Checking out one of the few inexpensive restaurants to make the Washingtonian’s top 100? Good idea.
Checking it out right after the magazine hits the stands? Less inspired.
Three friends and I went to Bangkok 54 last weekend to see why the Arlington Thai restaurant was earning such raves.
We were greeted with about a half hour wait sans reservation, which wasn’t bad at all considering how packed the place was, and the fact it was a Friday night. More frustrating is that it took the entire thirty minutes for us to get our drinks from the bar, and one of them was incorrect. I enjoyed my mango ginger margarita, though.
Once we were seated, service was inattentive and frazzled. A waitress took 20 minutes to “be right back” to take our orders. Appetizers took a considerable amount of time to arrive. A friend’s main dish order of pineapple fried rice lacked, well, pineapple.
But boy, was the food good. Won ton soup was perfectly spiced; papaya salad was a cool choice for a chilly night, but still delivered. I ordered 54’s Spicy Roast Duck, which was similar to a dish I’d had at a neighboring Thai restaurant a week before, but in a different league. Topped with basil and fried to a crisp (though slightly greasier than I might have liked), the dish finished with such a hot, savory kick that friends who sampled it said they had trouble tasting their own meals afterwards. Which was really too bad – one had ordered the five-spice braised pork, and it was absolutely delicious, sweet without being cloying. Jasmine tea was a nice accompaniment.
Overall, the restaurant probably deserves a break for being swamped during such a busy time, and the bustling atmosphere might have appealed to a more patient crowd, as it sure felt like a “hot spot”. But next time I go, I’m making it a weeknight.
Bangkok 54
2919 Columbia Pike
Arlington, VA 22204
703.521.4070

Ah, tapas. You and your cured meats and your rich cheeses and your rich marinades and your small-plates-that-falsely-lead-me-to-believe-I’m-not-gorging-myself.
I love you so.
I renewed my love-affair with the late night Spanish dish when a friend and I took out a visitor from Pasadena to Jaleo’s Crystal City location last week. Three of us didn’t really need nine tapas. But boy, did we enjoy them. The roundup:
Quesos de Espana: Jaleo’s cheese plate includes Murcia, Picon, Idiazabal and Manchengo, if you can’t stick to just one. The portions aren’t giant, but they end up being more than you need, once you order other items. I’m always partial to manchengo, though picon was a little pungent for my liking; overall, I enjoyed all four choices.
Spanish sausage: If you get the variety plate, Jaleo provides you small slices of chorizo, soria, butifarra, salchichon, with a toasty bread to match. Rich and spicy.
Duck confit with pear sauce: One of my favorite dishes, this was incredibly rich – the duck was juicy without being too fatty, and the sauce nicely balanced the bird’s sauciness.
Octopus with paprika: Eh. It tastes as you’d expect it to taste. Didn’t mind the rubbery texture, but the overall effect was a little more bland than I’d hoped.
Tortilla de patatas: This was probably my choice as top dish, though it wasn’t anything particularly unique. Served warm, to my surprise, this tortilla was savory and flavorful, despite there not being much to it. Very filling and satisfying.
Spanish mackerel: I could have done without this choice, but my two dining companions raved, so I’ll chalk it up to my antipathy towards fishy-tasting fish. Simply prepared, showing off the fish itself.
Steamed mussels: This is a great buy at Jaleo as they give you more mussels than you’d expect for a tapas order – I’m not sure we even fished them all. The bay leaves are really prominent in the broth’s taste, and that’s a good thing.
Marinated beef: I’m frustrated with myself for not remembering this dish exactly – I think it was slices of beef tenderloin, cooked rare. No complaints; thin, juicy beef with a melting texture.
Spinach with pine nuts: A surprise hit, there was just enough olive oil and sweet accent (raisins) to make this vegetable stand out.
You can’t really go wrong with Jaleo – it’s priced moderately, the waitresses are friendly and low key, the atmosphere is colorful and laid-back. Though the sherry lemonade isn’t anything to brag about – we should have picked up some sangria at the bar before heading to our table. Next time.
Jaleo
2250 A Crystal Drive
Arlington, VA 22202
(703) 413-8181
Other locations in Bethesda and downtown

Surely, an appetizer at this upscale Upper Northwest restaurant advertised as an “iceberg wedge with Maytag blue cheese and applewood smoked bacon” would be something substantial. Would the cheese and bacon be artfully arranged on a bed of crispy lettuce? Maybe the lettuce would be used to separate the two heartier ingredients, assuring crisp bacon and cold Maytag. Seriously, why would anyone at a respectable eatery put the focus on iceberg lettuce, the most boring type of the most boring salad ingredient?
Lo and behold, the dish arrived at the table: a quarter-head of iceberg (hence the “wedge”) with some horseradishy dressing sprinkled on the top, two little pieces of cheese propped up on the side of the wedge, like a Christmas tree waiting for removal by the city, and about a dozen little squares of bacon on top. It looked like a scene out of college, except with better plates: when you don’t have anything but some lettuce, salad dressing, and cheese and bacon bits in your fridge, you pile them up on a plate and dig in. Why anyone would pay $8 for it is beyond me.
It was explained to me by a dinner companion that I am out of the loop on these things and that “the iceberg wedge is a classic WASP dish and is very big right now.” Cold, hard and bland – just like the admissions board of a top country club. No wonder that Americans have so eagerly dismissed their Mayflower heritage for pizza, chow mien, chicken tikka masala, falafel and many other dishes enjoyed in spicier parts of the world.
Buck’s Fishing and Camping
5031 Connecticut Ave., NW
Washington, DC
202-364-0777

No beans, garlic, onions, raw vegetables, dairy products or “spicy food” for at least three weeks.
It’s a foodie’s worst nightmare.
All right, that may be overstating the case. But I’m less than thrilled with this particular set of doctor’s orders. Though not such a problem when you’re cooking for one, try to find a restaurant which doesn’t prominently feature garlic, cheese or heat. It’s unfortunate when Applebee’s theoretically counts as a restaurant.
All complaining aside, I managed to find a dish which (kind of) fit my stringent requirements over at Tony Cheng’s Seafood Restaurant in Chinatown. All right, I’d be surprised if there wasn’t some garlic hidden in my chicken with asparagus dish ($14.95). But it’s not a spicy offering, and there were no huge chunks of onion prominently featured, so I think I was safe. And man, was it tasty.
Tony Cheng’s a bit pricier than your typical Chinese fare, but it does a nice job with the basics, and has a classy atmosphere. They have a good selection of (mostly tropical-themed) drinks, with catchy names such as Virgin’s Downfall (I enjoyed a coconut-flavored offering, the name of which escapes me, for around $6). Tea is well-brewed, won ton soup is salty and satisfying, and I hear the spicier dishes are first-rate. Not that I would know.
Tony Cheng’s Seafood Restaurant
619 H St., NW
Washington , DC
202/371-8669

Franco Nuschese, the owner of Georgetown’s possibly-too-chic-for-its-own-good staple, Café Milano, and DuPont’s new-ish Sette Osteria, wanted to leave the city and tackle the less formal suburban market with a more unconventional assortment of Italian fare. Unconventional, that is, for American (and particularly DC) tastes. To promote this new venture, Franco’s friend and AU professor Gemma Puglisi assigned her senior business undergrads to be Sette Bello’s PR machine. Two of her students contacted me (hi Tony and Rob!), and set me up to talk with corporate chef Domenico Cornacchia and later with Franco, who invited me along to try out his new place.

Sette Bello opened in Clarendon this October, to less fanfare than one might expect, but judging from the crowd on its second Thursday of operation, enough fanfare indeed. I had a bit of trouble finding the entrance, which is not actually on Wilson Blvd., but on Highland Street – maybe the suburbs are just too complicated for this city boy. It is more or less directly across the street from the Clarendon Metro, which makes it super-convenient. For the ‘burbs.
The entrance leads to a square foyer, where a cheery hostess and manager Brian Scott greeted me, apologized that Franco was stuck in traffic, and escorted me to the bar. This place is bloody huge. The bar is very pretty, but due to its size and highly styled appearance, feels a bit cold and sterile. Amazingly, it is not as noisy as I’d expect such a cavernous space to be.
I sat at the very pretty bar, and ordered a Sapphire martini, because, well, it’d been a rough day. The martini was served in its own shaker – you shake and pour your own – which is cute, but very messy. Condensation quickly soaked my cocktail napkin, and made pouring the second time more difficult. I drank my martini(s), and ate some tasty olives provided as bar snacks (no peanuts here). The bar staff is lovely; they seem to be having fun. Rumor, however, has it that they may not be.
Franco arrived midway through my cocktail adventures, and instructed a host to bring me over to his table when I’m ready. I finish my drink, pay up – cough$16plustipcough – I expect to pay $8-10 for that drink in Dupont, and Clarendon is ever so not Dupont. Yes, you could call it two martinis, since it certainly filled the glass twice, but I didn’t order – or, frankly, want – two martinis.
Sitting at the bar, I did not partake of Sette Bello’s main gimmick – “Italian Sushi” – which would be better recognized and more appetizing to me if it were just called “crudo” like in normal places, but from what I saw at other tables, it did look really good. Particularly intriguing were the Ostriche con Limon – oysters prettily arranged on a large shell with lemon confit – and the lovely looking Trittico di Salmone – a trio of cured and tartare salmon, with salmon roe and salsa verde. An interesting note is that Franco doesn’t like (Japanese) sushi. Adamantly so, in fact. Crudo is very different than sushi, and it is the kind of food Franco and Domenico remember from their native Italy. Why they needed to use the word ‘sushi,’ when ‘crudo’ would have been crystal clear, is a mystery for the ages. Or the PR department. Either way, I would’ve been happy to try any of it. I just didn’t.
Sette Bello
(703) 351-1004
3101 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22201

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I’m not quite sure how long it’s been open, but Amelie and I decided to check it out this past Friday. The decor is reminiscent of Morimoto’s in Philadelphia insofar as the wave theme has carried over into Paulimoto’s. We were expecting a bit more, I suppose, because the Morimoto’s in Philly is really something else in terms of appointment and furnishings. Paulimoto’s is more spartan and industrial- open ducts, naked woods and solid brown bakelite-like tables.
Paulimoto’s advertises that it serves Chinese and Japanese food. The menu reads a lot like PF Chang’s except the Japanese (Morimoto-inspired supposedly) dishes are a bit more fusion-ey. We decided to skip the Chinese and go for the Japanese and that was a wise decision. We looked around at the other tables’ orders and the Chinese looked less-than-exciting.
We started with an agedashi tofu which was very good, and we also decided to order lettuce wraps (just like PF Chang’s), because we just can’t get enough of them. The lettuce wraps are identical to the ones at the other Asian bistro to include the “special sauce” that they put together for you.
We ordered three robatayaki just to see how they were here and they weren’t very good. I should say the Kobe beef one we got was very good, the asparagus was ok, and the scallops were down right awful. I honestly thought they served us dried scallops on sticks.
For the main course, I got the miso black cod and Amelie got the tempura halibut with spicy miso. Luckily, both the entrees were well above the quality of appetizers. The miso cod had enough miso to flavor the entire cod steaks and the halibut was lightly fried in cubes and served with a spicy miso sauce on the plate. Both were served (as are all entrees) with brown rice (you can get white rice if you want). We did also order a side of wasabi mashed potatoes because Amelie had never had them before, but neither of us liked it so we didn’t eat it. Too buttery, and for my palette, butter plus wasabi equals not good.
So all in all, the Japanese entrees were very good, particularly considering they were about $16 and you’re in a shopping mall. The appetizers, ehh… not so good. The Kobe beef robatayaki was good though. The Chinese choices were nothing extraordinary from what I could tell and I wouldn’t go there to eat Chinese anyway. If you’ve been to the Morimoto’s in Philly, you’ll recognize the inspiration of a couple of the entrees, but aside from that and the Morimoto sake, there is no clear influence of the Iron Chef here. Total bill for two appetizers, three robatayaki, two entrees, one side dish, and three Pellegrinos was $80. Not too shabby.
Definitely make a reservation if you want to go, otherwise you will wait a long time for a table. Also, as of the time of this writing, they didn’t have their liquor license yet so we couldn’t have any Morimoto sake.
Pauli Moto’s Asian Bistro
Tyson’s Corner Center
703-556-7777

Several weeks ago, our own CZ posted a review of Capital Q BBQ, the lastest in a series of BBQ-related reviews we’ve done here on DCFUD and elsewhere. We’re always in search of the latest and best BBQ. Given that some of us haven’t eaten decent BBQ in at least six months, we thought we’d do what all good food lovers to do, and lust for BBQ experiences through our past writings and the writings of others. So, listed below for your pleasure, is our own BBQ link edition, including our reviews of local-ish BBQ and reviews from other great local sites.
Since BBQ always inspires such great feedback, we’d like to encourage our readers to provide their own views on the “best BBQ” in the greater DC area. And provide us with the links we missed, as we desperately need to read about more local BBQ.

• Capital Q BBQ (DCFUD, September 2005) – “Portions were fairly large, overall the BBQ was good, but not the best. I think Rocklands’ ribs are better, but I want to go back already. Especially for their hot links.”
• Old Glory (The Kitchenette, September 2005) – “Old Glory has the friendly Fourth of July ambiance a bewildered student needs to gradually get oriented back to campus life. forget delicate tablecloths or fancy hor d’oeuvres– eating here is messy and fun. it’s only a matter of time before i find remnants of the meal underneath fingernails while daydreaming in class tomorrow.”
• Riedel’s Restaurant (Metrocurean, September 2005) – “Memphis, South Carolina, Kansas City and Texas-style homemade sauces are available to dress your ‘cue. (Metrocurean notes the absence of her native North Carolina sauces—both vinegar-based and tomato-based—but I won’t hold it against them.)”
• Rocklands BBQ (Ceno Ergo Sum, September 2005) – “At Rocklands, they slow cook the meat over hickory and then bring it up to temperature later, after you place your order. This ensures that your order is hot, but also still tender and juicy. They also go to the trouble of splitting the ribs and breaking the whole chickens into individual serving sizes before wrapping them up for you.”
• Lefty’s BBQ (DCFUD, November, 2004) – “The consensus is that out of all the BBQ places our crack team has tried, including Rocklands; Old Glory; Dixie Bones; Urban BBQ; Red, Hot, and Blue; and Johnny’s, Lefty’s Barbecue holds the current title of best BBQ in the metro D.C. area. At least, that is, until the next trip.”
• All the BBQ in Town (The Washington Post, July 22, 2004) – The Washington Post reviews local BBQ, and ends up dubbing The Rib Pit as the best in D.C. “The Rib Pit is the real thing. A wood-fired smoker built of white glazed brick dominates this tiny carryout on 14th Street NW, in Petworth. The immediate neighborhood looks a bit rough, and a bulletproof partition separates employees from customers. But these are perhaps the best ribs ($16.90 a slab) to be found in the District.”
• Johnny Boy’s (DCSOB/DCFUD Team, November 2003) – “The pulled pork was certainly up there on the list, but not the most amazing I’ve ever had. RJ3’s ribs were scrumptious, but did not live up to the hype that had been promised. Either way, it was worth the drive, although possibly not for a second time.”

We now open the comments section to you, our loyal readers, for your own thoughts on BBQ in the DC metro area.
UPDATE: Reader JM points to a place we seem to have missed: Levi’s Port Café (1102 8th St. SE). The City Paper gives this relative newbie high marks; what do you think?

This guest blog is by Erin over at at The Kitchenette
It’s a term that has been tossed around in the news lately describing confident but passionate men such as Bono and Barack Obama. Unlike the metro, the ubersexual is more sensual and not at all self-conscious: he doesn’t need other people to tell him he’s sexy, he knows it. As advertising giant JWT described in their recent article naming the “Top Ten Ubersexuals,” ubers have better things to do than “plan their errands around which shop windows offer the best reflection.”
And what does all this have to do with the recently opened fine arts exhibit at Palette restaurant in the Madison Hotel? It wants to be ubersexual so bad: passionate about causes and principles and artists like Ellsworth Kelly and Robert Rauschenberg, both featured in the exhibit. But the décor defines metrosexual dead-on: mostly passionate about itself.
The exhibit on the walls of Palette in the Madison Hotel near the McPherson Square Metro station showcases pieces from the Ralls Collection, a privately owned modern art gallery in Georgetown. Maybe you’d recognize the fire engine red, metallic sculpture shaped like a backwards seven out front of the Ralls? The uber-modern gallery donated several pieces by artists including: Philip Guston, Ellsworth Kelly, Malcolm Morley, Robert Rauschenberg, Dorthea Rockburne, James Rosenquist and Richard Serra.
Most resemble splatter paint, but they do faultlessly match the restaurant’s chic space. The interior design of Palette is sophisticated with black-trimmed, crème-colored chairs, and noticeably swank with frosted seafoam green glass and light fixtures hanging over the bar. Although Palette does get points for combining haute art with haute cuisine, a rarity in DC, it seems to reach for something it’s not. The uberhaute design clashes with the colonial-styled Madison Hotel built back in1963.
Perhaps the hotel was suffering a mid-life crisis and Palette was the answer? Like an obvious face-lift, the Madison tried so hard to look younger when Palette opened back in January 2004. At the restaurant’s unveiling, head chef Charlie Hansji served caramelized tomatoes with black olive ice cream. Within a month, he was replaced. Palette’s rocky start demonstrates the metrosexual notion of trying to be hip without remembering to be timeless and comfortable. People thought the chef was almost mocking fusion cooking with his peculiar combinations. Tom Sietsema gave the Palette just one star when he first reviewed the restaurant last year.
Ubers confidently make the right decision no matter what others think. They exude poise and an uncompromising style, whereas metros deliberately reach for aloofness. Metros memorize the variations of olives and flaunt their Venti Starbucks soy mochas ostentatiously. Metros cannot think for themselves, which makes it easy to value brands over brains. Palette is stylish yes, but it still seems to be searching for an identity within the timeless Madison.
(1155 15th Street, NW, 202.587.2700) http://www.palettedc.com/contact.htm

Loosely continuing our theme of “best restaurants,” we present to you the Discovery Travel Channel’s top ten “best fast food restaurants”.
#8 on the list is the Subway at the Pentagon. Why, you ask? The list’s authors say it’s because you have to have a security clearance to get through the doors. Which, incidentally, isn’t actually true. You just have to have a friend who has a security clearance who invites you to each lunch with them at the Pentagon, as zaf can attest to.
The rest of the list includes Arby’s in Hickory, N.C., which attracts more than 1,000 bikers to hang out there weekly; a Burger King in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which boasts “sky-high ceilings, intricate wood moldings and multiple chandeliers” as it is in the former residence of a wealthy Argentina family, and a McDonald’s in Pitea, Sweden, which boasts a drive through window for your snowmobile.
The full list is below:

• Wendy’s, North Pole, Alaska
• Burger King, Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo
• Arby’s, Hickory, N.C.
• McDonald’s, Pitea, Sweden
• Kentucky Fried Chicken, Corbin, Ky.
• Sonic Drive-In, Abilene, Texas
• Burger King, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Subway, Washington, D.C.
• Taco Bell, Pacifica, Calif.
• McDonald’s, Manhattan, N.Y.

We have a feeling the lists’s writers were after something a bitter different than we would be. For one, we’d be considering food taste, which would knock, well, everybody, off the list. We’ve probably re-write it to include Chipotle, In-N-Out Burger, and Five Guys, at least.