dinoue

Went to the Hyattsville location tonight and first comment is that it was DEAD. Compared to the wait we've always had at Rockville, there were maybe four other groups when we arrived around 7:15, though one of the groups was a large one. Food-wise, everything followed the formula for the most part. Chicken was nice and crispy perfection. Hot sauce did not seem quite as hot though. Split a 5 drum, 10 wing combo with 5 hot and 10 pcs soy/garlic. After completing eating the 5 hot, my mouth was not blazing as I am accustomed to. Pajun was a little bit greasy, but otherwise good, and the potstickers, ironic they call them that when they are deep fried, were as expected. Not a big fan of the soy garlic they drench them in, but the kids like them. For as empty as they were, service was a little inattentive, especially after the food came it was difficult to flag down the waiter. It's made more difficult because the main dining area is separated from the bar area by a high wall so the servers can't actually see their tables if they are in the bar area, and closer to the kitchen. I wonder if this location will survive if tonight was typical. Hopefully everyone was enjoying the beautiful weather accounting for the low patronage.

Long overdue in writing this, but we went for our first visit May 5. Easy to remember the date so far out since every Mexican place was lined up out the door and we were the only ones in Eamonn's. The short of it all is that the food was disappointing. I see some earlier posts that the batter formula was changed for a more caramelized appearance. I actually think ours was burnt/overcooked. My wife ordered since I was a little late getting there, and she got the cod and shrimp for sure and the other fish I think was the basa. The fish were both good and decent portions, though not filling to the point I usually feel full after eating that much fried food. The shrimp, however, were reminiscent of Long John Silvers, though a little bigger. Fortunately my daughter liked them and ate most of them, sparing me. Chips were good, but again nothing to make a special trip for. Place was so dead at one point the entire staff went outside while we were finishing up our meal. When they came back in I joked that I helped myself to a couple more pints of Guinness. One plus was the music, heavy on 80's music. I hadn't heard Camouflage's That Smiling Face in a couple decades.

Sorry I missed this, but for future reference, and others, Jackies is actually really good with kids with a separate kids menu, though I like to order regular menu for the kids and we all split our meals up. They also have the big table in the back right close to the restrooms and the hall to Sidebar, and there's another large table in the back left past the kitchen area. I think they are a good option to lean towards the gourmet, but kid acceptable. And the open kitchen can be a distraction for the kids. Never eaten there, but Masa hibachi might be fun for kids. It's teppan yaki style like benihana. It's right next to the Vietnamese place mentioned previously. I think that's called Pho Viet and we have enjoyed eating there, though we prefer Lotus which is located a little further down Georgia. The Fire Station restaurant is pretty popular among families in our neighborhood, though I'm not that crazy after our one visit there. ultimately though, I think Pete's probably is the best alternative given what you describe. They can easily combine tables to accommodate various size groups. Make sure you do their Front/Flip application on your phone, or via FB to sometimes get freebies or discounts.

Drove by on the way home from picking up kids and saw 3 people going in and 2 coming out. That's 5 more than I had ever seen going in or out of Piratz Tavern, except on talk like a pirate day.

Left Sergio's off my previous rec since they don't have a lot of red sauce, but if you are looking for quieter, the regular dining area never get's too loud, but they also have smaller rooms. Our family group of 8 was seated in one of the rooms once. We actually used to go to Al Dente a lot before we discovered Sergio's and took a liking to it. (We also live in DC across from downtown Silver Spring) Ah yes, and the bad service at Al Dente seems to be the continuing plague of any Roberto Donna restaurant. On Aggio, it tends more towards the formal, though when we were there, there were a few tables in jeans and some young children, so it's not to the point of being stuffy. It would be quiet, though you can also hear conversations pretty clearly from other tables around you. It doesn't necessarily specialize in the hearty red sauce style, but they have some options. Now we actually eat more at home now that we introduced the kids to home made pasta, which they love, though not so much helping with the cleanup afterwards.

While Roberto's 8 is out, why not eat at Al Dente? We went once when my dad had a craving for a non red sauce which was not in abundance on the menu so Chef Donna made us a bowl of carbonara off the menu. So even if they don't have what you're looking for, with a call ahead, I'm sure they could accommodate. Carmines would also fit the bill for red sauce in abundance.

Thank god! I think we had the worst meal ever in that place.

More info on fundraising for staff affected by the fire.

We were up in Rockville at Montgomery College so decided to give this a try for the first time, especially since Peter Chang's hasn't opened yet. Basically ordered a very dumpling and noodle centric meal of Xiao long bao, potstickers, shiu mai, wonton soup, noodle soup with pork chop, and snow pea shoots. Snow pea shoots were actually the highlight for me. Huge plate of greens sauteed perfectly with garlic. Perfect in quantity and cooking. The xlb were as described by everyone here, a nice pocket of meat and broth that burst open when you bite into it. For the kids cut them up on the plate which is not so great because then you can see how much fat is in there as it congeals on the plate. I'm sure that fat has something to do with how good they taste. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Potstickers were very good with nice amount of meat and good flavor.Shiu mai were huge, but that's about all I can say. Wonton soup was also good, but not the best I've had though the kids liked it since we don't often get wonton soup. There were a generous number of wontons in the soup. The pork chop was a little scrawny and dry as if it spent a couple minutes too long in the fryer. Noodles were generous and the soup was good with lots of bok choy Noodles were a little over cooked. We finished with dessert of shaved ice which surprisingly the kids did not really get into that much. This was the one time communication broke down as we wanted just the red bean and jelly and she put everything on. Overall a decent meal, and a lot of food for $70. I think the table next to us was in disbelief at how much we were eating without a doggy bag. Would like to go back and explore some more of the menu. Place was packed.

Had a parents night out last Friday at our son's daycare so we decided to take advantage with dinner for just the two of us. Wanted to do Crane and Turtle but arrived minutes after the last seats at the counter had been taken so a search on Opentable yielded two seats at Aggio at 7:30. We even lucked out on parking and got a great street space around the corner. First, service has definitely taken a nosedive since the last reviews here. After being seated it took nearly 15 minutes to get our drink orders and a menu. At this point we informed our waiter we needed to be out of the restaurant by 9:00 to pick up the kids on time. We did not make that deadline... We ordered 3 courses, antipasti, primi, and secondi, and the waiter did not seem to think that would be a problem and it wouldn't have been if we were the table next to us or the one that came in just after us. The food was good. Not great, but good. My biggest impression was a very heavy hand with the salt. I tend to be light on salt, but this was especially noticeable and I required several refills on the water. First with our wine, I asked about a couple whites, one a gewurtztraminer, and noted that we normally really like rieslings. The sommelier recommended a totally different bottle saying we would like that one, it turned out to actually be a RIESLING. Would it have killed himto just say, "oh, this one actually is a riesling." Would be helpful to include that important piece of info on the winelist too. For my appetizer I had the bay scallops with tomato puree and meyer lemon and watercress. It was a nice little salad though the scallops were a little overpowered by the citrus. Matched nicely with the riesling. Wife got radish and olive salad neither of which I'm a big fan so didn't try it. For second course I ordered the pappardelle shrimp bolognese, but I think I actually received the lasagna lamb ragu. I noted that it was almost exactly like the pasta we had a Volt last time we were there and it was weird how the shrimp didn't taste anything like shrimp. Thought maybe I had read the menu wrong or something and it came with a meat sauce instead. Now as I look at the menu again, I realize what happened... Anyway, it was good, but not what I had ordered. Wife had ravioli which was nice but nothing memorable to me. At this point we were on schedule as it was about 20 after when we were eating the second course and I figured last course should be out in 15 minutes or so... Finally our last course came out just past quarter of 9. We basically wolfed it down, I think it was good, but it didn't really touch my taste buds enough to really tell. I had the lobster on the waiter's recommendation. This like the pasta was loaded with salt. The buckwheat polenta was interesting, but kind of pasty. Would have preferred regular polenta. The lobster was a small strip of tail and overcooked and chewy. Wife had the cod which was very nicely seasoned, thankfully she was getting full so I got to eat about half her fish. It was an interesting presentation with the carrots placed on the plate like a bunch of little carrot tree stumps. Didn't have time for dessert as I had to flag the waiter down at 9 for or check though the table next to us seemed to enjoy theirs. I would describe Aggio mostly as a shadow of Volt. It definitely has a lot of the influences of some of the dishes from Volt, but not executed with nearly the finesse or perfection expected there. At $215 including tax and tip for two, it wasn't ridiculously expensive, but not really worth it for the experience. I realize an hour and half is a quick dinner for 3 courses, but the table next to us got through 3 courses quicker than us, though one of their courses was dessert. Either way, our waiter knew our constraint and did not meet the expectation nor tell us it was unreasonable and that to me is unacceptable.

Went with a group of 7 a little over a week ago. Portions remain generous but quality was a bit hit and miss. Two steaks were overcooked, requested med-rare and came out med creeping into med-well. The waiter half heartedly offered to fix it, but both people with the steaks declined. Also, there is now an upcharge on the bistro special if you want the bisque or iceberg wedge salad as opposed to the basic salad. Still a good value, but need to make sure those steaks are cooked properly.

Jackie's is holding a fund raiser concert for staff of QH tonight at 10. On my phone so don't know how to cut and paste from my email.

I get lunch about once a month at doner bistro in Adams Morgan. Have no idea how it compares to doner in Europe, but it's a good quick meal. I usually get the doner box which is the meat over fries in a huge cup.

The way DTSS has been developing, I'm guessing this will be a demo followed by completely new building with condos over retail. We actually just ate at Bombay Gaylord for lunch buffet on Sunday and witnessed an attempted robbery. Wondering if there might be any connection to that. The would be robber had some clear mental illness issues and was thankfully taken away in an ambulance rather than police car.

At the place I worked in Columbus, OH the owner got most of the fish from a supplier in NJ. He would call in the order late morning and it would arrive via plane that afternoon, or in the evening if we were unlucky. One time it came in around 10:00 at night and my reward for waiting for him to get back from the airport was my first chance to break down the side of tuna. He said pretty much all the restaurants in Columbus ordered from the same supplier, but the distinguishing factors were knowing what to order and how well you took care of the fish once you got it. This was over 15 years ago, so things may have even changed since then with more suppliers available now.

I would take a sip and leave the rest for later. Sharp knives and alcohol do not make for a good combination in my opinion, though some did drink quite a bit. They were not the ones being asked to make the special sashimi orders either.

Considering my bad experience with sake during my study abroad semester, I hated it when customers bought me sake, especially since it usually wasn't the good stuff, or they would get me a beer, which I could drink for free anyway.

I think the sushi was $45 per set and sashimi $50. A very good deal considering what was included. It's better quality fish than what we had at Sushi Capitol, but not as much food for the same $50 price for their omakase.

It was named in some online newspaper or magazine's list of the best BBQ in every state. I've seen it on a few different lists for best in VA. I now know that I do not agree with those lists.

He turned three in November and has a voracious appetite, and will generally eat anything. It is a double edged sword, I'm proud of my kids that they will eat pretty much anything in light of so many of our friends kids being very picky eaters, but it also means that we don't always get to eat as much of some things we would like to.

Had dinner here last night with the family since our daughter wanted sushi and more specifically Sushi Taro. First they were very accommodating as we were 30 min late due to traffic, and got our food out very quickly to accommodate trying to get our kids through dinner ASAP. Got 2 omakase sushi combos and 1 omakase sashimi. Sashimi came pretty standard with akami, chu toro, salmon, madai, botan ebi, and katsuo. Sushi selections were pretty similar swapping out sawara for the katsuo and adding uni, and ikura. Also came with negi-toro maki. All the fish was fantastic, though my wife, who ate both pieces of katsuo said it wasn't as good as the katsuo we had last time at the counter. In addition we had the hamachi kama, shrimp croquettes, and fried baby aji. The aji were whole fish fried and then marinated with a vinegar dressing. It was a nice start to dinner and fun to see our son pretend he was a shark eating the heads off the fish. Didn't get a croquette as the kids and wife ate the three that came in the order. The hamachi kama was huge and we actually took a third of it home for daughter to take in her lunch.

Finally tried this out last week. Quick reaction is that it is VERY good, but also VERY expensive. Started with the butcher's board. The items served were all really good, so good that I didn't get very much of any of them. Our son monopolized everything, including the spicy stuff which he would eat, complain it was spicy, and then eat more. Wife was a little late in joining us so we told him we had to save it till she got there. His interpretation was "Wait till mommy gets here, then I can eat the rest." We also got three different sausages, merguez, pinot noir, and andouille. All three were really good and come with a nice pickled cabbage. The andouille was as promised and fairly spicy. For entrees, we just got two things, the whole grilled fish which was branzino, and the dry aged ribeye. Both were fantastic, though they put butter on top of the ribeye, which if it's dry aged, I think is superfluous. Why go to the trouble of aging it and then smothering it in butter? Let the meat speak for itself. The fish was the best dish, grilled perfectly and nice flavoring. Sides were a little disappointing. Brussel sprouts were nicely roasted, but the supposed soy butter didn't seem to add anything. Broccoli rabe was actually broccolini, which is probably better for the kids as they tend to find rabe a little to strong flavored compared to broccolini which is our daughter's favorite. Potato puree was very good. The disappointment was in the roasted root vegetables, half of which were burnt, but it was dominated by potatoes, which we were already getting in the puree. For wine we had a nice Virginia red that we were told the vintner had held a tasting at the restaurant the previous week. Will probably go back, but at the prices they charge, there's a lot of other options where I think I can get better value, though no place that does charcuterie like they do, so there is a value to the cost in that sense.

Just got back from a long weekend at Great Wolf Lodge whose food is atrocious and expensive affording us many opportunities to try other places for dining. First dinner was at GWL at their pizza/pasta place which we got carryout to the room. Spaghetti and meatballs were basically overcooked pasta, jarred sauce and wolf droppings for $15 for a serving for 2-4. Caesar salad was similarly overpriced. What made it worse was the cashier told us that the food had been sitting there since 3:00, it was 7:00. I guess we couldn't say we didn't know what we were getting into, but with kids, sometimes convenience trumps everything else. Just stay away from this place if you are ever at GWL. Instead, go to the snack stand inside the pool area. We actually got a decent cheeseburger there for around $8 and hot dogs for the kids for around $4. Also had both regular and sweet potato fries. Full meal was under $35 and not gag inducing. First, and best of the trip was Nawab Indian for their lunch buffet. For only 9.95 they have a buffet that puts any I have been to in DC to shame. Of course they had the chicken tandoori and a basic chicken curry, but also had another fantastic chicken dish that consisted of a grilled chicken with vegetables, and a lot of them. While on the vegetables, there was also okra, mixed vegetables, and the standard chickpeas and lentils. Also a paneer dish and the coup de grace, lamb. Some of the dishes had some heat to them, but nothing to the point where our kids couldn't eat it. Generally it was much lighter and the variety of vegetables was further refreshing. Spent a day in Colonial Wiliamsburg so ate at the Kings Arms Tavern. Did not have high expectations for this, but the salmon BLT was actually a decent option. Salmon was of course a little dry and overcooked, but otherwise it was a nice sandwich. The fried chicken was pretty greasy and the mac and cheese accompanying it just a step above kraft. The vegetable ravioli was a nice vegetarian option and had a nice sprinkling of vegetables and nothing offensive about it. Kids loved their kids meals of hot dog and mac and cheese though. Also made a stop at Pierce's and got a pulled pork, ribs, and pork shanks. First, I do not like the fact they mix the sauce in with the pulled pork and it is not an option to get it without. Always trikes me as a reason to be hiding something. The pulled pork was OK, but if this is the best Virginia has to offer as a state, they've got a long way to go in the BBQ wars. The ribs were cooked nicely with the right amount of tenderness to sticking to the bone balance. As I find with most BBQ sauces, the sauce was too sweet for me, another reason I don't like too much sauce pre-mixed with the meat. The pork shanks were the one place where you could control the sauce yourself, and probably my favorite. Plus they apparently get finished in the deep fryer, so who can argue with fried pork. Collards were bland and onion rings were likewise pretty blah. While it was a step up from GWL, not something I would go out of my way for. Plus I forgot to use the 10% off coupon from the tour book. It is definitely a good option for takeout dinner when staying at GWL since it's less than 5 minutes away. Went to get the food while kids were still getting bathed after coming out of the pool. Spent two very good lunches at Peter Chang's which I wrote up already in their own thread. Also make sure to use the coupon for 10% off there. Breakfasts were generally dunkin donuts at GWL though we did get some nice cinnamon raisin bread from the Cheese Shop in Colonial Williamsburg for breakfast on our last morning there. We had gone down with hopes of trying some of the nicer places for dinner, but unfortunately inertia kept us at the lodge for every dinner. Perhaps next time.

Seems to go hand in hand with the new study out on narcissistic children that was reported in the news today. Though I don't really think there was anything truly groundbreaking in the story most parenting guides don't already say.

We just got back from a long weekend in Williamsburg at Great Wolf Lodge. To escape the dining there, we actually did two lunches at Peter Chang's. While it was not the best food we had there, that title goes to Nawab Indian, we were thoroughly impressed by the breadth of the menu and much more interesting offerings than most restaurants in this area. While Peter Chang may not have created our meal himself, it was good enough to warrant a second meal to try some of the other items on the menu, plus they have 10% off coupons in the various tour books. Day one we had a chicken with ginko wonton soup which was really good. Perfect comfort soup for a cold day. For other dishes we had lo mein, my dad has some sort of obsession about lo mein, fish filet with bok choy in clay pot, and shanghai bok choy with mushrooms. The only real complaint I might have was that the fish was a little too sweet. On day two, we ventured into some spicier stuff taking the risk that the kids would be able to eat some of it. We started with standard steamed dumplings which were just OK. Also were a little cold, which is actually a plus when eating with kids who want to eat the dumplings right away and then proceed to burn their mouths. One of the days specials was king oyster mushrooms with szechuan sauce which was different from what we expected, but actually really good. It consisted of steamed but cold mushrooms, carrots, and zucchini to be dipped into a sauce that had a nice little kick to it. The flavor of the sauce was really good. The best app was the crispy spicy pork belly. This was a perfect example of something that could be really spicy but have some depth of flavor as well. It combined a couple different peppers to get the heat. Both kids loved this, but then who wouldn't like pork belly, but it was surprising given the heat. The spicy beef stew noodles was blazing hot, but again in a good way. We were all sweating after eating this, but still felt like we could taste our other food. It was balanced nicely by the very mild sauteed spinach, which while nothing special, was prepared nicely. The one miss out of all the dishes in my opinion was the duck with ginger and vegetables. The duck was a little chewy and dry, which marred what would have otherwise been a nice dish with lots of vegetables and generous slices of ginger. While not the best Chinese I have eaten stateside, it was definitely good enough to make a second visit instead of trying another restaurant on our list. I'm sure we'll be back at GWL again so that will afford us more opportunities to try some of the other places too.