May 26, 2005
The Weekly Feed
We've noticed that an increasing number of food resources have popped up recently in the D.C. blog world. In addition to the eGullet D.C. and Delmarva forum, DCFoodies, and DCFüd, new arrivals include Don Rockwell's new project, frequent DCist commenter Matt Singerman's vegetarian food blog, and the not-really-new-but-new-to-us DC Food Blog. To help keep all of these sites -- and any other food news that comes our way -- together for you, DCist introduces The Weekly Feed, a compilation of the week's food news.
Really Want to be Cheap? Save Your $5
Back when we lived in the hinterlands of P.G. County, we saw the Cheap Eats issue of The Washingtonian as a handy guide on where to get good grub in the D.C. area without hurting our wallets. That view has changed significantly since moving into the District and improving our palates. This month's issue -- conveniently timed to coincide with the annual intern swarm, as usual -- is particularly bad, and other area foodies have made the same observation. (full disclosure: yes, this DCist started the first thread. The second started independently.) There's lots to dislike about this annual feature, like inclusion of consistently mediocre restaurants like Sorriso, Lauriol Plaza, and Cafe Spice -- none of which are particularly affordable. We'll never understand the allure of Lauriol Plaza, and chain restaurant Cafe Spice received a pretty rough review from the Post. Also, it looks like the editors of this issue took a bit of a vacation. For example, on the quick reference Silver Spring's Mandalay is listed as located in College Park, its old home. And the cuisine in the capsule is described as Malaysian. Finally -- and this bit riled us the most -- there are zero Ethiopian restaurants listed. In one of the few American cities where one can find a "Little Ethiopia," this oversight is maddening. And it's not new -- no Ethiopian spots showed up on the 2004 list either.
More Seats for Soul Food Fans
Speaking of left out of the Cheap Eats issue: if you haven't had a chance to stop in at Oohhs and Aahhs, the soul food restaurant at 10th and U streets NW, you now have no excuse. A couple weeks ago, proprietors India and Oji (we apologize for not catching your last names) expanded from their tiny six seat counter to a larger upstairs dining room -- which means no more fighting to sit down and enjoy their to-die-for macaroni and cheese. For $14, you get enough food for two days. The one problem with the upstairs dining area: you don't get to enjoy the conversation with India and other patrons, which was a highlight of our meal.
Would You Like some Nicoderm with Your Meal?
It seems that each week a different restaurant emerges as the target of numerous gripes on Tom Sietema's weekly chats. This week, it was Old Town's Restaurant Eve. The chief complaint: rude service for diners who left the table for a mid-meal cigarette. However, there are always two sides to a story, and here we have to side with the chef. At Fridays or some other cookie cutter chain, where the food isn't cooked with the degreee of care Cathal Armstrong gives it? Go ahead, leave the table and puff away. But when you're eating fine cuisine, timing is a crucial element. A few minutes extra sitting on a table and the quality of the food really suffers. We think they were right to question the patrons. Of course, one could argue that the patrons should have the option to leave -- but then they may just complain about the food. Its really a lose-lose situation for the restaurant.
It's Summer, Get Crabby
Finally, with Taste of DC unceremoniously cancelled, maybe you should consider a road trip to kick off your summer. Most of the local beach resorts will be jammed with tourists, but if you're willing to go well out of your way, DCFüd gives Delmar's Old Mill Crab House high marks. DCFüd writer MJF gets all of the obligatory Wayne's World/Delaware jokes out of the way, but we wonder -- how does Old Mill stack up to Annapolis institution Cantler's?
Image of Oohhs and Aahhs sign courtesy of Tom Lee
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Check out this site for recommendations on good ethnic restaurants in the area:
http://www.gmu.edu/jbc/Tyler/cowenethnic17th.htm
I give up....someone please tell me what I'm missing about Lauriol Plaza? I love the roof deck. The food is good....not super awesome but good. Kanishka you're a hater.
Watery Salsa. Overcooked chicken. Sub-par cheese that makes up for it by overwhelming every other flavor on the plate. Limp tortillas, routinely underspiced beef, $9 margaritas -- and ridiculous waits. I'll pass.
Following some of the threads mentioned above--and reacting to Kanishka's general vitriol (some of it very warranted, to be sure!)--my two cents.
From the threads:
"(The Washingtonian's) dining reviews are not for foodies ..."
Well...no. The Washingtonian is a general-interest magazine serving the general public in the metro area. True, the restaurant reviewers are charged with having a deeper food knowledge than the general public, and also with providing a good range of locations, prices, types of cuisine, etc. But if you want a magazine for foodies, read "Gourmet." There are some flaws/mistakes in the reporting and reviewing, but overall, it was a solid guide that many readers, visitors and residents alike, find useful. And surely DCist contributors will recognize that mistakes (wrong address, grammar, etc.) happens to the best of writers.
The Washingtonian does what it sets out to do, most of the time--to be a good source of information about a broad range of people and topics in this city. If you want a magazine that caters to foodies, then go puruse the newsstand or the library. If you want to see insider reviews more ethnic, local restaurants, explore some of the excellent neighborhood and service blogs that are thankfully popping up.
Washingtonian is not all things to all people all the time. Nor should it be. Nor should it be expected to be.
Rose, good comments. But I think that the Washingtonian should put a little more thought into their cheap eats issue. Poll self-identified foodies and you'll probably be able to get a great list of 100 quality cheap restaurants that everyone would love. My main problem: people are misled by the Cheap Eats ish and sent to restaurants that are not cheap and only nominally eats.
Ugh, yes...lauriol plaza is terrible. I used to work right down the street and ate there several times. never once did i enjoy it.
Can anyone recommend a food blog that focuses on the Virginia suburbs? There's lots of good ethnic food in Arlington and Falls Church and I know I'm probably missing out on something.
PS: What's with everyone raving about Taqueria Poblano in those forums? Granted, I've only been there once, but I found it to be sub-par and overpriced. If I want authentic tacos, I hit El Charrito on Washington Blvd. Am I missing something about TP?
"Cheap" is in the eye of the beholder. Let's consider the Washingtonian's target audience-- which is probably fairly wealthy professionals who are married, have kids, and are homeowners. (They probably have target audience info on their Web site for advertisers to look at, but I'm too lazy to look it up.)
Less than $50 for a dinner for two, for that audience, would be "cheap."
I don't fall into that target audience--that doesn't stop me from enjoying Washingtonian. If I want to read about stuff that was cheap in my terms, more specific to foodies, etc., I'd read local blogs/DCist/City Paper, etc.
There's plenty out there; just don't expect Washingtonian to cater to absolutely everyone all the time.
And for what it's worth, I'm not a huge Lauriol Plaza fan, but their enchiladas suisas are superb. And before you spout off about authenticity, know that I lived in Las Palmas in Mexico City for two months, and I know what I'm talkin' 'bout! :)
Glueslabs -- Tyler Cowen's webpage (DCist article here, also reference in the comments above, is your best bet.
Ah, Tyler Cowen. I checked out his list a few years ago but had forgotten about it. Thanks!
Just be sure to check that the restaurants still exists before going to check it out. He's not known for updated.
Rose: I'm not one to harp about authenticity. I like "good" and really think arguments about authentic are silly as everything changes in response to location. That said, I don't like the enchiladas at Lauriol Plaza much. I much prefer Samantha's in Silver Spring/Takoma Park -- another great inexpensive place left out by the Washingtonian.
Lauriol Plaza is actually a bad example of what's wrong with the Washingtonian list. I haven't seen this year's, but I seem to recall Cactus Cantina being on last year's. Now, I don't hate Cactus, but I also don't need the Washingtonian to tell me about it--everyone who's been in DC more than a year knows about the place. The magazine should do an list of "old standbys" for the benefit of new resident, and then dedicate the rest of the issue to tell us about undiscovered gems.
By way of explanation, DC food is not what it used to be--it used to be the Washingtonian and the daily papers rehashing a very short list of restaurants. Food coverage (with the arrival of Todd Kliman and the blogs) and dining options have dramatically improved, and I think the Washingtonian got lapped by the competition. It should cover fewer bargains and really only pick ones with great food and little recognition.
Lauriol Plaza is o.k.- probably a bit too pricy for what you get. I've always enjoyed their margaritas, even if my budget can rarely afford more than one. While the salsa may be "watery" that's perfectly acceptable in my book. When I make salsa at home it's "watery." My personal feeling is that if I wanted to eat tomatoes, I'd order tomatoes.
That being said, I'd rather just go to Mixtec. For that matter, you can walk a few blocks up columbia to Pepitos Taqueria and get tacos al pastor. It may not set the foodie world on fire, but fuck the foodies. I just want Mexican food.
That's not to say I don't enjoy Tosca or Les Halles or any number of things that come out of my own kitchen. But to me, and I suspect a lot of people in the DC area, the dishes that get served at Lauriol Plaza amount to comfort food.
Kanishka,
Why must you hate freedom so?
Martin
Look, enough busting on Lauriol Plaza. Anyone who wants to eat there for cheap can do so. How? Well, some friends of mine used to eat there every week: they'd show up, get a table for two, wait the requisite hour for it to open up, and in the interim, stuff themselves silly with free chips and salsa. By the time they made it to their table, they only needed to order some rice and beans and they were full. Total cost (excluding alcohol) was about $5 per person.
Compare that to the new Alero, which doesn't even serve tacos! Or Rose Mexicano which also seems to think Mexican Food = Pricey Stuff with Guac.
At the end of the day, Lauriol is the only place in town with two levels of outdoor seating. On a day like today, it's tough to beat.
Lauriol Plaza has the Monterey Chicken Salad. It has beans and corn and peanuts and yummy dressing. I really don't care if the other food is good or not.
What the problem is with the Washingtonian list is, is that it isn't new. They just take the list from last year brush off the dust, add one, take one away and viola! this year's list. If I felt like they made an effort and this was actually their opinion then it would be fine, but I get an overwhelming sense of sloppy research (uhm, from people who are paid! Paid is the optimal word here.)
I agree, Edward!...People: lighten up on stuff like Lauriol. If you're a chill person with a nice group of friends and a few bucks, you can have fun anywhere in D.C. Including "tourist traps" and chain restaurants.
If you're a stuck-up poser or self-proclaimed "foodie," your dinner companion is probably your copy of "Kitchen Confidential" and you'll be miserable no matter where you eat because you're too focused on remembering whether to use "compliment" or "complement" to describe that $14 tapas plate of exactly two prawns to your exactly two blog readers.
Flippin' bon appetit, y'all.
Can someone suggest a better term, then, for someone who considers the enjoyment of food one of the best things in life? It seems "Foodie" lumps one with an elitist crowd, which is not how I'm using the word.
How about "person."
Who DOESN'T consider food to be one of the best things in life? It's just that people have different tastes/opinions. Which is fine until some people start to look down on others for differences in opinion.
What do a McDonald's quarter pounder with cheese and the roast chicken at Palena have in common? They're both good food.
Kanishka- I would say that's *exactly* how you're using the word. You're using "foodie" to dismiss Lauriol Plaza because you don't like their cheese, the Washingtonian magazine as being beneath your sophisticated palate, and bitch about someone who didn't mind if his fish sat at his table for a few minutes. Thats, um, elitist.
Kanishka,
Since you brought up "cookie cutter chains," I'm going to bring up "cookie cutter writing."
Because you do exactly that.
If the object of your writing is to inspire people to broaden their culinary palattes, it would be more inspiring if you avoided hackneyed "food critic" phrases and vocabulary to do so.
Kanishka,
Since you brought up "cookie cutter chains," I'm going to bring up "cookie cutter writing."
Because you do exactly that.
If the object of your writing is to inspire people to broaden their culinary palates, it would be more inspiring if you avoided hackneyed "food critic" phrases and vocabulary to do so.
Okay fine, I give in. It's of me elitist to demand quality cheese, to note that the Washingtonian ignores a sizable portion of great ethnic restaurants in DC and gets important editorial tidbits wrong, to tell someone to treat a fine dining meal as a greater experience than Fridays by respecting the chef, and to love a cheap hole in the wall soul food joint. If that's elitist, or foodie, or whatever, I'm it. Guilty as charged.
Holy Handbags -- I'm new at this. Next time I do a full on review I'll work on changing things up a bit. Sorry if you find my writing cookie-cutter. Any specifics? Seriously -- please email me in private, because I like constructive feedback and really would like to get as good as possible. Thanks.
Bump, Brody V. It does seem elitst to pass judgment on the Restaurant Eve patron...especially since you don't know the whole story. (Because I doubt the DCist "reporter" tracked down the patron and the owner.)
Stepping out for a cigarette, at Fridays or at a place where the food IS "cooked with a degree of care" like Restaurant Eve, is a judgement call on the part of the patron.
For anyone--a restaurant proprieter or a would-be Phyllis Richman alike--to pass judgement on that judgement call is...elitst, in a sense. You're saying that your judgment of someone else's choices is better than their own.
AAAAAAARGH! If you click on the link to the chat, you can find the original complainant. If you click on the link "two sides to the story" you can find the other side, as given by the proprietors and the waiter to a very trusted source. So there are both sides, and yes I have an opinion on which is right. I also say that despite my opinion, its the restaurant that ultimately loses out.
I thought the writing was perfectly fine. I'm reading it to find out about the food, not to evaluate the writing style.
i have a suggestion for holyhandbags/rose/lavie/dontknowwhyyoukeepswitchingyourname: if you're going to leave anonymous comments on original writing by people who do this on a volunteer basis, why not leave your real name and email? your comments would be more inspiring and less incredibly lame if you'd have the balls to attach your name and contact information to what you really think. feel free to say what you want, but be aware that you have little-to-no credibility if you hide behind anonymous handles.
Ethiopian food rocks. I was a waiter at an Ethiopian Restaurant, it was great fun when the Americans totally freaked when they realized you eat with bread. You know, cause they never pick up burgers or eat french fries or anything. Love me some injera.
Two Prawns? hahahahahahah
Kanishka, once my garden has come up, I'll make you some Texas-style green enchiladas using completely fresh ingredients that ought to hit the spot. Lauriol and Cactus are weak.
McDonald's QuarterPounder sucks. Remember that. Maybe when you're in your teens and you can eat nails with gravy without getting indigestion, then McD's food is good, but get into adulthood and that stuff'll get you sick. And that's not elitist -- it's just a fact.
As for Lauriol -- the food is decent and overpriced (how'd they get in cheap eats), but the crowd is a real turnoff.
I like El Tamarindo, but I'm not going to claim the food is "Foodie" quality. Is a "Foodie" like a "Furry"?
Kanishka's right: Lauriol Plaza is way overrated. It's comical to me that people wait an hour to eat their food for that price. Their food is the definition of mediocre: not good, not bad. But factoring in price, wait, and frat-fuck crowd, it definitely tips to bad.
If dinner for two at $50 is too expensive, then all of you need to get a new (or 2nd) job!!!!!
Anyone who calls Lauriol Plaza a bad, overpriced, and miserable experience has not been to Rosa Mexicano. That is a bad (nay, shitty), overpriced, and miserable dining experience.
For the person who likes El Tam -- check out El Paraiso on 14th.
It *is* a bit funny that a food review that lambasts some restaurants for being "cookie-cutter" does so with tired, overused, generic phrases like "cookie-cutter."
Why don't you just tell T.G.I. Friday's to "think outside the box?"
El Tamarindo may not be foodie quality, thus not making it on to Kanishka's list but its damn cheap, the food is good, the beer is cheap, and the margaritas are strong. Lauriol is nothing.
I don't have a list, but can't say anything about El Tamarindo because I haven't been there. I do like El Paraiso, and am also a fan (as stated earlier) of Samantha's in Takoma/Silver Spring. Also worth checking out for really good margaritas is Los Chorros in Wheaton.
Hey! No one's mentioned the the Alamo in Riverdale! Tasty, authentic Tex-Mex food w/ hipster-friendly decor! PLUS, there are no gentrifiers spoiling the experience!