TSchaad
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Everything posted by TSchaad
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I took another day off and had a soup and sandwich lunch at Eve - sounds kind of ordinary, doesn't it? Not if it is a Lickity Split Lunch in the Restaurant Eve lounge. The soup of the day was a Cream of Asparagus with ramp heads, topped by crispy fried onions, creme fraiche and small bits of flower blossom. In presentation the dish looked like an Impressionist painting surrounded by a white ceramic frame. I had to pause for a moment to admire the work of the kitchen in assembling such a beautiful thing before I enjoyed this delicious start to my lunch. Next up was a ham salad sandwich whose flavors brought back memories of my brothers and I watching my dad grind slices of ham to make his own ham salad recipe. Just a great lunch, and still a great deal at $14.98. On my way out, I asked the ladies at the front desk about the current status of Virtue Feed & Grain. They informed me that the new date for opening was now June 9, with only Dinner service available for the first couple of weeks. TSchaad
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The following was published on the Arlington Now website today: "What’s coming to the ground floor of 1650 Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn? We know it’s a restaurant, and that Michael Landrum of Ray’s the Steaks fame is behind it — his name is on the ABC permit, after all — but at this point it’s hard to tell what kind of restaurant it will be. Previously, we reported that the establishment’s name, per the ABC permit, was “The Lobster Pot.” That led to speculation that Landrum was building his long-talked-about “Ray’s the Catch” seafood restaurant. But now there’s a new name on the permit: “Ray’s Hell Burger III.” So will the brown walls of the space at 1650 Wilson soon house an expanded Ray’s Hell Burger? And will the existing Ray’s Hell Burger location across the street turn into Ray’s the Catch? Or is 1650 Wilson actually going to be Ray’s the Catch? Or is the real answer none of the above? Either way, we’re told that the restaurant — whatever it may be — will open in “a few weeks.”" And the mystery only deepens! TSchaad
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I had the day off from work and decided to treat myself to lunch at Screwtop. I decided on the Buffaloaf half sandwich/soup combo - the sandwich was just the right size for a hearty lunch, and the tomato bisque was an excellent complement to round out the meal. Normally that would have been enough for me, but I saw that Wendy still had some of her mother's Key Lime Pie available and ordered a slice. What a great decision! The pie was the perfect finish to a meal on a warm day - a combination of tart and sweet, with a delicate meringue top and a terrific graham cracker crust. I finished off by buying to take home some of her mother's (bless her) English Toffee - a treat I haven't been able to indulge in since shortly after Screwtop opened in 09'. Now I just have to make it last... TSchaad
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Waited at the door for the opening of the new Buzz at Ballston. The interior is a marked departure from the original, with a single example of each of the available baked goods displayed under various pieces of blown glass like individual pieces of art. You select the items you want, and they get them from the storage shelves under the counter. It may be just the way all the baked goods are displayed, but there seems to be a greater variety of items from which to choose at this new location. Staff was friendly and enthusiastic, and the muffins I ordered to bring to work were as good or better than those I have had at the original location. A welcome addition to the Ballston area, and another challenge to my efforts to maintain my ideal weight. TSchaad
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The following was posted on the Arlington Now website this afternoon: "Buzz Bakery will open its new Ballston location on Monday, May 9. That’s the word from Neighborhood Restaurant Group, the company that runs Buzz and its next door neighbor on the 4000 block of Wilson Boulevard, Rustico. Buzz is expected to open its doors as early as 7:00 a.m. on Monday, with plenty of free samples of coffee and baked goods. The 2,000 square foot shop will have many of the same features and menu items of the original Buzz location on Slaters Lane in Alexandria, but will add treats like breakfast pop tarts, made-to-order waffles, individual serving quiches, homemade ice cream, sorbets, popsicles and “take-and-bake”. Yum! TSchaad
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Original post of the Special -- Monday Blues = Soup or Salad + 10 oz. Sirloin for $15, in limited quantity, so come early. TSchaad
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The following post was part of the Kliman Online content today. "Todd-- In response to your reader's request for advice regarding the Monday Night Blues special, I unfortunately have to report that since, apparently, Ray's The Steaks' Monday Night Blues special lies at the heart of a conspiracy the vastness and deviousness of which is rivaled only by that surrounding the so-called President and his "birth" records, we will no longer be offering the Monday Night Blues special--originally a fun, ridiculously inexpensive way to help make the worst day of the week a little better...or so we would have you believe. Diners, fret not however. Our regular menu (which unfortunately for us allows much less opportunity for our little games and deceptions) still offers over a dozen selections of premium seafood and house-aged, house-butchered and hand-carved steaks at $20 or less, including sides, every night of the week. Just the kind of thing you would expect from people like us, isn't it? Michael Landrum, Ray's The Steaks" Everything at Ray's is still a great deal, and I will continue to go, but this is just so sad. TSchaad
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The Washington Post is reporting that Mala Tang will start with a 'soft open' tomorrow, with a planned grand opening on Monday, May 2nd. The article by the Post's Tim Carman is here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/all-we-can-eat/post/hong-kong-palace-chef-builds-his-own-empire/2011/04/21/AFPa0tiE_blog.html TSchaad
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ArlNow has an article on the Clarendon location's opening plans at http://www.arlnow.com/2011/03/24/petes-new-haven-apizza-plans-sunday-opening/ TSchaad
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Arlington Now just posted the following: "Fast-growing all-natural pizza chain Naked Pizza is coming to Pentagon Row. A Naked Pizza restaurant will be replacing Pizza Milano, in a storefront that faces the Harris Teeter parking lot on the northern end of Pentagon Row. Pizza Milano, which used to offer free delivery, is now closed. New Orleans-based Naked Pizza is noted for its devotion to making positive social change — it claims to be "part of the solution to the global epidemic of obesity and chronic disease" by making fast food "healthful instead of harmful" — as well as its health-minded pizza. Some of the "favorite" pizza recipes on the menu at Naked include the Ragin' Cajun (sausage, chicken, garlic bell pepper onion), the Superbiotic (artichoke, spinach, bell pepper, mushroom, garlic, red onion, cliantro), the Pima (black beans, jalapeno, cheddar cheese, tomato, onion, cilantro and lime) and the Smokehouse (hickory-smoked BBQ sauce, onion, chicken). No word yet on when the restaurant plans to open." Because you can never have enough Pizza options in Arlington. TSchaad
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I saw on Pupatella's Facebook page that they had sfogliatelle as a dessert special. My wife was making ziti last night for dinner, and I figured this would be a great dessert (some of her family are from Naples) to bring home. I got there at around 5:30 and the place was pretty quite - something I'll remember the next time I decide to go there for dinner. Enzo took my order for 2 sfogliatelle to go and Anastasiya brought them out and gave me instructions for warming them up (4 minutes in a 400 degree oven). My Great-Grandmother often told us that a proper dessert should be "A little something sweet to taper off on", and these sure fit the bill. They were the perfect ending to a most satisfactory meal, just the right size and slightly warm after the designated time in the oven. Thank you Pupatella! TSchaad
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Mad Rose Tavern, Clarendon - Closed
TSchaad replied to lizzie's topic in Washington DC Restaurants and Dining
Just got an email from Thrillist saying that Mad Rose Tavern expects to open this Wednesday. Based on the beer list and the menu items in the Thrillist article and the Mad Rose Facebook page, this could be a fun destination! TSchaad -
This is the third Sunday Bayou has been open, and when I went there with my wife for lunch at around noon, the place was slammed! All the tables and counter spaces were occupied, and people who couldn't get a table were standing around the pickup area waiting for their orders. Looks like I'll have to work on my timing if I want to indulge my urge for an Arm Drip on the sabbath. TSchaad
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I have had the buttermilk biscuit a number (maybe too big a number) of times, and I cannot say I've ever thought of using the word 'salty' to describe the taste. I will also admit to having consistently covered my biscuit in the available apple butter or honey each time. I've found that if you lay the halves of the biscuit flat, pour honey on them and then wait for a few minutes (this is where the apple butter covered biscuit comes in handy), you end up with all the honey absorbed into the body of the biscuit. The result is like a honeycomb, but with biscuit instead of wax holding the sweetness together. TSchaad
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Sorry for not placing the specific comments from Ktmoomau and mdt I'll refer to above these comments. I am still a relative luddite when it comes using this interface. After I read how your experience differed from mine Ktmoomau, I asked my wife to read my original post and your observations. She knew I was posting to the DR board, but hadn't seen it. I was concerned that somehow my actions were wholly to blame for our experience and asked her what she thought. Her observation was that while I could have tried to force a resolution to the problem once we started getting cold at the table, it wasn't like the Manager and her Hostesses weren't aware of the difficulty we were having. She told me that when she took off her coat and went to ask for directions to the ladies room, the women at the front desk (in her words) 'froze up' as if they were expecting a complaint or confrontation. When she just asked for directionas to the bathroom, they looked visibly relieved, and insisted on walking her all the way through the restaurant to the bathroom door (we had not discussed this event before my first post). This tells me two things - First, they knew we were unhappy and they knew we were cold (donning winter coats in the middle of a meal - BIG clue). Second, they weren't going to do anything to address our obvious distress unless we demanded they do so. I interpret the query by the manager as her way of gaguing whether we were going to be vocal about our unhappy situation. Once they decided we were not going to cause a disturbance, they made the decision to ignore us and wait for us to go away. Its that apparent decision by the management, to ignore us rather than seeking to determine what our problem was and address it, that cemented my decision to never go back there. When you tout your establishment as a high end dining destination, and with the Gastropub label and the prices they charge they have done just that, you are also creating an expectation of a different level of customer service. For us, in this instance, they fell woefully short. I'm glad both of you had enjoyable meals at Againn - I'm just sorry we had a different experience. TSchaad
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When Living Social offered a $50 coupon to the downtown Againn for $25, it seemed to me that this was the perfect opportunity to try out a new (for me) dining option. The coupon was set to expire on January 19 and was not usable during Restaurant Week, so I made an OpenTable reservation for my wife and I for a 6:30 pm seating Saturday night. Maybe it was the combination of the discount coupon,the OpenTable reservation and the folks dining before a Capitals game, but my experience seems to show how easily what should been enjoyable dining experience can fall short. We arrived on time for our reservation, but the hostesses couldn't seem to find it in their database. I had even brought my email confirmation, but since they couldn't find my name, they 'made do' by seating us right against the outside window on a two-top only partially set. I am not normally bothered by a cool room, but by the time our orders had been taken and my drink had arrived, my wife had put on her heavy coat. I eventually had to follow suit a few minutes later. What was remarkable was that no-one - not the waiter or the floor manager, who came over right after we were served our entree to "see if we were enjoying our food", seemed to see anything out of the ordinary about our actions. At that point I was so annoyed that I decided not to say anything, but to just finish the meal and leave. Perhaps I should have insisted on another table, but I was concerned that my complaining would just make an unsatisfactory situation worse. I mean, how can service staff not at least be curious when people who have taken their coats off decide in the middle of a meal to dress as if they were going to a football game? We ate the food we ordered. It was OK, considering I had gotten a discount on the meal. Service, aside from studiously ignoring out obvious discomfort, was efficient, if somewhat distracted by the rapidly filling room. This is probably not the usual experience of diners at Againn, but it was mine. I see no reason to go back. TSchaad
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Samuel Beckett's Irish Gastro Pub, located near the Signature Theater in Shirlington Village, announced today on their Facebook page that they will open at 3 p.m. this Saturday, January 8th. They caution in the post that they will only have a restricted food menu, and ask patrons to please be patient with us as they smooth out the 'bumps' for the first week. Samuel Beckett's will boast three bars, 280 seats, and two fireplaces in its 5,500-square-foot space. The facade and interior were manufactured by an Irish company, and have been shipped overseas to Shirlington. I've been watching this particular enterprise take shape over the last six months during my trips to Shirlington Village. The interior looks fantastic, and I am curious to see how they approach the food. TSchaad
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Got this notification from Thrillist on the planned opening of The Bayou in DC. "Taking over the old Rookery space, Bayou's a two story New Orleans-themed jazz-taurant rocking vintage black and white pics of the Big Easy and a large mural of a jazz band on Frenchman St. under chandeliers. They're hawking everything from po' boys to "St. Charles Fried Oysters", and live-tuning light jazz Thurs-Saturday evenings, followed by later-night rump-shakers like "Old Man Brown" and "Buster Brown and the Get Down", which actually isn't the name of the band, but rather instructions to Buster Brown while walking some of NO's rougher neighborhoods. The Deep South crew is hosting a party for the Saints playoff game Saturday, so check the menu here beforehand at bayoudc.com" TSchaad
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I think this subject has pretty much played itself out. The people who go to Eventide primarily for the dining experience will continue to go. People who focused on the bar or rooftop experience will decide if the 'new direction' and the service provided by the remaining staff is something they can embrace. I doubt anyone will make their decision based on what I saw as Rabbi1969's message - "Keep going to the bar or Dave gets hurt too". TSchaad
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I just wanted to congratulate Wendy Buckley on the first anniversary of her opening Screwtop Wine Bar. It's been fun watching this small independent business grow and evolve over that time. The process of checking things out has also given me the opportunity enjoy a number of delicious lunches and brunches - not to mention the great wines I've been introduced to by Wendy and her great staff. Congratulations Wendy. Here's to many more years of success! TSchaad
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I am not a regular at Eventide, stopping by only occasionly, but I have been following the recent discussion string resulting from Shaggy and Steve announcing their departure with some interest. It strikes me that the statement that the other partners saw the lounge and rooftop going in another direction has generated much of the concern. Perhaps they or the other partners could explain what the new direction is? TSchaad
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I stopped in at 8am today as Bayou opened. The French Press Coffee and Bacon Biscuit were a great start to the day, and I got to see a sign crew replacing the Camille's sign outside with a proper Bayou Bakery one. Should be easy for everyone to find now! TSchaad
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I've now made two stops at Bayou - saturday morning for breakfast, and today to pick up some takeout for lunch. Saturday breakfast was French Press Chicory Coffee, which was used to wash down beignets and a fresh baked biscuit. Everything was terrific. The beignets were what you hope for - warm pillows of dough with a slightly crisp exterior yeilding to a pillowy soft center, covered in powerded sugar. The biscuit was a revelation - perfectly baked, with a lightness you don't normally get at resturants around here. I put some butter and honey on mine and it was perfect. If David ever decides to offer sausage gravy as a biscuit topping for breakfast, there could be lines around the block! Lunch today was something of a compromise. I was planning on picking up a Muffaletta and had been asked to bring back some beignets and Gumbo by a coworker. When I arrived (at 11:00 on the dot) They had already run out of prepped dough to make the beignets, and would not have any more until around noon. I placed my order for the mufaletta and gumbo, and added a couple of pralines for my friend as a substitute for the beignets. We've just finished our respective lunches, and everthing was a hit. My friend was especially impressed by the gumbo, saying it was better than anything she had had the last time she was in New Orleans. I am really looking forward to exploring the rest of Bayou"s menu over the next few months.
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Stopped by Bayou Bakery at Courthouse early this morning after seeing on their Facebook page that David Guas had gotten his occupancy permit yesterday. The brown paper was off the windows, and he was behind the counter getting things ready for business. The space looks great, with little touches of New Orleans here and there on the walls and in the windows. Hopefully he will have the doors open sometime today or tomorrow morning. The blackboard behind the counter said you get 3 beignets for 3 dollars. I am really looking forward to breakfast tomorrow! TSchaad
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I went to the Rustico Oktoberfest celebration on Saturday. They had a great selection of beers from around the US and from Germany, along with dishes from the various members of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group (Rustico included). I had a chance to talk to Rustico's Greg Engert and the folks from Buzz Bakery about the anticipated opening of branches of both Rustico and Buzz in Ballston. It seems that the initial target date of October 25th to open both operations fell victim to construction delays and usual Arlington County inspection/permitting issues. Greg said that the new target date for Rustico was late November (hopefully before Thanksgiving). I also found out that they plan to have even more beers on tap than they have available at the Slater's Lane location, including three hand drawn Cask Ales in the rotation. This in addition to hundreds of beer brands available by the bottle. The folks at the Buzz Bakery booth (love those Guinness cupcakes!) said they were hoping to open at Ballston sometime in mid December. If they can keep to the new schedule, it looks like Christmas may come a little early to Ballston! TSchaad