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Lori Gardner

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  1. Lori Gardner
    We were there Monday night. Surprisingly it wasn't very crowded- expecting that will change with time. We've been to the location in Charlottesville a number of times, so were trying to order different things - meaning no scallion pancake. Grandma's Noodle with chili powder, scallion, garlic, and cilantro was excellent. This dish will go on my regular rotation- it's a perfect amount of spice and complexity. Stir fried shredded smoked duck was good- but not sure I would order it again. It doesn't compare to other dishes I've had including dry fried eggplant and hot and numbing flounder with tofu in clay pot. My husband ordered boneless whole fish with pine nuts in a sweet red sauce. This was good but would be better shared between more people- it's too sweet to eat for one or even two people. I am delighted to have Chef Chang in Rockville and hope he'll stick around this location for awhile. Can't wait to return.
  2. Lori Gardner
    This restaurant is coming off my to do list until I read some better things on this board. I trust the opinions here.
  3. Lori Gardner
    I was there on Saturday afternoon and it wasn't too crowded. The cafe menu has four items and we ordered them all. Cambodian pork noodle soup was by far my favorite of the dishes. Pork steam bao and pan-fried leek buns were good but nothing very special- a little heavy. Soy milk and Chinese doughnuts (looks like churros- but not as sweet)- are good but I prefer a little more sugar in my dessert. I love the mixed-use concept, the space is beautiful, and I will definitely return for dinner sometime. I found it amusing and annoying that Maketto had been open for two days, and a greeter at the door asked if we've been here before. I think they need a better opening line!
  4. Lori Gardner
    we had a wonderful dinner at Marcel's last night. Somehow we had never been compelled to dine here before, but decided to try it for an anniversary dinner. now my husband and I feel like we've been missing out on a real gem. We will most definitely return. We did have a few hiccups in service and no sign of Adnane- if he was there we didn't notice and he didn't stop by our table. Will write more details soon.
  5. Lori Gardner
    I may be mistaken but I think the $10 Monday specials may only be available for a few more weeks. I am a big fan of Osteria Morini - particularly for the housemade pastas by chef Matt Adler and desserts by Alex Levin. reading the post by eatruneat makes me want to return ASAP.
  6. Lori Gardner
    interesting article. Why didn't my family think of this! Surprised there is no mention of Food, Wine & Co which is one of my choices for "best" of Bethesda. Have not been to Le Vieux Logis yet and am tempted to give it a try.
  7. Lori Gardner
    according to DC Eater Ananda just made the list of 25 best new restaurants in the country!
  8. Lori Gardner
    I was here for Valentine's Day dinner. The weather obviously affected some people's plans, so the restaurant was not full. We had no service issues. I also ordered grilled chicken hearts, and agree they were quite good (and appropriate for Valentine's Day). I enjoyed every dish we ordered, and cannot wait to return. I need to go back, however, with meat-eaters who aren't afraid of spice. Our party of four included someone who is spice-intolerant, and so we didn't get the full-on flavors.
  9. Lori Gardner
    I have to echo these comments about The Alley Light. I've been to Charlottesville a few times in the last year, and was researching restaurants there recently as I was supposed to go again this past weekend. Never came across The Alley Light. Has anyone been?
  10. Lori Gardner
    I'm sorry to read this too. I had a great experience at Ananda several months ago, and am planning a return visit in a few weeks. Here's my post from October. http://beenthereeatenthat.net/2014/10/ananda/ I'll report back after I return.
  11. Lori Gardner
    I have a reservation for late February. wondering if I should change it....
  12. Lori Gardner
    has anyone been recently? Need a Silver Spring venue for a small group and thinking this would be good but haven't dined year in a few years.
  13. Lori Gardner
    Had dinner here last week and it was one of those occasions when service put a damper on the entire experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the fried chicken - it was moist, crispy, nearly perfect. Also had excellent trout with lemon caper brown butter sauce, and deliciously smoky grits. But the service...long periods of waiting for wine and then for our order to be taken. Incorrect dishes served. We may have ordered dessert, but server took so long to ask that we just wanted to leave at that point. Management tried to help, but also failed to follow through. Good food and incompetent service equals a fail. No plans to return to Boss Shepard's.
  14. Lori Gardner
    oh my- I lived in that complex my senior year of college. I won't say how many years ago. haven't been out that way in many years but sounds like it's worth taking a ride.
  15. Lori Gardner
    ate here tonight. I found the orange crush quite potent. The curly fries were not curly- apparently they were out of those but were still decent fries. Chicken wings were a special tonight. I thought they were fine- nothing memorable. The bartender/server convinced me to get a chilled seafood salad rather than the "Little Salad" I was about to order. I am grateful for the recommendation. The salad- with poached squid, gulf shrimp, mint, lime, a touch of chilies, carrot cabbage, and ginger, was light and refreshing. Eating the salad (alongside wings & fries) enabled me to justify ordering the only dessert on the menu- waffle ice cream sandwich. At $7.50 it's a tad pricey- but who cares. It was simple (waffles and ice cream, covered with powdered sugar) but is a fitting ending to a meal here.
  16. Lori Gardner
    I am thrilled to hear this news!
  17. Lori Gardner
    I just published my blog post on City Perch. For those interested, you can check it out here. Lori
  18. Lori Gardner
    As a server said to me on one of my visits to Rose's- with no reservations, your table is your table. We aren't going to make you feel like its time to go because someone else is waiting for it. (or something to that effect). Chef/owner Aaron Silverman explains in an interview with "We Love DC." ""We don't like kicking people out of their seats to sit the next person down," Silverman told me in a recent phone conversation, "but a big part of it is that it's advantageous to the neighborhood. All of the people in the neighborhood are at an advantage because they don't have to drive for an hour or fly to get to us and then find out that we are full. Their risk is much lower. They can just walk across the street." Whether a restaurant takes reservations or no, its customers still have to play a waiting game. With reservations, they are calling on the phone every day with hopes to get a seat"”four, six or eight weeks out. With no reservations, diners have the opportunity to show up that very day, but they may have to wait in line. "Anybody who wants to be at Rose's today can eat there today"”guaranteed. You may have to get in line early and you may have to wait, but you are guaranteed to eat dinner there today if you want to," Silverman declared. "If we took reservations only, we would be booked and there would be no way. You couldn't just go." The policy of no reservations is the "lesser evil" because people who have waited can enjoy their meals for as long as they like, Silverman said.
  19. Lori Gardner
    I had dinner at Soi 38 tonight. My experience was mixed. I also had the Mee Krob- I was curious after the discussion here. My dish only had one shrimp and tofu (no pork). I didn't think it had much flavor and was not impressed. For an entree I had sriracha fried rice with chicken thighs, basil, and green peppers. This was disappointing. It had a bit of heat, but there was nothing interesting about the dish. (I had to come back in and edit my comments- I'm eating leftovers of this right now and it's better the next day!) . My husband, son, and daughter-in-law had the whole fish catch of the day- which was rockfish. One was steamed with lemongrass, chili, and garlic. The other was fried with Thai spicy chili sauce. They raved about both preparations. The fish was far superior to what I ordered. They also had an appetizer with tofu and chilis that they really enjoyed (don't remember the name and it isn't listed online). Take note: the online menu is fairly different from the one currently being offered in the restaurant. There were previously more noodle dishes, and a section wholly devoted to curries. This is no longer on the menu, although some curry dishes are available. The decor at Soi 38 is beautiful, and there are other dishes on the menu that look appealing. But I'm not compelled to rush back.
  20. Lori Gardner
    And this is exactly why Rose's doesn't normally take reservations- so they don't have to deal with issues like this. Very classy to comp a meal!
  21. Lori Gardner
    I went to the opening- so this was a free event. I sponsored a happy hour for my staff on the second visit. I fully paid for drinks and food. By the third visit, I was acquainted with the chef. I was comped tastes of two small plates- crab cakes and "everything" waffle and two desserts. When I write my blog post, I will disclose this. I always do. I have a number of friends who have visited City Perch and have had nothing but good things to say about the food. There were some complaints about prices and dismay about some dishes that had no garnishes or accompaniments, especially given the prices. Chef Baker told me he was working on presentation of the dishes and addressing some of the comments made in the Post review. By the way, the food at the movies is coming from a different kitchen. Bad popcorn IS tragic!
  22. Lori Gardner
    I was dismayed to see Tom Sietsema's City Perch review in The Washington Post magazine section yesterday, considering the restaurant is only about a month old. Sietsema visited the restaurant multiple times, but during its infancy. Shouldn't a restaurant be able to work out the kinks before being subjected to a major review? I'm wondering why he didn't start with a First Bite column. I've now been to City Perch three times- once for dinner, another time for cocktails and bar bites, and also attended the opening event. I've been very impressed with the food from Executive Chef Matt Baker and well-known pastry chef, Sherry Yard. (Yard helped design the menu and is working to get the restaurant off the ground.) I agree with the complimentary parts of the review- the bread board is absolutely amazing, as are the brussels sprouts. The roast chicken is also quite good. Not mentioned was cedar smoked salmon, which my husband enjoyed, and my friend raved about short ribs. We had no issues with over zealous servers, although it was clear they were somewhat tentative after being slammed in the review. I'm hoping the review doesn't dissuade potential diners- particularly in Montgomery County- from giving it a try. The Rockville area is in desperate need of upscale, quality dining. City Perch delivers- and the setting is really quite lovely as well.
  23. Lori Gardner
    I had a very enjoyable meal here recently. We started with a terrific bruschetta trio. One topping featured smoked ricotta and espellette, another avocado and pistachio, and the third chickpea and grilled scallions. Fritto misto- a plate of light and airy fried vegetables and citrus slices- were delightful on their own or dipped into a zesty green olive aioli. As a main course I shared grilled swordfish, which was highlighted by the smokiness of charred cauliflower, the saltiness of capers, the crunch of pine nuts, the sweetness of raisins, and the robustness of a generous helping of carrot romesco sauce. This was followed by a juicy lamb merguez burger with thick and crispy polenta fries. I found the dining room to be a bit bland- almost unfinished. But the food makes this new restaurant in the W Hotel worth a visit. For anyone interested, my blog post on Pinea can be found here.
  24. Lori Gardner
    my mother-in-law lives right next door to this shopping center. I haven't been but my husband ate here and was not a fan of the felafel. I will see if he will give it another try.
  25. Lori Gardner
    We had a good dinner here tonight but not quite the level of cooking I was expecting. We may have erred in asking that the spicy food be toned down to medium. I had devil chicken wings, which were crispy fried with a sweet sauce. I would have liked them to be a bit hotter. Spicy basil fried rice was quite good - we had it with tofu- as my husband doesn't eat meat. There was lots of flavor but again we ordered it medium hot and we should have kept it hot. I finally asked for the spicy condiments, and this was just what the dish needed. My husband had a whole crispy fish- I forget what kind of fish. But it was very overcooked and dry, although the lime ginger sauce helped resuscitate it. Our food was slow in coming out of the kitchen and the staff was very apologetic. They brought us shrimp dumplings and later Thai iced tea to compensate, although we didn't complain. My husband doesn't eat meat or shellfish, so his options here are limited. I would come back, only if I could find a meat eater to accompany me. I feel as if I missed out on some of the best dishes. The highlight for us were the housemade sauces, which add another layer of flavor to the food.
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