DonRocks

I'm not sure if you can reserve there or not, but I know you can call ahead to see if Koji is working, and then request him as your sushi-chef when you walk in. Two people can sit directly in front of him, and he could probably work with four as well, but the third and fourth people might be skewed down the bar a bit for an off-center view. The almost intimate interplay would be greatly diminshed with four people. morela? What do you think? Sushi-Ko allows their patrons to bring their own wine and pay a corkage fee (perhaps $15 a bottle or so), but they also have a wonderful list of reasonably priced Red Burgundies, and this cuisine demands a good glass of Chambolle-Musigny or Volnay. The chef's plate of sashimi was $28.95 for seven orders (two pieces to an order), fresh wasabi (an absolute must) was $3.00, the softshell crab and ponzu sauce was $12.95, but you can find other fine small plates there in the $8-10 range, and the sushi was priced by the order (again, two pieces to an order), starting at $5.00 for the zuke, and going up to $7.75 for the aburi. Assuming five orders of sushi, this dinner-for-two will cost about $75 before tax, tip and drinks. The importance of letting Koji make whatever he wants to cannot be emphasized enough here.

No, but if you showed up as a stand-in for an Emmanuel Pahud recital, people would be pissed.

Think the six-seat Minibar at Café Atlantico is a tough table to get? Try going to Sushi-Ko and landing the two seats directly in front of master sushi chef, Koji Terano. The first thing you notice about Koji is a genuine humility, almost a shyness, perhaps born of a slight language barrier. But beneath this gentle demeanor burns an intense candle of passion, subtly unfolding like a flower in the night. Koji has been at Sushi-Ko since 1997 (except for a six-month turn in Las Vegas), and was promoted to executive chef late last year. Just as Mozart conducted from the harpsichord, Terano leads from his station at the sushi bar, just a few steps away from the kitchen, and is ably assisted by a well-organized staff. While Koji was making the sashimi, he began slamming something down on the counter, as quickly and as strongly as if he were trying to swat flies. It was the live giant orange clam, and when I asked him why he was doing this, he replied simply, ‘to shrink the meat,’ an elegant way of saying to ensure it wasn’t still moving. Sweet shrimp are topped with a small bit of beluga caviar, the combination of both flavors sending each other through the ceiling. Flounder is marinated in sea kelp, giving it a mild, deep finish, and the silken texture of the warmest of the Amernick caramels. A live scallop is coarse and fibrous, and is like nothing you have ever tried. I asked Koji what he would order if he were sitting in my seat, and he replied, ‘the chef’s choice sashimi, a small dish or two, and then the chef’s choice sushi, in that order.’ When Koji served the sushi course, he presented five pieces, remarkable in their complexity and as simple as simplicity itself. Yellowtail was served with its own liver, sea urchin had the texture of custard and a sweet finish of the sea, seared medium-fatty tuna had the persistence of dry-aged beef and the innocence of childhood. ‘It’s a dilemma whether to eat this right when you serve it, or to give the course the proper respect and contemplation,’ I said. ‘How quickly do we need to eat this?’ He smiled and said, ‘as quickly as you can,’ and then actually apologized for not serving them one at a time. He was overruled, as the course was savored fifteen minutes or longer. Koji is only 29 years old, and spent the first 22 of his years in Japan. He told me he misses the freshness and variety of fish available in Osaka, but smiled when he professed his love for Volnay and Charmes-Chambertin. Having been to Sushi-Ko many times over the years, I can say that nothing has had the impact of the last two times I have gone, sitting directly in front of Koji. Those lucky few that are able to secure these two seats and turn themselves over to the hands of the master, will be rewarded with a meal as immediate and profound as any in Washington. Cheers, Rocks.

Yes, hopefully. But it's more of an indictment, a legitimate indictment, a long-overdue indictment, a commonly repeated and even more commonly dismissed indictment, of the absentee chef. Cheers, Rocks.

So do they. Ever seen it? It's like two trailers, back-to-back in a straight line, coupled at the hitch, motionless, providing a deeper meaning to the notion of the cicada cocktail. And then there's this.

Who needs to be inside a restaurant kitchen when you can just go over to Monica's place? And at the bottom of the webpage, this enticing little blurb: "Join Monica Bhide and Chef Jonathan Krinn of 2941 for an exciting class on French techniques and Indian passion" French techniques and Indian passion. What, exactly, is this class about?

Nectar's portions are too small to feed elk.

Ivy's Place?

Steve, what class are you referring to?

I think Indique can be mentioned at least within a similar spirit, if not the same quality level, as Zaika. Going out to buy some Trojan Magnums, Rocks.

Today's elocution lesson: Inde in French is pronounced like the English and. Bleu is of course blue, a homonym for blew. Sing along with me now, to the tune of If You're Happy And You Know It, Clap Your Hands! Oh it opened in September, IndeBleu. Oh it opened in September, IndeBleu. Frendian is all the rage Frendian is so new age and it opened in September, IndeBleu.

Interesting, and your observations are amazing in their detail. Give me credit for willingly walking into the lion's den! Rocks.

Fio's was a pretty good little oasis - it's now Sangria Cafe, and I haven't had the courage to try it.

A brief check-in this evening. Started with the pickled martini which is housemade pickles, pickle foam (!) and Grey Goose Vodka. Undrinkable unless you really have a fetish for sweet pickles, although you have to applaud the creativity and craftsmanship (especially for the pickle emulsion on top). Not an issue, as I suspect this will be coming off the menu in the next month or so. 2001 Domaine Deliance Givry 1er Cru Clos de Marole at $12 is a decent glass of Pinot Noir, and more importantly, was served at the proper temperature from a little refrigerator-unit they have on top of the bar - actually, it was the first red wine I've had by the glass in ages that was served a touch too cold, but who cares, it warms up in about five minutes, and it's a big deal (in my small world) that a place cares enough to do this. Bread was mini-ciabattas (ciabatti?) from Breadline, heated and slightly browned in-house. The braised oxtail ravioli is served in a meaty red-wine jus with leeks, and is a fine dish priced at only $7.75. Think about how times are changing: in a bar in Alexandria, you can enjoy a very good little plate of braised oxtail ravioli for $7.75. Confit of Pork Belly with glazed onions, baby carrots and swiss chard is this chef's reverential nod toward his homeland's classic Irish bacon and cabbage, though this observation might be a stretch since very little chard is used in the dish. The layer of fat atop the pork was brilliant, and exactly as mnebergall described. I barely touched my martini, but had two full glasses of wine. When I asked for the check, the bartender (the excellent bartender) removed the second glass of wine from the bill without any prompting. This was an elegant gesture, because the wine was more expensive than the martini. Small offerings such as this create large amounts of goodwill, and can make a new customer eager to return for a repeat visit. Eager to return for a repeat visit, Rocks.

Oh man, this thread just makes my night. Reading through this menu is an absolute embarrassment, but I'm not even sure why I'm embarrassed, or who or what I'm embarrassed for. It reminds me of the first time I went into an Einstein Brothers Bagels, looked at the menu, and saw their "shmear" of cream cheese. I couldn't believe it, but there it was, and it's still there today. From this thread, two things: how hilarious iamthestretch is, and fond, brief memories of Borders' Books, Starbucks, maybe even Phillips (Ocean City) and Austin Grill (Glover Park) way back when they didn't suck. Cheers! Rocks.

It's awesome, and makes me wonder how many larger-framed vintages will ever be this balanced at their apogee. Too often, bigger vintages have spikes sticking out of them, whereas this is a perfect sphere, albeit at the lightweight Village- or Premier-Cru level. No, it's not Grand-Cru size, but it's in Grand-Cru balance. Buying great wines in off-years often proves to be a smart decision, not because they're "pretty for what they are," but because, quite honestly, the moment at which they come into balance is MORE balanced than some of their bigger brethren. I wonder how many "great" vintages of this Mugneret Ruchottes will ever be more harmonious than this little 94. With the additional size of a better year comes additional responsibility, and that responsibility is often met with weird stuff: brambly aromas, acids, or other factors sticking out like a thorn and never coming into full harmony and resolution. A great terroir and producer from a lightweight year, is often better then a great terroir and producer in a heavyweight year. The standard response is, "yes, but not in terms of ultimate quality when the wine is fully mature," but my reply to that is, "yes, even in terms of ultimate quality when the wine is fully mature." Cheers, Rocks.

Cut down Tilden to Rock Creek Parkway, then up Blagden, and head for Colorado Kitchen for their fried softshell crab with tomato frittata (just finished mine about three hours ago). Also their fried fish. And their shrimp with garlic-cheese grits, but I seem to recall they're more pan-fried than breaded, so this might not be what you're looking for. But in terms of just outrageously good frying, not to mention terrific eggs, waffles, bacon, donuts, etc., there isn't much around that can beat Colorado Kitchen for a weekend brunch. File it away for future reference even if you don't go tomorrow. And do try the weekday lunch specials at Moby Dick (a different authentic Persian dish each day). Cheers! Rocks.

Thank you very little

Somewhat off-topic, but for all the long years of publicity we've seen for Save The Bay etc., very little has been done to restore it, and in fact it's in worse shape now than it has ever been. Here's an article talking about it. I've talked with people who know a lot about this stuff, and the pessimistic wisdom is that there simply may be too many people to reverse the Bay's downward trend in water quality.

I like Old Europe for what it is - sort of a fusty old Bavarian throwback to the 1970s. I've gone to their asparagus festival a couple of times in recent years, and have always enjoyed it (I definitely recommend getting one of the asparagus dishes). The last time I was there, they had a wonderful older woman playing the piano and singing - that she happened to be blind did not hinder her from shamelessly belting out her music. And the time before that there was a strolling violinist who was actively (and hilariously) angering the waitresses with his vocal outbursts right when they happened to walk by him. This is definitely not a hip crowd, but would be a wonderful place to take an older parent for their birthday. Cheers, Rocks.

You may be thinking of Circle Bistro, right on the northern tip of Washington Circle. The last time I went there for happy hour, they had dollar orders of fritto misto! It's a nice space, and the chef (George Vetsch) can cook and is a very nice guy based on the one time I met him.

And now there's this!

Nobody on DCDelMarVa wanted to bite this one, so I'll move it here and let you guys can pick apart the pig - dissenting opinions encouraged. Cheers, Rocks. P.S. I'm feeling a bit "exposed" moving this into the Southeast forum - having spent six years in the Carolinas, I'm fully aware of how much you guys know about barbeque. But regardless, this place is good!

I had dinner at the bar at the Heritage India Brasserie last night (Dupont Circle), and came away so unimpressed that I refuse to make this its own thread: it can’t be this bad, and I don’t want to condemn a restaurant by bringing excessive attention to one poorly executed meal on a Monday night while they’re still trying to work out the kinks. [June 11th Edit: now that Tom's review is out, I went ahead and merged this in with the new thread. Also, this place is so different from the Glover Park Heritage India that it merits its own topic.] The large menu has one page listed as traditional, and the other page listed as contemporary. The top part of the contemporary page is dedicated to street food, and that is where I struck out four times. The golgappas is a plate with four bite-sized puffed crackers, hollowed out at the top and stuffed with potatoes and chickpeas, each served with its own spoon, and meant to be eaten in a single bite. They could have been quite good, but they filled up the little holes with too much yogurt, and then slathered tamarind and coriander chutney all over the place, rendering them way oversauced. This was neutralized somewhat by the fine little tureen of acidic, spiced broth to dip them in (I’m going from memory here, and I cannot remember the chutney used as the base for that broth). The golgappas were really okay, but then came the papri chaat which was virtually the same thing as the golgappas in deconstructed format: a plate with broken small wedges of puffed cracker, with a tiny bit of potatoes and chickpeas in the middle, and drenched in yogurt and tamarind and coriander chutneys. Do not make the mistake of ordering one of these after the other, because you’re basically getting the same dish twice in a row, and you’ll get sick of it very quickly. On to the bel puri, a papadam-like wafer formed into the shape of a bowl, and filled with vermicelli, diced vegetables, peanuts, peppers, etc. This was a welcome relief to the oversaucing of the first two dishes since it was primarily acidic and sour, but nothing here was special, or even that good. About halfway through the dish, when the hot green peppers began to dominate the dish, I was thinking to myself that the filling could have been assembled from the fixins bar at Fuddruckers. At this point in the meal I was quite disappointed, since I had high expectations coming in, and so I decided to try one more dish, the fish amritsari. This is cubes of rockfish, dipped in spices and fried, and served with a little bowl of dipping sauce. What’s not to like, right? Well, they weren’t very good. Despite having actual fish inside, the texture came off more as formed-and-molded, and there was nothing about the spicing or sauce that made the dish any better. The bottom half of the contemporary menu lists some seriously condescending items, one section devoted to the Spice Road, talking about how other cultures brought their own influence to India, etc. This is a fancy way of offering very non-Indian food. And then there are even more embarrassing items down towards the bottom of the page, something called a Mango Tango, a couple of other things with even sillier sounding names and descriptions. I'm not drawing any conclusions from an initial visit, having tried such a small sample of the menu, but I'm not yearning to go back this week, either. Cheers, Rocks.

If you want to look at the bright side of things, the northern snakehead is considered a delicacy in China and Thailand, and we won't have to worry about overfishing them. That said, I'm not sure I'd want to be a rockfish or a frog that was next to one in the water.