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astrid

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Everything posted by astrid

  1. astrid
    But let's look at your critique - Is it just for the convenience of the restaurant without cost? It's been repeatedly mentioned that the no reservation policy allows LS and RL to keep their prices lower than it would otherwise be, treat their employees well, and serve more covers (thus reaching more diners) than is possible under a traditional reservation scheme. The owners have also expressed a desire to keep themselves as neighborhood restaurants that are more convenient for people in the neighborhood to drop into. These are all real financial and aesthetic considerations, every bit as valid as Inn-at-Little-Washington's high price tag and middle of nowhere location or most restaurants' decision to only serve 1 or 2 vegan friendly options on their menu.
  2. astrid
    That worry is certainly valid in a notoriously low margin business, yet I do wonder if thats an overemphasis about the price sensitivity of customers, at least at high end places. When going to a high end place, I'm already sinking so much money and effort into the experience, that a highly positive experience is far more important than another 15% on the tab. If an extra 15 or even 30% translates to a noticeably superior dining experience, I'd happily pay it. Even at the middle or low end, eating out is never going to beat the convenience or price of microwaving a Trader Joe's burrito, so restaurants should look at how they can distinguish their experience for customers within their price scheme and demographics. Hopefully flat pricing can succeed at the high end and then cascades down, much as CarMax has hugely improved the car buying experience. My biggest problem with waiters and waitresses isn't about tipping, it's startlingly poor quality of service on the left half of the service distribution curve. How hard is it for servers (many of whom must be making $150+ per night at higher end places) to keep the glasses filled, pace the meals appropriately, take and remember orders properly, and quickly bring me the check (so that they can turn the table over?). There are a good many meals that would be far more pleasant if I could just pay at the register and bus my own table, rather than trying again and again to wave down the right person so I can get a check and leave. Odd that nowadays, chefs are expected to fork over tens of thousands of dollars over to cooking schools (which is it's own sort of terrible-ness, when the jobs they land are so poorly paid and frankly unpleasant), apparently all it takes to land a FOH job at many places is a pretty face, a nice demeanor, and someone on the inside to hook you up. That seems to be totally a problem of poor FOH management at many places.
  3. astrid
    Book the terrace, treat us to dinner? But more seriously, there are many many fine restaurants in DC (arguably better than RL and LS) that would be happy to take your reservation, at your desired time, for the desired number of people. I understand that is frustrating to not be able to go to a restaurant that is otherwise very appealing, but that will be the case for every popular restaurant for at least some of their potential audience. If you do really want to go, I recommend trying Thanksgiving or between Christmas and New Years, then locate a back up bar near by in case you need to wait. Or just go across the street to the shiny new Garrison.
  4. astrid
    I've been pretty quiet about this lately, but sheesh people! Do you all want to appear even more oblivious and aloof from the populace than well pampered DR denizens already are? People have been queuing up for food since time immemorial and most of us had to do it all through high school and college. Some of us still do it regularly at food trucks and quick lunch places. It's not that big of a deal. And if disability is that big of a concern, treat an able bodied young friend with a flexible schedule and ask that person to stand in line. Then show up 5 minutes before opening. Dilemma solved!
  5. astrid
    I think his response was absolutely the correct one. If he were to go down this slippery slope, should he also downgrade pricy restaurants such as Inn at Little Washington for being beyond the financial reach of most people? Or any restaurant without a substantial vegan-friendly selection for being hostile to vegans? And should I be retroactively upset that my grade school cafeteria made me wait in line (no cutting!) for lunch rather than offer me the option to reserve my space? And should I be picketing the food trusts since they often require substantial standing waits for their food?
  6. astrid
    In my experience with trying to schedule meals with friends, the biggest impediment to fine dining are young children. I wonder if the demographics of the Mosaic District makes it less friendly for fine dining establishments. Having said that - the location/size/focus of Brine can't help matters. Based on our one visit there, Brine seems much emptier than any of our visits to B Side or Gypsy Soul, even though those two restaurants should be attracting a similar audience. Red Apron and MOM both seem bustling, so residents seem willing to spend money on pricy grocery items.
  7. astrid
    This place hasn't gotten much attention recently, so I figure I'd add my update. It attracts a good crowd on a Monday night and for good reason. The food is good as ever, in fact more consistent than my past experiences. The appetizer portions seem bigger than before (most notable in the snail mushroom toast), which more than make up for the increase in price. We really enjoyed our meal here and should come back more often.
  8. astrid
    What restaurants are you considering for your visit? We are going to Paris in November (first time for me) and will probably follow Parisbymouth's top 10 list. Hopefully not a huge mistake to rely so heavily on one source.
  9. astrid
    They took over the space next door and turned it into a great Russian/Central Asian food market. Rows of honey, preserves, pickles and more. My honey collection has gone from unwieldy to hard to justify.
  10. astrid
    The parking issue at Pentagon City has been resolved. Most of the occupied spaces are now available.
  11. astrid
    If you've been thinking of visiting Little Serow, I would recommend going soon. We had dinner there this week and their current menu is my favorite yet. It's a fine sequence of fascinating flavors and textures, ending with their fantastic whisky ribs. For people without +1's bottomless capsicum tolerance, definitely get the rice milk to cool your mouth between courses. It's delicious and only $3 per person. We'll probably go back next week for their seafood menu too, but the regular menu right now is very worth seeking out. I'm also struck by how good their service is. DC's food industry service tend to be uneven and can be quite amateurish even at high end places (often coming across as "trying too hard" "too intrusive" or "why does it take them 30 minutes to bring us a check?"). But this crew just effortlessly glides around the room, pacing everyone's meals perfectly, keeping the glasses topped off, gracefully answering questions and keeping everyone happy. Better yet, at least for this week, both Little Serow and Sushi Taro's Happy Hour lines were quite reasonable. If you got in line at 5:15 or maybe even 5:20, you could be sitting down to a fine meal at 5:35. There was actually an empty table in Little Serow for about 30 minutes after the 5:30 first seating. I'm so grateful to have both Little Serow and Thip Khao here, consistently serving delicious food. Now if Pok Pok will open a DC branch...
  12. astrid
    I feel like Enzo's particular style of Neapolitan pizza is particularly finicky to get right. There's a big drop off between perfect and anything less. I noticed the pizza being noticeably less good even when he's in the restaurant but not personally making the pizza himself. I never notice that sort of quality inconsistency at other restaurants known for good pizzas. (Makes me glad that I gave up on Pupatella and now answer to the siren calls of the Pete's Apizza's New Haven. Plus you can get crispy spring rolls at Four Sisters Grill next door).
  13. astrid
    Based on what I know about A-Town, that seems entirely plausible. A-Town is already drawing drunken guys in sports jerseys from other parts of DMV. Having two of those so close to each other could create some sort of gravitational vortex and start sucking them in from even further afield.
  14. astrid
    We went here recently for drinks and extra snacking, after another fabulous meal at Crane & Turtle. What we tried was very good, and the menu reads very well. Definitely going back to try more stuff.
  15. astrid
    The pessimist in me thinks this space will get turned into another tentacle of the A-Town/Don Tito's monster.
  16. astrid
    I live dangerously -- I've been cutting my Newsom's ham without the aid of a stand. It was actually pretty easy to do once I properly sharpened my knives.
  17. astrid
    It's new. And no need to compensate. Zingerman's gave it to me for free when I alerted them to their mistake. I'll send you a PM to arrange pick up.
  18. astrid
    The product description said that it will hold any kind of bone-in Spanish ham, so it should work for Serrano's as well. Let me know if that is a definite yes, and I will PM you my address and contact info.
  19. astrid
    Hmmm, no takers at all? Maybe I should ask Don to rename the thread to Free Foie Gras Stand? Or Free Vaguely S&M Implement!
  20. astrid
    Based on the other ingredients, I think the recipe is calling for "fresh" fava beans. Dried fava beans have a very strong flavor that would overwhelm the other ingredients. Depending on consistency, you might be able to salvage the beans as a base for a hummus type dip or puree, or as the base of a bean soup. Is there a Korean supermarket nearby? They usually stock frozen fava beans - possibly even peeled ones which would be better than the unpeeled ones. Bring them to boil in salted water and then drain immediately, then use in the salad. Another option is to use edamame or lima beans to sub for fava, they have somewhat more tender skin and can be eaten unpeeled.
  21. astrid
    I don't think it dries well at all. I think carrot top actually gets closer to the flavor than parsley, maybe with a bit of ground anise. Nothing really replace it for prettiness of leaves, though. If you have the time and a small patch of soil, it is easy to grow. Sow some seeds now, keep the ground moist with daily watering until the sprout emerged, and the rest is easy. It is a cool season biannual the will stay alive over winter and take off in the spring. If you let some go to seed, it will come back readily.
  22. astrid
    Yup, we also get the paneer naan. It, along with the green package garlic naan, are excellent.
  23. astrid
    Would the image in the back be a stand giving out free ham behind bars?
  24. astrid
    Did you eat at Elkano in Getaria, by any chance?
  25. astrid
    I have the worst luck with customs, they'll even confiscate rousong, something that is made by cooking pork for hours until it falls apart, and then air dried until it looks like slightly crunchy brown dryer lint. No possibility of anything alive after all that. Is canned foie gras any good? Or would I be better off ordering from D'Artagnan or Hudson Valley?
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