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Chinatown DC -- Cool / inexpensive Restruants?

There was a set first course, and you could choose from 4 options on courses 2, 3 and 4, and ther ewere two desert options. The drink pairings were really good. All were tequila or mezcal based and pretty unique, or at least different that what I see at most places around.

Are you taking applications for greek-like boy slaves? I could use a couple good meals like that.
 
OFY thanks for the review dkn. Bandolero tonight at 6:15!

You'll enjoy. I didn't want to give too much detail in my posts so that you could still be surprised by what you're getting.
 
so jelly. i cant wait till busy season is over, so the lady has some time to go out to meals.
 
Decided to tackle Little Serow next Wednesday. Looking forward to it.
 
enjoy. I want to get back, soon. Was slightly disappointed the other night when I went to eat some of my leftovers for dinner, and they didn't include one of the dishes I had boxed up, the wagyu curry with duck egg. It was awesome, but very rich, and I was getting full, so I knew it would make an awesome dinner the next night. I was given someone's ribs they had boxed up. oh well.
 
Bandolero was really cool. Enjoyed the crab meat taquitos and pork ribs the best. Drinks were very interesting. The margarita and City of Gold were probably the best. The drink with cucumber and mezcal was quite different. Will probably head back once the restaurant is open.

Went to Poste for the first time afterwards. Decent spot. Had an Aviation and a Corpse Reviver. Lady friend says the Aviation is better at the Four Seasons. Well aren't you fancy.
 
Got my Columbia Room reservations for a couple of weeks from now. Woot!
 
Bandolero was really cool. Enjoyed the crab meat taquitos and pork ribs the best. Drinks were very interesting. The margarita and City of Gold were probably the best. The drink with cucumber and mezcal was quite different. Will probably head back once the restaurant is open.

Went to Poste for the first time afterwards. Decent spot. Had an Aviation and a Corpse Reviver. Lady friend says the Aviation is better at the Four Seasons. Well aren't you fancy.

Glad you enjoyed too. I thought the City of Gold was really good as well.

So I went over to a friend's place yesterday and when I was in the lobby Mike Isabella walked out (turns out he lives in the same building) and so I stopped him and told him how much I enjoyed Bandolero. He seemed really appreciative and genuinely interested in our experience. He seems like a decent dude.
 
Man, it was awesome. Thanks for the rec. My gf loved it. They started us off with a welcome punch of apricot brandy/sage/blood orange and gave us unlimited refills on that. These are very basic descriptions of the dishes. Obviously they were much more nuanced.

Course 1:
Fried oysters with a barigoule sauce
Sparkling wine/absinthe

2:
NOLA BBQ Shrimp Pasta (awesome!)
Apricot/Gin

3:
Seafood bisque with scallop/lobster/shrimp sausage
Paired it with more of the punch

4:
"Fish sticks" with potato crusted swordfish and beet hash
vodka with beet syrup

5:
Smoked kobe beef tenderloin (duck for her) with jerk sweet potatoes and sweet potato hay
Mezcal/lime/spiced sweet potato puree

6:
Chocolatea -- choc mouse, almond toffee crust, caramel marshmallow fluff, earl grey ice cream, earl grey ganache
warm cocktail with pilsner, apple, and I believe brandy (we got several refills of this)

7:
Small ricotta doughnuts with lemon curd

Then the guy poured me a glass of bourbon "to aid digestion."

All told we left significantly drunk, but very satisfied. Got some details on Gina's new project because our bartender said he would be an opening manager there. Will be around 6th and Penn on the Hill, very casual, of course will have great cocktails. They apparently own an organic farm in MD and will be able to source much of their product from there. Targeted opening is either June or Sept, he said. Very excited since this is like a 5 min walk from my house.
 
How good was that smoked Tenderloin?
 
man it was great. I told them that she doesn't like beef, and lo and behold they came through with duck for her, which is her favorite protein. but our dishes were the same. the jerk sweet potato puree had Red Stripe in it. my favorite dish, though, was probably the shrimp pasta. love sucking the heads.
 
Little Serow was excellent. Picked a great day for it since it was warm for the outside wait, plus it wasn't overly crowded. Got in line at 5:15pm and made it into the first seating easily at 5:30.

They aren't kidding around about the spice, but I liked how they started normal, then the middle course was fire, then cooled off for the last two. The ribs in whiskey sauce were out of this world good, I could have handled about 4 plates of them.

Place is simple, not pretentious, not crazy expensive, and unlike anything else I've been to in DC. Hope it can live for a good while longer in its current form, although somehow I doubt it.
 
for me, the revelation was the crispy tofu salad. not a huge tofu guy, but it was just incredible.
 
Posted this on the CT but figured it's appropriate here:

Watching Drinking Made Easy, the DC episode. Decided to take notes this time.

Bars and Drinks...
Tune In- They specialize in ironic cocktails. They made a Bill Clinton, which was a creamy shot with a blue color (blue dress). Also made a Marion Berry, made of ice, blueberry vodka and coke. Ice = crack, coke = coke, blueberry for the last name Berry.
Round Robin Bar @ The Willard- Made a Mint Julep which has sugar, mint, whiskey, sparkling water and ice.
Bier Baron- Bar has 600 different beers. Made a Neopolian beer tale containing Framboise, Belgian White and Chocolate Stout.
Special guest from owner of DC Brau beers, bringing his IPA called Corruption.
COLUMBIA ROOM- Made a Gin Rickey, consisting of Lime Juice, Gin and Sparkling Mineral Water. Also made a Joe Rickey which is the same thing, but bourbon instead of gin.
Old Ebbitt Grill- Bar tending test.
The Gibson- Bonfire: Lemon Peel, Celerty Bitters, Orange Liquer, Rye Whiskey Infused with Bison Grass, Scotch, Chartreuse, More Scotch, Bonfire Shelter Perfume sprayed. Also made a Merry Travelar: Averna Amaro, St. Germaine, Peychaud's Bitters, Angostura Bitters, Grapefruit Twist and a Cinammon Stick. This place looks awesome and I've heard great things.
 
Tune Inn was on DDD and just reopened after a fire. I live just a few mins walk away but have never been. Have heard mixed reviews and whenever I walk by there's always sketchy dudes smoking out front. But it's supposed to be an institution so who knows. I do love Tortilla Cafe speaking of DDD, i usually go there once or twice a month.

They had a show called Heatseakers on Food Network tonight where they seek t hot food in one city per ep and DC was tonight. They went to Cava and got green Harissa--seems like they one they serve there is always red, but this intrigued me. Try then went to DC3 (hot dog place on Barracks Row owned by the Matchbox people) to get a spicy half smoke I've never seen on the menu (but they did get their bulgogi dog which is awesome). Finally theynhad a ghost chile chicken kabob from some Indian place in Clarendon.
 
So I'm going to the Columbia Room on Wednesday and I'm just wondering if the amount of food served constitutes dinner or if it really just a snack while you are boozing. Just curious if we need to plan on getting other food out as well.
 
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