Burapa Thai, Clarendon, VA

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Don

Burapa Thai is an established, local mini-chain that has its original location in Lansdowne, and recently opened an outpost in Clarendon.

In February, I went to Sabai Sabai Simply Thai in Germantown, and proclaimed it the best Thai meal I’d had in a long, long time; then, a second visit the next week proved to be the exact opposite – so I had one great meal, and one poor meal.

Ignore the printed beer list at Burapa Thai and go for one of the Echigos (from Japan) they offer. During happy hour (from 4-8 PM), they’re half-price and only $4 each – the white-label Koshihikari is 17 ounces and tastes like a dilute lager (bypass it); much better is the red-label Red Ale; better still is the magnificent black-label Stout. Even if you think you don’t like Stouts, you owe it to yourself to try this (at both Kushi and Sushi Taro, this beer is substantially more expensive).

Burapa Thai is Thai-owned, but has two distinct menus, each in their own holder: one Thai, and the other Japanese. Although I haven’t tried any of the Japanese offerings, the “heart and soul” of this restaurant seems to be squarely in Thailand.

Burapa Tuna ($8) with tuna, galanga, lemon grass, lime leaves, and onions mixed with lime dressing served in white corn cups sounds extraordinarily complex, but it’s really just a plate of seven canape-sized bites which are meant to be picked up with your hands. The tuna seemed canned although the filling of the corn cups (which taste like Fritos) is busy enough where it’s difficult to be sure, and even if that’s the case, it was a pretty tasty appetizer that’s worth ordering once, but perhaps not twice.

Burapa’s menu touts the Lava Catfish ($15) enough so that I was tempted into ordering it, and I’m glad I did because it absolutely blew me away. Sauteed with chili paste and topped with crispy basil. This catfish was in chunks, and was fresh, firm, and so good that I was ready to rush back home and urge everyone here to run – not walk – and get this magnificent dish which was one of the greatest catfish presentations I’ve had.

—

Instead, I came back the next week to check the consistency of the cooking (and also to enjoy that fantastic catfish again).

The Burapa Tuna didn’t merit a repeat, so instead I got the Som Tum ($8) which is the classic papaya salad. Burapa Thai has three different levels of “heat” on their menu which can be applied to pretty much any dish: “American Hot,” “Thai Hot,” and the embarrassingly stupid “John Hot” (Asian humor at its worst!)

On my first visit, I didn’t specify any heat levels, and my dishes were zesty, but not particularly hot. This time around, I ordered my food “Thai Hot,” and as I sat there and sipped my Echigo, I overheard one patron behind me call my (very nice, very sweet) bartender over. I’m not sure what the gentleman ordered, but the conversation went something like this:

‘I ordered this “Thai Hot,” and I’m really, really surprised at just how hot it is.’

The bartender offered to replace the dish, and the patron said, ‘No, I’m not complaining; just making a comment. This is really hot.’

I took note of the comment, but didn’t know whether this person was just over-sensitive to heat, or what. Then, a young couple on my left had ordered Drunken Noodles, also Thai Hot, and the gentleman said to the bartender, “I can’t eat this dish it’s so hot.” Again, she offered to replace it, and he said no, that he’d be happy to pay for it, but he couldn’t eat it. (She ended up taking it off his check, and he was genuinely appreciative).

Then my papaya salad arrived. I took one bite, and it was as if someone had shot boric acid into my mouth through a fire hose. Unlike Indian food which has yogurt to ease the pain, there is nothing to reach for when a thin, fiery Thai dish scorches you. I went for the ice cubes which only made it worse, then kept looking around … there was no relief to be found. I ate about half the papaya salad, with my mouth absolutely on fire, lips feeling as if they had cracked and were bleeding, and could eat no more. This was probably the hottest dish I’ve tasted in a few years.

I asked my bartender to change my Lava Catfish ($15) from Thai Hot to American Hot, and she said she would (it showed up on the bill as “Thai Hot,” so I can’t be sure what it was). It was much spicier than the first time I had it, but not only that, it was also much, much worse. The catfish was soggy and mushy, the spicing coarse, gutteral, and unevenly applied, and the dish as a whole was poorly assembled and cooked. This food was not just hotter; it was also just plain bad – a perfect example that you can’t mask quality with excessive spicing.

So, like Sabai Sabai Simply Thai, I had one great meal, and one awful meal, and there were clearly two different cooks in the kitchen on the nights I went. I can assure you that you might have great cooking if you come here, but I can also assure you that you might not.

If only life was simple, sigh.

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House of Fortune, McLean, VA

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Don

Every so often, you hear tell of a “secret Chinese menu” at a suburban Americanized Chinese restaurant, and indeed, you’re about to hear of another one right now.

The best way to describe the location of House of Fortune is that it’s “downstairs from Tachibana,” tucked away on a side street in downtown McLean.

Following the lead of a Chinese-American donrockwell.com poster, I ordered a Spicy Szechuan Beef Noodle Soup ($10.95) and an order of steamed rice just so I’d be sure I was good and full. When I went to pick up my carryout order, I asked the hostess – who was perhaps also the manager or owner – about a Chinese-language menu, and sure enough she produced one and was delighted that I asked.

Her name is Amy, and she urged me (and told me to urge others) to ask for her anytime, and she’ll happily guide us through the dishes. The relatively new chef, Peter Chin, was trained in Taiwan, and was the executive chef at Mr. K’s in downtown DC for 23 years (House of Fortune’s old menu had a section of Shantong dishes, so if you have that one, it’s outdated). My soup seemed Szechuan in name only, and was only mildly spicy (but very well-flavored) with moderately thick noodles. After dumping in the steamed rice (yes I did – sue me) to absorb all the broth, I was stuffed, and couldn’t quite finish the meal.

The carryout menu at House of Fortune is very Americanized, and doesn’t harken me back, but next time I pick up the phone to call, or the next time I go in, I’m making a beeline straight for Amy and the Chinese-language menu.

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P.J. Clarke’s, Downtown

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Don

‘If this guy calls me “Buddy” one more time, I’m going to castrate him,’ I thought to myself, after my bartender said it for the third time.

I’ve been to the P.J. Clarke’s in New York (the one on Hudson), and knew it wasn’t any good there, so I had no reason to believe it would be better here. It was set up squarely to go toe-to-toe against Old Ebbitt Grill, and that’s about the level of quality I was anticipating – I was right.

Condescension aside, my bartender was actually the type of person you’d want working in a crowded, noisy, three-deep, beer-swilling happy hour. Even though I was there during an off-peak time, I could tell he triaged with aplomb, and knew the miserable, overpriced beer list well enough. He asked me if I liked hoppy beers, and I said no, malty, and he did as well as he could do – a bottle of Sam Adams ($7).

It was tempting to get a hamburger since that seems to be P.J. Clarke’s “specialty,” but I went for something a bit more culinary: Shepherd’s Pie ($16-ish (prices are not on their online menu)) which arrived in less than five minutes. There are Irish overtones to this American red-checkered tablecloth tavern, and the menu does indeed mention “local potatoes,” so I figured the ones on the Shepherd’s Pie might be good, and they were. Unfortunately, everything lurking underneath was pretty much at the same level as what you’d get at Skankville Irish Pub – tough, stringy meat that’s downright shameful, a few vegetables tossed in – seemingly frozen, but who knows for sure – and lots of brown gravy. Fortunately, there were plenty of mashed potatoes on top to mask the pain, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t finish every bite because I hadn’t eaten all day long and was starving. I’ve surely had worse Shepherd’s Pie than this.

I asked the busser for my check, and he looked over at my bartender and gave the “finger neck slash” sign that I was finished, so I paid and quietly got up to leave.

As I was walking out of the nearly empty bar, I thought to myself, ‘Please don’t do it. Please don’t.’ But he did.

I was about eight feet away from the bar, walking towards the exit, and I heard a boisterous, “Good night, Buddy!”

Without breaking stride, I turned back at the neck, made no eye contact, and said in a louder than normal voice, “GOOD NIGHT BUDDY!” And then I walked out the door.

One and done.

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KBQ, Bowie, MD

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Don

It had been way too long since I’d been to KBQ, a nondescript little barbecue outlet in a strip mall off of Route 450 in Bowie.

Having been here now about six times, my experiences with the ribs have ranged from very good to mind-blowing, usually falling somewhere in between. They are smoked off-premises (I’m pretty sure), and brought in for reheating and sale.

My young dining companion and I got there at 12:05 on a Sunday, and had ticket #2. We wanted ribs and nothing else, ordering a Half Slab ($9.99) with sauce on the side (the dry rub on these contains more than enough flavor; the sauce provides some additional sweetness and moisture). A fountain soda was $1.49.

I’m so glad I resisted the temptation of a full rack because this was exactly the right amount for a light lunch for two people. Meat, meat, and more meat – probably about 8-10 medium-sized ribs. And on this day they were very good, bordering on being great – the best ribs I’ve had in months and months. The smoke ring was there, but it would have been nice to have a bit more crispy outer and moist inner.

It wasn’t the best day for KBQ, but even when KBQ is off, it’s still on, at least for the ribs.

“Worth the trip?” I asked Matt.

“Definitely.”

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Brasserie Beck, Downtown

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Don

I stopped into Brasserie Beck early on Saturday evening, and the bar area was packed although I was lucky to snare a seat after about five minutes.

The beer list at Beck is daunting to say the least, but I happily started off with a draft of Pater 6 ($8.50). As I sat there, nursing my beer and unwinding during the NCAAs, Thor Cheston saw me and came over to chat. I commented on how much I enjoyed the Pater 6, and he sort-of kind-of not-really nodded his head, and said something to the tune of ‘we can do a bit better.’

“Pick something,” I said, gleefully.

As great a beer sommelier as Churchkey’s Greg Engert is, Thor seems to have a direct line to my personal palate – he has never chosen me a beer that I haven’t loved. And this time? He outdid himself.

About five minutes later, he reappeared with a large, 25.4 ounce bottle, and said he’d pour this by the glass because it’s expensive. So he poured me a glass, and I put it to my nose.

Holy Moses.

What I had just taken a whiff of was not beer; it was wine. Not just wine, but Pinot Noir. Not just Pinot Noir, but Red Burgundy. Not just Red Burgundy, but Vosne-Romanée. And, dare I say it? Not just Vosne-Romanée, but DRC.

The English wine writer Michael Broadbent describes DRC (Domaine de la Romanée-Conti) as having a “boiled beetroot” characteristic in the nose. I’ve been fortunate enough to have tried more than my share of these outrageously expensive wines, so I know them well, and my jaw dropped when I took one snootful of this beer.

“How much is the bottle?” I asked.

He looked sheepish, and said, “It’s $38.”

What?

This was a Swiss beer, a 2008 BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes) Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien, and since I know you’re already rolling your eyes from the DRC comparison, go ahead and keep them up there because I thought this was the greatest beer I’d ever tasted.

(Then again I suppose you can’t keep them up there or you’d have trouble reading this.)

Obviously the palate itself was not vinous, but the nose? Wow! Unbelievable, and like nothing I thought existed. It was brewed in 2007, aged in oak casks, bottled in 2009, and weighed in at 11% ABV. If you think of it as a bottle of wine, it’s really not that expensive at all, and I quickly started thinking in those terms.

“I’ll take the bottle,” I said.

I also had a Living Social coupon which emboldened me, so when chef John Bull Engle came out to say hello, I asked him if there were any must-haves on the menu.

“We just started serving soft shells,” he said.

“Done.”

In about fifteen minutes, an off-menu special arrived with three (3!) huge pan-fried soft shell crabs served with crispy pork belly, wilted local dandelion greens, and citrus brown butter. I took one look at it, and said, “Toto, this ain’t gonna be cheap.” It was $36! But boy were these crabs good – perfectly fried and paired with their accompaniments – the last time I’d seen John, he was chef de cuisine at Marcel’s, and it shows, too.

I was going to get an appetizer-entree combination, but after this? Cheese course. A Three Piece Tasting Portion ($15) is expensive, but it was a large plate, with bread and various chutneys, and a goodly cut of all three cheeses.

And all the while, the Abbaye de Bon Chien kept getting better and better. What a nose!

—

How much did I like this beer? Enough to come back a week later and try it again to see whether or not I was insane.

Again, Beck was packed, and this time I had to wait about twenty minutes for a bar stool. I ordered another bottle, and this time it was served in a BFM glass which I actually thought was to the beer’s detriment, believe it or not. And because my expectations were so inordinately high, I’d say the beer only thrilled me 90% as much as it did before.

Okay, so it’s still the best beer a wine drinker could ever hope for. It’s unbelievable, and you have got to try it!

I also got a half order of Mussels with Pipe Dreams Farm Goat Cheese, Preserved Lemon, and Fennel ($13), a wonderfully acidic dish that calls for the goat cheese to be mixed in with the broth. It’s important to note that half orders of mussels here do not come with frites – a full order would have been $20, and that’s the way to go, especially if two people are dining. Still, with four hearty pieces of bread soaking up the broth, a half order was more than enough for me.

I also ordered a Slow Roasted Beet Salad ($13) to go, made with whipped Pipe Dreams Farm goat cheese, caramelized walnuts, and mixed greens, and had it for lunch the next day. I tend to eat smaller lunches and larger dinners, and this was a very large portion for me – it was also a great salad.

So am I crazy? Try the beer and see for yourself.

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Baked & Wired, Georgetown

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Don

Anyone who doesn’t think a rising tide lifts all ships hasn’t been to Baked & Wired lately. A couple weeks ago, I counted 173 in line at Georgetown Cupcake (honest, 173 – the line stretched almost to Prospect Street), and I looked upon them all with pity.

I like Georgetown Cupcake (and was an early supporter when they were being jostled on donrockwell.com), but these folks were waiting ninety minutes to get what is only the second-best cupcake in Georgetown: Baked & Wired is better, and it’s not even that close a call. I’ve always said so, and continue to think so.

And I’m happy that Baked & Wired is getting some runoff from Georgetown Cupcake. Friday evening, there were about ten people in line (trust me, this is an improvement from the way things were), and a gentleman was parked out front, delivering plastic tubs of cupcakes from his car.

The selection has easily tripled in size over the years, but I can’t imagine we didn’t luck into the best cupcakes in the entire store: a Pretty Bitchin’ ($3.50) was, well, pretty bitchin’ with its crunchy peanut butter frosting sitting atop chocolate cake. It’s hard to believe the Cherry Blossom ($3.50) could be better, but it was mainly because the maraschino cherries inside the vanilla cake kept it ultra-moist, and the cherry buttercream on top was just perfect for this – not too sweet, and with a great texture in contrast to the cherries.

These cupcakes might sound expensive, but they’re decidedly larger than what you get at Georgetown Cupcake. And they’re also better. Read that ten times before you stand in line next time?

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Il Canale, Georgetown

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Don

It is really challenging to grab hold of the notion that Il Canale is owned by the proprietor of Joe’s Place Pizza and Pasta. The only plausible scenario I can think of is that Giuseppe “Joe” Farruggio made his fortune, and now wants to pay something back to the dining community.

My young dining companion started with a Diet Pepsi (no Diet Coke here, cheerfully refilled without being asked) while I had a hefty quartino of 2008 Molino di Sant’Antimo Sangiovese ($13) which is made in Montalcino (and tastes like it).

The pizzas at Il Canale tend to be very spartan when it comes to doling out meat (more so than other upscale area pizzerias), so we started with an order of Polpette al Sugo ($7), four sensational meatballs that humiliated the ones I had the night before at Argia’s. Get this.

We then split two pizzas: an Il Canale ($17) with tomato sauce, imported buffalo mozzarella, ricotta, Prosciutto di Parma, eggplant, and cherry tomatoes; and a Capricciosa ($15) with tomato sauce, imported buffalo mozzarella, artichoke hearts, fresh mushrooms, and ham.

Despite there being surprisingly little char on these pizzas, they were very good, and one step away from being outstanding (just as they were on my previous visit). The toppings are balanced, the crust is flavorful and texturally sound, and both pizzas played off one another very nicely.

From everything I’ve experienced so far, Il Canale is a solid second-tier upscale pizzeria that is comfortably in the Top 10 in the DC area, and it’s right in the heart of Georgetown with friendly service, decent wines, and a pleasant atmosphere.

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Argia’s, Falls Church, VA

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Don

It’s always tons of fun to write a less than flattering review about a restaurant you like, run by people you like.

This is a prime example of why it’s important to remember that these aren’t reviews of “restaurants” so much as they are reviews of “meals.” Yes, I caught Argia’s on a very off night when the chef had left for a rare vacation – and I know it was an off night because I’ve had these same dishes before and they’ve been very good.

But I’m in detached-reporting mode of late, and I try to write honestly and openly about my meals, regardless of any friendships. This is why my reviews are rarely mentioned on restaurants’ websites, but at least you can trust them to be honest. (I should add that my son did a one-day mini-stage here last summer, and chef Amy Suyehiro had him making a pretty darned good pizza by the time it was over, too.)

As I waited for my frenetic friend at the bar, it was still happy hour, and that meant half-priced beers by the bottle (until 7 PM) and a Lagunitas Pils ($2.50). After happy hour ended, I noticed a beer I’d never seen before, so couldn’t resist cross tasting a P.I.L.S. ($5), an Italian Pilsner that I detested because it’s aged in Slavonian Oak Barrels which imparts a nasty override on the palate. (These beer prices are approximate.)

Argia’s wine list seems to have gotten better over the years, and I suspect it’s because co-owner Adam Roth’s brother James is the proprietor of the fine little gourmet wine shop, Red, White, & Bleu, just a block across Route 7 (you should find this store if you haven’t already).

We started with a bottle of 2008 Coltibuono Cetamura Chianti ($31) which was good value for the dollar. There’s a less-expensive Chianti on the list (Terra di Poppiano), but I’ve never been a big fan of that house, so three dollars more it was, and it was money well-spent.

Onward. Portions at Argia’s are available as solo or famiglia, and I’ve always felt the family-sized portions represent better value. The Caesar Classica (famiglia, $13.95) is dressed fairly heavily here, but it never comes across as anything short of refreshing because the chopped romaine is always fresh with a crispy snap.

I saw that Amy wasn’t here, so I went for the slam-dunk no-brainer Spaghetti & Meatballs (solo, $14.95) which has been excellent every time I’ve gotten it. Not so on this evening, I’m afraid, as the homemade spaghetti managed to be both overcooked (soggy) and undercooked (stuck together). It was drowning in sauce, and the meatballs were ferociously salty. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Linguine Campagnola (solo, $14.95) with homemade whole-wheat linguini, tossed with pine nuts, spinach, goat cheese, and roasted garlic purée was distressingly bland, even after everything was mixed together. However, it was saved by a few shakes of salt (or by taking a bite of a meatball).

Okay, so, an off night at the pasta station. It happens.

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X.O. Taste, Seven Corners, VA

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Don

X.O. Taste was very overrated by restaurant critics when it first opened, and now that it’s no longer owned by Full Kee (the Bailey’s Crossroads Full Kee), it’s somewhat overlooked because it’s not all that bad.

Plus it’s useful, because it’s open until 2 AM seven days a week. At midnight, I ordered a Stir Fried Baby Bok Choy ($9.95), and it was a huge portion for the price (enough for two meals), nicely stir-fried with minimal oil, and the bok choy(s?) themselves were little tiny things (always better than the large ones, from my experience).

At my request, the restaurant made this dish without MSG which is both a good and a bad thing. It needed a few drops of soy sauce to wake it up, but it was a very good dish, and came with better than average rice.

From my experience, X.O. Taste’s biggest strength is the hanging roast pork purchased by the pound.

—

Several days later, I got essentially the same order, except with Stir Fried Chinese Broccoli (also $9.95). This was the same quality cooking, same quality vegetables.

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Bravo! Bravo!, Downtown

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Don

I’d never been to Bravo! Bravo! before, but it turned out to be a perfect place for an after-work meeting that’s 1) downtown 2) quiet and 3) cheap.

There can be no doubt that this odd, downstairs space turns into a pulsating blob of steamy dance-sweat late at night on the weekends, but at 5:30 on a weekday? Empty.

And cheap. All beers are $3 which is remarkable for anyplace at the confluence of 17th Street, K Street, and Connecticut Avenue, right smack dab in the middle of downtown. Unfortunately, the best I could find was Budweiser American Ale, so I ended up switching to a Bombay Sapphire Gin and Tonic ($6, and yes, it had squirt-pistol tonic) as my comrade nursed her Stolichnaya Martini ($5).

Cheap!

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