qwertyy

D'vines in Columbia Heights has an excellent beer selection, if thelocation is convenient for you.

Anticipating that we may be, er, overserved on New Year's Eve, a friend and I are planning to have brunch on January 2 so we can sleep late and be slugs on New Year's Day. What are our options? I know it's a Monday, but it's a holiday, so I'd imagine a few places are going to open up for the occasion. For my purposes, I'm looking for something between downtown and Columbia Heights: Penn Quarter, Dupont, U, 14th, Adams Morgan, Mount Pleasant--anywhere in that vicinity. If folks want to post restaurants open in other areas to contribute to the greater good, that's dandy too, as long as I'm able to get my bloody mary on somewhere in my vicinity.

Make no mistake: we are the 1 percent.

Aunt Kay's Swedish butter cookies, listening to Jackie Gleason's Merry Christmas album

It's Christmas!!

A tiny storefront on Georgia Avenue, Fish in the Hood would verge on being one of my favorite new restaurants this year if not for its mysterious hours and a bit of brusque service.

The first time I walked over there, at about 12:30 on a Thursday, the place was locked, though the lights were on inside. It was a crapshoot, since I haven't been able to find their hours listed anywhere, either on their "website" or Yelp. Some workers who'd been contracted to fix their sign were out front, and also chagrined since they couldn't get in touch with the manager or any staff. After chatting with them for about 10 minutes, I moved on (and ended up with an excellent roti from Rita's down the street).

I got lucky the second time, stopping in at about 6:30 on a Friday night, and it was hopping. The interior is dominated by a glass case featuring 10-12 types of raw filleted and whole fish on ice and a high counter behind which the magic happens. There are two or three tables inside, but they're really there more for waiting than for eating. (In any case, I don't recommend lingering inside unless you relish smelling like a fryolater. The patio outside will be a nice place to eat in good weather.) The lady behind the glass case was impatient to take my order and irritated that I didn't know the ordering protocol and had to keep asking her to repeat herself because I couldn't hear her over the din.

I ended up ordering six fried shrimp and one fried fillet of pollack--which she rejected out of hand as not enough so she gave me three. I also ordered the greens, mac and cheese, and potato salad (I needed to sample a quorum!).

A little less than ten minutes later, a man with a big smile (proprietor, I think?) called me over to pick up the goods. He says, "Have you ever had my mango sauce before?" No, sir, I haven't. "Well dear, you take that home and have your man open it up, dip that fish in it, and feed it to you. That'll give you the makings of a good night right there."

With no man at hand for the experiment, I fed it to myself, and holy mackerel (ha), was I in heaven. The crust--cornmeal batter--was still crackling after a 10-minute walk home, the fish and shrimp were well cooked, and that mango sauce is a dream. A dream. So good that I'm not even embarrassed to admit that a fair amount made its way into my mouth via my finger. Seriously: order extra mango sauce (a fancy place would call it a mango aioli or some such). The tartar sauce is also really, really good, and its served with a couple of pieces of bread that are average but which somehow makes for a pretty good sandwich.

The potato salad was pretty good, the mac and cheese was okay, and the greens were pretty eh. Prices are good, and you can also get the fish broiled or take it out raw.

Now just post your hours somewhere, folks, and I'll become a regular.

A big thanks to Tony Bourdain for participating in our famine relief efforts!

I don't know anything about makin' bacon, but there's oodles of info in this thread under Shopping and Cooking.

But I must be a pig, because my thought upon seeing it (and even after finishing it) was "This awesome sandwich would be even more awesome if it were actually the size of a proper poorboy." Compared to what I have found at various places on the Gulf coast, this is about half the size (and about the same price or more). BUT this is not a complaint, more of a wistful thinking, "What if you could get a sandwich this good, but twice as big, and it was warm and sunny outside and you could hear the ocean?" Then I remind myself it is better to be in DC than at the Florabama for many reasons, even if the sandwiches are smaller and it is cold and gray outside.

You're right. I didn't explain that clearly. I was surprised that it was only a half sandwich, but it was too tall, vertically--impossible to take a bite without serious smooshing, then the yolk and sauce kill its structural integrity, making it really difficult to eat. If they were to put the second catfish fillet on another half bun, it'd be a damn near perfect sandwich. You're not a pig.

Strong coffee and leftover butter chicken and garlic naan

(Aside from general deliciousness, it was an excellent choice because I got a table to myself at the conference this morning. )

Johannesburg munchies (Lay's biltong chips; Fresh n Krispy fruit chutney chips; sausage roll; droewors)

Can you explain how you achieved this remarkable result?

I cannot. When any mere civilian tries his hand at a dish made by a notable kitchen such as mine, his dish will always be lacking in that little something, that intangible element that can be neither explained nor taught. Whether attempting Douglas Keane's gougeres, Thomas Keller's oysters and pearls, The Heights' blackened chicken sandwich ("the shoe leather special"), or my potato soup, an outsider will never be able to satisfactorily replicate these meals that capture our imaginations and boggle our minds.

However, if you insist, a reasonable facsimile of my dish may be achieved by mixing a cup of water, a cup of salt, a cup of kindergarten paste, and a liberal dash of tobasco.

Potato-leek soup that managed to be thin yet gloppy, spicy yet bland, salty yet flavorless. That is a true feat of kitchen incompetence. Down the disposal with you...

My eyes! My eyes!

Seriously, I hate change, but I'll get used to it. And though this hiccup stressed out our fearless leader, I hope he is comforted by the fact that I (and others, I'm sure) have grown so fond of this place that just two little days without it was unexpectedly jarring. Whew. All is right with the world again.

i have seen bucks twice and suhi ko once at the height of groupon frenzy and it was not a pretty picture. you definitely are not getting the same level of service -- both places were obviously stretched thin -- and i would expect the food to suffer as well. some restaurants are expert at reducing portion sizes to keep from running out of things on busy nights, and i have seen just how much the size of a hamburger can shrink when the heat is on. you have to weigh the relatively small amound of money you are saving against the potentially big difference the coupons can make in the quality of your dining experience. i have pretty much shunned these coupons when maybe i shouldn't have. i would imagine there are a lot of places you can use them and everything is fine, but i know the peril is out there.

Very true on all counts. But I just don't view this thought process as any different than when I'm trying to decide whether I want to go to a certain place for their happy hour deal or on a Friday night or on New Year's Eve--or even on just random day when an office party buys out the bar or closes a place down--which all bring in mobs and which mostly result in lesser service.

Dear Bread and Brew,

It is not helpful to list your opening hours but not your closing hours on your website. I know I can just call, but come on. Help a girl out.

Smooches,

Q

Thanks! I didn't realize they had a website.

But double drat. Now I need to find someone else to take AND find another place for dinner tonight...

Does anyone know if they offer a vegetarian option? (Not for me--for a teetotaling, meat-eschewing [but otherwise awesome] friend.)

A reasonable argument could be made that he's being responsible in waiting to review Rogue 24 because he realizes his review could have high impact. It's also easy to misspeak in an online chat forum, where things are time-sensitive and somewhat rushed.

It's not my job to defend Tom, and I'll be more than happy to criticize him for long-thought-out, chronic problems such as 4 stars for (the very good) Rasika, but I find it difficult to criticize him for what he said in today's chat. A legitimate argument can be made that, okay, José Andrés is never at "his" restaurants (I have never, not once, seen him at any of them, and I've surely been to them 50 times), so why should it matter if R.J. Cooper is at his? But maybe Tom is trying to cut Rogue 24 a break, and wait a few months longer before issuing a review that could be extremely influential, one way or the other.

I'm not arguing with you, qwertyy; just offering up an alternative.

I totally agree that that could very well be what he meant and understand why he might not want to review it while the chef wasn't there.

But I don't give as much leeway on chats; yes, the published columns are more authoritative, but the Post wouldn't hold these chats if they weren't meant to hold some water, and a man who works with words needs to take responsibility for how they can be interpreted--even when he's writing on the fly. Really, I can't possibly make this point more strongly. When businesses live or die on your words, you better be goddamn careful with what you say and how you say it. (I'm kind of a tyrant bitch on this score. You should see me in the office!) But also, his answer was wierd *twice.* He volunteered this in the first question without being asked and didn't do anything to moderate or correct it in the second. It's possible that it was the most innocent of throw-off comments both times, but if I were a less anal, non-foodish person casually reading, I'd take him to be telling me not to go there, while someone more in the scene might notice that he tends to throw off a lot of comments that have more meat to them that first meets the eye--and take him to be telling me not to go there.

Either way, it's unfortunate.

*I'm not arguing either. Just having a fun debate and taking you up on your request to stir up some dust.

I think that's what people do these days. You're a brand or you're dead.

Though the Rogue 24 comment has been much over-analyzed.

On both counts: well, sure. But his brand has been a bit stale for a while and could use a little goosing. And over-analyzed or no, someone who earns his living spinning words that can contribute toward making or breaking of a business should be aware of the possible interpretations of that line. He could have corrected himself on the second post, but he didn't. So either he meant to say it just as many of us took it, or he's ignorant of the power of his writing... in which case, eek.

And on a personal note, I wouldn't be unhappy if he were to just pull back a bit on his style of trotting out a euphamism every time he starts overthinking. For god's sake, just call them meatballs (not orbs) and chefs (not top toques)!

It should be noted that their Ginger Sqid is junk food crack, and their Buffalo Wings pass muster with this aficionado. I walked past the place a hundred times over several years before stopping in and am rapidly starting to think of it as a decent local bar -- friendly staff, comfy interior, OK beer and wine.

On the other hand, as a restaurant: probably not.

After living nearby for a year, I'd never been before a few weeks ago, but my friends gave me the same impression: good neighborhood joint for brunch or a drink. Thanks for the squid tip--I'll give it a go next time.

Lunch at The Heights is a nice atmosphere. It really is a neat room, with the high ceilings, big windows, and comfortable bar, and it was empty, so it was also nice and quiet. The service is friendly and the beer list is good, if really small.

But the food. Come on, guys. You're in the food business! The blackened chicken sandwich with sundried tomatoes was a sinfully over-cooked piece of meat on a decent bun with... sundried tomatoes. Like whole, oil-packed sundried tomatoes. Lettuce and fresh tomato are served on the side, and I ordered mayo after I took my first bite, but nothing could save this thing, whose texture mostly came down to a piece of particle board topped with oily leather. The fries were okay.

Grilled monterey jack and cheddar cheese with spicy mustard and mayo

Sour dilly beans grown and canned by my cousin

Sauvignon blanc left over from Thanksgiving

Mmmm....

Anyone else think that between the Rogue 24 comment and the Landrum tweet that he's just trying to create some buzz for himself?

" I don't think it makes sense to dine there while R.J. Cooper is away, do you?" - Tom Sietsema

As a matter of fact, I do.

This may be the most irresponsible statement ever by Mr. Sietsema. That the leading food critic in this city would advocate staying away from a restaurant while the Chef is away surprising. Particularly since he recently re-emphasised the 4-star status of Citronelle and Minibar when Chef Richard and Chef Andres are not regularly found in said extablishments?

I have never been to Rogue 24, but what they do is so precise, so meticulous, and so technically skilled that I cannot imagine it would go to hell-in-a-handbasket due to RJ's absence. And if RJ is reading this: stay home, rest up, and get well. I am sure your team will continue to execute to your, and their, high standards.

Luckily our dear Post.com (which increasingly appears to be run by elderly Amazonian tribespeople who have never before seen a computer) cleverly broke all links to this chat for most of the morning so no one could see this silly recommendation.

Let's start a movement: Say NO to the Coupon!

I've got to say: I think this is just crazy talk.* If restaurants don't want to offer coupons, that's just dandy; not having a coupon never has and never will prevent me from eating anywhere. But the idea that the onus is somehow on the customer to deny himself savings just has no logic.

A business is offering a deal that will save me a not insignificant amount of money. I don't see how that's any different than half-price wine night, happy hour, pre-theater menus, or any other discount offered by a business.

*Nothing personal LauraB!