Toogs

I got a big old box of chicken for snowquester. Even though I could easily have left my house, I didn't.

I'm a huge advocate of the DC dining scene (although currently live in NYC). I never dined at Suna but thinking more big picture as opposed to Post review-like factors. Suna charged $48 for 4 courses and $76 for 8 (don't quote me on that). That's expensive IMHO. Friends of mine who ate there said they left hungry after the 4 course meal. The restaurant is above a comfort food restaurant that charges $20 for a bowl of pasta. I understand trying to push the envelope, but I don't think this was the right neighborhood for this restaurant. Capitol Hill is a late 20s, early 30s neighborhoody crowd. I know the restaurant was trying to be a little more hipster and this wouldn't have worked on H Street either. A restaurant like Suna needs to be downtown where they can charge more for both 4 and 8 course meals and get the clientele who are willing to pay it. The restaurant never had more then 4 tables at a time most days. Just a bad business decision.

This is why we can't have nice things.

beans or no beans. Please know I am asking this with neutrality in mind; I know the correct answer but must prove a point to some heathens

Stove Top Stuffing but you use Cambells Cream of Potato Soup instead of water.

Booyah.

Holy shit you just made me so fat(ter).

you know what? I'm pissed. I am not saying they are remotely the same thing, and I am not claiming I did my part, as I don't have the finances to be a regular at either, but with this and PS7, I say Fuck YOU DC, enjoy applebees.

My dinner club is tomorrow night. We always include a pre-dinner cocktail and I settled on a take on this twist on a Manhattan because lord knows I love my Luxardo:

2 oz. bourbon (or rye whiskey – take your pick)

1/2 oz. sweet vermouth

1/4 oz. maraschino liqueur

2 dashes orange bitters

Bourbon-Bathed Cherry for garnish

except that I planned to use Punt e Mes instead of sweet vermouth based on some reading I did and garnish with a pickled sour cherry because I have them. Figured I'd keep the cherry theme going by using cherry bitters instead of orange, but hadn't settled on that (is anyone crying yet at this total abomination ).

Anyway, I went to the Mo Co liquor store (my first bad call, but I am really pressed for time and it was on my way home from doing something else) to get the only ingredient I didn't have, the Punt e Mes and of course they didn't have it. So under pressure I had to pick a sweet vermouth. Thinking M&R couldn't be good for that money, I picked up the bottle of Noilly Prat (they had no Dolin or anything else of better quality). Then I got back to my desk and starting looking online and immediately regretted my decision.

So now I am contemplating driving out of my way to get what I originally wanted and having to return the Noilly Prat later. This it stupid. I should let it go. It's not important in the end. But I am a perfectionist. Someone please talk me down!!

I will talk you down.

I know everyone that will be there and no one is going to know the difference. I will probably get drunk and inform them of the inferiority of the ingredients. Apologies in advance.

Well that sucks. I'd like to thank them for the great experience I had there, and the 2 bottles of Rivesalte Ambre in my cellar that I would never have heard of if not for GM Sean Alves. Good luck in your future ventures.

For years many considered this to be the benchmark for a Virginia red. In a recent column Dave Matthews noted that the '09 Octagon which has not been released yet may be their best ever. I am guessing the previous best was their '07 which I've had several bottles of and really liked a lot. ('07 was a great vintage in VA) Wegman's briefly had this on sale for about $39 in several of their stores and I noted it was gone in a week or so. It was $50 at the winery which long ago sold out of the '07. The '08 is a "different" wine.

I assume you mean Dave McIntyre? Dave Matthews prefers Bleinheim. (YUCK)

This is my go-to for pho and it's been awhile, so I dropped by today. The place was packed, as usual. Broth still as outstanding as ever. Quick, efficient service. I feel sorry for anyone who goes to a different pho spot near by--this one is tops.

This won't help you at all but maybe someone else who wants the same--just had a bite or two of my sister's grilled octopus salad at Salt Tavern in Baltimore. It was delicious. That dish also has giant slabs of pork belly but the octopus is the star.

Jeff Heineman - in one post, somewhere - warned about buying certain types of one-pound lobsters that are dirt-cheap in stores, but have virtually zero meat on them. Does anyone remember where that post is? It's essential knowledge, I would think.

could it be as simple as softshells?

Does anyone know if you can purchase raw oysters/clams (to cook at home) from the Rappahannock counter at Union Market?

There is a sign hanging over one corner of the bar that says something like "retail orders here."

I'm processing this meal mentally and may have more to say later. It was quite unique and thought provoking and I am not sure even how to classify it. We discussed comparisons to other restaurants and couldn't come up with one that was really true. My internal conversation sounded a bit like a 13 year old me, with "WTF" and "Dude!" and "COOL" echoing around my brain. I don't know what 13 year old me would have thought of cilantro on ice cream though. At triple that age, wtf, dude, and cool still covered it.

I will note that the mussel dish noted as subpar above has been changed to a crab dish, no dumplings. Still "fishy" with the nori cracker. But it being a cracker let you have control over how much of that got into your bite.

The dashi custard with scallops and multiple mushroom preparations was probably the star in my book. I hope I am not giving away too much and ruining the surprise for Ericandblueboy. So many flavors and textures and the mouth coating from the custard changed the wine dramatically from first to last sip.

Guinea hen with sunchokes, different parts of broccoli, crispy skin, and faro with I don't know, granola? on top was the most straightforward dish, by which I mean my brain immediately understood what I was eating. Delicious, especially that crispy skin.

Regarding attire, I did wear jeans. I saw other jeans there as well as some suits and dresses, and a pair of non-ironic cargo pants. Jeans and a jacket seemed the standard, including the general manager.

Service was outstanding from start to finish, and pacing was exemplary. I sometimes felt we were eating at light speed but the next course was still promptly served.

OK I said more than I thought I would, thinking about it and typing helped. This was a fun adventure. Rock on.

Also, I just saw my first-ever "Groupon Reserve" and it's for Grapeseed -- 3 course Bistro Dinner and Wine for Two -- $85. I think I would prefer the DR.com affiliation, nonetheless....

yeah that deal is not as good as the one here AND groupon gets half of it.

I wrote this 36 hours ago. Just out of curiosity, who has done what?

Are folks here actually listening to my pleas, or are they just ignoring things? I need to know in order to develop a plan moving forward.

If anyone has recruited another person to join dr.com, could you chime in here, please?

I have spammed the shit out of everyone I know. I don't know if anyone has joined.

went to Suna last night and highly recommend it. The atmosphere is low-key- no bells and whistles, just rustic woodsy charm. The small space feels exclusive, and one could feel at home in jeans or dressed up (there was a group in tuxes and gowns). I like the concept of the four or eight course menu. It's easy on the kitchen and this way they can offer some very special dishes and keep the prices reasonable. (8 courses for $78 seems like a bargain these days).

My favorite is the first course: root vegetable raw, pickled and candied with arugula granita and brown butter. This is a wow dish, with flavors that become more complex with every bite as you delve deeper into the dish. I also loved the guinea hen cited above by jbittnerpilar. The hen is moist and there is a crispy piece of skin on top. and confit on the side with farro and bulgar wheat. Great flavors!

Dashi custard with scallop, sea bean, and pickled mushrooms is another innovative and very tasty dish. There is only one dish that I really didn't care for: the shellfish course with mussels, Peruvian purple potato dumplings, and a nori cracker. It's just too fishy for my taste and I thought the dumplings lacked flavor.

My son is a vegetarian and he was there a few nights ago and enjoyed the four-course tasting. He thought there was plenty of food.

What I like best about Suna is its lack of pretention. The emphasis is on showcasing great ingredients rather than putting on a show. The focus is on the plate, where it should be. (I stole this line from our server, but I was thinking the same thing). I would go back in a heartbeat when the menu changes (which I am told will be seasonally). What a great addition to the DC dining scene!

Thank you for permission to wear jeans!

Took advantage of this again tonight for my Mom's birthday. Thanks Jeff, she loved it, we all did. I'm going to have to stop saying "I'm not much of a fish guy" because the fish dishes I've had there the last few weeks have been outstanding but I think the sword picatta is my favorite. At this point I feel like I am stealing.

Finally tried this place for lunch yesterday (and today, as I finish my leftover posole).

I haven't seen posole on many (any?) menus outside of New Mexico, so there it was. I ordered it and a lengua taco. The posole has almost Indian/curry spice to it, unexpected but still delicious. Hominy a little underdone for my taste but whatever.

The lengua taco slides into the second spot on my all time lengua list, with first being a place whose name I have forgotten or never knew in Jackson Hole. Perfectly tender and delicous, and generously portioned--double the meat of many other local tacos (and a bit pricier, I am guessing 3.50 or so but no prices were on the wall and I didn't get an itemized receipt). They double the tortilla, so I made two tacos out of it.

Friends enjoyed everything they had, including one saying it was the best chorizo he'd tasted other than when we took a chorizo class with Cabal, and he ventured it may even be one of their products. Goat barbacoa was another hit.

I'll be back. The lengua vaulted Jessup gas station tacos for that 2 spot, that's how good it was.

We ought to wear badges, sounds like there were a bunch of DR folks there last night. I second everything in Rover's review.

sounds awesome, I'm in.

Had them at Volt recently, perhaps my favorite preparation of them. The crispiness was next level. Of course they cheated and presumably cooked them in bacon fat.

I like to make them as well, not as hard as you might think. Braised, then grilled, with chimichurri.

We ended up doing:

Wagshal’s – Brisket (I had it before but it was even better than I remembered, and the winner overall)

DC Banh Mi combo #1 on par with Song Que in EC

Lost Dog Cafe -Turkey reuben, pretty much as good as a TR can be, and they had The Fear on tap, so winner

American Seafood Corporation – Blackened Grouper, very very good, some people had it number 1 overall

Italian Store – Roma The peppers here are a notch above other places with good Italians. Some of the group have Santucci's Italian cold cut above it, I put them on par. Proscuitto makes it an unfair comparison

Earl’s – Pork and Fries, I didn't care much for this although the pork was good. Group loved it.

Horace & Dickie’s – Fried Fish lol at this being in a sandwich competition but great stuff

Taylor – Chicken cutlet with brie, pesto, arugula Good to great sandwich, would eat again.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions

Mangialardo & Sons - The G Man

ChurchKey - The New Luther

G-Man better than the italian store?

On a quest. Taking suggestions for a trip around DC trying stuff. Here is the tentative list. You will not hurt my feelings insulting this list, but I am more looking for suggestions we have missed.

Wagshal’s – Brisket

Wisemiller’s – Chicken Madness

Eden Center – Banh Mi (song que or banh mi so 1

Lost Dog Cafe - ?

American Seafood Corporation – Blackened Fish

Italian Store – Milano?

Earl’s – The Pearl?

Horace & Dickie’s – Fried Fish

SUNdeVICH – Athens?

Taylor – Island Ave or Church St?

Fast Gourmet – Chivito

We were actually going to go to the wine kitchen but volt dinner ran so late we didn't want to get up and go.