Skullduggery at Fin, Andale, Paolo's

[DonRocks]

There once was a bartender named Johnny Barr (yes, Johnny Barr) who split duties between Fin and Andale. One night while I was at Andale, he recommended Fin's new chef, Josh Jeffress, quite highly, and based on my impression of Mr. Barr, I took that recommendation seriously enough to try Fin.

Johnny Barr has since left Fin and is now (happily) full-time at Andale. Look for him there - he's quite good.

Josh Jeffress has since left Fin and is now Executive Chef at Paolo's in Reston. Bilrus and company, take note.

Darrell Hughes has since left Paolo's in Georgetown and is now Executive Chef at Fin. My initial visit is favorable, in part due to their able bartender, Abel. P.S. Manager Dan Meyer is not related to Danny Meyer, at least I don't think he is.

(I vaguely remember being with Danny Meyer's cousin at 3 AM last spring at Chief Ike's. At least I think I was.)

The former Sous Chef at Paolo's in Georgetown is now the Executive Chef at Paolo's in Georgetown.

Got that straight? Me neither.

Rocks.

[Mark Sommelier]

There once was a bartender named Johnny Barr (yes, Johnny Barr) who split duties between Fin and Andale. One night while I was at Andale, he recommended Fin's new chef, Josh Jeffress, quite highly, and based on my impression of Mr. Barr, I took that recommendation seriously enough to try Fin.

Johnny Barr has since left Fin and is now (happily) full-time at Andale. Look for him there - he's quite good.

Josh Jeffress has since left Fin and is now Executive Chef at Paolo's in Reston. Bilrus and company, take note.

Darrell Hughes has since left Paolo's in Georgetown and is now Executive Chef at Fin. My initial visit is favorable, in part due to their able bartender, Abel. P.S. Manager Dan Meyer is not related to Danny Meyer, at least I don't think he is.

(I vaguely remember being with Danny Meyer's cousin at 3 AM last spring at Chief Ike's. At least I think I was.)

The former Sous Chef at Paolo's in Georgetown is now the Executive Chef at Paolo's in Georgetown.

Got that straight? Me neither.

Rocks.

Rocks, this is what I call "brain soup". Yummmmmm, or not. Fin is a hopelessly corporate thing, a cousin or sister of Paolos, Georgia Brown's, Neyla, Paolos, dah dah dah.

[Al_Dente]

There once was a bartender named Johnny Barr (yes, Johnny Barr) who split duties between Fin and Andale. One night while I was at Andale, he recommended Fin's new chef, Josh Jeffress, quite highly, and based on my impression of Mr. Barr, I took that recommendation seriously enough to try Fin.

Johnny Barr has since left Fin and is now (happily) full-time at Andale. Look for him there - he's quite good.

Josh Jeffress has since left Fin and is now Executive Chef at Paolo's in Reston. Bilrus and company, take note.

Darrell Hughes has since left Paolo's in Georgetown and is now Executive Chef at Fin. My initial visit is favorable, in part due to their able bartender, Abel. P.S. Manager Dan Meyer is not related to Danny Meyer, at least I don't think he is.

(I vaguely remember being with Danny Meyer's cousin at 3 AM last spring at Chief Ike's. At least I think I was.)

The former Sous Chef at Paolo's in Georgetown is now the Executive Chef at Paolo's in Georgetown.

Got that straight? Me neither.

Rocks.

I get it. So, Johnny Andale is now the sous chief, and Ike Paolo is the executive chief, at Jeff Joshress' latest restaurant, Fin Rocks. I hear their brain soup is excellent.

[DonRocks]

Rocks, this is what I call "brain soup".   Yummmmmm, or not. Fin is a hopelessly corporate thing, a cousin or sister of Paolos, Georgia Brown's, Neyla, Paolos,  dah dah dah.

So you don’t like my Capital Restaurant Concept labyrinth. Fine, I’ll continue:

15 ria is a rare restaurant whose main courses are better than the apps. Their Meat and Two nightly specials are the way to go (question: if all of Nashville gets a Meat and Three, then why do we only get a Meat and Two?) Their roasted chicken with cheese polenta and escarole is on their regular dinner menu, and is worth ordering. Their miniburgers (a welcome but mildly annoying restaurant trend) are also quite good, but the shoestring fries that come with it are just too much like shoestrings for me.

Speaking of miniburgers, all you need to know is 701.

Of course why would you do that when you could go to Stoney’s for their Super Grilled Cheese? Oh, you mean you don’t want grease running down your elbow? There’s always the chicken salad sandwich and fries at Tastee Diner in Silver Spring (outlets in Bethesda and Laurel, the one in Laurel being particularly nasty). But then you’re going to want something healthy to cleanse your system.

In defense of all-you-can-scarf sushi lunch buffets, Matsutaki in Worldgate (three other outlets in Clarendon, Ballston and Reagan Airport) pulls this off about as well as anyone else for $10.95. Their secret? Threatening signs warning the customer that wasting sushi will result in an extra charge if they’re spotted leaving too much uneaten food on the plate. Paper thin fish, otherwise very good and generally fresh. Big wedges of rice without much thought as to the preparation. No wasabi on any piece. Big tubs o’ powdered wasabi and really ugly ginger. People scoff at these sushi buffets, but I’ve seen these same people get pre-made Sushi to-go at Whole Foods. I see precious little difference between the two in terms of quality.

Ginger Reef has a lot of work to do in their kitchen, though the fruit-based drinks can sometimes be fabulous (and sometimes not). This may not be cool runnings, mon. I lament that Hibiscus Café is gone forever.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel is now open, and you should prepare to pay dearly if you decide to go for a drink.

Mandarin's high percentage of Asian customers reminds me that in The City Paper this week, Todd Kliman mentioned the racially diverse customer base at Colorado Kitchen. Based on visits in the past few days, I would also submit Ginger Reef and Fin as wonderful examples of an integrated clientele.

I recently chatted with Café Atlantico's outstanding General Manager, Manuel Iguina, and he mentioned that Crystal City will soon be a beneficiary of the talented Mr. Andres: Oyamel Cocina Mexicana is coming soon. (The Oyamel is an endangered fir tree in Mexico that provides a unique habitat for the monarch butterfly population.) I saw a preliminary wine list (and I stress that it's preliminary), and it features 31 Mexican reds and 21 Mexican whites, no doubt influenced by Atlantico's fine sommelier, Francisco Astudillo.

It’s inexplicable to me that Bardeo, a wine bar, serves its red wines so warm. The short-order food is perfectly serviceable, but man, can’t you guys get your wine service together? By the way, you can not order off of Ardeo’s menu if you eat at Bardeo. However, Ardeo does have their own bar.

Get anything with tongue in it at El Pike Bolivian restaurant near Seven Corners (across Patrick Henry Street from Mark’s Duck House).

Chef Roberto Hierro was in town last week cooking at Taberna del Alabardero. He is their chef at Taberna’s Madrid branch, and cooked up a lavish dinner last Saturday evening. However, he was also in town Wednesday through Friday offering similar things a la carte, and I got to try a few of his courses. A fascinating glimpse into traditional (and not-so-traditional) Spanish cuisine, straight out of today’s happenings in Madrid. The traditional garlic soup was out of this world. I want to add that Taberna has one of the great wine programs in all of Washington DC. Their sommelier (just look for the guy who’s about two meters tall) is terrific, and is supported in a big way by Manolo behind the bar. If I had to pick one person in all of Washington as Best Bartender for Fine Dining, it would be Manolo. The wines are all served at the proper temperature, each wine by the glass has the bottle presented to you before pouring, you can take tastes of whatever you want to try before committing to a full glass, he even goes through the motions of checking the cork for each bottle he opens. I have consistently found that dining at Taberna del Alabardero’s bar area is an inexpensive way to eat just about as well as anywhere in town, and the service there is simply unsurpassed in its warmth, tradition and respect paid to the diner.

Heading to the gym,

Rocks.

Edited April 2, 2004 by DonRocks (log)

[JPW]

Going

Into

Brain

Overload

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Must make it until 5 when I can go home and drink bourbon!

[morela]

what's the gym?

[sara]

Ginger Reef has a lot of work to do in their kitchen, though the fruit-based drinks can sometimes be fabulous (and sometimes not). This may not be cool runnings, mon. I lament that Hibiscus Café is gone forever.

Oh...Hibiscus Cafe--that was the one under the bridge in Georgetown, right? I loved that place--went there for a fabulous 22nd birthday. When/why did they close?

[morela]

Ginger Reef has a lot of work to do in their kitchen, though the fruit-based drinks can sometimes be fabulous (and sometimes not).  This may not be cool runnings, mon.  I lament that Hibiscus Café is gone forever. 

Oh...Hibiscus Cafe--that was the one under the bridge in Georgetown, right? I loved that place--went there for a fabulous 22nd birthday. When/why did they close?

filed for Chapter 11