tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66248151694197541412024-02-08T07:54:27.413-05:00Extraordinary Food for the Ordinary Man (D.C.)For young "professionals" making the trek to the District of Columbia, navigating the DC restaurant scene can be daunting. I'm no expert, but I know what I like, I know what I don't like, and I am pretty sure you will feel the same way. From worst meals to best boozy brunches we'll be your guide to all-things-food that our nation's capital has to provide. Please send dining suggestions to districtfoodguide@gmail.comGoing out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-55384204860944844912012-03-18T13:37:00.002-04:002012-03-18T14:47:38.495-04:00Hawaii Trip - Spring 2012I know it has been a long time since I updated this bad boy so I figured I would take a couple minutes to write down some notes about my trip to Hawaii. Honolulu is not red-line metro accessible so it technically falls outside the jurisdiction of this blog. But I'm making the rules around these parts. <br /><br />One thing that is almost instantaneously noticeable about the food scene in Hawaii is the abundance of good cheap food. The locals here know how to eat and they know how to do it without dropping 30 bucks a meal. I've said it before, but this is a niche that DC is seriously lacking. I spent 7 nights in Waikiki and driving around to different parts of the island...I think we went to maybe 2 or 3 formal sit-down restaurants. The sushi at Japengo in the Hyatt Regency was some of the best I've had in a long time. Simple dishes like taro and ginger salads were excecuted perfectly while takes on Hawaiian favorites like fried ginger chicken were a nice surprise. The service was outstanding and the ambiance, complete with waterfalls, was pretty cool. Genius Lounge, a lounge/tapas bar that has a 99.9% Japanese clientele is a good jump-start to a chill night out. Don't expect to rage afterwards though because the meal takes forever and the vibe is pretty low-key. Below average service is saved by the early 90's hip hop on the sound system and the rooftop deck. The only other formal dinner we went to was at the beach club and that is always a 10/10. The tables are all on the water, the seafood is the bomb, and they have a cocktail called the Henry. Awesome. A fireworks show at the end of the meal doesn't hurt either. <br /><br />Fancy dinners are all fine and dandy, but my favorite part of dining in Hawaii are the local plate lunches. Almost any lunch spot serves every dish with 2 scoops sticky rice and mac salad. You can't really go wrong here. People who live in Hawaii take it for granted, but having access to "fast food" that tastes this good is fantastic. Most Hawaiian staples come from either Japan, the Phillipines, or island cultures. Out of this melting pot (god I hate that phrase) comes delicious saimin, manapua, chicken katsu, spam masubi, malasadas, and of course poi. The manapua here (called char siu bao on the mailand) is so delicious that I took a 45 minute solo bus-ride to chinatown to get some for lunch one day. It is essentially a baked potato roll stuffed with chopped bbq pork and glazed with sugar similar to that of a krispy kreme donut. I also had some cold jellyfish and a few dumplings while I was down there. Don't ever eat too much jellyfish at once though cuz you will be HURTIN later. Unfortunately they were all sold out of the fried pigeon because I actually wanted to try it (no shit). <br /><br />L&L Barbecue gets their own paragraph here. This is a local chain that has spread to a few cities in Cali and one location in New York. The most expensive thing on the menu is probably 12 bucks and each plate is enough for two people. My favorite thing here is the Loco Moco. Loco Moco is as follows: three scoops sticky rice, one scoop mac salad, two hamburger patties over the rice, two sunny eggs on the patties, and covered in gravy. This sounds kinda gross, but Im telling you this is the best hangover cure around. Eat loco moco, lay down for an hour lol, and you are good to go. The spam masubi was my go-to late night snack. The place is open til one so you can walk in, pay a dollar or two for some sticky rice wrapped in dry seaweed and spam and crush that on the walk home. Everybody hates on spam, but I happen to enjoy it. You should just take it for what it is. Don't serve it at your wedding. Its a snack. <br /><br />I made it a point while over there not to eat at any chain restaurants. There is an abundance of them and that really takes away from your vacation experience if you don't venture outside of your comfort zone. I would LOVE to see an increase in the number of mom and pop joints inside the DC limits. The food is cheaper, the quality is better, and you get to stick it to Chris Berman and those terrible Applebee's commercials. So if you have a few thousand bucks laying around and are looking for somewhere to go...I suggest Hawaii. <br /><br />Oh and don't forget to try the chili at Zippy's too. <br /><br />Everything - A+Going out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-713614233861109392011-09-13T16:16:00.002-04:002011-09-13T17:41:41.420-04:00Lost Society - 2001 14th St. NWIt takes a lot for me to go out to dinner and order a steak. DC is over-populated by steakhouses and the snobbery that goes along with it. If I wanted to wear a tie to dinner I would start crashing weddings or bring back those bolo things. This is part of the reason that I absolutely love Ray's The Steaks and one of the reasons I loved my recent trip to Lost Society over at 14th and U. <br /><br />The scene here is pretty classy while maintaining a laid-back comfortable feel. The second-floor dining room (the first floor is a Subway...easily the WORST "restaurant" in the nation) is almost entirely hardwood and exposed, an underground feel despite being upstairs. Another thing that I immediately liked about the place was the eclectic mix of people...old white dudes, hipsters, bro bruhs, and everything in between. Is there anything more boring than going out or eating at a place where everyone looks like you? Barf. Ok, now the food.<br /><br />The menu here is pretty straight forward, but they do have a few interesting takes on fish dishes and some different apps. We decided to try a couple different appetizers to start out with. She wanted the crispy pork belly and I wanted to try the bone marrow because I had never had it. Honestly, the pork belly was pretty hard to eat. I took a steak knife to that thing and was still strugglin' to get through the fried pork skin on the outside. However, the struggle was worth it. It was salty enough, but still had a little bit of sweetness to it along with being extremely tender. The serving size for this 10 dollar app was about the size of a filet. Pretty legit. The bone marrow was fantastic. This was easily the best bone marrow I had ever tasted lol. It is served with kosher salt, grilled slices of baguette, and two large pieces of bone that you spoon out onto the bread (http://www.parlafood.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/marrow.jpg). This was such a rich little snack and may have been my favorite dish there. Next time I may get super gluttonous and just spread this stuff all over my steak. Speaking of steak, this is what this place hangs their hat on. This is a steakhouse that doesn't scream at the top of its lungs that it's a steakhouse. For her entree she ordered the roasted grouper served with succotash, brown butter, smoked bacon, and chili aioli. I had a bite or two of this and I love grouper so it was pretty solid. The chili sauce had a little spice, but wasn't overwhelming. Spice on fish is always a plus in my opinion. I went with the extremely large 14oz bone-in new york strip. This was topped with maytag blue-cheese and served with a side of mushroom cognac sauce. Blue cheese on a steak can be risky. I've had it some places where it ruined the steak, but Lost Society prepared it perfectly and the cognac sauce was a great counter to the strength of the blue cheese. The steak went well with the glass of red that our waitress suggested based on the fact that I know zilch about vino. I couldn't believe it, but we actually ordered dessert after all of that along with a couple glasses of wine. Ruth almost fell out of her chair when I said I had never had nutella so we went with the Nutella Smore. This thing was straight up badass. I don't know how they torched the entire thing to get it melted & still served it chilled, but it was deeelicious. Haha, I still don't know which part of that thing was the nutella, but I'll get on board. <br /><br />Lost Society has a certain feel to it... like you are behind an an invisible velvet rope (to steal a certain company's lingo). You feel like you are in your favorite neighborhood bar and they happen to serve some fantastic dinner options. This is something DC needs more of; casual eateries with great food. Thanks a lot to Chatty Cathy Savage for turning me on to this place. <br /><br />Overall: A/A+<br />Highlights: Bone Marrow, Smores<br />Lowlights: Our waitress was super nervous and made it a tad uncomfortable for everyone lol.Going out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-29543100143158128752011-08-29T13:05:00.002-04:002011-08-29T14:05:53.371-04:00Graffiato - 707 6th St NWBig ol' Top Chef fan here. I've seen all the seasons, have favorite chefs, and favorite episodes. Spike has a few places in DC; a pizza place, a burger joint, but nothing with a comprehensive menu. I don't blame him for that since you can make boatloads of money slingin' burgers a pizzas, but when I heard Isabella was opening a restaurant in DC I was pretty excited. On top of that, a couple of friends are chefs there so that led to more excitement.
<br />
<br />A friend and I went to Graffiato last week, both for the first time, and I was not disappointed. Its a casual place with great food that won't cost you 60 bucks a person. The first floor of this place had a pretty big open kitchen, but we sat upstairs in the quieter section of the restaurant. The lunch menu is not too extensive which prevents asian-menu-syndrome where folks like myself panic over choosing 1 out of 179 possible options.
<br />
<br />The first thing that we ordered was the sweet corn agnolotti. This was a small plate (they all are here) with agnolotti pasta, chanterelles, and pine nuts. This dish was really rich, but the portion was such that it was not going to ruin the rest of our meal. I could have easily eaten an entire plate of this, but we had two other orders to polish off as well. Next we had the chicken thighs with pepperoni sauce and grape tomatoes. This sauce almost won Top Chef All-Stars for Mike Isabelle and is probably the most talked-about thing on the menu for people who have not dined here yet. I didn't wanna be the guy ordering the most popular thing on the menu, but I had to try it. The chicken was good, don't get me wrong, but it would probably rank at the bottom of the things we tried. It could use more of the pepperoni sauce (thats the highlight of the dish right??) and more tomatoes too. in my opinion, chicken is pretty boring so if you have something that makes it not boring...pile that shit on. The third thing e ordered was my favorite by far. The forager pizza has no tomato sauce and no mozzarella, but it is a GREAT pizza. Goat cheese, sauteed mushrooms, and dates make a phenomenal combination and this was the highlight of my experience there. We had two types of gelatto for dessert. I insisted we try the watermelon while I was told the peach would be much better. We tried both. The peach was MUCH better than the watermelon. I walked to Dolcezza the next day to see if their peach was as good...but it wasn't.
<br />
<br />Graffiato is cheap enough that you can go on a whim and not have to plan a week around it. At the same time, the food is exciting enough that it could make your week.
<br />
<br />Overall: A-
<br />
<br />Highlights: Forager and Peach gelatto
<br />Lowlights: Gimme more pep sauce pimps!
<br />
<br />Sidenote: Great waitstaff
<br />Going out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-83459924056411131452011-07-27T18:13:00.002-04:002011-07-27T18:52:35.484-04:00Ardeo/Bardeo - 3311 Connecticut Ave. NWSometimes last minute plans end up being the most fun. My buddy Lawrence and I decided to go to Ardeo, spur of the moment, to try out their new menu and visit a good friend/former co-worker. Cleveland Park has a different sort of neighborhood vibe when compared to the rest of D.C. I'll say it lacks a certain smugness and that is a welcome change of pace. Ardeo/Bardeo is in the middle of that neighborhood and the restaurant follows that same type of vibe. No loud house playing while you eat here (I'm looking @ you Zengo). Bardeo seems to have its regulars...like the 3 martini after work guy. Ardeo is going to be where you want to take your date for a nice, sit-down meal. <br /><br />After we were seated, Lawrence and I each got a beer off the limited list. However, I love Kona beer so that worked out fine. The appetizers we chose were: 1) Steak w/ horseradish creme fraiche, fingerling potatoes 2) Suckling pork belly, pineapple, ham and 3) Crispy onion straws with what I'm going to call super sauce because I think if I put that on a burger I could become a millionaire. The onion straws are kind of hard to dip in the sauce, but just stick your whole damn hand in there because its worth it. The other two apps were also very delicious, but I liked the horseradish creme fraiche on the steak the best. For my entree I chose the Seven hour braised leg of suckling pig. You read that right; and yes it was awesome. Being from Atlanta had me appreciating this dish on all sorts of levels. Babe came with cheddar grits, blackeyed peas, redeye gravy, & peanuts. When I go back to restaurants I almost always get something new, but when I come back to Ardeo I'm getting this...no way around it. The other two entrees were 1) Smoked duck breast (w/ hush puppies, napa cabbage slaw, barbeque sauce) and 2) Pork cacciatore, black pepper fettuccini, house pancetta. Both of these dishes got rave reviews along with plates being completely cleaned. We all briefly entertained the idea of dessert, but we were on beers 3 or 4 of what would be around 9 so ya know what goes better with beer than ice cream? Fuc*in' bacon pizza, that's what. This was just as good as any entree we ordered and was crushed in a matter of like 4 minutes. This pizza was just as good, if not better, than any I have had at Two Amy's or Matchbox. The bacon pizza comes with House bacon, aged cheddar, grilled corn, basil. The grilled corn is what makes this one stand out and I really enjoyed it as a topping. All of this and a few beers each totaled like 45 bucks each, before tip, which is not bad at all. <br /><br /><br />This is a neighborhood place that's worth coming to from another neighborhood. <br /><br />Overall: A<br /><br />Highlights: Cheddar grits and the bacon pizza<br />Lowlights: The service left a little to be desired, but was still friendly and timely.Going out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-46284433309031892112011-06-04T12:04:00.002-04:002011-06-04T12:52:10.779-04:00TAP - 1180 Peachtree St (Atlanta)I still need to write a review or 6 on some of the restaurants I visited while in San Fransisco, but that is going to be somewhat of a project. So, first up on the out of town review list is where we ate for my birthday while I was in Atlanta. TAP is in midtown Atlanta and has all the makings of a turn n' burn establishment so I really was not expecting anything more than good company and some decent beer. I left pleasantly surprised. <br /><br />The hostess immediately started busting my balls when we came inside since I never returned her phone call confirming the reservation. She wasn't serious so no harm no foul, but this was kind of a precursor to the service for the rest of the meal. Most of us were just focused on pre-gaming a little bit so we decided to just get some appetizers to start off with. For our shares we chose the buffalo calamari (tossed with bleu cheese and celery), fried pickles served with jalapeno cream sauce, and braised octopus (served chilled tossed in a basil vinaigrette). Two of those sounds like pretty standard issue bar grub, but all three were outstanding. The calamari wasnt drenched in hot sauce and bleu cheese, but was just lightly dusted with both and had cheese crumbles in there as well, which was nice. The fried pickles were sweet pickles which is a change of pace from the usual sour kind that are fried. The jalapeno sauce that came with the pickles was not overpowering, but instead served as a good counter to the sweetness of the pickle. My favorite was the octopus. Not everyone tried this, but the people that did liked it. I think most of the time when people do not want to try a "weird" food like this it is mostly based on texture than the actual taste. The texture was straight up gummy bear, but the taste was fantastic and very refreshing. The octopus was a great lead in to what I ordered next. After our apps most of the table was pretty full so people shared burgers, salads, etc. All of these got pretty good reviews. I just ended up getting another appetizer and chose the Tuna Tataki (sesame seared tuna, avocado dressing, sun dried tomatoes, mixed greens, and orange oil). This was another surprising dish. Sun dried tomatoes with my tuna? Seriously? How is this going to work? Well, it did work and it went great with the avocado dressing. Another good summer dish that was very refreshing and probably not something that would not be difficult to do at home. There wasn't too much pepper on the tuna either. So many time I have come across this seared tuna dish with TONS of pepper on it. I love pepper too, but people can go crazy. I could have had a little bigger portion, but it was an appetizer so I didn't expect it. <br /><br />TAP is a pretty solid spot. I think if I went back it would be for a happy hr or something so I could just try more of their appetizers (seemed like that was the strong part of the menu). Glorified bar food is how I would categorize it if I had to. There wasn't too much negative going on while we were there, but if I had to choose something I would say that they need to fix the bathroom situation (climb three stories to take a leak? not cool). That and our waitress was a joke and could not have cared less. All in all a pretty chill place though. Great beer list, great food, and plenty of room to crush both. Tom top it off, Lorin picked up my tab. Thanks!<br /><br />Overall - B+<br />Highlights - Octopus, beer list, and the space<br />Lowlights - ServiceGoing out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-9719671263642959462011-05-10T18:05:00.002-04:002011-05-10T18:57:30.488-04:00Granville Moores - 1238 H Street NEMan, I haven't frequented the NE part of town for some time. They used to be my old stomping grounds when I lived near Eastern Market, but its been a while. Anyways, over the past year or so they have done some major restructuring...along with that has come a slew of new restaurants. Since this was my first time in NE in a long time I decided to try out a DC classic that I had yet to experience. <br /><br />Granville Moores is consistently ranked as one of the best places to get mussels in the city. I enjoy mussels, they aren't my favorite, but I enjoy them and I was excited to try the place out. The neighborhood is shady. I know, I know "oh its unique", "no no its culturally diverse", ummm no, its freaking shady. My friend was wearing a semi-short dress, the sun was down, and the creepers were creepin'. The entrance of the restaurant matches the neighborhood, old and unassuming. Once you are inside the place though, its a pretty cool set up. It feels like a neighborhood bar, which it is, and you are treated like you live in the neighborhood, which I do not, but she does. <br /><br />The beer list is very impressive. I wasn't drinking, but she had a couple different belgian beers that both looked good haha. For an appetizer we had the tuna tartar that came with hoemade chips (odd), preserved lemons, and topped with a caper vinaigrette that was delicious. The serving size was a little small for two people, but this really was a great dish. For our entrees: she had the classic white wine, garlic, butter mussels and I had the "Diablo Del Mar" (littleneck clams, baby shrimp, pappardelle, spicy fennel-saffron broth). I've had different variations on the classic white wine mussels at a few different places around the city and I still think the classic is the way to go. Mine was spicy and pretty good, but the shrimp seamed out of place and there were some tomatoes in there that were not very good. Again, the white wine mussels were spot on. The best part of all this is that you get to use the bread to sop up all of the leftover broth. We also split a large order of frites that were nice n' crunchy and came with a side of truffle mayonnaise. I feel like there is a Tommy Boy "I can actually hear you getting fatter" joke in there somewhere. The frites were perfect and so was the dipping sauce. <br /><br />I always end up leaving these restaurants and saying that I want to go back and I need to try so and so. I very rarely end up doing so, but I really think I will go back to Granville Moore's to try out the chicken and waffles and get some more of that tuna. Plus, the price for dinner for two, including tip, was well under a 100 bucks. Steal.<br /><br />Overall: B+<br />Highlight: Tuna Tartar<br />Lowlight: Service was a little slow. Other than that, nothing.Going out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-44406497371181407462011-03-28T13:39:00.002-04:002011-03-28T13:57:01.799-04:00Oya - 777 9th Street NWSunday funday. For most this conjours up images of a little day drinking, maybe a mimosa, and perhaps some eggs benedict. Working on most Sundays keeps me from doing most of this stuff. Rather than going to eat brunch, a friend of mine and I went to Oya for dinner to kick off Sunday Funight. I had not been to Oya in some time so I was pretty excited to see if they had anything new on the menu. <br /><br />Walking into Oya can be kind of intimidating on a Friday or Saturday because it is always POPPIN, the entire restaurant is white and gold, and there are mirrors everywhere...am I in Miami circa 1983? Anyways, we went on a Sunday night, before rendezvousing with other work folk, and the environment was pretty chill. <br /><br />The first decision that needed to be made was whether or not we were going to go strictly sushi or try some of the entrees as well. We both wanted to try and stick to sushi. She ordered the: 1) Fruit Roll Up - avocado | crab |strawberries | kiwi | yuzu mango, 2) Mucho Bonito - spicy tuna | tempura flakes | avocado | sweet aioli | bonito flakes | ponzu. I ordered the: 1) Rock n' Roll - grilled eel | avocado | cucumber , 2)Spicy Crunchy Salmon - salmon | tempura flakes, and 3) and the Godzilla roll - I don't even remember what all was on this one except for alligator. All of the rolls were solid, but there was definitely an obvious favorite and that was the rock n roll, roll haha. The sauce that came with all of the rolls was good as well. It was about the consistency of fish sauce, but not nearly as sweet. The drinks at Oya are a step about the average cocktail. The same can be said for their sister restaurant, Sei, as well. I had the dark and stormier and she had a cilantro daiquiri. I couldn't drink more than one of either or these, but they went great with what we were eating.<br /><br />The service at Oya leaves something to be desired, but the ambiance and fair prices more than make up for it. If you wanna party hit it up on the weekends, but if you are looking for an exciting place to go during the week or to round out the weekend...don't count this place out.<br /><br />Overall: B+<br />Highlight: cocktails and the rock n roll, roll<br />Lowlight: the serviceGoing out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-74212619996356155572011-02-15T13:20:00.002-05:002011-02-15T13:56:17.981-05:00Central - 1001 Pennsylvania Ave. NWLooking back on my meal on Central I find it hard to believe that it took me almost three years to eat here. I know plenty of people who have dined there and loved it, but I never pulled the trigger. Well, I did a few weeks ago and it was worth it. The first thing that grabbed my attention while perusing the menu online was the fact that you could eat cheap here if you wanted to. I love the idea of going to a restaurant and being able to dine cheap or go big. This also makes it a lot easier to eat with a group. <br /><br />Central is one of famed chef Michel Richard's D.C. establishments. When you walk into the penn quarter restaurant it gives off the vibe of a happy hour spot that turns into fine dining after 7. Danielle and I got the inside scoop on what the best items on the menu were from a friend who used to be a chef there. Some of the mentioned items were: Pork Belly Confit, Frisee Salad with poached egg, Filet Tartare, Loup de Mar, and the Lobster burger. We started with a couple beers and the Asian style Tuna Carpaccio. This was DELICIOUS! The tuna was sushi grade and cut very thin with minced ginger and some spice on top. The bread it came with was a little tough for the tuna, but it didn't change the dish too much. For entrees...She had the Frisee Salad with poached egg and I had the Loup de Mar (Sea Bass). This was the entire fish from head to tail and was minimally seasoned which I enjoyed. The lime vinegrette that came with the side salad was also good. The fish was HUGE and covered with grilled mushrooms which is one of my favorite toppings (on anything). I had never heard of poached egg on a salad before, but I had a bite or two and it was interesting...but not stellar. I was really full after this, but Central is pretty much known for their desserts so we ordered a couple. We decided on the Michel Candy Bar and the Bread Pudding. The candy bar was his take on a kit kat and was pretty cool. I wish it was a reeses or something though because Kit Kats aren't all that. The bread pudding was sooo rich. Personally, I like the bread pudding at Old Ebbit better. However, we got both of the desserts for free since we knew someone who worked there so no love lost there. <br /><br />After being there once I definitely see what all the hype is about. Central is somewhere where people on a budget can eat like they aren't on one. I need to get back for happy hour to try some of those cocktails too. Shout out to Ayesha, our waitress, for the stellar service too.<br /><br />Overall - A-<br /><br />Highlights - Asian Tuna Carpaccio<br />Lowlights - We were stuffed in a corner booth since the restaurant was filled with actual ballers lolGoing out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-80961227857520663602011-02-09T17:51:00.002-05:002011-02-09T18:22:29.703-05:00Sushi Sushi - 3714 Macomb Street NWI am writing this review in memoriam. I've been to/ordered from Sushi Sushi at least 30 times. Danielle introduced me to this hole in the wall almost two years ago and I think it was some of the best sushi in the district. Well, Sushi Sushi is no more (as of about a month ago) and I wish I had gone there one last time and broke the bank. <br /><br />Sushi Sushi probably got a lot of its business from overflow of 2 Amy's and Cactus Cantina. The space was pretty small and had a huge mural of the ocean on the interior. The service was always great and they delivered for free. Since I've been there so many times I thought I would just highlight a few of my menu favorites. <br /><br />The seaweed salad here was a great starter. It was chilled and just enough food for an appetizer. There were 3-4 types of seaweed in the dish. This was a perfect dish to make you feel a little better about what you did the entire weekend. SS also had a great miso soup for like 2 bucks. Thats 2 bucks cheaper than most other places. <br /><br />The best part of the restaurant was the "special" sushi rolls. All of the rolls were made with high quality fish, but each was done in a different way. What made sushi sushi great was the fact that these rolls were 5-8 bucks as opposed to 15-18 bucks at high-end sushi spots. The Macomb roll was far and away the best (california roll inside topped with red snapper and spicy mayo, served grilled). Since sushi sushi has been gone I have been ordering spicy mayo with my other sushi orders, but it just aint the same. My second favorite roll was the Ocean roll (battered yellow tail, salmon and red snapper inside topped by crabmeat and chef's special sweet sauce). Both of these rolls are huge! Easily twice the size of normal sushi rolls. The most unique thing that they offered was called "the smokey boat" (half avocado filled with crab stick topped with shrimp and home made spicy mayo and baked. served with a touch of chef's sweet sauce). This was kind of pricey compared to the rest of the menu, but it was well worth it the few times I ordered it. <br /><br />Highlights - Macomb roll and free delivery<br />Lowlights - Its F'IN closed!<br /><br />Rating - Solid A babayGoing out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-83239758429232343892011-01-20T12:56:00.004-05:002011-02-21T10:20:59.290-05:00Zengo - 781 7th Street NWBeing a first-time living social user is what drove me to Zengo. Normally I would not go to a place that can seat 500 comfortably, for dinner. I'm glad I did though because it was a nice surprise and a great meal. Zengo is japanese for "give and take" and is an uber-trendy happy hour spot in Chinatown. The menu is split between latin and asian influences which sounds nasty, but ends up working. We walked in and there was house music playing as the happy hour crowd was in full swing. After about a 5 minute wait we were seated upstairs. The seating upstairs is a lot quieter, but very very close together. <br /><br />Our waitress came over and took our drink order while explaining that the food came out as it was ready rather than all at once; this encourages sharing. I had a caipirinha and Danielle had the Yuzu Fresa which is vodka with fresh strawberries and lemon. Both drinks were great, but the Fresa was better. The 5 tapas that we ordered were: The tuna tacos (sushi rice / mango salsa / guacamole), the duck tacos (curried apple / orange-coriander sauce), the veggie sushi roll (grilled asparagus / red pepper / avocado / mushroom / lemon-sake aioli), the kobe beef roll (self explanatory), and the thai chicken empanchile poblano / oaxaca cheese / mango-curry salsa adas). <br /><br />The tuna tacos came out first and I think they were my favorite of the 5 things ordered. Sushi rice in a taco is such a good idea! It held all of the ingredients together when you took a bite and made the taco crunchy and chewy. The guacamole was yummy, the tuna was seared and spicy, and mango salsa is just fun to say. "A" for that dish. Everything else came out second. The duck tacos were also pretty good, but were a little sloppy for my liking. The apples in the duck tacos were a nice touch though. Between the sushi I think I liked the veggie roll best because it had a little more variety and the kobe roll was a tad chewy. The empanadas were also great, but I still think some of the best empanadas I've had were at the bar at Clyde's (is that wrong?). <br /><br />The scene here is what draws a crowd, but the food is worth sticking around for. I really like the idea of everything coming out at different times because it makes you feel like you get a lot of bang for your buck (and Zengo can get pricey). Props to LivingSocial for getting me to try a place that I normally would have walked right past. <br /><br />Lowlights: proximity to next table, dessert sucked<br />Highlights: Yuzu Fresa and the tuna tacos<br /><br />Overall grade: A-Going out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-59949325795195922232011-01-20T11:33:00.003-05:002011-01-20T13:41:22.626-05:00Siroc - 915 15th St, NWEating in downtown D.C....do you want Cosi or BLT Steak? Do you want to spend 8 bucks or 200 on dinner? That is basically what it boils "down" to. Danielle's "new"(ish) apartment is in downtown DC and we often find ourself looking for somewhere easy, relatively cheap, and most importantly, good, to eat for dinner. <br /><br />Siroc is owned by a couple of brothers that put out "lighter" Italian food. You might assume that this means less flavor, but just because they aren't piling on butter and creme does not mean it doesn't taste good. The inside of the restaurant has about 20 tables and is a very romantic setting. The noise level is minimal. <br /><br />As far as our dishes. For our appetizer we had a composed tower of avocado, mango and roasted shrimp with basil oil and crispy parma prosciutto. This came out looking beautiful, but ended up being one of those menu items that you poke once and the whole thing falls apart like jenga. However, it did taste pretty good. It could have used a little more salt to go with all of the sweet, but it was alright. In the battle of the entrees, Danielle's ended up being much better than mine. She had the house-made black pepper tagliatelle with garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes and seared scallops. This pasta was very very rich in flavor, but was not a belly-bomb that sent you directly into a coma. The scallops were done perfectly and were not too small. The red pepper flakes gave it a little bit of spice, but they did not dominate the dish. I was only shared one bite of the pasta if that gives you an idea of how good it was. The bite I had was excellent and you could really tell that everything was fresh and home-made. My entree order was the pan seared Muscovy duck breast served with a turnip and taleggio cheese torte, roasted pear and a star anise sauce. Unfortunately my duck was not as good. I ordered it medium and it came out pretty rare. The highlight of the dish was the roasted pear. I could have eaten a bowl of the pears without the duck. Normally I really love duck and this was one of the first times I wished I had not ordered it. The pears and the cheese torte far outshined the duck. Next time I eat at Siroc, and there will be a next time, I will stick with the pastas. For dessert...we had gelato. The three that came out were mango, passion fruit, and rasberry. Each of these were so creamy and tart that it was a nice ending to a very savory meal. <br /><br />Siroc offers great italian food for around 20 bucks an entree. The setting is romantic and the service is average. They arent gonna knock you out with the best meal of your life, but its good for what it is. <br /><br />Overall Rating: B+<br /><br />Lowlight - undercooked duck <br />Highlight - a GREAT martini and perfectly cooked scallopsGoing out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-80279966529926433162010-12-09T16:01:00.002-05:002010-12-09T16:55:55.765-05:00Ray's: The Steaks - 2300 N Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VAI've been to Ray's The Steaks before, but this was the first time I had been to the new location and also the first time I was willing to spend a good deal of money on my dinner there. Richard decided we should continue our tradition of going out to dinner for each others birthdays. December 4th is Anderson O'Callaghan Jones' birthday and since he loves eating dead animals and drinking wine from the Andes, we decided on Rays. <br /><br />One thing I noticed right off the bat was that the host/hostess sizes everyone up upon arrival and determines whether they will be eating in the "bistro" section or the "fine dining" section. Both have the same menu, but the service, I'm sure, is different. Also, the new place doesn't quite have the same cache as the old. The downgrades end there. The new spot takes reservations and you don't seem to be rushed out like you were at the original location. <br /><br />We went on a Thursday and the place was packed. Our reservation was for 8 and they had our table ready upon arrival. Ray's cows are grass fed and actually chill in the back of the restaurant's freezer until they butcher them. The special that night was "dry-aged" steaks with the bone in. Multiple people went this route and it received rave reviews. The size of these steaks was hilarious. Fred Flinstone would have been proud at the looks our table got as the runners brought out the Brontosaurus Ribeyes. Richard had the black and bleu steak which he said was kind of disappointing, but I thought it was superb. Andy got the 'ol T-Bone a la George Costanza. I had a cup of crab bisque and a 9oz filet topped with mushrooms and 4oz of foie gras. The bisque here is legendary and almost every food critic has written about it. Try it. Thats all i can say. <br /><br />I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I think that my steak was the best. The tenderness of the duck liver went great with the way they cooked the filet and the mushrooms were a great compliment as well. Each bite was very rich. Our waitress suggested a few wines that would go well with all of our meals (Olsani made the final decisions) and we put back 4 bottles over the course of the meal. <br /><br />The presentation at Ray's is less than stellar, but to complain about that is missing the point of the restaurant. Ray's truly is Extraordinary food for the ordinary man. Stellar steaks for Longhorn Prices. Unlike EVERY steak place in DC, Ray's does not make you pay for your sides! All of the mashed potatoes and creamed spinach you can eat. If you have ever eaten at a BLT or The Prime Rib then you know this can save you about 20 bucks. <br /><br />The new Ray's location may not have the same "secret" feeling that the old one did, but the food is just as good and the service is incredible. With prices ranging 19 bucks to 45 bucks for a great steak you can go here once a week if you want to...and maybe I will. Even my dog enjoyed the place when he got to eat the bones from the leftovers. <br /><br />Rating: A<br /><br />Highlights: Crab Bisque with huge chunks of meat, Steak Rossini, and prices<br />Lowlights: The welcome staff and the fact that they don't have liquor.Going out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-70666601263829283682010-10-22T11:40:00.003-04:002010-10-22T12:04:31.404-04:00Estadio 1520 14th Street NW DCI tried the relatively new Spanish Tapas restaurant, Estadio, last night. It's the "sister restaurant" of Proof. I had to make the reservation for 6:00 pm because it was booked solid after that time, and for weeks that was the latest available time. When we got there I thought maybe we didn't need a reservation, but within about 20 minutes of being there the restaurant was packed.<br /><p>They charged for bread, which is always kind of annoying. But instead we got the grilled bread with tomato, olive oil, salt, and Serrano ham, which was really good. We also got a spinach salad with grilled peaches and pears, hazelnuts, and fresh Parmesan cheese. I love fruit in salad so I was sold. </p><p>The next to come was the grilled octopus, which was amazing. Then the grilled scallions with romesco and goat cheese. They were definitely the low point. Not terrible, but just not something I would order again. Then the last dish was the spiced grilled chicken with cabbage slaw, rice, and salsa loca. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the mint sauce was stick your finger in and lick it good.</p><p>Because it was tapas, and tapas aren't usually that filling for me, we got a dessert too-pumpkin panna cotta with pumpkin bread. It was tiny! But sooooo good. Probably my favorite dish but I also have a ridiculous sweet tooth.</p><p>All in all a great experience. If you are sick of some of the other Spanish Tapas restaurants in DC (ahmm Jaleo... get it together) I would try Estadio. And don't be put off by the early bird special if you can't get in after 6- it's worth it.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-20493354810210639252010-09-02T16:03:00.003-04:002010-09-02T16:13:52.397-04:00Masa 14 at 1825 14th St NW DCI recently went to Masa 14 with a friend. It was a Thursday. We were in the mood for something new and different, but nothing outlandishly expensive. So we ventured to the U Street area, and finally decided to try Masa 14.<br /><br />Massa 14 does small plates. It's kind of hard to describe the type of food they serve there, since they have everything from sushi, to pizza, to fried rice, but everything they served us was excellent. We had spicy tuna rolls and mushroom flatbread pizza with avacado and red peppers. We also split the crispy crab won ton rolls and the pork and shrimp fried rice. Someone at an all you can eat buffet once said "honey, everything is better fried," and it was especially true here.<br /><br />Service was great, food came out quickly, and since we shared almost everything it was very affordable. I would definitely suggest giving it a try.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-31349313783350981802010-09-02T00:21:00.003-04:002010-09-02T01:02:14.888-04:00Oyamel - 401 7th Street NWRestaurant week is a time in D.C. that is loved by patrons and despised by those who work in the restaurant business. During the most recent restaurant week I sampled Harry's Tap Room, Zentan, and Oyamel. The review for Zentan will come later. Oyamel is another one of Jose Andres' million restaurants in D.C. (most of which offer tapas). As previously mentioned here, I'm pretty skeptical about most tapas places, but Zaytinya is incredible so Oyamel couldn't be too far behind. <br /><br />The Thursday we went was actually during the extended restaurant week and I was surprised to see that the place was still packed. Packed at the tables, packed at the bar, packed. Despite the crowd we were still seated within 10 minutes of arriving. We used those 10 minutes to order some over the top cocktails at an over the top price (12 bucks). The cocktails are good here, but not 701 good. 4 of us sat down and we all decided on the restaurant week menu to make things easier. The menu included your choice of four plates and a dessert. To start, we each ordered the ceviche (fresh wahoo, lime juice, and avacado). The lime juice was very strong but the avacado did a great job of balancing it out. Also, the wahoo is a delicate fish so it went very weel with the soft avacado. Ceviche is one of my favorite summer plates and this was one of the better ones I have tried. The next dish I had was a miss in my opinion. Dish 2 was the baby cactus salad with citrus dressing and baby tomatoes. The citrus was wayyyy too much. I'm not sure if this was because I had just had a bunch of ceviche, but regardless it was too much. More tomatoes please. Next, two of us had the braised short rib and the other two had the scallops. Danielle LOVES scallops so if they are on the menu...its a wrap. I have to admit though, the scallops were much better than my short rib. Scallops (seared scallops with pumpkin seed sauce, pumpkin seed oil and toasted pumpkin seeds) vs. Short Rib ( Braised short ribs, with a mole verde sauce of pumpkin seeds, green tomatillo, lettuce, chilis and cilantro). The scallops won as the short rib was pretty bland and the mole was sub par. Our fourth dish was your choice of taco. Richard and I added on the grilled grasshopper taco because when I see grasshopper on the menu...its a wrap. This was the best thing I had. I promise im not bullshitting either. It was crunchy, spicy, and warm. All very good things. I would say it was better than the other taco I had which was baby pig confit (also solid). The desserts came to a choice between two. Everyone had the leche cake so I went with the fruit soup and sorbet. Honestly, a mistake. Mine was good, but it was made apparent to me by everyone at the table that it looked like a dole fruit cup. I like dole fruit cups, but whatever. The rum cake was very very good and it had rum ice cream along with it. <br /><br />We all left very full and content. The scene in the restaurant is very fun and I wouldn't mind going there just to hang out and drink. Because it is tapas style you can either go big or go cheap depending on how hungry you are. Oyamel is a great night out when you don't want to "go out" and could also be used as a pregame.<br /><br />I give it a high B.<br /><br />Highlight: creative cocktails and the ceviche<br /><br />Lowlight: pricey cocktails and the cactus saladGoing out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-19871662095263927402010-08-23T16:43:00.003-04:002010-08-23T17:21:07.290-04:00Casa Blanca - 1014 Vermont Ave NWI believe this is the first "Mexican" place I have reviewed on here and am happy to say that this place was a great experience. My girlfriend recently moved into downtown DC and unfortunately, there is an EXTREMELY limited number of everyday restaurants in the McPherson Square area. Now, there are your Bobby Van's, your Georgia Brown's, Potenza, J&G etc etc, but only ass holes can afford to eat there everyday right? One of the other downfalls about the area are the hours that these restaurants keep: the nice ones are the only ones open for dinner for the most part. But anywho, this was lunchtime, we were low on cash, and we wanted to eat somewhere besides Cosi (dont get me started). <br /><br />Wandering up Vermont Ave we came across a "Great Wraps". Hmm Great Wraps, we had one of those at school and it was solid...lets go there. Wait, what is this place next door. Oh yes, the terrifically sketchy Casa Blanca. This place is labeled as both a Mexican and a Peruvian restaurant, but we stuck with the Mexican. We also stuck with pretty simple stuff considering we were in a rush and low on money. The inside of the restaurant is long and narrow with Latin "stories" on the TV. All of the staff speaks little english which is reassuring for some reason. Also, you don't get free chips and salsa which kinda says that they don't need to fill you up with free stuff to mask the taste of their menu items. <br /><br />Now for what we had: Danielle has the chicken quesadilla and I had the chimichangas. Exciting right? Adventurous right? Well, I've tried to go simple at restaurants such as Cactus Cantina, Los Cuates, and that shit show in Dupont with my order coming out lack luster. The quesadille was delicious and pretty big for an app. Both came with salsa verde, fresh jalepenos, guacamole salad, rice, and beans. The chimichangas were very very good. Normally the chimichanga will come out as a deep fried burrito, but this is better describes as two fried croissants filled with beef and topped with light cheese sauce. Sounds good huh? It was. The crust on the outside was golden brown, but it was still flaky and kind on dissolved in your mouth with every bite. The salsa verde was very spicy, but it went great with the dish. I think the total cost was 18 bucks after tax.<br /><br />After thinking about this place and writing the review I think I will take the " marks off of the Mexican description. Casa Blanca has a very authentic feel, a very extensive menu, and tastes different from other Mexican restaurants in the District. I tried to go back yesterday, but they were closed since it was Sunday. Downtown DC strikes again. High B<br /><br />Highlight: Chimichanga!, happy hour deals.<br /><br />Lowlight: Cash onlyGoing out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-58572256309133739762010-07-01T15:51:00.004-04:002010-07-01T16:56:34.354-04:00Palena - 3529 Connecticut Ave. NWA few weeks ago I started looking for somewhere my girlfriend and I could go for a nice quiet dinner. Palena does not do a lot of PR, their head chef does not write cookbooks or do interviews, and their location is not really anything spectacular. But this restaurant is definitely top 5 in DC in my opinion. The food, atmosphere, and service were all phenomenal.<br /><br />The Palena "building" is next to a small shopping center right on Connecticut and use to be a Kenny Rogers Roasters drive-thru. The setting is real personal and feels very comfortable even though I had never been there. Before we even had a chance to look at the extensive cocktail menu our waiter walked over and gave us some complimentary glasses of champagne. Now that is the way I like to start a meal. However, we still decided to get a couple drinks in addition to that and browse over the tasting menus. <br /><br />We snacked on the free bread and home made butter and we decided to go with the 3 course meal plus dessert. I had the 1) Sweet Pea and Pistachio Gazpacho (garnished with fennel salami, hard cooked egg, pickled chanterelle mushrooms), 2) Poupeton Provençal (Fish cakes roasted with Bouchot mussels, saffron and lime shellfish bisque sauce), 3) Veal loin and shortrib with wild blueberries and pearl onions, and 4) Blueberry Tart. Danielle had the 1) Raviolli and consommé with beef broth, 2) Stuffed calamaretti, 3) Nova Scotia Halibut (with Roasted heirloom beets, wilted arrowhead cabbage,horseradish froth) and 4) a coconut encrusted ricotta cheesecake.<br /><br />What was great about both of our dinners was that all of the ingredients for each dish seemed to be seen right in front of you. What I mean is that everything tasted fresh and relied on the natural flavors from each food as opposed to heavy seasoning or marinating. The gazpacho, which I normally do not care for, was sweet and went great with the salt of the meat and mushrooms. The second course was my favorite. The lime that the fish cakes sat on top of made the dish and went really real with my Mendes cocktail The Mendes (Cabana Cachaça, muddled lime, Cointreau, fresh orange juice). To go with my veal the sommelier brought over a real light red wine. The shortrib was tender enough to cut with a fork and had not even a hint of dryness. The blueberry tart was good, but the desserts are probably the weak link (if there is one) at Palena. <br /><br />All in all this meal was fantastic. I give Palena a high A with a great wine list, good service, and soo many different dishes to choose from and enjoy. Other than Komi, I can't think of another DC restaurant where I left more pleased.<br /><br />Highlight: Service, romantic setting, and the fish cakes<br />Lowlight: It ended, lolGoing out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-38324495421301241022010-06-30T15:24:00.003-04:002010-07-01T16:57:22.259-04:00Don Arturo - 2716 Washington Blvd Arlington, VAIf you have heard of or been to this place before I applaud you. On second thought, there is no way you have ever heard of or been to this place so allow me to enlighten you. A friend of mine and I decided that this would be the venue for one of our weekly "power lunches". Thank god I had the day off because I left so satisfied and stuffed that the rest of my day was a scratch.<br /><br />When Schoener told me there was a great Bolivian place near his office I thought to myself "great compared to what? the maybe one other Bolivian place in the area??". He assured me that it would be worth the trip and that it wouldn't k.o. my wallet either. I got to the restaurant before him and it was pretty much the Latino interpretation of that scene in animal house when the white frat guys walk into the black club and the music stops. Nobody in the joint spoke a lick of English which assured me that this was gonna be really good. <br /><br />The menu here ranges from 6 bucks for sandwiches to around 50 for family-portioned dishes meant to be split between several. Schoener and I both decided on the house specialty Silpancho. Silpancho is a traditional Bolivian food that is carb fest and verrry delicious. There is a base layer of white rice topped with chooped and boiled potatoes. Then, covering the entire plate is a "meat pancake" esque layer of a schnitzel type meat. On top of the meat there is two fried eggs with a helping of diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, onions, and parsley. Ok so this sounds like a lot...because its a shit ton of food. My one worry was that the dish would be dry because of all of the potatoes and rice, but this wasn't the case at all. The silpancho was delicious and there seemed to be different sections of flavor depending on what you got in your bite. The eggs mixed with the meat and fresh salsa was very refreshing and filling at the same time. I couldnt finish my portion as hard as I tried, but what I had was fantastic and I will definitely be back.<br /><br />The atmosphere is travel channel worthy and would be a great place to watch a world cup match. The dish I had was fantastic and I am anxious to go back and try something else that I have not heard of so I can add that to my list of favorites as well. For a cheap, quick meal in Arlington I give Don Arturo a mid A. <br /><br />Highlight: Authenticity and the Silpancho<br />Lowlight: Service is slow, but they don't pretend to be a high-end restaurant.Going out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-91661543081608919952010-06-08T16:05:00.002-04:002010-06-08T16:32:36.056-04:00Perry's - 1811 Columbia Road NWIt's been a while since the last post on here. Im going to go ahead and blame that on me starting a new job rather than plain ol laziness. Ok so the weather is now nice enough to eat outside during any time of the day. This mindset led myself and a few friends to the Perry's top deck a few weekends back. <br /><br />I had eaten at Perry's before, but it was when it was still cold as shit so we were sitting inside. There were a couple things that led me back here: 1) I wanted to try out this famous top deck and 2) I wanted to try the caipirinha's as well. Caipirinha is Brazil's national cocktail and I figured these would be even better than the one I had in Athens, Ga during college. The drink is made with fermented sugarcane so it makes for a great summer drink...couple that with sushi and you have a pretty chill meal. <br /><br />One of the knocks I have on Perry's is that the dinner crew kinda hates on the people there for the bar scene so it was hard for us to make the transition from caipirinha to sushi which sucked. After we got seated everything was cool though. I started with the seafood ceviche which turned out to be a de-constructed plate as opposed to traditional ceviche. Everyone else went ahead and ordered their sushi which covered the whole spectrum from traditional cali rolls to interesting BLT roll (applewood smoked bacon | romaine | tomato | green tea mayo). 20 minutes later out comes out sushi orders on a Hummer Tire sized plate. This was perfect for sharing and thats what ended up happening (partially because the waiter didn't tell us what was what). The drinks kept flowing and we had a great table overlooking Adams Morgan. The sushi here is great because the list is extensive and the rolls are HUGE. I have not tried too many of the tapas here because I personally think tapas are a bit risky considering the size/price ratio. Case and point is the ceviche here which was good, but not great. <br /><br />We were at Perry's for like 2 and a half hours just chillin and having a good time. Get there early to avoid long bar lines and the dinner haters. Seriously, try the caipirinhas because they are awesome. This is the perfect place to enjoy the weather and have drinks and dinner with a group of 5 or 6. I think my total for the night was around 60 bucks everything included which is not too bad. I give this experience a very high A and the food like an A-. <br /><br />Highlight - Scene, eclectic croud<br />Lowlight - smug host seating dinner crowd.Going out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-25341144654170342602010-05-03T10:25:00.003-04:002010-05-03T11:08:16.028-04:00Founding Farmers vs. Farmers & FishersFounding Farmers and Farmers & Fishers, "sister" restaurants, both bring a lot to the table.<br /><br />Founding Farmers is in the Foggy Bottom area, whereas Farmers & Fishers is on the waterfront in Georgetown. Point 1 for F&F for it's location.<br /><br />Founding Farmers' food is slightly better in my opinion. Both restaurants have very good food and affordable prices. But I like more of the food options on the FF menu (cornbread with butter and honey spread is amazing). Point 2 goes to FF.<br /><br />The "vibe" at FF is also better. F&F has these plastic green and white checkered tablecloths that are gross. Point 3 to FF.<br /><br />Both restaurants pride themselves on their mixed drinks, which are very impressive. The offerings seem very similar, but FF has "recession proof" drinks that are 3-4 bucks less than the other cocktails, and F&F does not have this option. Point 4 to FF.<br /><br />Finally, for kicking us out of F&F when the bathroom started flooding even though people were still working on their drinks, and with no compensation, final point to FF.<br /><br />So all and all unless you want to be near the Waterfront, if you're choosing between these two restaurants, go to Founding Farmers- beats Farmers & Fishers 4 to 1.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-26579039267904389072010-05-02T17:18:00.003-04:002010-05-02T17:52:02.440-04:00Open City - 2331 Calvert Street NWBoy was I struggling when I got up on Sunday. The Kentucky Derby always makes for a LONG day and my roommates and I had spent the majority of it drinking mint juleps at Bourbon. I had to make a decision...throw in the towel and call it a Sunday or slam a Powerade and head over to Open City for brunch. I'm glad I didn't choose to melt into the couch. <br /><br />I had never been to Open City, buuuut I knew it was there because of its proximity to the worst establishment in D.C. (Woodley Park Cafe). The wait was about 30 minutes so we picked up some smoothies from the little cafe they have inside. They were way too expensive, but they were really fresh and made with real fruit. It was a beautiful day outside so we chilled on the benches and hung out with a pit bull named Misty until our table was ready. <br /><br />We were seated after about 30-40 minutes and the table was kind of sticky, but I will chalk that up to how busy they were. The most surprising thing about this place were the prices! Everything was under ten bucks and a brunch place in DC will usually run ya around 15-20. They serve breakfast all day here (money) and have a variety of pizzas and sandwiches as well. The vibe is really cool with all of the windows open and, a huge patio, and solid tunes over the sound system. For 9 bucks I got a 3 egg omelet with smoked salmon, tomatoes, and cream cheese. All of the breakfasts also come with choice of grits/hashbrowns and some toast. The hashbrowns were a welcomed change of pace to the terrible breakfast potatoes that most places serve up here. Since I've been here I have yet to find hashbrowns that are as good as the ones from Waffle House. My omelet was freakin awesome and it filled me up for under 10 bucks. Other orders included: a blt and a wide variety off egg and hashbrown combos. All of these orders received good reviews and the turnover once we sat down was relatively quick.<br /><br />I was not expecting much from Open City, but I am now a fan and will recommend it to anyone who asks. Next time I go I would like to try and go in the evening so I can stay longer and enjoy a few drinks with my dinner. I give it a B+.<br /><br />Highlights: smoked salmon and cream cheese combo coupled with a great scene.<br /><br />Lowlights: Waiter didn't check in after taking our orders and our table was sticky :)Going out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-89465637205961989692010-04-29T19:57:00.004-04:002010-04-29T20:28:42.732-04:00Obelisk, 2029 P Street Northwest Washington, DCAdventurous Italian. That's how I would describe each dish served at this DC hidden delicacy. With a maximum capacity of about 25 diners at a time, it truly offers an intimate experience with both company and cuisine. With a price-tag of about $80 per person without alcohol, the wines can add a shiny coin to your bill, but are the perfect compliment to each unique flavor brought to the table. It's a set menu, with options at the Primi, and Secondi and dolce offerings, as well as antipasti and formaggio plates.<br /><br />Italian dishes are traditionally small, and both the primi and secondi dishes were true to form, but the antipasti came more in the form of Spanish tapas. Classic plates arrived with a unique flavor such as a sweet balsamic glazed calamari bruschetta. Other hand churned cheeses came along with muscles with a white wine sauce along with Tuscan bread (unsalted). <br /><br />For the Primi, the choices were mainly stuffed pasta options. I had a quail ravoli that was in a soupy mixture that reminded me of a boston clam chowder. A flavorful broth highlighted with sun-dried tomatoes provided a deep saturation in which the quail could ruminate allowing the flavors to mingle richly. <br /><br />Secondi came as a more full meat selection. Here I ventured into more unknown territories opting for the squab with nettles. Squab is a fowl akin to a pigeon and was smaller than a quail or a duck breast and arrived with it's feet intact curled into claws. The meat was dark similar to duck but with a bit more gaminess, although it was cooked so well that it was still able to be taken apart in the mouth with little chewing. Rather it melted with the orange butter sauce with an even consistency. The nettles provided a nice bitterness similar to dandelion garnish that brought more out of the caramelized orange glaze on the squab.<br /><br />The formaggio plate came next with an assortment of fresh cheeses and a fresh basket of bread as well as an accompaniment of a fig/berry spread. I am not as eloquent as I would like to be in regard to cheeses so I will leave this dish here saying only that there was an assortment of textures, richness and solidity on the plate in order to give a range of experiences. <br /><br />Finally, the for the dessert option I chose the chocolate truffle mousse, which was THE purest, softest, richest, bite of dessert that I have ever put in my mouth... period. Accompanied by home made whip cream, it was one of my favorite desserts ever. <br /><br />For wine, I chose a relatively inexpensive bottle of chianti (my preference only, from spending time living in Tuscany) and asked that it arrive later with the secondi so that we might enjoy it with the cheese and dessert plates.<br /><br />Looking for Obelisk, you will not see signs or lines of people, but you will find a homely kitchen seeming in the background of the DC landscape. <br /><br />Bests, the variety, the attentiveness and friendship of the wait staff and the relaxed atmosphere designed to have you eat like an Italian and truly take your time to enjoy the food. <br /><br />Price is the only setback here (unless you tend to stick to the plain italian of more homely pasta restaurants, then this is not your pick)The John Seedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10792412026373242499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-41706716665977494772010-04-25T21:33:00.002-04:002010-04-25T21:53:20.621-04:00Liberty Tavern - 3195 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VASaturday was a late lunch for myself and a few buddies. We took about an hour to figure out where we wanted to go and ended up deciding on Liberty Tavern. Liberty Tavern has recently been ranked at #75 on the DC areas top 100 list. I had never been and I was jacked. <br /><br />That being said. Can I get an overrated chant?!? This place should be called "Average". Boy did it have promise though. We walked in and they had couches set up with people chillin drinkin beer. There were people playing cards at the table next to us. There was a solid beer list and the hostess was really nice. <br /><br />Then we sat down. Now this was not an awful dining experience by any means. I mean this was not like Woodley Tavern or anything like that (I will write their review on a day when I am bored or get fired from my job or something). The service after being seated was slow as all hell. This is disappointing when most of the people in the place aren't eating. Ok. Remember...this was ranked 75th. Komi is 1 and Marvin was 98. Now, we each had different sandwiches. We ordered: Their skirt steak burger, the philly cheese, the North Carolina BBQ sandwich, and a Pittsburgh sandwich called the Primanti Brothers sandwich (housemade pastrami, provolone, coleslaw, French fries on housemade Italian bread with a fried egg). That last "sandwich" got the best review, a B. My burger was good, but not great. I could have had the same burger anywhere in the city. The NC bbq chicken was an insult to NC BBQ from the looks of it and my friend said it was pretty bland. Bland BBQ? That should be an automatic F. The steak and cheese was tiny, but got an "ok". Our waitress came to check on us twice throughout the whole meal and was not too pumped to be at work. <br /><br />If this place was across the street from my house I would go every once in a while out of convenience to get a decent meal for cheap. However, this place is hyped and is ranked in a magazine that I trust. I give the Liberty Tavern a C+ or B-.<br /><br />Highlight: Good fratmosphere with a solid beer list<br /><br />Lowlight: Food, Service, and distance from my house haha.Going out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-10548864624302986472010-04-25T11:30:00.003-04:002010-04-25T21:29:13.614-04:00Marvin's - 2007 14th Street NWMy girlfriends family was in town this past weekend and I was put to task to find the restaurant for Friday night. I've eaten at Marvin before and was very pleased so I was pumped for round two. There were going to be 5 of us: myself, Danielle, her mom, her aunt, and her cousin. Danielle and I got there a little early and helped ourself to their very extensive beer list. The restaurant was running a little behind and we were offered some complimentary frites, but you can't jump the gun at a place like Marvin. <br /><br />We were seated about 15 min after our rez, which is pretty normal for Friday night, and started with a very affordable bottle of sauvignon blanc. We decided to try a few of the appetizers while we browsed the rest of the menu...Shrimp and Grits (some had never had a "grit" haha), Goat Cheese Croquettes with Fig Vinaigrette, and Seared Sea Scallops with Braised leeks & beurre rouge. To be honest, if you wanted to just chill here and drink inexpensive wine while you try every appetizer they have you would NOT be disappointed. Seriously though, these apps were all fantastic and they each had a very distinct flavor. My favorite was probably the croquettes with the mix of stinky cheese and sweet vinaigrette.<br /><br />Now for the entrees. We ordered the seared, pepper-crusted tuna, Maine lobster with mussels, clams, and shrimp, the special (smoked Foie Gras with field strawberries), and the roasted halibut. The standout was the Foie Gras. Although the portion was more on the app side, the salty liver fat with the strawberries was something I had never tasted before and it was a 5-star dish. The tuna. Umm I flip-flopped back and forth all night on the tuna. If it wasn't so damn fresh and seared perfectly I would have been pissed I was eating a block of pepper. I mean I LOVE spicy food, but this was pepperfest. The fresh spinach served with it acted as a nice break from the spice though. The halibut was also delicious and this dish is the "popular" one in most reviews. I didn't try too much of it, but what I had was delicious. The lobster waterzooi is a task to say the least. As Danielle's aunt put it, this is for people who want to fight their food. If you fight it though it is worth it. All of this goodness still paled in comparison to the Foie Gras. I could have eaten a bucket of it. Dessert included rice pudding and crepes. Marvin still get bullied for having weak dessert, but being more of a salt guy I dont really care...at all...about "great dessert".<br /><br />Marvin is a great place to eat and enjoy yourself in an atmosphere that makes you feel like you are already at the party rather than eating before it. Try to get there early and enjoy the bar scene if you can since they have a deep beer menu. All in all I would give Marvin a low A for the menu and an A+ for value with all entrees being under 30 bucks. <br /><br />Highlights: Service, Foie Gras, Cheaply priced wine<br /><br />Lowlight: can't think of one of the top of my head.Going out Guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00781808753465869579noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624815169419754141.post-71034974980988592482010-04-13T18:28:00.002-04:002010-04-13T18:55:00.129-04:00Ray's the Steaks-2300 Wilson Blvd-Arlington VAAs a celebration of the end of a grueling Q1, a colleague and I made the trip up Wilson Blvd to Ray's the Steaks. Walking into Ray's, a feeling of comfort washes over you as you view the incredibly unintimidating atmosphere and the awesome absence of sleazy lawyers/politicos hitting on 30 year old maneaters drinking martinis. Ray's has no bar, just a no frills interior filled with ordinary people who enjoy a good steak and a reasonable bottle of wine. To begin the meal, you are givin salty and sweet peanuts and bread and butter. The wine list contains a section of twenty or so "great value wines" all priced under 25$. The famous sommelier (formerly of Citronelle) Mark Slater was on hand to help us choose a bold flavored 19$ Chilean Red. To begin the meal, we chose to skip the famous Crab Bisque (my cholesterol is at dangerous levels) and we instead split the entree, Crab Imperial. The gigantic portion of delicously sweet Maryland Crab was perfectly seasoned and after only a few bites, to my surprise, my steak arrived. I went with the Hangar Steak, traditionally described as he least tender, yet most flavorful steak on the menu but at 20$, an incredible value. Rays is probably the one steakhouse on the entire Eastern seaboard that offers free sides, with creamed spinach and mashed potatoes coming with every meal. With a delicious steak, free sides, lump crab meat, and chimichurri as a condiment, I was in heaven. Rays only fault is their rushed service. 90 out of 100.Seadoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519701684808167344noreply@blogger.com2