Circle Bistro, One Washington Circle Hotel - Chef Ashley Harris Takes Over for Ethan McKee

[mstevens]

Okay, headed here tonight after hearing good things. What's not to miss?

[mdt]

Okay, headed here tonight after hearing good things.  What's not to miss?

Any fish dish...

[Barbara]

Okay, headed here tonight after hearing good things.  What's not to miss?

The warm mushroom salad and the duck confit.

[Pappy]

Circle bistro were real jerks to me last night.

    I had a 7:30 reservation, I called mid week to add someone to my 7:30 reservation.  Last night I get to Circle Bistro and the door is locked.  The bartender opens the door and says that they are closed.  I tell him we have a 7:30 reservation.  He tells me they are closed, the last reservation was at 5:30 and to try Dish. I inform him we have a reservation, that I confirmed, and that I don't want to go to Dish because I don't like it. 

    He doesn't believe I have a reservation.  We go to the bar to wait for our third.  I ask if he has a zagat guide so we could call other restaurants to see if we could get in, he says he does not, mean while his back is too us for this entire time, he does not try to engage in conversation except to advocate going to Dish about five more times, each time I tell him that I don't like Dish.  I go outside to use my cell phone to call restaurants-after he does not offer us the use of the house phone, or make any effort to fix their mistake and get us in somewhere not owned by the restaurant.  We get into vidalia and our thrid arrives and we leave.

    He never offered us a drink even though we were sitting at the bar for 20 minutes. He had his back to us the whole time.  I would have paid for a drink, but he made no indication that the bar was open.  I think he should have comped us a drink at least and been a lot more helpful after they screwed up- ofered the use of their phone to call other places, or called himself.

Am I missing something? Why have there been no responses to this post? Seems like quite an oversight first, and pretty poorly handled second. Have the replies all been deleted and I missed it? Or has CB joined the ranks of sacrosanct restaurants that are never to be criticized on this board?

[Heather]

Am I missing something?  Why have there been no responses to this post?  Seems like quite an oversight first, and pretty poorly handled second.  Have the replies all been deleted and I missed it?  Or has CB joined the ranks of sacrosanct restaurants that are never to be criticized on this board?

I haven't responded because this was far from my experience there. Granted, I ate at the bar and not the main room, but I was just an anonymous patron and was treated very nicely by the bartender. If the story is true, and I have no reason to believe that it isn't, then CB have some explaining/apologizing to do.

[mdt]

Am I missing something?  Why have there been no responses to this post?  Seems like quite an oversight first, and pretty poorly handled second.  Have the replies all been deleted and I missed it?  Or has CB joined the ranks of sacrosanct restaurants that are never to be criticized on this board?

What do you want us to say? I guess nobody has had a similar experience. I know that my dinners at CB have all been good, although service in the bar can be VERY slow when it is busy.

[LaShanta]

Went to Circle Bistro last night… OK, here’s what we had.

appetizer - me - Maine “Blue Johnny” Mussels; my BF-duck confit with carrot slaw

entree - me - sea bass; my BF-wild Alaskan halibut

dessert - napoleon, sorbet & berry shake small bits; my BF-strawberries w/ Sabayon

As usual, the food was wonderful!!!! But as I am coming to anticipate, the service was just average.

My before drink cocktail was the best drink I have ever had!!!! It was the Silly Goose and was so smooth that you could barely taste the individual, separate ingredients. Everything in the glass blended together seamlessly!!! I love it!!!

Mussels were just as great as they were last time. The duck confit was the winner in this category though. The duck absolutely melted in your mouth!! And the slaw with the fresh crunch of the carrots was a nice texture compliment to the tender duck.

This time, my entrée was much better than my friend’s. I loved the pureed potato and the light tomato-based sauce. The sea bass was very fresh the skin was just crispy enough. The sauce totally complemented the fish. The sauce was not the slightest bit overpowering. And the sliced peppers in the sauce added a nice texture contrast to the smoothness of the sauce.

My friend’s halibut was good and very fresh too. It didn’t have the same complex mix of flavors as my sea bass entrée, but still very yummy.

Dessert this time was the only place that I think the kitchen fell a bit short. This is not in the quality of the items, they just weren’t particularly to my taste. We really had to work to find something that appealed to us. The apple napoleon was just OK. A very light dessert. I can’t remember what the sorbet flavor was, but it was very, very strong. The berry shake was my favorite. Very simple but yummy. I love the idea of a verity of small dessert bites on one plate! Great idea!! I would probably have chosen a more subtly-flavored sorbet though.

The strawberry dessert was pretty good. I have a bit of a sweet tooth so I could have done with some type of sweet whipped cream or ice cream or something else on the strawberries. But if you like light, refreshing and simple desserts, this was a good one. There were tiny slivers of what I think was dill in the dessert. This was a pleasant surprise! The strength and power of the dill balanced well with what may have been an otherwise bland and boring dessert.

Fantastic job Chef Cox!!!! You never disappoint!!

However, our server was not fabulous. He did a great job of explaining some of the food items and how they are prepared and presented, but he was very disappointing in the wine area. See, either my boyfriend nor I know much about wine so we rely a lot of the sommelier. We know what we like and that’s about it. We expect to be able to explain what we like and have a sommelier put that with what we have ordered and bring us something great. Our waiter knew about as much about wine as WE did. But that is not the problem. The thing is, if you don’t know something, just admit that this is not your area of expertise and go find someone who knows, in this case it was the host. The waiter seemed unsure of his suggestions and unfamiliar with the wine list. Just as last time, the host came to the rescue!! He admitted that the suggested wine was NOT at all what we were looking for. The host offered another wine and then he personally bought it out for us to taste. If my boyfriend hadn’t gone to the host and checked his recommendation on the wine, we would have been very disappointed. So kudos to the host for being sooo helpful and concerned about out happiness. Also, we closed the restaurant section down and we did not feel rushed at all. We were able to finish our desserts leisurely in what became our own private dining room.

OVERALL – CB is a gem!!! (I do not understand why this place isn't constantly packed!!) I do love the food here and I adore the creativity that Chef Cox breathes into his seasonal menu. I would still DEFINITELY recommend the restaurant. Again, they still need to step up the service just a notch.

Peace & Many Blessings.

[Al Dente]

Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic:

The burger at CB has surpassed the Palena burger as the best fancy-pants-restaurant burger in the city.

Discuss...

[DonRocks]

Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic:

The burger at CB has surpassed the Palena burger as the best fancy-pants-restaurant burger in the city.

Discuss...

So last night I walk into Circle Bistro and order this hamburger. Jayne apparently alerted Brendan that I was there, and so he came out and said hello just before the burger arrived.

"So I'm here on rumor that your burger has surpassed Palena's," I told him.

He gave me the sort of knowingly resigned half-smile that Andy Roddick would give if someone asked him if he had surpassed Roger Federer. Shaking his head, he said, "this is a hotel - I can't do Palena's burger here."

Well maybe not, Brendan, but you're making a pretty good run at it. Palena's burger and fries are $10 each, whereas Circle Bistro's is $12 for both - 60% of the price. Palena's is made with a housemade bun, and house-ground scraps supplemented by purchased ground beef; Circle Bistro's is made with a purchased bun and purchased ground beef only. They're two different burgers at two different price points, and both are at the very top of their respective levels in quality.

Incidentally, Tom Power once told me the same thing about his excellent burger-and-fries at Corduroy: it's a hotel, and he's not going to try to match Frank Ruta when it comes to the hamburger. Nevertheless, Tom's version is great too, and in the "Hotel Ramekin-of-Ketchup" genre, it's right up there with Brendan's at Circle Bistro. I'm glad we have all three options in this city.

Right when Brendan was turning to walk away and let me enjoy my burger, I tried a french fry. My eyes got wide, and I let out a primal "MMMMMM!!!"

He smiled, cupped his hand around his mouth, and told me as if he were telling me something secret, "We have GREAT french fries," and then he walked back into the kitchen.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[CrescentFresh]

So last night I walk into Circle Bistro and order this hamburger. Jayne apparently alerted Brendan that I was there, and so he came out and said hello just before the burger arrived.

"So I'm here on rumor that your burger has surpassed Palena's," I told him.

He gave me the sort of knowingly resigned half-smile that Andy Roddick would give if someone asked him if he had surpassed Roger Federer. Shaking his head, he said, "this is a hotel - I can't do Palena's burger here."

Well maybe not, Brendan, but you're making a pretty good run at it. Palena's burger and fries are $10 each, whereas Circle Bistro's is $12 for both - 60% of the price. Palena's is made with a housemade bun, and house-ground scraps supplemented by purchased ground beef; Circle Bistro's is made with a purchased bun and purchased ground beef only. They're two different burgers at two different price points, and both are at the very top of their respective levels in quality.

Incidentally, Tom Power once told me the same thing about his excellent burger-and-fries at Corduroy: it's a hotel, and he's not going to try to match Frank Ruta when it comes to the hamburger. Nevertheless, Tom's version is great too, and in the "Hotel Ramekin-of-Ketchup" genre, it's right up there with Brendan's at Circle Bistro. I'm glad we have all three options in this city.

Right when Brendan was turning to walk away and let me enjoy my burger, I tried a french fry. My eyes got wide, and I let out a primal "MMMMMM!!!"

He smiled, cupped his hand around his mouth, and told me as if he were telling me something secret, "We have GREAT french fries," and then he walked back into the kitchen.

Cheers,

Rocks.

Wow. Now that review makes me hungry for burgers. Not "oh, I'll have to try the burger at CB next time I'm there." No. Like I need one ASAP.

[Heather]

Right when Brendan was turning to walk away and let me enjoy my burger, I tried a french fry. My eyes got wide, and I let out a primal "MMMMMM!!!"

He smiled, cupped his hand around his mouth, and told me as if he were telling me something secret, "We have GREAT french fries," and then he walked back into the kitchen.

Their fries are delicious. Maybe even perfect. And now I really really want a burger.

[Capital Icebox]

Palena's burger and fries are $10 each, whereas Circle Bistro's is $12 for both - 60% of the price. Palena's is made with a housemade bun, and house-ground scraps supplemented by purchased ground beef; Circle Bistro's is made with a purchased bun and purchased ground beef only. They're two different burgers at two different price points, and both are at the very top of their respective levels in quality.

To be fair, Palena's fry plate seems to be meant for sharing, but you can get a half-portion for $5, making the Palena burger-and-fry-plate combo just $15. I guess it all depends on which neighborhood you happen to be in when the craving hits, as it does for me fortnightly.

[CrescentFresh]

Wow. Now that review makes me hungry for burgers. Not "oh, I'll have to try the burger at CB next time I'm there." No. Like I need one ASAP.

CB Burger in 3.....2.....1.........

[CrescentFresh]

Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic:

The burger at CB has surpassed the Palena burger as the best fancy-pants-restaurant burger in the city.

Discuss...

It has been far too long since I've enjoyed Palena's burger, so I will not be able to make a fair comparison as to one exceeding the other. It is a large, juicy burger that will surely turn your bun into a sponge. It was quite good. I will prefer, however, to share my thoughts about the CB burger in verse:

This burger is big. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's not small. No, no, no.

This burger has got a big, big taste.

Big, big taste in a big, big bite.

[Al Dente]

Circle Bistro has a fried soft shell crab on the appetizer list that rivals the soft shell I had at Citronelle a few weeks ago. Two halves of a healthy sized crab are arranged in a puddle of polenta surrounded by roasted red pepper sauce. I'll nitpick a bit and say that the sweetness of the polenta masks the sweetness of the crab, but I could also nitpick about Citronelle's version for its Barry Bonds-like coating (too dense batter).

A true bargain at eleven bucks!

Edited to add: dopey steroids reference

[squidsdc]

Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic:

The burger at CB has surpassed the Palena burger as the best fancy-pants-restaurant burger in the city.

Discuss...

my .02 from HH in April, in the hamburger thread

[youngfood]

Alright, who are the wise guys that ate ALL of the bugers and ALL of the softshell before we got there tonight at 8:30? Seriously, that was not funny. The mushroom frisee salad is still great, but that was a colossal dissappointment. Honestly, how did this happen? I thought we told all the tour busses to go to Buca, not CB!

We contemplated trying Dish, but even TS isn't recommending it anymore. We would have gone back to Notti, but for the thread about the great burger AND great softshell. For them to have neither, at 8:30, when the place was nearly empty? Well maybe that's why it was empty. To keep the string of bad luck going, we called Danny to see about getting back into Notti for a plate of pasta and they were so full he couldn't even squeeze us in at the bar.

I hope someone at well tonight...

[brendanc]

Alright, who are the wise guys that ate ALL of the bugers and ALL of the softshell before we got there tonight at 8:30? Seriously, that was not funny. The mushroom frisee salad is still great, but that was a colossal dissappointment. Honestly, how did this happen? I thought we told all the tour busses to go to Buca, not CB!

We contemplated trying Dish, but even TS isn't recommending it anymore. We would have gone back to Notti, but for the thread about the great burger AND great softshell. For them to have neither, at 8:30, when the place was nearly empty? Well maybe that's why it was empty.

Currently the soft shells I source are in a period of molting and their availability is a bit spotty, I only deal with one supplier who I trust and will not go outside of them to fill the void, sorry. As for the hamburger you can thank a group of researchers from Fargo or Dubuke for eating 42 at a lunch meeting earlier in the day.

DISH is a hell of a restaurant and everyone here would be wise to check out Tony's American side before the word gets out....

[hillvalley]

I don't know whether to bemoan or relish the fact that it was a typical Saturday night at Circle Bistro. The bar, where I sat, was empty. In the 2+ hours I was there four other people came in, and they were all Jane's regulars. The dining room was maybe a quarter full. For whatever reason Circle Bistro is the most overlooked restaurant on a Saturday night. I had one of the best meals served in the city last night, and it was absurdly well priced.

We were lucky enough to talk with the chef before and after the meal, so before ordering we asked Chef Cox for his recommendations. At his recommendation we started with the charcuterie plate-easily one of the best in the city, the mushroom salad and soft shell crab appetizer, the squab and cavetelli with spring peas for our mains and finished up with the rhubarb napoleon and peach crisp.

The charcuterie plate, except for the San Danielle proscuitto and a few slices of artisnal salami, was homemade. There was a duck pate that might as well have been a disk of foie, a duck pistachio pate and a terrine of pork. They were perfect. Each provided a contrast to its companion but at the same time stood boldly on their own. The plate was served with violet mustard, which I will be searching the Internet to buy. This plate shows the care and thought that Chef puts into his cuisine.

An overlooked skill in this kitchen is the chef's tempura. We had rubio mushroom tempura that made my dining companion speechless with first bite (no small feat). He then spent the rest of the night marveling over the brilliance of the chef's frying. "Now I understand tempura" was said over and over. Chef's soft shell, served with a wonderful corn puree and pepper couli, went on to show the elegance that tempura should exude.

The highlight of the meal, however, was the simplist dish: housemade cavetelli with spring peas and parmesan. The pasta was cooked to the perfect al dente and glistened under the butter parsley sauce. The English peas were perfect: cooked just enough to take away that raw bite and allow their full flavor to come through. This is the perfect spring dish.

I am not a huge squab fan so I only had a few bites. My dining companion however, fully enjoyed it, although he often looked longingly at my pasta.

For dessert I had the peach cobbler. Given how early we are in the peach season I did not have great hopes, but I was wrong. I don't know where Chef procured such perfect peaches, but they held as much flavor as the peaches we will see in the next month or so. It is topped with unbelievable cinnamon ice cream. The ice cream scoop was the perfect amount to melt through the dish, while providing that needed cold bite every good cobbler deserves.

The next time you find yourself on a Saturday night without a reservation but in need of an excellent meal that will not break the bank, take advantage of the free parking and enjoy one of our better-kept Saturday night dining secrets.

[Al Dente]

Man, the burger shrank! I dropped in last night for a bite and the burger was lost in the bun. The chilly and minty cucumber soup was delicious though.

[Jlock]

Looking for a nice bite to eat on a Sunday night and following advice from "a familiar and reliable online food information source" , Lackadaisi and I found ourselves sitting comfortably behind the bar at Circle Bistro.

We dined on Chef Cox's incredible gazpacho soup, crispy duck confit over kohlrabi-carrot slaw, the classic and extremely delicious lemon-scented trout, and the flaky, fresh halibut served over the glazed beets. With a great bottle of Turnbull Sauvignon Blanc, we were in heaven! You cannot find a better fish dish in town! (Please don't ask me to chose between the two we tried - I don't think I could - they were each excellent!) The "Circle" will definitely be added to our regular rotation of eating establishments!

Many thanks to the congenial Peter behind the bar and to Brendan for his enthusiastic and unexpected "post-dinner floor show". The "Brendan Cox Show" - coming to NBC this fall!

[silentbob]

We had lunch here back in June. I got the burger and thought it was merely whelming. The aioli on the bun helped a lot, fortunately. The duck confit, on the other hand, is one of the best appetizers I've had in a while. The slaw underneath really does provide the perfect contrast and balance.

Last week, my friends and I stopped by for dinner. Based on the comments above, I tried the charcuterie plate and holy crap it is an insane bargain and could probably serve as a meal in itself. Also, I tried the cavetelli and it has some of the same qualities that makes the raviolini dish at Notti Bianche so great. My only criticism is that perhaps 15 more seconds of cooking would've been better (and I generally like al dente). For dessert, I got the blueberry soup with lemon mousse. Perfect for late July in Washington.

With a bottle of Cotes du Rhone, our bill came to just over $60 a person. Fantastic deal for a ton of well-executed food. I'm so glad this place is only a couple of blocks from our DC office.

[DonRocks]

Evan Walker Cox

Born August 16, 2006, 11:14 AM

Sibley Hospital

21 inches, 8 pounds 7 ounces

[mdt]

Evan Walker Cox

Born August 16, 2006, 11:14 AM

Sibley Hospital

21 inches, 8 pounds 7 ounces

Congratulation Brendan!!

[DonRocks]

Pray that the little tyke got his mom's looks

[Mrs. B]

Evan Walker Cox

Born August 16, 2006, 11:14 AM

Sibley Hospital

21 inches, 8 pounds 7 ounces

Well Done!

[dinwiddie]

The DC Crü had dinner at the Circle Bistro last night. Brendan designed a meal to go with our theme of California Pinot Noir and it was a perfect match. I can't say how much we enjoyed the evening, the food, the wine, and the friends. I certainly hope Brendan and his staff enjoyed the wine we saved for them, as they went far and above the ordinary to make our gathering a roaring success.

The menu:

Amuse of Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Poached Gulf Shrimp

1988 Salon - Slightly yeasty nose with almost still, very faint, very tiny bubbles. Absolutely delish. Oh how wonderfully an aged Champagne begins a meal.

I. Pan Roasted Piopinno Mushromms, Fresh Corn Polenta, Mushroom Jus

This course was heavenly. The creamy corn polenta sweet from the corn milk was the perfect foil for the perfectly roasted mushrooms. Everyone had to sit back between every bite to savor it. I only regret they took away my plate before I could wipe up every drop of the sauce with the wonderful, crusty bread.

2000 Martinelli Herford Corner PN - starting to muddy in color, it was a little citric/acidic on the back of the throat but still lots of fruit.

2000 Tandum Pisoni - Big wine, huge floral nose. Lots of fruit, very smooth and a long finish. Tied for my WOTN, if only by a nose.

2003 Patz and Hall Pisoni - Chewy, not as as big as the Tandum bu a very nice nose, and lots of fruit.

II. Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Fuji Apples, Frisse, Aged Balsamico

Oh boy I do love Foie Gras. Creamy and perfectly seared, it melted in your mouth. The balsamico and apples offering a wonderful sweet/sour counterpoint.

1997 Chateau de Malle Sauterne - Apples and honey with touches of vanilla. Nice acidity that kept it from being too sweet. Yum.

2004 Henry of Pelham Riesling Special Select Late Harvest - Very sweet, especially compared to the de Malle. Went well with the foie gras.

III. Wild Alaskan Halibut, Raviloi Vitello, Wilted Spinich, Pinot Noir Reduction

The veal raviloi with the halibut was an interesting pairing that worked very well.

2003 Alcina Sangiacomo Pinot Noir - A nose of beef and little barnyard. Nice fruit, cherry and blackberry, toasty oak, spices. Lots of alcohol in this one at 14.3%

2004 Rivers-Marie Summa Vineyard Pinot Noir - Elegant, medium bodied, nose of cranberrys and rasberrys. Lots of fruit and very smooth. Gave the Tandum a run for WOTN.

IV. Breast Of Muscovy Duck, Glazed Turnips, Poached Local Peaches, Duck Jus

Boy-oh-Boy. This was so good. Perfectly cooked, the peaches and turnips giving it an interesting mosaic of textures and flavors.

2003 Siduri Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard - More extracted that the wines so far, cherrys and plums with a little loam and vanilla. then touches of cola. Went very well with the duck, definitely a great food wine.

2004 Sea Smoke Ten - little acidic, way too young to open, this needs to spend at least 2 more years in the cellar and probably 5. Blueberrys and cherry, complex but just not showing well yet. However, it is going to be a stunner as it ages.

2004 Kosta-Browne RRV - The other WOTN. Blackberrys, cherrys, and raspberrys with a wonderful earthy loam. Smooth and ripe, firm tannins, what a great wine.

V. 3 Year Gouda, Mustard Vinaigrette, Crispy Shallots

2003 Kosta Browne Santa Lucia Pinot Noir - Lots and lots of fruit, spices, and just the right touch of oak. Very smooth.

2003 Peay Pinot Noir Sonoma - Concentrated black cherrys and berrys, a touch of minerals, and a long, long finish.

VI. Mascarpone Cheese Cake, Bruleed Black Mission Figs - creamy and just the perfect end to a fantastic meal.

Service was great and they did a good job trying to keep up with the flurry of glasses needed to serve the wines. We closed the place and everyone had a great time. Thanks again Brendan and all involved.

[Pool Boy]

DW, that was a good report. I'll comment on the wines later, but here are my comments on the food --

Amuse of Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Poached Gulf Shrimp

This was delicious. I 'settled' the gazpacho in the tall shooter glass a few times to get the stuff to the bottom to properly get it all out. Used a knife to scrape the dregs. Yum.

I. Pan Roasted Piopinno Mushromms, Fresh Corn "Polenta", Mushroom Jus

This course was sublime. I'd only wished the portion here was larger so I could've experienced more of it. The layers of flavour with the corn were amazing and the mushrooms formed a great counterpoint. Wow. Tied for my COTN (course of the night).

II. Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Fuji Apples, Frisse, Aged Balsamico

Dinwiddie nailed describing this course. Pure foie perfection.

III. Wild Alaskan Halibut, Raviloi Vitello, Wilted Spinich, Pinot Noir Reduction

I thought this course was brilliant. I thought each component of the dish was great, but it shined most brightly when you tasted all of the things together. I'd not have thought to pair this together, but was very pleased with the result. Tied for COTN, too.

IV. Breast Of Muscovy Duck, Glazed Turnips, Poached Local Peaches, Duck Jus

While I thought this dish was good, I thought it was the weakest dish of the bunch. The dusk was well prepared, sure, but all of the components were. No, I think that the combination of flavors did not do it for me. Turnips and duck I can see working, as can the peaches and duck. But I did not really dig all three of these things together. Not a bad effort by any means, but, to me, clearly not up to the level of some of the other dishes.

V. 3 Year Gouda, Mustard Vinaigrette, Crispy Shallots

This was great. All of it worked well together and separately. I loved the crispy shallots and plan to lift the idea for cooking at home in the future. I saved a nice hunk of the cheese to finish with the remaining wine.

VI. Mascarpone Cheese Cake, Bruleed Black Mission Figs

I like the components of this dish. I love cheesecake, particularly that made with mascarpone. And I adore figs. But I didn't think this paired so well. It wasn't bad, but I just didn't think the pairing worked very well. So I ate the component separately and was very happy.

The service was great. The staff took great care of us, particularly with all of the wine glasses. I was not expecting them to commit so many glasses to us over the course of the evening. I was expecting maybe 3 stems tops to be given to us. But they kept bringing new ones which was very nice. I had 6 wines in front of me at one point. The trick was remembering which wine was which. It was also great to meet the chef and I was glad to be able to speak with him for a short bit.

[cjsadler]

From today's WP Food section:

TODAY: Cooking demonstration and sampling with chef Brendan Cox of Circle Bistro. Free. 5 p.m. Foggy Bottom FreshFarm Market, I Street between New Hampshire Avenue and 24th Street NW. http://www.freshfarmmarkets.org

[Seanchai]

Are the great happy hour specials still available on Fridays?

[squidsdc]

From today's WP Food section:

TODAY: Cooking demonstration and sampling with chef Brendan Cox of Circle Bistro. Free. 5 p.m. Foggy Bottom FreshFarm Market, I Street between New Hampshire Avenue and 24th Street NW. http://www.freshfarmmarkets.org

I went to this--it was a beautiful day, and Chef Cox inspired me to make plans to spend our anniversary dinner at Circle Bistro--we'll be dining there tonite and I am looking forward to it!

[squidsdc]

Who knew 6:30 would be the prime time of the evening? Must've been the pre-theatre crowd, as Circle Bistro offers a great selection at only $35---I highly recommend checking it out. But if you are not going for the pre-theatre, I recommend dining a little bit later in the evening, as when we sat down there were quite a few tables finishing up, so that there were a few hiccups in our service. But all smoothed out in the end and we were well taken care of

After being offerd water, then not receiving it, we requested it again. Both of us tried catching someone's eye to see where it was when we did not get it again, but as I said before, I think it was just the timing...seemed like there were a lot of checks needing to be tallied and such to get the earlier diners out. We did finally receive the water, and we were also each presented with a glass of prosecco in honor of our celeberation. A nice touch. I started with the Mushroom Salad with Frisee and Poached Egg--bacon grease in the vinaigrette was all I needed to hear, and boy did it live up to my expectations. Mr. Squids also had a salad of fresh greens, that looked and smelled lovely, but I'm still glad I went with the one I did. I had the Rockfish with oysters and braised celery in a parsnip cream sauce. As much as I love oysters, they did not seem to add a whole lot to the dish--I looked to try to add some salt, but no salt or pepper was on the table. As best I could see, I wasn't sure if there were shakers on any of the tables, and was wondering if the salt and pepper were left off the tables intentionally? I almost felt ashamed asking for them as I never know if it is viewed as an insult to the chef. Once I added a pinch of salt, though, the oysters were fine and worked much better in the dish. The rockfish was perfectly cooked, and did not disappoint. I realized as I was trying to get to all the sauce on my plate that we never received bread. After requesting it twice, I finally was able to soak up the last bits on my plate. (Yes, it was that good--I needed to get every last drop!) Mr. Squids ordered the "Roast Breast of Long Island Duckling, Glazed Brussels Sprouts, Sweet Potato-Apple Mousseline, Duck Jus" This dish is actually the one that Chef Cox prepared at the Fresh Farm Market demo...I almost ordered it myself, but wanted to try something that I hadn't had before, and of course we couldn't order the same thing! It was beautifully presented, and is a nice complement of fall flavors. Since I have the recipe from the demo, now all I have to do is try to make it taste as good at home ( I do still want to try, though)

Desserts were perfectly sized to end the evening. We were both pretty full, but decided to split a dessert. Since we were actually on different pages with what we wanted, we decided to go ahead and each order our own, and that was a wise decision. I can't recall exactly what Mr. Squids had--I think it was a pumpkin custard--I was too intent on enjoying my own dessert of a trio of frozen delights. Melon ball sized tastes of each of hand-churned ginger ice cream, vanilla bean ice cream, and green apple sorbet atop a delectable ginger snap cookie.

We received the check, and noticed that the desserts had not been added to the total...when we brought it to our server's attention, she thanked us, but told us that it was correct. That was very nice, unexpected, and really made us feel as if it wasn't just another dinner out, any other day of the week.

[Mrs. B]

It's been too long since I've made a visit so I'm considering taking my visiting father and brother here in the next week and was wondering if anyone has been recently and would care to share any must try or must not try.

[dinwiddie]

-->

QUOTE(Mrs. B @ Nov 30 2006, 12:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's been too long since I've made a visit so I'm considering taking my visiting father and brother here in the next week and was wondering if anyone has been recently and would care to share any must try or must not try.

My wife and I ate there before going to a concert at Lisner about a month ago. The food is still excellent, and the service was wonderful. Actually, I'd recommend you see what Brendan is featuring that day and see if it strikes your fancy.

[alan7147]

--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mrs. B @ Nov 30 2006, 12:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->

It's been too long since I've made a visit so I'm considering taking my visiting father and brother here in the next week and was wondering if anyone has been recently and would care to share any must try or must not try.

My wife and I ate there before going to a concert at Lisner about a month ago. The food is still excellent, and the service was wonderful. Actually, I'd recommend you see what Brendan is featuring that day and see if it strikes your fancy.

Anything strike you on the wine list?

[legant]

I had a dream about Brendan Cox last night. (No, no. Not that type of dream.) We were at CB, planning a special dinner for four. After asking me tons of questions about the guests, he offered a fish, pork and poultry suggestion. We were having trouble coming up with the fourth dish (which was for me) until he mentioned scrapple and biscuits w/ apple butter.

In the light of day, I’m not sure which I’m drooling over more: Cox or the scrapple & biscuits.

[Considering changing my sig to Drown my past regrets in scrapple and bis-cuits ]

[dinwiddie]

Anything strike you on the wine list?

Actually, I took a bottle of 2003 Loring Naylor Dry Hole Vineyard Pinot Noir with me so I didn't look.

[Pete]

FWIW, I enjoyed the Domaine Berthet-Rayne 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape when I went back in October. It is available in half and full bottles. The menu stated it was a 2004 but our half bottle was a 2003.

[DonRocks]

Brendan is getting quite a reputation as a poissonier, and it's well-deserved, but in next week's Lettres you won't be reading anything about fish.

This evening, however, I'd like to share a small moment in time, having very much to do with fish, and also about some limitations involving internet restaurant discussion.

My entrée arrived and was placed in front of me - I had asked for Brendan to send out whatever he thought was good tonight. I looked down and nodded my head in approval, thinking to myself, "Nice. Black Sea Bass." I place a high value on texture as well as taste, and noticed that this was a very watery, grainy bass, without the crisped skin that I've seen so many times in the past few weeks. The flavor was intense - there was no questioning the quality of the fish - and the plating itself was complex and elegant, but the first thing I noticed was the floppy skin, and that stuck with me throughout the course.

Brendan came out later, and we thanked him profusely for an outstanding meal. We chatted for a bit, and then I thought I'd lend a bit of constructive criticism in a friendly spirit: the skin on his Black Sea Bass could have been a bit more crispy.

"Oh, that wasn't Black Sea Bass; that was American Snapper."

I swallowed. He continued.

"Yeah, we tried to get that skin crisp by searing it, but then I decided it wasn't going to happen. I made an executive decision to maximize moistness and fleshiness, at the expense of a crispy skin, by shallow-poaching it in duck consommé and butter."

I sat listening in earnest to this explanation - this perfectly logical explanation told to me by a master chef - and I began asking myself what right I had to suggest improvements to Brendan on how to finish off a fish, if I hadn't even realized which species of fish it was I had just eaten.

Let this be a lesson to us all: Once again, for the umpteenth time, a false critic was taken to school by a fish who actually knew how to swim.

Cheers Brendan, and thank you for a wonderful dinner.

Rocks.

[Barbara]

Well, I for one am glad to hear this. We have tickets for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" next month and will be dining at Circle Bistro beforehand. Im always looking for some yummy fish.

[Audrey2025]

A small miracle...

My friend and I were sitting in the third tier at the very well-attended staged reading of "Twelfth Night" at the Kennedy Center on Saturday. As soon as we had given the actors their due, we RACED downstairs, sprinted all the way around the building, and leapt onto a red bus to get back to the Foggy Bottom Metro ahead of the rest of the crowd. Then we hoofed it up to Circle Bistro, hoping against hope that bar seats would be available...

Happily for us (and sadly for the rest of the DC crowd who STILL has not discovered CB), the bar was nearly empty, and the main room didn't seem overly crowded. We were attended to by a wonderful lady named Jane who was kind, funny, and made great recommendations.

Delicate yet substantial crispy fried oysters, those fabulous fries, and several inspired concoctions, a beautiful atmosphere, and friendly service. Our smiles only got bigger when the check came...very reasonable. I wish we had the appetite for a full dinner, but there's always next time.

Jane is a treasure!

[KeithA]

Last night, RW dinner at Circle Bistro was very good with a few complaints. Overall the food was an A-. Pretty much the whole menu on the their website and a few additions are available. Some items have upcharges ($2-5), but many do not.

First, the chef sent out an amuse of crostini with duck liver mousse and a bit of diced fruit. I don't usually eat liver and thought it wasn't that great. There were four of us and 3 had the special, goat cheese, beet, and pistachio salad. It was nice and different than other similar dishes I've enjoyed (like an excellent one at Ardeo). The cheese was lightly battered and fried and serves as 2-3 rounds on a bed of mache. The beets were unusual to me. Small quartered chunks that were paler in color, but sweeter in flavor than I'm used to. I thought the beets were so so like this, but my companions raved about them. The pistachios were crushed and more really of a light dusting that I didn't think added much flavor. The cheese, mache, and beets as a combo were a winner though. The fourth person had the simple organic lettuces salad which looked like a nice size, but wasn't anything special.

For entrees, I had the clear winner. The glazed duckling which was wondeful. I highly recommend this dish. It comes pre-sliced in an ample portion. The meat is rare and very moist with some crispy skin and just the right amount of fat attached. The plating is dramatic with duck jus and swirls and swaths of a creamy, yellow sauce of apples and sweet potato. Everyone else who tried it, said they wish they had ordered it too.

The other entrees were also good. The lemon trout was very buttery tasting accompanied with nicely seasoned green beans (or haricot vert if you want to be fancy). Two people ordered this dish. Everyone tried it and liked it. One complaint was that one of the pieces was not filleted well and contained lots of bones. The other minor complaint was that the dauphine potatos that looked pretty as puffs from pastry bag lacked flavor and could have used from salt or other seasoning.

The least favorite was the monkfish which while looked nice, the person who ate it (I didn't try it) said it was only so so and definitely lacked in compare to the other two dishes. He was still happy though, because I was a nice guy and gave him some duck slices.

Out of the 4-5 desserts listed on the menu only one is found on the any of the restaurant's website menus - Warm Wildflower Honey Madeleines - with Lavender honey (on the all-day dining menu for this hotel restaurant). We opted for 3 chocolate bourbon cakes with cinnamon hot chocolate shooters and 1 caramel apple bread pudding with caramel ice cream. This time the majority was the loser. The bread pudding was a home run. Chunks of cooked apples and soft bread topped with caramel and the great ice cream. Whereas the chocolate cake was probably the worst dish I had (still ok though). The cake itself is small, chocolate muffin-shape and tasted kind of like a dry muffin. The hot chocolate was nice, alittle heavily spiced for my taste and included what we took to calling a marshmallow "worm" - a long thin, curvy marshmallow. The three of us with the cake all thought it was kind of dry and lacked any hint of bourbon. It was better when we spilled some of the hot chocolate on it to moisten it.

The service was less stellar, I'd say a B. Now even though it was RW, the small place was half empty all night and most parties lingered. The biggest service snafus were twice bringing dishes (entrees, then desserts) to the table without silverware to each them. Both time we had to ask the servers - who then were pretty unobservant and gave the silverware out to whoever - not the person who needed. Second, there was a significant, but not huge lag in time between courses (and being served bread - which we had to ask for). The lag in time wouldn't be bad, except the server seemed completely unaware of it. The server asked if we wanted our check, when we hadn't been served dessert yet despite requiring us to order dessert when we placed our initial orders. Overall I think the servers were inexperienced and uncoordinated. We had two different people introduce themselves as our waiter and then one tried to give us the wine for the next table over. Hopefully, the front of the house can fix these problems as RW goes on, otherwise come this weekend when RW becomes a real rush, a lot of people will be annoyed.

[chickenlover]

I am a salmon snob. I lived in Oregon for 7 years and I don't normally eat salmon on the East Coast. However, on Sunday I had an amazing piece of Steelhead at CB. They source the fish from a Native American fishery on the Olympic Penninsula. (Many such fisheries have rights to year round fishing, whereas most other NW salmon fishing takes place in the summer.) The fish was poached in olive oil and was a perfect medium rare. Great flavor and texture. It was accompanied by roasted beets and some kind of shallot sauce. I thought the sauce was too sweet for the fish, but paired nicely with the salty beets. Amuse of Steelhead tartare was also quite nice. Bottom line, this was the best piece of salmon I've ever had in these parts, and I hope it stays on the menu so I can eat it again.

[Camille-Beau]

From the James Beard house newsletter:

Brendan Cox, of nearby Circle Bistro, is leaving to supervise the kitchens at Dish and Notti Bianche.

When does this happen?

[Heather]

And the moves continue! Aren't Dish and Notti 'owned' by hotels? I wonder if this will give Brendan more flexibility and if any significant changes are in store for either place. I, for one, will look forward to re-visiting both places.

BTW, how did this slip past both Kliman and Sietsema?

Aren't they are all owned by the same company?

[brr]

And the moves continue! Aren't Dish and Notti 'owned' by hotels? I wonder if this will give Brendan more flexibility and if any significant changes are in store for either place. I, for one, will look forward to re-visiting both places.

BTW, how did this slip past both Kliman and Sietsema?

It didn't

THE WEEKLY DISH TOM SIETSEMA

Wednesday, January 31, 2007; Page F02

CHEF SHUFFLES: Several popular Washington restaurants are about to lose their chefs, as John Wabeck of Firefly in Dupont Circle and Anthony Chittum of Dish and Notti Bianche, both in Foggy Bottom, announced their resignations from those hotel properties last week.......Notti Bianche, at the George Washington University Inn, will retain its Italian format and will be supervised by chef Brendan Cox of the nearby Circle Bistro, which, like Notti Bianche and Dish, is owned by Washington developer Conrad Cafritz. (Cox and Chittum previously worked together at Equinox downtown.)

[eating out]

Had dinner at Chef Brendan Cox's restaurant recently. On such a beautiful night there were thoughts of eating outside, but it ultimately came down to wanting a great meal while brown-bagging wine, and thus Circle Bistro was chosen. It did not dissapoint.

The menu was a thorough tribute to Spring's best offerings - asparagus, ramps, softshell crab, sugar snap peas, sweet peas, morels and dill. And all at reasonable pricepoints.

Our order: The Angus burger was a given, the Sweet Pea Shoot Gnocchi with Morel Mushrooms, Spring Vegetables and Parmesan Reggiano, and the Tempura of Soft Shell Crab with Pea Shoots, Pickled Spring Onions and Dill were musts, and the Polyface Farm Egg Papparadelle, Oregon Porcini Mushrooms and Wild Ramps seemed irresistable. But sadly, the Softshell crab was no longer available, and due to Chef Cox's prowess with the poisson, the Pan Roasted Alaskan Halibut with Spring Asparagus, Onion Soubise and Porcini Jus was selected.

I had ordered the Papparadelle, and when it was set down in front of me I immediately had dish envy - the Gnocchi dish was a big, beautiful, bounty of Spring in a light and shroomy buttery cream sauce that coated the dish but was flavor enhancing and not overpowering. Most times I've had gnocchi, the ratio of gnocchi to accompanyment is probably 70%-30%, gnocchi to whatever. This was 60%-40% Spring to gnocchi. The amount of morels, asparagus, ramps and sweet peas was staggering. I wish I'd had a camera. The gnocchi themselves were of the melt in your mouth varietal, and were a perfect accompaniement to the veggies - crunch with grainy silk on the palate.

Oh yeah, and the Papparadelle - this was well cooked pasta with a ramp infused butter sauce, with a few porcini mushrooms. The shrooms were firm and tasted grilled, with a subtle smokiness but full on flavor. A little too buttery for me and ultimately pale in comparison to the gnocchi masterpiece, this dish was good, but not my favorite.

Next, the giant hunk of meat that was the Angus burger, juxtaposed with the delicately placed, palm-sized portion of Halibut atop bright green spring asparagus. We deigned to finish the fish first, and leave the meat for last. The fish was perfectly cooked, flaked with the prong of the fork, while moist and full of flavor. Lightly browned on top, it had a buttery texture and taste. At first I was assembling my bites to include Halibut and asparagus, then lightly dredged through the Onion Soubise and Porcini Jus. This was good. But, once I incorporated the dill into my bite, it was transcendent. The dill brought the whole dish together - the few bits on top of the fish as plated now seemed a coronation. It was like the perfect wine-food pairing - the dill gave this dish an exclamation point and the flavor melded together perfectly. I wish I could explain the flavors better, but I'll just say - if you get the Halibut, and you should - take each bite with a sprig of dill.

And now for the burger - this giant hunk of meat was indeed as tasty as previous reports. However, what made it great for me, was the tomato on top- Chef Cox simply roasts the tomatoes that he puts on the burger. They were delicious and seriously complimented the meat. What was nicely surprising as well, is that at first glance there seemed to be a lot of mayo on the bun. But, after finishing off the burger, I remarked that I hadn't noticed any gloppiness of mayo at all - it was light, yet no miracle whip. Chef said it was Duke's - I'm going to have to try and pick some of that up.

I used to work across the street from Circle Bistro. In all my time downtown, I only went there once for lunch and thought it was alright. But, I was also unaware of the lurking genious operating in this colorful cave of a restaurant. Sometimes, ignorance isn't bliss. Thanks for a great meal, Chef. Looking forward to many more

[The Hersch]

Chef said it was Duke's - I'm going to have to try and pick some of that up.

Duke is some of the best commercially prepared mayonnaise on the market. While widely available in the Southeast US, it's not available elsewhere. It used to be pretty easy to find in the Washington area, but I guess now we're in the Northeast, culturally, sort of, and I don't know where you can get it. However, Trader Joe's private label mayonnaise is at least as good, and similar. One of the things that distinguish both products is a complete absence of sugar.

[Capital Icebox]

Duke is some of the best commercially prepared mayonnaise on the market. While widely available in the Southeast US, it's not available elsewhere. It used to be pretty easy to find in the Washington area, but I guess now we're in the Northeast, culturally, sort of, and I don't know where you can get it. However, Trader Joe's private label mayonnaise is at least as good, and similar. One of the things that distinguish both products is a complete absence of sugar.

Duke's is readily available at the Giant in Old Town.

And to stay on-topic, is the patio back open at Circle Bistro? A few weeks ago it was closed for renovations.

[brendanc]

Duke's is readily available at the Giant in Old Town.

And to stay on-topic, is the patio back open at Circle Bistro? A few weeks ago it was closed for renovations.

the renovation of the hotel exterior is slated for comp[letion in the middle of July. The patio will probably not reopen this season for service.