Firefly

[morela]

Because John W. is nice

Go to page 10 of PDF

[Al_Dente]

The first thing I saw when I went to page 10 was the ad for the malpractice law firm. I thought I was going to read a testimonial from John W. on the huge settlement he received from a botched operation or something.

[morela]

Too bad it makes being a chef sound so easy. I appreciate how hard you guys work. That's all for now...

(edited by my editor)

Edited December 8, 2003 by meaghanfitzgerald (log)

[DonRocks]

Who would have thought that one of Washington’s best Indian dishes would come from our own John Wabeck at Firefly? Even when a restaurant becomes so familiar, so comfortable, that you think about it in the same way you do the slippers that the dog fetched and dropped on top of the La-Z-Boy, there are still a couple of dishes you haven’t yet tried, and at Firefly, the very last thing I ordered off the menu was the bowl of Eggplant Curry with ‘Firm Polenta’ and Slivered Almonds, simply because it never occurred to me to order it. Well, wow. Next time I go, I’m going just for this, and I’m going to order the entrée-sized bowl and have it with a couple glasses of the Sauvignon Blanc (which, I was surprised to hear from John, is 52% Sauvignon Blanc, 48% Semillon, putting it squarely in the white Bordeaux range despite it having overt grassy/cat-pee overtones). This curry is clean, not oily, but also bold and assertive, and for some unknown reason, the polenta works with it – who would have thought? At the risk of sounding trite, the papadam is a perfect textural counterpoint, and this dish will no longer fly under my radar screen.

What you don’t want to do is order it on the same night as the gnocchi which is terribly named, because it’s a classic Polish dish of potato pancakes and kielbasa (John is Polish). If you’re looking for gnocchi, you’re going to hate it; if you’re looking for something Babushka Wislawa Szymboraska would make you on a Sunday afternoon, it’s going to taste like home. I love this dish, and I have ordered it at least a half-dozen times, though I do feel obliged to accompany my praise with the standard health warning from the American Heart Association.

The Tongue at Little Washington – Mall space is limited, and Mick Jagger was just knighted, so in the public interest, I hereby designate the painting in the back room at Firefly The Rolling Stones Memorial: make a pilgrimage to Firefly, walk into the back room, look about 2/3 of the way up the painting at the big orange thing in the middle, and you'll see why.

Have I mentioned my favorite name for a geological formation? It isn’t Lake Titicaca although that must surely be in the top five (in France, elementary-school children call it Lake PipiCaca). This is something more akin to the Hawaiian state fish whose name astonishes people when you tell them you’ll buy them a drink if they can name it, and then they always smile and say ‘mahi-mahi’ and expect a drink, and when you tell them no, it’s the humuhumunukunukuapua’a they don’t believe you.

So anyway, it’s more like that, and it is in fact the Drygalski Ice Tongue: http://www.livingtravel.com/antarctica/ice...cetongue_01.htm

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Mark Sommelier]

Rocks,

You don't have a dog and you don't have a La-Z-Boy.

[JPW]

Not that John needs any more plugs on this board, but Mrs. JPW and I had yet another fantastic dinner at Firefly on Friday.

After a glass of wine (OK 2) at the bar, we sat down for a much anticipated meal. Mrs. JPW had the chicken which was awesome. We don't usually order chicken in restaurants, but the guy next to us at the bar had had it and it looked and smelled awesome. As an aside, it was funny listening to him try to pick up the blonde on the other side by saying he was a chef who had worked, among other places, at the Little Nell in Aspen and somewhere on Sea Island. I had the lamb which was absolutely perfect -- it just melted in my mouth and the sauce was fabulous. And yes, I remembered to consume the marrow on a slice of bread. Had the neoclassical brownie for dessert which was great. After reading from an earlier post, I had a glass of the tawny port to close up the meal. I enjoyed it greatly even though I tend not to like tawnys.

BUT the best part of the meal was the appetizer. We had the smoked duck salad. I can't wait to have that one again. The slices of duck were just perfect. Full of flavor, just the tiniest bit of crispy on the outside and absolutely tender on the inside. It matched up well with the arugula and raisins and dressing and the toasted sunflower (?) seeds gave a great texture contrast with their crunchiness. I drove my wife nuts the rest of the weekend because it was all I could talk about. The house Chardonnay was a great match - the smokiness complimented the duck and it had just enough sweetness to compliment the raisins while contrasting with the acidity of the dressing. My mouth is watering just thinking about that dish and wine.

Kudos to John and his crew.

[morela]

Not that John needs any more plugs on this board

Well, only one more...

Thanks to Don Rocks for not showing up at Firefly on Saturday night, I got to eat his dinner! Short rib ravioli with truffles. It was killer; a rustic and comforting dish that makes me hope he'll put something like that on the menu regularly. If I were smart I would have had John pick out my bottle of wine, but I didn't know I was eating.

I need to go back and try his newest soup.

And John W., a cheese plate for real? That would make me happy!

[DonRocks]

John is a friend of mine, and I hesitate to post anything much about Firefly at this point, but I want to at least mention the, gulp, chicken.

I've now had the Roast Half Chicken with Bacon, Cabbage and Prunes three times. It's the least expensive main course at Firefly, and is something I can recommend with confidence. Try it with the cream of turnip soup which Morela wrote about here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=29675&st=30, and you'll have one heckuva one-two-punch meal for about $25.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[laniloa]

I had a marvelous lunch at Firefly today. I adore ceasar salads when done well. Something about the contrast of the bite of the garlic against the crisp cool lettuce. When done poorly it is all garlic and soggy lettuce. Not so here. Then theeggdrop soup with roasted butternut squash. I hate when there are big clumps of egg. This soup had delicate wisps of egg that was velvety in your mouth. The squash was a nice addition but unevenly cooked. When it was well roasted it dissolved in your mouth without feeling mushy but about a third of the squash was very undercooked. I'd get it again because the well roasted chunks were magic. Then, chocolate bread pudding for dessert. I applaud the chef for not stooping to the obvious choice of vanilla ice cream to cut through some of the richness of the chocolate -- it would have also diluted the intensity. The chocolate ice cream did the trick while enriching the flavor.

This will become a regular stop of mine even if the tables are too close together. I had to stop myself from answering questions the folks at the next table asked each other but couldn't answer.

[morela]

This soup had delicate wisps of egg that was velvety in your mouth.

...were magic.

1. soup

2. magic

3. egg

Three key words!

[JennyUptown]

Anticipation...

Birthday dinner (Mom's, not mine) at Firefly tomorrow night...

Yum.

[JPW]

Enjoy!

If the smoked duck breast salad is still on the menu, one of you must try it!

[Al_Dente]

John is a friend of mine, and I hesitate to post anything much about Firefly at this point, but I want to at least mention the, gulp, chicken.

I've now had the Roast Half Chicken with Bacon, Cabbage and Prunes three times. It's the least expensive main course at Firefly, and is something I can recommend with confidence. Try it with the cream of turnip soup which Morela wrote about here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=29675&st=30, and you'll have one heckuva one-two-punch meal for about $25.

Cheers,

Rocks.

I second this. Had it Saturday night. Perfectly crisped skin and the cabbage was delicious.

Thanks John!

[mnebergall]

Is there a relationship between the Firefly in DC and the one on Mt. Vernon Ave. in Alexandria?

[Al_Dente]

Is there a relationship between the Firefly in DC and the one on Mt. Vernon Ave. in Alexandria?

Nope. The one in Alexandria is called Fireflies-- haven't been yet myself, but I've heard mixed reviews.

[mnebergall]

Sounds like a lot of potenial for confusion (read that "trdemark infringement").

[JPW]

Is there a relationship between the Firefly in DC and the one on Mt. Vernon Ave. in Alexandria?

Fireflies in Del Ray opened just before I left the world of being a renter for the freedom and care-free world of home ownership in SS.

As far as I could tell, it was really nothing more than an upscale pizza shop.

[JennyUptown]

John is a friend of mine, and I hesitate to post anything much about Firefly at this point, but I want to at least mention the, gulp, chicken.

I've now had the Roast Half Chicken with Bacon, Cabbage and Prunes three times.  It's the least expensive main course at Firefly, and is something I can recommend with confidence.  Try it with the cream of turnip soup which Morela wrote about here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=29675&st=30, and you'll have one heckuva one-two-punch meal for about $25.

Cheers,

Rocks.

I second this. Had it Saturday night. Perfectly crisped skin and the cabbage was delicious.

Thanks John!

When I was there (also Saturday so I got to meet both JohnW and Al_Dente) I had the pork tenderloin. OH MY. So good.

I also tasted my first oyster. If it hadn't been fried, I don't know if I would have taken the plunge (for, as some of you know, I'm not a seafood eater), but it was ok. I neither loved nor disliked it - come from me, that's pretty good.

Other highlights: egg drop soup (yum!), Spanish cosmos to drink and chocolate bread pudding.

Thanks for the wonderful hospitality and food, John!

[laniloa]

I'm bringing a friend here for a casual business dinner tomorrow. What have people been enjoying lately?

[laniloa]

Had an absolutely fabulous meal at Firefly last night. I brought a work colleague I've known since I was 15 (in my 30s now) to talk about future prospects and he loved the place. Always tricky to get people who knew you as a kid to treat you as a colleague. He was in town for meetings and we came from a reception so we skipped appetizers. He had the steak frites and was still talking about it at the meeting this morning. I had a truly wonderful venison ragout with tagliatele, mushrooms, and creme freche. The pasta was more of an accent then main ingredient which lightened the dish considerably. The venison was rich without being gamey and the creme freshe really helped blend the flavors. My colleague loved the atmosphere, even if it was a little noisy, and I left with a serious prospect for my next job!

[JPW]

My colleague loved the atmosphere, even if it was a little noisy, and I left with a serious prospect for my next job!

Don't forget that John gets a cut if it works out!

[laniloa]

Don't forget that John gets a cut if it works out!

If it works out I'll go back for my celebration dinner!

[morela]

LAST NIGHT I HAD THE BEST COD DISH I'VE EVER HAD!

BEST, I TELL YA.

I have work at work, though, so I'll have to come back later.

The texture is something I'm going to have to touch on later too. It was cooked to perfection.

Edited March 12, 2004 by morela (log)

[morela]

It's me again.

Cuddle Me Cod

Here's for when you don't want salt cod, tomatoes,

olives...and blah,blah,blah.

It's a dish worth talking about, one you must eat slowly and enjoy.

Sautéed Spiced Cod with Puree of Potato,

Braised Belgian Endive and Parsley Oil

The fish, beautifully cooked, fluffy with a rice pudding made by a G-ma consistency and a thoughtful light-handedness on the spice.

It rests in a plate of creamy and salted-just-right potato puree that you wish you could finish with a little tiny espresso spoon.

And the endive, the endive is disguised by a vibrant parley oil, which comes as a little moat around the potatoes. I thought it looked and felt like the most delicate artichoke heart, and tasted more like something I don’t know.

How much does that cost again?

It’s cheap and it’s real and I can’t imagine there’s a better cod dish in this city…at least not one sans that drupaceous fruit.

Where's the ‘Food With Soul’ thread because I'd like to put another of Wa(y)beck's up top.

Edited March 13, 2004 by morela (log)

[JennyUptown]

I received the following e-mail newsletter from Firefly last night and wanted to share:

Greetings and Warm Spring Wishes!

The Firefly family is happy to announce its' spring menu thanks to the culinary genious of Chef John Wabeck. With the first installation already in place, the finishing touches should be capped over the next few weeks. We encourage your calls so that we may either fax or email our new lunch, brunch, and dinner menu to you. With an uncompromising wine list to match, our exciting new menu items are sure to make this our most savory season yet.

We have also bid good luck to our most adored Restaurant Manager, Tricia Cominsky, who has accepted the position of General Manager at Poste Moderne Brasserie. Her departure restructured the management team at Firefly, as we strongly push forward with Chef Wabeck at the helm as both Executive Chef and General Manager, Samantha Bartz and Ryan Vigeant, Restaurant Managers.

We look forward to your next visit, whether passing through town looking for friendly and familiar faces, or rounding the corner to your home away from home!

Best Wishes!

Firefly - DC is located at:

1310 New Hampshire Ave. NW

Washington DC 20036

Phone: 202.861.1310 Fax: 202.659.3597

Visit us on the web at www.firefly-dc.com