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ChickenArise posted:I like Thai Tada, but I might prefer Chao Phra Ya on the other side of the toll road in the Clocktower shopping center. Drunken Noodle Duck there is so good that I can rarely get anything else.
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Oct 11, 2014 07:23
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going to minibar tonight!!!
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Oct 11, 2014 12:50
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My favorite Thai is still Bangkok 54 on Columbia Pike
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Oct 11, 2014 14:56
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Wroughtirony posted:going to minibar tonight!!! Please write back about your experiences. A group of us just went to per se in NYC and as a result probably won't go to minibar before the year is out but I would love to see how some things compare.
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Oct 11, 2014 15:36
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Hed posted:Please write back about your experiences. A group of us just went to per se in NYC and as a result probably won't go to minibar before the year is out but I would love to see how some things compare. I'll write a post about it tomorrow when I'm not in a hyperglycemic food coma. It was sooooooo much fun.
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Oct 12, 2014 03:41
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So, I've been going to this little Italian place called Osteria Marzano for the past year and a half or so and every time I'm in there, it's me (and my guests) and like 5 other people. It is the best drat Italian restaurant I've eaten at in the DC area (I've eaten at quite a few) but it's hidden out of the way around the Springfield area in some office complex on Walker Lane so I don't think they get many customers. Although I always see the same few faces eating there so I guess they have a loyal clientele. Either way they're great. When family is coming out of town, I take them here. Their decor is very modern and cozy and they have a killer bar with truffle ravioli, arancini and seriously awesome cocktails. They don't have the upscale wow factor of, say, Fiola Mare but they're hugely consistent and succeed at what they do. My favorite thing on the menu is the penne vodka, which is what it sounds like but their version adds copious amounts of sliced smoked salmon into the sauce. It sounded like the saltiest thing in the world but our waiter recommended it and I could (and have) order it again and again. Also for dessert, they serve pizza with nutella on it, topped with pistachios and marshmallows. This is important. And no I don't work there. DARPA Dad fucked around with this message at 21:18 on Oct 13, 2014 |
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Oct 13, 2014 21:11
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Minibar was amazing. Probably the most fun meal I have ever experienced. Here's the menu and the wine list: The evening started in "the living room" which was a lounge area with couches separated from the main dining room by a translucent curtain. We had some nice cava and were served "pressed flowers" presented in the title page of old books about plants. The quotation marks aren't really appropriate because the dish was literally flowers pressed into a transparent sweet paper. Wonderful delicate flavor and a great way to begin the experience. Once the other party in our seating arrived (they were late- no flowers for them!) we were ushered into the main dining area, a 12-seat bar around an open kitchen. The first course was a cocktail- a pisco sorbet topped with a warm foam. The next three courses were all small bites, eaten with the hands. The pizza margarita stood out- it consisted of a parmesan wafer with roasted (?) tomato and fresh mozz- basically the distilled essence of pizza is the only way I can explain it. The rubber ducky was a highlight- it was made of apple meringue and filled with foie gras ice cream. The visual humor and the contrast between the sweetness of the apple and the richness of the foie were delightful. The next three dishes were all riffs on street food. Again, all eaten with the hands. The late night chicken shawarma was everything shawarma could aspire to be, rolled up in a transparent wrapper and served with a whipped yogurt sauce which we were encouraged to lick off the plate. The burger was a bun made from almond meringue, filled with waygu tartare and uni. Unbelievably rich. The Vietnamese pig ear was fantastic. I am running out of food adjectives at this point so just take my word that it was all incredibly awesome. A word about the wine pairings- we had Jose's pairings, the spendier option for wine, and it was well worth it. These were, hands down, the best wine and food pairings I have ever experienced. Each wine brought out new flavors in the food and vice versa. I'm sure the regular wine pairings were great, but what we had was truly amazing. At this point in the dinner, it was time for utensils. We were surprised and a bit delighted to notice that they had sussed out that two in our party were left handed, as their spoons were placed accordingly. The pesto filled fusilli was a treat- the chef who plated it took great pride in explaining how it was made using corkscrews, liquid nitrogen and a syringe full of pesto. The Iberico tendon was actually a super-thick connsume that looked like a tendon. "unctuous" does not begin to describe this dish. The Espardenyes (sea cucumber) with bone marrow was their take on surf and turf. So much butter. So delicious. Perfectly seasoned. The beech mushroom papillot with truffle was a little disappointing, comparatively. It was fantastic, it was tasty, it was cooked perfectly, but it was kind of a one-note dish. I'm not complaining- truffles are a great one note- but it wasn't up to the standard set by the rest of the menu. The lamb shoulder with dill was a bit of a departure for minibar, we were told, as they generally don't go for "hunks of meat" but it was one of the high points of the meal. It was absolutely falling apart and the whey was just the perfect accompaniment. The "cheese course" was one perfect bite of cheese puff. (I cannot remember for the life of me what "first frost" was. Forgive me, there was a lot of wine...) Breakfast in Hokkaido was a frozen block of foamed milk and crispy rice. You'll just have to trust me on this one- it was good. We then moved to the bar for the petit fours, which was honestly a little disconcerting because it was fairly loud. The highlight of the petit fours was the ice cream donut. It consisted of an ice cream that tasted exactly like a krispy creme donut (only better) covered in a chocolate shell with sprinkles. Mr. W was full by that point so I ate his too. :-) The check was served in a Simpsons matryoshka doll, of course.
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Oct 13, 2014 21:15
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DARPA Dad posted:So, I've been going to this little Italian place called Osteria Marzano for the past year and a half or so and every time I'm in there, it's me (and my guests) and like 5 other people. It is the best drat Italian restaurant I've eaten at in the DC area (I've eaten at quite a few) but it's hidden out of the way around the Springfield area in some office complex on Walker Lane so I don't think they get many customers. Although I always see the same few faces eating there so I guess they have a loyal clientele. Either way they're great. When family is coming out of town, I take them here. Their decor is very modern and cozy and they have a killer bar with truffle ravioli, arancini and seriously awesome cocktails. The same office complex also has a contemporary American restaurant, Walker's Grille, that's been open since before Osteria Marzano. I've experienced some consistency issues with their food in the past, but altogether it's a decent place to eat in the area as well.
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Oct 13, 2014 22:05
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Ate at Rose's Luxury a couple of weeks ago; a friend had booked the roof terrace and invited us to join them. I'm stealing the details of what we ate from my better half's Ello* stream:quote:COCKTAIL SNACKS As I'm not a lactose-tolerant mutant I had some slightly different dishes to everyone else but I can't quite remember what they were now. I was less enamored with the food than my wife, particularly since it came to ~$200/person with wine. The tomato sandwich and chive aioli were probably the best things, along with the pork/lychee dish and the brisket sandwich; the rest of it was OK but didn't really scream "America's best new restaurant." Not that it was bad, but I don't think I'd stand in line for three hours for a table. *No, Ello is still not going to become a thing.
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Oct 14, 2014 00:21
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Going to DC for the weekend and being working poor only have about $500 to spend on food for two Friday-Sunday. Any recommendations for mid-range dining, specifically dinner and brunch? i can get down with some weird poo poo my girlfriend spent some time in the area and wants to go somewhere called rocketbar
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Oct 17, 2014 15:08
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Rocketbar is just a normal bar in Chinatown with pool tables, bar games, and some arcade machines. If you like Chinese food, I highly reccomend Great Wall of Szechuan. But only order off the Ma La Menu page. Ma La is Szechuan style, has a little spice to it and causes some interesting numbness in the lips. It's really delicious though. I recommend the MaPo Tofu, Twice Cooked Pork, Ma La Wontons, Ma La Cold Noodles, Kung Pao Chicken, and Boiled Fish with Vegetables. Price isn't too bad unlike the rest of 14th St. http://greatwallszechuanhouse.com/ DCcity Smokehouse for BBQ. It's over on Florida and N Capitol. But maybe out of the way for you. http://dcitysmokehouse.com/ If you want to splurge one night I'd go with Little Serrow. It's a $45 per person tasting menu with some great Northern Thai food. You'll have to get in line around 4 pm probably to get a table. It's all first come first serve for reservations the day of. http://littleserow.com/ If you're in town early enough on Friday (5 - 7 pm) you can go to Black Jack on 14th St and take advantage of their happy hour. Half priced drafts (~ $3-4 for good beer), 1 pound of mussels for price of 1/2 pound, 12 oysters for price of 6, and half price pizzas. http://www.blackjackdc.com/ What part of town are you staying in?
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Oct 17, 2014 19:50
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DCity is awesome, can't recommend them enough. Union Market could be worth a visit, John Romero, since there's a lot of different vendors there and most of them are not expensive (we are huge fans of Neopol Smokery).
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Oct 18, 2014 00:51
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Went to Crane and Turtle in Petworth last night. Think Japanese food but with lots and lots of butter. Stand-out dishes were a tempura matsutake and the chocolate cake with salted caramel (probably the best dessert I've eaten at a restaurant in years). The tables are a bit too close to each other, and service could have been a little more attentive at times, but worth a visit IMO, and not particularly expensive ($100/person for four courses, including wine).
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Nov 1, 2014 02:40
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drgitlin posted:Went to Crane and Turtle in Petworth last night. Think Japanese food but with lots and lots of butter. Stand-out dishes were a tempura matsutake and the chocolate cake with salted caramel (probably the best dessert I've eaten at a restaurant in years). The tables are a bit too close to each other, and service could have been a little more attentive at times, but worth a visit IMO, and not particularly expensive ($100/person for four courses, including wine). Went there (accidentally) tonight, for booze and appetizers before hitting up Domku. Good stuff. The soup was incredible!
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Nov 1, 2014 03:23
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Going to Rogue 24 for our anniversary tomorrow night. Will provide a trip report on thursday.
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Nov 4, 2014 18:26
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drgitlin posted:Went to Crane and Turtle in Petworth last night. Think Japanese food but with lots and lots of butter. Stand-out dishes were a tempura matsutake and the chocolate cake with salted caramel (probably the best dessert I've eaten at a restaurant in years). The tables are a bit too close to each other, and service could have been a little more attentive at times, but worth a visit IMO, and not particularly expensive ($100/person for four courses, including wine). The cake was pretty good and we sat at the counter so it was fun to see the cooks work. My gf was really into the roasted butternut squash but didn't care for her main that much (the vegetarian dish). I personally found the food a bit plain except for the bits of wasabi or chorizo. I found my copy of my Minibar menu from last year and thought it would be fun to see the differences between the menu Wroughtirony posted. I remember the couple next to us was especially fun to watch since the lady wouldn't eat anything and guy was all positive about the food and really into the experience. Poor guy. Sorry for the lovely picture. 
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Nov 4, 2014 20:10
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Rogue 24 was interesting. Some courses were better than others, and unlike Komi there wasn't an overabundance of food, despite being 24 courses (I wasn't hungry when we left, I think RJ Cooper judged things pretty well). The menu: Tomato ice with caviar (really good) A ball of deyhdrated milk on a coriander soup Celeriac with roe (also very good) Dehydrated scallops Oatmeal with venison and blueberry Smoked cucumber with some dried seafood something in a broth (one of the highlights) Octopus with orange and olive oil Black rice, trout roe, baby turnip, turnip greens Goat tartare, heirloom pumpkin, lime purée, zatar, leaves (very nice) Beer meringues with creme fraiche and roe Foie gras with other cold things Veal tendon aspic with lentils in mascarpone Escargot with potato spuma (pretty awesome) Smoked pasta with goat cheese Grilled squab over heirloom pumpkin purée Truffles, pickled mushrooms, Black Sea salt Wagyu beef green onions romesco Coconut gelee, basil powder, some kind of macaron, ice cream Caramel gelee, figs, coffee cake thing, caramel crunches May have left a course out, my wife was making notes on her phone but it's possible we missed one. It was an enjoyable night out, and the open plan kitchen in the middle of the dining room is great.
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Nov 6, 2014 18:24
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I sat at the Rogue 24 bar a few weeks ago and was very underwhelmed by both the food and the drinks. The sous vide egg was nearly inedible.
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Nov 6, 2014 19:14
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I enjoyed it, but feels way more expensive than it needs to be. It didn't feel up to par for similarly priced restaurants.
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Nov 6, 2014 19:23
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Did the tasting menu at Fishnet in Shaw this evening (Fishnook). At $55/person it was an absolute steal; there wasn't a bad course and the chef was both a cool bloke and interested in feedback. Heartily recommend it.
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Nov 26, 2014 05:13
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Where should I eat in Crystal City?
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Dec 9, 2014 16:45
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Wroughtirony posted:Where should I eat in Crystal City? Kabob Palace, Jaleo, La Betolla, or one of the Ethiopian places
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Dec 9, 2014 16:57
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ChickenArise posted:Kabob Palace, Jaleo, La Betolla, or one of the Ethiopian places Other than Jaleo- (we've been before) would any of those be appropriate for a long sit-down business dinner? I've heard awesome things about kabob palace but I'm not sure of the ambience.
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Dec 9, 2014 17:05
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You could probably sit there for a while without being bothered, although it has some interesting decor. edit: Also you order your food from the counter and get it all at once, so it would certainly be an unconventional business dinner. OnceIWasAnOstrich fucked around with this message at 17:35 on Dec 9, 2014 |
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Dec 9, 2014 17:29
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Wroughtirony posted:Other than Jaleo- (we've been before) would any of those be appropriate for a long sit-down business dinner? I've heard awesome things about kabob palace but I'm not sure of the ambience. I'd probably avoid Kabob Palace for that, but it's not especially ugly/tacky vs. everywhere else I eat. I haven't been inside La Bettola in ages since I discovered that I can get it delivered, but it's gone through a few rounds of nice <-> cheesy decor. Ethiopian could probably pass for nice enough, but I'm not sure I'd do that in work clothes. SOCCi might be worth looking at: http://www.marriott.com/hotel-restaurants/waspy-renaissance-arlington-capital-view-hotel/socci/5178631/home-page.mi but I haven't been yet. Yelp seems to rate it passably. Depending on what sort of business you could always take the default rec of CCR. 
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Dec 9, 2014 17:30
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ChickenArise posted:Depending on what sort of business you could always take the default rec of CCR. Ah, fond/gross memories of my first legal drink at age 21.
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Dec 9, 2014 17:39
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Oh it's the dirtiest kind of business... family business. Less-estranged-than-usual Patriarch is in town to say hi and discuss estate planning with my husband, his Only Son. Traditionally, he stays somewhere more central and lets me choose the restaurant because I'm good at finding the right places. It's great for me, since he picks up the check and price is no object. Back in the happier days he really liked to indulge me with tasting menus, etc. because he would get to try new things too. We did quite a few dinners just him and I when my husband was working, but mostly it was either the three or four of us, depending on if Matriarch was traveling with him. Things got really bad for awhile, a year of no contact between Patriarch/Matriarch and my husband and I, but relations are steadily thawing. So for this trip, he's flying in alone and staying at the Marriott. I feel like eating at Socci would be cheating since I'm supposed to be the Restaurant Whispererer. I'm leaning towards offering a repeat at Jaleo or a cab journey to Fyve at the Ritz. Any other "within a short cab ride" places I should consider that a. serve booze, b. have loungey seating good for longer converstations and c. have food that is amazing but not extremely spicy? Please tell me that there's a completely unknown amazing french 16-seat bistro right around the corner from the Mariott... UPDATE: Apparently Patriarch realizes that CC is a semi-desert and is willing to travel. All of DC is now at my beck and call! WOO! Wroughtirony fucked around with this message at 18:12 on Dec 9, 2014 |
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Dec 9, 2014 18:08
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That's more like it 
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Dec 9, 2014 21:02
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I was going to say Crystal City Restaurant for dinner... and a show.
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Dec 9, 2014 22:31
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 :bigtran:
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Dec 10, 2014 01:33
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I'm in dc from 19-23 this month. I've a car. My favorite things are coffee and being a hipster. I'm looking for some cool lunches and dinners as well as coffee shop suggestions. I've already 2 seats at mini bar so that should cover my ludicrous tasting menu needs, but feel free to suggest others. Sextro fucked around with this message at 17:55 on Dec 12, 2014 |
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Dec 12, 2014 17:52
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I think Northside Social in Arlington requires you to sit behind a Macbook if you want to sit somewhere. Oby Lee is pretty good coffee nearby, also, but it's more of a normal cafe than hipster central. I'm also a fan of Misha's in Old Town Alexandria, and there's plenty of cool stuff down there within walking distance if you want to spend some time in a nice pedestrian area. H St. NE (Atlas District) is also fairly hipster-heavy.
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Dec 12, 2014 18:09
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Sextro posted:My favorite things are coffee and being a hipster. The Coffee Bar
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Dec 12, 2014 18:52
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Sextro posted:I'm in dc from 19-23 this month. I've a car. My favorite things are coffee and being a hipster. I'm looking for some cool lunches and dinners as well as coffee shop suggestions. I'm a big fan of Qualia Coffee if you find yourself over that way.
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Dec 12, 2014 20:44
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Big Bear Cafe in Bloomingdale Peregrine Espresso in Union Market (I think they have another location too).
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Dec 12, 2014 21:23
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Ok so my definite coffee list is slipstream, big bear, peregrine and qualia. Coffee bar is a probable. Any other coffee would be spontaneous. Now for lunch ideas.
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Dec 12, 2014 21:53
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Mockingbird hill serves the best coffee (not espresso) in DC period.
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Dec 13, 2014 05:06
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Sextro posted:I'm in dc from 19-23 this month. I've a car. My favorite things are coffee and being a hipster. I'm looking for some cool lunches and dinners as well as coffee shop suggestions. If you get the itch to drive into the Maryland suburbs, there is a new coffee & record shop that just opened in Silver Spring called Bump'n'Grind. I don't know coffee at all, and when I popped in for the soft opening I bought a beer and a record. And if you decide to get dinner in Silver Spring, I like The Classics (no frills steakhouse that used to be part of the local Ray's group of restaurants), Jackie's (been a while though, haven't been since the new chef started), and Quarry House for bar food and good beers. There are some other places in the area to check out too, quick-ish: Pete's Apizza and Nando's, Seoul Food, Ren's Ramen, and El Pollo Rico further north in Wheaton.
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Dec 23, 2014 00:52
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So I ate at Thip Khao in Columbia Heights last week - it was amazing. It's Laotian food by the woman who runs Golden Bangkok out in the burbs. Definitely worth a visit, but you have to call between 12-4 on a weekday to get an English speaker to make a reservation.  The food's meant to be served family style, so you do better taking a lot of people. The best thing we had was laab (Lao take on larb, the minced meat salad you may know from Thai places) and the crispy rice. The eggplant curry and kaing som sour soup were excellent too. Every person gets a little container of sticky rice, and the menu has instructions on how to eat your meal with your hands + rice balls. There's also a "from the jungle" menu that includes things like pig's ear, intestines, blood sausage, and weird fish, but since we were there with my in-laws we couldn't be too adventurous. Everything was actually spicy as requested, not spicy for white people. We did medium spice on everything - not sure we could have handled much more. I'm definitely looking forward to going back - service was friendly and very quick.
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Jan 5, 2015 00:58
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 18:21 |
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the_chavi posted:So I ate at Thip Khao in Columbia Heights last week - it was amazing. It's Laotian food by the woman who runs Golden Bangkok out in the burbs. Definitely worth a visit, but you have to call between 12-4 on a weekday to get an English speaker to make a reservation. Thanks for this! I've seen it mentioned a few times and been really curious to try it out. Will have to make sure we go with a group then. Were prices about what you'd expect?
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Jan 5, 2015 15:41
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