JBag57

My wife and I had two of the other sandwiches from the Pepe truck last night. She had the confit chicken breast w/bacon, etc., and loved it. I had the butifara burger. The sausage was good, but if it was ever in patty form, it ceased being that way by the time it was in my hands. I don't know if it was the aioli or the brava sauce (is the brava sauce like a barbeque sauce?), but I thought that the saucing flavors did not go well with the sausage.

Thanks, darkstar, for the Ten Tables JP recommendation! We went there last night for a belated celebration of our son's birthday! Definitely a little off the beaten path, but actually very close to where our nephew lives, so he joined in on the fun. Mains were a house made linguini with some sort of pesto (not the one that is on their current online menu) and the peppercorn-rubbed hangar steak. Both delicious. And I can't post a review without mentioning beer programs--small but well thought out tap list (maybe 8 taps). I had the Mystic Saison, which was good. Unfortunately, they did not have anything from Trillium on currently (the website menu had a couple), so those still continue to elude me. Ten tables in the restaurant (thus the name), all with a view of the seemingly tiny kitchen, with a separate bar area that has seating for about another 10 people.

I didn't get much of a beer garden vibe passing through the patio section, but we weren't planning on sitting out there since it was still 85 degrees at 7:45 last night. We went inside instead, and over to the right, it did feel a bit like a beer hall. They have a looooonnng way to go in pretty much every aspect of the customer's experience. The place was only about 1/4 full, and it seemed like there were plenty of bodies on staff, but service was lacking. The bartender opted to wait on our table, and looked to be mostly competent, but after checking on our appetizers, which had taken forever, he advised that they would be out in about 5 minutes. He then disappeared for quite a while. Needless to say, the apps were not out in about 5 minutes, but instead came to the table about 15 minutes later, accompanied by the burgers we had ordered. We apparently caused some confusion by asking the food runner to serve the appetizers, but that we did not want the burgers yet. The bartender/waiter appeared shortly thereafter an assured us that we would get freshly prepared burgers after an appropriate amount of time after getting the apps. Well, that didn't happen either. We were barely halfway into the apps (and not eating slowly, by the way), when the same burgers reappeared on some very hot plates. We did not send them back, deciding instead that it was time to just eat and get out of there as quickly as possible. On to the food. The menu is fairly extensive, and bar food-centric. The spinach and artichoke dip was served with what looked to be a pretty paltry serving of tortilla chips, yet the chips turned out to be more than enough to finish off the dip, which was all of 1/4-inch deep in a pretty small, shallow serving dish. I think this was $9, was pretty marginal in taste, and way overpriced. The other appetizer we had was the bratwurst fritters, served with a spicy remoulade-type sauce. These were halfway decent. The four of us each fell for the hype of the all-natural, grass-fed, hormone- steroid- and antibiotic-free beef used in their burgers, and we ordered three different versions of these among the four of us. I don't know if it was because they took our food back initially and possibly put it back on the grill (hard to imagine, given the toppings on them), but two of the three burgers ordered "medium" were cooked down into hockey pucks. The third, also ordered medium, had the ever-so-slightest thread of pale pink running through the middle. The beef probably would have been good if properly cooked. The bun was mediocre. The beer program, in my eyes, was pretty weak as well. They have about 15-20 craft beers on tap, available in 16 and 32 ounce pours. They were out of two of the first ones that we asked for, and when I asked if anything had gone on to replace them (thinking they might be of a similar style), our waiter/bartender had a look of puzzlement, and responded that the draft list was a day or two old, and that it had not been updated to remove the beers we asked for from the list. I again asked if other beers had been put on in their place, and finally was told "no". One of the beers that we tried to order was Festina Peche by Dogfish Head, a bright, tart, berlinerweiss style. When we were having trouble deciding on an alternative, it was mentioned that they did have another beer by Dogfish Head, the Indian Brown Ale. That couldn't be any farther off in style from the Festina Peche if it tried. When round 2 for beers came around, they were out of yet another beer that I had wanted to try (Morgazm by DuClaw), and for the first time in eons, I asked for water instead. Overall, the draft list does not look all that well thought out, but is instead just an amalgamation of mostly local breweries' offerings. The bottle list was a little better. We probably will not be going back to give them a second chance. There is a much better rendition of what they are trying to do from a food (burgers, at least) and drink standpoint just up the street in Clarendon--Citizen Burger, which has not let us down in the several visits there.

Definitely a better than average fast casual Greek establishment. The one in Vienna is slammed almost every night, and they seem to be able to keep up. The Plaka gyro, though (carved from roasted pork slices on a spit, the apparently genuine way that gyro meat is prepared), has not done much for me lately. It seems to be somewhat overdone little nubs of pork (somewhat like the doner kabob meat at Doner Bistro out in Leesburg the time we went there). Most everything else has been a hit with our family.

I owe everyone a report from Wednesday. Haven't been able to catch my breath. The brief story, we had an incredible time, with incredible food. Only two courses, a pasta that was along the lines of cacio e pepe, but creamier, and the Korean Fried Catfish (currently on the regular menu) were served family style. The rest (and there was a lot more) was more along the lines of a tasting menu (but, in most cases, with significantly larger portions).

A few weeks ago, I tried to nab the rooftop, and, upon refreshing my browser at the appointed time, saw that two of the four evenings available that day had been snagged, but the day we wanted was not. I clicked on that date, however, by the time the next screen appeared, I was informed that that evening was sold out also. As "luck" would have it, I lost out to my sister, who I had recruited to help out (and had invited, in the event that we were successful). So, tonight we go, braving the chill and (hopefully no more than) drizzle! We have long-time friends in from the West Coast, who are celebrating their 32nd wedding anniversary, which is tomorrow, and my wife and I are celebrating our 31st, which was yesterday! I doubt that I will be able to provide a thorough report, but will try to be on the lookout for any dishes that may not have been reviewed above. At least I won't be blathering on about burgers, the subject of most of my recent reviews on this forum! P.S., any suggestions re: parking, especially given that there is a Nats game tonight, as well?

I guess the reason that I mentioned it is that I thought it fascinating as well. At the risk of making this thread about beer instead of really good food in an area that has been sorely lacking in the same, I think it was a small misstep that will not be repeated. Nico, who Tom Sietsema mentioned had been a sommelier at CityZen, was seemingly tagged to oversee beer as well as wine, and probably does not know beer all that well. I don't fault him, if that is the case (maybe I did in my post, to an extent), as I cannot fathom how difficult it is to keep up with the wine business, which is an order or two of magnitude more complex than is the world of craft beer. Clarity is definitely not a beer-centric place, but they clearly recognize that a tap list of Bud Light and Heineken is not going to cut it. I chalk the experience up to them getting some great advice from someone as to what to put on their four tap lines, focusing on local beers (which I generally applaud), and being the victim of having been shipped a keg that was incorrectly labeled. I am just enough of a beer geek to have recognized the error. I am not such a beer geek or foodie that I was trying to "pair" a particular beer with what I was ordering to eat, so was happy to ultimately have the beer that I was served. Thinking back, they did not have the Evolution Lot No.6 on the menu that first night, so I initially thought that they had mispoured the porter instead of the saison that I had ordered, with me thinking that the saison was available on a different line.

I am a bit surprised that there are not at least a couple more reviews of Clarity to this point. My wife and I went late last night (9:15), which was her second time and my third. My additional time was also a late Saturday when she was out of town and I sat at the bar. Our first time was a couple of days after they had opened. Pretty crowded each time, even in the late hours. Last night in particular, there seemed to be quite a few people at the bar simply to have drinks. Being a big burger fan, I have found myself unable to order anything off the menu other than that. It is of the two-patty variety, in color resembling medium-well to well-done, but not overcooked and plenty juicy. (the first night we were there, our waitress told me it was "Five Guys" style, in that it was two thinner patties rather than one larger patty--hopefully they have disabused her of using that descriptor, because that is where the similarity ends). Tom Sietsema's recent quick review said that it is served on a potato roll, but it seemed to me to be more of a brioche bun (can it be both?), with some herbs sprinkled on top. In addition to the beef having a good beefy flavor (dry aged), the confit tomato, a garlic aioli spread, and the white cheddar cheese make for a compelling taste combination. The burger comes with a choice of one side, and, being a traditionalist, I have order the "Pencil Fried Potatoes" with sriracha ketchup each time. I am pleased to report that they have finally figured out how to properly fry these. The first time, it was a limp pile of sogginess. Last night, they were what you would expect them to be. The ketchup has a little kick, without being overwhelmingly spicy. A quick menu note--the $12 burger has now become a $15 burger (it might be slightly larger, as I could not finish it last night), but still fairly priced in my opinion. The price hike may actually be the cause of me trying other entrees in subsequent visits--it was a steal at $12! I am guessing that this was something they figured out. On our first visit, we split the "Brussel Sprouts, Marcona Almonds" appetizer, which I think had the "medjool dates", but definitely did have dried blueberries (the size of BBs, but packing quite a punch) and bibb lettuce. It was more of a salad than the menu made it seem, but it is something I would definitely order again. The brussel sprouts were peeled into leaves and the trademark bitterness was very muted. The marcona almonds were toasted (or something) such that they were less oily, and had a nice crunch. My wife, on that visit, had the Crisp Red Snapper with red pepper relish, which she liked quite a bit, as did Biotech's wife in the above review. Last night, my wife had the grilled yellowfin tuna appetizer and a side of "charred greens" (which, looking at the online menu, used to be called "charred broccoli rabe). It was still the broccoli rabe, but they probably genericized the name of the dish to allow for variation. Very nice char taste, maybe a little too heavy on the garlic in spots (online menu says "garlic chips", which appears to be accurate, and they sort of clumped in the nooks and crannies of some of the pieces of rabe) The tuna appetizer was five decent slices of rare tuna underlying a pistachio pesto (online menu says macadamia nuts). I am not a seafood eater, so I did not try it, but my wife said that it was very good. She also said that she did not detect any cilantro, despite that being listed as a component. A fairly substantial portion for an appetizer. On the beverage front, my wife found a sauvignon blanc that suited her tastes, at $8 by the glass. They have four beer taps and several beers in the bottle. (can you tell by now that we generally do not do cocktails?) The tap selections are well thought out, if not skewing (appropriately) to the lighter side. Currently the lineup is 3Stars (DC) Peppercorn Saison, Evolution (Salisbury, MD) Lot No. 6 (double IPA, but not an enormous hop bomb), Old Bust Head (Vint Hill, Va.) Chukker Czech Pilsner (the only OBH beer that I have liked), and Port City (VA) Optimal Wit. This lineup has been the same* from opening, possibly it will change toward the dark side when the cooler weather arrives in several months. Prices on the 3Stars and OBH Chukker have gone up to the upper end of what one should pay for those beers (actually, in the case of Chukker, now at $8/pint, beyond the upper end). Overall, given that we are only 10 minutes away from this place, we will have it in our regular rotation. It is a very nice, modern setting (albeit in an aging strip mall) which is not common in Vienna. Tom Sietsema can do better than I in describing the décor. Also, they have an outdoor seating patio in front of the restaurant, which is not yet open (as in, no furniture currently present), which might be a nice place if they put up umbrellas or some covering so that one is not looking up at the signage for the neighboring "gold and jewelry exchange" a/k/a pawn shop. There is a maybe 5 or 6 foot tall painted cinderblock wall (currently barren, hopefully somehow decorated once the patio is operational) surrounding the three sides extending away from the front of the restaurant. This outdoor seating aspect might be a little like trying to make lemonade when handed lemons. Finally, contrary to Destruya's comment above, there is a considerable amount of parking, both in their regular lot (albeit we have been there on the late side of the dining hours), and in a neighboring lot that exits to Church Street, which services a small office complex during the day. Clarity has seemingly struck a deal to allow that to by used as restaurant parking come evening, in that there is a sign announcing "Restaurant Parking", which is also mentioned on their website. *The 3Stars peppercorn saison has been on the tap list since opening, but when I ordered it on my first visit, out came a deeply brown-colored beer in a glass. Before it hit the table, I told our waitress that that was not what I ordered. She assured me it was, but went and got Nico, an accomplished sommelier who is also apparently the overall beverage director, who "assured" me that this was the peppercorn saison, because that is what the label on the keg said. We had a good-natured exchange, with me noting that I had had this beer less than a week earlier at Nats Park, and had had it on a number of other occasions. I offered to taste it, if he wanted me to see if that would change my mind. I did, it didn't--it was definitely the 3Stars Pandemic Porter, no surprise to me. Since I like that beer also, I said that I would keep it, but recommended that he get this situation in order. Being that it was the third day that they had been open, I also asked if I was the first person to order the saison, and he said "no", and that no one had reported a discrepancy. I can't imagine (maybe I could if this were more of a hipsterish place) who would have ordered a saison and drank a porter without even knowing the difference. Honestly, I am a little surprised that Nico was not able to discern this just from the color difference. Sometime between that first and my second visit, the saison was put on tap.

In the "every cloud has a silver lining" category, I am now eagerly awaiting the opening of his "Chase the Submarine" on Church Street! I had not heard that this was in the works.

On the beer front, the District Drafts stand up near section 309 (and probably the rest of them) apparently will open with 3 Stars Citra Saison with Lemon Peel, Atlas Rowdy Rye, some sort of Red from Mad Fox in Falls Church, and a DC Brau "special" beer that tasted a lot like Penn Quarter Porter. The Red Porch (downstairs) had some new offerings such as Hardywood Park Pils, Deschutes Black Butte Porter (hopefully to be replaced by something like their Fresh Squeezed IPA when it finally gets warm), and a couple of others that I do not remember (OK, I think Allagash Saison has replaced Hardywood Park Singel). The same two awesome female bartenders are back for another season, as well.

Sorry, I guess I messed up on the quote function on here, and cannot figure out how to delete the post and properly repost again, but here is the statement that the below is in reference to: Marks wrote: "Don't ask a question if you will not like the answer. Give Roberto some slack, as he didn't share your culinary vision." Seriously? That is advice given to trial lawyers before they cross-examine an adverse witness at trial without having the benefit of prior deposition testimony. Is that really the status quo at the upper echelon restaurants in town? Especially when not trying to recreate a dish to suit the palate, but rather to comply with dietary restrictions? He asked, was rebuffed, and it will inform his decision (and mine) as to whether to return to that establishment.

Between 1975 and about 1982, I read pretty much everything Vonnegut had cranked out. These were the first books, aside from Jim Bouton's "Ball Four" which I read as a 13 year old when it was published, that I read voluntarily (i.e., not for school assignments). Although some were better than others, at least for me, I remember pretty much enjoying every one of them.

They're coming to our town, they'll help us party it down?

I almost hate to dignify this post from a forum of dubious distinction (Fairfax Underground), but a reasonable amount of times the posts are correct. I tried to copy and paste it here, but that is not happening, at least the way I am attempting. The post says that Monty's, as well as an Austin Grill (in the same shopping center) are closing down this Spring or Summer. Can anyone verify this?

OK, I am probably in, but need some further DEETS. (is that term still used outside of the bug spray world?) When? (I assume the where is at Gypsy Soul, but maybe not) Would I get a ballet or a ballot? (or maybe I misunderstood entirely) Can you do a $5 IPA in lieu of the Champagne of Bottled Beers? Sounds like a great challenge!

The unloved (on here) Pazzo Pomodoro in Vienna is pretty solid Italian. Not fancy, but solid (like I said). Kibbee, why do you say that Orso is on the decline? We have not been since Will left (not the reason), but some reports have it holding the line on quality.

I can only speak to chicken kabobs, as that is pretty much all I order at Shamshiry, Amoo's, and various kabob places. (although I have had the tah digh appetizer at Amoo's once or twice) As far as the chicken itself, both Shamshiry and Amoo's have a rather blandly marinated chicken kabob (Chicken Kabob at Shamshiry, Chicken Breast Filet Kabob at Amoo's), and one with a livelier, jalapeno/yogurt based marinade (Tandoori Chicken (kabob) at Shamshiry, also Tandoori Chicken (kabob) at Amoo's). , If you had the blander version at Shamshiry, I agree that, while moist, there is not much flavor added by the marinade. The same is, however, true of the blander version at Amoo's. Both of these are very much like the chicken kabob at Rose in Vienna, where it was once explained to me that Persian kabob meats are generally not spicy, and that if I were looking for spiciness, that would come from the chopped jalapeno "chutney" that accompanied the meal. I am not a fan of any of these, although the one at Rose may have been a bit moister than the others. Shamshiry's Tandoori (spicy) Chicken has somewhat more of a kick to it than does Amoo's Tandoori Chicken, still not all that spicy, but is flavorful. I prefer the chicken at Shamshiry by a considerable margin. I have only done carryout from both places, and when you do the carryout at Shamshiry, the chicken meat is embedded in the considerable portion of rice, as are a portion of a grilled tomato and a pickle, which adds some flavor. When you get to the portions of the rice that are nothing but the white rice, it is pretty bland. Amoo's rice was not terribly memorable to me, by the same token. It seemed to just be plain white rice. Amoo's has a slight edge in the bread category, but as I recall, it is pretty much just quartered sections of pita (or similar) bread. Shamshiry (for carryout), as you alluded to, Don, provides several strips of what initially looks like pita bread (in a Ziploc bag), but could at best be described as a thinner pita bread that is about to go completely stale, and has very little flavor of its own. One thing that I noted the last time I was at Amoo's is that their prices for several familiar items that I have ordered or considered ordering, have recently gone up by about $3-$4 per item. The Tandoori Chicken now clocks in at $16, up from $12 or $13. The tah digh appetizer has seen a similar increase. While the price increases for other dishes may be seen as still providing good value for tasty food, there is no way that I would consider the new price for the Tandoori chicken as providing good value. The Tandoori Chicken at Shamshiry is either $12 of $12.50, in my recollection. The meat portion is probably slightly larger at Shamshiry, as well.

Chuy's?

I remember the New Orleans Emporium in Adams Morgan, like you say, 25 years ago. My wife and I took my mother (now 91 years old) down there, and we had a great time/meal! We went a couple of other times, as well. I will prioritize going to Blue Iguana, since we are out in the western 'burbs, and would love to have a good jambalaya or gumbo, especially in this "chilly" weather!

We braved the wind and intermittent snow squalls tonight, traveling from the western suburbs for a Valentine's Day dinner. Congrats to Lyon Hall for not throwing out some overpriced, prix fixe menu for the occasion! There were a couple of appetizer and main course specials that looked pretty good, but since we had not been here before (I had eaten once at the bar), we stayed on the regular menu. We were served an amuse bouche described as a wild boar rillettes. Tasty, rich, and salty, which was somewhat the theme of the rest of the meal. We started with the fried chick peas (formed into something resembling steak fries) and French Onion soup, and then had the pork schnitzel and the half-sausage plate as main courses. Everything very solid, and probably a little too hearty. We gave up on eating some of our starters and a decent part of our main courses to save room for a dessert cheese course. Everything was very good, though. As we were about to ask to get the menu back to look at the cheeses, our waitress brought a complimentary dessert to the table. It looked to be something like a fruit pudding, but we asked her if it could be served to someone else, because we wanted to have a cheese course. She seemed a little taken aback, but we assured her that we appreciated the gesture. The cheese was the highlight of the evening. Really nice serving of five cheeses for $17.50, and while it did not look like a large quantity, it was very fulfilling and brought a wide variety of rich tastes. Served with the pistachio/raisin bread mentioned above, as well as an apricot spread and some form of berry jam. The cheese stands out on its own, no need for the accompaniments. The young couple next to us ordered a charcuterie plate, which looked great and was very abundant. We are going to go back (once we get our cholesterol meds in order) and have the charcuterie and a cheese sampling. The beer offerings fit our style as well. My wife had a couple of Saison Duponts, and I had an Evolution Lot #6 DIPA and a Stone's Enjoy By 2/14/15. (yes, whoever distributes Stone to Northern Virginia dumped several kegs on unwitting and probably somewhat unwilling customers in the past day or so, and they are not supposed to sell it after today!) At $9.00 for a 12 ounce pour for each of these, it is not cheap, but also (unfortunately) not out of line with other local establishments.

The aforesaid JV's "Live Music Room" was not there when we went there in late October/early November of 2014. They sure could use it though, because prior capacity was about 50, and that included people having to sit in booths with their backs to the stage. I grew up about a mile from this place, played Little League baseball at a field directly adjacent to this strip mall, and I always felt like (with no real evidence) that this was a "locals" bar that you did not want to enter if you did not already belong to the group of regulars. I was not one of said regulars. When I entered for the first time, a couple of months ago, I think I was probably right had it been 10 or 20 years earlier. Now, it seems very welcoming, but the décor is stuck in the past, a la Vienna Inn. We only had beers (no draft beer at the time), so I cannot comment on the food, other than it looked like a somewhat limited, standard dive bar menu. The live music seems to be the real attraction, so hopefully the addition of the "Live Music Room" will allow them to book some slightly bigger acts. To that end, the strip mall and the size of JV's kind of reminds me of the original Birchmere down at the back end of Fairlington, in a similar strip mall t0 JV's that I think was razed and subsumed into what is now the expanded (over the original) Shirlington shopping/eating district.

The Milwaukee Frozen Custard location in Herndon has closed. I write this mainly to let any of you western suburb OBXers know that there will be a Duck Donuts opening at that location--not sure how soon.

Their biscuits and sausage gravy are probably the worst I have had, save for those I had at a new "brewpub" in Mishawaka (South Bend) Indiana. I imagine I would be more satisfied with the same offering at a Denny's or Bob Evans.

I just somehow deleted 15 minutes worth of a review, and don't have the strength to try to redo it. This place should succeed. It sounded like it would be in my wheelhouse (good burgers and craft beer), and it was, with the exception (not surprisingly) that I was about double the age of the average patron in this Clarendon location. The grass-fed beef in the burger was very tasty, but maybe slightly underseasoned--I will have to do a close comparison to Gypsy Soul's, which has been my recent gold standard. Nothing like grass-fed beef for me. I ordered essentially no toppings, so that I could better taste the beef. I ordered "pink" and it was just on the reddish side of "pink" that I had hoped for. The standard brioche bun stood up to the burger, but was rather bland and added essentially nothing. I got the standard order of fries, even though I knew from watching other orders come out that the burger itself (8 oz.) would be more than enough for me. They were more or less what Five Guys serves in terms of whole potato slices, edge potato slices, and smaller niblets, but much less greasy than Five Guys, so a big plus. Also, for the burger, unless you are a very hearty eater, be careful of how much stuff you order on it, some of the ones coming out of the kitchen were pretty ginormous. As for parking, which was a concern expressed above, I was there at 8:00 tonight (Friday), so street parking was too much of a challenge, but there is a garage on the same block (I am pretty sure on 11th Street just East of Highland) in which I parked. It was $2.00 for 3 hours after 6:00 on weekdays, and something like $2.00 or $3.00 for quite a bit of time on weekends. Somehow, in the 200 feet between the garage and the entrance to the restaurant, or on the way back, I managed to lose my ticket. I went to the exit gate expecting to ram it, or pay a maximum something like $20, but when I pushed the assistance button to explain, the remote security service asked why I had been in the garage, I told them I had just gone to a restaurant in the building, and they raised the gate so that I was able to leave free of charge. I will be going back. Clarendon is a bit of a challenge, but that garage makes it less intimidating.

Any ideas as to what my best bet would be for trying to park nearby? I don't get down to Clarendon often, but I want to try this place.