Indebleu

DC Restaurant week has always been my favorite holiday... a time to go to the restaurants that you never can make it to (if you make early enough reservations).  Well, Indebleu has been on my list for years.  I never made it there when it was the new 'it' restaurant... and then it got a bad rep, so I never tried to go after that.  But for restaurant week, I felt I ought to give it a shot.  I went there tonight with my friend Lou as a payback for watching my dog while I went off to Mexico for the weekend.  The night started off by me having to take a shower at his place because my hot water is out at home... and my complex changed the door codes on me today so I was locked out after walking the dog and hence late to Lou's... plus, I had a bit of a headache.  Read:  Dave's not in the best/most social of moods.  And if you know me, that can be a bit of a chore to deal with... But Indebleu attacked my downer day pleasantly turning it around.  First, the hostess was apologetic for not being able to seat us immediately and we had to wait 5 minutes past our reservation.  Seriously?  5 minutes is no big deal in my book, but her gracious  greeting earned points.  We headed to the bar where I found their wine by the glass selection appealing.  I had a Sangiovese, which you normally wouldn't find by the glass.  After we sat, our waiter, Brian -- a slight, but perky church-goer greeted us with a big smile and a helpful attitude.  He continued his good service throughout the evening... forgetting to charge us for the bottled water and other glass of wine earning him a generous tip.  My meal started with Main Mussels steamed with lime, tomato, garlic and ginger red curry.  There was a bit of a kick to these mussels, but they were steamed nicely and the curry sauce was a wonderful dip for the bread.  My main plate was the jerk brined and fried chicken.  I was going to order the yellow fin tuna, but I eat a lot of tuna.  I wanted something different... and I had read recently in a magazine... Details or GQ likely... that foodie restaurants were doing fried chicken.  This was my first time to a place of Indebleu's stature with fried chicken on the menu, but it was plump, juicy, crisp and not at all what I expected.  Needless to say, I'll never go to KFC again after this fried chicken.  Not even on the same planet and shouldn't be allowed to share the same trailer trash name.  The chicken was served with chinese greens, green chili corn pudding and a pineapple hot sauce.  Past the breading, the sauce is really what made this dish pop.  For desert, I wish I had ordered what Lou did... the L'Opera: an almond biscuit, kahlua cream, chocolate ganache and pistachio ice cream... but the chocolate ganache sounded too rich for me.  Turns out my Banana split had way more chocolate and less of the cherry that was described in the menu.... and while ok, I could have done without my desert.  Instead, I helped Lou eat his.  The ambiance of the restaurant was loud and bright.  For such a small space, I could appreciate the volume, although to Lou, it was distracting.  I thought it was the perfect level for a vibrant place.... but talking about vibrant, Please send in some lesbians to install dimmer switches.  The sunlamps of recessed lighting almost blistered the top of my head, forcing me to move over a chair.  All in all, I think this place can survive the stigma that it outlived its useful life.  These positive observations, mostly revolving around the spectacular food and service, are likely caused by the relatively new executive chef.  Michael Hartzer, formerly under the tutelage at DC's enviable Citronelle, has been with Indebleu for a little over a year.  With some good PR, this place could be the 'it' place again... it certainly has all the credentials... or at least it will if it installs dimmers.

Sei

Trend setters need to venture to this new eatery on 7th in Penn Quarter.  Sei, pronounced Say, just opened a few weeks ago, taking the sushi chef from Perry's and creating a chic downtown sushi and small plates restaurant.  Where the menu is short on food choice, the options for sake abound.  I however opted for a Pear sangria, thinking if I'm going to be at the new 'it' place, I need to drink their 'it' drink.  The chef's special sushi menu had many interesting options, the best of which that I ate was the fish and chips role, filling flounder in a role topped with thin, crisp french fries and a side of wasabi tartar creating a nice juxtaposition in both flavor and texture.  If you don't like sushi, there is also a small plates menu.  I didn't try anything on it, but the foie gras role looked interesting.  The disappointment of the night was the crunchy shrimp role.  While this dish would have sufficed at any less posh place, the "fried" tasted old.  Chef Yasutake, change your oil!  The Ambiance in this place kept the night flowing.  Don't come if you're sensitive to a loud place.  While we were able to carry on a decent conversation, the decibels were not for the faint of heart.  While for most places, that means it's lively enough and people are having fun.  However had our table for 2 been a larger party, I don't think I would have been able to hear the conversation.  The decor is fab-chic in all white with gold-leafed plaster fleur de les all over certain walls and bold red reeds breaking the space up.  Like Rasika around the corner, this place ads to the growing list of fashionable ethnic dining in a booming Penn Quarter, with my recommendation.

Ray's Hell Burger

I had a lunch meeting today in Rosslyn and as it was too cold to walk, we drove. When you drive in Rosslyn, you have to consider parking -- which pretty much brings me to the only restaurant strip that has parking. There's Pho75, a Mexican Place, a coffee shop, a Greek place, a steak place and a street number: 1713. And inside the non-descript facade under 1713 Wilson is a GREAT find. Ray's Hell Burger. What fantastic play on words. Almost better than the bar I frequented in Florida -- Hellen Back. With a line out the door at Ray's, there were signs up that said don't take a table until you order. WOW! Really? Supply and demand I guess. I ordered a Grilled Burger with Vermont White Cheddar, Smoked bacon, and red onions. I've never had a better burger in my life. Juicy. Flavor. Cooked perfect. On a soft bun. The options were endless. If you're an option freak, you'd be in hog heaven. Options make me stare in indecision... and this place, like Seinfeld's soup Nazi episode -- is not the place for indecision. 16 kinds of cheeses from American to Epoisse de Bourgogne an Chimay a la Biere. Do you want seared foie gras with truffle oil on your burger? Guacamole? Roasted Bone Marrow with Persillade? I don't even know what that is. There is also a list of specialty burgers if you don't want to decide on options, but that requires you to be smart enough to flip the menu over, which I wasn't. And then the sides... I ordered mac and cheese I'd have slapped my mother for. My sister wouldn't have approved of it though as it had spices in it. Don't go here if you're a vegetarian because the only thing they serve is burger and more burger. A+

Commissary

Commissary -- on P between 14th and 15th downtown -- has been on my list simply for its location since I read about it a while ago. It stuck with me because of its name and the idea it would probably have a little of everything. So on a chilly February Saturday after swimsuit shopping around the corner, when some hunger pangs started panging -- I recommended a 3pm meal at Commissary. The previous tenant of this location was Merkado -- an odd Latin/Asian/I don't-know-what kind of place where I had a birthday at a few years ago. I was served a lamb shank sticking out of a soup bowl like I was Fred Flinstone at a state fair. Merkado was just sucking up good space -- the wrong restaurant for that neighborhood. A fly-in at 3 with no previous plans place like Commissary was perfect. We sat in the corner with a view of the trendy people with afternoons of nothing to do. Our Latin waiter was very helpful and when he didn't know what the answer was -- he went and found out... even though I knew after one bite it was potatoes that made their blueberry pancakes different from the bisquick IHOPy kind. Our neighbor table didn't have the same luck with our same waiter. It was like two different people and we commented to each other on this fact. I started my meal with lentil soup. It was bland and could have used some meat, but after a request for some lemon juice, it brought memories of eating at the Iranian place in Qatar. Lemon juice is the trick for brining out flavors at the last minute in a complex soup. My main dish was a chicken stew with rice. Perfect comfort food, although the bay leaves in it were a bit much. One would have sufficed. I hope Commissary makes it. We need more restaurants like this. The closes alternative I can think of is Busboys and Poets sans bookstore. Both worthy afternoon hang outs.

Ping

I watched Ping with interest as it was built -- the unfinished wood outside making a modern facade on an otherwise mainstreet USA kind of street in Shirlington. My first visit, I didn't make it past the hostess stand as a mean Russian lady (in an Asian Restaurant) curtly tried to shove us to a table. We abruptly declined and I boycotted the place until Friday when an overly lively Guapos next door forced a last minute dinner decision elsewhere. We settled on Ping. While also lively and filled, we didn't have to wait for a table. My only complaint for the evening was the heater under the table was cooking me so Louis kindly switched seats with me. My other Table companions were Rudy and Elliott. Our service was very good. Our Catholic waiter was knowledgeable and expeditions, but not overly expeditious where we felt we were being shoved out the door. I had the honey chicken. It used to be if it had mangos, it was my sure menu choice. Today, it's honey. As with most 'Chinese' food, it filled the hole, but tasted mostly like any other Chinese dish I'd had in the past. I will say the purposely cold and fresh green beans were very tasty. Ping is a little cousin of the Charlie Chang restaurants. I'm not a fan of chains, nor am I a fan of restaurants with sports playing on TVs over the bar -- but I think this one has earned a space on my "I feel like Chinese" list of restaurants. And if I'm in a rush -- there was the take out option with its own entrance, averting any further possible interaction with a mean Russian lady.

Liberty Tavern

Right next to the Clarendon Ballroom is a "bar."  I'm told at night it's very lively.  I've never really hung out in Clarendon though, so I don't know this first hand.  I don't typically go to bars for food.  There are a few exceptions.  So when Monica suggested Sunday Brunch at Liberty Tavern, it fell under the category of "I've never been there so okay."  And what a nice surprise.  First... ambiance.  The place was hopping on a Sunday morning.  Light, airy, warm feeling, with a good layout despite having to negotiate a staircase after loading up from the buffet.  We took a 6 top in the corner in front of floor to ceiling windows on a bustling city street. DeDe, Samantha and Brenda were already there.  The music was fantastic for a Sunday morning - albeit all over the place.  But brunch music that can go from the calm romance of EBTG to tribal dance and back over the course of a meal and still keep my interest helps intertwine the background into the odyssey.  Next -- food.  We showed up at 1130, which is the "I don't go to church and didn't go out last night" appointed brunch time.   The problem with an 1130 brunch is that you really can't eat anything beforehand.  A 1:30 brunch -- I've either eaten pizza at 3am after the club and slept till noon, or I got up, read the paper over coffee and grits.  Either way, I'm probably not starving.  So here we are, 1130, and I am starving.  Now I didn't do my research on this place since I was being taken, so I didn't know it was a buffet.  And the buffet is upstairs so it wasn't obvious.  All I had heard about was the cheese grits and shrimp making me drool for the Fish House brunches of Pensacola.  I'm scanning the menu and DeDe announces she's going for the buffet.  I drop the menu and bolt upstairs -- heading straight for the meat section in the back of a buffet... Restaurants always put the expensive stuff in the back... Salad and bread up front is not accidental.  I skip through the line and pile up on carved turkey, ham, bacon and sausage links... load up on the cheese grits with unfortunate slabs of pork instead of shrimp... some french toast and a slice of veggie frittata.  Now meat isn't hard to screw up... but I applaud the choices.  The grits were fantastic, said the southern boy who speaks with grit authority.  The french toast and frittata were both dry and unpalatable, but didn't ruin the meal.  I tasted DeDe's parsnips, which I wish I were paying attention to the fillers in the front.  Root veggies seem all the rage now.  Desert -- there was a chocolate cake option, but I don't do chocolate.  And mini-pecan pies, which I love some pie -- but the little ones are hard.  Yet for a place that doesn't have an ice cream bar, there was every sort of candy topping you could want.  I went for the dots -- my favorite movie indulgence.  The buffet was adequate yet forgettable.  What was not forgettable though were the spicey $4 bloody marys that come with a beer chaser.  I had 2.  They must use oyster juice in their recipe.  Not everybody does.  I like the added flavor from the juice which is the real discriminator for those who just can't stand a bloody mary.  And to celebrate the inauguration, our waiter served us complimentary tequila shots.  So was this a bar or brunch?  Either way -- the service and ambiance will earn a repeat performance.  I can't say I'll add this place to my menu I call DC -- where I just crave that one dish that they only serve at that one place -- but overall a good experience.

Cucina Vivace

When I lived in Crystal City, I thought 23rd Street was a bit overrun with Italian restaurants.  So it confused me when the sign for yet another place showed a 4th Italian restaurant in a one block span... but unlike the two traditional places and Portofino's Northern Italian fare -- Cucina Vivace promised a more upscale environment and cuisine.  When it first opened, I got to know the place better than I do now and I really appreciated the effort they put into trying.  Their seasonal menus were always packed with interesting flavors and the service was impeccable.  I would brag on their lamb like nothing else -- the combination of rosemary and other spices overwhelmed your mouth.  And if I wouldn't just slap my mother silly during truffle season and the things Vivace would do with those.  But more than a year later, I think the lack of following has gotten the best of Cucina Vivace.  23rd street just isn't the place for a higher end restaurant and I think this one might be failing.  For a Friday night, when all the other restaurants on the street were packed, this one still was empty.  The service was attentive and the ambiance was enjoyable (save the mismatched music for the look and feel of it), but something was still off.  I feel bad for this fledgling restaurant -- that it never took off.  While I enjoyed my meal tonight and my company --  the lamb wasn't as exciting as it was a year ago and I fear Cucina may be complacent as it dies a very, very slow and painful death.  

Bonsai Sushi on 23rd

I've had posh sushi at Nobu in New York.  I've had all you can eat sushi buffets in Las Vegas. I've had Sushi delivered on vespas in Tokyo like we order Pizza. And I've had nouveau Sushi in San Francisco (french fries in it?).  But nothing really beats the hole in the wall neighborhood sushi joint.  The kind of place where you can sit at the sushi bar and talk to the chef -- ask him to make his favorite.  Where the waitress is the same waitress every night of the week -- there's only one -- and she knows that you don't like your green tea ice cream so frozen it'll bend the spoon, so she nukes it for me for 10 seconds before she serves it.  Where... on a sunny day in the summer, you can sit and eat sushi alone on the patio, watching people walk by -- but you're just as comfortable there on a blustery winter night with a close friend in intimate conversation.  This is what I get from Bonsai sushi on 23rd street in Crystal City.  This is place is the definition of a neighborhood restaurant and the Sushi isn't half bad either.

D.C.'s restaurant week waits for inauguration

Washington Business Journal - by Tierney Plumb Staff Reporter

D.C.’s winter edition of restaurant week is getting pushed back to February this year because of the presidential inauguration.
Last year, restaurant week was from Jan. 14 -20. No date has been set for the event.
Keeping in line with last summer’s price increase during the event, signature $30 dinners are no more.
Nearly 200 of the D.C. area’s restaurants will serve three-course dinners for $35.09. Lunch will be $20.09. Drinks, gratuity and tax are not included.
The restaurant week Web site tells visitors to “check back to this site in mid-January for more information.”
Dinner prices were first adjusted during the summer in consideration of the rising food and fuel costs restaurants were facing.
Destination D.C. coordinates the week with the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington.
Alexandria is holding its own inaugural restaurant week from Jan. 17-25, with 30 restaurants in the area participating. Most eateries, such as Bastille and Chadwicks Restaurant, will offer a three-course, fixed-price dinner for $35. Others, such as Overwood and King Street Blues, will offer dinner for two for $35.

Aria Trattorioa

While I would like to be a guy who's glass is half full and point out all the wonderful things I experience or see, I'm having difficulty coming up with something for this restaurant experience.  The one positive is that if you're going to National Theater, as we were to see West Side Story, that this restaurant validates free parking in the Reagan building right across the street.  As a matter of fact, that's the primary reason I chose this restaurant, so I shouldn't expect anything else.  If you're affected by negativity, stop reading.  For the rest of us -- this place was terrible!  Aria is the third restaurant to be in this location since Michael Jordan's restaurant left.  It's such a great location, but afflicted by the fact its inside an office building and not 'known.'  location, location, location.  So why was it so bad?  Lets start with the ambiance.  Bland, all around.  There was no vibe.  The people were tourists. The lights were bright and the sound was quiet.  Once sat, the maitre'd immediately insulted my mother.  I'm sure he was just an idiot and didn't mean to basically call her an old bag, but that's the result.  Perhaps it was lost in translation.  I don't know... but he was a moron.  Next... food.  I was happy with how the menu sounded... but don't be fooled.  You'd do better at a hotdog stand.  my Sister ordered the pasta prima vera... which was more like soup in a butter broth.  Butter.  With little veggies swimming in it and some pasta.  Did I mention the butter?  Mine... the pasta bolognese... Bolognese is a red sauce cooked with sausage and meats filled with the flavor of those meats.  This sauce had no flavor.  I could have opened the chef boyardee myself and eaten at home.  The special... Fillet Mignon.  Now, to their credit -- Mom's steak came out very nice and tasted great... she ordered medium.  But because Damon ordered medium rare and his came out well done... they switched.  Mom decided the well done was too done and sent it back. This is a good transition point to talk about the service.  While up to this point the service was ok, at this point, the service went in the crapper.  Our waiter... who was clearly serving a theater crowd on a schedule off their theater menu... never came back!  Could you imagine?  He delivered the desert menu only after prompting... (for which they were out of their advertised theater menu desert), and then didn't return for 7 minutes.  At this point, we were ready to leave, even if we wanted desert.  If I were to return to this restaurant, it would only be for the theater proximity and free parking... I'd go in, order an appetizer off their taster menu for $10.  Validate and leave.  But I think I'd rather just pay the $10 to another close parking garage and eat at home, avoiding the dissatisfaction.

Utopia

For New Year's Eve, I met a group of 6 strangers at a restaurant called Utopia on U St.  The night was freezing and the vibe inside was chill. The bohemian patrons provided a great people watching venue... the couple in formal wear with hipster hair and black fingernail polish.  The overly  tatooed guy at the bar.  The bad Macy Gray doppelganger in the tube top (A tube top in 27 degrees -- not to be crass, but a with chest that would have been airbrushed out on TV... seriously?) This vibe is the only reason I'd consider returning to the restaurant.  Okay, maybe to gawk at the hot bartenders too.  The service was moderate if compared to Applebees.  The drinks were weak. and my medium rare fillet with don't get saucy with me bernaise sauce came out well done.  The saving grace for the evening was the company of these happenstance new friends whose company I thoroughly enjoyed.  Marc, Andrea, Sarat, Missy, Derek and Liz -- Thanks for a great evening!

L'Auberge Chez Francois

For my dear friend's 42.8th birthday, he made reservations at one of his favorite destination restaurants.  I couldn't even spell opulence before the night began, but afterwards, I knew what it tasted like.  The enjoyment of L'Auberge starts before you even get there... It's located in Great Falls... out in the woods, down these beautiful and fun-to-drive winding country roads lined with McMansions decked out last night with Christmas lights.  You just drive and drive and drive, twisting and turning until you come up to a french country house in the middle of no where.  literally.  Even though it was only a half hour drive from DC, it felt like Alice in Wonderland.  The meal started with 2 bottles of bubbles called in from California and 2 bottles of French country wine... Course 1 was a quiche that melted on my tongue.  My appetizer was a tuna tartar with endive and a bit of caviar, perfectly flavored.  My salad, I chose the special, which was a duck.  The duck was very sweet, complemented by candied pears and citrus fruits.  It might have very well been the best salad I've ever had.  With a sorbet between dishes, my entree was the veal scaloppini.  The sauce was rich.  The spaetzle perfectly cooked.  The meat coupled with the mushrooms and the sauce complemented each other perfectly.  My last course, I pre-ordered a grand marnier souffle... nobody at the table was excited to try it... but everybody agreed it was the BEST desert choice of the 6 of us... although the chocolate souffle (If I liked chocolate) was the richest, most decadent desert I've ever tasted.  My friend said the service was "off" last night... but I gotta say, if that was "off" for this restaurant, just about any DC establishment could learn something from the staff there on such an off night.  The only drawback... I really had to restrain myself from imbibing too much wine because of the location and knowing my on-call DD would have never found me in the woods.  5 stars!

Ba-bye Bebo

I never understood the allure of Bebo... a trendy Italian restaurant in Crystal City.  People either LOVED it, in all caps... or hated it.  It was not the kind of place you'd just go to because you needed food.  The one thing both groups had in common was to expect to be there for a very long time.  I suppose if you're enjoying your evening there, that's not a bad thing.  I've never had a great experience and tonight was no different.  Not by my choosing, there was a work dinner thing there with about 12 people.  The place had 2 large parties and the party room was packed.  Nobody else was in the restaurant.  On a Friday night.  That should have been clue 1.  Since we were all work-chatty, I didn't notice the exceptionally long time it took to order and get our food.  The entire ordeal took about 3.5 hours give or take.  My food portion was far too small for the price... I ordered swordfish.  I don't remember if I asked for it with no flavor, but that's how it came out.  On a plate so hot that it must have been sitting under a serious heat lamp for at least 10 minutes.  I imagine had I ordered a meal of courses as is tradition in a good Italian place, my portion was the right size.  But... I don't think that's why it was small.  I think it was small because the place is going out of business and the chef didn't care.  Not only was it small, but it was a bad cut of fish, bruised and previously frozen.  That's not how I want to enjoy my fish... I truly think the chef didn't care.  My coworker's salmon was dry.  The pasta dish was unappetizing and the pizza that came out was described as ketchup on wonderbread smashed thin with some cheese.  Now that last description also came from an Alabama guy who thinks McDonalds is fine dining.  Not an insult to him... he'd probably agree.  When we discovered discrepancies on the bill and couldn't decipher it because it was in Italian, I sought our server... turns out our server didn't even work there and the place was self imploding!  Nobody came to work... if anybody was even scheduled.  The restaurant is closing.  Well, I say good riddance.  It is too good a space and location for it to be occupied by a restaurant like that.  At the end of the meal, everybody was talking about going to Chipotle across the street.

Evo Bistro

For my friend Alyssa's birthday, her BF, JP chose a very out of the way bistro in McLean based on a Washingtonian review called Evo Bistro.  These friends are wine people and this was a unique way to indulge in such a hobby.  At this wine bar, they combined technology with the art of wine, allowing you to free flow taste a selection of about 40-50 wines.  My favorite was the 3 Ring Shiraz from Australia.  Its described as a dense purple accompanied by a flamboyant, extroverted bouquet of blackberries, white flowers, earth and a background oak.  Alyssa tasted a bit of chocolate at the end too.  The tapas style food at evo was hit or miss.  The hit really hit it out of the park -- and that was the scallops with a caper vinaigrette.  I lapped up the sauce with bread it was so good.  The miss was definitely the overcooked shrimp.  The atmosphere was cozy and friendly.  The staff helpful and knowledgable.  I will be returning to Evo.  It's a perfect place for a small event.

Boulevard Woodgrill

I joined a different brunch bunch today honcho'd by my friend DeDe, who chose Boulevard Woodgrill in Clarendon.  I had been there once before and wasn't impressed.  The food was unmemorable and neither was the ambience.  BUT... in giving it another try for brunch, I found a real gem.  I had the standard breakfast shmorgasborg with eggs, bacon, potatoes and french toast.   It was all fine.  I had saved the french toast until the end since with the syrup it would be a sweet treat.  One bite into it and I knew that this was the BEST french toast I've ever had.  I don't give such complements out lightly.  It was crusted in a crunch corn flake "breading."  This crunch exterior and soft interior had the texture of the perfect french fry -- you know how if you cook it hot enough, the inside melts and the outside is crispy?  That's how this french toast was.    I also complement their bloody mary... or Boulevard Mary.  If you like a spicy one, then go for this.  And a Skrimp on the edge of the glass for garnish provided a unique taste treat.  This brunch certainly reversed my previous impression on this place.