dinner at zola
well, just came back from a d.c. restaurant week at zola with several DCists (rob, kanishka, martin, becca, and scott, hemal and sommer WHO ARE PERSONAL-BLOGLESS, THE SHAME, YOU ARE ONLY HALF A PERSON IF YOU WRITE FOR LESS THAN TWO BLOGS), and i figured i may as well write it up while it's fresh in my mind. for the short, snappy summary-inclined: FABULOUS service, good drinks, great decor, beautiful bathrooms, and pretty good food.
a few of us started out by hanging out in the front bar of zola, which is a nice, clean little space - pretty modern looking - with too little room between the bar and the wall. very narrow, so you keep getting crushed up against people. we ended up having to wait a little bit because a few members of the party were running late, but the host went ahead and seated us anyway. then came the best part of our meal: the waiter. i never caught his name, but he was professional, kind, clear with instructions and descriptions, and eager to help. he didn't even mind that our group showed up in chunks so it made ordering drinks and food difficult for him. major props to him. it was such a contrast with the service at dino. because of the waiter guy, the meal started off with a very positive vibe, and i was already inclined to like zola.
my appetizer was tuna tartar: "spicy lime vinaigrette, cucumber salad, whipped lemon cream and giant taro chips." it was quite good, and a fairly large serving. the tuna was excellent, as was the cream, but overall i felt it could have had a little more flavor. a little more bam, if you know what i'm sayin.
my main course was the lobster mac & cheese (i'm the kind of girl who can't resist mac & cheese, whether it's out of a kraft box or at a fancy restaurant): "Maine lobster, elbows and fontina." this was a deceptively large serving as well - i only finished about 2/3 of it. once again, pretty good, but just lacking punch. i had to put salt on it, and i don't really want to have to put salt on food at fancy restaurants. but good, and lots of yummy lobster chunks. it was also topped with 4 stalks of perfect asparagus.
the dessert: oh, i am sorry, do you call this chocolate bombe? because i would call it GOD GIFTED HEAVEN ON A PLATE OH MY GOD SO GOOD. it was a flourless chocolate ball (really much more like a very solid mousse) topped with vanilla ice cream and a splash of raspberry sauce. also quite a large serving. i certainly got my money's worth for the amount of food.
overall, we ended up spending about $60, and that generally included two drinks for everybody and tip. not a bad meal, not a bad meal. once again, much like my galileo experience, not a meal i'd have been willing to pay full price for (though certainly better than galileo overall), but isn't that what's restaurant week is for?
up tomorrow: tommy and i head to DC Coast.
Comments
ooo...good. glad to hear the food is good. i've been there twice with becca (she looooves this place) for drinks and the bartenders are AWESOME.
My personal blog will be up and running THIS WEEKEND. So there.
woohoo! can't wait.
I had Mac and Cheese last night too (5 cheese, as a side, at David Greggory), after almost getting it at Tonic on Tuesday night. Go us.
I've been thinking I need a fourth blog.
to discuss the various issues facing the yglesias blogging empire, I assume?
A blog about Yglesias blogs would be a fun exercise, for a couple of minutes at the very least.
I always figured there already was a fourth blog out there where Yglesias was anonymously recording his "I'm drunk, I'm high, and it's 3 in the morning" and Fire Door Girl-type posts now that he has to put up a facade of respectability for work. Like Ogged, only with worse spelling. Matt's comment could be a diversion...
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