Matchbox Update II

Another update, coming from Tom Sietsema's Washington Post weekly restaurant and dining out chat.

Ballpark neighborhood, D.C.: Maybe I've missed you addressing this recently -- sorry if this is a repeat: When is the Matchbox on 8th supposed to open? Food down here by the ballpark leaves much to be desired.

Tom Sietsema: "We're shooting for the third week of October," says Matchbox co-owner Ty Neal. "Right now, we're working on finishes: tile work and hard wood floors." A crucial piece of equipment is in place, however: the pizza oven. Neal says he and his team will probably pick a Monday for their soft opening.

I can't wait...

Matchbox Update

According to Tom Sietsema of the Washington Post, the Matchbox pizza restaurant's expansion on Barracks Row, near the Eastern Market Metro, is expecting to open up this Fall, perhaps as early as September-October.

Locanda Means Inn or Guesthouse

In Italian, but if you see this restaurant down the road from Capitol Hill, along Pennsylvania Ave., keep driving until you reach your next waystation. There's little reason to stop, unless you happen to be a lobbyist with an expense account or professional food reviewer. With entrees in the mid to high $20s range, you might expect ample portions - ala typical chain fare - or delightfully amusing bouquets of flavor. At Locanda, neither is in store for the dinner-goer. The lamb steak was beaten to a thin pulp and splayed across the plate; butchering meat is an unpleasant process, but surely my entree should not appear on the plate, forlorn and forsaken. The presentation only served to accentuate the small beaten thinness of the cut. As i ate the steak - admittedly, a fairly marinated piece of meat - all I could think to myself was why oh why wasn't this pummeled meat nicely breaded into a fine schnitzel? The pennette - that is pasta with spicy tomato sauce - neatly matched the tuscan-colored abstract wall paintings, but did not pair nearly so well with the gullet. Order a nice glass of milk if you plan on trying out some seemingly mild-mannered artisanal pastas.

Perhaps the bonus-sized asparagus salad - topped with feta cheese - was intended to sate my appetite before I took delivery of the main course. Ostensibly an appetizer, this salad arrived in front of me, heaped much like slop for the trough. Confusingly, I was unable to tell how the asparagus was intended to be served. Chilled and crisp? Warm and boiled? Or just mush? The salad was a mix of all. Alas the delicate asparagus tips were too few and far between. I did not take to this particular app, but surely some baby pandas at the National Zoo could have been fooled into thinking they were dining on a plate of pre-chewed bamboo, if they had had the pleasure of dining at Locanda in my stead.

This Italian restaurant near the Eastern Market Metro station nearly redeemed itself with dessert. Gelato flavors here truly distinguished themselves, tasting nothing like poorly done cousins that begin to resemble ice cream or sorbet. But, more flavors (than the four that were available) are surely needed. The panna cotta is another delightful dessert, creamy, light and sweet all at once. There's no hint of graininess that can sometimes appear in such milk-/cream- based recipes.

Rating: 3/10
In Short: definitely a nice evening spot to take a date for wine and dessert, but for pasta you are better off ordering from the Pizza... err Pasta Hut
Website: http://www.locandadc.com/index.htm
Location: 633 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington DC, 20003

Restauranteuring is a Tough Business

And it's even tougher when your cuisine is Indian food in the nation's capital. With so many excellent offerings in the city limits - Heritage (two locations), Rasika, Nirvana (specializing in vegetarian dishes), and White Tiger, just for starters - food and service need to stand out for this ubiquitous cuisine to make its mark. Aatish on the Hill's prime location, one block from the Eastern Market Metro stop on Pennsylvania Ave., makes this sub-continental eating destination great for a quick bite during lunch or carryout late at night; the kitchen is open until 10 or 10:30 pm most nights.

Unfortunately, the samosas and the chicken tikka masala, Indian standards, can too often come out from the kitchen dry and over cooked/baked. The yogurt dipping sauce can be served thick as molasses in January, and the check should definitely be gotten before a dessert can be proffered 'on the house'. However, vegetarian dishes such as the channa masala and vegetable pakora fare better. Well known Indian beers - Kingfisher and Taj Mahal - are served, and there is a full bar.

The dining room suffers from dated decor and plain bingo hall-type seating, but the service is reliable, if unremarkable. Worth noting is the usual tab; with the economy as it stands in Spring 2008, budget bites are taking on greater import. Aatish definitely won't break the bank. Dinner for two, including alcohol, should come in at around $60-70. With many popular destinations clocking in at $120 or more in Washington, Aatish seems to have found its niche as a cheap eats neighborhood restaurant, underselling more expensive Indian places.

Rating: 5/10
In Short: good for carryout and weeknight dining, but there's better Indian dining to be had in DC on weekends
Website: http://www.aatishonhill.com/index.htm
Location: 609 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington DC, 20003