DCFoodies.com
The Politics of Dining
Events
Sponsored Links
Search
Favorites
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Archives
Subscribe
XML
« March 2005 | Main | May 2005 »
Apr 28, 2005
Cool Interview
Ann Limpert at The Washingtonian interviews Johnny Monis.
Categories: Just Because
Link To This Post
Comments (0)
Apr 24, 2005
Mother's Day is May 8 - Don't Forget!
Don't forget that Mother's Day is May 8th - The first second Sunday of May. Here are a few places doing something extra for Mom this year.
Corduroy will have a 3 course menu at $40 a person. The special menu will be offered from 12 noon to 2:30 pm and 5:00 to 10:30 pm.
You get to choose one dish per course:
First Course Choices
Red Snapper Bisque, Hearts of Romaine Caesar Salad, Asparagus Salad with Frisee and Chervil
Salad of Beets, Baby Carrots and Goat Cheese, Seared Barnegat Light Sea Scallops with Mizuna, Crispy Soft Shell Crab with Wilted Greens and Ver Jus
Second Course Choices
Wild King Salmon with Fava Beans and Local Shiitake Mushrooms, Alaskan Halibut with Potato-Leek Broth, Roast Whole Baby Chicken with Arugula and Shallots, Roast Lamb Top Sirloin with Garlic Creamed Spinach, Ridgefield Farms Beef Tenderloin with Shallot Sauce
Desserts
Fresh Fruit Sorbets, Selection of Homemade Ice Creams, Seasonal Berries with Creme Anglaise, Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee, Chocolate Sabayon, Chocolate Tart with Caramelized Banana, Strawberry Tart
Citronelle is hosting their annual Mother's Day champaigne brunch buffet Sunday May 8 from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. $75 for adults and $35 for children.
I also like Tabard Inn for brunch as well. You'll find some of the best poached eggs in the city here, and their homemade donuts are heavenly. They aren't doing any special menu that I know of, but you can be sure that the food will please both you and your mom.
Also, don't forget that Cashion's Eat Place also has a Sunday brunch.
Finally, on the cheaper side, Cafe Atlantico has a Mother's Day, three-course tasting menu for $24.95 per person from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. The menu can be found here.
Categories: Events
Link To This Post
Comments (0)
D.C. Foodies Travel Edition - Aruba
I'm baaaacck! I've returned from Aruba a refreshed man, ready to take care of a newborn in the coming months at home and tackle one of the largest software development projects I've ever had the privilege of managing the development of at work. So what did I do in Aruba? Basically nothing. I sat on the beach, read books, and I ate out a little. Ok, a lot. Don't hate me too much. This was the first vacation I've taken in...forever! I literally had 140 hours of vacation saved up at work from previous years and I had to use it before my company literally took it away. I really should have gone for two weeks, but Amy didn't have the vacation time for two weeks. She, unlike me, actually uses her vacation.
Aruba is typically known as one of the better places for food in the Caribbean, at least as far as the travel agent that sold me on the idea of originally going to Aruba. After returning to Aruba for a second time, I think I can announce that this travel agent either has no taste, or they were just plain full of shit. Most likely, it is the first, but probably partially the latter as well. In all honesty, I would not say that Aruba has the worst food out there, but they are one of the few places that has close to zero local delicacies. I searched far and wide for restaurants or eateries that served local fare - I talked to many locals, hotel staff. They all continued to refer me to the touristy restaurants that plague the island, almost all of them serving steak, lobster and seafood that hasn't been caught locally. The locals were probably just protecting their favorite eateries from the annoying tourists (which I couldn't blame them for). Nobody likes a tourist - especially one like me that's going to go home, write about your favorite local restaurant on my web site, and suddenly cause it to be overflowed by tourists from Washington, DC. LOL. I wish I had that much power...
The first of such touristy restaurants we ate at was a place called Sunset Grille.
"Tired of unfamiliar flavors and complex Caribbean spices? Looking for some flavors that you're more used to from America? Sunset Grille is your place."
This ad, which I read later in the week in a magazine, made me groan upon reading it. "Complex Caribbean spices"? Like what? Mango? Salsa? Coconut? Basically this ad translates to...
"Are you vapid and monotonous? Do you like you food bland? Do you hate to try new things and enjoy wallowing in your own sea of blandness? Then Sunset Grille is your place."
Sadly, I didn't get to read this ad before I actually ate there. If I had, I would have avoided the immediate area like a black hole. But I, like others that stayed at the Radisson in Aruba, was convinced to dine there by the utterly useless and rude concierge that occupied the hotel lobby. Our first night there, the concierge convinced me that Sunset Grille was one of the better restaurants on the island for Caribbean-style food, and there I was, not yet hooked into the internet and lacking my access to eGullet or any other online resources, at the complete and hopeless mercy of this saleswoman. Later in the week, heard her convincing another couple that Sunset Grill had excellent Japanese food as well which wasn't a complete lie depending on how you define Japanese food.
When we arrived at the restaurant and started looking over the menu, we saw that Sunset Grille had the standard touristy fare and billed itself as an "American Steakhouse." Yawn. The menu was a full of steaks, lobster, chicken and pork tenderloin. Oh, and there was one thing that stood out a bit...Sushi?? Ok, good old American sushi. The restaurant was actually quite booked and the only time we could get a reservation was for when the restaurant first opened at 6 pm. Once seated, the service tried as hard as it could to make up for the horrible food that was inevitably going to appear on our table.
In short, the dry-aged porterhouse steak I ordered was one of the fattiest cuts of steak I've had in a long time. The meat itself had good flavor, but the thick, vieny fat that it was strewn with completely ruined it. Amy's lobster was left under the heat lamps for far too long and had a thin layer of gelatinous crust on the top of it where the butter had come to a nice solid congeal. If lobster is overcooked, it tends to get this slightly bitter aftertaste that basically ruins the entire bite. Dessert was skipped.
I won't waste your time describing this restaurant more to you except
to tell you a little story about some extra special diners that sat
behind me at the restaurant. After we first ordered, we were offered a
little sample of that "good old American" sushi - a simple little piece
of tuna roll. Just off a long flight from DC and famished, we ate it as
quickly as the waiter placed it on our table. It wasn't the worst tuna
roll that I'd ever had, but it was worlds apart from the best. The
couple that sat behind us was, I would say, startled by the presence of
the sushi on their table. They pushed it to the far end of the table
exclaiming, "I don't eat raw fish!" - Their accent somewhere between
that of someone from Jersey and Minnesota - I was hard at hearing over
the loud parrots squawking in the background. The man at the table
almost didn't let the
waiter put it down on their table. This all over
a goddamn tuna roll of all things!
I could go on about the other tables around us, - the person that pealed the seaweed off the roll, ate the rice and left the tiny piece of tuna on their plate, or the person who complained that the wasabi was too hot and proceeded to drink a whole glass of water - but I won't. It is, quite frankly, too sad and depressing for me to think about.
Our second night in Aruba, we were looking to eat somewhere different, that wasn't serving steak and seafood. I remained unsuccessful in my quest to find a place that served Aruban food so instead, we decided to return to a place where we'd had good Indian food on our previous trip.
Alone in the vacuous wasteland of touristy restaurants in Aruba serving "good old American" fare, is Taj Majal. Taj Majal is the one Indian restaurant in Aruba and remains the most empty, even though it does make quite good Indian food. We were there two years ago in our first trip to Aruba and we were one of two tables taken in the entire restaurant. On our second night in Aruba, we were one of three tables, but who's counting? While Taj Majal doesn't serve the best Indian food I've ever eaten (it pales in comparison to Heritage India or Passage to India), it was by far one of the better meals we had on the island, especially when it comes to value. The entire meal cost only $70 compared to the average price of our other meals which came to about $150. Like our usual selves, we started with an order of samosas which were slightly dry, but the chutneys they came with were spicier than usual and made up for it. Continuing with our bravery, Amy ordered saag paneer and I, the lamb (or mutten as they called it which is really just a full grown sheep) rogan josh. On thing I noticed was that my curry was very oily. There was a layer of oil on top of my dish where the oil had separated from the rest of the ingredients in the sauce. The only explanation I had for this was that they were using regular vegetable oil in their cooking rather than ghee, but I am not an expert Indian cook. (Perhaps if Chef Sudhir is reading this, he can weigh in.)
On the side, we had some rice and puri. The puri were very, very good. They came out freshly fried and were only lightly greasy - crispy on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle. They also were about half the size of the usual puri (or poori) we get at Indian restaurants here in DC, which made them great for tearing in half, stuffing with some rice and curry, and then shoving in your mouth. I liked the puri so much, I ordered a third helping of it to finish off Amy's saag paneer. Yum! As usual, we skipped the Indian desserts.
Our third night was an absolute pleasure. We had made a reservation at El Gaucho in advance before even getting on the plane to Aruba. On our last trip, El Gaucho was our favorite dinner and I was pretty sure, the way things were going, that it would have a repeat performance. El Gaucho remains to this day, the best steak that either I or Amy has ever eaten - surpassing any steak I've eaten in DC or anywhere else. I stress I've eaten because I have yet to have the patience to call between 3 and 5 pm Monday through Saturday make a reservation for three weeks from now at Ray's the Steaks in Arlington. First of all, El Gaucho cooks their steaks over a wood fire, or it could possibly be a charcoal fire - I was trying to taste which when I ate my 28 oz. porterhouse. Yes, I did say 28 oz for which they charge the "market price". All of their beef is shipped in from Argentina as well. The important part is that they do flame broil their meat which is as close to what Jeffrey Steingarten names in The Man Who Ate Everything as the ideal way to cook meat - on a spit over fire. The meat comes out sizzling and perfectly charcoaled on the corners which gives it that nice, fresh-off-the-grill flavor. Also, El Gaucho marinates the crap out of their meat - I could taste the heavy use of garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and vinegar throughout the meat. They leave the fat on the steak, but it just melts away like butter. I usually go out of my way to clean every ounce of fat off each bite of my steak, but I didn't feel like I needed to do that here.
On top of everything else, the wine list is one of the better ones in Aruba. I ordered a 2000 Stag's Leap Syrah which just completely blew both Amy and me away - we could taste chocolate, pepper, blackberry, and just the slightest hint of a nutty Edam cheese. Yes, Amy did drink - only one time on this vacation - a whole glass and a half worth. It was about the time that I ordered the wine, on top of the 28 oz porterhouse and told the waiter that we would be ordering dessert, that he got a huge grin on his face and thanked me profusely. I think I made his night. For dessert we had a deliciously yummy crème brulee which hadn't been charred enough on the top but was still very tasty. It was missing a little bit of the crunch that you'd expect in a crème brulee.
The only problem I have with El Gaucho is the fact that when you make a reservation, you still end up waiting a half hour or so for your table. A reservation, it seems at El Gaucho, only reserves your place to eat that night and not at a specific time. While you wait, they encourage you to go across the street to their cigar lounge to have some cigars and cocktails. How convenient. The total price on this meal was the most expensive we had at $170. If we had skipped the $65 bottle of syrah it probably would have been considerably cheaper. I think my steak alone was $45.
Our next two nights were not our favorite meals. We ate at an Italian restaurant called Sole Mare with three White Zinfandels on the wine menu. THREE I SAY!! No self-respecting Italian puts White Zinfandel on their wine menu. If you'd like a comparison, the food was somewhere between Olive Garden and Maggiano's. I had the veal parmesan, the same that a woman in the table next to me ordered. When she saw that I had started eating, she asked, "Isn't the veal parm incredible here?!" To which I replied, "Oh yes, it's wonderful!"
I lied.
Amazonia Churrascaria was the next restaurant we dined at. This is one of those all-you-can-eat Brazilian steak places where they walk around with meat on spits and ask you if you want some. This all controlled by a red and green piece of wood that you flip to red when you have had enough and to green when you want more. It's the ultimate in gluttony and I can only imagine how much meat is wasted in a place like this. Moving on...
Our final night in Aruba, we went to a place that came with high recommendations from our friends that visit Aruba often - Madame Janette. I can say, without a doubt, that this was the best meal we had on the island - at least it was for me. I think all the eating we were doing had finally caught up with Amy and her stomach was acting up on her. I tried to keep my moans to myself as I ate my food.
The atmosphere at Madame Janette is casual. There is an indoor and outdoor dining area - the outdoor dining area surrounded by Caribbean trees covered with lights. They also have a live guitar player to serenade you during your meal. A+ for atmosphere (not that I care about such things).
Madame Janette's specials menu is quite large, and has a wide variety
of dishes, that I hadn't encountered anywhere else in Aruba. If you
ignores the annoying way they name their specials like "Le Filet Mignon
Gianni Versace" or "Veal Loin Paris Hilton" and actually read the
ingredients, you see that something special lies underneath. I actually
ordered the Paris Hilton veal loin. It was 
prepared in an unusual way.
Two large slices of veal loin are seared, then mixed with chanterelle
mushrooms, capicolla and tomatoes, and finally placed pan and all in
the oven and broiled. The final product in front of me was two
perfectly cooked veal loin slices in a flavorful sauce - they even
serve it to you in the pan (I'm sure it wasn't the pan it was cooked
in, but it gave the dish a nice effect). Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Foodgasm
central. This dish made the night for me. I ate every last morsel of it.
One thing I didn't like was that the wine list was a little weak. I was very difficult to find a decent wine. They had one too many Merlots on a wine menu where you only had a choice of five reds. Hell, the photo on the main page of their web site shows one of the chefs proudly brandishing a bottle of Luna di Luna Merlot-Cabernet blend. I ended up ordering a French Pinot Noir which I thought was a little too bitter. They say that a good wine can turn an average meal into an outstanding meal. A bad wine can also turn an outstanding meal into and average one. This wine wasn't that bad, but it did detract from the overall experience I had.
Comparatively, Madame Janette is very reasonably priced - with an average entrée price being at least $5 cheaper than other competing restaurants in Aruba. At this point in the trip, I was picturing my enormous credit card bill and I was starting to wonder if I would have enough balance to cover the final charge from the hotel. I shrugged it off, but I appreciated the "moderate" prices at Madame Janette (comparatively speaking).
We had some coffee, listened to the guitar player for a while and then left, holding our stomachs proudly like trophies. Tomorrow, we would be on our way home and Madame Janette's was a great way to end our vacation.
Categories: Restaurant Reviews, Travel Edition
Link To This Post
Comments (8)
Apr 21, 2005
Chateau Carbonnieux Wine Dinner at Le Paradou
OK. I've been inundated with emails this week about events they are holding. I'm not sure why this is happening the week I am on vacation, I guess it's a good thing because restaurants are starting to notice me, but I decided to wake up "early" this morning and post a bunch of them.
Le Paradou will be hosting a Chateau Carbonnieux Wine Dinner on May 2 at 7:00 pm. Now, I've never been to Le Paradou, but I've read about Yannick Cam's exquisite cooking on both eGullet and Chowhound. The meal is $150 a person which includes taxes and gratuity, but if you consider that a six course meal usually costs $110 a person and then add wine tasting, tax, gratuity on top of that, $150 really isn't all that bad. If you were thinking about trying Le Paradou, this might be a good time. I know I'm considering it, especially since finishing Kitchen Confidential, in which Anthony Bourdain's descriptions of French dishes really peaked my appetite.
From Le Paradou's web site:
This property is one of the oldest in Graves. Named after Ramon Carbonnieux in 1234, the Château and vineyards were purchased in 1740 by Benedictines who started bottling wine at the Château. The Benedictines were ousted by the Revolution and the property changed hands several times between 1790 and 1956 when it was acquired by Marc Perrin, father of the current owner. A member of a family of wine growers of Burgundian origin, the Perrin's had been producing wines in Algeria for the last four generations. Marc Perrin and his son Antony improved the vineyards, restored the Château and modernized all of the working areas. Château Carbonnieux produces as much white wine as it does red.
The menu will consist of six courses:
Aumonière de Homard, Jus de Carotte au Gingembre
Lobster Purse with Carrot Jus and Ginger
Blanc 2001
Queue de Langoustine, Flan de St. Jacques, Jus de Homard au Safran
Langoustine Tail, Scallop Flan, Sauce of Lobster and Saffron
Blanc 2002
Poitrine de Pigeon au Miel, Epices et Baie de Genièvre, Mousseline au Foie Gras
Breast of Pigeon with Honey, Spices and Juniper Berries, Mousse of Foie Gras
Red 1996
Noisette d'Agneau Poêle, Purée d'Aubergines aux Champignons des Bois, Jeunes Navets a Fanes
Lambchop, Puree of Eggplant with Wild Mushrooms, Baby Turnips
Red 1998, 2000
Taleggio, Poires Rôti, Jeunes Salade au Vieux Balsamique
Taleggio, Roasted Pears, Baby Greens with Aged Balsamic
Red 1997
Saveur de Chocolat, Emulsion au Thym, Glace Noisette-Citron Confit
Chocolate Saveur, Thyme Sauce and Hazelnut-Citron Confit Ice Cream
The cost for the dinner is $150 per person (which includes tax and gratuity) and reservations are required as seating is limited.
Please contact Heather Tighe at (202) 347-6780 or heather@leparadou.net for reservations.
Categories: Events
Link To This Post
Comments (1)
International Religious Freedom and Human Rights Food Event
I received an email from someone at Sesto Senso about this event today.
The Institute on Religion and Public Policy and Sesto Senso Restaurant cordially invite you to attend a reception with special guests Senator Sam Brownback, Representative Tom Tancredo, and more in support of International Religious Freedom and Human Rights Wednesday, April 20, 2005 at Andalu (downstairs entrance).
1214 C 18th Street
6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.
$75 tax deductible donation requested at door
R.S.V.P to Liz Covey by April 19, 2005
Tel: 202.835.8760 Fax: 202.835.8764
Email: covey@religionandpolicy.org
Now I can guarentee that my web site will be blocked by the Chinese government. Oh well. :-)
Categories: Events
Link To This Post
Comments (0)
Apr 18, 2005
Milestones
Today, I reached a new milestone in my life.
I finally, after 2 years, finished reading Anthony Bourdain's book, Kitchen Confidential. I'm sure you're all curious what in God's name, could possibly take me so F-ing long to finish a single book. Well, for one, I'm an annoying impatient bastard--I can't sit in one place for more than an hour without twiddling my thumbs and wondering what's next. I drive Amy batshit crazy because I'm always wondering what we're going to do next, where we're going to go and how we're going to get there.
“CAN'T YOU SIT STILL FOR TWO HOURS WITHOUT ASKING ME WHAT YOU WANT TO DO NEXT?!!” She'll always ask me.
On top of that, I'm also an incredibly slow reader, unlike my wife who read the same book, in a single day, three years ago (in a couple of hours) sitting on the beach in Aruba. Which reminds me…
In case you're wondering why it's been a week since I've
written, it's because I’m back in Aruba
Kitchen Confidential is a brilliant book in my opinion. It does a great job of making sure that people like me NEVER, EVER open a restaurant or decide to become a cook. I mean, I don't know how many times I've turned to Amy and said, "God, I NEED to open a restaurant" or "Man, I should become a cook," soley based on the qualification that I LOVE food.
It also reminded me how much room for improvement I have when it comes to writing.
My favorite quote from The Book: “The new waiter doesn’t
know what prosciutto is, and my heart sinks.” I burst out laughing on the beach
and everyone turned and looked at me. It’s funny because it’s
true.
So tomorrow, I start reading The Man Who Ate Everything, by Jeffrey Steingarten. Hopefully I can finish it faster than Kitchen Confidential. If I don’t, then maybe I’ll be writing another post like this in another two years.
Categories: Just Because
Link To This Post
Comments (8)
Apr 13, 2005
Weekly Radio Segment
I was on Z104 Morning Drive yesterday morning with Matt Blades. On case you missed it, you can listen to it here. I talked about outdoor dining spots in DC including Cafe Ole, Straights of Malaya, and Zed's. In case you want to listen every week, I think I will be on the air at about 9 am on Tuesdays now. Next week we'll be talking about my favorite pizza places, (as if any of you faithful readers don't know what my favorite pizza places are...) so don't miss it!
Categories: Events
Link To This Post
Comments (0)
Apr 11, 2005
Restaurants by the Tidal Basin
First thing...Whatever you do stay away from The Waterfront.
Instead, you should head up north of Constitution Ave to a couple places that I went to this weekend. But before I get to the recs, let me tell you about how last Saturday went...
In the 7 years Amy and I have lived in this area, we've NEVER seen the cherry blossoms. Yeah yeah, I know! How can I call myself a Washingtonian??!! So anyway, we decided to head downtown because it was such a BEAUTIFUL day. I really wish the weather was like that all the time around here. Perhaps it's time to move to San Francisco. We took the Metro from Tenleytown to Metro Center and then walked down 14th St to grab something to eat. First, we stopped at Red Sage's Border Cafe and I had a couple margaritas. I feel bad sometimes drinking in front of Amy, but what can I do?? I can't pass up a good margarita. We also had some chorizo empenadas, black bean chili and a Cuban pork sandwich - none of which were outstanding in any sense of the word. I think I'm spoiled from eating at Samantha's. Red Sage does make a fine margarita though. Either way, Red Sage's Border Cafe serves better food than I've ever eaten at Austin Grill or Rio Grande Cafe so it's a good place to stop for lunch. Their prices are pretty reasonable as well since you can get an entree there for under $10.
After we were done at Red Sage, we decided to walk around the downtown area a bit. There was a Japanese street festival on Pennsylvania Ave so we walked around to see some of the shows. After about a hour or so there, I started getting hungry again. We headed back up 13th St and came across Chef Geoff's. Since it had been a while since we'd been to Chef Geoff's, we decided to stop in and have a salad and some appetizers. Chef Geoff's has some great appetizers like fried green tomatoes and mushroom gnocchi. Of course the gnocchi isn't close to as good as Palena's, but really, it's pretty good. It's a little more expensive than your average lunch destination, but on the other hand the food there is much better than your average lunch spot so it's worth it. I had a couple glasses of wine and we just hung out at the bar for a little bit and talked.
By now it was around 5:30 pm. Amy had a sunburn (pregnancy makes you more susceptible to sunburns) and we were both tired from walking around all day. We were also going to a dinner party at our friends that night so we had to go home and get ready. Being lazy and not feeling like walking anymore, we hailed a cab and took it all the way home.
In the end, we still haven't seen the Cherry Blossoms. Oh well, maybe next year.
Categories: Downtown, Events, Restaurant Reviews
Link To This Post
Comments (0)
Apr 07, 2005
Outdoor Dining
Ahhh...there's really nothing like having a nice casual dinner at your local restaurant with an outdoor dining area. Yesterday evening, while it was still nice and not raining, I took my wife for a quick dinner at Cafe Ole. It was so beautiful out, I just couldn't help it. I love to go to Cafe Ole, sit outside on their patio and have a glass of wine while eating a few of their Mediterranean tapas. The other place in my neighborhood I like eating outside at is Cafe Deluxe since they have a mighty fine Manhattan - although usually I'm ready for a nap after a couple of those and an hour or so in the sun...whiskey just does that to me.
That's Cleveland Park. In some other neighborhoods...
Adams Morgan has Straits of Malaya. Their rooftop deck is pretty nice and the food is even better.
In Georgetown you have Zed's, which I have yet to write a review of, but I certainly think their Ethiopian is the best in the city.
Downtown, you don't really have many choices. I'm totally blanking right now...bah!
I didn't have my most favorite meal there, but in Dupont Circle, Firefly has a nice outside terrace for dining.
Let's see, what else is there...
Bethesda...I remember after I saw Bend It Like Beckham with my wife at the Landmark Theater, I had an enormous hankerin' for Indian food so we went to Dhelhi Dhaba and we ate outside on the sidewalk. That really hit the spot!
Where do all of you like to go in your neighborhoods?
I really hope it's nice this weekend so I can eat outside some more.
Categories: Outdoor Dining
Link To This Post
Comments (8)
Apr 06, 2005
In case you missed me this morning
In case you were wondering...YES! That was me this morning on Z104's Morning Drive. I talked about Spezie (which I think I totally butchered the pronuciation of) and Corduroy (which actually isn't in Dupont). I now officially HATE the sound of my own voice. In case you missed it, you can listen to it here. I'll be on every Wednesday morning so be sure to listen!
Categories: Events
Link To This Post
Comments (5)
Apr 05, 2005
I do this every spring and I never learn
It's about that time of the year again...
It's about that time when the weather starts to warm up again and I start to say to myself, "Gee, wouldn't it be nice to go to Cactus Cantina and sit outside eating some queso and drink a margarita."
Except, when I go, I realize, "Hmm, this seems familiar for some reason."
And then I realize why. There is a horrible wait to sit outside (usually over an hour), so I end up sitting inside (because the wait is ONLY a half-hour). The queso is basically cheese whiz with some onions in it and horribly disappointing. The service is always even worse than the last time I went, and I end up wishing that I had stayed home and made myself spaghettios and a poor man's margarita with Mountain Dew and tequila.
Oh well, what do we have if we don't have our traditions? Same time next year?
Categories: Just Because
Link To This Post
Comments (6)
Apr 03, 2005
Q & A
I've received some interesting questions via comments and email lately about DC restaurants, so I thought I would post a couple here.
I greatly enjoy your Web site. I have a question about restaurants suitable for club meetings.
Our group meets each month on a Sunday, at a Washington restaurant located near a Metro station. We're a very new group and have held only two meetings thus far, the first at Café Luna, the second at Ben's Chili Bowl.
We'd like to hold our third meeting at another D.C. restaurant. I'm the one tasked with finding a restaurant but could use some advice. Any thoughts on reasonably priced places that might host lunch meetings? Many thanks for any advice you're able to provide.
Mark
Hmm, reasonably priced and near a metro station...
Working my way down the red line cause that's the only one I ever ride.
Tenleytown
Cafe Ole is right up the street from me. Mediterranean tapas at very
reasonable prices. Its about a 5 minute walk from the Tenleytown metro
UDC
Yeah...no.
Cleveland Park
Indique - Good indian food. Especially for lunch. They have a good
lunch deal where you get a entree with rice, naan, and soup or salad
for about $9 - $11
Vace pizza - takeout only - I'm not sure about their ability to host a meeting.
Woodley Park
Mr. Chens Organic Chinese
If you're willing to walk to Adams Morgan, Amsterdam Falafal wont do you wrong. Everyone loves that place.
Tryst (also in Adams Morgan) is a nice sit down place with couches and you can get sandwiches and coffee. WiFi enabled as well. They might be willing to host a meeting.
Dupont Circle
Heritage India is right at Dupont Circle on Connecticut. Excellent Indian food.
Pizzaria Paradiso is also at Dupont Circle, although the dining room is small.
If your willing to walk a little...
Osteria Del Galileo is the Bar area at Roberto Donna's Galileo. Pretty
good italian food and very cheap. It's walkable from the Dupont metro
down 20th or 21st I believe.
Faragut North
Spezie is a little bit more on the pricier side, but it is at 17th an L
right on the Farrugut North metro. You won't find better Italian food
in the city for the cost though.
Nirvana at Connecticut and K has a good Indian buffet (I'm told), although I've eaten there for dinner and wasn't too impressed.
Gallery/Place-Chinatown
Burma has great burmese food. Definitely in your price range.
Hope that helps.
(quoting my post about Faryab) "I ordered a beer since I can't drink a whole bottle of wine on my own now
that Amy is pregnant." Whereas, pre-pregnancy, you could?
Stop reviewing restaurants; I haven't even gotten to Afghan Grill yet and
already you're giving another Afghan restaurant a good review, plus it's in
my neighborhood. Give us a chance to catch up!
Jim
Pre-pregnancy, Amy and I would share. :)
I was able to top off a bottle of Pinot on my own the other night at
Corduroy. Luckily we were there for a couple hours and I ate a ton of
food, otherwise I would have been completely tanked by the end of the
night.
Come on now...keep up. What's the hold up already? I'm only reviewing
1 or 2 restaurants a week here...
Thanks for being such a dedicated reader....
I noticed that one of my favorite spots (Yanyu) is gone. Argh!
Are they relocating? Is the chef going somewhere else?
Help!
Bernice
No and No.
Sorry Bernice. It's gone. No more Big Duck - I'm sad. Spices is run by the same owner, but they don't serve any of the same dishes. I'm not sure why they closed, but there is a new Italian bird moving in. Hopefully, they're not going to be another Uptown tourist trap.
Categories: Question and Answer
Link To This Post
Comments (11)
Apr 02, 2005
Corduroy
If you remember my article about Restaurant Week in January, you remember that I was thoroughly impressed with my meal at Corduroy. The food was excellent and the service was even better. I went there again last night with Amy because I wanted to try Corduroy on a day other than Restaurant Week.
Sadly, Corduroy still doesn't get very crowded. Yesterday at about 4:30, I was able to go online at OpenTable and make a reservation for 7:30PM. I just don’t think people know what they're missing by going elsewhere. Granted, this restaurant is not in an ideal location at 12th and K (located on the second floor of the Four Points Hotel). It's pretty far away from the hustle and bustle of Georgetown, Dupont and Adams Morgan. It's not walking distance from the Capital area or White House. It IS close to the Convention Center though - VERY CLOSE. If I was at the Convention Center for business for the day, I'd be sure to stop off at Corduroy afterwards for an expense account dinner. Corduroy also has free valet parking, so you can drive there and park easily like we did last night and save yourself the cab fare.
Last night, I'd say that only every other table was taken. The dining room is quiet and calm, as well as the bar area where a single bartender is able to handle the small crowd. The servers aren't running around like chickens with their heads cut off and the entire place has a calm, serene feel to it. It's perfect for a romantic evening out, or a lunch-time meal to talk business.
Like last time, the service was impeccable from the moment we sat down. Corduroy does a great job of giving you the atmosphere of a 5-star restaurant. When you order, someone comes by and immediately makes sure you have the right utensils to eat your meal. For instance, Amy ordered a bowl of soup to start, and they brought her a soup spoon as soon as we were done ordering. They also took away any utensils that we wouldn't use. How many times has a restaurant brought me food but I didn’t have any silver to eat it? It’s the little things that matter sometimes.
I actually think that the food was better this visit. Maybe it was the fact that I ordered lamb sirloin rather than scallops, or maybe it was because I tried the lobster salad AS WELL as the buffalo mozzarella porcupine. (Our last trip to Corduroy, Amy ordered the porcupine and I wished to God I had ordered it. You can read my write-up on Restaurant Week for a full description of the porcupine.) The lobster salad is served cold. Chunks of lobster are mixed with tomatoes and mild seasoning, positioned delicately on a layer of thinly-sliced cucumbers, and topped with micro greens and a basil oil. I was very impressed with how a dish as simple and delicate as this one had as full a flavor as it did. I'm not a huge fan of lobster myself, and I devoured this dish.
Amy had a very smooth parsnip soup with fresh tarragon and a tiny dollop of sour cream. The soup had a comfort-food taste to it -- very hearty, but not thick or overly rich. Chef Tom Power doesn’t go overboard trying to make his soups creamy and thick. She thoroughly enjoyed the soup, as did I when she was generous enough to give me a sample of it. (For those of you following Amy’s pregnancy, Amy is now eating more and manages to eat at restaurants without having to run to the bathroom and puke.)
The entrees Amy and I ordered were pretty good. My lamb sirloin was served a perfect medium rare with a simple reduction sauce. The meat was very flavorful - really an ideal cut of meat. It didn't have the usual tough texture that lamb can have nor did it have a gamey taste. On the side it came with an equal portion of tiny goat cheese ravioli topped with a light cream sauce. The only bad thing I have to say about this dish is that the ravioli was a tad overcooked, and tended to stick to each other. Otherwise, the entire dish was delicious. Amy ordered the buffalo striploin. It also was cooked a perfect medium rare and topped with a simple reduction sauce as well. On the side - some perfectly cooked thin green beans with butter and salt (which Amy later commented were the most perfectly cooked green beans she’s ever had at a restaurant) and a gruyere cheese potato cake.
As if I hadn't eaten enough already, we ordered some dessert as well. Amy remembered the vanilla bean creme brulee that she had last time and couldn't help ordering it again. Like last time, it was fantastic. I branched out a little and order the pistachio bread pudding. I was a little disappointed in the bread pudding. It was soggy and had way too much butter in it. I prefer bread pudding to be a bit firmer, but that is just my taste. We also had a bottle of wine with the meal. As I stated in my previous review, the wine list has a wide variety of wines at prices starting around $30. We ordered a $34 bottle of Pinot Noir with our meal, although I ended up drinking almost the whole bottle by myself. Luckily, I spread it out over a couple of hours, so I wasn’t completely tanked by the time the meal was over.
Tom Power's masterful cooking was evident in each dish we ate. He takes quality ingredients and prepares them simply. I wish more restaurants in this area would follow his lead in this respect. You can pile as many fancy-sounding ingredients into a dish, but if they don’t taste well together, or are of poor quality, then it will taste accordingly. (Ok, I’m done preaching for the day.) At about $125, our bill was actually very reasonable considering all the food we had and how good it all tasted. I'll be heading back soon.
Corduroy
1201 K St., NW
Washington, DC
Map
(202) 589-0699
Hours:
Weekdays 6:30am-10:30am, 12pm-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm
Weekends 7am-11am, 12pm-2:30pm, 6pm-10:30pm
Parking: Street parking available, free valet with validation
Reservations: Taken
Smoking: In bar only
Dress Code: Business Casual
Amy's Bathroom Rating: The bathrooms were the hotel's bathrooms and they looked like the hotel had just opened yesterday.
Nearest Metro: Metro Center
Categories: Downtown, New American, Restaurant Reviews
Link To This Post
Comments (15)
