mdpilam's Profile
Maple?
GF and I stopped by The Pinch for a quick bite over the last weekend, and gotta agree with you regarding the renovation job. GF had the jerk turkey burger, which she really liked (I had a bite and thought it was surprisingly good - normally not a fan of turkey burgers). Also ordered the ghost wings, which were huge and pretty good too. The first one didn't taste like it was made with much ghost pepper, but the heat continued to build and ended up being pretty spicy (which was good). Disappointed in the beer selection (esp. tap) though.
Have motorcycle. Will travel for good food. (DC, MD, VA and WVA)
I stopped by the Doner shop today in Leesburg (now called Doner Bistro), and I really liked the place. It's got a nice outdoor seating area with umbrellas and even a TV against one wall for sports. Wasn't looking for anything alcoholic, but they appeared to have a lot of German beers. The doner was good, but I wasn't a big fan of their (flat)bread they used. It reminded me of panini bread (crunchy with ridges). They also had a currywursts and bratwursts and falafel. Next time your in the area (outlet shopping anyone?), stop by.
DD Barbecue - Sterling, VA
Stopped by here today on the way for a hike, and came away very impressed with the chopped pork sandwich. It was delicious - easily the best I've had in the area. Was a little disappointed in the sauce (was a little "ketchup-y"), but overall it was very good. At $10, I thought it was a little steep for a chopped pork sandwich, but I won't complain since it was very good.
Cafe Saint-Ex: cooking with cereal
First time eating at Saint-Ex last night, and came away very impressed. We started with the beet salad which was good (watercress was a unique addition) and brussel sprouts which were solid, but nothing great (pretty standard sprouts suateed and reduced w a balsamic). The highlight though was the chilli mac n cheese, this was the best mac n cheese I've had in a long time. It was cheesy, but not greasy, with a crunch and the chilli added a subtle but not overpowering flavor, which can too often happen when adding chilli to mac n cheese (a midwest thing). The lamb was also excellent. The chops (2) were small, but grilled perfectly (med. rare) with a touch of sea salt and enough fat to leave it juicy and bursting with flavor in each (both!) bites. It also came with a lamb sausage which was a small patty, and was tasty, but could have been a little bigger, so that it wouldn't have been as dry. The (fennel?) pickled cabbage that it came with paired perfectly. We were convinced to go with the Elvis for dessert, which I didn't need convincing of because it came with bacon caramel sauce, and it was also very good.
I had always meant to getting around to eating here, and am now wishing I had sooner. Still not going to order fruity pebbles dessert though.
Lao menu at Bangkok Golden in Falls Church - Report
I have to say that if you don't like Thai, you most likely won't like Laotian.
Maple?
I'm also curious about this place and The Pinch, which opened up on 14th near Spring Rd.
Ray's Steak and Cheese Redux
Looks like he has learned a little and is giving it another go:
http://www.washingtonian.com/blogs/bestbites/food-restaurant-news/michael-landrums-newest-project-nice-n-greasy-steak-n-cheesy.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+washingtonian%2FBestBitesBlog+%28Best+Bites+Blog%29#
a big WTF?! at the name though.
Have motorcycle. Will travel for good food. (DC, MD, VA and WVA)
I really know nothing about Virginia food (only lived here about a yr and half), but you just listed off a bunch of places but no actual restaurants or recommendations.
Help a poor Los Angeles hound visiting Baltimore and DC
It's more about their sauces, which are made with piri-piri, a South African pepper.
(FYI, for those reading, the Dino's I'm referring to is the Dino's Burgers in LA, not Dino's in DC)
'Hound-worthy chow recs for a 4-day trip to DC, near Mt Vernon Square?
There wasn't any "entertainment" at the AdMo one (not belly dancers or anyone dressed up in regional garb) FYI.
Sakuramen: Ramen coming to Adams Morgan
I believe their hours are 5:30-9pm. I was pretty unimpressed with their ramen, but I don't really care for ramen (or soups in general), so take that with a grain of salt.
Help a poor Los Angeles hound visiting Baltimore and DC
Not about Ethiopian, but your regional comment reminded me that it might be worth your while to go to Rasika. It's one of DC's best restaurants (Indian) and has a lot of dishes that you won't find at most Indian restaurants (even in Artesia) - especially if you eat fish/seafood.
Wisconsin Food in DC, MD, VA?
Grrr... wish I would have known that when I went to Baltimore. I hate Leiny's though.
Help a poor Los Angeles hound visiting Baltimore and DC
I would not send an LA CHer to BGR or Taylor. Nando's maybe for something quick and not really available (S.African/Portuguese chicken), but I would still much prefer Dino's chicken to Nando's (and it's much cheaper).
'Hound-worthy chow recs for a 4-day trip to DC, near Mt Vernon Square?
I missed the Marrakech rec, but if it is the place on Columbia Rd in AdMo, stay away! Awful food and awful service (site of my "worst meal in DC").
Help a poor Los Angeles hound visiting Baltimore and DC
LA is where the food truck scene started, and finally jumped shark (before it even reached DC), so I doubt he needs to experience it.
Wisconsin Food in DC, MD, VA?
I saw some cheese curds (fresh) at Wegman's. Didn't buy them, so I can't comment on how good they are.
Cheese Afficionado--not just a chip lover
I just recently had some Cave Aged Clothbound Cabot Cheddar from Wegman's. It is one of my favorite cheeses. Goes great with some green apples, baguette and a little honey.
Suggestions for restaurant in Penn Quarter/Chinatown/Mt. Vernon Triangle?
Ok, so I finally bit the bullet and had dinner and drinks with a friend at Sixth Engine tonight, and I am wishing I would have just gone to Matchbox. The decor/ambience is nice, and they have ample seating in their patio, but the food is severely mediocre. The server brought out some complimentary chips after taking our drink order, but these tasted stale, chewy and overly salted. I didn't notice until I was about half done, but I am pretty sure the server brought out the wrong beer for me. I ordered the cheeseburger w/ mac n cheese. The mac n cheese tasted bland and cool - like it had been sitting around for a while. The burger was ok, but came medium (ordered medium rare) and over-powered by the sauce (mayo/pickle relish - or thousand island dressing). There was also a bit of gristle in it. The one good thing about the burger was the bun; this was pretty good. This burger in no way shape or form belongs in the top tier of DC burgers - I would have preferred a Five Guys over it. I tried one of my friend's onion rings, and this was over-salted and chewy. He was unimpressed with his Mac Rib. Service was ok, if a bit slow.
I would not go here for the food, but it seems like a decent place to grab a drink.
Fine Dining / Business Dinner in National Harbor?
Never been to Old Town, but I've heard good things about Virtue Feed and Grain, which is a couple blocks from the ferry.
Ripple's Sugar Magnolia in Cleveland Park (another option for zoo visits)
I am sorry to say that I was pretty disappointed in my visit today. I had expected it to be similar to a place in LA that I liked (Diddy Reese) where you choose a type of cookie and a flavor of ice cream and they make you an ice cream sandwich (not to mention it's 1/3 the price), but here they are all pre-made and the combos are set. I got the maple bacon ice cream sandwich with waffle. I liked the ice cream (but there could have been more), but did not like the waffle (it was frozen with the sandwich), and the waffle (which was like a cooked, then frozen and then defrosting waffle) overpowered the whole thing.
Updated report on Dino
Finally tried Dino this weekend, and were impressed. We each got the 3 course meal for $39 and a bottle of nice Italian wine for $27, which I thought was an overall good value. We started with prosciuttio wrapped asparagus and the beet salad. The beet salad was like a deconstructed beet salad (unique), and very good. The asparagus was pretty good, but a bit too charred. For mains we had the lamb shank and the lasagnette. The lamb shank was very tender and very good. It came with an au jus that paired very well with the meat. The cheese polenta that came with the dish was also very tasty. The lasagnette was good, but we both felt that it had too many noodles and not enough "fillings". For dessert we had a cheese plate (forget which ones) and the strawberry and rhubarb dessert which was delicious.
Very happy with our meal and thought it was a good value, especially for DC. Look forward to trying other menu items.
Recent Lahore Karahi reports?
Ugh, didn't see this news until it was too late. We have been meaning to go to Lahore each time we have visited the City (currently living in DC) since it was our favorite Indian/Pakistani restaurant. We went for dinner this last Friday, and came away wondering how it could have gone so downhill. The saag paneer was the best dish, but a shadow of its former self. The butter chicken was mediocre, and the naan was soggy/bad.
It was a sad day.
Lers Ros - Yum
Finally had a chance to eat here after being thwarted on our previous visits (currently living in DC, but have lived in LA for the last 5+ yrs before that the Bay), and I have to say I came away disappointed. We took my gf's parents and sister, so we had to be a little conservative in ordering (only able to do one spicy dish), so we ordered the papaya salad, tom yum soup (I think, I am not a soup fan - had a bit of sourness with mushroooms in it), sliced pork shoulder, eggplant and tofu, spicy noodles with chicken (ordered "thai spicy - how you would cook at home") and beef pad prik thai. The papaya salad was the best dish, with decent spice. The pork shoulder was fatty and not especially tender or "smoky". The spicy noodle dish was solid, but not spicy whatsoever (ordered thai spicy). The eggplant dish was good, but could have used more eggplant, less tofu. The beef dish was good, but the meat was a bit fatty.
Overall, this was a good dinner and service was good, but I just can't believe this is the best SF has to offer. This should not even be mentioned in the same breath as Jitlada.
Early dinner near the Verizon Center on Monday
Matchbox. Everything else I'd recommend would be too expensive/exotic (Rasika or Graffiato).
Wisconsin Food in DC, MD, VA?
Good luck finding (fried) cheese curds. I grew up in MN, and try to find cheese curds wherever I go, but haven't found them here. Found some fresh curds at a FM here, but they weren't that good - didn't squeak.
Room 11?
It was a while ago that we ate there, and just remember liking the place (food/drink). I think there are some reviews on CH if you search. Next time we go, I'll do a write up.
Cafe Saint-Ex: cooking with cereal
That grilled cheese with fruity pebbles sounds awful. French Toast w/ frosted flakes sounds better.
