Lost Dog Cafe, Arlington, VA

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Don

This post won’t win me any friends, but here goes anyway.

It was the night of the snowstorm, traffic hell. What normally takes 50 minutes, took 4 and 1/2 hours, the last 3 and 1/2 with poor, patient Matt as a passenger. We didn’t even bother going home to check to see if we had power; we were starving, and it was 7:30 PM.

Backyard BBQ – closed. Lebanese Taverna – closed. Thai Noy – closing (but they did offer to make us a carryout). Lost Dog Cafe – open and hopping.

“Do you care if it’s really bad?” I asked him.

“I couldn’t care less,” he said.

I hadn’t eaten here in years (although I had one of my worst meals of 2010 at their sibling restaurant, Stray Cat Cafe, in the same strip mall) – I knew very well what I was getting myself in for, and didn’t care.

My young dining companion enjoyed a Dominion Root Beer ($2.95) while I had a Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale ($6 for a pint).

We ordered immediately: a New York Yankee ($7.50), a sandwich with genoa salami, corned beef, pastrami, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, oil and vinegar. Sounds okay, right? Well, it wasn’t. Not only was it bad; it was horrible – the same level I’d expect from a vending machine, with a cold, doughy roll and meats that could have been anything.

Better, but not by much, was a 12″, 5-Topping Pizza ($15.95) with cheese, hickory-smoked ham, sausage, green peppers, mushrooms, and onions. Lost Dog Cafe used to have this lame conveyor-belt pizza oven where they’d stick the pizzas in one end, let them travel through, and then they were “done” when they’d come out the other end. I don’t know if they still have this, but I can tell you that the pizza was only fully cooked on top, and the bottom was blanched white without the faintest hint of any char. The toppings were okay because they saw some heat, but the crust was just awful, and bordering on raw dough in places.

At some point, I ordered a bottle of Duckrabbit Brown Ale ($5.25) which I’d never tried before – it was everything I detest about American “microbrews” which are over-hopped to the point where nothing else about the beer matters.

Okay, that’s done. Now let me say a couple positive things: this is a very popular neighborhood restaurant that was OPEN during that nasty snowstorm unlike a lot of other places. And yes, I am very sympathetic to their cause of helping find homes for abandoned dogs, and in fact I’ve given Lost Dog Cafe a lot of my money in the past by buying beers here rather than going to the grocery store. I’m glad they exist; I just never want to eat here again.

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District Taco, Arlington, VA

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Don

(See December 24, 2010 Review here).

Sometimes people assume I’m this little nerdy guy who sits around eating scallop consommé and sipping tea with my pinky extended (although usually people assume the opposite extreme).

On Tuesday night, I lived up to the opposite extreme: it was pig-out night at District Taco, complete with a bottle of 2004 Mugnier Nuits-Saint George 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale Burgundy.

Burrito Mojado ($8) with beans, rice, carne asada, salsa de chile, sour cream, cheese, lettuce and tomato is a massive burrito, but no more so than a full order of Nachos Borrachos ($7), a giant container full of chips, smothered – and I mean smothered – with beans, cheese, carne asada, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa de chile. Together, these things probably weighed about five pounds.

Did I finish them both? Yep. Did I eat in bed? Yep. Was I stuffed beyond normal human capacity? Like you wouldn’t believe. Sometimes you just have primal, sluggish cravings that need to be satisfied. Done.

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Palena Cafe, Cleveland Park

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Don

(See December 1, 2010 Review here).

Palena Cafe has taken some recent criticism on the internet for … existing, but also for expanding, for no longer offering the back-room menu, and for some reported service glitches as well. Last Monday evening (January 24th), there was an all-star team of chefs out in force to support Frank Ruta & Company: in separate parties were Barry Koslow, Johnny Monis, Peter Pastan, and Eric Ziebold.

While Ruta maintains a strong presence in the Cafe (he was greeting customers on the floor for a solid hour), the Chef de Cuisine is Jonathan Copeland – Ruta runs the connected kitchen which serves the main dining room (of course, he’s always only a few feet away which never hurts in a pinch).

At 8:30 PM on a Monday evening, there was a 30-minute wait for a table, but it was worth it – not a crumb of food remained on the table, and it’s not just because the portion sizes are a bit on the small side.

The Bread Basket ($3) is worth getting unless you’re ordering something that already comes with bread (hamburger, terrine, etc.). I got a taste of some of my friends’ dishes, but not really enough to comment on, so I’ll stick with the ones I ordered.

Burrata ($16) is listed on the menu as “for 2-3 people,” but it’s really only enough for two. Served with sweet potato and cured olive stew, it comes with more grilled bread than it needs. I’ve had great Burratas before, and none greater than some that I’ve had at Palena, but I thought this particular version was a bit rubbery, and perhaps a couple days past its prime. Honestly, it was a bit disappointing for $16.

Being one-quarter Italian, I grew up on chicken cacciatore, and could not resist Palena’s Cacciatore ($20) because I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen one on any menu. Served with only one perfectly braised organic chicken leg, with white wine and vegetables, and an oven-fried farmer egg, it was delicious, and needed only a milling of salt to wake it up. I can easily see someone saying this dish is too expensive (after all, it is $20 for one leg of chicken), but it was worth it for me.

Among the desserts were a Bittersweet Chocolate Tart ($9) with candied blood orange and orange caramel, and a Lemon Posset ($9) with honey madeleines and lemon-thyme sorbet. In my December 1st review, I raved about the desserts here, and my only complaint was that there was a certain “sameness” to them – well, that sameness is completely gone, but I really think the desserts I had last month were a lot better, both in terms of price and execution. These two desserts were good, but not up to Palena snuff (the madeleines are an example, although the candied blood orange was (forgive me) bloody awesome).

—

On a repeat visit last night (Saturday, January 29th), I ordered very differently, and had an even better dinner.

Last Monday, I got nibbles of two pasta dishes that I thought were spectacular; this time around I ordered one for myself, the Tagliatelle ($14) with shrimp, calamaretti, chilis, lemon-toasted bred crumbs, and bottarga. A sensational little bowl of pasta that went perfectly with a carafe of the 2009 Paitin Arneis Langhe “Elisa” from Piedmont ($14 for 8 ounces). The calamaretti was not included in this dish just five days before, so that should tell you something about how often Palena changes and tweaks its menu depending on freshness and availability.

Humanely Raised Calves Liver ($14) surprised me because the liver was cut into three cylinders, each wrapped in house-made pancetta, and served with onion marmalade, outstanding glazed turnips and apples, and just the right amount of mustard sauce (too much would have been too much, but it wasn’t).

The Café Salad ($9) looked wonderful, if hastily plated, but I only got to stare at it; on the other hand, I took one bite of a terrific little plate of Wood Grilled Artichokes ($12) with zesty greens and aioli – this dish is more complex than the menu describes, and if you don’t mind a small portion, then I would urge any vegetarian out there to order this.

I tried the same two desserts as last time, the Bittersweet Chocolate Tart ($9) and the Lemon Posset ($9), and they were exactly the same this time around – consistent, but not at all spectacular. Bring the December desserts back, please!

Since I’ve started writing these reviews in December, Palena Cafe is only the second restaurant I’ve been to three times – there’s a good reason for that, and it won’t be long before I’m back yet again.

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Ripple, Cleveland Park

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Don

On a frigid Sunday evening, I ducked into Ripple and immediately asked for a glass of Bourbon (that cold snap we recently had switched me from beer and wine to Bourbon and Rye very quickly). A Van Winkle 12 was $14 which was a bit pricy, so I went with the less expensive Buffalo Trace ($8) – it’s not as good, but it did the trick anyway.

I’m not vegetarian, but have great empathy for those who are, and I sometimes force myself to dine that way (vegan, too) – it puts me in their place, and also makes me see things about restaurants that I’d normally miss.

It’s very easy to dine vegetarian at Ripple, but it helps to like dairy (butter, cream, and cheese) and nuts – they’re all over the place.

Sunchoke Velouté ($7) was exactly, exactly what I needed on this cold winter night, and went perfectly with the Buffalo Trace. It was a piping hot, thick bowl of heavy soup, chock full of brown butter hazelnuts.

Sweet Potato Agnolotti ($14) was equally satisfying, even for a meat eater, the homemade pasta stuffed with sweet potato, and coated with a heavy celeriac cream with pistachios.

I had fully intended on getting a cheese course afterwards, but after just these two vegetarian courses I was very full, and wanted no more dairy.

My bartender, Josh Berner, whom I first met at Bistro Bis years ago, recommended the baked-to-order chocolate chip cookies & milk for dessert, and as tempted as I was, I decided to call it a night, leaving pleasantly full rather than stuffed.

Josh also mentioned that he’s becoming Head Bartender at the new Church and State in the Atlas district which is owned by the same folks who run Wisdom in Near Southeast, and had its official opening last week – congratulations to you, Josh.

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Ba Bay, Capitol Hill

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Don

I’ll come right out and say it (now) – I went to Ba Bay shortly after they opened, and didn’t like it. But I’ve always liked Khoa and Denise Nguyen, and I know two things about them: they’re very serious about this restaurant, and they also scampered to get it open. So rather than write anything at all, I simply told Khoa my honest thoughts when he asked me about the meal, and I pulled no punches.

Fast forward a couple of months. Last Saturday, I had another full meal at Ba Bay, and while of course two visits is not an adequate sample size, the difference between the meals was night and day.

Chili Glazed Wings ($12) with scallion is an ample portion of wickedly good wings, bathing in a semi-sweet sauce with soy overtones. Definitely meant to be eaten with your hands, and easily enough for two people to split as an appetizer.

Autumn Rolls ($9) were flat-out great, stuffed with egg, jicama, chinese sausage, and served with a peanut-hoisin dipping sauce, this may have been my favorite dish of the night, and yet …

Spicy Pork-Shrimp Broth ($12) with thick rice noodles, thai basil, pork loin, and shank was one of the most flavorful soups I’ve had in memory. What distinguishes this deceptively light-sounding dish is its inordinately thick broth – it was so thick that I asked Khoa what in the world they were putting into it (pig knuckles, among other things, given its almost gelatinous base). For me? It’s sensational, while at the same time lacking harmony because it was so heavy that I got too full eating it (and yes, I finished every last drop). Assuming the broth will become a bit thinner at some point (but not too thin) … get this.

Pho ($13) with rice noodles, Roseda Farm rib eye, tendon, tripe, and herbs was the one dish I only got a few spoonfuls of because I was busy slurping my own broth, but my impression is that this is about the most flavorful pho being offered in DC right now – it seemed a touch on the salty side, but that’s easily adjusted. The rib eye may be (may be) cooked sous vide, but it’s still extremely high-quality rib eye (and have you ever seen the garbage meats that usually get thrown into pho?). Be thankful for this.

Desserts were both stunning, and you absolutely have to save room for them. A Vietnamese Coffee Milkshake ($7) with churro and cinnamon chantilly was wasted on me because it was too good, and I was too full. As I type, I’m craving one right this second, and I’m tempted to start (yes, start) my meal with one next time.

Arguably, the Lemon Grass Pot de Crème ($7) was even better – not necessarily more “tasty,” but at a higher level culinarily. Served with lime sabayon, pineapple compote, and almond crumble, this was a great dessert that sat, tragically, fully one-third unfinished.

I saw Khoa on the way out, and he asked me how everything was. “What a difference,” I said. “You went six-for-six tonight.” Raised way up in the Dining Guide (available to participating donrockwell.com members) – I can’t wait to go back to Ba Bay and explore more.

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The Pure Pasty Co., Vienna, VA

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Don

By pure chance, I stumbled upon, and then wrote about, The Pure Pasty Co. on October 8th, 2010 (coincidentally, or perhaps not, this Washington Post piece came out on October 20th., with no citations whatsoever – nothing new there).

While I really liked what I had that evening, last Friday night after dinner at Maple Ave Restaurant, we decided to swing by to see if they were still open – as it turns out, it was 7:40 PM, and they close at 7. Nevertheless, as we drove by, the owner literally came out the door and flagged us down. “Even though the sign says we’re closed,” he said, enthusiastically, “we still have some things available!”

So we went in, and got three Traditional Style ($5.99) pasties to go – in a freshly covered aluminum tray and still warm (!). Michael, the owner, put two in one bag, and got out a second bag for the third one.

“Go ahead and put all three in the same bag,” I said.

“No, the crust is too delicate, and they can get a bit ‘smashed,'” I think he said.

“Well, then go ahead and add a fourth,” I replied.

On the way out, we couldn’t resist splitting one on the way home, and let me tell you, both of us agreed that this was one of the best tasting things either of us had in a long time – it was perfection. It took all our resources not to eat a second one in the car, despite just having had dinner.

“Is this, like, the greatest thing you’ve ever eaten?” I asked.

“Oh yeah,” he replied.

I cannot overemphasize just how good these were. The Traditional pasty here is stuffed with naturally raised, grass-fed beef, Russet potato, Vidalia onion, butternut squash, and traditional seasoning, and is absolutely – or at least on this night – as good as any hand-held “thing” resembling a sandwich, empanada, samosa, what-have-you that you could ever possibly imagine. These things are awesome, and despite their large size, I could eat twenty of them!

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Maple Ave Restaurant, Vienna, VA

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Don

Maple Ave Restaurant is extremely important. It fills the proverbial “sweet spot” between everyday casual and fine dining, and pretty much defines what a really good, neighborhood mom-n-pop has the potential to be.

My young dining companion enjoyed a Dominion Root Beer ($2.50) while I nursed a Ludovicus Garnacha/Tempranillo/Syrah blend ($10).

I still haven’t had the heart to tell Matt about the special of Grilled Sweetbreads ($16) which I selfishly ordered for us to split as an appetizer, served with a finger-dabbing good caramel (yes, caramel) onion sauce over stone-ground grits, and a peppy, slaw-like apple-lime salad on the side.

“You’ve had sweetbreads before,” I told him.

“Yes, once,” he remembered. “Aren’t they … umm … kind of like … heart?”

“Nah … it’s more like veal cheeks,” I lied said.

While we both enjoyed them, the custardy texture was a bit … custardy for him, and so I made sure to give him the bulk of the wonderful cheese roll that came, hot and sliced, before the meal (see, I’m not all bad).

For the main course, I switched over to the superior Anciano Tempranillo ($9) which is the best red by the glass on their current list. And it paired so well with the Dr. Pepper Short Ribs ($26), Pineland Farms braised (oven-braised!) short ribs, also atop stone-ground grits, brunoise, and braise sauce. Without nitrates, you cannot get a pink color in oven-braised short ribs, and you don’t want one, either – why would you? While the portion size was very small, the quality of this dish (both in terms of ingredients (Dr. Pepper notwithstanding; how dare they not use Mr. Pibb) and execution) was excellent.

And another daily special which was on the printed menu the last time, a Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich ($14) and fries. This pork must surely be smoked in-house, and combined with the elegant application of sweet sauce, it was a great combination of flavors – chef Tim Ma has a knack for working sweetness into his savory dishes without it being the least bit condescending or cloying.

If I had one knock against Maple Ave Restaurant (and I do), it’s that it’s a bit expensive for 1) its building, which is simply decrepit from the outside, with the most challenging parking lot I’ve come across in quite some time, and 2) the portion sizes which tend to be on the small side. But for this type of quality, smack-dab in the middle of Vienna? I’m more than happy to give them a couple extra dollars of my money anytime.

I never realized there was a second dining area until shortly before we left – how could there be any room back there for anything other than a kitchen?

Well, I got my answers:

1) There are only four burners for the whole restaurant, so I assume we’re dealing with a fairly small kitchen here.

And the really funny one:

2) “Is there a bar?” I asked.

“Yes, but I think someone is sitting there right now,” replied GM Joey Hernandez.

Curious, we walked into the impossibly hidden side entrance, and poked our heads in. Sure enough, there’s a back dining area with several tables … and a bar with two – two! – barstools.

Demand is outstripping supply at Maple Ave Restaurant, and deservedly so. Will they expand? Well, they sort of did: congratulations to Tim and Joey – two of the proudest new parents you could ever want to meet!

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Mussel Bar, Bethesda, MD

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Don

On a third visit to Mussel Bar, I batted 1-for-3 and 3-for-3.

The first time I was ever here, I raved about the Brabo Pils which is their house draft. Then, it was $7.00. The second time I went, the price had dropped to $5.50 and the beer was a shadow of its former self – it was absolutely not the same thing, not even close. I pleaded with them to bring the old beer back. And on the third visit? Same as the damned second visit. It’s still $5.50 and it’s still flavorless and lame. That wonderful, malty marvel is gone, and I divorce myself from this beer (for now).

But the night was saved by bottles of Fuller’s ESB ($7.50).

I wanted to try something different this time, and while this may sound like an odd thing to order here, I got the Pasta Carbonara ($13). It was a big bowl of thick, pasty, round noodles just like you’d get in a Chinese soup, and was really a tasty rendition of this classic dish. What it lacked was salt, and I’m glad it did because when I asked for some, I got a presentation of three different salts – I went straight for the Himalayan which added color as well as texture. And while I was at it, I took a spoonful of butter from my bread basket and threw it in there, too, mixing it all together. No, not a particularly healthy dish, but boy was it satisfying.

So I’ve been to Mussel Bar three times and have yet to have a bad meal (batting 3-for-3 here). Nothing life-changing, but certainly palatable fare at reasonable prices, and a fine beer program to boot. There tends to be a pretty large overlap between my palate and Tom Sietsema’s, but he really slammed this place – what am I missing?

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Joe’s Amazing Burgers, McLean, VA

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Don

Yes, I really did scarf a burger and fries from McDo (as they call it in France (pronounced “mack doe”)) the night before. Consequently (and perhaps not intuitively), that made me yearn for an actual burger even more.

Does anyone remember the McLean Deluxe? Well, that’s where I ended up: McLean.

But at least I went and got a real hamburger. It was Civics Outline Night, and Matt and I ended up (with textbook and laptop) at Joe’s Amazing Burgers, which used to be called simply “Joe’s Burgers” before an ownership change last year.

I had a Sam Adams Winter Lager (price unknown), and Matt had a Diet Coke ($2.95). (Incidentally, just in case someone’s about to call Child Services, he generally doesn’t drink soft drinks, but I feel bad sipping a beer while he’s nursing a glass of ice water.)

You pay a premium to dine at Joe’s, an expensive burger house that gets its lamb, bison, and Berkshire pork next door from Organic Butcher. The patties are only six ounces (which, by luxury burger standards, is a bit skimpy), and they aren’t cheap. I asked our extremely nice server, “Lamb or bison?” She didn’t hesitate: lamb. So I ordered the All Natural Lamburger ($15) with feta, tzatziki sauce, green olive relish, melted onions, and baby spinach. It sounds busy, but it was really good (though I couldn’t help wishing I’d ordered a double-meat version for $5 more). All burgers at Joe’s are cooked to order, served on a butter-toasted brioche bun, and come with fries which give the impression of being high-quality frozen versions (I’d generally rather have good frozen fries than poorly cooked fresh ones).

Matt couldn’t resist a chalkboard special, The Arizona ($15), a Southwestern-styled burger with bison, bacon, cheddar, and sauteed peppers and onions.

Alas, when the burgers arrived, our kindly server realized that Matt’s order was wrong, apologized, and left my burger on the table. So we put off eating for about ten minutes while the correct order was being prepared, and continued working on our homework.

I’m not sure just what it was, but maybe something about a father and son doing homework together tugged on our server’s heartstrings, and when she dropped The Arizona off, she said it was on the house.

“You absolutely don’t need to do that,” I said.

She did anyway, and she also didn’t charge me for a second beer, and only rang up $3 for the first which appeared on the check as a “Promo Draft.”

This went way, way beyond any possible expectations of customer service, so when I paid the bill (which was a total of only $20.95 before tax), I left her a huge tip, thanked her profusely for being so nice, and left thinking, Gee, I’m going back to Joe’s after this act of kindness and giving them my future business. If this is the kind of people they hire (or perhaps she was an owner), then I want to support them.

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Vidalia, Downtown

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Don

(See January 15, 2011 Review here.)

On the second night of Restaurant Week, I’d actually forgotten it was Restaurant Week (honest!), and was foolish enough to drive straight into the lion’s den, determined to repeat my phenomenal hamburger experience from the previous Friday at Vidalia.

I walked in, and as soon as I saw the crowds, I said to myself, “oops,” but snatched an empty seat at the bar anyway (there were several, and this was prime dinner hour).

The first thing I did was order a Rittenhouse 100 Rye ($11.25), one ice cube on the side. The second thing I did was tell my bartender Allen that I wanted a repeat on last Friday’s hamburger.

Allen told me that, unfortunately, Vidalia was only offering the Restaurant Week menu, and that nothing else – not even the bar menu – was available. Just as he told he me this, he snapped my photo –  here it is.

Was I going to turn down three courses at Vidalia, one of the most sought-after Restaurant Week venues in town, for only $35.11? The menu looked wonderful, and I’m sure it was, but I just wasn’t in the mood to sit and have three courses – I wanted that burger – so I just sat and nursed my rye with tears of sadness streaming into my glass.

And then I left and went to McDonald’s and scarfed a burger and fries on the way home.

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