August 9th, 2009

Because a friend and I both purchased $50 for $25 coupons for co co. sala we decided to try their brunch and dinner. I will re-review/re-post ratings with the upcoming dinner, taking into account this brunch and the past two dinners that I have had there. I can’t believe that by the end of this, I will have gone to co co. sala four times! It’s really not that great of food, but it’s the novelty of going to a chocolate lounge. I met one of the managers/co-owner (?) at the “Best of Washingtonian” party about a month ago and told him that I did not enjoy my last experience there. He gave me a card and invited me back, but I was still hesitant. But then I saw the coupon deal and figured that I would get them another try (at half price). I took my friend there for her first time since she loves Brunch and I informed co co. sala ahead for time that I would be re-visiting for a special occasion.

My friend was running a little late, so I waited for her at the bar. The manager told me they were launching a new “bubbly” menu today and encouraged me to try one. I was torn between the ginger liquer (canton) and the chocolate/coconut/roobis tea one. In the end, I didn’t choose the canton one because it seemed a bit heavy for 11:30 in the morning. Once past the slight acidity of the champagne, the real subtle notes of chocolate and coconut were quite pleasant. I also liked the chocolate swirl accent that traveled through the glass with the level of liquid.

We were seated in the “back room”, and it was beautiful. Nice wooden tables with either stubby chairs on one end or cushy red crushed velvet booths on the other. Gold curtains separate most tables on at least one side, which leads an air of privacy that you wouldn’t expect in a lounge. The menus are also printed on beautiful iridescent paper and are substantial and of good quality.

Our server, Melissa, was attentive and friendly and had no qualms about sharing her likes and dislikes on the menu. We both ordered the prix fixe menu and shared each dish with each other. The amuse chocolat reminded me of a chocolate donut with a caramel sauce that had some hints of orange juice. Inside the fritter was a warm mini-volcano of chocolate. My friend ordered a frosted salted caramel co co since it was so hot outside, and it really hit the spot. It was the perfect richness and balance between salty and sweet.

The hotcake obsession was delightfully light and citrus-y, the perfect brunch fare. The pancakes were thinner and thicker and consistency than most household pancakes and had a texture similar to crepes. The lemon thyme butter with just a bit of the berry compote made this dish delicious.The S’Mores, which our server had warned was her least favorite dish, was alright. It was all just a little too much for a brunch meal. The french toast had a hole carved out of it which was oozing dark chocolate and had been stuffed with house-made marshmallows. Some bites of it had the texture of bread pudding because it had absorbed the marshmallow and chocolate, but at times it was too rich for even me. The milk chocolate mousse cracker and banana compote were separate from the french toast. I could have done without the milk chocolate mousse and wished the banana was served on the french toast because it was a bit awkward to keep going back and forth between the two.

By the time the last course came, we were completely stuffed. But, we had to make room for the delicious desserts! We each received a two choices of four desserts, so naturally we got all four so we could try them all! They were each all the perfect size and very rich. From left to right below: Pistachio panna cotta, raspberry/dark chocolate tart, triple chocolate mousse, and chocolate peanut butter “cup”. I liked the light flavor of the pistachio, but the peanut butter dessert was too rich. The triple mousse was alright, but the three different flavors weren’t distinct. The raspberry chocolate tart was the worst because it was plain and the pastry itself seemed store-bought. That, and I don’t care for hairy berries~.

co co. sala has an interesting and unique idea for brunch, and for $22 its a real deal. It might be just a tad too decadent for my taste, so I’ll reserve it for special occasions like an afternoon tea at the Ritz.

This is an update of a previous review.

At the request of the manager, I went back to visit La Sandia for an “eight course tasting menu to showcase the traditional ingredients they use while executing dishes in a modern way”. I didn’t know this the first time I went to La Sandia, but they’re in the Zengo family, and I love Zengo (despite their refusal to change the statement zengo means giving and receiving in Japanese, even though I told the marketing manager that it in no way or interpretation means that and means before and after, but I digress). Long story short: take this review with a grain of salt. This is not going to be the average dining experience since I had the manager(s) personally visiting after every dish and asking my opinion, and the waiter and chef were made aware of my presence ahead of time. I try to keep my opinion objective as possible, taking into consideration my previous experience, the taste of the food itself, and the decor. Also keep in mind that I don’t have a real taste for Mexican food (in general).  Namely, I like a few other cuisine types (including Asian) far better.

Overview

It seems as if this La Sandia is a different one than I visited before. There are the same decorative lit walls made to look like stained glass here and the menu still has the Cobb salad and sangria, but it just feels different. There still is something that still doesn’t quite work here, maybe I can’t get over it that this restaurant is in a mall, but the vibe has pulled together nicely and the restaurant is considerably full for a Wednesday night. Our server, Alex, is attentive at all the right moments and even adds a dish at the end of our meal “because he likes chocolate too”. The manager who meets us before and after each course tells the dishes’ stories effortlessly, as if he farmed the ingredients and cooked them himself. The other manager lingers a little too long and seems a bit nervous, but it’s fine. Chips and salsa are brought out, but the chips are slightly stale and cold. Salsa is nothing to have an epiphany over, but it’s edible. We receive our drink orders (which are both for me) of a Passion Fruit Mojito and the Aguas Frescas  of the day, Watermelon. The frescas is warm, but after a few swizzles of the the straw becomes drinkable. I like the watermelon taste and it’s not too sweet. The mojito tastes like a regular mojito, with no strong passion fruit taste. If I wouldn’t have ordered it myself, I wouldn’t have guessed it had passion fruit in it. The menu is thoughtfully left with us so we can read along with our courses and muse over other dishes we might have chosen.

Courses and Detailed Thoughts

I’ll list our courses in order with responses to each one to break it up a bit.

Roasted Corn Soup

The soup was served in small cups with a drizzle of huitlacoche vinaigrette on top. It tasted very similar to creamed corn, so if you don’t like creamed corn, you won’t like this. The vinaigrette, which was explained as “a mexican truffle oil […] is taken from a very rare mushroom that grows on corn”, and the sips which had it were exponentially better than sips without.

Ceviche Tasting

The mahi mahi ceviche in a sauce made of ketchup or tomato (I got two different answers) was okay. It would have tasted alright on it’s own if it hadn’t have been pair with the rock shrimp ceviche, which was great. The mahi mahi had a very strong fishy taste, which brought to mind the question of freshness, and the flavors of the sauce fell flat. The rock shrimp came to life in the orange juice-jabanero ceviche, which did a great job of balancing sweetness with spice. Both the mahi mahi and the shrimp were blanched for about five seconds before being added into the mix.

Beef & Chorizo Empanadas

The empanada dough itself on the outside was too thick and fried too deeply for my taste, but this was one of my favorite dishes (not that you can go wrong with chorizo). I really liked the play of sweet and savory in this dish with the raisins, almonds, oaxaca cheese, crema fresca, and chile chipotle. People that do not like having sweet sides or sauces with their proteins will not like this though.

Pork Carnitas Sopes

I did not like the texture of the corn masa cake in this dish, and even though it had a lot going on (black bean puree, shredded napa, blood orange-habanero glaze, pickled onion) I didn’t really taste it. This was due in part to the plating of the dish–the masa was piled so high with layers that it was impossible to get everything in each bite, which was in my opinion a disservice to the dish itself.

Chipotle Shrimp

This was another dish that seemed to have so much going on that it just fell flat. The prawns themselves were perfectly cooked and had a great texture. The white rice sauteed with market vegetables seemed bland despite the fact that there were so many ingredients. The bites with the fresh sweet corn saved this dish for me.

Tacos al Pastor

If I had read the menu description of this dish, I would not have ordered it. But on the plate, everything came together perfectly. The adobo marinated pork was juicy and cooked to perfection with a great texture. It played well off of the pineapple in the dish, even though I thought the two would compete more then complement. Served with a tomatillo salsa (which we were informed is actually a berry!).

Chipotle BBQ Ribs

The story for this dish is about how the chef is from Northern Mexico and spent ten years in Kansas perfecting barbecue. The meat was very tender and delicious, but the sauce overpowered the meat itself.

Corn Tamal

Apparently, this is one of the favourites at La Sandia, even though it’s a side. This, in theory, is a great dish–I could see where it was going. As it was being explained to me, I understood how it was supposed to taste, but it didn’t taste that way. The sweet corn filling walked the perfect line of sweet and savory, but I was lost when the topping came into play. The cubes of cheese and cilantro did not integrate at all with the corn. In fact, when I tried to take the first bite, all of the (poblano?) cheese cubes bounced off of the top of the tamal and onto the plate, taking the cilantro with it. In theory, the cheese is served warm on top of the corn and adds a real creaminess to cut the sweetness the corn has. In reality, the cheese was cold, hard to cut (even with silverware), and had the consistency of tofu. The corn itself is similar to the taste of warmed-but-not-yet-baked-into-a-corn-muffin cornmeal.

Caramel Flan

I thought I would like this, but it tasted as if someone took a container of condensed milk, burned the bottom, and turned it upside down on a plate. The pineapple-strawberry pico de gallo on top was nice, but did nothing to cut the richness and odd flavor of the flan. I thought Mexican desserts were supposed to be “light” ?

El Tres Leches

This dessert was odd. The chiffon cake itself was shockingly cold but the sauce was warm. The sauce comprised of three milks (including evaporated and condensed) was very interesting and I still cannot make up my mind whether I like it not.

Morenita Sundae

When we expressed that we liked the two desserts, but they weren’t amazing since we’re more “chocolate people”, our server brought out this little dessert out of empathy because he “likes chocolate too”. The cinnamon ice cream made with goats milk was amazing, but the brownie tasted like it was sold by a place that doesn’t quite specialize in baked goods.

Conclusion

It’s unfortunate that La Sandia is in a mall. The type of customers that frequent Tysons Corner generally aren’t going to be the type to try real Mexican food, down a shot of one of their 100 tequilas, or appreciate the stylized decor. And unfortunately, the clientele of a restaurant becomes part of its decor. As a result, I see La Sandia as a restaurant still struggling to find its identity. One thing that I do appreciate is that while they acknowledge that patrons are looking for a quick bite of fajitas (similar to Don Pablo’s or Rio Grande), they encourage diners to try one of their many dishes that blend familiar territory with fresh and new ingredients. And there are great dishes to be had.

La Sandia is on a mission, however, to stay true to Mexican cuisine, and is doing the right thing by reaching out for feedback and changing as a response. They are participating in this summer’s restaurant week with a menu that rings of Oyamel (grasshopper tacos, beef tongue tacos, excellent drinks) and are undergoing another menu change in September. La Sandia brings comfort food mixed with downtown class to Northern Virginia, but I’m not sure that this shopping mall is ready for it.

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July 31st, 2009
If you live in this area, you pretty much have to go to Ray’s the Steaks and Ray’s Hellburger. It’s just the thing to do. Ray’s moved this year to a new location when it moved it’s Hellburger into the Steaks location. Ray’s now takes reservations as well.

We didn’t have a reservation, but walked in and didn’t have to wait. We were seated at a table right next to the back-side of the hosting table (sitting next to the hosts that were standing and talking to customers, pulling out menus, answering the phone, etc) and asked to be moved. We were then moved to a table next to a supply station, a stop in-between the kitchen and the tables where people go to get glasses and silverware rolls. The hostess asked if this was fine and I said “Well, they’re both bad, but I guess we can sit here.” In my opinion, you just shouldn’t put tables in places people don’t want to sit. It’s okay to have one or two less tables, the diners will appreciate it in the end (see: SEI Restaurant). I also didn’t really know who our server was. We were being served by the hostess and two different waitresses at the same time, and they didn’t seem to communicate with each other on what stage in our meal we were at. The hostess then came to us after about 5-10 minutes and asked if we wanted to move. At this point, we were all settled in (despite the constant bumping-into I was receiving by every waiter that walked by), so declined. After we placed our orders, another waitress came by and asked us for our drink orders. We told her we had already placed our order and munched on the bread and cashews. The spicy cashews were great, but the bread was thick, dense, and dry. Not to mention pretty much flavorless. The bread went mostly uneaten and was taken away when our food came.

So, yeah, the steak is cheap, but is it good? Honestly, I didn’t order the steak here. I don’t like steak, so I got the scallops. The appetizer portion for $9.95 was the size of an entree at any other restaurant and the scallops were the biggest I’ve ever seen. The scallops came served with onions (which didn’t go with the dish at all) that were mostly inedible, and a mango chutney (which tasted like jelly and was good in moderation). The scallops themselves were good. They were almost 100% grit-free despite their size, but did have a bit of rubbery mouth-feel at times. I tried the Diablo steak served medium, and it too was alright. Nothing to right home about, and also served with the horrendous onions and with large chunks of garlic on top. Each steak entree comes with a side of mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. The mashed potatoes had pockets where I could taste butter, and the potatoes themselves had a slightly grainy texture at times. They didn’t taste like instant potatoes, but reminded me of them. This was the first time I’d had creamed spinach, and it didn’t make me a fan. It was interesting to taste, but too watery for me. Both were alright enough, but there was just too much of them. We don’t need this much food, period! I ordered a small side of Macaroni & Cheese for $3.50 and it too was too large. After two bites, it went uneaten. The only thing worse than having a craving for macaroni and cheese is trying to fill that craving with an awful excuse for the dish. The macaroni lacked flavor all together, and tasted like pasta water. I could see some cheese in it, but there was absolutely no cheese taste. I’ve had better macaroni from frozen dinners.

These sides, paired with the size of the entree instantly made me realize, yet again, why America has an obesity issue. I chose the appetizer size of the scallops and a small size of the side, yet could not finish either. The steak and sides were taken as leftovers and eaten over a span of three days.

My boyfriend was “resting” part-way through his steak, placing his silverware down on the table, and I was still eating my scallops, fork and knife in hand, when a waitress came up to us and offered to box his food. I couldn’t believe the constant pressure we were getting to finish quickly, it was obvious that they were trying to turn tables quickly. When we were finished, they cleared the table, boxed my boyfriend’s food and sides, but left my dirty plate on the table until we left. Little things like this, in service, really irk me. It can really put a damper on the whole experience.

I did like the little mini-desserts we received though–chocolate peanut butter squares. It tasted fresh because the peanut butter was refrigerator-cold and the chocolate was very warm. The contrast was interesting to me, though some might not like it.

The decor in Ray’s is nicer than it’s previous location. It looks like a clean seafood/steakhouse inside, with wood and white and windows. It did seem like a starker version of a downtown restaurant, with no personalization at all. I guess you pay for the cheap prices, not personality though. I’m glad that I went to this restaurant, but I shall not be visiting again.

From Zagat

“A better deal does not exist” than at this Arlington “living legend” near the Courthouse metro that’s rated the Top Steakhouse in the DC Survey for “incredible” house-butchered beef (plus “affordable wines” and sides “at no extra charge”) that puts the “expensive chains to shame”; carnivores patiently endure the “rushed” service, “stark” space and “maddening no-reservations policy”, ’cause “that’s the shtick”; N.B. it may be moving to roomier quarters.

Courthouse | 1725 Wilson Blvd. (Quinn & Rhodes St) | 703-841-7297
Food: 27, Decor: 10, Service: 19, Cost: $44