JennyUptown

Palena last night was sweet. I went with my boyfriend (PLM) who had never been and my good friend whom I shall call Faux-Veg. Faux-Veg was in the group that went with me the first time. Needless to say, she too enjoyed her second visit much more than the first. Last night's meal was first rate. Faux-Veg had the pasta alla chittarra with rabbit ragu (see why I call her that??), I had a burger (again, I am hooked), and PLM, a hearty eater, indulged in the tuna followed by a burger. It was all fabulous, but what made the meal so enjoyable was 1. the service (hello to Evan and Derek) and 2. the wonderful cocktails. Faux-Veg had a sweet version of Derek's Copenhagen Citroen (aquavit, lemon juice, simple syrup). I had the famous Sidecar. For seconds, we both had some wonderful concoction with gin, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, anise-flavored bitters and fresh orange juice. Awesome. PLM stuck with the Sidecar--and loved it once it was transfered to a highball glass. He's a pain in the ass sometimes. Sound like anyone you know? Good times... Evan was kind enough to point out the presence of Mr. Jarad Slipp. I didn't interrupt his meal to introduce myself though. Oh, and this part amused me: PLM is unaware of egullet. I prefer to keep this great little world to myself so before he arrived, I asked Derek and Evan to ixnay on the egullet mentions. They were discreet, but when I got the check, I noted on the bottom "Reference: JUptown." PLM did not notice, but it made me smile.

Desperate for a drink, I will be at Palena or Bardeo soon, very soon. Whatta day.

I do feel gouged now that I think about it. We were charged for sharing AND charged for a second plate of rice and daal. Between those two fees, I think it was $8 or $9...the overall dish is $12 or $13. Live & learn. Won't do that sharing bidness again. Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled "Saturday Night" topic.

That's funnier.

Bourbon is open, but not metro-accessible. Right nearby is Austin Grill, as well, but I find that location to be somewhat dank. I have not been to the place that replaced Faccia Luna (Thanks, Rocks), Kavanaugh's.

I'd love to meet up with you all, but... 1. I am trying to save money 2. That is my birthday weekend

I was gonna say Indique, but Morela beat me to it! You can definitely eat on the cheap there if you watch your drinking. Also, if you're considering sharing entrees, don't. Although the portions are often quite shareable (at least IMO), the sharing cost plus the cost of an extra plate of rice and daal add up almost to the cost of an extra entree. Personally, I like to take home my leftovers anyway. Bardeo is also open on Sundays, though their charming host is off-duty that night. So many other "good deal!" spots are closed including Kuna and the beloved Palena.

A VA-dwelling friend and I are going to head to Jaleo one night this week or next. Is the menu exactly the same as the other locations?

It could also be because Ray's is a tough reservation in a city that doesn't have too many tough reservations.

Nice avatar!

I still go, but my usual Chipotle has an insect problem. These little fruit fly-type bugs congregate on the wall near where you line-up. They don't seem to be doing anything about it which has skeeved me out enough to contemplate frequenting other burrito joints instead. But I haven't made a move yet.

I was all excited about my Indique leftovers until I read that. Now I am jealous.

I missed having my first Sidecar because Derek thought I'd particularly like hillvalley's favorite...I forget what he called it but it was a lovely combination of aquavit, lemon juice and simple syrup. PS Hi Evan! Peace out to Scranton.

Went back to Bardeo last night. What a surprise - ha, ha! I believe they might have hired a new pastry chef because the dessert list seems to be getting longer and more inspired. Not that I didn't enjoy their desserts before. My present favorite is the apple/blackberry strudel (which looks, on the the outside, a lot like Firefly's spring rolls) served warm, a la mode. So good. But last night we tried something even newer, a chocolate ganache tart with a red wine granite (I think that's how it was described). The tart, raved about by at least two staff members, was fine, but what really got us was the granite. OH. MY. So good, I could have eaten a bowl of it plain. I could have sworn that it was fresh raspberry sorbet, but they assured me it flavor was red wine. I'm craving it today.

I went back to Palena last night and...let's just say sometimes it's the second impression, not the first, that matters. Great time, fun company, terrific food, and then there's the wonderful Derek.

So cool - thanks, Bill!

The start time of this evening's plans keeps getting pushed back so I may head to Palena for a burger shortly.

I wish I knew what LT puts in their rice pilaf, which comes with most of the entrees. It looks like your basic rice, but man, it sure tastes good to me. Anyone have insight here?

Oh, so you agreed? Sorry, my bad... I'm trying to decide which bugs me more: when a reviewer likes a place I don't, or vice versa. Hmm.

Great choice. Start with a mojito martini and pork spring rolls, I suggest.

Ooh, Palena. I need to get back there soon. Will Derek be there tonight? Does anyone know?

Lebanese Taverna (Woodley Park) has become one of my fallback casual-dinner-with-friends spots. I enjoy the food; there are probably 100 different things to choose from though I often get either chicken shawarma or mixed (lamb/chicken) shawarma. The hummus has a pleasantly nutty flavor - when I'm there with a non-veg friend, I always get the version with lamb. Yum. It's quite reasonably priced (although I noticed a price increase when the menus were updated recently. LT has recently added a menu page or so of hot and cold smaller plates (meze) in case you don't want to commit to a full size entree (prices for entrees, I believe start around $12 and top out around $20). The atmosphere isn't anything to write home about...to me it smacks of one of those massive Long Island "upscale" diners crossed with this place in Taylor, PA (Family Affair on Main Street, in case you're passing through ). Lots of families. An occasional blind date or two (great opportunity for eavesdropping by the way). IMHO, the baklava is amazingly bad...yet I continue to order it. Nicely flavored pastry top and filling, but incredibly tough on the bottom. Whether using your teeth or a knife and fork, you will struggle, I guarantee. When you stand up to leave, phyllo flakes will be all over the table, your lap and occasionally, your neighbor. Note: I am no expert on Lebanese desserts so this could be one person's opinion and completely off the mark. All this said, I've heard that LT/DC is nowhere near as good as it used to be. Given that I've only been going there for about two years, I have no means of comparison. I've also never been to the VA location.

Interesting how the dish one loved (the ravioli), the other hated.

I haven't been in yet, but the location looks super-cool. Very different than most of the stuff in that antique-y stretch.

Mie n Yu. I'm sure you gathered from my previous post about it that I'll go back for drinks. But. Never. Food.