wristband's Profile
2 most memorable fine dining restaurants in Bangkok?
Phil - I agree but thought the point was made clear in my post above. St. Regis & 4 Seasons are pleasant but certainly not top gourmet options. I can't opine about other high end hotels except Sra Bua at the Kempinski (thumbs down for me) and Nahm at the Metro which has admiring reviews.
Bangkok- Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin at Siam Kempinski
I posted elsewhere on this board after having had dinner several weeks ago. Big disappointment. Yes, a lot of food for The Nibblings but the fare served was underwhelming and pretentious - little came off as innovative or particularly delicious.
I felt their effort to try to reconstruct traditional dishes fell felt. My sense is the chefs are mimicking what what has been done elsewhere and what is expected for molecular gastronomy. Did not work. Serving dishes with traditional names - but the end result is far from a flavorful or memorable experience.
One could smash a cup of Frosted Flakes with corriander and dried fish, sprinkle red dye no. 2 atop, then claim a reconstructed version of pad thai. But, hey, that does not make for a pleasurable and interesting dining experience.
For the price and time required, I believe a serious rethinking needs to be done at Sra Bua. To amplify my opinion, on a weekend night the room was essentially empty of other diners. I was excited about the possibilities and for being challenged but what I experienced was disappointing.
2 most memorable fine dining restaurants in Bangkok?
Bo Lan is in an interesting setting, with two chefs that (I believe) worked at David Thompson's Naahm which is at the Metropolitan hotel, south of Lumphini Park. I have not eaten at Naahm but there is considerable publicity as Thompson earned a Michelin star in London with his efforts. I thought Bo Lan was far better than Sra Bua, especially if you are looking for innovative, upscale "new" Thai cuisine in a unique and pleasant setting.
I have been told top hotels offer good gourmet choices. I had dinner at the St. Regis and Four Seasons on our recent trip but do not suggest you make a special effort for either (not bad, just not what you might be looking for).
2 most memorable fine dining restaurants in Bangkok?
I disagree with Sra Bua. Just returned from Bangkok and found dinner to be excruciatingly long, the plates uninteresting and pretentious and very few notable dishes (though there is a lot of food). Service was very formal but the ambiance is like dining in a large mausoleum. The place has little character and the so-called molecular gastronomy on display is gimmick-ridden and often makes no sense with the so-called reconstructed dish.
If you are going to offer a new take on chicken satay, for example, the taste and presentation has to exceed the "original" version. The Nibblings menu failed to do so on so many levels and the satay was just plain unpleasant to look at and taste (like yellow gefilte fish).
While the hotel (Kampinski) and the restaurant are enormous lavishly renovated spaces, I think there are far better gourmet options available in Bangkok. During our dinner - which took over 2 1/2 hours - only two additional tables were occupied and those appeared to be western hotel guests. Either the extravagant cost imposed or the actual product offered is not attacting diners - at least based on our recent experience. We would not go back.
tysons chain hell
The Palm fits the request perfectly! Seriously, Deluxe is far too loud and is part of a local chain.
Nostos is a good bet for Greek and seafood along with Tachibana in the center of McLean. There is an upscale Italian eatery in McLean called Osteria Assiagi which is significantly above the competition in the area. All three have plenty of free, non-mall parking, offer menus focused on high quality ingredients (the "less is more" philosophy vs. Cheesecake Factory) that are easily navigated and offers pleasant ambiance, good service and very good food.
Nostos can be loud when its filled (its a small room) but the other two are more muted with a full house.
Best espresso Rome
You might want to check that last point. SE does indeed pop a shot of sugar to their drinks. Not just my opinion - a quick check on the web will unearth their "secret.' But, hey, if you had a lovely time and it was unfrazzled, wonderful to hear!
How to negotiate eating in Rome
Check out the clubs and nightlife in Testaccio. Not far from where you are staying in T'vere. Hopping and crazy, along with hot pizzas places open at night.
Best espresso Rome
Forget the afternoon "no joe rule." I have ordered cappucino all day long and love it and never had a sneer directed at me by a server. I could care less what others might sniff about.
As for the SO, why not opt for hot chocolate? Available widely and widely treasured throughout Rome (esp if the hot cocoa is Venchi - excellent product, buy a bag and bring some home!). The SO could also simply order a Pellegrino or a mineral water with gas and lollygag with you.
Personally, I am not a fan of the well-known pit stops by the Pantheon. Tazza is too "snug" and frantic for me, I don't relish standing at the bar armpit to armpit. Guide books say otherwise. Sant'eustachio, the other overhyped place, adds a shot of sugar as a "secret ingredient." Uh huh, that just ain't to my liking, let alone the tourist hordes jammed into the little shop. But just steps across the way is Camelloni which serves good expressi and cappucini without the hullabaloo. Plus, you can sit outside on a nice day in five or six tables there which makes for a nice stop in the Pantheon area.
Perhaps the nicest place to stop and sip, albeit expensive, is on a lovely pedestrian piazza at Ciampini (Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina). Ciampini has very good gelato, a sizeable light menu of snacks and sandwiches and plenty of non-coffee options that will be to your SO's liking. Plus heat lamps outside if there is a chill in the air. Beware: you pay considerably more for your beverage when you sit than you would standing and sipping at the counter.
My favorite, though, is Cafe Brazil on via Serpenti. How they manage to crank out such excellent cappucini and expressi year after year is beyond me. But they do. And they sell packets of Venchi cocoa (there is a Venchi store between Spagna and the Corso that sells cups of delicious hot cocoa along with the products, get the location online or from the hotel).
Rome November Chowhounder Report
A week in Rome mid-November offered up two extremes. No comment on several stops that had low expectations which proved correct.
First, the highlights. Claudio, chef and chief bottle washer of La Gensola, has opened "Il Localino" (or, depending on the day, "Da Claudio") just off the Via Veneto on via Lazio 22. Thank you Elizabeth M. for noting this here. I should say "just opened" when we stopped for lunch. No sign on the street, printed menus were of La Gensola but daily specials were handwritten on a chalk board, plenty of unopened boxes scattered around the dining room.
But...Claudio could not have been more charming and engaged. He cheerfully roamed the dining room excited and eager to please. We had a terrific lunch that included involtini di spada con caponato di melanzane, grilled octopus with potato that was unlike any grilled octopi we have had previously, scallops with mushrooms, tuna balls in a tomato sauce, linguini ai fiori di zucca (superb) and linguini with calamari & sun dried tomatoes (equally superb). Lest you think we are gluttons, portion sizes were quite modest. Service was great and Claudio was like a kid at Christmas running back and forth from the kitchen. This was one of the very best meals we have enjoyed in Rome in three visits over the past five years. I am not cutting any slack for the usual break in period a new restaurant goes through. Go, go, go to see Claudio!
What can I add to the terrific and well known effort put forth by the family at Colline Emiliane (via degli Avignonesi 22)? C.E. is rec'd here regularly so I can only amplify the positive comments. Each time we visit for lunch, and we have been five times, the food gets better and better. The wine soaked proscuitto, the gambochetta with spinach is a perennial favorite, deserts (ricotta tort with pear) nicely done. Pasta, as always, fantastic. Yes, yes, the bolognese was mouthwateringly delicious. But the highlight were sublime white truffles (40 euros) . Interesting to note six plates of that pasta dish were delivered to separate tables occupied by what appeared to be regulars. The family still rolls and cuts pasta by hand and it is molto fantastico. Grandson Lucca patrols the dining room and is justifiably proud of his family history and culinary results - as he should be.
Piperno's also delivered as it has in the past. Scelto of fried appetizers (aranciini, zucchini florets, artichoke), carbonara, agnolotti with veal, coda vacinara were all good but this was heavy home cooking. The only flaw was rombo on a potato and artichoke nest, the rombo combo just did not work well. Walked that meal off at a real slow pace.
Favorable mention to the new Claudio Torci gelato store called, um, "Il Gelato." Thank you Katie Parla for the rec. The new site is located next to the outdoor produce market on Piazza Monte d'oro. Fantastic - the best gelato we have had in Rome after giving up on the mediocre offerings at San Crispino and the lines at Giolitti. Gran Teatro is still very good but Torci is a true artist, the staff loves their products, waxing poetic about the various ingredients and flavors that change daily. We had scoops of "Fantasia Bronte" (pine nuts, almonds, pistacchio), a zabaglioni with some sort of whiskey, dark chocolate sorbet and melon gelato. Wow - blew my mind how good this was, perhaps due to disappointing results at the so-called competition in recent years.
Another store of note: if you are in the neighborhood and plan to visit the English bookstore on via della Vite, consider popping across the street to Pastateca (via della Vite 44, www.pastateca.it). The shop has an amazing and varied stock of pasta sorted by region. Once again, I walked out with ten pounds of pasta from producers that are impossible to find (but lighter with euors lifted from my wallet). The shop was recommended by Maureen Fant's colleague and friend who wrote the primer on Italian pasta (Maureen translated). Sandwiched between the Corso and Spagna, its a fun place to wander through.
Now for the low point. Lunch at La Campana was likely the worst meal we have endured in our many visits to Rome over the course of many years. Yes, yes I know it is an old and venerable place, is open Sunday etc. But our meal was just plain terrible and the service staff could care less. Arancini stank of bad oil and was tasteless. A mixed fried vegetable assortment was equally bad and also had an unseemly taste. 70% of the plate were luke warm french fries - McDonalds does a better job than what was plopped down plus McD's are actually hot! The rest of the plate was an uninspired looking and tasting set of several stuffed olives and capers along with a greasy stuffed zucchine flower. We left half touched and said "non bene" when the plate was collected. Got a shrug in return.
We felt the absolute worst part of the meal was the pasta. Fettucini with funghi and taglolini with carciofi looked oddly the same - grey bits of something floating in a pool of yellow butter (could it haven that off oil?) - and undistinguisable flavor. Disappointing and bad. Left the pasta half uneaten. Again, a shrug. Was this an off-day with the D Team? Who cares. Not returning.
Thanks to all who offer their thoughts and suggestions here. A terrific resource for all!
US Credit Card Problems at Roman Restaurants??
I just returned from Rome and had absolutely no problem using my AmEx and Visa cards at seven restaurants and elsewhere. I used an ATM card for cash withdrawls (issued by Band of Am) without a problem. I made numerous "non-meal" purchases with my US credit cards at supermarkets, wine stores, book shops, and at Termini kiosks to purchase train tickets. No problems anywhere.
Absolute Thai in McLean
That is excellent news! I have given up on the once pleasing Pasa Thai (prices rose in inverse relation to the portion size and quality shrinking). Our of curiousity, I perused the menu and wandered into the room several days ago. Your review prompts me to make a bee line over and dive into ka prow yum tom etc.
BTW, the menu is an interesting meld of traditional Thai, house specialities and healthier takes on Thai cuisine with, as you note, the incongruent addition of mouth watering pastries.
Rome Nov 15th Onward - Seasonal Specials?
Thank you, you two. Oh, I am going to dig in w/ relish plates of puntarelle (love 'em also), the various field greens cited and zucca. Sniff out the newly pressed olio at markets.
Others who might offer additional suggestions, please chime in.
Rome Nov 15th Onward - Seasonal Specials?
Last year, early Oct., the selection of fall mushrooms was unique & superb. What should I seek out of particular interest at restaurants not normally available other times of the year?
Yes, I do realize grapes and peppers are now flowing into town. But those Oct. mushrooms were molto fantastico! Served raw, sauteed, atop pasta, mixed in salads, wow! Different restaurants had different presentations. CHer suggestions appreciated for next week in Rome!
Thanksgiving 2011 in Washington, DC or Northern Virginia (for a very traditional & simple eater)
I heartily recommend Clyde's. I have enjoyed their Thanksgiving Day menu at their various locations (I prefer Tysons and 1789 but you won't get in to 1789). The T-Day special meal is of very high quality and pricing is quite reasonable. The "regular" Clyde's menu is also available should anyone in your party not favor turkey with the usual sides and desert. Several locations I have been too were, in recent years, packed so reservations would seem to be essential.
I plan to return to Clyde's Tysons this Thanksgiving for a fifth year in a row. I think there are ten locations in the DC area. As other posters suggest, you should be calling now to see about your options and make reservations (and do try 1789 in case there is an opening).
Food oriented walking tours of Rome?
Ditto rec for Context and for the Context walking tour with Maureen. They also do an evening wine bar walking tour that is well done and fun.
What about Noras?
One quick point at BS: you will enter via a seafood market. The chef is happy to prepare a fresh filet of fish from the market display as your entree. So...on your way in, take a gander at the choices sitting on ice. One might be preferable to the menu entrees (after you peruse the menu). Also, the kitchen does a good job frying seafood, esp calamari.
One night in Rome -- where to eat?
"But sometimes a cigar is really just a cigar, and somebody really is just curious about where somebody who knows the difference between good and bad pasta might choose to go to eat really good pasta someplace they intend to be in Rome."
Huh? I don't understand this at all. Could someone please translate the post?
Where to buy good matzo ball soup in Washington DC?
I have given up on Whole Foods' take out versions of most items. Last item was an oversalted, rubbery piece of sirloin that promptly got tossed. WF baked goods have improved markedly but your description of WF latkes is far too kind.
Funny enough, I just took home several orders of Balducci's brisket after sampling several bites at the counter. I was impressed. Tonight is Balducci's brisket night sans latkes with a rowdy crowd. They better be pleased or my dining room walls will be pelted with brisket sauce. Doubt it but one never knows when canterkous hungry guests show up.
-----
Balducci's
600 Franklin St, Alexandria, VA 22314
Rosslyn, VA -- Family Friendly Dining on Sunday Evening
Yeah, the Thai House...with crazy Hatian-like colorful scenes painted on the wall...way back in the day!
And it is indeed Village Bistro, still puttering along putting out a reliable product in a friendly way lo these many many years.
-----
Village Bistro
1723 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22209
Best Brunch in Reston Area?
MAG is a good bet and they at times have live jazz. Il Fornaio is a nice setting with, obv, a slant toward Italian but the usual brunch suspects are offered on the menu.
I have not been to the Passion Fish brunch but I am told it is excellent. Problem, for me, is it is a set price with a considerable amount of food. I prefer to order a la carte but, hey, that's me.
Rosslyn, VA -- Family Friendly Dining on Sunday Evening
The European Cafe in the same center as Pho 75 & Ray's on Wilson is worth considering. Well rounded menu that is sure to please even the ficklest kids, pleasant setting, friendly service and modest pricing.
Where to buy good matzo ball soup in Washington DC?
Yes, thumbs down on the kugel. Depressingly sweet. Now, the brisket is pretty good.
Funny enough, like various vintages of the same wine, the Balducci latkes vary in quality and taste year by year. This year, I felt their latkes were far too chubby and greasy in taste. Like chewing on an Ore-Ida frozen potato mash. However, last year's model floated gently upward to the ceiling much like a delicately made matzoh ball!
-----
Balducci's
600 Franklin St, Alexandria, VA 22314
Where to buy good matzo ball soup in Washington DC?
I hearily second the compliment for Balducci's. Both the broth and the matzoh balls are very good and I am quite picky about both. Not so crazy about their latkes but the soup is first rate.
-----
Balducci's
600 Franklin St, Alexandria, VA 22314
Galileo III - Don't Go There
But that is precisely what Roberto claimed at G3 - just an employee with a shirt on his back and some pots and pans. Like Sgt. Schultz of Hogan's Heroes he knew "nothing!"
The Wash Post article claims he has burned through 20 (!!!!) restaurants that "closed" in the DC area. Might this indicate a pattern? One that is not mere incompetence at ordering too much arugula or not enough proscuitto. Looks like, wait for it...Cooking the books, indeed!
Tyson's Corner's Dining
Big portions but, like Big Bowl which LEY also runs, food is just Okay as noted. Wildfire is not worth a special trip, especially if from out of town, you can do better.
La Sandia in the mall is just dreadful, avoid it. If you insist on going to the mall for a meal, then consider Seasons 52 (a national chain) or Coastal Flats (a local chain). Seasons 52 has better ambiance, a far more pleasant environment to enjoy a meal than the Greyhound terminal across the way (which is a CF).
If its steak, why, a plethora of better possibilities abound in Tysons (Palm, Mortons, Ruth C) before even whipping out the GPS to toodle over to Ray's Kingdom in Arlington.
-----
La Sandia Restaurant
7852L Tysons Corner Center, McClean, VA 22102
Coastal Flats
7860 Tysons Corner Ctr, Mc Lean, VA 22102
Tyson's Corner's Dining
Check it out - runs this Sunday. Sietsma really, really likes the place!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/restaurants/nostos,1215196/critic-review.html
Tyson's Corner's Dining
Nostos is an exceptional restaurant, with great service and fantastic food. It will receive a rave review in this Sunday's Washington Post from the food critic Tom Sietsma. Nostos opened several months ago and is the sister of a well regarded restaurant in Rockville. I highly recommend Nostos having been there three times.
I agree with the negative assessment of Shamshiry. You can do better if you want kabobs but why? You are at Tysons so find something pleasant and good.
In that light, you could consider Lebanese Taverna at Tysons Galeria Mall. LT is a local family owned chain but the food is very fresh, its well run and the menu offers a number of interesting and creative updates on Middle Eastern food (organic lamb and chicken dishes, etc.). The Tysons location is a beautiful room and there is seating outside, plus various exotic cocktails and a very good wine list are available.
If you are nixing plans to go to the Eden Center, then 4 Sisters in Merrifield (a 5 - 10 minute drive from Tysons) is a good bet. Nice room, extensive menu and very much upscale compared to the low rent sites at the Center. Skip the Chinese places mentioned.
-----
Eden Center
Falls Church, VA, USA, Falls Church, VA
Shamshiry
8607 Westwood Center Dr Ste 100A, Vienna, VA 22182
Todi restaurants
The....Umbria, of course! Food is average but the view is incredible. Try to reserve a seat on the balcony. Plus, its in the center of town, just off the Piazza, so you can walk off lunch and see the sights.
Hotel Eden Breakfast options
There is cafe popular with office workers on Ludovisi, two blocks down from the Eden toward Via Veneto on the right. It stays busy but you can get the usual pastries, expressi, juices and there are tables outside on the street. Good quality, reasonable prices, pleasant staff.
For an "American" breakfast at a far less rapacious price that 40 euros, head over to via Sardegna 21 (a five-ten minute walk from the Eden) to Lotti. Lotti is around the corner from the Marriott Flora, off via Veneto, serves omelets, pastries, most of what you likely want for a ful fledged breakfast. Plus, the staff there is welcoming and accomodating to hotel guests seeking an alternative in the morning. Lotti resembles a small town diner/coffee shop but, hey, you get what you pay for and the quality is pretty good.
I believe Lotti is closed on Saturdays but open Sunday.
What's the Best Frozen Pizza?
American Flatbread used to be terrific. Now it is terrible. We have had three pizzas from them and they have all been inedible. Crap! Buyer beware. I am really disappointed but what can you say after three terrible experiences?
