Simul Parikh

Went to Farmers Fishers Bakers last night for my friend's birthday party last night. Before that, we stopped by the new Graham Hotel for a drink, and maybe that place should get its own thread soon. It's a lovely place. I really liked Founding Fathers, so I expected that this would be pretty great. It mostly was, but sometimes it wasn't. First of all, the greeters and servers were very nice and I liked that a lot. Some of these hip new places really get away with surliness, but lots of smiles and the sense they were happy we were there. We were a group of 7 originally, and then had an add on. It wasn't an issue for them, and they were able to adjust quite easily without delay. They put is in the VIP area (okay, okay, I don't know if it is), it's this room off to the right of the entrance, in a cove basically. It's a big table and seated 8 of us very comfortably. It's actually the baker's room, and the walls are lined with rolling pins, which is very nice aesthetically. We weren't ready with drink orders, but put in for the appetizers. We ordered two of the pretzel orders (3 of the girls had already been there already and swore by them) and the table made guacamole. The pretzels were as good as advertised. Slightly crispy on outside, chewy on inside, very warm and fresh out of the oven. 3 sauces - pimento cheese (Is that everywhere these days? Seems as fashionable as kale) which was just slightly spicy but delicious, a french onion dip (it was okay, it tasted like a better version of what you get from those plastic containers), and a honey mustard sauce that was divine and I could have sopped it up with any bread product. The table made guacamole tasted like table made guacamole. Which is to say good, but nothing mindblowing. So, before the appetizers got there, we finally got our drink orders in. I got the DC Brau Collaboration Saison (forgot the name), 2 of the girls shared a Zombie Punch bowl, one girl ordered a Belgian beer which name I forgot, a few waters, a Bordeaux, and a Bell's Oberon. This is the part that bugged me about the place. It took about 15 minutes for the drinks to arrive. I really think that's a long time. Only one of the drinks was a cocktail (the jungle juice or zombie punch or whatever). The others were beer and wine, that are poured not "crafted". Then, the Belgian ale the gal asked for wasn't there, but that was reported until everybody's drink arrived (as I said, 15 minutes after order). Finally got all our drinks. I've had that DC Brau before, it's delicious. I tried the Zombie punch, tasted of Fireball or whatever cinammon type infusion was in there. Not my favorite thing, but the two girls drinking it liked it a lot and it was definitely finished. Anyway, that was my only major annoyance. For dinner, I got one of the sushi dishes (I know, I know, ridiculous to try to get sushi at a non-Japanese place, but it was described so well on the menu) - it was a tuna sashimi sampler with melon and this melon sauce. The fish tasted very fresh, it was a small portion, but I enjoyed it and watermelon actually goes well with tuna. Then, I bungled the next part of the order, but not entirely my fault. I got the "fried brussel sprouts and blue cheese" salad. Look, dude, I know there has to be a markup on foods, but I know how much brussel sprouts cost (even fancy organic ones) and I figured there would be at least 5-6 or more brussel sprouts. Now, keep in mind there is so many other appetizing things on the menu that I wanted to try - Honey Pot Chicken, the fresh catch of the day, the cioppino, the pork shank, the Detroit style pizza (so happy that's becoming a "thing") - but I was so in the mood for brussel sprouts, so I was willing to try it. To my intense dismay, it was shredded brussel sprouts - 2 at most, with some greens and some iceberg, blue cheese dressing, a few hunks of blue cheese, and some crispy things. I was so disappointed. The girl next to me got honey pot chicken which looked amazing, birthday girl got a Wisconsin cheese burger - this is awesome - a burger with grilled cheese sandwiches as the buns which she really liked, the other girl next to me got coconut curry sauce mussels (very good), the next gal got the whitefish tacos which she liked a lot, another honey pot chicken, spicy sausage mussels, and some fries. Everyone really liked their food, so I would say that part of it was my disastrous ordering, but part of it was that the menu for the brussel sprouts dish was not described well. Dessert was very important to the group. The beignets were ordered (they take 20 minutes, but the server had intuition and had made an executive decision to order them), I got a scoop of dulce de leche, and we got two plates of the ice cream cookie sampler (4 types of ice cream sandwiches with varying cookies and ice creams). The beignets were fantastic. I'd say on par with places in NOLA (Tulane grad) and the chocolate sauce was thick and delicious. I liked my dulce de leche, perfectly creamy and caramel was awesome. So, the cookies. Such a good idea, b/c I love ice cream sandwiches (How could I not? I love both ice cream and sandwiches). The problem is that the cookies are homemade and warm and the ice cream softens so quickly. If you try sharing them, there will be wet mess of melted ice cream. It still tasted good, but it wasn't a sandwich. I think they should refrigerate them, like the ones on the ice cream truck. I think it would be better. All in all, a great meal (even if mine wasn't) and I really want to try other things on the menu, especially the Cioppino. Their seafood seems super fresh. The server was very friendly. I don't like waiting so long for a beer, especially on a Monday night, but what can you do? $34 bucks a piece without tip, including taking care of birthday girl. Not bad at all. I'll be back. S

Hi, I just started posting last week, but have been a reader for a few years now. My name is Simul Parikh, I live in Alexandria, VA (Del Ray) and am an oncologist in Maryland. I have always loved food, having lived in Chicago and New Orleans, but since moving here I've very much expanded what I eat, particularly in terms of Asian food. I grew up thinking it was boring, tasteless brown sauces and vegetables, but that's because I was eating at all the wrong places. I now can't get enough Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. This is because of this website and Tyler Cowen, and I'm glad to now join the community. Simul

I went to the Annandale one for an early lunch on Saturday morning. Unbelievable. Really happy with this place. It's kind of dumpy on the outside, and my friends had grave concerns before going in, but I said to trust me because DR people are really high on it. Inside, it's really cool, the wallpaper is in Korean script (who knows what it says? might just be their yellow pages or something, but it is visually appealing). The tables and seats are wooden, and sort of hard, in a military barracks sort of way. I have a bony bottom, so not that pleasant. I ordered the seafood and tofu soup, and my co-hungover comrades had the beef and tofu soup. 2 of us got it spicy spicy, and 1 of us got it medium. The service was on point, although we were there early and it wasn't busy yet. We also ordered the seafood pancake as a starter. They arrived with the banchan. The banchan was (were? is it plural or singular?) excellent - tasted bright, vinegary, crispy, and flavorful. There was one specifically we liked and I asked what it was. Turned out it is 'chayote' which is in the pear family. Got an extra order of that during the middle of the meal. The seafood pancake was good, but I don't have a great frame of reference for that specific item. I've had similar things at Chinese restaurant, and there is a comparable Indian appetizer (can't remember the name). When the soup came, I wasn't sure what to do with it, so the waitress set everything up, broke the egg and put it in our soups and then we were ready to rock and roll. The flavor of the soup was so rich, sort of ma po tofu-ish, but thinner and less oily, with just the right amount of spicy - light burning and moderate perspiration, but no need to take constant breaks and pound H20. There was a good amount of seafood in mine - oysters, head on shrimp, a mussel, maybe something else. I was full half way through, but had no room in my fridge, so I powered through and ate as much as I could. The whole meal with one Cass beer was under $45 and I was stuffed. I'm definitely going to go back, although my concern is that it's sort of a one trick pony. I'm not sure what else I'd want to try there. I'd imagine other places are going to have better bimbop/bulgogi since these aren't their primary dishes. Finally, I was looking at the Yelp reviews and there are so many complaints about the service. I'm very surprised. I did go at a less busy time of day, and though they weren't boisterous, they were friendly and I thought every thing came in a timely manner. The kicker was when we left. 4-5 of the people working there almost in synchrony noticed us and energetically and triumphantly said bye and thanks for coming. I wish that happened every time I left a room. So, maybe they noticed the reviews and got it together. Or maybe, I'm just obviously a baller and they realized it. S

The comments really are wonderful. I like that "Mango" Mike responded to them with class, but more importantly, hilarity. I think that they should also have a "hipster-free" venue. I'm tired of people like myself, and I really need a good night in once in a while. S

There was a thread for Evening Star, but I think the Majestic Lounge has enough of a different feel to warrant it's own. This is my neighborhood bar/grill and I'm here often. It's a wonderful space, dimly lit, jars with candles hang over the bar, and trophies and other knick knacks line the walls (concert posters, etc). The bartenders are local, and you'll see them at the other Del Ray hot spots on any given night. Evan, James, Sarah and the rest greet you and make you feel right at home. The beer selection is fantastic. They always have Racer, Bell's Two Hearted, and a few standbys, but always have new selections and a cask (currently Sneaky Pete's Imperial IPA). They've been on a Black IPA kick, with Wookie Jack and Bear Republic's foray into the genre. We ordered the mac and cheese. I know family feuds worse than the Hatfields and McCoys that exist because of arguments over the recipe. They use a grafton cheddar and Anaheim chiles. It's objectively good, but my bias is that the roux is so heavy with flour that it over powers over the cheese, which is my favorite part. Also got the chicken wings. These have gotten really good. I like them less saucy, limited breading, and spicy. The sauce/spice blend that they use isn't spicy, but if you ask them to make it spicy, the kitchen guy whips up spicy goodness. They are crispy and the chicken is moist. It's a good wing. The music isn't too loud, you can hear your date or friend talk, and people are very friendly in there. They also have board games, and I will be more than happy to beat you like a rented mule in Scrabble on any given night. Check the place out, maybe before a meal at Cheesetique or Osteria. S

Went last night for dinner. Had been there once before. It was cool outside, but we sat outside any way, as when the weather gets good, the place is a mad house. Chips and Salsa - the chips are housemade, as far as I can tell. The house red salsa, in my opinion, was more like Pace or other jar salsa. It seemed flavorless, to me. I asked for the house hot salsa, which is a light green-white sauce with habaneros. It's a good taste, not overpoweringly hot, but tasty, much more so than the red salsa. Salvadorean Fried Fish - so, I have found at these Tex-Mex/Salvadorean places, the Mexican food is pretty bland. I figured I'd try something different. It was fresh fried croaker. I never had croaker before. It's not a big fish and it really doesn't have a whole lot of meat on it, but what I could pick off was tasty. The beans and rice were fine, and something I could have made at home. Enchiladas with Green Sauce - my date seemed to enjoy it, or maybe not. She really didn't say much about it, finished half. Also, had a Sol with lime. I know clear glass bottle beer skunks and that's why you put the lime in with it, but some times it just works. And it did. And, they ran out of Bohemia, the only Mexican beer that I really enjoy. Service was very attentive. They all seemed like nice guys. A few hours later, I saw a bunch of them at Pork Barrel BBQ for half price ribs. $36 + tip. Not unreasonable. But, I'm only going back for margaritas and nachos when the patio is hopping. S

Eggplant appetizer - delicious, fresh tasting. Reminds me of 'baingan bartha', an Indian dish. Bread - much better now that they are doing the fresh baked version. Lamb Shank with Polo Rice - not much more to add, other than the fact that it is clearly enough for dinner and lunch the next day. There was a glistening of a layer of oil, but it tasted so good so I don't mind. Veg kabob - didn't try it, was for the date, but I have the left over for lunch today. The rice that comes with it is the same polo that came with the shank. There was something adjacent to the rice with a reddish sauce that she loved. I tried it, and think it was eggplant with some sauce, but not sure. Anyone know? The host/owner, as everyone says, is an absolute prince amongst men. I was on a first date. Though I'd been there before once, we didn't talk much at that time, yet he acted as if I was an esteemed guest and a regular. He came over and was extremely attentive throughout the meal. He enthusiastically recommended the full shank as "the best thing we have". He thanked us profusely. The date was a success On the other hand, there was an older woman there (maybe his wife?) who was very much ready to go home and sort of slammed her purse to get us moving along (okay, okay, it was 2 minutes to ten and we lingered to finish the wine we brought). $45.11 + a very big tip for making me seem like a VIP -S

Buffet stopped April 7. Too bad. I thought it was fantastic - delicious and authentic. Now, the vegetarian meal and non-veg meal, with the gentleman ladling out the portions. Unfortunate. I used to stop by and get the take out buffet for $6.99/lb and it was one of the best deals in town. Not as excited about it any more. -S

I'm a Indian male, and have been treated terribly compared to the other people that are able to order Urdu and/or seem to know the people there. The wait for pre-made (non-kabob, non-karahi) food can be intolerable. Yet, it tastes so good. So, I keep going back. Hopefully they read DR. -S