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How about Lite 'n Fair on King Street in Alexandria? Just noticed while passing by last night that it is "closed for renovation" - anybody ever go there?

I have only been once and that was at least 4+ years ago. As I recall the tempura was light and crispy, the soups were flavorful, and salmon (?) was well-prepared. I think they do a lot of carryout business, as there are a very small number of tables and the decor is modest - to put it nicely. The menu board always lists what sound like very good choices, at unbelievably low prices.

The chef was once executive chef at Watergate - here's a writeup from the Washington Post that does a better job describing the place than I can (or at least have time for).

Edited by goldenticket
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How about Lite 'n Fair on King Street in Alexandria?  Just noticed while passing by last night that it is "closed for renovation" - anybody ever go there?

I have only been once and that was at least 4+ years ago.  As I recall the tempura was light and crispy, the soups were flavorful, and salmon (?) was well-prepared.  I think they do a lot of carryout business, as there are a very small number of tables and the decor is modest - to put it nicely.  The menu board always lists what sound like very good choices, at unbelievably low prices.

The chef was once executive chef at Watergate - here's a writeup from the Washington Post that does a better job describing the place than I can (or at least have time for).

I have always been a huge fan of lite-n-fair. I no longer live close enough to get there frequently, but whenever I am in Old Town during lunch time, I stop there, and I have never been dissappointed. Strangely enough, I ate lunch there several years ago on my wedding day, and it was much better (and cheaper) than the food served at the wedding. It could use a renovation though...
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More places you don't hear much about: Cafe Divan, Bombay Club, Agua Ardiente (restaurant or club?), Arucola, Bacchus, La Fourchette.

Had dinner at Arucola before a show at the Avalon. It was one of Donna's extended empire. The shrimp with my pasta was overcooked and mealy, yuk.

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More places you don't hear much about: . . .  La Fourchette.

I had to laugh when I saw this comment because I knew I would eating lunch there today. Heck, I didn't even KNOW they were open for lunch, nor that they have a 3-course menu for $16.95. This is a pretty good deal. There were about six choices for starters (soup du jour [potato/leek], mesclun salad, mussels provencale, smoked salmon, avocado vinagrette and I forget what else).

There was a wide variety of mains: lamb cheeks with mashed potatoes, sausage with lentil, chicken sausage with something, rainbow trout with vegetables, and some other things nobody ordered.

Dessert was a choice from their entire dessert selection.

The majority chose the lunch menu; the rest chose from the regular menu. This was a meeting over lunch and I told everyone that I would be writing a review, so I was able to taste a few things. Several of us chose the mussels which were served on the half-shell and broiled with garlic butter and parsley puree. The smell of garlic was strong, but didn't taste nearly that overpowering and the mussels were small. I like the mussels at Bistrot du Coin and Firefly better. The mescul salad was fresh and crispy but was dressed with too much vinagrette. Ditto the avocado. The soup was considered bland, but the woman who ordered it is a vegetarian from New Orleans, so she generally likes spicier food.

The lamb cheeks were nicely braised and served over soft, buttery mashed potatoes. Comfort food. The sausages with lentils were very nicely spiced and the lentils were appreciated for the smokey taste of the chunks of ham in them and that they were not at all "soupy." The vegetarian had some kind of vegetarian torte, which was a rather large piece. It was a little too bland for her. I guess an old-school French Bistro isn't the right place for vegetarians. The trout was a little overcooked with too much butter ( :P ), but the shredded zucchini/carrot melange was a nice presentation and cooked appropriately.

The real disappointment was the apple tart: overcooked, mushy apples. While I always like profiteroles, the ones here are absolutely smothered in an undistinguished chocolate sauce. So, I had the Floating Island. The only beef with that is that the creme anglais was too cold. The classic creme caramel was just what it was supposed to be. Also on offer were chocolate mousse, raspberry clafouti, and crepes filled with custard. Nobody ordered those.

There was only one waiter to serve the whole restaurant and he was slammed. That meant that water glasses were rarely refilled and he didn't come around to see if anyone needed anything. Which is why, perhaps, I only managed to drink one glass of wine (the house Sauvignon Blanc for $5.25).

The bill for ten of us was $170 before the tip, but only two of us had a glass of wine. Everyone else either drank water or soda pop. Most of them had to go back to work.

There was another fairly large group of people on the other side of the room, so things got a bit noisy. Maybe not the best place for a working lunch.

This is such a Washington story: one of the bureaucrats at the lunch perfectly described the food for me, and made sure I got a taste of everything he ordered. It was such an articulate description, that our mouths dropped open (unlike what you are actually reading). Afterall, his job has nothing whatsoever to do with food. He sheepishly explained that his mother taught Home Economics and was a food stylist for Nabisco. :lol:

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La Fourchette is also nice for brunch on the weekend if you live in the neighborhood. Shortish menu. Various egg dishes, baguette French toast, pancakes, and delicious chicken sausage with those luscious mashed potatoes. I think everything runs about $10. Snag your waiter when he's nearby, you may never see him again.

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You just lost all credibility with me.  :lol:

[desperate attempt to find some room in JLK's good graces...]

My mother makes a lovely bernaise sauce that passes my muster. But mayonaise and hollandaise definitely result in, as donrocks pointed out, malaise. Plus, surely you're not suggesting that nicoise (which would clearly take an oise not an aise!) should be dressed with mayonnaise?! [gasp]

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[desperate attempt to find some room in JLK's good graces...]

My mother makes a lovely bernaise sauce that passes my muster.  But mayonaise and hollandaise definitely result in, as donrocks pointed out, malaise.  Plus, surely you're not suggesting that nicoise (which would clearly take an oise not an aise!) should be dressed with mayonnaise?! [gasp]

No, I was just addressing your broad distaste for mayonaise. :lol:
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[desperate attempt to find some room in JLK's good graces...]

My mother makes a lovely bernaise sauce that passes my muster.  But mayonaise and hollandaise definitely result in, as donrocks pointed out, malaise.  Plus, surely you're not suggesting that nicoise (which would clearly take an oise not an aise!) should be dressed with mayonnaise?! [gasp]

De gustibus non est disputandum.

Ya likes what ya likes. Welcome Smokey!

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[desperate attempt to find some room in JLK's good graces...]

My mother makes a lovely bernaise sauce that passes my muster.  But mayonaise and hollandaise definitely result in, as donrocks pointed out, malaise. 

Sauce Béarnaise is a variant on the mother sauce known as Hollandaise, so I am not really sure why you like one and not the other (unless you don't like lemon).
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Sauce Béarnaise is a variant on the mother sauce known as Hollandaise, so I am not really sure why you like one and not the other (unless you don't like lemon).

In defense of smokey, no other sauces in the entire culinary repertoire have been more abused, beaten, corrupted, and raped than the humble mayonaise and hollandaise. Maybe he's just had too many of these mutilated corpses on his plate. (Still, I would not give up hope.)

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As anyone who knows me (and some of you who don't) is well aware, I fall pretty far toward picky on the scale and my post was made strictly in good fun.  :lol:

No worries, I understood it as such.

As for the bernaise/hollandaise question, I think it's a function of the fact that my mother has only made bernaise. If she made hollandaise, I might decide it was an ok aise. Instead, I've only ever tasted sad efforts towards it (the bruised, beaten, raped and pillaged corpses of battles in the culinary repertoire, to borrow from Banco) from brunch menus, etc.

Now creme anglaise, that's an aise of a totally different flavor! (where's the emoticon of homer drooling?)

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Always been a fan of Bangkok Bistro on Prospect in g-town. Inexpensive, not overly sauced, and accomodating for those who like spicy hot not just more pepper... - me I go for the Kapow, you better like it hot!

Also it's really, well pretty inside - good for small or large groups, also fun drinks...

CLAM

Edited by vsky
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What do people know about B. Smith's, near or in Union Station? I just got invited to a business lunch there tomorrow. Could use tips for navigating the menu if y'all have some.

I am not a fan. It is not that any of the food I have had on my three stops there was bad, it wasn't. It just has never inspired me to return, I find it as boring as all of the other restaurants in Union Station.
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What do people know about B. Smith's, near or in Union Station? I just got invited to a business lunch there tomorrow. Could use tips for navigating the menu if y'all have some.

Went once for a holiday lunch three years ago. Not impressed -- kind of like an average caterer.

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Luigino's. I'm not saying that it needs to be discussed, per se, just that it doesn't get discussed. My boss wants to go there tomorrow night with our visiting clients. I, on the other hand, am pushing for Tosca (clients want pasta).

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I am not a fan.  It is not that any of the food I have had on my three stops there was bad, it wasn't.  It just has never inspired me to return, I find it as boring as all of the other restaurants in Union Station.

What s/he said...

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I've been to B. Smith's for Sunday brunch a few times. It's not my first choice, but my friend likes it, it's a lovely room, and some of the food works well on a buffet. I'm not sure how much of this is relevant for a weekday lunch, but: The fried catfish strips are good, as are the biscuits, breads, and sausages. The shrimp pasta is gloppy and not flavorful. The fried chicken ain't bad. The service is... well, order a double because you might not see her/him again. Expensive.

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Funny B. Smith's story. Several years ago I went with my office - 5 people in all - for lunch. A former colleague stopped by to say hello and sat at an empty chair at the table for not more than 5 minutes while we waited for our entrees to be served. As he had already eaten at another table IN THE SAME RESTAURANT - he ordered nothing and did not even get water. When we got the bill, the 18% tip had been added because they said we had been a party of 6! I refused to pay the 18% out of principle, crossed out that amount, and added an exact 15% tip. The waiter and manager suggested that I could be sued if I did not tip the full 18%. We left and have never returned.

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How about Lite 'n Fair on King Street in Alexandria?  Just noticed while passing by last night that it is "closed for renovation" - anybody ever go there?

Well, unfortunately, it looks like Lite 'n Fair won't be coming up again. It's reopened with a new name (which I've already forgotten) and a big banner announcing "under new management" :lol: .

The inside space has been renovated and it looks pretty nondescript with a warm paint color and trendy hanging lamps. The menu is mainly sandwiches and wraps, with perhaps a bit of Mediterranean influence thrown in there. IF I ever make it in (not high on my list), I'll report back on the food.

RIP Lite 'n Fair (sniff sniff)

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Here are the restaurants that never come up that I wish would come up: Every single restaurant included in the 2006 Entertainment coupon book, which I received as a Christmas present. I've never heard of the vast majority of the included places. I ran a bunch of them through the friendly search function here, but gathered precious little information. Suffice it to say that the book does not appear to include a lot of "destination" restaurants. Maybe once I'm near the book (I'm in my office; it's at home), I'll post a few of the more promising examples to see if anyone can say word one about them.

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You mean, people buy these books for reasons other than the hotel, car rental, movie ticket, and merchandise discounts? Strange...

Coupons I have used in the past from the MD/DC book:

DC: Ben's Chili Bowl, Bukom, Ella's, Meskerem, Old Europe, Sequoia

Bethesda: Napa Thai, South Beach

Columbia: Nichi Bei Kai

Gaithersburg: Ay Jalisco, Golden Bull, Ichiban

Germantown: Agro Dolce

Rockville: Amada Amante, Ay Caramba, Il Pinito, Samwoo, El Patio

Silver Spring: Cubano's

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I was really disappointed to see that John Harvard's downtown has closed.  :lol:   I really enjoyed their beer and hope whoever ocuppies their space in the future doesn't mess with the great ceiling.

Does anyone have the inside scoop on this?

I don't have the scoop, but its neighbor Dean & Deluca closed the same week as well... which seems to indicate a land issue, rather than a business one.

Edited by Connave
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Yes, but rumors are that it (Founders) is going to be moving to the north end of Old Town to the space now occupied by Cafe Marianna, and presumably the adjoining antique/gift shop.

Hope they do better there than they did on King Street. Second brewpub/restaurant to come and go in that location. At least at the Cafe Marianna location there's parking.

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Flying Fish on King Street. Anyone other than Grover and I gone there? Surely we're not the only ones...anyone?

Second, from what I understand, Cafe Marianna deal fell through... (I may have posted this already, don't really remember. Information came from ex-employee who maintains contact with Marianna staff).

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Ahhh....Morrison House. One of the most bizarre restaurant experiences I have ever encountered. My wife and I went there for brunch, maybe five years ago. My wife orders the petite filet with, I believe, a poached egg. They had actually grilled the filet while still wrapped in plastic wrap. And then served it, with all the melted, crispy, shrunken plastic permanently affixed to the meat. Lovely dining room, though.

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Moby Dick's House of Kabob.

My wife and I have "kabob night" every week. We can't get enough of the stuff. I'm fairly certain that if eating kabobs and hummos from Moby's every night was an option, that my wife would certainly consider it.

I pray for the day where we have a Seinfeldian-Elaine and the Soup Nazi's recipes in an armoir-episode, and find their secrets.

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I don't think Elysium lasted all that long after Gian Piero Mazzi left - a year or so at the outside.

"The chef will come talk to you about what ingredients we have and what you like/dislike then go back in the kitchen and create" idea is neat, and I certainly enjoyed the dinners I had there, but there were a lot of people dining there who clearly weren't comfortable with the idea.

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