DrXmus

So,  besides there being a pandemic lately, I’ve been mostly holed up in the VA suburbs and haven’t been into DC for much at all for several years. We happen to be going to The Gibson for a release party for a gin I had a hand in developing (Mt. Defiance Gin Nouveau) on the 28th. We’ll be kicked out for the next seating at 8 and would like to eat nearby. I’m a bit overwhelmed just looking at Google Maps, and I figure you all know much more than most, so I’m asking for your help.

Requirements: 5-6 adults, not crazy expensive, a couple of non-adventurous eaters, more alcohol is rarely a bad thing, 8-8:30 seating, safe walking distance from U and 14th.

In my novice Google search, I came up with Lupo Verde, Lupo Pizza, Estadio, Gypsy Kitchen.

What thoughts do you all have? Thanks tons in advance!!

I don’t know if the plan is to keep these threads current or not, but Myanmar has closed. 

Interesting. I was the first to review Brine and I may have the last post, too. It’s closed. 

Well, we did it up well. Thanks for the suggestions and between the four of us we did everything that was mentioned last week. The night started with a bang by getting a metered parking space right across the street from the restaurant! The pre-meal Negroni was delicious, as was the Ric Flair cocktail with rye, an amaro of some sort and some other tasty liquids. Restaurant Week pricing was extended until the night we went, so we sampled a good chunk of the menu. Burrata appetizer was fresh and tasty. It included a cool little stewed tomato with a bright, palate cleansing tang from some unknown ingredient. Very cool. Squash blossoms were nice and the octopus was tender and tasty, as were the canellini beans which accompanied the tentacles.  MrsDrXmus had the crab pasta which to me tasted like a light Alfredo. Honestly, it wasn’t very crabby, but the fettuccine were delicate, al dente and delicious. I had the frito misto which was great but I should’ve had a pasta, I just couldn’t make a decision. My friend raved about his fra Diovolo pasta and his wife loved the risotto main course she got. Desserts were terrific and I loved the option of cheese instead of a sweet. The tasty gratis spiced pear ‘cello digestif was appreciated. We also had some post-meal amari, which was great to see on a menu.

I wish we lived closer to the Grotto because there were several dishes I wanted to try. I know Dean is keeping the menu seasonal, and if every season tasted like this meal I’d love to try it through the year.

Thanks for the suggestions. Dinner’s not until Thursday, PLUS they’re extending Restaurant Week pricing through that night. Good for me!!

I’m super excited to finally be able to go to Dino’s Grotto after many years of wishing in one hand and shitting in the other. It will be a rare event for us, unfortunately, so we won’t be able to plow through the menu over time. What items can’t be missed.

On 8/30/2018 at 9:42 AM, Ericandblueboy said:

If I had to eat Thai locally - Side Street and Essan

Have you ruled out Natta Thai in the shopping center with The Virginian and Renaissance Cafe? Locally owned, family run. Good chow, IMO. 

 Just made some bread and butter pickles and canned them using my Anova sous vide implement. I formulated a plan from a combination of info from ChefSteps and the USDA pickling recommendations. From what I can tell, if I get the interior of the jars >180°F for more than 10 mins, then they’re safe to store.  My question to you experts is this: if I only can high acid items, can I get rid of my huge canning pot which takes up lots of space in my pantry?  

Mrs DrXmus and I went to the Cock and Bowl for the first time at the end of the summer. I had a Croque Monsieur and my wife has some sort of veggie version (is that a Madame?). Both were very good, incredibly rich and neither of us could finish the sandwiches. We did a number on the fries, which were excellent. They had a great Belgian beer selection although my first two choices couldn't be found by our waiter. Service was mostly adequate. There was one server but there aren't many tables and there was only one other couple eating. It to a while to get the check when we were done then it took forever to see him again for him to take my credit card. When we left, we saw him and the cook smoking at the back door like their day was fine at 12:30p. 

Mrs DrXmus and I had lunch at The Sandwich Shop this afternoon. We were there a little after noon and the place was about half full. There wasn't much more business before we left around 12:30. The inside is unchanged from Chase the Submarine, I'm fairly certain. 

I had a Cuban sandwich which I enjoyed. The bread was a ciabatta, so some would have a fit, but it was quite fine for me. The ham was replaced with a couple of slices of salami, which I liked very much. I got an order of fries which were great, if slightly undersalted. They seemed to be battered and were crispy as expected and creamy on the inside. Mrs DrX got a turkey sandwich which should have included fresh mozzarella, avocado, tomato, lettuce and a cranberry mostarda. She doesn't like out of season tomatoes, avocado or condiments, so it ended up being bread, lettuce and mozzarella. I don't think they added the vinaigrette she'd asked for. The turkey itself was tasty, but she got bored with the sandwich by the end. Every sandwich comes with a cup of a few pickled onions, a few bread and butter pickles and a spear of what I'm guessing is a half-sour (I'm no pickle pro, so I wouldn't bet on that) which were all terrific. 

There were breakfast sandwiches on the menu for earlier in the day. For the rest of the day I saw some salads, veggie options and other side dishes. I couldn't find a web site and I didn't memorize the menu, so I can't expand on the options any more than this. The sign on the building still says "Chase the Submarine" but there's a sheet of paper in the window that says "The Sandwich Shop". 

I'm very sad to say (for all of us who have enjoyed ABC Canteen) that they'll be closing as of 11/28. I went today with my wife and visiting mother because I couldn't think of a better casual lunch for our group after a turkey overdose yesterday. Wes had a sign on the door stating that Tuesday, the 28th, will be their last day. I'll miss all the dishes I ate there and I'm kicking myself for not having eaten at least one of everything. I'll miss the tamales and hushpuppies most of all. 

11 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

I know Lotus Garden has 2 websites and both of them reflect the old Lotus Garden menu (with hand pulled noodles).  I know that Lotus Garden and East Chateau had the same owner.  Did Lotus Garden move to the east chateau space?  

Huh, didn't realize they had the same owners. East Chateau is closed permanently. 

On 10/5/2017 at 12:52 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

Lotus Garden had been closed for renovation since April.  I just noticed that their website said they've reopened.

I came here just to find anything about this situation. Maybe someone knows more details because I'm very confused and suspicious. 

Lotus Garden closed in April to improve the kitchen, the sign said. It also said they'd be open in a few weeks (5 weeks IIRC). Fast forward to mid-August and the website says they're open again. Why five months? Having walked by there several times in July, I can tell you nothing was happening inside. 

To add to the confusion, the much lower quality East Chateau restaurant two blocks away had a kitchen fire in March and has been closed since then. Earlier this week, I saw a sign at East Chateau saying that they've reopened "as Lotus Garden"! 

Did Lotus Garden run out of capital? Are the East Chateau owners bankrolling Lotus Garden? The Lotus Garden online menu looks the same, but it's it really East Chateau recipes and chefs? I'm so confused!!!

Anyone know anything about the details?!?!

1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

1) Signature lines missing

 

From what I am reading, it seems someone is assuming this to be the case with no example or even being sure. If you could find me an example of what is meant there, then we can of course assist, however there is little we can do based on the information from that member.

 

[Note from Don - Pat found out some information about this, and I'll coordinate it with her in the next day or two.]

 

Sorry, I didn't mean to generate a shitstorm. My general, subjective impression of the new site was that there were fewer sig lines, not that that mine or anyone else's is missing, just that it seems there are fewer. I was simply asking if I'd missed a request that we. It have them, that's all. 

On 4/27/2016 at 5:45 AM, Destruya said:

if a seat is available (and, I'm presuming, if the place isn't packed), your waitress will sit down and make small talk with you, asking you standard questions (where you're from, what kind of music do you like, sports preferences, etc.) occasionally interweaving suggestions from the menu (both food and drink) into the topic of conversation.

As an introverted, married, slightly more than middle-aged guy with not a hint of "game", the idea of servers doing this makes me cringe. I am getting palpitations even thinking about going in there by myself! Great review, by the way!

I have to admit I haven't visited the boards in a few months, but it seems that fewer people have signature lines. Is this the new norm or am I misremembering? I actually used the search function to find this thread and it worked, so I'm over the moon!!

They moved into a much smaller spot just across Merrifield Ln from The Home Depot, but it's only about 100yrs as the crow flies from it's prior location. It's a shell of what it was, but at least they're there. They have a fair number of supplies, but it's not a pretty place, although some would argue it never was. I appreciate I can get CO2 refills there, and I'm happy a locally-run business is still standing.

On 5/6/2016 at 8:09 AM, pras said:

For me, Double Dead Rise is perfectly in balance.

Fritz Hahn, in the Washington Post, agrees with you. I hope to see it on tap somewhere.

Hmm...one of us is misreading the label, because my understanding is that the "tropical flavors" are indeed coming from the variety of hops they use in the beer, and not the addition of any fruit.

After looking at the web site, I agree with you. My reading of the label gave me a different impression, but I can't guarantee I wasn't biased by the name.

This seems a good a place to post this as any, but I've been wondering about the safety of cooking food in plastic. Considering all we're hearing about BPA and other chemicals that leach out of plastic, how is boiling in it still considered a thing? I love my food saver, but my wife wouldn't get near something I cooked in a bag (although I don't think I'd care. I do much more harm to my body with other things I ingest).

I recoiled a little when I read the Tropical IPA label. Personally, I prefer that beer flavors come from grain, hops or yeast (although I'm not against the occasional, subtle something in the secondary), so I felt that SN is simply jumping on the fruit and "extra crap in the beer" bandwagon with Tropical IPA. I make, and I've drunk, excellent IPAs with tropical flavors coming only from hops and yeast. Why add fruit? I won't turn down buying a glass or bottle, but I won't buy more unless I'm blown away by the superiority of this beer.

I'm really sorry to hear this news! While I couldn't stand being in the shop because of the stench of old frier oil and the racket of their custard machines, I really like the ability to pop in for a great custard. I could never understand, though, why their machines were so noisy when custard machines at other places seemed to be much more quiet.

 And I hope the snot-nosed little shit stumbles across this post one day - hopefully by then he'll have learned something: if not about Bourbon, then maybe about tact.

I'm pissed off just reading about this asshat. I don't know that he could've been more insulting. I'm sure the manager of the store would love to know he's treating customers like that. I wonder if his daily satisfaction is to move people from Smirnoff peach to Smirnoff Whipped Cream.

Or in this case they haven't anticipated the recent surge in popularity of rye whiskeys generally or Rittenhouse in particular. That coupled with the fact that demand is outstripping supply nationwide can lead to certain spirits being much more difficult to come across in the commonwealth. 

Yeah, I think that was the case. I kept checking the shelves at my local ABC store and finally it was there and the manager/buyer happened to be nearby. He told me he'd had Rittenhouse on order consistently, but the warehouse just didn't have it to ship. Thanks for the seriouseats.com piece. I think I'd missed it, so I'll put that in my reading list for later.

Mizen-Any beside me buy this Chefs knife via Kickstarter.  Serious Eats gave the knife a rave review, at $50 I bought three.

I bought one after Kenji's rave review. Glad I'm not going to be stuck with a grey or blue handle. I'm a little concerned about the softer steel and lifetime sharpening warranty, but at the price it's worth it for a great knife.