Monday, January 28, 2008
the wire!
thanks to the writer's strike and the lack of watchable tv shows on right now i decided to join blockbuster's version of netflix in an attempt to catch up on movies and tv shows i haven't had the time to watch over the last few years. the main thing i've been dying to see is the wire (since we don't get hbo and i've been unwilling to dish out hundreds of dollars for the dvd set). and yesterday i finally got to see what everyone has been raving about for the past few years. only three episodes in and i'm already hooked!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
restaurant week, part III
not really a part of restaurant week - just a place i ate during the week(end).
the restaurant: locanda.
the space: small dining room straight out of new york city. there's a small bar in the back. good luck getting a seat though since they serve their full menu at the bar, and reservations are hard to come by (probably since they let you linger for as long as you want. seriously a number of the parties who were already eating when we got there at 8:30 were still mingling when we finally left at 10:30).
the food: it's a very simple menu, but everything sounded so delicious it took us a while to decide on what we were going to order. we ended up getting the crostini to start - think bruschetta but instead of tomatoes it was a hearty, smoky spread with fresh manchego cheese on top. for the main course we all went for their homemade pasta. we got their version of mac & cheese (brought out to the table in the skillet it was baked in), the gnocchi (in a heavenly sauce) and a pasta (like a fettucini on steroids) with veggies in a garlicky, slightly spicy sauce. after soaking up all of the sauce with the endless baskets of bread brought to our table we just couldn't bring ourselves to order any dessert.
the service: it was great to start off with, but the mishap in the end kind of ruined it for us. since we were told to expect major delays on the metro, we left on the early side just to be safe. and because we left so early we obviously didn't encounter any delays at all so we arrived a little early for our reservation. not a problem - we just headed back to the bar and got some champagne to start off the evening. we just continued our thrilling game of botticelli and sipped on our champagne and before we knew it we were seated at our table. our waiter was very attentive and offered his (excellent) personal suggestions for our wine and food. our food came out and we gobbled it up, but that's when things went downhill. he asked us if we wanted dessert and we declined (being full and having to get down the street for a friend's party). you would think the fact that we declined dessert and that there was nothing else to eat or drink on our table would signal to the waiter that we wanted our check. instead he disappeared forever and no one else in the restaurant would even acknowledge us sitting there. and at this point we had finished our second botticelli of the night (sara tancredi, yes!) and we were so ready to go. then finally our server came out of hiding and we snatched him and asked for our check and he went about getting it like we hadn't just been sitting there for thirty minutes waiting for it. ugh.
the bathroom: simple, one person bathrooms. which, honestly is just about all that would fit in the back of this place.
despite the horrendous service we had at the end of the meal i do plan on going back to try even more of their delicious pasta! or maybe even branch out to some of the meat dishes they had on their menu...
the restaurant: locanda.
the space: small dining room straight out of new york city. there's a small bar in the back. good luck getting a seat though since they serve their full menu at the bar, and reservations are hard to come by (probably since they let you linger for as long as you want. seriously a number of the parties who were already eating when we got there at 8:30 were still mingling when we finally left at 10:30).
the food: it's a very simple menu, but everything sounded so delicious it took us a while to decide on what we were going to order. we ended up getting the crostini to start - think bruschetta but instead of tomatoes it was a hearty, smoky spread with fresh manchego cheese on top. for the main course we all went for their homemade pasta. we got their version of mac & cheese (brought out to the table in the skillet it was baked in), the gnocchi (in a heavenly sauce) and a pasta (like a fettucini on steroids) with veggies in a garlicky, slightly spicy sauce. after soaking up all of the sauce with the endless baskets of bread brought to our table we just couldn't bring ourselves to order any dessert.
the service: it was great to start off with, but the mishap in the end kind of ruined it for us. since we were told to expect major delays on the metro, we left on the early side just to be safe. and because we left so early we obviously didn't encounter any delays at all so we arrived a little early for our reservation. not a problem - we just headed back to the bar and got some champagne to start off the evening. we just continued our thrilling game of botticelli and sipped on our champagne and before we knew it we were seated at our table. our waiter was very attentive and offered his (excellent) personal suggestions for our wine and food. our food came out and we gobbled it up, but that's when things went downhill. he asked us if we wanted dessert and we declined (being full and having to get down the street for a friend's party). you would think the fact that we declined dessert and that there was nothing else to eat or drink on our table would signal to the waiter that we wanted our check. instead he disappeared forever and no one else in the restaurant would even acknowledge us sitting there. and at this point we had finished our second botticelli of the night (sara tancredi, yes!) and we were so ready to go. then finally our server came out of hiding and we snatched him and asked for our check and he went about getting it like we hadn't just been sitting there for thirty minutes waiting for it. ugh.
the bathroom: simple, one person bathrooms. which, honestly is just about all that would fit in the back of this place.
despite the horrendous service we had at the end of the meal i do plan on going back to try even more of their delicious pasta! or maybe even branch out to some of the meat dishes they had on their menu...
Thursday, January 17, 2008
restaurant week, park II
the restaurant: rasika.
the space: simple, but nicely decorated. and the tables were nice bid wooden tables, which was nice for sharing purposes. although the restaurant is much smaller than i had imagined (maybe that's why it's so difficult to get a reservation?).
the food: honestly, i'm not sure why i have gone through life saying i dislike indian food. the basic premise of indian food is meats, sauces, rice and bread. that's my favorite! we settled on a lamb and a chicken appetizer and did the same for our entrees. the appetizers were good - a few pieces of grilled chicken with some lamb and bean patties. the flavors were just great! and then our entrees were both curry dishes. i love curry! so much that i soaked up every last bit of the sauce with the rest of the bread. oh, and then there was dessert. i got the ginger honey ice cream - it was the perfect way to end off the meal!
the service: they did the whole rotating server thing so every time someone came up to our table it was someone new. my water stayed full and our food came out in a timely manor, so i guess that would mean the service was good.
the bathroom: nice and clean. there were private stalls with a giant mirror behind the toilet. kind of cool (i guess).
the most intriguing part of the whole place is their cocktail menu. i've heard nothing but great things about their bartender and can't wait to get back there to have some drinks at the bar (and have another meal, of course).
the space: simple, but nicely decorated. and the tables were nice bid wooden tables, which was nice for sharing purposes. although the restaurant is much smaller than i had imagined (maybe that's why it's so difficult to get a reservation?).
the food: honestly, i'm not sure why i have gone through life saying i dislike indian food. the basic premise of indian food is meats, sauces, rice and bread. that's my favorite! we settled on a lamb and a chicken appetizer and did the same for our entrees. the appetizers were good - a few pieces of grilled chicken with some lamb and bean patties. the flavors were just great! and then our entrees were both curry dishes. i love curry! so much that i soaked up every last bit of the sauce with the rest of the bread. oh, and then there was dessert. i got the ginger honey ice cream - it was the perfect way to end off the meal!
the service: they did the whole rotating server thing so every time someone came up to our table it was someone new. my water stayed full and our food came out in a timely manor, so i guess that would mean the service was good.
the bathroom: nice and clean. there were private stalls with a giant mirror behind the toilet. kind of cool (i guess).
the most intriguing part of the whole place is their cocktail menu. i've heard nothing but great things about their bartender and can't wait to get back there to have some drinks at the bar (and have another meal, of course).
restaurant week, part I
the restaurant: vidalia.
the space: simple and bright. and kudos for having stylish glass walls separating the bar area from the main dining room. and since we had to wait a few minutes for our table we got to make use of the super comfy couches in the bar area.
the food: delicious. here's a breakdown of what we ordered...
appetizers - bison carpaccio w/ mozzarella, rabbit sausage, veal tounge and tuna w/ crabcake. the rabbit sausage and tuna/crab cake combo were definitely the two best. the carpaccio was rather flavorless. and the tounge was good, but it was on a stiff, flavorless pita that kind of took away from the dish.
entrees - duck (w/ a delicious egg roll!), steak, cod and shrimp & grits. obviously i liked the duck and steak the best, but i would like to have you know that i at least tried both seafood dishes. and they weren't bad at all. and i can't forget to mention the side of macaroni and cheese that we ordered (and devoured!).
desserts - vanilla bean cake w/ a strawberry jam filling, peanut butter crunch and the pecan tart a la mode. [side note - does anyone else immediately think of little miss sunshine when hearing the word "a la mode"??]
oh, and drinks! well we did a number at the tabard inn beforehand so we held off on the wine at dinner. but, they were offering a number of bottles for $32 in honor of restaurant week.
the service: ok, but nothing great. i didn't mind not having someone hovering over us, but i wouldn't have minded a little more attention. oh well.
the bathroom: anyone who knows me knows that a) i go to the bathroom a lot and b) i like checking out the bathrooms in nice restaurants. the bathroom at vidalia is nice, but nothing special. although they strategically put mouthwash by the sinks to help rinse out the flavor from the delicious onion bread (served before the meal with cornbread).
my only complaint was the fact that more than half of the menu had upcharges. i understand they don't want to lose money, but honestly if you can't offer your food for the restaurant week rate then don't participate in restaurant week.
the space: simple and bright. and kudos for having stylish glass walls separating the bar area from the main dining room. and since we had to wait a few minutes for our table we got to make use of the super comfy couches in the bar area.
the food: delicious. here's a breakdown of what we ordered...
appetizers - bison carpaccio w/ mozzarella, rabbit sausage, veal tounge and tuna w/ crabcake. the rabbit sausage and tuna/crab cake combo were definitely the two best. the carpaccio was rather flavorless. and the tounge was good, but it was on a stiff, flavorless pita that kind of took away from the dish.
entrees - duck (w/ a delicious egg roll!), steak, cod and shrimp & grits. obviously i liked the duck and steak the best, but i would like to have you know that i at least tried both seafood dishes. and they weren't bad at all. and i can't forget to mention the side of macaroni and cheese that we ordered (and devoured!).
desserts - vanilla bean cake w/ a strawberry jam filling, peanut butter crunch and the pecan tart a la mode. [side note - does anyone else immediately think of little miss sunshine when hearing the word "a la mode"??]
oh, and drinks! well we did a number at the tabard inn beforehand so we held off on the wine at dinner. but, they were offering a number of bottles for $32 in honor of restaurant week.
the service: ok, but nothing great. i didn't mind not having someone hovering over us, but i wouldn't have minded a little more attention. oh well.
the bathroom: anyone who knows me knows that a) i go to the bathroom a lot and b) i like checking out the bathrooms in nice restaurants. the bathroom at vidalia is nice, but nothing special. although they strategically put mouthwash by the sinks to help rinse out the flavor from the delicious onion bread (served before the meal with cornbread).
my only complaint was the fact that more than half of the menu had upcharges. i understand they don't want to lose money, but honestly if you can't offer your food for the restaurant week rate then don't participate in restaurant week.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
new music
1. vampire weekend.
after all i've been reading about them i finally got a chance to check them out. how can you not love oxford commas?
2. sia.
you might recognize her music from some early episodes of grey's anatomy. or even when she lent her voice to zero 7 (on the garden state soundtrack). plus check out her new album cover - love it!
3. jens lekman.
his music is good. and his myspace page is great.
4. jenny owen youngs.
i was a little upset when i saw she was playing a free show at the millenium stage last saturday. at 6pm. right smack in the middle of the skins playoff game. i'll have to catch her next time she's in town.
5. emily king.
she's a refreshing voice in the overcrowded world of r&b/pop. she'll be at the black cat on groundhog day. oh, and she's nominated for a grammy!
and lots more to come once i can get through all of the new music i just got...
after all i've been reading about them i finally got a chance to check them out. how can you not love oxford commas?
2. sia.
you might recognize her music from some early episodes of grey's anatomy. or even when she lent her voice to zero 7 (on the garden state soundtrack). plus check out her new album cover - love it!
3. jens lekman.
his music is good. and his myspace page is great.
4. jenny owen youngs.
i was a little upset when i saw she was playing a free show at the millenium stage last saturday. at 6pm. right smack in the middle of the skins playoff game. i'll have to catch her next time she's in town.
5. emily king.
she's a refreshing voice in the overcrowded world of r&b/pop. she'll be at the black cat on groundhog day. oh, and she's nominated for a grammy!
and lots more to come once i can get through all of the new music i just got...
Monday, January 7, 2008
as requested...
let's just say that bloggers had a field day with this one. the best part? i can say with a straight face that i know someone who is twice the size of the fridge. ridiculous (and not nutritious at all).
Sunday, January 6, 2008
stay classy tech
in case you haven't seen it yet, this is what some idiot hokie flew over the gator bowl last week. and this is exactly why i thought back in november cavman should have killed the hokie.
oh, and way to go chokies!
oh, and way to go chokies!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
it's a good pineapple
a few days late on this, but here's a fan's gift to cooley for making the pro bowl. amazing! it just fuels my obsession with pineapples that stems from my grandfather and was epitomized with the southwest airlines pineapple commercial (it's the second half of the video).
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
mmmm food
i have eaten out so much in the last week or so it's a surprise i'm not completely broke and one hundred pounds heavier. and the first few weeks of the new year show no sign of slowing down. here are some of the highlights of where i've been lately:
lost dog cafe.
home to some of the best sandwiches in the dc area. and the biggest shocker? i ordered the republican! but honestly check out #16 and tell me that's not the most delicious sounding sandwich ever.
artie's.
in what's quickly becoming a brown family tradition we saw the kite runner and then hit up artie's for some ozzie rolls and entirely too much food.
duck chang's.
what's christmas day without a movie and chinese? this year it was juno (so good!) and then chinese food in annandale. and we specifically went to one of the most famous duck houses and of course the party in front of us got the last duck of the nice. and i bet they weren't even jewish.
portabello's.
this one came highly recommended and it surely didn't disappoint. it's a neighborhood place tucked away in the corner of a cherrydale strip mall, but it's a hidden gem for sure.
baked & wired.
i managed to go to the newly expanded georgetown bakery two times over the holiday break. you should make it your new years resolution (if you do that sort of thing) to get to b&w and try one of their strawberry cupcakes. they are possibly the best baked good i have ever eaten.
cafe pizziaolo.
in the off chance that you ever find yourself in crystal city you should definitely try this place. it's at the bottom of 23rd street and it's a genuine family run pizza place. oh, and they have board games to play while you wait for your pizzas to bake.
tabard inn.
for hannukah this year my sister and i took my parents out for a scrumptious brunch at the tabard inn and then we hit up the corcoran and strolled through the annie liebovitz and ansel adams exhibits. and it must be my year for giving gifts because it was another big hit.
hook.
a group of us went to this newish georgetown restaurant for dinner. the night was a pleasure! the ambiance was great, we got a seat right by the kitchen, the food was delicious and our waiter was a (arguably) hotter version of adrian grenier.
oyamel.
obviously any place that decorates with piñatas is fine by me, but seriously this place has great food. it one of josé andrés' restaurants and it's known for it's mexican small plates (and it's margaritas of course). oooh, and we tried the famous grasshopper tacos. and yes, they were crunchy.
chutzpah.
after driving down 123 and not seeing a single open food establishment, my first meal of 2008 was at chutzpah. not that it's a bad thing - the omelet, bagel and homefries (and coffee!) i dominated were pretty delicious.
lost dog cafe.
home to some of the best sandwiches in the dc area. and the biggest shocker? i ordered the republican! but honestly check out #16 and tell me that's not the most delicious sounding sandwich ever.
artie's.
in what's quickly becoming a brown family tradition we saw the kite runner and then hit up artie's for some ozzie rolls and entirely too much food.
duck chang's.
what's christmas day without a movie and chinese? this year it was juno (so good!) and then chinese food in annandale. and we specifically went to one of the most famous duck houses and of course the party in front of us got the last duck of the nice. and i bet they weren't even jewish.
portabello's.
this one came highly recommended and it surely didn't disappoint. it's a neighborhood place tucked away in the corner of a cherrydale strip mall, but it's a hidden gem for sure.
baked & wired.
i managed to go to the newly expanded georgetown bakery two times over the holiday break. you should make it your new years resolution (if you do that sort of thing) to get to b&w and try one of their strawberry cupcakes. they are possibly the best baked good i have ever eaten.
cafe pizziaolo.
in the off chance that you ever find yourself in crystal city you should definitely try this place. it's at the bottom of 23rd street and it's a genuine family run pizza place. oh, and they have board games to play while you wait for your pizzas to bake.
tabard inn.
for hannukah this year my sister and i took my parents out for a scrumptious brunch at the tabard inn and then we hit up the corcoran and strolled through the annie liebovitz and ansel adams exhibits. and it must be my year for giving gifts because it was another big hit.
hook.
a group of us went to this newish georgetown restaurant for dinner. the night was a pleasure! the ambiance was great, we got a seat right by the kitchen, the food was delicious and our waiter was a (arguably) hotter version of adrian grenier.
oyamel.
obviously any place that decorates with piñatas is fine by me, but seriously this place has great food. it one of josé andrés' restaurants and it's known for it's mexican small plates (and it's margaritas of course). oooh, and we tried the famous grasshopper tacos. and yes, they were crunchy.
chutzpah.
after driving down 123 and not seeing a single open food establishment, my first meal of 2008 was at chutzpah. not that it's a bad thing - the omelet, bagel and homefries (and coffee!) i dominated were pretty delicious.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
happy new year!
cheers to 2008!
ps. go hoos! and clearly us belting out the good old song every time auld lang syne played last night was just our way of wishing good luck to the hoos.
ps. go hoos! and clearly us belting out the good old song every time auld lang syne played last night was just our way of wishing good luck to the hoos.
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