Charles Tsui

Since returning from our most recent trip to Hong Kong two weeks ago, we've been jonesing for some dim sum. Decided to try the weekend lunch at Q (we've been very happy with their dinner dishes). I tempered my expectations as Peter doesn't have a Cantonese cooking background, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Overall, I'd rate everything at least average quality by HK standards. By comparison, I've never felt that the dim sum offerings at Oriental East, China Garden, or Mark's Duck House would've made the cut beyond the local market.

Stand outs: the sticky rice sesame balls (莲蓉芝麻球) were impossibly light and had an unexpected orange zest flavor. The egg tarts (蛋挞) were well-baked and not greasy; a little bit of leopard spotting hinted at the Macanese/pasteis de nata style that I love.

The restaurant was only about half full on a Saturday. A bit of a surprise given the lines around the block at Oriental East back in the day. Yes, Peter Chang's prices are higher, but hardly prohibitive and you certainly get what you pay for. Menu ordering is also so much more civilized than chasing after carts (which have all but disappeared from HK, SF, NYC and Vancouver/Toronto dim sum restaurants).

35 minutes ago, porcupine said:

Not to disparage what you're saying, but to be fair, Ren's predates Toki by about two years.

Thanks for the correction! I never made it to their original location--only started going when they opened in Wheaton.

7 hours ago, DonRocks said:

This is a strong Michelin two-star restaurant, right? It was the best meal I had in 2015, and I'm *so* glad they've kept their quality up.

I told Andy Hayler about it; he just didn't get down there from New York City.

How Elements doesn't yet have a James Beard Award is beyond me. It needs to win the Mid-Atlantic award, and then go straight to the national award for Outstanding Chef.

Agreed. As the French tire folks say, it's definitely "worth a detour". My two visits have been "a special journey" and I haven't regretted it.

Just a short post that I've been meaning to write for some time.

Don: go back. As soon as possible.

My previous, 2014 meal at the old Elements location (a kitchen table tasting that they used to offer) was very inventive. I appreciated the creativity and the chefs' stories behind each dish. But, in terms of absolute deliciousness? Ehh... pretty good.

Went back in May for a Grand Tasting and was totally blown away. Amazing flavors without losing any of the playfulness. We'd just come back from the Bay Area and agreed that the meal was every bit as enjoyable as Meadowood, Manresa, TFL, etc.

Elements is world-class, but avoids feeling generic. It's very much Scott Anderson's and Mike Ryan's kitchen. From the chefs bringing out and explaining the dishes, to seeing their foraging adventures on Instagram, it feels genuine and personal. Really an under-appreciated East Coast gem.

Tiger Fork has to be appreciated in-context. Is their BBQ, for example, better than what I've had at the best specialist shops in HK? No way. But I don't really expect a $1.50 char siu rice box joint to pop up on Blagden Alley anytime soon. As I wrote above, if this place opened in Vancouver, it wouldn't merit much attention. But it's in DC, and there's nothing else quite like it right now. 

I do appreciate authenticity and focus. But I also understand why dilution may be necessary to succeed in a given market. 10 years ago, you couldn't really get a proper bowl of ramen here. Then, Toki Underground opened with a pretty non-traditional take on the dish (which they were frank about). But it did open a lot of people's eyes to the idea of ramen that didn't come in a plastic bag, a menu focused on it, and a new price point for it. Now, we have a diverse selection of ramen-only shops, like Ren's and Daikaya, which could hold their own in Japan. But, unlike NYC, we don't have dedicated soba or udon restaurants, so there continues to be room for the market to evolve (mature).

Don, there's no widely-accepted standard adjective. "Hong Kongese" is used infrequently, but somewhat consistently, by the local English language press. You'll often find (and I prefer) the more natural "Hong Kong style".

"Cantonese" is often used to describe cuisine, but is inclusive of neighboring Guangdong province (romanized as "Canton") in mainland China. A dish like steamed whole fish with soy sauce and ginger could be fairly described as Cantonese. But something like deep fried French toast with peanut butter and condensed milk should be specifically associated with Hong Kong.

What sad news. I have very fond memories of a dinner at Central in 2012 with one of Michel's son's friends. Halfway through the meal, Michel arrived with his wife and brother and they sat down for their own dinner at the table next to ours. We ate and drank until we were ready to pass out and Chef comped our meal. A most gracious and generous host.

Enjoyed a really fun and delicious progressive sushi tasting with Chef Yu today. Since he knew that I would likely be sharing the pictures here, he wanted to be clear that this was an off-menu omakase that may not be possible to repeat (based on availability of fish, how busy he is behind the counter). But it was absolutely representative of the quality and passion that I've consistently experienced at Takumi (this was my third visit).
 

Whitefish tasting (L-R): bronzini, medai, hamachi belly

Tuna tasting (L-R): regular maguro, chu-turo, o-toro, seared

Salmon (and friend) tasting (L-R): artic char, salmon w/ Old Bay, salmon with crème fraí®che and ikura, seared salmon belly

Mackerel tasting (L-R): marinated saba, smoked saba, aji

Shellfish tasting (L-R): aoyagi (muscle), aoyagi, seared scallop with lemon & sea salt

Not pictured, a smoked ankimo salad appetizer and a terrific (not house-made) lychee sorbet

Yes, I think this is currently the best sushi in NoVA (and rivals the best spots in the DC area). I asked Chef Yu to serve me omakase and he presented the following:

• Branzino with lime zest
• Tuna with black truffle
• Hokkaido hotate
• Seared scallop with lemon and salt
• Salmon with Old Bay
• Hamachi with uni
• Aoyagi
• Seared salmon belly
• Uni
• Smoked ankimo (disclosure: comped by Chef)
• Ikura

With 2 pieces per order, plus a Brussels sprout salad and miso soup to start with, I was properly stuffed by the end of this lunch. While much of the menu will look familiar to Kaz regulars, there's a hard-to-pinpoint generosity of flavor that made me prefer Takumi's versions to the originals. I think the fish-to-rice ratio might be more to my liking.

Service was great, and I enjoyed practicing my rusty Cantonese with Chef Yu (he's from Guangzhou). I do worry about his ability to keep a diverse selection of seafood on the menu. Chef mentioned that it's been a challenge to meet the suppliers' minimum order quantities for some ingredients. Will customers order the more adventurous stuff that helps to make Takumi stand out amongst other small, neighborhood Japanese restaurants?

Aoyagi (orange clam)

House-smoked ankimo (monkfish liver)

I'm astounded that the manager comped one of your dinners. Not that you didn't suffer enough to warrant some relief, but it wasn't management's fault (I'm certain you know this), and so that was really special customer service.

Rose's deserves all of the praise and recognition that it's received over the past year. FoH is as great as the kitchen. Not that they need my loyalty, but they've earned it.

The only bummer of the evening were the obnoxious folks who sat next to us.  They completely dominated the bartender's time and attention (and the bartender handled it way more gracefully than I ever could have).  When we would occasionally engage the staff in conversation, the man would find a way to abruptly insert himself without deigning to look at or talk to us.  Usually sitting at the bar is awesome because you meet lots of interesting people - but I guess they can't all be winners.

Speaking of obnoxious folks... We had a 7:45 reservation at the kitchen counter (we'd also sat there last NYE and loved it). After a long wait upstairs, the staff told us that our seats were being occupied by a couple who had long since finished their meal and paid, but weren't moving. At 8:30, they offered us a regular table and we took it (my wife was about ready to kill someone). The manager comped one of our dinners and everyone was genuinely apologetic. As usual, we loved the food and the service. I'm just astounded that guests, being fully aware of the packed reservations book, would be so inconsiderate as to camp out in prime seats.

What an absolutely wonderful last dinner to remember CityZen by. I don't think it's just sentimentality that made this, by quite a margin, my favorite of the 6 or 7 meals that I've had here over the years. To be honest, all of those previous experiences had been missing something for me. The cooking has always been flawlessly precise--I've never had a single course that was not perfectly cooked or seasoned. But there haven't been as many truly memorable dishes as I'd expected. I was mostly left thinking, "great technique", "subtle balance", but not necessarily, "really delicious". My great fondness for the restaurant had been formed more by an appreciation of the impeccable service and a respect for the focus of the cooks than lust for the food.

But last night, for their last dinner service, EZ and his team were cooking with heart and soul. Not to say that they didn't before, but it was the first time that everything came together for me and I had course after course that put a smile on my face. The precision that I'd come to expect was still there, but also a generosity and boldness that made many of the dishes unforgettable. My only regret is that I was so outrageously full shortly after the halfway point that I couldn't finish a lot of what was put in front of me. In all fairness, in addition to the 6 courses on the printed menu, I received 3 canapés, a pre-dessert, an extra fish course as a gift from the kitchen, an extra dessert, and *a second extra fish course*, that I believe to have been a mistake (I had chosen the white truffle supplement instead). Two of those extra courses were some of my favorites from the evening (the seared cod and the first dessert), so I'm definitely not complaining!

While I'd come to take the service at CityZen for granted, I can't fail to mention how well I was taken care of. I was a little conscious of being a solo diner while the couples on either side conversed, but I got to fully focus on the enjoyment of the experience. Everyone who served me was utterly professional, yet warm and personable. Several of the FOH staff whom I talked to still didn't have new jobs lined up. They're among the best in the city and I really hope that they all end at deserving restaurants (and, maybe, at Chef's new place next year).

Photos below. For reference, I had the regular tasting and substituted the matsutake mushroom tart from the veg tasting for the lobster cassoulet.

Thank you, Chef Ziebold and team! It's been a great 10 years and I'm very much looking forward to the next chapter.

Looking forward to hearing about what I'm sure will be an incredible dinner tonight. Also excited for my solo dining experience--I have no doubt that they'll take good care of me. So pleased that I will be able to enjoy one last meal at a restaurant that's hosted quite a few of my special celebrations over the years.

Thank you, everyone! I didn't have any takers to join me, but I was able to switch the reservation to one. JoshNE, hope to run into you guys; have a great dinner!

I have dinner reservations for 2 on Saturday the 6th at 8:30PM. My wife has backed out due to a conflict and none of the friends whom I've asked can join me. I'm planning to call tomorrow to see if the restaurant could accommodate a solo diner (I don't want the bar menu); otherwise I may just have to cancel it.

I first wanted to see if a DR member would be interested in joining me. The idea of fine dining with a stranger seems a bit odd and I don't feel totally comfortable throwing this invitation out there. But, I jumped on the reservation when I learned of the closing date and I'm pretty determined to enjoy one last dinner there on Saturday.

Don, I wanted to ask you personally as I haven't had the chance to meet you, but I figured eating there twice in a week would be a bit much!

"User jumbo shrimp also posts on Don Rockwell..." Good work, Eater DC writer.

I quite enjoyed my dinner at DBGB on Wednesday in spite of of a series of FOH issues. A packed house and a (not known to us at the time) VIP dinner going on upstairs probably made for a particularly challenging night for the first-week staff.

The kitchen is sending out very good food. I had the Sweet & Sour Eggplant, which was nuanced and balanced. Our party shared a sausage duo: Boudin Basque & Tunisienne. My coq au vin was textbook and absolutely delicious. I finished with the fig tart, which was mostly fruit and not very sweet--nicely restrained. 

All of the service staff that we interacted with were friendly and had the right attitude (i.e. solving problems instead of pawning them off). The only serious mistake was a completely-forgotten round of drink orders (we ate our mains without wine). The rest were predictable (long waits for service, multiple servers asking to take the same order) or amusing (fresh bread and butter randomly dropped off at the end of the meal). We weren't upset at all, and everyone took the initiative to make things right once an issue was brought up. The staff seem well-trained, with a good system of servers, runners, and roaming managers; it just didn't come together completely that night. This is just the last bit that needs polish in order to make DBGB a very solid addition to our dining scene.

Joe, our experience was very similar to John's description above. I recall reading an interview with John Shields or Neal Wavra where the topic of communal seating was brought up. The response was that it had been considered, but that not all guests might like the arrangement. I think that's a wise choice. With pricing that's comfortably in the higher tier of fine dining, you wouldn't want to exclude a couple who just want to privately celebrate a special occasion.

You're right that the demographic of these dinners is very different than the typical restaurant mix. Most attendees appreciate that they are part of something rare, unique, and special. They're there to share in something (sounding a bit hyperbolic here) historic--to savor the evening and discuss their experiences. As a counterpoint, there was one couple sitting behind us who basically kept to themselves and left quickly at the end of the meal. My wife also isn't nearly as food-obsessed as I am and she just tags along for such dinners to make me happy. I'm not sure that she would have been comfortable with the idea of sitting with a group of strangers (she's much more extroverted than I am, but talking about food and wine isn't high on her list!)

In our case, the evening ended up being very much an experience shared with our fellow diners. We got to know 8 of the 14 others there well, which to me is simply remarkable. I wouldn't expect to talk to a single other customer if I had dinner at a typical DC Metro restaurant. Honestly, I think this was partly because of the atmosphere created by the hosts and at least equally because of the warm personalities of the other guests. We waited in the sitting room as the other guests arrived. It quickly became obvious that many of them knew the Shields and knew each other. It could have quickly become awkward as the two of us seemed to be the only "outsiders"--new to John's food and not from the area. Instead, everyone made sure to introduce themselves to us, tell us about their history with Townhouse/Riverstead, and offer suggestions for our visit to the area. We continued talking out on the porch as the first snacks were delivered, before heading into the dining room for the main event.

As JohnB described, the dining room is quite intimate. There's enough space between tables for private conversation, yet it was easy enough to speak to our neighbors. John and Neal welcomed the group at the beginning; it was really like we were in their home. I wanted to observe the kitchen for a bit, but felt bad because the space was so small. It's quite impressive that they can crank out so many courses from such a modest facility (though the relaxed pacing must help--dinner was 4+ hours from first snack to last dessert).

Hope this helps. Anyone who's on the fence: just go!

-Charles

At $800 per couple for dinner and an overnight stay, expectations are naturally high for the Riverstead experience. Add 10+ hours of round-trip driving time, and it becomes a very difficult decision. How likely am I to be disappointed when the bar is set so high? Although I had regretted not dining at Townhouse while it was open, and I had told myself upon reading of the new Riverstead dinner series that it would be too rare an opportunity to pass up, I waited months before pulling the trigger. When a dinner & lodging reservation opened up for my birthday weekend, I decided to just go for it.

I'm really pleased to report that John, Neal, and their team comfortably exceeded my expectations for our Friday night dinner and stay. Riverstead is a lovely home and I can't think of a better setting for an escape from the city. Our meal, from the first snack to the last dessert, was innovative, beautiful, and most importantly, delicious. Unconventional ingredient and flavor combinations are often hit-or-miss, but the Shields' dishes reflect months or years of careful refinement. Every element on the plate added depth and interest to the course. Nothing was gratuitous or extraneous. Neal's passion for wine (and hospitality) is obvious. He is such a welcoming host and hearing him describe his intelligently-curated wine list is a joy.

I'm including photos of the menu and most of the courses below (we enjoyed the first few snacks on the porch and I didn't have a free hand to take pictures). Although I liked everything, favorites include "Tomato seawater with trout roe", "Vegetable sourdough", "Dungeness crab with roasted squid stock", and "Embers of wintergreen branch & mint". Note: I don't recall being served the first snack (corn sandy), nor the second-to-last dessert (sweet & dried corn) shown on the menu.

John Shields has stated in interviews that he wanted to welcome Riverstead guests like vistors to his own home. Yet, I wasn't prepared for how true this would feel. Most of our dining companions were friends of the Shields' and also knew each other well. We heard stories of frequent visits to Townhouse while it was open; the other couple staying overnight were enjoying their *third* Riverstead dinner! The Bishops (owners of Townhouse and Riverstead) shared the table next to ours with Chuck and Diane Flynt of Foggy Ridge Cider (we began the dinner with their "Handmade" craft apple cider). Side note: Diane is an incredibly warm and kind woman and Foggy Ridge makes delicious ciders (reminiscent of dry Champagnes) that pair beautifully with food. Stop by their tasting room in Dugspur, VA (we did, at Diane's invitation), or attend their cider class at the Vienna Whole Foods on 9/2 at 6:30PM!

I didn't expect to meet so many loyal and long-time fans of the Shields at this small dinner. But, after thoroughly enjoying Riverstead, I can completely understand their devotion. Selfishly, I hope that John and Karen eventually end up in DC, so that it would be easier to enjoy their brilliant cooking. But part of me also admires to purity of these remote and infrequent events, where the chefs are doing what makes them and their supporters happy--not what investors or critics dictate.

-Charles

Kliman's take: http://www.washingtonian.com/blogs/bestbites/food-restaurant-news/suna-fascinating-frustratingand-gone-in-a-flash.php

For what it's worth, I generally disagree with his complaints. I think that most of the dishes I tried at Suna were well-conceived and the more atypical ingredient combinations were invoked for a purpose (not just to be different, as Kliman suggests). The comment about the plating came off as petty; unique plates were commissioned for the restaurant, why shouldn't similar thought and creativity go into the presentation of the food delivered on those plates? The fact that each course was a photo-worthy work of art doesn't detract at all from the diner's enjoyment--in fact, it added to my enjoyment.

Most importantly, I disagree that Suna failed to give us delicious food. They accomplished this without relying on the crutch of luxury ingredients, and that took real talent and courage, which cannot be "ordered up overnight like a case of truffles" (to repurpose a quote from Kliman's blog post).

Chef Spero: I can hardly imagine the emotional response to reading a critique like this when you and your team have clearly invested so much of yourselves into this project. I hope it counts for something that many on this board think that you did absolutely succeed at building what you set out to create. You didn't do it the easy way; you made the restaurant that you wanted to helm, and those of us who were able to share your vision are fortunate for it.

Sietsema just tweeted that Suna is closing on Saturday. I assume he meant for good. That's shocking, given how well-received it's been.

Well, that's depressing. I was very much looking forward to returning for the spring menu.

I recently enjoyed a great dinner at Elisir and thought that the food really expressed the passion of the chef. A few days later, they announced the decision to change their format. Not to say that the new restaurant can't be great, but it doesn't sound like what Enzo really wants to do.

I really admired how Suna was trying to do something different, but it looks like the market didn't reward that. A real shame.

I hope that Chef Spero and his team soon land somewhere good. Bonne chance.

Oh and Sapporo is the capital of Hokkaido, a northern prefecture of Japan. If you ever find yourself in Sapporo itself, you'll start to sense that Sapporo is more synonymous with ramen than the beer! There are ramen joints everywhere, and the famous "Ramen Alley" which is an alley lined with just ramen stalls. I think they ran out of space, so now there's even a NEW ramen alley. It is truly...heaven.

Thanks for the great primer! Here are some visual aids from my 2010 trip to "Ramen Alley" in Sapporo. Note the slab of butter on top (Ren's gives you a much smaller slice cut cross-wise from a stick). The corn is unashamedly from a can. Delicious!

Well, I haven't heard back, even though I'd emailed within the first hour after the announcement (and replied to the follow-up email today). Guess that means it sold out very quickly if they did in fact honor the order of the original reservation request.

Have you gotten any confirmation yet? I still haven't heard anything, and am wondering whether I should call later in the day to confirm.

No, haven't heard back from anyone yet.