pras

Bethesda Magazine is reporting that the raw bar at Black's will be replaced with a fish market a la Black Salt.  The article also mentions a Black Salt pop up, for a few days while Black Salt is closed for renovations.

1 hour ago, zgast said:

New link to Eater.

This story makes me sad.

Very sad news reported by Bethesda Magazine.  Sergio's has closed permanently.  Another victim of COVID-19.  The DC dining scene has lost a true gem today.

7 hours ago, zgast said:

Should this topic be moved to Rockville, where Bethesda is actually based? Sorry - been up since 4 am.

8 hours ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

Microsoft had some loose change in their pocket when TikTok went to Oracle and WalMart.

When I first read the headlines for this it made it sounds like "Bethesda" was purchased, not the game company.  Don--Was that what you were going for with your post?

Gentleman Jim's has been around as Gentleman Jim's since 1970 as Gentleman Jim's and from the 1940's in DC as the Cavalier (according to their website).  They are known for their square "Maryland Style Pizza" (like Ledo's).  Unlike Ledo's, their pies are actually square and not rectangles.  The crust is a bit flaky and the sauce is sweet.  Their "secret" is Swiss cheese (supposedly you can get mozzarella or provolone by request).  Last night we tried it for the first time and we were skeptical, but it was really good (if not different).  All three of us really enjoyed it and only were able to eat half the pie.

Pizza can be decisive and New York pizza this is not, but it was still enjoyable by all in the family, with everyone agreeing that we would add this to our rotation.

On 7/23/2020 at 1:25 PM, JBag57 said:

Downtown Crown has a sister store in Falls Church, Dominion Wine and Beer, and it is easily in the top 5 of Northern VIrginia beer retail spots.  They also have Georgetown Square Wine and Beer in Bethesda, which may have a similar selection to Downtown Crown, they both probably get all of the top beers distributed in Maryland.   Dominion is limited to beers that are distributed in Virginia, as are all other retail shops in NoVa.  I now might have to cross the river and head up 270 to see what they have to offer that I can't get in Virginia!

ETA: I knew this all sounded familiar--I now realize that I said much of this a couple of posts up!  Please feel free to delete.

Weekly drops from Other Half (which is coming to DC soon in a big way).  Priced the same as at the brewery.

23 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Alert, alert: a denizen of Montgomery County just said they love Great Wall!

I like it also and I live in Montgomery County!

Somehow, all of a sudden, there are two of the best beer shops in the DMV within a 5 minute drive of each other.  Downtown Crown Wine and Beer at the new Crown is now the "OG" of good Montgomery County beer selection, including weekly drops from Other Half.  They also get many more unicorn exclusives.  The newcomer, which is about a mile or two away is On The Vine.  On The Vine is pretty new, maybe less than a year old and is on the ground level of new apartment complex (across the street from "Dunkin'").  Their selection is impressive and I think for the time being prices are a bit better than Crown.  Both are jewels in a sea of mostly crappy beer stores.

The DC Branch of my office is pretty much across the street.  I don't spend much time there, but when I realized this place was a Szechuan specialist I had to give it a try.  Too bad, that was at the height of the pandemic and they were closed.  The last time I did a tour at the DC office they were open and I finally got to try something.  I had bean sprouts with chicken.  I had never seen this on a menu and asked about it.  May said it was very good. I asked for it "Jah La", which means extra spicy and she laughed and knew that I knew what I wanted.  The dish did not disappoint.  It was a pit of fire, with a ton of numbing.  I devoured the whole dish in a matter of minutes and then did a ton of work, then wanted to take a nap.  I will, from now on, make this a regular stop when I am on my "DC tour".

Tim Carman gave them a nice write up in the Post a couple of days ago.  Please check them out, is you like Ma La cooking, you will not be disappointed.

14 hours ago, jandres374 said:

Zoe's Kitchen closed back in January and is now being replaced by Attman's, which recently closed at Cabin John.

"Attman's General Manager Targets mid-August for Opening in Park Potomac" on bethesdamagazine.com

The former location in the Kentlands is being replaced by a Popeye's: "Love that Chicken!"  (Source--The MoCo Show)

On 7/3/2020 at 5:23 AM, Lydia R said:

Attman’s Cabin John location closed in March. They’ve signed a lease to take over the old Zoe’s location across from Harris Teeter in Rockville. It’s a five minute walk from Brooklyn’s Deli.

What I found interesting about Market Reporter’s interview with the owner is his direct response to competition with Brooklyn’s Deli. 

On Lombard Street in Baltimore there were at different times several competitors in the same block, so I guess Marc isn't worried about being to close to Brooklyn.

6 hours ago, DonRocks said:

And? And??

"Ceiling Fans 101" and "Fan FAQS" on fanmanlighting.com

PS - Would you dislike me if I told you that Hunter owned Casablanca?

So we went with Hunter, and yes, I know that Hunter owns Casablanca, but Casablanca is supposed to be higher end.  For our purposes the Hunter fans have been good.  They are virtually silent, which is very nice.

I also like that fact that 3 years later this thread still had you on your feet with anticipation!

Closed--according to mymcmedia.org.  Very sad.  One of the DC area's OG bagel shops.  Evidently it changed hands from the original owners a few years ago and has never been the same/failed to adapt to modern times and tastes.

Had food delivered through their hood drop, with a drop off location a few doors down from my house.  Wife and I each had the oyster mushroom schwarma, daughter had falafel.  Everyone was very happy with our selections.  I thought the flavors were very good and bright.  The pita is amazing.  The sandwiches are definitely overstuffed and a full meal.

I always wanted to check them out, but looks like the company has fallen on hard times and Rockville has permanently closed (credit, The Store Reporter).  According to the Store Reporter, this was the last Maryland location.

This really sucks.  Although like others I never met him, I felt I I had from all of his posts.

On 3/6/2020 at 9:13 PM, deangold said:

Have you tried LaoMa Spicy in 99 ranch market?  

Yes.  I think LaoMa may be better, I like being able to pick what and how much I want of each offering.

Checked Wang Manor out last night.  First time back after the remodel.  It is certainly a nice large space.  I have been thinking about their dry pot for a while so I finally had an opportunity and jumped on it.  It was very good, the same as I remember.  Was it as good as Jin River on Sunday?  Not really sure.  What I do know though is that it really can get expensive.  Once I was done ordering, with tip, the pot came to just under $30.  Granted, I had alot in there, but still expensive considering I am the only person in my family who will eat it.  It was a ton of food though and embarrassingly I ate the whole thing.  There was lots of Ma and lots of La, which probably encouraged me to eat way more than I should have.  It was very good.  It was spicy.  My mouth was numb.  All in all, very satisfied and will certainly be back.

9 hours ago, deangold said:

We were 9 for a stunning dinner at Sichuan Jin River. We ordered 6 small plates and 6 large. I am in pretty much of a food coma so I might not remember all 12, but here goes:

Husband & Wife slices: here the infamous husband and wife were actually a throuple. Beef, beef tendon and tripe in a rich, spicy sauce with a dose of Sichuan peppercorn for a great balance of ma and la. Really stunning version, probably as good as I have ever had, reminded me of the one at Grace Garden but a unique twist on a Sichuan classic. Our waiter described it as the most popular cold dish and it is easy to see why. 

Fungus Salad: wood ear, pickled peppers, some shreds of garlic in a sprightly, vinegar dominated sauce. Really good.

Spicy Bean Jelly Noodle {not sure of it is the Northern style or the one just listed as chilled.} Just a top notch version with a big dollop of mala sauce: chile oil, crispy chiles, sichuan peppercorn, garlic, ginger, green onion. You need to be sure and stir this well to coat the jelly with the sauce as the jelly is purely a texture element. Absolutely top notch.

Anchovies w. Roasted Peanuts & Hot Peppers: a big plate of peanuts with a  few chiles and a tangle of tiny white salted and fried fish. The fish were the length of a basmati rice grain but 1/4 or less in diameter. They were strewn in abundance over the peanuts. Again, one of the best takes I have ever had and a unique twist on a ubiquitous dish. 

Sichuan Beef Jerky: traditional recipes I have seen for this dish involve stewing a tough cut of beef in a sauce until absorbed, then leaving at the edge of the stove to cook slowly from residual heat until the meat is chewy but not the chewiness of American, Thai or Indonesian styles. I think I have only had this at Joe's Noodle House and this version really blew me away. Sweet, salty, beefy, dense and chewy but not tough. Again, a unique twist on a traditional dish.

Smoked Duck: fine but standard version. Probably would have been really good anywhere else but it got lost in the brilliance of the other dishes. 

Mains:

Beef Belly: brilliant dish of thin slices of beef belly in a brown gravy with some veggies. It was spectacularly good but some of the details  got lost in the abundance.} The dish comes on a surprise bed of thin noodle. Once the meat and veg is gone, the noodle and the sauce make fine slurping. This is not on the English menu but is the dish on the specials board listed only in Chinese. Unlike my visits under the old ownership where getting recommendations was difficult and finding out what was on the menu from the white board is hard, Jimmy Lee our waiter was a gem at helping out. They also make a cold dish with beef belly so be sure to distinguish.

Lamb Hot Pot: Another brilliant dish. This was lamb meat with veggies like carrots, peppers in a spicy but not mala sauce. It was soupy, the sauce came up to the height of the ingredients. So good.

Dry Pot: lotus root, flounder chunks, shrimp, greens, carrots, other stuff in a well spiced dry fry showing off mala spicing as well. Several people at the table ate at the old Wang's up Rockville Pike and we all agreed that this was as good or better than Wang's. We need a meal at Wang's to compare. Superb.

Flounder with vegetables in Fiery Soup: This is usually referred to as Boiled {main protein} in Fiery Sauce or Water Braised {Main protein} and the main protein is typically beef or flounder. The protein is marinated in egg white, cornstarch and flavorings. The proteins usually gets a quick fry to set the marinade into a coating but not cooking the ingredient fully, and set aside. Then a sauce is built with green onion, ginger, garlic, Sichuan hot bean paste, soy, and after these ingredients are cooked into a mass with a slick of oil on it, broth is added, then glass noodle, cabbage and bean sprouts, and finally the protein.  This example with flounder was again superb. The flounder pieces were plump and juicy and the coating gave an interesting texture: nowt soggy but wet. The sauce was super with a high quality broth used I suspect it was a chicken/pork broth so pescatarians beware. The pork version I had at lunch last Friday and this version were both fantastic  and worthy of slurping up the soup. Joe's is justly famous for this dish and Panda Gourmet makes a killer version. This version is equal to the other and is more refined, not better, just more refined.

Eggplant Yu Hsiang style {listed on the menu as Eggplant w/Ground Pork in Spicy Garlic Sauce} Several people said this was the dish of the night and I would not argue. This dish is ubiquitous on modern Chinese menus and tonight's version was as good as any other I have ever had. If I need to quibble, the sauce was the slightest touch too strong with vinegar but this sauce is known as fish fragrant and was originally designed to go with an oily fish, so the vinegar is there to cut the oiliness. The eggplant is fried in oil first so this dish can become an oil bomb or the eggplant can get creamy but heavy with absorbed oil. Not here. This was perfectly cooked eggplant. The dish was a standout and Kay thinks I am crazy to quibble it and she is probably right. But Kay thinks I am crazy without any restrictions on the crazy so I leave it to you to decide. But I usually agree with her wisdom {or say I do to her face, I sleep more than she does!}

Pea Shoot Leaves Amazingly good. Much better than standard versions. 

Whole Tilapia with Pickled Peppers: this dish suffered as being merely good in a sea of incredible. I didn't have much so I can't comment more than to note the ratio of sauce to pickled pepper seemed to favor the sauce. Next time I get a group together, I will see in advance of they can get a more interesting whole fish like snapper or fluke, and as well a larger one.

A large bucket of rice was served and it again was outstanding. 

If it seems like I said unique or best a lot, I did. Not since the infamous meal at China Boy where Claudia and Scott met have I had a Sichuan style meal so good. It ranks as one of the great Sichuan meals of my life. the word refined comes to mind a lot. Not fancy or gussied up but just incredibly balanced. This was the outstanding meal I htink we all were hoping for when we had a plain old good meal at Mama Chang's. This meal was the same price and much much much MUCH better. The flavors jumped yet balance was the overriding feature.

Next I need to shout out at the outstanding service. Jimmy Lee seems to be the head waiter and he is generous with his recommendations. He not only pointed out dishes but helped us assemble a meal with no repeating flavors. He made a great meal even better. Often getting a wiater in a Chinese restaurant {really

any restaurant these days} to give recommendations is difficult. But Jimmy kept saying "we do different Sichuan dishes and nothing Americanized. He was truly a prod ambassador of a really outstanding restaurant. I did not get their name but the runner and the busser were hard working and always jumping in to make the meal extra special. The warmth of our reception was on par with the outstanding food.

I must admit I was skeptical when MartyL brought up Sichuan Jin River but I usually agree with his on Chinese food so I decided to put this outing together. He is right and my life is better from his recommendation!

If you love spicy foods in general and Sichuan food in particular, you need to go here.

Dean--thank you for putting this together.  Sorry I was a bit late, I guess I missread the call time as 5:30.  Nevertheless the selections were great.  I ate way too much but enjoyed everything and the company.  I will put something together for Want soon.

12 minutes ago, SilverBullitt said:

Thank you for reporting that Wang Manor was open.  The décor is amazing.  I believe they are trying to recreate the look of a siheyuan. 

I ordered the fried pig feet (listed as “Stir-fried Pig Poor w. Spicy Chili”) and Stir-fried Green Beans.  Both were excellent.  I also ordered “Braised Pork w. Preserved Vegetables”.  I thought I was ordering red-cooked pork (hong shao rou- Chairman Mao’s favorite dish!) but from comparing the Chinese characters, I believe that appears as “Braised Pork Belly” in another part of the menu. 

Anyway, the waitress or I made an error and I got “Steamed Pork w. Lotus Leaf” (those two pork dishes appear next to each other).  It is served with these interesting crispy, sweet rolls.  I didn’t care for the dish because I learned that I don’t like lotus leaf. I did like the rolls.

One of the waitresses told me there are some new dishes.  The one that seemed new was the intriguing “Braised Old Chicken”.

Next time, I'll get the hot pot.  BTW, "Beef Tender" on the hot pot menu is probably still beef tendon.  It took me a few bites to convince myself that I wasn't eating filet mignon when I had ordered it last year.

I couldn't upload the menu because the file is too big but there are pictures of it on yelp as well as pictures of the new decor.

I really need to get back there.  It has been way to long!

54 minutes ago, deangold said:

There are photos of the menu on some website where self important people go to yip about their loves being ruined over trivial slights and a touch too much salt in one dish. While said website is worthless in guiding dining decisions, the photos of menus often offersmore insight into the food offered than website with little to no menu information. The pictures of the food show some pretty impressive traditional dishes, particularly a thrice cooked pork belly over pickled veggies dish that look screamingly tempting. 

Tim Carman reviewed Big Wang a couple years ago.  The link is higher up in the thread, but worthy of re-posting.  Their dry pot is really good and you pay be the ingredient, not weight like the place further up north on 355.

Looks like they have finally re-opened in the last week or so.  Need to check it out to see if the menu has changed at all.  Very excited for some dry hot pot!

1 hour ago, deangold said:

Will be nice to meet you face to face. 

We actually met at a DR lunch at Panda Gourmet years ago!  Sorry I am not so interesting.  Ha ha, look forward to meeting you again.

I will be there as well.  Thank you for organizing.

1 hour ago, deangold said:

Just want to gauge the interest in a dinner here. Probably under $30 per person. The menu will be pre selected with a balance of spicy and milder dishes. But if you are not into hot, garlic etc, this is not the best place for you. If there is general interest I will post an event in the events section.

I am interested depending on day/time.