Restaurants That Never Come Up

[Spiral Stairs]

Woodlands. When it does come up in discussions of Indian restaurants, people nod knowingly and acknowledge its quality. But suffice it to say that it assumes a much larger role in my culinary life than it does on this board or elsewhere in the foodie universe. The weekend buffet at the Langley Park location is a near-weekly stop for my wife and me. (Self-service pani puri! And excellent dosas.)

[dinwiddie]

El Napolito in Plaza del Mercado shopping center. Not the best Mexican around, but they have a way with seafood that would make any restaurant jelous. They make the best crabcakes in the area (and the Chili Relleno is a killer) as well as excellent lamb chops. It isn't often I recommend a Mexican restaurant for food, but I recommend this one, just stick to the non-mexican dishs (and asked for sauted vegs instead of the beans and rice)

[MarkS]

Garret Park Bistro- one of the Black family that is quaint and has a nice bar. This is one of my go to places when I'd like to eat at a bar, have a glass or two of wine and not have to wait an hour for a table.

Good food too

[cheezepowder]

Garret Park Bistro- one of the Black family that is quaint and has a nice bar. This is one of my go to places when I'd like to eat at a bar, have a glass or two of wine and not have to wait an hour for a table.

Good food too

Black Market Bistro?

[bookluvingbabe]

Athens Grill in Gaithersburg off of Goshen.

It was mentioned in the Very Cheap Eats issue of Washingtonian and our nanny told us about it a few days before that.

The pita bread is made with crack or meth or thc or something. It is that good. The big fat gyro is a decadent combo of meat, pita, sauce and french fries and enough food to last a day or more.

Not warm or fuzzy service. They didn't smile once at BLBaby and he was at his most charming.... Still on days when the diet seems less compelling than quick, tasty food, we'll have them on speed dial for carryout service.

[DonRocks]

[wrash]

For some reason my mind was drifting today towards the other side of the river. Has anyone here dined at either the Heart In Hand in Clifton, or La Fleur de Lis in Lovettsville in recent years?

I know this is rather tardy for a reply, but perhaps the reason no one talks about Heart in Hand is that's been in a slow and non-spectactular decline. There's a regular lunch crowd that eats there, but unless I hear that things have improved, I don't plan to go back. It's not relmarkably bad, it's just not very good. For example, they serve real Virginia ham, but clearly the kitchen staff doesn't know how to prepare it, so it retains far too much of the gamey flavor that comes from impatient chefs. I could go on, but it's just not worth the trouble. If you want to eat lunch in Clifton, either settle for sandwiches across the street, go up the road to Panera or Subway, or wait for dinner at eat at Trummer's, which IS worth the trouble.

Wayne Rash

[dcs]

MieN'Yu

DCist is reporting this place as closed.

[porcupine]

According to City Paper, a renovation is in the works. This is great news, as my last meal there was superb but the restaurant was showing it's age.

This is in my top-5 "least-heralded" DC restaurants and deserves the sprucing-up.

[in reference to the Oval Room]

Funny, after a really nice meal at Ripple last week I was thinking of starting a thread about the metro area's best underrated restaurants.

B.A.R., what are the other four in your top five?

Anyone else with nominees?

[ktmoomau]

I agree on Ripple.  I love it.  Unfortunately for some reason Hubby doesn't so we never end up there.  I haven't been to New Heights in a while either, but always thought it has been underrated.  Recently I kind of think Rays hasn't been getting the mentions it normally does, while the quality continues to be stellar at Ray's the Steaks and a very good deal.

Just to note I responded to this thread when it was restaurants that were underrated in general, not really restaurants that don't come up here.  I think the few that I mentioned tend to come up here more often, but are generally underrated.

Edited May 21, 2014 by ktmoomau

[B.A.R.]

B.A.R., what are the other four in your top five?

*gulp*. I did not actually have a top 5, I just threw that in to make my post seem more BuzzFeed-ish.

I've been around this board long enough to remember when the front page was nothing but "Tales of Extravagance and Fine Dining" and now, those elite restaurants that used to dominate the conversation are hardly ever heard from on here. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but it seems to be true, and Palena's closing reminded me of that.

So, now that you made me come up with 5 ( ).....

.....Oval Room. For this diner, the best food of Ashok's empire

......2941 - I recall the uproar on this board that the restaurant was being "dumbed down" and would no longer be the paragon of fine dining. Place still looks great. Food is still wonderful. *crickets*

......CityZen. Hard to imagine that a restaurant this good, with the pedigree of Eric Ziebold at the helm, could be underrated, but it is. I'm not talking about Tom S. and his 4 stars, the buzz seems to have disappeared but the restaurant remains outstanding.

......1789. Jesus, this list may make me seem 70, but damn if 1789 isn't putting out better food now than it has been in the last 10 years. And you hear nothing.

......Villa Mozart. This makes the list because it's close to my house and may never have been rated at all. I, for one, panned the place after trying to eat there once. It has maybe 40 seats, and there can't be more than the owner and another cook in the kitchen, but the food has always been exquisitely prepared; the service, polished.

[LauraB]

I agree completely about the Oval Room -- we've had nothing but excellent experiences there.  So glad that the venue itself will be refreshed.  I also agree that you hear nothing about CityZen despite the fact that it is, arguably, the best restaurant in DC.  On the other hand, I doubt they have trouble filling tables there.

I'd like to add two: Marcel's and Corduroy.  Every time I've been to Marcel's it's been an exquisite experience in every way.  Yet, you hear almost nothing about it.  Corduroy gets its due here on DR.com, but otherwise it travels completely under the radar.  I always mention it as an excellent dining option and the vast majority of people have never even heard of it.

[Gadarene]

If my lunch there today was any indication, Duke's Grocery next to Little Serow absolutely belongs on this list.  Their porchetta sandwich was amazing, and the rest of their menu looks fantastic as well.  I'm gonna see if there's an existing thread about them, and if not, I'll start it.

[Tweaked]

The chef at Ripple, Marjorie Meek-Bradley, has been receiving a lot of positive press recently, Food & Wine, James Beard semi-finalist, USA Today, plus multiple mentions in the Post this spring.  But you're right, Ripple doesn't seem to generate the same "buzz" as some other places around town.

I would throw out there Montmartre.  They do usually make the various "Best of Lists" but they have been quietly putting out quality bistro fare for many years now and their look, feel, and location all make it a lovely little neighborhood restaurant...and one of my favorites in DC.

[DonRocks]

The chef at Ripple, Marjorie Meek-Bradley, has been receiving a lot of positive press recently, Food & Wine, James Beard semi-finalist, USA Today, plus multiple mentions in the Post this spring.  But you're right, Ripple doesn't seem to generate the same "buzz" as some other places around town.

I would throw out there Montemartre.  They do usually makes the various "Best of Lists" but they have been quietly putting out quality bistro fare for many years now and their look, feel, and location all make it a lovely little neighborhood restaurant...and one of my favorites in DC.

Yes, Ripple is one example of the chef getting more press than the restaurant (I've never had a bad dish at the hands of Meek-Bradley, btw).

Remember, Brian Wilson left Montmartre a few months ago - I went twice in a row so I could marvel about his Steak Tartare, and then the guy up and leaves on me (I haven't been back since he left).

I've been around this board long enough to remember when the front page was nothing but "Tales of Extravagance and Fine Dining" and now, those elite restaurants that used to dominate the conversation are hardly ever heard from on here. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but it seems to be true, and Palena's closing reminded me of that.

I can't win.

[Pool Boy]

I love Ripple.

[Tujague]

This is sort of a perplexing thread, which is not to say that it's not worth doing, but because there are literally dozens of well-regarded places that I can think of that rarely get discussed here (and Brian and LauraB noted a few obvious contenders); the question that comes to mind is, Why? Some may fall to the discussion wayside simply because of consistency and few changes (like, perhaps, Ray's)--what's new to say? Posting "Still good" may seem pointless. But does it have to do with changing dining habits? Trend-chasing? A reluctance to talk about a place that everyone already seems to know about (even if it is undergoing regular changes in menu that would seem worthy of notice). Simply too many new places?

That said, one place that used to discussed constantly is Cork, which has not been the case for some time, perhaps even before Ron Tanaka left. (And for that matter, where's the talk about Thally?) I don't disagree on Oval Room, but many of Ashok's places don't get a lot of notice here either (701? Ardeo-Bardeo? Bibiana?)

Remember, Brian Wilson left Montmartre a few months ago - I went twice in a row so I could marvel about his Steak Tartare, and then the guy up and leaves on me (I haven't been back since he left).

I've only been to Montmartre for brunch since Brian Wilson left, and I haven't seen much significant change. I think Stephane Lezla is holding down the fort.

[DonRocks]

I've only been to Montmartre for brunch since Brian Wilson left, and I haven't seen much significant change. I think Stephane Lezla is holding down the fort.

Oh. I didn't know Stephane Lezla was Chef there now. There's every reason to believe he can do just fine there.

[dwt]

La Chaumiere -- solidly in the "what's new to say?" category. Can't believe it's approaching 40 years old.

[DonRocks]

La Chaumiere -- solidly in the "what's new to say?" category. Can't believe it's approaching 40 years old.

This is a perfect example. I'm willing to bet 90% of our readers couldn't name 5 dishes served here, and wouldn't know how they were executed regardless.

In over nine years, I haven't heard a single complaint about a restaurant being over-reviewed. Yes, there was the "sacred cow" myth, but that was sort of its own tangent. We simply cannot have too much data about what a chef or restaurant is doing - even if it's the exact same dish reviewed five times in a night, it's extremely valuable.

So please, even if you're the only person who has reviewed a restaurant (look at Bruce and some of the places in Springfield, for example), every shard of information we get is a public service. I'd even go so far as to propose a "restaurant of the week" every single week so our reviewers can all convene (at their leisure) and share opinions. And even *that* is only 52 restaurants a year which is not enough to cover the DC Dining scene. Maybe we could have 3-4 going on at the same time which would bring us up to over 200 per year, and also allow people to stay closer to their neighborhoods. I'd be happy to organize something like this, and could even work with chefs asking them which dishes they're particularly proud of at any given moment.

The events - like what we're doing at Old Anglers Inn - are wonderful, but they require getting everyone together at the exact same time which is easier said than done.

I couldn't name one single dish on the menu at CityZen right now, and that's a crime.

[CSRoute1]

I love 1789 and 2941.  Glad to see this thread.  I'm going to have to put Montmarte, Ripple, and La Chaumiere on my radar.

[Pool Boy]

Only ever been to CityZen and that was almost 7 years ago. It is not exactly convenient for the car driver. That said, my wife works within walking distance of the place. I need to find a reason to spend 3 hours on metro to go there to avoid the ruinously expensive parking there and go again. I dram of their parker house rolls.

[RJ Cooper]

Or rogue24 don. We haven't seen you in two years

This is a perfect example. I'm willing to bet 90% of our readers couldn't name 5 dishes served here, and wouldn't know how they were executed regardless.

In over nine years, I haven't heard a single complaint about a restaurant being over-reviewed. Yes, there was the "sacred cow" myth, but that was sort of its own tangent. We simply cannot have too much data about what a chef or restaurant is doing - even if it's the exact same dish reviewed five times in a night, it's extremely valuable.

So please, even if you're the ornly person who has reviewed a restaurant (look at Bruce and some of the places in Springfield, for example), every shard of information we get is a public service. I'd even go so far as to propose a "restaurant of the week" every single week so our reviewers can all convene (at their leisure) and share opinions. And even *that* is only 52 restaurants a year which is not enough to cover the DC Dining scene. Maybe we could have 3-4 going on at the same time which would bring us up to over 200 per year, and also allow people to stay closer to their neighborhoods. I'd be happy to organize something like this, and could even work with chefs asking them which dishes they're particularly proud of at any given moment.

The events - like what we're doing at Old Anglers Inn - are wonderful, but they require getting everyone together at the exact same time which is easier said than done.

I couldn't name one single dish on the menu at CityZen right now, and that's a crime.

[DonRocks]

Only ever been to CityZen and that was almost 7 years ago. It is not exactly convenient for the car driver. That said, my wife works within walking distance of the place. I need to find a reason to spend 3 hours on metro to go there to avoid the ruinously expensive parking there and go again. I dram of their parker house rolls.

There's *lots* of metered parking on the street there, and it's only 2 minutes from the 14th Street Bridge.

(RJ - noted. You do realize there is always a huge risk of a downgrade when I go to a restaurant ranked in Bold, right? If it isn't exquisite, every single time, it gets downgraded. Enjoy your ranking and count your blessings . There's one restaurant that went out of business, and I suspect if I'd gone in during its final months, it might have been downgraded, but I didn't, and so I really had no choice but to retire it in Bold.)

[RWBooneJr]

Only ever been to CityZen and that was almost 7 years ago. It is not exactly convenient for the car driver. That said, my wife works within walking distance of the place. I need to find a reason to spend 3 hours on metro to go there to avoid the ruinously expensive parking there and go again. I dram of their parker house rolls.

Cityzen is remarkably convenient for the car driver. It has valet parking at the front door. People concerned with the cost of that parking are not exactly the restaurant's target demographic.

[porcupine]

*gulp*. I did not actually have a top 5, I just threw that in to make my post seem more BuzzFeed-ish.

Sorry 'bout that!  But thanks for playing.

This is sort of a perplexing thread, which is not to say that it's not worth doing, but because there are literally dozens of well-regarded places that I can think of that rarely get discussed here (and Brian and LauraB noted a few obvious contenders); the question that comes to mind is, Why? Some may fall to the discussion wayside simply because of consistency and few changes (like, perhaps, Ray's)--what's new to say?...

Which is why I started a new thread with the subject "underrated restaurants", which is entirely different from "restaurants that never come up", but a certain site owner who can't ever seem to win decided to merge them. grumble

[DonRocks]

Which is why I started a new thread with the subject "underrated restaurants", which is entirely different from "restaurants that never come up", but a certain site owner who can't ever seem to win decided to merge them. grumble

Underrated by whom?

Therein lies one of the problems. All five restaurants listed by B.A.R., for example, are classified in Italic by me.

[This forum is very narrowly defined: restaurants, geographical locations, food items, and not much else that isn't very old - I could have moved your thread into News and Media, but I wanted it here, and it's turning out to be a nice extension of this existing topic.]

[porcupine]

Underrated by whom?

By the person writing, as if answering the question "what places do you think are underrated?"  which I answered with "Ripple".  And I'm glad others agree.  I didn't know the chef was getting buzz.

But it isn't really important.  My goal was to get a dialogue going, and it seems to have worked.

[Pool Boy]

Cityzen is remarkably convenient for the car driver. It has valet parking at the front door. People concerned with the cost of that parking are not exactly the restaurant's target demographic.

True that, but instead of paying $30+ for parking, I'd rather spend it on something else.

Thanks for the metered parking suggestion, DR. Hopefully those meters are parkmobile enabled.

[DonRocks]

Thanks for the metered parking suggestion, DR. Hopefully those meters are parkmobile enabled.

They are, and I've never not found one open: 95% of CityZen's customers have enough money where they don't want to walk the one block.

[Kev29]

Underrated by whom?

Exactly. I can't stand the words "underrated" and "overrated" -- both so loaded and subjective. Just my $.02.

[B.A.R.]

Underrated by whom?

BY ME GODDAMMIT! BY ME!

For the record, I think I started this by using the clumsy term "least heralded" rather than underrated. But, as my signature states, I do try to distance myself from my own comments.

It's just, the collective and justified angst here regarding of Palena's closing belied the fact that there was often 4-6 months gaps between postings about dinners at that restaurant, on this board. Meanwhile, we, and our WaPo restaurant critic, are often indignant that reservations are hard to come by, or *gasp*, not to be had at the current hottest restaurant in town.

I have literally never had a problem securing a table at Oval Room. And I'm willing to bet tables are fairly easy to come by at Obelisk, too.

[DonRocks]

I'd even go so far as to propose a "restaurant of the week" every single week so our reviewers can all convene (at their leisure) and share opinions. And even *that* is only 52 restaurants a year which is not enough to cover the DC Dining scene. Maybe we could have 3-4 going on at the same time which would bring us up to over 200 per year, and also allow people to stay closer to their neighborhoods. I'd be happy to organize something like this, and could even work with chefs asking them which dishes they're particularly proud of at any given moment. 

I'm a little surprised there wasn't any response to this little trial balloon I floated.

What do people think?

If I could get promises from just ten (10!) people that they'd go to a designated restaurant once a week, I'd do this.

I'd pick one restaurant from NoVA, one from suburban MD, and two from DC (maybe one downscale, and one a bit more upscale) - we could have four "restaurants of the week" that people could converge on. And yes, I could contact the chefs/owners beforehand and ask them which dishes they're most proud of at that moment. I see no ethical issues with this - we're merely trying to help people dine well.

I'll do all the organizational work; you'd just need to go out to lunch or dinner once a week, and write about your experiences. I don't want to do this if it's going to fail, but I'm happy to do it if it has a chance of success. Getting in touch with four different chefs/owners per week is no small commitment on my part, so I don't want to start something unless I'm pretty sure there's going to be a reasonable response rate.

Who's game? And yes, please do offer your suggestions about implementation.

[porcupine]

RIS doesn't come up too often.  We've been there half a dozen times or so, and almost always have a nice experience.  It seems a little too good to be a neighborhood restaurant, but not quite good enough to be a destination restaurant.

[schulju]

If I could get promises from just ten (10!) people that they'd go to a designated restaurant once a week, I'd do this.

I think the "once a week" commitment is hard for people.  I know that I could never make that, even though I generally eat out more often than once per week.  I simply am not the driver on restaurant choice often enough to be able to meet that level of commitment.  Once a month would probably be doable by most..but I think once a week is just too difficult.

[mdt]

True that, but instead of paying $30+ for parking, I'd rather spend it on something else.

Thanks for the metered parking suggestion, DR. Hopefully those meters are parkmobile enabled.

Um, valet parking when dining at CityZen is something like $11, IIRC.

[bettyjoan]

I'm a little surprised there wasn't any response to this little trial balloon I floated.

What do people think?

If I could get promises from just ten (10!) people that they'd go to a designated restaurant once a week, I'd do this.

I'd pick one restaurant from NoVA, one from suburban MD, and two from DC (maybe one downscale, and one a bit more upscale) - we could have four "restaurants of the week" that people could converge on. And yes, I could contact the chefs/owners beforehand and ask them which dishes they're most proud of at that moment. I see no ethical issues with this - we're merely trying to help people dine well.

I'll do all the organizational work; you'd just need to go out to lunch or dinner once a week, and write about your experiences. I don't want to do this if it's going to fail, but I'm happy to do it if it has a chance of success. Getting in touch with four different chefs/owners per week is no small commitment on my part, so I don't want to start something unless I'm pretty sure there's going to be a reasonable response rate.

Who's game? And yes, please do offer your suggestions about implementation.

I could be game, but it would all depend on the $$$.

We eat out at least once a week, but we often go to the same place(s) over and over.  I would welcome a bit of "forced" variety!  I'd also probably want to stick to the DC restaurants - I am one of those city dwellers who shudders at the thought of crossing the river. 

[KeithA]

I'd love to do the 1 restaurant review a week thing and play restaurant critic in a more formalized way. However, I know it isn't going to happen due to time commitments. I think I've been posting on this board almost since its creation, and while I still do my part to share reviews of most of my meals out - those have decreased some since I've had kids.  On the flip side, in the last year since I started working from home in the city, my lunch reviews have increased as I need excuses to get out the house (hence all of my recent reviews of Palena's coffeshop and Breadfurst).  So I could seeing doing lunch reviews in DC about once or twice a week if anyone else is game or interested.

[B.A.R.]

How about just spotlight a restaurant each week and ask herd here to go, and write, about it if they can? Maybe list restaurants in 4 week blocks, as some restaurants may require a bit more planning on the patrons part?

And if you don't START with Rose's Luxury, you're a coward.

[ktmoomau]

I'm a little surprised there wasn't any response to this little trial balloon I floated.

What do people think?

If I could get promises from just ten (10!) people that they'd go to a designated restaurant once a week, I'd do this.

I'd pick one restaurant from NoVA, one from suburban MD, and two from DC (maybe one downscale, and one a bit more upscale) - we could have four "restaurants of the week" that people could converge on. And yes, I could contact the chefs/owners beforehand and ask them which dishes they're most proud of at that moment. I see no ethical issues with this - we're merely trying to help people dine well.

I'll do all the organizational work; you'd just need to go out to lunch or dinner once a week, and write about your experiences. I don't want to do this if it's going to fail, but I'm happy to do it if it has a chance of success. Getting in touch with four different chefs/owners per week is no small commitment on my part, so I don't want to start something unless I'm pretty sure there's going to be a reasonable response rate.

Who's game? And yes, please do offer your suggestions about implementation.

Don, I really like this idea.  Due to the nature of my work schedule and charity commitments I might not be able to make every one, but I would make a lot of them.  I really love our community events and would like to hang out with the DR folks more than I get a chance to now.  I think this would really be fun.  I could do NOVA lunches some days too.  But I already go to as many of our other events as I can, so I might not be the best judge of all around input.

[jandres374]

Vince and Dominic's. Hard to believe, in business for 31 years and no thread here. Sadly they closed for good last night. When the kids were younger we used to go here on Friday nights while renovating the house and making endless stops at the Design Expo, now Home Depot.

http://www.bethesdanow.com/2014/05/31/vince-dominics-closes-after-31-years-in-bethesda/

[Pool Boy]

I'm a little surprised there wasn't any response to this little trial balloon I floated.

What do people think?

If I could get promises from just ten (10!) people that they'd go to a designated restaurant once a week, I'd do this.

I'd pick one restaurant from NoVA, one from suburban MD, and two from DC (maybe one downscale, and one a bit more upscale) - we could have four "restaurants of the week" that people could converge on. And yes, I could contact the chefs/owners beforehand and ask them which dishes they're most proud of at that moment. I see no ethical issues with this - we're merely trying to help people dine well.

I'll do all the organizational work; you'd just need to go out to lunch or dinner once a week, and write about your experiences. I don't want to do this if it's going to fail, but I'm happy to do it if it has a chance of success. Getting in touch with four different chefs/owners per week is no small commitment on my part, so I don't want to start something unless I'm pretty sure there's going to be a reasonable response rate.

Who's game? And yes, please do offer your suggestions about implementation.

Great idea, but it's really a crapshoot about participation from me due to work and fixing up stuff going on at my home currently. I'd be happy to be assigned 'Please try this place' instructions for places I find myself most often - Bethesda and Laurel and points between (with forays to Columbia and up towards Catonsville less often). No guarantees on to when I'd hit them, but I'd move them up to a try it slot in the rotation sooner than later. Just an idea.

But I do like your idea because then you'd get 5-10 current opinions all on the same timeframe from the same place, which is incredibly useful as a benchmark at the very least.

[ALargeFarva]

I'd commit to doing a Restaurant of the Week as long as they're geared toward good places and not a random sampling. I get to pick the restaurant 2-3 nights a week when we go out to dinner so should have the time and ability to fit in.

[ALargeFarva]

And, the two places that I don't think get nearly the attention or rating they deserve are Bartlett Pear Inn and Patowmack Farm (now that Tarver King has taken over). Bartlett Pear being on the Baltimore DR is probably a contributing factor.

[DonRocks]

On 6/6/2014 at 2:20 AM, ALargeFarva said:

I'd commit to doing a Restaurant of the Week as long as they're geared toward good places and not a random sampling. I get to pick the restaurant 2-3 nights a week when we go out to dinner so should have the time and ability to fit in.

I'm still game for this if we can get ten people or so.

On 6/27/2005 at 2:16 PM, DonRocks said:

And THANK YOU for bringing up this topic. There are endless numbers of restaurants I wish had their own thread, and nothing makes me happier than to see a new thread pop up for a place not written about here. This is what I like about Chowhound so much - they'll have ongoing discussions about holes-in-the-wall that nobody seems to discuss here or on eGullet. And not just holes-in-the-wall: Gerard's Place, Nora, Heritage India, Kaz Sushi Bistro, etc.

Seeing as though we now have threads for over 3,000 DC-area restaurants, I guess this issue has been addressed.