JennyUptown

I so love cake. Just tonight I posted about the cake I had for dessert tonight in the DC area forum (see Buck's Fishing & Camping, or whatever it's called). Tonight's cake was Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake - chocolate cake, chocolate icing, fresh whipped cream. Divine. I have fond memories of birthday cakes my aunt used to bring to me (in Taylor, PA) from her hometown bakery (in Parsippany, NJ). Vanilla cake, whipped cream icing, layers of fresh strawberries and custard in between. I ate it once a year until the year she died. I was just 16 at the time, and haven't had that particular variety since. Never was much a fan of ice cream cake. Blech. Especially the one my neighbor friend Sherry liked with the big dark plasticky cherries on top. Blech again. Now I make cake every chance I get. Yellow with mocha frosting for my (now ex)boyfriend's birthday. Pineapple upside down every time I see my mother's brother because he goes crazy for it.

Given that none of ya'll were any help, I had to go and do my own research. What we ate (working from memory here): Iceberg lettuce with applewood smoked bacon, bleu cheese My friend had this. I don't eat lettuce (really) so I only tasted the bacon (awesome) and bleu cheese (awesome squared). She is usually a "dressing on the side" kind of gal so I was impressed with the gusto with which she attacked this chunk of salad, thick with gooey bleu cheese. Handmade mozzarella, crispy fennel, roasted butternut squash, signature pesto This was one of the meal's highlights for me. In spite of my comment re: the ubiquity of butternut squash soup, it really is something I like. A lot actually. These little buttery cubes tasted great with Buck's firm, handmade mozzarella, and the homemade pesto is something else. They should put the stuff in jars and sell it, I'd love it on toast. I was trying to guess at the pesto's many ingredients - it wasn't traditional to say the least - but beyond beets, garlic...I stopped analyzing and just enjoyed. Dry-aged Prime Sirloin with frites Served medium, as ordered, this was a flavorful, juicy piece of beef. Both the sirloin and the fries had a nice kick of salt that was missing from my own entree (see below). The frites were light and slightly crisp with little to no grease. Crispy pork chop, bibb lettuce and lime salad Even though I knew the lettuce would be wasted on me, I really wanted the pork. It wasn't quite what I expected, arriving with a rather thick layer of breading. That would have been ok had the coating had more flavor. I kept reaching for the salt, but even that couldn't awaken much taste, a shame in that the pork itself was tender and cooked to a perfect (IMO) level of doneness. Side of hush puppies I saw these on the menu, served with a duck dish and asked if we might have them as a separate side dish (no way was I going to suggest any substitutions ). Our very pleasant server was happy to oblige. My first one was great, but as they cooled rapidly, the flavors somehow slipped away. They were fine, but I wouldn't suggest them as an add on for future meals (we received about 10 small hush puppies for $5). Green apple-cranberry cobbler with fresh whipped cream So good. Loved it. The clusters of cobbler topping were buttery perfection. The only thing that would have made it better? Serving the dish warm instead of room temperature. Chocolate Texas sheet (identified as sheath on the menu - typo, right?) cake Also with fresh whipped cream, also great in my book. My friend liked the frosting but thought the cake was boring. For me, this cake inspired memories of my first waitressing job when I got in trouble for having cake a la mode. I was told that I was entitled to one dessert per shift and the manager of the old lady department store restaurant snarkily told me that cake and ice cream counted as two. Hmpf. Bottom line: I liked the dense, fudgey cake. Total damage including the food described above, tax and tip (no drinks - we were both still feeling the effects of Friday and Saturday nights): $112. The decor How could I skip covering that after dining in a restaurant with such an intriguing name? In a word: cozy. In another word or two: attractively rustic. Deep reddish walls, golden domed light fixtures, a long wooden communal table running down the center of the dining room...very warm in an upscale lodge-like way. The service I expected Buck's to be more crowded after reading about waits, particularly on Sunday nights. Buck's should be a hot neighborhood spot in a 'hood that's practically begging for good food, but tonight it was only 50-70% at various points during the two hours (+/-) we were there. As a result, our service was quite attentive; we seemed to have two servers watching over us throughout the meal, both pleasantly friendly and informed about the menu. Water glasses were filled and refilled promptly; empty dishes disappeared equally promptly. I almost asked for a meal substitution, just to see how it would be handled, but our meal overall was so pleasant, I thought "why mess with success?" Maybe next time...

Has anyone been to Buck's this winter? I'm curious to know what kind of seasonal offerings Ms. Greenwood has featured because I am considering having dinner there tonight. The restaurant doesn't have a web site as far as I can tell.

I will have to let you know. My friend (who could definitely be grouped with the Tragically Hip) has suggested we meet up there later. I will go...if I can be convinced to get out of my sweats.

What have you tried entree-wise?

Probably one of my coworkers. The guy. NOT the woman.

It really is quite a space...although in some areas (stairway, other highly trafficked areas), it was looking a little threadbare. I stopped in there for a drink, maybe a snack, and although I was impressed with the surroundings, I felt somehow uncomfortable. Could be that it was 80% empty (it was a Tuesday). Could be that I didn't like the singer's voice. What do you all think? Is it worth trying again, perhaps on a Thursday or some other night when Ortanique might be livelier? What dishes are recommended?

Bump! I second that they have good guacamole. Also really enjoyed their chicken taquitos.

Ceiba was the last stop on a multi-stop happy hour in which some friends and I indulged on Tuesday night. The place was pretty empty which is a shame. I had: Cuban Black Bean Soup Ham and Manchego Cheese Croqueta, Pickled Red Onions, Latin Crema and Warm Cinnamon Dusted Churros Mexican Hot Chocolate A friend had: Pulled Chipotle BBQ Pork Quesadillas Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Latin Crema I love black bean soup tons so it's pretty hard to disappoint me. This one? Really, really good. The presentation was cool. The water brought me a oblong white bowl, empty except for the ham and manchego cheese croqueta. With a flourish, he poured my soup atop the croqueta, raising a napkin to shield me from any potential splashes. Finally he added a dollop of crema. And it tasted great too. But for me, the churros are the show stopper. Wow. And the rich Mexican hot chocolate for dipping and sipping? Amazing. This place should have been more crowded than it was. It's sister establishment, Ten Penh, had a packed bar when we were stopped in around 6:45. PS My friend? The b*tch didn't share her quesadillas! They looked really tasty, small discs of porky magic. I want to try them next time.

I'm heading to the Wizards/Sonics game with a stop at one of the local establishments (maybe IndeBleu, but more likely Zaytinya) beforehand.

Just wonderful! I'm so hungry now though...

I don't know, I'm a huge fan of the butternut squash soup... ← Didn't say that I don't like it; just that it's everywhere. Firefly? Check. Bardeo? Check. Vermillion (just mentioned elsewhere)? Check. You get the picture. It's good, but it's ubiquitous IMHO. I'd just like a little more variety in the soup selection given that most restaurants only offer one soup at a time.

I think butternut squash soup is another ubiquitous menu item. It's good and all, but I would be so happy to go to a restaurant and see...I don't know "split pea with ham and bacon" or "potato."

For less fancy, but great food, try a look at threads on Firefly (in Dupont which is convenient) and Palena (the cafe doesn't require reservations, and it's an easy Metro ride to get there).

Tom's chat (1/5) mentioned more local businesses.

Wow! But no pictures? I'm a sucker for "before" and "after" shots. After having snacked in two of his restaurants tonight, I imagine it would be very difficult to cut back. Everything we had - from black bean soup at Ceiba to beef satay at Ten Penh - was great (tho I have heartburn now - yes, I know, TMI), but the best thing? Those churros with hot chocolate at Ceiba. Finger-licking good. The kind of dessert for which I'd gladly consider gaining a pound - or five.

With respect to decor, they're quite different: Mie n Yu: luxe, opulent, lots of different rooms Dragonfly: rather spare, not all that comfortable, smoky With respect to the food, they pretty similar: I won't eat in either spot!

The soup is kick ass. The ragu is, I believe, duck.

Anyone have updates? I'm guessing the answer is "no" because good or bad, you guys probably would have posted, but it can't hurt to ask.

It's listed on MenuPages.com and the user comments are from November 2004 so it could still be open. I used to live nearby, but it's been a bit. NYers?

Ten Penh is also "good at" RW.

Does Komi have a bar? If so, can you order from the full menu there?

Mr. Sietsema says **

I don't usually find the parking to be so bad on weekends. This past Sunday, though, there was a Wizards game at noon which probably affected your parking search.

Hmm...a pork-tail. I wonder if it would sell outside eg circles... I'm drunk enough to contemplate it after quite a few drinks at Palena tonight.