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petercarrjones

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  1. petercarrjones
    Went last night around 9:30. Happened to snag a table as we walked in because of a cancellation on the wait list. The vibe reminds me of Toki Underground in that it's a very tiny space around an open kitchen that fills every available nook and cranny with either tables or kooky objects. It also has a very cool soundtrack of vintage Filipino and world tunes. The wave of pungent smoke coming from the kitchen completes the assault on your senses. Someone described it as a tropical Wes Anderson movie set which is spot on. Like Toki, it has an excellent drinks program to match the unique food. I particularly liked the Balisong, a rye rocks cocktail with a tiki vibe. The beer and wine lists seem fairly imaginative. The menu is broken into veggies, seafood, and meat, then ordered by smallest to largest dishes which don't necessarily match their cost. So it's a bit of a crapshoot to match hunger to order quantity. We got the Lumpia, Ukoy, and pancit, then added one more butter, chilis, and wood-ear mushrooms dish which I can't remember the name. The three dishes weren't quite enough, the fourth too much. Fortunately, everything was very tasty. We particularly enjoyed their version of Lumpia, better I think than Purple Patch's also excellent version. The sour-spicy dipping sauce put it over the top. The pancit was very good and a different rice noodles dish. Some of the flavors reminded me of Isaan/Northern Thai food with the focus on sour, spicy, sweet, and savory. The Ukoy, a shrimp and seafood stew in a clay pot had a very rich and flavorful broth, perfectly cooked seafood. Probably my favorite of the night. It tasted like a lot of fish sauce was in use, even for the veggie section. Any vegetarians or vegans have good experiences here? Service was quite attentive, though by the end we were one of about five or six couples still remaining, so not prime dinner rush. Dishes came quickly as they were ready. If there was a preferred order to eat the dishes, we didn't get any indication. Besides the dish quanitity/order issue, Bad Saint was a very fun, engaging and memorable dining experience. Not a special occasion kind of place, but an offbeat, fun night out kind of place. As I recall, Bad Saint was listed below The Coupe on the DR Dining Guide as of last night. This morning it's jumped to just behind Taqueria Habanero.. was there a visit from Don last night as well?
  2. petercarrjones
    Any updates on whether Hogo will continue to be guest chefs vs fixed menu? I admit that I do like the rotating chefs bit, but I bet it's a pain for Tom to continually schedule. Maybe these guys will take a turn in advance of their new bar opening up nearby?
  3. petercarrjones
    Per PoPville, Al Crostino has closed and is looking for a new location. Creme is moving to a new location on 2400 block of 14th St NW.
  4. petercarrjones
    My favorite is a two stars Trip Advisor review of Iron Horse Taproom: "Nice old place with excellent bones and the beer was exceptional. However the food wasn't. My wife had a corned beef sandwich. Half of the meat was inedable due to fat and gristle. She complained to the waiter without effect. Finally we had to insist and it was removed from the bill. Visited April 2013" Um. They don't serve any food and have no floor wait staff.
  5. petercarrjones
    Any area works. I'm just looking for something great. Jason, your blog is great and def helpful for asian recommendations.
  6. petercarrjones
    Can report that Vidalia is still a great "classy happy hour." Pretty good value for great drinks and food. The barbecue shrimp and the crawfish hushpuppies were winners. They had a dark and stormy variation which was way too sweet for me, though my girlfriend enjoyed it. Their sazarac was strong on the absinthe, while I like mine stronger on the peychauds bitters. I think the best deal is probably the beer- great craft drafts at only $3.50. All the bar stools were full, but it did not feel overwhelmingly busy, even on a Friday night.
  7. petercarrjones
    So what is the most "Toronto" thing to do/eat? I know it's a very metropolitan and cultural city with lots of ethnic food offerings. I also know a bunch of NY places have just opened outposts- I don't really feel like eating momofuku in Canada when it's just a few hours up the road. Soo.. poutine and kids in the hall marathon?
  8. petercarrjones
    Excited to hit the lounge happy hour tonight. I assume it's still one of the best "classy" happy hours in the neighborhood.
  9. petercarrjones
    I love the idea of a beer tasting club. For all the reasons you mentioned it works well in this forum (beer also has a freshness factor which is less an issue for wine/cocktails). While beer is best enjoyed with others. I look forward to future "online" tastings. As a DR lurker, I don't feel qualified to lead a tasting but would definitely participate.
  10. petercarrjones
    Yikes, I had feared that they were still getting their service down and the early negative reviews were a result of that as I enjoy Tryst-Diner-Open City for what they are. Sounds like this is overpriced and not especially good- not a result of poor service.
  11. petercarrjones
    They are really nice guys and gave me a quick tour of their distillery. They are definitely still trying to improve their product which is a bit expensive at $36, but in line with the costs of a very handmade gin (batch number stamped by hand). Batch 1 is already pretty tasty. It definitely has a sweetness from the all-wheat recipe and it's not overwhelmingly juniper-y. Some citrus- mostly in the nose. I think a really great martinez can be made from this as it has more similarities to Old Tom than London Dry gin. As the "green hat" references prohibition era and pre-prohibition era gin, this makes some sense. It's nice to see a distillery in DC and one doing their own thing (not buying wholesale liquor and flavoring/aging it).
  12. petercarrjones
    Having done this trip, and being somewhat of a beer nerd... I don't have great news for you. I had also assumed that anywhere between San Fran and San Diego must have suds aplenty. Unfortunately, it's a bit of a beer desert south of Santa Cruz (for California). san Jose has some stuff, but that's basically a poor man's San Fran (could stock up on SF beer to go here!). Your best bet is Santa Cruz which has a few local breweries and a well known pub, 99 bottles. Russian River counts them as an account, so that's always a win in my book. My advice: enjoy some very nice wines in Carmel and a beautiful drive and scenery. Then blow all of your beer budget on Sunday night in San Francisco!
  13. petercarrjones
    I do note that it's fallen a bit in the Guide, but is the burger still over, say, BTS?
  14. petercarrjones
    Went last night, and after a 30 min wait (aka a beer at smoke and barrel), were seated around 9. The atmosphere is fun, interesting, and lively. The communal tables have a lot of energy and pack quite a few people into the small space. The 90s hip hop soundtrack helps too. Service was pretty good and starting to click for a place that was packed after 9 on a Thursday. After being open for less than a month, I was pretty impressed. No liquor license (probably won't get one due to Admo moratorium), another plus for Toki. The spicy miso was quite delicious and flavorful, though my ramen palate is not very sophisticated. I could sense the strong Korean influence and my bowl even reminded me of bibimbap in presentation- all of the ingredients separated for the eater to stir and enjoy. The corn was an interesting addition texture-wise, but kind of weird in Asian food. GF got the gojiramen which I definitely enjoyed as well- much more traditional ramen to my taste-buds. Sakuramen was definitely not up to Toki at this point, but it will be on my list of "date night" places in Adams Morgan. So while I would make the trek out to H st for Toki, I'm not so sure the Cap Hill folks will make a trek out to Adams Morgan for Sakuramen.
  15. petercarrjones
    Glad to hear they're still strong and on their feet. I'm planning to go tonight and will try to report back.
  16. petercarrjones
    Is this similar to the Salon experience? I've never been, but I understand that it used to be all A La Carte? Is it actually in the Salon as opposed to the dining room? Sounds like a great idea, by the way.
  17. petercarrjones
    I've heard that this place is great. Also, that is no longer the hidden gem that it was a year ago.
  18. petercarrjones
    Connecticut Ave has been the place I've seen with Pliny and other RR. You definitely pay for it. Talk to Al about getting on their email list- it's the way to go.
  19. petercarrjones
    As of yesterday, Meridian Pint had their Keller Pils on tap- basically an unfiltered Rhino Chaser and a real treat. Definitely concur on the Icebreaker. Have to add that they do a great job on the Woody Stout.
  20. petercarrjones
    Heading here tonight for a NCAA B-Ball related event and am excited to try an Arlington throwback. I presume beer pitchers and crabs by dozen are still the "must order."
  21. petercarrjones
    Any new news on their updated bar menu/food after about 6 months? I was fairly turned off on their food initially (esp grill upstairs) and want it to be better due to the awesome cocktails/whiskey/beer/outdoor deck. Might have to try their Kopstootje event tonight.
  22. petercarrjones
    The Bad: A friend got food poisoning here, but I ate on the same night and felt fine. Opening night was ridiculous, but service has gradually improved since then. The Good: I've had good ribs, wings, pulled pork, and brisket here. Not Hill Country or Pork Barrel BBQ good, but rises toward the top of the city. The honey chipotle sauce on the wings/ribs is terrific. Their brunch is good with some unique bbq-y takes on traditional dishes. Interestingly, they share a kitchen with vegan-centric Asylum and several of their sides are vegan but still fit the BBQ tradition- hello fried okra! What sets it apart is the awesome beer program. Run by Sam Fitz, who also is beer director at Meridian Pint, they always have a few unexpected craft brews. It is more international in scope than MP, and usually has a few smoked beers which pair great with bbq. Their whiskey selection is also good, though not Jack Rose good. I chuckled at the "Boilercrafters", but their Gov Hal (Oskar Blues Govna and Woodford), at least, was quite good. All in all, a very solid place to go for beer, bbq, and bourbon- in that order.
  23. petercarrjones
    If in Dupont, I like the 1-2 punch of Connecticut Ave Liquors on Conn and Q (small selection of really rare stuff- even Russian River) with One West Dupont Circle on P st- slightly larger selection of all your craft brew favorites.
  24. petercarrjones
    Basically, it means using it at a whole foods (if I understand correctly). With this particular deal you don't need to use the entire amount by today's date, but you need to show someone at whole foods your LS coupon (I use their mobile app- no need to print anything out, coupons on my screen). I used the full amount in one purchase, but I guess they'd give you a gift card or something if you have any money remaining. Calling customer service is also a good bet.
  25. petercarrjones
    Wow, I can't believe the news wasn't reported until yesterday. I guess they do keep a lot of cash on hand.
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