Wedding/Engagement celebration tonight!

[littlechinagirl]

Sorry to be posting another "where do I go" question, but I've just learned that friends are in town and want to go out for a "nice" dinner to celebrate their recent wedding and our (not-so-recent) engagement. The Mayflower was suggested, as that's where the husband is staying, and he was drooling over the room service menu. They're from B-more and not familiar with the DC restaurant scene.

(I assume he was referring to Town and Country, but I have no clue if there's a can't-miss restaurant in the Mayflower that I'm blanking on...)

So I'm looking to steer them more toward one of the many places that I've been dying to try. Firefly, Courduroy, Zaytinya, Nectar, Pesce, and Komi immediately come to mind. We'd prefer to go somewhere within walking distance of the Mayflower, "nice" (don't know what "nice" means to them), and somewhere we could get a table at such late notice.

Or does the Mayflower hold a culinary treasure that's been eluding me all this time?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Tweaked]

Tell them that instead of supporting a national chain, Mayflower is owned by Marriott, you would like to support the local restaurant scene!

Of the restaurants listed Komi and Firefly (is Firefly part of the Kimpton group or a seperate entity within the hotel?) are both good and in easy walking distance of the hotel.

[iamthestretch]

The Town and Country bar does make a mean gimlet. Since you're celebrating, why not have a few of those and then float up to Firefly? That's walkable, unless you're in 4-inch heels.

[Busboy]

How far is walking distance? Nectar and Marcel's are about a 15-minute hike from the Mayflower and offer excellent but very different options: Marcel's for more elegant/French (without being off-putting) and Nectar more stylish/modern American. I don't know why I assume they're after something with a little swank to it, but Pesce struck me as off-key; though I love the place it's not ideal for a nice 3-hour celebratory meal. Firefly is a great place, loud and energetic. The Tabard Inn is right around the corner and it is well worth sitting on a couch in front of the fire before or after dinner, and you might get a decent meal there, too.

Haven't heard anything about the Mayflower's restaurants since they were briefly trying to get a destination restaurant up and running in the mid-80s. It's probably a better place for a great brunch than for a serious dinner.

[mnebergall]

I'll add my second to nixing Mayflower (the only thing I eat there is breakfast from time to ttime because I really like their bacon) and heading over to Firefly. Or, head the other direction and go to Tosca (one metro stop away).

Edited October 28, 2004 by mnebergall (log)

[Tweaked]

If you go to Firefly see if Derek is working the bar, mention eGullet, and have him mix you up a celebratory drink...

[littlechinagirl]

You guys rock. Thanks for the great suggestions- I'd forgotten about Tosca and Marcel's- and the pre-dinner drinks at Town and County would hit the spot. Oh, and the Tabard Inn- sounds like the perfect place for cozy desserts (or dinner?) by the fire. Now I'm thinking of either Firefly or Tosca...

I'm sure I can't go wrong with either.

Is Tosca near Tabard Inn? Would it make sense to go from the Mayflower to Tosca to Tabard?

[Busboy]

Topsca is further downtown, 11th and F. The Tabard is on N between 17th and 18th, about 3 blocks from the hotel.

[littlechinagirl]

If you go to Firefly see if Derek is working the bar, mention eGullet, and have him mix you up a celebratory drink...

←

Ahh...Derek! I always missed him at Palena. After all the drooling over him on this board, this might tip the scales back over to Firefly.

Would I have trouble getting a table at Firefly or Tosca?

[JennyUptown]

Firefly is on OpenTable.com

Actually, so is Tosca.

Edited October 28, 2004 by JennyUptown (log)

[iamthestretch]

Busboy, you must have stout shoes and good lungs. Mayflower-Tosca would be a fairly epic trek. Mayflower-Firefly-Tabard-Mayflower is the way to go, though the last leg of the round-trip may be a little wobbly if you do it right.

[mnebergall]

Busboy, you must have stout shoes and good lungs. Mayflower-Tosca would be a fairly epic trek. Mayflower-Firefly-Tabard-Mayflower is the way to go, though the last leg of the round-trip may be a little wobbly if you do it right.

←

Tosca is a convenient one-metro stop away from the Mayflower. There is a metro stop in the same block as the Mayflower and Metro center is only about a block away from Tosca.

Or, take a cab.

[littlechinagirl]

Thanks again everyone! We have 8:00 reservations for Firefly through OpenTable. I'll be sure to say hi to Derek, though I just remembered our newlywed friends layed off the hootch recently. Pooh on them. More for me, I guess!

[JennyUptown]

It's still great even w/o booze. I'm sure Derek can create some non-alcoholic magic in a glass.

Oh, and did I mention that the spring rolls are kickass?

[littlechinagirl]

I think I have a new favorite restaurant.

Everything about Firefly charmed us last night. As soon as we entered we were greeted by the local celeb, Derek, who I immediately recognized through his "Bartender of the Month" photo (posted somewhere on this board). Turns out he and Dinerboy were already acquainted (through the Diner and some party, I think). What a nice guy, and a gracious host.

I didn't mention egullet at that point- guess I still haven't quite gotten over my "I never thought I'd have a username in a chat room" thing enough to come out in public too much. I know, I need to get over it.

On to the food- for starters, Dinerboy and I shared the pork/cabbage spring rolls and crispy fried oysters, at the recommendation of many of you. Wow! Both were excellent, and Dinerboy claimed that the spring rolls were the best he'd ever eaten. And he spent a few childhood years in the Philippinnes eating lumpia.

Our friends got the mussels in a curry/celery bath, which they shared, lucky us. I almost filled up mopping up the sauce with bread. The Filerio (I'm sure I butchered the spelling) that Derek recommended was a great match for the apps.

Onto the entrees- Dinerboy and I, as we often do, went with dishes we'd want to share with each other. My lamb (paired by Derek with a wonderful Burgundy- sorry, I don't have the name) convinced me finally that yes, I do love lamb. But even more, I loved the sides. My mac n' cheese was dreamy- not at all "watery", as I'd just read in Tom S's review, and the chard- oh, the chard! I'm fairly new to chard, but this, aside from the last bite ("would you like a bit of chard with your garlic?"), was incredible. In fact, along with the spring rolls, it was the highlight of the meal, for me.

I was happy to share Dinerboy's ribeye with blue cheese and mashed potatoes- all very tasty and well done, even if the potatoes arrived a bit cold. But I think we both agreed that my dish was the winner. Our friends seemed to enjoy their trout with potato/chive salad and pork ragout with polenta, raisins, pine nuts, and ?.

Dinerboy didn't let me escape without calling me out on the egullet thing as we said goodbye to Derek, who then said that they had been expecting us, and John W. wanted to say hi. What a treat! I felt bad for taking him away from his busy kitchen, but it was great to be able to meet the genius behind the food, and we felt like VIPs. Very nice- thank you Derek and John W. for taking the time to say hi to a fan. It was a lovely evening, and we can't wait to come back for more (and to try some of Derek's famous cocktails!)

Edited October 29, 2004 by littlechinagirl (log)

[Tweaked]

I guess this is what we call another eGullet Happy Ending!