R.I.P.: D'Acqua

R.I.P.: D'Acqua

D'Acqua had a great, if cursed location. This address on Pennsylvania Ave. has been the site of a number of restaurants over the years, but none seem to really stick.

With an Italian cuisine, it would seem a natural power lunch hit. But I'm afraid I never saw it full.

My one lunch there was alright, but not great. I had mussels in a tomotoe sauce - always a mistake, just too messy to really enjoy. The bread was really good though!

Meal: Lunch
Rating: N/A
Date Closed: 3 November 2009
Address: 801 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004
Website: N/A

R.I.P.: Bluepoint

2008-07-24-dscn5003
Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

R.I.P.: Bluepoint

On the site of the former location of John Harvard's, Bluepoint seemed to have a lot going for it. But it just never seemed to get going.

Went there for happy hour a number of times and there was always a good crowd. Nice filet sliders and drinks priced to go.

But the dining room never seemed to get a crowd (or even close to full). Generally, service was good and the food ok (a pecan crusted tilapia was good).

This is a great location, but it needs something to match that.


Meal: Drinks/Lunch/Dinner
Rating: N/A
Date Closed: Early 2010?
Address: 1299 Pensylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004
Website: N/A

Yaku in Arlington, R.I.P.

Yaku: R.I.P.

Yaku suffered from an odd location (an apartment building with very little walking traffic, and a strange name (is it Japanese? Is it Latin? Is it Fusion?).

I only had a chance to visit once before it closed in January 2010. Service was very good (contrary to some reviews) and the food was very mixed. The dumplings we had (pictured at bottom) were quite good - as were the other appetizers, but the main courses were lacking.




Restaurateur Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld, founder of the Latin Concepts group, still has a number of other locations in his stable, including the nearby Gua-Rapo.

Meal: Dinner
Rating: **
Date: 8 November 2010
Address: 1900 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201
Website: http://www.latinconcepts.com/

R.I.P.: Madhu Ban

2009-10-25-IMG_4838
Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

R.I.P.: Madhu Ban

Madhu Ban was one of those places that I wanted to go to more often, but it was just a bit too far from home and in an area that I don't frequent that often when in search of dinner.

I did make it there a couple of times and each time the food was good, if not spectacular. I believe it was run by the same people (or at least shared staff) with the Indian restaurant in downtown Washington in the Old Post Office food court.

Not the fanciest, and too be honest, sometimes looking a little dirty, Madhu Ban is all locked up with fences around it, the block likely to be renovated into something new sometime soon.

Meal: Dinner
Rating: N/A
Date Closed: circa 2009 (?)
Address: 3217 Washington Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22201-4415
Website: N/A

R.I.P.: Joe Tarrentino's

2007-08-23-dscn0215
Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

R.I.P.: Joe Tarrentino's

First off, this isn't the more famous Tarrentino's on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. In fact, the bigger, more famous Tarrentino's once sued the smaller Joe Tarrentino's in South Lake Tahoe for use of the name.

But hey, what was Joe supposed to call his place? Alioto's? Joe won that case, but time eventually took it's toll and Joe Tarentino's eventually closed.

Tarrentino's was the first "real" restaurant that I remember going to. It wasn't a Denny's or a Dairy Queen. There was a maitre d' (usually Joe himself or one of his daughters). Joe and family were friends of my parents (well, I'm guessing they were friends of most of the year-round residents in South Tahoe), and Tarrentino's was where we went for a "nice" dinner when we weren't going to a restaurant in one of the casinos (in those days, just Harrah's, Harvey's, and the Sahara Tahoe).

The place always struck me as dark, but maybe that was the style. Big banquet style booths (we always seemed to sit in a booth).

And the food? It was Italian (in case you haven't guessed). I probably usually got spaghetti or maybe ravioli. But what I remember where the antipasto plates. Carrots, olives, little gherkins, the usual. And the bread, with little pats of butter! Nothing really special, but the kind of things that said "restaurant" to me then and probably still does to this day.

So Joe, thanks for the memories and for the pasta!

Meal: Dinner
Rating: N/A
Date Closed: ?
Address: South Lake Tahoe, CA
Website: N/A

R.I.P.: KoKo

2008-03-27-dscn3318
Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

R.I.P.: KoKo

With a really interesting mix of Latin-fusion slash Caribbean items on the menu and a cool, yet not too hip dining area, KoKo was a culinary treat.

My one and only visit there was in March 2008. We were sitting around a friend's house trying to decide which great St. Louis restraurant to visit. Once KoKo came up, we jumped into our cars and rode off. Sitting in the same house this month (May 2009), in the same seat (but sipping a different dring - a martini made with an Oregon artisinal gin - thanks again Doug!), I heard that KoKo klosed! So sad.

On my visit, our table started with Zydeco Fries (an appetizer of white-cheddar grits battered with cornmeal and deep-fried) which were really good.

For my entree, I had the pork osso buca, which came with a side of beans. The pork was fork tender and spiced just right.

There was an excellent wine list and great service. Glad I got there before it closed.

More photos.


Meal: Dinner
Rating: ****
Date: 27 March 2008
Date Closed: June 2008
Address: 3257 Ivanhoe Ave., St Louis, MO 63139
Website: N/A

R.I.P.: Tom Sarris' Orleans House

2008-05-18-dscn3812
Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

R.I.P.

Tom Sarris' Orleans House was a landmark in the Rosslyn neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia for 40-50+ year will be missed more in theory than in actual dining experience.

I only went there a couple of times, once with some friends, another for a birthday lunch for a colleague, maybe another time or two. The Orleans House closed in January 2008 to make way for a high rise development on the location. I only went there a couple of times, but somehow knowing it was there was comforting!

Home to a giant salad bar and slabs of prime rib, it was the perfect place for college grads to go with the parents for a "real" restaurant dinner (well, for me at least, this was in the less trendy 80s!).

With ironwork, balconies, and lots of greenery, it gave diners an idea of what Tennessee Williams' New Orleans might look like (if it had a steamboat shaped salad bar that is!).

After it closed in January, the teardown was quick. By May 2009, the exterior was nearly stripped and the "Old South" look was starting to take on a post bellum look!

How was the food? I can't really remember. I recall the prime rib seemed pretty good and that giant salad bar brought back memories of salad bars from my long ago childhood days.

So, so long Orleans House, we'll miss you, as will the busses of tourists and stretch limos of prom kids. And one mystery will remain? Who was Tom Sarris???

Meal: Lunch/Dinner
Rating: N/A
Date Closed: 17 January 2008
Address: 1213 Wilson Blvd., Rosslyn, VA 22209
Website: N/A

Restaurant: R.I.P.

2008-05-18-dscn3811
Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Because the lifespan of many restaurants can be measured in weeks, not years, I thought I needed to make some space here for those places that have moved on to a different level of existence.

Some are missed more than others, so I hope to capture here some of the places that I've gone to, but can't go back to...

Please comment with any places you might miss!