paisan

just went this evening. i would echo an above poster who said it was hit or miss. i have been twice, and i love their fried calamari (though it may be a bit salty) which i think is cooked perfectly. it is not rubbery as is often the case. most importantly, i love their tomato-based sauces. i tend to be a harsh critic of sauce, but this is the only place yet in DC where i can truly say it is reminiscent of grandma's sauce. i see italian cuisine as very home-oriented, so this is the ultimate compliment. unfortunately, i did not enjoy the chicken rollatini that i ordered. the chicken did not seem of high quality, and it was dried out and overwhelmed by the roasted red peppers and mushrooms it was stuffed with. also, a bit on the expensive side. an appetizer, two entrees, and three glasses of wine total was $120, which is as expensive as some much fancier restaurants. all in all, i would go if you're looking for a good plate of pasta that's not too fancy in a cozy little restaurant (the place is extremely small).

i went to zola six months or so ago after the washington post did an article on restaurants that serve rabbit in the DC area. I am a big fan of rabbit, and the article came out on a wednesday, so i went the following tuesday for the pre-theater menu. there was no rabbit on the menu, and the waiter said it had been taken off due to lack of interest. i see now it is back on, but that colored my experience poorly. i did not particularly enjoy my first two courses (they were not memorable), but i did like the dessert, which was basil-based (i am a big fan of spice desserts). that dessert seems to no longer be on the menu, and i cannot speak to if it has gotten any better. i have been there since, however, for the bar portion. the atmosphere is nice, though it can get quite crowded. but i did not enjoy any of three wines i ordered. also, i ordered the "fried rice" from the bar menu, which was fine if you were looking for a fried stick of sorts with an interesting texture (from the rice).

yesterday a friend and i went to sei for dinner, because we were in chinatown and i had read the write-up on it in the washington post food section last wednesday. i have to say, it was excellent. when i went i was hoping for specialty rolls which were not your standard one-fish roll (tuna roll, eel roll, cucumber roll, etc). we were not sure what to get at first because the menu options seemed to have very weird combinations of ingredients, some of which were pretty foreign to us. the place was filled, so we sat the sushi bar, and to whet our appetite we shared the shrimp nigiri (topped with sake jelly). this was a pleasant surprise. the sushi chef noted that we were new, and asked if we would let him prepare an assortment for us, a sort of omakase, which they offer but was not on the menu. not knowing what we felt like, we agreed. and it was a great decision. it included the snow white roll, their fish and chips roll, a variety of nigiri and sashimi, all presented beautifully. all i have to say is everything was excellent, and it gave me full confidence that the rest of the menu will be tasty as well. i fully intend on returning, and recommend this omakase to anyone who goes.

I have now been to Zengo twice, and my experience is overall, underwhelming. the bar downstairs has some interesting cocktails, and i met up with friends there for drinks. they got there well before me, and advised me that the caipirinhas were not well made and had to be sent back. i was happy to see that they carry one of my favorite gins (tanqueray rangpur), and the midnight karma they made with it was good, but the service at the tables near the downstairs bar left a great deal to be desired. it was difficult to get noticed by wait staff, and the wait staff seemed to constantly change. i still wanted to try the food, as it seems quite eccentric and interesting. i went with a friend and we decided to order a series of small plates and simply share. in the upstairs dining room the service was excellent, and our first couple of dishes were good. the mustard mashed potatoes were the first to come out, and i thought they were delicious. not too much mustard, but just enough to clearly announce itself. the scallop gyoza from the chinese new year menu were excellent, though i was not a huge fan of the sauce they chose to pair it with, and found myself preferring simply soy sauce. to be fair though, i have met few dumplings of which i am not a fan. the unagi-shrimp tempura roll was relatively simple, with none of the crunchiness i was expecting from tempura. the thai chicken empanadas were also simply empanadas, which though i enjoyed, did not wow me, and i did NOT like the associated sauce which reminded me more of curry than chiles. finally, the won ton tacos were quite tasty, and presented on the plate beautifully, though difficult to eat, because the won ton shell broke apart so easily. overall, though there were some highlights, i was not thoroughly impressed by zengo, and for each individual dish would probably go to other restaurants which do them better (i.e. sushi, tacos, empanadas). but there were definitely some interesting flavor combinations, and may be worth a try if you are feeling adventurous and want a variety of different options in one menu.