Doug and Retha have recently returned from our nation's capitol and send over this review of their culinary wanderings. Yum!
Greetings to the Fallbrook Gastronomical Society of Enlightened Eaters
Retha and I just spent a wonderful week in DC and of course we had some serious eating to do, so I present some highlights in case you happen to be hungry and in the area. We rated all of the dining to be exceptional with ratings of 8.5-9.5 on the Fallbrook sliding scale of overindulgence.
The Oval Room Chef Tony Conte
This restaurant was just a couple of blocks from our hotel and the White House. It has received many awards and accolades e.g., Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, Restaurant of the Year DC Magazine, Condoleezza Rice declared it as one of her favorites (this might be a reason to avoid this one), or Distinguished Restaurant of North America Award. Dress is casual, business, to elegant; the cuisine is American or Creative Contemporary American. I thought the menu was unique and I found it difficult to select my courses because there were so many interesting choices. The menu was readable, mostly English, creative and varied with a tempting flair to challenge your taste buds. The service was excellent and the ambiance was cozy comfortable without the glitz.
Doug
Pastrami Cured Kampachi, Hot Mustard, Tomato Jam & Caraway Maine Peekytoe Crab Salad, Old Bay, Warm Brioche & Sweet Lime
Crispy Rockfish, Crab Chowder, Pancetta, Parsley & Licorice
Retha
Roasted Baby Beets, Passion Fruit, Horseradish & Icewine Dressing
Sautéed Foie Gras, Fig Jam, Red Wine Syrup -
Kazu Marinated Duck, Fried Tots, Farro, Glazed Turnips & Pickled Sour Cherries
Wine 2005 Beaue Friere Willamette Valley Pinot
Makoto, a traditional Japanese Restaurant in Georgetown.
This was something different and an interesting experience for me as I’ve never been to Japan, but Retha assures me that this tiny restaurant was largely authentic. At the door you shed your shoes for slippers, wear socks without holes (they had to get out the larger size slippers for me). There were only about 7 small wooden tables with wooden seats (thankfully we didn’t have to sit on the mats) that open to hold your coat or sweater. A small sushi bar ran along one side and is the place to see the creation of the dishes. There are some American wines on the menu but clearly this was sake time. We select their best sake (Kabuto) served cold, very refreshing with just a hint of pear or apple, smooth and delicious. Waitresses wear traditional kimonos and wait upon you geisha style, dabbing the tiniest drop of sake or dribbled soup from the table top. The menu is essentially a fixed menu of about 10 courses. The presentation is simple but elegant. The feast started with mussels in a ginger-y broth followed by one exotic dish after another. From the familiar (the freshest yellowtail and tuna sushi), whole fried butterfish (delicious), grilled yellowtail cheek, exotic "mountain vegetables," and a sizzling assortment of mushrooms, shrimp, scallops, and beef that are cooked at your table and dipped in a mixture of pickled radishes and mystery sauces. The wasabi with your sushi is fresh and included the raw root and a small grader so you could grind your own. Makoto's tasting menu is not only a meal but a mind altering experience (hence without the deadly puffer fish) and two hours passed too quickly. If you’re looking for something different give it a go.
Cityzen Chef Eric Ziebold
After a 45 minute cab ride to travel 1.7 miles we arrive for our dinner reservation 15 minutes late. The sommelier, Andrew Myers, noticed the disgusted look on our faces upon our arrival and immediately was attentive and offered complimentary champagne to ease the travel frustration. The champagne was a lovely beginning to a wonderful dining experience. This is a large restaurant within the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and the dress is business or elegant. The restaurant’s 20-foot high ceiling and open space offers you a better view of the activity in the open kitchen and the surrounding DC buzz, while the style and décor still provide a cozy but not intimate setting. We happened to be seated near the kitchen and the hustle and bustle reminded me of an episode from Hell’s Kitchen. The creative effort is intense but well coordinated like a playbook for team sports. The table next to us encompassed 6 business types including one senator but we couldn’t figure out which one. The service was excellent and the sommelier was friendly, informative, and attentive. He was not only well informed for the large French wine list (about 700 wines on their list) but could speak intelligently about California and Oregon Pinots. This restaurant is on every bodies want to eat list. Culinary honors include Five Diamonds, AAA, 2009, 2008, Four Stars, Mobil, 2009, 2008, Best of Award of Excellence” for wine list from Wine Spectator, Eric Ziebold named “Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic”, Four Stars Washingtonian, January 2008 and Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington to mention a few of their awards.
After reviewing the menu and finding it difficult to favor one exotic dish over another we went with the tasting menu. The presentation was excellent and the food was wonderful. Here is a condensed version of our meal.
Matsutake Mushroom Salad with a 2002 Hiedler, Steinhaus Riesling, Austria
Wala Wala Onion, York Apple and Smoked Sturgeon Gnocchi with a 2009 Vinedos de Ithaca, Odysseus Pedro Ximenez, Spain
Poached Maine Lobster with a 2008 Schnaitmann Lemberger, Germany
Pan Roasted Shaeffer Farm Venison with a 2006 Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou Cabernet/Merlot, France (this wine was a tad too dirty for Doug’s taste)
Warm Flourless Chocolate Cake with a 2007 Michel Chapoutier Grenache, France
Brace yourself for an entirely sensory and visual experience to enjoy modern American cuisine coupled with flair, style and timeless sophistication. We give it a 9.5 on the belt busting list.
Tosca Chef Massimo Fabbri
This is one my sister’s favorite Italian restaurants located in the heart of DC. The ambiance is pleasant without extravagance tending to neutral monochromatic tones mixed with colored fabrics and contrasting textures. The food is contemporary northern Italian cuisine (strong Tuscany influence) and the preparation emphasizes seasonal ingredients, while maintaining the Italian gastronomy. The menu in Italian with English subtitles was mouth watering. Our waiter was friendly, courteous and informative especially about the choices and options offered. Just about any dish or dishes can be had a la carte or combined into your own tasting menu. Wine list was decent and I left the wine selections to my brother in law who has penchant for French.
Doug
Organic mixed greens salad with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil dressing
Pork tenderloin in a wild mushroom crust with Tuscan style bean salad, and Marsala wine reduction
Warm flourless chocolate cake with pistachio creme anglaise and vanilla ice cream braised escarole
Retha
Roasted foie gras served with green lentils "risotto", plum and Marsala puree and white truffle oil
Ravioli filled with roasted veal, prosciutto and pistachio mortadella with a red wine reduction, butter, fresh sage and Parmesan cheese
An excellent dinner and relatively reasonable prices
Marcel’s Chef Robert Wiedmaier
Located on Pennsylvania Ave in the DC/Georgetown area and recognized by the foody crowd having received many awards and 5 star ratings etc. Food is French cuisine with a Flemish flair, derived from the chef owner’s Belgian heritage. Signature dishes included seared foie gras, crispy skate wing and light as air Boudin Blanc (Retha loved this dish). The food was absolutely amazing, and the menu is very flexible--you can get any dish as part of a 3-7 dish tasting menu, or order any dish as an appetizer or as a full entree. Notably the menu was not covered in an inflated list of mostly unknown French words but was presented mostly in a large English format readable in the dim lighting. We selected a three course menu that ballooned to four courses. Excellent wine list but the Pinot we ordered from the wine list was sold out and so we settled on a 2003 Pommard burgundy. I found the ambiance comfortable, a touch dark and the wall decorations were minimal leaving a “work in progress” feeling for my preference.
Doug
Red and Green Oak Lettuce, Smoked Salmon Bacon, Candied Walnuts
Filet of Loup de Mer, Soubise, Asparagus, Caviar Beurre Blanc
Hawaiian Big Eye Snapper, Oven Dried Yellow Tomato, Balsamic Reduction (I found some bones in the fish and dinged the chef for this)
New Frontier Bison Strip Loin, Sweet Potato Tart, Black Truffle Julienne, Grenache Reduction
Retha
Baby Arugula and Frisee, Balsamic Shallots, Shaved Parmesan, Sherry Vinaigrette
Seared Foie Gras, fruit base and special light bread (can’t remember all the stuff but Retha was in heaven with this one)
Classic Boudin Blanc, Pearl Onions, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Truffle Essence
Paillards of Randall Lineback Veal, Baby Spinach, Lemon Caper Butter
