Kev29

On 2/25/2019 at 10:00 PM, Kev29 said:

Matchbox Pizza Adds Penn Quarter Location to Local Expansion Plan (Eater DC)

Two blocks from the original? Thompson will probably run this franchise into the ground in the next couple years. 

Thompson is shutting the original Matchbox with the new Penn Quarter location coming. 

Matchbox Is Moving Out of Its Original D.C. Location in Chinatown (Eater DC)

I work down the road and this is one of the best strip mall/industrial parks in the country. Prove me wrong! 🙂

14 minutes ago, mtureck said:

Closing, and being replaced by a new branch of Silver Spring's Cubano's.

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/dine/louisiana-kitchen-closing-in-bethesda/

Sad to see them close, but Cubano's is a nice replacement. 

Though it says Cubanos will remain open in Silver Spring, I wonder what the future holds there. They must be getting hit hard by the hot new El Sapo. 

Sad to hear about Louisiana Kitchen. 

Matchbox Pizza Adds Penn Quarter Location to Local Expansion Plan (Eater DC)

Two blocks from the original? Thompson will probably run this franchise into the ground in the next couple years. 

I'm really looking forward to this opening. I think they'll end up being like a Maryland burbs version of Mad Fox. Concentration on classic styles. And four cask engines 😍

41 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

Thanks for all these updates. They appear to have national aspirations - their Twitter and Instagram handles are "silverbranchus" (although I suppose U.S. could be "us," as in, "both of us brothers").

Or just to differentiate from Silver Branch entities outside the U.S.

On 2/21/2019 at 10:56 PM, Marty L. said:

This confirms what an absolutely terrible breakfast town D.C. is--truly, the nadir of the otherwise creative and burgeoning dining scene here.

To me, breakfast and "creative and burgeoning dining scene" are mutually exclusive. Breakfast is old school, usually unfussy, and bigger in towns with fewer straight-and-narrow workaholics. I don't like Washingtonians stereotypes but if there's one that's close it's that we just want to get to the office and on with the day, with little to no breakfast. New York diners and breakfast dives have held on because there's more later-in-the-day creatives and a bigger mix of people up there to sustain them. Same with London, LA, Paris, etc. 

1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

Incidentally, I went to Pizza CS two weeks ago, and have raised that to the #1 restaurant in South Rockville - the pizza was as good as any I've had lately in the DC area (if there's currently any better pizza than this in town, please let me know).

Interestingly, the best pizzas right now are coming out of Maryland - that was never the case until recently.

Mine too. I've been dozens of times since they've opened and the pies are always great, every trip. 

1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

True, but shouldn't it support one, really great place?

I haven't really been enough times or in years, but I think Market Lunch would be a candidate here. 

22 hours ago, Ferris Bueller said:

Founding Farmers won the DC portion.

The Best Restaurant for Breakfast in Every State by Dan Myers, The Daily Meal

So what's the actual best breakfast place in the city? 🙂

On 1/9/2019 at 6:21 PM, DaveO said:

Does the A Team take off on Sundays for lots of brunches at lots of places???

Oh yes. An old adage

Aug 12, 2000 - "Things To Avoid while Eating in Restaurants" by Anthony Bourdain on theguardian.com

Quote

Brunch menus are an open invitation to the cost-conscious chef, a dumping ground for the odd bits left over from Friday and Saturday nights. How about hollandaise sauce? Not for me. Bacteria love hollandaise. And nobody I know has ever made hollandaise to order. And how long has that Canadian bacon been festering in the walk-in? Remember, brunch is only served once a week - on the weekends. Cooks hate brunch. Brunch is punishment block for the B-Team cooks, or where the farm team of recent dishwashers learn their chops.

I'll offer kind of a reverse take -- when Rasika first opened I went a few times and found a lot of the dishes pretty average (my comp was above average neighborhood British Indian/Bengali). Fine but nothing extraordinary. The palak chaat was delightful though. 

Went with my parents about 6 months ago and dinner was wonderful. Fish and lamb curry dishes were rich, perfectly spiced. Service perfect. Palak chaat still delightful. 

11 hours ago, ElGuapo said:

Jerry's Subs and Pizza, a Gaithersburg-based chain originally founded in Wheaton, is undergoing expansion, with a downtown Silver Spring location opening yesterday:

"Jerry's Subs and Pizza Opens on Colesville Road" by Mike Diegel on sourceofthespring.com

I guess it would still be considered expansion after a long period of contraction 🙂

At this point, eating at National Airport is like a visit to DC's culinary graveyard

Passed by it on First St a bunch of times and like the indoor/outdoor set-up in Summer. I'll have to make a note to stop in for a Nats pregame in the Spring, particularly with no more Justin's and their great happy hour 😔

HH menu at Declaration looks pretty good. $5 beers and appetizers. Tough spot to be pizza focused with the sh*t hot All Purpose down the street. 

3 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Pat and/or Kev, could you fill in the blank so I can understand?

1358 H St NE is _____________.

Yang’s at Impala Taqueria Y Cantina (?)

4 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Does anyone know when Impala Cantina closed? I can't find anything about it on the internet, and their website is still up, but they haven't Tweeted since Jun, 2017.

I don't think that they actually did close before the hot pot/taco pop-up came into play. A theme change that may keep going

The realty company controlling the former Redwood space in Bethesda should hand it over to Chef Ruta rent-free for him to re-open Palena there, as an act of civic benevolence. 

There you go, Don, there's a Palena post. 

http://www.scottsrestaurants.com
927 F Street NW

Opened mid-November. I love the concept but it's certainly one that's had a bunch of failures in the past around here. Commonwealth from Jamie Leeds came and went. And British feel with Scotch club and eyes on rapid expansion didn't work out too well for Againn. 

Inside Penn Quarter’s Cozy Newcomer, Scotts Restaurant and Bar (Eater DC, Nov 14, 2018; Tierney Plumb)

A British invasion in Washington, with meat trolleys, Scotch eggs and more (Washington Post, Dec 7, 2018; Tom Sietsema, First Bite)

Went for a walk on the Bethesda Row side of town yesterday (around 1:30pm). The most crowded restaurant was Anthropologie. Peak Bethesda reached. 

On 6/23/2018 at 4:36 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

Spark is a restaurant located on the border of NE and NW DC.  I don't know what neighborhood it's in, but it's in a gentrifying neighborhood.

Bloomingdale. 

Thanks for the info, review and pics. I need to get down there, have been craving Caribbean for ages with no vacation in sight. 

1 hour ago, gtsibouris said:

I am always astounded as to how much “under-the-radar” Al Dente is. The food is truly very good, and Roberto Donna continues to amaze with his “off-menu” dishes. And the QPR can’t be beat... While it has a loyal neighborhood following, Al Dente doesn’t seem to get much hype in foodie circles. 

A chef that was famous in the 90s + a location that may as well be Siberia for under-40 DC types don't really help get it on the radar. Maybe for the best -- as long as he keeps drawing the moneyed, older locals. 

Closing at the end of the year: 

1 hour ago, silentbob said:

Holiday gift card that comes with a reservation between January and March is back and on sale!

Thanks, I just took care of my anniversary dinner a month and a half in advance! 😀

On 11/11/2018 at 1:43 PM, DaveO said:

I’m confused about Goldberg’s and/or my mind is playing tricks with me.   Was there not a good quality bagel shop either where Goldberg’s is located or nearby as far back as the 90’s??

My mind is telling me there were area wide top quality bagels due North of downtown Silver Spring in the 90’s.   I was picking up good bagels from there at the time.   Was that Goldberg’s???   It’s website says it opened in 2004.

I grew up North of Silver Spring in the 90s and I can't recall decent bagels nearby back then. In the 70s and 80s it was all about Bagel Master in Wheaton (RIP)