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My party already has the staples covered (Ro-Tel, 7 layer dip, guac) so I figured my contribution could throw a curveball. I made mini empanadas last night (little Empanadas are basically latin pizza rolls, right?) and will either bake or shallow fry them later this afternoon. Filling was ground turkey, shallots, garlic, black olives, jalapeno, green onion, tumeric, salt & pepper, and a healthy splash of leftover vindaloo from Friday's trip to Masala Art.

Nobody has mentioned Estadio's vegetables. Not a single mention here or in any review. I believe several of them are among the best vegetables I have ever eaten in my life. Anywhere. Serious. "Grilled scallions, Romesco and sheep's milk cheese" are chargrilled scallions, folded and drizzled with Romesco and speckled with cheese. Incredible.

You know what? I wanted to add to the dogpile of love for Estadio after my meal there but the only constructive thing I had to add was that these grilled scallions are awesome. You beat me to it, but screw it - count me in as a +1 for the scallions. My meal was also at the food bar and I think when you watch them prep the dish it's damn near impossible to not get it. Just the right amount of char, salt, and savory from the oil and Romesco. Fantastic.

I am on their email list and so far they have not said anything about DC. Guess they are keeping their cards close to their collective vest.

There is a dc mailing list now, fyi. Still no word on an opening date though. I'm happy to pay through the teeth for real brisket and a Kreuz jalapeno cheese, and if they do the same $25 ayce monday night special that they have in ny (brisket, pork ribs, chicken, and sides) then I'm going to need bigger pants.

How well do these hold up on reheating? Thinking of a mid-day run before the game tomorrow.

BBQ generally holds up very well to reheating (unless your timing is great places around here aren't pulling things off the pit just for your order), and Mr. P's has the best pork ribs in DC. Did I mean that as damning with faint praise? Kind of, but it's the only BBQ I've had in the district that doesn't make me wish I still lived down south. Get the pork ribs.

Cajun Experience is now open on 18th St NW in DC in the old Inti Peruvian space.

I was there a few nights ago and they are certainly still working out the new restaurant kinks, but the food was definitely good. I had a pot roast poor boy ($11) that was like a roast beef without the gravy. Packed full of spice, tender, and overstuffed to near comical proportions. It was slightly confusing to see that they 'dress' their sandwiches with lettuce (ok), tomato (yes), ketchup (hmm), and "spicy chipotle sauce" (uh). While it isn't the standard new orleans lettuce-tomato-pickle-mayo, the spicy chipotle sauce worked well with the pot roast (I went ahead and held the ketchup). They're using the awesome par-baked Leidenheimer rolls from New Orleans for their sandwiches, and the bread really is fantastic. The outside shatters and crumbs everywhere while the inside remains fluffy as hell. Sandwich was served with a side of addictive thick cut potato chips.

The gf had a special of fried pork chops with red beans and rice with sausage, potato salad, and garlic bread ($25) and I ended up helping her with half the plate because it was so much food. Although, at $25 for fried pork chops, it was kind of to be expected. The chops were in a well seasoned and crispy batter that left the meat just slightly overdone. Red beans and rice were solid and classic, although the promised sausage turned out to be only 2 slices. Maybe just an unlucky scoop? Potato salad was... plate filler. The special also included a complimentary serving of beignets that were perfectly fried and traditionally piled with powdered sugar. These were so good that we were questioning the need to cross the river for Bayou Bakery like we'd planned to do next week.

It's unfair to cast judgment on a restaurant that has only been open 2 days, but what I had here was positive enough that I decided to post here. The restaurant is doing right by their area of inspiration - they have every Abita beer available, including the 22 oz special brews and are sourcing at least some of their shellfish from their as well. I can absolutely recommend anything coming out of the fryer or going on that Leidenheimer roll right now.

They are also planning on starting brunch in a few weeks and are in the planning stages of some all you can eat/all you can drink crawfish boil events on their back patio in the spring.

From here, the current list of beers includes:

Dogfish Head

DC Brau

Fordham and Old Dominion Brewing Companies

Front Street Brewery

Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant

Heavy Seas Beer

Hops Grill and Brewery

Oliver Ales

Port City Brewing Company

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

Stone Brewing Company

Starr Hill Brewery

Tupper’s Hop Pocket Ales

Woodchuck Hard Cider

So while it ain't cheap, the tix go to a great cause AND you can say you were one of the first to try the beers coming out of DC (DC Brau) and Alexandria (Port City) that will be hot topics later this year.

Just want to chime in that this place turns out some AMAZING bread. Foccacia that I've purchased and brought home has met raves.

Due to bad planning and fatigue, we did not make it out to Annandale to Kogiya until the waitlist was about three hours long, and  a drive-by at Yechon revealed hungry Korean families spilling into the parking lot.  So we pulled into the 7-11 next door trying to figure out if there was a Koream joint nearby that was lousy enough not to be crowded but good enough to eat at, when when the proverbial light bulb appeared overhead and we said "Isn't RJ's new place opening this weekend?  And, where the fuck is 'Northern Virginia's Mosaic District, anyway?' (And, ultimately, "since when does 'mosaic' mean a 'soulless [except for...] fake 'urban' district composed of mass-produced chain stores?'")

Turns out that the MD is six minutes by iPhone from the 7-11 next to Yechon, or twenty minutes via the more creative route we selected after we missed our exit on the Beltway, and just around the corner from Great Wall.

Whoever had answered the phone at Gypsy Soul wasn't entirely encouraging, promising only appetizers, so we entered with limited expectations.  The place is large, sleek without being cold (and further warmed as the night went by, by exceptional service) and centered on a truncated U-shaped bar (think long base and short arms) that embraces an open kitchen.  The tables were virtually empty, the bar was virtually full, and behind the line in what I remember as being a slightly elevated cooking space, rogue maestro RJ Cooper was conducting a staff that seemed almost to outnumber the patrons.

Turns out that his bad luck was our good luck: an errant coffee station installer had drilled through a water line, forcing cancellation of a friends and family dinner (my invitation to which had apparently been lost in the mail).  So, when the water came back on at 8PM, the riff-raff was allowed in and we parked ourselves at the bar, scored a couple of glasses of Cali Viogner and looked over an abbreviated menu that did, despite small expectations, guide us into the land of the large plates.

Briefly, the could-have-been-boring Bibb salad was curiously refreshing, tarted up just enough to be interesting without obscuring the chlorophyllic goodness that's often lost in the mix.  I quite enjoyed the steak tartar, sort of a heavier-than-usual mustard prep (I'm sure RJ will correct me if I get this wrong) served with a bit of grilled romaine that had been lightly Caesared and garnished with a couple of high-end anchovies and a little Parm.  Made me wonder why steak tartar isn't served with a Caesar Salad all the time, instead of those frites? Get that rich-tart thing going.

Shrimp and grits were awesome. One suspects that RJ cheated by adding a stick of butter to every cup of grits, but it was hard do object as I was trying to steal as much crustacean-candy as possible from my friend's plate and she was trying to fend me off with a fork.

Kudos to her -- despite her selfishness -- for pulling out  "Frogmore Stew" to describe the what the menu at that time described as "Grouper Cheeks with Stuff" (or something like that)  (btw, I note that the menu now actually calls it "Frogmore Stew") and what I thought was localized Bouillabaisse variation.  It was, of course, not so much a Frogmore  reproduction as a riff on that traditional recipe, which marries corn and potatoes to a spicy broth and shrimp (thank you, Mr. Google).  Here it was a dish that came out of the Low Country via Marseilles, picked up grouper cheeks, saffron and clams (and toast with a killer rouille) without losing its New World starches, and landed in front of me topped by a metal dome which released a captivating vapor upon its removal.  Spicy but refined, French and 'merican,  I would kill for a bowl of it right now.

I should mention that Rogue's frighteningly intense pastry chef is also helming the cold kitchen at GS, and I ate all of my milk chocolate pudding with caramelized bananas and rosemary peanuts and half of my friend's, so there's that, too.

For a menu whipped up on the spot after the water came on, it was immensely satisfying.  RJ looked a little beat up, but he and his crew turned in an outstanding effort under challenging conditions.  Our meal was "simple," probably deceptively so; the menu on line now looks both longer an more elaborate.  But a first glance suggests food that -- like ours, Saturday night -- is almost "hearty," but enhanced by the deft touch, unexpected ingredients (marrow with sea urchin) and attention to detail that marks R24.

There's no question that I'm already in RJ's camp, so add grains of salt as you will.  But I'd head over now -- even if the bar, coffee station and other less vital bits and pieces haven't quite congealed -- before half of Northern Virginia is trying to eat there. In two weeks, people are going to be staring at the lines out the door and saying, "damn, we should have gotten here earlier.  I guess we'll just have to grab some Korean instead."

Dinner at Gyspy Soul last night showed that this could be a great addition to the area once some of the newness shakes out.  The food was excellent and the service good but there were some issues that need to be addressed.  Managers acknowledged and dealt with them very nicely and professionally, though, and they will not prevent us from going back.

First, be forwarned if you have looked at the menu on the website - that is not the menu at the restaurant.  While many things are the same, the actual menu is shorter and some of the prices are different (higher).  While I understand an established restaurant not changing its on line menu frequently, this was surprising for a place so new.

Another reason to be forewarned - the seats against the windows are under air conditioner vents which blow very strongly.  They turned the AC down but it was still strong enough to blow my wife's hair in her face and literally lift my menu off the table slightly.  We moved to a booth across the aisle, which was much better, and we noticed that three other tables or diners changed seats to get away from those vents during the evening.  The manager explained they are getting diverters installed to eliminate the issue.

Next the big problem.  There is apparently a problem with the ordering/ticketing system such that our orders did not get to the kitchen properly.  15 minutes after ordering our server told us our appetizers would be out soon.  15 minutes later, after noticing several tables that came in and ordered after us getting their food, we called her back to question the status.  It was apparently at that point they noticed the error.  Both she and the manager were very apologetic and offered to comp the appetizers, which came about 10 minutes later.  They then offered complimentary desserts, which was not necessary but a nice touch and appreciated.

Now on to the good - the food was excellent, the setting and decor very nice (although it can get a bit loud) and the service attentive without being intrusive (I had to pour my own wine, but I actually prefer that).  The bar was hopping, with numerous bartenders keeping things moving.  Seats there could be very interesting, directly in front of the open kitchen.

When it finally arrived, I loved my appetizer, bone marrow with sea urchin, mustard antlers and ink toast.  The bone was really deep, providing a lot of rich gooey marrow.  The tang of the sea urchin and greens balanced out the richness very nicely.  While the ink toast was black, it didn't seem to add any real flavor component but was a nice conduit for the other ingredients.  My wife had the deviled eggs from the pantry portion of the menu (smaller starters).  While she enjoyed it, she thought it could use at bit more of the ham to add flavor.

For the mains, I really enjoyed my rabbit with ricotta dumplings.  The chef coaxed so much flavor out of that rabbit.  Yum.  My wife had the confit shoat.  We both loved the taste.  She was not thrilled with the texture, but I thought it was apropriate for the dish.

I normally don't order dessert, but I'm glad they offered it.  I really enjoyed my caramel cremeux and my wife enjoyed her milk chocolate pudding with bananas.

We regretted not ordering the bread basket (which has a separate charge), both because our starters took so long and because it looked really good.  I normally don't eat bread at restaurants so we didn't consider ordering it, but will do so in the future.  Also the portions here are not terribly large so although I was satisfied at the end of the meal, I was not full and I could see others wanting the bread to help fill them up.

Finally, a word about the wine list.  While it's got varietal variety (which sounds redundant but isn't), it is heavily loaded with products from Elizabeth Spencer, Owen Roe and Dave Phinney.  There are plenty of choices at various price points and the mark up isn't too bad (relative to other comparable restaurants), so most people will be satisfied.  Wine geeks will find it lacking, however.

One point worth noting - Chef RJ was in the kitchen, running the show, not just watching.  I would not expect that to be the case moving forward.  That may or may not change the food in the future.

So, overall, a very nice experience and one I would recommend.  As we told the staff when leaving, we'll be back, but after we give it time to work out the kinks.

Erica and I Thoroughly enjoyed dinner here last night. Once we chuckled through the wooden and leather gates expecting to see, like, motorcycles hanging from the walls, we were pleased to find the inside is nicely minimalist. You can gawk at the open kitchen action from most seats (which are super comfy!) Everything took a little long to come out, but nothing worth kvetching about especially during opening week and a full house a couple hours into dinner service. Pig ears, tartare, frogmore stew, rabbit dumplings, and desserts were all, if I had to describe them, fucking awesome. RJ told a kitchen dude to get the fuck away from him when they entered his zone trying to ask him something, after expertly mixed "liberal" and "gnome" cocktails found this more amusing than painful (and are rethinking our management style). Chef seemed to be in expediter mode with a super strong crew backing him up, so we won't be worried if we don't see him in the mix on future visits. Stoked that this is down the street from our house and looking forward to many more trips!   

They have a new spinoff location in Bethesda that is doing the Chipotle model, Cava Mezze Grill. Pita, rice bowl, salad, mini flatbread pitas (to top like tacos) - you get a shmear of a spread and then protein (chicken/beef/lamb/sausage/falafel). Seems like another Chipotle-meets-(insert country) - like Merzi in downtown DC, but with arguably more potential.

I'm definitely curious as I think their spreads are pretty good, but I'm not go-to-Bethesda-for-a-fast-casual-lunch curious. Anyone been?

I think this is a compliment?

FWIW I think if they want to serve a fried chicken breast sandwich only on Sunday, I'd prefer they put it on a buttered bun with two pickles and call it the Chick-C-K.

To me, this speaks volumes about the quality of the salads. I have a hard time getting past the pizza dough/crusts. Though they are not, they taste to me like those pre-formed frozen pizza dough disks you might find in a cafeteria. Their cooking system of parchment paper to oven to cutting board works like a charm, however, and the toppings appear fresh.

Going to agree with everything said here (and through the rest of the thread, really). There are some nice toppings on these pizzas that are undermined by a pedestrian, school-fundraiser tasting crust. And the salads remain underwhelming. That being said, the pies are well topped with fresh ingredients and in a town that is still well below the curve pie-wise, you can do far, far worse. Of the three I tried, I'd happily eat the chicken sausage/ricotta/poblano pepper pizza again... but what I'd really like is that same flavor combo on a better crust.

Well the mystery restaurant pretty much has to be...

(drum roll please)

this

Medium Rare, says its creator, Mark Bucher, is expected to open as early as next month at 3500 Connecticut Ave. NW (formerly Yanni's Greek Taverna). There will be a single feature -- steak frites -- on the menu, although a meatless entrée will be available for vegetarians... dinner is expected to cost around $20 -- and star chef Michel Richard is consulting on the project.

If anyone goes to Nashville next, could they please report back on Las Paletas?

I would just point out that while the actual Las Paletas shop is a little off the beaten path, you can also get them at Bongo Java or Fido coffee shops, which are more centrally located and also not a bad stop for a cup (or a quick breakfast).

I was in the neighborhood around lunch time and when I saw the signage I realized that I'd been craving an Italian Beef sandwich for a while. I went into ChiDogo's with pretty low expectations, given the feedback I've seen here and elsewhere. Seeing how I wasn't expecting much, I was pretty pleased with what I received. The bun was steamed and filled with a fairly substantial portion of soaked beef, and then the entire sandwich was dipped in the spicy gravy. Topped with giardiniera and a pile of sweet and hot peppers, this was a fairly accurate re-creation of the gut bomb I remembered. Maybe not a perfect recreation, but close enough to work. This isn't destination dining by any means but it's a pretty solid option if you've been out on U street and from what I saw from other orders coming out, if you're here I'd highly recommend getting the sandwich over their Chicago-Style dogs.

Combo (plus the surcharge for adding the peppers) came to about $10. As mentioned above, the fries are frozen and unmemorable. I think I need to try the DC-3 Italian Beef later this week to compare.

Had the Chivito today ... I thought this was a bit weird, though: I felt like some ingredients (roasted red pepper, mushrooms, rosemary) were decidedly on one half of my sandwich, and not the other.

Say hi next time.

My sandwich similarly had the escabeche more to one half than the other. I actually flipped a few mushrooms to the other half, because you really need that vinegar to cut the fat.

I talked to the owner and they're trying to decide which ones to offer after getting complaints about the thin fries.

It looks like they're sticking with the thin fries. I prefer a thicker cut personally but the matchsticks were crisp, well seasoned, and perfectly fine.

But you're not coming here for the fries. You're here for the chivito (PROTIP: you can sub the hard boiled egg for a fried egg and really take things to the next level). You're here for the incredibly tender lamb wrap. You're here for the cuban, which I'd put up against any in the city right now. They are knocking things out of the park at Fast Gourmet, and it's really fun to watch them do it. I wish I lived closer.

Just as a heads up - if you come for lunch don't expect particularly fast service. It's not slow per se but they can get a little backed up, especially as take out orders keep increasing.

Meatloaf and donuts = yay.

Rude Youtube videos = boo.

(Really though, I'm happy to be mocked if the end result is meatloaf and donuts.)

Toki Undeground? 12/30 WaPo GOG

Toki has a menu/sides/etc.

curated by the most boring and pedantic person I can find at RFD, hopefully one with spurious British affectations.

You can probably up your beer snob game trolling ChurchKey

From the 28th:

A restaurant that I am very, very intrigued by will open for business sometime early in 2011.

I am not talking about Enzo Fargione's new restaurant, Elisir, or Fabio Trabocchi's new restaurant, Fiola, or RJ Cooper's new restaurant, Rogue 24.

The reason I am intrigued is not because of the names behind it -- although the executive chef's track record is stellar. And the chef's partner has a kind of Midas touch -- everything this person touches succeeds.

No, it's the concept that intrigues me most.

The restaurant is going to offer one meal only. No menu; just the entree and a side.

It is also -- most intriguing of all -- going to offer seconds. Not all-you-can-eat -- a second helping.

It will open in DC. Not downtown -- in a neighborhood.

And ... I have already probably said too much.

But this, to me, is the sleeper pick of the first half of the year.

Any guesses?

Bumping to note that the sandwiches I tried last weekend (Pastrami and Brisket) were both extremely good. Rich, meltingly tender, and properly cut (Katz-style thick) imo.

It ain't cheap, especially if you want them overstuffed (8.50 for a regular, and 3.50 more to make them properly thick) but for stuff of this quality that is made it house it was a worthy splurge. If you aren't getting corned beef (I'll stick to Deli City for that) this is as good a deli sandwich as you'll find in the hill area.

After dining there with some friends this weekend I'd happily (shockingly?) recommend the BBQ Bacon Cheese Burger ($12). The patty was flavorful, cooked to a proper medium rare, and when you've got a slice of Tillamook and a few strips on Nueske's on top you're already a few steps ahead of the game. My friend's Farmer's Butter Burger ($10) was similarly well executed on the grill, although the whole butter burger thing isn't really my cup of tea. My friend, a midwesterner, seemed to think it was a fairly competent approximation of the style. Fries on both plates were limp and underwhelming but the burgers are so large it was hardly a big deal.

The less said about everything else that was ordered the better. Except the cocktails. Those were nice, despite the Georgetown surcharge. I'll hardly be running back there anytime soon but I'd have no problem ordering that burger again. If you think of F&F as a well-located version of a burger bar you could certainly do a lot worse in that area of town.

Apparently not on line but the Columbia Room rocks in at #18 in GQ's "25 Best Cocktail Bars In America"

"Your reward for getting in: the best martini in America."

Online Now. Congrats, Passenger!

Gotta agree with the chorus on the current incarnation of the Cherry Street, but I wanted to reply to note that my sandwich today was nowhere close to the medium rare shown in the WCP photo. My sandwich had fully cooked beef (calling it medium well would be generous), which only served to make the sandwich more of a jumble of flavors that never truly come together. Anything is ok on that bread, but there are much better selections to be found on the menu.

They are the model of inconsistency, sometimes delivering ... painfully overcooked chicken wings that are an absurd rip-off at $10 for dried out, meatless chicken bones and limp french fries.

On a whim (and being starving after an early afternoon meeting) I thought i'd try their wings for lunch yesterday and I received the opposite of your concern. My wings were sadly underdone and painfully fatty. They do the wings on the grill, which when done correctly is fantastic. But you definitely can't undercook them, especially considering they leave the wings whole. The end result was a mess of undercooked skin at the joint.

My fries were definitely on the limp side as well. Consistency is definitely a major issue with this franchise.