Maketto, Asian Street Food and Fashion Market at H Street and Linden Court NE

[Deac]

I bought some amazing pickled ramps at Honeycomb a few weeks ago and am getting low. They didn't have them in stock when I was there a few weeks ago, but I'm hoping that since it's ramps season they'll do another batch.

[Marty L.]

We also had a wonderful meal there on Friday.  Be sure you order the oysters and a (newish?) stuffed tofu dish.  Believe it or not, both the wok fried chinese broccoli and the beef curry -- both of which were *very* good at dinner -- were even better when reheated the next day.

Given the abundance of Asian restaurant options in California, specifically San Diego and the Bay Area, I was surprised my brother and my cousin wanted to go to Maketto during their short trip in DC from California. We ended up having a late dinner there Friday evening a few hours after their arrival.

Between MichaelBDC, my brother, my cousin, and myself we split the wok fried chinese broccoli, spicy laab over bone marrow, fried chicken, and New York strip bao platter. We enjoyed it all even though the laab ignited a fire in my mouth that was difficult to drown and the fried chicken itself was not as spicy as I remember it. We all thought it was great, especially the fried chicken.

[DonRocks]

We also had a wonderful meal there on Friday.  Be sure you order the oysters and a (newish?) stuffed tofu dish.  Believe it or not, both the wok fried chinese broccoli and the beef curry -- both of which were *very* good at dinner -- were even better when reheated the next day.

How did you reheat them? Things like this are *incredibly* valuable information to people - thanks for writing it.

[Marty L.]

Ashamed to say that I simply microwaved them; they'd probably be even better if properly reheated.

How did you reheat them? Things like this are *incredibly* valuable information to people - thanks for writing it.

[DonRocks]

Ashamed to say that I simply microwaved them; they'd probably be even better if properly reheated.

I haven't done something *this* amateurish in nearly ... thirty minutes.

[bettyjoan]

For his last meal in DC, my chefly brother-in-law suggested Daikaya or Thip Khao; however, I was working from home in SE and couldn't take enough time off for lunch that far away.  So, I suggested that we check out Maketto - shockingly, it was my first time there as well.  I think the clothing store and the laid-back, order-at-the-counter lunch vibe confused my guests a bit at first, but they wound up loving everything, and so did I.  We sat out in the courtyard and let the kiddo run around, and we ordered a bunch of stuff: the pork and leek bao (the former was the winner), the Cambodian pork noodle soup (pho-like and very light and comforting), the Cambodian num pang sandwich (tied for my favorite item - great flavors and textures), the spicy beef rice bowl with fried egg and pickles (yum), and the lo mein (my other favorite).  The weakest item was the dessert from the menu, the fried donut sticks with soy milk - the donuts were super greasy, and the soy milk just didn't seem sweet enough.  However, there were some baked goods out at the counter that were delicious - pecan/toffee/chocolate chip cookies and coconut lemon whoopie pies definitely hit the spot.

Mr. Bruner-Yang was there hanging out and was super friendly to all - he and my brother-in-law, unsurprisingly, knew a bunch of the same people and had a quick chat.  I can't believe I waited this long to get to Maketto, but I can assure you I won't wait like that before returning.

Also, I brought a bunch of stuff (many of the same items we ordered) back for hubby and I to eat later/the next day, and everything was really tasty leftover.  Win!

[Ericandblueboy]

The fried donut stick and soy milk aren't desserts. What they're doing on the dessert menu is beyond me. Mr. Bruner-Yang is peddling street Taiwanese cooking at fine dining prices to uninitiated diners. Sadly, there are Taiwanese restaurants in the DC area but not in hipster neighborhoods. So I'd discount somewhat anything said about anything done by Mr. Bruner-Yang.

EDITED to clarify my post.

[Josh]

The fried donut stick and soy milk aren't desserts. What they're doing on the dessert menu is beyond me. Mr. Bruner-Yang is peddling Taiwanese cooking at fine dining prices to uninitiated diners. Sadly, there are Taiwanese restaurants in the DC area but not in hipster neighborhoods. So I'd discount anything said about anything done by Mr. Bruner-Yang.

I guess the small plates journey didn't go well.

[CapitalGourmand]

I've been following Johnny Spero since the two meals I had at Suna during its short lifespan. I really wanted to check him out during his time at minibar. Alas, he left for Mugaritz about a month before my reservation. So I was more than happy to purchase a ticket to the collaborative 6-course meal he created with James Wozniuk at Maketto this past Sunday.

I arrived 10 minutes early, before most of the other guests. Before the meal began, Johnny came out to chat with the bartender and the host. On his way back to the kitchen, I caught his eye and he came over to say hi. After a brief exchange, he was off to the kitchen and the meal soon began.

The meal consisted of two savory courses and one dessert from each chef, arranged to alternate between the two starting with the first course from Wozniuk. The flavor profiles were very much in line with what one would expect. Wozniuk's courses were sour, funky, and felt like they could easily have a place on the Maketto menu. In fact, I'd like to see the pork sausage and lemon ginger mousse find their way onto the menu at Maketto. Spero's courses were earthy, herbal, and a bit cerebral. Especially the dessert that featured lovage ice cream, herb meringue and a variety of fresh herbs. It very much reminded me of the apple and cilantro dessert from the Suna menu.

My favorite course was grilled tomatoes in tomato water. Juicy, sweet tomatoes were perfectly paired with the creamy farm cheese. And some caviar for salinity. It tasted like summer.

When the dinner was over, I went to tell Johnny how much I enjoyed the meal. He told me that he is planning to open his next restaurant several months from now and that there will be more pop-ups in the interim. (BTW, his plans for a new place were also announced on a couple of DC food blogs, so I don't think I'm giving away anything confidential.) It is my hope that his new project is a dual concept venue. I'm really excited about the tasting menus that are trending in DC, but the truth is that the format is still a hard sell. Eric Ziebold has Kinship to complement Metier. Aaron Silverman has Rose's Luxury to work alongside Pineapple and Pearls. Even Kwame Onwuachi has talked about turning his Philly Wing Fry pop-up into a fast casual concept. I have no doubt in my mind that there is an audience for avant-garde cuisine like Johnny's in DC. But I question if it's a large enough audience to sustain that kind of operation long term. With a casual concept running in tandem, that might be less of a concern.

Johnny is a really talented chef. I would say that he has what it takes to get a Michelin star or two. I'm really excited to see what his next restaurant will look like.

[youngfood]

12 hours ago, CapitalGourmand said:

I've been following Johnny Spero since the two meals I had at Suna during its short lifespan. I really wanted to check him out during his time at minibar. Alas, he left for Mugaritz about a month before my reservation. So I was more than happy to purchase a ticket to the collaborative 6-course meal he created with James Wozniuk at Maketto this past Sunday.

Say hi next time.  I think we may have been seated next to each other...

I'll just add another plug for putting that amazing sausage on the standing menu.  Such a great balance of flavors and an amazing texture.  Probably the most I've ever enjoyed any sausage anywhere. 

We were also impressed by the terrific job Colin did with the wine pairings.  It's easy to forget how talented of a chef James Wozniak is and I didn't realize that Colin Sugaski is as skilled in selecting wines to complement Maketto's varied menu as he is at crafting delicious cocktails.  Maketto is a lot of things and works better in different ways for different people, but there are numerous reasons that it won the RAMMY for best new restaurant and I'd encourage folks who haven't done dinner here yet to make a reservation to go and explore the menu. 

[CapitalGourmand]

6 hours ago, youngfood said:

Say hi next time.  I think we may have been seated next to each other... 

Will do!

And if we ever happen to be dining out at the same place at the same time and you see me before I see you, feel free to come over and say hi.

[Pat]

I've been to Maketto for coffee and I've been for lunch (can't seem to deviate from ordering the Cambodian pork noodle soup), but last night was the first time for dinner.  Between us, my husband and I ordered four dishes to share, ordering and receiving the first two before deciding whether or not to get one or two more.  Our server explained the various portion sizes and recommended we get 2 small and 1 large.  In the end we got 2 small and 2 large and brought food home with us.  

The last course and the one I was anticipating the most -- the Taiwanese fried chicken with 5 spice caramel and bread -- was sweeter than I was expecting, though my husband said he expected it to be sweet from the description.  OK, duh. I shouldn't have been surprised. I thought the chicken was prepared well, but when I got too much of the caramel, it subtracted from rather than added to my enjoyment.  It was overall good but my expectations were off base, I guess.  I had one slice of the bread (house made bread gets me every time, no matter how full I am, and I was pretty full by this point in the evening).

We loved the wok fried noodles, which is what we started with.  That's definitely a large portion, seemingly a bottomless bowl, and I kept eating more and more of them.  The flavor and texture were wonderful.  Could not stop eating these. The cumin lamb went well with them (so much for vegan noodles), and I topped some of my noodles with the half of the lamb square that was mine, all mine. Such a perfect crust of an exterior and melting lamb inside that shredded on contact. We were curious as to how this was prepared. Perhaps we should have asked. Our third plate, the laab with bone marrow, had a beautiful presentation. I almost missed the rice that was nestled under the bone but then fought to get my share.  That and the noodles packed quite a bit of heat, and I was downing plenty of water, but it was a delicious heat. 

Our busy but attentive server asked if we wanted the bone as well as the remaining laab boxed up at the end of the meal, and I said yes, thinking I might be able to make some kind of broth out of it. We shall see.  

 

 

[Ericandblueboy]

Finally went there for their "dim sum" brunch.

The shrimp dumplings and spicy laab siu mai were both swimming in nước chấm.  I liked the shrimp dumplings very much, seems to follow the traditional recipe, but spiced up a bit with red chilies and the aforementioned sauce.  The spicy laab was definitely hot, enough to make you sweat a little; however, it was also quite salty.

The you tiao (donut sticks) was $5, and 2/3 of normal size.  I didn't realize it also came with soy milk (I see it on the website, but the restaurant menu doesn't mention soy milk accompaniment).  My final dish was the Cambodian pork curry - basically a bowl of ground pork with the consistency of porridge, served with a bowl of lightly steamed vegetables (radishes, cucumber, carrots, etc.) and rice. 

If I lived within walking distance, I'd go back.  Otherwise, no.

[Marty L.]

Any recent dinner experiences/recommendations?

[Mark Dedrick]

We go here at least once a month, and it remains one of my absolute favorite restaurants in the city. Consistently very good food. The spicy laab, the shrimp dumplings, and the fried chicken are probably my favorite things that are consistently on the menu, although the specials are also outstanding. 

[lhollers]

On 7/4/2017 at 11:12 AM, Marty L. said:

Any recent dinner experiences/recommendations?

Went with a few others last Thursday night, and had the same experience we always do - super fun atmosphere and service / outstanding food. Highlights for us were the spicy laab, the pork curry (more like a porridge, and super good with the crisp raw vegetables alongside), and (surprisingly) the shrimp toast, which was almost like a pate spread into a warm brioche loaf. Note: the lamb ribs are straight-up not good. I love Erik, I love James, and I love the place...but the lamb ribs just aren't a good dish. Tough, stringy, gristly; maybe we got a bad batch, but the fried chicken here is just too perfect an entree (and the whole fish too perfect a substitute if you aren't feeling chicken) to waste time trying the lamb ribs. I get the intent, but the flavors and execution weren't there. 

But, takeaway: still hip! still fun! still great food!

[Marty L.]

4 minutes ago, lhollers said:

Went with a few others last Thursday night, and had the same experience we always do - super fun atmosphere and service / outstanding food. Highlights for us were the spicy laab, the pork curry (more like a porridge, and super good with the crisp raw vegetables alongside), and (surprisingly) the shrimp toast, which was almost like a pate spread into a warm brioche loaf. Note: the lamb ribs are straight-up not good. I love Erik, I love James, and I love the place...but the lamb ribs just aren't a good dish. Tough, stringy, gristly; maybe we got a bad batch, but the fried chicken here is just too perfect an entree (and the whole fish too perfect a substitute if you aren't feeling chicken) to waste time trying the lamb ribs. I get the intent, but the flavors and execution weren't there. 

But, takeaway: still hip! still fun! still great food!

Thanks, Mark and lhollers.  It's been too long and I'm hankering to get back.  
 

[Ericandblueboy]

Quote

What: Danielle Chang, star of PBS’s hit food series Lucky Chow and founder of popular New York-based roving food festival LUCKYRICE, is bringing her Cantonese cuisine and Singaporean street foods to D.C. for one night only.

Details: Chef Erik Bruner-Yang’s Maketto will host the festival’s first-ever D.C. stop. Expect dim sum, bing bread and dip, steamed whole branzino, and spicy lamb noodles, and pastries from Brothers and Sisters chef Pichet Ong. 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., $150 per person. 1351 H Street NE

I copied that from Eater.  They must've gone to seminars hosted by Needless Markup because that's some proper gouging.  Also, one must be an American Express card member.

"Breaking Bao: A Sunday Supper in Washington, DC" on luckyrice.ticketfly.com

[dracisk]

"Bing bread" drives me nuts. I noticed it as Momofuku, too. It reminds me of when people say "naan bread," which also drives me nuts. But according to Wikipedia "bing" literally means "biscuit," and "naan" means "bread," so I guess saying "naan bread" is worse than saying "bing bread."

[DonRocks]

1 hour ago, dracisk said:

"Bing bread" drives me nuts. I noticed it as Momofuku, too. It reminds me of when people say "naan bread," which also drives me nuts. But according to Wikipedia "bing" literally means "biscuit," and "naan" means "bread," so I guess saying "naan bread" is worse than saying "bing bread."

There's this and this (*) - it's just a young intern, trying to sell tickets: sort of a Bao Movement, or a Mousy Tongue.

(*) Although at least both of those are correct! With the Bing Bread, ewe knead too core rectum.

Eye thing kai yam go wing two right tall few chirp post sin us him Miller four mat.

Oar knot.

Butt tyke hood!

May bee eye wilt rye.

Orm Abe bean Ott.

[dracisk]

On 10/11/2018 at 4:58 PM, DonRocks said:

There's this and this

Yes, they both seem like dumbing down, which surprised me at Momofuku, but maybe it shouldn't have.

(Both meaning "bing bread" and the kiddie science link.)

[Ericandblueboy]

Quote

Make a dinner reservation for Monday through Wednesday and get 15% off when you use the code WINTERDAYOFF on maketto1351.com. #onlineonly

Per their FB page.  No idea for how long.

[saf]

So, a good experience to share.

Went to pick up a friend at Union Station last night. And since we were all the way down there, we thought we would try one of the places on H Street that we never get to. The staff were lovely. Since we had never been there before, we had no idea how it worked. They explained, and we snagged bar seats on the main floor of Maketto. There was a wait for a table on the main floor. But we like bars, so it was all cool. There were plenty of seats upstairs, but we wanted to eat off the big menu. There were 4 of us.

The bartender was fabulous, giving good advice on wine and cocktails and food. So we started with steamed pork buns and gruyere dumplings. Both very tasty. Then we each got a big plate. We SHOULD have shared, but we each wanted something different, and the bartender assured us that the food would keep and reheat well. So one order of fried chicken, one of spicy laab with marrow, one of spicy lamb noodles, and one of wok fried rice noodles with roasted pork added. All very good. The spicy things were far too spicy for me, but the folks who ordered them are heat lovers, and they said their meals were GREAT! I loved the chicken, and the noodles were also excellent. And yes, we brought at least half of each dish home.

We did stop a bit before we were totally full, as we wanted to try the very interesting sounding desserts. One affagato, 2 Thai tea crunch, and one amaro for dessert. All very delicious. 

We will do this again. We will make a point to get over to that side of town for this. The food and service were exceptional, and we had a good time. We agree that next time we will order more appetizers and then split one or two big plates, depending on how many we are that night.

[Marty L.]

6 minutes ago, saf said:

So, a good experience to share.

Went to pick up a friend at Union Station last night. And since we were all the way down there, we thought we would try one of the places on H Street that we never get to. The staff were lovely. Since we had never been there before, we had no idea how it worked. They explained, and we snagged bar seats on the main floor of Maketto. There was a wait for a table on the main floor. But we like bars, so it was all cool. There were plenty of seats upstairs, but we wanted to eat off the big menu. There were 4 of us.

The bartender was fabulous, giving good advice on wine and cocktails and food. So we started with steamed pork buns and gruyere dumplings. Both very tasty. Then we each got a big plate. We SHOULD have shared, but we each wanted something different, and the bartender assured us that the food would keep and reheat well. So one order of fried chicken, one of spicy laab with marrow, one of spicy lamb noodles, and one of wok fried rice noodles with roasted pork added. All very good. The spicy things were far too spicy for me, but the folks who ordered them are heat lovers, and they said their meals were GREAT! I loved the chicken, and the noodles were also excellent. And yes, we brought at least half of each dish home.

We did stop a bit before we were totally full, as we wanted to try the very interesting sounding desserts. One affagato, 2 Thai tea crunch, and one amaro for dessert. All very delicious. 

We will do this again. We will make a point to get over to that side of town for this. The food and service were exceptional, and we had a good time. We agree that next time we will order more appetizers and then split one or two big plates, depending on how many we are that night.

You should edit the heading, Don--James is no longer there (he's now running his own joint(s) on 11th Street), although he was an important part of setting the high standards at Maketto, with EB-Y.

[reedm]

2 hours ago, saf said:

So, a good experience to share.

Went to pick up a friend at Union Station last night. And since we were all the way down there, we thought we would try one of the places on H Street that we never get to. The staff were lovely. Since we had never been there before, we had no idea how it worked. They explained, and we snagged bar seats on the main floor of Maketto. There was a wait for a table on the main floor. But we like bars, so it was all cool. There were plenty of seats upstairs, but we wanted to eat off the big menu. There were 4 of us.

The bartender was fabulous, giving good advice on wine and cocktails and food. So we started with steamed pork buns and gruyere dumplings. Both very tasty. Then we each got a big plate. We SHOULD have shared, but we each wanted something different, and the bartender assured us that the food would keep and reheat well. So one order of fried chicken, one of spicy laab with marrow, one of spicy lamb noodles, and one of wok fried rice noodles with roasted pork added. All very good. The spicy things were far too spicy for me, but the folks who ordered them are heat lovers, and they said their meals were GREAT! I loved the chicken, and the noodles were also excellent. And yes, we brought at least half of each dish home.

We did stop a bit before we were totally full, as we wanted to try the very interesting sounding desserts. One affagato, 2 Thai tea crunch, and one amaro for dessert. All very delicious. 

We will do this again. We will make a point to get over to that side of town for this. The food and service were exceptional, and we had a good time. We agree that next time we will order more appetizers and then split one or two big plates, depending on how many we are that night.

Thanks for your write-up. Your timing is perfect, since I booked a table for tomorrow evening.

Until I read about your experience, I didn't know what to expect since Wozniuk left to open his own place. 

[DPop]

My wife and I, despite living a mere 2 miles away, had yet to get here until early January of this year, and we are kicking ourselves for not making it that long after having been here a few times.  We have tried a total of 12-15 dishes and had nothing that was less than 'very good', with a few things venturing into the 'excellent' category.  If they ever have the Sourdough Scallion Pancakes, do yourself a favor and order them, they are superior to anything I have had in this area, even better than Joe's Noodle House back when it was still good.  The Wok Fried Noodles is one of my favorite vegetarian dishes in DC right now, this is what I'm always hoping for when we order carryout from the myriad of middling Asian restaurants in the area and almost never get.  Oodles of fresh mushrooms, green onions, chilis, fried onions, there's no point in getting the pork add-on ($10 upcharge!), this dish is so flavorful it absolutely does not need it.  Staying vegetarian we have not gone on one visit without ordering the Mushroom and Leek Bao, which is a pleasantly doughy bun packed with stewed vegetables and sitting next to a smear of a spicy hoisin paste that takes the dish up to the next level for me.

Also, you can eat well here for 2 people (with drinks) for well under $100, which is next to impossible these days in DC.  Last night we had 4 appetizers, 2 cocktails, a beer, and the wok fried noodles for $79 before tip.  A great deal for a great meal.

[Mark Dedrick]

I've been trying to be very good, and for a while was cooking lunch as well as dinner every day of work from home, but last week that all ended. Maketto has been an outstanding delivery option for us. Noodles, sandwiches, dumplings, and all awesome. And you can get a cold brew growler thrown onto your delivery as well. 

[eatruneat]

We ordered Maketto for @MichaelBDC's birthday last week and it was very very good. Steamed pork bao, leek and mushroom bao, vegetable gyoza, crispy gruyere dumplings, spicy cauliflower, and wok fried noodles with roasted pork. Our favorites were the crispy gruyere dumplings that held up well through the delivery process and the spicy cauliflower. We were stuffed after all the dumplings and bao and didn't get to the wok fried noodles & roast pork until the next day. The texture of the noodles didn't hold up well after a night in the fridge and reheating in the microwave, but the flavor was great. One of the better takeout/delivery experiences we have had in the time of coronavirus. 

[eatruneat]

I never got around to writing about it, but in pre-coronavirus times Maketto offered unlimited xiao long bao for $40 a person. While the XLB are not the best in the area, the meal also included other dishes including the strange flavor eggplant, crystal shrimp dumplings, other bao, roast pork, and a stir fry vegetable and was a good deal and a fun time, especially with a group of friends. We went twice for unlimited XLB and loved it both times.

For restaurant week, Maketto is offering 24 XLB, an order of shrimp rangoon, strange flavor eggplant, snow pea tips, and a slice of chocolate cake for $60 so @MichaelBDC and I jumped at the opportunity to relive the unlimited XLB fun and ordered this through Caviar. We also added an order of the gruyere dumplings since @MichaelBDCcouldn't eat the shrimp rangoon and had no interest in the chocolate cake. While the XLB didn't travel perfectly (some stuck together, the dipping sauce fell out of its container and doused the dumplings en route but no big mishaps), they were still delicious. We loved the gruyere dumplings as much as we did the last time we ordered them. The shrimp rangoon were fine and nothing to write home about. The chocolate cake was absolutely delicious and my "platonic ideal" of a chocolate cake. Again, it was too much food. We will have the second half of the XLB, the roast pork, and the rest of the eggplant and snow pea tips for dinner tonight. Chocolate cake consumption is on an ongoing basis. 

[eatruneat]

I read through the entirety of this thread the other day and it's quite interesting to see how Maketto has changed since it's opening and settled into its current iteration as it is one of our favorite places in the city right now. The Maketto of the first few posts is almost unrecognizable to the Maketto today, especially during COVID times. Reading about people packed together trying to order from the bar made do a double take. 

The puppy's groomer is a few blocks away so @MichaelBDCand I have made it a routine to drop the pup off and head to Maketto for a cup of coffee or tea and lunch. Maketto has instituted contactless ordering due to COVID and it's a pretty easy and efficient system. I ordered the duck noodle soup the past two times we stopped by because I love duck and it is a very good bowl of soup. The bowl comes with a whole confit duck leg, wonton noodles, and some greens. The confit doesn't add much to the soup, but I figure it is more to prevent the duck from becoming dry. The broth is really rich, can it be too rich? And wonton noodles are probably my favorite noodles of all time (please do not tell my Vietnamese ancestors). The soup hits all my food related pleasure points and I highly recommend it. 

Other highlights from Maketto include anything I have mentioned in the two posts above and the drunken shrimp fried rice that came with a very good amount of shrimp. It should be noted though that @MichaelBDC did not think the spicy beef and rice bowl was particularly good compared to the other things we have ordered. 

Maketto started out as a hot spot where you couldn't find a seat and now it's the place we stop by while waiting for our dog to get bathed and groomed. 

[eatruneat]

@MichaelBDC and I picked up a roast duck here for NYE dinner. Whole duck, spatchcocked, bao buns, picked veggies and herbs, and some condiments. Ended up being a little over $100 including tax and tip. Duck was really well cooked, easy re-heating directions that did not dry out the bird, and lasted three meals. A great deal if you like duck. 

[Mark Dedrick]

We ate dinner in person at Maketto for the first time in several years last night, and I will say that it's as good if not better right now than it has ever been. We got some regular favorites of ours (Crystal Shrimp Dumplings, Fried Chicken, Spicy Cauliflower) and all of them were great as usual. We then tried some newer items (at least to us) or specials as well. The tuna crudo was really good and flavorful. The fried softshell crab special was also very good, and perfectly fried. Finally, my favorite thing was the roasted trout, with a red pumpkin curry, roasted hatch chili, and herb salad. Just an awesome dish. 

They are sticking with full on contactless ordering, and that's not my favorite way of doing it, but that's a minor complaint. The food here is outstanding.