BackwardsHat

Sushi Sushi is pretty good. Very consistant and fresh fish from what I can tell, although I don't claim to be a sushi expert. I go to Spices a lot, but I don't find that the Sushi is excellent. It is only average there and the selection is pretty limited. They accept credit cards...

The appeal of in-n-out is that everything is made fresh to order, and not really anything else... Anyone who says it's the "best burger" or "best fries" is kidding themselves... It's basically a fast-food place that has fresher food than most other fast food places (i.e. - mcdonalds, burger king, jack in the box, carls jr), taste has nothing to do with it for me as In-n-out is too greasy for me.. But I still eat there from time to time whenever I'm in Cali for nostalgic purposes and because most of my friends there love the place...

I respectfully disagree with this. Having learned to love sushi in Boston (and eaten at Ginza--both locations--many many times) and having lived in DC for four years, I think many places in DC are as good as the ones in Boston. Granted, I've only been to Sushi-Ko on your list. Perhaps try some of these: Sushi Taro (Dupont Circle), Uni (Dupont Circle) Kaz Sushi Bistro(which others have mentioned). Good luck! And count your blessings...I don't get any above-average sushi where I am now...or even average sushi...it's too frightening. morda PS Sometimes Kaz does an entire blowfish [er, make that puffer fish--well, fugu anyway] menu...I never managed to make it there for that. Anyone ever try it? morda: I will definitely hit up Makoto sometime soon, although you guys have built it up so much I think I'm being set up for disappointment... I've eaten at both locations of Ginza as well, MANY times (I lived in Boston for 4 years and first started eating sushi there) and I think the sushi there (at the chinatown location) is some of the best in the US, especially their maki... (crazy maki is my fav)... Have you never eaten at Shino in Boston?? It's such an experience... I'm glad to hear that you disagree with my comment, but I hope it's based on the other restaurants you've been to, and not Sushi-ko... Because, IMHO, sushi-ko is nothing special... I had some good toro there once but that's about it... I will try Kaz (the fugu sounds dangerously delicious) and the others as well, and report back... Sorry to hear about your current no-sushi situation, I can feel the pain...

Gary Tanigawa: I've eaten at Nouveau East about two dozen times and I totally agree with your comments... I didn't really like the nigiri there, nor was I too crazy about any of the other sushi... That being said, I have not tried any of their large whole-fish sashimi platters like you have... The service there can be pretty slow, but the one dish I order regularly that's pretty good is the spicy tuna don.... But, as you said, the rice is not the freshest, and the fish lacks flavor... I think the chefs there are pretty good, not great, but pretty good... I find myself going back since I work so close to the ballston mall and because my co-workers love the bento box there... sigh...

Is it the $125 menu? If so, then yes, I had it once... Is it still being served? If so, I'll go back and try it again, paying particular attention to the soup and risotto, they sound dynamite... Thanks for posting those pictures, looks like you guys had an AMAZING evening! Five hours of dining and 14 courses... wow... Great job arranging that... Definitely drop me a line if you arrange something like that again... Must have been fabulous watching the team in action with the open-kitchen design at Maestro... And man, that Ravioli d'astice must have been to die for!!!

Wow, you guys are covering a lot of places! :) My favorite for vietnamese food is Cafe Saigon... They have great pho there (pho ga is high quality chicken compared to most places), as well as great bo luc lac (aka shaky beef, aka vietnamese steak)... Hey, has anyone tried that new Tapas place that opened next to CheeseCake factory in Clarendon? (It's across from Boulevard Woodgrill)

Thanks for the update! 2 amys is my favorite pizza in DC, maybe in the country (although hot sobe in Miami beach is damn good too)... The wait for a table and lack of place to wait has always been a problem for me as I can rarely get to 2 amys early enough to make the wait anything less than over an hour... Glad to hear those changes are being made, I am inclined to agree that it will make waiting for a table much more enjoyable and maybe a new experience in and of itself... Do they still have that big table to the left, immediately after you walk in? That's always been one of my favorites for when we go in a medium sized-group...

You've eaten at Maestro FIFTY TIMES since it opened 2 1/2 yars ago and never found it a difficult reservation? Obviously you are very well-heeled and recognized by Emmanuel, Fabio, et al., because weekend reservation are often times full six weeks in advance. I've eaten there equally on weekdays and weekends... But yes, I almost always go with my dining partner who knows the staff there, so she takes care of getting us a table...

This part had me bursting out in laughter for several minutes!!! I would love to buy this part of the story from you (Like J. Peterman did from Kramer)... Hey, we've all had our shitty evenings... I'll PM you a story of mine which is probably even more embarrasing and painful than yours.... Hopefully it will put a smile on your face as well

Thanks for the tip, but Herndon is a little far for me, since I'm in Arlington, so the bailey's x-roads location is MUCH closer to me, but then again, the hispanic popuation here is proabably 10X in Herdon... so who knows, maybe it'll still be quicker with the 1 hour round trip commute to Herndon!

Re maestro: I dunno man, maybe I mistyped, I mean, I've always enjoyed Maestro, it's a great place, I've realized that since my first meal there... I guess I was more just surprised that a restaurant I've been to many times is one of the most difficult to get into in the DC area (remember, this thread was originally about difficulty of getting a res, not how good the food is)... But since you mention it, I do enjoy restaurants for BOTH their scene and their cuisine... And I especially enjoy the restaurants that take either (or rarely both) to the extreme... But I will always prefer the restaurant that exels only in their cuisine over the one that excels only in their decor... Re my website: It's a fine and difficult line to maintain stretch...that is, the balance between parody and reality... But you'd be surprised, it seems that about 5% of the responses I get are positive, from people who actually "get it", like you and Jenny... The rest are angry, hateful responses from everyone else (which leads me to believe they are taking the bait)... That 1:20 ratio is about what I am looking for... But thanks for the tip, I will take it into account and perhaps make some subtle revisions here and there... Glad you made the Am. Psy. connection with the grooming section

JennyUptown: hehe, cute! But sorry, I won't go to any restaurant owned by McDonald's...

Thanks for all the replies... Maybe I wasn't as specific as I should have been... I am mostly looking for quality sushi (specifically nigiri)... I am appreciative for the suggestions on wine, and japanese food, but I'm really looking for just nigiri sushi recommendations... bx23$qa: I will definitely try Makoto (that menu you describe sounds pretty good) saycheese: I will definitely try Kanpai as well... I don't really eat my nigiri sushi with soy OR wasabi, but I'll try a little bit since it's freshly grated wasabi... I'll post my thoughts after I visit those two places... Thanks again, and let me know if there are any other places!

So what I hear so far, is, based SOLELY on how hard it is to get a reservation, the order is approx like so: 1) Patowmack Farm 2) L'Auberge Chez Francois 3) Inn at Little W. 4) Laboratorio 5) Citronelle 6) Maestro Any missing from that list or are any of them clearly out of order?

I've yet to go, but yes, it definitely seems to be a cultural thing and they enjoy the ENTIRE experience... From struggling to find a parking space, to standing in line for 2+ hours like an amusement park ride, to finally getting the food and talking about whether it's as good as "back home" or not... They love it all... I am definitely going to try it... I'll take a nice Saturday or Sunday afternoon off and stand in line for some tasty chicken... I'm glad I checked this forum and got confirmation that the chicken there is more than just hype... Gracias!

Thanks for the reply Joe H! Patowmack Farm sounds fabulous! I will have to try it... Any particular month during the year the best time to go? Any particular day during the week? Any strategy you'd like to share for securing a reservation? I have to agree with you that the inn has stagnated... I haven't been in a few years, but when I last went, I would have expected it to have progressed beyond where it was... I have been to Gallelio, but never in the back room (which I'm guessing is Laboratorio), I'll have to check it out... I have always gone there on business so I never made the reservation and so I never really gave the back room a second thought... Thanks again for the response!

Are you talking about Maestro in the Galleria at the Ritz Carlton? If so, I am surprised... I have eaten there, literally, at least 50 times... I never really stopped to think about it as being one of the best in DC, but I guess it really is a pretty amazing place... I just don't really give too much thought since it's a local place and I routinely eat lunch and dinner at both ritzs (pentagon and tysons) and 4 seasons here in DC... I guess I just thought of them as "hotel restaurants"... How blase of me! My first dining experience at maestro was christmas of 2001... and I've been back quite often since then... I have had nothing but great treatment and meals every time... The various chefs have even brought me gifts from the kitchen at the end of the meal... Ya, you know, now that I start to think about it, the maestro really is a great place to eat...

What restaurants in DC are the hardest to get into? How difficult are they relative to others in the US? Abroad? Thanks!

Anyone know why there is always a 1-2 hour wait for this fast-food joint? I mean, they even have police directing traffic and controlling the crowds/lines that flow outside of the restaurant... From what I heard it's El Salvadorian fried chicken or something... I'm dying to try it but everytime I go there are 75-100 people in line

Well, after eating at probably 20 or so sushi restaurants in the DC area, I can report that I found ONE that was respectable... I can't remember all the places I ate at, but here are a few: Virginia: Cafe Asia, Konami, Matuba, Genji, Matsutake, atami DC: Sushi-Ko, Sakana, Japonais, Cafe Asia Except for Genji, NONE of these restaurants had good sushi, I would not go back to any of them NOR would I recommend them to anyone. Genji is the only one that had good sushi, and that was only above-average, it wasn't spectacular. Maybe I'm just spoiled by places like Shino or Ginza in Boston, or the various places in the bay area and LA... I hope not though... NOTE: I have read on this board that Makoto is good, but I have not tried it yet. Anyway, I just bought a house in northern VA right near DC and I'll be VERY upset if there are no good sushi restaurants besides Genji. Please tell me there are other ones and I just have been going to the wrong places... Oh, here's my basic take on what good sushi comprises: 1) Fresh fish (no smell) 2) Quality fish, properly cut (i.e. - salmon has nice fatty lines running horizontally and melts in your mouth, etc...) 3) The rice with nigiri is not too tightly packed (many of these places made the rice so dense it was just nasty) 4) Small-sized rice balls with nigiri (I was shocked to get huge golf-ball sized rice balls) Here's a picture of "good" sushi (IMHO): toro, sake, unagi, and a spicy tuna roll in the back -

Thanks Bux... I will definitely post a full review of the restaurants (including L'Astrance) when I get back... I will have my laptop with me so I may even post while over there if I get in the mood to write.... I have never been to any of the places I am planning on visiting... In fact, most of my time spent in Paris was earlier in my life before I was able to afford eating anywhere else other than a streetside cafe... So I basically ate with the locals most of the time... I will check out some more postings and then post a few questions here or in the respective threads... I'm sure you guys have talked most of what I need to know to death, so I'll try and keep my questions specific... My most directed question are basically Lunch vs. Dinner at these places. I know some have great lunch menus, but basically I am looking for what to avoid. (e.g. - "Don't do lunch at Guy Savoy, you will pay the same price and not enjoy the full show")... <-- Something like that, you know?

Not to revive a thread that has been "asleep" for too long, but I want to let everyone know that I made a reservation for L'Astrance in early April when I'll be visiting Paris... I will post my results when I get back in mid-April... FYI, I called at 10AM Paris time and spoke to the reservationist and formally stated that I wanted a table for dinner on my designated day. He got my information, put me on hold for maybe 30 seconds, and came back and told me that I was all set. I called back today (about a week later) to confirm the reservation and he pulled it up and said "yes, you are confirmed". We'll see...

I will be dining at Taillevent and a few others in early April... I find all the information posted in this thread to be useful and I will post my thoughts when I return... Thanks for the info!

I will be in Paris for the first 11 days in April. I have been many times myself (I lived in Paris for a few years and speak pretty fluent French) but I am going to be traveling with my gf who has never been. Here's what I have planned and acquired reservations for so far: Lunch - Taillevent Lunch - Pierre Gaignaire Dinner - Guy Savoy Dinner - L'Astrance I am looking for suggestions of lunch vs dinner and these places as well as some other suggestions. Basically I love tasty food, not too much else matters. I want to hit at least 2-3 three-star places since my gf has never been to one... Oh, and I also want some good bang-for-the-buck since I'll be paying for her as well and normally I eat free or just pay for myself... I have alloted about $1,500-$2,000 for fine dining for this trip. Suggestions/Comments/Criticisms are all welcome. Please let me know if I left out anything that will help you give me advice. I have been reading many of the posts here for a few weeks and think there is a wealth of knowledge among the users of this group and I'm thrilled to be a member and begin posting. Cheers!

I've only been to Morimoto once, but it was a great experience... I ate and drank with Morimoto and chatted with him for a while, he's a terrific person and a fabulous chef... But, he is only one man, and, as a result, must rely on others to help him run his restaurant... Your experience sounds terrible, and I'm hoping it was an isolated incident as I have been looking forward to returning to Morimoto... I will certainly post a full review the next time I eat there (should be in a month or two)... Glad to hear that your ankle is feeling better and that you are now a Sex and the City Expert!