Dinner at Perry's

Perry's Restaurant in Adams Morgan has the best rooftop dinning in Washington. Sitting under the Christmas lights on Perry's roof deck on a balmy night, looking out over the city with a beautiful platter of fresh sushi in front of you, few things come close to topping the experience.  Luckily for me, this was my Saturday night.  

You'd never know it from the outside, or even once you step inside, what's in store for you up on the rooftop.  The setting always makes me think of being on a boat.  Not in a sea sick kind of way, but in a everything is beautiful and clean and fresh looking kind of way.  Once you are seated up on that roof, its hard to remember that you're in Adams Morgan.  Actually its hard to remember that you're in Washington DC, and not out in the ocean somewhere with a sea breeze lazily blowing through your hair.

The one thing about Perry's that causes endless stress however, is trying to get a table.  On a warm Washington night, a rooftop table is a very coveted thing (think Kate Moss's clothing line at Top Shop, or if that means nothing to you, think finding a parking spot for your hummer on Saturday night on 18th Street).  Compounding the problem of table space, is the restaurant's strict reservations policy.  They don't take reservations after 7:00pm.  So my advice is to get there before 7:00 or be prepared to get good and drunk at the bar while you wait for a table.

Perry's has both a fine dining menu, and a sushi menu.  Everything I have ever eaten here has been good.  I usually stick with sushi, but this time Julia ordered crab cakes off of the other menu to start, and let me tell you, they were outstanding.  The sushi is fresh and imaginative and delicious.  And even better its affordable.  The other menu looks amazing all kinds of gourmet appetizers, poached peaches with goat cheese and delicious sounding fish and chicken and steak dishes. Those are on the pricier side, in the $30 - &40 range for entrees.

They have a fancy $10 a pop cocktail menu, but I would steer clear of it.  I sampled the white sangria, and the pomegranatini and wasn't impressed by either.  Their wine selection on the other hand is great, and other drinks from the bar are more reasonably priced.

We ordered a peach cobbler for dessert which was served with browned butter ice cream.  It was outstanding, and they serve the best espresso I've ever had at a sushi restaurant.

I would recommend going here if you are looking for a romantic evening in a beautiful setting, or for a special occasion, or just for drinks, or just for dessert, or if you've had a long day, or really I'd recommend it for any day of the week if its warm out, because its a lovely lovely place to eat.

The food is fresh and consistently delicious, the service is professional and friendly, and the setting is picturesque.  Perry's gets an 8.5 out of ten which equals 4.25 out of 5 stars on my rating scale.

Perry's is located at1811 Columbia Road NW (on Coumbia near 18th). Phone: 202-234-6218
Perry's website

Dinner at Al Tiramisu

Al Tiramisu is where you should go for dinner.  I am not a huge fan of Italian food, I usually think: why pay $20 for a plate of pasta when I can make it just as well at home for $1.75?  But this is truly a good restaurant.  I've walked past it a million times, and every single review I've read about it has been sparkling.  So I thought I'd give it a shot.  It was the best decision I made all week.  

The restaurant is small and unassuming.  The staff is friendly and professional.  The atmosphere is warm and inviting.  And the food. . . the food is delicious.  

There were two in my party.  Julia (who it would seem is becoming my regular dining partner for the purposes of this blog. . . actually, that is pretty much a lie.  She has been my regular dinning partner for the last ten years) and I made plans to meet at the restaurant 9:00pm.  I called ahead and asked if we'd need a reservation for two at 9:00pm on a Tuesday, and the deep Italian accent on the other end of the line said "its always better to make a reservation."  So I did.  We arrived at nine, and the same deep Italian voice greeted us with a very bright "bona serra!" once we stepped inside.  We were lead through the small homey dining room to a table near the back along the wall.  

As soon as we sat down, we were offered still or sparkling water and presented with a basket of assorted breads with olive oil and a little pot of chopped olives.  Our waiter (who also had a lovely Italian accent) told us about the specials, which consisted of a surprisingly wide variety of seafood along with a few beef and pork options.  We ordered some red wine, and took our time looking over the menu.  

The shaved fennel and orange wedge salad caught my eye, and Julia opted for the buffalo mozzarella and eggplant to start.  Our first courses were wonderful.  Light, flavorful, and fresh.  The fennel was mild and delicious, dressed lightly with oil and lemon and paired perfectly with sweet succulent sections of juicy orange.  

For the second course, we both decided on the ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese, served in a butter and sage sauce.  It was absolutely divine.  The pasta tasted fresh enough to be homemade (and they do make some of their pastas in house) and the warm flavor of the butter and sage sauce complimented the spinach and creamy ricotta perfectly.  The portion was a little to big to finish, but not quite big enough to take left overs home.  

After digesting for a few minutes we took our waiter's advice and agreed to peruse the dessert menu.  Everything sounded amazing, and after being so impressed with dinner, it was difficult to choose which confection to end the meal with.  I went for the custard with berries, and Julia chose the chocolate custard with amaretto cookies.  I must say mine was better, but they were both delicious, and presented very artfully, topped with little slivers of chocolate, and decorated with interesting fruity sauces.  

All in all, this dinning experience was wonderful.  I would give it eight out of ten, which merits four out of five stars on my rating scale.  It would be perfect for a date.  Or anytime you want an above average dinning experience.

Al Tiramisu serves dinner seven days a week, and lunch Monday through Friday. Reservations are recommended for dinner. The restaurant is located at 2014 P ST. NW (on P street between 20th and 21st). PH: 202/467/4466. Al Tiramisu webpage

Brunch at Rosemary's Thyme

So it wasn't dinner, but it was a meal out nonetheless. In my three years here in DC, I've noticed that just about every restaurant does their own version of brunch. Rosemary's Thyme is no exception. Although it is a Mediterranean restaurant during the week, their brunch consists of the normal fare, Eggs Benedict, pancakes, Bloody Mary's etc. Heed this wise advise: just because a restaurant offers brunch, it does not mean you would actually want to eat it.

I was meeting some friends, and we'd decided we wanted an easy no fuss kind of place. Rosemary's Thyme has ample indoor and outdoor seating, so we figured late on a Saturday there wouldn't be much of a wait. We arrived at the 18th street eatery around one in the afternoon. After 10 minutes or so of standing around, the hostess led us back through a very crowded patio to our table. The tables and chairs outside are gigantic. Big heavy wooden things that take up an incredible amount of space, making it difficult to maneuver. Once we were seated though, the four of us had plenty of space to spread out around our massive picnic style table with benches.

Our waiter was on the ball. Possibly the most redeeming thing about the experience. He brought us nice tall glasses of ice water as soon as we were seated, along with some heated bread with butter and strawberry jam. I ordered an orange juice which was delicious, perfect on a hot day. It tasted fresh and was brought out promptly.

The menu had all the usual suspects, Eggs Florentine, sides of ham, breakfast potatoes, English muffins. I decided to split the French toast (which comes with potatoes and a "fruit garnish") and a side of strawberries with my friend Ladan. I will not be shy about telling you what a disappointment it was. I was imagining warm soft gooey French toast with a substantial egg batter and lots of syrup and powdered sugar. What I got was dry, coldish, stiff bread with a little pot of syrup on the side. The French toast was bland and lacking all of the luster that French toast should promise. As for the $5.55 side of strawberries, it was a plate with a small mound of unappealing, old soggy faded looking strawberries. The potatoes were cold and powdery. It looked and tasted like they had been cooked weeks in advance, and then dusted with a flavorless orange powder. So in short, the food was not good.

There were 2 other people at the table. Julia ordered Eggs Florentine and a side of Andouille sausage. She seemed happy enough with her meal. No complaints anyway. And Hilary, who ordered eggs scrambled hard, with bacon and sausage. the bacon was reportedly burnt and the sausage was unanimously rated "too spicy".

Overall, the service was good. Quick, friendly, and efficient. The food was sub par. The bill for four without any alcohol ended up being around $60 with tip. High for the quality of the food, but not outrageous compared to comparable restaurants in the area. The ambiance was average. The one bonus is the location. Right on 18th and S, very central. I would give brunch at Rosemary's thyme a 3 out of 10. Which in my rating scale equals 1.5 stars out of 5. I would probably not come back here for brunch unless it was absolutely necessary.

Rosemary's Thyme is located at: 1801 18th Street NW. Phone: 202/332/3200 Hours: Monday: 5pm - 10 pm. Tuesday - Thursday: 5pm - 11pm. Friday & Saturday: 11Am - 12 am. Sunday: 10 am - 10 opm

Rosemary's Thyme Webpage

WHERE SHOULD WE GO FOR DINNER?

How often do you utter these words? If you're like me, its far too many times to count. And, if you're like me, then you also love going out to eat out more than just about anything. Seriously. My top three thing to do are probably: sleeping, going out to eat, and then. . . I don't know reading. Or maybe it's getting mail, or sending mail, or bargain hunting, or garage saleing. . . Anyway, you get the point, going out to eat is up there.

I love the whole experience of it. Its more than just eating a meal. There's nothing wrong with eating a meal, who doesn't love a good meal? But even more than eating, I like being seated at a restaurant, ordering a nice bottle of wine, and some nice food, and taking in my surroundings. I like all kinds of restaurants. I like the details. Impeccable service, or outstanding cocktails, whatever it is, a good restaurant has something that sets them apart and keeps people coming back.

I've worked as a waitress (excuse me, Server) for the better part of my life, and through all of the years of taking orders and clearing plates, I gained a certain admiration for people who can take a building with a kitchen in it, and turn it into a restaurant. A place with atmosphere, where people want to go and spend their time (and money).

So in this space, I will tell you about places I like to go. And maybe I'll tell you about some places that I'd reather not.