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jdl

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  1. jdl
    The bread at Mio is better than the bread at Beck's, though it doesn't come out of the kitchen warm at Mio..... (And, of course, there is no greater baked product served at dinner in DC than those Parker House rolls at CityZen. Schwing!)
  2. jdl
    This place is promising with good tortillas and salsas and those delicious aguas fresca and a nice sense of traditionalism -- but boy, the carnitas and beef tacos I tried were horribly underseasoned. Not sure they could have tasted any more bland. (The fish and chicken tacos were much better -- especially the chicken.) I've also noticed that they're inconsistent with the amount of meat they put into the tacos.
  3. jdl
    Seems the crickets/lack of buzz were due to the fact that Mio didn't actually open its doors until last night. Liquor-license issues, I believe. Anyway, dropped in on the way to the Arcade Fire show and had a few glasses of wine (Zwiesel stems and the glasses are available in half-pours as well -- a nice touch), a shared app of broiled herb-crusted sea scallops and baked littleneck clams (enjoyable though the clams were a little bit stubborn coming out of their shells) and a couple of entrees: - roasted herb poussin with white bean puree and shallot cloves: quality of the bird was good, technique/execution were good w/moist meat and a nicely crisped skin, also loved that they quartered the in the kitchen before serving... - and, for ldl, sauteed mushrooms (bluefoot, beech, shitake) with rapini over creamy polenta and olive-caper tapenade: took a small bite of this, loved the blend of earthy/bitter/salty flavors. We also had a couple of sides: - pan fried okra in cornmeal, which had a nice dash of sleeper heat and was served over two tomato slices that were strangely ripe and flavorful for this time of the year. (i nibbled and one just to see if it tasted like anything and was shocked to discover that it was actually delicious) - caramelized Jerusalem artichokes, which were Craft-like in their preperation. so simple, letting that great sunchoke flavor star. The rolls they're serving are have an absolutely delightful crust. Not sure where they're being sourced, but I don't think it's Breadline. Not the same crust, and they looked and tasted different. They're also pouring a very nice Spanish olive oil that reminded me I need to order my 2006 earls from Tuscany. (Actually, from Rare Wine Co in Sonoma...but whatever.) We had to skip dessert because of the show. Service was friendly and helpful with nary a problem to report. In fact, our server recommended that we order a starter after we'd placed our order, since it was going to take 20 minutes for the poussin to roast. Glad she told us that. (And the bird came out in exactly 20 minutes, too.) Was pleasantly surprised things ran so smoothly given that it was the first night. Will be back to investigate the menu further.
  4. jdl
    Opening tonight, I believe. . .
  5. jdl
    So ... I guess this place has opened. Never mind that the front door still seems to be closed and papered, and that I haven't actually seen anybody coming in or out on my daily walk to/from work. It's open, people! Says so right here in Washington Flyer magazine's The Dish: "Chef JohnPaul Damato (who formerly presided over the kitchens of all three Jaleo restaurants) is confidently at the helm of mio (1110 Vermont Ave., NW; 202/955-0075; www.miorestaurant.com), which features American cuisine with global influences. Choose the dining room, with rich, earth-toned walls and exposed brick, or relax in the 'pit stop' area. Either way, pleasurable tastes and inventive dishes abound, such as baked pom pom mushroom stuffed with parsnip purée or the West Coast, rope-cultured oysters that are totally 'to dive for.'" Either this place actually did open, and I simply missed it (as did everybody else here, since there hasn't been a single post on it), or, well ... you do the math. I'm really looking forward to Mio's arrival as it's a block from my office and three blocks from home -- and really, it's all about my needs. But the area really does need a good restaurant, and Mio looks promising on paper --- and online: Unlike its neighbor, Il Mulino, Mio already has a useful Web site that includes a lunch and dinner menu with prices and a wine list, too. ETA: Mio's managing partner says the restaurant has a tentative opening date of April 24.
  6. jdl
    Careful what you say, lest Donna start blogging about you, too.
  7. jdl
    Based on the menu pricing, I expected to hear that the wine is marked up by a pretty big multiple. What'd you drink, and how much was it?
  8. jdl
    From Sietsema's Weekly Dish: "Once we get a chance to look at an actual menu, I realize why Il Mulino, dressed to thrill with tapestries and chandeliers, doesn't list prices on its Web site: The dishes are priced as if everyone sitting down were a trust fund baby or a Trump. Pastas hover around $25. Osso buco is almost twice that. Could the food possibly warrant the price of admission?"
  9. jdl
    Is cassoulet on the menu, or was this just a one-time thing for whatever this soiree was?
  10. jdl
    Anybody else have corkage envy after reading today's Washington Post Food section story on Philadelphia's BYO boom?
  11. jdl
    Danielle, could you please post a sample menu with prices? The Il Mulino Web site is sort of inadequate on that front.
  12. jdl
    Prime rib eye, no? That's what my better half ordered that same night, and she rather liked it. But, obviously, your mileage may vary.
  13. jdl
    Dined at CityZen for the first time in more than a year last night -- and it's pretty apparent that the restaurant is operating at a higher level than before in terms of both service and cuisine. The service is beginning to approach the heights you see at Zeibold's old place of employment (and I ain't talkin' about Vidalia). And the food was better across the board -- better ingredients, better execution and more clarity to his ideas, I thought. We did the tasting menu with a supplement (wanted to add the short ribs to give us a second meat course as we were drinking 85 Monte Bello and 91 Dominus). Two canapes, the more memorable of which by far was an olive oil custard with some sort of liquified red pepper that was pleasingly (and surprisingly) hot. I could have consumed a vat of this stuff. Path Valley Farms rabbit consomme with shredded carrots, celery and three delicious almond-sized scoops of ham hock mousse Sashimi of bluefin toro with a butter-pickle ceviche and a just-baked Yuenling popover served over a dollop of honey of unclear origin Pan-seared medallion of Atlantic monkfish over a potato puree and topped with a gorgeous piece of seared foie and a perigourdine sauce Red-wine braised Prime beef short ribs with parsnip "risotto," watercress duxelles (the sharpness of the cress really brought the dish together for me) and crispy bone marrow Cubebe-crusted saddle of Elysian Fields Farm lamb with buttercream acorn squash puree, carmelized salsify and Yellowfoot chanterelles (very good, though I wish this one had been served before the beef ribs -- would have made more sense in terms of the arc of the meal) Cheese plate (I passed and had a salad instead) Lemongrass sorbet over diced, roasted pineapple (better than the featured dessert itself...) Anjou pear tart with Kendall Farms creme fraiche mousse and Weiss milk chocolate sauce And the usual assortment of petits fours We were very pleased with the experience. Afterwards, I asked Zeibold about the improved service and he attributed it to the lack of turnover and the fact that the front-of-house folks are now more seasoned and have a better sense of their jobs and each other. And here I thought it was because I was dining with a celebrity doppelganger! (A minor Nashville celebrity -- but still.) We'll be back sooner than later.
  14. jdl
    What's the deal with Blue Duck's wine list? Prices generally seem to be on the higher side, which is strange given the relative value of some of the dishes on the menu. Or maybe that's not so strange - perhaps they're counting on making their nut from wine sales. The $25 corkage seems like a no-brainer.
  15. jdl
    Is there a better snack food in the area than Rasika's palak chaat? Discuss. It's a dish I constantly find myself thinking of -- much like the otherworldly nam kao tod (spice level five, please) from Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas.
  16. jdl
    So, what's up with Beck's? It was supposed to be up and running by this point. But the glassy fishbowl of a building that's going to house it s is only now nearing completion. And as for the bistro space itself, I looked through the door today, and it's basically just an empty shell -- albeit one filled with blueprints, contractor types, etc. Anybody heard any updates from Chef Wiedmaier?
  17. jdl
    And now, for the final word (he said, having a conversation with himself). The restaurateur Ashok Bajaj is a class act. I thought as much the first time I was introduced to him, and I believe it even more now that my friend has told me that Mr. Bajaj personally responded to his complaint in near-record time -- on Restaurant Week Saturday, no less. He apologized profusely for the incident, offered to pay for my friend's dry cleaning and then asked that he return to the restaurant for a meal, offering to send him a gift certificate in the process. Well done, Mr. Bajaj!
  18. jdl
    But wait, there's more... I'd forgotten this detail, which I'm copy-pasting from my friend's letter to the restaurant. "I felt that the waiter's response was absolutely unacceptable. He used profanity before apologizing to me, and began to mop the tea off of the floor before offering me a towel or napkin to dry off my soaking neck, back and shirt. I went to the restroom, changed into a jacket and returned to my seat." And this: "The waiter, however, didn't return for about fifteen minutes. When he finally arrived to take our order he made a joke about being afraid to come back to the table. Perhaps he wasn't kidding?" Good times! (Not.)
  19. jdl
    * smoked chicken and andouille sausage gumbo * roasted sweet corn and blue crab soup * classic turtle soup * trio of deviled eggs * pickled beet salad * green salad (not sure if this is the baby spinach and watercress salad on the menu or something more basic -- they didn't specify and we didn't ask) Oh, and all entrees are offered at dinner, though there's a $9 markup for the crabcakes and NoLa-style bbq shrimp. Pretty good food, but how in the hell did the place become so popular that it's regularly at or near the top of OpenTable's Top 10 Booked list? (Then again, that list isn't necessarily loaded with DC's best restaurants -- TenPenh, DC Coast, Old Ebbitt, Ceiba, Clyde's of Gallery Place, Zola and Zengo are also regulars in the Top 10.) I guess people like going there for the incredible decibel level. I couldn't even hear myself think, it was so damn noisy. Somebody needs to bring a dB reader to the restaurant at, say, 8pm and see if it cracks 100.
  20. jdl
    Lunchtime at Rasika with colleagues: Server takes drink order. Server returns with iced teas. Server spills iced tea all over one diner's back. Server stands there like deer in headlights as other diners hand napkins to doused diner. Other servers help clean up mess. Main server finally asks doused diner if he wants to go to bathroom to dry off. Doused diner returns with jacked on and zipped and soaked shirt in hand. Meal resumes. Meal ends. Bill comes. Nothing removed - not even iced tea. Manager asks how meal was. Diners tell him it was terrific, save for iced tea that wound up on somebody's back. Manager looks stunned. Manager apologizes to doused diner. Manager pulls aside server for brief lecture. Diners speculate that server never told manager about accident. Credit cards come back, bill unchanged. Manager returns to give doused diner business card. Manager tells doused diner to call if he needs anything. Diners shake heads. I've eaten at Rasika multiple times - probably 10 to 12 in the last year. I've always liked the service there. On this visit, however, it flat-out sucked. Not only did my friend get an iced-tea bath but the waiter tried to talk him into keeping the yogurt in the palak chaat even though the guy specifically asked for it to be removed because he has issues with eating dairy ("but it's only a tiny amount, and you won't even notice it," the waiter said) -- and then he forgot my friend had ordered dessert and insisted that, in fact, he hadn't. There was also a water glass on the table that took 30 minutes to be filled, and the iced tea glasses were removed too early in the service, without the server even asking if we were done with the beverages. (But hey, at least the chapli kebab was delicious.) Maybe we were wrong to expect that the restaurant would at least comp the beverages. But the way the issue was handled wasn't particularly satisfactory and, in fact, annoyed the sheesh out of us.
  21. jdl
    Has anyone been here for RW? Thoughts/impressions?
  22. jdl
    Tom is interviewed here. It's the site's standard Q&A format so there isn't much about food other than the obligatory question about what he had for breakfast.
  23. jdl
    Congrats on the opening. As the Web site isn't working right now, can you post the opening menu here please? I'd love to see it, and I'm sure some others are interested as well. Thanks.
  24. jdl
    Anybody know whether N.B. is still planning a truffle dinner? Signed, The Truffle Pig
  25. jdl
    OK, now I'm REALLY hungry. On Friday and Saturday only, chef?
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