Red Apron

Posted on 2015/02/22 by .

Red Apron, web site, locations in Angelika Mosaic, 7th and D Streets NW (attached to The Partisan), and Union Market, sometimes they close fairly early in the evening. (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [WaPo | Washingtonian | City Paper | Ylp | Don Rockwell | Gayot]

They offer a limited number of quick-serve entries based on high-quality meat products, with prices below restaurant level but much more expensive than fast food. They also sell sausage, pates, and other meat products, again high quality offerings, red wine too. I find this a very useful outlet for both shopping and eating, especially in Angelika I often grab a hamburger here before seeing a movie. I never feel it is the very best burger around, but somehow it stands up to repeated samplings more than the “better” burgers do. While this is a place of limited scope with limited uses, it is actually one of the restaurants I eat at the most.

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Montgomery, Alabama bleg

Posted on 2015/02/11 by .

Natasha and I will be there too, not just Birmingham, your suggestions would be most appreciated, thanks!

Originally posted on Marginal Revolution – click to see comments and suggestions.

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More on the economics of dessert in decline

Posted on 2015/02/10 by .

Parties that might have finished their dinner in a little over an hour instead linger for closer to two when they opt for dessert. And they stay the extra thirty minutes while consuming only a fraction of what they did during the first part of the meal. It would be different if people ordered drinks more often alongside cake, but they often don’t. It would change things if dessert wines were more popular, finer, and more expensive, but they aren’t, Cowen said.

From Roberto A. Ferdman at WaPo, there is more here. File under “Oklahoma is different.”

I would add two points. First, the rise of wait-in-line higher quality casual fast food penalizes dessert, because at say a Chipotle people don’t want to wait in line again for dessert. Second, a lot of what is consumed at Starbucks and similar outlets is “dessert in everything but name” and that is proving a more popular and durable model for injecting sweets and cream into the body, perhaps because it does not need to be paired with an expensive meal and furthermore it is ever-present in most parts of the United States.

Originally posted on Marginal Revolution – click to see comments and suggestions.

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Why I don’t like desserts

Posted on 2015/02/09 by .

I’ve been challenged on this point many times in the last few days.

People, let me stress there are two different propositions:

1. “I don’t like desserts.”

2. “I don’t like desserts (with economist’s hat on).”

I meant mainly the latter, although I do also find many desserts overrated. If you grow accustomed to not too much sugar, many desserts in fact turn out to be disgusting.

In any case, the sugar and calories “shadow price” of most desserts is pretty high. I’d rather consume my health sins in other ways, and so relative to their actual net prices I find few desserts are worth it. My favorite desserts, by the way, are found in Kolkaata, and those I consume avidly. If I lived in Kolkaata, however, I might have to convince myself they are not any good, because I see a lumpiness issue with their negative health effects. I don’t feel my tourist consumption will harm me much if at all, but as a native I would be tempted to have them every day.

The green pepper is a food which as a human I like a small amount but as an economist I like a great deal.

Originally posted on Marginal Revolution – click to see comments and suggestions.

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Are desserts in decline?

Posted on 2015/02/06 by .

I hope so. Todd Kliman writes:

The problem is that restaurateurs are unwilling to charge more than $30 an entrée. That number has held steady for years, the Maginot Line of the industry. Forced to look elsewhere, they’ve sought to recoup their escalating expenses by aggressively targeting the start of the meal, upping the prices of appetizers and “snacks,” cocktails, and glasses of wine. At some places, you’ll pay nearly as much for a six-ounce pour of Chardonnay as you would for a plate of chicken.

The question is why so many restaurateurs have opted not to jack up the prices of dessert, too.

“It’s just not worth it,” a successful owner told me, noting that the prices of dairy have gone up by as much as 150 percent in little more than a year. High-fat butter, a necessity for gourmet baking, sells for more than $4 a pound, double what it was in the summer of 2013. “A cocktail brings in twice as much money as a dessert, and it doesn’t hold up a table at the end of the meal. You have to turn the tables.”

And the higher urban rents rise, the more tightly space is squeezed and restaurants need open tables, and thus the more restaurant desserts will decline and indeed should decline (“the rent is too damn high and where is my dessert!?” could be the new motto). I would be happy enough if all desserts were simply dark chocolate ice cream or gelato, consumed rapidly and perhaps at a different venue altogether.

Originally posted on Marginal Revolution – click to see comments and suggestions.

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Birmingham bleg

Posted on 2015/02/04 by .

Alabama, that is. C’mon people, spill the beans, I await your wisdom as always. Food, but not just. I’ve never been there, I am sorry to say, and so have much to learn.

Originally posted on Marginal Revolution – click to see comments and suggestions.

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Thip Khao

Posted on 2015/02/01 by .

Thip Khao, web site, 3462 14th Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-387-5426 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Google | WaPo | Washingtonian | City Paper | Ylp | Don Rockwell | New Columbia Heights]

An offshoot of Bangkok Golden, they have now brought Laotian food to DC, indeed Columbia Heights. There is also an entire separate menu of “dishes we don’t have at Bangkok Golden,” which I can recommend. The soups here are very good, as are the ant eggs. Everything is fragrant and subtle, maybe more so than at the home branch. Prices are definitely higher, but not through the ceiling. What is lacking is heat, spice, and chilies, even though we asked for it. You will have to try harder in your requests than I did. This is an excellent place, but not yet perfect. And it gets very, very crowded. If you could put the best qualities of this branch and the mother ship together, you would indeed have a perfect restaurant. In any case you definitely should go, even if you think “Why should I? Bangkok Golden is already close to me.” This place is different, and in some ways better, though not all.

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DCity SmokeHouse

Posted on 2015/01/31 by .

DCity SmokeHouse, web site, 8 Florida Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 202-733-1919, they open at noon (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Google | WaPo | Washingtonian | HungryLobbyist | City Paper | Ylp | Don Rockwell]

This is by far the best barbecue in town, not just “good for the DC area” but truly good, holds up to the best of many of the classic barbecue locations. Get the brisket and the ribs, basically. Those are really, really good, what else can I say? The fries are good too. I have not tried their smoked turkeys, but others adore them.

They don’t have too many seats, they do lots of take out, and you can order in advance online. This place is awesome, go. This is in a transitional neighborhood. During the daytime it is “safe enough,” but I do not know how safe it is at night.

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Maneki Neko

Posted on 2015/01/11 by .

Maneki Neko, web site, 238 W. Broad Street, Falls Church, VA, 703-534-8666 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Google | FCNP | City Paper | NoVA Mag | Ylp | Don Rockwell]

One of the most Japanese places around. It is well known for its Okinawa ramen, which you cannot get anywhere else in this area, it is tasty although I did not catch the uniquely Okinawan element. (I don’t doubt them, however.) They have dried sting ray and other Japanese dishes you might find in a country restaurant. The sushi is above average. Check the board for the specials, you might find smelt tempura for instance. This is one of the better and more authentic Japanese restaurants around, good noodles too.

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Rose’s Luxury

Posted on 2015/01/08 by .

Rose’s Luxury, web site, 707 8th Street SE, Washington, DC, 202-580-8889 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Google | WaPo | Washingtonian | City Paper | Bon Appetit | Ylp | Don Rockwell | Gayot]

I was skeptical, but after one visit I believe this is the best restaurant in DC right now and the hype and lines are actually justified. I went with four people, sampled about a dozen courses and each and every one of them was both excellent and original. The way to go here is to maximize the number of small dishes you get. It’s not cheap, but I know at least fifteen places which cost more, none of them as good. The menu changes rapidly, but I thought the pork and lychee salad was especially outstanding.

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