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Posts posted by Escoffier
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So, it wasn't salty? My last 3 times there it wasn't too salty, but the 2 times before that it was.
Do you ever get the fish and bean curd in spicy sauce? That's a good one, like H20 at Joe's.
Wasn't salty at all. Just nice and spicy, and gently fishy (as all good fish are) in a good way, naturally. We've had the fish in spicy sauce a number of times, but not every time we go. The dishes I listed are almost always on our order (even though the ribs are sometimes replaced with another dish).
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Not wanting to appear stuck in an ordering rut, but a leisurely (even at 5:30pm) drive to Hong Kong Palace. Our annual homage to Steven B with the dishes he always favored (fortunately, so do we). So as is our wont, we ordered:
Dan Dan Noodles. Does anyone go to Hong Kong Palace and not order Dan Dan Noodles?
Spicy Sichuan Ribs: Really meaty, very short pork ribs spiced similarly to the cumin fish.
Ma Po Tofu: I know this has come up many times, and always as good. No exception this time either. (Unfortunately, only touched on, we were full on the Dan Dan Noodles and the ribs).
Cumin Fish: Probaby my favorite HKP dish. I don't know what it is about this dish, but no matter what else we order, Cumin Fish always seems to be included. Probably the absolutely best onions in a dish that I have ever eaten. The flavor of the fish, the cumin and the peppers combine with the onion to make a Mozart symphony in your mouth. Almost as good as the fish, but not quite.
Naturally, we couldn't finish everything so there'll be a reprise of HKP today with leftovers. Another thing Stephen B was famous (notorious?) for. The left-overs always seemed to go home with him. Now it's just us. Here's to you Stephen B. You may be here only in spirit but Melanie and the staff at HKP remember and salute you just as we do.
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Suddenly everyone is multi-posting. I can't wait to see how many times this posts.
Damn! only once. I was hoping to beat Nick P's count and post 27 times .
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Grover and I might be infor an encore as well. Depends on the date.
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This is so tempting....
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Actually, after some cogitation, it's probably just as bad to say anything until the dreaded event occurs. (cliche alert!) When the other shoe drops, no other business (group, restaurant, person, whatever) will have been subjected to innuendo and speculation. While it's great that most of us never speculate on things like this, once a name is mentioned, the rumor takes on a life of it's own (not one that is fatal, I hope, but things happen).
Now events like rumored openings, unbelievable bargains, amazing food, those should be encouraged.
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Definitely have to agree with Matt. The mandu (or mandoo if you prefer) was quite tasty. The pork mandu had a nice small spicy afterbite that was most pleasant.
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GypsySoul is in the process of construction, opening when the summer winds blow.
That's a relief. I was afraid....no, I'm not even going to say that. Let's just say that I'm looking forward to the opening.
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RJ what's going on with Gypsy Soul? The signs are down, the BobCat is gone, the dirt and gravel floor is still there but the only thing there now is a realtor's sign. You have to open somewhere in NoVA, I miss your food.
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Great to hear that things are moving along.
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There was a Vietnamese restaurant on North Washington at one time (where Ann Taylor is now). Unfortunately, Mr Lee was either ahead of his tme or people weren't as adventurous 4 years ago.
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Between living in Bethesda and working in Old Town Alexandria I feel like I have been relegated to a lifetime of mediocre dining options.
You're not being adventurous enough. Plenty of good food in Alexandria (I can't speak for Bethesda because I don't have the correct stamp on my passport )
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If you want Korean, you go to Annandale (or Centerville), if you want Chinese, you go to 7 Corners (same for Vietnamese). So they're not in Alexandria, they're close enough. My better half and I spend a lot of money dining in Alexandria because it's home and because we like to spend out money where we live. There's Thai Pepper in Del Ray. Not in the same class as the restuaurants at which I ate in Bangkok, but it's not bad. Del Ray Cafe is always good. Sushi or your ramen fix, you go to Tanpopo in Annandale (MoMo for sushi is okay, not outstanding, just okay). Al La Lucia is decent red-tablecloth Italian. Blue and White is dynamite for soul food (just get there early before it's all gone). Evening Star runs from mediocre to passable (it was much better before Will Artrley left and the renovation happened), but Rustico can turn out some really good food. Light Horse can be good but can get noisy. Brabo (the restaurant not the Tasting Room) is generally very good. La Bergerie is good white-table cloth traditional French. I do miss the lack of decent BBQ and I wish one of those KFC (that's Korean Fried Chicken) places would move into Old Town, but Nando's isn't bad for a quick lunch (not that it's going to increase your status with your expense account friends). Jackson 20 has it's moments as does Columbia Firehouse. There are a lot of good choices nearby that don't require crossing the river and spending 2 hours looking for a parking space.
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For a Korean Sushi place, it's good. Next time, try the Korean version of Chirashi. It's different and really good.
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I liked the gnocchi, did a decent steak as well. We didn't love it the first time we went, took a while to get on the rotation, now it is gone. I don't do sushi, so Won't be going to the new place. Ended up at evening star where I always struggle to find a menu item that appeals all around. I'm sort of particular with the diet and they balk at substiutions in my experience.
You need to try across the street at Del Ray Cafe. They're a bit more flexible.
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A restaurant in Del Ray that I didn't even know existed .... and now it's gone.
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I'll be there a week before he opens. Maybe on the way back from Fontana, I can arrange dinner.
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Because for myself it was the best meal/dining experience/pick a noun that I had in 2013. It is a very real return to what Roberto did at his Laboratorio. This may even be more personal since you are sitting directly at the counter that he stands behind.
We went to Al Dente for restaurant week last year (before the open kitchen became Roberto's 4), sat at the open kitchen, were greeted warmly by Roberto, asked that he feed us and let the food flow. So, not sure if that qualifies as the beginning of Roberto's X (insert your own number), but it certainly was memorable.
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Area restaurant semifinaliists for the James Beard Award for 2014 are Rose's Luxury and Rogue 24. Tony Chittum and Cathal Armstrong are among area chefs. More informaton from the Going Out Guide here.
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Well, that went fast. So when is the next DR.com Roberto's 8 gathering?
It would be fun to meet you good people face to face.
When do you plan on organizing it? That's how those kind of things happen. (and you have to be careful about that "good people" thing )
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Let me know when and you can put us down for two of those seats.
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Paradiso has a fairly large sized lunch buffet with some decent pizza (not great, but decent), made to order pasta dishes, a large salad selection, and LOTS of desserts including real ice cream and "real" hot fudge for a topping. Definitely enough choice to satisfy the lunch craving but not really a serious dinner destination (at least for us).
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I'm going to start by saying that i don't know Johnf, or joe H or escoffier for that matter, so if there's a personal backstory here that i'm not getting i apologize, but the criticism of the post seems a bit harsh.
There is no backstory that I know of, however this is a bit over the top (even for me who isn't exactly known for being gentle). To have someone post 7 or 8 reviews, all of which are overly (maybe extremely overly) critical is a bit much. From those posts, the poster sounds like a card carrying curmudgeon who might consider (heresy alert!!) the last supper lousy because there wasn't enough wine and the service was mediocre. Every one of the places he "reviewed" he found unacceptable, and the reviews weren't posted just after or the next day. There is no chronology as to when they were visited so there is no way to compare to others experiences to set a baseline on how accurate (or inaccurate) they might be.
Gypsy Soul, Casual Upscale in Merrifield's Mosaic District with Chef John "Bull" Engle - Closed
in Washington DC Restaurants and Dining
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Last time I was in the Mosaic District, there was still gravel where the floor should be. I have my fingers crossed that your post is correct, Don.