RoobiFood

2007 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC
202.797.7171
www.marvindc.com 

Marvin is located in the historic Shaw neighborhood of DC.  This vibrant and eclectic part of town is home to a plethora of dining options, both old and new a-like. A growing trend is Belgian style cafes, and Marvin is true to form. Combining a lounge, restaurant and roof-top bar, Marvin has something for everyone.

On a relatively busy Sunday night, I was happy that our wait for a table wasnt longer than about 10 minutes — even though the dining room probably only seats about 30 tables.  Our waiter was dressed casually, in fitting with the desired ambiance.

Drinks for the evening included absolute mandarin & sprite — which was heavy on the absolute.  For our apps, we selected the onion soup gratinee & the seared sea scallops w/ braised leeks & beurre rouge – both of which were fantastic.  The onion soup was appropriately covered in Gruyere, with large slices of red and sweet onions throughout.  I believe the bread inside wasn’t french or Italian, but the same home-style loaf they serve prior to the meal itself (which was quite good).

The sea scallops were cooked to perfection – a rarity Ive unfortunately discovered.  They were definitely fresh, and received accolades from all around the table.  My only complaint would be the skimpy portion of garnish that came with them.  While I realize that the scallops were meant to be the main attraction, the garnish was so sparcely provided that it was almost non-existent.

The two entrees that I was able to sample were; the apple wood bacon, leeks, & ale moules frites and the country fried chicken & Waffles w/ Free-range chicken and collard greens.  The muscles were diving – fresh, gigantic, full of flavor and large in portion size.  It is hard to be “full” off of muscles, because in general, you never get enough of them.  But, even without the fries, the muscles are a meal in and of themselves.  Add to that the home-style fries, complete with wasabi, spicy mustard and ketchup dipping sauces, and you are in for a treat.  Best of all, the shell bowl was promptly and frequently cleared, so there was never an unsightly pile of empty shells litering the table.

The chicken dish was equally as impressive.  It was bright and crispy on the outside (without oozing oil or grease) and tender and juicy on the inside.  My expectations were fairly low, considering this dish usually ends up a bit dry, but I was pleasently surprised.  I was slightly disappointed with the waffle — it was on the small side and became quite soggy sitting atop the collard greens, which also did little to enhance the dish. The syrup dipping sauce was quite unnecessary, but provided an interesting kick on every seventh bite.

For dessert, I shared the profiteroles w/vanilla ice cream served in the middle.  Id say this was likely the lowest point of the meal for me, as the profiteroles were quite dry.  But, everything was topped with dollops of real hot fudge, so that definetely helped redeem the dish a bit.

Finally, the service is worthy of high praise.  I mentioned th expediency with which muscle bowls were cleared earlier, but throughout the evening little gestures that seem to have fallen by the way-side at other establishments were not forgotten at Marvins.  Most notable; as we were getting ready to leave, our waiter stopped by and wish us a pleasent day tomorrow, week ahead and life in general.  It was an excellent way to end our evening, thoroughly impressed and anticipating a return visit

Hello foodies… I just got a new camcorder this weekend and thought I’d share a video of my weekend. It’s not all that food related but it does include a trip to Whole Foods and the consequent cooking of our breakfast sausage

La Bettola
558 23rd St S
Arlington, VA 22202
(703) 486-9816

Few Northern Virginians frequent Pentagon City for its cheap eats, but tucked away just off the beaten path is a little strip of restaurants on 23rd street full of bars, Thai cuisine and Italian restaurants, including “La Bettola” (photo shown is of the restaurant before it recently changed hands) which is absolutely phenomenal.

Located between S. Fern and S. Eads st., La Bettola’s unassuming facade is the perfect cover for one of Arlington’s hidden gems. Although there are at least 4 other Italian restaurants located on this one block, La Bettola stood out to me at first because of its quaint atmosphere and menu of true Southern Italian specialties (at a great price too!) The average meal includes a small side salad, bread and pasta along with the main course, and at an average of around $14 a plate – you can’t beat it.

I come from a large extended Italian family and have even been to Italy to visit relatives a couple times, and I can tell you La Bettola’s sauce is the closest I have found to my mother’s family recipe. After a delicious appetizer called “Taste of Italy” which included fried Calamari, zucchini, and mushrooms I stuck with the old standby, spaghetti with spicy Italian sausage. The generous portions and friendly, prompt service made for an all around wonderful experience. I highly recommend giving it a try, especially on a weeknight when the area isn’t as busy.

14K Restaurant
1001 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
202-218-7575
14K website

14K Restaurant is located on the Northwestern corner of Franklin Park in Washington, DC – just a block North of the McPherson Square metro at 14th and K st., perfectly situated between where I works and how I gets home. So it should be no surprise that my first and only (so far) visit was for a happy hour… thus making it difficult to give a full review, but enough to describe the highlights of a “quickie”.

The girls in our group made it to the bar first and ordered Coconut Mohitos, so being a fan of the old school Mohito myself I decided to try the new fangled version… it was delish. 14K makes them a bit weak and they’re served in your typical short-stack 8 ball glass, so for $9 I wouldn’t call it a bargain, but it’s definitely refreshing on a hot day. As happens with most Mohitos I end up choking on the mint at the bottom of the glass – the higher class the Mohito the finer the mint – and this one was pretty fine if-you-know-what-im-sayin.

Some people ordered the Calamari (one of my favorites which I should have tried but didn’t), and others (like me) went for the mini-burgers. The mini-burgers actually looked pretty silly, served with green olives and cherry tomatoes pierced by the skewer-sword on top – the green olive was almost as big as the burger itself (el-o-el). The buns were wheat and slightly toasted with a flavorful, hint of garlic, patty. One of my coworkers pointed out the 3 gallons of mustard sauce it was served with, which was definitely overkill, but very tasty. I ended up swiping the burger tops in the sweet mustard sauce and only used maybe a spoonful.

I’ll definitely be back (not too far after a payday) to try out an actual meal – but I can say for now, 14K is an excellent place for a slightly higher class happy hour.

La Ferme
7101 Brookville Road
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
(301) 986-5255

As you walk through the entrance you can hear Sam playing “as time goes by” on the grand piano. It’s like walking onto a movie set located inside a charming mansion with cherry and mahogany wood beams across the ceiling, complimenting its historic and pure surroundings. As I gave my reservation to the host I noticed there were 2 separate balconies above us, just for couples. I requested one, and we were delightedly escorted to the intimate atmosphere. As we were seated, the chandeliers which resemble candled lanterns, hung just above us, giving off a soft moonlight glow. From there, my fiancé and I marveled at the view as we gazed the entire restaurant.

We were back in the 1940’s. Our waiter approached, dressed in formal black and white attire, and asked if we would prefer sparkling or regular water, which was immediately poured into a Shirley Temple glass…dainty.

I looked over the menu before making a wine selection. I started with the Cream of Lobster Bisque, to be followed by Grilled Dover Sole. I looked through the wine list and chose a light chardonnay from France, barely aged, but simple sweet. The atmosphere was peaceful, not rushed. My Lobster Bisque was served creamy and warm, with a hint of ginger for a subtle tongue tease. They were generous with the lobster, large cuts for a smaller bowl, and they provided crisp oyster crackers to polish off the dish. And polished it off I did.

The Dover Sole was served elegantly, in a petite portion, accompanied by my choice of sides…potatoes julienne and sautéed asparagus. The Grilled Dover Sole was lightly blackened, and had a nice and flakey bite. My favorite part of the meal was that the portions were just right, not overwhelming, but it left me feeling satisfied and treated. I still had room to really enjoy a dessert…Honey and Vanilla Crème Brulee paired with a warm smooth cup of hot chocolate…delectable. Total cost – $55.00.

The only thing my Humphrey Bogart was missing at our table was his Cigar in hand.

“She’s coming back. I know she’s coming back.”