Review: Bistro Cacao

This week, I finally got around to trying Bistro Cacao, located on Massachusetts Avenue in D.C.'s Capitol Hill neighborhood. On the whole, I was pleased.

The menu offers many of the entree choices you'd expect in a French bistro. The menu isn't large, but my fellow diner and I enjoyed everything we tried. I ordered the onglet (hanger steak) with a shallot and wine sauce. The beef was of a high quality and properly cooked, and it was superbly complimented by the sauce. The wine list is large enough without overwhelming a diner. Bottles are priced fairly; some are expensive, but most are within reason.

The ambience of Bistro Cacao has a Victorian style without being too frilly. It's especially nice for people who are taking someone out on a date. Couples can dine seated on nice wing chairs from tables flanked by classy red curtains. One complaint I have is that the restaurant's menu is choices are not accessible via its website.

The bistro has plans to open a wine bar soon, although it's not clear to me where within its current premises, the wine bar would be situated -- so stay tuned.

Cashion's Set to Reopen

I noticed that Cashion's Eat Place will reopen this week after some interior renovations. I haven't eaten there in almost two years, and until I saw this article, I had almost forgotten about Cashion's. I used to have excellent meals there, but my last several visits to the restaurant were disappointing.

Chief among my complaints were bottles of red wine being stored near a heat source that made them unpleasant to drink. If Cashion's wants to be considered a top-flight restaurant, that's the kind of thing that shouldn't happen.

Brasserie Beck: Still Too Noisy, Still Marvelous Food

I don't go to Brasserie Beck that often, mostly because of the noise. You enter knowing that you're going to have to shout to your dining companions if you're sitting anywhere within the front third of the restaurant space.

We had a reservation last night for 9 p.m., and the hostess wanted to seat us close to the bar area, which is very loud -- the tile, wood and other surfaces guarantee a high volume of clatter. We asked for a table far in the back (only one room seems to be carpeted). To her credit (and to Brasserie Beck's credit) the hostess accommodated our wishes by moving us to a table where the ambient noise was simply loud, but not thunderously so.

Once we settled in, we placed our order and then the courses started to arrive. First, the crusty bread with superb butter. Next, our starters were delivered. I ordered the melon soup (a special on the menu), and it was sublime. Light, yet very flavorful. My pork shank was also excellent.

Everything we tasted was marvelous, which always seems to be the case at Brasserie Beck. My only wish (sigh) is that they could do something more to reduce the noise. I'm not one of those chronic noise-in-restaurants complainers, but I doubt I'm the only one who would eat more often at Brasserie Beck if it weren't so damn loud. At the end of a busy work day, I refuse to shout to be heard by someone who is two feet away.

It's a tough trade-off.

She Prefers a City That Delivers

The newest justice on the U.S. Supreme Court seems to enjoy her job, writes the Washington Post. But Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a transplanted New Yorker, has a complaint about the city where she now works:

[Sotomayor] told friends she was looking forward to returning to Manhattan as soon as the (court's) term ended, and she has not bought a place in Washington. She has expressed a common New York complaint about Washington: Not enough restaurants deliver.

A "Twilight" of Menus

The book and movie series "Twilight" has spawned a host of food-related items, including a cookbook and special dishes in certain restaurants in Washington State's Olympic Peninsula, where the series is set. A pizzeria in the area even has created a full "Twilight" menu.

Delish's Eric Burkett suggests that fans "might consider a stop at Sully's Drive-In for a Bella Burger, but only if you like pineapple on your hamburger.

Review: D.C.'s Florida Avenue Grill

Last Thursday, a co-worker and I ventured to Washington, D.C.'s U Street neighborhood for a beer and then we ate at the Florida Avenue Grill. Since 1944, the Grill has been serving Southern and Soul food to Washingtonians.

I grew up in Arkansas, and my colleague grew up in Mississippi so we know what good, fried catfish tastes like. Well, the fried catfish that we ate at the Grill was excellent -- just enough breading to seal in the flavor, but not too much. The sweet potatoes were good, but they were a bit over-sweetened. The collard greens were marvelous -- tender and not too salty. The biscuits they bring to your table are tasty. I will probably try the spareribs on my next visit.

The Grill has a charming, diner-style seating arrangement. Service was excellent. It's a gem, and I'm only sorry it took me this long to discover it.

Will the New "Social Safeway" Impress Us?

Anyone who has lived in Washington, D.C., for at least five years probably understands what one is talking about when someone refers to buying groceries at the "Social Safeway." It's the Safeway that's located on Wisconsin Avenue in Glover Park, just above Georgetown.

The term Social Safeway was coined to refer to the fact that so many single people frequented that grocery store (but this has been less true in recent years because new groceries have opened in the Adams Morgan and Logan Circle neighborhoods).

Well, I picked up this morning's Washington Post to learn that the Social Safeway is going to reopen on Thursday. The article suggests that the new Social Safeway will be a grocery store worth shopping at, but I'll believe when I see it.

My memories of the Social Safeway (before it closed for this renovation) are pretty unpleasant ones. The produce that I usually found there years ago looked like it had just been through a hailstorm. The apples were waxed to death, and it was hard to find varieties beyond the mass-produced Golden Delicious, Red Delicious and McIntosh varieties. Also the floors in the Social Safeway were usually filthy.

The article refers to a sushi bar and gelato stand being part of the new store. Sounds appealing, but it's hard to imagine. I think my attitudes are so poisoned against the Social Safeway that it's hard for me to believe that the "new" version will really offer foodies a quality, overall shopping experience. I'm skeptical, but I will probably give it a chance.

A New Cupcake Outlet ...

. . . is coming to Washington, D.C. As today's Post reports, the N.Y.-based Crumbs chain will start opening outlets this May in the D.C. area:

The 26-store chain plans to open the first of at least five D.C. area stores at the intersection of 11th and F streets in downtown Washington, featuring a cupcake selection that Crumbs co-founder Jason Bauer said will easily outdraw the local sugary establishments.

"When we come into the market, people are going to realize what a real cupcake is all about," boasted Bauer, 40, who opened the first Crumbs on New York City's Upper West Side with his wife, Mia, in 2003.

The D.C. region is already pushing out thousands of cupcakes a day, courtesy of stores such as Something Sweet, Baked and Wired, Red Velvet and Georgetown Cupcake, whose two sister owners will be featured on a reality TV program this summer.

I think Georgetown Cupcake is the best of those current outlets, although I can't speak for Baked and Wired because I haven't eaten one of their cupcakes yet.

I loved the response that Something Sweet's owner gave in response to Bauer's swagger of a statement:

Something Sweet owner Bo Blair said the Crumbs crowd is taking itself too seriously. "This ain't brain surgery," Blair said. "It's making cupcakes."

Pizza Pursuits in Washington, D.C.

Pizza has come a long, long way since I've been living in the nation's capital. There was a time when the few local chains in D.C. weren't making pizza that was much better than Domino's Pizza. Today? There are a lot of places where you can enjoy excellent pizza.

Here is my list of the top 5 places to eat pizza in Washington with the neighborhoods cited in parentheses:

1. Pizzeria Paradiso, two locations (Georgetown & Dupont Circle)

2. Two Amys, 3715 Macomb St. & Wisconsin Ave., NW (Tenleytown)

3. Sette Osteria, 1666 Connecticut Avenue, NW @ R St. (Dupont Circle)

4. Matchbox, two locations* (Capitol Hill & Gallery Place/Chinatown)

5. Pete's Apizza, 1400 Irving Street, NW (Columbia Heights)

Each of these places serves a NYC-New Haven style of pizza. This was a tough choice. There isn't much separating my top three choices as far as quality goes. Two Amys would probably be my #1 choice if they made a better crust.

I'm sure there are some Washingtonians who read this list and wondered: "Why isn't Coppi's on this list?" I have had pizza at Coppi's twice and enjoyed it, but it doesn't belong in the top 5. However, it deserves an honorable mention.

* - I recommend going to the Capitol Hill location on 8th Street SE, between E and F Streets. The waits there tend to be shorter at peak times than at Matchbox's other location.

Marcel's Deserves Higher Ranking

Washingtonian magazine just came out with its list of Top 100 Restaurants in the greater Washington area. And Marcel's is rated #17.

Are they kidding? Sure, it's a pricey restaurant, but even if you consider value-for-dollar, Marcel's deserves to be in Washingtonian's Top 10. The food is sublime, and the service is excellent.

Is Galileo Soon to Reopen?

I hope so. Rumor has it that there's a sign in the window of what used to be the restaurant Butterfield 9 stating that Galileo will soon reopen in that space. Butterfield 9 has been closed for over a year.

Most foodies in the Washington, D.C.-metro area have fond memories of at least one meal they ate in Galileo, a restaurant on 21st Street that was overseen by chef Roberto Donna (above right).

I haven't strolled past the window of Butterfield 9 lately so I can only hope that the rumor I've heard is true.

That Ain't No Starbucks

Mention the country of Rwanda, and most anyone who hears it will immediately think of the 1994 genocide in which 800,000 people were killed.

As the Rwandan people have restored peace and civility in their land, they are banking on coffee to bring in much-needed revenue and a stable prosperity. Most coffee in the East African nation is grown and harvested by families or small cooperatives.

Today's Washington Post reports on Bourbon, a newly opened coffee shop in downtown D.C. -- the first U.S. outlet of a Rwandan coffee chain.

"If done right, it could be the platform to re-brand the country," says (Bourbon owner Arthur) Karuletwa, former chief executive and now a shareholder in the company. Coffee can "create awareness that there's recovery, there's trade, there's investment opportunities, there's tourism. There's life after death."

After opening three stores in Kigali, Rwanda, over the past three years, Bourbon expanded operations to Washington in July, taking over a converted Starbucks at 21st and L streets NW. The cafe is furnished with dark wood tables and red-leather-upholstered chairs; the walls are painted gold, moss green and burnt orange; woven baskets and traditional African motifs decorate the shelves and walls.

... Plans call for Bourbon to open a cafe in Boston at the end of the year, and later a New York location. Unlike the D.C. shop, those stores will offer on-site roasting and daily cuppings.

... "Rwanda is a very wanted origin," says Susie Spindler, executive director of the Alliance for Coffee Excellence, which runs the Cup of Excellence competition. She says coffee traders and roasters visiting Rwanda are discovering unusual flavor profiles they never knew existed.

"It mixes a lot of regular characteristics that you usually only find in one area," agrees Stacey Manley, Bourbon's barista. "Latin American coffees tend to be lighter-bodied and kind of nutty with cocoa. But you almost never find an earthy, really heavy-bodied Latin American coffee. Those are typically Indonesian characteristics. And in Indonesia, coffee is very rarely bright. So the weird thing about Rwandan coffee is it'll have all these different characteristics in one coffee."

RIP: Restauranteur Ben Ali

Washington, D.C.'s mayor calls it "one of the greatest treasures in the District of Columbia." And it's where ABC's Ted Koppel held his farewell-from-TV party. What is this place?

It's Ben's Chili Bowl, an atmospheric greasy-spoon diner that's located in Washington, D.C.'s diverse U Street neighborhood. It has been in business since 1958. I mention all of this in the context of noting that its owner-founder Ben Ali passed away last week at the age of 82.

This obituary appeared in the Washington Post. Read it all -- you'll enjoy it. The factoid in the last couple of paragraphs was pretty interesting to me.