if you can't beat 'em...

So as mentioned previously, I was a little annoyed that we were left off Washingtonian's list of the 100 Best Restaurants in the D.C. area.  I mean, I'm not saying we're better than Komi and need to be #1, I just think that we're better than some of the things that happened to make it on the list.  I also noticed that there were only two places east of the Capitol on the entire list, so that says something as well.

However, after some soul-searching, I decided to be less ticked and channel my energy into something more productive — like making sure we get on that list next year.  I think there are a number of ways we can accomplish this.  One of them is making sure that we step up our game with the entree portion of the menu.  Everyone knows our mussels and fries are good and are, in the eyes of many, the best in DC.  But we can't make it on to the list with just mussels and fries.  I want to step up the game with our sandwiches although they are consistently really delicious.  But the biggest difference I noted, just from reading about the places that did make the list, was that our appetizers and entrees need to be taken up a notch or two.

Accomplishing that goal is going to come from a lot of things: menu changes, making sure we keep on track with the weekly chef meetings to plan out our orders of proteins and kick around ideas for specials, encouraging creativity and innovation among the other cooks, and making it clear that it's not okay to just send out a good dish but that it has to happen on a consistent basis with an emphasis on great presentation.

But one other part of my multi-faceted strategy for stepping up our game and making that list is to eat at as many of the spots that made it as I can to get a sense of what they do, how we compare, what lessons can be learned, and maybe even pick up a few ideas to bring back into our kitchen.  So far in the last two days, I've gone to two.

#100: Marvin

So I was really looking forward to this spot for a two reasons: 1) it was #100 meaning it was the last place to make the cut and 2) one of their signatures is offering several preparations of moules frites.  I went Sunday night before heading to a show at the 9:30 Club and we were seated within 5 minutes of arriving.  The decor is really hip with kind of a sleek urban vibe.  The noise level was actually a lot better than many other hip spots but maybe that's just because this was a Sunday and the snow outside was keeping the crowds away.

I decided to forego having a drink since I was on my way to the show and there would be plenty of booze there.  Neither I nor my dinner companion were super hungry and so we didn't mess around with appetizers and got right down to entrees.  He got the mussels with white wine, shallots, and fennel and I got the famous chicken and waffles.

The food came out relatively quickly and I was eagerly awaiting the verdict on the mussels.  My friend is a diehard fan of Granville's and our mussels and since I really can't eat a full order of mussels anymore (you try eating a bowl of them when most of your days are spent cleaning them, cooking them, and generally consumed with all things moules), I figured I'd let him order the moules frite and tell me how our fries and mussels compare.  His verdict: their actual mussels taste more like mussels whereas our broth takes on a lot more flavor and our mussels also have a lot more of the flavor of what's in the broth.  Basically their mussels and their broth are like two separate dishes whereas ours are a bit more connected.  

I suspect this is because of a difference in cooking methods.  Ninety-percent of places will cook mussels by steaming them in a pan with a lid.  This traps all of the water that would otherwise evaporate as the wine, beer, or whatever cooking liquid is being used comes to a boil.  So the mussels are steamed open and then the whole dish is plated by basically dumping everything in a bowl.  Our mussels are different.  We cook ours in an open sautée pan and toss the mussels around frequently to coat them with the hot broth.  This helps them open but I think it's also why the flavor of the sauce tends to infuse our mussels really well.

As for the frites...well, few things make me as sad as having frites that are less than spectacular. These, sadly, fell into that category.  The color was good, they were pillowy on the inside, but they lacked that crisp outside that I love and they could have been hotter too.  The fries at Marvin come with three dipping sauces: a horseradish mayo that I loved, a curry mayo that was way too eggy and sticky, and catsup.  

But, while Marvin gets acclaim for it's moules frites, the dish I was really looking forward to was the fried chicken and waffles.  This is the dish that gets rave reviews and, well, let's be honest, it's fried chicken.  How can you really go wrong with that?  And this dish had a lot of my favorite things on one plate: country fried chicken breast, Belgian waffle, white gravy, collard greens, and even a ramekin of maple syrup should you want a little sweetness.  After cleaning the plate completely, I have to say that I loved a lot about this dish and found only one thing that I would have changed.  The chicken was perfectly cooked.  Really crunchy outside and super moist inside.  It was resting on top of a soft, slightly sweet, golden brown waffle.  The white gravy underneath was great and I only wish there was more of it.  Midway through I poured the syrup all over the whole thing and I really loved the flavor of the salty chicken, the rich gravy and the sweet syrup and waffle.  The only thing I would have changed with this dish was the collard greens.  

Being from the South I have pretty specific ideas of what I want in collard greens.  The ideal serving of greens should be tender and slightly bitter (Marvin gets both of these right).  Where they missed was the acid and the smoked meat flavor.  I usually make my greens with either a smoked ham hock or some slab bacon.  If neither of those are available, then a smoked turkey leg works well.  But to me, collard greens thrive when their earthy bitterness goes up against that rich, smokey flavor.  And what balances it all out is acid.  I usually add in some apple cider vinegar before the greens have completely wilted so that much of the vinegar cooks down but still leaves behind a bright acidic finish.  However, other than that, I would say the chicken and waffles were pretty amazing.  On the whole, Marvin gets a decent rating from me.  The mussels (the two I tried) were tasty but I like more of the flavors from the broth to infuse the mussels, the fries were disappointing as was the curry mayo, the chicken was perfection as was the waffle and the gravy, and the collards were certainly decent although not perfect.

#6: Restaurant Eve

So within a twenty four hour span I went from sitting at the #100 restaurant to sitting at the #6.  I think it was a really neat experience because one of the things I noticed is that so much of what makes a truly great restaurant great is little details.  Restaurant Eve rarely misses on the details from the stellar drinks, each placed on the appropriate side (right hand side) of the guest, to making sure silverware was replaced between courses to the tiny garnishes like the fried capers on a salad that don't seem like much but if they weren't there the whole dish would be different.

I went with a good friend of mine who is a fellow foodie and who had just returned from a trip to NYC where she had the 9 course tasting menu at Le Bernardin so I figured she'd have a really great standard of comparison.  Especially since both courses she ordered included seafood.  But let's start at the beginning.

I definitely was not going to forego drinks here.  In addition to a great wine list, Restaurant Eve is home to Todd Thrasher, one of the best mixologists (aka fancy bartenders) in the country.  So a cocktail was definitely on the agenda.  I ordered "The Cure All" which is a palate-pleasing blend of Hendricks gin, Blanco tequila, tumeric, and basil coconut water.  The first taste of the drink is sweet with the tequila and coconut being the dominant flavors.  The second sip is a more developed taste that starts sweet, has an earthy middle from the tumeric, and finishes with a crispness from the cucumber in the Hendricks and the hint of basil.  My friend had the Molly Delicious, a smooth concoction of house-made apple cider, Calvados, and Makers Mark.  Bourbon and apple were made for each other and this drink proves why.  There's something about that combination that is just so refreshing and earthy at the same time.

For our first course, we both had the evening's salad special: bibb lettuce, fried fresh sardines from Maine, hard-boiled quail egg, fried capers, and a creamy dressing of some sort (I wish I had remembered to ask).  The salad was delicious.  The sardines were perfectly crisp and with a light ocean flavor that was not fishy at all.  The bibb lettuce was delicate enough to let all the other flavors shine and the fried capers made this dish.  That little bit of crunchy, briny flavor was the perfect garnish.  Like I said, it's all in the details.

On to the main course.  My friend had the rockfish over creamy polenta and swiss chard with a lobster butter.  The fish was expertly seared with a beautiful brown crust on the outside and a supremely moist interior.  The bitterness of the chard paired well with the meaty rockfish and creamy polenta.  I opted to go with the pan friend veal sweetbreads served on a bed of parsnip, bacon, roasted cipollini onions, wilted greens, and a whole grain mustard sauce.  This dish was heaven.  I would eat this every day if I could.  The sweetbreads were so crisp but so buttery inside and the tangy mustard sauce along with the sweetness from the parsnips and cipollinis was just amazing.  This was probably one of the best dishes I've had and I was really glad I went with the sweetbreads.  Given Cathal Armstrong's reputation for amazing preparations of offal I figured the sweetbreads would be great but they were still just so sublime.

After that main course, it would be hard for any dessert to compare since I'm not much of a sweet tooth but we decided to at least try something.  So we went with the banana creme tart with cocoa nib ice cream and caramel.  It was a really nice, light dessert and a good end to the meal.  

All in all I'd say that Restaurant Eve more than deserves it's #6 ranking.  The details here are never overlooked and it means that the entire experience is one of great pleasure.  

So that concludes part one of what I'm sure will be many posts as I continue to try out the best the DC dining scene has to offer.