eating out

- We also ordered the Tuna salad. This was a big disappointment (especially after it had received rave reviews) There were three small thin pieces of tuna, that were gray on the sides (good quality tuna, not really seared they way it should have been). The salad of carrots and other veggies appeared and tasted like it was heavily coated in mayo rather than the ginger and sesame sauce. The salad was so bland that we need to ask for pepper to make it better. Most of this dish went uneaten.

I'm a huge fan of EatBar and their hotdog. I hope that they can get to a point where their hotdogs are consistently awesome without the mush/explosion experience. I also have to say, their burger is one of the best spiced hunks of ground meat I've had anywhere - It was happily eaten without any ketchup or mayo or pickles (extremely rare for me), and the tomato and lettuce on top wasn't discernable, and it was still one of the best burgers I've had.

I've had different experiences from Scott's with the tuna salad- I've had the dish twice and on the second plate the tuna was as he described, with the grey edges, which I admit was a bit of a turnoff until I actually had a bite. I think the greatness of this dish is in that it is light and very different from the usual seared tuna salad, which typically comes with the highly flavored shitake/wasabi type dressing. This one comes with the light touch that is a sesame/ginger combination. I had to be ready for it to be different because at first bite it did come off as bland to me too, but once my buds got with the program, the taste was great - it doesn't smack you in the face, it's subtle. A little lemony and gingery, a little sesame but not too much, and the way it coats the fresh and crispy radish/cukes?/carrot combo, its a great juxtaposition to the fresh and soft raw tuna - I find it delightful. Very nice, light, summery dish. And a great starter before a hotdog/burger feast

Another point - The onion rings are pretty good - not heavily battered, you actually get the onion. I'd go with the onions over the fries.

Anybody else drinking Two Hearted Ale? I think it's a Bells product. Had it at the Birreria, and also bought it at the liquor store. It's my favorite right now... Darn right tasty and refreshing - with big time hops!

You mean you can't download an order from your 'puter? I love 'em from Yeah Shanghai Dumplings on Bayard.

If only it was that easy. This just makes me sad all over again that I missed the dumpling fest at China Bistro a couple weeks back. That's the only place that satisfies my dumpling cravings (still need to try A&J).

I thought I'd torture you all withshare a photo of what xiao long bao are supposed to look like. Here's a close-up of a fresh steamerful at Shanghai Café (100 Mott St., NYC Chinatown, tray of 8 for $4.25), where they are handmade at the front of the store. Note the sag...the skins (which could be slightly thinner yet) are barely able to contain the soup. The dumpling at lower left also gives some idea of how much juice is involved here - the dark level just below where the folds begin is caused by the soup, not the thickness of the dough. Should you suffer a leaky wrapper at the last minute, it about half-fills a Chinese soup spoon.

That's just mean.

I rarely order chicken at restaurants whose food I respect. It feels like walking into a Porsche dealership and walking out with a Toyota. So when we were at Eamonn's on Friday, I left the chicken-ordering to my wife. (I had the grouper, which was really good. It's been too long since my last meal there, but I recall being more bowled over by the cod. I can't enumerate the distinctions though.)

My wife's "chicken bites" were large and numerous, so I helped myself to some. Holy crap. It's virtual sacrilege to me, but I just may get them on every future visit. I had no idea chicken "nuggets" could be so moist and flavorful. And the order was so large, leftovers became a weekend lunch. (For me, not my wife. You snooze, you lose.)

Whole-heartedly agree. I love those chicken bites, and even if Eamonn's only served the chicken, I'd still be going back for them!

Thanks everyone for reporting on what sounds like an amazing dumpling feast! I'll have to check out the shrimp and chive on my next visit... I know the menu you had is posted, but did you guys try the noodles? I remember that they've got homemade noodles now, how are those? Thanks again for the reviews!

It's a great day for Dumplings!

Still some room for tonight at China Bistro in Rockville at 7:30 PM.

PM me if you are intrested, we can provide rides to/from Rockville Metro as well.

DanielK

Scott Johnston

Cucas07

Xcanuck +1

Stephenb

Purplesachi

politburo

Old Ironstomach

RKDuggins

HM212

NCPinDC

Jparrott

and a couple of others

I'm still so disappointed to be missing this - will you guys be sure to post thorough reviews pretty please? I'll have to try and replicate it on my own sometime... enjoy, it definitely is a perfect day for dumplings

Central tonite...YESSSSSS!

Still don't know what I am going to eat, though. Has anyone tried the shrimp burger? Just curious if it is worth ordering. If I can get my appetite up enough, I'll go for the cheeseburger.

Highly recommend the filet mignon tartare - it was delicious - and filling. Also the giant prawns are tasty - and HUGE, as advertised.

Still plenty of room!

Join DanielK, Cucas07, Xcanuck, and others for a Dumpling Fest!

Just realized this is a Wednesday night outing, and I have class Argh, I'm really sorry to miss this one.

Heck ya, I'm in! (Beating Bobby Flay in any kind of competition, televised or otherwise, is reason enough!)

By chance I stopped by Central for its inaugural lunch service today, and all I can say is this - the raves about the corned beef and hamburger are deserved. Well-deserved. It is both a good and bad thing that I work nearby.

How pricey is it for lunch? Are there any deals? Are we talking + or - $20 for lunch?

Was there anything that you guys ate last night that would be a must order for one trying Ethiopian for the second time ever? Anything that was delicious? I've only eaten Ethiopian food once, in St.Louis, and it wasn't a great experience... From that one time, I surmised that Ethiopian may not be for me, but I have a slight itch to try it again since it's so prevalent here.

DanielK and I are arranging a $20 dollar dinner in the private room at China Bistro in Rockville on Wednesday, March 21st at 7:30 PM.

Oooh this is exciting, please add me to the list And, thank you for the later start time, that should help a lot.

Sounds like a great dinner - I'm sorry I missed it! Could someone perhaps post what you guys ate last night so that I may live vicariously through you ? Thanks!

I can't wait to try this place, and I'll heed the advice and give it another day or two - but one thing has caught my eye - it may be just me, but I guess I was just expecting a price-point more along the lines of the falafel shop... $8.36 for a sausage, before drink? At Amsterdam, I can get out of there w/ my small falafel, all the fixins I want and a drink at about $6... Not that the dogs won't still be worth it, that's TBD. I just wasn't expecting a $10 dawg/meal. Kudos to those that braved the weather to day to check it out!

I am a huge Chick-fil-A fan, stopping almost every time I come across one - however, recently while on a road trip on a Sunday, Chick-fil-A was not an option so I ventured to Popeyes to compare their chicken sandwich for the first time - dizamn, that's a good spicy chicken sandwich. I highly recommend. Juicy, spicy, big hunk of chicken breast and cajun mayo. Good road eats. But, no pickles - will have to request for next time, if they have them. With the side biscuit, this sandwich might one-up Chick-fil-A's. But I'll still be a devotee.

Personally, I'm not very excited about this place and as a LAME DUCK would be very convenient. Have you guys been to Cafe Bonaparte in Georgetown? Napoleon is basically just their second location, with the addition of a more bistro flair apparently - I wasn't aware that Bonaparte had mussels on their menu. I've only eaten at Bonaparte for brunch a few times, and you get slightly better than average food thats way overpriced (duh, georgetown). The only way I end up at Napoleon is if the prices come down or someone starts raving about one of their dishes as a must-try. Otherwise, this branch is not worth it for me, which, as a new place in the hood is disappointing. Just puts more pressure on M'Dawgs to deliver!

I can just see it now:

Step 1: Go to Amsterdam falafel. Order a "large white."

Step 2: Munch on the falafel balls whilst crossing 18th St.

Step 3: Enter M'Dawg and order an Italian sausage or deep-fried beef dog (they'll have the latter, right?)

Step 4: Remove the sausage from the bun and place in the now empty pita. Add cooked onions/peppers/mustard.

Step 5: Munch on the fallow bun whilst re-crossing 18th St.

Step 6: Enter Amsterdam Falafel and order a small order of fries. While they are cooking, use the fixins bar to continue dressing the dog-in-pita.

Step 7: Receive fries and deposit as many as possible into pita.

Step 8: Eat remainder of fries whilst re-crossing 18th St.

Step 9: Enter M'Dawg, top up mustard/other toppings on top of potatoes. Order a drink.

Step 10: Attempt to eat the whole thing, drop it on the floor halfway through, throw your hands in the air and get a Jumbo Slice.

There you have it, the Washington Apulian Sausage Tasting Experience.

omg, that is a terrific plan. Minus the jumbo slice. WASTE sounds like a perfect DR outing...

I know that the Reef was doing them for the superbowl. I prefer their bison dog just as it normally is, though. Maybe M'Haute Dog will be doing them when they go into business.

I am counting down the days until this place opens, and mostly out of hope that they will serve Chicago Style hot dogs. It's a must every time I'm in Chicago, or even just the airport! And, on a Chicago dog, I agree - no ketchup. However, my favorite hot dog is Best Kosher hot dogs served at Busch Stadium in Stl, with onions, and most definitely, ketchup. If M'Dawgs has these, I will be in hot doggie heaven.

Jajangmyun is adapted from the Chinese which is why you don't find it at every Korean restaruant (and the reason we haven't suggested Choong Hwa Won is that we were going to in March...I think people are ready for Korean/Chinese food. At the rate Dean finds Korean restaurants, we could have a Korean $20 Tuesday from now until the end of 2008)

That works for me Thanks to you two, I love Korean food. Jajangmyun has been on my list of things to try for quite a while...

I thought it was an interesting read. It certainely shows the power the "Internet" plays in our lives. I also think that, knowing a review of a new restaurant can be online in an hour, will push those opening restaurants to make sure everything starts out right. Opening night mis-steps are to be expected but should not be a reason for half assed food or service. However, restaurants should still be entilted to a grace period to work out the kinks before they get bashed.

Yeah, but if they're charging full price, shouldn't we expect full value, right from the get-go? I totally agree that there should be a grace period, and that a brand new place needs some time to work out the kinks, but, not if a customer is paying full price - For me, I'd rather wait a bit to try a place. But for the people that don't, I'd just expect the restaurant to make some kind of compensation (comped dessert, something) if they screw up early on.

Also, right after I saw that article, I came straight here - I'm expecting this thread to keep me entertained all day

I am really hoping I will make this meal - right now it looks like I'm all set to make it on the 20th- but just in case, best take at least the +1 off, wouldn't want to limit other folks who might want to get in on the tasty korean food extravaganza... thanks!

I believe I will be out of town for both But, my dates aren't set yet, so I'll vote for the 20th with the hopes that I'll be home by then.

Tried out Jack's last night with a couple of friends, one of which had high hopes. Talk about failure to deliver. I don't think I've had food that bad in, well, I don't really remember. Bad as in I left wondering what I was going to eat for dinner when I got home...

For starters, we had the Spinach-Artichoke Dip, the Calamari w/ Tartar Sauce, and the Tomato Soup. The Spinach-Artichoke Dip came out mouth-burning hot, and honestly, I've had better at Fridays (genetically engineered to taste good glop) - this pretty much just tasted hot. The calamari tasted of the bought-frozen-and-breaded variety, though the ringlets were very tender - the breading and tartar were blah. The tomato soup was the one high-point of the entire meal. Actually had some complexity to it with some spice and smokey depth of flavor, and a nice thick-but-not-too-thick consistency. This soup gave us false hope for the rest of the meal.

For mains, we had the Lamb Shank ( ) and the Chicken Stuffed with Goat Cheese w/ Spinach on the side. This was quite possibly the biggest leg of lamb that any of us had ever seen on a plate - it was caveman style big. You know those turkey legs you can get at ballgames and at Six Flags type places? That's what we're talking about here. And boy, it tasted like a caveman might have procured it for us milleniums ago. Though it was tender, it was completely devoid of moisture, and just tasted to me like it'd been run-over a few times. Ew. This was Baaad lamb ( ). It sat atop some possibly saffron inspired risotto, and to me this just tasted like bulbous glop with the not-tasty lamb sauce on top. As for the chicken, no clue how it was cooked but it was dryand difficult to cut. The goat cheese filling tasted like it came out of a tube and was overpowering, and the mushroom-esque sauce that covered it had a taste that pretty much was summed up as way too salty. The spinach on the side tasted burnt and not good. I had one bite of this and promptly put down my fork.

Now, as you can imagine, we did not chance dessert. I generally do not like writing reviews like this because I do take to heart the fact that this place is someone's livelihood - but as my friend pointed out, when we spend money on a restaurant, that's our livelihood too. I won't be going back here unless someone else goes first and reports some major changes or that there is an edible dish or two here that we didn't try.

But I will say one more good thing for Jack's - they stock Kronenbourg 1664, and I like that. Also, they had quite a large selection of flavored liquors which can be good for some people.

So, IMHO, if you find yourself at Jack's, do yourself a favor and get a 1664 and a bowl of tomato soup.

Woops so sorry to confuse - When I referred to the front room, I meant the room that is directly to your left the moment you walk up the stairs. That, to me, is the front as it was where we entered the establishment. The Blue Room also can be called the front I suppose, if you consider the entrance the back. And there certainly are 3 spaces in which to sit, and I think 4 really (or 3.5)- the 'front' room with the purple couches directly to your left when you walk in, the actual Bar, the bar area to the right of the bar if you are facing it, and then the Blue Room, in the back. I look forward to hearing reports from your research!