rbh

I was here for the first time last week.... was quite pleased. We fortunately had none of the service problems previously described... and I was quite pleased with the service... attentative w/o hovering... without feeling rushed at all. 7pm reservation on a Thursday night. My gf and I were very pleased with the food... the portions were much larger than expected. To start, I had a spinach salad and my companion had the tomato and goat cheese. The spinach salad was good... maybe a tad too much dressing... and very large. For the mains, we had the skate wing and the trout.... my gf was very pleased with her trout... a lot has already been said about the excellent skate wing (though I admit, nothing still compares to the skate wing we had one time at Pesce). We also shared an order of frites. oh... wonderfully crisp frites, which needed no mayo (ok, I admit I'm not a mayo fan). I washed mine down with drafts of Leffe Brune and Hoegaarden. We split the pear tatin as a dessert.... at some point, my gf mentioned it was my b-day, and our attentive waiter had the dessert plate come out with "Happy Birthday" written along the edge of the plate.... it actually took a minute or two for us to notice because he didn't even point it out or anything when it was brought out.... but it was a nice touch. I liked the coffee service - It's always fun to use a rock sugar stick to sweeten the coffee.. I'm always tempted to stick the thing in my mouth like a lollipop after using it to stir the coffee. All in all a good experience, and i think well-priced for the quality. we'll be back.....

I was here with my gf on valentine's day. concur on the apple pie - very very good. the duck and cod were quite good - not earth-shattering great, but well done. the sides of leeks and corn grits left something to be desired... I think I'd be more enthusiastic if they had summer vegetables to work with... which I tend to like much better. we were seated along the windows - which was pretty quiet - you don't get a view of the kitchen... but if you want conversation, it was much better. service was very attentive and professional w/o hovering. especially for one of the busiest nights of the year.

Notti Bianche or Circle Bistro?

I work a couple blocks away from the cursed location... for whatever reason, foot traffic in the evening really doesn't go beyond 7th St much so the Drinx location doesn't get enough dinner traffic... I've noticed this at Kanlaya and Irish Channel Inn. In my mind, there's really not much difference between Irish Channel Inn and Fado in terms of style, and I think Irish Channel's food is a bit better. Yet, Fado is crowded day and night , while Irish Channel does a good lunch business but is often empty during the evenings... it is my standby pre-Caps meal there. The only difference being 2 blocks. You can even do the Subway on H St vs. the Quiznos on 5th St and the McDonalds on 7th and Burger King on 5th comparisons. Also, in that neighborhood with the large number of DC/Metro/Fed Gov workers in a 5 block radius (particularly to the east, where folks don't have as many choices), to have a good lunch draw, you need to be quick and cheap... something that Drinx and its previous instantiations never were. The RNR Bar (previously Coyote Ugly, The Rock, and something else I thought) has also had foot traffic problems, and hence the turnover, it seems every other year. I know most of the Verizon Center foot traffic comes from Metro and for whatever reason, people park on the west side of Verizon instead of the east side. I think when the 2nd Shakespeare Theatre stage opens, that will do a bit for street traffic

click here. (5pm) When I went there in September, they were reasonably attentive and I think if you needed to get out in an hour, it's possible if you let them know. Though admitedly, we were in no hurry then. Are you driving there? The harder part may be trying to catch a cab from up there back to the BellCenter for the game.... go Leafs

I think I lucked into a reservation at Blue Duck Tavern on Tuesday because of the weather. I would normally have not been doing the last minute thing.. I had made a reservation at Palette a few weeks ago and they called me on Monday to confirm and tell me that they would only be offering a fixed price menu that night, which was not noted on Opentable or their web page... my gf doesn't eat shellfish so the menu with scallops and lobster wasn't going to cut it so I was forced to cancel that. Blue Duck Tavern... my first trip.. regular menu... no markups. Excellent meal - so easy to overeat there. Duck was great.. gf got cod... we split leeks and the sweet potato grits. I loved the duck and the cod... especially the sauces. The leeks and grits were just ok.. I think I'd like to go back in the summer when vegetables I like better are in season. Apple pie is great... should've gotten some ice cream to put on top of it instead of ordering the custard, which was good but way more than we could eat. Good attentative service. We were seated near the windows, which for V-day was nice.. but you don't get much of a view of the kitchen.. next time I'll want to get a better view of that.

wow - check out the new section on B&A places. well, now we need to populate it... places I think deserve a thread from Annapolis (I know, I know - I should just write a little review for each place to start out the thread, maybe with a little time). the three places I miss most from Annapolis: Giolitti Deli (link) - I miss not having a place like this within lunch striking distance anymore O'Leary's (link) - though I've heard it's not as good as before and is a lot pricier 49 West (link) - great independent coffee house with good simple food (they also scorn fryers), particularly nice for brunch or desserts and coffee. other places: Joss Sushi (link) - I'm not a sushi fan, but my sushi-loving friends swear by this place. Lewnes Steakhouse - independent steakhouse in Eastport, but sadly I've never eaten here. Chick and Ruth's (link) - just because and no chinese restaurant in annapolis deserves acknowledgment.

I second the Bar Rouge and Topaz Lounge suggestions... Helix Lounge (RI btn 14th and 15th is about 3 blocks away) in the same family is also nearby. Beacon Bar and Grill is also in the neighborhood (RI and 17th) about 2 blocks from Komi. 15 ria is also a possibility.

Clydes at Gallery Place fits that criteria.

Maybe caught up in the construction that's transforming Aladdin to Planet Hollywood... when I was there last spring, I thought it was supposed to be done by now... but I wouldn't be surprised if there are delays. The press release makes it sound like an indefinite closing.

I thought I had read somewhere that they weren't closing until late summer or early fall 2007.

interesting... everytime I go at either lunch or dinner, the demand seems to be the reason for the wait.. I've never encountered the empty table issue. What was a bit interesting one time for lunch last week is the hostess said it would be 10-15 minutes, but it was for the hostess and her assistant to be able to run parties to their tables, not that there weren't empty tables. I also noticed the tables are numbered for 2-tops... but often if there's a group of 3 or more, they will move tables together to seat the party.... so I don't know if you're necessarily at a disadvantage.

Agreed. I was at 1789 on Monday night with a party of 7 and found it excellent. None of us had been to 1789 before and I was very pleased with the meal. Most of us started out with the oyster stew or the crab salad. I liked the oyster stew, but it was quite rich. I was wishing for soup... but I'm not a big fan of parsnips... the one I wanted to try and should have was the poached pear salad w/ spiced pecans and blue cheese. I also had the venison with chestnuts and currants. As one of my friends remarked the texture of the chestnut topping with the currants was like peanut butter and jelly but it was delicious with the venison. Agree with Barbara that my medium venison seemed to be more like medium rare. Loved the macaroni and cheese. White slightly gooey cheddar cheese with the macaroni. Other entrees at the table... the Kurobuta Pork Chop was also a winner. Crispy sea bass was good, not great. The grilled sirloin looked a bit pedestrian but my friend was very pleased with it (I wouldn't have gotten it, particularly with the $10 upcharge... given the other locations in town to get steak... and the other yummy things on the menu here). Desserts - I liked my apple crostada...but the bread pudding... vanilla and bittersweet chocolate served in a 6 inch plate. I'm not a bread pudding fan... but that bread pudding was amazing. Definitely needed coffee to go with it but it really was quite amazing... and one of the better desserts I've had in awhile. Fortunately, one of my dining companions was willing to do halfsies with me on the crostada and bread pudding. Someone got the poached pear... which was good... but didn't compare to the crostada or the bread pudding. This is definitely one of the best RW deals in town... whole menu.. only a couple items with upcharges. My meal at regular prices... $14+$35+$9 = $58... for just $30. damn. and splitting a bottle of a BV 2003 cab for $45. Thursday dinner is Corduroy It's a good week.

A few other places that don't seem to come up: imho, two of the better Thai places in the District: Thai Tanic Kanlaya for that matter, Thai places in the district don't seem to come up all that much on this board even though there are a fair number of them (e.g. Haad Thai, Thai Chili, ThaiPhoon, that place near Tortilla Coast, etc). Vietnamese also.. though I'm at a loss to come up with a single example in the District proper. others that don't come up much.. Coppi's Cafe Luna many of the places on 8th St SE.

Taste of Saigon has never seemed busy to me in the evenings (they seem to make all their money at lunch) and may not mind if you linger. Could Cafe Deluxe do something for you? How about Daily Grill?

ummm.... tempura bacon?? at david greggory.

I couldn't find this posted elsewhere here... and figured this crowd would find this entertaining... a vegetarian of 12 years goes cold turkey (or rather cold pork ) to have 30 days of pork in the Bay area in November. Here's the beginning of the blog link. and the 30-day pork calendar.

I took my parents to Dino tonight for the Feast of the 7 Fish... my parents were a bit apprehensive about it being too much food... but we finished everything and it wasn't until dessert that we felt we overindulged. The entire meal was outstanding. There were two types of fried fish which were lightly fried whole as well as calamari. The anchovies could be eaten whole... while the sardines needed to be taken off the bones. The kick was hot peppers in a light tomato sauce. The soup was very good... and the fish balls which tasted like they had some shrimp in it could put some of the chinese fishballs to shame. the ravioli had an excellent lobster sauce... including a large amount of seafood slathered on it, including lobster and scallops. My dad was lopping up the sauce with the bread. The fish was branzino and because there were 3 of us... it came with the scallops and shrimp... the branzino was nicely roasted with the flavor permeating nicely through the fish.... the whole fish is brought out and the meat fell nicely off of it. We're not used to getting whole fish (much less 3 types of whole fish) in non-Chinese restaurants. Choice of dessert was the tiramisu for my mom, the apple tart for me, and the pumpkin spice bread pudding for my dad. My mom was very impressed by the tiramisu... it wasn't too sweet at all. I loved the apple tart with the currants and a dollop of gelato. Also included was a glass of moscato (or grappa). I also got the wine match tastings... sadly all I remember is the Russian Hill Pinot Noir which came with the fish. There were 3 whites that went with the fritti di mare, the soup, and the ravioli... but I'll need Dean's help with those. Only small issue was the pacing... the first three courses were quick... almost too much so... I was falling behind on my wine tasting by the ravioli... and I don't consider myself a slow drinker... a couple more minutes digestion time between the courses would have been useful. But overall a great experience and good attentive staff. Thanks for putting together the special menu!

no pumpkin pie on the menu on wednesday

Dino's menu looks amazing for Dec 22-24. edited to fix link.

I walked by - didn't have time to go in - they're open!

Just remembered another place: Oriental Regency in Tysons Corner... it's right by the Sheraton off Rt 7, near the interchange w/ the toll road. They carve tableside... and the skin is nice and crispy. But again, a few years since I've been there (but at least this century I was there - it's been at least the last century since I'd been to Duck Chang's).

the place in Chinatown was Eat First, and since the close and reopening, the duck is not as good, and even then it's for Cantonese Roast Duck and not Peking Duck. Duck Chang's (John Marr Drive in Annandale) used to have excellent Peking Duck and was one of the first in the DC area to have it in the 70's.... but it's been years since I've been there. They used to serve duck 3-ways.. first the Peking Duck... then they'd use the duck meat in noodles, and then use the carcass for duck soup.

A.V.'s is on NY Ave block or two from the convention center too.

Confirmed... was there last night for dinner... didn't peek in the expansion area but people were walking back and forth from it. Didn't have a noticeable effect on relieving the demand... we waited about 30 minutes for a 2-top at 6pm last night. But once seated, pizza (Q Special) came out pretty quick and still able to make our movie. went with a non-red meat eater.. so no mini-burgers this time