mstevens

To echo most of the prior comments, Suna is a great addition to the otherwise unremarkable menus in the neighborhood. We dined here the weekend before last and were overall impressed with the service, quality and thought put into the preparation, and the impeccable beverage pairings. My only critique would be that the tableware didn't do the food justice. Call me old fashioned, but the heavy, colored, glazed plates didn't contrast enough to highlight the presentation of the food. A simple white plate would have remedied this. Also, we came away with one big question: given the format, how often will the menu change, especially during the winter when produce availability won't vary much until spring? I loved our meal but think it unlikely that we'll go back for the exact same dinner...

Seriously fantastic news. Thanks for spilling the beans, Don--this genuinely made my day.

From ''unpleasant snails" to my great white hope in just a few weeks... I'll keep my fingers crossed while I tremble in anticipation...

I last posted about 4 years ago, but Don's quote was so precisely right that I awoke from my slumber. He precisely stated a long-time source of frustration: I can't figure out why my neighborhood continue to be such a dining wasteland. The number of restaurants that have opened in the neighborhood in the last five years have netted no stand-outs. The few highlights have either closed (Locanda, Ba Bay--what is it with that location?--hoping Jamie Leeds can keep Hank's Part III open there), started out strong in the kitchen then dropped off (Sonoma, Zest--remarkably honest and clean cooking when they first opened), or gotten stale over time (Belga, Montmartre). The rest over the market is oversaturated with craptastic food or are owned by Xavier Becerra which means, 8 establishments guaranteeing long bars, wood panelling, decent drinks, middling service, and likely no more than one thing on the menu that I'll ever want to order. Sure, Seventh Hill is great, Cava's decent albeit shockingly loud with generally poor service, and there a few hole-in-the walls that are fine for the occassional quick bite, but there is a serious lack of decent options for mid-range dining. Considering the high-density residential neighborhood, the high average income of the area, the low-level of existing competition, and my personal promise to become a loyal regular and spend a shitload of money on any restaurant that can deliver seasonal, clean flavors, I would think the neighboorhood would have more appeal to restauranteurs. The idea of the hill marketplace as exlusively 20-year old staffers living in group houses seems to persist, despite being remarkably off-base as a reflection of the current demographics. The market exists, the real question is why it's not being met.

Teeny

Can't agree more. Well deserved review--7th Hill is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. That said, while sitting at the counter last Saturday around 7:30pm while the place was a madhouse, we watched about eight 20-something interns slowly gather all of the indoor tables together as their group arrived over a period of 30 minutes. One by one they came up to the register and order drinks, insisting that they "may order food later". Really? It is so not that place. Go to Matchbox. Carryout, yes. Quick place for a really good bite to eat with one or two others or your young spawn, yes. Friendly neighborhood place for a beer and fantastic pizza when you're on your own for lunch, absolutely. Destination place to meet a group of large friends? Fail.

Ugh, my +1 has put us both on a diet... Non-fat organic yogurt with berries and toasted almonds... all proportionally weighed out so that I'm ravenously hungry ten minutes later

I find really good tomatos too dear to possible blend up and go straight for the juice route. Roasted red pepper, cuke, onion, garlic blended with good tomato juice, sherry vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, hot pepper and a dash of Worchestershire and salt. Throw in finely diced cukes and onions at the end. Either serve w/ croutons in a bowl or mix 3/4 gazpacho and 1/4 red wine (Pinot, Rioja, anything really) and serve it in a red wine glass. The wine thins it enough to make it drinkable and is great first on a hot night that you only need one hand for while you're manning the grill.

Okay, headed here tonight after hearing good things. What's not to miss?

Love the classic... chopped garlic clove and handful of chopped parsley beaten into the eggs, a little grated gruyere, then roll.

Fresh fettuccine tossed with sauteed black radishes, favas, pecorino, cream and crisped proscuitto strips Green bean salad with balsamic and roasted cherry tomatos The favas are just starting to taste good...

Bought some passable ones last night at P St Whole Foods--probably 5% of them had to be chucked after shelling, but after a quick blanch, hulling and toss with olive oil, lemon juice, fresh mint, sea salt, black pepper and topped with a shave of pecorino they managed to make me wildly happy about spring.

It's actually at the disscretion of the merchant or the merchant's acquirer/processer. They are allowed to authorize anywhere between + or - 20% of the actual check (although no idea who would authorize LESS than the actual tab )

I gotta say, the PIRG article was based on a significantly uniformed reading of Reg E and unauthorized transactions. Having been in both the credit card and banking industry for the past decade (and somebody who fearlessly uses his debit card while dining out) here's some additional info on the topics in the thread above. "Double" Charges - Okay, I admit that I've actually called a bank when I've seen this (but never the restaurant) even though I should actually know better. When you provide your card (either debit or credit) to a restaurant, the card is swiped for up to 120% of the tab and makes what is called an authorization hold on your account. Despite what was said in the article and above, this is ALWAYS an "on-line" transaction because it limits the restaurants liability if there is insufficient funds. Restaurants can opt NOT to authorize ONLY if the amount is below $150 or some other factor (card signature is missing, etc.) This "hold" is generally not shown to customers since it causes some confusion, exactly as stated above, but some banks are doing it now. At this point, depending on the customers bank, when the final transaction comes in, either the hold will automatically expire on the second or third day following the transaction, or, at better banks, a "match-hold" will match the final settled transaction with the original "hold" amount. If customers are seeing both a hold and the transaction, REFER THEM TO THEIR BANK. Honestly. While clearly most of the restauranteurs and GMs on here are rightfully interested in assisting their customers and providing good service, you should not have to take the brunt of what is essentially a bad matching on the bank's part or irresponsibility in showing an auth hold amount to the customer. Debit cards - Hmm, lots of suspicions probably fueled by the PIRG article, which quite frankly is basically incorrect in terms of your liabillity. Can a thief use your debit card number without having your card in hand to make a transaction? Yes, but the same way they can do this with a credit card. And not having the card present means the merchant who processed the transaction is more likely to have to eat the charge if you complain. Some facts about debit card disputes: 1) You should notify your bank immediately if you see a charge that you did not authorize. But you must do so within 60 days of receiving the statement that shows the erroneous transactions. 2) Liability - For debit card transactions where you type in your PIN (very uncommon at restaurants) if you report the fraud to your bank within 2 days you are limited to $50 in losses. This threshold is so high because the PIN is supposed to be known only to you -- frankly, if a thief gets your PIN, it's probably because you wrote it down or the person knows you. Again, for the purposes of our discussion here, this is unlikely to apply to restaurants. For debit card or credit card transactions without a PIN (majority of restaurant cases), which are called signature based. You are protected by either VISA, MC or Amex liability limits which is the lesser of $50 or the purchase price so long as you notify the bank within 60 days of your statement. 3) Provisional Credit - If you notify your bank of a fraudulent charge (make sure to do so in writing even if you do call), the bank MUST provisionally credit your money back to your account within 5 days (VISA/MC transaction) or 10 days (PIN transaction) while it investigates the fraud and contacts the merchant, etc. Sorry for the long diatribe, but bottom line is that: 1) Authorization holds are normal and if the customer sees two postings, refer them to their own bank. 2) Despite what the PIRG article implies, writing checks on your account is actually less safe and provides less consumer protection for potential fraudulent transactions and lower liability than using your debit card (although the merchant does pay a fee to accept your debit card to pay for their goods and services) or credit card.

Oh, yeah, chicken thrown in to roast and red pepper thrown on the gas burner as soon as I got home from work--generally don't do it when I'm alone either unless it only involves three or four things to wash afterwards like this meal did. I think the clean-up when it's only me is what I can't stand the most.

Wallowing in my boredom since the significant other is away and pigging out alone... A few slices of baguette with a lovely warm, stinky, truffled brie A split chicken roasted with garlic and lemon served over croutons with parsley Roasted red pepper and mache salad with a light vinegarette A very nice Napa Pinot Blanc

Last night... Cream of watercress soup Salad of roasted beets, microgreens with sherry vinegarette Ravioli stuffed with dandelion greens and montrachet in brown butter Rack of lamb persillade Chocolate biscotti Makes me wish I had 3 hours to cook dinner every night

Yup. Got it for Christmas after my significant other nearly killed to get a copy during the holidays. I spent a fantastic three hours browsing through it and looking at the mouth watering photos... and then... I put it down and haven't picked it back up. The book is VERY comprehensive and has some really inspiring recipes in it, but that said, it weighs about 10 pounds and frankly, I've gone for Marcella Hazan book before reaching for Spoon. This really is the equivalent of Joy of Cooking for me (although double the size and weight of a hardcover Joy); something I'll pull out a few times a year for a very specific reason, but unlikely to be used on a day to day basis. Although, I should amend that to say that I do occasionally pull out Joy just for fun to read about things like how to skin and cook opossum

Response to an old post, but had dinner at 2G on Saturday night and the essence of this place always really excites me. It was our second time there, and both meals were really strong, solid fare and really tops for what you'll get in Front Royal. The +1 and I have a cabin not far from there and 2G is so far at the top of our list (over Public House and Four and Twenty Blackbirds in Flint Hill, frankly). Siestema's is absolutely right on--eating there is like going over to your friends house who are really great cooks. Have never been for Wed and Thursday "tapas" nights, but both times for the weekend prix fixe. Some details, impressions: Restaurant is on the second floor of a remodeled row house so you're eating in one of four former bedrooms, each with one or two 2- or 4-tops which makes it fairly intimate dining experience (with whomever is also seated in the room with you, in addition to your dining companions) but the overall ambience is nice, and very cozy, especially in the winter months. Our server on the first visit mentioned that they only do a single cover every night and they stagger the reservations so the entire restaurant isn't swampped at once, which meant when we sauntered in a few minutes before our rez, the hostess knew exactly who we were and walked us right to our table--a really nice, welcoming gesture. Menu gives choices only on a main course and dessert. First time we were there it was a toss between filet and tuna, this time, filet, tuna, or rack of lamb. While the filet seemed identical to our last visit (with a potato and onion cake and spinach) the rest of the menu had changed since the fall, reflecting the seasonal change. Menu price of $45pp includes starter, salad, entree, and dessert which is amazing considering the quality and quantity of the food. I would even argue that you almost leave too full in a border-line bad way. Partially because the Gedney's also have the gourmet store on the first floor of the building, they also have a great sampling of wines to choose from--all of which are EXCEEDINGLY well priced (think low $20 to high $30s for a great selection of wines) which the servers are great at helping navigate for those lesser known bottles. Love the whole overall idea of this place in general. The visibility into the kitchen is great, the staff is fantastic, and the food is solid--best in class for the area. The kitchen can't compare to some of the top places in DC certainly, but the bottom line is that the guests, the servers, the chefs are all seem really happy spending their collective evenings together. When the non-foodie boyfriend feels comfortable walking back into the kitchen to mention to Stacey Gedney that he may have to kidnap her so she can make him chocolate paves at home, and she laughs back, you know you're in a good place.

Okay... I know that Jamie Leeds has left and things went downhill as expected but has anybody been here recently and can report back. It was suggested for dinner tonight with by client of my +1 and need to know how much effort I need to put into changing venue. Cheers!

I was just surmising that this may be the reason that sugar's is closing. The article linked to in the original post said that Sugar's building was owned by the owner of Wisey's. Since Wisemiller's is located in University owned property it seems logical that maybe the reason the lease wasn't renewed was for Wisemillers to move into the soon-to-be-vacant Sugar's space. Just a hunch... but it makes sense, especially since it's only a block further away from campus.

i remember Sugar's fondly from my years on the Hilltop in the early and mid 90s. What's most interesting about the article is that the property is owned by the owner of Wisey's. Wisemiller's current location is owned by GU (or at least was historically) as one of their investment properties. Could the reason that the Sugar's lease wasn't renewed be due to Wisemiller's moving into the owner's own building???

Well, technically it was never vegan, right?... Entrees were always one beef (or beef-like item), one chicken and one fish. The dessert were the only items that looked out of place from the old menu--but based on pretty negative feedback, I'm not sure that it's a surprise that it changed. That said, the legacy that Sidra left of the super great starters and sides were still the only highlight for us the other night.

Didn't specifically ask on that, however, my guess is that there had to be some in the Flourless chocolate cake on the dessert menu. Also, wasn't it more "no dairy"? If so, there was a creme brulee on the menu as well. Frankly, dessert was the only course that I really noticed the absence of dairy/butter before.

Checked out Viridan again last Friday night--first meal right after opening was not bad, second meal in Dec was okay and wanted go again to see the result of some of the "management changes" were. Wanted to really, really like this place from the very start, but I have a feeling that after Friday it's going to get crossed off the list. The positives--Service seems to have improved, but that should go without saying from opening week madness to three months later. There is a REAL dessert menu now--don't have much of a sweet tooth, but my dining companions were all happy. Amuse bouche, appetizers, side dishes were all really good--menu seems to still maintain a lot of the favorite appetizers and sides (beet and horseradish salad, squash soup, quinoa with pomegranite, lentils, brussel sprouts w/ pickled ginger). Price is still decently mid-range--$60 pp before tip for appetizers, dinner, dessert, coffee, and quite a bit of decent wine. The not-so-positives--The entrees. They just weren't good. Beef tenderloin was charred (not in a good way--think charcoal briquette although inside was done correctly) and still had some silver skin on it--always a turnoff when I have to spit out a piece of my entree out into the napkin (I'm sure the bus staff hates it even more). Snapper was overcooked and dry--one minor highlight was the osso bucco, but it just didn't balance out everybody's meals. Again, really wish I could like this place better, but for over $100 a couple I can't say I'd go back again soon with so many better places out there for the same price point.