B-Too - The Belgians Are Coming

B-Too

1324 14th Street NW

B-Too Main Dining Area

B-Too is a spankin new Belgian restaurant located, where else, on 14th Street NW. Let me just say that the woman who invented french was a genius right (giggle)? I mean everything is better when you add french. Like, Le French Fries, Le French Kiss, Le French Twist, Le French Vanilla, La NoshDC…see. Is it me or are Belgian dudes HOT!! I think the most famous Belgian Americans know is Jean-Claude Van Damme, that man is like a fine french wine. He can kick your az$, do a split all in french. Does not get much better than that! And that Hunchback dude was a little more attractive when he started speaking that french!   

Jean-Claude Van Damme!

Okay, this is not a beef cake blog so lets get on with this…… 

One of my foodie partners, VH1, sent a message…"we gotta do B-Too. The Chef is the guy from the cooking show"(she mentioned some chef show). Well it don't take much more than that to get my butt in a seat. So I hopped on the 52 bus and headed up to Logan Circle. Now I also have the review for another new Frenchie that recently opened down the street so stay tuned for that.

If you are anything like me, you starve yourself all day, pour over the menu looking at the entree's at work thinking about what you gonna order. I like to go for at least three courses plus wine but that didn't actually happen here. More on that later. I also took a look at the information about the place and when I saw the Chef I realized that its the same guy from Belga Cafe. I have long been a fan of Belga's and actually went for dinner there a couple of weeks ago. I still saw some hunky Belgians working there, service was outstanding but the Mussels where over done so I looked around for Bart and he was no where to be found. Low an behold, he's moved uptown and opened B-Too.

On his site Bart say's “I’ve become known as ‘the Belgian guy’ for putting Belgian food on the map in D.C.,” and "I’ve received a lot of compliments from Belgians visiting D.C. who say they can’t find this level of food back home.” Wait, how long has this place been open that so many Belgians have been there raving about the food? I thought they very recently opened. How do you say, 'slow your roll' in French? Well, I guess we have no way of confirming this but I guess we should just be grateful Bart's put Belgian food on our map. Although that's entertaining, its not as clever as the 'arrival' page which gives United and Brussels Airlines flight information from Belgium to DC….priceless! I don't know about you but with all this incoming traffic I am buying some Brussels Airline stock tout suite!!

Well, VH1 and I were waiting on TR to arrive so we sat at the bar for a bit and had  wine but no nosh. B-Too has a happy hour menu and you know me…I LOVE discount drinks! I had the red wine. VH1 was there before me and the previous bartender forgot to show her the happy hour menu so she actually missed out on the discount but complimented her selection.

Once seated, we had a few questions about the menu and as always we asked for recommendations from the server. She was very helpful but she seemed a little green to me. One thing that may seem odd to mention but for some reason it stood out to me was when we asked for salt and they brought  this diner like shaker. You know the small glass with metal top. I was expecting something a little more interesting given the venue and how fancy schmancy the food presentation was.

TR got the Spinach and Garlic Chowder, Brussels Sprouts and Salmon, VH1 got the Waffles with Blood Sausage followed by Monkfish and Mac n Belgian Cheese (I think I ate most of it that) I got the Giant Shrimp and the Duck (surprise). Now as you can see from the photos the food presentation was rather elaborate. 

Blood Sausage and Waffles

Now I like interesting food from all over the world but I like my art on the wall. Just saying, the food arrangement was a little off putting but that didn't stop me from digging in….and guess what? Well just look at the pics. 

Duck Before

Sans Duck

All of these pictures were taken BEFORE we touched our plates of course except for the empty dish. When the Monkfish arrived it looked half eaten to me. Of course it wasn't but the presentation struck me as odd. VH1 said she really enjoyed it. We both enjoyed the Mac n Cheese it was very good.

Giant Shrimp

Tada! 

The Giant Shrimp was just that, one really big shrimp and regrettably not very flavorful. The Duck although odd looking was good. During dinner TR mentioned that the Salmon was good and I can vouch for the Sprouts. They were very good.

Monk Fish

Monk Fish

Brussel Sprouts

We really where looking forward to dessert but the selection was not interesting enough to temp us  and that has NEVER happened before. It seemed like half the choices had waffles and since we sampled VH1's waffles from her first course it was not something we wanted to repeat.

Salmon

Something that I notice more often now is that the staff tried to kinda bum rush us a little. I mean we were still eating and drinking so ahhh, back off Monsieur. Not cool. So bottom line is that for the most part we enjoyed the food. While I thought there was nothing outstanding about the Duck (Cork Wine Bar down the street does it better), VH1 and TR thought better of their choices. I will eventually return to try the mussels and the beer selection is outstanding. 

DC and especially this area of the city has really stepped up the culinary game and if a venue wants to stand out from the pack then they may need to be a little more well, outstanding.

Le Diplomate - A Litte Paris in DC

Le Diplomate

1601 14th Street NW

We are so lucky to live in the Washington DC metro area.  We have access to three airports, two of which are international. We have a very diverse community with access to cultural venues and events. We do not experience extreme weather conditions except humidity. Close to other major cities (NYC & PHL) and we have good education systems and a plethora of fine dining to choose from. In particular Washington DC seems to have more than its fair share of French restaurants. 

Le Diplomate

My parents and older sister closed up shop and moved back to Washington DC after being gone for two years. At the time I was two months old so I pretty much consider myself a native Washingtonian. For the most part, it seems like folks who live in DC are from someplace else where French food is not necessarily the most poplar thing going. Texas is known for BBQ, Chicago for pizza, Philadelphia for cheesesteaks, Seattle for coffee, New York for cheesecake but DC….ahhh, French food? I mean you gotta admit, DC does love its french restaurants but I am not exactly sure why.

Le Diplomate is a new Frenchie located where else, 14th Street NW. This restaurant is VERY popular so if you plan on going here you will need a reservation. Let me explain how popular this restaurant is. I got on the 52 metro bus headed north and asked the driver if the bus goes close to the 1600 block of 14th Street. The driver looked at me and immediately asked "you must be going to that new French restaurant right"? I gotta admit that caught me totally off guard but that's how popular this place is which leads me back to the question of 'why are French restaurants so popular here in DC'? 

BaBa Au Rhum

I've met so many people who just LOVE Paris. I've traveled a bit in France and did visit Paris and its not really one of my favorite cities. Paris reminds me of NYC in that its a big concrete metropolitan city and I do want to go back one day but I would not necessarily say that its charming, but that's just me. Having said that there are two things I LOVED about that country, the museums and the FOOD. In particular those nice outdoor cafes and bistros. Maybe that's why the locals seem to flock to this french spot because it reminds them of Paris. 

Normally to draw the level of excitement that Le Diplomate has in DC you need to have "farm to table" or "locally grown" on the menu. This normally gets everyone excited for some reason but I don't think Le Diplomate indulges in that concept. Instead it relies upon appealing as the quintessential french cafe. 

Although I'd heard the buzz about Le Diplomate, VH1 asked me to make a reservation. Well, I don't even think the Salahi's could have conned their way into this place within a week of trying. This was about a month ago and the only tables they had within 7 days of our choice was right at the 5pm opening for dinner so we jumped on it.

Once inside I realized that the place is actually not very large. We were lucky enough to get an outdoor table and I would suggest the same. They do have a bar that I image will seat you without a reservation but good luck with that. Also the noise level indoors was very high once it got busy which gives another reason to sit outdoors. I noticed a table that had "reserved" posted which I guess they hold just incase Michelle and Barack have a last minute date night. Unfortunately they didn’t show up the night we were there. In fact no VIPs dropped by as it remained unoccupied the entire time. 

The server and staff where very good but nothing exceptional. The menu has the basics with about 12 entree’s, with plenty of seafood hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, some sides, cheeses and a large selection of wines.

Rabbit with Carrots and Dumplings

Each night for dinner they have a special selection on the menu. We had the rabbit so I guess our visit was on a Thursday. The server recommend the dish and mentioned that they normally run out fairly early because its very good. Well that’s all he had to say. VH1 and I got the rabbit while VH2 went for the TarTare, along with a couple of bottles of wine. Oh yeah, and the regional cheese selection of 7 different cheeses. Yikes almost forgot dessert too. We had the Apple Tart Tatin and the Rum Soaked Baba.

TarTare

The rabbit was served with carrots and dumplings. The meat was very moist and nicely portioned. Carrots cooked just right and the dumpling served well instead of maybe potatoes. VH2 enjoyed the TarTare but everyone was less impressed with the fromages. I think we expected that the selection would knock our wigs off but it was pretty much on par with most venues on the block.  The deserts were outstanding and worth every calorie! I enjoyed the Apple Tart best. We are already making plans to go back but this time on a Monday for the Veal Sweetbreads. 

Apple Tart

Well its confirmed, the food was very good. We were very happy with everything we ordered, the service was great and we enjoyed sitting outdoors enjoying the view and the nice weather…you know what..I guess it did actually reminded me a little of Paris!

If you are from out of town or just want a little bit of Paris for one night, to get to this popular destination, take the metro green line to the U Street station then about a 15 minute walk or  take the 54/52 bus north or from where ever you are, just walk up to anyone on the street and ask "how do I get to the Le Diplomate from here" and chances are they will know.

Jaleo - A Washington Institution

Jaleo

480 7th Street NW

Jaleo is a Tapas restaurant that has three locations in the DMV area. This restaurant seems like its been around forever (1992 or 1993?) or let me put it this way, I can't recall a time when Jaleo DC was not there on that corner where it sits today. If anyone out there recalls what was on that corner before Jaleo leave a comment and let me know. This must have been one of the first Tapas restaurants in DC and it took me a while to warm up to this place and the concept but its basically an institution in this area.

JaleoDC

I would bet that if you ask 10 people between the ages of 40-50 if they have ever been to Jaleo's 4 would say yes and 7 would say they at least have heard of the place and if you said to the remaining 3 'that place on the corner across from the Verizon Center' you would get 10 out of 10. Outside of a fast food joint I would think that 40% patronage from the local population is pretty good, would you agree? Then why would I write a review about this place, for the other 60% and the tourist who read this blog ;-)!

Let me mention that I have not been to the location in Bethesda, I don't venture that far north very often, but I have been to the DC and Virginia locations. First Virginia, this location sucks, don't go there. The DC location is much better.

As it is an institution its a pretty well oiled machine. The servers and bartenders are pretty consistent and experienced. Having recently undergone a renovation, the DC location is very contemporary and provides outdoor seating in a bustling city setting. The menu allows for a large selection and it can be difficult to make a selection if its your first time here. Don't hesitate to talk with the servers for their recommendations. 

My favorites are Pan De Cristal Con Tomate, Merluza A La Donostiarra (Hake) and a salad, normally Ensalada Verde Con Queso Idiazába. The toasted bread is thin and crisp  drizzled with olive oil and a light layer of crushed tomatoes and pinch of salt (so yummy). The Hake is very delicate but meaty and the salad although a little too much cheese and not enough anchovies is very good. Don't forget to try the Sangria unless you'd prefer one of those $14 mixed drinks. 

Pan De Cristal Con Tomate

Merluza A La Donostiarra

The is a prime location so I would suggest reservations as it gets very busy but there is a decent bar area but that fills pretty quickly too. The DC location is about a 2 minute walk from the metro red line Gallery Place exit.

Cork Wine Bar - Michelle's Been Here!!

Cork Wine Bar

1720 14th Street, NW

I've never worked in a restaurant before, wait does McDonald's count (I was in high school), so sometimes I use my imagination to fill in the blanks for unanswered questions. Like for instance, if a restaurant has several duck entrees leftover at the end of the night what do they do with them? Do they throw it out, give it to the staff…what??? Hmmm just wondering…imagine that could get expensive.

Anyway, I've meet up with friends at Cork several times over the last month. I really like this restaurant. There is nothing 'outstanding' about the venue or staff, I mean no complaints just nothing special except for the bartenders. They were able to answer all our questions about the wines and made great suggestions. The food and wine are the stars at Cork. 

The restaurant is small and sits within a busy block along 14th Street, it's not hard to miss this place since there are so many eateries opening side by side for blocks. You'll want to sit in the front section of the restaurant so that you can have a view of the street. They also have a small outdoor area of about 4 small tables and the bar sits about 10. You probably don't want to stroll up expecting to find a table for dinner without a reservation so make sure to plan ahead if you can.

Its amazing that there are so many restaurants all over the city and most of them have a little something distinctive to offer. A popular dish here that I love is the avocado on grilled bread with pistachios, pistachio toasted oil and sea salt….OMG this is so darn good. The toasted fries are sprinkled with a delicate lemon zest. I think they are prepared with duck fat but that just might be my wishful thinking, doesn't matter because they taste like they are prepared by little french fry angels….yep my mouth is watering too.

Avocado

Now for the pièce de résistance, the Duck Confit with braised red cabbage, whats better than outstanding? Let me mention the first time I had the Duck here I swore I found the love of my life, I fell hard…yep that Duck got me all twisted. The second and third times ahhhh the bird didn't seem so fresh. As you can imagine this broke my heart, but I had fallen hard and wasn't willing to throw in the towel and still willing to give this Duck another chance! You might also want to try the braised kale. I don't see kale on many menus I guess because they don't want to compete, Cork does it so well.

Duck!

My friend TR enjoyed everything she had (her Calamari and Shrimp was good), VH1 got the cheese board and it was good and VH2 got the Charcuterie and yep it was good too. You see the trend here…..this place is good. You should go.

Charcuterie

The walk is not bad from the metro green line U Street station.

Almost forgot, stop by the Cork Market down the street to buy some I that wine you have with dinner.

Cork Market

J&G Steakhouse - Lives up to Reputation

J & G Steakhouse

515 15th Street NW

I've lived and traveled to more than a few cities in my life and I can't think of any place more conservative than DC. Having said that, the J&G Steakhouse dinning room was a text book conservative DC eatery. We picked this place because it was close to a show venue and we wanted to experience the roof top bar along with dinner. 

Let me just mention that there are a few things that I refuse to do in life. One is pay $12 to dry clean a dress when dry clean depot only charges $2. Two is pay $15 dollars for a shot glass worth of liquor that actually costs $2 and third, pay $20 for valet parking when everything in this city is within 5 blocks of a $2 metro ride but that's just me. Well on this occasion I was actually being treated to drinks and dinner so guess what, I ordered that $15 drink and guess what else, yep it tastes just like the happy hour $8 drink around the corner. 

The restaurant is located in the W Hotel. We walked into the hotel lobby, this is a Starwood property, and I expected the interior to be very swanky and modern but of course it was a lot more conservative but still very nice as expected. We made a bee line to the elevators to head up to the rooftop bar to grab a quick drink before dinner but a very nice gentleman met us and asked if he could assist. We said nope, we are going up to the bar but thanks. Well, he told us that there was a private function for the evening and asked if we'd like to take our drinks at the lobby bar. So I didn't have a chance to check out the roof top bar but they still had the $15 drinks in the lobby (giggle). BTW, this was during the same time as the White House correspondence dinner so I imagine that the guest list on the roof was worthy of hollywood.

Before we knew it our reservation was upon us so with drinks in hand we headed over to the dinning room. The ceilings sprang up at least 2 levels and the staff whisked around in black vests, crisp white shirts, very professional but friendly. I could tell that most folks inside were hotel guests and I noticed something strange! There were actually children in this restaurant. I mean kids that take booster seats. I don't know about you but outside of Eastern Market, aka, the Stroller District, I RARELY see kids at dinner in DC. It was refreshing as living and working in the same DC neighborhood I can go a week without seeing a little person.

Anyway, we decided to order a bottle of red wine and asked the server for a suggestion. I can't remember what he brought back (I normally take a pic because I can never remember) but it was marvelous smarvelous. We decided to try the pre-theater menu and a la carte and started off with the Heart of Romaine Caesar Salad and Bacon Wrapped Gulf Shrimp Passion Fruit Mustard, Avocado. The Salad was outstanding. The romaine was intensely fresh and sweet. The cheese and dressing was very light, perfection. The large wrapped shrimp was incredible. Again, fresh and flavorful, just perfect.

Filet Mignon

For the entrees, we went beef all the way and had the Petit Filet Mignon with fries and Short Ribs Vinaigrette Sugar Snap Peas, Jalapeño with a baked potato. The beef was so tender and juicy prepared just right with the Jalapeño adding the perfect hint of heat. Every bite of the potato was perfectly cooked I mean perfect.

Finally, for dessert we shared the ice cream and sorbet. We both took a spoonful and looked at one another with looks on our face like, yep this is so good. We were beyond satisfied with our meals and it actually was not really expensive, well worth it.

Sorbet

J&G is about 2 blocks from the White House. Take the metro red line to metro center and run don't walk to J&G! 

Park Tavern- All Park, No Tavern

Park Tavern 

200 M St SE

The Park Tavern is a very new arrival to the Ball Park District. So new in fact that I can't find a legit functioning website yet. The residents and folks that work in this area anticipated the opening of this restaurant in the winter 2012 but it was not to be. I read reports that they were in search of a chef - or something like that - which prolonged the opening.  Well, I guess they found someone because voila, about a month ago the restaurant opened their doors.

Outdoor Dining

The Park Tavern is housed in an interesting looking building set within a park area across from the DOT in south east off M Street. At first glance, I bet a lot of folks don't even think its a restaurant. The restaurant is a wooden rectangular shape. The entrance is about a block from the metro green line Navy Yard station. 

I immediately got a relaxed feeling when I stepped in the space. Maybe because it was a little slow and the noise level was inviting. Its not a large venue but the configuration makes it feel larger as parts of the space are not immediately within view when you enter. The ceilings are low, I guess this gives the place a 'tavern' feel, and there is wood everywhere while still feeling contemporary . I am not sure why this venue seems so 'odd or interesting' to me. For some reason this restaurant is not what I expect to see where its located. Maybe its because I know that the spot was previously used to park DC school buses and now this chic, modern structure is there now.  I like the interior.

Interior

In the winter, the restaurant will be surrounded by the ice rink which is closed for the season, but now it has nice outdoor seating that should be a very nice place to enjoy the food. On this particular day it was a little windy so we grabbed a space inside next to the windows. Now onto the meat and potatoes.

I was not sure what to expect of the menu but I thought it would be something close to some kind of 'Jamestown or Williamsburg' theme. Okay maybe not Jamestown but you know what I mean given the name of the place "Tavern". My mouth was watering for baked chicken, stews, duck, rabbit, roasted root veggies, quail, some kind of fish that settlers caught off the Virginia coast, and words like 'farm to table' (folks in DC go  CRAZY when they see this on a restaurant website (I have no idea why)) and Ale to wash it all down BUT this is not the case. 

Burger (Lamb and Beef) with Fresh Salad

I arrived for lunch so the actual lunch menu has burgers, a fish or chicken salad sandwich, flatbread and small plates. I normally have a link inserted here so that you can see the menu for yourself but like I mentioned, no website yet. I am not sure how the dinner menu differs (if at all) but on weekends they open at 11:00am with "a few breakfast items". Clearly this restaurant is trying to get its bearings and just so happen its one of the few spots in the neighborhood so folks are a little more forgiving and not willing to immediately write this place off.

Fish Sandwich with Fries

The basic burger and fish sandwiches where good but nothing stood out for us. Do I recommend this place, yes. Why, because the food is fine and if I lived in this area or on my way to a National's game (in the neighborhood) I'd stop by. Would I go out of my way to come here…of course not….. I mean no probably not. I think they have plans to offer more of a brunch menu for the weekends so hopefully this means that management is not opposed to creating a menu that can separate The Tavern apart from the pack. 

  

The Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory

2900 Clarendon Blvd

Arlington,VA

i need your help. Every time I ask my friends if they want to have dinner at The Cheesecake Factory they look at me like I asked for bone marrow. Do you think my friends are snobs? Yes I agree, they may not be snobs but they are certainly snobbish.

Recently I made a solo happy hour visit to the Arlington Cheesecake Factory location and it was pretty early so they were not very busy. i asked to sit at the bar area and the hostess said that I could seat myself. I made a bee line for the bank of tables and one of the servers mentioned that all of the tables were reserved for 'later'. I gave her a sideways look because i didn't want to sit there later, i wanted to sit NOW. Okay, no problem, I said fine i'll take a seat at one of the high tables - STRIKE ONE.

"Reserved"

Of course every 10 minutes I am glancing back at the "reserved" tables to see if anyone is there yet because that's the kind of chick I am and so far no one. Question Mr. Cheesecake, why is it that you PLAY THE MUSIC SO LOUD THAT I CANT EVEN HEAR MYSELF TALK IN  MY HEAD - HUH - WHAT YOU SAY? I couldn't really hear the waitress - STIKE TWO.

I actually really do enjoy the drinks and appetizers here but i always feel like the calorie counts are high. I like the Firecracker Salmon, Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes, Warm Crab Dip, Avocado Egg Roll or Fried Crab Balls.

Fried Crab

I ordered the crab balls and I actually enjoyed them. They came with a creamy dipping sauce.

I was in the mood for pasta so I ordered the Tomato Basil Pasta and when it arrived i was impressed - it looked great. Then I took my mouthful and I am not sure how this is even possible but it was completely tasteless. I lie to you not - it had NO i mean NO taste just like milk. I must have had a confused look on my face because the server asked was everything okay and believe it or not, its rare that I return a dish but guess what….yep. I explained how the pasta was sans taste and she got the same look on her face. STIKE THREE  I explained that it was not what I expected (because I actually like to taste my food). I mentioned that i must have had a different dish in mind (because I've never had anything that bad at Cheesecake Factory before). I tried to describe the dish but I could not find it on the menu. I mentioned that it was pasta with tomatoes and chicken. She said I think you mean the Shrimp and Pasta - which was wrong - but I said sure fine. I mean I like shrimp and i love pasta so what could go wrong right… long story short - STIKE FOUR

The Amazing Tasteless Tomato Pasta

I took a few fork fulls and decided to eat the bread. The manager came over, a young guy, and asked was everything okay. I mentioned how the food was tasteless and asked if the Chef had a chance to taste the dish. He mentioned that the Chef was just about to taste it when he stepped away. He then mentioned that they follow a recipe and that it should always taste the same. The only thing I could think is that okay Mr. Cheesecake, you either have a rogue Chef on your hands or make tasteless food. I just shrugged my shoulders and then he asked if I wanted anything else. I figured I would get my favorite cheesecake, the Tiramisu and the check. 

About 10 minutes later the server came back with the box and the check - no Cheesecake. I mentioned that I ordered the Tiramisu from the manager. I looked around and he was talking with someone next to the still empty "reserved" tables and forgot about the Tiramisu. - STRIKE 5-10.

I was in this place for about an hour and between the loud music, the food chaos and preoccupation with the "reserved" tables, I was a little stressed. I paid the check and headed out pass the invisible family at the "reserved" tables and thought, hmmmm, I guess now I am a snob too.

If you still want to go after reading this, take the orange line metro to Clarendon. If you're under 21 you'll probably enjoy it.