I may have found the best deal in Washington, D.C. last night. Medium Rare was on my long list of restaurants to try in Washington, D.C. and last night I had the opportunity to give it a go. Located conveniently at the top of the Cleveland Park metro stop, Medium Rare on the outside looks like another non-chalant restaurant on the bustling street. But the venue is far from bland.
If you’re looking for a steak – this is a place you need to try, and don’t come here looking for anything else because they won’t have it. And I mean that literally. The schtick is that Medium Rare has pretty much one item on their menu – their prefixed menu that includes their steak, signature sauce, french fries, side salad and bread for a very, very affordable $19.95. I was skeptical at first – where are you gonna find a really good steak meal for $20? Well, Medium Rare does just that.
The restaurant doesn’t take reservations, but that’s not a problem because the longest you’ll ever have to wait is 10-15 minutes (when there’s no real menu choice, the meal process is that much faster). After getting seated, we order drinks – the drink menu has 5 red wine options, 3 white wine options, a couple sparking wines, and 4 different draft beers, and they present us with a loaf of perfectly warm, flaky crusty bread and warm butter.
Two “MR”s to designate that we wanted our steak medium rare
The waitress then explains to us how the place works and that we get the salad, then the steak and fries, then another plate of fries (which I thought was weird that they top off with that, but more on that later). She asks us how we’d like our steaks cooked, and we obviously go for medium rare, which she marks in crayon on the table where we sit.
First we get our salad, which was essentially an Olive Garden salad – a solid starter, but nothing special. A few minutes later our steaks arrive with a side of fries. The steak is delicious. It’s probably about 8 oz. and sliced into 5 pieces with the Medium Rare sauce drizzled all over it. The sauce reminded me of that fantastic steak place we went to in Lisbon. The steak was cooked perfectly (peppery, charry, but not burnt outside, and dark pink, juicy on the inside), and while it didn’t melt in my mouth like the steak in Lisbon, it was still so good. The McDonald’s style fries complimented the steak as well and were probably a little better than Micky D’s because they were a little more golden brown and thicker.
Now the meal as it stood would have been worth the $20. I was savoring each bite and eating pretty slowly in order to stretch the experience out. The two women at the table next to us hardly touched their steak and were getting it boxed, which astounded me. Then the waitress came back, with a pan in hand and that’s when I understood. I had misheard her at the beginning – we weren’t just getting a second plate of just fries. We were getting a second plate of steak and fries!
The first portionThe second portionExtra Medium Rare sauce
Yeah, that was pretty much my face when the second helping of steaming hot steak and fries landed on my plate. They also provided an additional little jar of the sauce to apply at your discretion. It’s a genius idea – getting the meal in two portions promises that the steak and fries will always be hot instead of getting one big 16 oz steak and fries and letting it cool off towards the end.
They do have desert, but we opted to pass. Though the few we saw on other tables looked pretty awesome, and HUGE, so keep that in mind if you decide you want to end with something sweet. And here’s one last quirky thing about Medium Rare: they give you a piece of Bazooka Joe bubble gum with your check.
Medium Rare is probably my new favorite restaurant. The food, ambiance, price, and fast service are all perfectly in tune with what I want in a meal out. Obviously, if you want something other than steak, then don’t go to there. But if you want an delicious, affordable steak meal – go to Medium Rare. Grade: A
Before I begin I need to say that this blog post is being done because I have no interest in going outside into the ridiculously hot, muggy weather we’ve got here in D.C. This really is the nastiest I have ever felt it being outside in my life.
This weather is just a continuation of the heat wave that has hit the U.S. which started the day my friends and I went whitewater rafting/tubing and camping. It’s a funny story about our experience that weekend. We decided to go whitewater rafting in the morning and tubing in the afternoon with River & Trail Outfitters near Harpers Ferry on the Shenandoah/Potomac Rivers ($83 a person). The ride from Washington, D.C. is about an hour. Little did we know that the oppressive heat during that day would be the cause of a ridiculously violent storm that night. More on that later.
The River & Trail organization is top notch with knowledgable raft guides and they did a really nice job helping us plan the day. For the whitewater rafting in the morning, they served us lunch on an island partway through the trip consisting of some remarkably good fried chicken, potato salad and watermelon (vegetarian options are available as well on request). The rafting itself however was a little disappointing. The water level was too low, so we ended up doing much more getting our raft off of rocks than actually paddling through rapids. So here’s a tip: Try to find a weekend when the dams are opening. The water level is higher and the rapids are continuous on the river throughout.Also, in the event that you do like your raft guide, have a few dollars in your pocket (even if they get wet), because by the time we got on the bus back to the car and all that – getting money to your guide might slip your mind as it did our group (Sorry, Nate).
For the tubing in the afternoon, we drove our car down to the tubing launch point after the whitewater rafting trip was done. Keep this in mind – by the time we got to the tubing, it was already around 3 so if you want to do both, know that the whitewater rafting will probably cut into the afternoon tubing time. Most of the companies around Harpers Ferry that run tubing trips launch from the same point on the Shenandoah River, so be sure to compare prices first between River & Trail Outfitters, Adventure Center (formerly known as Butts Tubes, I guess they wanted to be taken more seriously), and River Riders to see where you can get the best deal.
The float down can take anywhere from an hour to two depending on how fast the current is and it is most definitely a relaxing time. Don’t forget to put on your sunscreen even while you’re on the water! Also, don’t worry about the rules saying no alcohol – you can bring whatever you want in coolers and most of those companies provide cooler tubes for $10 or so (River Riders have really nice yellow, large life raft looking tubes that fit a large coolers FYI). Also, here’s another tip: don’t forget rope. It’s more fun to float when you’re able to stay near your friends without needing to paddle constantly, and if you want to anchor yourselves to the middle of the river.
So after our little water baking/napping/drinking float we headed our way to Greenbrier State Park. Greenbrier is about 30 minutes away from Harpers Ferry and for $25 a night you can book a tent spot, each with a picnic table and firepit/grill. Note: the summer weekends and holidays will require you to book a least 2 nights. The campground is really nice, with a beach and lake for swimming and some pretty decent hiking trails all around. Also, there are several bathrooms/showers in the area that are remarkably very clean, as well as several drinking water fountains and convenient dumpsters located on the driveway out of the park. The park also does host activities such as bingo, outdoor movies, and things of that nature on the summer weekends.
The one drawback is that some of the campsites are really close to each other, so when you choose your site to reserve online, try and find one that “looks” like its a little bit apart from the rest or else your tent could easily be a few yards away from your neighbor (who could be a loud 10 year-old kid or something).
So we get to the campsite and because we were on the water all day, we had no idea that a massive, historically bad thunderstorm was on its way to the area (apparently known as a “derecho” – http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/derecho-behind-washington-dcs-destructive-thunderstorm-outbreak-june-29-2012/2012/06/30/gJQA22O7DW_blog.html). The ranger told us we need to “batten down” as we were in the direct line of where the storm was heading. Obviously we took this as, “Oh it’s gonna rain, that sucks”. So we set up our tents, and started grilling our dinner (dum-dee-dum). Tip: bring more coal than you think you’ll need.Those fire pits don’t hold the heat in as well as a Weber grill so you need to keep pouring on the charcoal to keep the heat going.
Luckily for us, our grilling was just wrapping up when the rain came down – and boy did it come down. We took shelter in one of the tents that, while water resistant, still was leaking all over us as we tried to play cards. The thunder and lightning were pretty much continuous for most of the night. I ended up sleeping in my car because the tent I was maybe planning on sleeping in with my buddy had flooded because the window in that tent was accidently left open (Tip: Don’t leave your tent window open in the middle of a thunderstorm…stupid).
In the end we survived the experience and despite the heat and rain, it certainly was better than being in the office. I would recommend both River & Trail and Greenbrier if you ever do want to plan a trip such as ours in the Harpers Ferry region. And here’s to good weather when you go.
Bandolero
3241 M St NW
Washington, DC 20007 202.625.4488
Bar opens at 4pm Monday – Wednesday
Dinner service begins at 5pm.
MONDAY – TUESDAY
4pm – 10pm
WEDNESDAY
4pm – 11pm
THURSDAY – SATURDAY
12pm – 11pm
bar and until 12am
SUNDAY
12pm – 10pm
Mike Isabella has certainly been keeping himself busy. The Top Chef contestant fame recently opened up a second restaurant in the Washington, D.C. area with the same small plate style offerings that he’s known for. While Graffiato is his restaurant with small plate italian offerings, Bandolero is a mexican twist on the small plates – again not to be confused with tapas. Similar in look and feel to Graffiato, the downstairs level of Bandolero has a loud bar and and open kitchen and the upstairs has a quieter dining room. However, Bandolero promises to be far busier than Graffiato with its location right on M street in the heart of Georgetown, so be prepared to see a lot of the yuppie types drinking and dining there.
Because the restaurant just opened last month, the service was extremely attentive – but almost too attentive. Our waitress, while very polite, friendly, and on top of everything, was almost suffocating with the amount of times she came over to check in on us. My guess is this will tone down once Bandolero has been open for a while. That was pretty much the only really negative thing I could say about the place. The cocktail list is impressive and the margaritas are excellent. The food was quite good, but priced in the same way that Graffiato prices its food – expensive, small portioned, but high quality.
Despite what our waitress said about each person usually getting 2 or 3 plates for their own – I was quite content with splitting 4 plates between two people (that being said, some of the small plates may be larger than others). Here’s a quick review of what we tried:
El Mata Amigos Margarita – super tasty, but because they use seasonal fruits to make it the one you get might not be what we had, which was pickled pear. In all honestly however, it tasted at first like a spiked watermelon sherbet cooler which was awesome on a humid 90 degree Washington, D.C. summer day.
Guacamole – very good, but probably not worth $13. I’ve had similarly good guacamole at other restaurants, so while it was very good – it wasn’t standout. They do give you a healthy portion to dip your chips and chicarrones (what I’m pretty sure were large pork rinds) in as well as a side of spicy salsa.
Crispy Mahi Mahi Taco – order comes with two fish tacos and the Mahi Mahi is crisp to perfection. Sprinkle some lime juice on there and it makes for a really, really awesome fish stick taco (I try to say that without it sounding too sarcastically…though that’s what it was).
Suckling Pig Taco – the waitresses recommendation, order comes with three pork tacos with a healthy helping of shredded pork and pork skin on each. You can taste a fair amount of spiciness from the habenero, and while I thought it was still a little dry for my palate – it’s worth giving it a try.
Alambres – my favorite dish of the meal, the order comes with four silver dollar sized spiced hangar steaks. The meat was definitely spicy and it was matched well with the morsel of chimichurri sauce that accompanied each piece of meat. The meat itself was cooked to a perfect medium rare.
So all in all Bandolero gives you a fun dining experience, but at a pretty penny. Because of the location and the way the food is prepared, this is a pretty great place to take a date. So, like Graffiato, I would only recommend going there if you have a special occasion and you’re not famished because while the food is good, you don’t want to regret not going to the Chipotle next door because you didn’t know what you were getting into at Bandolero. Grade: B+
You may remember that I had a guest post about Hampton Roads, VA previously in my blog. I hadn’t yet been down there myself until recently; my buddy and I decided to hop in the Subaru and take a trip down to visit our co-worker (and author of the guest post) who had just moved back home to Norfolk, VA.
First tip when driving down to the Virginia Beach area from the north – don’t bother leaving on a Friday after 3. From what I understand from several Norfolk people is that the highways are almost always jam-packed during that time (and during the summer months it’s pretty much a sure thing). Try and get out on the road in the morning or Saturday morning to avoid the congestion.
U.S.S. Wisconsin
Without traffic, the ride down there takes about three hours from D.C. When we first arrived, I was immediately struck by how many hipsters there were – this was highly unexpected. The city itself was also smaller than I expected (since I had heard it was a Navy town), but I found out later that the F-18’s fly around over Virginia Beach which is a few miles down the road. The city was definitely still large enough to have some nice distinct neighborhoods though. Some of the houses we drove by were very impressive in their colonial grandness. As far as I could tell however, there was no real “going out” area like in larger cities, but scattered throughout the town were several good places to go for a good time.
Virginia Beer Festival
Also, the weekend we went, the annual Virginia Beer Festival was going on and if you’re a beer drinker, it’s worth visiting Norfolk during that event. For $30 ($25 if you do it online) you’ll get a glass (probably about 8-10 ounces in size) and you can sample 30+ beers around Town Point Park down by the waterfront. Now in my experience with alcohol tasting festivals, you usually have to wait in long lines and usually they hand out a limited number of drink tokens. Not here. Here the longest you ever had to wait in line was at most 5-10 minutes (in which time you can enjoy your previous tasting) and the weather was crazy nice too, so knowing that’s probably the busiest it would ever get, the lines were amazingly short. There is also NO tasting limit, so you could have quite an afternoon trying several different beers and ciders (some of them very powerful). We also didn’t know this because we were first timers, but we saw several hundreds of people wearing homemade pretzel necklaces – a cheap, genius idea in my opinion for a 4-5 hour beer tasting festival and one that I might use in the future.
My buddies enjoying some brews
The beer festival was the main highlight of the weekend, but here are a few of the other places we checked out:
Luckily for me, our trip was timed perfectly to check out my beloved Red Sox’s AAA affiliate take on the local minor league team. Even luckier was that some of the major league Red Sox players were doing their rehab, so I got to see some bigger names on the “smaller” stage. I’ll say though, that I was impressed by the size of the Harbor Park – it was much bigger than I thought it would be, and the fan base was quite into the game (including one very, very obnoxious 10-year old sitting behind us with his father/older brother/uncle in his camouflage hat and cut off beer shirt). We were also treated with a relatively impressive fireworks show as well at the end of the game. Tickets were a measly $13 ($11 if you do it online beforehand), so it was a great time for an affordable price.
Harbor Park – Home of the Norfolk Tides
Cogan’s Pizza
1901 Colonial Avenue
Norfolk, VA 23517
Part pizza joint, part dive bar, this is a great place to go if you’re looking to get some good pizza (the spicy sauce is very good, and hot) and if you’re looking for a joint with a big beer selection. The beer prices are actually very reasonable considering the selections and their “Happy Hour” may as well be “Happy Day” on Tuesday where the price I think is $2.50 for beers from 11 AM to like 8 PM or something ridiculous. The staff there are friendly and mainly, shall we say, alternative. Our first waitress looked like a tattooed roller derby girl from the 40’s and our second waitress was higher than James Franco on 4/20. Combined they may or may not have lost the credit card we were trying to pay with and may or may not have stolen our leftover pizza, but we did get a couple free 90 minute Dogfish Head IPAs, so the mistakes balanced out. Good crowd, good beer, good pizza – sometimes that’s all you really need. Grade: B
Cogan’s Pizza
Do-Nut-Dinette
1917 Colley Avenue
Norfolk, VA 23517
The best breakfast burrito I’ve ever had
Every city has their local diner and Do-Nut-Dinette is Norfolk’s. It’s everything you’d expect a diner to look like: a not totally kept up trailer, 2 cops sitting at the counter munching on the diner’s homemade donuts and coffee, and a random group of people sitting at the picnic tables outside (hipsters, an African American family, a couple that looked like they got lost looking for a Gossip Girl party, and three hungover dudes – which was us). Service is slow if you get a seat outside, so keep that in mind. Not much to say about menu except this – get the breakfast burrito. It was hands down the BEST breakfast burrito I’ve ever had. I don’t know what it was, but the tortilla was perfectly grilled and the fillings were the exact portion of cheesy egg, peppers, tomatoes, and crispy bacon (other meat options available) to my liking. Grade: B-, Breakfast Burrito: A
Before we came down to Norfolk, I had heard a lot about this Doumar’s joint being one of the signature places in Norfolk. So obviously I wanted to check it out. Located a few minutes away from Harbor Park, this place is definitely the type of restaurant that Sonic has based their chain of off. As we pulled up, we decided to try getting a seat inside as we thought at the time we’d be meeting some others there. It was chaos inside, with the waitresses running back and forth between the counter/kitchen and out to the cars where there were dozens of people eating their food. We grabbed a table and waited for a waitress. And then we waited some more. And then some more. We probably sat there for a good 15 minutes, when our friend finally said “We should just eat out in the car”.
So we left the restaurant, got in our car, pulled up to one of the kiosks and Voila! A waitress came up to us within 30 seconds and took our order. So here’s the tip: Eat in your car. That’s their thing, so just go with it. The menu consists of mainly American fare and such, but the prices are very low. My pulled pork sandwich was like $2.30, fries $1.50, and milkshake was around $3.00. Now, the size of the food does match the price relatively, but it was still a pretty damn solid meal for around $6. Solid – but not spectacular, and sadly did not in my opinion so much meet the hype. If you get a milkshake, be sure to order it as a “Reggie” which means they’ll put pieces of ice cream cone in it, which was awesome. The milkshake itself though was a little icy for my taste. It lacked the creaminess that I hoped it would have. But chowing down on a meal in your car at an authentic drive-in is an experience worth trying. Grade: B –
We went to three other places as well. I was quite inebriated at this point, so my reviews of the following are short and sweet. All three are next to each other, and all three are relatively in the middle of nowhere FYI.
The Birch Bar – A small, darkly lit garage turned into a craft beer place. Good special beers if you’re looking to try something different, but pricey. I would not recommend the sour beer. I knew it was a sour beer when I ordered it, but I decided to try it anyways and it was a mistake.
Tortilla West – Very good nachos, but watch out for the jalapeno peppers. They are ridiculously hot.
Cruzer’s – I’m still not totally sure how, or what this place is. There are no windows on the industrial building that its in and the only sign that there’s life inside is one of those neon “Open” signs you see at a shady restaurant. All I know is they’ve got cheap ass beer, it’s run by a few Filipino women, they’ve got karaoke and if you score 100 on karaoke, the big, black bouncer, who’s randomly has the best voice in the place and randomly sings along sometimes, will give you a boxer’s championship belt to take a picture with. Yes – it was that kind of night.
When one thinks of Texas, the first thoughts are probably of cowboys and cattle. However, the capital of Texas has neither the feel nor the look of what one would think of when they imagine a Texas town. Austin is both youthful and vibrant, with a strong presence of music and believe it or not, counter-culture. Centered at the city is the main campus of University of Texas and that student body spills into the rest of the city.
With several bars and live music venues on 4th, 5th, and 6th streets downtown, there’s a scene for everyone. For the college students looking to get sloppy, go to East 6th Street (it’s the called the Dirty 6 for a reason, trust me. Think Bourbon Street style messiness at night). For the older crowd, head to
Texas Capitol Building
4th street for a little more sophisticated scene. For the hippies in the crowd, head across the Congress Ave bridge (where you can witness the Congress Avenue Bridge Bats 364 evenings a year at sunset. We must’ve been there that 365th day they decide not to come out) to the South Congress area to check out the alternative stores, venues, and for me get a really refreshing snow cone at one of the several food trucks.
This doesn’t include the several bars we walked into for one drink and moved on. The bar hopping is SO easy to do in downtown Austin. If you don’t like one place because of the music or whatever, just move onto then next. Or the bar you’re in might just turn into the one you want to go to. For one example: Bat Bar earlier in the night was quiet, dark and probably had 20 people in there and there was a solo guitarist with a cellist singing Radiohead covers. We left, tried a few other places, and on the walk back about 3 or 4 hours later. The place had a line 30 people long, you couldn’t see inside anymore because of the dance party, fog machine pouring smoke out the door and windows with laser lights flying all over the place, there was go-go dancer at the window getting dollars thrown at her feet, and a 300 lb. black dude DJ-ing some serious techno beats. It was like night and day.
Not technically in Austin, in order to get some of this really, really good BBQ you’re going to have to drive out about half an hour into what you would picture Texas to stereotypically look like – lots of sand, flat and space (if you’ve ever watched Friday Night Lights, its pretty much what Dillon, TX looks like on TV). But the trip will be worth it if you make it to one of the Salt Lick locations. This place is no-nonsense BBQ eating and you can smell the aroma the second you park your car. The seating area is just one big banquet hall with picnic style tables. The plates are like the hard-plastic, weird pastel colored, tri-indented ones you get at summer camp. And the meat (oh man, so good) comes out in one big pile if you and your party each get the “All-you-can-eat” for $20 – which we did…and one of the three of us almost didn’t make it out of there because he ate so much. The food was excellent, all the meats were savory, juicy and everything you’d expect from real southern BBQ. It’s really not worth wasting any of your stomach space on the bread or the sides and the place is BYOB so don’t hesitate to bring your own beers if you want. Make sure to check out the pit where the pounds and pounds of pork, brisket, and chicken are slowly cooking away. If you do encounter a wait, they have a nice little winery next door where you do a wine tasting of some of their wines for $5 and a Bocce ball court with balls out back (Driftwood was location where we were at so I’m not sure about the other locations). Food Grade: B+, Experience Grade: A-
The Salt LickThe Salt Lick PitPart of the $20 all you can eat
Great venue for live music. The bar is essentially split into two identical halves with a spacious courtyard in the middle to watch the live music. If the band Suede happens to be playing when you’re there, you’re in luck because these guys do a pretty good job of rockin’ the house. Don’t let the fact that the 6 of them look like their in their mid-40’s. They’ll play everything from classic Jimmy Buffett and Boston, to crowd-pleasing Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams and Journey, to current songs from Adele, Pink, and Katy Perry, hard rocking songs from Guns and Roses and Aerosmith, to the just plain weird – Insane Clown Posse (yes, they sung a rendition of the Insane Clown Posse) all in one night. Literally. It was like someone’s Ipod on shuffle, but sung by 40 year-old dudes – and it was awesome.
I love a good piano bar, and this place didn’t disappoint. Loud and raucous, lead by the highly entertaining pianists, this place offers crowd pleasing music along with great showmanship. A great place for a larger group, the pianists take offers to play certain songs and the tips can go as high as $100 to hear someone’s favorite tune (I was pretty shocked that these guys probably rake in on average about $30 every five minutes). Throw in a few raunchy happy birthdays and bachelorette/bachelor parties, the place can get wild. One of the most clever ways the pianists make their tips is to start getting the college marching songs competing against one another (I believe by the end of the night the Florida State alums had outbid the Michigan and Texas A&M alums $90 to $60/$60).
Solid, but not spectacular mexican food, this place really isn’t much different than any of the really good Tex-Mex places around the country. But if there is a reason to go, it’s for the 2nd floor balcony overlooking 6th street. Grab yourself a seat out there, order yourself a nice, cold margarita and enjoy the people watching (We saw Darth Vader and Boba Fett harassing a bachlorette party). Grade: B-
If you’re looking for a place to unwind, Halcyon fits the bill. Located around West 4th Street’s bar scene, this little place is a cross between a bar, cafe, and dive-y art spot. With a decent food menu (including a pretty awesome s’mores with fire, sticks and everything offering) and a full service bar, those who want a place to just chill out with a cup of java for a little bit can find that here.
Compared to the Salt Lick, this place isn’t really as good (or Stubb’s down the street for that matter, which I’ve also had in the past). However, the food is decent enough and the rustic interior venue cool and located conveniently enough that I’d say it’s worth trying only if you’re in that area of Austin, but don’t go out of your way for it. Grade: C+
Hula Hut
3825 Lake Austin Boulevard
Austin, TX 78703
Located a short drive away from downtown Austin, Hula Hut provides a pretty decent location to enjoy some Tex-Mex by the waters of Lake Austin while sipping on some cold libations. Nothing overly amazing, much like the Iron Cactus, the Hula Hut’s scene is definitely for the folks who want to sit on their makeshift dock bars and get drunk watching the boats come in and out (but mainly to get drunk. And probably sunburn). I will say that the fish tacos that I had were actually very good, so give those a try if you head out that way, but since we were there to meet up with a local friend, I have a hard time seeing why you would be out that far. Grade: B (but not worth specifically driving out to unless you’re planning on boating or meeting a local who lives around there)
Hello friends and people, I’m back. Sorry I’ve been off the grid for a while, it’s been a busy season at work and things have just started to wind down. Of course my sales season wouldn’t have been complete without a little work travel and I’m here to give you a quick recap of where I’ve been over the past few months. I won’t get too detailed because in all honesty many of the work trips required a lot of actual working so there’s not a whole lot to write about when you’re spending most of your time at Hampton Inns. But I can give you a few highlights.
San Diego, CA U.S.S. Midway Museum Price of Admission: $18 Adults, $15 Senior Citizens, $10 Retired Military and Children (online rates are a dollar cheaper)
San Diego, CA probably gets the prize for best weather all year long in the U.S. When I was there in January, it was a nice and warm low-80 degrees with clear skies – and from what I understand it’s always like that. Most of my time in CA was spent at a conference so I didn’t get to the beach, but we were in the Gaslight District which is a vibrant bar and nightlife scene. Aside, from all the great bars and restaurants one can try out in San Diego (several of which my company treated us to), it’s worth a walk down to the shore and going on board the U.S.S. Midway. Yes, I’ve mentioned the ship before, but I think it’s worth getting more in-depth. It’s much more than just a walk around the deck and seeing a few of the planes. The museum gives you a look inside all the intricate parts of the aircraft carrier and gives you not just a lesson about the ship’s role in U.S. Navy history, but a real sense of what it was like for the common sailor on-board (you can walk through the bunks, laundry room, mess hall, everywhere). Don’t miss a chance to also sit in several of the fighters jets and helicopters that they have on display or participate in a flight simulator dogfight with your friends. If you have time, go and chat with one of the several veterans on board who volunteer to tell you their stories – they’re fascinating and many of them are pretty funny guys.
When I asked around about places to go to eat while in Rochester, NY, I heard from three separate people to check out Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. Now, admittedly I thought the place was some local hot spot (with a really random name), but when I showed up I realized that it was a chain. So while I was a little disappointed, it’s not a huge chain mind you (the other locations are in New York City, Syracuse, New Jersey, and Troy, NY). Still, I had no other leads of places to try so I gave it a go. I will say that I was pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere had a Applebee’s made over by a biker gang, but the crowd was a mix of all types. The beer list was impressive, with several local northern NY brews. The food and service was top notch as well. My waitress was friendly, fast, and knew to be available but not be overbearing. I gave the “Tres Hombres” combination a try and that consisted of pork, brisket and 1/4 rack of ribs, cornbread and two sides – I went with mac and cheese and mashed potatoes. There was a LOT of food – but it was well worth the calories (you can try the smaller “Tres Ninos” combo if you’re not as hungry). The different BBQ sauces that were on the table really hit the spot, but my two favorites were there Slathering Sauce and the Wango Tango Habenero (this stuff was sweet and super spicy). The meats all melted in your mouth, but I’ll say that the ribs were probably the best of the three. The mac and cheese was also a stand out and I would tell anyone that one of the sides must be that (though one could argue that the gravy that came with the potatoes made that side dish better). I could certainly see how this place, with his comfort food and warm, friendly atmosphere is popular spot on cold winter days in Rochester. Grade: B
Chattanooga, TN Ruby Falls
Price of Admission: $17.95 for adults, $9.95 for children under 12 (babies free, but I probably wouldn’t bring a baby)
On my flight into Chattanooga, TN, I sat next to a local lawyer who gave me some leads on how to spend a few free hours in the city. He, like most of the people that I met from Chattanooga, had a sort of “really, this place is much nicer that you might think” way of talking. I’ll say this much – I probably wouldn’t target Chattanooga as a place to go out of my way to visit. BUT I will also say that it is a quaint little town with some pretty interesting things to see if you’re there for a couple days. And from what I understand and saw for myself, it’s a great place for the outdoorsy types. I didn’t try it myself, but apparently hang gliding is one of the big hobbies for the folks in Chattanooga. But don’t bother with going to the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, unless you happen to be down that way. But if you do happen to be down that way and see the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, stop into The Terminal Brewhouse. They had some great drafts and one of the better BBQ Chicken pizzas I’ve ever had.
One of the highlights for me was a side trip to Ruby Falls. It’s clearly one of the main tourist attractions (the other being Rock City) and the city lets you know it with the 247 or something billboards I saw on the highways directing visitors to see check it out (that was an exaggeration, but it was a s**tload). The drive to Ruby Falls is quick from downtown Chattanooga and when I arrived, I had no idea that Ruby Falls wasn’t really outdoors! Apparently, the waterfall that’s advertised is actually the country’s tallest underground waterfall. Now I’m not claustrophobic, but for you folks that are keep this in mind. To see the Ruby Falls, you have to take an elevator ride 1120 feet underground into a very tight, winding cave. If you’re okay with that, then you’re good to go. So a group of us took the elevator down to the dark cavern and in order to get to the waterfall, the guide takes you through some really neat tunnels with extraordinary rock formations. Our guide, Andy, gave us a little history and while his smart-ass humor was annoying at first, after a while it became more tolerable and by the end you couldn’t help but be amused by his personality. When we got to the cave with the waterfall, it’s pitch black and pretty creepy. There’s a little dramatic audio presentation to get you pumped up, and then the lights come on and Voila! I’ll say, I was pretty awe-struck by the waterfall when I saw it. They did a really good job with the lighting and making the water look like falling crystals. It was quite…majestic (for some reason I really can’t think of a better word that isn’t as cheesy). As you walk around and underneath the waterfall itself, you have to take a look up at the water coming down. You’ll get a little wet, but it’s worth the sight. It’s almost like you’re looking at the stars while traveling at warp speed, Star Trek style. So if you’re ever in Chattanooga for any weird reason, give the Ruby Falls a few hours of your time.
555 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04101
tel: 207.761.0555
Dinner served from 5-close, seven days a week
Brunch every Sunday from 9:30-2:00
Portland, Maine is one of those cities in America that still holds the hidden gem status. Most people don’t make it out to Portland due to its location and size, but for those who do make it up to Maine are usually pleasantly surprised at how much Portland does have to offer for a smaller city.
The downtown area has the vibrant energy of a seaport. With seafood restaurants left and right offering some of the best lobster in America to local bars bustling with locals and Southern Maine University students offering many of the local brews, Portland combines that quaint hometown feel with an urban setting. One restaurant in Portland that I tried recently skews on the higher end scale (higher end for Portland that is – there are no Tao Restaurant style places in Portland).
five fifty-five (yes, they spell the entire thing in lowercase) is considered by many to be one of the best restaurants in Portland. I’ll say this up front: for Portland, the restaurant is one of the nicer places to have a fancy night out. But don’t expect it to be anything ridiculously fancy. The venue itself is very intimate with low lighting and a lot of wood making up the furniture and walls. The wine list is quite extensive, almost surprisingly so. But if you’re a beer person looking for some local Maine brews you’ll want to head to another place since that list is far shorter.
The menu is pricey and although I’d like to say that the food is worth the price – I’m afraid I can’t. That isn’t to say that the food isn’t excellent; it’s just a tad overpriced in my opinion. I started out my meal with the “how do you like them apples” salad which was quite a nice starter of fresh greens, crisp apples, and perfectly toasted/salted walnuts. But for $11, I kind of expected a little more.
For the entree, I tried the lobster mac & cheese which was very tasty. Again, it just wasn’t $31 tasty. I will say that I was surprisingly filled by the portion. It came out in a very small bowl and my first reaction was “This is it?” But you know how Indian food comes out in a small bowl and you think you’re getting ripped off until you finish 2/3 of it and realize how full you actually are? Same scenario.
Another item on the menu that I tasted is a nice Maine salmon wrapped in a leaf of some sort. Its accompanied by several toppings (radishes, cashews, peppers) in small dishes for you to mix and match as you see fit and a portion of sauteed kale n the side. The fish was a little dry, which I found surprising, but overall with the kale and toppings sides the dish wasn’t half bad.
So while I enjoyed what I ate, I’ll probably stick to Maine does best, the lobster shacks, for my meals. five fifty-five doesn’t live up to the hype and is just little too overpriced in my opinion. But that being said, its still a nice place to go if you want to have a classy night out in Portland. The wine list is very good and the food is done well enough that you’ll be able to overlook the fact that you’re spending a few dollars extra than you should. Grade: B-
West Village location
643 Hudson Street
New York, NY
212-352-3592
Monday – Wednesday | Noon to Midnight
Thursday & Friday | Noon to 2AM
Saturday | 11AM to 2AM
Sunday | 11AM to Midnight
Upper West Side location
2170 Broadway
New York, NY
212-496-CRAB
Monday – Wednesday | Noon to 11PM Thursday – Saturday, Noon to Midnight
Sundays | Noon to 10PM
Happy Hour | Monday – Friday, 4pm to 7PM
If Tao was the big, glitzy dinner, then the Fatty Crab was the opposite of that. Located in the West Village (with a second location in the Upper West Side), the Fatty Crab is a small shack serving some of the most unique Malaysian-Thai hybrid food I’ve ever tried. With seating for only about 30 (and about 6 at the bar) in the dark and intimate hut, you should expect to wait a little bit for a table if you’re a party bigger than 2. Not to worry though, there are seats outside the restaurant and when we arrived there was a little crowd out there with their libations in hand (Note: Not totally sure if them drinking on the sidewalk outside the restaurant was legal, but they were going for it).
My buddy and I took a seat at the bar, which offers a full menu as well. The menu is very small with only a handful of entrees and appetizers. We got some recommendations from the bartender, who was more than happy to answer any questions we had about the food all night. For starters, we gave the pork steamed buns a try. Now these aren’t like the typical pork steamed buns you might get at Dim Sum in Chinatown; these required assembly. The buns shaped like flattened donuts and we had to put the chunks of pork, along with what I think was plum sauce, and cabbage on top of it. From there it was a little awkward trying to fold it up like a taco because it was so bulky, but it was damn tasty even as messy as it was.
For our entrees, we tried the Nasi Lemak and Beef Rendang. Of those two, the Nasi Lemak was the far more bizarre one. The dish consists of a platter of some of the craziest flavors put together. There’s a large chicken leg, that tasted like it was slow cooked and it came off the bone with ease. The chicken was on top of coconut rice that we were instructed to mix with the poached egg on the plate. Also on the plate was a fish paste called “otak” which was on top of these spicy, sardine eggs (or something crunchy that was fishy). I didn’t mind the fishiness of the paste, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the spicy sardine eggs. I liked the spice, but the sardine part was just one step too salty, fishy for me.
The Beef Rendang was the more traditional looking dish, but just a tasty. The dish was made up of short ribs that were braised in lemongrass chili and it came with an interesting sweet paste. The short ribs were very good, a tad bit over cooked for my taste, but still tender, and very savory.
The restaurant is a good example of a place having a small menu, but doing each item very well. All it all, it’s a great little place to try some exotic flavors, or to take a date who doesn’t mind a little adventure in their meal. Grade: B+
Tao Restaurant
42 East 58th Street
New York, NY 10022-1910
Hours:
Sun
5pm–12am
Mon-Wed
11:30–12am
Thu-Fri
11:30–1am
Sat
5pm–1am
Recently, I took a little trip up to New York City to catch up with old friends and, quite honestly, just go for the hell of it because it had been a while. The one thing that I had forgotten in the two and a half years since I was last in New York was the energy of the city that you don’t find in Washington, D.C. or most other metropolitan areas. It practically hit me in the face the moment I walked out of Penn Station.
I spent the weekend doing mainly touristy things such as Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, checked out Ground Zero and the building of the Freedom Tower, and roamed around the East and West Villages. But of course the highlight of any trip to NYC is the food – and there was plenty of it this weekend.
Since I hadn’t seen a bunch of New Yorker friends in a while, I organized a dinner for us all. At the suggestion of my one college buddy, we made our way toTao Restaurant in midtown Manhattan. Tao, like New York City in general, is pretty much what you’d expect from a trendy NYC restaurant on a Friday night: noisy, busy, vibrant, pretentious, and super gaudy, but fun nonetheless. As my one friend who has lived in NYC for the past five years put it – “This place is so New York” with a little tone of “I would probably never come here in general” thrown in, kind of like how I can’t remember the last time I was in a Smithsonian museum even though I’ve been in D.C. for years.
There are a few things you should know about places like Tao before I continue. They’re expensive and regardless if you have a reservation, there will be a wait (especially on a Friday night). And even more so at this place because of the popularity (sightings of Jay-Z, Madonna, etc and a feature in Sex and the City – a fact I found out AFTER I had left NYC, so don’t go thinking Sex and the City is any draw for me). I should also note that I sadly was not able to get any good pictures because my new phone’s case was covering the flash so none of the pics would show up. The website has plenty in its gallery however.
So yeah, we had a 9:15 reservation; we were seated around 9:45-10:00 with the maitre d’ telling me, “Just a couple more minutes” every time I asked how much longer. And the bar waiting area is not nearly big enough to hold all of the people waiting to get a table along with the folks just trying to grab a drink. So be prepared to do a little bumping. Our buzzer went off just as we were contemplating going somewhere else.
The main dining area a Tao is pretty expansive, but still packed so that there was probably only a foot between chairs and tables for one to squeeze through. And overlooking the entire place is a GIGANTIC (and I emphasis that word) Buddha, which I’ll have to admit was pretty impressive, despite being as Las Vegas showy as it was.
The Tao menu isn’t huge, but hits all the typical Asian food types from sushi to noodles. With a group our size we decided to do it sort of family style and order several things to share. Our waitress was very helpful telling us her favorite recommendations, and her suggestions were excellent. Considering the hysteria in the place, the service was remarkably quick with the food coming out within a few minutes of us ordering our first round of appetizers.
The food at Tao is excellent; no doubt about it. I’m going to make your life easier and just list out what we ate and give a quick impression.
Peking Duck Spring Roll – I love Peking duck, so yes I loved this. The order came with 3 large duck spring rolls and the duck was perfectly fatty and savory. The one thing I wish was that the duck skin inside would have been a little crispier. Same goes for the egg roll wrap itself – I suspect they were trying to make make the wrap like a Peking duck pancake, but it didn’t quite work.
Pork Potstickers – these also were excellent, and considered by most at the table the best appetizer of the bunch. They were larger than your typical gyoza, stuffed with a generous portion of salty, tender pork inside.
Spicy Tuna Tartar on Crispy Rice – what makes this more than just what amounted to a tuna sushi roll was the rice. It was toasted giving it a delicious flavor and crunch.
Shrimp Pad Thai noodles – Not too bad, but not anything that you couldn’t get anywhere else.
Crispy Orange Chicken – same with the Pad Thai. If you order it, you won’t be disappointed, but it’s not anything that is stand out.
Satay of Chilean Sea Bass with Wok Asparagus – now THIS was standout – the fish was cooked to perfection, super-flavorful and melted in your mouth. The side of asparagus that came with it was actually not needed, but I do like a little crunch with my dishes so it worked.
Wasabi-crusted Filet with Tempura Onion Rings – another standout. The filet was very good, and in most cases I would have said it was excellent but nothing special. What made it special? That wasabi crust was awesome – totally different, and gave the meat a real kick.
So food wise, everything was pretty amazing. The plates came out in very easily sharable portions; I’m not sure if that’s how they are normally served or if our waitress was savvy enough to have the kitchen make it that way knowing we were all sharing from the start.
The one thing I could have done without were the the guys walking around banging drums next to us while we ate. Totally unnecessary, really annoying, and as my one friend put it “They’re not even beating the drum to the beat of the music!”. Also, the bathroom was a little weird. I’m putting this in writing because my other male friends disagree. Personally I don’t like having to urinate into a trough that lights up when you walk up to it, with a waterfall raining in front of you into the trough, while a bathroom attendant stands two feet away from you ready to pounce for a tip. Maybe my friends have been in NYC too long because one of them said “What about it? It was just a urinal.”
All in all though, great place for an excellent meal, a fun vibe if you’re willing to deal with the noise and wait, and very good service amid the chaos in the venue. Food: A- Overall: B+ (because of that drummer banging away)
707 6th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
202-289-3600
Hours LUNCH MON-FRI, 11:30am-5pm
SAT, 12pm-5pm
SUN-TUE
5pm–12am
*kitchen closes at 10pm
WED–THU
5pm-1am
*kitchen closes at 11pm
FRI–SAT
5pm–2am
*kitchen closes at midnight
*The bar & pizza oven are open late night after the kitchen closes
Washington, D.C. is not only home to political celebrities, but in recent years has become one of the centers of the celebrity chef universe. Mike Isabella, former contestant on Top Chef and former executive chef of Jose Andres’ Zaytinya, has stepped up his game with the opening of his new restaurant Graffiato.
Conveniently located near the Gallery Place/Chinatown metro stop, Graffiato offers italian food served in the form of small plates. Don’t be misled into thinking that “small plates” means “tapas”. They’re a little bigger than that, but still small enough that you’ll probably want to order two or three to satisfy your hunger. Graffiato also offers a pretty standout wine list with several local wines and beers as well.
I’ll say this right off the bat – the food was very good. It was little pricey for what we got, but the quality of the fare was excellent. Going with a group of friends is definitely a must so that you can try several dishes. The standout for me was the chicken with cabbage in pepperoni sauce. The sauce was meaty and spicy, and the chicken was cooked to a moist perfection with a delicious, crispy skin similar to the way peking duck skin is cooked. Also worth trying is the polenta, which is a grilled goat with pear, the pumpkin risotto and the chocolate tart with a fantastic sea salt ice cream. Don’t bother with the cauliflower soup and risotto balls. Keep in mind, the menu does change, so there’s a chance that there will be different offerings when you go.
As good as the food was, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the atmosphere. The venue was small with a few seats downstairs near the bar and a bigger, brighter dining area upstairs. Both floors had open kitchens (which was cool seeing Mike Isabella working hard in), but the place was way to loud. Specifically, the choice of music was a strange mix of Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine and other hard rock that didn’t really match the food we were eating. It’s not music I necessarily hate, I just don’t want it blasting into my ear while I’m trying to enjoy my meal.
Even with the bar-like atmosphere of Graffiato, the food definitely makes it worth a visit. Grade: B+
I may have found the best deal in Washington, D.C. last night. Medium Rare was on my long list of restaurants to try in Washington, D.C. and last night I had the opportunity to give it a go. Located conveniently at the top of the Cleveland Park metro stop, Medium Rare on the outside looks like another non-chalant restaurant on the bustling street. But the venue is far from bland.
The restaurant doesn’t take reservations, but that’s not a problem because the longest you’ll ever have to wait is 10-15 minutes (when there’s no real menu choice, the meal process is that much faster). After getting seated, we order drinks – the drink menu has 5 red wine options, 3 white wine options, a couple sparking wines, and 4 different draft beers, and they present us with a loaf of perfectly warm, flaky crusty bread and warm butter.
Here and There 