Archive for category Restaurants
Joe’s Stone Crab – Eating at a Miami Beach, FL Institution
Posted by Justin Thorp in Restaurants on February 28th, 2010
Last week, I was in Miami Beach for a work conference. While I was down there, I was definitely looking for some type of restaurant that really was Miami Beach. Boy, did I find it. It was Joe’s Stone Crab.
It was a Monday and I was walking down Ocean Drive to meet up with my buddy Doug, who was joining me for dinner. That night, it was immediately noticeable how quiet all the other trendy Ocean Drive restaurants were. I was thinking that maybe we had caught a lucky break. Maybe we wouldn’t have to wait as along to get into what was Yelp rated as a top restaurant in Miami Beach. Ha… was I wrong.
You walk in and it was FILLED with people. There was definitely a palpable excitement or anticipation amongst all the other patrons that were there waiting to dig into a big pile of stone crabs. The restaurant is MASSIVE and it was still overflowing with people.
Doug and I made our way to the host who was taking people’s names to be seated. There was an hour and a half wait. Doug assured me it was worth it, so we put in our name, went to the bar, and got some drinks. Three drinks later, our names were called and we moved back to the staging area where they take you to your table.
The whole experience with the hosts was pretty crazy. You definitely had folks that were flashing hundred-dollar bills to the host in order to by pass the line and go directly to a table. I don’t think that I’d ever seen that before.
So… we got to our table. On the way you got to see, even more, how expansive the restaurant was. You could also tell how it was run like a very tight naval ship. All the food and drinks came out pretty smoothly and looked to be consistent and uniform with what everyone else was getting.
Since Doug paid for drinks, I bought a bottle of wine. Normally I don’t buy wine at restaurants because the markup is ridiculous. This wasn’t bad. I think we had an Albarino. It was an acidic wine that was very crisp and refreshing.
At Joe’s, you’re obviously getting stone crab claws but you can also order a variety of incredible sides. We got coleslaw, grilled tomatoes, and cornbread. The coleslaw came out first. Usually when I have coleslaw, it’s that typical cream based coleslaw that you get everywhere. This had a vinaigrette, which was delicious.
Next, with the rest of the sides, came the beloved stone crab claws. Unlike other crabs that I had in the past, these are served hot. They’re served cold, which is interesting. You peel off the shell and then just suck off as much of the delicious meat as possible. They give you this really tasty mustard with a kick and some butter sauce that you can choose to dip the claw meet in. I commented to my friend Doug that the crab claw was like an “adult popsicle.” :-p
I was definitely worth trying. I’m told by my friends that a lot of the stone crabs that you see throughout the East coast all come through Joe’s Stone Crab. So, it was especially rad to go to the source directly.
The cherry on top of the sundae for the evening was the key lime pie. It was everything that you want key lime pie to be. I can’t put the joy that the pie gave me into words. A week later, the though of the pie still puts a smile on my face. :-)
All in all, going to Joe’s Stone Crab was a really awesome experience and would be something that I’d recommend to everyone. It is a little expensive so it’s probably not something that you can do all the time but it’s worth going at least once.
The Old Toad, My Favorite Bar From College, Gets Featured in Slashfood
Posted by Justin Thorp in Beers, Restaurants on February 11th, 2010
I went to college at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY. When I became of legal drinking age, one of my first discoveries was the Rochester bar/English pub The Old Toad. It’s the perfect place for long conversations with friends over great beers. I have so many great memories there.
It was fun to see The Old Toad featured in the popular food blog Slashfood. Check it out…
For the past 20 years, the Old Toad has been a mainstay in the Rochester area and even has a regional claim to fame as the first bar in the eastern U.S. to serve cask ale. “We’re a British-inspired pub,” says bar manager Kevin Roman, explaining the reason for selling beer the way they do across the pond. “The Rochester community has taken to it. We see a lot of demand for cask.”
Boston’s Pizzeria Regina Is So Good I Dream About It
Posted by Justin Thorp in Restaurants, Travel on February 2nd, 2010
Not this weekend but last weekend, I was in Boston for work. The conference was on Saturday so I had some time on Sunday to explore and have fun before I came back to Washington, DC.
I decided to walk through Boston’s North End or what looked like ”Little Italy.” It was a lot of narrow and bumpy brick paved streets. Every corner had some type of shop, cafe or restaurant on it, most of which had some type of amazing smell emanating from it.
Now, I remember 2-3 years ago I was in Boston for a different conference and going to this pizzeria up on the North End but I didn’t remember what its name or where it was exactly. I just remembered that it was good, that it was in kind of back alley and that it was on the North End of the city.
And, like wise men getting guided to the stable by the star, I was led just out of muscle memory back to Pizzeria Regina. It’s at an intersection where three or 4 streets come together. None of them are particularly busy streets. You kind of felt like you were wondering through a series of back allies but you knew what was in there was going to be amazing because it was 11am on a Sunday and people were already lining up for it outside.
I decided that I’d come back a little bit later, get a spot at the bar, and enjoy some pizza for lunch. When I came back, it was just like I remembered it. The staff was doing everything that they could to stuff as many patrons into the restaurant as possible. They patrons knew what they were about get was going to be worth it. It was a delicious brick-oven pizza.
I ordered the white pizza. (I have an obsession with white pizza. I’m not sure why.) I got the small, which was PLENTY of food for one person. The mix of all the cheeses together with the very good crust in your mouth is just a magical combination. Really, how can you go wrong with anything with goat cheese on it? Hah!
All in all it was like $9 and another $4 for a beer. It was the perfect way to end a great trip.
The next time you’re in Boston, you need to seek out Pizzeria Regina. You won’t regret it.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pizzeria-regina-boston-4
Navigating A New City’s Food Scene With Yelp Mobile
Posted by Justin Thorp in New Things, Online Resources, Restaurants on January 31st, 2010
Lately, when I travel, one of the things I try really hard to do is avoid the restaurants that just appeal to the tourists and really go to the places where the locals go. I want to eat what’s going to give me a flavor of that local culture.
Now, I have had some success with doing this by just wandering. I remember when I was in NYC, I was looking for a cool indie non-Starbucks coffee shop. I happened to find my way to Think Coffee in Greenwich Village. I was very happy about this but it’s not easy to replicate.
Last weekend, I was in Boston, wasn’t meeting with friends that I could ask for recommendations for a few hours, so I decided to use Yelp on my iPhone as a way to guide my noise. I was looking for a good latte and a sandwich.
I found my way over to Cafe L’Aroma in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. I was thrilled with the results. Not only was I able to get a really quality latte, I was able to get a great sandwich. It was a turkey sandwich with this cranberry bread. Mmmmm… It was about $12 all together, which isn’t bad considering.
I was impressed with how Yelp was able to steer me in the right direction.
Have you used it before to find new places? How has it worked for you?
What Would You Name Your Restaurant?
Posted by Jonathan Tilley in Coffee Shops, Restaurants, Trends on January 30th, 2010
As I mentioned in my last post, one of the initial reasons I darkened the door of the Sacrificial Lamb Kebob and Pizza was the clever name. I like clever names for restaurants, cafes and shops, and I’ve often thought about what I would call my coffee shop, if I owned one. (admit it – you have too)
I especially like names with local flair – here in D.C., Hawk & Dove and the 18th Amendment come to mind. Literary references are cool too. Familiarity has bred contempt – I’m not a huge Starbucks fan, but the Moby Dick references helps you remember the coffee giant’s independent beginnings. Sometimes a name simply sounds cool. A bar/music club in Orlando, Florida (my hometown) was called, for reasons unknown to me, the Sapphire Supper Club. Before I moved away, they changed it to the Social, killing that delightfully alliterative example of pizzaz.
So, commenters, let’s hear it! What’s a great restaurant name? Has the name of a bar ever convinced you to drop in for a drink? If you owned a burger dive, a coffee house or a tapas bar, what would you name it?
New Kabob Shop in Dupont Circle
Posted by Jonathan Tilley in Buying Food, New Things, Restaurants, Uncategorized on January 30th, 2010
Like most Americans, the right sort of marketing will get me in the door. Last week, I forgot my usual packed lunch and was wandering the Dupont Circle neighborhood when I came across the Sacrificial Lamb, a new kabob and pizza joint on 17th and R, NW. It’s a basement deal with only counter seating inside (though it has a handsome patio, which I’m sure will be useful in the spring), but my love for Kabobs, the affectionate dinginess of the place (any restaurant that doesn’t look like it has a team of marketing experts determine the design is a plus in my book – unless of course the marketing guys figured that out and are using my useless quest for authenticity against me) and the name (that’s where I’m a sucker) drew me like a magnet. I like the thought that the sheep used to make my Kabob was ritually sacrificed (though this caused no small amount of controversy in the New Testament). In any case, a sheep was sacrificed so that I would pay someone a small amount of money to enjoy a tasty sandwich.
If you’ve read any of my previous posts, it would not surprise you that I my taste for Kebabs began in Germany. Germany has a significant Turkish minority, who wrapped Turkish meats and vegetables into flat-bread to serve as fast food to hungry Germans and other pale-skinned visitors. Doener Kebabs are available in any German town and train station, and, should you backpack Europe on a budget, they only cost 3 to 4 Euros (and as little as 1 Euro in the poor-but-sexy East).
According to the owner, the Sacrificial Lamb Kabobs are more South Asian – he described it as a hybrid of food you can find in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. (I believe he was from Pakistan) On my first visit, I ordered a Lamb Kabob and fries. The Kebab was delicious – more saucy and less spicy than its Turkish-German cousin. The meat was good, and the vegetables were not immaculate, but the whole combo was stupendous. I regret that I ordered a side of fries – these were no better than the fries in the back of your freezer and their more South Asian sides looked more appealing – particularly the spinach. Before I left, my host let me try the butter chicken, which was their opening special. Delicious – the chicken is wrapped in this tasty, tangy, slightly-spicy red sauce with none of the fried, high-fructose sweetness that you’ll find on the end of a toothpick in a shopping mall.
The butter chicken is exactly what I bought when I went back yesterday, this time with a side of spinach, rise and chickpeas. A tasty treat in a Styrofoam tray. It was still on special, which meant the whole thing was around about $6.75 – just under $10 when you throw in a diet Snapple plus tax. Non-special meals run about $10 on their own. As the name implies, they do have pizza there, which you can get cheaply by the slice, but frankly, like the fries, it did not look special or appetizing. I say, drop by, and see for yourself – but stick with the South Asian specialties. I may “forget” my lunch more often.
(PS: The owner is looking to rent a parking space in Dupont Circle – if anyone reading could help him out, give him a call at 202/797-2736. Order yourself some butter chicken, while you are at it)
In Boston This Weekend. Where Should I Go?
Posted by Justin Thorp in Coffee, Restaurants on January 21st, 2010
I’m in Boston, this weekend, for work. Where are all the cool food places that I should go?
I’ve been to Bull & Finch Pub before. Might stop by just to update my memory. I’ve been to Helmand the Afghan restaurant in Cambridge. It was amazing.
Where’s the cool street food, the cool beer places, or the cool indie coffee shops? Is there something like Blue Bottle Coffee or Peregrine Espresso in Boston?
Washington DC’s Next Restaurant Week from January 11th – 17th, 2010
Posted by Justin Thorp in Restaurants on December 26th, 2009
I’m excited. Restaurant Week in the Washington DC area is coming up again and is running from January 11th to the 17th, in over 200 DC area restaurants.
Restaurant Week is when you can go to any of these restaurants and get a 3 course dinner for $35.10 or a 3 course lunch for $20.10. This is a great opportunity to try something new or try something that may have been outside of your typical price range.
I know for me that all too often I just go out and eat all the same places. I eat the things that I know. It’s easy to get sucked into a routine. I love things like Restaurant Week because it gives you an excuse to try something new. For example, I’m not a big red meat & steak guy so we’re going to be using Restaurant Week to hit up Morton’s and get a BIG steak. 
Check out the article from the blog DC Foodies. They have some great tips about how to get the most out of Restaurant Week.
Cheeky Tastings: “Michael Mina”
Posted by Mark Drapeau in Famous Chefs, Restaurants on December 24th, 2009
If you live in Washington, DC you may be familiar with the restaurant Bourbon Steak in the Four Seasons in Georgetown. The chef is Michael Mina, whose star seems to be rising. I hadn’t heard of him until Bourbon Steak (of course, I’m not a professional restaurant reviewer…).
I recently had the opportunity to sample his resturant Stonehill Tavern in Dana Point, CA (south Orange County). It’s inside the St. Regis resort there, which is stunning in itself.
Stonehill feels a lot like Bourbon. It was probably designed by the same person. It’s modern, hip American with lots of dark wood and old-fashioned class. I went with a date. We had two glasses of champagne, for which there was really poor selection and frankly some outrageous pricing.
That out of the way, we had an amazing meal. Appetizers, dishes, and desert (pumpkin donuts!) were awesome. I had the sommelier bring me a glass of whatever red would go best with my pork chop, and it was perfect.
Michael Mina’s not cheap. But I think you get your money’s worth. And in this case, with a view of the ocean. If you’re in SoCal and want an elegant, expensive meal, try Stonehill Tavern.
Cheeky Tastings: “The Grille”
Posted by Mark Drapeau in Restaurants on November 16th, 2009
I had lunch with a good friend of mine at the Capital Grille near the Navy Memorial in DC the other day. I usually don’t have power lunches but this was just one of those Fridays, I suppose. We were eating at nearly 2pm. It had been a long week.
There’s a lot you could say about the Grille, from the bleached blondes at the bar scoping the room to the excellent staff waiting on your requests to the fact that the place was packed in the middle of a recession. But surely all that has been said before.
Two quick tasting notes. One, the “truffled fries” are insanely good. I’m not certain I’ve had them before. They’re really addictive. Unclear if a goal of the Grille is to make its customers fat but you almost cannot stop eating these things. There was also a sick side sauce in addition to the normal stuff. Sorry, I forget what it was.
Two, the hamburger apparently had bacon up in it. Good idea.
If you’re looking to blow a little money, perhaps have some wine, and have a nice power lunch with some hearty food [oh, the lobster bisque was great, too!] definitely try the Grille on Penn and 6th (or most any other Grille). It’s a little old-school and it’s filled with Washington’s power elite, but so what? Just think about the fries.
- Mark Drapeau
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