Okay, so I haven't been doing my duty in keeping up with this blogging about restaurants thing, but I'm sorry, it takes a really long time. Also, when it's not restaurant week, I haven't gotten to go to quite as many places. So in order to make that up to you, I'm going to do a short (for me) write up of a bunch of the places I've eaten and meant to write about but haven't gotten to. That's right, it's the instant gratification of a short, slightly informative recommendation of each of the places. I'll hopefully get to follow up with a little bit more commentary on a couple of places. Plus, with restaurant week coming up soon, I have to get back into it. Right now I have plans to visit Cafe Promenade, Sam & Harry's, BLT Grill (a hot new place from famous New York chef Laurent Toroundel) and another shot at the local Arlington place Willow. So I'm still open for one or two more places and I'm sure will hit up one as some of my best R-Week compatriots are not on those reservations.
So without further ado, here are the restaurants:
Taberna Del Alabadero (Farragut West Metro): This one deserves a full article. I really need to write it up and I will give it to you the next time I go there. This is a restaurant that I discovered at one R-Week a year and a half ago. I've been there a few times since and it's probably my favorite place in the city itself. Beware, it's not cheap, but you'll be rewarded for the price. Their appetizer menu is not largely my cup of tea, but the jamon is fantastic if you're willing to shell out the money for it. Most of their appetizers involve seafood, chorizo or mushrooms, none of which I eat, but trust me, at Taberna, I'm actually tempted to violate those rules. The entrees are all excellent. I believe I had an incredible venison last time I was there (I often go for venison). The two things that put Taberna over the edge, however, are the sangria, which is out of this world and many have told me reminded them of their time spent in Valencia (which makes sense since all of the owners are from Valencia) and the drunken banana, which is kind of like a banana flavored creme brulee served over a sponge cake topped with a subtle beer ice cream and a carmelized banana. This is quite possibly the best dessert I've had in the Washington, DC area. This is pretty amazing considering the lack of chocolate and the fact that it's creme brulee which is easy to make well, but impossible to make stupendous. Taberna does the impossible with the Banana Boracha. Also, the atmosphere is very romantic (red velvet all over the walls) and very authentic.
***** - It's REALLY good
$$$ - it's really expensive, but on weekdays during happy hour they have half priced tapas and September is Paella month, where there's a good deal on paellas of which they have several.
Boulevard Woodgrill (Clarendon): This staple of Clarendon deserves at least a mention. They have a well stocked bar with some decent vodkas and liquors. They also happen to have very good salads and food in general. I've been there many times and particularly love their Wild Salmon Salad and their Duck Salad. They also have Carribean Jerk wings which are pretty amazing. All of their fish entrees are pretty good and they're quite good with chicken. The problems are that I've never been super impressed with their desserts, they're not bad, but not great. The service is hit or miss and the atmosphere is nothing special. That said, I think it's one of the better deals out there. I can leave there feeling like I've gotten a $25 entree for $15 and all said and done paid $35 for a $50 meal. I compare it largely to Harry's Tap Room across the street which has a great brunch but the dinners aren't nearly as good. It's cheaper and better.
Quality ***
Value $$$$$ - I think it's a great value for what it is.
Hard Times Cafe (several places): Everyone probably knows about Hard Times, but it deserves a mention as one of my favorite places. Everyone knows they have fantastic chili (all of their kinds are good, but beware of Texas wet, you'll like it while you eat it, but not afterwards). Their beers are cheap and generally pretty good and the atmosphere is perfect for chili. What people don't know is that they have really good burgers and fries (especially with chili on them) and really good wings.
Quality - *** (damn good chili burgers, it is what it is)
Value - $$$$
Ray's Burger Butcher (Courthouse/Roslyn): Okay, this is a place that you MUST try. If you like hamburgers even only once a year, this is the burger you need to have. It's brand new (less than a month old still). It's in Court House/Roslyn in this weird, unsuspecting shopping center. It doesn't even have a sign up and it doesn't need it. They open at 5pm and close "when the last burger is served." I haven't gone at 5, but I'm convinced they have burgers on the grill from 5pm until 9:45 or 10:00 non-stop. I went once at 8:15 and waited until 9:15 for my burger and the second time, I went at 8:50 and got it in 20 minutes. It was worth the wait! They serve burgers three ways, cajun (I've tried), au poivre (I haven't tried) and Diablo (a chipotle I've tried). So far, they are wonderful both ways I've had. It's a ten ounce burger with the top sirloin from Ray's the Steaks three doors down and they chop it in front of you. You can put all sorts of toppings on it, from lettuce and beautiful red tomatoes to sherry and cognac braised mushrooms (all free). They have Dominion root beer on tap and serve it by the pitcher and they serve all of their burgers with a side of corn on the cob and watermelon. If you don't eat a lot, bring someone to split with. Alright, so it's more expensive than a normal burger at $7, but a lot cheaper than a 10 ounce sirloin steak and it comes with more toppings. I don't know if I can say enough about this deal. Michael Landrum is a genius, a great chef and a wonderful man (got to meet him when I went there during their first week). He brings good food at good prices to the world.
Quality - **** (yes, for a burger)
Value - $$$$$ (can I give 6 out of 5?)
Okay, that's all you get for today. Hopefully I can bring myself to do a few more tomorrow.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Ardeo
Ardeo Restaurant
3311 Connecticut Avenue
Washington, DC
Neighborhood: Cleveland Park
Closest Metro: Cleveland Park, about 1 block from the metro
Valet Parking available $5 during the evenings
Type of Cuisine: Creative Continental
So I'm sorry that I haven't written in a while. I've had a few requests to start writing again, so hopefully I can get the readership beyond 7 readers. I was set to meet a friend of mine who lives in Silver Spring and figured that it was an excellent chance to spread my wings and try some of the places I never get to on the other side of the city. Bethesda is ever changing and I would like to become better acquainted with those restaurants, but at this time, I ventured as far as Cleveland Park; an area I haven't been around much in a while. My boss recommended Ardeo, although she couldn't remember the name, as a place that my company took our executives a few months ago, so I figured this was probably the place and decided to try it. The cuisine is best described as creative continental as most of the dishes are unique takes on some standard fare. For some background information, we had an 8:00 dinner reservation (hurray for Open Table) on a Tuesday evening, so it wasn't the overwhelmingly popular shift. It should also be noted that the weather forecast was calling for severe thunderstorms (and they came to some extent while we were in the restaurant). My friend and I were both dumb and didn't take advantage of the valet parking, although it didn't end up mattering. The bar next door is called Bardero, I thought that was cute.
Menu:
Appetizer:
Me: Hearts of Romaine Caesar Salad
CLASSIC DRESSING, PARMESAN AND BOUQUERONNES TOAST 7
Friend: ASPARAGUS AND GOAT CHEESE IN BRICK PAPERGRILLED ENDIVE, PISTACHIO, HONEY-GARLIC BALSAMIC 9
Entree:
Me: SEARED AHI TUNAMANGO, SPRING ONION PISTOU, MISO EMULSION 23
Friend: Alaskan Halibut with a chunky Mushroom coulis (not on the online menu) 24
Dessert:
PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKECARAMEL SAUCE, BUTTER PECAN ICE CREAM 8
Sweet:
Service: It's rare that I start the sweet section with service, but I felt that it was worth mentioning. Good service at a restaurant is often a combination of several things: the restaurant and policies, the circumstances and the individual server. I think that this restaurant had an interesting combination of all of the above and I will try my best to break down those differences here. So I apologize in advance, because I can write a lot about service. The restaurant was not overwhelmingly crowded, largely due to the Tuesday, 8:00 time and the weather. I think they had two or three servers on duty, which was probably more than they needed at the time (restaurant policy) and I'm pretty sure that we were our server's last table of the night which also had a large bearing on the quality of the service.
Our waitress, Emily had only been at the restaurant for about a month, but, as always, I was apt to request her to utilize her knowledge of the menu. She was very friendly and honest in answering my questions about all courses of the meal and, perhaps most importantly, she was able to admit when she hadn't tried something, although the first time it took a little bit of prodding. She gave her opinion when I asked for it and told me what she saw ordered often and what she had tried. For someone who hadn't been there for very long, she had a lot of knowledge. Despite the fact that she only had two tables when we got there, she was able to observe our table from the confines of the wait station in a very thin restaurant. She was able to observe and watch us, without making us feel pressured. At the end of our meal, she tactfully suggested dessert without pressure and then she chatted with us while we waited out the rain, partly because it was her last table. Despite the speed of a lot of the service, neither of us really felt pressured to eat quickly, partly because of the server and partly because of the spacing between courses.
The one concern about the service was the speed with which the bussers pulled dishes off the table. They had my plate in their hands the second my fork hit the plate. It was a little bit unnerving, but I think the server's friendly nature and tactful wait before coming back to the table pushed it more into the realm of giving diners some elbow room.
Ahi Tuna: The tuna was perfectly done. Sashimi grade tuna done up with a slight sear on the sides and practically sashimi on the inside, but lightly sitting in the miso emulsion with the mango and spring onion combination. The sauce added a subtle, yet delightful kick to the tuna's natural flavor (a trait I commonly look for in a dish is to bring out the natural flavor of the ingredients). I suppose the main knock on the tuna would have been the portion size, which was a little bit small, and the lack of side dishes to go with it, but after the appetizer, it ended up being a good amount of food and didn't encourage overeating. This was a suggestion from the waitress that took a little bit of prodding to get to.
Asparagus in Goat Cheese: Now I'm not a goat cheese lover, but I happen to really like asparagus. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to try the asparagus with goat cheese, but it was classically wrapped in the endive with a very good use of the pistachio and was probably the best presentation of any item on the menu. My friend really enjoyed it (hence the reason that he finished it before I even had time to ask for a taste).
Pear Upside Down Cake: Another recommendation from the waitress with the simple question "what's the best dessert on the menu." I really liked the pear upside down cake, although I'll admit it was nothing like I expected. I thought I would get a little more pear, however, the focus of this dish was definitely on the pecans. It had a lot of pecan pie and carmel flavor, mixed with the butter pecan ice cream. The cake was relatively moist, but some bites seemed a little bit drier. The flavors mixed very well together, but I think I would have liked a little bit more pear in the dish, it would have added some moisture and tamed some of the carmel.
Bland:
Menu: This particular menu was quite interesting. I liked the variety on the menu a lot. The waitress acknowledged that the fish tends to be more popular, but it's quite adequate no matter what you choose. It had quite a variety from gnocci to tuna to veal meatloaf to hamburgers. The menu also had three or four desserts that seemed like they could be signature desserts. This is a nice touch, however it can also lead one to wonder if the chef does anything particularly well or just everything well. As you well know, I also have a problem with menus that I think are a little bit pretentious. The Ardeo menu uses the words "Emulsion," "Gelee," "Bouqeronnes" and "Pistou." Most patrons get nervous asking a server to define 5 or 6 words on a menu, they stick to one or two. No menu should have that many words requiring description.
Halibut: Again, I didn't get to try it partially because of my lack of mushrooms and partly because I was so engrossed in my tuna, but it didn't look particularly good and I didn't hear great comments from my friend. I didn't hear any complaints, but it didn't appear to be anything special. It looked a little bit grainy for halibut and the mushroom wasn't presented particularly well.
Atmosphere: The tables were well spread out and the acoustics of the restaurant were fantastic, although some of that could be due to the relative emptiness while we were there. The decor was very simplistic. There was nothing that caught your eye or would make you talk, but it didn't detract from the experience either. The restaurant was a little bit narrow, which could cause a slight claustrophobic feeling and the proximity of the wait station could make anyone feel like they were being watched even if they weren't.
Bitter:
Drinks: I kept wanting to push this over into the bland section but I couldn't bring myself to do it, I felt like the drinks are used as way too much of a money maker. I give them a lot of credit for a good variety of liquor (any place that serves Chopin and Hendricks is okay in my book), but my Hendricks and ginger was way too heavy on the ginger ale. I didn't get much reaction from my friend on his gin and tonic, but I'm guessing it was the same. I looked at their wine list (and remember, this is my first entry since going to Napa) and it didn't impress me. Their selection was as good as most smaller places around here although a little tilted towards European wines. Their selection of dessert wines was fantastic. The wines on the list were way overpriced, which would discourage me from going there on a night where I wanted wine or from getting the type of wine I really wanted.
Caesar Salad: I'll be honest, I was a bit disappointed by the caesar. I should have listened because I think the waitress tried to caution me against the salad. I didn't like it, although for a different reason than her caution. It was a natural caesar salad with an attempt homemade dressing. I have high standards for homemade caesar salad because my father makes a wonderful one himself. This one did not stand up to it. The overwhelming taste of the dressing was lemon. While I appreciate the attempt at letting the romaine and cheese stand up on its own, the cheese did not have enough flavor and the romaine, for some reason, just didn't taste as fresh as some of the romaine I've had in the past. I think that the power of the lemon flavor may have tainted it some. The salad had some roasted peppers on top of it. It was an interesting touch on a caesar salad, which I'm not sure if I liked it or not.
Summary:
***1/2
All in all I enjoyed my experience at Ardeo. When my main course, dessert and service are good, I'm happy with a restaurant. I think the service pushed it over some, but it was a nice place in Cleveland Park. If you're looking for a night where you don't want wine it's a good place to go. It also seems like a solid restaurant that you can get a reservation on the day of pretty easily.
$$
I wouldn't consider it a great deal in this area. The prices on the menu can be a little bit deceiving. Drinks are quite expensive in general. My Hendricks and ginger, as heavy as it was on the ginger was a $10 or $11 drink (should be $8 or $9) and as I stated, the wine list is a little bit overpriced. I don't recommend it if you're looking for a good deal, but as I've said, the restaurant is a great experience, so it may cover for the value question. You do get some really good food for your money if you get the right entrees, but the entrees and desserts are small. Strangely enough, the appetizers are pretty large.
3311 Connecticut Avenue
Washington, DC
Neighborhood: Cleveland Park
Closest Metro: Cleveland Park, about 1 block from the metro
Valet Parking available $5 during the evenings
Type of Cuisine: Creative Continental
So I'm sorry that I haven't written in a while. I've had a few requests to start writing again, so hopefully I can get the readership beyond 7 readers. I was set to meet a friend of mine who lives in Silver Spring and figured that it was an excellent chance to spread my wings and try some of the places I never get to on the other side of the city. Bethesda is ever changing and I would like to become better acquainted with those restaurants, but at this time, I ventured as far as Cleveland Park; an area I haven't been around much in a while. My boss recommended Ardeo, although she couldn't remember the name, as a place that my company took our executives a few months ago, so I figured this was probably the place and decided to try it. The cuisine is best described as creative continental as most of the dishes are unique takes on some standard fare. For some background information, we had an 8:00 dinner reservation (hurray for Open Table) on a Tuesday evening, so it wasn't the overwhelmingly popular shift. It should also be noted that the weather forecast was calling for severe thunderstorms (and they came to some extent while we were in the restaurant). My friend and I were both dumb and didn't take advantage of the valet parking, although it didn't end up mattering. The bar next door is called Bardero, I thought that was cute.
Menu:
Appetizer:
Me: Hearts of Romaine Caesar Salad
CLASSIC DRESSING, PARMESAN AND BOUQUERONNES TOAST 7
Friend: ASPARAGUS AND GOAT CHEESE IN BRICK PAPERGRILLED ENDIVE, PISTACHIO, HONEY-GARLIC BALSAMIC 9
Entree:
Me: SEARED AHI TUNAMANGO, SPRING ONION PISTOU, MISO EMULSION 23
Friend: Alaskan Halibut with a chunky Mushroom coulis (not on the online menu) 24
Dessert:
PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKECARAMEL SAUCE, BUTTER PECAN ICE CREAM 8
Sweet:
Service: It's rare that I start the sweet section with service, but I felt that it was worth mentioning. Good service at a restaurant is often a combination of several things: the restaurant and policies, the circumstances and the individual server. I think that this restaurant had an interesting combination of all of the above and I will try my best to break down those differences here. So I apologize in advance, because I can write a lot about service. The restaurant was not overwhelmingly crowded, largely due to the Tuesday, 8:00 time and the weather. I think they had two or three servers on duty, which was probably more than they needed at the time (restaurant policy) and I'm pretty sure that we were our server's last table of the night which also had a large bearing on the quality of the service.
Our waitress, Emily had only been at the restaurant for about a month, but, as always, I was apt to request her to utilize her knowledge of the menu. She was very friendly and honest in answering my questions about all courses of the meal and, perhaps most importantly, she was able to admit when she hadn't tried something, although the first time it took a little bit of prodding. She gave her opinion when I asked for it and told me what she saw ordered often and what she had tried. For someone who hadn't been there for very long, she had a lot of knowledge. Despite the fact that she only had two tables when we got there, she was able to observe our table from the confines of the wait station in a very thin restaurant. She was able to observe and watch us, without making us feel pressured. At the end of our meal, she tactfully suggested dessert without pressure and then she chatted with us while we waited out the rain, partly because it was her last table. Despite the speed of a lot of the service, neither of us really felt pressured to eat quickly, partly because of the server and partly because of the spacing between courses.
The one concern about the service was the speed with which the bussers pulled dishes off the table. They had my plate in their hands the second my fork hit the plate. It was a little bit unnerving, but I think the server's friendly nature and tactful wait before coming back to the table pushed it more into the realm of giving diners some elbow room.
Ahi Tuna: The tuna was perfectly done. Sashimi grade tuna done up with a slight sear on the sides and practically sashimi on the inside, but lightly sitting in the miso emulsion with the mango and spring onion combination. The sauce added a subtle, yet delightful kick to the tuna's natural flavor (a trait I commonly look for in a dish is to bring out the natural flavor of the ingredients). I suppose the main knock on the tuna would have been the portion size, which was a little bit small, and the lack of side dishes to go with it, but after the appetizer, it ended up being a good amount of food and didn't encourage overeating. This was a suggestion from the waitress that took a little bit of prodding to get to.
Asparagus in Goat Cheese: Now I'm not a goat cheese lover, but I happen to really like asparagus. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to try the asparagus with goat cheese, but it was classically wrapped in the endive with a very good use of the pistachio and was probably the best presentation of any item on the menu. My friend really enjoyed it (hence the reason that he finished it before I even had time to ask for a taste).
Pear Upside Down Cake: Another recommendation from the waitress with the simple question "what's the best dessert on the menu." I really liked the pear upside down cake, although I'll admit it was nothing like I expected. I thought I would get a little more pear, however, the focus of this dish was definitely on the pecans. It had a lot of pecan pie and carmel flavor, mixed with the butter pecan ice cream. The cake was relatively moist, but some bites seemed a little bit drier. The flavors mixed very well together, but I think I would have liked a little bit more pear in the dish, it would have added some moisture and tamed some of the carmel.
Bland:
Menu: This particular menu was quite interesting. I liked the variety on the menu a lot. The waitress acknowledged that the fish tends to be more popular, but it's quite adequate no matter what you choose. It had quite a variety from gnocci to tuna to veal meatloaf to hamburgers. The menu also had three or four desserts that seemed like they could be signature desserts. This is a nice touch, however it can also lead one to wonder if the chef does anything particularly well or just everything well. As you well know, I also have a problem with menus that I think are a little bit pretentious. The Ardeo menu uses the words "Emulsion," "Gelee," "Bouqeronnes" and "Pistou." Most patrons get nervous asking a server to define 5 or 6 words on a menu, they stick to one or two. No menu should have that many words requiring description.
Halibut: Again, I didn't get to try it partially because of my lack of mushrooms and partly because I was so engrossed in my tuna, but it didn't look particularly good and I didn't hear great comments from my friend. I didn't hear any complaints, but it didn't appear to be anything special. It looked a little bit grainy for halibut and the mushroom wasn't presented particularly well.
Atmosphere: The tables were well spread out and the acoustics of the restaurant were fantastic, although some of that could be due to the relative emptiness while we were there. The decor was very simplistic. There was nothing that caught your eye or would make you talk, but it didn't detract from the experience either. The restaurant was a little bit narrow, which could cause a slight claustrophobic feeling and the proximity of the wait station could make anyone feel like they were being watched even if they weren't.
Bitter:
Drinks: I kept wanting to push this over into the bland section but I couldn't bring myself to do it, I felt like the drinks are used as way too much of a money maker. I give them a lot of credit for a good variety of liquor (any place that serves Chopin and Hendricks is okay in my book), but my Hendricks and ginger was way too heavy on the ginger ale. I didn't get much reaction from my friend on his gin and tonic, but I'm guessing it was the same. I looked at their wine list (and remember, this is my first entry since going to Napa) and it didn't impress me. Their selection was as good as most smaller places around here although a little tilted towards European wines. Their selection of dessert wines was fantastic. The wines on the list were way overpriced, which would discourage me from going there on a night where I wanted wine or from getting the type of wine I really wanted.
Caesar Salad: I'll be honest, I was a bit disappointed by the caesar. I should have listened because I think the waitress tried to caution me against the salad. I didn't like it, although for a different reason than her caution. It was a natural caesar salad with an attempt homemade dressing. I have high standards for homemade caesar salad because my father makes a wonderful one himself. This one did not stand up to it. The overwhelming taste of the dressing was lemon. While I appreciate the attempt at letting the romaine and cheese stand up on its own, the cheese did not have enough flavor and the romaine, for some reason, just didn't taste as fresh as some of the romaine I've had in the past. I think that the power of the lemon flavor may have tainted it some. The salad had some roasted peppers on top of it. It was an interesting touch on a caesar salad, which I'm not sure if I liked it or not.
Summary:
***1/2
All in all I enjoyed my experience at Ardeo. When my main course, dessert and service are good, I'm happy with a restaurant. I think the service pushed it over some, but it was a nice place in Cleveland Park. If you're looking for a night where you don't want wine it's a good place to go. It also seems like a solid restaurant that you can get a reservation on the day of pretty easily.
$$
I wouldn't consider it a great deal in this area. The prices on the menu can be a little bit deceiving. Drinks are quite expensive in general. My Hendricks and ginger, as heavy as it was on the ginger was a $10 or $11 drink (should be $8 or $9) and as I stated, the wine list is a little bit overpriced. I don't recommend it if you're looking for a good deal, but as I've said, the restaurant is a great experience, so it may cover for the value question. You do get some really good food for your money if you get the right entrees, but the entrees and desserts are small. Strangely enough, the appetizers are pretty large.
Friday, February 15, 2008
That's Amore
That's Amore Italian Restaurant
Multiple Locations: Vienna, VA; Sterling, VA; Columbia, MD; Rockville, MD.
Metros (short cab from either): Vienna/Fairfax - Vienna; Shady Grove - Rockville
Type of Cuisine: Italian (Family Style)
This will be an interesting one because it's the first time I am writing up a place that I have been to many times in my life. That's Amore is a family style Italian restaurant (in the vain of Maggiano's but better). It is a Washington, DC metropolitan area chain and I believe their original restaurant is the Shady Grove location, even though their corporate offices are in Vienna. They have not expanded beyond the Washington, DC area at this point and have probably been around for about 15 or 16 years. I grew up going to their Shady Grove location and enjoying their family style dishes many years before I started thinking about the food I'm eating, so it will be interesting to see how this comes out. I went the other night with my parents and brother (I think I've only been there once without my parents). Everything is served family style or "solo" but for the most part, you go to That's Amore to order family style.
Menu:
Appetizer: Insalata Amore (Famiglia)- Mixed greens with sliced Italian meats and cheeses. Solo – 7.29 Famiglia – 13.99
Entrees:
Brother - (solo) Baked Rigatoni AlfornoBaked in a casserole with meat sauce, ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella. Solo – 13.99 Famiglia – 24.99
Shared - Chicken Cacciatore (Famiglia) - Slow cooked bone in chicken classically prepared with peppers, tomatoes, olives and onions (worth the wait)Solo – 14.99 Famiglia – 26.99
Shared - (Special) Sauteed Fileted Rockfish served with scallops, asparagus, onions and peppers in a light butter sauce. (famiglia) - $34.99
Side: Vesuvio Potatoes
Dessert:
Me - Cannoli Di CioccolataChocolate dipped cannoli shell filled with a sweet ricotta filling and dipped in chocolate chips. 5.59
Father - Unnamed Chef's Creation - Puff pastry on top with a strawberry cream layer beneath and a white cake underneath that. Served over a vanilla cream. 6.99
Brother - Bread Pudding: Homemade with zabaglione and bourbon caramel sauces. 5.99
Sweet:
Vesuvio Potatoes - Ever since I was young, I have enjoyed the Vesuvio potatoes at That's Amore. They are a very basic roasted potato with tons and tons of garlic, I believe oregano and a few other spices. Since the very beginning, they have been one of the best things on the menu. They are available both with the chicken vesuvio (which always comes out a little dry) and on their own. They have a delicious sweet and garlicky taste that is definitely
strong and will instantly repel any kiss attempts (but are totally worth it). If there's ever a reason to go to That's Amore, it's to try the Vesuvio Potatoes.
Chocolate Cannoli - The cannolis at That's Amore have also long been among my favorites. They are hardly a New York or even a Baltimore's Little Italy cannoli, but they do come somewhat close to the latter. The cheese is sweet and the shell is hard, but a bit moist. It contains the right amount of sugar in the batter and coating it. The chocolate coating is also nice, but the chocolate chips that surround the ricotta may be a little bit overkill. They can mess up the texture somewhat. All in all, it's a very good cannoli and worth the price of admission.
Atmosphere - I've always liked the atmosphere at That's Amore. It's simple and elegant. The tables are relatively well spread out and there's plenty of room for the waiters or the patrons to move around. The bathrooms and everything are pretty clean and they always have some soft Italian music playing in the bathroom (which I think is a much better choice at an Italian restaurant than Sinatra). The music is soft enough that it won't bother any conversation and the only time you will really notice it is when you or your companion is going to the bathroom and you have no one talking around you. The acoustics are also very good so that conversation stays at your table, but you don't have much trouble hearing from those at your table.
Bland:
Chicken Caciattore: This has been one of the favorites of my family for many many years as well. It's always been a delightfully boiled/roasted chicken with plenty of who tomatoes with some tomatoey sauce, mushrooms, green, red and yellow peppers. It always took a little bit longer than the other items, but as the menu said, worth the wait. I've always liked, if not loved, the dish. It was always on that borderline between "sweet and bland" for me. Unfortunately, the quality of this dish went down a little bit. Possibly due to the service the dish, instead of taking about an extra ten minutes, probably took about an hour plus to come out. Once the wait becomes that long (I had to cancel everything else that night because dinner took about an hour and a half to an hour and 45 minutes longer than i thought it would) it's not worth it. The chicken came out a little crisper than it usually does, which I thought was a good thing because I don't usually like the goose bumps that come on the skin, but it led my Mom (who thinks about the dish in her sleep) to say it wasn't very good. I was disappointed that their sauce seems to have gotten less flavorful and there seems to be less of it (particularly in the form of tomatoes). All in all, it was a disappointment.
Rockfish: The rockfish was in a bit of a sweet sauce that definitely took more of the flavor of the scallops as well as the butter. The sauce was interesting, but it was a little bit too buttery. As always, I enjoyed the inclusion of asparagus in the item. The fish itself was largely moist, but was inconsistent throughout and definitely included a large number of dry patches. The outside of the fish was a bit crisp and was actually very pleasant in flavor and texture. The inconsistency of the inside drew away from it some. All in all, it was an interesting dish, but I will say that it's a good amount of decent rockfish, particularly for $34.99 for the family portion.
Bread Pudding: Now I never get bread pudding in any restaurant that i would consider close to fine dining. I also wouldn't get bread pudding in an Italian restaurant because it's not something that seems overly Italian. This bread pudding was pretty plain, bread pudding with caramel sauce. It was pretty good and very heavy and buttery, but it's the same bread pudding that you can get anywhere else. In fact, I don't think it seemed nearly as good as the bread pudding I had later in the week at a much less fine dining restaurant (although the dessert prices were the same). The bread pudding was good, but only if you're not really willing to try anything more Italian. I think that my brother just wanted to get something even more filling to add to his meal.
Bitter:
Multiple Locations: Vienna, VA; Sterling, VA; Columbia, MD; Rockville, MD.
Metros (short cab from either): Vienna/Fairfax - Vienna; Shady Grove - Rockville
Type of Cuisine: Italian (Family Style)
This will be an interesting one because it's the first time I am writing up a place that I have been to many times in my life. That's Amore is a family style Italian restaurant (in the vain of Maggiano's but better). It is a Washington, DC metropolitan area chain and I believe their original restaurant is the Shady Grove location, even though their corporate offices are in Vienna. They have not expanded beyond the Washington, DC area at this point and have probably been around for about 15 or 16 years. I grew up going to their Shady Grove location and enjoying their family style dishes many years before I started thinking about the food I'm eating, so it will be interesting to see how this comes out. I went the other night with my parents and brother (I think I've only been there once without my parents). Everything is served family style or "solo" but for the most part, you go to That's Amore to order family style.
Menu:
Appetizer: Insalata Amore (Famiglia)- Mixed greens with sliced Italian meats and cheeses. Solo – 7.29 Famiglia – 13.99
Entrees:
Brother - (solo) Baked Rigatoni AlfornoBaked in a casserole with meat sauce, ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella. Solo – 13.99 Famiglia – 24.99
Shared - Chicken Cacciatore (Famiglia) - Slow cooked bone in chicken classically prepared with peppers, tomatoes, olives and onions (worth the wait)Solo – 14.99 Famiglia – 26.99
Shared - (Special) Sauteed Fileted Rockfish served with scallops, asparagus, onions and peppers in a light butter sauce. (famiglia) - $34.99
Side: Vesuvio Potatoes
Dessert:
Me - Cannoli Di CioccolataChocolate dipped cannoli shell filled with a sweet ricotta filling and dipped in chocolate chips. 5.59
Father - Unnamed Chef's Creation - Puff pastry on top with a strawberry cream layer beneath and a white cake underneath that. Served over a vanilla cream. 6.99
Brother - Bread Pudding: Homemade with zabaglione and bourbon caramel sauces. 5.99
Sweet:
Vesuvio Potatoes - Ever since I was young, I have enjoyed the Vesuvio potatoes at That's Amore. They are a very basic roasted potato with tons and tons of garlic, I believe oregano and a few other spices. Since the very beginning, they have been one of the best things on the menu. They are available both with the chicken vesuvio (which always comes out a little dry) and on their own. They have a delicious sweet and garlicky taste that is definitely
strong and will instantly repel any kiss attempts (but are totally worth it). If there's ever a reason to go to That's Amore, it's to try the Vesuvio Potatoes.
Chocolate Cannoli - The cannolis at That's Amore have also long been among my favorites. They are hardly a New York or even a Baltimore's Little Italy cannoli, but they do come somewhat close to the latter. The cheese is sweet and the shell is hard, but a bit moist. It contains the right amount of sugar in the batter and coating it. The chocolate coating is also nice, but the chocolate chips that surround the ricotta may be a little bit overkill. They can mess up the texture somewhat. All in all, it's a very good cannoli and worth the price of admission.
Atmosphere - I've always liked the atmosphere at That's Amore. It's simple and elegant. The tables are relatively well spread out and there's plenty of room for the waiters or the patrons to move around. The bathrooms and everything are pretty clean and they always have some soft Italian music playing in the bathroom (which I think is a much better choice at an Italian restaurant than Sinatra). The music is soft enough that it won't bother any conversation and the only time you will really notice it is when you or your companion is going to the bathroom and you have no one talking around you. The acoustics are also very good so that conversation stays at your table, but you don't have much trouble hearing from those at your table.
Bland:
Chicken Caciattore: This has been one of the favorites of my family for many many years as well. It's always been a delightfully boiled/roasted chicken with plenty of who tomatoes with some tomatoey sauce, mushrooms, green, red and yellow peppers. It always took a little bit longer than the other items, but as the menu said, worth the wait. I've always liked, if not loved, the dish. It was always on that borderline between "sweet and bland" for me. Unfortunately, the quality of this dish went down a little bit. Possibly due to the service the dish, instead of taking about an extra ten minutes, probably took about an hour plus to come out. Once the wait becomes that long (I had to cancel everything else that night because dinner took about an hour and a half to an hour and 45 minutes longer than i thought it would) it's not worth it. The chicken came out a little crisper than it usually does, which I thought was a good thing because I don't usually like the goose bumps that come on the skin, but it led my Mom (who thinks about the dish in her sleep) to say it wasn't very good. I was disappointed that their sauce seems to have gotten less flavorful and there seems to be less of it (particularly in the form of tomatoes). All in all, it was a disappointment.
Rockfish: The rockfish was in a bit of a sweet sauce that definitely took more of the flavor of the scallops as well as the butter. The sauce was interesting, but it was a little bit too buttery. As always, I enjoyed the inclusion of asparagus in the item. The fish itself was largely moist, but was inconsistent throughout and definitely included a large number of dry patches. The outside of the fish was a bit crisp and was actually very pleasant in flavor and texture. The inconsistency of the inside drew away from it some. All in all, it was an interesting dish, but I will say that it's a good amount of decent rockfish, particularly for $34.99 for the family portion.
Bread Pudding: Now I never get bread pudding in any restaurant that i would consider close to fine dining. I also wouldn't get bread pudding in an Italian restaurant because it's not something that seems overly Italian. This bread pudding was pretty plain, bread pudding with caramel sauce. It was pretty good and very heavy and buttery, but it's the same bread pudding that you can get anywhere else. In fact, I don't think it seemed nearly as good as the bread pudding I had later in the week at a much less fine dining restaurant (although the dessert prices were the same). The bread pudding was good, but only if you're not really willing to try anything more Italian. I think that my brother just wanted to get something even more filling to add to his meal.
Bitter:
The Menu: The menu was very vague in general. It did not do a very good job of describing anything on the menu. It mentions "peppers," "greens," "vegetables" and "meats" in multiple places. It almost seems like it's going to be whatever they happen to have in the kitchen that day. A menu should tell you, in words that you understand, what is going to be in your item. This did not succeed there.
Wine List: I was back and forth on whether I wanted a glass of wine when I got there. I took one look at their wine list and was completely unimpressed. While they had an array of inexpensive to expensive wines, there was nothing thhat was particularly intriguing. It was almost all Italian and they didn't even have a good selection of Italian wines. Their reds were okay and their whites were actually downright pathetic. Definitely not a place I would recommend the wine list.
Insalata Amore: That salad was perhaps the biggest disappointment of the night (another item my mother dreams about). This salad was once a beacon of the That's Amore regime in moderately affordable, local, Italian cuisine. The greens were nice, the meat was well put together, the cheeses were multiple and plentiful and the dressing was perfectly tangy. Now, the dressing has gone down a bit (it is more oily and than tangy), they scrimped a little bit on the meat and seem to be using more salami and less mortadella and other hams. The "mixed greens" are actually a combination of ice berg and romaine. It's hardly the combination that you would look for when you're considering mixed greens, but there it is folks. The salad was very disappointing and definitely fell from the plateau it once held.
Chef's Creation: This dessert was a little bit disappointing as it was strange. As I said above, it was a puff pastry on top with a cake bottom and a strawberry cream inside. The taste was okay, but the textures were so many and it was so difficult to eat that I didn't really know how to apporach it. The dessert tray (which may have been the first dessert tray I remember being brought to my table when I was younger) made it seem like the cream was actual strawberries (which may have been better). I didn't really know how to characterize this so I couldn't really appreciate it at all. Fortunately, it was my father's dessert and he ate most of it.
Baked Rigatoni: I didn't have any of it, it was my brother's entree, but he didn't seem to like it and there wasn't much to it. There was very little meat in it and it seemed very "overbaked." It didn't look very impressive as it seemed like a mess of ricotta cheese and sauce pushed around. It didn't even look too appetizing. I think it was definitely a loser. My brother was lamenting that he should have tried the lasagna.
Service: I don't know what to say here. At least the waiter was very clean. I was in the bathroom at the same time as he was washing his hands. He did a solid 30 second hand wash followed by very carefully opening the door with the paper towel. That's about the only good thing to say about our server. Needless to say, he didnt' want to be there (and I think he was out smoking so often that he was hardly there). He didn't do a very good job keeping our drinks full, he walked away when we were almost ready to order and came back 25 minutes later. Somehow the chicken cacciattore took an hour to make. He was rude about half of the time, didn't seem very knowledgeable of the menu and was extremely inefficient. He was extremely apologetic all the time and seemed to feel like that rescued him in our table's mind (and unfortunately my mother decided that it rescued his tip. She thought he was "just overwhelmed." I tried to inform her of my theory of the overwhelmed server: they have more tables, they get a lower tip per table, they still make more money than if they weren't overwhelmed). Service that bad can REALLY detract from the experience.
Recommendation:
Quality: **
Value: ***
The restaurant is a little bit disappointing in terms of quality. It used to be much better than it is now. I think you need to find the right items on the list and go for them though. The restaurant is generally relatively convenient to get to in the suburbs. It's a good last second type of place to go, somewhere in a pinch, but not if you're planning a big night out. I think then you'll be a little bit disappointed.
It's actually a pretty good value. The prices in general are less expensive than a lot of the other Italian places around (Italian tends to be way overpriced around DC). The family style menu increases the value if you can agree on entrees (as I said before $34.99 for that much rockfish is a good deal). If the quality of the food were as good as it once was, I would have called it one of the best bargains in the city.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Acadiana
Acadiana
901 New York Avenue
Washington, DC
Metro: Either Metro Center or 7th St./Convention Center
Type of Cuisine: Cajun/Creole
So I woke up on one random Sunday morning and a friend of mine texted me saying "brunch?" (I might mention that she was the original impetus for the Bitter Sweet Blog idea and was going to write it with me until she got too busy at work). At that point, I figured it would be a low key brunch and said "okay." So she told me that she wanted to go to Acadiana. Since Acadiana was on my list of places I wanted to try anyway, I said "why not" and braved the auto show traffic (which was TERRIBLE) to get down to Acadiana. Apparently they started serving brunch in September with a three course prix fix for $32. I should mention that the fried who was with me here is far pickier than I am with food, hence the introduction of "bitter" to the Bitter-Sweet equation.
Menu:
Appetizer:
Me - “pain perdu” new orleans style french toast, bananas foster sauce
Friend - chopped “b.l.t.” salad maytag blue cheese dressing, benton bacon, cherry tomatoes
Entree:
Me - blackened tilapia sweet corn pudding, collard greens, crawfish lemon tabasco butter
Friend - chicken and smoked andouille sausage jambalaya
Dessert:
Me - pecan tart praline caramel, milk chocolate ice cream
Friend - warm raisin bread pudding butterscotch sauce, tahitian vanilla ice cream
Sweet:
Pain Perdu - I told my father last night that this way of preparing french toast may be the first time I've had one that truly tops his. He proceeded to tell me of a new way that he's concocted to make french toast. Dad, your french toast is good, but I still don't think it's going to top this. Who better to make french toast than the french or their American bretheren, the cajuns. I am a giant fan of both pecans and banana's foster and this dish did not disappoint. The bananas foster sauce trounced any maple syrup I've ever had. The sauce has a hint of pecans in it that perfectly accent the foster. It was a wonderful dish. If I had one thing wrong with it, it's a little bit sweet for an appetizer. In fact, I've seen pain perdu served as a dessert before. But it's brunch, so who cares really?!?!
Decor - I think that Acadiana's atmosphere won my praises because, unlike most other New Orleans style places around, it wasn't bordering on overly tacky. The decor was classy, but simple. There was a little bit of New Orleans flair in the place, but not overwhelming. The grand private room was just in front of us, and that room looked well decorated from my view. The restaurant is located on the bottom floor of an office building overlooking a large parking lot plaza near the Washington Convention Center. Despite that, I was quite happy with the large number of windows letting in a lot of natural light and the disguise they seem to have outside of the windows to accentuate the city streets while hiding the large parking lot (perhaps the fact that our table was around the corner from that view helped).
Set Up - The tables were spread pretty well and seemed large enough for their stated capacities, the acoustics were good and the windows were well utilized. The set up of the room didn't have very much wasted space, but had plenty of open space. It was a good atmosphere to have a conversation with your dinner companions and not with the next table at the same time.
Bread Pudding: Unfortunately, I didn't get to taste any of the bread pudding, but my friend seemed to enjoy it thoroughly (mostly from her facial expressions and lack of words while eating it). I can acknowledge that it looked very good with quite an appetizing white color to it.
Bland:
Tilapia - The tilapia was pretty basic. It was a tilapia (a relatively plain fish that takes on the characteristics of what it's prepared in) that was drenched in cajun seasoning (a good cajun seasoning). It was good, but nothing that really wowed me. The crawfish lemon tabasco butter was pretty good, but perhaps not my thing over the tilapia. I think that tilapia may be a bland order in a nice restaurant in any case. For brunch, however, it fit decently. The collared greens and the sweet corn pudding, however, were fantastic. Collared greens are actually the one thing that I developed an affinity for in the dining hall in college despite all of the other terrible food. These were definitely better than the ones in the dining hall (which is actually saying something).
Service: Our server was very pleasant, accomodating (a friend had allergies) and pretty efficient. She kept our glasses full enough even though we only had water. She got the check out on time and had no real faults with her service. She would have probably gotten a perfect score on any "secret diner" evaluation for service. That said, she just didn't wow me, and you have to wow me to get good ratings on service in a nice restaurant. Her recommendations in regards to food choices were largely unhelpful and non-committal and she didn't show an overwhelming amount of knowledge of the menu.
Pecan Tart- The pecan prailine was good, but too sweet. It was basically a standard pecan pie in a better presentation. For me, a better pecan pie is generally a little bit less on the sweet side allowing the taste of the nut to take over. This was far more into the molasses than the nut. The milk chocolate ice cream was pretty standard.
Jambalaya - I didn't hear very much about the dish from my friend aside from her disappointment when it came. It seemed alright, but looked and smelled pretty standard as far as jambalaya goes.
Bitter:
BLT Salad - It was essentially a wedge of lettuce put onto a plate with the other ingredients. It didn't look very appetizing and didn't seem to require much thought or preparation. There was pretty much nothing to it. I think my appetizer was the far out winner. Again, most of my opinion is from my friend's reaction.
Recommendation:
Quality:***
Value:$$
The food was pretty stable throughout. I think it's a good location (assuming you Metro or are already down there). It's convenient to a lot of offices, the Convention Center and Verizon. I like the atmosphere and I think it's generally a pleasant experience and among the better Creole cuisine you are going to get in this area. It's a bit of a unique place for you to try and for that reason, it's worth going. That said, most of the food is good, but it won't really wow you. You won't really remember what you had a week later unless you write a food blog where you started the posting two days after eating there. It's a good place, but you have to be in the mood for Creole and not just looking for "a good restaurant."
Value: It's not a great value for brunch. I paid $32 for a good french toast, tilapia and a pecan tart. To be completely honest I don't think it was really worth $32, especially if you get rid of the atomsphere. By far the best part of my meal was the french toast which was probably the least expensive part of the meal.
901 New York Avenue
Washington, DC
Metro: Either Metro Center or 7th St./Convention Center
Type of Cuisine: Cajun/Creole
So I woke up on one random Sunday morning and a friend of mine texted me saying "brunch?" (I might mention that she was the original impetus for the Bitter Sweet Blog idea and was going to write it with me until she got too busy at work). At that point, I figured it would be a low key brunch and said "okay." So she told me that she wanted to go to Acadiana. Since Acadiana was on my list of places I wanted to try anyway, I said "why not" and braved the auto show traffic (which was TERRIBLE) to get down to Acadiana. Apparently they started serving brunch in September with a three course prix fix for $32. I should mention that the fried who was with me here is far pickier than I am with food, hence the introduction of "bitter" to the Bitter-Sweet equation.
Menu:
Appetizer:
Me - “pain perdu” new orleans style french toast, bananas foster sauce
Friend - chopped “b.l.t.” salad maytag blue cheese dressing, benton bacon, cherry tomatoes
Entree:
Me - blackened tilapia sweet corn pudding, collard greens, crawfish lemon tabasco butter
Friend - chicken and smoked andouille sausage jambalaya
Dessert:
Me - pecan tart praline caramel, milk chocolate ice cream
Friend - warm raisin bread pudding butterscotch sauce, tahitian vanilla ice cream
Sweet:
Pain Perdu - I told my father last night that this way of preparing french toast may be the first time I've had one that truly tops his. He proceeded to tell me of a new way that he's concocted to make french toast. Dad, your french toast is good, but I still don't think it's going to top this. Who better to make french toast than the french or their American bretheren, the cajuns. I am a giant fan of both pecans and banana's foster and this dish did not disappoint. The bananas foster sauce trounced any maple syrup I've ever had. The sauce has a hint of pecans in it that perfectly accent the foster. It was a wonderful dish. If I had one thing wrong with it, it's a little bit sweet for an appetizer. In fact, I've seen pain perdu served as a dessert before. But it's brunch, so who cares really?!?!
Decor - I think that Acadiana's atmosphere won my praises because, unlike most other New Orleans style places around, it wasn't bordering on overly tacky. The decor was classy, but simple. There was a little bit of New Orleans flair in the place, but not overwhelming. The grand private room was just in front of us, and that room looked well decorated from my view. The restaurant is located on the bottom floor of an office building overlooking a large parking lot plaza near the Washington Convention Center. Despite that, I was quite happy with the large number of windows letting in a lot of natural light and the disguise they seem to have outside of the windows to accentuate the city streets while hiding the large parking lot (perhaps the fact that our table was around the corner from that view helped).
Set Up - The tables were spread pretty well and seemed large enough for their stated capacities, the acoustics were good and the windows were well utilized. The set up of the room didn't have very much wasted space, but had plenty of open space. It was a good atmosphere to have a conversation with your dinner companions and not with the next table at the same time.
Bread Pudding: Unfortunately, I didn't get to taste any of the bread pudding, but my friend seemed to enjoy it thoroughly (mostly from her facial expressions and lack of words while eating it). I can acknowledge that it looked very good with quite an appetizing white color to it.
Bland:
Tilapia - The tilapia was pretty basic. It was a tilapia (a relatively plain fish that takes on the characteristics of what it's prepared in) that was drenched in cajun seasoning (a good cajun seasoning). It was good, but nothing that really wowed me. The crawfish lemon tabasco butter was pretty good, but perhaps not my thing over the tilapia. I think that tilapia may be a bland order in a nice restaurant in any case. For brunch, however, it fit decently. The collared greens and the sweet corn pudding, however, were fantastic. Collared greens are actually the one thing that I developed an affinity for in the dining hall in college despite all of the other terrible food. These were definitely better than the ones in the dining hall (which is actually saying something).
Service: Our server was very pleasant, accomodating (a friend had allergies) and pretty efficient. She kept our glasses full enough even though we only had water. She got the check out on time and had no real faults with her service. She would have probably gotten a perfect score on any "secret diner" evaluation for service. That said, she just didn't wow me, and you have to wow me to get good ratings on service in a nice restaurant. Her recommendations in regards to food choices were largely unhelpful and non-committal and she didn't show an overwhelming amount of knowledge of the menu.
Pecan Tart- The pecan prailine was good, but too sweet. It was basically a standard pecan pie in a better presentation. For me, a better pecan pie is generally a little bit less on the sweet side allowing the taste of the nut to take over. This was far more into the molasses than the nut. The milk chocolate ice cream was pretty standard.
Jambalaya - I didn't hear very much about the dish from my friend aside from her disappointment when it came. It seemed alright, but looked and smelled pretty standard as far as jambalaya goes.
Bitter:
BLT Salad - It was essentially a wedge of lettuce put onto a plate with the other ingredients. It didn't look very appetizing and didn't seem to require much thought or preparation. There was pretty much nothing to it. I think my appetizer was the far out winner. Again, most of my opinion is from my friend's reaction.
Recommendation:
Quality:***
Value:$$
The food was pretty stable throughout. I think it's a good location (assuming you Metro or are already down there). It's convenient to a lot of offices, the Convention Center and Verizon. I like the atmosphere and I think it's generally a pleasant experience and among the better Creole cuisine you are going to get in this area. It's a bit of a unique place for you to try and for that reason, it's worth going. That said, most of the food is good, but it won't really wow you. You won't really remember what you had a week later unless you write a food blog where you started the posting two days after eating there. It's a good place, but you have to be in the mood for Creole and not just looking for "a good restaurant."
Value: It's not a great value for brunch. I paid $32 for a good french toast, tilapia and a pecan tart. To be completely honest I don't think it was really worth $32, especially if you get rid of the atomsphere. By far the best part of my meal was the french toast which was probably the least expensive part of the meal.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Me Jana
Me Jana
2300 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22201
Type of Cuisine: Lebanese, Mezzes
Metro: Court House
I moved to the Court House are about 5 months ago and have ultimately been very disappointed with the food options in the area. I both work and live in the area now and I hardly ever use my car, so I would naturally get tired of all of the local restaurants, but I think this neighborhood has a particular dearth of good places. The restaurants around here are mostly the quick lunch, chain type places, cheap Chinese restaurants and local bars with average bar fare. While there are a couple of culinary finds among them, most of them are not fantastic (the best of the bars for food, Dr. Dremo's is closing and I will do a posting about my pleasant discovery of Ragtime's appetizers in the future). So when a few friends wanted to go for a dinner before going out in Court House, there remains only one quality place to go for a Friday night dinner and that is Me Jana (Friday night is usually my nice night, although I may write up the chicken in white wine sauce I made at home on Saturday night). Me Jana is one of those restaurants (like Vidalia and Willow) that I went to upon the recommendation of my boss. Being right in my neighborhood, I have actually been there once for lunch and now three times for dinner.
There were four of us at dinner. They had restaurant week still going there, but we didn't partake in those festivities. One of us got a regular entree and three of us ended up splitting 9 mezzes (more than we needed). We also got a bottle of wine.
Menu:
Wine: We got a Lebanese red wine that I couldn't tell you the name of ($42).
CHICKEN SHAWARMA - 8.00
Marinated chicken in garlic, lemon juice, slowly roasted. Served with garlic whip and sumac onion.
FRIED KIBBE - 7.50
Beef and burghul dumplings, stuffed with onion, pine nuts, ground beef and lamb. Served with Labneh.
LAHEM BE AJEEN - 8.00
Baked pita dough topped with ground lamb, spices, and pomegranate molasses.
ABLAMA - 7.50
Zucchini stuffed with sautéed beef, spices, pine nuts, onion and cooked in a light tomato sauce. Served with Lebanese rice.
LAMB KEBOB (mezza) - 11.00
Cubed lamb marinated in olive oil and spices.
MOZZARELLA (salad) - 8.50
Fresh Mozzarella, tomato, figs, basil and balsamic vinegar.
FATTOUCH - 7.50
A salad of tomato, cucumber, onion, radish, bell peppers, parsley, mint, tossed with olive oil, lemon juice and sumac pita chips.
GRAPE LEAVES - 6.50
Poached tender grape leaves, stuffed with rice, tomato, onion, parsley and mint, in olive oil and lemon juice with a hint of pomegranate molasses.
HOMMUS WITH MEAT - 7.50
Hommus topped with sautéed beef and roasted pine nuts.
Friend's Entree - KAFTA KEBOB - 17.00
Ground lamb and beef, mixed with onion, parsley and spices. (served w/ Lebanese rice, grilled tomato and sumac onion)
Sweet:
Service - Yes, I know, I am complimenting the service as sweet. Mark this down in your calendars folks. This is also why I have chosen to put it as first. It is the only high quality restaurant in my neighborhood and it doubles its allure as a restaurant that provides neighborhood appeal in the middle of a bunch of chains. The two owners are greeting guests as the maitre d and walking around from table to table asking how everything is. Our server was very professional, yet extremely friendly. He was not afraid to express his opinion on the menu (telling us to get the chicken shawarma instead of the shish taouk) without being pushy about it. He also understood what is unique about his restaurant as opposed to others (encouraging us to try a Lebanese wine that we didn't even think about). He was very efficient in bringing our food and drink out, kept both our wine and water glasses full and took care of our check in an efficient and appropriate manner then allowed us to sit until we finished talking and drinking our wine without molestation. The service gave the restaurant a very homey, neighborhood, friendly feeling that made you feel welcome and happy to come back. The only problem with the service is that they always bring out all of the mezzes at the same time and do so significantly earlier than the entrees. When someone is ordering a large number of mezzes, they need to manage that better.
Chicken Shawarma - I think this may be one of the reasons that I liked the server so much. He insisted that we get the shawarma and even said "If you don't like it, I'll buy it." The shawarma actually came with everything the dish says, inside of a little pita bread puff. It had a wonderful tanginess to it and the small pita breads remained hot and kept the chicken hot inside of them. There was something about mixing the ingredients together that made this better than the Shawarma at Lebanese Taverna or Zaytiniya.
Lebanese Wine: Score another one for the server. This was among the more interesting wines I've ever tasted. It definitely had more than the usual flavors of wine (grapes, oak, etc.). It had a little bit of some Lebanese dessert spices in it (maybe lotus flower?) that gave it a very unique and pleasant aftertaste.
Lahem Be Ajeen: This item comes out looking almost like a pizza (but there isn't any cheese or tomato sauce. It maintains the consistency of a pizza though as it is extremely moist and a little bit floppy. It is a fantastically flavourful dish that I have had several times. It never disappoints. It is a unique creation that I have never seen on another menu.
Fattouch: Or as my friend insisted that I refer to it, the "fat touch." I say that, yet this is undoubtedly the healthiest item that we ordered. Usually I don't like meditteranean salads very much, particularly when they advertise the use of mint. To me, it's a breath freshener, not a food. That said, this salad was quite good. The vegetables maintained their moisture despite the spices used and the flavor was an excellent precursor and mid-meal contrast to many of the other meaty flavors.
Pita Bread: Similar to it's competitors, Me Jana supplies you with virtually unlimited fluffy pita bread. They are very thin balloon-like breads with hot air in the middle. Unlike the competitors though, they serve the bread with olives, olive oil, yogurt sauce and thyme. The server suggest that you dip the bread in a little bit of olive oil and then have the thyme stick to the bread with the olive oil. It's a very unique flavor. If you like thyme, it's great, if you don't, you don't have to do it and the bread stands well on its own. It's also great for dipping in or putting the mezzes on.
Bland:
Set up/Decor: The set up is decent. It's not overly packed together, but the acoustics are not fantastic throughout the place. It is not difficult to hear your dining companions, but I think if the place gets very crowded, it could be. There is not a lot of room for people to wait because the bar is rather small and I have seen it get crowded. This can cause some overflow into the dining room and make the restaurant rather loud. The tables are relatively well spaced out. The walls are relatively bare and the atmosphere tends to focus on low lighting and candle light. While I applaud this motif for not being distracting, there just isn't much there.
Mozzarella: It was alright but there was nothing terribly special to this dish. I feel that if you're looking for mozzarella, you're probably better off with an Italian restaurant. The mozzarella itself was good, but not incredible and served in small circles of the cheese. It wasn't a bad dish, but not the best thing on the table.
Lamb Kabob: I think this one may have been the night I went there, because I have had this before and it was very good. This time, while cooked to a nice medium rare, the small pieces of lamb were a little bit dry and the flavor of the marinade hadn't taken them over as much as it has in the past. The marinade on the lamb is generally very tangy and it augments the flavor of the lamb. I suppose that you need to watch out for it being a little bit dry.
Grape Leaves: The grape leaves were good, but not great. I think this is a testament more to grape leaves than to the restaurant. It was no different than any other grape leaves and yet I always order grape leaves. They are never great, but they are generally consistent and they are a nice light alternative to the mostly heavy meals of mezzes.
Hommus with Meat: I've had the Hommus before and it is a really good hommus. It is very smooth and the taste is a little more subtle than some of the "in your face" ones that you can get at other places. It definitely has flavor to it, but not enough of a garlicky and sour sting that it gets you to make a weird face. If this were just the hommus, it would have been in the sweet column. The only problem is that the meat in this dish tended to dry it out, make it difficult to eat on the pita bread and was basically superfluous. I'd recommend the hommus, but not the hommus with meat.
Kafta Kebob: The kafta kebob is just okay. I've had it before for lunch. It has a decently spicy flavor to it, but like most kafta kebob is a little bit too salty. It is a little bit more dry than I would hope for. The rice and tomato side dishes are good, but again nothing that can pull this dish over the top.
Bitter:
Ablama: We got this dish because we wanted to try something a little bit different, but I think you're better served at this restaurant if you like eggplant (myself and one other person at my table were not). While we enjoyed the name of the dish and how it sounded similar to the last name of one of the Presidential candidates, the dish wasn't very good. I felt that the zucchini came apart too easily, particularly when it was cut, making it difficult to split. The tomato sauce was a little bit too light and for some reason, the meat got a little dry inside of the zucchini while the dish in general had a bit of a watery flavor and soggy feel.
Fried Kibbe: This dish wasn't bad, but it falls into the bitter category because of its comparison to most of the competitors. I have had fried kibbe at most of these places and this is the only thing Me Jana does where I feel that it is vastly topped by the others. It was surprisingly low on flavor and definitely a little bit dry. All in all, I would consider it disappointing.
Recommendation:
Quality: ***.5
Value: $$$$
I wouldn't necessarily consider it a night out for a very fancy meal, but it's a good meal that I think could qualify for a middle-range occassion. It's definitely not an average weekday dinner. I think it's a very good restaurant primarily if you go for the mezzes instead of the entrees (although they want to push you to the entrees). I've had both and I think the mezzes are more worth it. Also, the service is fantastic. It's just hard to get four stars from me (above that is virtually impossible).
I think it's a great value, particularly for the mezzes. You tend to get larger portions than at Lebanese Taverna or Zaytinya for the mezzes, so you need to plan accordingly. That said, the four of us could have easily gotten out with a hearty and delicious meal for around $20 apiece before tip. In my opinion that's a good price for a comfortable, weekend meal that you'll probably talk about afterwards.
2300 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22201
Type of Cuisine: Lebanese, Mezzes
Metro: Court House
I moved to the Court House are about 5 months ago and have ultimately been very disappointed with the food options in the area. I both work and live in the area now and I hardly ever use my car, so I would naturally get tired of all of the local restaurants, but I think this neighborhood has a particular dearth of good places. The restaurants around here are mostly the quick lunch, chain type places, cheap Chinese restaurants and local bars with average bar fare. While there are a couple of culinary finds among them, most of them are not fantastic (the best of the bars for food, Dr. Dremo's is closing and I will do a posting about my pleasant discovery of Ragtime's appetizers in the future). So when a few friends wanted to go for a dinner before going out in Court House, there remains only one quality place to go for a Friday night dinner and that is Me Jana (Friday night is usually my nice night, although I may write up the chicken in white wine sauce I made at home on Saturday night). Me Jana is one of those restaurants (like Vidalia and Willow) that I went to upon the recommendation of my boss. Being right in my neighborhood, I have actually been there once for lunch and now three times for dinner.
There were four of us at dinner. They had restaurant week still going there, but we didn't partake in those festivities. One of us got a regular entree and three of us ended up splitting 9 mezzes (more than we needed). We also got a bottle of wine.
Menu:
Wine: We got a Lebanese red wine that I couldn't tell you the name of ($42).
CHICKEN SHAWARMA - 8.00
Marinated chicken in garlic, lemon juice, slowly roasted. Served with garlic whip and sumac onion.
FRIED KIBBE - 7.50
Beef and burghul dumplings, stuffed with onion, pine nuts, ground beef and lamb. Served with Labneh.
LAHEM BE AJEEN - 8.00
Baked pita dough topped with ground lamb, spices, and pomegranate molasses.
ABLAMA - 7.50
Zucchini stuffed with sautéed beef, spices, pine nuts, onion and cooked in a light tomato sauce. Served with Lebanese rice.
LAMB KEBOB (mezza) - 11.00
Cubed lamb marinated in olive oil and spices.
MOZZARELLA (salad) - 8.50
Fresh Mozzarella, tomato, figs, basil and balsamic vinegar.
FATTOUCH - 7.50
A salad of tomato, cucumber, onion, radish, bell peppers, parsley, mint, tossed with olive oil, lemon juice and sumac pita chips.
GRAPE LEAVES - 6.50
Poached tender grape leaves, stuffed with rice, tomato, onion, parsley and mint, in olive oil and lemon juice with a hint of pomegranate molasses.
HOMMUS WITH MEAT - 7.50
Hommus topped with sautéed beef and roasted pine nuts.
Friend's Entree - KAFTA KEBOB - 17.00
Ground lamb and beef, mixed with onion, parsley and spices. (served w/ Lebanese rice, grilled tomato and sumac onion)
Sweet:
Service - Yes, I know, I am complimenting the service as sweet. Mark this down in your calendars folks. This is also why I have chosen to put it as first. It is the only high quality restaurant in my neighborhood and it doubles its allure as a restaurant that provides neighborhood appeal in the middle of a bunch of chains. The two owners are greeting guests as the maitre d and walking around from table to table asking how everything is. Our server was very professional, yet extremely friendly. He was not afraid to express his opinion on the menu (telling us to get the chicken shawarma instead of the shish taouk) without being pushy about it. He also understood what is unique about his restaurant as opposed to others (encouraging us to try a Lebanese wine that we didn't even think about). He was very efficient in bringing our food and drink out, kept both our wine and water glasses full and took care of our check in an efficient and appropriate manner then allowed us to sit until we finished talking and drinking our wine without molestation. The service gave the restaurant a very homey, neighborhood, friendly feeling that made you feel welcome and happy to come back. The only problem with the service is that they always bring out all of the mezzes at the same time and do so significantly earlier than the entrees. When someone is ordering a large number of mezzes, they need to manage that better.
Chicken Shawarma - I think this may be one of the reasons that I liked the server so much. He insisted that we get the shawarma and even said "If you don't like it, I'll buy it." The shawarma actually came with everything the dish says, inside of a little pita bread puff. It had a wonderful tanginess to it and the small pita breads remained hot and kept the chicken hot inside of them. There was something about mixing the ingredients together that made this better than the Shawarma at Lebanese Taverna or Zaytiniya.
Lebanese Wine: Score another one for the server. This was among the more interesting wines I've ever tasted. It definitely had more than the usual flavors of wine (grapes, oak, etc.). It had a little bit of some Lebanese dessert spices in it (maybe lotus flower?) that gave it a very unique and pleasant aftertaste.
Lahem Be Ajeen: This item comes out looking almost like a pizza (but there isn't any cheese or tomato sauce. It maintains the consistency of a pizza though as it is extremely moist and a little bit floppy. It is a fantastically flavourful dish that I have had several times. It never disappoints. It is a unique creation that I have never seen on another menu.
Fattouch: Or as my friend insisted that I refer to it, the "fat touch." I say that, yet this is undoubtedly the healthiest item that we ordered. Usually I don't like meditteranean salads very much, particularly when they advertise the use of mint. To me, it's a breath freshener, not a food. That said, this salad was quite good. The vegetables maintained their moisture despite the spices used and the flavor was an excellent precursor and mid-meal contrast to many of the other meaty flavors.
Pita Bread: Similar to it's competitors, Me Jana supplies you with virtually unlimited fluffy pita bread. They are very thin balloon-like breads with hot air in the middle. Unlike the competitors though, they serve the bread with olives, olive oil, yogurt sauce and thyme. The server suggest that you dip the bread in a little bit of olive oil and then have the thyme stick to the bread with the olive oil. It's a very unique flavor. If you like thyme, it's great, if you don't, you don't have to do it and the bread stands well on its own. It's also great for dipping in or putting the mezzes on.
Bland:
Set up/Decor: The set up is decent. It's not overly packed together, but the acoustics are not fantastic throughout the place. It is not difficult to hear your dining companions, but I think if the place gets very crowded, it could be. There is not a lot of room for people to wait because the bar is rather small and I have seen it get crowded. This can cause some overflow into the dining room and make the restaurant rather loud. The tables are relatively well spaced out. The walls are relatively bare and the atmosphere tends to focus on low lighting and candle light. While I applaud this motif for not being distracting, there just isn't much there.
Mozzarella: It was alright but there was nothing terribly special to this dish. I feel that if you're looking for mozzarella, you're probably better off with an Italian restaurant. The mozzarella itself was good, but not incredible and served in small circles of the cheese. It wasn't a bad dish, but not the best thing on the table.
Lamb Kabob: I think this one may have been the night I went there, because I have had this before and it was very good. This time, while cooked to a nice medium rare, the small pieces of lamb were a little bit dry and the flavor of the marinade hadn't taken them over as much as it has in the past. The marinade on the lamb is generally very tangy and it augments the flavor of the lamb. I suppose that you need to watch out for it being a little bit dry.
Grape Leaves: The grape leaves were good, but not great. I think this is a testament more to grape leaves than to the restaurant. It was no different than any other grape leaves and yet I always order grape leaves. They are never great, but they are generally consistent and they are a nice light alternative to the mostly heavy meals of mezzes.
Hommus with Meat: I've had the Hommus before and it is a really good hommus. It is very smooth and the taste is a little more subtle than some of the "in your face" ones that you can get at other places. It definitely has flavor to it, but not enough of a garlicky and sour sting that it gets you to make a weird face. If this were just the hommus, it would have been in the sweet column. The only problem is that the meat in this dish tended to dry it out, make it difficult to eat on the pita bread and was basically superfluous. I'd recommend the hommus, but not the hommus with meat.
Kafta Kebob: The kafta kebob is just okay. I've had it before for lunch. It has a decently spicy flavor to it, but like most kafta kebob is a little bit too salty. It is a little bit more dry than I would hope for. The rice and tomato side dishes are good, but again nothing that can pull this dish over the top.
Bitter:
Ablama: We got this dish because we wanted to try something a little bit different, but I think you're better served at this restaurant if you like eggplant (myself and one other person at my table were not). While we enjoyed the name of the dish and how it sounded similar to the last name of one of the Presidential candidates, the dish wasn't very good. I felt that the zucchini came apart too easily, particularly when it was cut, making it difficult to split. The tomato sauce was a little bit too light and for some reason, the meat got a little dry inside of the zucchini while the dish in general had a bit of a watery flavor and soggy feel.
Fried Kibbe: This dish wasn't bad, but it falls into the bitter category because of its comparison to most of the competitors. I have had fried kibbe at most of these places and this is the only thing Me Jana does where I feel that it is vastly topped by the others. It was surprisingly low on flavor and definitely a little bit dry. All in all, I would consider it disappointing.
Recommendation:
Quality: ***.5
Value: $$$$
I wouldn't necessarily consider it a night out for a very fancy meal, but it's a good meal that I think could qualify for a middle-range occassion. It's definitely not an average weekday dinner. I think it's a very good restaurant primarily if you go for the mezzes instead of the entrees (although they want to push you to the entrees). I've had both and I think the mezzes are more worth it. Also, the service is fantastic. It's just hard to get four stars from me (above that is virtually impossible).
I think it's a great value, particularly for the mezzes. You tend to get larger portions than at Lebanese Taverna or Zaytinya for the mezzes, so you need to plan accordingly. That said, the four of us could have easily gotten out with a hearty and delicious meal for around $20 apiece before tip. In my opinion that's a good price for a comfortable, weekend meal that you'll probably talk about afterwards.
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