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lotus125

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  1. Pascual opened a few weeks ago. https://www.pascualdc.com/ It's a Mexican restaurant by the team that runs Lutece (one of my favorites in DC). Despite some occasional new restaurant hiccups, it's strong right out of the gate. Definitely not cookie cutter Mexican food. The menu is interesting and includes a lot of vegetable dishes. All very well executed. My only big nit is the dessert menu. In my view, the desserts at Lutece are the best in DC -- conceptually interesting and perfectly executed. Given that incredible pastry talent, I expected Pascual to have great desserts too. But, unfortunately, the desserts at Pascual are a bit dull and far less delicious than the savory dishes. I'm hoping that once the restaurant hits its stride, that will change.
  2. We attempted to go to Philotimo but were unsuccessful: Tock showed availability, but the moment that reservation was within 30 minutes, it disappeared with a message that Tock won't book within 30 minutes. No problem, we'll call. But the phone kept going to an automated system that said the office is closed. (We tried various iterations of typing "0" or entering "front desk," but no luck.) So we decided to swing by. The person at the host stand seemed perplexed by a walkin, and someone else came over to say "we're full." No suggestion that we could wait, eat at the bar, or similar. Oh well, it happens. On our way out, just to be helpful, we flagged that the phone was going directly to voicemail. With no sense of apology, they drying noted "the phone in broken." Oh well. We then drove to Padaek and had a very good dinner. I'm not holding it against them. But hardly a model of front of house. Here's hoping that our next attempt is more successful and that the food is worth the effort!
  3. In the last few months, three upscale Greek restaurants opened (or reopened) in DC: Philotimo (reopened downtown, from Chef Nicholas Stefanelli); Limani (by the Wharf); and Balos (by Dupont). Has anyone tried any (or hopefully many) of them? I haven't seen any reviews. It'd be nice to have something like Nostos but ideally a mix of closer to DC proper, less expensive, and/or a bit more innovative.
  4. Apologies if this isn't the board for this question, but I didn't see another good fit, and I'm particularly interested in thoughts from people in the DC-area restaurant industry. There's a now-common service/app/restaurant funding company called inKind. Basically (I think), the company fronts cash to restaurants and then sells restaurant credit, often at a discount (the more credit you buy, the greater the discount). When diners eat at participating restaurants, they pay the bill through the app; the tip (or service charge) goes on the diner's credit card while the rest off the bill comes out of inKind credit. Since many DC (and I assume other) restaurants participate, I assume that restaurants like the funding model to get upfront cash and that it may drive traffic. But how do restaurants experience a diner's use of the app? Is it good to pay down the credit? Or does it deprive the restaurant of cashflow, i.e., a large check takes credit off the books but doesn't directly put money into the bank account? If people with inKind accounts want to be considerate to restaurants, should they use inKind sometimes but just pay by credit card other times? Or does it not matter? I'm hoping that some of the industry folks who post here might have thoughts. Thanks!
  5. Apologies if I missed a thread that already exists about Xiquet. Has anyone been?
  6. Has anyone been to Paraiso recently? I recently glanced at the menu, which seems much more interesting and ambitious than when they first opened. Is there a new chef?
  7. Any recent experiences? I drove by and noticed the very nice patio. I haven't been in years, and I'm wondering if it's worth a visit.
  8. We had a lovely brunch at Salt Line. They have an airy but well-covered patio with views of the water and a nice breeze on a hot day. We had a very good salad (which included pickled broccoli, peas and pumpkin seeds), "coddies" (potato and cod balls, with a good hit of mustard), a thai-inflected ceviche (i wanted more acid, but the gf disagreed), a terrific gazpacho, and a great nashville-hot softshell crab. Their cocktails are very good, and they have a nice wine list. A good option that we hadn't visited in too long!
  9. Fiola Mare used to be one of our DC favorites -- expensive to be sure and a bit stuffy for our taste, but great food. We had mixed takeout experiences in the past few years. And a friend recently reported that he'd had a mediocre meal there. But we've wanted to try it again. When we saw an evening with terrific weather, we grabbed an outdoor table on the water and returned. The prices have drifted even higher than what I remember. But more to the point, the food (and service) just weren't where they used to be. Nothing bad, but a lot more variation and few big winners. We started with a crudo and a burrata. The crudo was perfectly good, but the set up massively overpowered the fish, leaving us to ask each other if it was good fish. (It was). Adding some salt helped bring out a few flavors. But since we remembered loving virtually every crudo we'd had there, this was a disappointment. The burrata was served with a pesto and a frozen and crushed powder made of spring herbs. A tableside presentation that involved freezing the herbs in liquid nitrogen and then pulverizing them with a mortar and pestle struck me as unnecessary but entertaining. (We also debated whether the freezing process adds a temperature contrast or enables a better crush without bruising the herbs.) A ravioli-like pasta (anolini) with goat cheese, herbs, peas, and lemon was badly undersalted. A twist on linguine with clams (which I think has long been on the menu) was excellent. And a simply prepared salmon with peas and herbs was springy and quite tasty. Our waiter was friendly and accommodating though seemed to be stretched a bit thin, with runners doing most of the work. And while the sommelier guided us to an enjoyable bottle, he was a bit dour, didn't seem interested in engaging or educating on their Italian selection, and surprisingly never came back to see if we were enjoying the bottle. The views are gorgeous and the food is still pretty good. But at this price point, I would hope for better -- something that they used to deliver. Perhaps this was an off experience. But I fear that Fiola Mare may not be what it once was. I'm curious to know if others have had similar or dissimilar experiences lately.
  10. Ha, no relation to that Lutece. The chef is Matt Conroy: https://georgetowner.com/articles/2020/11/12/new-chef-partner-at-lutece-matt-conroy/
  11. Apologies if I missed it, but there doesn't seem to be a thread on Lutece in Georgetown. Modern bistro. Very seasonal. Subtle but excellent cooking.
  12. We've watched Reverie evolve since it opened in 2018. We have enjoyed all of our meals there (and COVID takeout). But our most recent two have been our favorites, and our last was truly excellent. The restaurant, which I'd previously described as a mashup between nordic and spanish, has fully evolved into a successful, new-nordic experience. (I wonder if the soon-to-open Bar Spero will be an outlet for the chef's also excellent spanish food.) Our most recent meal would have held its own against some of the better restaurants in Copenhagen and Stockholm. This style of food may not be for everyone. But for those who like it, Reverie is a must.
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