Rovers2000

Since my wife and I dine out significantly less than we used to due to the kiddos (dragging 14 month old twins and a 3.5 year old out isn't my idea of relaxing) - we chose Green Pig on Saturday evening due to its proximity to our home in Ballston, ability to walk around and grab a drink somewhere after dinner and just general disinterest in heading downtown. We walked in around 730 without reservations and were able to easily grab 2 seats that had recently opened up at the bar. Its been a couple years since I've dined here - and I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the meal. Nothing was earth shattering, but everything we ordered was executed well and delicious...and the bartender (whose name I regrettably missed) despite taking care of a relatively full bar didn't miss a beat and was just genuinely very nice. We ordered: - Charcuterie and Cheese plate - pretty standard but did the trick as we enjoyed a glass of wine and a cocktail (mulled wine with apple cider that my wife very much enjoyed) - Filet for her and Scallops and Pork Belly for me - both were really well done, cooked as they should be, and very satisfying on a chilly winter evening. I would order the Scallops and Pork Belly again in a heart beat (my wife cleaned her plate so I didn't snag a taste of hers) - Pistacio creme brulee - a very good rendition that really leaned heavy on the pistacio (which I liked). We enjoyed a simple but ideal for balancing across the meal bottle of Beaujolais and walked out satisfied with the overall quality, general relaxed vibe of the place and price of the experience. We'll put this up higher on whatever amounts for our "regular" rotation after Saturday night.

I agree that its a shell of what it used to be - that said, to Keithstg's point - there is wine to be consumed . ...and I'm down there relatively frequently for Caps games or other things. The space has a lot of good memories and while the food isn't what it used to be - I've found that one last time in a space where I've had good meals, good times and memories that make me smile can be as important as the food itself.

This really makes me sad as I make it a point to visit proof (despite the fact they've taken the gnocchi off the menu of late) before Caps games. I would certainly be in for a DR.com throwback dinner.

This is genuinely appalling and I share in the disgust that my tax dollars go towards the policing and defense of this absurdity. Thank you for taking up this charge.

Oh man are you ever right re: the end result of those peanut bars. Though I'm ashamed to admit I'd likely still be able to inhale a couple oatmeal creme pies (which is one of the reasons Little Debbie snacks have never made an appearance in any of my "adult" homes)

It reminds me of the buckets of UTZ cheese balls my parents used to keep in the pantry (growing up pretty close to Little Debbies / Entemanns / UTZ factories in Eastern PA as a kid led to a pretty interesting pantry). I do have a bit of faith that this stuff is at least a tad healthier and I must admit, I have stolen a bag or two of these and "veggie" straws from my daughters stash.

My kids cannot get enough of omelets (the 11 month old twins and my 3 year old daughter). It ends up being a good way (a lot of spinach goes in - but also any unused veggie scraps that are in containers in the fridge do as well) to get some extra veggies in across the board. My daughter went through a phase where she only wanted cereal but thankfully that's passed.

My wife and I went out (a less frequent occurrence now that we have 3 kiddos) for our anniversary last Sunday and were very very pleased we chose to do so at Kinship. We arrived early for our 830 reservation and enjoyed a couple drinks at the bar - a pear themed fall cocktail for her and a glass of chenin blanc for me. The bar was relatively empty but the dining room was humming even on a Sunday so it was a really nice, relatively sedate, way to start the evening. Upon finishing our drinks we were informed that our table was ready and escorted from the bar to our table in the back corner of the dining room. As an aside, in the future I’ll definitely try and grab one of the private booths right off the bar. I thought those looked terrific and should’ve heeded the advice of others in the thread above and snagged one. A nice touch was a little card awaiting us on the table wishing us a happy anniversary from the staff. For our meal we shared 3 courses and a desert, complemented by two excellent half bottles of wine (a nice dry Riesling and an excellently chosen Pinot Noir): -Squid Agilio e Olio - I literally (and my wife would’ve fought me for it) could’ve eaten a giant bowl of this. Extremely light and dressed so that the squid really shined (and texturally was perfect). We gobbled this up before my wife had a chance to snap a picture. -Lobster French Toast - I agree with Don that this dish doesn’t totally represent the “best of” Kinship due to its overall decadence. That said - we both really enjoyed splitting it (for me, it would’ve been too rich to eat by myself). I found the “french toast” to be a nice compliment to the perfectly cooked lobster I also thought it was a perfect size. -Roasted Chicken - I had to convince my wife go this route and man, she was pretty thrilled we did. I don’t believe I’ve ever had a chicken dish of any sort that rivals what we had (and I’d include Palena’s in this). The panade was incredible and I liked the way they shredded the dark meat over the frisée salad. I accompanying potatoes (I wonder if they use the par boil with baking soda technique to get the crusts the way they are) and parker house roles served as nice compliments to the roasted bird. - BlackRock Orchard Baked Apple - we paired this with the excellent coffee service (its worth getting to echo everyone’s statements above) with this fall focused desert (despite it being 80 degrees outside). The apple may have been slightly underdone - but otherwise this was another excellent dish. I really was surprised at how much I enjoyed the “bay mouse” that served as the base. Despite some absolutely atrocious behavior from a customer nearby, I was also extremely impressed by the staff at Kinship from both a warmth and an overall level of service perspective, even late on a Sunday evening. Additionally - from a cost perspective, getting out of there after having the amount and quality of the food we ordered plus two very nice half bottles of wine for 160 pp (including tax and tip) felt like an excellent deal (not cheap certainly, but more than fair in my opinion). I really look forward to returning.

I've found the formula (Similac Sensitive) to be a great deal. Its a larger container and ends up cheaper by the ounce than amazon. As a father of 10 month old twins - its been definitely a cost saver. I also used my membership to buy my dad his hearing aids and he has been over the moon about them as well as Costco's services on this front (when he visits we go to get them "tuned up"). While I don't buy a ton of wine there for myself, my parents who love cheap chardonnay (to each their own) have me load up on Simi when it goes on sale for them. Additionally I was quite pleased with the Uppercut Cabernet that was on sale earlier this year. Its a more than serviceable house wine.

Andy - thank you for joining us for this chat! My question is more around, despite the attention the 3 starred places receive - what draws you to a smaller, more mom and pop, type place in your travels? Is it just to experience something truly "local" or are there specific types of cuisine that hit home for you (whether because they draw up certain memories from your past or there are just specific tastes that hit the sweet spot for you)? Thank you!

I'll be up at MIT Sloan for a week in early September. Anyone have any recs for places (Craigie on Main is on the list) that are going to be walk-able from MIT? I'm also fine hopping in an uber. Its looking like I'll have 3 nights free to do some exploring on my own.

You don't "need" the chime. However, as I'm currently running around chasing 8 month old twins and a 3 year old - I don't always have my phone on me, so enabling alexa's ability to notify you if someone is at the front door would be helpful. Currently - we just rely on seeing the alerts on our phone and largely that works fine. The chime thing is just a nit / irritation that could be my household specific.

I’m of two minds re: Trotz: - As a person / culture builder he is tremendous. - That said, his roster moves / reluctance to use younger players unless he has the proverbial gun to his head have long been a source of frustration. For me, he falls into the Beagle category of - I’m happy that payday sets him and his family up for the rest of their life but I’m also glad it’s not us paying him that much. I will always be thankful to him for this year - but I respect GMBMs ability to separate that from the reality of the situation.

I have the Ring 2 (battery powered since the electrical line for my doorbell was pretty shot). Other than the battery draining way more quickly than I'd prefer (I have a backup so its not a huge issue) I've been very happy with it. If the WiFi in your house is weak, it definitely will make the "live feed" exponentially slower. Since I recently moved to a mesh network in my house, it has not been an issue. If I had a working line to the doorbell, I'd likely have gone for the Ring Pro which is smaller. I also eagerly await the day that Amazon (which purchased Ring) integrates Ring with the Alexa skills so that it "rings" through my Echo(s). It irritates me to no end that they still peddle the Ring Chime when clearly its obsolete.

I would say GMBM is likely going to be in the running for GM of the year after this offseason. Took a team with a cap that could have been an absolute mess - and instead only the loss the current Stanley cup champions have to deal with is that of a 4th line center (I love Beagle and I’m thrilled he got paid...I’m just glad it wasn’t by us). Our cap is in a wildly better place and I think we struck a balance of giving some space to test out some of our up and coming prospects while keeping our foundation in tact. I am already looking forward to next season.

The structural thing is what terrifies me. Those old places in that area aren’t exactly robust from a foundation / basement perspective (I remember a day long ago that I was helping the owners of Bourbon down the street in Glover Park literally bail water due to a bad storm out of their basement - and couldn’t believe how decrepit it was)... Regardless, they’re in my thoughts and I will 100% be spending some time / money there when they reopen.

Just a guess - but I'm assuming they stored a lot of wine in their basement space. If the wine got soaked - there likely would be potential cork damage / contamination.

What a joke. They won't be, but Eater and the City Paper should be embarrassed.

This for sure is sad. When I heard, I just shook my head. I genuinely, b/c not only are they wonderful chefs they are amazing people, hope they land somewhere with a bit more long term sustainability for them. They're an asset to the DC dining community.

The barrel picks I’ve had from Dry85, if you’re a whisk(e)y fan have been some of the best I’ve experienced in this area. The Four Roses and the Weller Antique were incredible.

I was there a bit over a month ago and he was there

Had dinner there last night with a dear colleague. Both of our first times trying and we were both extremely impressed with everything from the wine to the food to the decor / service. It was also my first opportunity to try a wine from Lightwell Survey (Sebastian Zutants label) - "You're a Wild One" which is a unique blend of mostly Cabernet Franc with a bit of Petit Manseng thrown in. This was amazingly drinkable stuff that I thought was pretty unique. In terms of food we had: - BBQ Carrots (I literally almost licked the dish clean - would highly recommend) - Einkorn Sourdough with Chicken Liver Mousse - loved the char on the bread which really complemented the smoothness of the mousse - Tagliatelle - while this was good - I likely would order a different pasta next time. I didn't get a lot of flavor out of the breadcrumbs and my dining partner commented that it almost felt like "eating sand" in the pasta - Lamb Ribs - the accolades folks have heaped on them are well deserved in my opinion. A huge plate of meaty ribs - I was pretty stuffed after we demolished this plate. - Dessert we had the Oat Cake and Apple Sorbet - I liked the clean flavors in the sorbet, and the surprise hit of tumeric actually worked quite well It wasn't a cheap meal but we also basically rolled out of there due to being so full - what a wonderful spot and one that once the twins grow up a bit more and give my wife and I some freedom back, we'll be heading to for a date night in the future.

Uppercut Cabernet would fit the bill. Its currently onsale for 7.99 at Costco (5$ off the usual price). That said, not sure if you'd want to have 7 cases or so of it sitting around your house.

We used Ace Beverage for our wedding and I genuinely could not have been happier (they also will take back any unopened / unchilled wine / booze /beer which was awesome).

They have a recently redone app that I've found makes this WAY less of a burden. When I walk into the store (granted, the Ballston one is within walking distance for me), I open the app, see what the offers are and if any spark my interest its as easy as showing them my phone.