Welcome to Talk to Tom, the dining advice column that aims to point you toward good meals, steer you from the dross and solve your pressing restaurant queries.
Look for a fresh Q&A every Thursday in this space. Questions and comments can be submitted to TalkToTom@notus.com. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity.
I’m an event scheduler, looking for some new ideas for smallish private dining in D.C. I’m interested in somewhere other than the usual steak houses and hotel venues.
Let me direct you to the hot-hot Uchi, the dashing Japanese import from Austin, which offers two separate spaces, one with room for 14, the other with seats for eight — both of which can be accessed via a private entrance for those who want to play like VIPs; the Italian newcomer Rosselli, whose 10-seat La Vigna off the main dining room is fronted with mesh metal curtains and decorated with a mural of a vineyard; and Barbouzard, the sweeping Mediterranean retreat from top chef Cedric Maupillier. The last has several options, the most intimate of which is the window-wrapped Royale Champagne Parlor with plush seats for 16 guests and a view into the kitchen.
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We love cheese and are so sad that there are few, if any, cheese shops in the D.C. area. There’s Cheesetique in Alexandria and a few vendors at the farmers market, so we end up ordering from Goldbelly, the online national food source. Any thoughts?
Your question sent me into the field — well, into some popular shops in the DMV — where I found extra options for you. Just this week, I admired how the owner of the neighborly Each Peach Market in Mount Pleasant sang the praises of the fluffy, subtly tangy, fresh chevre from Pipe Dreams I selected, then lamented that its longtime maker in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, was considering retirement. In Arlington, at the more expansive Arrowine & Cheese, the aroma at the door alone (pleasantly pungent) confirms you’re in the right place for fromage. A counter in the rear displays more than 130 selections. “I counted them once,” says the staff member who assisted me with my requests for a cheese that would be appropriate for a sandwich in someone’s office and something richer and runnier for home consumption. Just as a sommelier might pour a taste for a diner considering a bottle of wine, the attendant offered previews of the Alpine Knock Out (love the hint of mushrooms and white pepper in the finish) and buttery, salty Époisses coupe. Its surface looks like a brain; the texture is so runny, it practically melts at room temperature.
Area cheese fanciers of my acquaintance also recommend the family-run Bowers Fancy Dairy Products stand at Eastern Market, a mainstay since 1964; La Jambe in Union Market; Calvert Woodley Fine Wines & Spirits, another of my go-to spots, usually before I’m having friends for happy hour; Gemelli’s Italian Market in Gaithersburg; Stonyman Gourmet Farmer in Kensington; and Piazza Italian Market in Easton, where a well-traveled food friend says she’s found some international cheeses that “I have never seen in this country.”
By the way, a good cheesemonger is likely to ask what you plan to do with the cheese; offer tastes of a product before you buy it; cut cheese to order rather than as a wrapped product; and use cheese paper instead of plastic film, which suffocates the cheese. Try the sniff test in the shop, too. Earthy and even barnyard-y aromas are appropriate. Ammonia or sour smells raise a reg flag.
I’ve noticed more restaurants closing recently, especially those that have been around awhile. What’s the driver behind this?
There are many factors at play, restaurateurs tell me. Downtown, Chinatown and Penn Quarter have been hit especially hard by the failure of workers not returning to their offices, for instance. Federal job cuts and agency downsizing have also contributed to the closures. Rising costs across the board — food, insurance, labor — mean ever-smaller margins for operators. (In a competitive market, some dishwashers make north of $20.) Layer on staffing issues, chefs and landlords who can’t agree to terms, and fewer international visitors to the city, and it’s a wonder more businesses don’t shutter.
Finally, when the cost of living goes up, guess what people cut from their budget first? Eating out.
It’s great to see your writing and recommendations again! My wife and I will be in Sydney for our honeymoon in December and January. We’re big foodies, but we prefer food quality and restaurant vibes to fine dining per se.
I’ve never been Down Under, but I know someone who lives there and covers the food scene in Sydney: Jenifer Jagielski, the byline behind “Eat Street” in the Sunday Telegraph and other publications. (You can find her at sydneyeatstreet on Instagram.) In general, “Sydney is renowned for its seafood, particularly the Sydney rock oysters,” Jagielski says. The city also has a large Asian population, “so you’ll find lots of ‘[culturally]-inspired’ cuisines,” she adds.
Her short list includes:
Tam Jiak, in the redeveloped Sydney Fish Market, for Malaysian cooking built around a surf-and-turf concept. Every dish has a land and sea element. (The roast duck, for instance, is black from a brush with squid ink.)
Spice Temple, for modern Chinese with Sichuan, Yunnan and Hunan accents, in a scene-y dining room.
Aalia, near the famous Opera House, which showcases Middle Eastern small plates.
Nomad, another casual, ingredient-focused Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dining room with the bonus of a good wine list.
Bennelong, set in one of the “sails” of the Opera House and spanning three levels. Look for contemporary Australian fare, a raw bar and multiple ways to eat, including from a pre-theater list.
Mr. Wong, a lively, two-level Cantonese restaurant where dim sum and barbecued duck are among the signatures.
La Favola in nearby Newtown, whose chef grew up outside Naples and where the small menu is a handful of pastas and toppings made from scratch daily.
Jagielski didn’t just provide food tips. “Dress codes aren’t really a thing here,” she wrote me. Also, “contrary to what people have heard about not tipping in Australia, alas, the U.S.’s influence has begun to normalize tipping in restaurants.” Fifteen to 20% is “appreciated” now, she says.
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