JoanArkham's Profile
Brunch in Baltimore on Memorial Day...possible?
I'm going to be meeting up with some NYC friends in Baltimore for the weekend. We'll be stuck in the Inner Harbor area for most of Saturday and Sunday (Maryland Death Fest!) but will be able to get back in our cars to get a decent brunch before hitting the road on Monday. A diner is fine, just somewhere with breakfast options at noon that's ok with hosting some sunburned, exhausted music festival survivors.
I realize this may be asking the impossible...but thanks for considering the question!
Christmas Eve sushi (or seafood) in NoVA? DC?
Thanks...it's just odd for me to plan ahead for anything! I think we're leaning toward Black Salt, but will wait a bit and see if anyone is doing anything special.
Christmas Eve sushi (or seafood) in NoVA? DC?
I tried to make an OpenTable reservation for Kushi, but nothing is available. Hank's doesn't take reservations. We don't want anything too fancy or fussy, but I definitely want to be able to make a reservation, so our strip-mall neighborhood places are out. Any thoughts? Am I trying too early for online reservations, or am I (as usual) already too late?
Casual but special anniversary dinner in NoVA or DC?
Thanks, all! I guess I'm just looking for something "new to us." (Which all of these suggestions are!) Trying to get out of our rut, especially since we don't eat out as much as we used to.
Casual but special anniversary dinner in NoVA or DC?
Just got back from an amazing trip to Istanbul, so we don't want to splurge too much...but we still want to do something special for our anniversary next Friday. Something more on the fun side than the fussy side. I was thinking of Kushi, but we've been there several times, and want to try something new. Maybe Virtue Feed and Grain? Something we're missing? I feel like everything new has been burgers or steaks lately.
(Mr. Arkham is a pescavore, so most steakhouse or BBQ-type places are out, unless they have a decent fish option.)
Aimless (DC) Tourist, Looking for Non-Tourist Spots
Thanks again, everyone! We didn't have nearly enough time to get everywhere we wanted, but we enjoyed:
Café Campagne for breakfast (got in before the rush, too!)
Serious Pie
Piroshky! Piroshky! (craving the Moscow roll ever since we got back to DC...nothing like it here that I can find)
Nijo for an excellent sushi happy hour
We also nibbled our way through Chinatown, and had lunch at a Cambodian soup place whose name I forget. And we made a point to never stop at the same coffee place twice. Really, I don't think we ate or drank anything that wasn't good. Next visit we hope to have time to explore the outer neighborhoods as well as Olympia and some other towns.
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Serious Pie
316 Virginia St, Seattle, WA 98101
Campagne
86 Pine, Seattle, WA 98101
Aimless (DC) Tourist, Looking for Non-Tourist Spots
Thanks for the list! I'll be sure to report back. (And I'm now craving Chinese food and mussels at 8:30 in the morning...)
Aimless (DC) Tourist, Looking for Non-Tourist Spots
Does anyone ever say they *want* tacky tourist spots? Anyway, I'm finally taking my first trip to Seattle for a long weekend in 2 weeks. We have no particular plans, other than walking, eating, and drinking. I know (of course) about Seattle's reputation for coffee and beer, and the Pike Place Market, but I'm ashamed to say I don't know too much else. What should we be seeking out? (Mr. Arkham doesn't eat meat, but does eat fish and seafood.)
We're staying in the Alexis Hotel and not getting a car, but we generally use public transit when traveling. Cheap eats to mid-range places, nothing too fancy or formal. Thanks in advance!
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Pike Place Market
1501 Pike Pl, Seattle, WA 98101
Missed my chance at PX...second choice in OT Alexandria?
Update: we were on our way to Eve and saw the blue light on at PX and decided to give it a shot. We lucked out, and got two seats at the bar. Definitely worth it, I'm so glad we tried.
Missed my chance at PX...second choice in OT Alexandria?
We were thinking cocktails, but wine and coffee are good too. Maybe even for the next day/afternoon.
Missed my chance at PX...second choice in OT Alexandria?
Thanks! I know Eve has the same drinks as PX, but wasn't sure what the bar was like.
Missed my chance at PX...second choice in OT Alexandria?
Mr. Arkham and I will be celebrating 15 years of wedded bliss (!) next week. I am kicking myself because I missed my chance to make reservations for after dinner drinks at PX, even though I tried the day after they became available. (I can't believe I forgot the day.)
So I guess my first question is: any chance we can get in just by walking in? I don't want to play the "special occasion" card because that always feels tacky to me...but should I?
Second question: what would be your second choice for upscale drinks in that area? I love the Majestic as a restaurant, but the bar is a little too loud and open. What about going to Eve just for drinks? Or somewhere else? We're having dinner at Brabo, and would probably prefer to take a walk afterward.
Thanks!
Looking for general food and beer advice for Toronto
Just wanted to follow up and say thanks for all the advice. There was so much to see (and eat and drink) we didn't get to it all, and we're already thinking of a return visit next year.
C'est What was very good for beer, just ok for food. The menu seemed sort of heavy for August, but maybe that's a regional thing? After tasting some local beers we picked up some at the LCBO to take home, an apricot wheat and a blueberry lager.
We had some baked goods and roasted corn at St. Lawrence market, and I tried the peameal bacon sandwich at Carousel. I was debating having one (as a second breakfast) and a woman next to me insisted that I do...glad I listened.
Following a rec from a different site, I had dinner at Sidecar and was able to have drinks at Toronto Temperance Society as a guest afterward. Both were wonderful experiences, the patio at Sidecar was lovely and TTS was one-of-a-kind. If I lived in the area I'd have bought a membership on the spot. I'd never had real Cuban rum before!
Other than that we just grazed our way through the city...having nibbles in every neighborhood we wandered through. Which is pretty much the perfect vacation. Thanks again for all your help and hope I can return the favor if you're ever in DC!
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C'est What
67 Front St E, Toronto, ON M5E1B5, CA
Toronto Temperance Society
577 College St, Toronto, ON M6G, CA
Looking for general food and beer advice for Toronto
Hah, not too late...we're here now and had just decided on C'est What for this evening. Spooky!
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C'est What
67 Front St E, Toronto, ON M5E1B5, CA
Looking for general food and beer advice for Toronto
Huh, I was under the impression that since Canadian beer was stronger the versions imported to the US weren't the same. But after some Googling, it looks like I was totally wrong!
Looking for general food and beer advice for Toronto
Thanks for the excellent info! Especially on the beer fest...that's pretty much the scene I want to avoid.
Looking for general food and beer advice for Toronto
Oh wow, Polish food is one thing we really don't have here. Any specific recommendations?
Looking for general food and beer advice for Toronto
Thanks! Butter tarts are new to me, but they sound wonderful. I've never had poutine before, and I'm actually not a huge fan of french fries (weird, I know!) so maybe I'll skip that and save the calories for other things.
Looking for general food and beer advice for Toronto
Mr. Arkham and I are taking an end-of-summer road trip from Washington DC to Toronto the first week of August. We're staying at the Residence Inn downtown and hope to park the car when we get there and not use it again until we leave, but anything on a transit line is fair game.
Food: I know about poutine, but what else does Toronto have that's unique or better than other places? We're especially interested in seafood/sushi, European-style pastry, and dim sum.
Beer: What not-available-in-the-US brands should we keep an eye out for and where are the best places to sample them? Mr. Arkham is a fan of dark stouts, and I like red lagers and fruit lambics. Local is good. Weird is good. Ideally we could find a place with tastings or flights of beer. I know there's a beer festival that weekend, but I'm not really a fan of huge outdoor things like that unless it's really something we shouldn't miss.
Also, extra-super-bonus points for any roadfood recommendations between here and there. Thanks!
Coffee by the Carafe (at a nice brunch)?
Heh, thanks. I'm not usually a shrinking violet or anything...must have been the lack of caffeine.
Coffee by the Carafe (at a nice brunch)?
I recently went to a very nice brunch at a very nice restaurant that served very good coffee in the tiniest cups ever. On top of that, the server was pouring the cups only about 3/4 full and was busy enough with other tables that we all sat around with empty cups for much of the meal.
The coffee was served from insulated carafes that were sitting on a table nearby. I considered asking if she would just leave the carafe with our table of 6 (5 of whom were drinking coffee) but since that's only something I've ever seen at IHOP or diner-type places I didn't know if it would have been rude. I'm interested to know what others think.
Eventide brunch: what to get?
Thanks, all! I got the PBLT (plantain, bacon, lettuce, tomato) sandwich and a side of the hash. It was all quite good, and the coffee was as well. Service was a bit flaky though. Side note: I wish they would have just left the coffee carafe on the table instead of parceling out tiny 1/2 full cups. Or is that too IHOP?
Eventide brunch: what to get?
I just got back from an amazing trip to San Francisco, where I ate my way from one end to the other. As such, I've got to get back on the eating light wagon. Except I have a previously scheduled brunch with family and friends at Eventide this Sunday. What's the best thing to spend my calories on...or, alternately, the best light option?
DC Hound looking for quirky, fun eats
Just wanted to say THANK YOU for making our vacation delicious. We mostly stuck to the "cheap eats" end of the spectrum. Places we enjoyed:
Dim sum at Great Eastern: I wish we had been more hungry, but we were kind of there for "second breakfast". Or maybe "first lunch". Baked pork buns are my favorite, and these were fresh and delicious.
Burritos at El Farolito: I had the marinated pork, and it was fab. Now I know what those "California burrito" places are trying to do, I think.
Ice cream at Bi-Rite: Mr. Arkham and I each got a 3-flavor bowl. The salted caramel was to die for, but the surprise standout was banana.
Hog Island for oysters: We stumbled on the Monday happy hour deal, and tore through 3 dozen small but tasty oysters, plus two servings of mussels in red sauce.
Dotties for breakfast: We got there right at 7:30, and sat down right away. Everything was great (and we took half home for "second lunch") but I'm not sure any breakfast is worth an hour wait on vacation. Way too much to see and do.
Mission Street Food: We were served a "re-imagined San Fransisco classics" menu (http://blog.missionstreetfood.com/2010/03/saturday-march-13th-neo-classical-san.html) I don't think I'm sophisticated enough to appreciate deconstructed cioppino, but everything else was delicious. (I'm still not sure if the salt and pepper on our dessert plate was on purpose or not though.)
Everything baked in the whole city was, indeed, outstanding. We did the tourist thing and got a loaf of sourdough at the airport (I know, I know) to take home. And even the *airport bread* was good.
Thanks again, all!
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Great Eastern Restaurant
649 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94133
Mission Chinese Food
2234 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
DC Hound looking for quirky, fun eats
You are right about the bread, I was just complaining about the lack of bakeries around here yesterday. And I do love my carbs. Thanks for the tips!
DC Hound looking for quirky, fun eats
Thanks! We are definitely planning on getting a MUNI pass and exploring as much as our schedule allows.
DC Hound looking for quirky, fun eats
Thanks! We do have good Korean, Thai and Vietnamese nearby but not so much authentic Chinese. I actually work steps from DC's "Chinatown" which is like the saddest thing you ever saw.
DC Hound looking for quirky, fun eats
Thanks, all! Italian wasn't even on my radar, since I never bother going out for it here. (Grew up with an Italian gramma...and it's just never the same.)
Sushi rec looks good too, and thanks for the tip about reservations.
Sauca food truck in DC... Are you experienced?
I'm curious as well. Usually anything with that many different types of food in one place scares me off, but I really want to support good DC street food. Anyone?
DC Hound looking for quirky, fun eats
I'll be in SF (staying at the Monaco, no car) in a few weeks, and I think I've got a good itinerary planned thanks to this board. I'm looking for low-to-mid-range bars and restaurants with quirky, fun food and drinks. Not like TGIMcBennigan's "fun" but things like creative, non-traditional sushi or non-pretentious but inventive cocktails.
All suggestions welcome, and sorry if I've been too vague.
