This Week in DC Reviews - April 14, 2006 Archives
This Week in DC Reviews - April 14, 2006
Periodically, we will publish This Week in DC Reviews, a roundup of reviews of DC-area restaurants, with quick links to DC-area restaurant reviews and mentions from the previous seven days in blogs, magazines, and newspapers.
We haven't published a TWIR lately as we've been working on putting Tyler Cowen's Ethnic Dining Guide in blog format.
For a roundup of New York City restaurant reviews from NYC food bloggers and media, see This Week in NYC Reviews at A Guy In New York.
- Alex MacLennan has a noodle roundup ... and looks at A. Litteri: "While A. Litteri’s does not make their own pasta, they do have two impressive walls of pasta for their customers to choose from." ... web site, 517-519 Morse Street NE, 202-544-0184 ... Chinatown Express: "noodles were freshly handmade and remarkably consistent" ... 746 6th Street NW, 202-638-0425 [Tyler Cowen] ... Straits of Malaya: "Strait’s noodle magic is in their Cha Kway Teow, a dish entirely dominated by broad, flat rice noodles with a consistency as fresh and distinctive as those at Chinatown Express" ... web site, 1836 18th Street NW, 202-483-1483 ... and La Tomate: "Simple, healthy noodles: a return to an almost forgotten, rewarding way of life." ... web site, 1701 Connecticut Avenue NW, 202-667-5505 ...
- An Innocent Okie in King George's Court likes Bistro Francais, but wishes "we had more options for late night variety" ... try Full Kee ... web site (scroll down), 3128 M Street NW, 202-338-3830, Fri-Sat 11 am-4 am, Sun-Thu 11 am-3 am [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
- Suburban Tasteland says that "Though the Washington area has a handful of Jewish delis, if you want to experience the atmosphere of a true deli time capsule, similar to Katz’s in New York, you have to schlep out to Attman’s" in Baltimore ... "if you’re a true deli purist [stick] with the sandwiches and the pickles" ... "The hot pastrami had the perfect ratio of fat to lean, a nice smokiness, and an extra peppery end" ... web site, 1019 E. Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD, 410-563-2666 [Citysearch | Gayot | NYT] ... liked Hong Kong Palace ... "a fantastic Cantonese restaurant in Falls Church that also surprised us with their French Style Steak, an amazing French Vietnamese inspired dish" ... 6387 Leesburg Pike, Seven Corners Center, Falls Church, VA, 703-532-0940 (across the street from Sears, in the mall with Home Depot and Barnes and Noble, though both are down below on the other side of the mall) [Tyler Cowen] ... and writes that "For most folks, it’s just plain common sense that you don’t go to a hookah bar for the food." ... and then went to Cairo Cafe ... "The bazinjan mekhalil turned out be baby eggplants that clearly had been festering in some sort of otherworldly brine." ... "The falafel were among the worst we’ve ever had." ... "the food was absolutely dreadful [but] exotic beveraging opportunities abound." ... 6244-H Little River Turnpike, Alexandria, VA, 703-750-3551 [Tyler Cowen | Yelp]
- Lagniappe says the food at Bardia's "is hit-or-miss. The fried foods were meh, the jambalaya bland. The creole was pretty good for the DC area, but the price point was too high for what it is" ... 2412 18th Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-234-0420 [NYT | City Paper] ... and Acadiana: "Decent gumbo when served at Restaurant Week prices. But I've never been a big fan of the Passion Food Hospitality chain of restaurants, so your mileage may vary" ... web site, 901 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 202-393-1510 [Tyler Cowen | WaPo | The Hill | City Paper | Don Rockwell | Gayot]
- DC Food Blog "just discovered a gem in our own backyard": Ellington’s ... "the beef Mafe [was] divine. This was like an African goulash with peanut butter both thickening the sauce and giving it a rich flavor" ... 424 Eighth Street SE, 202-546-8308 [WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist]
- Tom Sietsema gave 1.5 stars to The Quarry House... but the regulars are complaining about changes new owners have introduced, including burgers made with organic beef ... "The burger? Sometimes it's overcooked, other times it's as juicy as you want it to be. Always, it is thick, nicely seasoned and presented on a fine sesame seed bun in a plastic basket, like all the chow here." ... 8401 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD, 301-587-9406 ... and gave 2 stars to Birreria Paradiso ... "Frankly, I prefer drinking (and eating) upstairs, where sunlight pours through the windows by day and the massive, wood-burning pizza oven serves as a focal point. While the birreria counts some charms --- a fireplace, a stone-fronted bar, wood beams overhead --- it looks like a suburban rec room pretending to be a tavern. Yet the enthusiasm of the youthful staff and the moderate tabs make up for its deficiencies" ... "try a sandwich, the best of which pairs full-flavored lamb with a good roll and a garnish of pickled vegetables." ... 3282 M Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-337-1245
- You Gonna Eat All That? has been out of town ... liked Hennen's in Chattanooga, TN ... "menu is limited but this isn't a bad thing. The choices are well balanced and there's something for everyone." ... "the Sweet Ginger Calamari [was] was cooked to perfection." ... "the best damn Caesar salad I've had in ages" ... "Hennen's really knows how to cook their seafood" ... web site, 193 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, TN, 423-634-5160 [The Pulse]
- DC Chefs features Kazuhiro Okochi of KAZ Sushi Bistro ... web site, 1915 Eye Street NW, 202-530-5500 [Economist | Washingtonian | WaPo | The Hill | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist | Gayot]
- D.C. Foodies updated his "Top 5 Restaurants" ... Komi, 1509 17th Street NW, 202-332-9200 [Economist | Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist] ... Corduroy (previous reviews: You Gonna Eat All That? (TWIR, February 17, 2006), A Blog Mainly About Food (TWIR, December 16, 2005)) ... web site, Four Points Hotel, 1201 K Street NW, 202-589-0699 [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist | Gayot] ... Ray's the Steaks (previous review: A Blog Mainly About Food (TWIR, December 9, 2005)) ... 1725 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, 703-841-7297 [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist | Gayot] ... 2 Amys: (previous reviews: Tarting it Up (TWIR, February 24, 2006), A Blog Mainly About Food (TWIR, December 9, 2005)) ... 3715 Macomb Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-885-5700 [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist | Gayot] ... Circle Bistro, web site, 1 Washington Circle NW, 202-293-5390 [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist | Gayot] ...
- The Washington Times, in a review with no byline of W Domku Bar & Cafe asks, "A Scandinavian-Eastern European restaurant in Petworth? Can that be right? Yes, and it's done right, too."... "While friendly, the service is slow." ... "the food is solid and unusual, if not fancy" ... "mussels steamed in a cream and aquavit broth were wonderful" ... "the Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and lingonberry preserves [are] are perfectly seasoned" ... 821 Upshur Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-722-2747 [WaPo | City Paper]
Did we miss your favorite DC restaurant review?
Let us know: hobnobblog -at- gmail.com ... we're especially interested in hearing from DC bloggers ...
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April 14, 2006 07:47 AM Dining