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Everyone was civil until you came along and forced your views on everyone else. You will be ignored, and don't take the non-answer from me or others as any sort of validation for your ignorance.

Those who are stewing this desperate social injustice, have paid to see these features and enjoyed them are complicit. Shame on you.

Thank you for telling minorities and groups to which you do not belong how to react to life and the world.

These are racists:

These are hipsters:

For shame on anyone who wastes a single molecule of neurotransmitter being offended by the second photo when people like the ones in the first photo exist on this planet.

My post will actually push this firmly into the "shark on a motorcycle jumping the Fonz" territory, but I think there are some important perspectives being missed, both here and presumably (I haven't read it) in the Huffington Post article.

First, to be absolutely clear, I am firmly in the "highly disapproving, solidly offended, and shocked, but sadly not surprised, at the lack of uproar since day one" category.

However, and by no means do I seek to offer an apology for this, having occasion to work with many in this age and socio-economic group, I find that most middle class high school, college, and recent grad aged kids see themselves as so post-racial as to allow themselves to express--ironically, of course--highly offensive, provocative, even intentionally inflammatory, ideas as the very proof of how impossible it is for them to espouse those ideas.

Any viewer of "Family Guy" or "30 Rock" or pretty much anything on Adult Swim is already familiar with this phenomenon--and this is the direct legacy of Howard Stern for those who were recently waxing nostalgic regarding his "glory" days. Hard to argue with how mainstream, entrenched, and accepted this is--it all just depends on your age group and where the arrow is pointed.

In fact, I resent the smugness behind 30 Rock's self-aware, ironic but explicit racism much, much more than the idiotic tomfoolery of the Fojol Brothers, and I am surprised than no similar article has been written on the actual pervasive and far-reaching iterations of overt/covert racism and active religious bigotry on national TV, rather on the local, even parochial, food truck example.

Harder to argue is the role of through the looking glass pop culture phenomenon like "Boondocks" (best line ever--Huey: "I see piss coming, I move. She saw piss coming, she stayed.")--but then again, does anyone remember Dick Gregory, Redd Foxx, Richard Pryor, hell, even Bill Cosby?

So that was jumping the shark. Here's the shark jumping the Fonz:

One, who can blame or judge these fools, and two, where is the real outrage when these 25 year olds grew up and live in a culture where they are constantly exposed to and constantly see being affirmed:

1) The sanctioned pedophilia of Toddlers and Tiaras.

2) The sanctioned child abuse of Dance Moms.

3) The obscenely glorified ethnic, racial and religious self-abasement for-profit on Bravo, etc. of Shahs of Beverly Hills, Jersey Shore, Housewives of New Jersey, and All-American Muslim, Sister Wives, Doomsday Preppers, etc. etc..

4) The obscenely glorified sexual orientation-based self-abasement for profit on pretty much every Bravo Show, including Top Chef.

Those are the obvious ones. Even more insidious, and even more wildly popular, and especially disgusting for being aimed at children (but which each and everyone of us supports every day) are the racism and ethnic, cultural and religious bigotry in the modern "critically heralded and universally adored" Disney, Pixar and Dreamworks animated films.

No one is offended by Alladin? Pocahontas? Whatever jive-donkey Eddie Murphy plays in Shrek? The even jiver-zebra in Madagascar?

Why don't they just re-make "The Jungle Book" as a Broadway musical with the Bandar-log in black-face, Baloo played by Stepin Fetchit, and Mowgli opening a Quik-E-Mart after borrowing from the money-lender Thuu (who he later righteously kills in the big finale so he doesn't have to pay back the filthy usurer's interest)?

And why are we not up in arms at the familiarly grotesque appearance of the "Trolls" in the Harry Potter movies, gold-hoarding, bank-owning, devious, sub-human tricksters that they are?

Or at the oh-so-precious, lispy and emasculated gay best friend in every romantic comedy, as perfected in Sex and the City?

And as far as the argument made above that the Fojols are far worse for the fact that they make money from it--well, apart from the inherent profit motives in all of the above, and closer to the relevance to the food industry, why should they question anything they do for money when they see our supposed role models, Tom Colicchio, Anthony Bourdain, and Michael Symon degrading and abasing themselves for money every day? Or care, now that Super Mario Batali was defeated by and secretely replaced by his cousin Wario?

So in short, let's hope they stop, these young idiots whose biggest crime is being stupid and completely in-line with current pop-culture norms (many of which are sacred cows of the very people doing the condemning--stereotyping the Huffington Post writers and editors here, I am).

But who is going to do anything about all the rest?

Good night and good luck.

All I have to say to ML's post is that it's often not the action that's most hated by those who are offended, but the reaction given to those who pointed out the offense. If the Fojols had stopped and said they learned a damn thing from any complaints they received, that's another thing. It probably wouldn't have died down a bit. If someone tells a Gen-Y hipster that he/she shouldn't be making racial jokes and that hipster stops and apologizes, that's the appropriate response, and a lesson was learned. If the hipster goes on and on about how "he has black/Asian/American Indian/whatever friends and how dare you accuse me of racism, YOU'RE the racist for pointing it out, I am so far away from racist, blah blah blah", it's ten times more insulting and offensive.

This is something you learn if you face this discrimination on a regular basis or have committed a major offense and responded appropriately. It's not something you learn denying everyone else's feelings and reactions to something you said or did. This goes for any ethnic/cultural group, might I add, not just majority whites. We can go on and on about how it's soceity's fault, but society is made up of individuals with the capacity to learn and think for themselves.

Missed that read in your original post, but I do think that the two are definitely related. People is people and need to be dealt with as people, not labels. Being white in America, while a HUGE advantage, the advantage does not spread to all. And being of a non white ethnicity can be seen as exotic or negative... depending.

My point was that discussing LGBT discrimination, while very important in the general scheme of society and civil rights, has a very tenuous relation with the Fojol Bros discussion, which is focusing mainly on a racism/xenophobia discussion. I've no doubt that LGBT discrimination is horrible and beyond what I, a heterosexual, will ever be able to truly understand. I also have no doubt that being black in the U.S. is horrible and beyond what I, not a black person, will ever truly understand. I know people are people and need to be treated as such. The horrible-ness of different forms of discrimination wasn't, imo, relevant to the Fojol Bros, especially when I was specifically referring to Americans not being treated as Americans because of the color of their skin (which is what this Orientalist Fojol Bros schtick basically does). I just didn't want to get dragged into a game of "well, other people have it just as bad or worse, too." because it never turns out well for anyone involved.

While it is tiring to be the one to "tell the story" or "answer the questions" of the ignorant, is it just as tiring or annoying to answer the questions of the truly curious?

To you second point, why did it take so long? Because this screed was written with inflammatory language and posted on the internet. One can be offended and vocal or offended and not vocal and both choices are OK and neither diminish the offense. But if you want to stop something, than a necessary condition is to speak out. And in today's internet world, usually speaking out with intemperate language does a more effective job. I mean I am perfectly aware of the history of Newt Gingrich and Fox News.

I have written much about Chik-Fil_A and gay marriage, but my words only wound up on NBC-4, HuffingtonPost.com, Citypaper.Com and in a post on DCist many times longer and more thoughtful than the original post I said "f*ck-em both" to Chik-Fil_A and DCist. The interesting thing is that all the places I did wind up used the term "unfortunate" or "ineffective" language in describing my diatribes. How ineffective could they have been when 10,000's of thousands of folk read about them. Hell, I even wound up on the front portal page of the Teamsters Union Truck drivers local website!

How about going into restaurants as a well recognized, regular dinner and not being able to order a tofu dish truly MaLa, or having a fork tossed contemptuously at me when i was 90% done with my meal, or getting my Seoul Long Tang without tripe and being told that the restaurant never served tripe in its SLT nor did it have it, when it said it did on the menu? I can fight, tell them off or not go back. Since i have spoken up at these restaurants before, I just will not go back. There are too many Cinese restaurants and Korean restaurants where the folk working are only too happy to respond to an outsider's curiosity or ignore it but not denature the experience. They are deserving of my support. As are food trucks that can sell food without demeaning anyone.

Clearly my issue expressed in these only semi lighthearted examples here is a "Dominant culture" issue and is offered not to make light of the issues raised above, just to point out that all outsiders face issues when dealing with insiders. What varies is the frequency of how often you have to face it.

If you believe "white privilege" is pervasive, try being a white transgender. Try being a white gay youth in rural Tennessee. Try being a lesbian couple out for a walk in front of the Viet Nam memorial a few years back and hearing a Vietnam Vet screaming at them "50,000 of our good boys died because of you bull daggers" {He may have said bull dykes, in my shock at witnessing this, I did not take careful notes. But I am sure his children who witnessed it were imprinted. Sure hope none of his kids were gay}.

You're going into territory that was far beyond what I was going to, not that I mind, but I was speaking more of the "white privilege" in regards to the Fojol Bros. franchise and how this type of Orientalism dehumanizes those who already identify as American and "one of you", so to speak. The question of "Why is it so bad to be seen as foreign, exotic, different, an outsider?" Well, not so bad if you actually are one. But what the Orientalism of the Fojol Bros. type does is to drive home that, even in the immigrant-reliant history of the United States, there is a large percentage of Americans who identify as Americans, but are not seen as Americans to the majority population, thus denying equal footing. The issue of the LGBT community is a whole other thing, and equally as depressing and disparaging due to recent events and fervor.

As for your first point quoted above, it's quite easy to tell in person if someone is just curious or if someone is just ignorant and has no desire to learn anything about your heritage or culture. I'm not this perpetually angry Asian lady going around yelling at people for asking me about my heritage and don't mind if someone is truly curious or wants something cleared up. The problem is, and this goes with any group of people, no one demographic is monolithic and I can only speak for myself. If you (general you) are offended that I am offended and place the blame of offense back onto me instead of acknowledging some sort of self-awareness, that tells me enough about you for me to avoid any further interaction. That was my point, initially.

I can't agree with this. Empanadas and calzones aren't dumplings, they're pies, much like an English pork pie or a Cornish pasty. Matzoh balls are dumplings, but are not anything encased in dough.

But if matzoh balls are considered dumplings, then aren't gnocchi also considered dumplings?

Pies are baked in a pan of some kind, to me, and don't necessarily have to contain a dough of some kind. Shepard's pie, for instance.

Thank you for the analysis. I lived in Sudan. But you provide an excellent example of how assumptions can ruin a good discussion.

It does change some things that you live in the Sudan. But the fact that you probably do not live like the majority of the population where you live and are probably in the upper social classes, in part due to your ethnicity and race, does not change your white privilege and pride in being a "novelty". I do apologize if you thought I was insulting you in any way. I want to make it clear I am not, but do realize that your simple question of "what's so wrong with being seen as different?" is incredibly ignorant and somewhat callous to the complicated racial history that not only the history of the United States, but the history of the world since the 1700s, and to those who still have to deal with that fallout. And yes, I did take that question the wrong way because I get that question a lot, unsolicited. I would say on a monthly basis. And it's frustrating when someone just does not want to see how it can be a huge burden.

I see xiao long bao as true dumplings, as they are and have to be fully sealed to keep in the "soup". I basically define dumplings in a broad sense as anything fully encased in a dough of some kind: empanadas, calzones, wontons, xiao long bao, baked or steamed bao, pierogies, knishes, you get the picture. Anything with any type of opening at all ceases to be a dumpling, imho.

I really wasn't trying to be flip what I typed this before, but putting a microscope on Fojol is news-worthy now because the media decided "Hipster Racism" is a story two weeks ago and it is turning out to have some legs. It is a story that in damn near any incarnation is guaranteed for massive online discussion and page clicks right now... because people don't like 'hipsters', people don't like racism, and people bristle at any suggestion that they might support either thing.

Well, the extreme cynic in me surmises that the majority didn't care about it enough until someone from the majority pointed it out in a very public way.

Setting aside the fetish part, what's wrong with other cultures being treated as foreign and unusual? To nearly everyone but a native, they are. My hair and skin color boggles Africans whenever I'm over there. And despite spending a significant amount of time in Ethiopia, Sudan, and other countries, those cultures remain foreign and unusual to me, whether I'm overseas or in DC eating at their restaurants, viewing their art, or whatever else.

I really hadn't thought about the Fojol thing until it came up and really don't know where I stand. I guess I just thought they were kind of celebrating and having fun with the eclectic heritage of their food, but I'm glad to hear from others on this because it makes me reconsider.

To me, this is a typical example of white privilege. You (general you) don't understand the problem with someone viewing you as a curiosity because you don't have to deal with it every single day of your life, and having your entire personality, abilities, life based solely on what race you are, or what color your skin is, or where you were born/your parents were born. Hypothetically, if you moved to any African nation today and had to deal with this, you'd be fine with it. Who doesn't want to be seen as special? But in reality, you have to deal with it every single day, it's always in the back of your mind, it's a part of you and how you interact with people, it's institutional racism/bigotry. You will never be seen as part of the larger group, like everyone else. Whether you like it or not, it affects how you live your life and you have to question yourself on things that the majority doesn't. Just because one learns to cope with it doesn't mean everything's great and there are no problems.

there's a lot of anti-asian stuff in everyday culture, and you just get sick of fighting it. and my attitude was, probably wrongly, that people dressing up like that were never actually going to understand how offensive what they were doing was, so there was little point in talking to them. and to address the other point--just because other cultures ape, say, americans, doesn't mean it's right to do it here. And, in my mind, there's a difference between a member of a dominant/more powerful group aping a discriminated against minority and a majority aping a group that is not necessarily at a position of disadvantage.

Precisely. I think that a lot of people, from any culture or nationality, will view whoever "stands out" or is "different" as the one who should be teaching everyone about their special, unique, exotic heritage. Heck, look at the way even British/Irish/Australian people are treated by Americans, like their accents will cure the ailing or something. Quite frankly, minorities everywhere and of any kind have better things to do than teach the ignorant every chance they get, or maybe they just don't want to. It sucks so much energy out of you, getting angry at the prejudices one faces everyday. At some point, you naturally just start asking yourself if anything you say will ever make a difference, and then just go to ignoring and not giving second chances. It's the cynical way, not everyone chooses it, but to be totally honest, I have.

And also, one has to wonder why it took so long for this ridiculous Fojol thing to blow up? They've been out for two and a half years, and I remember them being just as ridiculous then.

My two thoughts upon reading this are:

1) I wonder if it isn't the same way about American culture in the Eastern Asian countries - surely we're parodied over there.

2) My thoughts and sympathies are with you, and i'm on your side. Please, if anyone is offended here, write me? I promise I care.

Like I said, I'm so numb to this type of Orientalism in western culture that it barely ruins my day anymore, though I can get riled up and do like to run my mouth about it if given a chance. Also, the older I get, the less reluctant I am to give people a piece of my mind and just walk away.

As for 1.), I'm sure it happens. Racism of any minority group happens in every country, every culture, every city, every town on earth. I'd speak up if people were generalizing about Americans, and have whenever I've been abroad and encountered it. Not that I'm accusing you, Don, of thinking or implying otherwise...but even though I identify as Chinese, I also identify as American, and I am intensely proud of both. What's that Frederick Douglas quote? "He is the lover of his country who rebukes, and does not forgive its sins."

I visited this truck once, and I'll admit, I was taken aback and made a little uncomfortable by the costuming, which seemed to appropriate a fictionalized India. I haven't been back, in part because of the discomfort with their schtick. It reminds me of the way I felt when I saw Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited, a movie about a trio of American brothers who "find themselves" in India. The film ends with the three Americans waltzing down the railway line while a group of Indians carry their baggage--an apt metaphor and I have never been quite sure whether Anderson was fully aware of what he was doing with it or not.

Thank you. I found this truck and their schtick (both the Indian and the Ethiopian versions) offensive in the way that I find (as an East Asian person) the many stereotypic depictions of East Asians in western society offensive. That is to say, I wouldn't make a big fuss out of it because so many people just shrug and don't give a crap about Orientalism due to the fact that they see nothing wrong with it at all. Being "exotic" is seen as a good thing, so exotic = "fun", especially when it's not your culture, heritage and identity being mocked, condensed, simplified and trivialized. Nothing to sue over, but something to just roll my eyes at and avoid supporting in any way. If someone's NOT making money off of it, I would care significantly less. But they're profiting and thriving, which makes me sadder and more cynical than ever. I just wish that, instead of trying to find others to back up their "It's not offensive, it's fun and everyone loves it so you just need to LIGHTEN UP!" defense, they'd at least own up to it in some way. The thing that gets my goat the most are the adament dismissals of those who are actually offended or uncomfortable in some way about this. No one gets to tell someone of another culture/race/group what they should and should not be offended by. Period. If the food is really that good, let the food stand by itself and through word-of-mouth, keep the name maybe, lose the goddamn schtick and say maybe you learned some kind of PR/personal lesson.

It's not a bad alternative if you're looking for something hot for lunch instead of sandwiches and burgers/soup. Just don't get any of the Asian-inspired stuff. Stick with the "Italian" and "American" pasta dishes and you'll probably get a decent lunch worth what you paid. They also give you good birthday deals during your birthday week if you sign up for the emails.

And honestly, no one's going to mention that virtually any dining establishment's main course will have at least 2000mg of sodium in it, or more, no matter how "low class" one thinks it is? It's not exactly a problem that exists mainly in the "food for poor people" category.

I've ordered some from Shanghai Peking in Alexandria, and I've really liked them so far. They claim to not use MSG, but again, it might be in some of the products (you'd have to call and make sure, I guess). I don't mind MSG, so I've never asked. I grew up on this stuff, in any case, so maybe I'm immune by now. Heh. I'm hard to please with Chinese-American food since I'm still of the mindset that my dad makes the best, but Shanghai Peking comes the closest I've had in the area. Granted, I don't eat this type of food too much anymore...

I've also tried South China on Mt. Vernon in Del Ray, and they're pretty good, especially their Malaysian menu. Their Chinese-American stuff isn't bad, either, but I don't like their crab rangoons too much. Prefer Shanghai Peking for that.

Nowhere I've tried makes their own duck sauce around here, which is disapointing re: fried appetizer items. That's why I like Shanghai Peking's crab rangoons - they serve them with the red sweet & sour sauce that's usually served with the fried chicken/pork nuggets.

I also have yet to find a good Chinese-American place around here that uses fresh mushrooms in its lo mein, instead of the canned kind. Oh well. Can't win 'em all.

Went for lunch today and they have changed the baguette they use for their banh mi to a more traditional banh mi baguette. Not as delicate or flakey/crusty as it should be, but soft and won't cut the roof of your mouth. Still, I miss the texture of a really good banh mi baguette, or even the bread they used the last time I went here.

Got the grilled porkchop fried egg rice platter, and it was great. Pork wasn't tough at all, but juicy, thin and so flavorful. You could taste the char, but it was just the right amount. The fried egg was even still slightly soft in the yolk, which is great because I love letting that lovely yellow yolk drip down and mellow out all the other flavors.

Still a solid and great deal for a sit down lunch in the Old Town area. The service was definitely better than last time, too. I went around 2:00 PM, so it wasn't busy, but not completely empty either.

A couple weeks ago, when chicken breasts were on sale for their Friday one-day sales, they were offering huge grilled chicken breast sandwiches for only $5. I love when they do stuff like that around the entrance of a Whole Foods. Such a bargain, and it's always well worth the money. The chicken breast was way too big for the whole wheat bun, but I still added lettuce and tomato. It was perfectly grilled, as well.

As for their food bar, I try to shy away from it. I don't think I've ever had good food from there.

Thanks. There was some chatter on CH awhile back about "underground restaurants" that I would love to know more about. Also, if there are any "Dining Clubs" or other "private home dinners" that are open to outsiders. Any idea? If it's not something to be posted publicly about, I can be e-mailed at martinowitz@aol.com Thanks. (mahalo).

I haven't heard of any in Honolulu in a while, but then again, I'm not really on those kind of lists anywhere. From what I do know of one that was located in Los Angeles, it's pretty much a months-long waiting list, and you have to know someone. Maybe you'll have more luck on the CH boards? I'm not living there yet, but will be in a few months, so not really in on the secret dining clubs.

Or maybe even email the food writer at Honolulu magazine? I believe her contact info is on the Biting Commentary blog: marthac@honolulumagazine.com

Generally, as far as dining establishments go, cheaper is usually better on Oahu (and Hawaii in general), Roy's and Alan Wong's excepted.

Anyone going to be there next month (May, 2012)?

&/or

Any updated info?

What kind of food are you looking for? If it helps, Honolulu magazine's website has a "Biting Commentary" blog that lists a lot of new places that just opened and reviews them. You can subscribe to their weekly updates and go through their archives for free online.

The standards mentioned previously on this thread still apply, though: Shrimp trucks on the North Shore, shave ice in Haleiwa (both Aoki's and Matsumoto's, right next to each other, are considered the best on the island), Leonard's for malasadas, Liliha Bakery for coco puffs, lots of food trucks can be sampled every last Tuesday of the month at the Eat the Street Festival, Da Kitchen opened up last year in Honolulu so definitely try their plate lunches, Rainbow Drive-In for plate lunches as well, Alan Wong's for tasting menu, Roy's in Hawaii Kai, Nico's 38 on the Pier for fresh fish, Helena's for Hawaiian (or Ono's on Kapahulu if you won't be near the Bishop Museum for Helena's)...it really depends on what you're looking for.

Good luck and have fun!

Just had a nice early dinner here, and am delighted that Bibiana is just as good as I had hoped it to be. I was in Italy a little over a week ago, and Bibiana definitely has food that's of the same quality as I found in various well-known, reputable eating establishments in Rome and Venice. The fried artichoke isn't prepared exactly as the Romans do, but the flavors are there. Falling a bit short of the extra crispy-almost-burnt outer artichoke leaves as you would find in Rome, but the tenderness of the artichoke heart and the hint of lemon is there and satisfies my craving. Not greasy, either. Fried just right.

The 45-minute hen egg in asparagus purée was good and comforting if you love asparagus. The egg yolk adds the perfect creaminess and fat to the asparagus. Good depth of flavor, not just "Oh, it's asparagus...Blah". Not sure what else I can say about it!

My dining partner and I also had another antipasto made from "pig trotters" with celery root purée and fried asparagus (don't remember the name, not on the website menu), which was also perfectly executed. Here, the various textures made the dish so much more interesting. The pork was ground and formed into a crisp, pan-fried patty. You could taste chunks of the skin and fat throughout along with the slight crunch from the pan-frying. Then the purée and sauce that came with it, and the meat was perfectly salted, almost to the point where you think, "Hmm...this might be a little too much salt.", but not QUITE to that point, so all it did was basically bring out the flavor of the pork and fat as much as possible.

For primi, I got the black spaghetti with Louisiana crab meat, and it was delicious. Pasta perfectly cooked, slight hint of the sea. There was actually a lot more crab than I had expected, and it amped up that lovely "from the sea" flavor of the dish. Great example of letting a couple of simple flavors shine. My dining partner got the ravioli filled with veal and with a sauce flavored with pancetta (forgot the name on the menu, not online), which was a little more complicated, flavor-wise. The pancetta didn't overpower the veal, and the veal didn't overpower the pasta it was encased in. You could taste each component, and they all melded wonderfully on the tongue.

For dessert, I got the coconut semifreddo. It was still a little too hard from having just come out of the freezer, but I love anything coconut, and this did not disappoint. Creamy, but not decadent. It was on a bed of grapefruit, which made it even more refreshing. THe other dessert was the panna cotta, which came with candied citrus fruits and a blood orange foam on top. Fresh fresh fresh, light and airy, but there was a lot of it, so no one could finish the whole thing, even though both of us wanted to. Both of us also agreed that the semifreddo was the better dessert, but they are also two completely different "dessert goals", if that makes any sense. Hard to compare since they are so different.

I went in expecting the food to be of lesser quality than what I found in my very short time in Rome and Venice, maybe even a little more pretentious and overbearing, and it ended up being equal in quality, if not in the ingredients used (meaning stuff like jumbo lump crab meat probably wouldn't be used in Italy, as opposed to it being plentiful here). The chef knows how to focus on the right flavors and which ones go together, though. Pretty much what simple Italian fare is all about, and I was pleasantly surprised.

I was there about a week ago, and was told by my friends in Rome that it's hard to have a good sit-down dining experience in Venice that's worth the money, exscept for Il Gatto Nero on Burano (which I highly recommend, as well).

Well, I was staying in a B&B near the Fondamenta della Misericordia, and all along the Fondamenta are these small, lovely, honest trattorie and osterie that were filled with locals, yet still had at least one English-speaking worker on staff (though all you really need for a restaurant is to know the menu and the basic words of "Hello, thank you, check, etc."). I gravitated towards one, Bea Vita, near the end of the Fondamenta della Misericordia, and went there two nights in a row because the food and the service were great. It was also the least crowded since it was near the end of the Fondita, so I felt more comfortable as a tourist eating alone and being able to just peruse my guidebook during the meal (or snap a few quick shots of the food!). Great prices (an antipasto and a primo or a primo and a dulce wouldn't be more than EUR25 per person...this is without wine, as I don't drink alcohol), great housemade food (pastas and others on a limited menu that changes regularly), and good service. Can't get better than that for me no matter the location, and next time I go, I won't hesitate to stay in that area again, as people actually live in that area, which makes it a much more charming experience than the intense, annoying crowds of San Marco or Rialto.

My very first night, I stayed in an expensive hotel in Arsenale and walked to a restaurant recommended by my guidebook, Da Rafaele, to eat the frittura mista. It was definitely a good bet, and the seafood tasted fresh and not-frozen, like they just came out of the sea. It was a bit pricey and definitely catered more to tourists than locals, but if you only order a secondi and a cappucino, it's mid-range (around EUR33 total, including service and cover charge).

Edited because of stupid Autocorrect...

The longer I live in the area, the more I think that Teaism is really one of the few "unique" aspects (food-related, cultural, otherwise) about DC. No, it's not the best food out there, but it's pretty good for the price and the service, especially if you know what to order (i.e. NOT the tempura!), and every branch is a great space to just hang out and socialize without having to go to a bar or a club. And now that I know there will be an end date to my time in the DC-area, I am feeling that Teaism (esp. the Penn Quarter location) is one of the few things that I will miss and cannot find elsewhere.

Kinda just think that DC is not and will never be a 24-hour town, period. The people here are up by 5 or 6 AM every single day, even weekends. Possible exceptions are the frat culture of Clarendon, and even they get up before 11 AM after a night out partying. Nothing gets in the way of that type-A personality, and while a place that stays open until 2 AM might work out, no 24-hour establishment will until an actual middle class pops up within DC and the suburbs that can afford the type of food being sold by these places. Let's face it, a 24-hour restaurant like The Hamilton would be dicey and barely profitable even on Manhattan.

The thing that has turned me off food trucks most is the price of the food. If the prices were actually cheaper than what you get in brick-and-mortar stores, I'd be more enthusiastic about trying more. Bit as it is, I go to the ones that have either the best value (TastyKabob or Yellow Cart) or the best food of their kind (BadaBing). Only one exception so far (Lemongrass) to my rules because of the sheer unavailability of bahn mi outside of Eden Center. I suppose for the size of the bahn mi (a foot long), it's on par with the cost of any other brick-and-mortar sandwich, so it doesn't hurt as much as the others.

Though I haven't tried a lot of the ones that only go around DC, such as El Floridano and La Ficelle. Maybe I'd add them to my list... I don't eat out for lunch often, in any case. Maybe twice a month at most.

I also hate sitting at the bar. I like to just eat my meal, read something, take my time (which is still faster than any 2+ dining party, even if I take my time). I'd even take the crappiest table if it means I can just have a table to myself, though I'm not averse to communal tables as long as you're not literally two inches from the people around you.

If I can't reserve for one on OpenTable (haven't had a problem yet with the restaurants I've gone to), then I just call the restaurant and ask. Or I just walk in at an off-time (usually early dinner or late lunch). Especially when traveling, haven't been refused yet. I tend to pick less crowded restaurants and eateries, though. If I know a place is going to be super crowded no matter what, I get the meal to go and find someplace else to sit and eat. Most places will accommodate, though you probably have to order at the bar to get it to-go.

Went here on Friday as a birthday request for my sister. We were both really impressed. She had the offal menu while I got the regular, and we tasted each others' dishes, of course. The amuse-bouches (plural!) were wonderful. The perfect starter, inventive, but not too "out there". I remember fried root vegetable strips with a vinegar and aioli, a duck prosciutto on crouton, and a celery consommé with black olive oil. Pan-fried brains, lamb heart bolognese, pork jowl, and ginger lemon pudding for the offal menu. Not a fan of the brains (neither my sis or I had eaten brain before). Was sort of gamey in a not-pleasant way for me, but my sister liked it. The texture was good and creamy, though. Lamb heart bolognese tasted comforting and meaty, yet with that organ/slightly bloody, coppery taste. Well-executed, and you could probably lay it on someone unsuspecting without them figuring out that it was organ meat. Pasta was the most perfectly al dente pasta I've ever tasted. Pork jowl was very decadent. Literally a burst of fat in your mouth when you bite into it, but really good. Like bacon on steroids with the chef's preparation. Ginger lemon pudding was light, but creamy and a nice palate cleanser after the richness and gaminess of the offal dishes.

Regular menu was great as well, though not as exciting as the offal menu (obviously). Baked antebellum grits with a duck ragout, hand-cut semolina spaghetti, pork shoulder and dark chocolate terrine. The grits with duck ragout were good. Very rich, and the grits were more along the lines of a dense, soft cake (like a polenta cake, but not grilled, just warmed up) instead of the more typical preparation. Spaghetti was, again, perfectly al dente and comforting. Cheesy and just the right amount of olive oil. Just a nice hint of the red pepper flakes for flavor and a tiny kick, but not a heat that lingers (good thing, with the subtle flavors and all). Pork shoulder was fatty and tender, very much letting the pork speak for itself. Nice, muted-yet-subtle flavors that melded well with every ingredient. Reminds me of good, peasant meals in the middle of a small [insert European country] village. Dark chocolate terrine is a must if you love chocolate, especially dark chocolate. Nothing ground-breaking. Just a damn good chocolate dessert, period.

We both chose teas to finish our meal, and also received a house-made cookie sampler with it: meringues, almond biscotti, chocolate chip and molasses. We barely had room for it, but ate it anyway.

On top of the great, satisfying food was the exceptional service. I had noted on the reservation form that it was my sister's birthday and they went above and beyond, including a candle in my sister's dessert. Would go back for the great service alone.

Overall, subtle and comforting is the theme I got from Eola. If you want flavors that knock you out of the park, go elsewhere. This is food akin to the Japanese mindset of letting the ingredients' natural flavors speak for themselves, but also goes above that in giving you some surprises in each dish that aren't going to scare off the less-adventurous eaters. Already thinking of going back the next time we want to splurge on a nice meal out.