My Favorite Things: Restaurants

This is the first in a series of my favorite things in various areas of life.

My favorite restaurants don't necessarily have the finest food, most professional service, or fantastic ambience - they're just my favorite places to go. Best, does not necessarily (but frequently does in my case) equal favorite. This list is also D.C. heavy, for obvious reasons.

In descending order:

5. The Vernon Inn (Greek - Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

I know, whuda thunk it. The best greek restaurant I've ever been to in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. But the fact that it's run by a dude named Basil should give you a hint that there's at least some authenticity here. (as I side note, I love greek food and have been to greek restaurants all over the place)

TVI serves the best saganaki I've had, and is a must get for an appetizer. Take a brick of Kaseri (sheep's milk) cheese, coat in flour, and then fry in butter for a few minutes on each side. Then they bring it out to the table, douse it with brandy and OOPAH! Crispy brown on the outside, gooey on the inside... cheesy goodness.

All the classic greek dishes are here - gyros, pastitsio, moussaka, dolmanthes (the spelling of which seems to vary by restaurant). The service is friendly (it's a family run operation) and the ambience is warm and modern.

4. Momofuku Ssam Bar (Hmm, we'll call this Korean street food, New York City's lower east side)

Momofuku Ssam is one of several restaurants by David Chang, who has taken the city by storm in recent years (and earned Chang a James Beard for Momofuku Ko - good luck getting a reservation).

I'm sure all of Chang's casual and accessible dishes at Ssam are good, but there is only one reason to go to Momofuku - the steamed pork buns. Frank Rich of the NYTimes has called this the finest sandwich in the city. Take an unbelievably soft steamed bun, top with hefty chunks of pork belly (a fatty, kind of brisquet, kind of bacon, porky goodness), then add hoisin, scallion, and cucumber. Excuse me, I think I just wet myself (and I didn't have to pee.)

Last time I was there you could get these in a "lunch box" with 2 buns (they are like sliders), pickles, and a drink (no diet coke). The pickles weren't Gerkins either, chopped fresh vegetables in a briney liquid that wasn't too sweet was a great accompaniment to the fatty pork.

Fair warning, all three of Chang's restaurants are incredibly hard to get into, and only Ko takes reservations (again, good luck with that). Waits in the narrow spaces can be in excess of 90 minutes for dinner, and while the staff is friendly enough, they know they don't need to go out of their way to keep this gravy train going.

Side notes: there is a raw bar, Ssam is open late, and you should try the Ramen at Chang's Noodle Bar (it doesn't come out of a little plastic bag)

3. 1789 (Classic American with some French Accents, Washington, D.C)

The single best meal I've ever had in my life may have been at 1789 this summer. During a summer coupon special no less. I've already posted the review of this restaurant previously on the site, so I'll just hit some high points.

The downstairs dining room can be a bit... stuffy. Luckily this is offset by the warm and approachable staff members, who are incredibly good at what they do. The staff did a nice job of greeting guests at the door, and were very good at suggestiong wines to accompany the courses. I especially appreciated the little innovative touches that kept this old guard restaurant fresh. Jacket required for gentleman. Good thing I'm not a gentleman.

2. Coastal Flats (Casual American with an emphasis on seafood, Tysons Corner, VA)

This restaurant is in a mall. And it's good. I'll give you a minute to wrap your brain around that.

Coastal Flats is part of the Great American chain, which has around 10 restaurants in the Northern Virginia area (there is a stand-alone CFs in Shirlington, but who would go to Shirlington when you can go to Tysons instead?). Great American is well known for their high standards of customer service - they're rumored to insist new hires sign a year-long service agreement so they don't waste money with their intensive training program on short-timers.

The so-called "Ozzy" rolls are the first great part about this place. These are basically just savory donuts, little fried balls of doughy goodness, that are served with a slightly sweet whipped butter. My favorite main course is the Shrimp and Creamy Grit Cakes. Based on a tasso cream sauce, the shrimp are served with slivered asparagus, pancetta, and triangles of smooth grits - just don't tell your cardiologist. An entree of beef tips on penne is served with a tequila cream sauce - they do tend to run out of these early in the evening.

The salads are all good, but some have said they don't care for the herb ranch dressing. I'm a big fan of the seared tuna salad and have also heard great things about the Goat Cheese salad. The crab cakes are excellent, though I'd ask the market price first (can be pretty freaking high) and are served with an addictive homemade coleslaw (they put pickle in it). My least favorite dish was the pecan trusted trout - the sweet sauce just didn't jive with the rest of the dish - in fact I found it almost revolting. I'm also not a big fan of the way they serve their wine.

On the sandwich side, the shrimp roll is good, the lobster roll is ok, but its worth the extra dollar to sub up from the skinny french fries - either with the coleslaw, or if they have them as the vegetable, heirloom tomatoes with black pepper and balsamic dressing. As a tip - some days they have tuna burgers, but they are almost always gone by the end of lunch. These are amazing, definately worth asking about. Oh, and don't skip dessert.

1. Michel Richard Central (French/American Bistro, Washington, D.C.)

The youger, more casual, and somewhat cheaper sibling restaurant of Richard's establishment restaurant Citronelle, Central burst on the scene two years ago and was quickly named one of the top ten restaurants in the country by The New York Times and the fine folks at James Beard.

I also posted a review of this previously, but some highlights: Best tartare I've ever had, though it oddly is not served with crackers. The burgers (beef, tuna, and lobster) are famous, and rightly so. The fried chicken is definately not from Kentucky, and the faux gras is a tasty and more humane alternative to the goose liver standby. Rumor has it the folks at Nestle bristled at Richard calling his dessert the Kit Kat, as it is sooooooo much better than theirs, but now you must go and order Richard's "chocolate bar" (same thing). Great bar scene and hip customers can, if you try to look past it, make up for the sometimes lacking service.