Tweaked

I was wondering what to get as take out after the gym tonight and now I have my answer, pho!

When you have 4 or 5 bars with in a 2 block walking distance from the House Office Buildings all offering cheap beer and bar food specials and a captive audience of 20 somethings not making much money, you know these bars are all going to make a killing! That said, I'm a 30 something, make decent money, and I'm still a regular at the Cap Lounge, so what do I know

Wow, this rocks! I'm already excited! Thanks mdt and Chef Power!

My not so well thought out theory is that since Capitol Hill is off the beaten track for DC nightlife mediocre restaurants can survive. DC's main nightlife hotspots are relatively close to each other and can poach customers from surrounding neighborhoods. To go from Cleveland Park to Adams Morgan/U Street/Dupont/Penn Quarter is an easy metro/cab ride away. Therefore a) the better chefs tend to open their restaurants in those areas b) since these areas tend to be where people are spending their evening (theater, MCI Center, club hopping etc.) the customers demand that the restaurants are better if dining is the way they are kicking off their big evening out and about in the city. I guess it has to do with having greater expectations. Also factor in your corporate/expense account money for lunch and dinner in these areas. Very few people go out on Capitol Hill for the nightlife other then the local residents. The bars aren't all that special and it's a pretty good trek via metro/cab from other parts of the city. Since it's mostly a residential neighborhood, I think the expectation of the evening is lower since most of the dining is much more casual in manner. A quiet dinner with the SO or neighbor, rather then dinner and a show. Since the expectation is lower the quality can be lower and restaurants can get away with it. Or, people like us have discovered the couple good dishes on a menu and we order that dish over and over again. However, what I don't get is why no restauranteurs realizes the potential for better dining on the Hill. The area is affluent (just look at the housing prices) with a good mix of young people, couples, married with kids, and longtime older residents. Everyone in my little neighborhood appreciates fine dining and would spend money on the Hill if fine dining was available. Honestly, I think small places serving high quality food would do very well, something along the lines of a Bardeo for instance would kill. I don't think anyone on the Hill is clamouring for a Laboratorio or Maestro to open, but someone serving Firefly or Komi or Ray's level of food would do very well. I guess in a way it boils down to a chicken and the egg situation. People don't come because they think the dining sucks, the dining sucks because people don't come to spend their money on the Hill.

Tortilla Grill/Cafe...an excellent place. Ask for the green hot sauce that they make, really, really, really good!

I find myself ordering out from Pacific Grill more and more. The grilled chicken with rice noddle is competently prepared time after time, and nicely priced for $10. The chicken makhani at Aatish is a winner the burger at Mr. Henry's is usually solid, especially when eating outside. the 25 cent tacos at the Cap Lounge on Wednesday nights. Hanger steak at Montmartre Most things at the Tortilla Grill Cafe across from Eastern Market. and most things are La Plaza and Las Placitas are solid. Dining on the Hill is all about find the one or two dishes on the menu that are done well and then ordering them everytime!

My uneducated theory would be since DC is such a transient town with a lot of young people staying for a couple years then moving, attending grad schools, doing the political thing etc. that alot of restaurants hire servers that don't have a lot of experience and are looking for some extra cash while at school or working poor paying politico jobs. Perhaps someone in the Biz can comment on whether or not there is a core group of "professional" servers where restaurant work is there primary job in Washington DC. It seems to be me places like NYC and I would imagine San Fran and other major food cities you have a core group of professional waitstaff and therefore the talent pool is higher and more trained.

Al Tiramisu,,,the dining room gives you the feel of eating in some family owned Italian joint, where as Speize is just a big open room with not much warmth. However, stay away from the Al Tiramisu specials, mucho expensive.

The patio at Zaytinya is very nice. Lots of tables, lots of umbrellas...don't think they have starched tablecloths

You must try the Ginger Salad, it is excellent. There sushi is good...not excellent but good. They also do a lot of turn over so the quality and freshness of the sushi is good. I also like the curry puff ap and miso soup, I've also found that what they mark as hot and spicy generally has a good kick to it. Generally when I go I make a meal out of sushi, the ginger salad, miso soup and one of the aps. there house sake (served warm) is also tasty and reasonable priced.

I'll remind Tom about his deviled egg fantasy from his chat: Hmmm, Deviled Eggs? Where are the soft balls that Rocks promised me when I agreed to do this? Just to get off the spot I'll use chervil mayonaise and vidalia onion confit (cooked in the same fat that I use for confiting chicken legs) The more I think about it the more I want to fold in some really frothy egg whites to lighten it up. I am very excited about the organic eggs I buy from Sunnyside Farm in Virginia. They make everything better.

Galileo....Bardeo

I had good Chinese/Dim Sum here http://tonkiang.citysearch.com/ Also check out Citizen Cake http://www.citizencake.com/ This was a good mom and pop store front Thai restaurant, really good big bowls of soup Chai-Yo Thai Noodle 1400 Polk St.

If you want to be indulgent sit at the bar at Aqua and order their tuna tartar app (runs about $15 a plate, but well worth it)! Zuni Cafe was mini-reviewed by Sietsema in this weekend's Wash Post magazine. You can also get much better Chinese food in SF.

Me please, flying solo

Chef Power, Can you give a brief description about the concepts you use to develop a dish. Do you generally have a similar theme, what influences guide your hand, what sort of ideas/ingredients really get your juices going and makes you think, wow this is going to be a great dish. Thanks Tweaked

I took notes, I took notes! Here's the menu: Passed aps Deviled Eggs Chilled Corn Chowder (more like lukewarm really, really, really tasty) Mixed Green salad, sauted cauliflower, a round of goat cheese in bread crumbs lightly browned Biscuits, biscuits, and more biscuits (our table had three helpings) Meat loaf with current sauce and mashed potatoes. Colorado Kitchen takes meatloaf to a new level of culinary delight. Crab cake with mango chutney and yogurt sauce. sorry the one dish I wasn't crazy about Roast duck breast, parsnip mash, red wine reduction, sweet potato (?) "feathers" "It did not suck" "I found it quite tasty" Pork chop, apple sauce, cider reduction. Almost full...one more bite...help I'm stuffed Apple cobbler Upside down pineapple cake Tour of dasto next door. some libations enjoyed: Titus Vineyards Chateau Woltner 1997 Domaine Berthet-Rayne Cotes du Rhone 2002 La Bernardine Chateauneuf-du-Pape 1999 Herold Bohemian Black Lager (Czech) Rouge Dead Guy Ale (Oregon) Belhaven Wee Heavy (Scotland) a wee dram at Stretch's place Thanks to all at Colorado Kitchen for a great night

I'm not real familiar with that area either...perhaps Cleveland Park...Bardeo or a cocktail at Pelena. Does anyone know if the Fresh Fields near 14th Street sells single bottles of beer like the locations in Virginia.

anyone else open to the idea of doing a beer tasting with the menu? Start off with a nice pilsner or lager, move into a Sierra Pale Ale, and then some kind of Belgium ale. of course this will be easier to do once we know the menu

Wasn't the so called Penn Quarter a culinary wasteland when he opened Jaleo?

I for one rarely eat outside of the District, just too much of a pain in the butt to drive out to most places in the burbs. Plus none of my friends live in VA or MD, making it very rare that I'm even outside of the District. However, I do have a short list of places to try....Restaurant Eve, Ray's the Steaks, plus I need to explore the Asia restaurant scene. Like I said it is a short list

mmmm, cheese...should be a very stinky but yummy store. There are a couple amazing cheese stores in the Italian section of Philly that are truly mindblowing in the varierty of cheese they carry. One can only hope that Cheesetique is similar.

It seems to me Palena bar is best experienced when your party consists of 2 people (you and a friend who also digs food) while sitting at the bar with Derek serving as your host. At least that's how I enjoy the experience.

That's a cool place if you are the kind of guy who paints his face the colors of his soccer team......... Hey, there will be no mocking of face painters on this board

I enjoyed the roast tomato soup at Marcel's which came with a goat cheese flan and really yummy cheese straws. Had it as part of the pre-theater menu a couple weeks ago. I'm sure you could saddle up to the bar and enjoy it with a nice glass of wine.