New Indicator Rating - TBD

So I've decided that I need to come up with my own type of rating or indictator.
Tom Sietsema from the Washington Post uses stars (four is the highest) to rate primarily the quality and taste of the food but also takes into account service and ambiance. He introduced a noise level indicator in April 2008 where he checks the decibels of each place he visits and he reports on the din level. Apparently, he thinks people are interested in this. I'm not sure what Todd Kliman of the Washingtonian has. Well he ranks them from 1 to 100 ... and healso uses a four star rating system, plus he rates them according to price (from c to $$$), and also rates the service from adequate to supremely attentive.
So what shall mine be?
Should I have a kid-friendly scale?
Something like this?
I also want to report categories such as atmosphere (5), service (5), value/bargain (5), food (5), and more!
Stars are used by most reviewers for food. Most people recognize it and now what it means. 4 stars usually means excellent, 3 very good, 2 good, 1 satisfactory.

Extra Virgin - Italian

Extra Virgin Modern Italian Restaurant
4053 Campbell Ave.
Arlington, VA
website

(Not Kid-friendly)

(3 stars = Food, Very Good)

($$ = Expensive or >$50 per person)

Sunday evening my family met at Extra Virgin, Modern Italian Restaurant in Shirlington, located at 4053 Campbell Ave. Shirlington is a developing area due to the new Harris Teeter and is gaining popularity due to the new Busboys & Poets cafe. It is still quite difficult to get close parking. There is a garage, but most people I don't think like the walk to the shopping area. No one in my family has been there before except me. I have been to Extra Virgin before for lunch a few months ago when it was still warm enough to sit outside. They have a nice outdoor seating area in front. Inside, the dining room is modern, colorful, and the dining room is quite large, however you can't tell unless you get up and walk around. The restaurant is partitioned off into several small dining areas. Many tables are situated next to windows, which creates an intimate and cozy feel. and I like that the tables aren't on top of each other. We sat right in front of the large revolving door, yet it was not cold. I was worried that we were going to be cold while sitting so close to the front door. The winter menu provides a lot of excellent choices, however, I was very disappointed that there was no kids menu. It's not very kid-friendly establishment.
I ordered the pan seared Rainbow Trout with roasted almonds, served wit mashed potatoes and grilled zucchini and eggplant. The trout was delicious, cooked perfectly and was a nice size portion. The mashed potatoes were fluffy and very good. I tried the Veal Ravioli but did not care for it at all. It tasted like rancid meat. It tasted musty and had an awful aftertaste. I also tried the homemade ribbon pasta with asparagus, and shrimp in a cream sauce. I liked this so much I would consider ordering as my entree when I return. What was most memorable besides the trout was the Insalata della case which is heart of romaine and spinach salad with gorgonzola cheese, kalamata olives, red onion, diced tomato, and raisins. It was absolutely delicious and it really could stand alone as a entree salad.
Everyone enjoyed their meal, perhaps we shall return.
The service was pretty good however it became quite confusing right after we sat down and while we were waiting for other members of our party to arrive. At least four different people came over to the table to talk to us... all of them saying that they would be "taking care of us".
The restaurant advertises that there is live music nightly, but I don't think it is on Sundays. There wasn't anyone performing when we were there.

Washingtonian's 100 Very Best Restaurant List 2009

The Washingtonian's 100 Very Best Restaurants Issue is out! This is the first year that I can remember that it has come out in February. The Inauguration apparently was a big enough event this year in Washington to take over the most anticipated issue of the Washingtonian, The 100 Very Best Restaurants Issue. If I knew then what I know now, I would have been proding Todd Kliman a lot more about the list.
There have been some huge changes in my opinion.
First and foremost, the fact that Michel Richard's Citronelle (Pictured Michel Richard)
has slipped to number two is a really big deal. Not only is Michel Richard one of the world's best chef's, but he's been in the restuarant business longer than Johnny Monis of Komi has been alive! Although ranking the restaurants from 1 to 100 is relatively new practice (since 2007), Citronelle has remained in the number one spot ever since they began ranking them in 2007. Also, I will mention that in 2007, Komi was #10. If you can recall from last year's blog about the 100 Very Best list for 2008, I remarked about how amazing it is to move from #10 to #3. (Komi dining room) Well ... I find it even more remarkable that Komi knocked out Citronelle and has taken the number one spot. Executive Chef, Johnny Monis has achieved several of the highest possible honors of culinary arts in half of the amount of time of other chefs. I've heard through the grapevine that the reason Citronelle was ousted from #1 is due to their lack of superb service. Apparently they have slipped in this regard.
Also, CityZen lost two spots in their ranking. They went from #2 in 2008 to #4. In 2007, they were ranked #3. It's still a very high accolade, regardless, but still I have noticed that the top 5 usually remain within a few top restaurants. Komi really snuck in ... and took over. (Pictured on the left: CityZen dining room) It's on my list of things to do is to try Executive Chef, Eric Ziebold's three-course, $50 prix-fix bar menu.
Maestro (Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner) which was #2 in 2007 lost their Executive Chef, Fabio Trabocchi in July 2007 and temporarily closed so was removed from the list in 2008 all together.
Jose Andres has gotten much play lately due to Anthony Bordain's No Reservations show featuring DC area restaurants. He said on the show that he thought Minibar, the six-seat restaurant within Cafe Atlantico was one of the best restaurants in the world. In 2009, Minibar was ranked #3 which is a two spot improvement in 2008 from #5.
Cathal Armstrong's Restaurant Eve makes the top ten again this year, which is not at all surprising. Last year in 2008, the restaurant was ranked #4. This year, it slips down two notches to #6. My favorite thing about Restaurant Eve is the lickety-split 3-course lunch menu at the bar for only $13.50! I've been for lunch a few times. I enjoy every morsel, but caution those who don't eat ham, pork, or bacon. There are a lot of course with pork as an option.
Vidalia ranked #7 this year which is a slight improvement from last year's #8. They still got three and a half stars, so no change there. Just two years ago, in 2007, Vidalia was below the top ten at #11. The reviews over the years don't provide an inkling of why the restaurant would be viewed as improving in one thing or another. Perhaps they improved in Cuisine or Service ... but you wouldn't be able to tell by Todd's write up. Perhaps it's a question for me to include when I participate in his Tuesday afternoon chats online.
Inn at Little Washington ranked #8, Oval Room #9, and The Source #10. (Inside of The Source dining room pictured) The Source is kind of a big deal. The Source is the first fine dining restaurant in the nation’s capital headlined by world famous Chef, Wolfgang Puck. The Source is the recipient of many awards and accolades including "2008 New Restaurant of the Year" Award from the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington and "2008 Restaurant of the Year" from DC Magazine. The three-level restaurant is the signature dining experience at the Newseum.

My Picks for Restaurant Week

So I have made a couple of reservations for restaurant week. One for lunch and two for dinner, so far ... Thank goodness for my very patient husband!
I made a lunch reservation at one of my favorite places in Old Town, Alexandria, Morou's Farrah Olivia. I think Morou is extremely talented and I always enjoy every morsel. I have been at least twice for dinner before, not during restaurant week and at least once for lunch. (Click on Labels to see past reviews). At Farrah Olivia is where I learned about quinoa for the very first time. I think it was exquisite and it was then that I decided that Morou was impressive. Farrah Olivia has made the Washingtonian's 100 Very Best Restaurant List since it's opened. In 2008, it was #22; in 2009 (just released) it is #19. So it moved up 3 spots ... I think it deserves to be in the top ten!

I have made a dinner reservation at Jackson 20 which is also in Old Town, Alexandria in the new Kimpton Hotel Monaco on King Street. I have heard very good things about this new restaurant, who will be celebrating their first birthday celebration one day after my birthday on January 30th. According to their website, it is named after former President Andrew Jackson. Did anyone see the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central last night? Well there was a special guest author of a new book about President Andrew Jackson called American Lion. Also, I can recall it being a Washingtonian's Readers Choice for Best New Restaurant. I am a firm believer that the customer is always right. I read in the Washington Times, that Executive Chef Jeff Armstrong comes to Alexandria from Texas and California, and much of his youth was spent on his family's farm in North Carolina. I've seen pictures of the huge bronze pig at the entrance, now it all makes sense. His American upbringing has a great deal of influence on his cooking style which is mostly American with a Southern inspiration. The dining room is crisp, clean and has a contemporary Colonial style restaurant and bar that captures the simple, classic charm of the Jackson period.

I am mostly excited about my dinner reservation to Cafe Atlantico. I have always known that Cafe Atlantico has been on the Washingtonian's 100 Very Best Restaurant List. In 2008, they were #5. Executive Chef, José Andrés is well-known for its innovative Nuevo Latino cuisine and the cafe and minibar has an award winning wine list. Did anyone watch No Reservations last week with Anthony Bordain? The chef, José Andrés was hilarious! I laughed out loud! He's truly a vibrant soul. I had such a good time watching José Andrés that I decided that I simply MUST go! Restaurant week is a perfect time to do just that!
Be sure to check back before, during, and after Restaurant Week for updates and reviews. I will try to post as soon as I can following my meal!

Restaurant Week Dates Just Announced!

DC restaurant week is Monday, Feb. 16 to Sunday, Feb. 22.

Gourmet Prix-Fixe Menus
$20.09 Lunches & $35.09 Dinners

Enjoy special three-course, prix-fixe meals at participating restaurants. See list below for participating restaurants and their meal participation. Prices are per person and do not include beverage, tax or gratuity.

See link to certain DC area Opentable restaurants who are participating.
http://www.opentable.com/promo.aspx?m=9&ref=299&pid=68

Do NOT wait to book your reservations!
It fills up VERY fast!
Good luck and Bon appetite!
Be sure to come back and share with us about your meals!

Dining in DC on Facebook

This week, Dining in DC (blog) has also become a "Group" on Facebook!
It's quite exciting! In the first few days, the group has grown to over 55 members.
Thanks to everyone for your support!

Pho 75

Last night a friend of mine, Justin Trawick, organized a get-to-gether with friends at Pho 75 in Arlington. It's located at 1721 Wilson Blvd in Arlington. It's right next door to the new Ray's Hell Burger, which I am dying to try also. I've been dieting and really trying to watch what I have been eating. I looked up on the internet the calories and fat of Pho. It doesn't seem to be too terribly high, but I definitely know that it depends on the cuts of meat that you order as "toppings" in your Pho.
A quick glance online before I left work about this place told me that it's not fancy and that's cafeteria-like, but that the Pho at Pho 75 is one of the best in the DC area. Since I have never tried Pho before (pronounced FUH - not FOE), I was pretty excited and since our friend Ben was going to be there, I knew that I was going to be dining with a Pho expert.

The write-ups about the establishment was right on the money. It was not fancy, or cozy, nor quaint. It did feel almost like a cafeteria. There were five or six rows of long tables that could be shared by diners. Dark chairs lined the tables. Sitting atop of the tables were reusable chopsticks and soup spoons, along with hot and spicy sauce and plum sauce.

It took a little while to get the server to come over to us to take our order, but once we ordered, the soup came in minutes! Very fast! I ordered the #12 with eye-round and well-done beef brisket. The Pho Soup consists of beeth broth, very thin slices of beef that you can almost see through, onions, long thin white rice noodles, and cilantro. Separately on a small plate, you are given sprigs of fresh basil, bean sprouts, slices of fresh jalapenos, and slices of lime. This allows each person to season their serving to taste. The menu offered several different cuts of meat. Some other possible "toppings" were soft tendon, flank, bible tripe, some fatty cuts, and brisket. Fattier cuts of meat does effect the nutritional value of the meal as some of the fattier meats tend to have a higher fat content. Apparently, as I learned from Ben, it is common to add a hearty helping of hot sauce to the dish as the soup is somewhat bland without condiments, however; I added very little of the hot sauce.

I really liked the Pho very much. I think it was delicious. I definitely plan to try more Pho, especially a variety of meats. Pho really is quite a bargain. The restaurant's walls were adorned with dozens of Washingtonian's Best Bargain Awards. Apparently, it has won Best Bargain awards for the last several years.

On that note, Pho would be a great meal for starving musicians, artists, college students, DC interns, and those struke so hard by today's tough economy. Since it's right in Clarendon along Wilson Blvd., it's metro accessible. Anyone could enjoy some of DC's best Pho for Cheap!

Evening Star Cafe for New Year's Eve

The Evening Star Cafe which is nestled into the quaint Del Ray area of Alexandria had a very special prix fixe menu of four courses for New Year's Eve Dinner.
The restaurant is located at 2000 Mount Vernon Avenue and in addition to the dining room there is a lounge and and upstairs bar where local artists like my favorite, Justin Trawick often plays.

The Executive Chef, Will Atley, who is a personal friend of mine had a lot to do with why we chose to dine there for the evening. It was also conveniently close to the new Gaylord Resort at the National Harbour where were were attending our New Year's Gala. However, I will never make that reference again ... Our dinner was one of the best I have ever had. I think I enjoyed it more than CityZen!
Yes, I was a bit spoiled that evening by Will. When we told our server that because there was two individuals in the party and there was four courses, that we would like one of each course and that we would share. Well I guess when Will got wind of this, he decided to give us each our own portion of every course. To say the least, We were delighted by every course, including the amuse bouche that Will brought out personally that was a lobster stuffed mini biscuit, as he described it. For the first course, we each had our own portions of the duck carpaccio and the lobster risotto. The risotto was served atop a quarter lobster which was perfectly cooked and the risotto had a deliciously rich texture. I have never prepared risotto and I don't think I've ever ordered it at other restaurants, so I don't have much experience to judge the risotto, but it was delicious and the texture seemed perfect. The duck which was cut into thin slices was served atop mixed field greens, sweet walnuts, and red onions and was perfectly paired with the vinaigrette. As my husband told the Chef, he thought the duck was not gamey tasting at all, which he said was very good. The spinach gnocchi with the tomato puree was soft and flavorful, however, it was not my favorite of the four courses. My favorite course was the butternut squash stuffed ravioli. I told Will that I don't particularly care for ricotta cheese, but that I thought that the ravioli was divine! I hope that it becomes an addition to the regular autumn menu. My main course was the beef tenderloin which was succulent and juicy. It was served atop mashed potatoes and mushrooms. Ben ordered the trout which I thought was amazing. It was creamy and had lemons and capers. I would definitely order that again if it was featured on the regular menu. There were two desserts. One was a chocolate mousse cake, which I didn't try too much of, since I'm not a huge chocolate lover and the other was a mango fruit tart. Very rich but delicious! Our entire meal was heavenly! The cost of the four course prix fixe menu was only $60 per person or $85 if you had wine pairings with each course. What a bargain! The meal was one of my best yet and for a very reasonable price, especially since it was a special occasion. Kudos to the very talented chef! We are excited to come back again!

Correction: Restaurant week pushed until February 2009

I just found out that DC's Winter Restaurant Week will NOT be in January this year, like it normally is. The dates have not been released as of yet, however we know that it is being post-poned until February.
Source: www.washington.org

Winter Restaurant Week dates Announced!

Yes! Yes! Yes! The dates for the Winter DC Restaurant Week have been announced! DC is going to be the most happening city in the world the week of January 12, 2009 - January 18, 2009! It's Inauguration week! Thousands of people will be in the city preparing to welcome and Celebrate the Inauguration of our 44th president into office. Marketing folks have earned their money this year already by planning to have restuarant week be the week before the big event. Very clever!
Here is Opentable's list of restuarants for Inauguration Week.