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Turtleboy

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    Cute DC Cafes/Restaurants

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    Along those same lines, I'd be interested in hearing about cafes where one can have a cup of coffee, a snack perhaps, and spend 2-3 hrs in front of a book or laptop (preferably) in the middle of a weekday without feeling like I'm imposing or in the way. Places with wireless access would be especially great, and those nearby a Metro stop or in areas I could pretty easily find parking would be doubly-doubly great. :biggrin::biggrin:

    How about Tryst in Adams Morgan.

    1. Coffee? Check.

    2. Snack? Check.

    3. Wifi? Check.

    4. Able to sit all day? Check.

    5. Metro? Well, not on top of a metro, but Woodley park isn't that far, and during the week during the day you mean even find parking.

    Stacks: Closed.

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    You could see this one coming a mile away. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Stacks was owned by the same guy who owns Signatures.

    There were stories about that, but I'm not sure.

    I thought it was owned by Jack Abramoff, who is a big time Orthodox Jewish Republican Lobbyist (enough labels for ya?) in D.C.

    The story is that he was tired of not being able to go out to nice dinners with clients, so his orignal plan was to open Archives (the nicer restaurant) with Stacks as the add on.

    I thought they would get enough business from the kosher only crowd to keep them open, but it was so bad (and so unncessarily pricey) that even they deserted it.

    Stacks: Closed.

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    I walked by Stacks, the glatt kosher deli located on 11th and Penn, today, and I think it is closed.

    Well, the lights were off, the shutters were shuttered, and there was a big sign in the window that said "Closed," so I think I got the hint.

    What it didn't say, was whether it was closed for the day, closed for some changes, or just closed for good.

    I suspect it's closed for good. My trusty Jewish calendar doesn't show any holiday today, and shabbos doesn't start till real real late. Also, every single time I've gone it's been just awful. Almost like they went out of their way to be awful.

    I went in the first week and they put MAYO! on the sandwhiches, without even asking and without saying they would do so on the menu. I ordered the latkes, and they put big globs of sour cream (parve obviously) and apple sauce on top of the latkes (instead of on the side, and again, without giving any warning on the menu).

    Also, on subsequent occasions when I kept going back (I really wanted the place to succeed, probably for sentimental reasons more than anything else), it always sucked. The service was lousy, the portions were mediocre, the meat and bread wasn't fresh. I think what was needed was for the entire restaurant to take a field trip to the Second Avenue Deli or to Katz's because they just had no clue what a kosher deli was supposed to be.

    I'm sad that it's closed b/c of the dearth of kosher food in DC (even though I'm as treyf as treyf can be). And I hope that the owners realize that the reason it closed is not because DC can't support a kosher place, but because this place did everything wrong from the start.

    Outback Steakhouse

    in Restaurant Life

    Posted

    The only item on any menu (including the fast food places) that really scares me is the Bloomin Onion. The nutritional info will simply blow your mind. I'd rather just eat the 2 pounds of cookie dough, which is the approximate caloric and fat equal to this thing.

    But what about the Aussie Cheese Fries? A veritable mountain of fries, gobs of ooey-gooey Jack and Cheddar, lots o'bacon, served with Ranch dressing for dipping.

    Enough fat and cholesterol for the whole table for a week, all in one appetizer!

    What's "Jack and Cheddar" and "Ranch Dressing"? I don't think we have these in Australia.

    Who dreamed up the faux-Aussie theme anyway? Is there an Australian chain that Outback is modeled after, or did an American exec see Crocodile Dundee too many times?

    The latter.

    Pizza, Chinese Food, Deli

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    Are the three things that really suck in DC compared to other major cities.

    Yes, Full Kee is good, but Chinatown in general is lame. Yes, I've been to Pizzaria Paradisio, but sometimes you just want an old fashioned NY slice. And Deli -- well, I've been to Krupin's and I've been to Stacks.

    But I've also been to Second Avenue Deli in NYC, and they don't even come close.

    But the questions is, why to these three types of food (Italian, Chinese, Jewish) suck so much? I think it's because that DC never get the immigrant waves of these groups 100 years ago when NYC (and other major cities) did.

    Ethipoian, Salvadoran, Vietnamese, etc are great b/c we have those immigrants, but sometimes I just wish I could have a big slice of Pizza, great chinese food that isn't General Whoever, and a Hot Pastrami on Rye.

    (all at once. :wink: ).

    Washington DC Area Grocery Stores

    in DC & DelMarVa: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    I live in Foggy Bottom. The Watergate Safeway is the store closest to me. I have been shopping there weekly for almost 20 years. No one in the store knows my name. I know their names. They tell me "haven't seen you in a while". Shit! I was here yesterday! I have pulled products off the shelves that have been 2 months out of date. A splurge day for me is cabbing over to the Whole Foods store on P St. Who cares what the stuff costs? It looks and mostly tastes good.

    Ah, the Bob Dole Safeway.

    I used to live in Foggy bottom and shopped there once or twice. But I had a car, and I would drive out to Virginia, or the Social Safeway rather than shop there.

    Matzo Balls, Kneidlach, etc.

    in Cooking

    Posted

    The whole point of the Matza Ball was that it was forbidden to have noodles during Pesach. I assume that's why they were invented.

    The thing I make best is chicken soup. Don't tell my Bubbie but I've greatly improved upon her recipe. ;)

    Generally, I don't make Matzo balls during the year, only during Pesach -- which makes them more special. But yes, lokshen (specifically, egg noodles) are a must.

    Mussels: What's that green stuff?

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Sometimes when I cook mussels, instead of having one "whole" mussel inside, they will seem to have two halfs, with some green stuff in the middle.

    It looks pretty gross. What is that? Is that the same thing as the "tamale" in the lobster? Should I eat or chuck those?

    eGullet Outing at Full Kee, Chinatown

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    er---

    preferences between about ordering individually at the restaurant versus asking ahead for a $15-$20 a head assortment of interesting stuff?

    I'd prefer ordering at the restaurant -- as long as people are up for sharing. With the banquet menu, you never know what you're going to get.

    Although I'm a little adventurous, I'm not necessarily up for the offal.

    But I'm new, so I'll certainly bow to the will of the majority.

    Washington DC Area Grocery Stores

    in DC & DelMarVa: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    Up until October 2002, I lived at 16th and Columbia and would rather drive to the Social Safeway than go to the Spanish Safeway on Columbia, which was just awful.

    Now I live at 14th and N and will luckily can walk to the Whole Foods which is excellent (for DC). But of course, you can't get everything there, so I'll sometimes drive to the Giant around 7th, which isn't bad for DC but still sucks.

    I miss the Publix of my youth in Florida.

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