I enjoyed Ray’s Year In Review post so much that I figured I’d do one of my own. Here are some of my notable meals from 2007:

Bamian probably wins my award for best new discovery this year. The one thing holding me back – I stopped there last week in an attempt to introduce some out of town friends to Afghan cuisine. After 15 minutes without a host (and overhearing a cell phone conversation from a patron calling FROM THE LOBBY to say he had reservations a half hour ago and hadn’t been acknowledged), we were forced to walk out of the beloved joint. Still, I’m probably willing to give them another chance – the food is amazing for the price.

Old Hickory Grille is the kind of place that makes you feel like a regular even if you’re not – the Cajun-influenced cooking is homey and the booth-style seating is comfortable. I wish their hours were a bit more extended and regular, though. The place I actually BECAME a (semi) regular is Piratz Tavern, despite living in VA and its being in Silver Spring (it helps to have a pirate-obsessed boyfriend). The dining and service are inconsistent at best – it’s not unusual to be served a dish cold, wait a long time for food, or experience an order mix-up. Plus, order a Black Strap Betty one night, and it’ll taste completely different the next. But I can’t get enough of the vibe of the place, have gotten to know and love the servers, and can shrug off any hassle once I have some Grog in me. Try the Squid for a drink if Grog isn’t your thing, and be sure to sample the piri piri chicken, the salmagundi stew and the prego no pao steak sandwich.

Despite being a (local) chain, Sweetwater Tavern kind of became a de-facto special occasion spot, mostly due to location, late hours and reliable food. The service is expedient, and I’ve never had a bad dish there, and many of the offerings, particularly fish dishes, are very good indeed. I could eat my weight in their chicken con queso, and I love anywhere that brews their own beer, even if the beers themselves (Dogfish Head Ale House, I’m talking to you), are not to my taste.

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One of the problems with developing a writing persona named the “Five Paragraph Bitter Food Critic” is maintaining that mantle of bitterness even when surrounded by a sea of competence, class and quality. When I started the 5PBFC, I figured that given my average of 4 meals out a week, I’d have at least one clunker fortnightly, thus providing DCFUD.com plenty of bitter material. However, as I looked over my 2007 notes of the year, I discovered something quite shocking: I had ten bad meals the entire year; and six of them came from two places, Bangkok 54 and Dad’s Backyard Burgers. That means the vast majority of my meals were anywhere from “decent” to “incredible.” It’s hard to complain about such a high batting average.

Now, I must go off on how absolutely disappointing Dad’s was. For a store that took nearly 3 years to build, I had hoped for a burger experience that didn’t taste like a green onion explosion. My first bite there was sadly the best; repeat visits were lousy and hardly worth mentioning. I’d love to support an independent burger joint, but their burgers tasted more like a kabob-spiced meatloaf – they may want to think about competing with nearby and always-packed Merrifield Kabob than routinely-good Five Guys and sometimes-brilliant Elevation Burger…that is, depending on whether they can stay open. While a banner touts “Now Open,” a paper sign on the door says that Dad won’t reopen until Virginia Power finishes work on the building, though neighboring businesses are open. Hmmm….more mystery from Dad’s. As for Bangkok 54, the former shining star of Northern Virginia’s Thai dining scene has declined in terms of food quality and handling; prepare to give birth to a food baby if you eat there and don’t stray far from the restrooms, just in case. Their dining room is lovely; it’s a shame the back of the house is having issues. They easily have been eclipsed by longtime stalwart Duangrats at Bailey’s Crossroads and the newish Mint further up Route 7 towards Seven Corners (review coming soon).

However, I will concede to the goodwill of the Holiday season to concentrate on the positive. My dining year started off on a high note with the DCFUD.com staff at Bobby Van’s, followed by a delicious Restaurant Week experience at Taberna del Alabardero. 2 Amys continued to churn out quality pizzas, Ella’s did the same, and the chainy-but-good ZPizza offered a delicious pie with high quality ingredients for a decent price. Matchbox’s dining room expansion didn’t dilute the quality of their food one bit, and the District Chophouse provided a fine meal in a casual, but classy, environment. My well-publicized visit to La Perla offered better tortellini than expected, and Georgetown’s Filomena may be considered hit-or-miss, but I had two hits there in 2007, and enjoyed their good Sunday brunch, too. The new Liberty Tavern in Clarendon offered surprisingly good upscale bar food, though those looking for a quiet meal should head elsewhere – that place is louder than the wails of a screaming child at a southern Wal-Mart. Eamonn’s proved to be a welcome addition to the Alexandria scene, and I’m anxious to try owner Cathal Armstrong’s makeover of The Majestic with Shannon Overmiller’s cooking on King Street in 2008. Hank’s Oyster Bar in DC stars in the background with Trio in a new car commercial, and a new location in Old Town is promising. Fogo De Chao and Texas De Brazil fed my churrascaria dreams of well-seasoned Argentinean meat, and Macchu Picchu did a fine job representing South American neighbor Peru. Huong Que at the Eden Center served fine Vietnamese fare on multiple visits, and impressed some good friends from Chicago. Spices in Cleveland Park did a good job of clearing my sinuses while on a first date – yeah, thanks for that, by the way. No, that wasn’t embarrassing at all – but damn it tasted fine, and nearby Indique’s tamarind-enhanced drinks made even the rainiest of days much more delightful.

Bebo Trattoria opened up with much fanfare in Crystal City, though complaints about lousy service stick to the place like stink on a hobo. The Tortoise and the Hare opened up on Crystal City’s 23rd Street, taking over the former space of Stars and Stripes. Can’t say I’d complain about that a bit – Stars and Stripes had a big TV and good beer but a lousy crab cake, and T&H promises a good American contemporary menu. Urban Thai still served quality food at a reasonable price, and the recent expansion of the Crystal City Sports Pub just gives more folks a chance to dine on their good bar food while following their favorite sports’ teams. Summer’s at the Courthouse Metro did the same, plus they put with my wails of anguish every weekend as I watched my beloved Ravens go from Super Bowl contender to laughing stock of the NFL in one calendar year. Al’s Steaks in Del Ray single-handedly made me gain a pound, and that was before I discovered the glories of Gladys Knight and Ron Winan’s Chicken and Waffles at the Largo Town Center. In my neighborhood of Shirlington, a new Cakelove outpost opened up; Busboys and Poets put in a second location with some fine Belgian beers on tap; Bear Rock Cafe’ offered good sandwiches and breakfast chow, and the brand-spanking new Saigonique fed me a wonderful ginger noodle dish on Christmas Eve in a beautiful dining room. And damn if Weenie Beanie didn’t bring the goods every time I craved a half-smoke.

Heck, even the Pentagon got a decent eatery, the All-American Grill. Thank God for Sport and Health or else I’d be the size of a Beefcake-era Eric Cartman.
In the fine tradition laid down by every critic in every conceivable subject, this time of the year demands a “Best of…” list. I could try to spawn an internal dialog about which meal in the previous 12 months was the best, and categorize restaurants by price or location or cuisine. Instead, I’m choosing to look forward to 2008, to which places I missed in 2007.

* Central – we at DCFUD have been trying to have a writers’ outing here for months, yet somehow we went to the otherwise-fine-but-it-ain’t-Central Malyasian Kopitiam instead of an affordable offering from Michel Richard? We’re going this year, kids. Jay, save your money. You’re going. Even if I have to carry you in there kicking and screaming. You made me eat at Kam Fong; I’m making you eat at Central.
* The Majestic – the restaurant formerly known as the Majestic Cafe’ was a delightful, charming outpost, and the recent takeover and reimagining by Cathal Armstrong should make this one of the best mid-priced restaurants in Northern Virginia in 2008.

* West End Bistro – the early buzz over Eric Ripert’s newest restaurant was that the food was definitely good, but not imaginative. I would have to guess that as the staff becomes more situated and comfortable, this restaurant will bring more international buzz to the DC dining scene.
* Hook – Barton Seaver’s ambitious plan to serve only sustainable seafood deserves the respect of all diners with a soul. Plus, the guy can flat-out cook.

* Hooked – I grew up next to the Chesapeake Bay. I love seafood. Sue me. And a seafood restaurant out by Dulles and Ace Photo that doesn’t have cheap plastic fishnets on the walls and meals made of a mysterious element known as “krab” has my support.
* Station 9 – U Street keeps getting hipper and hipper, and this place promises an updated look on American standards.
And, hopefully the DC area will honor a few New Year’s Resolutions, and this year’s theme is to be A Little More Like Baltimore:

1) To have a good Jewish deli like Attman’s near the Inner Harbor East developments. Sometimes a nice Catholic boy like me wants a good corned beef on rye.
2) To have a decent BBQ place somewhere between Dixie Bones in Woodbridge and Urban in Rockville to compete with Rocklands. They’re the only game in NoVA, and while they’re a fine establishment, it’d be nice for something likeAndy Nelson’s in Cockeysville.
3) To have a pit beef place anywhere. I don’t care where, but pit beef is a Baltimore delicacy that should be brought forth to the Nations’ Capital post haste.
4) To have more waterfront dining options. The Inner Harbor, Fells Point, Locust Point, Canton, Essex, Middle River – all loaded with everything from mega-chains to cozy family seafood places, and they all have serene water views. DC has a couple of high-end places in Georgetown and Phillip’s at the Waterfront. Advantage – Baltimore.
5) To be like bICYCLE. If you ever find yourself on Light Street, south of the Inner Harbor between Federal Hill and Locust Point, you’ll see this charming, delicious bistro. It’s been open for nearly 8 years, and it’s still as good today as it opened. They strive for good food and consistency, and they hit far more often than they miss.
and, the most important:
6) To create a vibrant neighborhood near the new stadium – granted, this will be a work in progress, but one of the best things about Camden Yards is the proximity to great bars, restaurants and attractions…cos’ it ain’t da O’s, hon. Redeveloping an area best known for the desperately-missed dance club Nation, light industrial brown zones, and a grouping of *ahem* adult establishments is all going to take some time, but for the love of God, city planners, do not dare turn it into a soulless strip of chains and fern bars. D.C.’s trying to do it with Chinatown/Penn Quarter, where fairly soon the only thing Asian in that neighborhood will be the tourists in town to watch the Wizards play Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets. You know darned well Prince George’s County will botch it with the National Harbor, as they’ve failed to put in anything with personality near FedEx Field, and that’s been open for almost a decade. But really, D.C., you can do it. Look at U Street. Adams-Morgan. H Street. Cleveland Park. Those are areas where the city is trying to express itself with mostly-independent businesses. Please, don’t replicate a Loudoun County strip mall complete with a chain restaurant park on South Capitol Street and lie to yourself, saying “it’s progress.” It’s regression to a mean, and the city deserves better.

-RAY

I recently was fortunate to attend a Holiday party in a small private room at Chef Geoff’s. I have never been to the restaurant before and was able to try a variety of appetizers and desserts. I’m not sure if all of this is on their regular menu, but here were the items that stood out, even if I don’t know their actual names:
∙The duck spring rolls were good, especially with the syrupy teriyaki sauce. There was a mushroom version, which I did not get to try.
∙Fried balls of crab meat were sweet, delicious, chewy, and delicate.
∙The large shrimp were fresh and tasty but the sweetened (and cold) butter sauce was a bad match. An acidic or garlicky sauce would have worked better.
∙The chocolate covered cream puffs and the teeny chocolate berry tarts were excellent because the chocolate was rich and of excellent quality. Your tongue gets coated with wonderfully sweet and bitter chocolaty goodness. Yes, i just said “chocolate” four or five times; it was that good.
∙I had a French Kiss. Don’t make me blush; it was actually the name of a drink with champagne, peach liquor, and peach nectar. It was tasty.

Bailey’s Pub & Grille in the Ballston Mall serves free food from a portable food station Wednesdays at 6pm. On one occasion, Ernesto was making pasta alfredo, while people specified their fixin’s. Another Wednesday, he was serving chicken enchiladas from the kitchen, although usually serves food that he makes in front of you.
Do give Ernesto a $1 or $2 tip, and maybe order a beer at the bar or at your table, but it is still a bargain.
And, yes, I know that night is bargain beer night at Rockbottom and half price burgers at Front Page, with free live entertainment at both venues. Well, get the free food first and then you can switch venues for some free live music.
Bailey’s Pub & Grille.
4238 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA 22203
703-465-1300
The previous artices in the Arlington series can be found here, and the DC “nearly broke” article is here.

After an evening wandering the venues of Adams Morgan, I will admit to being partial to a hotdog, eggplant fries, and a drink from Mdawg. And, they have a special that lets you have that combination for about $6.
Ok…you don’t have to get eggplant fries, but my friends who are not eggplant eaters (*gasp*) actually liked them. I hear that the sweet potato fries are very good, but they tend to run out often so I can’t vouch for them myself. I tried the tater tots and fries, both of which are what you would expect. I prefer the eggplant fries myself. So…hop to the fixin’s bar, use some of the sauces, and doctor yourself up an mdawg.
They have some interestingly named options (which aren’t part of the $6 special) that you can choose from, including:

The Oy
The BJ
The Chubby
The Lady
The Glove
The French
The Virgin
Anyone else sensing a sexual theme here? 😉 You can read the descriptions of those dawgs by clicking here.
It is tasty stuff, and they are open until late. So…after a weekend evening of naming the fish in the tanks of The Reef, Drinking “666’s” in Heavan and Hell, or singing karaoke in Roxanne…you might need a Jumbo Slice alternative. 🙂
Yes, I know…when you are drunk enough, jumbo slice is heaven. The New Yorker in me is skeptical but I do aspire to get that drunk one day! Ok, maybe not! 🙂 Until then…an mdawg or two will do. 🙂

I remember watching an episode of the original Iron Chef a few years back and being impressed by a challenger who operated an Italian food cart out of a Buddhist temple in Japan.

Well, we apparently have Italian food carts here as well. I happened to pass through Pupatella’s release party this weekend. They had closed, but they still gave me a sample of tiramisu, and it was fabulous.
Pupatella is open Monday through Friday 730am-2:30pm, so if you work in Ballston, give it a try.

On Christmas day two years ago about a dozen members of a local social group met for dinner at Kam Fong in Chinatown before attending a Matisyahu concert at the 930 Club. Several of us still hang out regularly, and we ate at Kam Fong about 2 weeks ago. We were the last table on the restaurant’s last night.
So…Kam Fong, thanks for the memories, and thanks for all the beef chow fun with Chinese vegetable I’ve eaten over the last couple of years. I’ll miss the shock value of telling people to meet me at the restuarant next to CVS that has ducks hanging from their necks in the window.
As for those of us who originally met at that restaurant, and were there for the restaurant’s last meal…it was a powerful moment…that we will remember.

Video gamers of a certain vintage remember the thrill of playing “Duke Nukem 3D” back in the mid-Nineties. Aliens have invaded Los Angeles, and, as Duke, your job is to kill every single pixilated alien and mutant in town. Duke was based not-too-loosely on Bruce Campbell’s “Ash” in the Evil Dead movies, and various lines from the movies appeared in the game. The game was respected in that genre for its varied scenery and backgrounds, its goofy sense of humor, and the implementation of strategy and stealth rather than just a quick trigger finger.
Like anything else that becomes successful in Los Angeles, a sequel was planned. 3D Realms, Duke’s programmers, announced in 1997 that “Duke Nukem Forever” would come out in the next year. The video game trade magazines fought for exclusive looks at the highly-anticipated game. Fanboys debated the pros and cons of various graphics technologies the game would incorporate. Players salivated over screen shots and game trailers like Atkins’ Dieters at a steakhouse.
In the past ten years, Duke Nukem Forever has been delayed more than a smoking Green Line train. Countless technology changes, programmers coming and going, different publishing houses getting involved, and, by 2007, there’s still no playable, purchasable Duke Nukem Forever. The official stance is that the game will come out “when it’s done;” this, in an industry where other companies like Electronic Arts can turn out new versions of Madden football and Tiger Woods golf every year.
Over in nearby Merrifield, Virginia, there’s a restaurant version of “Duke Nukem Forever.” Dad’s Backyard Burgers, located by Pilin Thai and ZPizza on Gallows Road has been tempting burger lovers for a couple of years with its signs declaring that Dad will be coming soon.
Apparently, we are the collective Telemachus while Dad Odysseus is off fighting the Trojans. Logic would dictate that if folks like Roberto Donna and Jose’ Andres can open new restaurants and relocate existing ones in a matter of months, surely a simple burger joint in the `burbs shouldn’t take more than a few weeks to open, right?
Who are the Trojans keeping Dad adrift? Or did Dad’s visit to Circe result in a cannibalistic, yet unlimited supply of bacon cheeseburgers? The folks on Chowhound found this plan by the Virginia DOT to redo that busy intersection at Gallows and Lee Highway, effectively putting an access road through the middle of the fry vat. Still, just because V-DOT has a plan for those roads, that hasn’t stopped other businesses in the affected strip (Carvel, 7-11, Pizza Hut, plus the others previously mentioned) from operating. Perhaps Dad’s business name was a little too close for comfort for the folks at Backyard Burgers.
I drive by that intersection about once a month, and every once in a while, there’s a little slice of activity at Dad’s. The brown paper that had covered the windows was pulled back, exposing a few small tables and home-style wallpaper. The cash registers look brand new, and blueprints rest on the counter, and other than some finishing work, the place looks like it could open in a couple of days. But the Help Wanted sign offers a phone number that has been disconnected, and no forwarding number is provided.
Hopefully the folks behind Dad’s Backyard Burgers will see this, plus the threads on Chowhound, and let us know their side of the story.

How strange that an innocent trip to the Twin Cities this past weekend would be bracketed by two of the bigger news stories of the year.
A simple two-day mini-vacation to see some old friends in Minneapolis and get some good food seemed like a grand idea, and the affordable direct flights to Minnesota courtesy of Northwest Airlines would be a fine way to spend as much time away from D.C. as possible. That is, until Northwest and its pilots decided to come to loggerheads over work schedules the very weekend I would depend on them for transportation. As the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport is Northwest’s major international hub, local and cable news crews descended on passengers stuck in the expansive facility, trying to capture the mess as flights were cancelled like bad sitcoms on the WB.
Once in Minneapolis, I was whisked away to the Mall of America. Apparently it’s illegal to visit the Twin Cities without going to this overgrown tribute to America’s love of commerce and indoor theme parks. For those who have never been to the MOA, it’s basically both Arundel and Potomac Mills combined after hanging out with Barry Bonds’ trainer. The Mall changes stores like Sean Combs changes stage names, so while I missed the awesome hot sauce store that was there on my first visit in 1999, I didn’t mind seeing the P.B. Loco Cafe’ and its selection of peanut butters, ranging from the sweet Raspberry White Chocolate to the spicy Asian Curry, take its place. Waffles served with maple/peanut butter sauce…smoothies packed with fruit, chocolate and incredibly delicious peanut butter…yeah, that place could be dangerous if they opened up a location in D.C.
One place I had to try was J.D. Hoyt’s, a casual steakhouse in Minneapolis’ Warehouse District, just a few blocks from downtown. The place is nice, though very unassuming. It reminded me of Baltimore’s late McCafferty’s in the Mount Washington neighborhood, though this place appears to pay its bills. Pictures of the owners, famous guests and happy people dining on steaks the size of pizzas adorn the walls. J.D. Hoyt’s is known for their pork chops, ribs and steaks, and the intoxicating mix of Cajun spices and meats from the kitchen made it tough to choose just one entree’. Service as provided by Roberta (though call her Bobby, remember, this place is unassuming) was smooth, efficient and friendly. And, I was pleasantly surprised when a “small” sampler platter of prime rib, baby back ribs and spiced pork chop arrived. Important to note – this “half” rack was the size of a full rack; the prime rib was baked and then lightly seared to temperature, and the pork chop was nearly a pound of fresh-from-the-farm carnivorous pleasure. The meal was solid – the prime rib was not as good as you’d expect from a true high-end steak house, but definitely right for the price. The pork ribs and chops, however, were just about perfect.
The friendliness of the Minnesotans was shocking. Talk flowed freely between tables and the few folks at the bar didn’t remain strangers for long. Most conversation revolved around the groundbreaking for the new Twins baseball stadium, just a couple blocks away from J.D. Hoyt’s, which was scheduled for this week. Kevin Garnett, the Minnesota Timberwolves star player, had not yet been traded to the Boston Celtics, but the rumors were flying. The chef came out to talk to each table, Bobbi gave me dining and tourism tips, folks at another table asked me for dining and tourism advice in D.C. During the night, a small group of young men came in to toast their Army buddy, just scant days away from being called to active duty in Iraq. People who had just met moments ago bought drinks for the young man, barely 21 years old, and though it was clear some patrons didn’t support the war, they all supported their soldier.
So while I was saddened to find out tragedy struck Minneapolis soon after I left, I wasn’t surprised to hear stories of heroic actions by folks caught up in mess of tangled vehicles and bridge, tending to those less fortunate. Of people rushing from the shore to help those who might be trapped under steel and concrete. Of prayer circles and support centers for those who may have lost somebody in the Mississippi River.
I drove across that bridge on Monday.