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While, my personal gold standard for dining in the DC area is still Maestro, Restaurant Eve does not disappoint for those looking to be pampered and introduced to something new. Having the...
While, my personal gold standard for dining in the DC area is still Maestro, Restaurant Eve does not disappoint for those looking to be pampered and introduced to something new. Having the opportunity to dine with 2 other couples we had the chance to have even more tasting options in the Tasting Room (not to be confused with the Bistro side of the house). Nine or Five courses are the options and not everyone at the table must get the same number of courses, which is nice since at most places if one person is getting the tasting menu then all people must get the same tasting menu. The nine course meal is all selected by the Chef and the 5 course meal has different options for each course which the patron can choose. I'm a little amazed at how the waiter can remember all the different options being served as the ladies went for the 5 course options with mostly different choices between them. Each time he was able to explain each of different dishes as if he prepared them himself. Beyond the set courses, there are some nice extras like canapés even before the menu is presented. After ordering everyone was treated to a soup course and before dessert a palette cleansing shaved ice was served. Basically, all the savory courses were a hit... ranging from the Foie Gras mousse (extra cost) to the sweetbread (lamb's thymus gland -- who knew?) to the scallops to the "Bacon, Egg & Cheese" and others I can't remember. The cheese course was interesting and probably not for those who don't enjoy a stinky cheese, and while the desserts were inventive, they didn't necessarily satisfy. Regardless, service was impeccable. Just be sure to block out a good chunk of time -- we got there at 8:15 p.m. and didn't leave until about 12:30 a.m. It was quite a marathon and we were all exhausted at the end.
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This place screams New York to me. The hustle and bustle; the tourists and the natives; heck there was even a camera crew filming at the time and everyone was just going about their...
This place screams New York to me. The hustle and bustle; the tourists and the natives; heck there was even a camera crew filming at the time and everyone was just going about their business.
You'll be given a ticket as you walk in and make sure you keep it as it's your only way out without paying $50 for having lost it. It's used to keep track of what you order.
There are multiple lines all along the counter depending on what you're trying to get. Being new here, it can be a bit daunting trying to figure out the sandwich line, versus the drink line versus whatever else line there is. But I guess you can bypass all of them if you decide on grabbing a table in the section where a waiter will serve you.
Just play it safe.. get in a sandwich line... when it's your turn order a pastrami.... they'll start slicing meat and give you a piece or two on a plate to taste... grab it with your fingers and put it in your mouth... savor the taste and anticipate the wonderful sandwich you're about to get... say "Yes" to the mustard... as he's finishing the sandwich, put your ticket on the glass case in front of the sandwich artist with a dollar or two tucked underneath to thank him for delivering this wonderful creation to you. He'll take it... make a note on the ticket..and give it to you with the sandwich. Find a table... eat the entire sandwich (if you can) and smile... you've found happiness... at least for today.
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Black Salt
Category:
Restaurants
4883 MacArthur Blvd.
Washington, Dist. of Columbia 20001
(202) 342-9101
Ever since really getting into sushi, it's hard to enjoy eating fish that is cooked. Invariably, most places overcook fish, so why not forget the hassle and eat sushi instead?
Well, Black Salt...
Ever since really getting into sushi, it's hard to enjoy eating fish that is cooked. Invariably, most places overcook fish, so why not forget the hassle and eat sushi instead?
Well, Black Salt has restored my faith in tasty cooked fish. The tasting menu is wonderful as it starts off small. We had the crabmeat and conch fritter followed by a wonderful shucked oyster... and it continues to build with numerous dishes offering cooked fish and there was one dish that had the most amazing diver scallop that I've tasted in a long while.... finally there's the main dish, which that night was the Pan Fried Lobster in a tomato based stew of other seafood, similar to a cioppino. Dessert that evening was a trio of items including what was called a Raspberry Bomb, to a Molten Chocolate Cake topped with ice cream and a Caramel Custard.
The wait staff is great and they're definitely willing to answer any and all questions about the food... and if they don't know, they'll find out for you.
I can finally eat cooked fish again and I hope to do so more often here.
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It's no wonder reservations are a must here and that you must hold them with a credit card number. The space is so small that the limited seated must be adjusted to the parties that they expect to...
It's no wonder reservations are a must here and that you must hold them with a credit card number. The space is so small that the limited seated must be adjusted to the parties that they expect to host that evening. I can't imagine that this place really ever does off the street business.
The decor here is definitely simple and efficient and the Japanese establishment feeling is highlighted by leaving your shoes at the door and donning slippers for the evening.
The set menu should be your only real choice as it'll take you through a wonderful culinary tour. The service is impeccable and each dish is explained. The range of dishes encompassed fresh vegetables prepared simply and tasty to wonderful pieces of sashimi to expertly cooked fish to a noodle soup with delicate flavor all topped off with a light and refreshing dessert, which on our night there was a grape sorbet that was more like shaved ice. There are some misses though like the deep fried soft shell crab which was dominated in flavor by the rice cracker used to coat it.
The portions aren't large, but unless you regularly eat at buffets, the 8 to 10 courses should make you full enough near the end. That type of full where you can definitely have more, but you don't really need to.
Overall it's a wonderful experience that seems to give the diners a glimpse into the world of Japan.
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After a hectic weekend of running around NYC trying to do all the things on our list and only hitting a small portion of that, there was nothing better than ending the long weekend with breakfast at...
After a hectic weekend of running around NYC trying to do all the things on our list and only hitting a small portion of that, there was nothing better than ending the long weekend with breakfast at a leisurely French restaurant. While definitely not the best I've ever had, everything here was done well. The steak could be considered disappointing as it wasn't a prime cut nor entirely too large, but it was well flavored and hit the spot. The eggs, mine ordered over easy were spot on. I was able to sample my tablemate's french toast and while not the best I've ever had, it was definitely up there. And the nutella crepe was just as I like them, a little dry and crisp which I think helps accentuate the filling, unlike those you find at the street fairs which are large, but entirely too mushy. And who doesn't love French pressed coffee. I don't even drink coffee, but it was cool to see it being done right at the table. So treat yourself to a leisurely French breakfast or brunch on Park Avenue.
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This place isn't much to look at as it's a typical Asian carryout with not much decor, but everything there is functional and there are some seats to enjoy your meal... which will be served...
This place isn't much to look at as it's a typical Asian carryout with not much decor, but everything there is functional and there are some seats to enjoy your meal... which will be served amazingly quick. Good up to the counter and order from the typical (to me) Vietnamese fare - no Pho - but there are rice dishes and vermicelli (rice noodle) dishes which you can get with different grilled meats. They taste good and can be filling. And of course there are sandwiches which can be made from different meats on a small French baguette roll. It's not your typical sandwich as the meats tend to be drier but it's a welcome and cheap change from normal sandwiches. The already made spring rolls in the hot display case are always enticing and the various dessert drinks are good too. The only thing that seems to miss so far are the pork buns in the bottom of the left side display case which have too much dough for my liking.
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So having heard some good things about this place and always loving places where you can sample small amounts of different things, I was ready to fall in love with this place... alas it was not to...
So having heard some good things about this place and always loving places where you can sample small amounts of different things, I was ready to fall in love with this place... alas it was not to be. I guess it can be cool to watch ladies make dumplings, but I did get a bit of a feeling of watching sweatshop workers labor... at which point I thought to myself, "How much do these ladies get paid an hour to churn out dumpling after dumpling?"
We decided on 3 kinds of dumplings - Shrimp (steamed), Pork (seared), and the limited edition Beef (steamed). We also got a side each of the Red Monster and Cool Monster sauces.
While there are slight differences in the meats, it really wasn't that significant to make much of a difference. The dough for each dumpling is also the same, a somewhat chewy texture, but not excessive dough so that you feel there's no meat. Also, the seared dumplings weren't that different from the steamed ones as the searing didn't seem to be done long enough to bring out the carmelization and a crispy bottom to the dumplings. The sauces were also too over the top and took away from the dumpling.
I'll go back, but next time I'm sticking with the basic Pork dumpling seared (because I'm a hopeless romantic) with the free dumping sauce in the ice tea like drink dispenser on the counter opposite of the workers. And maybe I'll get a flan and one of those cool looking shirts..
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Norma's
Category:
Restaurants
118 W 57th St
New York, New York 10019
(212) 708-7460
Well, I love foie gras, so when I heard that this place had Foie Gras Brioche French Toast, I had to make reservations for breakfast right away. The service is wonderful as they're very attentive...
Well, I love foie gras, so when I heard that this place had Foie Gras Brioche French Toast, I had to make reservations for breakfast right away. The service is wonderful as they're very attentive and they even gave us a small double shot of a wonderful fruit smoothie along with our drinks, where I took everyone's advice and got the fresh squeezed OJ. My wife ordered the foie gras french toast in order to allow me to get the duck confit hash which I was also eyeing on the menu. The confit hash was only okay.. the eggs on top were cooked a perfect sunny side up, but the hash actually had too much duck (how is this possible?) and not enough balance of other ingredients. The duck actually overwhelmed the dish. As for the foie gras, there was 2 -3 large pieces which looked to be pan seared and mixed with a sauce containing mushrooms and asparagus. This was all on top of a 3 inch think slab of french toast. This should have been heaven right??? Well... let's see how many things were wrong... the toast was so thick, no real batter was absorbed into the bread, but rather it was coated with a layer of egg on the top and bottom rather than the whole piece being treated. A good french toast should be crispy on the outside and custard-like on the inside. This was just regular bread on the inside. Okay, so if is just bread, then the sauce should compensate right? Well... there's some sauce, but really not enough for the entire piece of bread. The foie gras will save the day right? How could it not, there are 3 large pieces? Well, I guess because they use such large pieces, the quality of the foie gras can't be that high. The foie just didn't have that fattiness and creaminess you'd expect from a high quality piece. It was good... not great like foie usually is. The only upside is that our tablemates had dishes which they loved. I guess I shouldn't have gone for the really fancy stuff here. I guess I'll have to come back and try their less ambitious fare... or maybe the $1000 frittata.
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So, I guess it's the hype that has this place packed with the hour long waitlist on the Saturday night... just for desserts, because I don't get it. I saw the movie.... but I still don't get it. ...
So, I guess it's the hype that has this place packed with the hour long waitlist on the Saturday night... just for desserts, because I don't get it. I saw the movie.... but I still don't get it. Or maybe it's because I'm not a huge desserts person. While looking over the menu, nothing seemed to jump out at me so I went with my friend's choice of the Forbidden Broadway Sundae. It's fine as sundaes go... ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate cake, hot fudge... but nothing that made me go "Wow!". The Frozen Hot Chocolate was definitely novel, and if you really like hot chocolate I'd think it'd be pretty good. However, I think they should probably have crushed the ice a bit more to give the drink a finer consistency, because it was a bit like a slush puppy near the end of the drink.
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So, if I lived in Manhattan, I'd probably have to make a trek to this place every weekend. As it is now I wish I could visit NYC more so I can have their delicious ice cream. Mmm.. and not just...
So, if I lived in Manhattan, I'd probably have to make a trek to this place every weekend. As it is now I wish I could visit NYC more so I can have their delicious ice cream. Mmm.. and not just ice cream, but sorbet as well. That Lychee sorbet is just amazing, so refreshing with the right amount of sweetness. I'm not normally a desserts person, but this place would make me one. Too bad the place is too small to have some chairs for sitting down and enjoying the treats.
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