Appetite Stimulus Plan in Washington, D.C.

Kim mentioned this event to me the other day… similar to Washington, D.C. Restaurant Week, restaurants in the District are offering discounted lunch and dinner meals starting today, November 17 through November 21. Find out more info here…

Brunch at Café Atlantico… sans Latin dim sum…

Café Atlantico
405 8^th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
202.393.0812
http://www.cafeatlantico.com/

José Andrés’ popular Café Atlantico restaurant is one that has been on my To-Do list for quite some time now, so I was very excited when Christina, Stephanie and I decided to go for their Latino dim sum brunch. Unfortunately, we went during Restaurant Week, and because of the RW promotional menu, they weren’t offering their dim sum that day. It was a sad moment.

But then we ordered Bloody Marys and got over it.

The Bloody Marys were really good… They tasted fresh, and were perfectly seasoned. If you’re normally a fan of Bloody Marys, I would recommend trying one from here.

Our server was a little strange, and though he was always around, he wasn’t very attentive.

As usual, Christina was running a little late, and because we love her, we decided to wait until she got there so we could all order together. However, our 1:30 reservation was quickly inching toward 2:30, and finally our server decided to inform us that the kitchen would be closing soon to prepare for dinner. So we had to order for her. No big deal.

We decided to order off the regular menu because we wanted a wider selection than the one offered on the RW menu.

To start, we got the guacamole, which was prepared fresh at our table. It was very good. Steph and I almost ate the entire thing before Christina got there… in an effort to hold ourselves back from inhaling the green goodness, we each ordered another Bloody Mary.

For our main courses, Stephanie ordered the duck pupusas, filled with duck confit and Chihuahua cheese, served with cabbage salad, and foie gras fondant; for Christina we ordered the Cuban burger, topped with sobrasada and fried egg; and I ordered the sobrasada sandwich, with mozzarella, grated tomato, arugula, honey alioli, and served with mixed greens.

Sadly, our server didn’t order Christina’s Cuban burger. Instead he ordered two sobrasada sandwiches, which unfortunately, none of us liked very much. We thought it was too sweet; the honey alioli was just too much. Stephanie’s duck pupusas were pretty good though. Too bad we didn’t get two of those instead.

Since we knew they were trying to get us out of there to set up for dinner, we didn’t order any dessert, and tried not to linger too much longer.

My long awaited Café Atlantico experience left me disappointed. The absence of the Latino dim sum was a disappointment, the food was a disappointment, and the service, while maybe not a complete disappointment, could have been better (he wasn’t a total airhead… at least he was nice).

Despite all this, we’re going to go back for dinner soon, and hopefully things will go a little better. Also, the three of us are planning on trying Café Atlantico’s Minibar later this year… a 30-course extravaganza, which some refer to as Cirque de Soleil for food. Mmm… I can’t wait.

See more about Minibar here…
http://cafeatlantico.com/miniBar/miniBar.htm

Dinner at Todd English’s OLiVES

Todd English’s OLiVES
1600 K St. NW
Washington, DC 20006
202.452.1866
http://www.toddenglish.com/

Stephanie and I had dinner at Todd English’s Olives a couple weeks ago for Restaurant Week. Overall, everything was decent.

Olives offers Mediterranean cuisine in an elegant and stylish dining room. Service during Restaurant Week is known to be spotty and poor, however the service we had that evening was terrific! I don’t remember his name, but he was attentive, informative, and very friendly.

Olives’ Restaurant Week menu was a bit on the skimpy side, and didn’t really have anything that peaked our interest, so Steph and I decided to order off the regular menu instead.

For starters we ordered the beef carpaccio, with Roquefort polenta, shaved parmesan, and balsamic cipollini onions; and the artichoke flatbread… however, our server accidentally gave us the fig and prosciutto flatbread instead, which was pretty good… it was served with sweet-sour fig jam, gorgonzola, prosciuto di parma, on a rosemary crust. I’ll just have to remember to order the artichoke flatbread (served with montrachet goat cheese and caramelized onions) next time I’m there. I absolutely loved the beef carpaccio. I’ll probably get that again during my next visit.

For our main course, Steph ordered the herb ricotta ravioli, with roasted tomato ragout and a pesto ricotta salata. I had the potato gnocchi, with sausage, dandelion greens, pecorino romano, and brown butter bread crumbs. Her ravioli was delicious, however, my gnocchi was very very salty. I was still guzzling down water when I got home because I was so thirsty.

We decided against ordering dessert since neither of us had any room. Despite receiving the wrong flatbread and the super salty gnocchi, Steph and I really liked Olives. I think it’s a place worth visiting again.

Side note: Todd English has a couple of TV shows… Cooking with Todd English and Food Trip with Todd English. Both are aired on public television.

Birthday Dinner at Napoleon and the Metropolitain in Adams Morgan

1847 Columbia Rd., NW
Washington, DC 20009
202.299.9630
http://www.napoleondc.com/

The girls took me to Napoleon in Adams Morgan for my birthday, which was nearly a month ago (I know, I’m a little behind on my blog postings). Napoleon is an upscale French bistro owned by the same people who run Café Bonaparte in Georgetown.

The dining room is chic with black walls containing red and gold stripes. We were seated in a cozy little booth in the corner of the room; the perfect spot for us to talk as loudly as we wanted… and it was right next to the bar!

We decided to order a couple of appetizers and a few different entrées to share among the four of us. We ordered: Napoleon Mini Burgers, served on a bed of three sauces—sun-dried tomato ginger ketchup, grilled scallion mayo, and honey mustard; Apple and Brie Crepe Chips served with sautéed apples and melted brie; Napoleon Frites served with ketchup and herb mayo; C&C Risotto, shrimp and duck confit, with green peas and truffle oil; Porc Mignon, sirloin stuffed with spinach and wild mushrooms, served over mashed potatoes and black olive demi-glaze; and Cote d’Agneau, roasted New Zealand lamb rack with potato gratin, sautéed spinach, served with a fresh bay leaf demi.

For dessert, Katherine and Kim shared one of the sweet crepes, while Roman and I shared a glass of Sambuca. :)

After dinner, the four of headed downstairs to the restaurant’s basement lounge, called the Metropolitain. Although it was a little small, it had a fun atmosphere, decent music, and an eclectic crowd. We hung around for a while… Kim tried a couple of their champagne cocktails, which they’re known for. She said they were good. I enjoyed the vibe, and wouldn’t mind coming back… I thought it was a nice place to hang out at after dinner.

Thanks again guys, for a great birthday!!

Margaritas at Lauriol Plaza in Adams Morgan

1835 18th St., NW
Washington, DC 20009
202.387.0035
http://www.lauriolplaza.com/

It was a beautiful day last Sunday… mid-80s, lots of sunshine, an occasional breeze blowing through your hair, and perfectly fluffy clouds floating in the sky.

Jason and I met a couple friends for margaritas at Lauriol Plaza in Adams Morgan. Lauriol Plaza is a Mexican restaurant with three levels of seating, and two outdoor patios—one at street level, and the other on the third level. The four of us got a table on the third level, overlooking the city.

Margaritas were flowing for the next couple of hours. We each had a couple shots of Patron… and then the rest of the afternoon turned into a bit of a blur…

Although many reviewers feel that Lauriol Plaza has become a bit overrated over the past few years, I still think it’s a great place to go to hang out and share a couple pitchers of margaritas with your friends. And if the weather is nice (as it was in our case that day), it’s always fun to sit out on one of their patios.

The food is nothing spectacular. It’s pretty standard Mexican with a bit of a Latin American flare. That afternoon, we munched on a few appetizers to add a little substance into our tequila-filled bellies… ceviche, fresh fish marinated in lemon and Peruvian herbs; tamales wrapped in corn husks and stuffed with chicken; and guacamole.

That afternoon we got there at 4:00pm, so it wasn’t really too crowded, and we were able to get a table without any issues. However, this place does get very very crowded, and the wait can be up to an hour-long on some nights. And unfortunately, reservations are not accepted, so I would suggest arriving early. And if you get there and there is a wait, you should just stand in the bar area and toss back a couple margaritas until your table is ready.

DC Restaurants, margaritas, Mexican, tasting journal

Mate in Georgetown

3101 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007
202.333.9232
http://www.latinconcepts.com/mate

Sometimes it takes more than just a pretty face to be a success… Mate, a Latin sushi restaurant in Georgetown, proves this to be true. The girls and I took Katherine there for her birthday the other day, and although reviews had forewarned us that Mate was just another trendy establishment, with satisfactory food and often attracting an over pretentious crowd, we had high hopes anyway. Trendy can be good, right?

Not only was the food just adequate, but the infamous “eye candy” that was supposedly plentiful there, was pretty much non-existent (but then again, maybe that was because we were there on a Tuesday night). The service was a little shaky throughout the night, and at certain points we had trouble flagging down our server. The skimpy menu consisted predominantly of sushi, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but probably not a good thing either if you’re hungry.

In addition to your usual nigiri and sashimi, Mate also offers several types of “Latin sushi”, which is basically a creative hybrid of Latin and Japanese elements all rolled up into one. The results include the Tamalito Roll (yellowtail, jalapeno, avocado, plantains, and corn mesa wrapped in daikon radish skin), the Buenos Aires (jumbo lump crab with torched salmon and tempura crunch, with wasabi mayo), and the Mate Luxe Roll (eel, sweet plantains, jumbo lump crab meat, English cucumber, and avocado wrapped in nori).

We rounded out our meal with several orders of seaweed salad (not bad), a couple orders of edemame (also pretty tasty), miso soup for Roman (I didn’t get to try this, but Roman said it was good), and ceviche (not bad). Katherine and Kim tried Mate’s mojitos, which were okay. We finished off the evening with raspberry sorbet (refreshingly delicious) and presents for Katherine.

Despite the limited menu and spotty service, I would definitely go back to Mate on another night. It has a nice atmosphere and seems like it could be a fun place to go for drinks with your friends.

DC restaurants, tasting journal

DC Restaurant Week: Mie N Yu

Mie N Yu
3125 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007
Tel: 202.333.6122
http://www.mienyu.com/

It’s a shame when a beautiful restaurant with such great potential and with which I had such high hopes for doesn’t measure up to par in terms of service and quality of food. While I understand that servers and restaurants can have their bad days, it’s rather disappointing when you feel that other diners around you seem to be getting better service than you are—or really, just any service at all.

In honor of DC's Restaurant Week, the girls and I decided to have Sunday brunch at Mie N Yu in Georgetown. I had been looking forward to dining at the aesthetically appealing restaurant with inspiration originating from Asia, North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Americas. Mie N Yu consists of various dining areas, such as the Moroccan Bazaar, the Red Baroque Room, the Tibetan Dragon Room, the Turkish tent, and even a giant steel birdcage suspended from the second floor, each boasting gorgeous and vibrant décor that’s sure to send a few to “ohh” and “ahh”. If these dining rooms aren’t stunning enough, head down to the unisex restroom on the lower level, where individual stalls with tall wooden doors surround a cluster of sinks with faucets that filter water into barrels filled with pretty stones.

Mie N Yu’s menu offers an equally appealing and eclectic selection of items. The Restaurant Week brunch version included intriguing starters such as the Thai Poo Poo Grille, with Korean barbequed ribs, shrimp dumplings, beef satay, tempura vegetables, and served with a roasted pineapple sweet chili sauce; and the Smoked Salmon Bruschetta, with pastrami rubbed smoked salmon and feta cheese, and served on a toasted baguette. Some entrées included the Tandoori Chicken Kabob, with roasted garlic humus, tzatziki and apricot raisin couscous; the Peanut Chicken Salad, with grilled teriyaki chicken, toasted peanuts and Asian slaw; the Crab Hash, with sautéed blue crab meat, onions and garlic seasoned potatoes; and the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, served on sesame challah bread, with a remoulade sauce.

Unfortunately the stunning décor and diverse menu wasn’t enough to make up for the lack of service and poor quality of food. From the moment we stepped foot inside the restaurant, the staff acted as though our existence was somewhat of an inconvenience to their day. As I mentioned before, I know that servers and restaurants can have bad days, and Restaurant Week can be an especially busy time for some dining establishments, but the service that we received during our visit was extremely disappointing and left a really bad first impression of something that I thought would be wonderful. I’m not normally the type to make quick judgments so I’m not going to shun this place off all together and never return again. I’d like to give Mie N Yu another try or two before I make any solid opinions.

Katherine and Roman both wrote a letter to Oren Molovinsky, the general manager at Mie N Yu, explaining the dining experience that we had at his restaurant. David Troust, the associate general manager, replied to both, offering his sincere apologies and extending his regards with a $50 gift card to the restaurant. Below is a copy of Roman’s letter (similar to Katherine's, but a little shorter) and Mr. Troust’s reply.

***

(Roman's letter)

Mr. Molovinsky,

Three friends and I recently chose your restaurant to dine at for
restaurant week this year and I would like to share our disappointing
experience. I had heard wonderful things about the restaurant from
friends and coworkers, and I was very excited to experience it for
myself.

After the hostess lead us to our table, she stood and watched as two
friends struggled to sit in the wooden bench. Although we laughed
about it, she almost appeared annoyed. After looking over the menu, a
server came over to take our drink orders (no greeting) and I was
feeling a little under the weather, so I asked for a cup of hot tea.
The server asked what kind I wanted, and I replied asking what kind
the restaurant offered. The server replied rather rushed "anything,
what kind do you want?", and again I asked what kind the restaurant
offered. After providing me with three options, I felt as if I was
inconveniencing him.

After approximately twenty minutes of watching the hostess seat tables
and help them with their chairs with a smile, and watching the server
walk past our table without making eye contact, we began to feel
somewhat neglected, but assumed it was busy and tried to be patient.
Finally, I flagged down a manager who took our orders. After another
twenty minutes, and after we watched tables who were seated after us
and order the exact same appetizer receive their food before us, we
received our cold appetizers, minus the extra Salmon Bruschetta we
ordered off the regular menu. Again, we tried to be patient and
assumed it would be out shortly, but it never came and we decided not
to say anything.

Through the rest of the meal, the server came by once or twice and
made an attempt to be friendly, but never refilled our drinks or asked
if we needed anything, nor did the manager who took our orders. At
the end, the check was quickly dropped off, and we were charged for
the Salmon Bruschetta that we never received, and upon informing our
server of this, he simply stood there staring at the table trying to
recall if we had received it or not. Once he "believed" us, he simply
corrected the check without so much as an apology.

I would like to say that having worked in the restaurant industry for
years taught us to be patient and understanding, but this experience
was simply intolerable. After tipping 20% we tried to brush it off,
but I could not shake the disappointment. Employee after employee
providing us with mediocre, if not poor, service and then watching
others receive great service let me know the employees were not "in
the weeds", they were simply rude to us. Had I had the opportunity to
taste the food hot, or even room temperature, I would give you
feedback on that, but unfortunately I cannot.

I just wanted to share this experience with you, probably one of the
worst I've had, so that you have an idea of the kind of service some
of your patrons are receiving. Thank you for your time.

***

(Mr. Troust's response)

Roman,

First of all, I would like to thank you for choosing Mie N Yu as your
brunch destination for Restaurant Week, and for your gracious comments
concerning previous visits to the restaurant. Also, thank you for
taking the time to give us open, honest feedback regarding your dining
experience. Feedback such as this allows us to address guest
comments, and strive to create an even greater dining experience in
the future. I would like to apologize to both you, and the friends
you dined with, for the less than perfect brunch experience that you
had on Sunday.

Our host staff is fully trained to politely lead guest to their
tables, assist them with seating, present the appropriate menus to the
guests, introduce their server, and then wish them an enjoyable meal.
Even with the fast pace of Restaurant Week, we continue to focus our
staff and managers on customer service and enhancing the "guest
experience". I apologize that you perceived the tables around you
received better customer service than your party, this is certainly
not the usual treatment of guests at Mie N Yu. I assure you that this
customer service failure is being addressed with the entire host
staff, and will be utilized for training at our next host meeting this
month.

As for your server, I would also like to apolgize for the perceived
indifference that was present at your meal. After a busy long week,
our staff may have been slightly tired, but that is certainly no
excuse for the treatment that you received. In the future, I would
suggest that you request the manager come to your table, to not only
address your concerns about customer service, but to . Once the
manager's attention was focused on your table, the salmon bruschetta
issue could have also be taken care of more quickly. This email is
also being sent to the manager on duty from Sunday, so we can address
this situation in our weekly meeting.

Once again, I assure you that your brunch experience on Sunday is not
the norm for dining experiences at Mie N Yu. Because of this customer
service failure, I would like to offer you a $50 gift card to Mie N
Yu, to be used during lunch, brunch or dinner. In addition, I would
request that you contact me personally when you are ready to dine with
us again. I will be taking care of your reservation personally, to
ensure the highest level of excellence by our management and staff.
Please provide me with a current address, so I can get the gift card
sent to you as soon as possible.

Thank you again for your feedback, I look forward to hearing from you soon.

David Troust

***

I think it’s important to give restaurants feedback… both positive and negative. In our case, it happened to be negative. The managers and owners deserve to know what’s going on in their dining room; and feedback from diners enables them to improve on areas that may need a little help. I’m looking forward to our next visit, and I have high hopes that our next experience will be a few steps up from the last.

restaurants, Washington, DC, Asian fusion, Tasting Journal

Happy 2007!!

I am finally back from an extended holiday blog break. I had a lovely Christmas with my family, and I got to spend plenty of quality time with Nick. We celebrated the New Year together at Tabaq Bistro on U Street. Nick and I sat on their rooftop terrace and enjoyed a beautiful 6-course meal, complete with a champagne toast and loud party favors! As the ball dropped, confetti flew everywhere! It was a lot of fun! Sadly the holidays are over now, and Nick is back in California. :’(

On Saturday afternoon after Nick’s departure, I decided last-minute to go to Atlantic City with my mother, a couple of aunts and uncles, and a few cousins. On the way up to Atlantic City, we made a stop in Philly’s Chinatown and had dinner at this incredibly cheap Chinese restaurant—our bill (for the 10 of us) was $64! And believe me, we ordered a quite a number of dishes. Maybe the owners got confuse when pricing their menu items? I say this because they certainly got a little confused when writing out the headings for their entrées. Example: “Hot Rice Entries” (see photo).

Because this was a busy holiday year for many of us, the girls and I decided to have our holiday dinner after the holidays. So on Sunday afternoon, after coming home from Atlantic City, I set off to the grocery store to buy ingredients for my BLT Pasta Bake. Dinner was at Katherine and Greg’s place at 7 o’clock. On the menu along with my pasta, there was: Katherine’s butternut squash soup (my favorite!!), Caesar salad, asparagus risotto (Kim’s specialty! Haha), mashed sweet potatoes, roasted chicken, and warm cherry pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert! So yummy! Everything was almost perfect. The only thing missing was Roman, who wasn’t able to make it. :-( Here Roman, I posted a picture of the food for you…

Since Roman couldn’t attend our holiday dinner last Sunday, we decided to all get together for lunch this Sunday at Mie N Yu in Georgetown for Washington DC's Restaurant Week. Restaurant Week is going on right now, and the last day is actually this Sunday. So if you’re free, you should definitely make reservations and try someplace new! It’ll be a great way to start off the New Year!

New Year, Washington, DC, Chinatown, Atlantic City, NJ, restaurant week, Tasting Journal

The Washington Post 2006 Dining Guide

Attention Washingtonians!!

Tom Sietsema’s 2006 Dining Guide has arrived! Check it out here: The State of the Plate

Tom will be fielding questions about his dining guide at WashingtonPost.com tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. You can submit questions before the discussion here: Ask Tom

dining guide, Washington, DC, Washington Post, restaurants, Tasting Journal

Washington, DC Restaurant Week!!

Attention local foodies: It’s the 11^th annual Washington, DC Restaurant Week! Wahoo!! The event will take place from August 14-20 and will include more than 150 participating DC restaurants.

3-course fixed-price lunch - $20.06
3-course fixed-price dinner - $30.06

For more information, see here...

restaurants, Washington, DC, dining out, Tasting Journal

Hotel Washington Sky Terrace Louge
515 15^th Street NW (15^th and Pennsylvania Ave.)
Washington, DC 2004
202.638.5900
http://www.hotelwashington.com/

Nick and I had dinner at the Sky Terrace Lounge in Hotel Washington for our two-year anniversary last week. The Sky Terrace at Hotel Washington is a popular destination for tourists.

When we arrived at our destination on the rooftop level of the hotel, we joined the line of others waiting for a seat that shows a spectacular view of the Washington Capital and Monument. Nick and I didn’t really have to wait too long before someone walked us to our table. We were soon seated at a small wobbly two-top among a mass of out-of-towners. After wiping off the damp chairs and stuffing a wad of beverage napkins under one of the table’s legs (to stop it from wobbling), we were able to sit peacefully and enjoy the beautiful view.

I’ve heard that the Sky Terrace is a great spot for sipping on cocktails while chatting with friends. I would have to agree on that. I was enjoying myself very much after my Grey Goose martini arrived (I asked for dirty, but they forgot the olive juice). After perusing through the menu however, I’d have to say their food is nothing to brag about. The menu consisted of unoriginal salads, sandwiches and hamburgers.

Nick and I ordered tortillas with picante sauce for our appetizer. So basically we had chips and salsa… There were a few other interesting looking items on the starter list however, such as chicken satay, hummus, and Bloody Mary shrimp. I think I’ll probably give those a try during my next visit.

For my entrée, I order the bourbon Teryaki chicken sandwich. The little piece of bland chicken that was hidden between an oversized bun was overcooked and in desperate need of some moisture. My sandwich was so dry that I had to take a sip of my martini after each bite to help it go down. Nick was a little bit luckier with his dish. He ordered the Mediterranean steak sandwich that was served in pita bread with lettuce, tomato, feta cheese and yogurt. I liked the combined flavors of feta and yogurt in his sandwich.

We decided to skip on the dessert. I did order some Sambuca however, just so Nick and I could enjoy the best part of the restaurant a little longer – the view.

While the food and service were really not the highlighting points of the Sky Terrace, it is still a nice place to go if you have great company and want a basic burger with a fancy view.

restaurants, Washington, DC, great views, hotels, Tasting Journal

My Birthday Dinner... Ardeo Restaurant and Bardeo Wine Bar

I used to work for Ashok Bajaj when I was 20-years-old. I was a server and bartender at one of his restaurants called The Oval Room, in Lafayette Square, near the White House.

Even before working for Bajaj, I was already familiar with his restaurants and the type of service and quality of food that he extended to his guests. I was in fine dining territory working for him. I had to learn the “proper” way to serve, the correct way to clear plates, how to gracefully open a wine bottle, how to make fancy cocktails, how to pronounce all the sophisticated names of all the dishes I was serving, and how to not look like a 20-year-old doing it all. I was definitely a clumsy one. I looked and felt awkward working there. Not surprisingly, the General Manger came to me before a shift one morning and told me that he didn’t think things were working out (with me). He said that I was too young and inexperienced, and that maybe I should try Ruby Tuesdays down the street! And with that, I turned in my apron, and said farewell to fine dining… at least for the moment.

I decided against Ruby Tuesdays, and instead worked my way around a variety of other restaurants in the Maryland and DC areas. Although I never cared to go back to the Oval Room, I did have a desire to try a few of Bajaj’s other dining establishments around town. A couple of which included Ardeo Restaurant and Bardeo Wine Bar, both located side by side in Northwest DC.

* * *

For my birthday last week, the girls surprised me with dinner reservations at Ardeo Restaurant. We arrived an hour early so we could check out the scene next door at Bardeo Wine Bar, and sample some of their wine.

All dolled up, the four of us stepped into Bardeo’s small dining room and headed straight for the crowded bar. Although we had dinner reservations next door, I took a quick scan at their menu anyway. Bardeo offers about a dozen small plates, some of which include: a crispy goat cheese salad, served with marinated beets, baby frisee and walnuts; a platter of charcuterie and antipasta; and a petite filet of Wagyu beef served with creamed spinach, fingerling potatoes, and crisp shallots.

The wine menu offers selections by the glass and half bottle. If you really want to sample wine however, the best option is to order the wine flight, which is a tasting of 3 ounces of four different wines served next to each other. The girls and I ordered the wine flight along with some cheese samples. Really, what could be better than wine and cheese? Oh, I know! Complimentary shooters! In honor of my birthday, the bartender threw in a round of B52 shots!

Soon after the last of the wine had been drunk, and the remaining morsels of cheese had been swallowed, the four of us walked through a door connecting us to Ardeo’s dining room for our dinner reservations.

Ardeo’s menu is a list of trendy modern American dishes that tend to arrive to the table in style. For example, the jumbo lump crab salad appetizer is served on top of Bloody Mary granite, garnished with micro celery, and presented in an attractively chilled caviar glass. The executive chef, Christopher Bradley, seems to not only value the importance of food presentation, but lucky for us, aims for delicious taste as well.

After I finally stopped gushing over the aesthetically pleasing jumbo lump crab salad, my delight transferred over to the seared Ahi tuna, served on top of micro greens, and garnished with cherry tomatoes, haricot verts, and quartered pieces of boiled egg. This appetizer was very good! I should have ordered the entrée version of it. The calamari was also tasty; it came out lightly battered and fried, and was served with a side of spicy harissa aioli.

For our main courses, the girls and I ordered a variety of dishes and shared them all with each other. The entrées that we selected included the grilled sirloin presented in a spinach foie gras emulsion, served with baby carrots and a Yukon gold puree, in a red wine reduction; the seared duck breasts, served on top of noodles, in a sesame-star anise jus; the grilled Mahi Mahi, presented on a plate with a side of micro greens and slivered almonds; the pan roasted salmon, served with sautéed mustard greens and smoked bacon, in an apple rosemary coulis; and the green asparagus risotto with wild mushroom ragout. My favorites were the grilled sirloin, and green asparagus risotto. I practically licked remnants out of the risotto bowl! The salmon was the least popular among our table. It was a bit dry, and flavors just weren’t as prominent as the other dishes.

We decided on two desserts from the menu. The first was the espresso SemiFreddo, served with mocha praline and mocha caramel sauce. The second was the chocolate peanut butter bombe, presented with chocolate sauce and peanut bark. Both were beautifully displayed and tasted excellent!

By the end of the dinner, we were all thoroughly stuffed. I had a wonderful evening, and a great gastronomic experience! Thanks so much girls, for the delicious birthday!!

For more information on hours, directions, etc., see their website here...

food, restaurants, Washington, DC, wine bars, American cuisine, Tasting Journal

Katherine’s Birthday Dinner and a Show…
Shear Madness and Tabaq Bistro...

In honor of Katherine’s birthday, the girls and I decided to do something different, something more than just dinner at a restaurant and drinks at a bar. We decided to see Shear Madness at the Kennedy Center, and then have dinner at a restaurant and drinks at a bar.

The six o’clock show was a nice start to our evening. Shear Madness is a whodunit type of comedy that takes place at a hair salon in Georgetown. The improvisational plot consists of a murder crime with audience interactive sleuthing. After a couple hours of laughter and playing detective, we headed to a lounge across the hall for some drinks.

The girls and I had some time to kill before our 9 p.m. reservations at Tabaq Bistro on U Street. I had heard many wonderful things about this place, the most impressive being the glass roof-top terrace with an immaculate view of the city, and offering a picturesque display of the Washington Monument and Capital.

Brothers Omar and Melih Buyukbayrak are the owners of this Mediterranean inspired restaurant. The menu offers a wide selection of tapas, or small plates, adopting bold flavors from Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, and Morocco. A nice variety of both meat and vegetarian dishes are offered. Selections include Dolma, stuffed grape leaves with rice, pine nuts, currants, and spices; Su Borek, a hand rolled pastry layered with feta cheese, roasted pepper, and dill; and manti, Turkish style beef ravioli with red pepper and garlic, and served with a yogurt sauce. Full sized entrées are available as well. The chef presents grilled beef medallions prepared with eggplant, mushrooms, and a kalecik karasi wine sauce; braised lamb shank served on a puree of eggplant and cheese; and a filet of Branzini, which is a Mediterranean Sea Bass, stuffed with chermoula, and served with almond-currant rice and lobster sauce.

I snagged a list of their specialty martinis before we left. Some of the concoctions sound really tasty, such as the fresa, a blend of belvedere vodka, pureed strawberries, and a splash of champagne; and the roma, a mixture of belvedere pomerancza vodka, pomegranate juice, and sour. The oliv martini, with a mixture of tanqueray 13 and olive juice, served with blue cheese stuffed olives also caught my eye (I love blue cheese stuffed olives)! Wine is also available, and although we didn’t have any that evening, I hear the selection is promising, with bottles coming from the Eastern Mediterranean regions of Turkey, Greece, and Lebanon.

One thing Tabaq lacks is organization. Roman and I experienced rude and unprofessional service when trying to make reservations. The woman on the other end of the phone seemed quite flustered when I asked to reserve a table for a party of 6 on the roof-top. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were seated at the wrong table, and then were told that we would have to wait for the next available table. What’s funny is that Roman and I even made two separate reservations, one at the bar-top and one at a table. Unfortunately both fell through, and we ended up eating in the dining room instead.

Despite Tabaq’a lack of organization, it is still worth the trip. The view from the glass terrace is reason enough to visit. However, there are other levels to enjoy as well. The attractive dining room (The Red Room) is located right beneath the terrace, and the basement houses the chic Tabaq Lounge. The restaurant also has two additional VIP rooms.

By the end of dinner, we were all feeling quite content. Before we left, the staff at Tabaq made sure that we walked out on a good note… a birthday dessert was brought out with “Happy Birthday Katherine” written deliciously around the plate! Very cute!

After dinner, we headed over to Andulu for cocktails and more fun…!

restaurants, tapas, Mediterranean food, Kennedy Center, birthdays, food and drink, Tasting Journal