AaronS Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 that's a real loss for dc, or at least it would have been before 2006. when left I thought it was one of the best places in the city. the only new place I've been to is little serrow so I don't have a sense of how it compared to the competition in 2014. I must have had forty meals there over the years, and despite all it's charms there were only two or three times that weren't marred by a bad dish or absurdly long waits for food. I also thought that the room, especially in the back, didn't really look right and the wine list wasn't that great. (although I guess I wouldn't know.) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joethefoodie Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 I'm pretty sure we only had one meal in the main room...it was good, but certainly not revealatory. The cafe was fine for what it was. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joethefoodie Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 The guys (I think they're 3rd or 4th generation) at Rappahannock Oyster Bar in the new(ish) Union Market are doing a nice job. During lunch, quite pleasant - can't say what it turns into in the evenings. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nathan Posted May 12, 2014 Author Share Posted May 12, 2014 Barcelona -- part of the profusion of newer 14th street restaurants...this has arguably been the hottest place in DC for sometime. tapas menu with a mixture of very accessible items and fashionable stuff like crispy pig ears and fiddlehead ferns a la plancha (boring but saved by the accompanying mess of mushrooms) -- check tableside jamon carving -- check girls night out place -- check Eurotrash -- check both hipster and lounge music track -- check art-celeb portrait photos on the walls -- check extensive beers in cans list to go along with house cocktails and an ok wine list -- check some people better dressed than normal for DC (which is as fashionable a city as Milwaukee -- I mean DC is really really bad when it comes to clothes) -- check competent service -- check openish kitchen -- check oh the actual food? pretty good...not superlative but good enough really. not quite as good as Estadio but the prices are gentler... the place is very very calculated...and if I were dumb enough to invest in a restaurant I would hope I'd at least be smart enough to invest in something like this. they're turning tables like crazy. and the food is probably better than it needs to be. it's basically Stanton Social when it was hot (different genre of food of course). but boy is it calculated/focus-grouped to the nth degree.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Adrian Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 GNO is money in the bank. Do they do brunch? Just an excellent post. Amazing how quickly 14th St. got there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joethefoodie Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Barcelona -- part of the profusion of newer 14th street restaurants...this has arguably been the hottest place in DC for sometime. It's so hot, it makes the Balthazar ripoff place (the name of which I forget) Le Diplomate have room. At least it did when we walked by 2 weeks ago, after dinner at Estadio. 14th Street is most likely what's killing off Cleveland Park. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nathan Posted May 12, 2014 Author Share Posted May 12, 2014 they do indeed do brunch....and it turns out it's a big chain...in third-cities across the northeast plus Atlanta: http://www.barcelonawinebar.com/washingtondc.htm oh, and Le Diplomate is ok (it's a Stephen Starr place so therefore competent) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joethefoodie Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Btw, very poor meal at Graffiato this weekend....a shame, I had liked it before. Interesting. Our last meal at Kapnos a few months ago, I said to Sig Eater - "I think he's opening too many places too quickly." It was nowhere near as good or exciting as our first meal there. Now this, with Graf, leads me to believe Top Cheffer should be paying more attention to what's coming out of his kitchens. Shame, indeed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nathan Posted May 21, 2014 Author Share Posted May 21, 2014 yeah....fritto misti needed salt... a "carbonara" with crab was just plain bad.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joethefoodie Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Finally made it Mockingbird Hill. Anyone who likes sherry, or even thinks they like sherry, needs to come here - it's awesome. Sherry and ham. Dozens of sherries by the glass...great sherry cocktails. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
squibble Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 A friend from Japan is visiting. She's got a pretty nice itinerary that includes good options for finding decent crab dishes like the Eastern Market and Annapolis. Still, she's asked if we can find a place that has crab on the menu for dinner out on Sunday. We'll be driving her around D.C. neighborhoods and will walk around in Georgetown and it's fine if we need to drive to another D.C. neighborhood for dinner. If soft shells are in season, that'd be a nice treat for her to try. I am allergic to shellfish, but I can eat fish. I'm not up for taking her for steamed crabs. I think that situation would not be easy for me to remain safe. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nathan Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 old ebbit grill? soft shells tend to be menu specials so it's hard to know whether a place will have them or not... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
squibble Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Oh thanks, that's a nice idea and perfect for her interests (House of Cards). The crab cakes can cover it if there're no soft-shells. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
squibble Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Sorry to double post here, but I just made the reservation. Thanks again! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
squibble Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Where in D.C. is the best place for ribs and/or other good soul foods? My friend tried deep fried chicken last night, so I think we can skip over chicken and waffles. eta: We've decided on Rocklands since she loved seeing a glimpse of Georgetown, so maybe there's a good place to go after for a view of the canal and maybe dessert or a drinky. I'm still always on the lookout for good ribs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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