I 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).
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.
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.
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
Highlight: Chimichanga!, happy hour deals.
Lowlight: Cash only
Monday, August 23, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Palena - 3529 Connecticut Ave. NW
A 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Highlight: Service, romantic setting, and the fish cakes
Lowlight: It ended, lol
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.
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.
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.
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.
Highlight: Service, romantic setting, and the fish cakes
Lowlight: It ended, lol
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Don Arturo - 2716 Washington Blvd Arlington, VA
If 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.
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.
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.
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.
Highlight: Authenticity and the Silpancho
Lowlight: Service is slow, but they don't pretend to be a high-end restaurant.
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.
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.
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.
Highlight: Authenticity and the Silpancho
Lowlight: Service is slow, but they don't pretend to be a high-end restaurant.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Perry's - 1811 Columbia Road NW
It'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.
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.
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.
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-.
Highlight - Scene, eclectic croud
Lowlight - smug host seating dinner crowd.
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.
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.
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-.
Highlight - Scene, eclectic croud
Lowlight - smug host seating dinner crowd.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Founding Farmers vs. Farmers & Fishers
Founding Farmers and Farmers & Fishers, "sister" restaurants, both bring a lot to the table.
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.
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.
The "vibe" at FF is also better. F&F has these plastic green and white checkered tablecloths that are gross. Point 3 to FF.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The "vibe" at FF is also better. F&F has these plastic green and white checkered tablecloths that are gross. Point 3 to FF.
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.
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.
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.
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