Alpine - German Dining in Naples, Florida

I took a short trip to Naples for some fishing and my father likes German food.  I noticed a highly rated German place close to the hotel and we gave it a shot.  This was strip-mall dining at its finest.  I don't eat too much German food in the DC area but Alpine was a thoroughly enjoyable meal.

We first ordered beer.  Their highlighted beer is what they say is the world's first pilsner beer - Urquell from the Czech Republic.  We then went for the stereotypical German foods.    My father went for Jäger Schnitzel and sauerkraut.  I ordered a potato pancake with chicken and veggies once I was certain my dad was ordering the Schnitzel as I wanted to try it.  Both mains were delicious and I enjoyed it even more because I don't get to taste the different flavors and textures of German food back home.  I would have liked a sampler menu so I could try some additional items on the menu but next time!

For dessert, we both got cappucino's and some strudel. Make sure to get a cappucino while you are there.  My father declared it was one of the best he had ever had.  The service was overall very good.  The older male waiter certainly had some character.  Ambience?   You did read the part about it being in a strip mall, right?  At least parking was super easy!

For German trip mall dining outside of a major city, Alpine exceeded my expectations.

Rating - 4 out of 5 stars.

Rogue 24

Rogue 24

I turned the corner from my car and headed down a dark alley.... Moving cautiously past buildings that appeared condemned and falling apart.  Walking up to Rogue 24 feels  lot like how Harry Potter must have felt walking through Diagon Alley only to find miracles along the way.  Until I found the front entrance to the restaurant, I felt as if Google maps may have fatally let me down.  But there was the entrance.  The first of many practical jokes the creators of Rogue 24 play on their patrons and a lesson that looks can be deceiving.

The restaurant interior is as impressive as any in DC. The looming brick walls remind you that while you are in a five star restaurant, you have not truly left the adjacent rundown DC alleyway. The restaurant immediately relieves your anxiety from the walk there and exudes class and creates anticipation. The kitchen is the centerpiece and the ringleader of the show is chef R.J. Cooper, a former James Beard award winner.  I've always loved the idea of the kitchen and the head chef being a show and crossing over into entertainment for those few who appreciate the beautiful harmonies that an efficient kitchen-and-wait-staff-orchestra produce. 

Every great meal starts with drinks and I am always surprised at how often great restaurants are able to introduce me to an amazing cocktail or glass of wine.  In this case, at the waiter's recommendation, we ordered the Rogue 24 version of a vodka tonic.  It was one of the best drinks I had ever tasted in my life which means something primarily because I don't like vodka tonics. Already Rogue 24 had won me over, taking something I would never order ordinarily and opening my mind to it.

What made this drink unique is the process in which it's unique flavor is achieved.  The resident mad-scientist-mixologist actually mixes dirt with water and then distills the water to create an "earthy" water mixture.  It came garnished with rosemary and the drink itself had a brownish color to it.  Not the most appetizing color for a cocktail but as R24 enjoys teaching us, looks can be deceiving.    This drink is supposed to resemble a garden with the earth, water  and vegetation.  A bartender just being creative for creativity's sake or....genius? In this case, genius.

The drink on the right was the one made with "dirt"

Rogue 24 got its name because of the option of an actual 24 course dining experience.  I opted for the 10 course meal which in reality is 13 courses if you include the amuse bouche and dessert candies at the end of the meal.  There were no mains. Each course was one to three bites, each with unique appearance taste and texture.  No course was like anything you might find at another DC restaurant.  Each bite is something to savor and then discuss with your dining partner.  A true foodie adventure.

This first course was a trio of tastes.  The shot glasses had a mild broth inside.  The crackers had a bit of caviar on them and the cookies had some sort of mousse inside.  I believe it was meat based.

The thing that first jumps out at you as this is delivered is that you are eating off a slice of log.  Awesome :)

They were very cool about me taking photos but did ask that I not use a flash so I apologize that my iphone didn't do some of these dishes justice.  For example, this dish is primarily bacon.  You probably can't see it, right?  Wrong.  The bacon is the white stuff.  The server explained that they have a white chemical cooking material that somehow can be used to absorb any flavors you mix with it.  So this was white bacon fat in disguise as sawdust.

No memory of what this was, unfortunately.

This is a dish focused on peas, paired with a flavored foam and veal fiber strands.

This is a fish from Japan called Ayu.  It was fantastic.  At the top left was a crunchy piece of Ayu that I believe was skin and bones.  Surprisingly good, as well.

The protein here was rabbit coupled with carrots.  They said "soil" was also mixed into the flavor somehow.

Beets and apples.  Standard stuff?  Not when mixed with "moss powder"

A yummy duck dumpling in a broth paired with an egg yolk.

This dish won the award for beauty.  Everything you see there is a mushroom of some sort.

I think this was compressed lamb.

Dessert #1 was a tapioca based dessert with cubed cucumber.  I'm a huge cucumber fan, especially in drinks or any creative way of serving it. This dish was super refreshing and I would have enjoyed an enormous bowl of it.  I wish more restaurants would serve desserts as amazing and creative as this instead of the cliche' lava cakes and creme brulee's.

Strawberries in multiple forms with balsamic

Dessert #2 didn't do it for me aesthetically but was delicious.  It was a nice medley of berry and chocolate flavors.  I didn't let the fact that it looked like it fell on the floor and was put back on my plate stop my from eat every last dark-brown crumb off my plate.

Dessert #3 were some homemade candies that were delivered in a classy wooden box.  I appreciated the dramatic presentation and in hindsight, it made every piece of candy taste just that much better.  It was hard to pick a favorite because they were all so good.  I found it hard to believe that they made these candies in-house.  Their dessert chef is incredible.

Service was on par with the top restaurants I have been to.  The dining experience was a total team effort with numerous waiters delivering dishes to our table and offering full details about each course.  Even the R.J. Cooper himself came to our table to ask how our meal was and snuck us a few extra of the candies we raved to him about.

Rogue 24 is not for everyone.  At the risk of sounding a little douchey, not everyone has evolved to appreciate the fine art of cooking.  There are those that deny that cooking and serving are even an art at all! As such, I know many people that I would strongly advise to skip this establishment.  However, if you are someone who read this review and found yourself salivating and perhaps a little excited, you are the ones who will love Rogue 24.

Rating - 5 stars out of 5 

Proof - DC

Proof turned out to be a very solid second-tier restaurant in DC.  The food was all good or slightly better than good although nothing blew us away.  The ambience was dark and romantic and the service was 4 star, not 5.  In all, it is a place that you can say nothing bad about but you will also not be raving to your friends about it the next day either.  Proof is a spot that if I was a local, I'd probably frequent semi-regularly but with so many good places to eat in DC, it isn't a "destination".  Restaurants such as these tend to fade away which will be a shame as it is a solid dining experience.

Prices were reasonable for the quality of food.  Appetizers were in the double-digits and mains averaged around 30 dollars.  You will probably spend 60-80 dollars for your dinner and a glass of wine.

Service was good but not at the level of the top tier restaurants in DC.  Which is probably 'ok' for Proof because that's likely where they are aiming.


Rating - 4 Stars out of 5.

Their version of cauliflower was excellent.  Perhaps my favorite thing we tried.

Hudson Valley Fois Gras

 

Flatiron Steak over potatoes

Sauteed potato gnocchi with Hen of the Woods Mushrooms

Scallops over greens

Warm Chocolate Hazelnut cake with gelato on top

This was delicious

Rogue 24 - Coming Soon

TravelZoo had an offer for a 10 course tasting meal at Rogue 24 so I picked one up.  I've heard some good things about Rogue 24 and I'm always down for an opportunity to experience a James Beard award winning chef.  Especially one that is known for creativity.  Off to book the rez!

Proof is in the pudding

Well, after a little discussion with my foodie friend, we opted to get a table at Proof for Memorial Day weekend instead of Volt Range.  So stay tuned!

And if they don't serve pudding, I will be disappointed.

Fiola, DC

Chef Fabio Trabocchi was one of the first chef's names I ever learned.  I stayed one night at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner years ago and stumbled on a dinner reservation at their restaurant called "Maestro".  It was not until after the evening was over that I realized I had eaten at one of the best restaurants in DC (I believe it was ranked #2 at the time).  Needless to say that this was the first Michelin-level dining experience of my life and it absolutely changed me forever.  Sadly, Trabocchi left DC before I ever had a chance to go back to Maestro but..... he's back!

Trabocchi had retreated to NYC for years before returning to DC to open... Fiola!  And in a short time, Fiola is already rated #4 in Washingtonian Magazine.  I was super excited to head there for drinks and dinner and with a fun group of people to enjoy it with.

The bar scene is very DC yuppy with lobbyists hanging around decompressing after a day on Capital Hill.  However, the bar itself is fairly large and the service is great. It's so nice to not have to fight through a wall of drunks to get a drink at Happy Hour. After drinks, we were finally seated.  An adjustment to the size of our party meant we had to wait 30 minutes longer but the hostess team was very kind.  The ambience of the dining room is classy but not overly pretentious.  We are seeing the food in newer restaurants in DC be more of the focus than the ambience.  I never like leaving a restaurant feeling like they spent more money on the decor than they did on the ingredients and service. An example of this is while the food at Sax isn't "bad", I feel the food is well below the ambience and decor.

Our waiter was pretty much what you would expect when you are paying the prices they charge at Fiola.  He assisted with our selections with some recommendations and did not miss a beat the entire meal.  Nothing but positive things to say about the service.  We had a group of 5 so we opted to go family style with our orders so we could try more dishes.  My favorite way of eating!

Here is a run-down of what we ordered:

Appetizers:

Heaven = Fois Gras

Tuna Carpaccio - I apologize for the lack of a photo but the picture turned out terrible and already had a bite taken out of it.  This dish is remarkably colorful and not for people who judge food by appearance because there are a million things going on.  However, it had many subtle flavors that did not take away from the taste of the raw fish.  The dish was VERY busy.

Hudson Valley Fois Gras - A couple of people in our group had never had Fois Gras before so I had to do a little convincing that we would need two servings of this to avoid a riot.  It's such a satisfying feeling to make such a recommendation and then see everyone's face light up when they try something new. My friend next to me literally moaned and said "Oh god" after tasting the first bite of Fois Gras in her life.  If you visit Fiola without getting the Fois Gras, it would be a crime.  At Fiola, it's a piece of perfectly cooked deliciousness. 

 

The Bucatini with really tasty prawns

Bucatini - I have very little memory of this dish except that one of the people in our group was expecting actual sea urchin, not just sea urchin flavor.  I do remember the prawns were well cooked and the fresh pasta was perfectly cooked.  It's just so hard to eat Italian food at normal restaurants after having it at places like this...
















Lobster Ravioli - This is one of my favorite dishes, in general, so it's tough to impress me, however Fiola's lobster ravioli was exactly what I would expect from a 38 dollar dish.  Big chunks of lobster, homemade fresh pasta and a great flavor.

An excellent Lobster Ravioli

The tortellinis

Tortellini -  I don't really recall what was inside the tortellini as the menu appears to have changed since I went but wow, the pasta is so fresh.

Such a big difference between really good, fresh pasta and what a local Italian chain eatery serves.  Not that I eat at local Italian chain eateries any more :)  Ok, that sounds pretentious but the best way to get me to dip out of a Friday night outing is to tell me that we are going to Olive Garden.

It's hard to say "cockles" without chuckling

Branzino - A perfectly cooked piece of fish alongside some freshwater "cockles" which are like a small clam.  The chef used a liberal amount of foam in this dish.  Flavored foams are pretty cool for me but I can see how some people are a little grossed out by it.  The first time I had foam was actually at Maestro so it was interesting to see that while the rest of the culinary world has moved away from foams, Trabocchi still enjoys cooking with them.











 
For dessert, we enjoyed a mix of a delicious marscapone custard underneath a scoop of rhubarb lemoncello shaved ice which Italian restaurants call "granita". 


The meal was overall worthy of its #4 ranking in the DC area and I hope to return.  Let's just hope Fois Gras is still legal to be served before my next visit!


Rating - 5 out of 5 stars.  Great for a date or for foodies.  Although the food is a reasonable value compared to the top restaurants in DC hosted by a James Beard award-winning chef in the kitchen, it will set you back a pretty penny.

Nostos - Great Greek Gastronomic Goodies - Tysons Corner

I received a tip from a friend that there is a Greek restaurant in Tysons Corner worth checking out.  So I grabbed a foodie friend and headed to TC.  I really like Greek food but beyond Zaytina, I haven't found any Greek food in this area that I liked much (Note, I don't consider Komi really Greek).  So I went into this dinner with high hopes.

The location is set in the heart of Tysons Corner on route 7 near the mall.  The interior of the restaurant is modern with whites and mints dominating the color palette.  We arrived at 6 pm and it was already bustling and filled to capacity before our food arrived.  Hint, make a reservation or it's unlikely that you will get seated.  Word is out.  Nostos is good.

The menu is about 80% small plates which is my favorite style of dining.  Lots of tastes and flavors instead of one huge entree I can't finish.  But before we ordered food, we selected a couple of glasses of Greek wine, which were both excellent. The waiter was kind enough to provide me with complimentary tastes of two wines so I could made an educated decision.  Fantastic service!  After careful consideration and consultation with the waiter, who was a doppleganger for Peter Gallagher from tv's "Arrow", we made our selections.

An accidental sexual presentation?... I don't think so.

First, the bread came.  Not Pita.... bread.  Can you possibly forgive Nostos for placing bread on the table instead of the traditional starch of Greece?  The answer is "YES".  The bread was excellent and served with one of the best small dishes of hummus I've ever had to to along with it.  We decided to start with their Greek version of baba ganoush, Melitzanosalata.  I'm not a huge fan of eggplant (has the word egg in it, after all) but this was actually very good.  We quickly got into a second loaf of bread and a second round of the complimentary hummus while scooping this dip up.

Stuffed Grape leaves

I sometimes get a craving for stuffed grape leaves.  If they are done well, they can be extremely tasty.  Nostos does a great job with theirs and drenched two stuffed grape leaves with a lemon-egg sauce.  Admittedly, they aren't the most beautiful things to look at, but they were excellent.

Something on the menu jumped out at us and was also recommended by the waiter so we tried it.  The Saganaki which is a thick slice of kefalograviera cheese flambeed tableside with oil and lemon.  The result?  A salty, crusty piece of warm cheese to spread on the bread.  This small plate is around ten dollars and is a must-have, not just because of the taste but the oooo and ahhh factor as the entire restaurant turns to see the explosion of flame at your table.

Peter Gallagher produces cheese flambe'!

The next two dishes came out together.  First, fried zucchini with a yogurt dill sauce.  The second, pieces of fried cod with a lemony garlic bread puree.  The zucchini tasted like it should.  Lightly fried and a yummy dip.  You won't blow your mindhole eating it but if you like fried veggies, you can't go wrong.

It is almost criminal to go to a Greek restaurant without eating fresh fish.  But since we loaded up on numerous other goodies, there was no room left for a full fish entree.  So we opted for the fish bites.  The fish was fresh, it was fried and it had a good sauce to dip it in.  Let's move on.

Grilled Octopus.  A must-order!

The next two dishes were a sauteed shrimp, feta and tomato dish.  I've actually cooked something similar to this before.  Very tasty.  But what I really want to talk about is the Grilled Octopus.  For whatever reason, my expectations were very low, in spite of the waiter giving it his highest recommendation.  The octopus came out as a single, long tentacle obviously grilled over and open flame.  It was lightly seasoned and incredibly fresh and served over some sort of pureed veggie.  The texture was unlike anything I had eaten before.  Normally, cooked or raw, octopus is fairly gamey.  However, the meat of this octopus was more like eating succulent cooked lobster.  It cut easily under the knife and was delicious.  This dish is a must-have if you dine at Nostos. 

For dessert, I obviously went for their creme caramel.  It was just "ok" but keep in mind when I say that, that it is increasingly difficult to impress me with a flan or creme caramel.  The interior of this dessert was a little bubbly and the caramel sauce was a little too sweet for my taste. 

Had to dive into this before I got the photo

I stopped the manager to comment on his serving skills and overall swagger (if you see him, you'll see what I mean by witnessing how he carries plates and glasses of wine around) and he brought us some greek dessert wine to enjoy after our meal.  I love places that go above and beyond like that.

Overall, Nostos is a restaurant I will be frequenting for any special occasion I might have.  The service was top-notch and my server was a true professional, offering excellent recommendations and clearly loving his job.  The prices were reasonable for the quality of food and service, but for two people that are drinking wine, it is likely going to run you around 100 dollars for the meal.  That is always money well spent for a meal that you can remember one day.





Rating - 5 out of 5 stars.

Tommy Dinic's - Reading Terminal Station Philly

RTS during peak hours

Reading Terminal Station.... This is a foodie mecca.  It's surprising to hear how few people even know of its existence.  Everyone associates Pat's, Gino's and Jim's steaks with Philadelphia but if that's all you experience while in Philly, you are completely missing out.  Inside this old train station are rows and rows of food stands almost all of which are worth paying a visit.  The cookie stand and hand-dipped ice cream stands are a good bet, as well as the cheesesteak stand, the creperia and the Amish market.  However, one stand rises above the rest.  With a line that pretty normally extends 100 people deep, Tommy Dinic's is the heartbeat of Reading Terminal Station.

I woke up on a Saturday morning and after talking about the cravings I've been having for Tommy Dinic's in the last couple of months, I finally got in the car, picked up a friend and made the trip to Philly.  I can't lie and say that the trip was all about anything other that driving 2.5 hours just for lunch.  Crazy?  Maybe.  Worth it?  Absolutely.

Tommy Dinics specializes in hoagie sandwiches.  Two of their sandwiches are absolutely incredible.  The first and most famous, is their Roast Pork sandwich with Broccoli rabe and sharp provolone.  The Travel Channel apparently named this the greatest sandwich in America.  So this was definitely on my list.  However, my real reason for driving to Philly was their other sandwich... the beef brisket sandwich with roasted peppers and sharp provolone.

First the pork sandwich.  I can see what the fuss is about.  The pulled pork is extremely juicy as it sits in a hot broth until it is ready to serve.  If you haven't had broccoli rabe before, it's essentially chopped up, seasoned broccoli.  It makes for a nice condiment and it's healthy!  This is the only place I've been that serves sharp provolone and I love it!  But is this the best sandwich in America?  Sadly, no.  My pork was a little dry by the last few bites and I felt the sandwich lacked seasoning.

It would probably make my top 10 but what's crazy is, the sandwich that without a doubt is the best sandwich I've ever had.... is the beef brisket sandwich.

Just look at that meat!  Chunks of the most moist and flavorful beef brisket you've ever had. I ordered peppers and the waitress suggested I try a blend of hot and mild peppers.  This turned out to be a great idea.  The sharp provolone serves as a basin of sorts that succeeds in keeping the juices from the meat in the sandwich instead of completely soaking through the bread.  To add a little kick, I added some horseradish sauce which is in a metal tin at your booth.  Together, the full package is a heavenly blend of texture and flavor that takes your breath away. 

I washed my meal down with a coke and grabbed a warm cookie on the way out.  Before leaving, I picked up a strawberry rhubarb pie at the Amish market stand and said goodbye to RTS.  Until next time, RTS.

Unless you enjoy waiting in line for 20-30 minutes, here is a really simple little tip only for my readers.  Stalk the people who are sitting at the counter and grab seats as soon as they get up.  No one sits for too long here so if you are a good seat stalker, you are golden.  Most of the patrons are just grabbing a couple of sandwiches to go, so there is almost no competition for these seats.  The best part?  You get served immediately!

Rating - 5 out of 5 stars. 

Hot Spot Asian Fondue - Fairfax, Virginia

Who doesn't love fondue?   Hot Spot in Fairfax is an Asian-style Fondue restaurant located in a strip mall in the eastern part of Fairfax off route 29.

Hot Spot is trying to do what few restaurants have done outside the beltway.  Create a trendy asian atmosphere with cook-it-yourself style fondue cooking.  Overall, they succeed in this mission.  When you walk in, almost as soon as you notice the dense, humid smell of the cooking broths, you also notice that they spend considerable money in their decor.  The restaurant is definitely modern and not dingy like some asian holes in the walls.

Mmm, butter beer.  With a little rum, of course.

The first thing to try is the butter beer.  This is probably hit or miss for most people as it is very sweet.  Very much like a whipped-cream topped cream soda with a kick (if you opt for the optional shot of rum in it).  They do serve drinks though, so point scored.  They explain to you that you essentially choose one broth flavor per pair of people and then check off an unlimited number of items off the dipping menu.  The dipping menu contained everything from your standard meats and seafoods to mini dumplings, exotic vegetables, as well as tripe, tongue and other more obscure parts of dead animal.  Feel like being adventurous?

What they tell you is that they will automatically bring out a big plate of veggies for you to try at the start of the meal.  What they don't tell you is that many of the more exotic and sometimes more expensive items are not on the initial menu sheet they give you.  They strategically have a second menu that has more stuff on it to choose from.  I think they expect people to go buck-wild with the initial menu and fill up before they get to the second, more expensive menu.  Brilliant thinking, however, my readers will not be fooled!  Order light on the first menu and when you know what you like, go ballistic on the second menu :)

12 different types of protein for dipping!

There is a sauce station where you can select from a large variety of condiments and create your own dipping sauce.  This is much more useful for people that like to breath fire with each bite they take or if you get a bland broth that doesn't add flavor to the food.

Yes, that is a whole octopus

Some of our favorites:  We all agreed that the bigger dumplings (chicken?) were better than the super small ones.  The tongue was not my favorite.  All the other meats were really good.  We ordered the Spicy Broth and the Shabu Shabu.  The Shabu was extremely mild yet good.  The Spicy was REALLY spicy.  I read people's reviews saying it wasn't that spicy and I think these people are playing a practical joke on you.  There is actually a VERY spicy option but if you really need to go that route, you have an absolutely shitty palette and you might as well eat cardboad with sriracha at home instead of going out.  They have a lot of asian vegetables that are not only cool and interesting but taste really good if you don't overcook them.  The shrimp were a favorite and tasted pretty fresh!  And remember.... it's unlimited meat!

We were too stuffed for dessert or to even look at a dessert menu, so I apologize for that.  All in all though, it was a fun meal and we got our money's worth.  The all-you-can-eat option is around 22 dollars.  If you don't go crazy on butter beer, it's a reasonably priced dinner.

P.S.  Make 100% sure every piece of clothing you take into the restaurant is washable because you will leave stinking like fondue broth!  Leave your jackets in the car and wash your hair immediately afterwards.

Rating - 3.5 out of 5 stars