Tweaked Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 The return of Eric Ziebold The short version - two dining rooms. Kinship will be a more casual mix and match menu concept with four different menus focusing on four different concept - ingredients, craft, history and decadence. 80 seats. The yet unnamed second space will be in the basement. A "jewel box" salon for fine dining $150 (or so) tasting menu format. 36 seats, dinner only. Parker House Rolls? A chef's gotta have some secrets. No doubt a lot more will be forthcoming in the months to come. 1015 Seventh St. NW 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Boy Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 I hate talking about things that aren't there any more in discussions like this but CityZen had a phenomenal Maine Lobster Cassoulet. It was one of the most memorable dishes I've had in DC, so rich in flavor and intricately layered. I wound up setting the lobster aside and eating it separately, even though it was interesting texturally I thought the more delicate flavor of the lobster was completely dominated by the rest of the stew. Every bite of that stew, though, was divine. I hope Eric Ziebold brings the dish back to the menu at Kinship. When is his new joint planned for opening? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 When is his new joint planned for opening? I thought I saw a note on Twitter about the opening date but I can't find it now. It must not have come directly from Eric Ziebold because I checked his feed and didn't see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheezepowder Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 When is his new joint planned for opening? I thought I saw a note on Twitter about the opening date but I can't find it now. It must not have come directly from Eric Ziebold because I checked his feed and didn't see it. Borderstan says: Chef Eric Ziebold is slated to officially turn on the grill at Kinship (1015 7th St. NW) the week of Dec. 21, spokeswoman Ellen Gale said. His other restaurant, Métier, is scheduled to open on the lower level of Kinship in early February. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Hahahaha! I'm sure this is where I saw it, not Twitter. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waitman Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Borderstan says: Chef Eric Ziebold is slated to officially turn on the grill at Kinship (1015 7th St. NW) the week of Dec. 21, spokeswoman Ellen Gale said. His other restaurant, Métier, is scheduled to open on the lower level of Kinship in early February. Was doing some last minute Christmas shopping at Urban Outfitters last night (and who wouldn't want to find a 25th Anniversary Limited Edition Vinyl Picture Disk of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" under the tree?) and picking up chicken wings at Hooter's (sue me) and decided to peek into the windows at Kinship. Not saying that it couldn't open this week, but my narrow-angle view of the place through the papered windows did not present the bustle I identify with imminent opening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Was doing some last minute Christmas shopping at Urban Outfitters last night (and who wouldn't want to find a 25th Anniversary Limited Edition Vinyl Picture Disk of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" under the tree?) and picking up chicken wings at Hooter's (sue me) and decided to peek into the windows at Kinship. Not saying that it couldn't open this week, but my narrow-angle view of the place through the papered windows did not present the bustle I identify with imminent opening. Assuming a restaurant is on a calendar tax year, I wonder if there are any tax implications to opening in late December vs. early January (I'm talking about the general case; not Kinship) - I would assume not since they're already an existing entity and incurring expenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheezepowder Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Expecting to open on Saturday (via Washington Post). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheezepowder Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Expecting to open on Saturday (via Washington Post). Kinship is open. Attached is the menu from their website (for some items, the prices are a little different on the menu given at the restaurant). Kinship-Dinner-Menu-1.pdf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Dang! If that's what their casual neighborhoody menu looks like, I'm scared to see what the fine dining menu has!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr food Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Dang! If that's what their casual neighborhoody menu looks like, I'm scared to see what the fine dining menu has!! $50 corkage-how customer friendly not. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 $50 corkage-how customer friendly not. My guess is that not allowing corkage at all may be the road with the fewest speed bumps, but in that case, someone wanting to bring in a 1975 Lafite for a 40th wedding anniversary would be out of luck. The ultimate BYOB would be getting a table somewhere during New Year's Eve, and bringing both the 1975 and 1976 Lafite - one for before midnight; the other for when the clock strikes 12. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escoffier Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 The ultimate BYOB would be getting a table somewhere during New Year's Eve, and bringing both the 1975 and 1976 Lafite - one for before midnight; the other for when the clock strikes 12. No, the ultimate would be bringing the 1975 and 1976 Lafite and then drinking a bottle of MD-2020 at midnight. (Some things are way too good to waste on a paltry date change like Dec 31 to Jan 01). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lion Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Has anyone gone already? Looking for clarification on the "for the table" of the menu. Are those prices for each person at the table or a single price regardless of number of guests? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Has anyone gone already? Looking for clarification on the "for the table" of the menu. Are those prices for each person at the table or a single price regardless of number of guests? A single price, but obviously, the portion size doesn't change whether there's 2 guests or 10 guests - "For The Table" essentially means "Big Enough To Share." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheezepowder Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Has anyone gone already? Looking for clarification on the "for the table" of the menu. Are those prices for each person at the table or a single price regardless of number of guests? single price, but obviously, the portion size doesn't change whether there's 2 guests or 10 guests - "For The Table" essentially means "Big Enough To Share." I asked about the size of the chicken and was told that it's a whole chicken. I didn't get it (though I did consider it because of the parkerhouse rolls that come with the dishes for the table). [The discussion about chicken has been moved here.] 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSnake Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 A single price, but obviously, the portion size doesn't change whether there's 2 guests or 10 guests - "For The Table" essentially means "Big Enough To Share." Man, a 12oz ribeye isn't even enough for one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty L. Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 This is the more "accessible" of the two?! How many Washingtonians does he expect will have "access"? Kinship is open. Attached is the menu from their website (for some items, the prices are a little different on the menu given at the restaurant). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBag57 Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Yeah, I was pretty disappointed to see the menu prices of this supposedly approachable restaurant. I paid, I think, $34 for a whole roasted chicken "for the table" recently at a restaurant at a group dinner just outside of Boston (a place recently opened by the Eastern Standard folks), and, despite it being very good, felt that it was just barely worth it. I have my doubts that I would feel the same about a $56 whole roasted chicken, unless it got up and entertained us upon being served... After all, it is just chicken. I also am not a fan of the "for the table" approach, to the exclusion of a handful of $28-$35 entrees. My wife and I do not often have anything close to the same entrees, and this seems to force one's hand when dining as two. Unless, of course, we each spring for a $50+ "for the table" entrée. Which puts this restaurant into the "special occasion" category. I am now hoping against hope that the tasting menu at Metier will not require me to take out a second mortgage, and will be "saving my pennies" to go there instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 The first round of press for Metier (from several months ago) stated $150-ish per person, not sure how many course. But that is probably still the ballpark range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waitman Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Stupid Washington Post. Damn place is booked pretty solid already. So much for a casual opening week drop-by. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Stupid Washington Post. Damn place is booked pretty solid already. So much for a casual opening week drop-by. Thank god I paid off that voodoo doctor in Haiti last week - I knew it was the only way I'd be able to walk right in and get a seat at Yona. "Thanks Don for the surprise dine-in and great article! We were shocked that a small store like ours can attract people like you to come. A big thanks from Taka-San as well. I'll continue to strive to come out of Kaz's 'shadow'. I'm already getting pressure from your professional feedback. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lion Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 I asked about the size of the chicken and was told that it's a whole chicken. I didn't get it (though I did consider it because of the parkerhouse rolls that come with the dishes for the table). Thanks for the clarification! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 They are on OpenTable but are already well booked for the next month. We are out of town this week, but got a table for next weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Waitman Posted December 30, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted December 30, 2015 So, your favorite band goes off the road and you listen to other stuff while they rehab and sue their manager and pursue solo projects and make ill-fated forays into acting and sleep with their nannies or whatever rock stars do when they're not on the road. And then one day they're back in town and you're standing there in the club sweating and half drunk and the warm-up tape has been cut and the last roadie is still wrapping cord behind the keyboard and the spots come on"¦and you wonder if they've lost their touch during their time off the road and it's an oldies show that's still fun but somehow less important than before. Or, if after all that time to think and rest and experiment and fuck up and learn, is the rock and roll back and better than ever? I think the rock and roll is back. And I think it's better than ever. It was a short set, and we are, to some extent, "on the list." But I and my (less gourmande-ish, or perhaps less star-struck ) companion truly enjoyed dinner last night in a way that we've enjoyed few (if any) meals this year (including Michelin stars in Berline and the 2014 Beard "Best New Restaurant"). In fact, as disloyal as it feels to say, we might have enjoyed last night's meal more than some of our (full fare, not just barstool) journeys through Citizen. I would requote a friend who said during dinner at Citizen "people talk about food hitting the right note, here we should talk about chords." Like your favorite rock and roll band members, the ingredients, while worthy and distinctive on their own, come together to form something extraordinary. One high-end dining trend that I've tired of is wretched excess in terms of fat and cream and starch and salt "“ a Cheesecake Factory approach. And God knows, when you order Maine Lobster on French Toast you could very well be setting yourself up for some morning-after self-loathing. But the persimmons (looks at menu "“ "so that's what those things were"), cukes and sesame mousse (which lent more tang than richness, oddly) pulled it back in the nick of time, adding complexity and rendering the dish rich but not obscene; interesting, instead of just decadent. The clam ceviche was took a different approach"“ a crunchy little rhythm section of flavors (yuzu, shiitake tempura, garlic fried rice"¦) that begs one to use the word "refreshing." If there's another high-end dining trend that I've tired of it's ridiculous austerity, as though sauces were evil and braises suspect, and all plates must appear as though their components were disassembled for transport. That is not the case here. The entrees were simply awesome power chords of flavor with-stock based sauces adding depth without smothering nuance, and sides "“ I guess they're not really sides, you kind of want to get a little bit of everything on every forkful"”contributing texture and detail. You can't really screw up pork and cabbage but shoat loin and Hungarian sauerkraut are a classic lifted to new heights -- like when Hendrix did "All Along the Watchtower." And again, with the duck with cabbage and apples and stuff "“ the flavors kind of exploded in your mouth. My companion did aver that there should have been more peanuts, but she orders Kung Pao and eats around the chicken. The entrees were somehow both very French and very soulful. At this point Michael Chesser, last majordomo of CityZen, current veteran of Volt and Minibar, FOH boss-in-waiting of Metier, showed up. It was great to see a familiar and talented face "“ Michael served me my first meal at Citizen "“ and I was glad to hear that Eric had brought him in. I was maybe less glad to see the mixed grill he had in his hand, as I was relatively full. But we powered through the perfectly cooked lamb sausage, chops and shoulder with a sort of Provence-y salsa (think cold ratatouille with olives) on the side -- a recreation of the Ziebolds' Christmas dinner. The Valrhona custard cake (with praline ice cream on the side) was -- as described by our (delightful, skilled) server -- truly decadent and did that thing of pairing salty and sweet so it's easier to eat way more than you need to. The bar is light, open, and vaguely reminiscent of an Ethan Allen furniture showroom, has very pretty Martini glasses and is tended by very friendly and very concerned "“ every time we looked at our drinks funny he dashed over to make sure that everything was OK "“ gentleman. The main dining room is very stripped down. Wood floors, white painted brick, clusters of cylindrical lamps hanging low from the ceiling. It is way more austere than the food. Portions are modest "“in line with the prices "“ but by no means small plates. Each menu column ("Craft," "History," "Ingredients," "Indulgence") is structured as one might structure a tasting menu. Reading down you'll spot a couple of appetizer-type dishes, a couple of entrée-ish things and a dessert. A big guy like me might eat three savory courses (though two would suffice many nights) and have room for something sweet. A less hearty diner might opt for two and share the Valhrona. You wouldn't have to try too hard to bring in a pretty goddamn swell three-course dinner for under $60, which strikes me as a bargain. (I won't name the restaurant, but in looking over the menu of a well-regarded new-ish, "moderately" priced place, of which my girlfriend's somewhat less-nuanced opinion is "that place sucked," I see that it runs even a little more expensive that Kinship.) You could drop a lot of money on wine "“ the $90 half-bottle of Beaucastel '09 was pretty good, though, if not nearly at the list's top end. I think some of the bottles for Metier are in. Or you could get $31 bottle of premier cru Chablis. Or even tasty glasses of Cali Pinot Noir or upscale Beaujolais, for a price that seemed reasonable at the time, though I can't really remember, because of all the wine. Maybe, for my first time in, the thing that pleased me most about the place was just seeing Eric and Celia with a restaurant of their own. There's kind of a feeling that it's a big win for the good guys -- that in an age of ego and PR, two people who earned this opportunity simply through hard work and talent really have a chance to show the world what they can do. They're doing it in a restaurant defined not by flashy design or media buzz (although there is certainly some of that) but by what's on the plate and the people who get it to you. And, from what I can see, they're doing something pretty wonderful. When it was over I was tempted to hold my lighter above the table and call for an encore. PS: As things are progressing smoothly Eric has freed up a couple more tables on Open Table, which may not be taken yet, and the full menu is available at the bar. 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhollers Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 That was awesome. I've had a reservation for January 6th for a week or so now and didn't think I could be more excited. I was wrong. Outstanding recap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 When it was over I was tempted to hold my lighter above the table and call for an encore. PS: As things are progressing smoothly Eric has freed up a couple more tables on Open Table, which may not be taken yet, and the full menu is available at the bar. Amazing review! Thank you. I loved the rock 'n roll analogy. Reservation made.....Friday night at 6..........reward for what I was just informed with be a long day of house work. What the dress code? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Menu looks and sounds delicious. As does your ode to Rock n' Zeibold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Based on my dinner here on Monday, I very much agree with the spirit of Waitman's excellent review, with the one personal note that I was actually never a fan of CityZen. I had three consistently disappointing dinners in the main dining room there over five years, finding the cooking cold, underwhelming, and sub-Keller (the first time I ate at the Salon at Per Se, I thought to myself: "Oh, this is what CityZen trying to do, only this is good.") But I loved Kinship and think the cooking here is more personal and has much more heart. The flavors are direct and powerful, yet at the same time the cooking is creative and refined, with unexpected touches and moments of lightness to give the dishes a real lift. I won't get into a detailed review of the dishes, except to say I enjoyed everything I had, with my favorites being the torchon of white mushroom and the lobster french toast. It also made me very happy to see a rich, chanterelle mushroom sauce on a menu (the accompaniment for the hearty and satisfying Kinship Stroganoff). The foie gras stuffed quail was wonderful -- with the richness of the foie and the earthiness of the black truffles all coming together beautifully -- but probably not worth $50. I preferred the refreshing and delightful grapefruit terrine for dessert over the more one dimensional Valrhona chocolate cake. To lessen the sticker shock expressed upthread, I'd echo what Waitman said: not everything in the top half of the menu is appetizer sized (as I initially assumed just from reading the menu), but the dishes toward the bottom of each section of the menu ("craft," "history," "ingredients") are more substantial. I didn't order any of the "for the table" items, but I'd venture to say, based on my dinner here, and past experiences at CityZen, that the strengths (and value) of the menu probably are in the technique-driven dishes, rather than the more minimalist, ingredient-driven preparations. Based on my perusal of the wine list, I'll probably pay the $50 corkage next time. Looked like in the "soft open" period, the restaurant was holding back tables -- the dining room on Monday was never more than half full, and it didn't look like they were turning tables. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waitman Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Amazing review! Thank you. I loved the rock 'n roll analogy. Reservation made.....Friday night at 6..........reward for what I was just informed with be a long day of house work. What the dress code?I I think jeans are fine. I personally think the sweet spot would be jeans, a sport coat and decent shoes, but I think you'd feel comfortable either more casually dressed or in a suit and tie. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Horoscope Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 We had a very nice dinner for 2 this evening! If you are wondering about portion size or how much to order, our waiter told us that generally for the items from the Craft, History, and Ingredients lists, the first two items are appetizer size, the next 2 are larger and might suffice for an entree, and 1 dessert was also listed. But some of the dishes are a bit in between. I remember him mentioning the sweetbreads with spaetlzle and a really wonderful chantrelle mushroom sauce and the Maine lobster toast listed with Indulgences. Good to split as an appetizer or have as your entree. We were quite hungry and had plenty of food splitting the sweetbreads, the lamb served 3 ways for the table, a 3 cheese course, and the Valrhona Guanaja Custard cake (with wonderful pecan praline!). My favorites were the sweetbreads, the cheese plate, and Paul Marie cognac! Plenty of wows and mmmms at our table. Half portion of sweetbreads Full portion of lamb (served 3 ways -loin, leg, and sausage) for the table with sweet pepper stew and grits Full portion of the Valrhona We'll be going back for more of the great things we missed out on this time! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 We had a very nice dinner for 2 this evening! If you are wondering about portion size or how much to order, our waiter told us that generally for the items from the Craft, History, and Ingredients lists, the first two items are appetizer size, the next 2 are larger and might suffice for an entree, and 1 dessert was also listed. Too funny! We were there too and I was going to post a message about the first two items in each category being appetizer sized. I'll do a full write up later, but the gist of it is, food: amazing, service: amazing, room: amazing, night: amazing. Go now before the general public gets wind of this place! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Bart Posted January 2, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted January 2, 2016 Based on Waitman's excellent review and probably more importantly, his note about more tables being opened up, I was able to score a table here last night at the ungodly hour of 6 pm........just kidding, I love eating early. There's a zero percent chance the place will be swamped and the kitchen backed, up, they won't have run out of anything, and you can have a long, leisurely meal and get home at a decent hour. Everything about the night was classy and refined from the second we opened the door to enter, to our final goodbyes. A perfect evening (except for the Metro) The space is divided into the main dining room which had maybe 20 tables (mostly 2 and 4 tops, with a few booths), the bar area which also had a few tables (I think), and a cool little waiting room up front. I almost wish we had to wait for our table so we could have hung out in that little room for a bit. The look of the place is beautiful and stylish and hip and modern without being hipster douchey. One of the best parts of the look of the place was the lighting. The ceiling was covered these long, thin lights (about the size and shape of a paper towel roll that's 75% used up) that provided great lighting on everything. Bright enough to see everything well, but dim enough to create a nice atmosphere. That's one of my pet peeves about so many places nowadays......they present you with a beautiful plate of food that is downright artistic, but the lighting is so dim, you need to use the flashlight on your phone to appreciate it or even see it in the first place! That was not the case here. There was only one table that seemed a little dark as there weren't many lights right above it. It was the first table on the left just inside the main dining room. If you get that one, you may have a little trouble seeing well, or you may feel like you're at every other restaurant in town! When we got to the hostess stand they asked us if they could take our coats, and my wife said she was cold (we Metroed over and walked down and it was finally starting to feel a bit wintery out so she had a bit of a chill). They showed us to our table and within seconds a woman was there with a little box in her hands. She opened it and offered my wife one of the 6 or 8 different colored pashminas inside. Wow! I should also mention it was not at all cold or drafty in there, in fact there was a nice warmth in the air. Our waitress, Liz, was fantastic. A total pro that was both super professional and knowledgeable while also being super cool and casual. We probably had her over to our table 5 different times before we could settle on our order. There was a lot of deliberation on just ordering from the top of the menu or venturing down to bottom for the "for the table" offerings. I mentioned that I looked at Yelp and there were only two reviews, but they both raved about the whole chicken, and she said their version has some kind of mixture (almost like a stuffing) injected between the skin and the meat, which takes it to the next level (my words, not hers), but the description made it sound amazing, and certainly worth the price discussed upthread. We ultimately decided against ordering because there were only two of us and there were so many other dishes we wanted to try. When I mentioned the chicken posting on Yelp she said something like, "yeah, we've been getting some good press" and I asked where. and she mentioned the Post and then, "and Don Rockwell"!!! My eyes lit up and I said, "you mean the guy who compared eating here to a rock band?" And she said, yeah, I waited on him, he was real nice guy." I told her the reason we're here was because of that review and that we wanted to beat the rush. In looking over wine list I was shocked at how reasonable it was. It's 13 pages and it's broken up into a lot of categories (not just red and white). There's: New World Assorted Reds, Old World Assorted Reds, New World Pinot Noir, Old World Pinot Noir, New World Rhí´ne Varietals, Old World Rhí´ne Varietals, etc, etc. Some of those categories are further broken down into subcategories like: Outside of Burgundy, Burgundy, Côe de Nuits, etc. In nearly every category and some of the subcategories, there was at least one bottle in the low $40 range(!!) and if not, there was bottle in the low $50 range. I compare this to the wine list at Momofuku where the cheapest bottle was 60 bucks and am very favorably impressed. We started with this Chablis for $42(!!) Guillaume Vrignaud, 2014. It was wonderful. Finally, on to the food. As I said before, we needed a lot of help and consultation with our awesome waitress, Liz and we zeroed in on the following: Parmigiano Reggiano Agnolotti ($18) [second] Spice Roasted Cauliflower ($11) - new addition to the menu and not listed online [second] Kinship Stroganoff ($18) aka sweetbreads [Fourth] Oeuf A La Brick Au Thon ($24) [Fourth] Blue Fin Toro Sashimi ($30) [First] Maine Lobster French Toast ($30) [Third] She asked us if we were in a hurry, and we weren't, so she said she'd pace out the meal for us and it was perfect. Long and leisurely, but never slow. There was a nice bit of time between each course to relax and rest up for the next one. The total time from when we walked in until we left was 2 hours and 40 minutes.....just exactly perfect. We started with the Blue Fin Toro Sashimi which was great, but it was probably our only ordering mistake of the night. I say that because it was four small pieces of fish, each presented a different way: sweet, sour, salty and spicy. We had to end up cutting each one in half and it probably messed with the presentation a bit. This was the one dish that seemed a little pricey for was - four small pieces of fish for 30 bucks, or $7.50 per bite! The Parmigiano Reggiano Agnolotti and Spice Roasted Cauliflower came next. The cauliflower was just added to the menu and is not on the online version. I thought that was an interesting addition for a place that's only been opened since December 26th. It was served on a bed of lentils, minced cornichons and green harissa. I think she said this was a vegan dish. The real star of this course and maybe whole evening was the Parmigiano Reggiano Agnolotti. It was served with big cubes of lamb bacon(!) and wonderful "broth", but the amazing part was when you bit into each little dumpling (aka piece of pasta), the filling was not solid, but liquid! It sort of oozed into your mouth like a warm, smooth, cheesy sauce. We felt no shame" in using the bread to mop up the cream sauce on the plate when all the pasta was gone! The third course was the Maine Lobster French Toast which was ridiculously decadent. I'm not sure what "French toast" was made of but it was very light and airy and it practically dissolved in your mouth without chewing, yet there was still some structure and form to it. It wasn't really like this, but it somehow reminded me of a piece of seared foie gras where there's a bit of "crust" yet it's still soft and nearly liquid. The French toast had that type of feel to it. The lobster and the rest of the dish were great as well. It wasn't a huge dish for $30 dollars, but it was much larger and a better value (to me anyway) than the sashimi for the same price. Our final course was the Kinship Stroganoff and the Oeuf A La Brick Au Thon. We picked the egg dish just because it sounded so weird. I don't remember much of the actual description but the fact that it had a runny egg in it, sold us on it. The base of the dish was a sweet pepper marmalade with chopped olives and other things in it, sitting in the little depression in the plate. On top of that was the egg "crepe". It was folded in half (like a half circle) that covered half the plate and had a very thin, crispy outer layer. You could break pieces off with your fork or fingers and it would crack and snap like a potato chip, not an egg. In the middle was the yolk. On top of all of that was three hunks of tuna. We broke open the yolk and combined it with a crisp piece of the "crepe" and bite of tuna and dug in. It was weird and wonderful. The Kinship Stroganoff was the sweetbreads dish and it was another winner. The sweetbreads were little melt in your mouth, (highend) chicken mcnuggets that barely needed chewing and the rest of the dish (spatzle and chanterelle sauce) was a great pairing. I don't know what was going on, but it tasted and felt very meaty. This dish and the lobster were our two favorites.......and the agnolotti of course!! For dessert we split the Valrhona Guanaja Custard Cake which included lots of extras like mousse and pralines 'n cream ice cream. There was a lot going on here! We also decided to split a single glass Sauternes and they thoughtfully gave us two half glasses without asking. On the way out we stopped to say hi to a woman we recognized from Rose's Luxury who turned out to be Sommelier, Kerstin Mikalbrown (from the website). We thanked her and praised her for the "something for everyone" wine list (and we ended up getting two bottles). We got six dishes, two bottles of wine, one dessert, one dessert wine, and two coffees for $271 before tip! Not cheap and certainly not a nightly event, but a great value for what we got in both quantity and especially quality (and atmosphere and service, etc). Comparing this to the cost of the previous night (NYE) at Rose's Luxury (we didn't go) but that would have cost us $250 just to walk in the door with no drinks! Is it too soon to plan a return visit?!?!? Probably, but there are a lot more items on that menu that I need to try!!! 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhone1998 Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 In looking over wine list I was shocked at how reasonable it was. It's 13 pages and it's broken up into a lot of categories (not just red and white). There's: New World Assorted Reds, Old World Assorted Reds, New World Pinot Noir, Old World Pinot Noir, New World Rhí´ne Varietals, Old World Rhí´ne Varietals, etc, etc. Some of those categories are further broken down into subcategories like: Outside of Burgundy, Burgundy, Côe de Nuits, etc. In nearly every category and some of the subcategories, there was at least one bottle in the low $40 range(!!) and if not, there was bottle in the low $50 range. I compare this to the wine list at Momofuku where the cheapest bottle was 60 bucks and am very favorably impressed. We started with this Chablis for $42(!!) Guillaume Vrignaud, 2014. It was wonderful. The wine list looks really interesting. Has anyone ever tried dry Hungarian Tokaji? I may get that when we go later this week just for the novelty value. In researching it a bit I came across an Eric Asimov article from a few years back which notes that one of the best producers of dry Tokaji shares ownership with Domaine Huet in Vouvray, which also produces a stylistic range from very dry to very sweet based on one grape. We rang in the New Year with an outstanding Moelleux (the sweetest style) from Huet, and although that wine isn't on the Kinship list, other Huets are. I don't suppose there's a bar at Kinship? Could make for a great night of wine tasting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotus125 Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 There's a lovely bar and little front lounge. Dry Furmint / Tokaji is really interesting. At its driest, it has a sweet nose but tastes bone dry. Ever have "Y" d'Yquem? But it sometimes has a mildly honeyed taste and some residual sugar -- more like semi-dry Vouvray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Per an old request from Don, here are photos of the menu 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 One thing I love is having my prejudices challenged, then destroyed. I did a silent "oh, come on" eye-roll at "chocolate chip cookie dough soufflé". Fortunately Mr P doesn't have my food snob issues; he ordered it. It was excellent. No comment on the rest of the experience, as other people have written much more and better than I could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 That was awesome. I've had a reservation for January 6th for a week or so now and didn't think I could be more excited. I was wrong. Outstanding recap. Tick tock, tick tock. It's been 2 and half days......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotus125 Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 One thing I love is having my prejudices challenged, then destroyed. I did a silent "oh, come on" eye-roll at "chocolate chip cookie dough soufflé". Fortunately Mr P doesn't have my food snob issues; he ordered it. It was excellent. No comment on the rest of the experience, as other people have written much more and better than I could. I'll do a longer combined writeup of a few meals at Kinship soon. But there is one thing worth noting about the chocolate chip cookie dough souffle for the table: It's not really for the table -- unless you are dining alone or just want a small, sweet bite to finish. It's labeled as for the table and costs $24. But it's an entirely normal-size souffle; I think a bit smaller than the ones at Fiola Mare. It has two quenelles of ice cream on the side. Indeed, since souffles are mostly air, it's an especially odd dessert to call for the table. Very tasty. But quite surprising and a bit of a rip off compared to the rest of Kinship's price point. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 I've heard that Kinship is "come as you are" (as opposed to Métier, which will have a dress code) - from what I've heard, they're taking the food, service, drinks, etc., every bit as seriously as they did at CityZen, but you can go to Kinship in jeans (or a tux, depending on what kind of night you feel like having). Is this in line with peoples' experiences? In other words, if I sally in there in a sweater and jeans, am I going to feel comfortable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 Is this in line with peoples' experiences? In other words, if I sally in there in a sweater and jeans, am I going to feel comfortable? Yes, you'll be fine, so long as they are not tattered jeans and a ratty sweater. Even then you'll probably be fine. I wore jeans (my "dress" jeans ) and a sweater and a nice pair of boots and fit right in. I remember seeing a couple men in jackets, but I don't recall seeing any ties. I don't think it's possible to over dress.......you'll fit right in a full suit and tie, and it would be appropriate for the room but hardly necessary. Wear what you'd wear if you went to a friend's house for dinner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhollers Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Tick tock, tick tock. It's been 2 and half days......... Ha! Sorry, sorry! Girlfriend had a conflict, ended up having to push it back to tomorrow night, the 11th. I did learn in the interim, however, that my old bartending partner from Le Grenier, Kirsten Mikaelbrown, is the new somm there - she kicked ass for a while at Rose's, and Kinship is super lucky to have her on board. Can't wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 I can't compete with Waitman's rock star review, so I will keep mine brief. We went last weekend. Loved the space, service was amazing, and there wasn't an off bite or sip the entire evening. We had the Angolotti, Corned Beef Cheeks (my favorite dish of the evening - it is both immediately recognizable from vision and taste as both beef cheeks and corned beef), Sauerkraut, and Stroganoff, plus a couple of gifts from the kitchen, the braised apple and vahlrona custard desserts, plus a great bottle that Kirsten picked out for us. You can certainly spend a lot of money here, and we ordered way too much (especially once you add in the desserts and gifts), but the 4 savory dishes we ordered came to $82, and we could have walked away satisfied with just that. Don, you are safe adding this one in bold in the dining guide. Instantly one of the top 10 restaurants in the area, strike that, top 5. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Dedrick Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 It's amazing. I don't have a lot to add to what's already been said, but we loved our dinner there Friday night, and we were able to simply walk in and be seated. The tuna sashimi dish from the "Indulgence" section was ridiculously good. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 I did learn in the interim, however, that my old bartending partner from Le Grenier, Kirsten Mikaelbrown, is the new somm there - she kicked ass for a while at Rose's, and Kinship is super lucky to have her on board. Can't wait! You heard it here first! On the way out we stopped to say hi to a woman we recognized from Rose's Luxury who turned out to be Sommelier, Kerstin Mikalbrown (from the website). We thanked her and praised her for the "something for everyone" wine list (and we ended up getting two bottles). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPW Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 The wine list is pretty interesting, has a nice variety of price points, and the mark-ups are much more reasonable than what I remember from Cityzen. I look forward to trying it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genevieve Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Does anyone know if they have plans to open for lunch at some point, or will it be dinner only? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinoue Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 Went for an early dinner last night with the family with a 5:30 reservation. Got a nice seat in one of the booths which is perfect for the kids and the banquette seating is wonderful for stretching a little at the end of a filling meal. We started with a bottle of the Hexamer Quartzit Riesling which was really nice. It wasn't rated as a spatlese, and the sommelier said it wasn't quite like a spatlese, but I would definitely say it was like a spatlese. Anyway, a very nice bottle of riesling for the price point. We picked our various dishes and asked they be brought in order the kitchen recommended. First came the small loaf of crusty bread which was wonderful. Some of the best bread I've had in a restaurant since the amazing bread cart at Joel Robuchon in Vegas. The accompanying butter was also wonderful. First two dishes out were the sunchokes and the toro. Sunchokes were very nice and I especially liked the chimichurri sauce. Our daughter insisted they were little roasted potatoes. As long as she ate it, I let her call them whatever she wanted. In retrospect I agree with the previous post that the toro was the one miss on the night. The amount of toro is reasonable for the price,in my opinion, but with the four taste presentation, I felt the emphasis was too much on the tastes, not the toro which seemed overwhelmed by the bolder flavor profiles of salt, sour, sweet and spicy. The stroganoff and lobster were next out and were both incredibly rich and should be at the top of anyone's list of dishes to get. The one disappointment on the stroganoff was that it was not quite hot and the sweetbreads weren't as juicy as I have had them. Perhaps it sat for just a couple minutes while waiting for the lobster? The taste on the stroganoff was fantastic though and just coated the mouth in richness. Unfortunately the kids did not like the sweetbreads, which fortunately meant more for us. This was their first time to try them. They did love the spaetzle which they thought was like chow foon, I guess they are both thick fried noodles as the spaetzle did have a nice crust to them. The lobster, which we were told was one of the most popular dishes was also great. Lots of lobster and the combination of flavors was perfect balance of richness and brightness. Last dish was the turbot, we got the large size which is HUGE. They bring the whole side to the table after cooking and then bring it back to filet and garnish with garlic chives. Fortunately we did get the large size because our son absolutely loved this dish. Of the eight pieces the fielts were cut into he ate nearly three. The accompanying potatoes were very good, but the portion seemed very small. If the fish was intended to serve 3-4 people as the waiter stated, the potatoes seemed like an appropriate amount for two. If the fish is meant for 4, the accompanying potatoes should also be increased in quantity, in my opinion. Likewise, we got a second order of parker rolls which there is a charge for, even though we got an entree intended for 4 people. Given that, in the future, I would probably get the +smaller portion and use the $30 difference to get another small dish and the second order of rolls. Finished off with the chocolate chip cookie souffle which I actually thought was sufficient for sharing, though that could be because everyone else was pretty full by this point and I was able to eat more myself. Overall damage was around $280 which was not bad for the amount of food we got, and a bottle of wine. The fish was expensive at $80, but if it were treated as two or three separate entrees, it doesn't seem so expensive, though that also points towards getting the smaller portion in the future. Definitely someplace we will be eating regularly as it is much more accessible than CityZen and though apprehensive going in, once the food started coming, our kids were totally fine throughout the meal which did take nearly three hours. Pacing was just about right with the exception of the fish which did take a little longer than the previous two courses to come out. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinoue Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 Does anyone know if they have plans to open for lunch at some point, or will it be dinner only? The WaPo article said there would be brunch service, but I'm guessing that will just be weekends. Don't know about weekday lunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 First came the small loaf of crusty bread which was wonderful. Some of the best bread I've had in a restaurant since the amazing bread cart at Joel Robuchon in Vegas. The accompanying butter was also wonderful. This is an improvement since I was there. Our bread looked to be a standard baguette from a store. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing noteworthy or worth mentioning in a review. Yours sounds much better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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