Firefly

[Malawry]

Damn, John, why didn't you send us any of those pootatoes?

Oh, and Mark, the commentary that came with the photos is all mine. "This doesn't suck" is a running L'academie joke; you say it after consuming a torchon of foie gras or licking the caviar off the tin lid.

[John W.]

Given the company present during said pootato incident, it was a very grave error.

[Mark Sommelier]

Again, the mini-bar is not implicated in this at all. No slander suits, no chasing after me with knives.

The only thing the mini-bar is guilty of is providing damn good food and a damn good time.

For the record, my comments should be read as if they were followed by a smily-face. I assumed that it was obviously enough a joke to not be necessary.

The barfing part was not a joke. To be fair, another restaurant in the city was fingered by the barfee for providing the mayonnaise laced campylobacter that triggered the incident.

As Anna Russell said in her famous explication of Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle :"I'm not making this up, you know".

[DonRocks]

To be fair, another restaurant in the city was fingered by the barfee for providing the mayonnaise laced campylobacter that triggered the incident.

I do believe you mean to say barfer as the barfee would have been the hapless target of this epic-level tragedy, better known as "the Maxi-barf at the Mini-bar."

Edited September 6, 2003 by DonRocks (log)

[bilrus]

OK.

So much for reliving my excellent meal the other night. I think I'll skip lunch today.

[John W.]

I say again, nothing to see here folks.

[hjshorter]

I say again, nothing to see here folks.

Right. Let's move on.

You still haven't told me the name of that tawny we had.

[John W.]

You can't stop them, you can only hope to contain them.

The Tawny was "Museum Release" by Yalumba. I think the average age is 20 years.

[DonRocks]

You can't stop them, you can only hope to contain them.

The Tawny was "Museum Release" by Yalumba. I think the average age is 20 years.

At least nobody mentioned the blew plate special.

P.S. I once ralphed in a Michelin two-star.

Edited September 5, 2003 by DonRocks (log)

[hannnah]

At least nobody mentioned the blew plate special.

P.S.  I once ralphed in a Michelin two-star.

I once honked at the table on one really unfortunate evening.

Should have known better than to order haggis tagliatelle.

[Mark Sommelier]

At least nobody mentioned the blew plate special.

P.S.  I once ralphed in a Michelin two-star.

I once honked at the table on one really unfortunate evening.

Should have known better than to order haggis tagliatelle.

Haggis taglietelle!!! TFF ! ! !

[Malawry]

Being a natural-born dork, I managed to leave my camera bag at Firefly when we ate there last week. So I had to go by yesterday and pick it up. Dammit, it meant I had to stick around and eat lunch while I was at it. Life really sucks sometimes.

I fressed with Edemuth. We were seated at a large table in front of the big open doors (we had to wait a few minutes for this table, but it was well worth the wait). Several large trees outside felt almost like an extension of the big tree trunk decor behind the host stand. The soft breeze and the quiet nature of New Hampshire Avenue (a large urban street with ironically minimal vehicular traffic) made the window a great place to sit and while away an afternoon.

I ordered the romaine salad with buttermilk dressing and a burger; Edemuth chose the fried oysters and the steak frites. I've written about the oysters and the steak frites here already, and I exercised admirable self-restraint in not filching oysters off of Edemuth's plate. My salad was terrific, buttermilky-creamy with plenty of chives and chunks of salty ham. There was a little too much dressing in the bowl, but otherwise it's a comforting riff on all-American salads with ranch dressing. The burger is blissful, served on a grilled sesame seed roll with caramelized onions and pepper-jack cheese. It's BIG and very juicy and it comes with a big cone of frites. A good deal for $11.

Tricia served me my camera bag on a doily-lined plate along with my salad. And of course Chef John found a few minutes to come gossip with us as we were finishing up. Good times.

[Steve Klc]

Makes one wonder what Firefly would be like with a patio? Answer: a charming addition to the neighborhood that I'd encourage if I lived in that neighborhood. Too bad the people who live there don't realize what they are missing.

[Al_Dente]

Three words:

Fries, truffles, parmesan.

[sara]

Three words:

Fries, truffles, parmesan. 

Ah yes! Those lovely fries--mazman and i enjoyed those during my recent trip to dc. delicious. had some crappy fries tonite at society hill hotel in philly...wish we had a Firefly in Philly!

[dscott]

First trip to Firefly tonight as part of our last dining trip to D.C. before the baby arrives and ruins our dining experiences (ha ha kidding...well, maybe not so much).

Suggestions for Firefly? I'm sure JW has his favs but what about everyone else? The fried oysters and lamb appear to be sure things. (That picture of the lamb in a previous post had me drooling all over my keyboard). Any hidden gems on the menu previously unmentioned or undermentioned?

Also, I was thinking about walking to Vidalia afterwards for dessert. Isn't it close? Close enough for a 7 mo. pregnant woman to walk to? Will it be possible to get into Vidalia on a Friday evening for dessert only w/o reservs or is that a laughable proposition?

Also, anywhere good open up early on Sunday mornings for brunch?

TIA

[bilrus]

I was going to recommend the oysters and the lamb but I see that you have already picked up on that. The steak frites was also very good and I really liked the onion and chorizo tart appetizer.

I am going back tomorrow for the first time since our on-a-whim evening (isn't anyone feeling whimsical lately?).

Is that lamb steak still on the menu in some form or another? Not that I won't be able to find something else on the menu but I 've got my mouth set for that.

[hjshorter]

Will your wife be able to eat the oysters? Oysters were verboten while I was pregnant.

I loved my steak frites. Not an adventurous choice, but that beef was so tasty and perfectly cooked and the frites were excellent. The gnocchi were very good too.

[liamdc]

First trip to Firefly tonight as part of our last dining trip to D.C. before the baby arrives and ruins our dining experiences (ha ha kidding...well, maybe not so much).

Suggestions for Firefly? I'm sure JW has his favs but what about everyone else?  The fried oysters and lamb appear to be sure things.  (That picture of the lamb in a previous post had me drooling all over my keyboard).  Any hidden gems on the menu previously unmentioned or undermentioned? 

Also, I was thinking about walking to Vidalia afterwards for dessert. Isn't it close? Close enough for a 7 mo. pregnant woman to walk to?  Will it be possible to get into Vidalia on a Friday evening for dessert only w/o reservs or is that a laughable proposition?

Also, anywhere good open up early on Sunday mornings for brunch?

TIA

Last time I was at Firefly, there was a wonderful super Tuscan on the wine list (as well as by the glass). It would likely go great with the lamb! ;-)

[Al_Dente]

The gnocchi rocks, as does the egg drop soup.

[dscott]

So I had a long review planned from an awesome Friday night dinner at Firefly but I'm under water this week so I'll have to make this very brief.

-Thanks to everyone for the great recs.

-We loved the atmosphere. Modern yet comfortable and sophisticated.

-Good drinks pre-meal. Nice bar. Can't wait to go back and sit in the comfy area. That could get dangerous however. Comfort + alcohol + frites. I might never move.

-Apps: Oysters (me) and gnocchi/dumplings (Anne). Oysters were great, as advertised, but the dumplings were even better, IMO. Sietsema called the gnocchi "stodgy". I couldn't disagree more. Delicious sauce too. Don't get me wrong, the oysters rocked but I'd eat those gnocchi as much as possible if I lived in D.C..

-Dinner: Lamb(me), steak frites (her). O.k., so Anne won on the apps but I got my own back w/ the main course. That lamb was phenomenal. Cooked absolutely perfectly. Just enough fat to add great flavor. The cherry/grape tomatoes added a vibrancy. The steak was cooked perfectly but a wee bit underseasoned for me. Funny, Anne thought it was perfect (if anything, overseasoned), so it worked out perfectly. Spinach=good; Frites=great; Corn gratinee=best.

-Dessert: I wish. We couldn't fit another thing in our mouths. We even had plans to hit Vidalia (or Nectar at John's suggestion) but I could barely move after that much food at Firefly.

We were taken care of amazingly well and had a great experience (dining and otherwise). I'm a big fan, will recommend to others, and will go back as much as possible.

Thanks again everyone.

[bilrus]

I finally made it back last Saturday and it was all as good as I remebered. Lamb, Oysters, black bean soup, risotto and the pear dessert were all great and those fries are out of this world - great fries by themselves but with truffles and parmesan to take them over the top. But the hospiality of John and Tricia were the best part of the evening.

[vengroff]

I've been on this brunch kick lately, and today it took me to Firefly. What a gem of a brunch. It doesn't seem to be that well known except to the guests upstairs at the Madera hotel, but it absolutely ought to be. The menu is small, but it covers a good range of sweet and savory, traditional and non-traditional brunch dishes.

For all of you out there who love the fried oysters, you've got to try them with a spicy old bay bloody mary. If that doesn't get you going on a Sunday morning head straight for the nearest hospital because you are clinically dead. We also had a nice selection of pastries served in the same copper pails user for bread at dinner time.

A winter medley soup of parsnips, sweet potato and chicken stock topped with a crisp bruniose of tart apple kept up the Firelfy tradition of really excellent soups. The oatmeal expert in our party also gave a big thumbs up to the maple and pecan covered rendition on offer.

For main courses, orecchiette with roast chicken and safron and a hearty portion of steak and eggs were clear winners. Salmon cakes with cheese grits were really intriguing, and I think I will have to give them a try next time.

With the holiday season approaching and visits from friends and relatives immenent, I'm going to keep this one in my back pocket ready to go.

[Tweaked]

Hey John did you see the chef blurb on yourself in today's Express?

[John W.]

Nah. Any good?