Chat today at 1 pm EDT. Baseball Tonight on ESPN Radio at 10:27 pm EDT (if your local affiliate isn’t carrying the late game).
All right, I’ve been promising this for two weeks but playoff writing took precedence. I had two full days in DC plus a half-day, which turned into five different restaurants plus what I ate at the ballpark. All of these places but one are in the McPherson Square/Farragut area.
Breakfast both mornings was at Teaism, a tea salon that serves a full breakfast with a limited menu, although it was diverse enough for me. The best item – besides the tea, which is loose-leaf and served in ceramic pots – is the ginger scones, crumbly and faintly sweet with chunks of crystallized ginger in the scone and castor sugar on top. Two of those plus the cilantro scrambled eggs – cilantro and diced green bell pepper in eggs, little light on the salt and probably cooked 30 seconds past perfect – was more than enough food, since the egg platter comes with a small fruit salad and triangles of grilled whole-wheat naan. I also tried the tea-cured salmon, which had great flavor (a little sweet, a little savory, like a cup of a mild Indian black tea with a half teaspoon of sugar) and was obviously very fresh (they say they do the curing themselves) but had a chewier texture than good smoked salmon. Teaism’s only real drawback is that it’s not cheap, running $15+ each day including tip.
Worst meal of the trip, by far, was at Kaz Sushi Bistro, an overpriced Japanese restaurant where the focus is definitely not on the food. The fish itself was completely tasteless; the seaweed salad came with a mayonnaise-based dressing; everything was overpriced; and the two people serving as hosts were rude to each other and to at least one group of customers.
Casa Blanca is a small Peruvian (or Peruvian-plus) place on Vermont Ave that is an anti-Kaz in that the focus is on the food and definitely not on the decor or ambience. I ordered chicharrones (fried chunks of pork shoulder) with fried yucca, which was, of course, a bit on the heavy side but crispy and salty with a little bit of a peppery kick. Their homemade tamarind juice is good, a little too sweet for me but given the tangy taste of tamarind, I imagine this is how most people prefer the drink. They apparently also make great empanadas, although those appeared to be for takeout customers and weren’t on the menu. Service is a bit indifferent, and remained so even when I ordered in Spanish. Cash only.
I left the area once for lunch and headed over to Eastern Market to try Market Lunch, where folks apparently line up in great numbers on weekend mornings for pancakes. I had read that Market Lunch had one of the top crab cake sandwiches in the city, and their fries are hand-cut, which sold me. The crab cake was above-average, mostly crab, all lump, lightly seasoned so that the primary taste is of the crab meat, but the crab cake itself wasn’t fresh or even hot, just lukewarm, as if it had been sitting for five minutes. I understand they’re trying to keep people moving, but crab cakes should, at worst, be kept hot if they have to be held at all. The fries were on the greasy side. I suppose if you work in the area and need something fast, this is a great option, but I’m not sure it was worth the Metro* trip.
*Seriously, another city with a crappy subway system. Philly’s system is cash-only and is filthier than Rome’s. Washington’s takes credit cards, but the cost of your ride depends on exactly where you’re boarding and exiting, instead of the single-price system used, oh, everywhere else in the country. And is there a reason the stations are all so dark? You could grow white asparagus down there.
As for Nationals Park, it’s nice, clean, big, and kind of boring. It has forced character, not actual charm. And I’m sorry, you don’t get to put up posters of great players who didn’t play for your franchise – you can take the Senators’ history, by all means, but Honus Wagner is not yours. They get big props for Teddy’s Q stand out in right field. They smoke the meat right there, in a smoker that’s at the edge of the tent, and both items I had were solid. The pulled pork sandwich wasn’t too dry and only needed a little sauce for flavor, while the beef (short) rib was perfectly smoked with plenty of well-browned edges. I’m not sure what’s in the beef rub, but it’s sweet without any heat – a little pepper would balance out the sweetness well. Two quibbles: At $14, the rib should come with something on the side, even the tiny cole slaw that comes with the sandwich; and it seems odd that you have to go to another stand to get a starch like French fries. The Nats also get props for the kosher-food cart across the aisle from the Q. The knish was excellent, smoking hot (not just made, but they had the sense to keep it hot), and the three people working at the cart are animals – everything moved quickly, and when the line started to build up, they moved faster. I saw a little gelato stand up the first base line and wanted to try it, but I was so full from the Q each night that I never had the chance.
I’ve been waiting for the DC Food entry and was hoping you would provide some new places for me to hit. I have not tried the breakfast at Teaism but the bento boxes at lunch are a great deal for less than $10. Thai Chef has better sushi and they have a sushi happy hour with half-price rolls. I will have to give Casa Blanca a try sometime soon.
The DC metro is what happens when you have no dedicated funding — that’s a long sad story.
Glad you enjoyed your visit to DC and Nationals Park! 🙂
Keith, I work right above Teaism. I wish I had know you’d be there, I would have come down to say hi.
Keith: I don’t believe your answer to the question about Girardi’s bullpen usage made it into the chat (why Hughes with Mauer on deck rather than Robertson, LOOGY then Hughes). I had asked basically the same earlier and was interested to hear your take.
are you taking az eat rec’s? Still highly recommend Tia Rosas in mesa. Also the weather here now is awesome! 85 today. also have a few other rec’s if you’re interested.
Washington’s Metro taking credit cards is a pretty recent development. It used to be a real pain in the ass because they only took cash, didn’t give change, and you could only get 20s from the ATMs in the station.
BTW, keith, what do you think of Starlin Castro? He had a real breakout season for the Cubs and is only 19
brian – definitely taking recs, but they have to be near the AFL parks and nothing that takes too long, since my meals next week will all be between BP and games.
Next time you are in dc check out my girlfriends blog for recomendations
http://whatmickyeats.blogspot.com/
Keith, next time you are in DC, try to venture two Metro stops up from DuPont to Cleveland Park. Much better lunch and dinner choices there, Indique for example.
Also, BART has pricing based on destination as well. BART makes the Metro look fabulous, IMO, having lived in both areas.
Finally, the best crab cakes in the region were well outside where you were staying unfortunately. Annapolis Seafood Market has the best crab cakes, by far. Indescribably good. Even my relatives who work on Wall Street and pay huge money for dinner were blown away by them.
The Metro also doesn’t go anywhere. It’s great for commuters, but pretty awful for someone who actually wants to get around the city. You pretty much have to go into the city center and then transfer to a different line.
And the pricing stinks too. The one good thing is that they air condition the platforms, which is really great in the summer.
It is also pretty clean, too. Which is OK.
The DC Metro is a mess. The exit-fare system is such a gouge. If you want to commute from MD to VA, you’re looking at $9 a day round trip. Why would anyone pay this? The beltway is toll-free, so all this leads to is more congestion and traffic and does nothing to promote public transportation. Such a mess. The decor is ridiculous, with it’s art-deco, 70’s theme, and it has completely over-reacted to the recent crash on the Red Line, slowing down train traffic ridiculously. The only good thing is that it is computerized so you can plan your trip well, but otherwise, it pales in comparison to most other subways. Boston has a similar model of being centrally based and having to travel into the middle, but DC’s is worse, because the transfer points are so obtuse. Oh yea, and they charge “peak hour rates” during the last hour of the night, exploiting people traveling late.
Okay, off the soap box. Keith, that’s your girlfriend’s blog? I thought you were married?
Also, KLaw, next time you pass through DC, if you have a car, try 2 Amy’s in the Glover Park/Cathedral area. DOC pizza that’s about as close to Italy as I’ve had in the states, but I haven’t had much. Would be curious for your take on it. They have Moretti on draft (priced small and large) and fresh meats and cheeses hanging from the ceilings. And they’re not just for looks: they’ll take ’em down and slice them for ya. Like I said, best Italian style wood oven I’ve had, but I haven’t had much stateside, so I’m curious what you (or others) think of it, relative to what else is out there.
Peoria: Salty Seniorita is right next to the stadium and is okay. It is a local mexican restaurant with a unique take and not bad.
Surprise: um…if you find something great let me know.
Scottsdale: is right near downtown Scottsdale so there’s about 50 good restaurants. Az 88 is unique, very unique, and decent.
Phoenix Muni – close enough to Tempe so depending on when you go (ASU can be awful to get around) Harlow’s Cafe is kind of a cool college type dive. Good breakfast too.
Ho Ho Traffic nightmare Kam: go to Tia Rosas and try the papa’s con carne. It is a win every time. trust me on the chicken here…moist, ultra tender chicken that has been slow cooked. It is unbelievable. Make a point to go here. Every one we take here, has loved this meal. This is where we take guests when they visit us from out of town and it is an hour drive for us.
Los Dos Molino’s is good too but hot food. You’ll need a pitcher of margarita to cool your fire.
There is also a new restaurant downtown called Verde that apparently built a brick oven comal for tortillas. I have not been there but am dying to hear about it. Why exactly is the comal better? Things i need to know.
You can also check out Barrio Cafe, and I really like Delux. But these aren’t too close to anything baseball related. A start anyway although someone said once they didn’t like Barrio on here. That’s odd but make sure out the avocado dip made at your table. yum. Okay i need to make dinner!
Actually, that’s another keith – I changed his name to keith2 to avoid confusion. Didn’t even occur to me when I saw his posts come through.
Gotcha. Was confused how you had a girlfriend in DC. Hope wifey doesn’t read the blog…
Concur with brian on Salty Senorita. It gets the job done.
Keith, if you have time to venture around the Metro DC area (and have a car) a bit next time you should check out La Caraquena and Four Sisters, both in Falls Church.
I second the 2 Amy’s rec. And for some excellent gelato try Dolcezza in Georgetown.
Amen on the Four Sisters. It is the best Asian food in the DC Metro area. And if anyone is in Cleveland Park, the cafe at Palena serves the best burger I’ve had in my life for $10.
Keith,
Unrelated question here — I want to attend Alton Brown’s book signing late next week for his new book, but I don’t want to buy the book at Borders, as it’s about half the price on Amazon. What does book signing etiquette and your experience say about bringing the book in that the store is clearly trying to sell at point of signing? I’ve never been to one, sorry if this is an elementary question.
Keith,
Thanks for the link to the Vegas Watch piece on football coaches. Actually, if you analyzed football coaches like you do baseball managers, you’d see that the football guys make decisions that would make your head explode. Football teams need an Assistant Coach in charge of Probability and Statistics to help the head coach with the key decisions. For instance, who would you want deciding whether it’s best to go for a 1st down or kick a FG when leading by 3 with 4th and 1 at the opponent’s 20 and 2:00 to go in the game, the MIT grad or the guy who played offensive line in college?
My favorite is when people speak knowingly about, say, a WR’s drop rate after only 13 pass attempts. You think people have no understanding about small sample sizes in baseball…
CW in football is far worse than CW in baseball. Easterbrook writes about this all the time in TMQ.
According to an investment banker friend of mine, DC’s fare system is about the best you can do as it actually charges the people who ride the metro for 30+ every day more than the people who ride it for 5 minutes. Single fare systems like in Chicago actually run at a much greater loss than DC does.
Kaz:
I eat at Kaz regularly and must say that if you sit at the sushi bar and order omakase you won’t be disappointed. Kaz has some very inventive small plates of both sushi and hot food that are some of the best Japanese food I’ve tried (be sure to try the “Bird’s Nest”). I believe he also buys from the same market in Baltimore that nearly all the good mid-Atlantic seafood restaurants do and sometimes gets air-freight directly from Tokyo–like he did with an excellent ranched tuna a few months ago. I do agree that the hosts are incompetent and rude–as are some of the servers. Nonetheless, it’s one of the top three Japanese restaurants in the city, along with Makoto and the rebooted Sushi Taro.
Metro:
What’s so bad about charging people relative to how much they use the Metro system? Why should my 2 stop, 5 minute ride from one downtown stop to another subsidize those who are basically using the Metro like commuter rail and riding in from mysterious places like Shady Grove and Largo Town Center?
By any analysis single fare transit is terrible. For one, it’s redistributive wealth transfer, also known as socialism. Worse, those of us living in the city are subsidizing those in the suburbs and there are far too many policies that promote the abominable American strip-mall suburb that dominates suburban VA and MD as it is.
The only reason transit systems offered single-fare rides in the first place was because they didn’t have the technology to make anything else work.
BSK: If you use Metro to commute from VA to MD, I honestly am thrilled that you pay more because you are a crazy person. Whether you’re worried about congestion itself, our strategic dependence on foreign oil or global warming or whatever I’m with you. However, the solution isn’t for me to pay for you to ride a train, it’s for you to not live in a different state than where you work.
As for the decor and lighting, I love it. You feel like you’re riding in a monorail system on the moon in 1972. The low lights make it feel quiet and save energy. How many other public transit systems are places where you might want to drop acid?
Let’s compare to other metro systems, several of which I’ve used extensively:
New York: Love the mostly-frequent trains and occasional mariachi bands, hate everything else: the filth, the impossible heat in the summer, the hipster scum reading pretentious novels and the lack of any crosstown service in Manhattan. When I lived in Chinatown someone threw up on a heater in the Canal Street station, making me nearly vomit every day on the way to work. Also why do they even bother listing the G train on the service map? The Ghost train basically doesn’t exist.
San Francisco: Again, no crosstown service but it’s a bigger issue because you’re not on an island 11 blocks wide and there are huge hills everywhere. And the frequency of the trains isn’t great. But the stations and trains are decent and that great Humboldt weed makes everything more tolerable.
Boston: Terrible routing. Trains are unbelievably slow. Stations are like rat warrens. Also, you’re in Boston, so the other riders are terrible.
Chicago: Not bad, I guess. Like everything else in the city, it’s not especially distinctive.
Keith,
Off subject again, but I just read your 10/5 piece on the four-letter showing next year’s draft order. I posted a comment there, but since the piece is nearly a week old, I probably have a better shot of having it answered here. My question is as follows:
If the Cubs had played and won their 162nd game, they would have tied the Rays. In that case, who would have gotten #15, the Cubs or the Rays? If the answer is the Rays, this seems like a big deal to me since #15 or #16 is the difference between keeping and losing a first round pick when signing a Type A free agent.
Keith,
Penn Qtr would have done you good next time you’re in DC. Jaleo is wonderful for Spanish Tapas and Oyamel, its Mexican themed cousin is even better.
Jaz-
Part of the problem is the arbitrary lines they draw and how fares are based. Some people can take the same 2-stop, 5-minute ride as you, but pay much more, because they pass a certain boundary. From my neighborhood, going from Medical Center to Friendship Heights costs more than a downtown 2-stop ride, because I cross the district line, but I don’t really use the Metro any more than you do.
You bring up some good points, but I’ve been on both sides of the issue. I lived in Manhattan and rode the train 3 stops, for 12 minutes, every day, at the same rate that everyone else paid, for much farther trips. But I was glad to pay the rate I paid for the service I received. In DC, I am not. Even if I lived downtown, I would be frustrated by the lack of monthly-option and the high rate it costs for even a short trip.
In NY, I paid $72 a month for unlimited trips. The day-trippers actually subsidized my trip, because they paid a higher per-trip fare. DC does not offer this option. Everyone pays the same. Maybe I’m hypocritical, but why not give resident users of the system a discount and tax the tourists, especially when we are bombarded with sketchy programs that supposedly will increase tourism revenue?
As for your point about the $9 ride to/fro MD/VA, why do you assume we all have a car?
As for the decor, I do like the idea of a moon train, but it still freaks the hell out of me to be down there! And how can something *feel* quiet if it isn’t actually quiet…?
haha. Sorry about the confusion between the Keiths. Thought you posted under the KLaw moniker. Check out my girl’s site either way.
Keith, Fail or Epic Fail, Tracy not having a lefty ready to face Howard in the 9th last night? But he did manage to bring in a lefty to face Cairo after Street blew the save.
My wife and I felt the same way about Nationals park…nice enough, but whatever.
It would be average if it weren’t so new and stuck in between several beautiful ones. Mets might be lame for copying CBP but atleast the end result was a nice place. You couldn’t design a more boring ballpark than DC if you tried.