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DaRiv18

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  1. DaRiv18
    We took the family of 4 last night, and had a simple dinner that was a bit too simple. Two cocktails, two entrees, a pasta in red sauce for my daughter, and a side dish came to $150 all-inclusive. Of course, not sure if you could buy a t-shirt in CityCenter for less, so it's hard to say it was expensive given the surroundings. I actually really like the feel of the place, if I was set for life I would love eating there as a neighborhood amenity, but as a destination it fell a bit short for me. We had the NERI, and judging by dslee's photo upthread, we didn't get as much tuna crudo with our dish. I did like the pasta. The ribeye (boneless) was a bit of a miss for me. Priced the same ($38) as Buck's prime dry-age New York strip (maybe it is unfair to compare these two totally different locations), but it was really lean for a ribeye and consequently I didn't taste anything imparted from the wood-fired oven. The carrots were really nice, though. My daughter enjoyed her pasta, but she still likes my marinara the best! Yet another unfair comparison. Side of beet greens was nice. Service was warm and the portions were generous. I left wondering if I could truly make all of this at home, or whether it was just so sublime that I am not well-informed enough about pasta to appreciate it.
  2. DaRiv18
    Thanks for the tips, and of course we did not have enough time to actually follow thru with our plans to eat in Philly before heading to the burbs to meet others.
  3. DaRiv18
    [The first 9 posts in this thread were originally responses to this Little Serow post, but the topic has become expansive and interesting enough where it merits its own thread. Cheers, DR] Lol, a bit of a random question. Which I welcome! I would be shocked if there isn't a nearby liquor store in Dupont Circle, for cryin' out loud. That said, I would be also somewhat shocked if they also sold "single serves" of beers, which many ANCs pushed to restrict, since it often leads to unregulated "outside bars" of people just loitering and drinking them on the street. Of course, now if they are craft fancy beers, they seem to find a way. So, good luck on "a can or bottle." I would love to hear about your motivation.
  4. DaRiv18
    Here's an interesting WaPo article from two months ago. Personally, I have always felt comfortable in neighborhoods where the crime is mostly "quality of life" stuff, like drugs or smash and grab. I can feel relatively safe when I think the murders and violence are targeted personal beefs. I would not live in a neighborhood where random violence was a pattern. Black Branding - how a DC neighborhood was marketed to white millennials "Street crime in moderate doses doesn’t deter white millennials from swarming to take over traditionally black urban neighborhoods. On the contrary, they take pride in moving into an edgy, “authentic” community — and even brag about the violence."
  5. DaRiv18
    I mean, it's hard to imagine a more striking illustration of gentification than when Bozzuto sets up shop with its apartments, gym with boxing ring, dedicated dog washing room, rooftop swimming pool and arcade, and gets a Whole Foods as street-level retail. Not to mention a coffee shop right off its lobby that offers pourovers and $9 Manhattan specials on Monday. There used to be an albino drug dealer on my corner back then. Now there are roving white girls in yoga pants heading to any of three studios for their class.
  6. DaRiv18
    I passed by several days ago, and saw that they were closed due to a "broken air conditioner" and that the dining area was too uncomfortable. They had also discontinued lunch several months ago, I guess the new Whole Foods and other fast casual spots that have popped off had crowded the once-sparse lunch scene on H Street NE. My children grew up on their kid's chicken plate with broccoli and fries. I would also fly solo there at the bar, always saying hi to the ceramic blowjob kitty perched next to the scotch, and either ordering the steak tartar (or pierogies, if the late-night menu was in effect). From the beginning, the restaurant was an optimistic, defiant, and just fun place situated in an evolving H Street NE. "I'm Thinking about Getting a Vespa" was their signature cocktail for as long as I can remember, and the title totally captured the neighborhood vibe at the time. Chef Brad had his concept of European peasant food down, and it was just a comfortable, delicious place. Most importantly, it was a community spot, especially late night, when industry folks on the East side of H Street and Union Market came over to unwind. The beer program was also a strength there. The douche level of bar traffic there was not at an elevated quotient back then, and I was hopeful that their early investment would pay off later as the neighborhood's vertical buildings came online. When the Obamas ate here, I was so proud for them that I actually thought this might be a "We've Arrived" type moment, but that moment never really played into their identity moving forward. When it was profiled in George Pelecano's "The Double", I thought that was a good luck charm that would smile upon it for a long time. Thank you, in no particular order and forgive misspellings, Chef Brad, Chef Luke, Karlos, MK, Jenny, Dan, Erin, Sally, Sam, Shadora, Francesco, Tim, Stephen, May, John, Josh, Anneliese, Brenden, E.J., Lindsey, Sheila, Tim, Assanti, Pat, and several others whose names but not faces escape me a the moment. You all built a really cool spot, and we have fond memories of this place forever. Good luck to you all. P.S. Fuck you, any cheering PETA asshats
  7. DaRiv18
    So they have ruined Beef Chow Fun for me at all the other restaurants. Wow! Four of us ate here, ordered a majority of the entrees and desserts. We went easy on the drinking, maybe 2 rounds each, including $6 San Migs. With tax and tip, $75/head. Exceeded expectations.
  8. DaRiv18
    We are doing a family event in Philly this weekend, and a young family member has celiac. She enjoyed Cava when she was here, and is pretty open. Any decent restaurants or fast casual spots?
  9. DaRiv18
    I have commented several times about how fried chicken is high on my personal trite food list, but for the Fourth of July I had a hankering for nothing else. Stopped by here for lunch and the $10 fried chicken plate, dark meat. This featured Asian spices mixed into the batter, it was nice and spicy, and skin crisp enough to rival Korean-fried style. No sauce, as one of my previous reviews noted. Daikaya/Bantam King like to mix up their styles on staple dishes enough to keep it interesting. I won't order fried chicken enough to keep these updates relevant at any given time, but just wanted to alert the community that you might expect new twists when ordering this dish.
  10. DaRiv18
    I think different places have different policies on happy hour, and establishments that identify more for the food than for the drinks tend to be stricter with happy hour conditions. Of course, the most baffling bar special HAS to be at Oyamel, where I once arrived specifically for the late-night 2 tacos for $4 special at the bar. The bar is a horse-shoe, and the left side was two deep whereas the right side had a couple open seats. I sat on the right side of the bar. After enjoying my late night snack, imagine my surprise when I was hit for the full total. "Oh no, sir, that special only applies on the LEFT side of the bar." No way, Jose! So that's why that side was so crowded. Talk about watching the other side getting the same thing for less than half price!
  11. DaRiv18
    I think Convivial should be your safety net, strong classic-oriented cocktail program and it has a decent steak frite. Fun cocktail tools at the bar if that is where you'll sit. You might want to angle for Kinship, I like eating at their bar. Or the Dabney. I've got a tight radius so far, so maybe Thip Khao, or something in Petworth, for closer options?
  12. DaRiv18
    Is there still a Cleveland Park Day, or festival, or whatever? Doesn't seem like it based on a cursory search. If not, what happened?
  13. DaRiv18
    The system would be a menu, but they must offer over 100 distinct items every day. Also, has no one negotiated a drink at a busy bar before? Can you imagine being three deep at the Passenger and, when finally getting your turn, asking the equivalent of "what filling is in the rugelach?" As a regular customer like the OP claims to be, I haven't seen any variance in that pastry there. also, Rose's is a highly pedicured and professional, and I imagine, well-tipped service crew. BF has well-documented high employee turnover and much lower expectations for tips. Different expectations are in order, perhaps? ( your account is very funny, made me laugh, but I can't see BF going to a table-service model)
  14. DaRiv18
    I understand this is MK's last week here. As the GM, she has been the FOH face of the establishment for several years running, and so this is definitely the end of another era here at BR. I shall stop in for the pear brandy treatment one last time. Good luck MK!
  15. DaRiv18
    You are more informed than I when it comes to restaurants and parking, but Convivial or LeDip work well. Certainly a lot of parking around Sfoglina as well, maybe on the periphery. Apparently I am getting old fashioned because I am picking out well lit professional settings. I like DGS for these situations too.
  16. DaRiv18
    Wow, this is sad. Isn't like Nam-Viet is a budget buster, this is just consumer neglect. But I am actually more inclined to head over to Petworth nowadays than CP, for food. If the Uptown theater would ever invest in more contemporary seats, I would be in the neighborhood even more. CP is rapidly becoming a chain destination or brand outpost, I hope a couple independents make it work there.
  17. DaRiv18
    In Alabama, a child short on funds was stamped on the arm with “I Need Lunch Money.” In some schools, children are forced to clean cafeteria tables in front of their peers to pay the debt. Other schools require cafeteria workers to take a child’s hot food and throw it in the trash if he doesn’t have the money to pay for it. This is one of the sickest things I have heard about. Most of us are drawn to food for comfort and inspiration, and this practice targeting children is just anathema to me.
  18. DaRiv18
    We ate there last night too (must have been several hours after you) - still lots of screaming children there at 8pm, in part to our own family's contribution. But, I recall thinking the pizza crust was especially good yesterday, very pillowy and bubbly. Of course we ordered it well-done, too.
  19. DaRiv18
    Or the National Building Museum. Shouk is a good get.
  20. DaRiv18
    The District Fishwife in Union Market has been offering a tuna poke for the past year.
  21. DaRiv18
    I've been meaning to stop by there, thanks for the reminder!
  22. DaRiv18
    I've made a couple of lasagnas lately, and want to try a professional version to see how mine measures up. Anyone recommend a (local) place that has a good one? Not looking with one with excessive dairy, would like one balanced. I am especially interested to check out the texture of the noodle. Thanks.
  23. DaRiv18
    Convivial used to have an outstanding bar program, not sure where it is now. Hemingway was a diabetic, and when I think of "tart cocktails", the Hemingway Daiquiri/Papa Doble is at the very top of the list. I would lean towards you didn't care for the tartness, in absence of any further information.
  24. DaRiv18
    My neighbor always evaluates restaurants by whether they are "expensive" or "reasonable", and I never hear any further insight about any given place. He really likes Blue 44, and mentioned he was meeting up with a group of couples there this past Friday. Separately, I hear praise for their Monday fried chicken special. As noted in other threads, I am very over the fried chicken trend in DC and have no reason to visit Blue 44 myself. But I would try that over Maggiano's for sure.
  25. DaRiv18
    I stopped in last week while waiting in line for THE EXHIBIT. It is a cool container store with local graffiti. No real seating, and I am not sure whether you can bring it inside the museum. But I enjoyed my espresso there.
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