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brian

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  1. brian
    here's our ramen menu, finally opening tomorrow! SHIO RAMEN Salt ramen: pork, beef & chicken stock (1 Slice Chashu: Roast Pork, Bean Sprouts, Ground Pork, Nori, Scallions.) SHOYU RAMEN Soy sauce ramen: pork, beef & chicken stock (1 Slice Chashu: Roast Pork, ½ Nitamago: Soy Marinated Egg, Bean Sprouts, Ground Pork, Nori, Scallions.) MUGI MISO RAMEN Barley-miso ramen: pork, beef & chicken stock (1 Slice Chashu: Roast Pork, Bean Sprouts, Ground Pork, Nori, Scallions.) VEGETABLE SHIO RAMEN Salt ramen: Vegan stock (Cabbage, Bean Sprouts, Carrots, Onions, Wood ear Mushroom) Extra toppings: EXTRA NOODLES NITAMAGO Soy&ramen stock marinated soft-boiled egg CHASHU Roast Pork, 3pc. BUTABARA KAKUNI Braised pork belly, 3pc. MENMA Soy&ramen stock simmered bamboo WAKAME Seaweed BUTTER CANNED CORN DRY NORI 2pc. Side dishes: GYOZA 5pc Pan fried dumpling with pork and cabbage filling CHAHAN Fried rice, egg, pork, onion, peas, scallions, soy sauce GOHAN Bowl of steamed white rice Ramen prices range from $12-$13.50, extra toppings $.35 - $3.75, and side dishes from $2-$6.50. Initially we'll be opening at 5pm and adding all-day service once things are running smoothly.
  2. brian
    Cool "Disco" Dan is an absolute legend in the graffiti scene, and to anyone who's spent much time around DC in the 80s and 90s. He's a real person, he's alive, and he's not well-off. Some of the people writing the outraged comments DO know Dan. This isn't about people in DC not wanting to have any fun, this is about someone opening a shop and capitalizing on the name of a living person without any thought of involving or compensating that person. They could have hired Dan to do the graffiti work in the shop. They could have tried to get his blessing before naming it. They did neither. Could I open a place called Don Rocks Rockfish Grill, without consulting with Don or approaching him about it? Sure. Would most people who go there know who Don is? No. Could it be an homage to Don with no ill will intended? Sure. Would it still be an incredibly shitty thing to do? Absolutely.
  3. brian
    that was quick, and predictable: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2013/01/31/cool-disco-donut-changes-name-to-zekes-d-c-donuts/
  4. brian
    The guy running this is running a scam - charging $100 for a meaningless card people won't recognize or care about. He knows it's worthless but making the entire concept as objectionable as he has and then sending cards to the press is accomplishing exactly what he wants it to, he's getting publicity for it and a few suckers will read about it and get cards. 99.999% of people know it's worthless and gross, but doing stories on it or even linking to it helps get it attention and put it in front of that .001% who might fall for something like this.
  5. brian
    You're right, residential density isn't the critical factor - although Brooklyn has nearly 60% more residents than Manhattan, it has far fewer Jewish delis. The lion's share of a deli's sales happen around lunchtime, and mapping the delis in NY finds a close correlation to the daytime population density of the city rather than the residential density. While DC's Ward 1 has about the same residential population density as Brooklyn, DC's downtown doesn't come anywhere near Manhattan's daytime density. I think Stachowski's Market's fantastic success is due to the fact that it's not as limited as a Jewish deli - they're a butcher/grocer/charcutier with wholesale and retail operations and they serve as a deli on the side.
  6. brian
    while we finish up the restaurant we're hosting a pop-up dinner at the Living Social space January 18th & 19th: https://www.livingsocial.com/events/575728-daikaya-pop-up-dinner hope to see some of you there!
  7. brian
    Let's be realistic and say there's a 0% chance that there will be any change in height restrictions in downtown DC in the next few decades. And in the event that height restrictions are lifted in select other parts of the city, surely putting more housing and offices in DC will cause less traffic than putting offices in DC and housing in Loudon County. DC's apartment vacancy rates are much lower than Maryland and Virginia's, indicating greater demand for residential units in the city than the suburbs. DC also has the lowest vacancy rate for office space of any market in the nation, and again it's lower than MD and VA. This area has some of the fastest growing suburbs in the nation and allowing higher density in the city will allow businesses and people to locate where they actually want to. The reason all the office buildings in DC are so uniform and uninteresting is BECAUSE of the height limit and building codes, which provide incentive for every developer to maximize the building envelope without providing setbacks or public areas. I guarantee any changes to DC's skyline will be less noticeable from the National Mall than Rossyln's skyline is. Right now there are multiple overlapping agencies charged with preserving the architectural and urban character of the city (HPRB, NCPC, Committee of 100, etc.) and those will continue to have an overwhelmingly strong voice - but none of them are structured in a way that take into account the economic, social, and regional impacts of their decisions.
  8. brian
    For those concerned about parking, the 28A bus from West Falls Church metro or the 3B bus from East Falls Church have stops very close to Spacebar.
  9. brian
    If you like this place and want it to stick around you might want to rethink posting its neighborhood, a photo of the building, and a photo of the apartment door.
  10. brian
    I think this was a failure in execution rather than planning - the Diner's been open 24 hours for years and it seems to work fine. I went to The Hamilton several times between 2 and 5am and it was pretty clear the 24-hour service was an afterthought. Only one room was kept open for late night dining, and it was a pretty formal room with tablecloths and no bar. From an operation standpoint I'm sure it was easier to keep staff and patrons out of areas with liquor after last call, but from a customer standpoint not having a bar area or more flexible seating was a bummer. On weekdays most people out during those hours work in the service industry, and The Hamilton wasn't someplace that was comfortable to go alone and sit at a table with mediocre at best service, and it wasn't someplace that was easy for groups to congregate. There are plenty of exceptions to any sweeping generalization made about what "DC people" are like, and businesses that realize that will be successful. But they won't work without a lot of consideration of what their target audience is and what their preferences are, and The Hamilton clearly placed operational ease beyond customer's wishes, and their business didn't reach its potential because of it.
  11. brian
    The term 'pink slime' was coined by Gerald Zirnstein in a USDA memo, and he and fellow USDA scientist Carl Custer warned against its use. They were overruled by higher ups and he later left the agency over it, but I think it's very much worth pointing out that the crusade against this was originated by employees of a US government agency funded by our tax dollars.
  12. brian
    Circa has always stuck me as a place for people who really miss the experience of eating in an anonymous upscale cafe in an airport terminal concourse and wish they could have that same thing at home. I think there are an unfortunate number of places like that (Circa, Logan Tavern, Chef Geoff's, Clyde's, etc.) which are nominally independent (but all with multiple locations!) but bland beyond belief. They're trying to pretty much be an Applebee's - broad menu, reasonable prices, nothing offputting to most people - for people who wouldn't go to Applebee's and they're succeeding. That said, I ate at Applebee's and Buca di Beppo while visiting my grandparents in Georgia a few weeks ago and had pretty good experiences at both. And I go to Clyde's quite a bit.
  13. brian
    This project is still very much happening, as happens so often it's held up in permitting at the moment. I'm the architect.
  14. brian
    To a large extent, it's simple transportation. A fine dining restaurant in the Virginia suburbs is easier to get to for people in Virginia, but it's harder to reach for most people in DC and Maryland. Places like L'Auberge and The Inn at Little Washington succeed in part because what they offer in setting can't be found in the city - if a restaurant doesn't have the central location or population density that places downtown have, it needs to counter that with other qualities.
  15. brian
    It seems like you have a very legitimate complaint about how the Great American Restaurant Group keeps pushing out the same items with little variation.
  16. brian
    Based on my last experience there I can confirm that they won't be able to execute a decent bowl of ramen at 2:00 AM.
  17. brian
    I'm excited about it - I don't have high expectations for the food but they always make a good burger and it'll be a four star restaurant at 4am, at least compared to The Diner.
  18. brian
    Given the kitchen's abilities and the rest of the lunch menu, you'd be a fool to order a burger. But you'd be a very happy fool indeed, as it's one of the very best I've had in the city.
  19. brian
    I'd certainly imagine the event will cause Pepin a lot of pain - Guy Fieri and Paula Deen will be doing demos there. Really I'm not questioning the scheduling or Pepin's commitments, just Citronelle's use of the phrases "immediate" and "unable to make it to Washington DC".
  20. brian
  21. brian
    I doubt the international firm that already designs for Cirque Du Soleil and Nobu is going to have their credibility boosted by a mention in a First Bite column. It just seems that if you're going to the trouble of saying "West Elm didn't dress the tasteful joint", you may as well say who did.
  22. brian
    From today's First Bite on Bobby's Burger Palace (http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/restaurants/bobbys-burger-palace,1213663/critic-review.html): Tom, As a quick google search shows, the restaurant was designed by Rockwell Group. They can be reached at 212-463-0334. For as much of the column as you spent writing about the design, it would have been really easy to credit them.
  23. brian
    The ramen noodles should be eaten pretty quickly to avoid becoming soggy, which is difficult to do with extra noodles. Typically additional noodles should be ordered after the bowl of ramen has been served, so that they can be added to the remaining noodle-less broth as soon as they're delivered to the table rather than overcrowding the bowl or getting cold on the plate.
  24. brian
    It's great to have Ren's back, and I'm not the only one who feels that way - when I went this afternoon there was a pretty consistent 15-minute wait. The new space is slightly less cramped and less oddly laid out than the old location, but it actually has a few less seats. The kitchen wasn't cranking out the ramen as fast as most places, but it seems like they have plenty of back of house space and I'm sure they'll speed up as the staff acclimates. The tonshio ramen was as good as it was in the old location - this is possibly the best ramen on the east coast, and was even better than some of the ramen places in Tokyo. As before, the roast pork is on the dry side (though not as much today), but the stewed pork add on is luscious. Worth the trip despite the long metro ride to Wheaton, and I'll probably be back within the week.
  25. brian
    Yup - both in terms of concept and size.
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