bookluvingbabe

I tried to go today for lunch. No luck--they just put in a new floor and were closed.

For the love all things holy, can't a restaurant put something on their website when this comes up? I looked at the website just this morning to confirm what I wanted to order.

The trip was not a total waste--I bought many lovely cheeses but...

Sigh...

Ughh.... We had a Roy's on campus (not called Roy's but something else but it was the same food and same menu back when Marriott owned Roy's and was also doing campus food service...) and it was awful. Awful. Nightmarishly awful.

And yet, I ate many a roast beef and cheese sandwich there because the rest of the food services was so bad.

I also remember stealing horseradish packets to do a Passover Sedar. How many other fast food chains can you say that about????

I'll be out of town on the 8th but I can catch you guys next time if a critical mass prefers it to the 1st.

Jennifer

I've enjoyed my (little) cheeseburgers at the Navy Yard location.

But remember I've worked on Capitol Hill since 1991. I'm starved for any decent lunch options.

I went when I lived in the neighborhood (1991) and thought they were okay. But my palate was not too developed and I remember that it was cool that one of them took checks!

Jennifer

Also, I think DC could use a good bakery in a pedestrian friendly area but the perfect place may very well be either in Clarendon or Courthouse on the Orange line in NoVA... why?  because it is easy to access the area by car and metro... there is a ton of foot traffic during the day and in the evening... just my thoughts...

Hmmn...

Wondering if we can come up with a business model.

Jennifer

Cleveland Park, perhaps?

If you were open 7 days a week from 9 until 7 and perhaps later and earlier on Friday/Saturdays and had a welcoming store and good layout.

I'd be there and I'd probably volunteer to work some weekends too. Surely you would need an icing tester!!!!

Jennifer

I did not like the Wheatberry cupcakes at all. Reminded me a bit of CakeLove actually. Dry and sort of tasteless. Like eating a mouthful of butter...

Kotobuki.  DR.com Twenty-Dollar Tuesday.  Not if. When.  Nov. 1 or Nov. 8?  Discuss!

My queries aren't making the cut on Tom and Todd's respective chats, so I'll pose my question here:

Where in the District can one find a good cupcake? 

And by good, you can presume that I don't mean the chilled, dry, overly-pasty-buttercream iced vareity sold up on U Street.  I'm looking for bakeries, restaurants, or any other kind of retailer, provided they are in the District or are accessible by Metro. 

NYC has Magnolia, Baked, Billy's, Buttercup, Crumbs, Sugar Sweet Sunshine, and so many more.  Surely we must have a hidden gem somewhere.

Reference:

New York Magazine on the NYC Cupcake Wars

Cupcakes Take The Cake

Amernick's used to a have a decent cupcake and there was a place in Arlington called Brennan's that I loved but it went out of business back in 01.

I stock up when I'm in NY....

Jennifer

It was very dark when we drove past this evening.

Edited to add on Tuesday: Just called now--person who answered didn't know when they were reopening... The owner wasn't in. Sigh. It's sad how little there is to eat around Van Ness that I've become obsessed with the reopening...

Jennifer

Pizza (tasty but ice cold...) and a meatball sub. Good, but not great.

Maybe I'm not a grill person...

No ricotta dumpling thing (canaderli) last night but a lovely sheep's milk ricotta ravioli and then the gnocchi filled the bill for me.

But the highlight for me was dessert--the pumpkin and goat cheese cake is back!!!!

Spot on service from Malik and they let me camp in a both even though I was alone. All the better to read my bloody report...

One small complaint--the bartendering seems a bit off. I ordered a bronx (one of their standard cocktails) and it looked like a) they had to pull out the cheat sheet and it seemed to take two tries to get it. It was nearly 15 minutes after I ordered that I received it. It was a perfectly lovely cocktail but I worry when the bartender doesn't know how to make the drinks on the menu. It wasn't like I was playing stump the bartender....

All in all it was a perfect interlude before my meeting.

I could get used to these every other week meetings 3 blocks from Palena...

Jennifer

I'm also hoping to hit Palena tonight-- I have a meeting at 7:30 and will need something to get me through it...

I'll be the pony-tailed woman dejectedly reading a report...

You know, we're trying to save money to buy a house. You aren't making it easy!!!

Great stuff and I'm looking forward to being able to stop in for lunch next month.

Mailing list? How did I miss the mailing list????

Sigh....

Friday night dinner at Firefly--long week and I needed a pick me up.

Started with the oysters and the mixed green salad. Wonderful as always. Sampled the new squash soup. Definitely a hit.

Mr. BLB had the lamb and I had the pork. The pork was good but the lamb was PERFECT.

Thank god we don't live across the street anymore. I wouldn't fit into my clothes and and my bank balance would be in the toilet.

Dessert was the new creme-fraiche panna cotta and the rice pudding. Both were nice but on the dull side. I miss the bittersweet chocolate panna cotta. I wonder if batting my eyelashes would work to get it back on the menu.

I did not try any of the new cocktails. Next time, when I don't have the car....

Jennifer

We too were there last Sunday. Spur of the moment, called 2 days before to get a table because I'd been day-dreaming about meat.

Hadn't been in forever for a variety of reasons and remembered just why we have torn about the place for a while now.

Started with the cava and the spiced cashews. Better than I rememberd and I would gladly pay a few dollars for them.

The bread has gotten better and we playfully fought over the last piece.

We both had the scallops...yum.

We had the hanger steaks and my medium came out blue-red in the center and Mr. BLB's medium-well came bright pink. Ah... an issue we've had before and since the wait staff doesn't check in until the meal is almost over.... I actually like my meat rare, I just don't like the way it makes my jaw feel to chew it.

The chocolate mousse was wonderful and made me want to weep with pleasure.

And the hot chocolate at the end was paradise in a cup.

Hubby was more disenchanted than I was and I fear Ray's is out of the rotation for a while. Perhaps when the new place finally opens in SS, we'll give it a go.

Sigh....

What's the perfect place to go for a savory meal on a gloomy night after a day of fasting?  Palena Cafe was the answer, and my husband and I had a fabulous meal that was enjoyable not only for the excellent food but the mood and ambiance (I just love the casual elegance of the place). 

We started with the Jessie's Grove Zinfandel and shared a ricotta cheese "dumpling" (that's how our server described it; I can't remember its italian name now) that was served with chantrelle mushrooms, truffle oil and chives.  They split the dish into two plates for us, and both of us really liked the blend of flavors.  Then, we stuck with the tried and true-- chicken, cheeseburger, and fries.  Perfect comfort food.  The cheeseburger came out well-done instead of medium-rare, but our server graciously took it back and came out promptly with a new one.  For dessert, we shared the sorbets (lime, blood orange, and grapefruit) that were amazing-- they tasted like the essence of each of those fruits.

I just love this place!

Or Firefly?

So...

I'm planning to make a polenta, tomato, mozzerela thing for dinner that is a riff on a tamale pie recipe I made last year but with an Italian focus instead of Mexican.

I'm pulling down the ingredients and I notice that my can of crushed tomatoes says "best by December 15, 2004."

Okay, if Mr. BLB saw that, the can would be in the trash.

What would you do?

(I have other tomatoes I could use, though I was saving them for a differnet recipe later in the week. And I'm using polenta that has a best by date of last month to begin with...)

Sigh...

Jennifer

It tends to be a late summer, early fall problem, usually disappearing around November.

At the risk of getting too political here....

In an area like U Street, there is a huge amount of money available for the big developers to do their thing.  DC has a well documented "Old Boys" network among the inner circle of developers who can get endless money for their projects. For a small business just starting out, the only way to get money (thru the DC gov't programs or the SBA) is to both own the building and to open the business (or to have so much net worth that the financing is not necessary). 

So if you are our imaginary developer, say your name is Norman J just for sake of argument, and you are pretty tight with Mr. W and all the big development guys and you are getting a ton of tax breaks and subsidized to renovate a building on U Street into condos and mixed use, who do you wanna have as a tenant?  Charbucks or a couple of coffee heads who love their product and have some money together to put up a coffee house (even if they are opening the next Tryst)?  Potbelley or someone opening their first restaurant?  A quirky retailer or Pottery-Restoration-Sonoma-Barrel-Barn?  Of course you want the safe money.  And I don't blame the developers for doing what they do.  I just don't like it. 

Now look at some neighborhoods that are much more entrepreneurial and have avoided the huge mixed use "redevelopment" system, like Tenley Town, Cleveland Park and Capitol Hill.  Much smaller scale development, much more home grown business.  Also these neighborhoods have very active ANC's and are active communities.  Some business people will complain about how hard it is to do business in these neighborhoods. 

Its been said that America has the best government that money can buy.  But there are real differences in the results that result!

I lived in Capitol Hill for almost 10 years and have worked here since 1991.

I remember when the Wiz closed. Magruders wanted to come in with a small grocery store.

The ANC blocked it for reasons I can no longer remember. That property stood empty for YEARS.

Now we have Cosi. What a great addition to the neighborhood and right across from Starbucks.

Kinkos closes and we get another bank. The ancient Japanse place and the dry cleaners close and we get another bank. One thing I know, I'm never going to be short of an ATM machine.... I may not have decent, affordable lunch options within walking distance that I'm not so totally sick of my head's going to explode, but I can get money out of the bank...

Sigh...

October 11th--I'm sitting here with the phone to my ear, hoping they will answer and tell me they have re-opened. So far it's been 2 minutes with no answer.

Thwarted again...

Dinner will be an assortment of leftovers instead....

Sigh.

Jennifer

crazeegirl said:

I will be in San Fran later this week...any recommendations for solo dinners?    Must go places?

I have been to SF since 1998. What I remember most was how welcoming they were to a single diner. Both the restaurants and the people dining around me. Other guests kept trying to share wine with me. (And not other solo diners so I don't think I was being hit on...)

Jennifer