Category Archives: Chinatown

Ping Pong Dim Sum

Posted on by Hungry in DC

Location: Chinatown

Price: $$$

Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary: An average meal enhanced by a great deal

While we have little experience in dim sum cuisine, we enjoy small plate dinners and classic chinese dishes as much as the next person, After hearing about Ping Pong Dim Sum’s brunch special of all you could eat dim sum (costing $25) and seasonal mimosas of guava, lychee & mango (and additional $15), we had to make the trip and make our money’s worth. While we had heard about Ping Pong’s exquisite happy hour deals and their dependable dim sum service, we had never actually had the chance to eat at Ping Pong. The excuse of unlimited dim sum and bottomless mimosas sold us on the task of making a reservation.

Our first round of orders included the Crispy potato cake, fluffy potato with soy beans pancaked with a crisp coating. Tasting like a chinese twice baked potato, the consistency of pureed potato was more mush than mashed. It wasn’t a bad potato cake, but there are better options on the menu. The spicy basil dumpling is a similar story, filled with basil, chili and rice noodles in a riddled wheat flour pastry with vinegar dipping sauce. Spicy and fresh, the rice noodles were a nice touch to the dumpling, but be prepared for a mouth full of steamed basil.

Next was the cleverly named Chicken puff is a puff pastry filled with tender chicken breast, flavored with soy sauce, spring onion, and topped with pineapple. The sweetness of the pineapple paired nicely with the caramelized onions, the minced chicken soaking up the sweetness and the soy sauce. The Chili pork tenderloins, small pork fillets rubbed with chili marinade, were a tad over chewy, but the flavor was spot on, the charred skin and chili sesame sauce coating brighting up the pork’s savoriness.

The Char sui bun was one of the first in our next marathon of dim sum courses, honey-roasted barbecued pork in a wheat flour bun, was by far one of our favorites of the meal. The thick, but delicate texture of the bun holds within a bundle of sweet and shredded BBQ pork. A simple dish, but still a great choice. Another favorite was the Spicy pork dumpling, minced chilies and pork stuffed and steamed in a translucent pastry. A final dim sum not to miss is the Vietnamese shrimp spring roll, shrimp, rice noodles, vegetables wrapped in a rice paper and served with fish sauce, lettuce, and mint. While the wrapper was not the normal translucent skin, the crackle of the rice paper popped on our tongue without sacrificing the light and crisp taste of the filling.

Our first choice of dessert dim sum was the Crispy banana roll with a sichuan chocolate sauce, grilled banana slices rolled up in a thin, wafer-like wrapper. The accompanying semi-sweet sauce of hazelnut and chocolate paired perfectly with the banana roll, the custard-like sauce mellowing out the extremes of the sweetness while preserving the integrity of the crispy banana roll. We also indulged in the Baked ginger cake, drizzled with caramel and served with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream. Although both the cake and ice cream are best enjoyed at the same time, both have a heavy-handed favor and weight. Our final dessert choice was the Roasted coconut and pineapple spring roll served with butterscotch sauce. With flavors similar to a pineapple upside down cake, the butterscotch sauce did wonders to brighten the pineapple and make this dish our favorite dessert.

While we certainly got our money’s worth, we have to reflect on whether we would have actually visited Ping Pong Dim Sum under normal circumstances. Although some of the dishes shone out as great choices, most were average or little more than after thoughts. There was nothing that impressed us or showed us something that we didn’t expect. The brunch deal is worth the trip if you’re looking for something new to try on a weekend or need a place to eat with a large group, but we don’t really see ourselves convincing people to go out of their way for Ping Pong Dim Sum for the food alone.

Ping Pong Dim Sum on Urbanspoon

Matchbox

Posted on by Hungry in DC

Location: Eastern Market & Chinatown

Price: $$$

Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary: Simple, well executed dishes make this a place worth waiting to pack into

It had been a while since we had last ventured to Matchbox and we were hungry for some quality pizza. There are other places around DC to grab a quick slice, but fond memories convinced us that only they had what we craved. Matchbox’s DC area locations are in Chinatown and Eastern Market, the great weather making us choose the latter location to enjoy their outdoor seating. Although the restaurant has been around for a few years, the crowds and long waits haven’t disappeared. Since the restaurant doesn’t take reservations, waits range from immediate seating to 45 minutes. The atmosphere is fun and casual, its beer menu ranges from PBR to Delirium, and space is limited. The question is whether Matchbox’s American cuisine focused menu and execution still warrant cooling your heels or if it’s just another place that serves burgers and pizza.

Although we had the option of six or nine, we decided upon only three Mini Burgers as an appetizer. Certified Angus beef patties are on toasted brioche with pickles and then topped with a large amount of onion straws. Gouda, mozzarella or gorgonzola were available for an extra charge. The burgers were surprisingly well cooked and juicy for being small pieces of meat, the flavor of Angus beef coming right through the toasted brioche. The thin, bountiful onion straws were lightly breaded and maintained their great taste without being heavily greasy. The additional light sprinkle of parmesan cheese was a nice touch and made me seriously consider ordering another round. Mini burgers are nothing new at restaurants, but this is the first time they’ve been the same quality as their bigger brother.

Our second dish was a bowl of the watermelon-infused Gazpacho, a cooled tomato soup with an infused watermelon flavor, finely minced vegetables and a shaving of basil. We’ve had many forms of Gazpacho before, some better (Jaleo) than others, but this is the first time we’ve sampled a version featuring another flavor so openly. The watermelon addition was an interesting flavor combination, the fresh taste of the fruit lending itself naturally to the light soup. The sweetness overtook any usual spice that gazpacho has, something that began overloaded our senses the more we tasted it. The watery consistency of the watermelon also made this dish much thinner than usual. It was nice take on the dish, especially with the heavy heat of a DC summer, but this soup would probably be better served as just a shooter instead of in a fullsized bowl.

It’s worth noting that Matchbox is known for its wood-fired, brick oven pizzas. Unable to decide which one to get for our main course, our waiter bowed to our indecision and suggested splitting one large pizza with two options on the menu. Safe to say, we applauded this compromise.

Our first choice was the Spicy Meatball, house-made spicy meatballs combined with crispy bacon, crushed red pepper, garlic puree, tomato sauce and mozzarella. The meatballs were fantastic and the spice was just right, letting you taste the crushed red pepper and spiced sausage without needing to drown your tongue in water afterwards. The bacon added some needed emphasis to the meaty flavor, since the actual amount of meatballs were few, but we enjoyed the chance to have more than just crust and animal parts. While other pizzas on the menu, like the Matchbox Meat, throw so much at you that you can process it, the Spicy Meatball’s more balanced approach doesn’t make you feel like a heart attack is the next step after your meal.

The second half of the pizza was Chicken Pesto, featuring grilled marinated chicken, house-made pesto sauce and mozzarella. The ground basil and garlic sauce works well with the grilled chicken, the light flavors a welcomed addition to the meal. While some pizzas’ heavy cheese and toppings can weigh the diner down, this Chicken Pesto allows you to enjoy some great flavors without quickly feeling uncomfortably full. Onions and pine nuts were also added at our request. The only complaint we had was that the chicken itself was rather pedestrian. For a pizza that has such a little cook time, there was an opportunity to showcase more tender, perhaps even rotisserie, pieces.

Matchbox is a great place for beers, burgers and pizza for a moderate price without the atmosphere of a low-lit sports bar or feeling trapped by a menu containing only greasy, fried food. Although the wait for a table can often be long since they do not take reservations, it’s easy enough to cool your heels with their decent drink selection. The staff is friendly and happy to take on special requests (cue the pine nuts). Although it is not reviewed here, their brunch menu does impress, especially their Eggs Chesapeake that wraps the featured crab cake in bacon. Much of Matchbox’s menu is the usual American faire, but the simple items they execute well will likely bring you back for seconds.

Graffiato

Posted on by Hungry in DC

Location: Chinatown

Price: $$$$

Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary: An experience haunted by what could have been

It is safe that I had been waiting for Graffiato to ever since I learned that Mike Isabella was opening a restaurant in DC. For those who don’t know, Isabella is from two seasons of the Bravo Series Top Chef, in the last edition finishing as the runner up. I enjoyed watching him on television and naturally had high expectations for his restaurant, which only opened a little over week beforehand. Hell, the day of me going he threw out the first pitch of the National’s game. My expectations were high, perhaps even unreasonably. The question is whether this restaurant met them.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was likened to an industrial building turned into a restaurant. There was an open theme of metal and wood, almost like the interior of a rich man’s Chipotle. The best seats were obviously by the open kitchen where you could easily see the technique being putting into the dishes, making for a very personal experience. This continued with a folded menu already present at every open table in the restaurant (of which there were very few). The added drink menu revealed a few surprises, namely the presence of Montelvini Prosecco on draft.

The first thing to understand is that this restaurant is not Italian, but “Italian inspired”, a fact that our server was very adamant about. This means that while many of the flavors and ingredients are what one would typically see in Italian cooking, the approach, techniques and presentation are meant to be a modern, Isabella interpretation. The second thing is that this is a small plating restaurant, closest resembling Spanish tapas restaurants. The problem with the latter is that we didn’t discover that until we asked our server directly why the prices for the main dishes seemed so low. With this in mind, we decided on five dishes.

Our first was Honey Glazed Cippolini, a variety of caramelized onions with rosemary and onion seeds. Per our waiter’s suggestion, we also ordered Bread, a small bundle of raisin, focaccia, and corn bread. The onions, especially the red, were fantastic, the sweetness of the caramelized honey coating working in step with the variety of soft onions. The fresh bread was a fantastic addition, but considering it was not included with the dish (and was added with unreasonable expense of $5), I can’t help but imagine what it would have been by itself.

It should also be mentioned that with our first dish, we were given a plate of spiced pistachios. It was a neat idea that separates Graffiato from the usual restaurant, but the spices on the shell also separates on to one’s fingers and makes then gripping any silverware a complicated process.

Our next dish was the acclaimed Chicken Thighs, served with cherry tomatoes and Isabella’s own pepperoni sauce. The reason that this dish gained so much attention is because it was one of the dishes prepared by Isabella in the championship round of the latest Top Chef, much to the acclaim of Food and Wine and regular Top Chef judge, Gail Simmons. I can only wonder if she would have felt the same after sampling my own version of the dish. The chicken thighs were expertly cooked and the pepperoni sauce tasted exactly as you would think pureed pepperoni sauce would taste (fantastic), but it was much thinner than I thought it would be. After examining the inconsistent consistency of the sauce on the dish, it was obvious why: it had begun to separate on the dish. One can attribute this to the issues facing any opening restaurant, but it did bring me back to reality and considerably lower my Top Chef level of expectations.

Our third dish was the Roasted Potato Gnocchi with braised pork shank and burrata. The gnocchi was less than soft and was actually cold. The pork shank was delicious, cooked until it literally fell off the bone and was plated. However, the lack of any sauce on the dish and presentation of the ingredients made me wonder whether this was simply a very modern interpretation of Isabella’s grandmother’s dish. If so, the dish should have had much more juice from the pork and the gnocchi certainly should not have been so cold. The addition of a few lima beans to the dish didn’t seem to service any other motive than the coloring of the plate. Further research after our visit revealed that a modest amount of sauce was indeed intended to be part of the dish, leaving me to wonder what we were actually served.

Our fourth dish was the Pork and Beans Pizza, pepperoni and sweet peppers on a white bean puree and topped with a substantial amount of arugula. With a quarter of the menu reserved for pizzas, it was hard not to order one, especially since the size is comparable with that of a “small” pizza. The pizza was a great take on the usual ham and beans concept. The white bean puree that acted as the pizza’s sauce was almost no where to be seen, but was immediately present in taking a bite, certainly preferred to the potential of bean spread oozing out. The pepperoni was very flavorful, offering a pleasant spice to the tastebuds. The forest of arugula on top of the pizza was perhaps more generous than it should have been. The well made crust brought the whole dish together and served as the best plate that we had ordered yet.

Our final dish was a Chocolate Chocolate Tart served with a Lemon Gelato. When the tart was brought with a pink colored companion, much to the confusion of both us, and our server, it was confirmed that there was both raspberry flavoring and coloring in the lemon gelato. (As an apology for the confusion, the server generously took the desert off the bill.) The chocolate tart was much like a piece of chilled fudge in a normal piecrust. The chocolate and lemon flavors worked well enough together, but the dish was largely an unnecessary afterthought of the meal. Unless you’re looking for a piece of fudge, it might be better to sample something else.

Every dish we had at Graffiato had an enormous amount of thought put into it. The fault was in the preparation and execution in the kitchen. Much like the philosophy class that many of us are obliged to take in college, there was a lot of pretense of enlightenment without any concrete evidence. Whether it was a missing ingredient or plating of the dish, I am left wondering what would I have received if Isabella himself was cooking in the back. Although most critics wait at least eight weeks until after a restaurant opens to review the food, allowing restaurants to get in a groove and work out the usual opening kinks, one can argue that the hallmark of any good restaurant is consistency as much as flavor and technique. While it is important to note that none of these dishes were actually terrible, meal felt like a half-hearted interpretation of Isabella’s culinary vision. The success of the pizza and creative drink menu makes this more of the place that people should visit for a late night bite and drink rather than a place to go for their main course, especially considering the somewhat inflated price of some of these small portion dishes ($5 for 6 pieces of bread?!). Returning to Graffiato for dinner is a possibility a few months down the road, if only to taste what Isabella truly wanted want his patrons to sample instead of this disappointing experience.