Chase the Submarine, Vienna

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Don

Fri-Sat text message exchange between Dad and Matt:

“Go to ‘Chase The Submarine’ in Vienna for sandwiches when you’re here. It’s owned by Tim Ma (Maple Ave Restaurant) and is a terrific sub shop on Church Street near Pure Pasty Company”

“That sounds so good”

“If you go, get the steak and cheese and french fries. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but it’s unbelievable.”

“That sounds so good to be honest.”

—

I stopped by Chase The Submarine for a late lunch on Friday, and knew as soon as I walked in the door that this was much more than your ordinary sub shop. Anyone who has set foot inside will know what I mean – the DC area may have a new benchmark for subs, and if not a new benchmark, then a peer to Earl’s Sandwiches, G Sandwich, Bub & Pop’s, SunDeVich, etc.

A little overwhelmed by the chalkboard on my left, the cashier in front of me, and the display case on the right, I found myself turning my head in all directions. Veal sweetbreads? Is this a sub? (I was assured it was.)

So I calmed down, and ordered two of the most basic things I could see on the menu: a Steak and Cheese Sub ($10.75) and Beer-Battered French Fries ($3), and as hungry as I was, resisted the temptation to eat them there and took them home. The Steak and Cheese was one of the finest I’ve ever eaten – it’s thinly sliced rib-eye, peppers and onions, cremini mushrooms, provolone cheese, aïoli, and lettuce on a soft white sub roll, and what makes it so special is the cremini mushrooms, which taste like truffles (I have confused creminis for truffle oil several times in the past) – it’s a perfect mushroom for this sandwich, and I can’t remember seeing them on any other steak and cheese subs in the DC area – I’d remember the taste. In fact, I almost wrote Tim Ma to ask if he uses some sort of ultra-high-quality truffle oil on his steak-and-cheese, but I’m going to go with my gut and say no: This taste was the cremini mushrooms. Well, it was a great sandwich, and the fries are great too, but they don’t travel as well – they were at room temperature when I got home, so I had to extrapolate what they were like when they were hot. There’s something special about these fries, and it’s more than just “beer batter” – I don’t know what it is, but I liked what was in front of me.

Needless to say, after that exchange of text messages, Matt and I ended up there for lunch on Saturday, and we pretty much cleaned the place out.

Matt *loves* chicken wings, and we split an order of the Crème Fraîche Wings (8 for $6), and they were everything we both hoped they’d be. Tim Ma does great wings, and these seemed like high-quality wings and drumettes, with a sauce that was probably a mix of Sriracha and crème fraîche (it had “that” characteristic orange color). If you like Buffalo wings, get these – all that’s missing is the celery, and it wasn’t even missed.

Per my suggestion, Matt duplicated my order from the day before, and loved his sandwich (I would have had my hand bitten off if I had reached over to cut a piece for myself). The fries Saturday had rosemary, and honestly, I don’t remember rosemary from the day before. Tim was at the restaurant on Saturday, and things might have been a little different – I noticed visually that the steak and cheese seemed like it had the peppers and onions cut slightly larger than they were the day before, which I’m not sure is intentional, or if the restaurant was just busier; although I didn’t try it Saturday, I most likely prefer a smaller cut; regardless, Matt loved his sandwich.

We split the fries, and I got the Fried Veal Sweetbreads Sub ($10.75), a very generous portion of sweetbreads, bathed in a sauce not unlike the chicken wings (similar, but not the same), and what I noticed is that since the contents of the sandwich didn’t have a chance to “sink in” to the roll, I noticed the roll more. That’s neither good nor bad; just an observation, but I didn’t notice the roll at all the day before, and I think that might be my personal preference. Still, if you like sweetbreads, this is pretty much mandatory – the sauce is billed as Korean chili paste, and there are finely, vertically sliced dill pickles (which I would have called marinated cucumber), and green cabbage on a soft white roll.

I got my usual can of Diet Coke ($1.50), but I want to mention that Chase the Submarine has put a great deal of thought into their beverage program. In addition to a nice, small selection of beer and wine, they have an outstanding array of non-alcoholic beverages. In fact, this prompts me to create a new tag for restaurants that go above-and-beyond the norm with their non-alcoholic beverage program (over time, when you click on that tag, you’ll be presented with a list of places that do it right – there are quite a few, and I wish I had started this before now, but better late than never).

Matt was coming over later that evening, so we got a couple more subs for dinner – the only two cold subs on the menu.

The Virginia Italian ($9.75) is based on a classic Italian cold-cut sub, with Virginia ham, mortadella, olli prosciutto and coppa, provolone, Italian dressing, red onion, sweet peppers, and lettuce on what they call a rustico sub roll (I’m assuming they mean rustic, and not from the restaurant Rustico). This was a toned-down version of what you get at The Italian Store. I can easily see someone saying the flavors are “muted,” but I prefer to think of them as “refined.” When you go to The Italian Store, you’re going to get vinegar, salt, sweetness (if you get the peppers), etc.; in this sub, those flavors are all there, but they’re dialed way down, and honestly, I have a strong preference for this version; the wrong person from New Jersey would probably bury me underneath a parking lot for saying that, but I also feel bloated and thirsty after gorging at The Italian Store (and God help me if I have a Muffaletta there).

The Mushroom Mellow ($9) is Chase the Submarine’s only cold, vegetarian offering, with portabello, cremini mushroom duxelle, mushroom aïoli, truffle oil (*there* it is!), alfalfa sprouts, roma tomatoes, and sweet piquillo peppers. As mild as the Virginia Italian was, this was milder still, and that might be my only real criticism with Chase The Submarine – if they err on the flavor register, they err on the mild side. Now, this is not a flaw; it’s just a choice, and I’m not sure it’s an incorrect one (how’s that for a passively written clause?)

If Chase The Submarine does nothing else but exist-and-maintain, it will always be crowded. I have initialized coverage in Italic, and now have it ranked ahead of every restaurant in Vienna and Oakton except for Clarity Bistro (things quickly break down when you start making comparisons between, say, Chase the Submarine and Ristorante Bonarotti). Regardless of where it’s “ranked” or “placed,” just know that Vienna has a winning sandwich shop, the best one that I can think of outside the beltway. Chase the Submarine is off to a terrific start.

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Dumpling Queen, Chantilly

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Don

I’m not much of a writer – and Tyler Cowen has already briefly covered this place – but I would urge everyone to visit Dumpling Queen and order the xinjiang ribs from the chef’s specialty portion of the menu here. These pork ribs have presumably been cooked twice or even thrice! They have a crunchy, fair-food, fried exterior and are completely SAUCELESS! What makes them so delectable? The addictive spice blind that adorns the aforementioned ribs. I am not exactly sure what is in it, but I could detect sesame seeds, fried shallots, fried garlic, and peanuts. I ate an entire order by myself!

I knew when I read about these ribs I had to try them, and I’ve found the perfect complement for them, too: Under the “Snack and Appetizer” section of the menu, the Chinese Scallion Pancake ($4.95) is a great foil, although I’m not going to sit here and tell you this is health food. The pancake comes out cut like a pizza – it’s flat, dense, full of scallions, layered, and cooked just right – since this will probably be the first thing brought out, it will be difficult to limit yourself to one wedge. I did it, but I was also forcing myself to concentrate on my complimentary pot of green tea.

And with the ribs, it’s like having a Chinese barbecued pork sandwich. The Xinjiang Style Pork Ribs ($14.95) are instantly vaulted into one of DC’s classic Chinese dishes, right alongside Peter Chang’s Bamboo Fish or Fried Eggplant – the ribs are at that level. They’re covered, but not with a sauce; more of a chopped hash that you can actually pick up and take a bite of (I also got a touch of peanut in this, so mind your allergies). These ribs were just about perfect, very lightly battered (really, dusted) and I assume flash-fried – this was one of the best dishes I’ve had in quite awhile, and my next dish complemented them well also.

Peking Cha Jiang Noodle ($8.95) is a medium-large bowl of thick, homemade noodles, flanked on one side by long-cut cucumber, and on the other by scallion, and then topped in the middle with some sort of black-bean paste that makes this dish recall the classic Korean dish, Jjajangmyun, except that it’s served at room temperature – it may contain a tiny amount of shredded pork, but I couldn’t even tell for sure. It was wonderful, it was inexpensive, and if you like Jjajangmyun, you’ll like this.

Wanting to try some more of the menu, but not even able to finish what I’d ordered, I took the rest home, and ordered a couple other dishes I figured would keep for later. Like the ribs, these were also from the “Chef Specials” section of the menu. The dishes, individually, were so extreme that they didn’t work well alone, but when had in tandem, they cancelled each other out, and made for some good eating.

Thai Mango Chicken ($12.95) was the most “American” dish of all, although it still wasn’t Americanized; it was just sweet – very sweet. Long strips of chicken, red and green pepper, and a sauce that was full of – I assume – mango, but there was a distinct pineapple component as well. By itself, this was almost as sweet (not confectionary, but sweet) as a dessert; however, when it was had alongside the North China Fish with Sour Cabbage Soup ($16.95), everything changed, because the overwhelming component in this soup was vinegar.

If $16.95 sounds like a lot of money for soup, consider that it came in, not one, but two quart containers – yes, I had a half-gallon of this soup, and I hate wasting food. I was eating it for a day-and-a-half. By itself, it was bordering on being overwhelming – you can picture it very easily: a thin, hot broth based on vinegar and water, strips of generic white “scrod” (for all you Bostonians), and large pieces of cut cabbage – yes, this dish was damned near Irish.

The weird thing is this: Instead of neutralizing each other, when you alternated bites of the Thai Mango Chicken and the Sour Cabbage Soup, things changed, but not in the way you’d expect:

* The Thai Mango Chicken still tasted just as sweet, but the sweetness no longer bothered you.

* The Sour Cabbage Soup, however, gave off the perception of being much less vinegary and much more neutral – you could taste fish in the broth instead of just vinegar.

I’m not sure how far out this menu goes, but it’s a multi-dimensional figure, and I went out to several of the borders in Extreme-Land. It’s a been a good, long time since I’ve had food that was this different within the same restaurant. The important thing is that Dumpling Queen has some terrific things on its menu. As “interesting” as my carryout items were, the first three things I ordered were good enough for DC residents to be renting ZIp Cars to head out to Chantilly. Along with Taste @ Hong Kong, there are two very good, even excellent, Chinese restaurants in the same general shopping area (there’s a Lotte nearby as well). This region has been chasing down Annandale and Ellicott City in terms of Korean restaurants for awhile; now, Rockville and Gaithersburg need to be looking over their shoulders for Chinese competition. These restaurants are both in Italic, and along with Khan Kabob House, are ranked in the top 3 in Chantilly (it’s senseless to try to compare these two with Khan – just pick the cuisine you’re in the mood for, and go with it). For years, places like Thai Basil led the pack (I still think Nongkran Daks has made me the best Pad Thai I’ve ever eaten), but the stakes of the game are in the process of being raised.

10 1/2 years ago, I wrote Desperately Seeking Strip Malls. The more things change, the more they stay the same – think about where you’d find these ribs in DC proper. You’d go to some gussied-up restaurant and pay $50 for what would amount to a photocopy of the real thing.

If someone can write the Chinese characters for me, I’ll put them in the title. Note: These three pages are not the whole menu; just the items I ordered – iPhone camera technology has made it *so much easier* being a restaurant critic instead of having to purloin menus or frantically try to scratch down some notes (Sietsema and Kliman are nodding their heads right now).

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Takumi, Falls Church

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Don

Having gone to Kaz Sushi Bistro countless times over the years, I was interested in seeing what Sushi Chef Jay Yu, who spend 13 years working alongside Kaz at the sushi bar, would be up to in his brand new restaurant in Falls Church, which opened just last Thursday, Dec 10th. It’s located right in-between Smashburger and the under-appreciated Meat in a Box.

An important note to diners: Takumi will not have a beer and wine license “for about a month,” so do not go there expecting to have a Sapporo with your sushi just yet. Another thing: they are currently using a temporary menu which they stress will be changing in about a week. “It’s full of typos, and it’s embarrassing,” a server told me. So please keep those two things in mind if you go anytime soon.

I took a seat at the sushi bar Tuesday evening, and ended up feeling like I was at a Kaz Sushi Bistro family reunion: My server works at Kaz, the girl who told me about the menu worked for Kaz, Chef Yu worked next to Kaz (on the diner’s right), and – this is possibly the most important thing I’m going to tell you – the Kitchen Chef at Takumi was the *other* sushi chef who worked next to Kaz on the diner’s left (I’ve never known his name, but he’s an older gentleman called Taka-san – he has chosen to switch over to being a full-time kitchen chef due to the rigors of endless standing). I was told that for now, Kaz is sending out one different employee a day to help them get started, and Kaz himself stopped in to wish them well on opening day. Isn’t it heartwarming to see such a display of generosity and gratitude?

And for those worried about the future of Kaz Sushi Bistro, have no fear: he will soon be signing another long-term lease, and is training some younger sushi chefs, as well as working on bringing over some people from Japan – although we’ve only written each other, I could “feel” an obvious energy and enthusiasm in his notes to me that I haven’t felt from him in quite awhile. His biggest concern seems to be the impending arrival of Nobu, which will be located somewhere around 25th and M in quite a large space. Have no worries, Kaz-san – you’re a DC institution.

I started my meal with a pot of Caffeine-Free, Yellow and Blue, Herbal Tea ($4.50), a chamomile and lavender tisane by Harney and Sons, a very reputable producer of upscale teas, and this carried me through the meal. Browsing through the menu, I noticed some definitely influences and a few very similar dishes than what I’ve seen at Kaz Sushi Bistro in the past – I was determined to try some of these to compare them, and to see what Chef Yu could do untethered from the mother ship.

Sitting next to a woman I correctly guessed was a Yelper, she had ordered the Flounder Carpaccio with Wakame and Yuzu Sauce ($12), and when asked how she felt about it, she came right out and said it wasn’t to her liking. This was one of the things I was thinking of ordering, so I told them (nobody else was within earshot) that I’d be glad to take it, and for them to just put it on my bill. This was five fairly thin slices of flounder sashimi, topped with a thick, almost nutty, paste of wakame and yuzu. I thought there were a couple things about this dish that could have been improved upon, and when Chef Yu asked me, I answered him politely, but candidly – this was probably the one dish I had that needs a mild tweaking, but it doesn’t need much: The issues I pointed out could be fixed in five minutes.

My first dish was a Consommé of Asari ($6), asari being baby clam, sitting on the bottom of the bowl of clear broth, in-shell. This was a delicious consommé, and one that I would happily get again. It was just the right thing to start off a meal with.

In something of a contrast to the consommé, I also ordered the Agedashi Tofu with Mushroom ($5), the definition of comfort food: soft, silky cubes of tofu, barely dusted, and wok-fried with plenty of enoki-like mushrooms, and a hot, thickened brown sauce on top. I loved this dish, and highly recommend it to anyone trying Takumi – the only thing I can think of that might improve the dish is if the amount of sauce was dialed down just ten percent; other than that, it was a gift at five dollars. This is one dish that I would strongly urge people to order.

Having had the bird’s nest at Kaz several times, I had to get the Bird’s Nest ($14) here, and it did not disappoint while at the same time being noticeably different than the one at Kaz. Made with sea urchin, calamari, a very light application of truffle soy sauce, and topped with a quail egg, this dish is made to be mixed together before attacking it, and no soy sauce is needed, although this particular rendition was intentionally light on the soy, so I can easily see diners sneaking a few additional drops into the mix. Although there was nothing fattening in here, it came across as almost decadently rich, and despite its moderate size, was quite filling – sea urchin and egg yolk as thickeners in sauces have a tendency to do that.

I was pretty full at this point, but I hadn’t had a bite of sushi rice, and wanted to end my meal with a maki, so I ordered the Negitoro Roll ($8), made with fatty tuna and scallion, and I’m delighted to report that the sushi rice here is outstanding. I’ve always thought that Kaz consistently had the best sushi rice in the city, and this rice is a worth contender. Sushi rice is such an important component of great sushi, yet it often goes unnoticed or unappreciated; not with me – this was first-rate sushi rice, and those many, many years of experience certainly showed up here. Highly recommended.

Stuffed, I asked for the check, but Chef Yu offered me a dessert (I think he was pleased that I didn’t waste the carpaccio, and that I seemed to have some degree of appreciation for what he has done). I had mentioned before that I liked yuzu, so he sent out a tulip glass of Yuzu Sorbet ($4) which I didn’t think I wanted, but right after the first bite of that ice-cold, citrus-flavored sorbet, I knew it was the perfect digestif for this ample-but-healthy meal. When the check arrived, neither the sorbet nor the carpaccio were on it – I protested, saying I wanted to pay for the carpaccio, but they insisted that it was on the house, so I tried to make up for it with a generous tip.

Although you can tell that this is a brand-new restaurant, only a few days old, Takumi also shows great promise, and is already one of the best sushi houses in Virginia (if not the best). It will improve a lot as the next few weeks pass, but I also fear that in the long run, Chef Yu may grow frustrated at serving nothing but California Rolls (I mentioned this to him, and he just laughed it off). Takumi is absolutely influenced by Kaz Sushi Bistro, and I believe that, with time, this restaurant will make the master proud.

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Plum Market Wine Bar and Café, Featuring Products from Zingerman’s – Detroit (Detroit Metro Airport – DTW)

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Don

With a brief layover in Detroit Metro Airport, I wanted to grab something quick and healthy, as I hadn’t eaten all day. As it turns out, the enormous McNamara Terminal (map of restaurants provided with link) is so long that there’s a train on the top floor that traverses it (and you’ll want to take it, too) – it’s probably something close to a half-mile in length, and I had to cover the entire thing.

I’ve only been to Ann Arbor one time, about 5-6 years ago, and made it a point to have dinner at the James Beard Award-winning Zingerman’s Roadhouse, and remember the overall impression that it was a restaurant that tried to be all things to all people, but came up short in a lot of areas (they have a bakery, homemade this, homemade that, etc.) – and it’s in a very cool “roadhouse” that’s placed in the front of a shopping mall parking lot, not unlike where a drive-in restaurant might be. I went back the next morning for my breakfast coffee (this may be the only James Beard Award-winning restaurant with a morning drive-thru window, and the coffee was very good, too).

Anyway, I smiled when I saw the Plum Market Wine Bar featuring Zingerman’s Products, and got a Caprese Sandwich ($9.99), a bit overpriced for its meager length, and saved it for the plane ride. Well, this was one of the best airport sandwiches I’ve ever had, as it came on Zingerman’s homemade ciabatta-like roll, and was well within the expiration date. It had long strips of basil, a gentle application of balsamic, and most important of all, some really good blots of homemade mozzarella – it was as good as you can expect an airport sandwich to reasonably be, and was worth the price. Plum Market is listed on the map in the middle of the terminal, but I was on the far-right side at gate A77 (shown on McNamara Terminal link), and remember a kiosk, perhaps a smaller version of it, only a few gates away, so I don’t believe the one in the map is where I was; I’m just glad I found it.

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Afghan Kabob House, Courthouse

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Don

Although I don’t remember ever being inside of Afghan Kabob House, this has become my go-to GrubHub delivery restaurant, supplanting London Curry House for the time being (which has gotten a considerable amount of my business in the past). There’s *no question* that London Curry House is the superior restaurant, but it’s much more expensive for delivery (almost double, with a $35 minimum), and unfortunately, a boneless chicken kabob I ordered contained about 50% chunks of chicken that were aggressively inedible – something was very wrong with their texture – and I’m having trouble shaking the memory (when I was a child, and stayed home from school sick, I ate a tray of 24 Patio frozen mini-tacos – anyway, I got sick on them, and couldn’t eat another taco for over ten years. A similar thing happened later in life with Whiskey. Enough! Let’s move on …

I’ve gotten delivery from Afghan Kabob House several times now, and it’s good food (not great food), gently priced, and has been very consistent with quality. Instead of recounting individual meals, I’m going to use my cumulative knowledge to help you order delivery – sort of a “highlight reel” as it were.

Afghan Kabob House has a $12 minimum order on GrubHub, combined with free delivery – I generally leave a 20% tip on my credit card which is convenient, since the driver can just hand you the bag of food, and be on his way. I have yet to wait an hour for my delivery, and the wait is generally in the 40-minute range.

The one thing I’ve learned to always get here is the Triple Play Combination ($16.95), your choice of any 3 kabobs, a vegetable, a rice, a side, a sauce, and a goodly sized piece of hot Afghan bread. It’s quite a lot of food for the money, and unless you’re a really big eater, this alone is enough to fill up an average man. I’m not 100% sure this contains 3 entire skewers, but the amount of food you’ll get for the money will not disappoint you.

For my vegetable, I started out getting the Chickpeas or Turnips (and still sometimes get them as an extra order, $2.95), but switched over to the Potato Curry as my staple – think of it as large chunks of cut-up baked potato, with just enough sauce to bind it together – it’s not a large portion, but it’s satisfying. I enjoy these potatoes so much that I’ve been tempted to get an extra order, but haven’t as of this writing.

For my rice, I prefer the Brown Rice with Carrots and Raisins. Like the potatoes, this is a small portion of rice (the vegetable and the rice each take up one of the two small slots in the styrofoam container, and the meat takes up the one large slot). I’d say the rice might be the weak point of the dish, as it tends to be somewhat oily – not excessively so, but enough so I notice, and I’d rather it wasn’t.

For the side order, you have your choice of 4 salads – which I’m almost certain would amount to chopped up iceberg lettuce and not much more – or Hummus, and every single time I’ve gotten the hummus. This is not great hummus, but it’s “okay,” and gives you something into which you can dunk your fairly large piece of Afghan Naan, which looks a lot like this. It also adds some moisture to the dish – a good thing, as it’s not a particularly “wet” platter of food (although it’s certainly not dry, either).

For the sauce, I’ve gotten either the Mild Sauce or the Tzatziki, depending on whether or not I want yogurt. I usually do, and sometimes order the mild sauce along with an 8-ounce side order of Tzatziki ($2.45), the unused portion of which keeps nicely in the refrigerator for several days. The sauce that comes with the meal is in one of those tiny little plastic tubs (which is another reason I order the hummus instead of a salad).

You’ll be presented with a list of side orders which you can add, but you won’t need them to fill up on – the turnips are pretty good, but it’s also a pretty small order for $2.95.

Then comes the most important decision: the kabobs themselves. I’ve tried a whole host of combinations, and haven’t yet been disappointed: lamb, steak, ground beef, ground chicken, boneless dark meat chicken, boneless white meat chicken – just pick three that sound good to you in combination, and you’ll be happy. I tend not to get seafood kabobs at places like this, since the seafood usually isn’t fresh, but I’ve never tried theirs.

Well, there you have it – this is a sub-$20 delivery meal that I think you’ll be pretty happy with. The restaurant is in Courthouse, so it has a very populated delivery radius. Give it a try – I’d love some feedback on my opinions, and if you try something I haven’t mentioned, I’d be interested in knowing that as well.

Cheers, Rocks

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Convivial, Shaw

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Don

I had arrived at Convivial early – way early – thinking that I’d be able to nab a seat at the bar at 5 PM, and have a drink while waiting for the restaurant to open at 5:30. Bad assumption: The bar opens when the restaurant does, so I spent 45 minutes strolling around, stopping into the Giant grocery store, and playing around on my cell phone in the car, trying to stay warm.

Between Cedric Maupillier (whom I met when he was still at *Maestro*), Justin Guthrie (whom I met when he was still at *Palena*), and a favorable “First Bite” review from the Washington Post, it wasn’t a matter of “if”; it was a matter of “when.”

The “when” took about twenty seconds.

I was spotted, and there was nothing to do but take advantage of it – as long as Cedric was chatting with me, why *not* get his opinions about which dishes he’s most proud of, so that I can share them with our members? The interesting thing is that for all the obvious pride Cedric showed in his menu – and let me tell you, although Convivial is restaurant number five where I’ve known Cedric, this is the first time I’ve ever seen him truly *beaming* – the interesting thing is that he did not even mention the vaunted Coq au Vin to me. Maybe it’s because the rest of the world is already raving about it, or maybe it’s because he knows I’m familiar with French cooking and might be something of a purist – I’m not sure; all I know is that, despite recommending several dishes to me with an almost childlike enthusiasm, this was not one of them.

However, one other member of his staff did, so I included it in my order, figuring I’d have some leftovers for the next day to go along with my lunch, which I also ordered here.

When I sat down, I immediately ordered a Gimlet ($12) because I wanted to unwind with a cocktail before dinner. Ninety percent of the time, this is a good idea, but this was before I saw the Drinks Menu, and before I ran into Justin, who came out after my drink was served. It was an outstanding Gimlet, but as it turns out, all drinks at Convivial are $12, and Justin has spent an enormous amount of effort in creating a cutting-edge, yet classic, cocktail program, and in retrospect, I should have let him select a drink for me simply out of respect. The Gimlet was terrific, but I was hasty in ordering it – next time, Justin – but it didn’t matter as much because your wine list is so remarkably chosen and fairly priced that I did something for the first time in my life.

There were two dishes in particular that I ordered solely because of Cedric’s recommendation, and you should order the exact same dishes because they were both unique, world-class dishes that reflect the immense talents of a chef – correctly trained, and now unchained – a chef who has labored under the watchful eye of others for a few years too many, and who has finally come into his own. Get both of these (actually, get the first three), and thank Cedric for the recommendations:

From the “Nibbles” section: Latke, Celery Root, and Dry-Cured Lamb ($11), and from the “Cold” section: Cauliflower Blanc-Manger, Tabbouleh, Almond, Pomelo, and Herb Salad ($14). I could go into great detail as to why these are such profound, inspired combinations and executions, but I’m going to leave that thrill for yourselves. Do not concern yourself if one-or-more ingredients sounds like it might not be to your liking – get both of these dishes. Just do it.

And then also from the “Cold” section, the Veal Tartare, Poutargue, Cancoillote, Oyster Leaf, Niçoise Cracker ($18) – it isn’t often when a dish drives me to Google for more than one ingredient, but that was the case here. The oyster leafs are leafs that taste more like oysters than oysters themselves do. Put one in your mouth by itself, and you won’t believe it – it tastes exactly like you’re eating an oyster, but you’re chewing on a leaf.

These three dishes were among the culinary highlights of my 2015, and we’re quickly running out of days in the year. Get all three if you can, even to share with the table – you’ve got to try them.

Please ignore what I say in this paragraph, because everybody in the world is going Looney Tunes over the Fried Chicken “Coq au Vin” ($18) in the “Hot” section, and I can easily see why. For me, personally, this was hot fudge on pizza – perfectly fried chicken, deep-fried in a high-pressure fryer, resulting in a thick, crisp batter which sometimes slides off the chicken, providing the diner with a bite of the batter all by itself, and it is glorious. A Coq au Vin sauce, seemingly using a full reduction (did you know that in Burgundy, a traditional Coq au Vin is made with an entire bottle of Charmes-Chambertin?). Both of these, as individual things, were just wonderful, as were the traditional Coq au Vin accompaniments. You know there’s a “but” coming here … but, the combination just didn’t work for me. The thing that kills me about writing this is that I respect the dish very much, and even got some insight from Cedric as to its origins (“It’s my tribute to both my home, America, and my homeland, France”) – it all makes sense. It’s just a simple matter of me not loving the sauce with the thick batter, and nothing more than that. I *am* a purist, and I merely prefer *either* fried chicken *or* coq au vin, but not both together – I’m well-aware that I’m in a minority of one, and that’s why I’m telling you not to put much credence into what I’m saying here, and to write it off as one man’s personal foible. Get this dish, and enjoy it.

For lunch the next day, I ordered something I knew would keep overnight, also from the “Hot” section, the Beef Pot au Feu with Cheek, Tendon, Bone Marrow, and Gribiche ($21), the Gribiche taking me off-guard. Indeed, it reheated beautifully, and made me wish I’d kept my Fougasse, the “bread course” that comes in a little paper bag. It’s rare, if not unknown, to see a true fougasse in this area, but here was one right in front of me.

Convivial’s wine list is way lower than average in terms of price, and is full of selections that are just plain fascinating. Remember up above where I wrote I did something for the first time in my life? I ordered a Beaujolais-Nouveau in a restaurant: a bottle of 2015 (yes, 2015) DuPeuble Beaujolais-Nouveau for a mere $30. I happen to know that DuPeuble is imported by the great Kermit Lynch, and for many years, was his name-brand Beaujolais: Up until a few years ago, when you opened a bottle of “Kermit Lynch Beaujolais” and examined the cork, it was stamped “DuPeuble.” I’d had DuPeuble’s Beaujolais, but never his Beaujolais-Nouveau, and I was tickled pink with what a “real” wine it was. Oh, it was light-hearted and not meant to be scrutinized, but it was a real bottle of wine, and not some bubblegum-flavored disgrace which 99.99% of all Beaujolais-Nouveaux are. I took the rest of the bottle home with me, and enjoyed it with the rest of my Fried Chicken Coq au Vin that evening, and then enjoyed my Pot au Feu the next day: It was a joyful 24 hours of Convivial, with coverage initiated strongly, strongly in Italic, and the restaurant confidently rated as one of the best in Washington, DC.

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BGR – The Burger Joint, North Arlington

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Don

It had been over two years since I’d been to any location of BGR – The Burger Joint, and following the credo, “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing,” I continued my day’s theme of hamburgers, having already been to Elevation Burger earlier in the day.

I’d finished a remarkable amount of work, and although I wasn’t starving, I knew I’d need to eat one more time that evening, so I thought I’m compare the exact same sandwiches: a Double-Meat Hamburger ($9.98), with nothing on it but mustard and pickle.

Unlike with Elevation Burger, I was asked about doneness, and I said Medium-Rare, which is exactly what I got. Also unlike with Elevation Burger, I was relegated to the toppings station to add my own mustard (the pickles, and an inexplicable piece of Swiss Cheese, were already on the burger – I had made it a point to specify no cheese since I was trying to do a direct comparison. To BGR’s credit, they offered to *remake* my ten-dollar sandwich – I told them there was absolutely no need, that the cheese was fine, and even if it wasn’t, I could just scrape it off.

So after 5-10 minutes, my buzzer went off, and my burger was waiting for me. I saw right away that it was almost *double* the size of my earlier Elevation Burger – the patties themselves being over a half-inch thick, and cooked to the correct temperature. This burger was large enough (a second patty isn’t the norm here) that it was not that easy to fit the sandwich into my mouth – and, in fact, I gave up after awhile and ate one patty at a time.

The difference in quality was laughable. I had previously lowered BGR when it changed ownership, but it is now *strongly* back in Italic, and is, in fact, the only chain hamburger restaurant to be so in the entire DC area. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say this was one of the best BGR burgers I’ve ever eaten. And it was so big, that I could scarcely finish it – the last bite or so was discarded because I was just too full.

This was an excellent hamburger (I went to the Spout Run location), and one which I would *gladly* seek out in the future; Elevation Burger would only be frequented in similar, emergency-type situations. Raised to the #1 Hamburger chain in the Dining Guide, and rated in Italic once again. If there’s a higher quality chain hamburger than this, I’d like to know what it is.

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Elevation Burger, Georgetown (Hoya Court)

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Don

I’m not quite sure what to think about locations of “known” restaurants that are in airports, food courts, etc. Are they representative of the “real” restaurant, or are they to be graded on a(n expensive) curve because they’re really just Aramark? (Or are they?)

The truth is that I don’t know, and if I don’t know, then it’s a reasonable bet that 99% of other people don’t know, either. For that reason alone, they should be held to the same, rigid standards as their “regular” restaurants.

(If this isn’t true, and in which case, if I just made the most ignorant statement you’ve ever heard, then I’d like to be enlightened as to why not.)

Take Elevation Burger as an example. Did you know there’s a location in Georgetown? It’s just behind Georgetown Hospital in the Hoya Court.

I’d finished a particularly long appointment, and wasn’t going to make it until dinner – I thought about Stachowski Market and Deli, but then saw signs pointing me towards Elevation Burger. Quick, reasonably good, and I’d make it healthy, if I could.

It was something of an annoyingly long walk to the Hoya Court, but once I got there, Elevation Burger was one of three choices in this rather desolate food court. I ordered The Elevation Burger ($5.99), two patties, with no toppings except mustard and pickle, and a Small Diet Coke ($1.60). The gentleman who took my order was delightful (I went to a bit of trouble to give him a dollar tip, but that’s *because* he was delightful.) No temperature requests were asked or given, but my sandwich was unquestionably cooked to order, as it took a good five minutes to prepare in an empty area.

Waiting until I was outside of the parking garage, the burger had about ten minutes to either decline in quality, or magically correct itself. When I got on the road, there was no chance of waiting until I was home, so I enjoyed it in the car. Well, “enjoyed” is a stretch – this reminded me of burgers my mom used to make (she thought well-done ground beef was something close to a biblical virtue). It was a double patty on a soft roll, with the right amount of mustard and pickle, and you know exactly how it tasted – decent-quality beef, cooked to oblivion, the only curiosity being that the pickles seemed slightly sweet.

This was survival food, and ably fulfilled its role. There’s nothing to “hate” about a simple, well-done hamburger, but I realized just how rarely I order hamburgers at all, for something close to precisely this reason: It was filler. And it filled me. Contract: exchange money for product, completed. Performance: met by both ends, completed. I put the empty bag and cup in my recycling bin, and walked into my house.

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Elements, Princeton, NJ

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Don

Recently, I needed to make a quick jaunt to New York. I decided to make the trip have purpose, so I themed it, “2015 New Jersey James Beard Award Semifinalists,” making it a point to go to every single restaurant in New Jersey that was nominated for some type of James Beard Award in 2015. There was only one exception, and it was a Hoboken restaurant that would have been too much trouble to fit in.

My first stop was in Princeton, NJ, which, I realized, I had never before set foot in. I knew absolutely nothing about Elements before having arrived at the restaurant, and had no preconceived expectations. When I left the restaurant, I realized that I’d had my first Michelin 2-star-quality dining experience in (I’m embarrassed to say) a couple of years. I have been to many, many 1-star, 2-star, and 3-star Michelin restaurants both here and abroad, and there are very obvious differences – both qualitative and quantitative – between the levels (which, by the way, are often wrong, but that’s besides the point – I know what they’re *supposed* to be). Elements is a *nine-table* (yes, 9 table) jewel box which sits atop another restaurant – Mistral – having the same ownership. This is a *perfect* set-up to maximize the quality of two separate and distinct restaurants. If you visit Mistral’s website, you might say to yourself, ‘This place looks *fantastic*,’ and you’d almost surely be correct.

The Elements diner actually walks into Mistral and arrives at the host stand – in fact, my first overall impression was the only lesser experience of the evening, because I waited at an empty host stand – a very nice-looking bar looming behind it – not really knowing what to do, for about a minute (which, under the circumstances, can seem like the seconds are ticking in slow motion), and when the cordial hostess arrived and greeted me, I told her I had a reservation at Elements. At that precise moment, it was as if a Four-Star General had appeared in an officer’s dining hall: She immediately took on a different countenance – not in a way that downplays the importance of Mistral’s diners, but in a way that signaled to me that I had just been vaulted into VIP status – in a way that told me she instantly recognized that I had come to dine, and to dine well. Recall that, at this time, I still had no idea what the restaurant was, or what it was about – and yet, it was very clear to me what had just happened.

She escorted me over to a private elevator, summoned it, pushed the button for the second floor, and told me I’d see another host stand when I arrived, wishing me a pleasant meal just before the doors closed.

A few seconds later, the doors opened onto an entirely new atmosphere – one of a much more serious nature than the convivial Mistral down below. This was not unlike being escorted into a high-stakes baccarat den that is cordoned off from the everyday guests playing mere hundred-dollar games. Make no mistake about it: those hundred-dollar games down below are what’s going to keep this restaurant in business, and they are deeply and genuinely appreciated by the staff (as I was to later find out). Downstairs is Jean-Georges’ Nougatine, without which Jean-Georges might no longer exist.

I was struck by the sheer emptiness of the room, after having witnessed the joyous vibrancy down below – the two spaces must be similar in size, given the shape of the building itself, and yet, here was an almost completely deserted room, with a total of *nine tables* (actually, eight, since two had been joined together for a larger party), a tiny welcoming area, and a state-of-the-art, open kitchen off to the back-right which had more cooks than the room had diners. I was led to a back table which afforded me magnificent views of the entire dining room, as well as the open kitchen, now on my left. I felt like a king.

One thing I found out is that Elements had been open before, in another location, and had only been open in this new space – on top of Mistral – for a couple of weeks. The previous iteration was a few blocks away, and I have no idea of what it was like; all that matters now is that – whatever they did to change things – this new location is set up in a way that seems to approach perfection (and I’m just talking about the actual set-up) – everything is within a twenty-second walk of everything else. My guess is that if you have not been to the “new” Elements, then you have not been to Elements. This restaurant is not a “James Beard Semifinalist”; assuming they don’t change things, this restaurant is a future regional winner, with probable future consideration for a national award.

It became readily obvious that diner service is paramount at Elements. I was presented with my choice of still or sparkling water, and was immediately asked if I’d care for a cocktail before dinner. I had been presented with three different dining menus and a wine list. The first menu was available only on weeknights, and was a four-course prix-fixe for $79. If you only remember one thing from this write-up, please make it this: don’t get this menu. Even if you go on a Wednesday night (which I did), you will be cheating only yourself if you don’t get one of the other two menus: either the Chef’s Tasting Menu for $125, or the Grand Tasting for $185. The reason is simple: the dishes on the weeknight four-course are much-less complex and less labor-intensive than they are in the two tasting menus. You’d be getting, for example, Tomato Soup with sourdough, basil, and pecorino – I’m sure it’s very nice, but there’s nothing even remotely resembling that on either of the two tasting menus – if you’re taking the trouble to come all the way up here, and drop fairly large money anyway, do yourself a favor and spend the extra fifty dollars – it’s the only way to give this restaurant a fair chance to match my rather bold statements here.

I opted for the smaller Chef’s Tasting Menu ($125), thirteen courses in addition to amuses-gueules and mignardises, and rather than purchase a bottle of wine – which I almost always do – I turned myself over to the *very* capable sommelier, Carl Harrison Rohrbach, for a Tier 1 Wine Pairing ($65) which provided me with a different wine for nearly every course, and as different as these courses were, one from another, the pairings were of prime importance – even more importantly, the pairings were absolutely brilliant.

This meal, which was over $200 before tax and tip (don’t forget I got a cocktail), could have been much more costly, had I gone now – two months later – and gotten the Grand Tasting Menu ($185), which now requires a one-week advance notice, with its Reserve Wine Pairing ($185). However, when I went, I noticed some overlap between the two grand menus, and since I was there for the food more than the wine, I felt the Reserve Pairing would have been more than I needed (and was nearly double the price at $125), and I think I made a correct decision – the important thing is to stay away from the more simplistic menus, and I even wrote the chef afterwards, and told him he should completely do away with them. We got into a fairly extensive conversation, and I can assure you that he really, really wants to serve *only* the two upper-level tasting menus, and is currently offering the weeknight four-course so locals will frequent Elements during the week – it has yet to receive national attention, but when it does, the more simplistic menus may indeed disappear, and I hope they do.

Rather than go through the litany of courses, I’m just going to show you the menu (which I emphasize is the more modest of the two):

Elements Chef Tasting Menu

And to give you but one example of a particularly dramatic presentation, I’m going to include one picture of the “Woodear Mushroom” course:

elements-woodear-mushroom

Look at the menu I had, envision a best-case scenario, and trust me that the woodear-mushroom presentation was the most flamboyant thing by far (too many presentations such as this would be, well, too many, but for this one course? It was about the coolest thing I’ve ever been presented with (for a solo diner, there was one, single mushroom in this presentation, and it wasn’t easy to find)).

In order to create a more intimate link between kitchen and diner, each course was presented and explained by a different member of the kitchen staff (including the Executive Chef, Scott Anderson, and the outstanding Sous Chef, Mike Ryan, who created and served the amazing Kasuzuke Ocean Trout tableside – this Michelin 3-star dish, along with the Patranque, are two courses I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

The last actual Michelin 2-star meal I’ve had in Europe was at ABaC, and based mainly on their relatively poor wine cellar, I have trouble justifying their 2-star rating (although the hotel it’s in is absolutely spectacular – perhaps the most impressive hotel in all of Barcelona) – despite the luxury of the glorious ABaC Hotel, coupled with the incredible architecture incorporated into the restaurant, I believe that Elements was a better dining experience. It was also the first time in probably a couple of years that I’ve spent over $200 on a meal just for myself before tax and tip, and when I walked out, I was marveling at how good of a *value* it was. Really. This was the greatest meal I’ve had in a long, long time, and it was worth every penny.

For those of you familiar with my work, ask yourself this: How many restaurants do I rave *this much* about?

—

12/11/15 Addendum: To those who have been directed here, please enjoy the full conversation on donrockwell.com, and join in by becoming a member of our community – joining is quick, easy, FREE, and PRIVATE – simply respond to the confirmation email.

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ABC Canteen, Fairfax

Posted on December 4, 2015 by Don

Has this ever happened to you?

You’re all alone in the house, saying to yourself: “I didn’t. I didn’t. I couldn’t have. I didn’t do it. I couldn’t have done it. I couldn’t have possibly done it.” All the while, methodically eliminating the other options, one-by-one, before finally capitulating, and quietly saying to yourself with resignation, collapsed on the couch, back of your hand on your forehead, “I did it.”

I went to ABC Canteen yesterday, and was really looking forward to it after hearing so many wonderful things about it – I already knew it was going to be good; it was merely a matter of where it was, what it was like, how much it would cost, etc. I pulled into one of the reserved spaces and strolled in a nearly empty restaurant for a very late lunch.

This is a tough menu to sort through, only because you get the feeling that *everything* is going to be good, but then you whisper to yourself, “I can come back anytime I want,” and the pressure eases off.

Something with corn, that much I knew – and from the Combos section of the menu, I decided on 3 Tamales with Soft Drink ($8.00), essentially giving me a Diet Coke for fifty cents, as the tamales are $2.50 each.

Choosing between Chicken Mole or Pork with Green Sauce, I asked for the Chicken Mole, and my delightful hostess told me they only had two of the chicken moles left (which made me give myself a mental forehead-slap – why *wouldn’t* I mix them up?) So I ordered the two chicken moles, and got one pork with green sauce – perfect.

I ran and got something from my car, sipped my drink as I was reading, and out came a plate with three corn husks, beautifully stuffed – I could tell this even before unraveling them (yes, I unravel my tamales, one at a time, even though it’s probably best to let the husks act as insulators for the heat, and only perform a partial unravel).

What can I say? These were superb tamales. I have absolutely no idea how to cook the innards of a tamale, but both types were obviously long-cooked, and could not be produced on short order (hence, the two chicken moles). Deep, dark, bursting with real, authentic flavors that can’t be mimicked by shortcuts or trickery. This is how to make a tamale, and I was one happy camper – I could have flipped a coin between the two types, and cannot recommend one over the other; only that you should get both. The plate was unadorned – a blue-plate-special sort-of thing, but the embellishment rested deep within, and a squirt of this, or a few of that, would be entirely unnecessary and possibly even harmful.

I could not have been any happier when I drove away, and my only regret was the concept of “fullness,” as there’s much more to this menu I wish to try, and curse human biology, I’m just going to have to wait to try it.

But I did get something for lunch the next day: a daily chalkboard special of Pozole ($8.00), hominy and pork, served with an avocado chunk (which I knew would brown overnight) and an added bonus: two Chicken Flautas.

I was chilling a drink in the freezer, and knew it would need a good fifteen minutes, so I was doing some menial household chores which needed to be done, and after accomplishing much more than I had hoped, I was ready for my Pozole. So I went to get the bag, and didn’t see it. I walked into the next room, and it wasn’t there, either. And then slowly, I began eliminating possible resting places one-by-one, saying to myself, “I didn’t. I didn’t. I couldn’t have. I didn’t do it. I couldn’t have done it. I couldn’t have possibly done it.” All the while, methodically eliminating the other options, one-by-one, before finally capitulating, and quietly saying to myself with resignation, collapsed on the couch, back of my hand on my forehead, “I did it.”

With a knowing sense of dread, I walked out to the recycling bin, opened the lid, and saw the plastic bag. What was this about a five-second rule by Julia Child? I kind-of “extended the scope,” and, well, you know what happened. It was all sealed off, and nothing had gotten in or out; yet, there was “the thought.” That dreadful thought.

Nevertheless, the Pozole was very good, although it came across as more of a “Grandma’s Cream-of-Chicken Soup” than the type of Gumbo-like Posole Rojo you’d get at Taco Bamba. It was a very tasty bowl of soup, but not the type of Pozole that I’m used to – there must be regional styles, because these two offerings are so vastly different that there truly can be no comparison, and I’m only even mentioning Taco Bamba because I figured others would think of the same thing.

ABC Canteen is a jewel-of-a-dive (I say “dive,” but it’s clean as a whistle; just not embellished or adorned.) If you’re traveling between I-66 and Route 123 down that little Lee Highway – Nutley Street cutover, it’s worth the detour. Dining Guide coverage initiated enthusiastically in Italic, along with the confident recommendation that this is a restaurant everyone should try if they’re in the area.

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