Eola
Eola has been on my list of places to try for a long while. It’s always on The Washingtonian top places to eat, but more than that my friends have consistently given praises for this place. And to me, that’s the best testament. Eola is described as modern American cuisine and as having a “cozy and unpretentious interior.” I suppose it fits the bill in that regard – the restaurant was small and charming. We sat upstairs where the lighting was decent (not too dark, though I still needed a lot of flash for my photos), and the ambiance was relaxed and homey. It was also relatively quiet, which is a rarity in DC. The downstairs seemed a little louder but it was hard to tell from the foyer.
It seems like there’s some confusion on Yelp, but Eola only offers a pre-fixe menu, so make sure you’re prepared to spend $61-$65 on a five course meal. The $61 is for the vegetarian or the offal menus. $65 is for the standard menu. Aside from the few chef’s bites in the beginning, you get a choice of about four items each from appetizer, pasta, main course, and dessert courses. My friend and I tried to mix it up as much as possible so we could taste a wide range things. =)
Pictured above is my main course – the Border Springs Farm lamb roast with farro, mustard greens, turnips and long lamb’s jus. I had it done medium rare, so it came out quite juicy and tender. I thought it was very good! I don’t think there was anything particularly remarkable about this dish, but was definitely satisfying. I liked the texture of the farro and the slightly tangy mustard greens.
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dessert dinner restaurants: d.c. ice cream japanese kaiseki sushi
by Lindsey
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Sushi Taro
Okay! I’m going to start posting some of my restaurant pics from 2010 that I never got around to, so do bear with me as I bumble through with my faded memories. A few months ago, I finally got around to trying Sushi Taro in Dupont Circle. I know it’s been a while since they changed over their interior design and menu concept, but I hadn’t actually dined there since the switch. I was really curious to see how they would fare, since I’d heard quite a few mixed reviews. I personally loved the former Sushi Taro, so I was a bit sad that they’d changed, but still hopeful that their new menu would delight.
I walked in and the interior was remarkably different from before. The former homey look with the tatami mats was gone, replaced by a very natural, wooden design with a fresh and modern feel. I liked it, actually! And it was well lit, which isn’t something you can say for a lot of restaurants in DC. (And this is one of my pet peeves…why so dark, DC restaurants? I’d like to see my food too!)
You can order from the menu or ask for the omakase kaiseki-style tasting menu for $80. (You can get it with the wine (sake?) pairing $138). Kaiseki is traditionally a seasonal meal, so this particular menu – from October – reflected what was fresh from the market at the time. If they’re doing it right, you won’t see the same menu now if you stop in for their kaiseki. By the way, if you get the tasting menu on a Tuesday, you get a free bottle of Sushi Taro sake (normally $30), which is what we did!
Pictured above is actually the second course – the “signature dish” of goma (sesame) tofu with uni (sea urchin). I love fresh tofu. I’m used to the grocery store kind, but a homemade tofu is creamy and delicious in ways that you could never imagine tofu could taste like. Apparently my mom used to make tofu fresh, back when I was a kid and you couldn’t just go to the supermarket for a ready-made block of this stuff.
The rest of the meal under the cut!
Pinkberry
I love Pinkberry. I think the froyo trend is kind of overrated, but I have to make an exception for this place, because their frozen yogurt is the bomb. It’s not too mouth puckeringly tart, and it still tastes like it’s not a thousand calories. (I don’t actually know though – I’ve never checked the data). I work near one, which is pretty dangerous. Thankfully it’s been a little too cold lately so I haven’t been showing up there every week.
My favorite is the mango, and though they always have an ample selection of toppings to choose from, I usually only get two items: the mochi and the homemade gummy bears. The mochi doesn’t really taste like much but I love the chewy texture of it. The gummy bears are quite possibly the best I’ve ever had, and they’re coated in a crust of sugar.
I also love that these come in a ‘mini’ size, which is usually just the right amount for me when I need a quick sugar fix!
Kaz Sushi Bistro
Hey everyone! Hope you all survived Hurricane Irene this weekend! I lost power for about three hours early this morning, but other than that, things are pretty much back to normal. I’m quite shocked that the outage didn’t last longer. Pepco is either stepping up at last, or things weren’t as bad as expected around here. I’m accustomed to being out of power for days in such situations, though “accustomed” doesn’t mean it’s any less annoying…
In any case, hello again! I figured it would be quite remiss of me to end August without having blogged once during this month, so here I am. (^__^)/
Today I’m posting about Kaz Sushi Bistro, a place that I actually went to a few years ago and just had a so-so impression of at the time. I’m not sure why that was. Maybe it had something to do with high expectations. I went there shortly after a presentation I’d seen at the Smithsonian on Japanese cuisine, where Chef Kazuhiro Okochi and the illustrious Chef Masaharu Morimoto both did presentations. (This included an awe-inspiring demo of Morimoto breaking down a large fish with masterful knifing skills. It’s not the same watching him on TV vs live-action. I was in the presence of greatness). I am a huge fan of Morimoto, so when I heard that he’d sat down with Kaz at his restaurant and talked shop with him, my expectations just skyrocketed. Perhaps this was somewhat unfair. Regardless, I just never had a chance to try Kaz’s for a second go, so I went back again about a month ago, with optimism.
It probably helped that I was with an equally enthusiastic food-lover (the “Digital Nomad” Drew). I find that when you dine with other food aficionados, the meal just ends up tasting better. Such was the case this time.
Pictured above is the sushi we ordered a la carte. They were all quite fabulous, though my particular favorites were the sweet shrimp and the Walu (Hawaiian white toro). Everything was fresh and tasty. The rolls could have been a little more tightly bound, as some were falling open at the seam, but the flavors were spot on, at least.
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dinner restaurants: chocolate comfort food d.c. salad sandwiches wine bar
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Dickson
Dickson Wine Bar on U Street is a bit tricky to find…I walked right past it, even though I was specifically looking for it! But it’s worth the trouble all the way. I stopped in there for dinner and a glass of wine (a lovely Muscadet domaine de la Foliette 2008) and enjoyed every moment. The restaurant itself is small and narrow, with a few floors (3, I believe). My friend and I took a table on the middle floor by the bar. The place was dark and cozy, and on the night we went, it wasn’t very crowded. It was a nice change from the rowdy places I’ve been to in the vicinity. The service was attentive and nice.
Pictured above is the braised leek and goat cheese flatbread, my favorite dish of the evening. The leeks were absolutely delicious, sweet and simple. It came with a nice fresh green salad with a light vinaigrette.
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dinner restaurants: american d.c. pastries salad seafood
by Lindsey
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Dirty Martini
Dirty Martini, located a few blocks up from Farragut North, describes itself as “a unique, upscale, sophisticated and casual place to enjoy great food and drinks, do business and more importantly have a good time!” I suppose a place can be “upscale” and “casual” too, but it does seem like they’re trying to be a whole bunch of things at once. On the day that I went, they were trying to be a night club in addition to restaurant. They had a live band playing near the back, which was anything but fun times. It was so loud I could barely hear a thing over the din, even though I was sitting in a nice rounded booth so it wasn’t as though I had to yell across the table or anything. The fact that the bar area was right next to the dining tables didn’t help the noise level either. Service was just okay, ranging from a little absent to overly eager. I guess this contrasting service is a reflection of their own confused identity. We would ask for extra plates for sharing, get them, and then some other waiter would walk by and sweep them away! (Perfectly clean plates, mind you. Why would they do that?? Clearly those plates were sitting there for a reason!) I was a bit flabbergasted after the second time that happened…
The food, however, was actually quite good. Pictured above is the chipotle honey glazed Cornish hen with grilled papaya salsa, sauteed vegetable medley and orange zest infused yellow rice. It was absolutely delicious. The glaze did amazing things for that Cornish hen, leaving the skin crispy and golden while keeping the meat tender on the inside.
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brunch restaurants: american comfort food d.c. pastries
by Lindsey
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Tabard Inn
There are plenty of places in DC that offer brunch on the weekends, but I’d heard especially good things about the Tabard Inn. According to their website, it is recommended that you make brunch reservations two to three weeks in advance. I think I’d ended up making them only one week out, so my reservation was on the tail end of the brunch hours. Metro being…Metro, I was terribly delayed and was afraid I wouldn’t get there in time! Thankfully, they were nice enough to seat my friend, who got there on time, and she went ahead and put in our orders so the kitchen wouldn’t be closed by the time I arrived. The staff there was really nice about everything, and didn’t rush us through our meal or anything. (^__^)
I loved the decor, with the quaint black and white tiles and cozy atmosphere. It was so welcoming and warm. When I arrived, the housemade doughnuts were already on the table. ♥ My friend was so good about this and didn’t start in on them until I had a chance to take my pictures. XD I actually felt kind of bad about this, because as a result of the wait, the doughnuts didn’t taste as freshly fried as they could have, had we eaten them when they first came out. Still, they weren’t bad!
The rest of the brunch under the cut:
beverage dessert dinner restaurants: cocktails d.c. mexican
by Lindsey
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El Centro D.F.
I actually have a whole bunch of posts that come before this one chronologically, but I promised to move this up my queue, so here it is! A couple months ago, I got an email from my friend Junk Food Guy asking me to help him set up his new blog. As a bribe, he would take me to a free dinner that he won via Urban Daddy at El Centro D.F., a new taqueria near U Street NW. I’m actually not a big fan of Mexican food, but I have a feeling that has something to do with the fact that I haven’t had very good Mexican food in my life. I remember thinking during Top Chef Masters Season 1 that I would like to try Rick Bayless’s Mexican cooking, because it looked so good! Maybe I was missing out on something really amazing, here. So I headed off to El Centro with “open heart and empty stomach.”
For the dinner special, we were taken down to a stony, almost dungeon looking room downstairs that serves as their “tequileria” – where they stock a huge number of tequilas at the bar. We had some time beforehand, so the bartender told us about the various tequilas they have there, and that you can order a “tequila flight” if you wanted to try a bunch of them. (He even showed us the shot glass tree thing they serve it in).
After waiting around for a while, we finally got around to ordering food. The dinner was in three courses. For the appetizer and dessert courses, they gave us a sampling of three items each. The entree course was the only one where we got to choose from a selection of things. I’ll begin with the appetizers, pictured above. There was a sampling of chicken flautas, chicken tamale, and steak huaraches. They were all very good! I think my favorite was the steak, though it’s a bit hard to see in this photo (it’s near the back). It was like a mini steak flatbread pizza. I actually don’t think I’ve ever had a tamale before, but I really enjoyed this one.
The rest after the jump:
Red Hook Lobster Pound
The Red Hook lobster truck has been around for a while by now, but I did have occasion to try them a few months back. I took an hour out of my lunch break to wait in line on a cold winter’s day in a queue that went down the length of a city block. What was I thinking? But I suppose that the blogger part of me felt somewhat obligated to give it a go! By the time I got to the front of the line, I ordered practically everything on the menu, just because I doubted I’d be back again very soon. I got one Maine style lobster roll ($15), New England clam chowder ($7), apple cider ($3) and a whoopie pie ($3.50). The service was really nice, and I think they appreciated that you’d waited in line for so long.
I think I made a mistake when I ordered the Maine style. Actually, I didn’t even know there were two different kinds of lobster rolls, which was an oversight on my part. I don’t remember if they asked me what kind I wanted, because I would’ve asked them what the difference was and would probably have ordered the other kind had I known. Anyway, the Maine style is served cold, with mayo. The Connecticut style is warm, with butter. Clearly the Connecticut style sounds superior! I was expecting it to be warm, so was very disappointed when I bit into the cold lobster meat. I think the flavors are more robust when they’re warmed up. The bread was nice and buttery though, so that was good.
Bistro D’OC
Bistro D’OC is a little southern French restaurant near the Ford’s Theater in downton DC. They have a nice and relatively affordable menu of items that were all very thoughtfully done and tasted comforting and warm, like bistro food ought. Pictured above is my main course – squab roasted with chanterelle mushrooms and fingerling potato with a gratin of turnips. It was decent, though I was a bit disappointed by how little meat was actually on the bones (though I do realize it’s a small bird..). And it didn’t quite hold up to the squab dish I had at Citronelle, which made me a squab fan to begin with!
The rest of the meal:
Tea at Morrison Clark
My friend hosts a Christmas Tea every December, and this year she had it at the historic Morrison Clark Hotel. Our party of about 18 people had a room all to ourselves near the back of the restaurant, and we had a lovely buffet set out for us in the main room, filled with tiers of sandwiches and pastries. Pots of hot water were brought to us at the table, alongside baskets filled with nice teabags from Harney & Sons. I had several different kinds of teas, from Earl Gray to Dragon Pearl Jasmine. My favorite was the Pomegranate Oolong, which had a wonderfully floral flavor to it.
Now without much ado, the spread:
Lupe
In the old space that used to be Sesto Senso is a Mexican Cantina called Lupe, and I stopped in there a little while ago to meet up some friends for a quick dinner. The interior is pretty nice, with the high ceilings that I remember from the old place, and warm, colorful decor that wasn’t too over the top. The chairs could’ve been more comfortable, but in all, the place was very pleasing.
I got the fish tacos (pictured above), which came with beans and rice. I thought it was okay, but rather underseasoned and in need of a good sprinkle of salt. I thought it lacked punch, as I expected a bright citrus flavor or spiciness from the salsa, neither of which were present.
I also had the corn on the cob:
afternoon tea restaurants: d.c. pastries sandwiches tea
by Lindsey
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Afternoon Tea at Teaism
I still have a bit of a backlog to slog through, but I thought I’d post about something while it was still fresh in my mind for change. XD;; I got out of work early yesterday, so after swinging by the Downtown Holiday Market (where I got a lovely handmade wool hat), I stopped in at the Teaism in Penn Quarter for their daily Afternoon Tea. Their tea is served everyday between the hours of 2:30 and 5:30 at $20 per person. I was curious about how this teashop would handle an afternoon tea service. I went with the “traditional” tea, though they also have an “Asian” one featuring rice balls and green tea ice cream.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that they served it in the classic tiered presentation. I had to make two trips to carry everything downstairs, where I chose a nice table by the water fountain to take my tea.
I had a piping hot pot of Darjeeling tea, which was aromatic and just the right thing on a cold winter’s day. I sort of wished they could serve it to me in a real tea cup, but that’s just a minor complaint. As for the food:
Cuba Libre
When Cuba Libre, a Philly-based chain, opened in Penn Quarter a few months ago, they did this brilliant promotion – diners got 50% off if they dined the first week, and 25% off the second. (I went on the last day of week 2). A restaurant always has to work out a few kinks when they first open, so I thought it was a great way to get people in the door and keep them happy, even if there were a few glitches in service.
Speaking of glitches, I encountered one immediately upon entering. And maybe this wasn’t really a glitch but just standard operating procedure. My friend was waiting for me outside, but was on a quick phone call. I said I’d go ahead and let them know we were there, and hopefully get seated while she finished up her call. The maitre’d informed me that I would have to wait until my friend came in to be seated. Now, I understand that restaurants prefer to seat an entire party only when everyone has arrived, because of the possibility of no-shows, etc. I thought the fact that my friend was just outside and was going to join me in 2 minutes should have counted for something, but no…I had to wait in the busy foyer area until she came back inside. I was rather vexed. And the thing is, I don’t think I would have minded waiting – all he had to do was placate me with an apology (even a fake one), but the maitre’d acted all stone-faced, like he was too snobby to bother.
And I have gone on for far too long on this subject! (^__^);; Suffice it to say I was not happy with the front of the house, and first impressions are rather important…especially when opening a place.
I should say that our waitress was extremely accommodating and attentive! Aside from the check that had to be sent back to include the discounted price, the rest of the evening’s service was very lovely indeed. The interior decor was big and fabulous, with stained glass windows and impressive fronts that made it look like you were on a street in Cuba. Somewhat kitchy, to be honest, but I suppose that was part of the appeal. The place was pretty loud, so it’s not a place for an intimate dinner.
As for the all important food – I’ll start with the appetizer course, pictured above. I had the dark rum-glazed pork belly with vigorón slaw. I enjoyed this dish a lot! The pork was fatty and luscious, and paired well with the light vinegary slaw.
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Bar Pilar
I had the most delicious time at Bar Pilar for dinner a few weeks ago, and it’s definitely now on my top places to eat in the U Street corridor. It’s a narrow little neighborhood restaurant with lots of character and charm and serves small plates, tapas style, for sharing. Their website describes their cuisine as “New American” with a focus on organic and seasonal produce.
Pictured above is the whole grilled prawns with lemon, olive oil, and sea salt. It’s absolutely true that there is perfection in simplicity, and this is it. No fancy flairs to overpower the natural, wonderful flavor of the prawn.
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