after checking out a neighborhood art exhibit opening of a friend, the girls and i popped over to vinoteca for a snack and, of course, some wine. it's not my first visit to vinoteca, in fact i've come several times.
vinoteca has some notable characteristics and i'll give it a shot capturing them all.
it's an amalgamation of hippy, boho, chic, grunge, urban, laid back, neighborhoody, stylish, wine-snobbery, friendly, inviting, look-cool-without-trying-too-hard, hopefully you know a thing or three about fine food kind of place.
have i confused you? point is, all kinds of people will enjoy vinoteca and it's a not-too-intimidating place to learn about food and wine if you need it; otherwise, sit back, relax and enjoy its slow-paced nature. row house turned restaurant, this place feels like it's been decorated by your best friends but has a raw, inner-city sleekness to it, to boot.
i'm happy the patio is open for seating on this early october evening of 70 something degree weather. the view is urban and colorful and typical for the new spots on u street - being an area that's up and coming, you're used to seeing a mixture of new and dilapidated buildings and all sorts walking by. unfortunately you hear almost constant earsplitting sirens of firetrucks racing by. it's just what it is, you're in the city, and you know it.
don't let the vibe fool you - it may seem laid back but they're not playing around when it comes to wine or food. the wine list is lengthy and sophisticated and what's more, you can order a flight of wine for comparison or discussion or just plain enjoyment. they offer by the glass - a 2.5 oz taste or a 5 oz glass. pretty cool, no? they experiment with house-made charcuterie here; a respectable and risky endeavor as this takes time and effort like you wouldn't believe. the menu is composed of a few nice salads, sandwiches, panini. the entrees mostly include what i'll call classics like duck confit and sauteed rainbow trout with pommes puree and beurre blanc but is also sprinkled with these smart boys' more inventive ideas like salmon and cantaloupe or bison hangar steak with dill chimichurri and housemade "tommy sauce". what's tommy sauce?
i should preface the rest of this information by saying one of my favorite reasons to come here is because the three gentlemen running the kitchen are three of my former students. i'm not trying to take any credit for their astuteness in the kitchen because they were all talented in school. they shared a natural knack for cooking and care of food both of which cannot be taught. it was obvious to me that they worked hard, took school seriously and loved what they did (noteworthy because for every culinary school student who cares about the food, there is one who does not - and perhaps i will address this someday in another article). i digress. clearly these dudes were destined for this. in my opinion, culinary school breeds a couple of things hopefully: professionalism, knowledge, the drive to be a genuinely good cook and friendship. after their respective externships at highly-acclaimed restaurants scattered about dc, they quickly (and some would say, prematurely from an educational and experience standpoint) jumped aboard a ship bound for who knew where. risky? perhaps, but why not, they're young, smart, driven and proud.
anyway, back to the food and the experience.
after a quick hello to my friends in the kitchen, where i learned about a couple of new menu additions: bison steak tartare and shrimp and saffron grits wrapped in a crepe, i knew i wanted to try those. friends had already ordered the famous vinoteca beef sliders, little burgers with caramelized onions and cheese on top. i ordered a surprisingly good glass of 2006 hall vineyards sauvignon blanc. reasonable at $11 a glass. while the cheese flights seem like a flexible, common-sensical way to enjoy a cheese tasting, as a cheese aficionada, i found it to be rigid. why? because i wanted a few different kinds of cheeses (humboldt fog from the american tasting, the manchego from the spanish and my all-time favorite colston-basset stilton which was not available in a flight). well if you do this, as explained by our waitress, that is, if you order random cheeses you don't get the yummy little accoutrements you would if you ordered one of the cheese flights (like quince paste or walnuts, blueberries and whatnot). being gracious, i ordered the american flight because my friend wanted the humboldt fog. unfortunately something went awry though and we received two hard cheeses; i didn't mention anything - they were good but i'm pretty sure we were supposed to get pepato and it wasn't on the plate.
the food arrives and the burgers are not surprisingly muy delicioso, though i think a little more salt could have made them perfecto (just me). the bison steak tartare was good, it was spicy with fresh jalapenos and whole grain mustard. the problem for me here was the dill. i like dill; i love dill, in moderation. in here there was too much dill and it overpowered the flavor of the bison for me. poised atop the tartare were crispy delicate homemade potato chips that added a nice touch though. i must add that i did eat all of the tartare - the dill started to grow on me with every bite. the shrimp and grits in the crepe were quite nice. perfectly seasoned, beautifully presented atop a bouillabaisse sauce (learned later from chef seth as the waitress didn't know). the saffron was an excellent idea to add to the grits and i will be stealing the crepe idea from chef russell (thanks, russell).
all in all another enjoyable evening at vinoteca. service was a little slow on the refilling of the wine but our pixie waitress was charming and sweet nonetheless. i'm so impressed and proud of my friends seth, brennan and russell, who took such a chance. perhaps i'm secretly a little jealous. these gentlemen deserve a lot of respect and i wish them all the best.
Showing posts with label cheese board. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cheese board. Show all posts
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
redwood restaurant and bar, bethesda
it's rare for me to take a trip to bethesda. let's face it, unless you live there, it's a daunting thought, that drive. i have a close friend there so i am happy to report i have and will continue to go more frequently in the future. the drive wasn't really that bad after all.
redwood restaurant and bar is open and i made my first visit wednesday evening. it spans what seems like over half of a charming, bustling new pedestrian walkway called bethesda avenue. first impression of redwood was positively positive. the lighting is splendid - dark, cozy, reds and ambers.
to the right is a lounge area with modern low-set tables and comfy looking chairs. attractive people. a long bar.
to the left, a long and wide corridor of dining room tables, adjacent to a wait station that is the best looking one i've ever seen - you don't mind watching them fill water, tea pitchers because it's lovely. granite. modular. clean.
behind the host stand (overheard - one hour long waits), a wall separating another bar - you step up to it. it's secluded from the rest of the restaurant - next time i'll explore it. perhaps one doesn't feel isolated up there, or would you?
to me, almost certainly the best feature is the procession of floor-to-ceiling windows that flank the dining room tables so you're only arms reach from the goings-on in the courtyard walkway. not just any windows - they fully open up like towering shutters, transporting your table to the outdoors. it's charming yet cosmopolitan here. it's european. it's freeing. it's downright cool.
the bathrooms are tidy and again, modern but warm (the lighting in here, however, not so complimentary). it's nice when you don't have to touch anything. of note, the automatic paper towel dispenser is set to deliver the perfect portion and with only one wave of your hand you have enough to dry your hands. it's the little things in life.
redwood's atmosphere is well-balanced, managing to be quite warm while maintaining clean, geometric lines, chocolate browns and crisp whites. clean, clean wine glasses. in the back (i'll call it the back but there really is no back to redwood - it's thoroughly horizontal), there's a fireplace (and was that a buck's head on the wall?). nice, nice, nice.
on to the food. it will come as no surprise to those who know me, that an entree was out of the question tonight. appetizers here aren't meant to share - the appetizer menu is composed of salads, mostly. but, and to my delight: amish chicken liver mousse with poached figs and arugula. simple, delicious. the figs were poached like you'd poach a winter pear - in plenty of red wine or port, perhaps, star anise, vanilla and cinnamon i suspect. sweet, spicy, yummy.
the bread for the table was perfection. crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. i wished all bread was like this bread.
we shared a cheese board, nice selections of the usual and unusual. nice to see u.s.-made constant bliss. honeycomb was sticky and rich. the confit of apricots on the cheese board was flavorless and didn't add anything, really. my friend enjoyed a lovely beet salad (nicely diced and pretty), a vegetarian potatoes gratin was both interesting (i'll be stealing this idea - sorry - i loved that it was cut into a perfect rectangle and served on a rectangular plate) and tasty.
we also shared sides of cheesy grits, and macaroni and cheese, delivered in the tiniest le creuset daubes. so cute that if my balenciaga bag was bigger i might consider... well, i'm kidding, of course, i would never risk getting macaroni in my balenciaga. i digress. both needed a tiny bit of salt and the macaroni should've been al dente - in my opinion.
sadly, i can't report on dessert. there was a chocolate something rather that intrigued me and the waiter mentioned that the goat cheese (souffle, was it?) was "the bomb". yes, he used that word. oh and the service was well above average - attentive and helpful.
all around well done. i'll make that trip again - it was completely worth it.
did i mention that people in bethesda are particularly attractive?
redwood restaurant and bar is open and i made my first visit wednesday evening. it spans what seems like over half of a charming, bustling new pedestrian walkway called bethesda avenue. first impression of redwood was positively positive. the lighting is splendid - dark, cozy, reds and ambers.
to the right is a lounge area with modern low-set tables and comfy looking chairs. attractive people. a long bar.
to the left, a long and wide corridor of dining room tables, adjacent to a wait station that is the best looking one i've ever seen - you don't mind watching them fill water, tea pitchers because it's lovely. granite. modular. clean.
behind the host stand (overheard - one hour long waits), a wall separating another bar - you step up to it. it's secluded from the rest of the restaurant - next time i'll explore it. perhaps one doesn't feel isolated up there, or would you?
to me, almost certainly the best feature is the procession of floor-to-ceiling windows that flank the dining room tables so you're only arms reach from the goings-on in the courtyard walkway. not just any windows - they fully open up like towering shutters, transporting your table to the outdoors. it's charming yet cosmopolitan here. it's european. it's freeing. it's downright cool.
the bathrooms are tidy and again, modern but warm (the lighting in here, however, not so complimentary). it's nice when you don't have to touch anything. of note, the automatic paper towel dispenser is set to deliver the perfect portion and with only one wave of your hand you have enough to dry your hands. it's the little things in life.
redwood's atmosphere is well-balanced, managing to be quite warm while maintaining clean, geometric lines, chocolate browns and crisp whites. clean, clean wine glasses. in the back (i'll call it the back but there really is no back to redwood - it's thoroughly horizontal), there's a fireplace (and was that a buck's head on the wall?). nice, nice, nice.
on to the food. it will come as no surprise to those who know me, that an entree was out of the question tonight. appetizers here aren't meant to share - the appetizer menu is composed of salads, mostly. but, and to my delight: amish chicken liver mousse with poached figs and arugula. simple, delicious. the figs were poached like you'd poach a winter pear - in plenty of red wine or port, perhaps, star anise, vanilla and cinnamon i suspect. sweet, spicy, yummy.
the bread for the table was perfection. crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. i wished all bread was like this bread.
we shared a cheese board, nice selections of the usual and unusual. nice to see u.s.-made constant bliss. honeycomb was sticky and rich. the confit of apricots on the cheese board was flavorless and didn't add anything, really. my friend enjoyed a lovely beet salad (nicely diced and pretty), a vegetarian potatoes gratin was both interesting (i'll be stealing this idea - sorry - i loved that it was cut into a perfect rectangle and served on a rectangular plate) and tasty.
we also shared sides of cheesy grits, and macaroni and cheese, delivered in the tiniest le creuset daubes. so cute that if my balenciaga bag was bigger i might consider... well, i'm kidding, of course, i would never risk getting macaroni in my balenciaga. i digress. both needed a tiny bit of salt and the macaroni should've been al dente - in my opinion.
sadly, i can't report on dessert. there was a chocolate something rather that intrigued me and the waiter mentioned that the goat cheese (souffle, was it?) was "the bomb". yes, he used that word. oh and the service was well above average - attentive and helpful.
all around well done. i'll make that trip again - it was completely worth it.
did i mention that people in bethesda are particularly attractive?
Monday, July 14, 2008
sonoma
wednesday evening i had a date at sonoma. interestingly, since we didn't have a reservation, we were told we could sit at the bar or sit upstairs on those weird, too-low sofas. as we discussed leaving, we were interrupted by the hostess who informed us they would have a table in 10 minutes. (huh? why not mention that in the first place? of course we'll wait 10 minutes. geez, why is it so hard?!)
oh - a cancellation.
why is there only one sparkling wine by the glass at a "wine bar"? and it's a prosecco - sadly one that's too sweet to have more than one of, by the way.
charcuterie plate (of course i ordered it) was good but doesn't have the accoutrements that proof does.
i've only had meat and cheese at sonoma in the past so i was initially excited to see what they could do when using fire. i found the menu limited. i wanted something to jump out at me. the special sounded good but when i saw it arrive at the table next to ours, it didn't look as appetizing as it sounded.
waiter moved my OCD date's glass not by the stem but by putting his entire paw over the glass. i may not have noticed, but sadly he did, and he proceeded to obsess about it for the next 5 minutes until he could order another. ugh.
i ordered a cheese and mushroom tartelette as well as the pork tenderloin pate (both from the appetizer menu). i was a little saddened by the look of the tartelette (brown and dry) and by the fact it was slightly underseasoned; otherwise it was good - oh and the baby arugula salad perched next to it was lovely.
the pork tenderloin pate was - not surprisingly after i thought about it - dry. why attempt such a thing? pork tenderloin is always dry if cooked through. i needed sauce with my pate. or it needed a much larger fat percentage in the mixture. the viognier suggested was marginal too (and i usually love a viognier).
my date's hanger steak was undercooked and had to be put in the oven for a bit (um, i think refire in order here but what do i know? i'm just a cook). oh and the chefs knew i was there - love you chef b - come on though - had i been in that kitchen i would've been screaming at you - let's have some attention to detail when cooking for a fellow cook.
oh i hate sounding so negative but i must say i was disappointed. i looked so cute that night too. i should've had a big smile on my face with each bite.
perhaps it was just the company.
oh - a cancellation.
why is there only one sparkling wine by the glass at a "wine bar"? and it's a prosecco - sadly one that's too sweet to have more than one of, by the way.
charcuterie plate (of course i ordered it) was good but doesn't have the accoutrements that proof does.
i've only had meat and cheese at sonoma in the past so i was initially excited to see what they could do when using fire. i found the menu limited. i wanted something to jump out at me. the special sounded good but when i saw it arrive at the table next to ours, it didn't look as appetizing as it sounded.
waiter moved my OCD date's glass not by the stem but by putting his entire paw over the glass. i may not have noticed, but sadly he did, and he proceeded to obsess about it for the next 5 minutes until he could order another. ugh.
i ordered a cheese and mushroom tartelette as well as the pork tenderloin pate (both from the appetizer menu). i was a little saddened by the look of the tartelette (brown and dry) and by the fact it was slightly underseasoned; otherwise it was good - oh and the baby arugula salad perched next to it was lovely.
the pork tenderloin pate was - not surprisingly after i thought about it - dry. why attempt such a thing? pork tenderloin is always dry if cooked through. i needed sauce with my pate. or it needed a much larger fat percentage in the mixture. the viognier suggested was marginal too (and i usually love a viognier).
my date's hanger steak was undercooked and had to be put in the oven for a bit (um, i think refire in order here but what do i know? i'm just a cook). oh and the chefs knew i was there - love you chef b - come on though - had i been in that kitchen i would've been screaming at you - let's have some attention to detail when cooking for a fellow cook.
oh i hate sounding so negative but i must say i was disappointed. i looked so cute that night too. i should've had a big smile on my face with each bite.
perhaps it was just the company.
proof
wine is proof god loves us and wants to see us happy
ben franklin
i really enjoyed an evening at proof thursday night. i hadn't been since february and, at that time i didn't enjoy it as much as i had several times prior.
even sitting at the bar alone for 30 minutes - which i never do - was liberating. bartenders were sweet.
i really, really, really like this place. it was so light and summery inside (i thought it was a cozy winter spot). i moved outside when friends arrived. i didn't eat anything but charcuterie and cheese as this is what i typically do at happy hour. ann, our server, was fabulous, as always. wine great. i can't say enough good things. it was a perfect night.
ben franklin
i really enjoyed an evening at proof thursday night. i hadn't been since february and, at that time i didn't enjoy it as much as i had several times prior.
even sitting at the bar alone for 30 minutes - which i never do - was liberating. bartenders were sweet.
i really, really, really like this place. it was so light and summery inside (i thought it was a cozy winter spot). i moved outside when friends arrived. i didn't eat anything but charcuterie and cheese as this is what i typically do at happy hour. ann, our server, was fabulous, as always. wine great. i can't say enough good things. it was a perfect night.
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