Brad Pitt Has Your Secret Shit: Rolling DC

Thanks. So have you been to Inn at Little Washington, 3ve or any of the other pricey ones that always top the lists? Do you think they're worth it?

Will I really like them better than the Sichuan food at Hong Kong Palace out in a strip mall near a Home Depot in Falls Church, or Mynamar, a Burmese place out in Merrifield, or any of several Eden Center places?

I have eaten at places all over the map, and the tasting room at Restaurant Eve remains the best meal I've ever eaten. 2941 is second. But those are "occasion" places; I'm not even sure I use the same scale for those as for Eden Center meals (which are also grebt, btw).

I haven't been to Inn at Little Washington - it's 100 miles away and it seems really over the top frou frou from what I've seen. But I have been to the other three and I think two of them (CityZ3n and K0mi) are absolutely phenomenal - the other is very good but I didn't think it hit the same heights.

I don't know if you'd like them better than suburban asian joints. I can tell you they have better food, better service, and better atmosphere - and I say that as a fan of the aforementioned suburban asian joints. The staff at these places is as passionate and engaging as they come, they love what they're doing and they want you to have the best meal of your life. I don't think that's necessarily the case with a lot of older more formal high end restaurants.

Just like with lower end restaurants, you'll get out of the meal as much as you put in. If you go to Hong Kong Palace and don't engage with the server and order the most americanized dishes you're not going to think it's a great restaurant. It's the same with going to a place like CityZ3n - if you're nervous and don't let the sommelier help you with the drinks, don't ask the server about what might fit your tastes, and don't really engage with the meal, you're not going to have a great experience.

Oh and the Sietsema web chat often teases out mentions of / shoutouts to some less hoity-toity places - just because a review is necessarily confined to one place, and the chat is more able to touch on a larger sample.

anyone eaten at brasserie beck? i stopped in there for a drink last week--delicious smells, very friendly bar staff, atmosphere felt very 'this is a goood restaurant'. my stomach was full of teatr0 g0ldoni restro week duck so i stuck to drinks.

I had lunch there on Sunday. They have very very good beers (best Belgian selection on the east coast at least?) but I'm always happier when I think of it as just a bar and ignore the restaurant part.

ah. got any specific beer recommendations?

Ask them if Thor is working and get a suggestion from him - he's great. Otherwise, the De Regenboog Kerst they have on tap now is fantastic. If you sit at the bar when it's not busy they're usually happy to give you a sample of whatever they have on tap to help you decide.

Back for keeps. Have a long 'locked out of apartment' story but too tired and embarrassed to tell it. All well now though. Need for wireless access dictated Cosi as dinner spot.

Not amazing, but some decent photos in dcist.com show at Flashpoint

good luck snow

Aww man, the Feds will only cancel if it goes over 8 inches or something

so i finally went to the gibson last night. great place. had my first vieux carré, very nice. my friend was joking with t1ffany the bartender about quizzing her on ingredients in mystery cocktails, and i asked if she could identify the specific ingredients and brands in a cocktail just by drinking one. she says, "no, but this guy [I DIED's name, i think??] comes in here and does that sometimes." and said you designed the place, too? if so, wow, nice job!

lol I am famous only to bartenders

a good crowd to be famous to imo

that is a+ fame

man this same bartender made my friend what she called an escalade, a manhattan with 23 year willett, dunno if it's a real drink or custom-made, but WOAH that was a good manhattan

oh man anything with the 23 year willett is bound to be great, I have made myself a manhattan with that at home and it is unbelievable. And not really available outside DC!

Where'd that guy go who used to be at brasserie beck with Thor?

idk what this thread even is but brad pitt was rumored to be in new orleans the same week i just was. i didnt see him though :(

(xpost) he's beer director at the de vinos stores now.

How's this Out of Hours thing at the Hirshhorn? Anyone been?

Er, After Hours I mean

generally good, but very crowded and sceney.

better to see most exhibits during regular hours and focus on the special installations/music at the events.

thanks, might give it a go. I saw some of the regular exhibits last week. I loved this:

The NY Times on the Obamas and D.C.

How about a tasty meal? The Obamas have enjoyed white-tablecloth dining at Equinox, Bobby Van’s Steakhouse, B. Smith’s and Georgia Brown’s, and street-corner casual at Ben’s Chili Bowl and Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

awww pretzel walrus and his gf gave me THE WAY THINGS GO DVD for my bday in january!

Ummmm, I just don't get the cherry blossom thing.

aw c'mon, they're pretty!

I have similar looking trees in my Arlington neighborhood and no tourists are stopping by to look at them.

I did the compulsory foreign transplant visit to the Tidal Basin on Saturday at 8am and it was already pretty packed. I like them. There's one across the street from my apartment that I can gaze on.

so, i probably won't have at least my same job, or maybe any job at my organization, by the end of may. change is good & all, have an idea of what kind of place i'd like to work for & what field, but on the other hand.. have some time to think on it & wondering if i should take the opportunity to pick up and move out of dc.

Oh noes! To lose you and 69 in so short a span would be too sad!

Is 69 going to Cali or elsewhere?

already gone to SF :(

missin mah doggz

<3

...although this tasty 2.75 BBQ pork bánh mì is easing my grief

(btw amy d sent me a link yesterday about new phở place in columbia heights that is supposedly good but is charging like NINE DOLLARS for bánh mì. UH isnt the point that it's cheap??? stupid TARGET mark-up. it's just gonna end up another place that's shittier than what langley park and annandale and columbia heights potbelly can offer)

DOESNT ANYONE CARE ABOUT MY TROUBLES

dead to us

charging like NINE DOLLARS for bánh mì.

Saw this on dcist.com Apparently they're pushing a combo, the banh mi sandwich and soup and sumptin else for $9, but you can get just the banh mo for half that (but it's not obvious on the menu)

I went to Beijing earlier this year - mid February, so it was still cold and rainy - and actually saw people lining up to take picures in front of multiple fake cherry blossom trees in front of a few department stores on the main shoppig drag of central Beijing.

Crazy.

Also - 69. How's SF treating y'all?

its great! anni3 got a job at UCSF, we got record shelving, we saw I LOVE YOU MAN last night and missed zack and emily, and we're trying out all the local pizza, and it's all like mall pizza so far.

have y'all tried that indian pizza place--shakey mo turned us onto it on the SF thread when we were out there last fall--fucking great

no but we were talking about it on wednesday! which place is it??

shakey mo lives like 1 block from me

zante's

i was suspicious
but
it was delicious