2011 March

Too old for Ping Pong?

March 27, 2011 By Lori Leave a Comment

At any given time, there are four or five episodes of The Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” saved on my DVR. I record every episode and save the ones about restaurants that are located close by or in cities I may visit in the near future. Guy Fieri has a way of making everything he eats sound so delicious. The way he declares “mmmm, mmmmm” after taking a bite of some decadent sandwich or a piece of pie featuring some unique flavor combination makes me want to rush right out of the house. It usually takes me awhile to actually get to a particular destination, but eventually I manage.

One episode I’ve had saved on my DVR for months features DC’s Comet Ping Pong. When describing the pizza at Comet Ping Pong Guy’s words are “out of bounds” and “if you live north of the equator you have to come here.” Since I do live north of the equator and purchased a Living Social coupon for Comet Ping Pong, I find time to take advantage of the opportunity.

We walk in through the back where the ping pong tables are located. This is not something that interests me. I’m here for the food, but I definitely appreciate the concept. This would have been a great place for the kids when they were younger. Too late now.

I like the industrial artsy funky atmosphere. My friend disagrees, thinking the decor has gone too far and wandered from chic to cheap.

I read a couple of reviews in advance and see favorable remarks about the chicken wings. Chicken wings are a favorite of mine so I start with an order, while my husband and friends stick to vegetarian options in keeping with their kosher observances. The chicken wings are tender and juicy with a nice kick. They are definitely worthwhile. I have to keep myself from eating too many since I am on my own. I have to save room for the pizza.

The other three share a Greek feta salad and wood roasted cauliflower. Here is where things begin to deteriorate. There is a stack of small plates on our table. We reach for the plates and realize the top plate is dirty. The next plate is dirty as well. This is repeated through the stack of plates. They are all dirty. We flag down the server. She is nonplussed. She takes the plates and then remembers to ask if we want replacements. Um, yes we do.

The salad is okay but unremarkable. The cauliflower is astonishing, and not in a good way. It’s undercooked and there is no seasoning on it at all. It is hard to believe that this $6 dish is actually being served in a restaurant.

On to the pizza. This is the good part. Guy Fieri focused on some of the dishes that we are unable to try i.e. the Yalie pizza with clams and the Philly calzone with roast pork. These both look good and if this is your thing I say go for it. We order three vegetarian pizzas to share.

The first is called “Steel Wills.” It includes spinach, homemade ricotta cheese, olives, and tomato sauce. This is a tasty pizza. The pizza crust is chewy The cheese is light and fresh. It has a nice crunch, which is important to me.

Our second pizza is one we make up with potato, onions, and red peppers. This is a nice combination if I do say so myself.

We also order “The Drive.” This one features broccoli rabe, garlic, onion, and a Whitmore Farm egg. This one doesn’t appeal to me but the others really like it.

The pizza at Comet is quite good, but we haven’t been able to recover from the dirty plates and the cauliflower. Plus, my friend makes a trip to the bathroom and reports that they are “disgusting.”

I’m betting that my son and his friends would like Comet Ping Pong. They wouldn’t be phased by the dirty plates or bathrooms and they would probably take advantage of the ping pong. If you are in your twenties, its okay for a dive to really be a dive.

I prefer to hang out with the college students from American University who seem to be gathering at the newer (and cleaner) Pete’s New Haven Apizza on Wisconsin Avenue. The pizza there is just as good. It may never be featured on “Diner’s, Drive-Ins, and Dives” but in this case, that’s really ok with me.

Comet Ping Pong, 5037 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC
My rating (on a 1-5 scale): 2.6 (pizza 4.0)
Zagat rating: 20
“Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” episode

Filed Under: Comet Ping Pong, DC dining

Looking for Urban at Sub-Urban Michel

March 22, 2011 By Lori Leave a Comment

www.opentable.com

Anniversary dinner. This certainly calls for a restaurant in Washingtonian‘s Top 40. I make a reservation at Bistro Bis. My husband isn’t psyched so I cancel it. I make a reservation at Corduroy. My husband is going to be in the Tyson’s area for work so we probably won’t make it there in time. Tyson’s area? Michel at the Ritz Carlton is on my to do list, so it’s the obvious choice.

Michel is Michel Richard’s third restaurant in the area, following Citronelle (where we had a fabulous anniversary meal a few years ago) and Central (one of my very favorite restaurants in DC).

Have you ever gone somewhere expecting a really good meal, had a really good meal, but you still felt like something was missing? This was my experience at Michel. Perhaps I was trying to turn the more upscale and sophisticated Michel into something it isn’t….the hip and urban restaurant that is Central.

We begin with bread. I like it. It is crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside, and warm. The butter is soft and spreadable. This is a good start. Why don’t more restaurants understand the importance of warm bread and spreadable butter? It’s so simple.

We indulge ourselves by sharing the gougères (cheese puffs) anda goat cheese Caesar salad. These are both dishes we have had at Central. I think that the gougères should be warm (they are not) but the server tells us they are not intended to be, so we leave them as is. I still wish they were warm.

We find the salad a bit drier than the Central version, with a little less goat cheese. It’s very good either way.

My husband absolutely adores his entree, which is salmon with lentils. The fish is cooked perfectly and he absolutely raves about the lentils and the potato crisps atop the salmon. We’ve come to appreciate Michel Richard’s signature crispy touches to his dishes, and this one does not disappoint.

I have difficulty deciding on an entree. There are a few beef choices but the preparations don’t appeal to me. There is a tuna steak with an Asian preparation that interests me, but I waiver. I settle on the lobster burger, which is also on the menu at Central. I have to say that I love every bite of the “burger” which consists of chunks of lobster meat with a scallop mousse binding. It is decadent and delicious. I do not regret this choice for a second.

We share apple tatin for dessert. I am looking forward to one of my favorite flavor combination’s of apple and caramel, but we find it a little lacking. I should have had the profiteroles, my second choice.

The meal overall is quite good, but I’m afraid that I don’t quite appreciate Michel for what it is. You can’t turn a hotel restaurant in a suburban mall into its trendier, more casual older sibling. It may have been my bad for trying.

My husband and I have had to take separate cars since we’ve both come from work. I’m still feeling the wine, so I encourage him to head home while I work off the effects of the wine with a little shopping. On second thought, forget hip and trendy. There definitely is an upside to dining at a restaurant in a mall.
Michel, 1700 Tysons Boulevard, McLean, Virginia
My rating (on a 1-5 scale): 4.0
# 32 Washingtonian‘s 100 Very Best Restaurants 2011

Washingtonian review

Filed Under: Michel at the Ritz Carlton, VA Dining, Va.

Missing the Zen at Zentan

March 13, 2011 By Lori Leave a Comment

www.bloomspot.com

I’ve had some great restaurant meals lately, which makes me feel even more deflated when I go somewhere with high expectations and leave disappointed. My recent dinner at Zentan left me underwhelmed, and wishing I had chosen somewhere else for a celebration dinner.

My son recently accepted a job offer for permanent, full-time employment in his chosen field. After I cried tears of joy, I exclaimed “we have to take you to dinner to celebrate!” Celebrating success with dinner out goes without saying in our family. I wanted to take him somewhere special. I also hoped to use one of the discount coupons in the growing file folder that resides in my car. Zentan seemed to fit the bill. I figured that the “inventive Global Asian cuisine” was perfect for my vegetarian son who knows his celebrity chefs. Owner Susur Lee has appeared on both Top Chef Masters and Iron Chef America.

I began to have second thoughts during our ride downtown. I hadn’t really taken much time to peruse the menu in advance. I know that Zentan is famous for the Singapore slaw featuring 19 different ingredients. But what else? I phoned the restaurant from the car and asked about vegetarian options. The hostess started telling me about all the fish dishes, so I had to explain that vegetarians do not eat fish. She countered with naming some other non-fish dishes, which was enough to calm me down.

We arrive to a crowded host station. The place is hopping. We soak in the trendy vibe. We like a trendy vibe, so we’re feeling pretty good. We begin with cocktails and I have to say that the raspberry absinthe sparkling cocktail packs a punch.

We start with the Singapore Slaw and vegetable dumplings. The dumplings are completely unremarkable. The Singapore Slaw is brought to our table and we are impressed. It is tossed table side. The mix of flavors are light and refreshing. It is tangy and crunchy and slightly sweet. This is a signature dish. At $16 for an appetizer you want it to be good. It is.

I order the Mongolian rack of lamb. It sounds like my kind of dish as it features chili mint, carrot cardamom chutney, penang peanut sauce, and glazed bananas. At $38, it should be amazing. Nope. It’s not. The lamb is a little more rare than I prefer but the main issue is that I am not tasting all the flavors that are purported to be in the dish. There are some crunchy peanuts- which I don’t particularly like. The glazed bananas are good. It’s not a bad dish but it is nothing special.

My husband orders the caramelized black cod. The dish arrives and there is perhaps three bites worth of food on the plate. He says that those three bites are tasty but he is still hungry.

My son orders a dish with eggplant and tofu. The server comes back to report that they are out of eggplant so they will make him a noodle dish instead. He is served the same dish that was described previously without the eggplant. It is basically vegetables and tofu without any discernible flavor. I want him to send the dish back. He refuses. I absolutely hate that this is his celebration dinner and he is eating something he doesn’t enjoy.

At the end of the meal I ask the server what happened with the noodle dish she promised. This is much to the chagrin of my son. The server tells us that she made a mistake with her explanation and there were not supposed to be noodles in the dish. I am clearly unhappy, which she astutely notices and offers to bring us a complimentary dessert.
She brings us banana tempura with ginger caramel sauce. I will say that Zentan knows how to cook bananas. This is a delicious dessert.

I am not terribly happy. I wanted to treat my son to a great meal, and what he got was not great at all. I will say that we missed out on some of what the restaurant is supposed to do well, which is Asian crudo, sushi, and a long list of signature rolls. Our bad.

I promised a friend, who loved her recent meal at Zentan, that I would reflect her experience in my review. They focused on the seafood and raved about the food. Duly noted!

I had a $25 off coupon- which did not even cover the cost of our drinks. I will give you a tip. There is a website called Village Vines which offers 30% off your entire bill at select restaurants. Zentan is on the list. I think its worth a try at 30% off. Here’s the link:

https://www.villagevines.com/welcome.aspx?c=FFDA126

Wishing you a Zen-like experience.

Zentan 1155 14th Street NW Washington, D.C 20005
My rating (on a 1-5 scale): 3
Zagat rating: 21

Washingtonian review
Washingtonian’s 100 Very Best Restaurants 2011

Filed Under: DC dining, DC Restaurant, Zentan

My Very, Very Favorite Restaurant in DC…Rasika

March 6, 2011 By Lori 2 Comments

townandcountrytravelmag.com

People often ask me “what’s your favorite restaurant?” For months I’ve been saying that my top three are Rasika, Volt, and Central. However, I was starting to feel like somewhat of a fraud. You see while I’ve been to Rasika a few times, I haven’t been in about two years. How can you claim something to be your favorite when it has been that long? You can’t.

So when two friends recently talked about dining at Rasika, I jumped on board. Rasika is ranked #9 on Washingtonian’s 100 Very Best Restaurants 2011. Still, I am a little anxious about the food and the experience living up to my expectations and memories of previous visits.

One of my friends warns that she is not a fan of Indian cuisine and doesn’t particularly like spicy food. I’m a little concerned. I think she may be in the wrong place. But she is up for the adventure and from the moment we are seated, all three of us become more and more ecstatic about what we are eating.

If you know anything about Rasika, you know about the palak chat, which is crispy spinach with sweet yogurt, tamarind and chutney. This may be one of my favorite dishes ever. It is crunchy and sweet and despite the fact that this is spinach, it’s like eatingcandy. We are sad when it’s gone but we know that there are many more great flavors to come.

We also enjoy Tawa Baingan, which is eggplant and spiced potato in a peanut sauce. The presentation is beautiful and it works nicely with our order of goat cheese kulcha.

Entree time! We choose our dishes quickly and easily. Black cod with star anise, honey and dill. Tandoori lamb chops with cardamom, cashew, and ginger. Then because we are afraid we might miss out on something good, we add a mango shrimp with yogurt and mint chutney.

We each are served a plate of food with the cod and lamb already plated with the addition of some fresh greens in a light dressing. The words that follow come fast and furious and I am not exactly sure which dish they apply to or that it matters. “Layers of flavor.” “Bursts of taste.” “Dreamy.” “Unlike anything I’ve tasted before.” “Aromatic, perfumed.”

My friend who doesn’t like Indian or spicy food is leading the charge in our exultation’s. She saves a morsel of the cod to bring home to her husband so he can share in our delight. She is a much better wife than I am. I am not leaving a bite of food on my plate, much less bringing anything home to share. I will happily bring my husband back for a meal here, however. I am not entirely thoughtless.

We end our meal with masala chai creme brulee. It is not too sweet with just the right amount of crunch on the outside and creaminess on the inside. A perfect end to a perfect meal.

The Washington Post’s food critic Tom Sietsema states in his Fall 2010 Dining Guide: “I keep waiting for Rasika to disappoint me… There’s nothing on the chef’s menu that I wouldn’t relish eating again.”

I’m with Tom. I prepared myself for a letdown but it didn’t happen. Rasika is my dream restaurant. I can’t think of anywhere else where I delight in every bite of food as much as I do here.

Rasika is a tough reservation to get. I’ve had more than one person tell me that they have encountered snarky staff when they have called for a reservation a week or so out. A kind of “what are you kidding?” attitude. Therefore, Rasika-lovers rejoiced recently when owner Ashok Baja announced that a lease has been signed for Rasika West in DC’s West End to open in February 2012. Woo Hoo!

I wonder how many times a year I need to dine somewhere to legitimately call it my favorite. Are there rules for that? I don’t know, but just to be safe I’m heading back to Rasika very soon.

Rasika, 633 D Street, NW
My rating (on a 1-5 scale): 5
Zagat rating: 28

Washington Post Review
Washingtonian Review
#9, Washingtonian’s 100 Very Best Restaurants 2011

Filed Under: DC dining, Rasika

Sabai Sabai Simply Thai is not Elementary

March 1, 2011 By Lori Leave a Comment

zagat.com

I went to Sabai Sabai Simply Thai in Germantown recently with some friends, including a woman that I went to kindergarten with in Detroit. This is an incredible story and one that I must take a moment to tell before I get to my review.

This woman had been an acquaintance for several years. We were at a large event for a local women’s organization and she was lamenting that sometimes its hard being from out of town because she doesn’t run into people from her past. “Where are you from?” she asked. Although I had lived in Detroit until I was eight years old, I simply responded that I was from the DC area. “What about you?” I asked.. “Detroit.” I then explained that I was originally from Detroit. We compared notes. Same elementary school. Same kindergarten teacher. Same age! Wait a minute, did you know so and so? “She was my best friend,” I said excitedly. We didn’t remember each other, but the next time we were together, I brought photos from my birthday party when I was seven years old. She looked at the photos and shrieked “I’m sitting next to you!”

I tell this tale often. You never know when and where someone from your past will pop up in your life again. I only hope the rest of you have better memories than my kindergarten pal and I do. Okay, on to my review.

Sabai Sabai is on the list of Washingtonian’s 100 Best Restaurants for 2011. It was also just reviewed on DC Dining which includes restaurant reviews from one of DC’s most respected food and wine experts, Don Rockwell. (Check out his other site at www.donrockwell.com. It’s the place to interact with some serious foodies, as well as chefs, restaurant managers and owners.)

The restaurant is packed on Sunday night of a holiday weekend. There is a line to the reception desk and some people are expressing their annoyance about long waits for a table or their take out orders. We have a reservation and are ushered immediately to our table. It takes awhile for someone to take our order, but there are lots of great choices on the menu and this gives us time to make some tough decisions.

The food does not come out quickly, but it is worth the wait. We start with mee krob (crispy noodles in sauce with shrimp and tofu), veggie mee krob, and lahb (minced chicken with herbs). I am a fan of both dishes, having had them in a more than a few restaurants around town. The flavors are sweet and tangy and spicy and crunchy all at once. This is exciting food, which I am pretty certain I wouldn’t have appreciated as a five year-old back in Motor City.

lahb

veggie mee krob

Our entrees are selected based on recommendations from Don Rockwell. In his February 15 review he declares his meal at Sabai Sabai “the best Thai meal I’ve had in years.”

We have the crispy duck with basil, two orders of crispy herbal fish, lahd na (chicken with wide noodles and Chinese broccoli in light gravy), and Sabai Sabai grilled chicken with papaya salad and sticky rice.

The portions are nicely sized. The duck is peppery with hints of five-spice powder. It’s topped with crispy basil. Delicious.

The chicken with noodles have a wonderful smoky flavor that makes you want to go back for more. The grilled chicken combines sweet and spicy.

The fish is cooked perfectly. There is quite a bit of burn in these dishes, but the smoky, sweet, and tangy flavors in the dishes offset the heat. The food is powerful but not overpowering. Each dish has intense flavors but is unique at the same time..

As we finish our meal, my friend seeks out the owner to tell her that a food blogger is in the house and will be writing a review in the near future. Embarrassing! But the owner seems impressed and sends over free desserts. I promise this does not affect my rating.

My food preferences have come a long way from the hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, and tater tots I was likely eating back in my elementary school days. Likewise, Sabai Sabai Simply Thai is not your basic old school Thai cooking. A dining experience there is definitely higher education.

Warning- I just went back to Don Rockwell’s site for a quote and there was a follow up review. He returned to Sabai Sabai last week and declared the food to be “stunningly mediocre.” Oh well. Restaurant quality varies night by night and dish by dish, which is something to keep in mind when you rely upon reviews.

Sabai Sabai Simply Thai, 19847M Century Blvd., Germantown, MD

My rating (on a 1-5 scale): 4.2

Washingtonian Review
DC Dining Review
Washingtonian, 100 Best Restaurants 2011