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astrid

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Everything posted by astrid

  1. astrid
    We had a really nice Sunday dinner here. Good flavors, very good ingredients, and very pleasant service. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the Annapolis area. There's a small parking lot for the restaurant plus a decent amount of free street parking nearby.
  2. astrid
    The wonderfully charming sexagenarian waiter and homey atmosphere is still there. But we weren't enthralled with the food at Bibou, even though everyone around us seems to love their dinners. This is one case where we must say "it's not you, it's me" to the restaurant, and the rustic style of cooking here was most definitely not our thing. Perhaps we were mowed down by a mob of roller wielding French grannies in a previous life.
  3. astrid
    We had a good brunch there. It's a very very good traditional brunch with great pastries, really nice house cured Arctic char, and a nice pastrami sandwich. It's rather pricy for brunch food, but they did deliver the goods. We were a bit disappointed that the brunch menu lacked a few of the more interesting items that we had hoped to see (the "Vitello Tonnato" dish in particular). The Sunday brunch here was very quiet that day, possibly because of the newish High Street on Market next door -- a more casual/experimental joint opened by Chef Kulp next door. Or maybe not -- the first time we heard of High Street on Market was when two separate waiters at Vernick Food & Drink asked if we had tried High Street after we mentioned that we had had brunch at Fork.
  4. astrid
    We had dinner here last weekend. It was nice but I'm not sure I got anywhere near $155/person before tax, tip, and alcohol worth of enjoyment out of it. There were a couple really good dishes -- the morel sandwich, salt baked quail, and the pistachio "flan" for +1. But overall, this is not really on the same level of enjoyment or variety as Roberto's Four (now Eight) or a good Seasonal Pantry dinner (we had one SP dinner that definitely beat this meal hands down, but the other one was probably not as good) or Sushi Taro Omakase - all of which can be had at a lower price point.
  5. astrid
    We really liked Le Chéri, a new restaurant by Executive Chef Pierre Calmels of Bibou, who seems to be spending most of his at Le Chéri these days, and Chef de Cuisine Val Stryjewski. In a weekend that also included Vetri and Bibou, I definitely preferred Le Chéri. The more updated and creative cuisine here appealed to me more than the more homey cooking at Vetri or Bibou. The restaurant itself is located in the Philadelphia Art Alliance building.The dining room and bar areas are quite dark and atmospheric. We were able to get seats at a high top in the bar area immediately, a little before prime Friday night dinner times. So the bar may be a good bet if they don't have space elsewhere in the dining room.
  6. astrid
    Had a very good (and expensive, thanks to the wide array of dishes we tried) dinner here. Some of the creativity and blending of inspirations evoked aspects of Rose's Luxury, as did the high level of quality control and overall deliciousness. Favorites included the sea urchin, yogurt, and shirred egg dish (where they cleverly used sherry and shrimp oil in the egg to accentuate the sea urchin flavor); chili-glazed octopus; black pepper pappardelle with lamb shoulder ragu and fava; and the crispy potatoes/shishito peppers.
  7. astrid
    Stopped by for happy hour here last week and was impressed. Pizzas here has a lovely crisp light crust (reminds me of the fast rise version at Osteria in Philly) and they're a great deal during happy hour. The octopus carpaccio appetizer I tried was perfect, it seemed a bit pricy on the menu, but the portion was quite generous. The drinks I got were tasty too, nicely balanced and not too sweet. I'm definitely coming back to try more of the menu and if I lived nearby, Ghibellina would certainly make it into my regular rotation.
  8. astrid
    Back from Taiwan. Didn't do much good eating because my travel companions were very budget and convenience oriented. I did persuade them to splurge on a dinner at Mitsui (No. 30 location) and that was exceptional. The quality is on par with the best of Sushi Taro and the prices were maybe 50-60% less than equivalents in the US. I did not enjoy the night markets at all (which was unfortunately highly featured on our dinner rotation due to the budget and convenience orientation), the food was mediocre and lacked nuance. With the exception of http://hungryintaipei.blogspot.com/, the English language reviews/sources did not prove very helpful for me. The 2014 LP Taiwan guide is worthless and I found the 2011 Rough Guide Taiwan to be much better. Tripadvisor was okay for Taipei, but really fell off for other locations. Goodeats is totally right about getting around by public transportation and taxi - Taiwan's public transportation options are clean/convenient/cheap and the locals are wonderfully helpful. For Hualien/Taroko Gorge, we chartered a taxi for a day for less than $100 Overall, I really enjoyed the trip and would definitely like to go back to explore more scenery/food with +1.
  9. astrid
    I do not mean this as any sort of aspersion on anyone in DR, but I do wonder about the intersection of people who would complain vehemently (far beyond "I wish there were a reservation system to make it easier for me to eat here") and people who complain about no tipping policies. Some of the angrier comments about Rose's Luxury, talking about disrepect and wishing them failure, reminds me of Jay Porter's account of his adventures in a fixed service charge model. Porter had concluded that although he found the flat service charge model lead to better service and good servers are not motivated by tips by individual tables, a vocal minority of people really hated losing the perceived control of the tip. Porter's conclusion is supported by my experience. Every so often, we'll be seated next to a table where one guy (or one woman, but that's much less common) who monopolizes the server's time - correcting them, asking tons of questions, forcing them to listen to long monologues (never ever as interesting as speaker thinks they are) that have nothing to do with the server's job of facilitating a good dining experience. I think that for these people, dining out is a power trip, so anything that robs them of that power, such as waiting in line like a prole, makes them feel angry and disrespected. As someone else has said earlier in the Rose's Luxury thread - I'm rather glad that Rose's Luxury's egalitarian system probably excludes more of these folks. They're really annoying to be seated next to and they degrade the overall dining experience for everyone by interrupting the normal flow of a restaurant.
  10. astrid
    Their Thai buffet is pretty good, but we find it hard to resist the Lao and "secret Lao" menus. The grilled pork neck from the "secret Lao" is outstanding and we order the duck larb every time we go to BG.
  11. astrid
    Had brunch here two weeks ago. The Tajarin is one of the best pastas I've had in DC. The zuppa alla cavanesana is clever and looked very tasty. The lamb sausages and pancetta are very tasty, and the egg dishes were properly prepared. The $30 bottomless brunch (which we did not opt for) is really a great deal if you come with a healthy appetite for food and drink. Need to come back soon for dinner to sample more pasta offerings.
  12. astrid
    I'm not a big chocolate eater so I don't have as much exposure as many (most?) people. I will say that Valrhona always tastes harshly acidic and off to me. I've given their chocolate bars many chances over the years and never found a bar that I wanted to finish. Of the mass market brands, I like Lindt the best. Their chocolate bars tastes rich and smooth and Lindt's milk chocolate is the only milk chocolate that doesn't taste like stale cigarettes to me. I really like Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Lover's Chocolate Bar (85%). It has a nice rich profile that's very smooth, not overly bitter or acidic. At $1.49 for two bars, it's really quite a bargain. Goes great with dried Montmorency cherries.
  13. astrid
    Dan O'Brien of Sundevich has also been on Top Chef. Maybe he would be the Belle and Sebastian of Top Chef.
  14. astrid
    Anyone have good recommendations for Taiwan? I've been roped into a family trip to Taiwan, probably for a week in April. 5 Mandarin speaking adults. Looking to stay primarily around Taipei but will probably rent a car to get around. Suggestions for food, tea, shopping, musuems are all most welcomed.
  15. astrid
    Aachatz should not have chided. Publicly complaining about your own diners, no matter how disgraceful their behavior, never reflect well on the restaurant. Still, I think the diners were completely in the wrong. Sometimes, life happens - you showing symptoms for avian flu, you've suddenly deverloped unbelievably awful BO, your babysitter is abducted by aliens... Yeah, it sucks and it's not your fault per se. But it's still terrible manners to then immiserate other people with your problem. The parents karmically deserve to have a loudly crying baby in the next table for all their future fine dining outings.
  16. astrid
    Locally, might be Rose's Luxury for me as well. The kitchen's combination of creative flair and flawless execution puts them over the top for me. Though we had such excellent experiences at Robert's Four, Seasonal Pantry Supper, Sushi Taro Omakase, Bangkok Golden, and Izakaya Seki that it would be unfair for me not to mention them in a "best of" context. We also had an excellent brunch at CORK Wine Bar that deserves honorable mention. Elsewhere, Le Filet, Le Club Chasse et Peche, and Le Quartier General in Montreal were all tremendous, at the level of Rose's Luxury for me. Abattoir in Atlanta and Kitchen in Denver were also memorably great.
  17. astrid
    This is going to be a very expensive cold snap for me. Not the best year for me to invest heavily in pomegranates, gardenias, osmanthus, and michelia (I suspect a total loss on all of these). It might also help make up my mind about my three established tea roses, which had been growing too exuberantly for their alloted space. I'm also guessing my winter trials for fava beans (hardy to 10 F!) and greens are going to be a bust. If any of you have figs in the ground, definitely dump some mulch on top, I suspect all the giant figs in the area are going to get a serious pruning on Monday night. And maybe take a couple cuttings as an insurance policy.
  18. astrid
    The supper club has been very successful at putting bums on seats, but we managed to snag tickets due to DC's usual December exodus. The food was all around terrific "“ unfussy but also quite innovative, interesting, and delicious. We'll definitely be back.
  19. astrid
    It's possible to construct a DC - LA - Hawaii - Tahiti/Fiji - New Zealand - Australia - Indonesia/Malaysia - Thailand - China - India - Dubai - Vienna - London/Paris - Reykjavik - DC itinerary. I think that would keep each leg to less than 8 hours.
  20. astrid
    I certainly don't expect Red Apron to be pleasing for everybody (I think one has to really love red meat and animal based fats to appreciate it) and thanks for explaining! The meatball in the meatball sandwich is quite different from most meatballs. It's very soft and I bet it's choked full of animal fats - the texture reminds me of a good Chinese lion head meatball (which is about 50% pork fat).
  21. astrid
    I'm confused by the complaint about cost. At Potbelly's, two large sandwiches (which is still less substantial than most of Red Apron's sandwiches), 2 bags of chips, and 2 drinks comes to $20 before tax. Red Apron uses considerably higher quality ingredients, so $3(?) more than Potbelly for a meal for two seems pretty reasonable to me.
  22. astrid
    New Zealand is fairly affordable once you get there, at least compared to Europe. So if one makes the 20ish hours (each way) flight there, it pays to stay a while. The restaurant scene there is very good and there are some marvelous places in tiny hamlets, such as Fleur's Place next to the Moeraki Boulder beach. I would recommend renting an RV in November (their May, plenty of snow in the peaks, where the permanent snowline starts at little over 1,000 meters) or April (their October), then linger at places that catches your fancy. Avoid the peak summer months when things get crowded and weather can get hot. The North Island has its charms as well. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing, on a good day, goes through one of the most dramatic and varied landscapes I've ever seen. The 7-hour Lost World caving tour in Waitomo is still the single most fun daytrip ever for me. Rotoroa's geothermal area is small compared to Yellowstone, but very colorful and uniquely situated. Several of their most famous "Great Walks" have somewhat luxurious guided service options (Routeburn and Milford tracks) or nice bed-n-breakfast accommodations (Queen Charlotte Track, Abel Tasman Track, and some privately owned walks). One possible option is to link a guided tour of Routeburn or Milford with an overnight cruise in Milford Sound. Milford Sound is about 4 hours each way from Queenstown by road, so it's nice to dual-purpose the long drive in and out. Between Milford and Routeburn, we picked Routeburn and think it's a much better option because 1) no blackflies 2) less total climb 3) yet above 700 meters for most of the hike and 4) shorter. And if you're going anyways, maybe spring for a layover in Cook Islands as well. New Zealand has gorgeous beaches but the water is very cold. Air New Zealand (I think that's a United mileage partner) does layovers there and can provide some warm beach time as well.
  23. astrid
    Another data point - We had lunch here this week and our experience largely mirrors Darkstar's experience. Good food at a pretty reasonable price, and the wait staff is very good. Most of the pastas we tried were very good (exception was the slightly doughy gnocchi) though the sauces were all a tad saltier than ideal to my taste. The portions are quite large - the half portions we ordered were substantial enough to serve as full size entrees. Our sweetbread appetizer was well executed and quite substantial for the price. Our waitress was great - we felt neither intruded upon nor neglected, the orders and bill all came at the right time.
  24. astrid
    I keep attributing information about Bacon Brothers (an actually new restaurant in Greenville SC) to Abattoir. Thanks for correcting me and really appreciate the inside dope on the restaurant!
  25. astrid
    The new-to-me assorted macarons are fabulous. The SweeTango apples are also very nice - crisp and tart/sweet like Honeycrisp, but better flavor and texture.
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