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asundstrom

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Everything posted by asundstrom

  1. I had a disappointing lunch at Poste a few weeks ago. My fish was overcooked and swimming in oil, and the steak tartare didn't have much flavor. None of my companions was thrilled either - I haven't been able to get anyone to go back, even for a business lunch where the firm would pick up the tab.
  2. I wasn't the least bit impressed with Agraria last night. The service was comical - asking us, 5 minutes after receiving our appetizers, whether we wanted our entrees, since they were cooked already; spilling wine all over our tablecloth and then asking if we wanted them to replace the tablecloth, etc. Our waiter was as attractive as he was incompetent, which could reflect either some skewed hiring priorities or the Georgetown talent pool. Three courses took about 45 minutes, mostly due to being rushed by the kitchen. The charcuterie plate was nothing special compared to that offered by Circle Bistro, Vidalia, etc. The burger was very good, but the scallops were pretty pedestrian for $29. For around $75 for 3 courses and a glass of wine, there are much better options available.
  3. I eat at the Osteria all the time, and can't think of any Italian food in the city I like better, let alone for the price. The food is much simpler and less rich than Galileo proper, and comes closer to what I've had at casual places in Italy itself. The service is completely indifferent at the tables, however, as you might expect given the income stream from tips in the restaurant vs. the osteria. Sitting at the bar is the best bet. Smoke is an issue if you're bothered by it, unfortunately.
  4. I went here last night. The service was initially pretty terrible - after being seated, we were ignored for 10 minutes. The waiter whom we finally coaxed into giving us menus basically suggested that we order right away, since he didn't seem to be planning on coming back very soon. Had to ask 4x to get a small amount of tap water, and eventually bought a bottle. The atmosphere isn't that great either- very strong sense of being in a hotel lobby, and the huge stove and bushels of produce reminded me of the rest stops on the Autobahn. That aside, the food was very good. The appetizers - tomato and goat cheese salad, the aforementioned bone marrow - weren't spectacular. There wasn't much bone marrow for $12. The lamb hot pot and roasted duck were fantastic, however - I think the entrees are pretty much loss leaders here. Very clear flavors, huge amounts of succulent meat, etc. Desserts were even better: the sour cream cheesecake was the best cheesecake i've had in a restaurant by far. I'll go back frequently; even with the shitty service, it's a great value for DC.
  5. I went tonight. It's fantastic. They make lots of stuff "ma la" - with sichuan peppercorns - and it's all first rate. Had ma po tofu, steamed whole fish in a really good, oily sichuan sauce, great baby bok choy steamed with garlic. They were so excited to see a white guy eating the stuff that they brought me out some free double-cooked pork, which was crisp and flavorful rather than soggy, as it often is. I think it may be illegal to import sichuan peppercorns, so there's a limited supply. They said they sold some to a NYC restaurant recently. The tingly mouthfeel could have been more intense, but the overall spicing level was superb. This is the only good Chinese place I've ever been to in D.C.
  6. The last time I tasted Sunderam's green chicken masala, I was a student in London four years ago. The Bombay Brasserie staff ushered me and my friend out very quickly when I used the larger entree plates for the dessert buffet (as opposed to the tiny dessert plates they'd prefer you to use), but the chicken was so good I bore them no ill will. I've probably thought about that green chicken dish once a week since then. It was every bit as good tonight at Rasika. Very dark, very complex flavors. The service was a bit spotty and rushed, but the space was beautiful and every dish was perfect. Amazing chaat, spinach with corn, piping hot, very fluffy naan, a whole trout cooked just until its flesh set in the tandoor (for just $16!), superb bread. I loved the walnut kulfi and the bread and butter pudding - definitely not run-of-the mill Indian desserts. The place has the same feel as Indique, but it's a lot better. Reminded me of Tamarind in London. Definitely a step up from Bombay Brasserie for Sunderam.
  7. I'm curious to hear how Hollywood East compares to Oriental East. I think Oriental East is great - better than the best of Boston/SF/NYC, close to the level of the best of Toronto - so I've never felt the need to stray.
  8. $65 for everything non-alcoholic, including coffee/tea. They gave me an extra dessert at no charge, which I thought was nice. This thread has started me thinking about the game hen stuffed with traditional stuffing (with the addition of bacon) and the bread soup I had, which were simply sublime. My girlfriend's gnocchi blew, and her lamb chops were merely very good, but my apple tart was perfect. The table to the left and to the right of ours both made impassioned speeches to the waitstaff about how amazingly good the meal was. And they didn't really seem like the type to do that much. Maybe Pastan is inconsistent, but I'm not sure I've ever had a better Italian meal. Certainly not in Italy. Maybe at Babbo in NYC. I've only eaten at Tosca once. The food was too salty and completely unimpressive, the ice cream almost entirely melted, the service indifferent to the point of aggression. My gf loves Galileo for the atmosphere, but the food just doesn't excite me at all. The pasta is OK. The desserts reminded me of eating at the Waffle House at 4 am in high school. Also my childhood trips to Disneyland.
  9. I went to Obelisk a few weeks ago and loved it. The antipasto were amazing - I could have left after the arancini or the cuttlefish stew and the meal would have been better and more memorable than virtually anything else I've eaten in the DC area. I agree that everything was very slightly downhill from there, but I still would rather eat a meal there than Citronelle, let alone Galileo, Tosca, or other assorted purveyors of dreck.
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