Had 55 minutes to grab a bite before a movie Saturday night in Bethesda…the Bethesda Jaleo was perfect for that purpose: they whip their tapas out right quick!
I haven’t been back in a month or two, but two close friends (and Berserkers) I trust were there on Saturday night and said it was amazing.
Unfortunately, my wife is a pescetarian so the “you eat what we serve” model doesn’t work for us. I’d really like to try it though. Maybe an adventurous client one day
I didn’t mean to sound snippy but when I hear no (reservations) meaning you have to get there early or late and no (menu changes due to allergies-nuts in my case) etc. causes me to say no and go elsewhere. My wife is dying to try LS so I told her to go with a girlfriend and enjoy, To each his/her own and I’m fine with that!
Because I am very old, showing up early is not an issue. The “no changes” but has pissed me off on an ala carte menu but for some reason when it is this sort of “we bring you food, you eat it” arrangement it doesn’t annoy me as much.
As my wife is gluten intolerent and neither of us eats pork products or shellfish, a no changes policy means we don’t go. Period.
I largely agree with this. A tasting menu is supposed to be a chef’s opportunity to show off his ideas, innovations and artistry, and diners should respect that and recognize that substitutions would be a lesser form of such art. And logistically speaking, if a chef is preparing courses all the same way, in order, for most of the dining room (especially at a place like Little Serow, where every table is seated at the same time upon opening, and turn over generally around the same time), it would cause a lot of trouble to have to prepare a one-off dish in the middle of that.
I empathize with those who have allergies, but there are lots of other places to eat, I guess. Fine dining is a privilege, not a right; it’s the chefs who have a right to run their restaurant how they wish. Little Serow, with lines out the door every night of the week, national best-restaurant awards, and James Beard nominations, clearly can withstand the loss of those who can’t visit because of their policies.
What on earth does this drivel mean? These are businessmen. Most of the top restaurants in the world are tremendously accomodating to their client’s needs. For example, I was at le Bernadin Friday night and they could not have been nicer and more helpful. I have been to outstanding restaurants all over the world where they respect their customers.
Frankly, I have little respect for the types of restaurants that say I create, I am the genius, you grovel at my feet and eat what I serve you. I hope that they all go out of business.
You are doing the restaurant a favor by dining there, they are not doing you a favor by serving you. Something I always keep in mind. This is why I take a dim view of celebrity chef venues.
My “drivel” means exactly what it says, Howard. Literally, you, as a diner, do not have a right to your own personal chef who will create for you a custom meal. We are talking about world-class chefs at the top of their art, and it is a privilege to have the opportunity to eat their creations. Some are more flexible than others, but you don’t get to demand which ones will acquiesce to your personal needs. Similarly, you can’t look at a painting from a hot modern artist and say, “This is nice, but it doesn’t really go with my decor. Can I get it in more of a beige?” Well, maybe you could, but you’d have to pay a boatload to commission a painting. I suppose you could also hire Johnny Monis to make you gluten-free vegetarian Northern Thai meal, but that’d probably cost you, too.
Howard, are you familiar with Carole Greenwood?
Never heard of her.
She was (and will be again, I fear) a DC-area chef (most recently Buck’s Fishing & Camping and Comet Ping Pong). She was famous for refusing to change a single thing (as simple as leaving peanuts off a dish or putting a sauce on the side) no matter the reason. She was a militant about her art and, I have heard, went so far as to ask customers to leave her restaurant if they dared to ask for any form of accommodation. My view was that she could take whatever position she wanted about her business, but that I would never cross the threshold of any place with which she was connected.
How successful has she been? Sounds from what you wrote that she has moved around some?
I know from my own profession that customer service is really important. I cannot imagine treating a client like they were lucky to have me as their attorney rather than me being very lucky that they chose to work with me. I am sure you are the same way Neal. I cannot really imagine successful businesses being run any other way.
She has moved around by choice, but has always been well-regarded and reviewed everywhere she’s been (including a James Beard nomination for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic). She a bit…um…eccentric? Here’s an online interview where she is asked about the no substitutions thing (the intro also lists where she’s worked):
Doesn’t sound like she is doing that well. http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2012/02/22/carole-greenwood-pops-up-the-nomadic-dinner-party-pioneer-is-itching-to-get-back-in-a-real-kitchen/
I think she has burned a lot of bridges. That article is over a year old.
To put Carole Greenwood in the “culinary artist” category is a joke!
The restaurants she worked at served pizza and food (almost) anyone could do at home. Buck’s and Comet are immaterially different after she left!
We just got back from D.C. We really enjoyed Jaleo and Zaytinya, although both were very crowded (Jaleo was on the day of the NCAA tournament, and a block from the Verizon Center, so it was understandable). We also took Metro up to Range (thank you Neal for the recommendation), and thought it was excellent - imaginative and tasty food (particularly the braised lamb shanks that we enjoyed), and reasonably priced. The wine list is excellent and, again, reasonably priced - we had a 2009 Niellon Chassagne Montrachet for $70. We also had a dinner at Brasserie Beck, a Belgian-style place that was a little more pricey. My mussels were excellent but my wife’s steak was rather tough. The beer list, though, was excellent, which was a good thing because the wine list was ridiculously over-priced (looked to be about 3X retail).
We did learn that, while touring the Smithsonian museums, do not eat on premise! The food is incredibly overpriced and not very good. It’s easy to walk a couple of blocks off the Mall and find much better options.
Getting away from the dining, we had a great time, and wore ourselves out walking all over downtown and the Mall. Because of the timing of Spring Breaks among schools and the Cherry Blossom Festival (though we didn’t see any cherry blossoms…), I think every seventh grader within 500 miles of D.C. was there. The Air and Space and American History museums were extremely crowded, and we just gave up at the Natural History museum. On the other hand, the National Gallery of Art was great, as was the Portrait Gallery. Our favorites though, were the Newseum and particularly the Library of Congress. Such an interesting building! They also had a Civil War exhibit that was excellent.
Overall, a worthwhile trip.
Glad you enjoyed them. As you probably know, they are both owned by Jose Andres. He also owns another place in the area that you should try on your next visit called Oyamael. Again, small plates, but this time his take on Mexican. Really inventive and flavorful (on 7th and d).