Where Did I Dine? A Photograph-Based Guessing Game

[dracisk]

15 hours ago, John William G said:

Well you are correct, it is not either of those.  Which one do you think it is?

TRIO Grill?

[John William G]

8 hours ago, dracisk said:

TRIO Grill?

That is correct.

[DonRocks]

15 hours ago, John William G said:

The shape of the T might well mean something to a person with more knowledge of the restaurants in Virginia, but not to me.  But starting ow I will look more carefully at the shape of letters on restaurant plates, etc.

10 hours ago, dracisk said:

TRIO Grill?

2 hours ago, John William G said:

That is correct.

Very good. I also thought it was Tuscarora Mill, which has a "T" like this:

as opposed to Trummer's on Main, which has  "T" like this:

(Note the bottom portion of the Ts - Trummer's is straight at the bottom; Tuscorora's isn't. I didn't think about Trio Grill (which also has a non-straight T at the bottom).

That's a nice-looking plate of scallops. If it hadn't had the "T" on the plate, I might have guessed Artie's, or Sweetwater Grill (it was plated hastily - not in a bad way; just in a quick way).

[dracisk]

7 hours ago, John William G said:

That is correct.

I probably could've been doing something more constructive at the time, but I found a photo of a plate with the same T on Yelp once you narrowed it down to NoVa restaurants.

[Al Dente]

Where did I dine?

[DonRocks]

Suburban Hospital?

[DonRocks]

Ruby made this.

[DonRocks]

28 minutes ago, dslee said:

Shouk's Falafel is PERFECTION. So tasty, I enjoyed it twice this week since its debut on the menu. Chef Dennis Friedman is genius!

I had a Falafel Waffle for dinner tonight. Where did I dine?

[Al Dente]

13 hours ago, DonRocks said:

I had a Falafel Waffle for dinner tonight. Where did I dine?

I don't know, but dammit, that's my idea!

[DonRocks]

2 hours ago, Al Dente said:

I don't know, but dammit, that's my idea!

It has actually become a minor "thing" - Trader Joe's, for example, and there was a place called Falafel Street in VIenna [now closed] that had them.

Let me at least give a hint: I was viewing Virginia foliage yesterday [it was past peak], and went to a restaurant where I've been 3-4 times in the past, but not since it changed locations (and became a shadow of its former self) three-years ago.This place has gotten a fair amount of play in this community, but not lately. The falafel waffles were accompanied by fried chicken.

PS - Did your daughter make that food up above?

[Deborah Lee]

19 hours ago, DonRocks said:

I had a Falafel Waffle for dinner tonight. Where did I dine?

3 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Let me at least give a hint: I was viewing Virginia foliage yesterday [it was past peak], and went to a restaurant where I've been 3-4 times in the past, but not since it changed locations (and became a shadow of its former self) three-years ago.This place has gotten a fair amount of play in this community, but not lately. The falafel waffles were accompanied by fried chicken.

Don, do you have a photo to share?

[DonRocks]

2 hours ago, dslee said:

Don, do you have a photo to share?

I didn't take any.

I also had a country ham, parmesan, and runny egg sandwich on crostini. And, much to my horror, a $10 goat cheese and beet salad, made with *canned beets* - I haven't seen that in a real restaurant since L'Auberge Chez Francois!

[Deborah Lee]

13 hours ago, DonRocks said:

I didn't take any.

I also had a country ham, parmesan, and runny egg sandwich on crostini. And, much to my horror, a $10 goat cheese and beet salad, made with *canned beets* - I haven't seen that in a real restaurant since L'Auberge Chez Francois!

Sounds so unappetizing.

[DonRocks]

Where did I dine?

[Pat]

Something at the Wharf? If so, I have a further guess.

[DonRocks]

11 minutes ago, Pat said:

Something at the Wharf? If so, I have a further guess.

Nope, good guess but nope.

[Kibbee Nayee]

49 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

Nope, good guess but nope.

I'm guessing Wall Street, where you were putting the finishing touches on the Rockwell Inc. IPO, and then celebrating at Per Se.

[DonRocks]

7 minutes ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

I'm guessing Wall Street, where you were putting the finishing touches on the Rockwell Inc. IPO, and then celebrating at Per Se.

It's a good picture, isn't it? But it's not Wall Street; it's in DC.

[reedm]

City Center?

[DonRocks]

3 hours ago, reedm said:

City Center?

Nope. It's interesting, right? This picture couldn't have been taken just five short years ago because where would it have been?

[Josh Radigan]

What about down by Nats Park. The brick looks eerily similar to the yards development

[DonRocks]

1 hour ago, Josh Radigan said:

What about down by Nats Park. The brick looks eerily similar to the yards development

I'd say you've gotten pretty warm.

[Shaho]

Chloe?

[DaRiv18]

19 hours ago, reedm said:

City Center?

I thought it was Centrolina at first, but you're too close to the street.  I think Shaho is right.

[reedm]

7 minutes ago, DaRiv18 said:

I thought it was Centrolina at first, but you're too close to the street.  I think Shaho is right.

I’d agree that it is Chloe. 

[DonRocks]

Yes! Chloe. Very well done.

[Shaho]

I think I sat at almost the same spot last month! 

[DonRocks]

8 minutes ago, Shaho said:

I think I sat at almost the same spot last month! 

It was literally right next to the front door - walk in, make a U-turn, and sit directly against the window ... the only two seats available in the entire restaurant. Both my friend and I saw the multiple layers of depth and riots of light in that photograph (including the plastic bag in the shape of an origami fish swimming upstream in the tree outside, and the globular bulbs reflecting from behind us) - she thought she could pull it off, and did. The gold things on the window are Chloe's wheat stalks (or whatever that grain is they use for their logo).

[Shaho]

1 minute ago, DonRocks said:

It was literally right next to the front door - walk in, make a U-turn, and sit directly against the window ... the only two seats available in the entire restaurant.

Left or right U-turn? I was against the window in the bar area to the left, although I might have sat at the opposite end to you because I don't recall the tree or gold pattern as vividly.

[DonRocks]

12 minutes ago, Shaho said:

Left or right U-turn? I was against the window in the bar area to the left, although I might have sat at the opposite end to you because I don't recall the tree or gold pattern as vividly.

Left U-turn.

[Deborah Lee]

17 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Yes! Chloe. Very well done.

Don, how was your meal at Chloe?  When was the last time you dined at Chloe?  And how does your recent visit compare to your last visit?

[DonRocks]

10 hours ago, dslee said:

Don, how was your meal at Chloe?  When was the last time you dined at Chloe?  And how does your recent visit compare to your last visit?

Chloe was wonderful - as good as it has ever been. The previous visit was on Dec 12, 2018, which was the Chloe Early Bird (where you have to get the chicken, get it?) This time around, the food was markedly superior to what it was last December.

However, tonight I had the best meal I've had in 2019 so far. Where did I dine?

[Kibbee Nayee]

11 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Chloe was wonderful - as good as it has ever been. The previous visit was on Dec 12, 2018, which was the Chloe Early Bird (where you have to get the chicken, get it?) This time around, the food was markedly superior to what it was last December.

However, tonight I had the best meal I've had in 2019 so far. Where did I dine?

Throwing out a guess here ... Metier?

[Bart]

50 minutes ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

Throwing out a guess here ... Metier?

I'd say no, just based on the plates...........way too normal for Meiter!   Also the food looks far too rustic for Metier.  Looks very good though!

[cocobinga]

13 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Chloe was wonderful - as good as it has ever been. The previous visit was on Dec 12, 2018, which was the Chloe Early Bird (where you have to get the chicken, get it?) This time around, the food was markedly superior to what it was last December.

However, tonight I had the best meal I've had in 2019 so far. Where did I dine?

Woodberry Kitchen.

[Josh Radigan]

agreed, woodberry

[DonRocks]

6 hours ago, cocobinga said:

Woodberry Kitchen.

6 hours ago, Josh Radigan said:

agreed, woodberry

I agree to agree - how did you know?

[cocobinga]

I have had at least three very memorable meals at WK, so some of the elements looked familiar. Some of the dishes threw me off a bit, especially the carpaccio, but I looked up their menu to confirm my suspicions.

[DonRocks]

4 hours ago, cocobinga said:

I have had at least three very memorable meals at WK, so some of the elements looked familiar. Some of the dishes threw me off a bit, especially the carpaccio, but I looked up their menu to confirm my suspicions.

That was the "Pit Beef Carpaccio," based on Baltimore's hometown dish, Charcoal Pit Beef (incidentally, I had a Canopy Pit Beef sandwich for lunch today) - Woodberry Kitchen took a bottom-round cut, rolled it around in the wood-burning oven so the outside 1-2 millimeters got seared, then sliced it thin, and served it as a traditional carpaccio - pretty clever, I think.

[Deborah Lee]

In February 2019, where did I dine?

[DonRocks]

7 hours ago, dslee said:

In February 2019, where did I dine?

Well, since nobody chimed in, I'll say that I don't have a clue. Let me at least try to make a few observations:

This looks like a very heavily lacquered roast duck.

At the top-right appears to be some sort of root vegetable, but I'm not even sure if it's a rutabaga or a turnip (the center portion), or even an onion (the concentric rings).

The greens at the top-left almost look like collard greens with the white stem, but the leaves don't seem quite green enough.

I assume all gelatinous matter underneath is a layer of duck fat, but there seems to be a pinkish layer also, and I don't know what that is.

The sliced fruit looks like a cross between jicama and apple.

If I had to guess, I'd guess this was some sort of Cantonese dish, but it appears to draw from various sources.

The wooden table and painted leaves on the plate don't help me at all.

The only thing I'm sure of is that I've never had this dish before.

[Deborah Lee]

1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

Well, since nobody chimed in, I'll say that I don't have a clue. Let me at least try to make a few observations:

This looks like a very heavily lacquered roast duck.

At the top-right appears to be some sort of root vegetable, but I'm not even sure if it's a rutabaga or a turnip (the center portion), or even an onion (the concentric rings).

The greens at the top-left almost look like collard greens with the white stem, but the leaves don't seem quite green enough.

I assume all gelatinous matter underneath is a layer of duck fat, but there seems to be a pinkish layer also, and I don't know what that is.

The sliced fruit looks like a cross between jicama and apple.

If I had to guess, I'd guess this was some sort of Cantonese dish, but it appears to draw from various sources.

The wooden table and painted leaves on the plate don't help me at all.

The only thing I'm sure of is that I've never had this dish before.

Great observations.

The whole duck, dry aged for 21 days with crispy skin was presented as a ssam platter with Lollo Rosso, Sliced Apple, Charred Onion, Black Rice and Kimchi Ketchup (not in photo)

The duck appeared twice so far as a Dinner Special at a DC neighborhood restaurant where the Chef changes the menu often.  ‘Grandma chic' is part of the design concept.   As a walk-in customer, I was seated at the counter opposite the bar, which was already full.  And the dining room was completely booked on a Saturday evening.

One of my top favorite restaurants in DC.

[DonRocks]

9 minutes ago, dslee said:

Great observations.

The whole duck, dry aged for 21 days with crispy skin was presented as a ssam platter with Lollo Rosso, Sliced Apple, Charred Onion, Black Rice and Kimchi Ketchup (not in photo)

The duck appeared twice so far as a Dinner Special at a DC neighborhood restaurant where the Chef changes the menu often.  ‘Grandma chic' is part of the design concept.   As a walk-in customer, I was seated at the counter opposite the bar, which was already full.  And the dining room was completely booked on a Saturday evening.

One of my top favorite restaurants in DC.

I was going to guess Momofuku CCDC, but now I'm going to guess Bresca.

[Deborah Lee]

21 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

I was going to guess Momofuku CCDC, but now I'm going to guess Bresca.

Great guess, but neither Momofuku CCDC or Bresca.

80 percent of the restaurant's dinnerware is vintage china.  The restaurant is named after one of the owner's late grandmother, whose cheese crackers appear on the menu.

This is my current favorite preparation of duck since my last favorites at Spoken English (Chef James Wozniuk) and Hazel (Chef Rob Rubba).

[DonRocks]

1 hour ago, dslee said:

Great guess, but neither Momofuku CCDC or Bresca.

80 percent of the restaurant's dinnerware is vintage china.  The restaurant is named after one of the owner's late grandmother, whose cheese crackers appear on the menu.

This is my current favorite preparation of duck since my last favorites at Spoken English (Chef James Wozniuk) and Hazel (Chef Rob Rubba).

You know, it's funny, Rose's Luxury popped into my mind early on, before I thought of any of these other places - entirely due to the china! I'm not sure why I didn't pursue it, but I didn't. Great puzzle - I really had no idea.

[funkyfood]

Elle?

[Deborah Lee]

6 hours ago, DonRocks said:

You know, it's funny, Rose's Luxury popped into my mind early on, before I thought of any of these other places - entirely due to the china! I'm not sure why I didn't pursue it, but I didn't. Great puzzle - I really had no idea.

So close, but not Rose's.  Grandmother's cheese crackers are Eleanor's Cheese Crackers.  And Rose's menu does not change as often.

6 hours ago, funkyfood said:

Elle?

Yes, Ellē

[Rhone1998]

OK, sleuths, where did I dine?

[DonRocks]

18 hours ago, Rhone1998 said:

OK, sleuths, where did I dine?

Is that Neapolitan Pizza on the right, or something else? Either way, this looks like a place with good dough-based products (the sandwich bread looks like Focaccia). The sandwich looks like it's a little too sauced - I thought it was vegetable-based on first glance, but that thing on the right of it looks oddly like a seared scallop, or even a fatty piece of pork.

[MichaelBDC]

I'm guessing Stellina Pizzeria.  The crust in the top right of the pic looks like their crust and the dots on the paper under the crust looks like the dots in their logo.