# who's in the DC area?



## panda

just took a job at the W hotel in DC, will be moving there next month, would like to meet up with some KKFers. will try to get knyfeknerd to come visit often as well.


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## Bill13

I live in Arlington, VA about 5 blocks from the hospital and a mile from the East Falls Church Metro stop. I would be happy to meet up somewhere or have some people over. I've bought way too much wine recently - I need to start drinking up some of the older stuff


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## tkern

Chris mentioned you were thinking about DC. Welcome.


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## ChefCosta

I'm in DC, Head Chef at Zaytinya. If you're going to work at Pinea at the W, say hello to Barry for me. He's a great guy and an excellent teacher.


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## Dardeau

Keep us informed, the restaurant looks like it will be an excellent place to work.


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## panda

i'm a restaurant guy at heart, but i need banquet experience so will be doing that primarily. however, i'll be filling in @ pinea once in a while.

bill, tkern, costa, lets set something up where we can all get together sometime next month? like showing me where all the great spots to eat are at  for example, i want some fresh blue crab!


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## WildBoar

I can make it easy -- eat at tkern's place, costa's place and chuckthebutcher's place. Then head to Baltimore, Hon, and eat at marc4pt0's place. Plenty of other places in the DC area, too. Any idea yet where you will be living?


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## panda

well sure i'll be doing that in due time, but i mean the hidden gem spots that are good for one item. best place for pho, best place for pizza, ribs, etc. no clue where to live, would like to stay in the city but not pour half my pay into rent either, i dont mind living in less savory neighborhoods.


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## toddnmd

panda said:


> like showing me where all the great spots to eat are at  for example, i want some fresh blue crab!


The Seafood Market in Southwest! Or you can head out to some places around Annapolis and eat next to the water.

A few cool restaurants (too cool to take reservations--you stand in line before they open, or show up, put your name on the list, and wait a couple hours for a table): Toki Underground (ramen), Little Serow (Thai--Northeastern), and Rose's Luxury.

I'm out in Rockville--there are some good Chinese places out this way.


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## tkern

It would be nice to get together. Costa, Todd, etc and I still haven't met. Is Panda's incoming becoming the DC gathering foretold in other threads?


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## WildBoar

Youse pro guys are the ones who throw a wrench into this, as some of you are off on Wednesdays, some Thursday and some Mondays. And NONE of you on weekend days. It will likely take a series of dinners, etc. so all can meet.

Hidden gem spots... That's gotten tougher the last few years as the food scene in the area has finally blossomed. The ramen and Thai places Todd mentioned are some of what is probably only a handful in DC, as the City has been getting taken over by celebrity chefs, etc. But those two places are small, and typically have long waits. Some areas such as Adams Morgan have a nice mix of tiny ethnic places. Up-and-coming areas like Brightwood, Shaw, etc. are starting to see some nice 'modern american' types of places open. There are some ethnic standouts in DC still, such as Ethiopian, but most are in the Va and Md suburbs. Pho restaurants abound, as do Peruvian chicken and Salvadorian places. Pizza is everywhere, with a handful of standouts peppered through DC plus an odd one here or there in Arlington and Falls Church.

The areas where the 20&30-somethings have flocked have a lot of dining options, many of which are very solid, although not outstanding. The beer list is often a big selling point on these places.

Your ability to travel around the area a bit will likely drive developing a good list of must-trys.


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## toddnmd

Yeah, I hope a get-together happens, and preferably sooner rather than later. 

I feel remiss that I have still not made it to Art and Soul. And I'm certainly overdue for returns back to Zaytinya and Green Pig Bistro.


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## Adirondack

Hey, Panda. Come to Annapolis and I'll find you some blue crabs and we can fantasy football trash talk. Looks like we face off week 6. Sad to say I have yet to make it to anyone's restaurant yet. Get to B'more more often than DC and Marc's is on my list.


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## panda

how far is that?


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## 99Limited

panda said:


> how far is that?



Too far to walk, that's for sure. You need to go there though. Annapolis is a great little town.


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## panda

i hate driving, is it accessible via train or bus from DC? lol


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## Adirondack

There might be a bus from the New Carrollton Metro station to Annapolis.


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## tkern

I'll shuttle to Annapolis. The soon to be missus and I are getting married there next October.


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## knyfeknerd

Nah man, driving in DC is a breeze!


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## tkern

knyfeknerd said:


> Nah man, driving in DC is a breeze!



You, my good man, are a liar.


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## JDA_NC

knyfeknerd said:


> Nah man, driving in DC is a breeze!



It's something I like to do to relax.

The light traffic, respectful driving habits, lack of construction, and easy-to-understand layout.... ahhh, I love it.


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## Adirondack

If you want the fresh off the boat, creek view, brown paper tablecloth, whack with a mallet, lick the spice off your fingers experience I'd suggest Cantler's.


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## tkern

Just ate at Cantler's a couple weeks ago. Definitely some crab massacring going on there.


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## Bill13

I don't like crabs but if the Annapolis trip does not pan out I can offer fresh crabs. My Dad lives on a tributary (Mill Creek) to the bay down in the Northern Neck and is friends with several of the smaller crabbers. If we came up with a date I could have him come up with crabs that were caught that day, Oysters too. He grows his own oysters but his are too small right now. Maybe an afternoon would work better since evenings are hard; or maybe a Mon when some restaurants are closed.


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## panda

i like that plan bill, maybe others would join in on a day of pigging out on crabs.


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## toddnmd

Bill13 said:


> I don't like crabs but if the Annapolis trip does not pan out I can offer fresh crabs. My Dad lives on a tributary (Mill Creek) to the bay down in the Northern Neck and is friends with several of the smaller crabbers. If we came up with a date I could have him come up with crabs that were caught that day, Oysters too. He grows his own oysters but his are too small right now. Maybe an afternoon would work better since evenings are hard; or maybe a Mon when some restaurants are closed.



That sounds totally awesome! I would love to join in an event like this. Or find a direct local source for fresh crabs and oysters!


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## Bill13

So panda were you thinking mid October? If this is going to happen I need a week or so to make sure I can get my Dad up here with the goods (that sounds illegal). That would also mean a pretty accurate head count. They are cheaper down there, but still not cheap

Steamed Crabs, raw oysters, grilled oysters, beer (lot's of beer), maybe some strip steaks and red wine. I'm drooling at the thought.


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## tkern

I'm up for some crabs, oysters and beer.


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## Bill13

tkern said:


> I'm up for some crabs, oysters and beer.



No wine? I've got some Turley Hayne Zin waiting to be opened.


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## WildBoar

I did a little recon today. Chef Costa/ Zaytina still kick serious butt. Plus Mike had a giant kuro-ichi knive he just brought back from Turkey. Once again we threw ourselves at the chefs' mercy, and we must have had close to 20 plates. It was the first time my mom experienced how the pros here on KKF welcome forum members to their restaurants. :cool2:


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## DaninMD

Im in Annapolis as well and get to DC every once in a while but havent tried many of the restaurants recommended in this thread. definitely need to try a few.


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## Mucho Bocho

WildBoar said:


> I did a little recon today. Chef Costa/ Zaytina still kick serious butt. Plus Mike had a giant kuro-ichi knive he just brought back from Turkey. Once again we threw ourselves at the chefs' mercy, and we must have had close to 20 plates. It was the first time my mom experienced how the pros here on KKF welcome forum members to their restaurants. :cool2:



Dave, my girl and I still talk about the dinner Mike Costa provided us this April. It's still the dining experience that all others are measured. We'll be back this spring for another visit. My youngest daughter (8YO) still talks about the grilled octopus. She said daddy I love you but I'm not sharing the octopus with you, ok


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## WildBoar

panda update???? Your avatar says you are in DC now...

Bill, we hit Zaytinya again about 1-1/2 weeks ago when rogue108 came to town. Mike was working the floor and was able to spend some time talking with us. The wife is going this Sunday to see Mario Batali talk about his new cookbook, and to eat some of the dishes from the cookbook prepared by Mika and his staff. Geeze, we've eaten there more the last 6 months then the total amount of times we ate out at all in 2013. I need to balance things by visiting tkern again.


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## panda

Living in south riding, tied up with work crazy busy.. Looking like its gonna be like this for a while too.


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## tkern

WildBoar said:


> panda update???? Your avatar says you are in DC now...
> 
> Bill, we hit Zaytinya again about 1-1/2 weeks ago when rogue108 came to town. Mike was working the floor and was able to spend some time talking with us. The wife is going this Sunday to see Mario Batali talk about his new cookbook, and to eat some of the dishes from the cookbook prepared by Mika and his staff. Geeze, we've eaten there more the last 6 months then the total amount of times we ate out at all in 2013. I need to balance things by visiting tkern again.



Yeah, you do.


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## WildBoar

panda said:


> Living in south riding, tied up with work crazy busy.. Looking like its gonna be like this for a while too.


Working in DC or somewhere in NoVa? If DC, welcome to the wonderful world of DC traffic.



tkern said:


> Yeah, you do.


Best bet at this point is likely an early dinner on a Sunday. Luca seems to have a tolerance for hanging out a bit if it spans his dinner time. Plus he can go back to the walk-in and play with the pig heads.


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## tkern

WildBoar said:


> Best bet at this point is likely an early dinner on a Sunday. Luca seems to have a tolerance for hanging out a bit if it spans his dinner time. Plus he can go back to the walk-in and play with the pig heads.



Roscoe is always welcome. I'll give him a ball of caul fat to play with. Kids love that sort of stuff.


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## knyfeknerd

panda's working just a block from The White House.


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## panda

The traffic is ridiculous. Takes half hour just to drive to the metro station, and then the hub is cluttered like an ant farm full of people.


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## tkern

Panda, what neighborhood in DC did you find a place to live?


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## panda

I'm staying in south riding, virginia temporarily . Looking for a place in chantilly.


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## WildBoar

Man, that's one of the toughest spots to get to as a commuter, even if you don't start work until a bit past rush hour.

There are quite a few good restaurants in Mr. Obama's neighborhood these days, but you will earn extra bonus points if a) the place is called Equinox, and b) you like to frequently host KKF members :biggrin: Please shoot me a PM once you are settled in at the restaurant and let me know which place it is; we'll try to visit sometime in November. And if you need assistance, information, etc. on anything in the area, please feel free to ask. Oh, and your restaurant is probably not more than a few blocks from ChefCosta at Zaytinya. Maybe us non-pro KKF members can arrange a restaurant version of a pub crawl at some point.


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## tkern

Uber is a wonderful tool to utilize


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## knyfeknerd

Foo fighters are playing at the black cat this Friday. Tickets go on sale at 6 today at the venue. Cash only. . Lucky bastards. I'll have to settle for the " American Idol" show that rolls through. Charlotte sucks!


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## Bill13

knyfeknerd said:


> Foo fighters are playing at the black cat this Friday. Tickets go on sale at 6 today at the venue. Cash only. . Lucky bastards. I'll have to settle for the " American Idol" show that rolls through. Charlotte sucks!



David Grohl a local boy who hits it big. To busy/tired to go. Not sure which is worse; living somewhere you don't get these shows or living where the shows are but not being able to go?


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## panda

I would gladly host if I was at the restaurant, unfortunately I am in banquets. When things slow down, I will make it out to all the local area chefs establishments for sure.


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## Adirondack

Bill13 said:


> David Grohl a local boy who hits it big. To busy/tired to go. Not sure which is worse; living somewhere you don't get these shows or living where the shows are but not being able to go?



Dave Grohl heads over to a restaurant near me fairly frequently when he is town. A friend of my son's works there and we get Dave sightings from her.


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## panda

Sadly the only place in the city I've ate at so far (been here a month) is daikaya ramen house because I took an extended lunch break. But oh man that was the best ramen I've ever tried! Afreakingmazing.

A restaurant crawl would be great.


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## riba

I'll be visiting DC for work in a week - I will definitely use this thread to guide me in the eve, thanks!


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## WildBoar

How long will you be in town? Might be able to pull a few KKFers together for a dinner one night.


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## toddnmd

Maybe get to Art and Soul before tkern leaves?


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## riba

WildBoar said:


> How long will you be in town? Might be able to pull a few KKFers together for a dinner one night.


I'll be in town only shortly (fly in -probably rather jet lagged  - on Saturday (14/11) and go back on Wednesday (19/11)), I am definitely in for meeting up!


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## WildBoar

Sorry for not following up earlier this week. Sunday and Tuesday are possibilities for dinner. Do you have a working cell phone here, or just email/ PMs?


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## riba

WildBoar said:


> Sorry for not following up earlier this week. Sunday and Tuesday are possibilities for dinner. Do you have a working cell phone here, or just email/ PMs?


Pb sent


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## panda

Traffic/commute is killing me!! Completely lost it this morning because not only was it congested beyond belief, but a vehicle in front of me slowed to a crawl through a green light with no other cars ahead. What made it worse is have on brand new pair of leather shoes so you add discomfort stress and it's almost going hulk time.


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## tkern

panda said:


> Traffic/commute is killing me!! Completely lost it this morning because not only was it congested beyond belief, but a vehicle in front of me slowed to a crawl through a green light with no other cars ahead. What made it worse is have on brand new pair of leather shoes so you add discomfort stress and it's almost going hulk time.



You need copious amounts of beer and pig.


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## WildBoar

WildBoar said:


> Man, that's one of the toughest spots to get to as a commuter, even if you don't start work until a bit past rush hour.


Yeah, you have a really, really tough one. I feel for you. Agreed on the pig, but I would suggest gin in lieu of beer.


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## knyfeknerd

WildBoar said:


> Yeah, you have a really, really tough one. I feel for you. Agreed on the pig, but I would suggest gin in lieu of beer.



Bourbon is always the answer.


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## Dardeau

knyfeknerd said:


> Bourbon is always the answer.



Truth saying


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## panda

Indeed, to cope with the cold I'm drinking four roses.


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## knyfeknerd

panda said:


> Indeed, to cope with the cold I'm drinking four roses.


They have a special barrel of Four Roses at Art & Soul. Just sayin'........................
.........it beats the hell outta PBR.


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## tkern

knyfeknerd said:


> They have a special barrel of Four Roses at Art & Soul. Just sayin'........................
> .........it beats the hell outta PBR.



I'm torn between supporting our specialized Four Roses and my love of PBR


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## WildBoar

pffft, that's a no-brainer. Punt the hipster PBR and go for the booze


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## tkern

Don't blame the beer for hipsters ruining its fine reputation.


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## CoqaVin

haha damn hipsters


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## knyfeknerd

I used to be able to stomach it. However, I went out on Monday night and downed 3 tall boys(24 oz) at a show. I felt like I had been poisoned the next day. Not a hangover, mind you no headache, etc. Just felt like dog piss all day. No more Pabst for me!


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## tkern

knyfeknerd said:


> I used to be able to stomach it. However, I went out on Monday night and downed 3 tall boys(24 oz) at a show. I felt like I had been poisoned the next day. Not a hangover, mind you no headache, etc. Just felt like dog piss all day. No more Pabst for me!



More slander against PBR. I call into question the other food and beverage choices you made that day along with how well you're keeping up with your pro-biotic health.

I had 3 tall boys yesterday along with a few pints of whiskey at a bourbon and bacon event and I awoke this morning feeling like a god. True, a god that couldn't remember where the keys were, why my pants were in the living room and why there is something sticky on the floor.


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## JDA_NC

knyfeknerd said:


> I used to be able to stomach it. However, I went out on Monday night and downed 3 tall boys(24 oz) at a show. I felt like I had been poisoned the next day. Not a hangover, mind you no headache, etc. Just felt like dog piss all day. No more Pabst for me!



I'm right there with you. For my first kitchen job, when I was still underage, they gave us PBR as a shift beer. So it had a special place in my heart (and wallet) and I drank tons of it when I was younger. I can't drink it at all anymore though. I feel like it happened over night, I bought a 6 pack of tall boy's one day and I couldn't make it past the second. Too chemically feeling for me. And I still love affordable, ice cold beer (more than expensive micro-brews TBH)... but give me a Schlitz, Yuengling or Bud Heavy any day of the week.

High Life is another for me. I used to drink that like it was water (because it mostly is...) and I'm not sure I could finish one nowadays.


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## Dardeau

I just keep coming back to high life. It was my shift beer for so many years that it is just a part of my life. A high life a day keeps the crazies at bay.


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## labor of love

Schlitz is boss. But if funds are available usually I will get something nicer. Usually thats not the case.


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## labor of love

Chang got our backs. http://www.gq.com/life/food/201410/david-chang-cheap-beer


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## panda

I can attest to that, go through a lot of cases of miller lite.


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## panda

Finally made it over to art & soul. Their four roses blend is phenomenal, even better than blantons!!


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## WildBoar

We're going to try and get by A&S for an early Sunday dinner, probably on Dec 14, if anyone is interested in joining.


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## strumke

Just want to say hi to all... I'm in DC (NE, near Union Market). I'm not a pro chef, just an enthusiastic home cook. Looks like I've eaten the food from of few of you (Zaytinia, Art & Soul)... what other restaurants around here do folks work at?


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## WildBoar

tkern is now at Boundary Stone on Rhode Island Ave, which is right in your backyard. Not many other DC-area restaurants represented here, but I think the ranks are slowly building.


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## strumke

I've heard great things about Boundary Stone. It's definitely on the list for a visit.

I'm looking forward to a DC area event. Sips & Suppers sounds awesome, but our first child is coming any day now, so it's a bit difficult to plan for the event.


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