Good Stuff Eatery "Embroiled" in Meatastrophe

Local news reports noted that D.C. health inspectors have been snooping around the newly opened Good Stuff Eatery. Among the problems, as reported by WTOP:
Hand washing facilities were not accessible to employees
Food contact surfaces (cutting boards) were not properly sanitized
Food was not segregated, separated and protected
And, most damning from a public relations perspective, though perhaps least worrisome, at least according to the restaurant's management:
Beef stored in alley
The crew at GSE claims this was because the meat had just been offloaded from trucks and was in vaccuum-sealed containers before being moved into the refrigeration unit... conveniently located in the same back alley.

However, WTOP goes into further detail of the health inspector's report. Other items found in the alley included potatos and bread. So, have reports of unsanitary conditions been the result of NIMBY conflicts? Or, are dirtier things afoot? One thing is clear. Rather than express contrtion and explain away the mischaracterizations of conditions (as Mendelsohn and company assert) Good Stuff is thumbing its nose at the criticism with a new reported "Back Alley Burger." At this point, with clean inspection reports on 12 and 15 September, my only complaint is that this hip crew can't update their website with a description of the alley burger!

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...

What's New in Navy Yard?

The Navy Yard neighborhood, officially dubbed the Capitol Riverfront, is booming in terms of new high-rise condos and mixed-use development. Everywhere, buildings are going up with construction firms promising spaces for living, shopping, and eating, all in one location. So, where's the beef, or for that matter, anything other than fast food? Residents in 1000 New Jersey Ave., one of the earliest plots to complete construction around the new Navy Yard, have been eagerly awaiting a restaurant on the first floor of their building for several years now - indeed since 2006. Word is that one serious prospective tennant for this space has opted to concentrate its expansion efforts elsewhere, at least for the time being. Tonic Restaurant has locations in Mount Pleasant and Foggy Bottom, and is reportedly looking to move across the river into the Orange Line corridor of Arlington. So, seared scallops, "Monday Wine Nights," and people watching with a beer in hand on New Jersey Ave., will have to wait a while longer.

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.

Zaytinya, a Growing Disappointment

I remember the first time I visited Zaytinya, a lux-styled bar and restaurant for the young and international crowd that makes up one of several "hip" D.C. scenes. I was taken in by the glitter of the crowd, the thumping of the music, and the "foreign" tapas menu. The patio is an impressively sized front along G St., just two blocks from the Verizon Center in Chinatown. Wide stone steps and tall glass doors form a modern facade that often sees groups walking out of the restaurant oblivious to traffic rules. Wealthy Internationalistas don't stop for traffic or alter their paths to reach crosswalks. They also don't take Metro, much.

Unfortunately, Zaytinya's luster has only dimmed over time. On several occasions now the tapas dishes have been disappointing, and most recently, even drinks at the bar were subpar. During my last stop I ran the gamut of mezze. Having worked out that evening and skipped lunch - a sure-fire recipe for a favorable assessment of the restaurant's fare - I was eagerly anticipating some Mediterranean cuisine. Small plates of falafel, scallops, rabbit, lamb, mushrooms, and beef arrived at random intervals as the cooks completed the plates, the norm in such restaurants. But, with the exception of the decent falafel and somewhat tough beef, the plates were tasteless, dry, or decidedly unpleasant. Scallops: more sand that seafood. Rabbit: where's the meat? Lamb: I won't be getting e-coli, but I won't be enjoying the taste any time soon either. And mushrooms: a whole lot of butter and not much else, at least that I could recognize.

To top if off, the drinks were poorly prepared as well. My gin and tonic, as well as the "signature" martini, seemed like they had been brought to the table direct from a hot plate. The end-of-the-night Pom-Fili, a mixture of white wine, vodka, triple sec, and pomegranate juice, was slightly better, but by that point in the evening I was stewing over the tab and my stomach was grumbling from the meal. I decided to hightail it home via Metro for some Crown n' Coke - with ice cubes direct from the freezer....

Rating: 0/10
In Short: Unless your wealthy diplo-friend insists otherwise, head over to the more reliable Jaleo.
Website: http://www.zaytinya.com/
Location: 701 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

The Basics of the Internets

Dear Restaurant Owners of Russia House,

You seem to be hip to the 21st century, with your restaurant inhabiting a prominent page all of its own on the Internet, but some of the basics, such as hours, might be due for an update. For example: if you advertise your restaurant as being open 5-10, and the adjoining bar open for another four hours, that's all well and good. But, if I have to read a hand-written note taped to the door of your establishment letting me know you're closed, either because you were too inept to renew your liquor license on time or too lax in inspecting youthful patrons' id's, then update your freaking Web page to say so.

Na zdorov'e Russia House

Rating: 0/10
In Short: If you can tape an update to your front door, you can edit a line of text in html.
Website: www.wedon'tactuallyupdateourwebsitetoprovideaccurateinfo.com; or, http://www.russiahouselounge.com/
Location: 1800 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington DC, 20009

Where To?

So, where should I head next? Several good restaurants are beckoning. Ray's Hell-Burger in Arlington has gotten some reviews that suggest the recently reviewed GoodStuffEatery, isn't the only fantastic burger shoppe in this neck of the woods. It seems the Orange line corridor is not just well-served by mass transit; the food is quite convenient as well. And what of Old Town? Vermilion on King Street - just a few blocks down from that eponymous Metro station - is open late on the weekends and still performing admirably several years after launch. Simple entrees are said to equal elegance here. And the raft of seafood appetizers available are quite apt for this old seafaring town. U Street in Northwest continues its onslaught of cool with restaurants like Marvin and Station 9. When your block is getting mention in the latest issue of The New Republic as the epitomizing sign of the revitalization of inner cities and the realignment of populations from the suburbs to the city cores, it's time to take note; the best dining and entertainment in the DC metro area is more likely found in an area once scarred by race riots than anywhere else.