mtureck

From his chat today: The deal is: Lebanese Taverna isn't the model it used to be (like Five Guys, it suffered from expansion) and Mama Ayesha's is fine, but not better than that. I've mentioned Me Jana on this chat before, but I haven't been in more than a year. So thank you for the prompt to revisit it.

I had been to Bistro Provence twice since it opened, and both times came away with the same impression...good food, but significantly overpriced. Having recently returned (I had a gift certificate), I have a few suggestions for the restaurant: 1) When I mentioned at the beginning the meal that I'd be using a gift certificate, the waiter may have found a better response than "you know you can't use that for my tip, right?" 2) Please update the menu on the website so that it matches the menu in the restaurant. When I asked about an onglet that was on the online menu, I was told they hadn't had that for two years. 3) Yes, I mispronounced "sancerre" when ordering my glass of wine. No, the waiter didn't need to seem like correcting me was the highlight of his year. 3) If you have a early bird prix fixe, include it with the menu, don't make dinners request the additional menu specifically. 4) If a diner has a question, please provide a simple, polite answer. When asking if they had frites to substitute for roasted potatoes for my son, a waiter's response of "we wouldn't dream of it," as if the concept of frites in a French bistro was utterly preposterous, might turn off said diners. As for the meal itself? The prix fixe was nice. $35 for three courses. Nothing fancy, but solid bistro fare. More wines by the glass would have been appreciated, and there should be one or two for under $15. But if you're looking for a good duck confit, or a satisfying risotto with a healthy side of condescension, Bistro Provence is a good choice.

Can't say it's truly outstanding, but I do enjoy Well Dressed Burrito's marinated beef burrito.

I've had many excellent RW lunches at Rasika West End over the years, but yeah...that cheesecake was one of the worst things I've ever had there.

Too bad the menu on the website is pretty much unreadable.

And a lot of the people eating at those places don't get people like us spending hundreds of dollars for a meal. To each his own.

The Cajun Pasta is my go to meal there. It's pretty good. Of course it's not in any way authentic, but who cares? It's a great place to go with a family when everyone wants something different, they're amazingly consistent (for better or worse), they have big portions and cheery service. That's what many people look for when they dine.

City Smokehouse?

Stopped here for lunch after hiking in Cunningham Falls Park. My quick takeaway...keep to the pork and the sides, and you'll have a really good meal here. Delicious cup of cream of crab soup to start with. Reminded me of a thicker version of Ray's crab bisque, which is a pretty high compliment. The pulled pork and ribs were both excellent...nice bark, juicy and smokey. Liked all the sides we got, but the collard greens were a standout...really good kick of vinegar and heat, and full of tasty pork morsels. The brisket was a little dry, and sliced too thin for my taste. Pretty good flavor, and better after we added some sauce. The smoked pit beef was our least favorite. Not much flavor, and really fatty and hard to eat. I'd certainly go back next time we're around...the soup, sides, and pork made for a really good meal.

I'm going with Bub and Pop's...

One of the big differences is that pupusas are generally eaten covered in pickled cabbage and a finely blended red salsa. Don't bother eating a pupusa without both. Agree with many of the suggestions above, but if you work in DC and get lucky, the El Tipico food truck has some really nice ones as well.

I ate in the new Dupont location last week. Had the fish and chips...really good fish, nice batter, very tasty. I'd go back for it. The chips, on the other hand, were unremarkable and over-seasoned. Can't say anything else on the menu really called to me, and as it's been pointed out, Surfside makes some really good tacos right around the corner.

Great...so we can look forward to the tasting menus doubling in price, and the reasonable four or five course prix fixe going away?

To put it simply, NO!!!!!

The $160 figure was from about 5 years ago. No idea what the price was like in 1999.