Help Me! Dinner in Virginia Beach

Update: I really need your help, people! So I’m reposting this; keep sending in suggestions! Another question: what do people know about One Fish, Two Fish, Mahi-Mahi’s or Aldo’s? Good choices?
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Your editor, along with some old college friends, is headed to Virginia Beach this weekend (and next week). We’re not necessarily talking about the most cultured group here, but I’m going to try to drag them to a decent meal or two. Looking specifically for a good place for blue crabs, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

Leave them in the comments or email us at: thriftyepicure.dc@gmail.com. Thanks everyone!

RW Review: Lunch at Ceiba

In the third of our four-part series on DC’s late summer orgy of prix fixing and harried service, your intrepid editor once again ventured into the field for a little Restaurant Week enjoyment. (Aaaaand that’s enough third person.)

Where did I go? Ceiba. Part of the conglomerate of restaurants that includes DC Coast, TenPenh and Acadiana, I had heard good things. My enthusiasm was somewhat dampened, however, by a friend’s report that TenPenh’s RW menu had been less than thrilling; unfortunately, I learned this on Thursday, one day before our reservation – there was no way I was going to find a replacement. And so off we went – filled with either trepidation (myself) or indifference (my fellow diners). I guess it all depends on whether you’re eating just for the act or for its larger (blogging) implications.

You should know that Ceiba, unlike these restaurants, is not extending its Restaurant Week promotions. By the time you read this, there will be no prix fixe options available until January. But I think this review serves a purpose anyway: the Restaurant Week experience seems relatively constant across multiple events, and if you remember this exists in January, it could be a helpful guide.

And so the question here is: who made the bigger mistake, myself for going to Ceiba during RW, or you for missing it?

RW Review: Rasika

Yes, Restaurant Week is technically over. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop pumping the event for all the possible traffic I can get. Also, Rasika is extending its RW promotion until the 24th, so you still have six days to get in the door. Good luck making reservations, of course.

Unlike most of my RW pit stops, I actually got in to Rasika for dinner. Yes, it was an early dinner (5:30), but you do what you have to. Honestly, it might not have been that “cool,” but unlike the people eating at 7:30 or 8:00, we had no service problems, everyone was really nice and the place wasn’t completely insane. Two non-food notes: first, servers at Rasika seem to stand very far away from the table and then shout at you. An odd choice, though maybe my BO is not as concealed by my Old Spice as I once thought? Also, for a nice restaurant, Rasika isn’t very smart about concealing evidence of the gauche background of some of its decor: I must have peeled two or three “Bed Bath and Beyond” price tags off of various bathroom accoutrements. Not that I would fault a restaurant for going the cheap route: I am the “thrifty” epicure after all. I just found it amusing. I wish I had taken a picture.

With the increase in prices to $35.08, whether RW dinner is still a good deal is definitely an open question. At Rasika, however, you want to be there for dinner – the selection is considerably better. Ignore the menu at the Rasika website; I don’t know if they thought to publicize their wishful thinking, but it doesn’t match what they are serving. Head to Washingtonian’s Best Bites (which I link to so often I should be a subsidiary) instead. The most obvious discrepancy between the online and actual menu is the missing Palak Chaat, or crispy spinach, at lunch. As I have been told, and as our waitress mentioned about half a dozen times, crispy spinach is Rasika’s “signature appetizer.”

Blog Round-Up: 8/18

One day late, but with all the blog-round-up-y goodness you’ve come to expect. I’ve tied in the recipes I liked this week as well; yes, I am too lazy to create two posts of other people’s content.

• Restaurant Week, Restaurant Week, Restaurant Week, etc etc etc. [Best Bites, et al.]
• Blogger metrocurean gets the scoop on two new restaurants in town: Beer-and-American Suisine focused Birch and Barley/ChurchKey in Logan Circle and farm-to-table Founding Farmers. [metrocurean]
• Why are there no prix fixe brunches in DC, asks t/e friend Brunch DC. Oh, go back to New York already. [Brunch DC at DC Fud]
• Organic to Go opens with requisite fanfare, block long lunchtime lines on F St. and in McPherson Square. [Penn Quarter Living]

Recipes I liked this week:

• Homemade Bulgogi [WhereInDC]
• Corn, Pepper and Feta Salad (with produce from the Adam’s Morgan Farmer’s Market!) [the arugula files]
• Curried Tofu Salad with Blueberry Tomato Dressing [Salty Girl Cooks] [As a vegetarian (expect a post on that this week), I must say that SGC is an invaluable source of interesting veggie-friendly recipies. -Ed]
• Raspeberry Sorbet [Houndstooth Gourmet]
• Blackberry Shortcake with Lavender Cream [Food Rockz]
  

RW Review: Lunch at Bistro Bis

I’ll try to keep this short – there are dozens of RW reviews out there, and information overload and paralysis is certainly possible.

Your editor along with three former coworkers visited Bistro Bis for lunch on Thursday. Bistro Bis, in the Hotel George near Union Station, is the sister restaurant to Vidalia and describes itself as a “very modern version of a French Bistro.” BB was serving a relatively extensive Restaurant Week menu, though as Todd Kliman noted, they have a significant number of upcharges: at least half of the menu items required at least a $3-$6 charge above the $20.08 cost of lunch.

Generally the biggest complaint about Restaurant Week is the service: it tends to be rushed, forgetful and somewhat rude. After all, these people are dealing with considerably larger crowds than they would see ordinarily (not that that excuses them). The service at Bistro Bis, however, was largely excellent, with only two exceptions: first, they brought our entrees very quickly after our appetizers; though I hadn’t finished my appetizer  (it was very large), they whisked it away and replaced it with my meal. Also, they pulled the whole “put the check down on the table before dessert was served” manuever – obviously they were hoping to push us towards the door. Servers were very helpful however, our water glasses were conscientiously refilled and any questions or concerns we had were promptly answered. I wasn’t that bothered by the service at all.

Weekend Farmer’s Market Update: U St., Mt. Pleasant, Bloomingdale

Not as much to report for the U St. Mt. Pleasant and Bloomingdale markets. Dolcezza Gelato will be joining the U St. market permanently, if you can’t wait to get your artisanal (and expensive!) gelato/sorbet fix until Sundays.

At the Mt. Pleasant market, Reid Orchard will be selling a limited quantity of unsweetend peach nectar – if you’re sick of paying $6 at brunch, make your own Bellinis. Also, WIC and the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program will be hosting a Family Fun Day event. “Banjerdan” – I believe that he plays the banjo – will perform and there will be other activities.

Market Locations:

• U St.: On the sidewalk of the Reeves Plaza, at the NW corner of 14th and U Streets NW. 9am-1pm Saturdays
• Bloomingdale: In front of the Big Bear Cafe on First and R Streets NW. 10am-2pm Sundays.
• Mt. Pleasant Farmer’s Market: In the park between 17th & Mount Pleasant and Park & Lamont Streets. Saturdays, 9am – 1pm.

After the jump, the full emails from the markets, with recipe tips and more fun. Sign up for the U St./Bloomingdale market email by contacting Robin Shuster at marketsandmore@gmail.com, and the Mt. Pleasant market email by going here.

Farmer’s Market Preview: 8/14/-8/17

Today we preview the various FRESHFARM markets around the area. The highlights:

• At the Penn Quarter market (TODAY from 3:00-7:00pm), Rochelle Schaetzl of Nando’s Peri Peri, a new South African restaurant chain, will be giving a cooking demonstration. See here for more.
• The Dupont Circle market (Sunday from 9:00am-1:00pm) will have a demonstration by Frank Morales of Rustico at 11:00am.

Check back tomorrow for the U St., Bloomingdale and Mt. Pleasant Markets, depending on the promptness of their various listservs. </crosses fingers>

In other farmer’s market news, evidently a new market has opened in the King St. Garden Park. Every Wednesday from 3:00-7:00pm.

After the jump, see the weekly FRESHFARM market email. You can subscribe to that email here.

DC Bagels: Better than Round Bread, I Swear

Can you find a good bagel in DC? It can be difficult. Certainly you aren’t going to get one a grocery store; what I’ve seen has really epitomized the “round bread” nature of bad bagels. Too soft, no crust, almost crumbly. A friend of the blog, and an inveterate New York-ophile, maintains that a good bagel is impossible to get “this far south,” though if pressed, he’ll admit to going to So’s Your Mom, a little deli in Adams Morgan. Another friend swears by Heller’s in Mt. Pleasant. Buy a bagel, get a pistol! [Yes, that is a little politically topical DC humor for you. Love it. -Ed]

Now I’ve never been to either place, but I have another contender for “somewhat more than palatable DC bagel:” Bagels Etc. of Dupont Circle. Bagels Etc. is right around the corner from work, making those mid-morning breakfast runs convenient and delicious. Its a tiny little counter, run by very friendly Chinese ladies who immediately try to take your order when you walk in the door. Make sure you take a moment, though, because the menu is extensive: a large selection of cream cheeses for the ever elusive shmear, classics like lox spread, cream cheese cucumbers and sprouts as well as a full selection of hot and cold deli sandwiches. They even have a number of vegetarian options.

Really though, a broad selection of options means nothing if the bagels themselves are no good. But don’t worry, these are tasty: chewy, crusty, with a defined bagel shape. There’s nothing I hate more than the creeping disappearance of the hole in the middle of a bagel. Bagels should be defined loops: the dough should not swell to fill the hole, and, horror of horrors, the hole should not be obscured by a clump of filling. The national bagel chains (Bruegger’s and Einstein’s come to mind) are the worst offenders in this; but it’s good to see somebody standing strong against the general decline of bagel standards.

Restaurant Week is Here!

Yeah, yeah you know. We’ve covered this week pretty exhaustively here.

But if you’re wondering where this blog is eating, I won’t leave you in suspense. Expect reviews from Bistro Bis, Ceiba, Rasika and PS-7s coming in the next 10 days or so. (Remember when we reviewed Cafe Atlantico’s and Poste’s menus because we were headed there? Well those reservations got cancelled. Oh Well.)

A week without cooking

Sorry there hasn’t been much in the way of bloggy goodness this week; real life has actually intruded on this little internet project. But I’m back now, and ready to bring you the regular dose of insight, wit and pure culinary genius.

Also, this has been a strange week for me – I haven’t cooked a single time. Not for others, not for myself. It’s been a little weird. In fact, not only haven’t I cooked, but other people have cooked for me. On Sunday, a friend had a “house-cooling” party: she’s leaving her place in Shaw for the wilds of Friendship Heights. In a meal that was explicitly explained to us as “cleaning out the fridge” we had lemon caper chicken, vegetable quiche, and a pear-almond-Gorgonzola salad with homemade vinaigrette. It was nice; really tasty – though for me the nicest thing was being able to enjoy a meal without having to worry about what still needed to be cooked, or cleaning up afterward!

And check out this chicken:

After the jump: more food pictures, and pictures from the other reason I haven’t been cooking this week.