Willow Restaurant
4301 Fairfax Dr.
Arlington, VA 22201
Type of Cuisine: Modern Continental (French and Italian influence)
Neighboorhood: Ballston (across the street from the Ballston Metro), plenty of garage parking (validation).
One place I had heard a lot about was Willow in Ballston. Since I've lived in Northern Virginia since college (and in Virginia for summers in college), most of my foodie life has been spent in this area. So I've been quite pleased with the sudden push of new restaurants into Northern Virginia in both Clarendon/Ballston and Alexandria. Since I now live in the Court House area of Arlington, I'm particularly interested in restaurants that I can walk to or get to on the Orange line. I had heard great things about Willow, so I was very excited when my boss told me that our department lunch was going to be at Willow. So I went to Willow for lunch with my whole department. Unfortunately for my menu knowledge, my department at my office includes my boss and myself, but my boss happens to be a bit of a foodie herself.
Menus: (the entree menu at Willow is subject to relatively consistent change)
Appetizer (shared): Margarita Flatbread - Tomato, Basil, Scallions, Fontina and Parmesan ($16)
Entrees:
Me - Potato Wrapped Norwegian Salmon Filet - Ricotta Cheese Pancakes and a Ragu of Brussel Sprouts, Apple Wood Bacon and Oyster Mushrooms with Mustard Fumet ($26 dinner, $16 lunch)
Boss - Sauteed Flounder Filet stuffed with Lobster Moussse - Oranges, Broccolini and Parmesan Raviolini ($30 dinner, $18 lunch - not currently on the menu)
Desserts (split):
Apple Florentine Torte w/ Caramel Sauce ($8)
Sticky Toffee Pudding w/ Caramel Sauce and Danish Sweet Cream Ice Cream ($8)
Sweet:
Salmon - I don't usually order salmon in a nice restaurant. There are generally too many other items that are intriguing and salmon is very rarely different. I can make salmon at home decently and there isn't much you can do to dress salmon up. This salmon seemed different for some reason (I think it was the potato wrapping). I'm quite glad I did try the salmon as it was delicious. The mustard fumet was quite good and it complemented the salmon (I like salmon with mustard seed) and the potato wrapping was that unique touch that really separated this salmon from other salmon I've had. All in all, it was delightful. I give the chef a lot of credit because of the side items. I didn't particularly enjoy the ricotta pancakes, partly because of my dislike for melted (or heated) cheese and partly because they were definitely too sweet for me, with a bit of a strange texture. The chef also served brussel sprouts, which I haven't tried since I was a little kid and I didn't like them then. I had them now and, particularly with the mustard fumet, the sprouts were fantastic. I was thoroughly impressed and finally understand why my father likes them so much. The slightly sweet fumet complemented the bitter nature of the sprout perfectly.
Flounder: I had a small taste of the flounder, but as I don't really enjoy lobster, it wasn't really for me. The flounder had a very subtle taste to it beyond the flounder, which was good. I tend to believe that a good flounder has a wonderful flavor by itself. My boss, who loves this place and lives right near it, very much enjoyed her entree. Judging by her impeccable taste (she's an extremely good cook as well), I tend to believe her impression. She said that the lobster mousse was very flavorful, perceivably from the lobster itself.
Apple Florentine Torte: The dessert was again, quite creative an interesting. The tortes are very high and the pastry shell is quite substantial. It's not overly buttery but very flavorful. The apple is not terribly sweet, but a nice ending to the somewhat heavy meal. It's a lot of flavor put together in one dish, which usually scares me away, but this time, it happens to work quite well.
Decor/Atmosphere: Willow is a neighborhood fancy restaurant. It's decor is friendly, but elegant. The set up is pretty good with tables spread enough to allow for friendly conversation. It's a pretty white and brown colored place that is not at all disturbing. The chef and chief of operations (husband and wife) both come out of the back regularly to meet with their clientele. I'm not sure how pleasant she was, but it's definitely a nice touch that I'm assured happens regularly. It adds to the "neighborhood restaurant" feeling.
Bland:
Flatbread - Apparently the flatbreads are a staple on their menu. They are one of the few things on Willow's menu that never changes. They are one of those items that are in between appetizers and entrees, but we chose to split one as an appetizer. They are almost like a VERY thin pizza with no outer crust. They are definitely a little more tomatoey than a normal pizza (although less saucy) and light on the cheese as well. It was a well prepared appetizer that really accentuated the flavor of the tomatoes while using the cheese very lightly. The crust was almost cracker like, but with a slightly sweet accent. All in all, it was a good appetizer, but I would not suggest the flatbread as an entree. I think that the flatbread would get a little old if you ate the whole thing and you'd be a little disappointed that you went to a nice restaurant and ate only flatbread. It was a little wet and difficult to eat.
Service - I know you didn't expect a "sweet" service from me and this is no exception. The service was good, but forgettable. The waiter wasn't overwhelmingly friendly and was a little too pressuring. They did a pretty good job keeping sodas filled, but seemed annoyed that we wouldn't order alcohol for a work lunch. He didn't do the greatest job processing the check which I believe is the only time a waiter should act quickly.
Bitter:
Toffee Pudding: It was nothing special. I was expecting a lot more with a unique dish. It didn't wow me and it's not overly memorable. I think it was a little sweeter than I wanted from it. So all in all, I would leave it.
Recommendation:
Quality: ***.5
Value: $$$.5
I'd give it three and a half stars. It was a very good restaurant with a nice homey feel. I give the chef a lot of credit for a creative menu and it seems like a gem in the middle of a very "chainy" area of restaurants, so it's a good one to know. It's a good restaurant nearby with easy parking, which is hard to find. That said, I think that the creative menu can sometimes lead to some mistakes and I think that they will ultimately come with any dish. I also think that the constantly changing, creative menu gives you little to rely on. Also, they claim that their specialty is probably fish, but you usually want to know what you go to a restaurant for (fish, meat, vegetables and appetizers, etc.). This place doesn't really have a calling card, it's general creativity, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just a choice. It's also a very vegetarian and vegan friendly place (particularly vegetarian as there is a lot of dairy in things.
It gets a 3.5 value rating as well. I think it's a good value if you're going to like creative food. It's still an oasis in the middle of chain restaurant hell. The prices are not overly expensive for the food you're getting, so I think that you're still getting a very good value. I'd avoid the wines as the wine list, while creative and unique, isn't overly impressive or well priced. I really love the homey feel, so I would definitely eat there again.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Vidalia
Vidalia
1990 M St., NW
About .4 miles from Dupont Circle Metro
About a half mile walk from Farragut West Metro
Cuisine: Southern Influence
My final restaurant week endeavor was for a lunch at Vidalia. The only better time to get a good deal on a meal than a restaurant week dinner is a restaurant week lunch. A three course meal (not usually the same menu) for $20.08 is a fantastic way to try a new place. On top of that, it lets you cook for dinner, and save even more money! Vidalia came as a recommendation and it was quite good. I met one friend for a nice late lunch. The place was still pretty crowded, even at 1:30 and people were still coming in at 3. Vidalia put out a lot of their full menu for restaurant week, but half of the menu had relatively hefty surcharges. In looking at Vidalia's lunch menu, they normally do a $28.00 prix fix tasting menu, which could be a decent deal, especially if you can use the whole menu with no upcharges. The friend I went with keeps kosher so that basically means no meat or seafood but fish at a restaurant, particularly no pig products.
Menu:
Appetizers:
Me - Vidalia's seasonal lettuce blend - with roulade of hazelnuts, brad’s goat cheese, dried apricots, fines herbes and champagne vinaigrette ($10.50)
Friend - wild mushroom soupcreamy purée with red wine-truffle emulsion and house cured shoat pancetta (not on regular menu)
Entrees:
Me - roasted briar hollow farm rabbit legwith ginger-carrot purée, heirloom onions, herbedspaetzle and amish mustard-rabbit emulsion (not on regular menu)
Friend - roasted chatham bay codwith whipped brandade, smoked vegetable gelée and meyer lemon-soft clam vinaigrette
Dessert:
Split - vidalia’s lemon chess pie: buttery crust filled with rich lemon custard garnished with berry compote and chantilly cream ($10.25)
georgia pecan tart: served warm with butterscotch sauce, cocoa nib ice cream, praline and chocolate tuile ($10.75)
Sweet:
The Cornbread! - The cornbread is worth the price of admission. You should totally go to Vidalia and get cornbread and soda. It would be pretty cheap because the soda was only $2.95 (average in DC) and the cornbread was free. The cornbread was among the top two cornbreads I've ever had (the other is my mother's). It is perfectly granular and has a nice sweetness to it. You'll notice a trend, but it has a slight hint of onion in it and a lot of butter (the only downfall of the cornbread). At the same time, I think that's how cornbread is supposed to be. It's not a healthy place folks. It's southern cuisine. The cornbread is served with a delightful sweet onion marmelade.
The Set Up - The tables were well spread out with plenty of space. Conversation was very easy because there was very little background noise. Added onto that, the waiters (I didn't see any female servers) put the trays down at the entrance to the room and just carry plates into the room and to the table. It's a nice touch that helps the set up and increases space while reducing noise. The little things do count.
My Salad - My salad was delicious and it wasn't for the normal reason. Normally I like a salad because it's well put together, there's the right amount of dressing and the dressing is good. I can also like a salad because they do a very good job with the tomatoes and other vegetables, but this salad was good because the lettuce was fantastically fresh (that's right, alliteration folks). There was, of course, a hint of onion in the salad greens, a springy mesclun mix of sorts. The flavor of the lettuce and oniony aftertaste actually took over the salad. The vinaigrette was a subtle complement.
Cod - I only had a small bite of the cod, but it was a very flavorful fish. There was a hint of onion and a little too much butter in the flavor, but that was a very small problem when compared to the use of the flavor of the fish. The chef didn't try to mask the flavor of the fish, instead, it also chose to complement it (I'm big on bringing out the natural flavor of foods). It had a slightly crispy outside, and a very southern flavor.
Bland:
Rabbit - The rabbit was pretty good, but it didn't have the same appeal as the rest of the meal. It was a pretty small amount of rabit (much different than the rest of the meal) and the rabbit didn't really augment the flavor of the rabbit. Once again, there was a clear taste of onion in the entree (mixed in with the heirloom onions). This time, however, the onion was a complement to the mustard seed, not to the rabbit which is a shame because it was a good cut of rabbit. Rabbit has such a distinct flavor that it wasn't great to lose. The mustard sauce was good, but not as good as it could have been. There was also a good amount of butter in it.
Desserts - I think the desserts would probably be stellar if you just went to the restaurant for dessert, but they were a little too much after that meal. The first bite was better than the last for the lemon chess. The lemon chess part was delicious, but the crust was far too much butter in flavor and feel. It was a very substantial pie, so if you're hungry after your meal, you won't be after the pie. The pecan tart was a very good item with a definite southern feel to it, but it was also very heavy, sweet and butter was the overpowering flavor. The ice cream, however, was a fantastic complement to the pecan flavor. Don't go in expecting a good pecan pie, because this tart is a little more chocolatey than tradition would dictate. The main problem with both desserts is that they are VERY heavy.
Decor - The decor was very minimalist. It tried to be creative, but it pretty much comes down as simple. I don't think the decor particularly matched the cuisine. It was very square (plates and light fixtures). The tables were large and round, which was kind of a nice contrast. There were very few wall decorations and it was kind of an off white look. All in all, it was a very simple look, which is definitely better than distraction, but it certainly didn't wow me.
Service - The service was very varied. I think my description would be professional, but a little standoffish. As I stated earlier, they carry plates in from the edge of the room, which I really liked. The waiter was knowledgeable, but not particularly willing to share that knowledge when he knew it was necessary. My friend told the waiter he couldn't eat meat and ordered the soup. The server recommended the cod, but didn't mention that there was ham in the soup. He did, however, take the soup back and bring my friend a new soup with no ham in it. I was impressed by that, but it shouldn't have happened in the first place. He kept the drinks filled pretty well (although we had water) and was very efficient. He left us plenty of time to eat, which was good, even though it was lunch and I would have liked to eat a little faster. He wouldn't have known that though. His demeanor was very professional the whole time.
Bitter:
Mushroom Soup - Aside from the obvious problem of not telling my friend that there was ham in it...who puts ham in a wild mushroom soup? Then it would be ham soup with wild mushrooms! I never heard anything good about the soup, I heard it was again, oniony and buttery, which doesn't seem to get along well with mushrooms. I heard the soup was pretty heavy, which is also a problem with an appetizer course. So the soup gets a bad rating.
Menu - The menu is exhorbitantly too confusing. They put a lot of words in four or five different languages on the menu, and with the standoffish nature of the staff, they are not particularly the type of place to explain a lot of the menu to you. I feel that when you put together a menu, you need to make sure that you pick a language or two.
Feeling Afterwards - The food is very heavy, it definitely weighed me down when I was done.
Recommendations:
Quality: ***.5
Value: $$
Three and a half stars. The Cornbread really may be that good. If you like onions and you're in the mood for a HEAVY meal, Vidalia is a good place to go. If you're looking to impress someone, you can pretend that you understand the menu and it's a good place to acknowledge knowing about. Watch out for that after feeling because it's a heavy meal.
I give it a 2 $ value rating. It's not an amazing value, but the food is pretty good. It is relatively highly priced for southern cuisine, particularly the desserts. You won't get out of there for less than $60 a person for a three course dinner. It's worth trying once, but I don't see southern cuisine as the ideal special occassion meal, but it is a special occassion price.
1990 M St., NW
About .4 miles from Dupont Circle Metro
About a half mile walk from Farragut West Metro
Cuisine: Southern Influence
My final restaurant week endeavor was for a lunch at Vidalia. The only better time to get a good deal on a meal than a restaurant week dinner is a restaurant week lunch. A three course meal (not usually the same menu) for $20.08 is a fantastic way to try a new place. On top of that, it lets you cook for dinner, and save even more money! Vidalia came as a recommendation and it was quite good. I met one friend for a nice late lunch. The place was still pretty crowded, even at 1:30 and people were still coming in at 3. Vidalia put out a lot of their full menu for restaurant week, but half of the menu had relatively hefty surcharges. In looking at Vidalia's lunch menu, they normally do a $28.00 prix fix tasting menu, which could be a decent deal, especially if you can use the whole menu with no upcharges. The friend I went with keeps kosher so that basically means no meat or seafood but fish at a restaurant, particularly no pig products.
Menu:
Appetizers:
Me - Vidalia's seasonal lettuce blend - with roulade of hazelnuts, brad’s goat cheese, dried apricots, fines herbes and champagne vinaigrette ($10.50)
Friend - wild mushroom soupcreamy purée with red wine-truffle emulsion and house cured shoat pancetta (not on regular menu)
Entrees:
Me - roasted briar hollow farm rabbit legwith ginger-carrot purée, heirloom onions, herbedspaetzle and amish mustard-rabbit emulsion (not on regular menu)
Friend - roasted chatham bay codwith whipped brandade, smoked vegetable gelée and meyer lemon-soft clam vinaigrette
Dessert:
Split - vidalia’s lemon chess pie: buttery crust filled with rich lemon custard garnished with berry compote and chantilly cream ($10.25)
georgia pecan tart: served warm with butterscotch sauce, cocoa nib ice cream, praline and chocolate tuile ($10.75)
Sweet:
The Cornbread! - The cornbread is worth the price of admission. You should totally go to Vidalia and get cornbread and soda. It would be pretty cheap because the soda was only $2.95 (average in DC) and the cornbread was free. The cornbread was among the top two cornbreads I've ever had (the other is my mother's). It is perfectly granular and has a nice sweetness to it. You'll notice a trend, but it has a slight hint of onion in it and a lot of butter (the only downfall of the cornbread). At the same time, I think that's how cornbread is supposed to be. It's not a healthy place folks. It's southern cuisine. The cornbread is served with a delightful sweet onion marmelade.
The Set Up - The tables were well spread out with plenty of space. Conversation was very easy because there was very little background noise. Added onto that, the waiters (I didn't see any female servers) put the trays down at the entrance to the room and just carry plates into the room and to the table. It's a nice touch that helps the set up and increases space while reducing noise. The little things do count.
My Salad - My salad was delicious and it wasn't for the normal reason. Normally I like a salad because it's well put together, there's the right amount of dressing and the dressing is good. I can also like a salad because they do a very good job with the tomatoes and other vegetables, but this salad was good because the lettuce was fantastically fresh (that's right, alliteration folks). There was, of course, a hint of onion in the salad greens, a springy mesclun mix of sorts. The flavor of the lettuce and oniony aftertaste actually took over the salad. The vinaigrette was a subtle complement.
Cod - I only had a small bite of the cod, but it was a very flavorful fish. There was a hint of onion and a little too much butter in the flavor, but that was a very small problem when compared to the use of the flavor of the fish. The chef didn't try to mask the flavor of the fish, instead, it also chose to complement it (I'm big on bringing out the natural flavor of foods). It had a slightly crispy outside, and a very southern flavor.
Bland:
Rabbit - The rabbit was pretty good, but it didn't have the same appeal as the rest of the meal. It was a pretty small amount of rabit (much different than the rest of the meal) and the rabbit didn't really augment the flavor of the rabbit. Once again, there was a clear taste of onion in the entree (mixed in with the heirloom onions). This time, however, the onion was a complement to the mustard seed, not to the rabbit which is a shame because it was a good cut of rabbit. Rabbit has such a distinct flavor that it wasn't great to lose. The mustard sauce was good, but not as good as it could have been. There was also a good amount of butter in it.
Desserts - I think the desserts would probably be stellar if you just went to the restaurant for dessert, but they were a little too much after that meal. The first bite was better than the last for the lemon chess. The lemon chess part was delicious, but the crust was far too much butter in flavor and feel. It was a very substantial pie, so if you're hungry after your meal, you won't be after the pie. The pecan tart was a very good item with a definite southern feel to it, but it was also very heavy, sweet and butter was the overpowering flavor. The ice cream, however, was a fantastic complement to the pecan flavor. Don't go in expecting a good pecan pie, because this tart is a little more chocolatey than tradition would dictate. The main problem with both desserts is that they are VERY heavy.
Decor - The decor was very minimalist. It tried to be creative, but it pretty much comes down as simple. I don't think the decor particularly matched the cuisine. It was very square (plates and light fixtures). The tables were large and round, which was kind of a nice contrast. There were very few wall decorations and it was kind of an off white look. All in all, it was a very simple look, which is definitely better than distraction, but it certainly didn't wow me.
Service - The service was very varied. I think my description would be professional, but a little standoffish. As I stated earlier, they carry plates in from the edge of the room, which I really liked. The waiter was knowledgeable, but not particularly willing to share that knowledge when he knew it was necessary. My friend told the waiter he couldn't eat meat and ordered the soup. The server recommended the cod, but didn't mention that there was ham in the soup. He did, however, take the soup back and bring my friend a new soup with no ham in it. I was impressed by that, but it shouldn't have happened in the first place. He kept the drinks filled pretty well (although we had water) and was very efficient. He left us plenty of time to eat, which was good, even though it was lunch and I would have liked to eat a little faster. He wouldn't have known that though. His demeanor was very professional the whole time.
Bitter:
Mushroom Soup - Aside from the obvious problem of not telling my friend that there was ham in it...who puts ham in a wild mushroom soup? Then it would be ham soup with wild mushrooms! I never heard anything good about the soup, I heard it was again, oniony and buttery, which doesn't seem to get along well with mushrooms. I heard the soup was pretty heavy, which is also a problem with an appetizer course. So the soup gets a bad rating.
Menu - The menu is exhorbitantly too confusing. They put a lot of words in four or five different languages on the menu, and with the standoffish nature of the staff, they are not particularly the type of place to explain a lot of the menu to you. I feel that when you put together a menu, you need to make sure that you pick a language or two.
Feeling Afterwards - The food is very heavy, it definitely weighed me down when I was done.
Recommendations:
Quality: ***.5
Value: $$
Three and a half stars. The Cornbread really may be that good. If you like onions and you're in the mood for a HEAVY meal, Vidalia is a good place to go. If you're looking to impress someone, you can pretend that you understand the menu and it's a good place to acknowledge knowing about. Watch out for that after feeling because it's a heavy meal.
I give it a 2 $ value rating. It's not an amazing value, but the food is pretty good. It is relatively highly priced for southern cuisine, particularly the desserts. You won't get out of there for less than $60 a person for a three course dinner. It's worth trying once, but I don't see southern cuisine as the ideal special occassion meal, but it is a special occassion price.
Smith & Wollensky
Smith & Wollensky
1112 19th Street, NW
Washington, DC
Type of Cuisine: Steakhouse
Price: Expensive
My next adventure was a guys' night at a real New York steakhouse. I always like to try a steakhouse during restaurant week because I feel that I get my money's worth. It's located right in the middle of the steakhouse district (two doors down from the Palm and Sam & Harry's), but really near a lot of the mid-town bars and Farragut North/West metros. I'm noticing a common theme that a lot of the good DC restaurants seem to be located there. I guess it's good to know where you want to be when you want good food in the city. For the record, we sat down with one particular rule: If you got your steak cooked any more than medium, you would be throttled and then kicked out of the table (I assumed that the chef would probably do the throttling). The restaurant week menu wasn't very exhaustive, but it was a pretty good example of their cuisine (one filet mignon, one shrimp and one chicken dish). There wasn't much of a choice in the group of guys.
Menu:
Appetizers: Me - Baby Argula Salad, tear drop tomatoes with raspberry vinaigrette and manchego cheese (not on the regular menu)
One Friend: Wollensky Salad - romaine lettuce, honey dijon dressing, mushroom caps, fresh smoked bacon, potato crutons and teardrop tomatoes ($9)
Two other friends: The soup of the day - Seafood gumbo (shrimp, crab? scallop?) ($8)
Entrees: All four of us had the filet mignon - served in a cabernet demiglaze, mine and one friend's were rare (the true steak lover's way to get a steak), the other two friends had medium rare ($42)
We also got a side of "steak" fries, which was not included in the restaurant week menu ($10)
Drinks: I had a ginger ale ($4), but my friend had their recommended wine pairing, a Pico Cabernet from California.
Desserts: All four of us had the New York style cheesecake, shunning the fresh fruit and apple streudel ($8.50)
Sweet:
Filet Mignon - The filet mignon was what you would expect from a top notch steak house. It was moist, perfectly tender, cooked to a perfect rare with a slight char on the edges. The first bite absolutely melted in my mouth (friends said that about the medium rare too, but I don't believe them). The cabernet sauce was a little bit sweeter than I would have liked, but it worked pretty well with the steak.
Cheesecake - The cheesecake was a true NY Cheesecake in the mold of Lindy's of Times Square and Junior's. It had a slightly grainy texture that is often absent in a lot of cheesecakes that pretend to be good. It showed that there was something added to a more ricotta style of cheese. The crust was moist and fit well with the grain of the cheesecake. It was pretty sweet, but not overly so, and surprisingly light for how heavy it was (I know that doesn't make much sense, but you have to try it to know what I mean). It's almost worth going to S&W just for the cheesecake and avoid dinner if you can't afford it.
Argula salad - I really liked the argula salad with the raspberry vinaigrette. The teardrop tomato was a little disappointing as it wasn't quite ripe, but they put the right amount of vinaigrette (more tangy than sweet) and shaved cheese onto the salad. The lettuce was also very fresh with the perfect slight shades of red and green.
Wine List - S&W has a very patriotic wine list. I really I wasn't sick so I could have tried some of it. All of their wines are American wines, nothing from anywhere else. They had a decent number of varietals from several regions in the country (focused mostly on California), and a good price range. The problem with the wine list is that the mark up was significantly more than a lot of other restaurants for similar wines (generally marked up an extra 20% beyond normal). That said, I still wanted to take on some of their California Red Zinfandels (i've been told by a friend in Sacramento that I really need to try them). I'm not a true wine connosieur by the way, I'd consider myself no more than average on knowledge of wine; but I feel the need to comment on the wine list anyway.
Bland (Yes I changed the word):
Gumbo Soup: I didn't hear much about the gumbo good or bad. They mentioned it was a good first bite and then pretty much ceased speaking about it. No one was quite able to figure out everything that was in it, and pretty much only spoke about shrimp. The reactions were not that it was bad, but they didn't have much to say.
"Steak" Fries: I think the steak fries were more disappointing than not good. They were julienne fries, not steak fries and I was hoping for steak fries. They give you a good amount of the fries for $10, but it's still probably not as many fries as I would want for that price (family style). They were a nice golden brown and not very greasy, but there was nothing special about them, particularly because the waitress recommended them. I would say that while they are good, they are not better than the fries at Five Guys, and the ones at Five Guys are much cheaper.
Service: The service moved itself up from the "bitter" section to the bland section with a late run of personality from our server. Our server started off pretty rocky. She forgot to bring out my friend's wine up front (but as she brought it out she asked "Do you still want the wine? It's on us). So that saved her a bit. She didn't have much of a personality up front and she wasn't overly attentive in the beginning of the meal. I was at a steakhouse and I really wanted the traditional old man in a tux. I think she was overwhelmed (which is a problem b/c that means they didn't staff well). She did, however, give us plenty of time to eat and didn't pressure us at all. Once she was not overwhelmed, she showed a bit of personality, although still a little bit guarded. I was a server for several years, so I'm quite particular about service.
Decor: It was a standard steakhouse decor, nothing overly pleasing, surprising or intriguing. It had the look of the local elk's club or something like that. Wood panelling, a couple of animal heads mounted. The bathroom was nice with some marble. The restaurant was crowded and our table was a little cramped, but I think that was because the table next to us was accidentally pushed a little too far towards us and farther from the other table. The seats weren't overwhelmingly comfortable.
Friend's Wine: My friend seemed to like it alright so I put it on the bland list. I tasted a small bit of it and I thought that it was far too sweet for my liking and it didn't complement the steak very well. It was definitely worth the price because it was free.
Bitter:
Ginger Ale: It kind of fit the prices of some of the stuff there. I don't like when my ginger ale comes in a 10 ounce bottle. I particularly dislike when my 10 ounce bottle of ginger ale is $4 and they don't even tell me that it's going to be a 10 ounce bottle ahead of time.
Wollensky Salad: It has their name on it, so you'd expect it to be good. According to my friend, the only thing that redeemed it was the bacon (which I don't eat). The honey dijon dressing was a bit plain, but a little better than normal, but not what you'd expect at S&W.
Recommendation:
Quality: ****
Value: $$
Four stars. It was a very good meal and I suppose, as far as steakhouses go, good for the price. I recommend that everyone try one of the elite steakhouses on restaurant week (Bobby Van's, Sam & Harry's, The Palm, Charlie Palmer's, J. Gilbert's, Shula's, S&W, ). It's the definite time that you'll get your money's worth at a steak house because they'll always do a 9 or 10 ounce filet. Everyone has their own ranking for these places (note I don't include Morton's or Ruth's in that list. I put them a step below because of the large chain status. I also don't like Ruth's garlic butter frying method of cooking steak). I haven't been to all of those, but I want to try J. Gilbert's really badly.
The differentiator at S&W is the cheesecake if you're in the mood for an expensive steak (particularly business outing). Most places do a similar steak and it's a slight matter of taste. Once in a while, you have to treat yourself.
I gave it a two $ value rating. As for value, you're not going to get value at a steakhouse unless you go to Ray's the Steaks (good value, I'll write it up later). I didn't like their value for drinks (wines, sodas or sides), but the food was good. Definitely go for R-week, otherwise, it's a business lunch or real steak lovers' night.
1112 19th Street, NW
Washington, DC
Type of Cuisine: Steakhouse
Price: Expensive
My next adventure was a guys' night at a real New York steakhouse. I always like to try a steakhouse during restaurant week because I feel that I get my money's worth. It's located right in the middle of the steakhouse district (two doors down from the Palm and Sam & Harry's), but really near a lot of the mid-town bars and Farragut North/West metros. I'm noticing a common theme that a lot of the good DC restaurants seem to be located there. I guess it's good to know where you want to be when you want good food in the city. For the record, we sat down with one particular rule: If you got your steak cooked any more than medium, you would be throttled and then kicked out of the table (I assumed that the chef would probably do the throttling). The restaurant week menu wasn't very exhaustive, but it was a pretty good example of their cuisine (one filet mignon, one shrimp and one chicken dish). There wasn't much of a choice in the group of guys.
Menu:
Appetizers: Me - Baby Argula Salad, tear drop tomatoes with raspberry vinaigrette and manchego cheese (not on the regular menu)
One Friend: Wollensky Salad - romaine lettuce, honey dijon dressing, mushroom caps, fresh smoked bacon, potato crutons and teardrop tomatoes ($9)
Two other friends: The soup of the day - Seafood gumbo (shrimp, crab? scallop?) ($8)
Entrees: All four of us had the filet mignon - served in a cabernet demiglaze, mine and one friend's were rare (the true steak lover's way to get a steak), the other two friends had medium rare ($42)
We also got a side of "steak" fries, which was not included in the restaurant week menu ($10)
Drinks: I had a ginger ale ($4), but my friend had their recommended wine pairing, a Pico Cabernet from California.
Desserts: All four of us had the New York style cheesecake, shunning the fresh fruit and apple streudel ($8.50)
Sweet:
Filet Mignon - The filet mignon was what you would expect from a top notch steak house. It was moist, perfectly tender, cooked to a perfect rare with a slight char on the edges. The first bite absolutely melted in my mouth (friends said that about the medium rare too, but I don't believe them). The cabernet sauce was a little bit sweeter than I would have liked, but it worked pretty well with the steak.
Cheesecake - The cheesecake was a true NY Cheesecake in the mold of Lindy's of Times Square and Junior's. It had a slightly grainy texture that is often absent in a lot of cheesecakes that pretend to be good. It showed that there was something added to a more ricotta style of cheese. The crust was moist and fit well with the grain of the cheesecake. It was pretty sweet, but not overly so, and surprisingly light for how heavy it was (I know that doesn't make much sense, but you have to try it to know what I mean). It's almost worth going to S&W just for the cheesecake and avoid dinner if you can't afford it.
Argula salad - I really liked the argula salad with the raspberry vinaigrette. The teardrop tomato was a little disappointing as it wasn't quite ripe, but they put the right amount of vinaigrette (more tangy than sweet) and shaved cheese onto the salad. The lettuce was also very fresh with the perfect slight shades of red and green.
Wine List - S&W has a very patriotic wine list. I really I wasn't sick so I could have tried some of it. All of their wines are American wines, nothing from anywhere else. They had a decent number of varietals from several regions in the country (focused mostly on California), and a good price range. The problem with the wine list is that the mark up was significantly more than a lot of other restaurants for similar wines (generally marked up an extra 20% beyond normal). That said, I still wanted to take on some of their California Red Zinfandels (i've been told by a friend in Sacramento that I really need to try them). I'm not a true wine connosieur by the way, I'd consider myself no more than average on knowledge of wine; but I feel the need to comment on the wine list anyway.
Bland (Yes I changed the word):
Gumbo Soup: I didn't hear much about the gumbo good or bad. They mentioned it was a good first bite and then pretty much ceased speaking about it. No one was quite able to figure out everything that was in it, and pretty much only spoke about shrimp. The reactions were not that it was bad, but they didn't have much to say.
"Steak" Fries: I think the steak fries were more disappointing than not good. They were julienne fries, not steak fries and I was hoping for steak fries. They give you a good amount of the fries for $10, but it's still probably not as many fries as I would want for that price (family style). They were a nice golden brown and not very greasy, but there was nothing special about them, particularly because the waitress recommended them. I would say that while they are good, they are not better than the fries at Five Guys, and the ones at Five Guys are much cheaper.
Service: The service moved itself up from the "bitter" section to the bland section with a late run of personality from our server. Our server started off pretty rocky. She forgot to bring out my friend's wine up front (but as she brought it out she asked "Do you still want the wine? It's on us). So that saved her a bit. She didn't have much of a personality up front and she wasn't overly attentive in the beginning of the meal. I was at a steakhouse and I really wanted the traditional old man in a tux. I think she was overwhelmed (which is a problem b/c that means they didn't staff well). She did, however, give us plenty of time to eat and didn't pressure us at all. Once she was not overwhelmed, she showed a bit of personality, although still a little bit guarded. I was a server for several years, so I'm quite particular about service.
Decor: It was a standard steakhouse decor, nothing overly pleasing, surprising or intriguing. It had the look of the local elk's club or something like that. Wood panelling, a couple of animal heads mounted. The bathroom was nice with some marble. The restaurant was crowded and our table was a little cramped, but I think that was because the table next to us was accidentally pushed a little too far towards us and farther from the other table. The seats weren't overwhelmingly comfortable.
Friend's Wine: My friend seemed to like it alright so I put it on the bland list. I tasted a small bit of it and I thought that it was far too sweet for my liking and it didn't complement the steak very well. It was definitely worth the price because it was free.
Bitter:
Ginger Ale: It kind of fit the prices of some of the stuff there. I don't like when my ginger ale comes in a 10 ounce bottle. I particularly dislike when my 10 ounce bottle of ginger ale is $4 and they don't even tell me that it's going to be a 10 ounce bottle ahead of time.
Wollensky Salad: It has their name on it, so you'd expect it to be good. According to my friend, the only thing that redeemed it was the bacon (which I don't eat). The honey dijon dressing was a bit plain, but a little better than normal, but not what you'd expect at S&W.
Recommendation:
Quality: ****
Value: $$
Four stars. It was a very good meal and I suppose, as far as steakhouses go, good for the price. I recommend that everyone try one of the elite steakhouses on restaurant week (Bobby Van's, Sam & Harry's, The Palm, Charlie Palmer's, J. Gilbert's, Shula's, S&W, ). It's the definite time that you'll get your money's worth at a steak house because they'll always do a 9 or 10 ounce filet. Everyone has their own ranking for these places (note I don't include Morton's or Ruth's in that list. I put them a step below because of the large chain status. I also don't like Ruth's garlic butter frying method of cooking steak). I haven't been to all of those, but I want to try J. Gilbert's really badly.
The differentiator at S&W is the cheesecake if you're in the mood for an expensive steak (particularly business outing). Most places do a similar steak and it's a slight matter of taste. Once in a while, you have to treat yourself.
I gave it a two $ value rating. As for value, you're not going to get value at a steakhouse unless you go to Ray's the Steaks (good value, I'll write it up later). I didn't like their value for drinks (wines, sodas or sides), but the food was good. Definitely go for R-week, otherwise, it's a business lunch or real steak lovers' night.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Oya
Oya Restaurant & Lounge
777 9th Street, NWWashington, DC 20001
Cuisine: Asian Fusion
My second restaurant week event this season was Oya Restaurant near the Verizon Center (Gallery Place Metro). I had heard good things about Oya before, but I wasn't particularly expecting very much. I went with three friends and all four of us took advantage of the Restaurant Week menu. We had four different appetizers, but ended up being tempted by the same entree and two of the dessert options.
Menu:
Appetizers:
Me: Grilled Sirloin w/ celeriac puree (normal price $10)
Friends: Coconut Shrimp mango beignett (normal price $9)
Cream of Crab Soup (normal price $8)
Spicy Crunchy Salmon (not on normal menu)
Entrees: Chilean Sea Bass w/ miso, edmame, beurre monte and stuffed peppers (normal price $29)
Desserts: Me and One Friend: Chocolate, Chocolate & Chocolate - frozen chocolate mousse in a chocolate shell.
Other Friends: Banana Bread Pudding w/ rum raisin ice cream. (normal prices $8.50)
Sweet:
Decor: Oya had among the most interesting decorum I've seen in DC restaurants. The restaurant was decorated largely in whites, tans and other lighter colors with a bit of a neuvo zen/ying yang feel to it. The walls included one of those glass enclosed water falls and there were numerous half walls throughout the rather open set up. It gave the restaurant a unique feel upon entering.
Entree: We all had the same entree and I feel like each of us made the right decision. It's rare that you can find Chilean Sea Bass at Restaurant Week prices
and we each took advantage of it. The fish was very moist and it cut very easily with a fork (which is good b/c I didn't have a knife for a while). The fish had a slightly sweet flavor that fit very well with the texture of the fish and very much accented the fish's natural flavor. The reviews were favorable for the sea bass across the table. The stuffed peppers were a subtle addition to the meal. The peppers did not have overpowering flavor, but again a very good rice and chicken(?) stuffing with a bit of a creamy (but not cheesy) feel. It was a soft compliment to the sweeter fish.
Salmon Appetizer: I didn't get to taste it, but the friend who ordered it loved it and the friend who tasted it claimed "appetizer envy" (he had the soup).
Drinks: Because of a slight cold that I had, I wasn't able to partake in the drinks or the wine list, but both are quite impressive. The drinks are expensive, but very creative, unique and they use good ingredients (very important). I wish I could have tried them. The wine list was also quite impressive. They have a good variety of regions, types of wine and prices. They also sell wine by the bottle, glass and "tease" which is a 2 ounce glass. It's an interesting idea that would allow someone to taste a good variety of wines without getting too drunk.
Ambivalent:
Sirloin Appetizer: It was a pretty basic smaller cut of the sirloin that I'd assume they serve as the main course. The meat seemed to be a good cut, although cooked a little more than I would have liked. It had a slightly charred texture to the outsides of the meat and was in a very mild sauce that was similar to a hollandaise (thick, starchy, white). It had some good flavor, but not an overwhelminly flavorful dish. Compared to the entree, it was pedestrian.
Soup: Again, I didn't have it, but I didn't hear positive or negative reviews of the soup.
Desserts: I had a chance to try both desserts. My dessert was very good on the first bite, but by the last bite, left me a little unsatisfied. I think the frozen nature of the mousse was a little disappointing and as the bites went by, the taste got a little more watery. Perhaps it was a little too subtle for a chocolate dessert for my tastes, but it was definitely still good. The texture was quite smooth. My friend had a similar opinion of it.
While the carmelized banana was a nice addition, I didn't particularly find the banana bread pudding to be anything special either. I didn't like the rum raisin ice cream very much, but the carmel sauce saved that dish for me.
Bitter:
Shrimp Appetizer: I don't eat shrimp, but my friend said it was a little too greasy and bready for an appetizer.
Service: Perhaps it was because of restaurant week, but we didn't feel like we were being served. Our order was taken very quickly and we were ushered in and out of the place. Our entire dinner (which ended with a fairly large tab) took about an hour. Our server was not very friendly and barely said a word beyond "What would you like to drink?" and "Are you ready to order?" The only thing that took a long time was to process the payment of our check (the only thing that should go quickly in a fine dining establishment).
Set Up: While it wasn't the worst set up I've seen (see Michel Richard's Central), the tables were placed a bit too close together. There was very little space between us and the table behind us on one side, and it happened to be a corridor frequented by the servers. I could hear most of what the other table was saying (which is difficult because my cold was making it difficult to hear other people).
Recommendation:
Quality: ***
Value: $$$
Three to Three and a half stars. The entree, drink list and decor are THAT good! By the way, this is out of five folks. The question between the two numbers is whether the service is bad, or just our server.
Three $ value rating. It is a decent bargain if you're in the area. While our entree was $29 (a little pricey), it wasn't super expensive compared to some of the other possibilities and it was much better than some other $29 entrees out there. I wouldn't travel particularly long distances to try Oya, but if you're looking for something before an event at Verizon Center, it's a good bet for a decent price.
777 9th Street, NWWashington, DC 20001
Cuisine: Asian Fusion
My second restaurant week event this season was Oya Restaurant near the Verizon Center (Gallery Place Metro). I had heard good things about Oya before, but I wasn't particularly expecting very much. I went with three friends and all four of us took advantage of the Restaurant Week menu. We had four different appetizers, but ended up being tempted by the same entree and two of the dessert options.
Menu:
Appetizers:
Me: Grilled Sirloin w/ celeriac puree (normal price $10)
Friends: Coconut Shrimp mango beignett (normal price $9)
Cream of Crab Soup (normal price $8)
Spicy Crunchy Salmon (not on normal menu)
Entrees: Chilean Sea Bass w/ miso, edmame, beurre monte and stuffed peppers (normal price $29)
Desserts: Me and One Friend: Chocolate, Chocolate & Chocolate - frozen chocolate mousse in a chocolate shell.
Other Friends: Banana Bread Pudding w/ rum raisin ice cream. (normal prices $8.50)
Sweet:
Decor: Oya had among the most interesting decorum I've seen in DC restaurants. The restaurant was decorated largely in whites, tans and other lighter colors with a bit of a neuvo zen/ying yang feel to it. The walls included one of those glass enclosed water falls and there were numerous half walls throughout the rather open set up. It gave the restaurant a unique feel upon entering.
Entree: We all had the same entree and I feel like each of us made the right decision. It's rare that you can find Chilean Sea Bass at Restaurant Week prices
and we each took advantage of it. The fish was very moist and it cut very easily with a fork (which is good b/c I didn't have a knife for a while). The fish had a slightly sweet flavor that fit very well with the texture of the fish and very much accented the fish's natural flavor. The reviews were favorable for the sea bass across the table. The stuffed peppers were a subtle addition to the meal. The peppers did not have overpowering flavor, but again a very good rice and chicken(?) stuffing with a bit of a creamy (but not cheesy) feel. It was a soft compliment to the sweeter fish.
Salmon Appetizer: I didn't get to taste it, but the friend who ordered it loved it and the friend who tasted it claimed "appetizer envy" (he had the soup).
Drinks: Because of a slight cold that I had, I wasn't able to partake in the drinks or the wine list, but both are quite impressive. The drinks are expensive, but very creative, unique and they use good ingredients (very important). I wish I could have tried them. The wine list was also quite impressive. They have a good variety of regions, types of wine and prices. They also sell wine by the bottle, glass and "tease" which is a 2 ounce glass. It's an interesting idea that would allow someone to taste a good variety of wines without getting too drunk.
Ambivalent:
Sirloin Appetizer: It was a pretty basic smaller cut of the sirloin that I'd assume they serve as the main course. The meat seemed to be a good cut, although cooked a little more than I would have liked. It had a slightly charred texture to the outsides of the meat and was in a very mild sauce that was similar to a hollandaise (thick, starchy, white). It had some good flavor, but not an overwhelminly flavorful dish. Compared to the entree, it was pedestrian.
Soup: Again, I didn't have it, but I didn't hear positive or negative reviews of the soup.
Desserts: I had a chance to try both desserts. My dessert was very good on the first bite, but by the last bite, left me a little unsatisfied. I think the frozen nature of the mousse was a little disappointing and as the bites went by, the taste got a little more watery. Perhaps it was a little too subtle for a chocolate dessert for my tastes, but it was definitely still good. The texture was quite smooth. My friend had a similar opinion of it.
While the carmelized banana was a nice addition, I didn't particularly find the banana bread pudding to be anything special either. I didn't like the rum raisin ice cream very much, but the carmel sauce saved that dish for me.
Bitter:
Shrimp Appetizer: I don't eat shrimp, but my friend said it was a little too greasy and bready for an appetizer.
Service: Perhaps it was because of restaurant week, but we didn't feel like we were being served. Our order was taken very quickly and we were ushered in and out of the place. Our entire dinner (which ended with a fairly large tab) took about an hour. Our server was not very friendly and barely said a word beyond "What would you like to drink?" and "Are you ready to order?" The only thing that took a long time was to process the payment of our check (the only thing that should go quickly in a fine dining establishment).
Set Up: While it wasn't the worst set up I've seen (see Michel Richard's Central), the tables were placed a bit too close together. There was very little space between us and the table behind us on one side, and it happened to be a corridor frequented by the servers. I could hear most of what the other table was saying (which is difficult because my cold was making it difficult to hear other people).
Recommendation:
Quality: ***
Value: $$$
Three to Three and a half stars. The entree, drink list and decor are THAT good! By the way, this is out of five folks. The question between the two numbers is whether the service is bad, or just our server.
Three $ value rating. It is a decent bargain if you're in the area. While our entree was $29 (a little pricey), it wasn't super expensive compared to some of the other possibilities and it was much better than some other $29 entrees out there. I wouldn't travel particularly long distances to try Oya, but if you're looking for something before an event at Verizon Center, it's a good bet for a decent price.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Spezie
Spezie - 1736 L Street, Washington, DC
Metro: One Block from Farragut North
My first Restaurant Week foray was to Spezie in the "midtown" area of DC. We looked at the R-Week menu as well as the regular menu. Their R-Week menu was pretty exhaustive and gave a pretty good sampling of their regular menu. My friend and I ended up ordering one R-Week meal and one off the regular menu.
Menu:
Appetizer - Roasted peppers with buffalo mozzerella and anchovy parsley sauce (normal price $14)
Meals:
Mine - Herb crusted lamb chops with white wine braised artichokes and black olive sauce (normal price $34)
Friend - Handmade fresh ricotta gnocchi with fresh tomato sauce (normal price $19)
Dessert - Double chocolate and hazelnut mousse cake
With seasonal berries and vanilla sauce (sort of)
Sweet:
Decor/Set Up: The restaurant was beautifully decorated. We had a pretty early reservation (6:00) so the place was not very crowded when we got there and it wasn't overly crowded when we left. The seats were comfortable and the tables were spread out far enough that we could enjoy a pleasant conversation without too much distraction from other tables.
Appetizer: The appetizer was absolutely delicious. The buffalo mozzerella was among the better ones I've had recently and the roasted pepper and anchovy sauce was surprisingly subtle, but pleasant. It came served over some light greens which took in the flavor of the sauce nicely.
Ambivalent:
My Meal - My meal was nothing special. The lamb seemed to be a good cut of lamb, but it was a little bit overcooked (I asked for rare to medium rare, they gave me medium rare to medium). With an olive/white wine sauce, I was expecting something a little bit saltier, but the sauce was actually a bit too sweet from the white wine. It had a bit of an odd aftertaste that pretty well overpowered the artichokes (which I don't love in the first place). The sauce did go pretty well with the lamb though and complimented the rosemary that is an imperative for every lamb dish. The roasted potatoes, while small, were quite good.
Service - We were served primarily by one waitress. She was a very polite Italian immigrant. She was pretty attentive when we were among the only people in the restaurant at 6:00. She kept an eye on drinks and they were full throughout our meal. The food runners and bussers did a pretty good job getting us our food, however, there were a couple of screw ups with dessert. We were offered tiramisu and ice cream before we were brought the dessert we actually ordered. There were some issues when we were trying to get our check while the restaurant was a little bit more crowded and I felt that the bussers were trying to rush us just a little bit.
Bitter:
Friend's Meal - My friend did not particularly like the gnocci. In fact, at one point, she went as far to call it "bad gnocci." She soon relented, but said that it definitely did not cure her gnocci craving. It is not a traditional potato gnocci, it is a ricotta gnocci which is not overly satisfying texturally and the sauce was apparently lacking in flavor. While I didn't taste it, the tomatoes did not smell like the type of sweet tomatoes one would expect in such a dish.
Dessert - The dessert was average at best. I'm not entirely sure that it was even what we ordered. It had an orange gelatin of sorts on top of it and it didn't taste overwhelmingly like chocolate or really even hazelnut. The overpowering taste was actually the berries and the berry sauce that was surrounding it (not vanilla sauce). We weren't sure that it was what we ordered, but after they brought us the wrong thing twice, we relented. After checking the dessert menu again, we decided that it had to be what we ordered, but it wasn't well labelled. It was relatively moist, but nothing special.
Recommendations:
Quality: **.5
Value: $
Two and half stars. There are many better Italian restaurants in the DC area for the same price or cheaper (see Filomena, Luigino, Bebo Trattoria, et. al).
Value - Normally - poor, restaurant week - decent. Spezie is a nice, classy place that you ought to try, if for nothing else than the decor and location, but try it when you can get most of their menu for $30.08.
Metro: One Block from Farragut North
My first Restaurant Week foray was to Spezie in the "midtown" area of DC. We looked at the R-Week menu as well as the regular menu. Their R-Week menu was pretty exhaustive and gave a pretty good sampling of their regular menu. My friend and I ended up ordering one R-Week meal and one off the regular menu.
Menu:
Appetizer - Roasted peppers with buffalo mozzerella and anchovy parsley sauce (normal price $14)
Meals:
Mine - Herb crusted lamb chops with white wine braised artichokes and black olive sauce (normal price $34)
Friend - Handmade fresh ricotta gnocchi with fresh tomato sauce (normal price $19)
Dessert - Double chocolate and hazelnut mousse cake
With seasonal berries and vanilla sauce (sort of)
Sweet:
Decor/Set Up: The restaurant was beautifully decorated. We had a pretty early reservation (6:00) so the place was not very crowded when we got there and it wasn't overly crowded when we left. The seats were comfortable and the tables were spread out far enough that we could enjoy a pleasant conversation without too much distraction from other tables.
Appetizer: The appetizer was absolutely delicious. The buffalo mozzerella was among the better ones I've had recently and the roasted pepper and anchovy sauce was surprisingly subtle, but pleasant. It came served over some light greens which took in the flavor of the sauce nicely.
Ambivalent:
My Meal - My meal was nothing special. The lamb seemed to be a good cut of lamb, but it was a little bit overcooked (I asked for rare to medium rare, they gave me medium rare to medium). With an olive/white wine sauce, I was expecting something a little bit saltier, but the sauce was actually a bit too sweet from the white wine. It had a bit of an odd aftertaste that pretty well overpowered the artichokes (which I don't love in the first place). The sauce did go pretty well with the lamb though and complimented the rosemary that is an imperative for every lamb dish. The roasted potatoes, while small, were quite good.
Service - We were served primarily by one waitress. She was a very polite Italian immigrant. She was pretty attentive when we were among the only people in the restaurant at 6:00. She kept an eye on drinks and they were full throughout our meal. The food runners and bussers did a pretty good job getting us our food, however, there were a couple of screw ups with dessert. We were offered tiramisu and ice cream before we were brought the dessert we actually ordered. There were some issues when we were trying to get our check while the restaurant was a little bit more crowded and I felt that the bussers were trying to rush us just a little bit.
Bitter:
Friend's Meal - My friend did not particularly like the gnocci. In fact, at one point, she went as far to call it "bad gnocci." She soon relented, but said that it definitely did not cure her gnocci craving. It is not a traditional potato gnocci, it is a ricotta gnocci which is not overly satisfying texturally and the sauce was apparently lacking in flavor. While I didn't taste it, the tomatoes did not smell like the type of sweet tomatoes one would expect in such a dish.
Dessert - The dessert was average at best. I'm not entirely sure that it was even what we ordered. It had an orange gelatin of sorts on top of it and it didn't taste overwhelmingly like chocolate or really even hazelnut. The overpowering taste was actually the berries and the berry sauce that was surrounding it (not vanilla sauce). We weren't sure that it was what we ordered, but after they brought us the wrong thing twice, we relented. After checking the dessert menu again, we decided that it had to be what we ordered, but it wasn't well labelled. It was relatively moist, but nothing special.
Recommendations:
Quality: **.5
Value: $
Two and half stars. There are many better Italian restaurants in the DC area for the same price or cheaper (see Filomena, Luigino, Bebo Trattoria, et. al).
Value - Normally - poor, restaurant week - decent. Spezie is a nice, classy place that you ought to try, if for nothing else than the decor and location, but try it when you can get most of their menu for $30.08.
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