Jump to content

JimCo

Members
  • Posts

    154
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    12

Everything posted by JimCo

  1. We went to Kismet during our 'Dry January' and they have the best mocktails I've ever had in my life. Better than most cocktails I've ever had.
  2. I can’t speak to the best pizza in Connecticut, but after 2 takeout orders and one dine-in experience I’ll say that I think this is among the best pizza in our area. The clam pizza is incredible with the primary initial flavor being garlic and the clams providing a great briny flavor as well. The tomato pies were simple but delicious. I prefer my pizzas well done and I would note there has been a lot of char on our pizzas. We did not order them that way so some might find that unpleasant. But I find their standard cook to be a great mix of crispy and chewy. So glad to have this place.
  3. I'm not sure as I've never tried the Union Market location. I can say that I had a similar experience with Sloppy Mama's when they were serving out of a bar but cooking elsewhere. I thought it was awful. I just think the further you get away from the pit (and the pitmaster) the more can go wrong. I've been to the Riverdale location twice and it's been fantastic both times. And on both occasions, the owner and pitmaster Fernando Gonzalez was there and checking on everything.
  4. I don't think they cook on-site at Union Market, so you'll probably have better success at the original location.
  5. Stopped by with the extended family on Sunday afternoon and it was surprisingly uncrowded given how this place is becoming a BBQ establishment that could hold its own in Texas. The specials today included Pork Brisket, and pupusas which could be ordered with brisket or pulled pork. We went with the brisket pupusas, a half-pound of pork brisket, a pound of beef brisket, a 'quarter chicken' (which was insanely huge), 2 beef poblano sausages, 1 pork cheddar sausage, a couple of pork ribs, potato salad and mac-and-cheese. It was all excellent. Highlights were the specials, along with the pork cheddar sausage. Incidentally, I saw a photo of Fernando Gonzalez (the owner/pitmaster of 2Fifty) at Goldee's BBQ class this summer. Goldee's is currently #1 in the Texas Monthly BBQ list. I really admire his drive to keep getting better, even when what he's producing is spectacular.
  6. No beer unfortunately. Three tables for dining in. It was exclusively a carryout operation until recently though.
  7. A spicy sesame chili oil noodle recipe in the Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/04/10/sesame-chile-oil-noodles-recipe/) inspired me to go to Duangrat's Oriental Food Mart in search of a few ingredients. Afterwards, I ate at Zaap!, their Thai street food mart inside. Zaap! appears to share the same kitchen as Rabieng Thai Restaurant, but has its own menu: https://gallery.mailchimp.com/71d3d16db2dd18ff85ff097e2/files/d1cf78b4-d0df-438a-a55c-c8da66d07821/zaap_2020.pdf I ordered the Moo Krob Kaprow (crispy pork belly) but they were out. So I went with the Gai Kaprow + Kai Dao (ground chicken basil and fried egg w/ jasmine rice) pictured below. Despite the two chili peppers next to the name, the spice was more warming than full-on sweaty but it was very good. I didn't intend to eat it all, but did. The server took one look at my empty bowl and said it would make the chef's day. If that's all that's required, I could make the chef's day any day. FYI -- the homemade spicy sesame chili oil noodles for dinner were good too.
  8. Dinner at Hill Country earlier this week left me sad for the restaurant and its workers, and depressed about the future for many restaurants. The servers, bartender, and manager couldn't have been friendlier. But the place was practically deserted at 7pm on a weeknight while a Wizards game was happening just a block away. If you've been to Hill Country, you know it's a big place. But there were probably only five tables occupied giving the place an empty and funereal feeling. Also, bbq is a business that requires healthy streams of customers to keep the product fresh -- and this food had been clearly sitting around a long time. The ribs had turned to the texture of pulled pork. The hot link was so dry and acrid from smoke that I couldn't eat more than one bite. The brisket was still pretty good however. The draft list at the bar is down to just a few options. They didn't have Shiner on draft anymore, and it didn't sound like it was being replaced any time soon. Their once hefty side dish bar is now down to just four or five dishes -- probably the ones that can hold up the best over time like green bean casserole and mac n cheese. Their dessert menu is down to just three items (two of which are a pecan tart and a cookie that are clearly brought in). They don't serve ice cream any more because they said they can't go through it fast enough. Again, everyone on the team could not have been nicer so this post is not a complaint --just a sad acknowledgement of what I imagine is happening at a lot of restaurants right now. I'm glad they're still there, but given their size and menu, I wonder how much longer they can last.
  9. Hank's in Old Town is moving off of King Street and into the old Hank & Mitzi's in North Old Town around April/May. The upside is they'll have a rooftop bar. However, I hope they install a longer bar indoors too, as the bar at Hank & Mitzi's was about half the size of the King Street location. https://alexandrialivingmagazine.com/food-and-dining/hanks-oyster-bar-alexandria-to-move-to-old-town-north/
  10. Thanks! Already made a reservation at Montreal Plaza. It looks fantastic! We're facing some limitations because we're there on a Monday 'til Thursday, and a lot of places look to be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Plus, Joe Beef and their affiliates are closed for a few weeks after Christmas. But we'll have a fun time exploring.
  11. Wow, this is incredible. Thanks so much! Judging from your earlier posts, I think we have a lot in common with our taste in restaurants. Here in DC, we love Tail Up Goat, Revelers Hour, Kinship and Little Serow. Our best experiences have tended to be when we just sit at the bar for a few hours and have a good time with the food, drinks and staff. Can't wait to check out some of your highlights.
  12. My wife and I are headed up to Montreal for a few days between Christmas and New Year's. We're staying in Old Montreal but are hoping to explore a lot of the city. I'd love any recommendations. Thank you!
  13. 😬 Braised ribs at a BBQ joint? I'm pretty anti-regulation, but there oughta be a law...
  14. Thanks, everyone! It was a tough call, but we went with Hank's: https://hanksoysterbar.com/christmas-to-go/
  15. We're thinking of taking it easy this Christmas, and getting a full take-out holiday meal from an area restaurant. Did anyone have any particularly noteworthy experiences with any at Thanksgiving? Or know of any restaurants offering them? We'd be happy to pick it up on the 23rd or 24th. Thanks!
  16. When it comes to the M2M menu, I'm not afraid to "explore the studio space" as they say. I have yet to find something that I don't enjoy. But I also have yet to find something (including the Funky Cuban) that I enjoy as much as the Duncan. The Duncan is the same roasted pork that's on the Cuban, paired with provolone, hot cherry peppers, and wilted spinach. The bread isn't pressed like the Cuban but still provides plenty of crunch, and there is just enough spice to make it interesting without being overpowering.
  17. Damn you, Don. I got the pulled chicken for lunch today, and thought for once I was going to politely agree-to-disagree with you. When I see "pulled" I generally interpret that as a scoop of finely shredded and desiccated meat requiring significant amounts of sauce to make it plattable. This is not that at all. It's large chunks of pink chicken with a great rub and a LOT of smoke. When I first opened the box, I thought there had been a mix-up and I had been given pulled pork, given the chunks of pink meat. I really enjoyed it, though I preferred their spicy vinegar sauce to the mustard. I would say that mine was a tad over-smoked. While I usually enjoy an excessive smoky flavor, it was borderline bitter. But dipping the chunks in the sauce helped balance it out. I would order again.
  18. Exactly. So while I generally prefer spicier things, I actually liked the jalapeno flavoring of the Level 1 more than the spicier cayenne flavoring of Level 2. (And I'm now wondering if I'm going to have to try the unique seasoning of Level 3.)
  19. You're right. Their website could use a better explainer. FWIW, I found Tim Carman's review of their Herndon location to be a very helpful backgrounder before I ordered there the first time. https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/restaurants/wooboi-thats-a-hot-and-tasty-chicken-sandwich/2020/03/09/56f1f278-6177-11ea-b3fc-7841686c5c57_story.html
  20. There is now a Wooboi in Alexandria, located behind Oak Steakhouse on Montgomery Street. They take online orders for pick-up so there's a minimal wait. I've tried the level 1 and level 2 sando's so far. I don't mind spicy food, but I think the level 1 is a better sandwich. I believe the level 1 is flavored with jalapeno rather than cayenne, and the level 2 is just a bit grittier. But both are delicious, and incredibly moist due to the use of chicken thighs. There is something sweet in their sauce too which makes it highly addictive. My kids ordered the chicken fingers which are huge. They included 4 per order, and I'd say each 'finger' is about the size of a whole breast. Very happy to have this in Alexandria.
  21. We ordered from the Falls Church location a few months ago. By the time we got home about 25 minutes later, we found the pizza to be a little soft and soggy. The next day, we reheated it in the oven at 350 for about 10-15 minutes. Voila! The bottom was crisp with a light doughy interior. It was great. In the future, I think we'll pop it in the oven for a little while when we get home.
  22. Effective August 1st, London Curry House is now IndoChen: https://www.indochen.com/ Same ownership, same chef, but evidently a greater emphasis on Indo-Chinese food. The menu still includes some of the old favorites such as biryani from London Curry Houes.
  23. Tim Carman has raved about this restaurant pretty regularly over the past two years. It's behind the Build America Plaza in Arlington, and thus can be tough to find. Trust your Google Maps. We went in person last winter and had a tremendous meal, probably the best Ethiopian food we've had in this area (which includes Abay, Makeda and Meaza). The staff and fellow customers were incredibly welcoming, with one older customer performing magic tricks for our boys. They have reopened for indoor dining, but we're more comfortable with takeout and ordered from here last week. Phoning in the order was easy, and the food was ready in 20 minutes. The staff were all wearing masks. The customers dining-in were not (at least while they were eating), but were socially distanced. Parts of the injera got a little damp during transportation but they gave us so much it didn't matter. The Special Veggie Combo has 6 vegetables with the highlight being the spicy lentils. We also loved the Kitfo Special and Awaze Tibs. There doesn't seem to be much different from other restaurants in the their preparations of these items, but it's the quality of the meat that really comes through. As a bonus, the tibs and injera reheated in the oven were fantastic leftovers the next day. The ends of the injera get a little crispy in the oven. We may have to order some specifically for leftovers next time. 😊
×
×
  • Create New...