petercarrjones

Interesting article by WCP's Chris Schott on One Lounge. Sounds like their owner was a genius with finances and getting the location. A bit of a dunce with operations, however.

Not a bad "lounge" but definitely not my style.

I have a theory that this place and this place are one and the same. I try not to patronize bad neighbors. Also, it just doesn't look very inviting.

They've now added several asian lagers and an IPA (I think Dogfish 60 min) to their offerings. A nice addition to bring more than just a lunch crowd.

This little strip of lunch "concepts" on Connecticut (BGR, Sweetgreen, ShopHouse) has improved leaps and bounds in the past 2 years.

PoP reports that the downstairs space is almost ready.. looks pretty minimalist to me- any idea what the concept is going to be? Lots of two-tops and a bar- so I'm guessing it's not the regular Komi experience.

This story may help explain Kushi's tax woes, though it may also raise other questions.

I definitely see the Living Social deal as a quick fix for their tax issue. If it helps them keep the doors open, great. I'm perfectly willing to pay for a meal in advance to keep a unique DC restaurant, run by good people, open for business. With over 6,000 vouchers currently purchased, Kushi gets $90,000 assuming the normal 50/50 split of $30 purchase price (and half of that upfront?). That should seriously dent their tax lien, but will it be enough to survive or without changing from what it was.

Congratulations to 2011 Rickey Cocktail Contest Winner, PS7's Gina Chersevani and her Rapture of the Rickey!

To recap, here are the winners to date:

2011: Gina Chersevani

2010: Alexandra Bookless

2009: Clinton Terry

2008: Justin Guthrie

Will they post Gina's recipe on the DC craft bartenders guild website, as they've done in the past? Receives the sweet name award too: "Rapture of the Rickey."

How much did you pay for said steak? I'm with you on good service bringing me back to try again.

When the steak is far and away the most expensive item, and it's a flagship dish ('World-Famous').. it goes a long way towards how I perceive a restaurant. I'll also admit that good service helps.. but rare and medium (or medium-well) are not even close.

That said, my experience was rather opposite.. I enjoyed my last meal there and the steak was cooked to my specifications. The service was so-so, and I didn't appreciate the waiter repeatedly emphasizing what the original check amount was (pre-coupon).. while I look young, circling of numbers and smiley faces are not necessary for me to figure out your tip.

Bumped..

to inquire about dining in Monterey. Any recent dispatches? Three that I've heard about are Rosines, Tarpy's Roadhouse, and Compagno- would love some validation (wouldn't we all).. or rejection.

Had PORC at Chinatown Coffee Shop's Thursday food truck happy hour. Beef and Buffalo chicken were quite good, bacon wrapped dates (meat candy) were better. Paired with $3 Dale's Pale Ale and this is a great event. I'm all for this food truck/bricks and mortar synthesis. Chinatown Coffee has a liquor license but no kitchen, food truck brings people to a normally empty coffee shop at night.

Not Savor, per se.. but Jack Rose's Alaskan Brewery tasting on Friday was fantastic. A very intimate and informative talk with the head brewer/owner, their top beers, and really great food pairings from the roofdeck kitchen. Obviously the Smoked Porter (really wished for some vertical tastings) and Alaskan Amber were great, but the kolsch with smoked salmon was a pleasant surprise. The food/beer format and meeting the actual brewer made me pine for the real Savor experience. Going to have to try extra hard for tix next year.

Really excited about this event and venue. Yards makes some very fine beers and I'm always interested in gaining historical perspective.

Picked up a six-pack of cans of the "Public" Pale Ale at a local liquor store last night. Guy at the counter said it just came in and has been selling like crazy. Haven't tried it yet. Price was $11.

Haw man, so excited. Hoping the price drops to between 8-10, but I'll pay $11 occasionally for this great beer. Liquor store in the district I presume?

Incidentally.. Nick Cho is now selling his coffee online. Too bad the DC coffee business didn't work out so well for him. I presume it will be the same high quality as the Wrecking Ball that was available at select DC locations (Dolcezza) over the past year. http://www.wreckingballcoffee.com/ I've ordered a batch, but with the shipping/higher cost will probably stick with Qualia or Filter unless it's mind blowing.

So... no reports of this "new direction?"

Fast Gourmet is pretty close to the best food out of a gas station- but the winner is Oklahoma Joe's BBQ in Kansas City. Mmm, those burnt ends.

Fast Gourmet did wow me with its incredible value and attention to detail. All of the ingredients are fresh and well put together. One of the owners even seemed to be listening to some sort of consultant this afternoon on improving the restaurant. Though I just had the meatball today, I will most definitely be back for more.

I have to say the dry aged T-Bone from a few weeks back still haunts my dreams. Plus the service was first rate, even though we came in around 10 on the tail end of a busy Saturday night.

I've rarely had the food, but have enjoyed a burger on burger night now and again. The beer list is always impressive and the staff is friendly. For that, it gets my vote when I'm in the Adam's Morgan area and looking for a quick drink in the evening. The upstairs also has a pleasant vibe to it on Friday's and Saturday's. I'm looking forward to trying a wider range of food on 1/2 price app night (which has replaced 1/2 off food night).

Optimal Wit is also on at Galaxy Hut. Super excited about the glut of DC Micro/nano-breweries opening up.

Ditto.

I had the pleasure to visit Palena for the first time after a wonderful zoolights evening with my visiting sister and girlfriend. Of course it was fantastic. I had the gnocci- wonderful, and tried a ravioli dish- decent. Of course the burger shone most brightly. The beer and wine selection was quite good, but they were out of a couple beers on draft that I'd wanted to try. Will most definitely be back if only for the burger (and I want to try the famous roast chicken). Some day I'll also make it to the back room for extended courses.

Very solid meal here last night. It's a local friendly place that was pretty busy for a Tuesday, with great service. The prices are medium to high (entrees $18-25ish), but decent value. All homemade pasta and fresh seasonal ingredients. Our Calamari appetizer was nicely fried with good dipping sauce, and a good portion at that. They included a variety of complementary bread with the typical garlicky-herbal olive oil. For entrees- the Pork Belly Ravioli was a big hit with a lovely cream sauce and very tender meat. Steak Tortellini also had a nice tomato cream sauce, however was not expecting the meat to be ground. Good but not wowing. Decently priced wine, though it's no Dino in this regard.

Menu says "since 1979." I have to wonder if they mean Italian restaurant at this location since 1979 or Floriana relocated from Friendship Heights (since 1979) as some have guessed.

As a Clearwater native, I'll second some of these places- Bern's for the reasons stated: Good meat and good wine. Private dessert rooms being another big plus. I loved the Frenchy's establishments on Clearwater Beach for their great fried seafood and atmosphere (Rockaways on the beach and the original- with its old Florida divey feel). I also wanted to mention another Holmes Beach all-star (if you can't get reservations to Beach Bistro), Sign of the Mermaid is a fantastic find with great FL seafood. They also have some of the best pies I've ever tasted. With three National Pie Contest wins for three different pies, you can't go wrong.

My CSA has had all sorts of great squash- Kabocha and others.

http://starhollowfarm.com/

So now that Nicholas Sharpe is definitely out of the kitchen and at the new Vietnamese joint.. new captain at the helm? Any major changes on the menu?

I ate here five or six months ago- just wine and cheese, but all seemed to be humming smoothly. I'll be going back next week and wanted to know what to expect.

Blue Duck was recently mentioned on the cooking channel for its "upscale brunch."

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/unique-eats/brunch/index.html

Now my sister is requesting we stop by during her visit. While I'd first think of Cashion's (I live in Columbia Heights), this seems to be a fine choice.