2011 May

A well-deserved meal at Obelisk

May 31, 2011 By Lori Leave a Comment

www.gusto.com

My sister to me on a Saturday afternoon: “What are you doing tonight?” Me: “Going out with friends to a REALLY nice dinner. My sister (sarcastically): “Oh good, because you deserve it. You don’t get to do that very often.”

Okay, fine. My husband and I have been out to some really nice dinners recently. And then there are the meals I’ve had out with my girlfriends, and the ones I’ve had during business trips, and the quick weeknight dinners I don’t even write about. The question I’ve been getting a lot lately is “how do you eat out so often?” My answer is that I have always eaten out this much- basically every Saturday night and once or twice during the week. The only difference is that now I am writing about it, and admittedly I am going upscale a little more often than I used to. But in the world of restaurant critics and local food writers I am woefully behind. There are some highly rated local restaurants where I have never been including Inn at Little Washington, Minibar, Marcel’s, and Cityzen. I’m working on it. So when my friends suggest going to Obelisk, I jump at the chance. It has been on my list for a very long time.

I am initially surprised by the decor. It is more casual (and sparse) than I imagined, which is not a bad thing. It feels authentically down home Italian.

The friends who we are with have known Obelisk chef/owner Peter Pastan for years. Although they have not connected with him in advance of our visit somehow he knows (good for him for keeping an eye on the reservation list) and he has sent us a bottle of sparkling rose wine. He is not there and we are told he spends most evenings at his other restaurant, Two Amy’s. He has started us off with a smile, in absentia.

The meal at Obelisk is a prix fixe at $75 per person. You select three courses, but long before you get to what you ordered you are served an amazing array of antipasto. My friends and husband have stated their preferences in advance, in keeping with their individual boundaries for keeping kosher. No meat, no shellfish, although one of my friends will eat meat (no pork) but not to be mixed with dairy. Our server is not phased, although she double checks with me that I will eat absolutely anything. I do have limits but I keep them to myself. However, I secretly hope that I won’t be served the pigs head salad I read about online. The menu changes almost daily, so you never know.

We begin with the bread. It is divine- the perfect mix of crunchy outside and soft inside that isn’t always so easily attained.

Now it’s time for the onslaught of dishes…potato frittata with ramps, a marvelous burrata cheese drizzled with olive oil, red mullet fish with olives, asparagus in parchment (mine included pork). We delight in each and every dish. The freshness of the ingredients, a key factor in the food at Obelisk, is clearly contributing to the success of these small plates and everything that follows.

Then out comes fried chick peas for the non pig eaters, as I am served the dish I had not been looking forward to: pigs head salad with orange peel. I have to taste it. I do, but I can’t get past what it is and it’s the one dish I don’t finish.

pigs head salad

We finally get to the primi dishes that we have actually selected: Ravioli with watercress, squash blossoms and pine nuts for the non-pig eaters and raviolini with sucking pig, fava beans, and crisp pig skin on top for me. Simply stated…delicious!

ravioli

We are truly stuffed at this point but our secondi (main course) is still to come. I have ordered lamb with peas and pancetta (yes pig has been inserted into nearly everything). The non-meat eaters have fish which has a nice char on the outside and a delicious slightly spicy sauce. They find it extremely satisfying.

we can’t remember what kind of fish this is, but it’s beautiful

The lamb is melt-in-your-mouth wonderful. The fresh peas and pancetta are the perfect complement to the meat, adding just a bit of crunch. I wish for another bite, not because I need more food but because I want to savor the taste for just a little bit longer.

We could stop here, as we could have stopped earlier, but there is more. We are served more fresh bread, which we can’t help but eat as an accompaniment to a beautiful cheese course.

If there is any course that is less than perfect in this meal, it is dessert. Two of us have a rhubarb crostini with brown butter ice cream. It is good but not remarkable. There is also coconut cake. Our favorite is surprising – mint chocolate chip ice cream. I was puzzled as to why someone would choose this over a cake or crostini, but to taste it is to understand. It’s made from real mint leaves and fine chunks of chocolate. It is the clear winner of the three.

What makes Obelisk so special is the entire experience. The food is outstanding but there is so much more. The service is warm and attentive. The atmosphere is cozy and comfortable. The price is more than reasonable given both the quality and quantity of the food. Our friends have hesitated coming here because of their concern about food restrictions. Obelisk, while clearly a purveyor of pork products, does just as well without them.

There is usually about a week lag time between the time I have a meal and actually write my blog post. During that time my opinion of a restaurant can change slightly as I have some time to sit with my impressions.My fondness for Obelisk has grown with time.

My sister joked about my deserving to go to a REALLY good restaurant. Obelisk is the kind of place to go for a celebration, a romantic night out, or a relaxing evening with friends. Doesn’t everyone deserve that, at least once in awhile?

Obelisk, 2029 P St NW
My rating (on a 1-5 scale): 4.9
Zagat rating: 27

#14, Washingtonian’s 100 Very Best Restaurants 2011
Washington Post review

Filed Under: DC dining, Obelisk

Lincoln Gets My Vote

May 27, 2011 By Lori 2 Comments

I invite a few friends to join me downtown for a midweek girls night out. For one reason or another the destination keeps changing. I am looking forward to trying the new El Centro CF, but they end up canceling my reservation in favor of a private party. I don’t remember how I end up stumbling upon Lincoln. I had dismissed it initially because the name just doesn’t appeal to me. Who names a restaurant after a U.S. president? The place sounds too American for my taste.

But it is supposed to be a dark and stormy night, and it seems like something close to Metro would be best. I recall seeing the newly opened Lincoln mentioned on Tom Sietsema’s First Bites column. Once I look at the menu, I am sold. There are a number of dishes I find appealing and more vegetarian options than many places around town. Note to self: in the future look at a menu before dismissing a restaurant based on its name.

At first, I am concerned that I made a mistake. As soon as we enter through the front door the noise is deafening. Fortunately we are led to a room a bit farther back where it is a teensy bit quieter.

We are immediately impressed with the decor. Cool place! The room where we are seated features light fixtures made from mason jars. Apparently during the Civil War soldiers ate their food in glass containers. (I just learned this…thanks, Tom Sietsema). Unfortunately we neglect to notice a centerpiece of the design, a tiled floor created from over one million pennies. I feel like an idiot for missing this, as it is a really big deal. Note to self: go back to Lincoln and look down, even if you are led to the back room.

We do notice the iconic artwork and an entire wall featuring the Emancipation Proclamation. While everything in the restaurant is inspired by the 1860′s, it’s done in a fun and contemporary way.

Lincoln’s menu features small plates. These days I almost prefer small plates over a standard three course meal because I can explore more dishes and don’t have to dwell on anything I don’t like. We begin with the Local Farm Cheese Board. I thoroughly enjoy the variety of textures and flavors featured on the plate. It really is a nice way to ease into a meal, accompanied by a nice glass of wine, of course.

Our array of dishes include: roasted vegetable tian with eggplant, zucchini, tomato and a breadcrumb crunch; spring gnocchi with English peas, spring garlic, asparagus, and portobello; organic kale salad with toasted hazelnuts, dried cranberries, grated parmesan and lemon vinaigrette; Meyer Farm NY strip steak with sunchoke lyonnaise and red wine onions; fries, and potato crusted cod with new potatoes and poached leeks.

NY strip steak

Each dish excites us more than the next. Because we have no expectations about the food, the flavors delight us even more than if we were dining at a highly-rated, constantly reviewed establishment.

The standout dish is a surprise. It’s the kale salad. It is fresh and salty (in a good way) and has more complexity than I ever expected, and I don’t even eat the hazelnuts. This dish is making me feel downright patriotic!

kale salad

The other winner is the potato crusted cod. The only dish that could use more punch is the gnocchi.

gnocchi

We end with the funnel cake- you really can’t get more American than that.

My goal this year is to try many of the top restaurants in town where I’ve never been. Sometimes I end up disappointed mostly because of my high expectations. There is something exciting about being a pioneer and charting undiscovered territories. And isn’t that what life in the 1800′s was really about?

Lincoln, 110 Vermont Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20005
My rating (on a 1-5 scale): 4.0

Washington Post First Bites Column

Filed Under: DC dining, Lincoln

Looking for a Touch More Seasoning at Seasons 52

May 22, 2011 By Lori 2 Comments

www.villageconnector.com

Everyone I know has been raving about Seasons 52. “Fantastic.” “Loved it.” “Excellent.” Even Tom Sietsema of The Washington Post calls the flatbread an “edible jazz concert” in his First Bites review.
Seasons 52 is a chain owned by the people who brought us Olive Garden and Red Lobster. This causes a bit of skepticism on my part. But I go with an open mind. How can I be a doubter with all the accolades I have been hearing?

I am with my husband and six friends. We have subscriptions to the symphony at Strathmore and Roundhouse Theater so we dine regularly in the Rockville/Bethesda area. We are excited to add a new restaurant to our repertoire.

There is a lot to like about Seasons 52 from the get go. The atmosphere is sleek and comfortable. Everything on the menu is 475 calories or less and…seasonal. The wine selection is extensive. The menu selections are almost universally appealing to me. I have a difficult time deciding what to order. I have been told that the flatbreads are a must. I am drawn to the spicy chipotle shrimp flatbread, but more than half of the group doesn’t eat shellfish, and a few don’t eat meat. The only vegetarian flatbread on the menu is the Ripe Plum Tomato Flatbread with fresh basil, roasted garlic and melted Parmesan cheese. This is a must. We don’t want two of the same thing so we opt for a special – the spicy pork flatbread- without the pork.

The spice on our no-pork “spicy pork” flatbread must be in the meat, as this is a zero on the spice scale, as opposed to the five that our server warns us about. Unfortunately, both of the flatbreads are lukewarm. We all agree that they are okay but nothing special. I am guessing that I would have been happier with one of the other flatbread selections (next time I’ll get the spicy chipotle shrimp).

Two people at the table have the Farmer’s Market vegetable soup. They are happy with this dish and in retrospect like it better than their entrees.

I have the caramelized sea scallops which are grilled and served with roasted asparagus and tomato-mushroom pearl pasta. The sea scallops are cooked perfectly and the accompaniments are nicely done. I am pleasantly surprised by the portion size. I am expecting the calorie count to result in miniscule dishes and this is not the case. What I am missing though is distinguishable flavor. The scallops could use some punch.

My husband and a friend each have the arctic char special and they both declare it “fantastic.” I have a bite and wish that I had gone with this dish instead of the scallops. It really is quite flavorful.

Two friends have the maui tuna crunch salad, which is presented beautifully but is not filling enough for dinner. Two people also have the cedar plank roasted salmon and concur with my assessment of the scallops…cooked perfectly but would have liked the flavor to be kicked up a notch.

I love the desserts in a shot glass. I have the key lime pie- which is refreshing and not too sweet. It’s a great ending to the meal.

Seasons 52 will never be a destination for me if I have the option of dining downtown. However, it is a perfect choice for before theater or a movie in Bethesda, for meeting friends when I don’t want to drive downtown, and for lunch when I want something a little more upscale.

I am grateful to the restauranteurs who are bringing new options to those of us who live and work in Montgomery Country. As long as the quality remains high and prices are reasonable (which I think is the case at Seasons 52), these new venues will remain popular.

When it comes to Seasons 52, like Arnold used to say…. “I’ll be back.”

Seasons 52, 11414 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, MD
My rating (on a 1-5 scale): 3.6

Filed Under: MD Dining, Seasons 52

Chicago: What Kind of Fool am I? (Cafe Spiaggia)

May 19, 2011 By Lori 1 Comment

chicagoeater.com

I may have sunk to a new low. I stalked Top Chef’s Fabio Viviani at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. You know how it is when you see someone familiar and it takes a moment to figure out how you know them? That’s what happened here. But then I hear the Italian accent and I know. Fabio from “Top Chef” Season Five and “Top Chef All Stars.” I pause. Should I stop him and say something? I am torn. I text my son. “I’m in the airport and Fabio is a few feet away from me. Should I say something?” He texts back “go for it.” Of course had my son been with me this would be cause for him to run in the opposite direction.

www.buddytv.com

I keep my eyes peeled as Fabio moves away and heads to a food kiosk. I can’t follow him, can I? As I debate what to do suddenly Fabio turns and walks right towards me, so I say “excuse me I’m a fan and my son says I have to say hello.” That’s it, blame my son. He doesn’t look very excited to meet me. I prattle on. “I’ve met Mike Isabella, and Carla Hall, and I wanted to meet you too.”

I had actually seen on Twitter that Mike Isabella was in Chicago for the “Top Chef” Tour (coming to DC soon). In fact Mike sent a tweet that specifically mentioned Fabio (more on that later). “Are you here for the Top Chef tour?” I ask. He stares at me blankly. “I am here on other business.” Oh that accent! We talk (or more accurately I talk) for a few seconds more and then he departs. I mutter “I’m a fan.” He clearly isn’t in the mood. But hey, now I’ve got something to blog about now plus another notch on my Top Cheftestant tally sheet. Never mind that I’m left feeling a little foolish for stopping him.

Rewinding a bit, I am in Chicago for a meeting and have been debating where to dine. Spiaggia is a top choice, but I don’t feel comfortable charging an extravagant dinner to my employer. After agonizing over a few different options, we head to Cafe Spiaggia which is the more casual sibling to Spiaggia and a favorite of the Obamas.The focaccia bread gets us off to a delightful beginning. Spiaggia Chef/Partner Tony Mantuano (who was on “Top Chef Masters” last year), personally selects an Italian olive oil to be used at the restaurant each year. This is a wise move, as the olive oil is so delicious I am tempted to drink some from the bottle.

I begin with carota, which is shaved carrot, fava beans, radish, pea shoots, mint, lemon, and Parmigiano frico. The perfectly-sized portion benefits from fresh ingredients and a dressing that is tangy with just a touch of sweet. I could almost stop my dinner right here.

For my main course I have gnocchi with wild boar ragu and parmigiano reggiano. I wait for the flavors to jump out at me but nothing happens. The meat could be just about anything and the sauce is not particularly distinctive. The gnocchi itself (handcrafted) has a nice texture. It is not a bad dish, but I find it to be indistinct. I am coming down with a cold so it is possible that I am missing some subtle flavors, but I am a bit disappointed nonetheless.

Both of my colleagues are satisfied with their dishes, but I am not hearing any superlatives. I skip dessert because earlier in the day my colleague and I have made a quick excursion to Molly’s Cupcakes (if you are in Chicago and you like cupcakes this is a must).

I go back to my hotel room and see a tweet from Mike Isabella declaring his love for the gnocchi at Spiaggia: “My favorite gnocchi in the world! #spiagga sorry @fabioviviani so good I couldn’t take a picture.” Did I just eat the exact same gnocchi at the same time and fine it lacking? Did I miss something? Are my taste buds really so affected by my cold?

I begin to question my judgment. Maybe the dish really was fantastic and I didn’t even know it. I’m starting to like the dish a little better and then I begin to berate myself for being so easily influenced. I didn’t love my gnocchi. Period. I check the online menu for Spiaggia and see that the more formal dining room features a different gnocchi altogether. And it sounds really, really good. I laugh at loud at the idiocy of my nearly changing my opinion. It goes to show how powerful a review or even a simple tweet can be.

I am actually grateful that I did not run into Mike Isabella and his fellow “Top Cheftestant” Antonia Lofaso dining together at Spiaggia. I am sure that I would not have been able to control my urge to interrupt their dinner or at the very least attempt to shoot a photo. I definitely am prone to act like a fool when I spot celebrities. At least I wasn’t foolish enough to hold on to the belief that my meal was better than it was.


Mike Isabella and Antonia Lofaso	www.wireimage.com

Spiaggia Cafe, 980 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago
My rating (on a 1-5 scale): 3.5
Zagat rating: 25

Filed Under: Around the US, Spiaggia Cafe

A Day of Crossings… Mother’s Day Dinner at Spice Xing

May 13, 2011 By Lori Leave a Comment

www.opentable.com

My Mother’s Day this year begins in Bloomington, Indiana as my daughter’s graduation weekend draws to a close. It is surreal that she is finished with college. How can it be over so quickly? I can’t find the words to comfort her as she mourns the loss of the friends, the campus, and the experiences that she is leaving behind. At the same time there is an excitement about the travels, the job, and relocation to the DC area that lie ahead.

Enough about that. The important thing to know is that the circumstances of the day present some challenges in terms of dining. My husband and I are flying home, while my son accompanies his sister on the 10 1/2 hour drive home. I honestly haven’t thought about dinner. But our plane lands at 4:30 pm while the kids won’t be home for hours. It suddenly dawns on me that we can still eat out. I’m starting to feel better on a Mother’s Day that’s filled with mixed emotions.

It takes me no time at all to decide on Indian food, which then leads me to think about Spice Xing. I’ve been a few times and I like both the food and atmosphere. The location is close enough to home and this is a factor as well. Plus, Spice Xing has garnered some great reviews, including inclusion in Washingtonian‘s 100 Very Best Restaurants 2011.

Our meal begins with baby dosa, mini crisp pancakes of rice with potatoes and onion. We are surprised when we are served a pancake with the potatoes on the side. Sauce is served separately in a bowl. The server tells us that they used to put the potatoes inside the dosa, but customers didn’t like it that way. We find this odd. The flavor is very good, but when you put the potatoes on the pancake, add the sauce, and roll it up like a tortilla there is too much liquid and it is quite messy to eat. I still think the potatoes should go inside the dosa.

We also order an onion kulcha, which is a requisite whenever we have an Indian meal. It is buttery and delicious. Spice Xing passes the kulcha test.

My main course is Nariyal Shrimp Curry, a South Indian curry with coconut milk and green chillies. It comes with tasty green beans and a cool fresh slaw. The portion is plentiful and it has the right amount of sizzle, although the shrimp is just a touch overcooked. The flavor of the sauce is enough to make up for the texture of the shrimp.

My husband has Salmon Tandoori. The salmon is well prepared, although he remarks that it is does not have particularly strong flavors.. He has no complaints but it is nothing special.

Spice Xing is just what I need for this particular occasion… good food, soothing atmosphere, fast and competent service, convenient location. I smile when it dawns on me that the name of the restaurant includes the word crossing. How fitting on a day that now marks the crossing of both of my children from academics to adulthood.

Spice Xing 100-B, Gibbs Street, Rockville MD

My rating (on a 1-5 scale): 3.6
Zagat rating: 20

Washingtonian‘s 100 Very Best Restaurants 2011
Washingtonian review

Filed Under: MD Dining, Spice Xing

Breaking News and Dinner at Volt’s Table 21

May 3, 2011 By Lori 5 Comments

The phone rang at 10:30 am. It was a friend and she was in the car with my husband. That’s odd, I thought. They were on the way to the emergency room. My husband had been playing softball with the synagogue Men’s Club League and a ball landed square on his nose. “Is he ok?” I asked. “I’m fine,” I heard him say, although he sounded like he had the worst cold ever. Oh no, I thought, we have a 7:00 reservation at Volt’s Table 21. Those take at least a year to get, unless you luck out and snag a cancellation, as I had. I didn’t bring it up. I’m not that insensitive. (I know, I know, I did think it).

As I headed to the emergency room, he called with an update and to reassure me that he would be fine to go to dinner. “We’ll see,” I said. “Whew,” I thought.

My husband’s nose was broken and he needed a couple of stitches, but by 6:00 pm that night he was feeling fine and wanted to keep our plans to celebrate both his birthday and an early Mother’s Day. (note to my kids if you are reading this: you are not off the hook in terms of getting me a gift. The Mother’s Day thing was just a good way to rationalize spending a whole lot of money on dinner).

Volt is one of my favorite restaurants. Chef/owner Bryan Voltaggio was the runner up in Season Six of “Top Chef.” I dined at Volt before Bryan gained acclaim on “Top Chef” and I have dined there since. I must admit that there is an added thrill to dining at Volt after watching Bryan on fifteen episodes of a television series, following him onTwitter, and yes even having his Bobble Head on my desk at work, thanks to a thoughtful friend.

Volt’s Table 21 is a twenty-one course tasting menu. Eight diners are seated around the food prep area, so you have a bird’s eye view of artwork in the making. As we are seated, Bryan is already at work two feet away from me. He is working intensely with liquid nitrogen. There is a spurt and spray goes flying onto my husband’s face. It seems to be his day for getting hit with flying objects. Fortunately this one is harmless. Bryan barely looks up but apologizes.

I am mesmerized. As an avid viewer of cooking shows, I’ve watched chefs doing intricate preparations with tweezers and squeeze bottles and other unidentifiable strangely scientific looking apparatus. But this is not television. It is the real thing. I turn to my husband to see if he is experiencing the same kind of thrill. (remembering that this is mostly about his birthday). Fortunately he is.

I am wondering how we are going to handle twenty-one individual courses of food. I expect the portions to be infinitesimal. As the food service begins, I am pleasantly surprised. The portions are big enough so that when you are loving something you can have more than one bite, but not too large that you can’t enjoy what is ahead.

If you want to know the punchline, here it is: this is an exceptional meal and experience. Every course is well thought out and presented with true artistry. The care that goes into the elements of each and every dish is extraordinary. Admittedly, there is quite a bit of foam. Foamy food is not for everyone. I like foam. The thing I like best though is that a celebrity chef (I’m sure that Bryan absolutely detests that term) is actually preparing my food. This is a big deal considering how many of us patronize a restaurant because of a particular chef who is actually not anywhere remotely close to the kitchen where our food is being prepared.

I won’t bore you by detailing all twenty-one courses, but will share some photos of seven of the courses.
My husband, who eats no meat and no shellfish, has some substitutions for my lamb, strip loin and pork belly. But he never feels as if he is missing a thing.

goat cheese ravioli, vegetable ash, salsify, maitake mushrooms


hen egg flowers and herbs, quinoa, ruby chard, asparagus


study of parsnip bourbon gastrique, parsnip bard

arctic char, cucumber, creme fraiche, horseradish

rockfish, morels mushrooms, creamed spinach or ramps (I had strip loin)


“Spring garden” fiddlehead ferns , cherry glen farm chevre

dulce de leche, honey, lime, pineapple

Can we eat all twenty-one courses? When we are on course number fifteen I ask our server weakly “how many more?” “Two more savory and then dessert,” she responds with a smile. I power through. I cannot finish my last dessert (textures of chocolate) but considering I’ve had three others before it, it really is okay.

This is definitely one of the best meals I have ever had. Only one thing would have made it absolutely perfect. A welcome or goodbye from Bryan would have made me ecstatic. He actually served us two of our courses and I was so tempted to say something to him, but he never made eye contact and I just couldn’t get up the nerve. And what would I say? I’m a big fan? Your food is amazing? Your bobble head adorns my desk? I could have said any of those things but I knew it would probably make both of us uncomfortable in the end, so I said nothing.

On the way home my sister called to tell us there was breaking news and the President was about to make a big announcement. I thought we had enough breaking news for one day. I turned on CNN and Wolf Blitzer was saying that we would always remember where we were when it was announced that Osama bin Laden had been killed. A visit to the ER, dinner at Volt’s Table 21, and the death of bin Laden…a memorable day indeed.

Volt, 228 N Market St, Frederick, MD
My rating (on a 1-5 scale): 5
Zagat rating: 28