chiefdc
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Posts posted by chiefdc
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The Fojol Brother's hot truck came across my radar screen this week. Their website is ridiculous: http://fojol.com/
They seem to have jumped on the twitter food truck bandwagon (See: Kogi BBQ) and are serving an indian grab bag, including chicken masala, chicken curry, etc. The truck runs nightly from Thursday-Sunday and, based on their twitter feed, they roam from Glover Park to the U St corridor.
I haven't been able to indulge in their "traveling culinary carnival", but am understandably curious. Anyone know anything?
I think it's a neat idea. Anything that adds to the street food scene in a meaningful way is a godsend. I wish them the best.
By the way, why do you deem them to be "frat boys"?
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Actually, I find that Five Guys have held up their quality control amazingly well despite the expansion. Every burger is just as delicious as the one before it. And man, those fries... Mmm mmm
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I'd go with something has *some* nightlife potential. Nothing major or too raucous, because the ANC will never give you a license or the hours you need, but something lower key would be good and profitable. The new CommonWealth gastropub is a good example of something that can survive by being primarily a restaurant but supplementing margins with a bit of a nightlife crowd. Just one man's opinion...
I used to live near that section of P and love that neighborhood... Especially now that it has the crepe shop, vietnamese place, and froyo shop (yes, I just said "froyo"
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The General Store is open today with Robin at the stove while Chef is at the Southern Foodways Alliance Potlikker Film Festival.
Tomorrow will be the first Sunday Waffle Brunch. No carryout, just eat-in.
Is the downstairs bar open yet?
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Could that be related to the chain in the midwest?
In suburban Chicago, even as a young child--and despite the nearly constant string of friends' birthday parties celebrated there--I wouldn't touch Shakey's pizza with a ten-foot pole. Just orange Fanta, thank you. [shudder]
Possibly. I loved the pitchers of birch beer too much to venture into the orange soda zone. And yes, it wasn't the greatest, but a pizza parlor in the truest sense (complete with tableside Keno?)
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What do I miss?
Shakey's Pizza in Bethesda, near the metro and across from what was the Hot Shoppes (now Chevy Chase Bank HQ).
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I love anything that brings a sense of the magic that is New Orleans... beignets, cafe du monde, (maybe a frozen daiquiri machine?!?! haha)
Off-topic, but I hear Englert is opening a po-boy shop at Potomac Ave early next year.
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rbh, it's the smallish row house on the northeast corner. Not the large corner building but the one next to it. If you go to http://www.wreckingballcoffee.com you can see it
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/bump/
Ceiba was mentioned in Katy McLaughlin's WSJ article on bar/lounges making up for fewer diners in the dining room. The article highlights the efforts some restaurants have made to catch this growing segment of the business. There's also a photo from Ron Blunt:
Sadly, this looks like a "thump machine"
I see where you guys are coming from and agree, BUT... if this is the price we have to pay for some of our area's best to come through the recession unscathed, then so be it. I'd prefer this to a massive wave of closings. Adapting and "leaning up" to make it through this long, unprecedented economic winter is something almost every place will have to do.
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I wasn't aware of a strict dress code being enforced, but there is certainly an implied one- no shorts, probably no sandals, and preferably decent (non-sneaker) shoes. Beyond that, I wouldn't worry. It's not a blazers type of place, and most guys will be in jeans.
By the way, does anyone know when the outdoor garden area will be open? It will greatly increase capacity and decrease wait times.
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DCist commenters not so excited:
DCist commenters are notoriously negative misanthropes, so that's no surprise. They wouldn't say a good thing about their own mother.
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I went to the new Sushi Taro last night. I'm still reeling from what my favorite neighborhood sushi restaurant has turned into -- so sleek, modern and spacious. They have cut the number of tables in half, doubled the prices and added a bar. My father remarked that Sushi Taro had "gone Komi" and, well, there's some truth in that.
They offer two $75 tasting menus and one $65 tasting menu, each featuring a parade of small dishes. I believe that one focuses on sashimi, another sushi and another cooked items, but I am not certain of the breakout. The a la carte menu offers a limited selection of appetizers, nigiri and sashimi, but no maki.
We ordered a variety of items from the a la carte menu, due to time constraints. The tasting menus are clearly the better option. The total cost for 3 of us, including tax/tip/$40 albarino was $250. It was tough to watch the table in front of us open the menu, chat quietly, tell the waitress that it was too expensive and walk out, but I understand. I'll probably need to find a new neighborhood sushi restaurant, too.
Oh, the food was excellent. The grilled arctic char included a cut of fillet and a cut of belly, a nice comparison. Our sashimi came resting resting on banana leaves, over a bowl of ice to keep it cool, and both the toro and the hamachi were as good as I've had. All the presentations were lovely, and the waitstaff (all familiar faces) has clearly undergone extensive training
I was terribly jealous of the plates whizzing by to those who had elected for the tasting menu. I can't wait to try it. I'm just sad that my neighborhood sushi restaurant, my once-a-week fish joint, has turned into a $100-a-pop special occasion place.
They plan to open for lunch on thursday or friday, but I'm bracing myself for a $25 bento box.
Alex
I am truly hoping that he opens a new version of the old Taro in a new location... The timing of this change is somewhat inexplicable given what's going on with the economy. You would hope that restaurant owners would understand how dire the economic situation is and take things downscale if anything (for their sakes as well as their customers), but then again, it's their prerogative to do whatever they'd like. And you do build a venture like this with the long-term in mind... but I still want the old Sushi Taro (or something like it) back for selfish reasons.
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Lack of foot traffic I would assume (or lack of the right kind of foot traffic - vagrants don't usually hang out at lounges, but do love the neighboring Burger King). 6th is a slow street in Chinatown, especially considering this spot is smack in between some condo building and the Metro office building, both which have no ground floor retail. Its only busy on that block before and after a game or concert at the VZ.
All true, but the new building on 6th for that law firm is going to add (once finished) a few hundred more bodies to the mix both at lunch and after work. And from a business perspective, hundreds of lawyers= great for business. I think in time that side of the VZ Center will develop its niche. I frankly don't think there's much to draw people over there- none of the concepts mentioned were particularly appealing to most people.
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I would love if these distinguished gentlemen opened a "wine cafeteria" of sorts. No frills, large space (maybe w/ patio or rooftop), back to the basics with an immense selection. Wine bars have become more about atmosphere than consumption IMO. Hurray for populism!
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I think Adams Morgan truly needs an image remake. While I hate to see anything going out of business, my impression is that AM has gotten a bit stale over the last few years. I think the area needs a changing of the guard, or at least a few interesting new places that can draw people back in. Right now the 14th/ U Street corridors have all the momentum, and even places like H St and Petworth are gathering steam.
However, all that being said, I think there are actually some very solid dining options there. Cashion's, Pasta Mia, Perry's, So's Your Mom, Astor, Shwarma King, Amsterdam Falafel, Bardia's, and Cafe L'Enfant are all good options. It's a great neighborhood, but hopefully they'll elevate the level of the dining options or they'll find themselves to be yesterday's news.
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Man, Banco, I'm glad I agree with your list! You seem to have some awesome powers! How about getting the Cheesecake Factory out of Arlington/Clarendon? I'd be forever in your debt and buy you cheesecake somewhere else in return
I like Cafe Berlin. I hope it doesn't go anywhere. We needs some old school, fills-a-niche spots like Cafe Berlin and the others on this strip.
I don't like to see any place fail. Maybe I'm a softy...
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Believe it or not, I've actually heard (second-hand) very good things about this place. If nothing else, it fills a niche.
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In case anyone cares (and I see no reason why they should), the current roster of eating establishments here is:
FDK Restaurant trading as "A Slice of Italy Pizzeria" (Six locations nationwide)
F.U.E.L. Energy Cafe (Formerly Amazon Cafe)
Kabuki Sushi and Teriyaki (In several area food courts, not sure of the ownership)
From what I saw on a quick walkthrough, I'd probably opt for The Chicken Place Express, which opened last October, because they had a good, hot rotisserie going.
Cheers,
Rocks.
I dunno, for a "food court" this is a pretty strong list of options. At least it has very diverse options with a heavy dose of ethnic cooking. The average food court looks something like this:
Burger King
McDonalds
Sub-Par Smoothie Place
Auntie Annie's or Cinnabon (yum!)
Horrible Japanese, but Somehow-Kinda-Tasty-in-a-"i'mstarvingsoittastesgood"-Sort-of-Way
Fake Cheesesteak Place
Sbarro
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It might be in which case the closed one is Sips Cafe.
I think this place was related to Zips Drycleaners next door.
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Haandi's lunch buffet is quite delicious and affordable. I highly recommend it.
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Do you ever end up going somewhere regularly that you don't particularly like for no reason other than it's convenient and the only other choices are worse?
"But SeanMike," you say, "you work right near the strip mall heaven with Pho 75, Ray's, Guajillo, etc. How could you ever get tired of that?"
Well -- you do. Or rather, I do. And to be honest, when the weather sucks for whatever reason, and I just can't decide on what I want to eat, more times than not I end up over at Cafe Asia.
I actually like Cafe Asia. It's good and affordable food. I don't care whether it's "authentic" or not, it just tastes good. It's a place where you certainly get at least what you pay for.
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There's a mention of this new restaurant in the U St. Corridor in the December Washingtonian. We'll be eating out in that area next week and will probably go to Cork, but I was curious about this place. Anyone know anything about it?
It's not opening til the end of Feb, at the earliest. It's a combo restaurant and lounge, likely along the lines of Marvin.
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Crepes-a-go-go on P Street in Dupont is very good and pretty cheap. The Yelp reviews confirm my opinion, but take them with a grain of salt obviously.
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Very exciting! I used to live right by this place. I heard generally decent things about Aioli, but I just don't think it fit a niche. For whatever reason, that space has been tough, with Fractured Prune quickly failing, and now Aioli. I think if it's even halfway decent Saigon Bistro will do gangbusters business because it's one of the only Vietnamese places in the District proper.
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H St. Country Club, H Street NE
in Washington DC Restaurants and Dining
Posted
I'm surprised. This appears to be a very serious culinary effort. If the food is as good as it looks, we have a gem on our hands.