LauraB

I had no idea that this place existed before yesterday, and I'll probably live out the rest of my days without heading back that way.  If you're looking to drop some dough on grandma, and she still sees DC as seedy, I guess you could do worse than La Ferme.

This place was one of Nancy Reagan's favorite spots to meet up with her 'ladies who lunch' friends back in the '80s.  Enough said.

For those of you who have been here, do they have any savory offerings, or is it all sweets and pastries?

Boneless chicken breasts sautéed in coconut oil

Roasted cauliflower with cumin seeds, topped with salted yogurt, mint and pomegranate seeds

Kale sautéed with garlic

But, to my larger point, I think pre-theater diners are a thin reed to build a successful restaurant on, given their tendency towards light meals, modest alcohol and early exits.  

I'm not suggesting that the restaurant should be geared toward pre-theater diners.  That would be folly.  I'm merely stating why we went there.

True, as far as it goes.  But, as a hotel, they have a certain obligation to cater to an in-house clientele who may not have signed up for the District Gastro-tour and just want to get a decent -- better-than-decent, in a $600/night room  -- steak or burger after a long flight followed by tiring meetings (or long meetings followed by a tiring flight) without wandering around a strange city.

I agree with you.  And I can tell you from personal experience, those guests were not receiving that 'decent' meal over the past few months at Sou'Wester.  It was like the restaurant just completely gave up on both food and service.

As far as why a local might find themselves there, it's very convenient as a dining location before seeing a play at Arena Stage, especially given the dearth of other venues in the area.

Anyone stop by there today?

I don't have any predictions for how the new 'concept' will fare.  However, they had to make a change.  Sou'wester had declined significantly.  Our last visit there a month ago was appalling.  At least the new Asian theme will be in line with the Asian origins of the hotel. 

Does anyone remember how *awesome* BWI was to travel from back around 1990?

YES I DO!  BWI was my preferred airport from the mid-80s to late 90s, while living in Maryland.  It was simply great -- easy access, not huge crowds (of course, this was before TSA).  Unfortunately, that changed.  The last time I flew from BWI was in early 2007, after many years of flying out of other airports.  I was stunned at the growth at BWI and the accompanying inconvenience.  It was *almost* as bad as Dulles!

On Wednesday, October 30th, walking back from the Van Gogh exhibit at the Phillips, we passed by the line at Little Serow right about 5:00 pm. (Yes, unbeknownst to Mr.B, I purposely steered us in that direction )  I counted perhaps 18 people in line and thought we'd have a good chance of being seated in the first seating, so we joined the line. This was our first visit, not for lack of desire, but for lack of time and opportunity.  It was a gorgeous late afternoon and soon we struck up a conversation with the fellow in line ahead of us.  He turned out to be DR.com member, AlexC, owner of the GrapeCrate, about which he has written here.  We had a delightful conversation and the 30 minutes we spent in line just flew by.  We were indeed seated shortly after the 5:30 opening and what an incredibly wonderful experience we had after that!

As I mentioned above, this was our first visit to LS, so I cannot compare the quality of the experience with anything prior to now.  I can say that, in our experience on this particular evening, they were operating on as high a level as I expected.  The service was akin to that we've come to know at Komi: friendly, extremely knowledgeable, and enthusiastic about the food.  I requested a white wine recommendation and the server brought me a taste of her first recommendation and I didn't particularly care for it.  She then brought me a taste of a Sicilian wine that was just fantastic and paired very well with the food.

And, speaking of the food: I love Thai food, but my experience is purely through Thai restaurants, I have never been to Thailand.  This food experience was a universe away from any Thai restaurant I've ever experienced.  The menu that night:

nam prik num

finger chilies/shallots/bla rah

tom kha pla muk

krachai/galangal/dried squid

yum het khai khem

mushroom/salted duck egg/rice powder

laap khway

buffalo/long pepper/lemongrass

khao tang gapi

salted prawn/cilantro root/peanut

phat fak thong

pumpkin/shrimp paste/egg

si krong muu

pork ribs/mekhong whiskey/dill

I have read here, and elsewhere, that people find the spicy heat too much in some of the dishes.  We did not experience that.  We love spicy, and many dishes were plenty spicy, but not overwhelming to our palates.  The plate of fresh-cut vegetables with romaine lettuces, cabbage, cucumbers, watermelon radishes, etc., that was replenished in a timely fashion, helped to offset the heat.  With the exception of the starter dish, nam prik num, I loved every dish we were served. (I didn't dislike it, it was just fairly neutral for me.) My favorite dish of the night was the tom kha pla muk: this is related to the tom kha soups you can find at other Thai restaurants, but on a level so much more refined that I'll never be able to order that soup anywhere else again.  When it was set down on the table the aroma wafting from the bowl was intoxicating.  I was happy when the next course was served and my husband went to work on that while I hoarded the remaining soup!  My memory has faded somewhat about the specifics of the other dishes, although I can say that the si krong muu are not your father's pork ribs.  This was the most delicately-sauced pork rib dish I've ever encountered -- it was not especially spicy but the silkiness of the sauce was elegant and absolutely delicious.

We left Little Serow on a high, feeling that we'd just had one of the greatest dining experiences we've had in a long time -- and all for $45 per person!

I tried to move a copy of it to the dedicated Dinner Parties thread and made a mess of it.  It's there now, but I can't figure out how to keep a copy here.

http://www.donrockwell.com/index.php?/topic/4212-dinner-parties/?p=246333

Pat, maybe if you move the applicable replies to the Dinner Party thread, you won't need to leave the original post here?

I have never been to the Glover Park location, so can't speak to the comparison, but we really enjoyed the food at the P Street location on our first visit Friday night.

This is not a vegetarian restaurant, but a good deal of South Indian cooking is, and we opted for mainly vegetarian dishes.  Cauliflower 65 was crispy, battered, spicy, red, deep fried cauliflower.  I don't know how else to describe it.  Good.  Loved the Mysore Bonda, which were little fried dumplings made from rice flower and coconut.  Our entrees included the ubiquitous South Asian restaurant staple Rava Masala Dosa and the more interesting (not saying that the dosa wasn't good) chicken kothu paratha, which is essentially paratha chopped up roughly with spiced chicken and egg.  This would make a great breakfast (it's essentially South Indian hash).

Service was super friendly, but slooooow.  Front and back of the house both appeared to be significantly understaffed the night we were there.  But I can't wait to go back.

Thanks, Rhone1998.  Your report is really helpful and it sounds like it is definitely worth our paying a visit.

Impressive about the above was that even with such an ambitious menu, hungry prof had time to post the menu on the day of, before the party. I'm always crazy too crazy busy.

That was my thought upon reading it as well.  I couldn't imagine having the time and the presence of mind at 5:18 pm on the day of to post anything, let alone such detail.  Hats off to hungry prof.  Would love it if more people posted detailed dinner party menus -- it's inspiring.

Addie's is our favorite of the Black Group's restaurants (or, at least tied with BlackSalt).  So sad to hear it's closing.  From our experience, it was reliably consistent in providing good food and a cozy ambience.  The patio was really nice -- after awhile, you didn't even hear the traffic on the Pike.  And, it was the perfect spot before an event at the Strathmore.  What a gem.  Hope the Blacks make good on their promise to reopen somewhere else.  Of course, the atmosphere won't be the same without that funky old house.

Thanks to Brian's recommendation, I went to see Dr. Dunn after moving into DC this summer.  I was attracted by the fact that Brian's description of Dr. Dunn's practice was reminiscent of my former doctor, Dr. Kevin Gil in Rockville.  My experience with Dr. Dunn was exactly as Brian described and I was very pleased.  We had a lengthy conversation in his office following the physical exam and I learned that Dr. Dunn is interested in good food and restaurants and apparently has quite a number of chefs as patients.

Laura Belden

Thank you, Greg, for recommending Saida Cunningham.  Based on your reference, I went to see Saida for a stubborn muscle spasm that had not responded to chiropractic or acupuncture.  I have been to see her 3 times now and I have seen the most progress with her treatment.  Saida is truly gifted.  I have been to many massage therapists over the years and I would rank her up there with one other as the very best.  I went to her for treatment, not a relaxing massage, and that is what I have received.  Saida can dig down into those muscle spasms like no one I've ever known.  It is not relaxing, it is painful, in a good way.  I am certain that Saida can provide a relaxing massage, but that is not what I asked her for.  Her fees are remarkably inexpensive.  $75 for an hour.  In addition to her professional talent, Saida is a lovely person with a great sense of humor and a calming presence.  I recommend her highly.

Laura Belden

This is the only new restaurant in the area that I haven't tried as soon as physically possible, and it isn't because I don't want to. I do, badly, as do many of my friends. But that tasting me is an absolute nonstarter for this type of restaurant. It is ridiculous that the price of entry is almost double that of little serow and more than double that of Thai X-Crossing. Please ditch this concept as soon as possible so that the restaurant doesn't die before it even gets a chance,

Not to mention that it's only $20 less than CityZen's tasting menu!  And, having just had dinner at Little Serow earlier this week for the incredible price of $45/pp, I'd stand in line at Little Serow anytime before risking $70 on an unknown experience.  We live within walking distance of Mandalay, but they won't be seeing us until we hear that this price is justified, or they change their menu/pricing structure.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/462985 was our Thanksgiving dinner at L'auberge Chez Francois.  Alternatively, I had considered 1789.  Both, along with the Ashby Inn, "feel" like a restaurant for Thanksgiving.

We've had Thanksgiving at the Ashby Inn for the past 3 years and every year it was just fabulous.  The ambiance at the Ashby is absolutely perfect for Thanksgiving.  And, of course, Tarver was the chef during those years, so the food was incredible.  Haven't been out there since the new chef started, so I can't say how it might be now.  Four years ago, we had Thanksgiving at 1789.  Again, the ambiance is perfect for the holiday and the food was quite good.  This year, we've decided to have Thanksgiving at Corduroy.  The décor won't evoke an early-American atmosphere, but the food will be outstanding, and we can walk there.

@darkstar: I'm not sure what the purpose of your list is, and you do acknowledge that it's not complete.  Still, you're missing 4 of the best relatively new additions to 14th Street:  from south to north:

B Too

Etto

Ghibellina

Kapnos

Thanks for the tip on the WS outlet, Zora! You noted that you put your stainless All Clad in the dishwasher. May I ask if you have noticed any changes to the appearance of the pieces from the dishwasher?

I'm not Zora.    However, I've been using All-Clad stainless cookware since about 1998.  I can't say enough good things about it.  I use mine almost daily and have always cleaned it in the dishwasher, with no ill effects at all.

Does anyone know if the Malgudi on P St is the same quality as the one in Glover Park?  I'm asking because the GP location is included in Sietsema's Fall Dining Guide, but the P St location is a whole lot closer to home.

Four of us had lunch at Pizzeria Vetri the Saturday before last. We had tickets to the Barnes Foundation in the early afternoon and this seemed to be a perfect location to have lunch beforehand, given that's it's literally almost across the street from the Barnes. Arriving shortly after the restaurant opened, we easily found seats at a communal table. The seating is exclusively communal "“ there are two large communal tables, each seating between 12 and 16. There is also a bar overlooking the kitchen with maybe 6 seats, and a window bar with a few seats as well. Service was friendly and efficient. During the time we were there, it was busy but never crowded, but we were there early, so can't say what it's like later on.

We ordered 3 pizzas: the Margherita, the Melanzana, and the Salsiccia and 2 salads: the Arugula (coal-roasted potatoes, pesto and taggiasca olives) and the Wood Oven (roasted corn, chanterelles, green beans, prosciutto cotto, ricotta salata). The pizzas were perfect: thin crusts, nice char, excellent ingredients and flavors. I really enjoyed the arugula salad; I didn't sample the Wood Oven, but it was devoured by my dining companions.

Pizzeria Vetri is a nice option to enjoy a casual meal before or after a visit to the Barnes Foundation. And, I can't say enough about the Barnes "“ the building alone is worth the visit.

We love the pizza at Ghibellina. We've been to Ghibellina several times and to Etto several times and we prefer Ghibellina's pizza. Ghibellina's pizza competes with Puppatella's for best in the DC area, in our view. Every other dish we've had at Ghibellina, mostly brunch and salad dishes, have been excellent as well.

This post cost me $500, 8 hours, and untold mental energy, not even considering what it cost me to get to the point where I was able to write it. Does anyone care?

Don, your post has made a difference to me. I had only been to WK once before, for Sunday brunch almost 2 years ago. Normally, I don't like to judge a restaurant's merit based solely on brunch, but this place had been so hyped that it was impossible not to feel disappointed by our experience there. I left underwhelmed and hadn't really wanted to make the trip back to Baltimore to give it another go. After reading your review, I'm motivated to return for dinner and think it might be the perfect venue to celebrate my husband's birthday next month.

Hello Nizam,

Echoing dcandohio's question above, I am wondering how you have experienced the recent renaissance in the U-Street and 14th Street area. Has the growth in the number of new restaurants affected Ben's positively or negatively?

I hope he hires some copy editors.  The quality of the grammar in recent years has been truly embarrassing.