DaRiv18

13 hours ago, Xochitl10 said:

Joined a couple of friends here for happy hour as the first stop in my farewell tour of DC (hello, beautiful homeland of New Mexico!). Gougeres were as delicious as ever right out of the oven, less delectable as they cooled off. The bartender made a lovely sparkling lemonade with a bit of mint for me as a nonalcoholic alternative to the sauvignon blanc and white sangria with blueberries that my friends were drinking. I hadn't been to Central in years, and while it's not looking as polished as it was when it first opened, I was just as happy there for a drink and a snack as I was back in the day.

Bon voyage, Xochitl10!  I hope you post more about your eats in New Mexico, I loved travelling there and hope to visit again soon.  

Thanks for the kind words Don.  Terasol has great ambiance, cool live music, and very unpretentious.  I would go there just to have a great conversation in a very chill environment.  The food is fine -- decent technique and everything is tasty, but I get the sense they are using Sysco products.  I have never seen it very busy either, so I am wary of ordering seafood.  Also, their menu is very bistro and widely available -- should I get a respectable hanger steak and fries here for $29, or a wood-fired 16-18 ounce prime new york strip with fries to share across the street at Buck's for $39?

Macon has the opposite issue:  bustling, presumably local ingredients, but in my mind a not very distinctive atmosphere.  Nothing offensive about the ambiance, just trendy-ish.  I feel Terasol and Macon are a push, in my eyes.  

Comet is like the worst of both worlds.  The menu practically screams that "local" ingredients are showcased but the only brand names are "La Quercia Prosciutto (Iowa)" and the mysterious "Stan's Local Merguez Sausage" which I cannot find on the interwebz.  I concede Comet does use Toigo's tomatoes for the sauce, that's important.  Wings fall off the bone (I mean that in a critical way) and are more about sauce than anything else.  Wood-roasted starter vegetables have little depth of flavor.  Ambiance-wise, it is basically an indoor playground, I feel weird sitting at the bar and having gobs of middle-schoolers walk by me constantly to play foosball.  I get that Comet is an important symbol, and I support them for being a valued community amenity and partner, but let's not go overboard.  And the Guy Fieri endorsement -- really?  The dude brands his own likeness at your front door, and you haven't done anything about it since?  Geez, Ben's Chili Bowl is willing to paint over President Obama's mural, so I am quite sure there is nothing sacred about a Zero-Star no-talent self-promoter.  "Hey, nice Guy Fieri sleeve," said no line cook ever.  Anyways -- How Sietsema gave Comet the same number of stars as 2 Amys is beyond me.  

Buck's is very busy, has a large outdoor area for dining outside, and maybe I'm a sucker for rose prosecco on tap.   The decor is kind of cheezy, but I think that's the intent.  It's fun, the food is good, it is family friendly but it isn't an arcade.  I like it.

Having moved to this neighborhood a year ago, I initially did not prioritize coming to Buck's due to the tepid reviews here, but a chef of a Bolded restaurant informed me that they had turned it around here and that he enjoyed the food often.  And indeed, this place is a easy neighborhood go-to.  It is hard not to get the Big (prime) Steak here and share it.  I really enjoyed the wood-fired heirloom carrot salad the other day, in a yogurt dressing.  

The one entree that is a bit prim and proper is the hamburger here, it is a petite patty and it didn't really matter that I ordered it medium rare as it was not really a glorious juicy monstrosity that I have grown used to in DC.  

But really Buck's is the gold standard of dining out here, I personally prefer it to Macon.  I support Comet as a good neighbor but more times than not I am willing to drive and find parking for 2 Amys.  The bar is always lively, very outspoken art (and kudos for not having a cheezy TV), and the bartender is really awesome, too.  A very respectable local, of which many neighborhoods should be envious.    

21 hours ago, Ferris Bueller said:

Giant has a large parking garage now so parking for this evolving area of restaurants is a breeze, albeit a little on the expensive side (parking for 2 hours was $15), but convenient.  

You also have 2 Amys next door, Cafe Duluxe and Raku within 1/2 a block - so if you venture out in this area you have plenty of options.

We ate at 2 Amys last weekend, and I saw a table tent, or something, that mentioned validated parking for an either an hour, 90 minutes (most likely), or two hours (least likely) at the garage.  Not sure if it was just for weekends, or if there are time limits (e.g. 6pm to 9pm).  Sorry for the extremely fuzzy recall.  And thank you, Alcohol.  

11 hours ago, JimCo said:

I'm thinking about the Prime Rib as I think he'd enjoy the piano music. 

I would pick BLT Steak and Charlie Palmer over the Prime Rib, too, although BLT Steak is perhaps the least dressy in my experience.  

Personally think that when in doubt for kid-friendly, go with hotel restaurants, they have great atmosphere and are more service-oriented to the general public.  Bourbon Steak is always a power crowd too, and they will dress the part for sure.  Have to think Pinea would be nice too.  

I will probably still visit Shimizu out of some combination of loyalty and muscle-memory when I visit NYC, but I am very glad to have Seki and Daikaya in my hometown.  Shimizu has some wonderful vegetable offerings (watercress in a mustard sauce was delicious) but the chef choice sashimi platter fell a bit short for me.  It was a beautiful arrangement, but served on two pounds of crushed ice that really muted the flavors.  I am quite sure the quality of the fish was excellent, but it seemed to be a triumph of Instagram at the expense of taste.  

Afterwards, I headed across the street to Ippudo Ramen.  Really nice sakes at a reasonable price and a generous pour.  I quite enjoyed my eggplant buns too.  Ramen itself, eh, I feel the broth was a bit weak.  

Will try to head out more in the city to explore new cuisines, the next time.

Nothing new to report, just thought no comments in 2016 was not befitting this great DC institution.  One day, it shall be missed.  

13 minutes ago, jrichstar said:

Would encourage you to read the first year of posts in this thread when Komi opened in 2005.  

I saw Rocks pasted in a review he did back in 2003-2004 of the place.  It must have already been going strong when our fearless leader launched this great site!  I just wondered what the first crucial years were like and how it was received (obviously very well!). 

Tweaked's account of a once/twice-a-week dining spot seems incredible now, huh?  More like a 2 Amy's type place. Or even a Red Hen thing. Funny how things evolve. 

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?

Wow.  The city's most expensive pop-up, ever.  

Corduroy has the tuna entree served over sushi rice, served at the upstairs bar as part of the three-course special.  But for straight up sushi, you forgot Wok n Roll Express.  Actually, Zengo might be your best bet in the "I must have traditional sushi in Chinatown" category.  

I read this article last month that I found interesting "Two Wage Theft Lawyers Cash in on DC Restaurant Boom" by Will Sommer of the Washington City Paper.

38 minutes ago, FVT said:

SAX -- holy $#^, had no idea such a place even existed here!  Definitely on my to-do list with the wife, but not the kiddies.  Thanks, DaRiv18.  :-)

I see it is a 21 and over lounge, so poor call on my part!  Personally, what I saw wasn't any more provocative than many music videos.  

Is SAX too racy?  I think the 16 year olds would say no.  My 40 year old girl friends seem to love it for shows.  

Baby Wale:  huge bar, decent food, not too far away, and not fancier than your dinner spot.  Only caveat is that they often have buy-outs, so check beforehand.

Found a good Cubano in Harrisonburg, VA. They also do burgers that are delicious: www.cubanburger.com

While touring the Route 11 potato chip factory with the family en route to North Carolina, I asked the owner for nearby lunch recommendations, and her first choice was Cuban Burger 23 miles south in Harrisonburg.  I ate the best Cubano that I have ever had, there. They source the bread from a fakery in Florida. My wife enjoyed a Cuban burger with friend beef/pork patty and a flank steak. Kids split a chop chop: Flank steak over black beans and rice with veggies. Go!

5 hours ago, DanielK said:

Interesting, because their website says this can be ordered "for up to 8 guests".

I thought it was 14 guests, but apparently when I went last year it was for 10.  New rules to limit it to 8?  There were sides and baked alaska that were included in the menu, so it was a lot.  

17 hours ago, Simul Parikh said:

DBGB has a fun whole Pig dinner. I think it was like $400 or so.

You say 6 adults and 2 young children, we got this whole Pig for about 14 adults or so, and still took home leftovers.  Not complaining.  For a celebratory meal, this is the way to go and it makes for a pretty picture, too.  I went into this not really expecting a lot and was pleasantly surprised.  

On 12/8/2016 at 5:51 AM, DonRocks said:

Comet used to bottle their own tomato sauce at Toigo Orchards, and they still may be - it was Carole Greenwood who started this (there are pictures of this on her chat), and they still may be using Toigo - I suspect they were using Toigo's surplus of non-perfect-looking tomatoes in order to make this wonderfully fresh sauce. . . Folks, please don't forget that these other surrounding businesses took a hit as well - please throw your support their way if you're in the area; Comet is doing just fine!

The tomato sauce is still made with Toigo tomatoes, you can buy jars of the sauce at Little Red Fox, and perhaps at Comet directly.  

PoPville and Frozen Tropics reporting that Ocopa closed and is unlikely to reopen.  The Michelin Guide for DC already needs updating.  

So, at the risk of sounding unadventurous, ever since they stopped offering the Shio Chintan in favor of the Shoya Chintan, my favorite broth has been the plain Miso.  Sometimes they can go heavy on the Miso, eh.  But sometimes there is this perfect blend of buttery chicken stock and the sweet miso.  It is my favorite chicken noodle soup in town right now, on cold days.  

On 8/10/2016 at 11:32 AM, DPop said:

Does anyone know if they do takeout?

So they do take out, but you'll need a microwave.   Two containers:  one for soup, the other for the noodles/other ingredients. Instructions for heating are stapled to the carryout bag:

Microwave the the soup for three minutes.  Pour into the noodles container.  Microwave the entire thing for one minute. 

6 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Comet used to bottle their own tomato sauce at Toigo Orchards, and they still may be - it was Carole Greenwood who started this (there are pictures of this on her chat), and they still may be using Toigo - I suspect they were using Toigo's surplus of non-perfect-looking tomatoes in order to make this wonderfully fresh sauce. . . Folks, please don't forget that these other surrounding businesses took a hit as well - please throw your support their way if you're in the area; Comet is doing just fine!

Little Red Fox next-door sells the Comet Ping Pong tomato sauce in glass jars, I am sure it is on the label . . . will check it out.  

Had the OG Pastrami for dinner today.  The bread is tasty, but I think Smoked and Stacked wins on the protein by a large margin.  Babka ice cream sandwich though is really good.