Elyssa
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Maoz Vegetarian, 18th. and M Streets Downtown
Elyssa replied to cheezepowder's topic in Washington DC Restaurants and Dining
Maoz is right near my office so I've eaten there about a half dozen times since it's opened. I love it! I actually might like it more than Amsterdam Falafel but it's been awhile since I've been to Amsterdam. The jr. sandwich is more than enough for me (especially because you stuff it with all the various toppings). I don't remember them having hummus on the toppings bar, which is the only major draw back. The fries are excellent! I often get just the regular fries but I've tried the sweet potato fries and thought they were pretty good. The best this about this place is the garlic mayo. This stuff is seriously addictive! I could eat that mayo every day and never get tired of it. They should bottle it up and sell it. I agree that the communal seating is a bit odd since the benches are not as long as the table. Also the restaurant is certified Kosher which is a nice touch for those out there that keep Kosher (not me...but it was something I noticed). -
I had lunch at Zest last week. Why did this place have to open right next to my old office only 2 months after I left the neighborhood? First off I'm pretty impressed with the space. It's nothing fancy but feels cozy and they took a former law office and turned it in to a restaurant. I watched the progress and think it looks good inside. The service was great...they were really friendly and happy to have folks in the neighorhood (my former co-worker) in there for lunch. I had the lamb sandwich with carmelized onions and feta on flat bread. It said leg of lamb on the menu so I thought I would be getting slices of lamb, instead it was ground. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it at first but MAN was that a damn fine sandwich. Really juicy and layered with flavor. Really, really, really good. I got the side salad along with it which was nicely dressed. I highly recommend checking out Zest for lunch. The price is affordable, the staff is friendly, and the sandwich I had was delicious. I look forward to returning.
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I'm also curious about this...how does one restaurant "move in" with another one. Is Aria still in business? Will they be splitting the restaurant down the middle or something. How does this work?
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The Washingtonian has talked to Ellen Gray and it appears as if Chef Gray is already in the kitchen at Aria cooking up a storm. If folks have a reservation at Equinox in the coming days it will be honored and I urge you to keep your reservation. Chef Gray's cooking will be amazing, regardless of where he is serving.
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Todd Kliman said on Twitter that the kitchen and private dining room of Equinox burned down last night. Does anyone have any details? How horrible for Chef Grey and his staff. Equinox is one of my favorite restaurants in town. I hope they recover soon. More info on the Equinox fire here.
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I would check out their mussel soup instead.That has an amazing layer of flavor....one of my favorite soups in town. The French onion soup at Brasserie Beck might be more to your liking. I believe it is an onion and shallot soup and is outstanding.
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Gina's apple cider is really, really good. The perfect Fall drink! They have also changed around their drink menu to be more seasonal. I highly recommend checking it out.
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The menu doesn't seem to be up on the website yet. Anyone know where I can find one?
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I never ended up reporting back after our meal a couple of months ago. But we really liked it. (Although it was very noisy when we were there and that was a little off-putting. Perhaps it was because we were sitting in the center of the restaurant). We ended up getting the crispy spinach. That is fall out of your seat delicious. I think we actually ordered a 2nd order of it since my bf loved it so much. We got the mango shrimp--very nice and the tandori salmon--delicious! They split is for us in the kitchen since we were sharing. I believe we also ended up getting the duck--although I can't remember much about it. We might have gotten 1 other side dish as well (we ordered A LOT! This was a big blow out celebratory meal for us.) For dessert we got the chocolate samosa. It was very rich and didn't really feel Indian to us. But it was nice nonetheless. While I have heard a lot about their wine list, I thought it was a bit of a rip off. I found very few affordable wines by the glass (we got cocktails earlier in our meal and only wanted 1 glass of wine). The drinks alone (2 glasses of wine and 2 cocktails) were around $40-$50. We probably could have done without the wine.
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Has anyone actually been? I've been thinking about checking it out since it is right around the corner from my apartment. But being the over-researched foodie that I am, I've been putting it off until at least 1 or 2 people have reviewed it on the various sites. haha
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I've actually never seen specials at Central, but maybe that's because I usually dine at the bar. In terms of drinks (again not a special) I am pretty much obsessed with their Miner's Club cocktail. It's delicious and refreshing...especially in this nasty heat. Last time I went I just got the Miner's Club Cocktail and the faux gras and rilletts appetizer and was in heaven.
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Great news! I look forward to visiting you during RW. It's been too long since I've sampled your menu. What is your Twitter name?
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Lola's Barracks Bar and Grill, Barracks Row
Elyssa replied to Pat's topic in Washington DC Restaurants and Dining
Don emailed me awhile back having cracked the code on the french fries. I think he said he thought it was celery salt (possibly mixed with something else). -
Thanks! I had that 16 ingredient slaw at Shang. It was really good (although I stopped counting the ingredients once I reached about 8...and had about 3 drinks!). The menu looks good. I look forward to trying it soon.
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Does anyone know where I can find a menu? Zagat.com and Zentan's website doesn't seem to have one up. Also has anyone actually eaten in the DC restaurant (NOT Toronto)? I'm looking for a real review of his local restaurant. I'm really curious about this place. I went to Shang in NYC and thought it was great...plus they had really good drinks!
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I really hope the DCA location doesn't close. My bf and I are in a long distance relationship and when time permits, I like to accompany him to the airport and we grab a bite to eat before his flight--always at Legal's. We usually get a lobster roll and the shrimp roll and share. Next to California Tortilla (I'm obsessed!) it's the only good place to eat in the airport. Bummer!
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Well now we know where the future cast of the Real World will be hanging out!
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Just tried calling and it rang for 2 minutes straight with no message and no pick up. I heard from Washingtonian on Twitter that they were closed for good as well.
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So it's only temporary? That's good news. I heard on Twitter that they were just flat out closed, which worried me. Any news on what the improvements will be or when it will reopen?
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Crocs endanger my health...they hurt my eyes!
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Ladi Kai Lemoni managed to say everything I'm feeling in a much better manner (and apparently less controversial. )
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I should make this clear, I am not spending my evening staring at other people, obsessing over their dress, and crying in my soup that they are wearing shorts. It is just something a take notice of. That's all. Maybe I came down too harshly and made it seem as if this is something that ruins my meal, but I think I've stated a number of times since my original post that that is just not the case. And I certainly do not think I am better than anyone else. Anyone that knows me personally would say so. I have never demanded that a place be exclusionary. I have never once said that those people don't have the right to dine in a restaurant if that establishment says their dress is fine. I just said that for me, personally, I like my attire to match the general feel of a restaurant. And if it is a higher end restaurant I prefer to get dressed up and think it's nice when others around me do the same. I happen to notice when other's don't. But most of the time I don't even comment on it. It's just something I notice. I rarely dine at very high end restaurants. I can't afford it. So I can go as high brow and as low brow as anyone out there. But when I go high brow, I like to look nice. Trust me---I'm not alone on this! I think some of us are discussing different topics and THAT is where the confusion lies. Some people are saying "Is it right for a restaurant to set a dress code?" (to that I say yes) and others are saying "Do you like it when some people are very underdressed for a higher end restaurant or vice versa?"
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Again, it's a respect thing. I have really fond memories of getting dressed up and going to a ballet as a kid. And I think it was a wonderful experience. Same thing goes for fancy dinners. Trust me---I've gotten better with the theater thing. In Europe, since theater is much more accessible to the public, people don't get dressed up. But it bothers me a little bit. I think it's fun to put on your Sunday Best and go to the opera. But I guess that's just me. I would never turn someone away for wearing shorts. But at least put on a pair of jeans or slacks. Is it that hard of an effort?
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As I've mentioned a few times, it doesn't ruin my meal. But I think it is a sign of respect. If Chef Tom Powers or Michel Richard are cooking me a nice meal, I prefer to wear a nice top and black paints or a dress. It's just the way I prefer to dine and show respect for the establishment that is serving me. Maybe it was how I was raised. Plus it's fun!! No my dining companions are not boring. They are usually quite interesting and also share my views in having a nice night out, looking nice and enjoying a well-made meal. I wear jeans out to restaurants all the time. Take CoCo Sala for example--I would wear nice jeans, a cute shirt, and heals. That seems appropriate. I just take notice when most people around me are dressed nice and then a table is seated wearing shorts and sneakers. I think it's weird. The only thing that is going to actually ruin my meal is poor service or poor cooking.
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I don't think we are questioning the right of a restaurant to set a dress code (at least I'm not). I was more coming at it from the point of view of a diner. If a mid-to-high level restaurant wants to let the guy in with the shorts and t-shirt because these are hard economic times and they don't want to turn anyone away that is perfectly fine with me. That is the choice of the establishment. But as a diner I do notice when I took the time to dress up, and most people around me are looking nice, and then there is a table wearing shorts, sneakers and t-shirts. As I mentioned before. It doesn't flat out ruin my experience but I also question why they wouldn't try to figure out the dress code first. And trust me, I 100% realize this makes me sound like such a snob. In most other instances I am so not a snob, but for some reason proper attire in certain restaurants (and as I mentioned before, at the theater) really get to me.