Having dinner on Tuesday and Wednesday next week and have been lazy on finding places. So I turn to Berserkers.
High on the list would be “vibe” considering my companions. Good and creative wine list would be awesome. But most important will be the food.
Would probably lean to the more casual and hopefully a moderate price point. Probably can’t do anything too high dollar.
Thanks!
Jason
Rasika and Zatinya would be good choices.
You want to go to Rose’s Luxury, twice. http://rosesluxury.com/
Red Hen as an alternative. http://www.theredhendc.com/
I love Rasika and Zaytina but for “vibe” they are a little bit of where the MD/VA bridge and tunnel crowd and other tourists go when they go “downtown”.
Farmers, Fishers, Bakers. Love everything on the menu, and their menu has just about everything on it.
Rose’s Luxury would be great, but good luck getting in.
If you are in the Cleveland Park area, Ripple would be a really good choice. Fun wine bar with a small but very well conceived and executed menu, plus it’s a wine bar as well. Chef used to work in the kitchen at Per Se and a few other places you have probably heard of. Very corkage friendly and not too far away from Calvert Woodley, and basically right next door to Weygandt Wines if you want to pick up a bottle on the way in.
I don’t go in much for vibe any longer. The food at Rasika is marvelous. But then I am a bridge person, so take that with a grain of salt.
Ripple is a fine pick!
On the casual (pizza) front, think about 2 Amys, which has a nice, moderately priced list of Italian wines.
Tabard Inn, Iron Gate Inn.
How is Red Hen doing ? I haven’t heard much lately.
For some good, non-Yelpish reviews of DC restaurants check out DonRockwell.com. I know a few of us over here are also members over there. This is the link for the DC restaurant threads. Washington DC Restaurants and Dining - DonRockwell.com
Also note that Ripple does an early bird special menu for $35 during the weekdays… http://rippledc.com/pages/menus . Great food, eclectic wine list, as said above Weygandt is essentially next door for a BYO wine choice. You’ll enjoy it…Gary
Range has a fairly priced wine list and I find the food rather interesting.
Some excellent restaurants with excellent wine lists include Ripple, Proof and Range (further out but right on the subway).
For an interesting vibe, try Zengo.
Hasn’t everyone who put Range on the map already departed? Eat the Rich is Julian Shapiro’s current restaurant, and he does some amazing things.
Where’d you end up at and how was it?
Thanks for all the recs.
The first night we hit The Red Hen and it was excellent. We started with Tuscan Chicken Liver Crostini with Parmigiano-Reggiano & Thyme, and Citrus Cured King Salmon ‘Crudo’ with Horseradish Cream, Capers, Dill & Crispy Potatoes. Both were very good but the clear edge going to the Chicken Liver. For my main I had Ricotta Cavatelli with Spring Peas, Braised Sauerkraut, Bacon & Mascarpone which was really good. A potentially rich dish brightened up by the sauerkraut. Adding sauerkraut to a pasta is something I will try in the near future. I really like the wine list. Lot’s of fun stuff but I just went with a reliable friend, 2009 Produttori Barbaresco. Not a terrible mark up at $60 and a wonderful wine.
On the second night, after walking a lot, we headed to Rose’s Luxury and put our name in. 90 minute wait, so we walked over to Lola’s and had some beers, which we really needed. Rose’s was certainly outstanding. The Burnt Romaine w/ Avocado, Poblano and cotija cheese is something I’m going to attempt to make. Darn tasty. The fried chicken is really great but not something I would go out of my way for. I thought the brisket was surprisingly good. And we had a bone marrow hash that I would order again as well.
Crazy story at Rose’s came up as I was talking to the manager or wine guy (Andrew?) when he mentioned working with a wine-maker so I asked what winery. He said Margerum. My friend Tom previously owned and farmed one of Doug’s top vineyards, Alandro de los Prados and it turned out Andrew had spent a little time with Tom. Wild. After that he did us a few solids by hooking us up with some pasta dishes that weren’t on the menu and they were flat out fantastic.
Two winners.
Cheers,
Jason
Great to hear Jason. The guys at Red Hen are friends and I’ll pass it on.
Great. We just sat at the bar. Nice selection of orange wine as well. My friend had never heard of an orange wine so the wine guy poured him a few to taste.
Maybe you could score me the recipe for the the sauerkraut pasta.
Jason
Funny, this timing - http://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/cavatelli-braised-sauerkraut/13963/
size: 4 servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cups drained sauerkraut (see headnote)
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for the pasta cooking water
8 ounces dried cavatelli pasta, or other hearty pasta, such as orecchiette
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons minced chives
Directions
Pour the oil into a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the sauerkraut; reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauerkraut has softened but hasn’t become mushy, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover to keep warm.
Whisk together the mascarpone, mustard and salt in a small bowl.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta and cook for a minute or two shorter than the package directions, until not quite al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
Return the sauerkraut mixture to medium heat. Add the pasta along with 1/2 cup of its cooking water, stirring to combine. Stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano and butter. Cook briefly, adding the remaining reserved cooking water as needed to form a creamy sauce.
Divide among shallow bowls. Spoon a dollop of the mascarpone mixture on each portion, then sprinkle the chives over the top. Serve hot.