, but the puritarian in me would be too bashful to bring my kid into any of his racy restrooms. But if Mintwood has a kid's menu, I don't really understand why you'd have to second guess whether it's age appropriate. DC in DC, do you need a changing table in the restrooms or something? Toki Underground is terrible (outside the two hour wait) for kids because all they have are tall bar stools. But on each of my 3 visits to Daikaya, there were several toddlers scattered at different tables enjoying their meals.
  2. DaRiv18
    Tom Sietsema's most recent review of Mintwood Place states that the noise level is 88 (Extremely Loud). I am of the opinion that the louder the venue, the more comfortable everyone is with having toddlers eat there, especially in a bistro setting.
  3. DaRiv18
    To a sweet outright Big 10 championship, our first in 20 years. NOW we are back!
  4. DaRiv18
    NP will definitely be delicious in the cocktail. DrXmus is a cool dude, you should listen to him! And if you don't have Campari, use Aperol. Since Punt e Mes costs twice as much as NP, and since in my experience my guests have never really noticed a huge difference in cocktail ingredients (especially when I'm trying to be fancy and cutting-edge), and since the Luxardo is such an overpoweringly funky liqueur anyways, I would really doubt it is worth going back to exchange bottles, for a casual audience. If anything, I would buy a bottle of Campari and keep the NP.
  5. DaRiv18
    Peregrine has now expanded their hours to open at 8:00am on Wed-Sun, so I often stop in for a coffee mid-morning. The last two months I've also had several lunches at Union Market. The place isn't nearly as busy as on the weekends, but it can still pop for one-off events like Boogie Babies. Seems to be mostly a neighborhoody and Gallaudet crowd there, perhaps some office traffic. I actually prefer the non-weekends or Sunday nights at Union Market, the secret is definitely out and it has become more of a weekend brunch option it seems for many. Red Apron has definitely added another quality venue that serves adult beverages. One member who I bumped into here on a Sunday afternoon said he felt it was a "total meat market", which I thought was not totally accurate but still true in isolated examples.
  6. DaRiv18
    I was not aware that anyone had bought the company seven years ago. I haven't had Swing's Coffee for about seven years, but back then I was not really impressed with the cup. I too look forward to checking out the roaster and revisiting the G Street location, I wouldn't want to base my opinion on what prior management did.
  7. DaRiv18
    I would suggest the Burger Joint or maybe one of the food trucks that might be at Dupont Circle that day. Even then you'd have to be a fast eater. Funny to see Chop't on your list, not quite like the others.
  8. DaRiv18
    I hit up one of their pop-ups at the Biergarten Haus on H Street NE the other week, ordered an espresso and a pourover. Wasn't a fan of my espresso, but (sadly) it was of similar quality of many other ICHs around town. Pale crema, sour. My pourover was some Hawaiian varietal. It was a decent cup, certainly wasn't overroasted, but I'm beginning to think I have a narrow taste in coffee and prefer something that is a bit sweet. It was a bit bright for me. I did prefer it to Sidamo's roasts down the street, and I definitely think it measures up to most of the other independent brands that I've tried. Wish I had a better coffee acumen than to speak in such broad statements, but that's where I am. A friend of mine who is an enthusiast likes their service at Room 11.
  9. DaRiv18
    Huh, tried another one and I don't think it is super bitter. I drink espresso often and I've had shots around town that are much more bitter/sour than this. I do agree it is bitter, but the finish isn't really there so I feel nothing really lingers except for a light bitter aftertaste. Kinda refreshing actually. But it's too boozy for sure. I'm not really a beer drinker so I'd like to explore some more classic styles of this genre to build a foundation.
  10. DaRiv18
    Nice review gwaldron, I need to try this veal chop sometime. The beef tartare sounds awesome too. One of the best cocktails I've had was at Fiola, and it tasted exactly like a coca-cola. Jeff mixed 3 amaros together and a splash of soda. I hadn't really thought of an amaro as being anything else than a bitter digestif, so it totally opened my eyes. I haven't had either of those two cocktails that you tried, but maybe the Fiola was meant to be a simple citrus highball? At the risk of sounding like your waiter, that drink has vodka, lime juice, rosemary syrup, and club soda. Kinda sounds like a rosemary-ish sprite to me. (No comment on the $16). Can't find the recipe for the Rye in your Eye, but I imagine it had an amaro in it as well. I like Jeff Faile's cocktail list, It definitely represents Italian bitters well (can't think of anywhere else in the city that even tries), but its offerings can provide a challenging (but rewarding) taste profile IMO.
  11. DaRiv18
    Yet another article on the imaginary laws. Agree with all of this, if you advertise a certain oz, you should deliver. As for ridiculously shaped glassware, the worst is the martini glass with the staggered stem. Or the martini glass that is nested inside some glass ice vessel. Are there worse-shaped glasses out there?
  12. DaRiv18
    Ok, but I guess I don't know how a proprietor is supposed to respond to all of those factors you mention? Change from an ethiopian menu to Italian? Move to the other side of the city? I guess it makes sense for a restauranteur who hasn't opened and is just fishing for concepts. I'm a little taken aback by this, you must be one of the top posters on the board in both volume and quality. The posts speak for themselves. Sure, I was exaggerating in a somewhat playful way, but I guess I don't know how to reply to this either.
  13. DaRiv18
    Ok, but I think we can all agree that in this case, the proprietor, who is booked thru the next several months and will probably continue to be booked, will not find griping about his prices useful feedback. And what reasons are there to not visit a place that you haven't experienced before? Prices, ethnic signature of the cuisine, trite menus, and/or Roberto Donna? I guess I can't see any "substantive and constructive" way to criticize a place at which I've never eaten. Of course, darkstar965, ye of 5 stomachs and unlimited resources and curiosity, I can't imagine that you would avoid any given restaurant for any given reason! Kudos for standing up for others.
  14. DaRiv18
    Just to document past prices, I ran across your Oct 2007 post at the Hudson where they served $14 cocktails. To me, $15-$20 cocktails are only offensive when you link it to a clear lack of value. This qualifies. Lamenting the price alone, without digging much deeper into the glass, is kinda lame IMO. Although pricey furniture in this case is a turnoff, for me.
  15. DaRiv18
    My memory is failing me. I thought omakase here included unlimited sushi at the end until you threw in the towel. Am I thinking of somewhere else? I scanned comments upthread but can't find anything.
  16. DaRiv18
    Now this would be hilarious if it wasn't so pathetic, apparently they were trying to enforce imaginary laws!
  17. DaRiv18
    You should also be surprised that the DC agency spokesman did not know how long the rules had been in place. Hmm, they seemed prepared for everything else. I would like to read the specific rule under which all this stems from. From what I gather from the article, each jigger that a bar uses must be registered in advance, and the bar pays the whatever fee (the lowest one on their website is $25) for each jigger. And it sounds that a glass or pitcher might also qualify as a "measuring device"? Would like to read the rules definitions. Hard to believe that you'd have to register your entire glassware in order to comply.
  18. DaRiv18
    I have not really seen advertised amounts of pours in cocktails. And I haven't had cocktails that were short pours. I guess Todd Thrasher's cocktails can be less alcoholic than most else, but he's in Virginia and his cocktails are great. At Boundary Road (mentioned in the article), they do advertise how many ounces each beer will contain. I drink there often and have never had a portion issue. Actually, I did sit there last weekend late night when two younger ladies came in at the bar. They were unfamiliar with most everything on the bar menu, and the bartender ended up recommending a sweet dessert wine. They ordered that with a lemonade chaser. When the first dessert wine was served in a port glass, the other insisted on getting hers in a wine glass. I think she was disappointed when hers wasn't filled up to the full 15 oz top, and they started whispering to each other. This has to be up there as one of the most ridiculous enforcement actions I can recall. Not to mention they are targeting small businesses.
  19. DaRiv18
    Picked up the last 4 pack at Schneiders for $17. I thought the head was thick and had a nice nose, and was a pleasant brew. Wouldn't call it super quaffable, and it definitely packs a punch. Would say it was slightly more coffee-ish than chocolately, but a decent balance. But I did find it lacking in a finish, and could have had a deeper body, because at 10% ABV it is a show stopper and you might as well go all in.
  20. DaRiv18
    Say hi next time. Were you wearing a pullover with an evil logo?
  21. DaRiv18
    I think a diner might be seeking something even beyond food. A social setting, an experience. Now, you're talking to a guy who usually eats at a public bar rather than at a private table, but the plate can only offer so much. There's the rest of the dining experience to be had as well. Alot depends on what attitude the diner brings to the table: a spectrum starting at "I'm here, entertain me" and ending at "I'm here, and I've brought my share of fun." Dining isn't meant to be like watching a movie.
  22. DaRiv18
    I respect your opinion, we all have them, and this comparative ranking is also reflected in the Dining Guide. It does make for a curious case study though, as I associate Liberty Tree and its chef with Sysco products (multiple posts where a reader could infer this, and their price points all but confirm it), and I associate Boundary Road with Eco-Friendly and local farmers' produce. Not to say that one source is better than another, I'll leave that to someone like deangold to speak more intelligently about that than I ever could, but I just can't recall another donrockwell.com Dining Guide ranking where a venue with what I suspect is a Goliath source is ranked much higher (and is in italics) than a venue with a David source. Again, I consider Liberty Tree to be a serious kitchen with a legit style, just wanted to point out what I think is a curiosity in the donrockwell.com Dining Guide rankings.
  23. DaRiv18
    Collije, it's not clear to me whether you had a drink there or just peeped your head in there to make reservations for later. Did you drink anything, if so I wonder if you liked it.
  24. DaRiv18
    Thanks Eric for starting. I am down, I'm not a big beer guy but it's time to branch out. Regarding the threads, I would prefer to have a different thread for each tasting. After the tasting, I wouldn't necessarily close the thread, but others could chime in their thoughts at a later date, and we could track how a particular brew has evolved over time. Alternatively, I wonder if we could pin an index to the top of this thread that hyperlinks to the first post that deals with a new tasting, and just keep all tastings in this thread. It would probably be a much more focused thread with less outside input, but perhaps that is appropriate to a craft brew that probably varies from batch to batch.
  25. DaRiv18
    Think I want to change my answer to this. Picked up a copy and it is very comprehensive, looks like it will be fun to try out the PDT recipes. Gorgeous book. Drawbacks are that it isn't spiral bound, and some of PDT's riffs on classics are a bit novel (3:1 for a martini, no bitters), but definitely those are quibbles. The author, Jim Meehan, has also been the deputy editor of the Food & Wine cocktail books for the past 6 or 7 years, but again I see little overlap. Given Choirgirl21's interests I would still recommend the Food & Wine series, but PDT would be a great first book for most to read.
×
×
  • Create New...