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*ANC 6C ABL Committee* Tuesday, Nov. 3rd 5:30pm (early this month due to conflicts) Specialty Hospital, 700 Constitution Ave. NE (entrance on 7th St.) *Draft Agenda *1. New license application CARMINE'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT 425 7th St N.W. CR (restaurant) license NATURE OF OPERATION New Italian family style restaurant with occupancy load of 720 featuring southern Italian cuisine and a summer garden with 18 seats. HOURS OF OPERATION Sunday through Saturday 7 am "“ 2 am HOURS OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE SALES/SERVICE/CONSUMPTION Sunday 10 am "“ 2 am & Monday through Saturday 8 am "“ 2 am SUMMER GARDEN HOURS OF OPERATION AND SALES/SERVICE/CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES Sunday through Saturday 11 am "“ 2 am This place is going to be massive! Carmine's Website -
Seeing Katelin's post reminded me that a third encarnation of Boqueria was supposed to open this year at 1837 M Street (the old Penang space) - does anyone have any updates? Their DC website is here. -
Not for long. District of Pi, the DC branch of St Louis-based Pi Pizzeria, launches their food truck this month, and opens their Penn Quarter location in March on Pi day. Their specialty? Chicago deep-dish. The First Pizza Eater created something of a stir last fall by declaring it to be the best deep-dish yet, to the consternation of his hometown. -
My cousin was in town for a conference and she comes from a place of very limited restaurant choices so I wanted to take her somewhere different and unique, and I have to say, I crushed it on the restaurant choice! 😉 I mean, how could I go wrong with a Spanish-Japanese mash up?!!? We opted for the omakase meal and we completely blown away from start to finish. Every dish was as beautiful to look at as it was wonderful to taste, and every part of each dish was just fantastic ( there were no throw away components). Shockingly, the place was fairly empty on Thursday night, but I'm hoping that's because it's so new. The only complaint I had was with the lighting. It was too dark to see the beauty of each course without using the light on my phone. When we were leaving the chef was at the host's stand and we raved about the meal for a bit and then, since I had a captive audience, told him my complaint about the low level lighting. He said they just turned the lights down tonight for the first time because the restaurant designer/stylist told him that with the lights turned up it made the place look like a fast food joint! Unfortunately, neither my words, nor the photos do justice to the experience, but here goes. First up was Hamachi/Citrus Dashi/kumquats - we were encouraged to eat the components and drink the broth at the end. Amazing! They could have served the broth alone and it would have been a successful dish! The fish was so tender that I "chewed" it with my tongue! It was also served at the perfect temperature for maximum flavor. Chawanmushi/tempura oyster/seaweed was next, and it was another wonderful combination of tastes and textures. The tempura oysters were topped off with roe and they were great on their own, but the real star was the chawanmushi. I think I could eat a gallon of that stuff! Botan Ebi/ponsu jelly/uni/crème fraiche was the third course and it was another combination a dozen different flavors and textures. We were told to stick the spoon all the way to the bottom and get a bit of each layer. This dish was very hard to photograph, but I included two photos below so you see the layers. Steamed Cod/Gazpachuelo/Potato Trinxat was up next. The description is how it's written on the menu they gave us to take home, but it was described as Black Cod vs. Cod. Either way, it was amazing. Again the cod was tongue-chewable...so tender!! The fish was amazing but the other components were equally impressive the potato thing was shockingly good, as was the foamy broth on the bottom (visible on the left side of the photo). I don't know if that was the gazpachuelo or just part of it, and I don't care! It was fantastic. I'd also like a gallon of it to take home!! Nameko Mushroom Rice/Scallop/Guanciale was next. It also included the soft, internal part of burrata cheese (not visible in the photo below). We were told to mix the rice and burrata together and eat it like that. The scallop was absolutely perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious yet it was the least impressive part of the dish!! The mushroom/rice/burrata combo was mind blowing. SOOOO GOOOOD! The final dish was Quail/Salsify Puree/Foie Gras Escabeche. The quail was very tender and moist and the foie was ridiculously tender (much more so than what I had at Clarity earlier in the week). The salsify was also a surprising hit. I'm not that familiar with salsify, but I'm considering growing it now!! Dessert was a "Gin and Tonic" - I have no idea how to describe this and the photo below is awful. It was a wonderful and unique and had little bits of cucumber in it! Whatever it was, it was a great success! We also got a Winter Citrus Tart/yuzu curd/mandarin sorbet/coconut which was very good, but probably the most standard/least interesting dish of the night. The final little bite (not described on the menu) were two little candies. One was gumdrop type of dish that was good, and the other was combination of miso, caramel and salt. This was an amazing bite! It was one of those dishes that makes you wonder why no one ever combined those flavors before! Fantastic!! I wanted a dozen more! I did the wine pairing which was nice and included a couple sakes, including a rose' sake that got its color from red yeast. Who knew that was a thing! I can't recommend this place highly enough! This was the most interesting and memorable meal that I've had in a long time and two days later, it's still all that I'm thinking about!- 8 replies
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I had lunch here today and will definitely be back. The dining room is pretty, the food beautifully presented, they have some non-standard things on the menu, and everything I had was good (though the portions could be a bit larger). I went there because they had Kolkata style Jhaal muri (puffed rice, peanuts and various chutneys) which is a fave of mine that i haven't seen in the area. it was served, as it traditionally is, in a small newspaper cone, which i loved. the muri itself wasn't quite Kolkata style, (IMO it had too much date chutney, and not enough mustard oil) but it was very tasty, and i give them credit for having it. the pan fried idli were very good, they had a nice masala on them and came with a very good tomato chutney, though i would've liked them a bit more pan fried. and the okra side i got was very good too--simply prepared with chili and mango powder, but done very well, and there aren't that many places here that make it like this. My friend had the paneer with green chutney and lamb with apricots and liked both. they have some non-standard things on the menu, which was nice to see, like dahi vada, chicken choorma, goat with turnips and more. they also have a 3 course lunch deal for $24 i think. everything was beautifully plated and the service was good. Website- 5 replies
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In today's Washington Post there is an article in the financial section on the Newseum which is under construction on Pennsylvania Avenue. Part of the article notes that an announcement is expected today for the inclusion of a "high end" Wolfgang Puck restaurant when the building opens later in '07. In Los Angeles his signatures restaurants are Chinois on Main in Santa Monica and Spago. Similar restaurants (but not as good) are found in Vegas and elsewhere while Postrio is in Seattle and San Francisco. Can Emeril's, Norman's and Roy's be far behind? -
A friend suggested we go to dinner at The Partisan a few Thursdays ago. I was initially hesitant because it was the second day the place had been open but I am very glad I just went with it rather than voicing my concerns. In fact, we liked it so much we went back this past Thursday as well! The place reminds me of Birch and Barley, which is not a surprise since they are part of the same restaurant group. I love the exposed brick and the dark furniture. We have had two great, knowledgeable servers, Paige and Brock, and the service is decidedly friendly and casual. It's the kind of place I want to be after a long day or week, slowly eating my way through the menu, ordering between what I have enjoyed before and eager to try new dishes. Here's a rundown of what we have ordered. Cocktails/Beer: Today Your Love ($13) "“ Ransom Old Tom gin, cocchi Barolo chinato, and kina l'avion d'or. This drink reminds me of a less bitter version of a negroni, yet not too sweet. I can definitely taste Jeff Faile's influence in this drink. Go To IPA, Stone ($6.50) Bell's Special Double Cream Stout ($7) Allagash Saison ($7) While I really enjoyed my cocktail, I'm not sure I want to make $13 cocktails a regular habit. Yes, the cocktails are well crafted and thought out, but one cocktail is nearly twice the price of a good draft beer. Additionally, the wine list is just so great that I see myself exploring that more than the cocktails. Wine: 2012 Qupe Syrah ($20/half bottle) 2012 Baileyana Pinot Noir ($4/half glass) 1999 Viberti Dolcetto D'Alba ($30/half bottle) I am in love with the wine list. I don't know much about wine except I know what I like and there is a lot that I like on this list. Additionally, the options for a half glass and half bottle that are priced comparable to a full glass or a full bottle encourage exploration. For example, a half glass of the Qupe Syrah is $5.50 while a glass is $10 and a full bottle is $40. These options worked for my friend and me the first time we dined at The Partisan as we had a round of drinks at the bar while waiting for our table and then ordered a half bottle of the syrah. We proceeded to finish the wine with one last dish yet to arrive at the table. In another situation, we would have either split a glass of wine or not have ordered any wine for the last course but that time, we both ordered half glasses of the pinot noir. Thanks to The Partisan for giving us these options and pricing accordingly. Charcuterie: Campari-rosemary salami ($4.50); Lamb leg with mint pesto ($4.50); Greek fennel-lemon verbena salami ($4.50); Red Menace ($4.50); Spanish Chorizo ($4.50); Bourbon poached fig rillettes ($5); Culatello ($6); Espresso Lomo ($5); Wild Boar Pate ($5) The charcuterie comes with tigelles, the English muffin looking bread except buttery and dense and pretty amazing. We only had two tigelles with five orders of charcuterie on our first visit and had to ask for more but on the second visit we only ordered four pieces of charcuterie and it arrived with four tigelles so it looks like the place is still trying to figure the charcuterie to tigelle ratio. The meats themselves were very very good, though there were some better than others. In my view the spreadables (red menace, pates, and rillettes) were better than the sliced meats. The espresso lomo was probably my least favorite as it had very little flavor and the lamb leg, while cooked very well, also had little flavor without the mint pesto. They can't all be hits, but I like having so many options, especially ones that are a bit experimental. And the pricing is pretty reasonable so I didn't feel like we were taking huge risks by ordering something that looked interesting but we were unsure how it would come out. We spoke to Nate Anda on our second visit and he said that he will be rotating the charcuterie. That is great news for this charcuterie lover but bad news for her cholesterol level. There is not enough running I can do in a week to offset regular trips to The Partisan. Menu: Roasted Mushroom and Kale Salad ($12) "“ The first time we ordered this, it was amazing. The kale was done just right, the mushrooms were earthy and plentiful, and the salsify and sherry vinaigrette added just the right punch. The melted goat cheese on the bottom rounded out the dish. The second time we ordered this, it came out way oversalted. I didn't think I would mind the salt too much but after a few bites I couldn't taste anything else. I was sharing the dish and between the two of us we managed to finish it, but if I had ordered this for myself I would have sent it back. Hopefully this was just a misstep in the kitchen. Kimchi Sauasage ($6) "“ I liked the idea of this sausage. I love sausage and I love kimchi. There were kimchi spices with some kimchi on the side and the flavor was good, but the texture was dry and crumbly. Also, the sausage was more like a breakfast link, which was unexpected. It also came with a tigelle but we had our fill of tigelles at that point and asked that one to be boxed up. (Note: If you want to order a tigelle to take home for your own breakfast sandwich, they are 50 cents each. That is not bad given a six pack of Thomas English Muffins will set you back more than $4 at Safeway.) Braised Spanish Octopus ($14) "“ This came in a tomato sauce with sliced fingerling potatoes. The octopus was cooked perfectly and I really enjoyed the accompanying sauce and potatoes. The only downside was that there were only three two-bite pieces of octopus. Not particularly measly but we were expecting more for the price. Squab Crepinette ($16) "“ On the menu, this dish is described "breast, confit leg, squab jus" so we expected a breast and a leg. Instead three slices of squab came out, with the breast wrapped in leg meat. The squab was perfectly cooked and I appreciate the skill it took to compose the dish but part of me can't believe we paid $16 for three pieces of meat. Despite ending on a bummer note, my friend and I really enjoyed dining at The Partisan. For the most part, the food is very good and we didn't have any misses (except for the salty kale salad which is excellent when it is done right). There is definitely more on the menu we want to try and are eager to go back. Happy to have this place in the neighborhood.- 28 replies
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Had dinner here (Penn Quarter location) twice this past week. Originally enticed by Restaurant week offerings, and lured back because the dinner was good enough to simplify and try their burgers. Ricotta gnocchi truffle cream, was some of the best I have had. Literally cut the gnocchi into halves to make it last longer in order to mop up the truffle cream. Chicken pot pie braised chicken, baby portobello mushrooms, pearl onion, cheddar biscuit top - the cheddar biscuit top was more of a flakier, dumpling consistency than a more traditional pie--type of crust. The braised chicken and broth all finished well; not a piece left at our table of 4. Caramel banana bread pudding brown butter ice cream, banana rum caramel - cannot describe it any better than that - enough said. Atmosphere was lively, bar was hoping before the dinner crowd picked up both nights. The circa 1950s black/white themed dining area was comfortable and sounds reasonable. You could talk at a normal tone without shouting as is often the case in open-air type restaurants. Service never missed a beat, and from water service to clearing our tables efficiently everything flowed seamlessly. Overall dining time ~1 hour 15 minutes with 2 rounds of cocktails from the bar. Bar drinks were quick and pretty consistent. Nightly specials are static and looked good; hence why we came back for the Burger Royale Thursday night. Burgers were very good, and the fries made all of us clean our plates.-
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I first saw this soon-to-be open announcement courtesy of Penn Quarter Living and only really saw how >close< it was to the PQ Farmer's Market, after my trip there today. According to the two gentleman right outside the restaurant and assuming they are employees, I asked when they are opening. Their response was Monday, May 11. Keep your eyes open, I guess! -
Daikaya's sister chicken ramen shop, whose name escapes me now, opens next week I understand too.- 58 replies
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This place has gotten a few mentions - most recently in this weekend's first edition of the Wall Street Journal's Weekend rag. Slated to open in November, it's supposed to bring Portuguese-influenced Indian food from the Goa region, as well as coconut and curry leaf dishes from Kerala and almond and pistachio infused cuisines from the Mogul region. 633 D St. NW. Any other buzz? -
The popular NYC BBQ joint is coming to a 13,000 sq ft space two blocks from the Verizon Center. Anyone eaten there in NY? More mediocre barbecue in the District, or is this reason for hope? -
http://www.scottsrestaurants.com 927 F Street NW Opened mid-November. I love the concept but it's certainly one that's had a bunch of failures in the past around here. Commonwealth from Jamie Leeds came and went. And British feel with Scotch club and eyes on rapid expansion didn't work out too well for Againn. Inside Penn Quarter’s Cozy Newcomer, Scotts Restaurant and Bar (Eater DC, Nov 14, 2018; Tierney Plumb) A British invasion in Washington, with meat trolleys, Scotch eggs and more (Washington Post, Dec 7, 2018; Tom Sietsema, First Bite)- 11 replies
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I understand last night was the soft opening. Looking forward to trying it..... "SEI Restaurant Opening Soon ... Real Soon (444 7th St NW)" by pqresident on pqliving.com -
They're hoping for May. It's going to be Asian accented southern dishes. You may remember him from Top Chef Texas or most recently on the bourbon episode of Mind of a Chef. "Edward Lee To Open Southern-Themed Succotash At National Harbor" by Tim Carman on washingtonpost.com Hopefully this is the beginning of a new era at National Harbor.
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Here's Tom S's input from the Post. There are only 4 comments. 3 positive and 1 negative, but it made me laugh: "he should stick to spanish tapas...even jaleo sucks and now he wants to venture into chifa?" It's rough out there!
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I hadn't seen my husband (or eaten a decent meal) in a week, so we decided to try something new for Friday's date night. We headed over to NoPa with high expectations, having all of our wonderful experiences at Rasika in mind - clearly, we knew that the food would be different, but I think we figured the "bones" would be very similar. I wasn't completely disappointed, but in my mind, NoPa still has some tweaking to do. We sat at the bar, which is pretty small, but we found two seats relatively quickly. Service at first was attentive-bordering-on-clingy - we barely had time to look at the cocktail menu before he wanted us to order. I started with a very good "brasserita," which was spicy and tangy and really tasty. Jason had a gin and tonic of some sort, but I'll let him post separately about what he thought. I also ordered a strawberry-basil-vodka cocktail that usually comes with soda in it, but the bartender was happy to leave the soda out (indicating that it wouldn't make a difference overall), and it was very fresh. I probably should have ordered it with dessert. We got a bread basket early in the going, which had decent "regular" bread and some delicious rosemary pull-apart rolls. The butter served with the bread was the proper temperature (yay), but it was unsalted (boo). For our first round of apps, we tried the twice-fried chicken and the smoked salmon croquettes. The chicken, for $10, was a drumstick and two thighs of delicious, perfectly fried chicken that was crispy (and NOT greasy) on the outside and moist and juicy on the inside. All it needed was a little salt, and it would have been among the best I've ever had. The homemade ketchup served with it was quite good, though. I thought it was a great value. The croquettes were technically well done, but they had more of a dill flavor than a smoked salmon flavor, which thrilled my husband and disappointed me. Second round, we ordered the olive oil poached octopus and the duck confit. The octopus was tender and cooked nicely, but it had way too much olive flavor going on, and I am not a fan of olives, so it was definitely not something I went back to over and over. On the other hand, the duck confit was amazing - crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and PERFECTLY seasoned. There was also a sour cherry mustard sauce that went perfectly with the meat (when we weren't just sucking the meat directly off the bone like animals). Fantastic. Jason had some beers and I had a glass of sauvignon blanc (neither were anything to write home about - didn't think their selection, at least draft/by the glass, was particularly exciting), and we noticed that service had definitely taken a turn for the slow. Empty plates would sit in front of us for much longer, and other than the occasional, "Everything good?" there really wasn't much engagement. I already knew, from research, that I was interested in dessert. We ended up trying the fried strawberry pies and the maple pecan sticky bun. YUM to both. They each came with ice cream, but Jason will have to tell you about those - I was definitely only in it for the pastries. The strawberry pies were filled with fresh strawberry filling that was naturally sweet, so it was great that the pastry itself was more neutral and you didn't get that super sugary donut-esque cavity-inducing thing where the dish as a whole is just too sweet for more than a few bites. It was nicely balanced, and I would like to make some myself. The sticky bun was just decadent. Soft on the inside, though, and gooey and sticky and divine on the outside, with a few candied pecans sprinked on top for good measure. It would be the perfect breakfast pastry, if it wouldn't give you an epic sugar crash about an hour after you ate it. It made me think of my grandpa, who could never say no to a big ol' pecan sticky bun - he really would have liked this one, and I smiled while I was eating it because it allowed me to go back down memory lane and think of all the sticky buns we shared while he was alive. So, 4 apps, 2 desserts, 2 cocktails and a glass of wine for me, and then I think 1 cocktail, 2 beers, and a glass of port for Jason, and the total before tip was $139. I gave the overall experience a B-/B. Dessert was a real surprise highlight for me. With a few service and seasoning tweaks, this could be a great repeat place for us (ya know, not every week, at those prices, but for more special occasions). Has anyone else been? I'm sure Jason will pipe in shortly.- 22 replies
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Looks like a new cocktail bar coming from Jose Andres. Intrigued, but not if it is in the price range of minibar. https://vimeo.com/58931696 -
File this away for future visits to the Newseum: Online tickets are 15% off (substantial when you consider general admission is $24.95). Even at full price, this museum is worth the admission - I suspect attendance is dropping off, and it may not be around forever. Also, the tickets include the "next day free" - useful for those (like me!) who quickly develop Museum Fatigue. I went back for the second consecutive day yesterday, and I'm glad I did (I combined day two with a trip to the National Archives - nothing like strolling down the street to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, an original copy of the Magna Carta, and the Emancipation Proclamation. These documents aren't terribly beautiful, but just being in their presence is positively awe-inspiring). Make sure to follow their suggested itinerary: Go downstairs to the bottom floor, look around (make sure to see the FBI exhibit down there), then take the extraordinary hydraulic elevators (the largest cars in the world, I believe) up to the 6th floor (where you can go outside onto a large balcony, giving you perhaps the best views in all of Washington, DC), and work your way down a floor at a time. Must-sees include the 9/11 exhibit, the Pulitzer Prize Photos exhibit (one in particular cut deeply into my psyche - a starving child, who collapsed on the way to a food-relief center in South Sudan, with a vulture just sitting there, waiting - do not click on this if it will bother you, and it might). The famous photo of South Vietnamese Police Chief Loan is there - believe it or not, he ran a *PIZZA PARLOR* in Burke, Virginia, called "Les Trois Continents," for fourteen years, until his identity was made known, and was forced to close down. (I couldn't believe it when I first heard this, but I verified it to be true.) There's a strong exhibit about the Kennedy family, in honor of JFK's 100th birthday, but I'm a little "Kennedy'd-out" of late, so I didn't spend too much time there). Also, there's a 100-foot-wide movie screen which I didn't get to see, but you should check on its schedule. And if you've never seen pieces of the Berlin Wall (which started going up the very night I was born!), they have the largest display of it in the Western Hemisphere, alongside an intimidating, three-story, guard tower. I'm probably missing a couple of things, but this list is a pretty good starting itinerary. I remember so well when this museum was in Rosslyn (it opened there in 1997, and moved to its present location in 2008) - it was small, free, and really amazing even then - the outside portion was something people often stumbled upon by accident - but now it has had some serious money pumped into it, and is a major tourist attraction in DC.
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Although I've had many a late night drink/dessert here while listening to live piano jazz over the past few years, the food was never something to come here for. Well, gotta say that may be changing. I joined a group of 4 friends which chose 701 for dinner on Friday night. We were pleasantly surprised with our meals [we were sampling each others all night]. Seems that 701 has a new Chef Bobby Verua [sp?] who started this past Restaurant Week [whatta time to start lol]. Think he hails from NY, and brings subtle Asian influence to the dishes [but not in what I call the normal retread way]. For starters, we tried the Beef Carpaccio w/ Arugula, shaved Parmesan, & Mustard Vinaigrette, Ribbons of Tuna [Crushed Avocado, Rice Crisps, and a creamy Garlic sauce ... great contrast w/ the rice crisps and the tuna!], Fried Calamari [perfectly fried lightly w/ a light coating ... but the accompanying sauce really kicks it up], and Asian Pear/Romaine/Bleu Cheese salad, and a small plate of Pumpkin Raviolis [glazed Chestnuts w/ Truffle-Sage brown butter sauce, lightly sweet]. Very good beginning to our meal. For mains, we tried the Horseradish-Crusted Veal Chop w/ Quail Egg, Potato Dauphin, & a Sweet-Soy Bordelaise [hunk a scoop of everything in one bite, great], Glazed Pork Belly w/ Sweet Potato Puree & Pickled Cherries [tasty fatty goodness, another place for me to get my Pork Belly fill lol], Stuffed Saddle of Lamb w/ Braised Tomatoes, Crisped Potato Confit, and Pear Demi [quite good but didn't love], Dry-Aged Sirlion Steak w/ Ancho-Soy Glaze, Gingered Shiitakes and Truffled Potatoes [nicely done], and Roasted Mahi-Mahi w/ Sweet Potato Ravioli, Malayasian Chili Sauce & Basil Oil [liked but also didn't love]. Perhaps my tastes of the Veal Chop & Pork Belly tainted the rest of my tasting, dunno but the flavors of those 2 were excellent. As for desserts, not so much. We were cautioned by the server that the desserts aren't there yet, the Chef hasn't focused yet on them [putting his stamp on the 1st/2nds] but will be very soon. Thankful for that information [and not particularly attracted to the dessert list], we still shared a couple w/ coffee. Lemon cheesecake [eh], and honestly an Apple-something else which was cold [i.e. not fully cooked, not easy to cut through] that underwhelmed me. Our thoughts were that warm desserts would have gone over well with the cold weather, perhaps something lightened like a warm ricotta cheesecake, else a bread pudding or sorts. There are lots of choices if the Chef peruses the competition, looking forward to trying his versions once ready [just based on what we saw with the other courses]. As for service, it's fine as it's always been for me. He had a good sense of humor, chatted us up, and nicely prefaced our expectations about the desserts [so as not to ruin or lessen our experience much] We were mentioned how happy we were with the meals to the server, that the Chef stopped by to thank us. He's young, looks to be only in his early 30s perhaps? Very gracious. Server mentioned how liked he was so far, & has the kitchen's respect already. [guess plugging away at 200 meals during a RW night on your 1st week can do that heh]. Now I have an excuse to actually try meals at 701! Maybe take advantage of their Pre-Theater menu for less than $30. -
I didn't see an Oyamel thread so my apologies if I'm being duplicative. I visited last night with a group of friends for the first time. While we had terrific service, the consensus opinion was that the food was good, but not great. This same group had recently been to the Crystal City Jaleo and Zaytinya and left Oyamel feeling just a bit disappointed. The restaurant was moderately full for a Sunday night, with no wait. We ordered 10 small plates and 3 desserts and shared them all. We had: two kinds of tacos Tacos de pescado frito al estilo San Cristí³bal de las casas Fried Tilapia Chiapas style with a light tomato sauce, Mexican salsa and hand made tortilla $5.95 Rabo de buey al pastor con lí¡minas de pií±a Ox tail marinated in spices with shaved pineapple, onions and cilantro $7.95 The Ox tail was the preferred of the two. Very flavorful. Three CEVICHES Cí³ctel de camarí³n y jaiba* Traditional shrimp and crab cocktail with tomato sauce, red onion, avocado and "˜totopos' $9.50 Ceviche de salmí³n con maracuyí¡ y epazote* Salmon ceviche with passion fruit dressing and epazote oil $6.95 Ceviche de cayo de hacha con naranja agria* Scallop ceviche with citrus-roe dressing, jicama, orange, guajillo oil and chile piquín $7.95 Hands-down the shrimp and crab ceviche was the favorite. The scallop ceviche is served on three shells and thus was a bit difficult to share amongst five people. The salmon was sent to us accidentally....but was enjoyed greatly by all. ANTOJITOS' FROM THE GARDEN Alabanuxtzotzil Native Tzotzil salad of pork rinds with serrano chile, tomato, onion and radish $4.95 Ensalada de palmitos Hearts of palm, orange, radish and avocado with tamarind dressing $5.95 Enmoladas al queso fresco de Chiapas con cebollitas Cambray y rabanitos Mole enchiladas with fresh cheese from Chiapas, Cambray onions and radish $4.95 Gorditas de hojas de aguacate rellenas con queso Oaxaca y guacamole Masa puffs seasoned with avocado leaves and stuffed with guacamole $6.95 Of these four "from the garden", the group was most impressed with the masa puffs and the hearts of palm salad. The mole enchilada was disappointing with the mole overwhelming the tortillas and the seeming lack of cheese. The pork rinds received mixed reviews with some comments that the rinds themselves were too tough. MEAT "˜ANTOJITOS' Conejo con huitlacoche y maíz Braised rabbit with huitlacoche sauce and fresh corn $6.95 There was also a special steak antojito that was terrific. It was cooked rare (as requested) and very well flavored. The rabbit was quite good, despite some of group being a bit squeemish about dining on flopsy, mopsy or cotton-tail. For dessert we had: Mole Poblano caliente de crema de chocolate con helado de vainilla Warm Chocolate cake with mole crema, spiced hot chocolate and vanilla ice cream $ 6.95 Cajeta tradicional y moderna Goat milk Cajeta with crumbled shortbread, cinnamon and mango $ 6.95 Café de Olla Milk Chocolate Flan with espresso, piloncillo and spice $ 6.95 The Cajeta had some passionflower sorbet which made me incredibly sorry I hadn't just ordered that instead. The Chocolate cake was decadent and the serving dish was licked clean. The flan was lovely but a bit over-powered by the anise flavored ice cream which accompanied it. Two at the table had coffee but complained that the pitchers it was served in do not keep the coffee hot enough. Also, one of the coffee cups (a glass mug held together by a metal, detachable handle) basically fell apart on one of our party and caused coffee to be spilled all over the table. Our engaged and knowledgeable server indicated that they are in the process of correcting both the mug and pitcher problems. A good experience in total, but I'm not sure I'll be rushing back when Jaleo, which I much prefer, is right next door. -
Hoping for you as well, but I can't think of any reason why it would be. But this prompts a good question: what are your best bets in that little corridor for a pre-theater (or pre-event) bite? I don't go to National Theatre often, but I do end up at JW Marriott for receptions and Warner Theatre is right there too - what are one's options? Occidental? Central? I'll quibble with @The Hersch's suggestion. Not the "Jaleo, with spectacular food" part, but it's just too far for this purpose - strictly speaking that's a full mile roundtrip. Am I being too precious? Maybe. But consider given the occassion(s), I'd be wearing a suit or at least a jacket, my companion likely in heels and a dress. And the sticky weather months are already upon us. Assuming we'd want to park once (and NOT drive to the theater + cab two ways), 0.3 mi. is probably the maximum walking radius. Thoughts?
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A week or two after opening, I just tried Azur -- the new restaurant from Frederik de Pue (of Table) in the Cafe Atlantico space. We love seafood and had high hopes. Unfortunately, we were a bit disappointed. I'll give it a few months and try again. The space is very nice. They've taken the old Cafe Atlantico and installed a french coast / St. Barts style, with medium toned woods, whites, and blues. I think the space is lovely, but found the music unpleasant at times -- a lot of loud, techno-ish music (picture a too-trendy, french nightclub). To start, I had a nice wheat beer, and my guest has a cocktail. Her first attempt at a cocktail was supposed to contain wasabi vodka, black pepper vodka, tomato water, tobasco, and caviar. (Yes, the caviar seemed strange, and the $20 price tag was not justified by the very tiny bit of it on the garnish). The drink was very disappointing. There was no detectable trace of wasabi, pepper, or tobasco. It basically tasted like tomato water, vodka, and fish (presumably from the caviar?). Bland and in need of salt. Upon asking the waitress if perhaps an ingredient was mistakenly omitted, my guest was offered a different drink and got a version of a bees knees that was pretty good. To start: We ordered a tile fish crudo with black lime, pickled cilantro, avocado, white asparagus, and espelette. The lime, espellette, and little blossoms not identified on the menu had nice flavor. But the crudo tasted a bit fishy (presumably not as fresh as a crudo needs to be, although I'm not familiar enough with tile fish to be sure). The avocado was turned into a paste that reminded me of guacamole though needing more flavor. We also had oyster croquettes with black truffle, micro celery, and old bay aioli. The truffle/celery combo was nice. But the croquettes themselves were a bit soggy and overbreaded. For entrees we had scallops with asparagus, pine nut purée, grapefruit sections, puffed red quinoa. The dish sounded very interesting, but I didn't really get how these flavors went together. The puffed quinoa provided nice texture. The scallops were underseasoned (or even unseasoned). We also had tubot with hakurie turnips, celery, grapes, broccoli, and roasted almond espuma. Here I understood the flavor combination (more or less). The turbot was cooked beautifully, well seasoned, and had great flavor. The accompaniments were a mixed bad. The almond espuma was great, and we remarked that we would have preffered a big layer of it rather than just a little dollop on the side. The grapes added nice bursts of sweetness. Some of the vegetables were a bit bland. The turnips, for example, desperately needed salt and acid. The celery and broccoli were a bit better. The best food, by far, was dessert. We had honeyed grapefruit with brown sugar meringue and prosecco granite. The genius of the dish was an ingredient not listed on the menu -- a chiffande of basil. We loved the savory basil flavor against the sweet but cold granite, the firmer meringue, and the softer fruit. The even better dessert was a "strawberry mint salad" with puff pastry crisps and balsamic gelato. The highlight here was the balsamic gelato -- terrific. The strawberries were solid, though had only a tiny bit of mint on it, so the dish was probably not well named. There was also an undescribed cream between the puff pastry crisps. Although the desserts were good, none of the four savory items were standouts, and three had noticeable flaws. I like the space and concept, and I'm really hoping the place hits its stride. -
Stable, corporate environment - $70K range - write me if you're interested. Rocks
