They are disappearing, though still with a cluster in Queens, here is one trouble they are having:
It costs as much as $4 million to open a new diner these days … compared to $500,000 for a higher-end restaurant, because diners require so much storage space for the inventory that their large menus require.
The full article, by Aaron Elstein, is here, it has numerous interesting bits.
Originally posted on Marginal Revolution – click to see comments and suggestions.
In a live demonstration conducted in 2006 with the celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal, Spence found that when people were served a scoop of bacon-and-egg ice cream accompanied by the sound of sizzling bacon they described the taste of the ice cream as much more “bacony” than subjects whose consumption was accompanied by the clucking of chickens. This insight—that the appropriate soundtrack can intensify the flavor of a food—inspired Blumenthal’s iconic “Sound of the Sea” dish, for which diners at his restaurant, the Fat Duck, in Bray, are presented with an iPod loaded with a recording of crashing waves and screeching gulls to listen to while enjoying an artfully presented plate of seafood. The effect could be used similarly, Spence said, to design soundtracks that replace some of the lost flavor of food for the elderly.
That is from Nicola Twilley in The New Yorker, interesting throughout.
Originally posted on Marginal Revolution – click to see comments and suggestions.
Marjan (Carryout and Catering), 155-A Maple Avenue West, Vienna, VA, 703-272-7374 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Ylp]
The most authentic Iranian place around. It is a semi-buffet, with daily specials, and yes they do run out of dishes, always a good sign. Nonetheless there is always something of interest. Stews more than kabobs. They serve many dishes beyond the usual panoply you find in the other Iranian places. They mostly do take-out and catering, but have four seats along a counter, and a fun mom and pop atmosphere. Definitely recommended, let’s hope it can survive Vienna commercial pressures.
Inquiring minds wish to know for the purposes of the next few days. . . . I have my own views, but first would love to hear yours.
Originally posted on Marginal Revolution – click to see comments and suggestions.
Maketto, Cambodian/Taiwanese, web site, 1315 H Street NE, Washington, DC, 202-838-9972 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Google | WaPo | Washingtonian | TripAdvisor | City Paper | Ylp | Don Rockwell]
Restaurant, café, fun space to sit, space to buy sneakers, all-purpose slacker hangout, they open at 7 a.m. but not all parts of the menu are available at all times. For weekend lunch for instance you can only get the Cambodian entrees, not the Taiwanese, so check before you go at a particular time. I have tried all of the weekend lunch items, and thought a few were excellent and the rest were at least good. The noodle soup and some kind of Khmer salad with beef and things piled on top of each other; I don’t see it on their current on-line menu. The Taiwanese fried chicken gets good reviews on-line. A fun place, worth trying, it may end up as too trendy but still I found it to be a positive experience and where else can you get Cambodian food around here these days?
Purple Patch, web site, 3155 Mt. Pleasant Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-299-0022, weekend brunch but no lunch. (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [WaPo | TripAdvisor | City Paper | Ylp | Don Rockwell]
Shrimp and Vegetables at Purple Patch
A consistently interesting Filipino plus American restaurant, and in a cool Mt. Pleasant setting at that, with a bar downstairs. More trendy than a mom and pop, but not obnoxious about it. I liked the chicken adobo, the shrimp in coconut milk with greens (Ginataang shrimp with kale), the Escabeche fried red snapper, and the Pinakbet, which is lots of squash and vegetables with two big shrimp. The pork belly with egg on it was good too. The lumpia are only so-so, too dry and fried.
Shrimp in coconut milk at Purple Patch
The caveat emptor here is that many people never quite warm to Filipino food the way they do say with Thai food. Still, other than the fantastic Filipino extravaganza at Restaurant Eve, which is quite expensive, this may be the best Filipino food around. For most of you it is definitely worth a trip.
320 23rd Street South #150, Arlington, VA 22202
Another sign on the door says that a new restaurant will be replacing Charlie Chiang’s and will be “opening soon.”
The new restaurant will be called Amannisahan and will serve Uyghur cuisine, according to the sign. In an indication that a quick reopening may indeed be in the works, Amannisahan says it’s currently hiring restaurant managers and waiters.
Take that Bryan Caplan! And that’s for Crystal City, VA, by the way here is the Jorma Kaukonen song.
For the pointer I thank Michael Makowsky.
Originally posted on Marginal Revolution – click to see comments and suggestions.
Curry Leaf, web site, 13919 Baltimore Ave #4, Laurel, Maryland, 301-497-2017, a bit north on 95, they are often closed for part of the mid-afternoon. (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [WaPo | Washingtonian | TripAdvisor | Ylp | Don Rockwell]
This much-heralded Indian place does live up to its billing. It probably has the best “simple” vegetables around, such as spinach, eggplant, and lentils. The Uttapham is excellent. Everything is at least very good. It doesn’t have dishes you can’t get somewhere else, but in terms of overall quality this is one of the two or three best Indian choices around. The buffet is a good option too, and I usually don’t like Indian buffets.
