collije
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Everything posted by collije
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You'e made me hungry JimRice, need to get Mio back on my radar again and nosh.
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Sat in the front bar on Saturday night, really good time. Wanted to checkout the food before they moved the menu to 'Jewish comfort food' that's being introduced this week. Had a similar reaction to the Kalua Mix Plate as discojing (kalbi a little gristly, overall liked the dish). Cocktail were tasty. Did a mix of their preformatted cocktails, and did some off-menu ones as well (they don't have a full spirits selection, it just depends on what you want). Bartenders in the front bar were fun and sociable. I thought I'd see more hipster-y folks bombard the place, but not that night. Really eclectic mix, not remotely slammed when I was there. Enjoyable night.
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I agree with LauraG. Energetic is a good description imo, I've eaten plenty of times there, both in the main dining room and tons of times at the bar / lounge area (I used to work for a client right near there, so I introduced many co-workers to Fiola for lunch and happy hours). The noise isn't overwhelming to me. It's easy to have conversations there with someone next to you, especially in the dining room area (or the seated high-tops or other tables in the lounge area). The bar patrons don't tend to be loud either -- but energetic again is a good choice to describe,
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Stopped by Green Pig Bistro with a friend to checkout their weekend Brunch. I came away pretty happy with what we had. My +1 liked their Angry Bird, their take on Chicken & Waffles (1 juicy fried breast sandwiched between 2 waffles, gravy on the bottom and maple syrup poured on the top waffle). It was quite filling, and a tad sweet once the syrup started making its way to the chicken. I tried the Shrimp / Andouille Grits / Poached Egg and really enjoyed this. About 5 large 'head-on' shrimp atop a bed of nicely flavored grits and accompanying salsa with just enough amount of heat (really added to the grits, both my +1 and I agreed). I thought both were good values in the lower-mid teens. The only thing which was just ok was their take on Poutine. Instead of Cheese Curds they blended a nice cheese (I forgot what it was, but I'll recall it) into the brown gravy. It had a nice flavor but after many years going to Montreal and having poutine as my 2am drunk food, it just didn't work as poutine to me ... fancy cheese fries sure. And the $9 price seemed a tad high imo. No drink specials that I saw, decent beer and wine selection and pre-formatted cocktails on the menu. I liked the Zubrowka (Bak’s Bisongrass Vodka, House Spiced 6, Toigo Orchards Apple Cider), reasonably priced at $6 imo. Wish I tried their house made sodas, wanted to try their ginger beer. Next time. Service was very pleasant and helpful with opinions on food selection. All in all, very nice 1st experience for me. If I'm back around Clarendon / Courthouse I'd definitely consider eating here again. Although I may need to try Fuego Cocina on my next trip around here.
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Say hi next time Was in the lower bar area too for happy hour and to meet up with a friend. I also tried one of the new dinner dishes introduced by Ed, the Pan Roasted Grouper w/ Celery Root Puree, Pickled Kumquats, Wild Mushrooms, Tarragon and Cardamon Crumble. Well executed fish, good flavors but perhaps somewhat subtle / nuanced. Was distracted by beer so perhaps I'll try again sometime. Liked it though. On the current menu the other new items are House-Made Chervil Linguini w/ Sautéed Wild Mushrooms and Truffled Percorino. Almost got that instead but was in the mood for something heartier.
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Locate right next to Ikea or Costco on Rt1, and call it a day.
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Incredibly expensive? If you said Minibar or Little Inn I might agree with you (j/k). To me it's the relative new trend of small plates emphasis (there's some large plates / normal entrée portions to be sure) . Some diners will likely over-order as well on the small plates initially, adding to increased cost. But there's enough dishes on the menu that are relative value. Roasted Bone Marrow in the low teens, bread is very cheap (dig the Biscuits & pepper jam), and more basic pastas and pizza that don't have expensive ingredients are accessible pricepoint-wise for everyone. I think Bryan did a reasonable job with providing options for many diners. He did spend $ on the place and location (yes yes I'm sure he negotiated well, even with whatever deals / discounts he could make).
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Just saw that, another reason to eat there.
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I didn't even intend to eat last night, just wanted to figure out how getting bar seats would work during soft launch for a +1 and I to goto town on the menu. According to the outside host station, it's TBD each day how bar seats will be handled during soft launch. Last night was walk-in, they'll know tonight's approach just before opening. Little weird IMO. There was little issue last night with folks trying to get bar seats. Most at the bar were either awaiting their table rez to be available, it simply checking the place out with a drink or two. A friend and I will be trying more soon. need to try that merguez-stuffed lamb shank and beef heart.
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Doh, I knew that other DR folk were likely there but I admit I can only generally recognize Rocks. Need to work on that. I was chatting away with those around me for hours, always happy to chat / socialize over food. The bathroom slider door I took time to evaluate too. Yeah it seemed like it had the function to be a helper door, but in reality it was too slow and / or didn't function as expected. I did try one of their in-house sodas, the ginger beer. Lacking in carbonation and frankly flavor for me. I should have spoken up but didn't (my bad). It's Day-1, so I'll give it another try sometime. Oh but if in the mood for a boozy after-dinner drink, try the Blazed Abbott that's on the menu (rum, chartreuse, orange, put on fire and served nice and warm). Cough, good hooch! Sip please.
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Nice soft launch opening night for Range. Was able to snag a bar seat by the front door. Walked though a number of dishes (small plates emphasized) while chatting up bar staff and fellow patrons. Space looks great, as others have noted before. Cheddar Chive Biscuits w/ Pepper Jelly. Very nice with the highlight of Pepper Jelly with more heat than expected. Update: the Roasted Bone Marrow with Golden Raisins & Garlic. A sweet dish with the raisins, definitely liked this. One of the better bone marrow dishes that I've had in DC. Tagliatelle w/ Beef Cheek Stroganoff & Lacinato Kale. The beef cheeks were sliced fine a la carpaccio or ham. Mushroom are added to the dish as well and added to the overall flabor (surprised this wasn't listed on the menu). Nice subtle flavor, I enjoyed it. Dish was cooked well. Pasta at Range will be in the 4oz portion size. The couple next to me got the Goat Cheese Ravioli w/ Braised Meat Ragu, they raved over the depth of flavor, especially of the ragu. For dessert, there are 'candy counter' vs. traditional sweets options. Candy is presented via cart where you're dining (nice touch). I especially liked the fancy to-go dessert boxes that the staff offers if you're currently full. Fits well with the Friendship Heights location Nice to see the bar staff are veterans and are happy to go off-menu if asked. It didn't seem like Day 1 soft launch tonight. All in all, well executed dishes and good friendly bar service. Paid attention to the other bar patrons most of the night, lots of smiling faces when trying cocktails and sampling dishes. Excellent night, at least at the bar. Update: added Bone Marrow, in-house made Ginger Beer observations and more pics. Smartphone updates a tad painful lol.
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Kinkeads just announced on Twitter that they're closing on 12/22/12.
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Stopped by mid-evening Friday night to checkout the back bar & peruse the menu. Nice friendly service from Raquel (sp?), formerly from Central and Medium Rare I believe. Not a huge selection of liquors (no Makers Mark) but enough for her to go off-menu -- I had a tasty sazerac. Since I'll do dinner eventually with a friend, I had only the Matzo Ball soup. Like KeithA noted, very good & very traditional (I personally liked the ball's semi-firmness. sliced fine with a spoon). The bar area is tiny, maybe sits about 8 with the walkpath (to either the back entrance or restaurant front) I can see folks having to do a lot of 'excuse me', that happened late Friday when a large crew came. I semi-wonder if they'll make enough $ back there, but fingers crossed for them. Good 1st impression.
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These are really nice offers to the community Jeff, much appreciated
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Love Zahav's 'Mesibah' tasting menu. $48 is a steal for what you get (that roasted lamb shoulder is sooooo tasty). You'll want to reserve in advance by a few days to ensure the have the lamb available (at least that's what I've always been told in the past). I do like that they size the amount of food based on party size (i.e. a 2-top will get likely a 1/2 shoulder vs. a full shoulder which is way too much food). Good choices above (another fan of Kanella).
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x2. Enjoy the time off Mark!
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I agree, lol
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Chicken Parm Sandwiches
collije replied to darkstar965's topic in Washington DC Restaurants and Dining
Nice RWBooneJr, I appreciate an old-school Chicken Parm. Thanks for the tip about the 1/2 portion at the bar. -
Another bump for Tortacos. Very good LA-style tacos here, my favorite tacos in the area. Fresh ingredients in the fixings bar (like that the bar had a lid), good house-made guac (happy to spend extra for it). I've been enjoying the fish tacos lately on the weekends, but tried today the Burrito combo using Al Pastor (another winner, huuuge). Nice to see them recognized recently too. Look forward to my local Costco runs much more with Tortacos in the area haha.
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Fans of the 3-course for $50 bar special, take note. It's being replaced very soon by a 4-course for $90. Seems that it's too popular (lots of folks take advantage of it)
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+1 on the Coconut Apricot muffin, quite good. Also had an Almond Croissant, very very happy with it. Might be better than St. Michel's that I'm also a fan of. Need to go back and give it another go, along with the Chocolate version.
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Awe, liked this place.
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Just had it at Bistro Bis two Sundays ago while having an event. Still good there!
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In regards to the Prix Fixe menu, as you noted there are 3 pricepoints (based on # of courses): * $55 = 2 courses + dessert * $72 = 3 courses + dessert * $89 = 4 courses + dessert At least the last time I was there, you could choose any item from anywhere on that menu (i.e 4-courses of appetizers the restaurant is making a killing at $89, and 4-courses of entree items the diner is both stuffed & gotten value), and certain items may have an addiitional surcharge (i.e. currently the Branzino entree is $8 extra).
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This sounds fantastic, can't wait to go.
