Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Sticky Rice Reviews

Check out these blog reviews of H Street's newest addition. Sticky Rice is located at 1224 H Street.

The 42
Capital Spice

70 comments:

Tom A. said...

We tried to go on Saturday night, but I had no idea the opening weekend was reservations only! The hostess said we could sit at the bar, and pointed out two seats together. But as we entered, some tattooed guy with a lot of gel in his hair looked as us with disdain, and said "sorry reservations only." I only half believed him, since there was a line, but looking at the website later, I see it was true. I wasn't sure if it was ageism, homophobia, or the fact that we were wearing shorts, but it wasn't cool that he didn't let us in. So we spent our money elsewhere, and will probably continue to do so in the future. The energy in there was pretty frantic anyway- opening weekend and all- and this place really didn't feel or look like it belongs on H Street anyway. It felt more like the places in Adams Morgan.

Mike said...

Sorry to hear about your negative experience, Tom, but you said yourself that the website backs up the "tattooed guy with a lot of gel in his hair" - their soft opening was announced as reservations only.

Doesn't sound like ageism, homophobia, stylism, or anything else like that. But it does sound like he could have been more polite in how he delivered the message.

Since you didn't stay to eat, I'm surprised you felt like you got a good enough feel for the place to determine whether or not it 'belongs' on H Street. Having eaten there, I'd say it's a welcome addition and the vibe is similar to that of the Palace of Wonders. It may not be your cup of tea, but it's certainly no sore thumb.

I would encourage everyone to hold off on falling in love with Sticky Rice or writing it off completely until after they've settled in - can you really form a lasting judgement of a place based on its second night of "soft opening?"

Give them a chance now that their reservations-only period is over. If you don't like it after actually experiencing the atmosphere and tasting the food as it will be on a regular basis, then at least you're basing your decision to go elsewhere on something more than a brief opening-weekend experience.

And before anyone asks, I DID eat there last week and found some things to love and some things that need improvement. I'm eager to see how they continue to develop.

Anonymous said...

I ate at Sticky Rice for the soft opening on Thursday, and while I'm very excited about having it in the neighborhood, I totally understand now why restaurants do soft openings... my sashimi was not, shall I say, very good. it appeared to have been sitting for a while, and was not as fresh as it should be. which is not good for sushi, obviously. I look forward to going back, but after a while, when things are running more smoothly. Kudos to them for finally getting it opened, and now let's just be cool and let them work out the kinks (of which, there were quite a few on display, business-wise and otherwise). but they have to turn the music down, it is impossible to hear anybody.

Anonymous said...

" So we spent our money elsewhere, and will probably continue to do so in the future."

Tom,

You only had to do minimal research to find out it was reservations only this past weekend. It was announced a few places. You're just bitter. Give them a break.

Anonymous said...

I went on Friday night without a reservation and was seated just fine, as I also noticed a few other people sat at the bar. I sat at a bar table near the first booth on the ground floor.

I initially went upstairs and thought it was a little tight, but was ok. I asked if I could sit outside and a little blonde haired female server gruffly told me that no one could eat outside. I saw people going out there, but didn't know whether they had food.

Anyway, while seated at a bar table downstairs, I noticed that I was sitting for an awfully long time before I was even asked if I wanted anything to drink. It was 9pm then. There was a guy there named Anthony, a server, who seemed to be made to tend to my table, as when he looked at me sitting there, he just kept passing me by. I had to ask the hostess for a menu and I had been sitting there for 15 minutes already.

Once Anthony reluctantly came to my table, I asked him if he did not want to serve me. I was half teasing, but half for real and the expression he gave me in return looked a little guilty. nevertheless, Anthony brought over the drink I ordered.

About 15 minutes later, Anthony returned to ask me what I wanted to eat. I settled on an appetizer that I was told had run out earlier that evening and the curry rice as an entree. This was the spring rolls. I then ordered the shrimp appetizer.

20 minutes later, I was still waiting for the shrimp appetizer and a nice server named Joe came over (I think his name is Joe). He asked me what I wanted and I told him. He also took my second drink order.

20 minutes later, Joe returned with some appetizer that was not the shrimp appetizer I ordered, but honestly told me the kitchen backed up and he brought me out the sticky rice appetizer to tide me over. I understood it to be complimentary.

10 minutes after this (I actually timed these events and took notes of everything I witnessed Friday night), Anthony comes over and asks me if I like my appetizer. I actually did not, I only took a small bite and then I told Anthony that this appetizer was brought over by Joe, who did it to appease me while the kitchen could get to my order. Somehow, Anthony did not seem to believe me and told me that what I had was what I had ordered. I specifically did NOT order what Joe brought to me. Anthony took the plate away. Why, I do not know and he didn't explain why he took the nasty tasting appetizer from me, even though I did not like it. Anthony soon found out I did not order the nasty appetizer when Joe came over to diffuse the situation and pulled Anthony aside towards the kitchen, to speak with him.

I sat another 20 minutes, waiting for my curry rice or at least the shrimp appetizer I ordered, but to my dismay, I had nothing coming.

When Anthony finally made his way back over near me, he said nothing to me. Joe soon came over and I asked for the check. Anthony brought me the check and asked if I still wanted my other food. Since it was already after 10:30pm and I had sat there for an hour and a half with nothing but nasty food and poor, poor service, I decided to pay the check and leave so I could catch another restaurant still open in another area, that I could make before it closed.

The service by far was the worst, worse than XII when I went a few weeks ago, but I also witnessed something else go on Friday night at Sticky Rice that has tainted my thoughts of the place forever.

A minority man walked in towards the bar. As soon as he came in, the hostess seemed adamant to keep him out and yelled loudly at him "HEY, HEY, HEY," but the man kept going towards the bar. He didn't appear to be out of sorts, drunk, a crack head, or any other negative prototype some people have posted and explained on this blog. He seemed like a guy who wanted to ask questions about the place and he went to the bar.

The gruff blonde female server met with him at the bar and he spoke with her briefly before looking disappointed and walked out.

Two other minority gentlemen in suits walked in after him and were met swiftly at the door when their presence was noted. Since I sat near the bar, I was able to see pretty much everything that went on on the first floor. I noticed other non-minority patrons coming in and being met with a smile immediately and either seated at the bar or told there was a wait. With this, you would not know that they were only mostly taking reservations, but it seemed different when the potential patron was a minority.

I documented all of this and said I would write to Sticky Rice's owner but decided not to because I will not go back and have already told people not to go. I think if enough minority patrons are treated the way I witnessed them being treated on Friday night, it will be known as a place that is rude and unwelcoming to minorities. No one told me this, I saw it with my own two eyes and heard dialogue, which makes me think this about this restaurant. Please visit at your own risk, or in my opinion, just do not visit this place at all. Spend your money elsewhere.

Anonymous said...

@tom - I wouldn't worry; you didn't miss much. The place might eventually be a popular neighborhood hangout, but for now it's nowhere near ready for prime time.

Even though I had a reservation, I still had to wait for half a cocktail (20 minutes or so) to be seated. I chalk that, in addition the dreadful delay in getting food on the table, up to growing pains and the soft opening.

The food I ordered was pretty tasty - the sticky balls (insert joke here) and tofu bites were nice starters. The lettuce wraps we'd ordered as an appetizer came somewhere in the middle, and were delightful, albeit slightly messy.

The sushi was spot-on, which came to me as no small relief. Aside from the teetotaler sushi establishment down on 2nd and Mass NE, prior to Sticky Rice there was no sushi to be gotten in the neighborhood.

And the tots! The crispy-fried reminders of an unrefined childhood paired so well with the sushi that I couldn't help wondering how the Japanese never thought of such a thing. Then, of course, I remembered Tempura.

The menu loses a few points due to the dearth of vegetables that aren't fried, but Sticky Rice loses the most points for atmosphere - not the decor, but rather the service staff's demeanor. While the servers can be forgiven a bit of stress on opening night, the inattentive hosts and the too-hip-for-this-town bartenders were cool, bordering on rude.

No neighborhood joint will last when it makes its neighbors feel unwelcome.

I wish the place well, and God knows I like having sushi in the neighborhood, but I hope they'll take to heart these two requests / pieces of advice:

1) Staff should be welcoming. Especially hosts and bartenders. It's okay to like a third-rate rock star so long as you don't act like one.
2) Offer more non-fried foods, especially vegetables.

Anonymous said...

I'll be on there like white on extra-sticky rice

Tom A. said...

Anonymous-- Yep I'm bitter. I never enjoy rude hosts and wait staff. I'm disappointed, but not surprised to read how non-whites were being treated there. I've never thought of myself as "too old" for a restaurant until Saturday night. We really felt "not trendy enough" in the hosts (managers?) eyes. I did notice that the average age of the diners seemed to be well under 30, and it was 100% white. I'll go back, and if they get their act together, I'll be there often- and I'll round up a bunch of my old black friends to go with me. We're certainly not gonna tolerate exclusivity in our neighborhood!

Anonymous said...

H Street is totally beat when Tater tots are something to get excited about.
"I went to this awesome new restaurant and guess what they had? KETCHUP! How cool is that?!?!"

Good Danny's has tater tots, and a lot less attitude.

Anonymous said...

Wylie said:


For all of you who waited for a place like this to open in the hood, give StickyRice a break.

First, it was soft openning nights and they employed the Reservation only so as not to incur the wrath of chaos-ness that GranvilleMoore's endured. Kudos to their proactive approach.

Second, the vibe is definitely neo-emos, so if it's not your cup of tea, then chill and go elsewhere. But seriously, where else can you go in the hood for a decent SweetPotatoTempuraRoll with Honey, seriously people, chill...

Third, service complains, geez, this is a hood establishment with many hood flava, so stop with the sense of entitlement. You are not eating at Cityzen and folking over $500 per person for a meal, so chill and let the good time rolls.

I'm not saying the place doesn't have room to improve, and I certainly hope they will improve, as they work out all their kinks. For an underserved hood like it, just take it with a grain of salt, calm down, and see what you and them can do for eachother.

I, for once, would love to see the place flourish and stay since I live here. Y'all live here and have nothing good to say but a great sense of entitlement, you should move back to Georgetown and eat at Citronelle. Capisce? Oh wait, you can't afford Georgetown nor Citronelle, so chill and give StickyRice, as well as other H-street biz a chance.

In the name of gentrification.

Wylie

Mary said...

I want to first say that I thought the food was very tasty and a nice addition to H st.

I'll have to argue with the point that you need to pay $500 to get good service.

The service was pretty lacking. Some things are excusable and to be expected on the first weekend of a place being opened. I will absolutely go back but probably for take out from now on.

Anonymous said...

I went on Saturday night with no reservations and sat at the bar (it was 10 o'clock though). Had the bucket o' tots and the tuna bites. Very, very good. But yes, the bartender thinks he's a rockstar and we had to ask repeatedly for all three rounds of drinks. (What bartender doesn't notice empty bottles and offer another round??)

So... food great. Service lousy. But I'll definitely go back and I recommend everyone keep going while they work it out.

BTW, dear god, please someone tell the bartender to stop hitting the gong behind the bar. I could have killed him. (And all the cooks were rolling their eyes, obviously annoyed by him as well.)

Anonymous said...

as a "non-white," i can attest to great service on a visit to this place last saturday. we didn't even have a reservation and were seated anyway. we had a full meal and it was great. there were other "non-whites" also seated in the restaurant and it was all smiles for patrons and staff as far as i could see.

also, i think you guys are holding too bright candle to this restaurant. its not a 5 star place. there's a reason the bar is so prominent; its supposed to be a fun place! maybe a lil over the top occasionally. dc is too good for its own good sometimes.

chill out people.

Anonymous said...

We stopped by on Sunday, not knowing that it was reservations only. (BTW: This could have been addressed easily with a sign, rather than expecting that everyone would do preliminary research online.) There were 3 of us, best be described as fully in-line with the place's vibe (me, retro-to-the-9s, hubby, tattooed, black clothing, son, long-haired, emo-type). We were told by the hostess that there might be seating at the sushi bar or outside -- she was clearly trying to accommodate us, but then another staff-person informed her that the only seating was a tiny round table for 2, max. Disappointing. We may try again after the kinks have been ironed out, but my husband will require some convincing.

Anonymous said...

we went with 4 grown ups and 4 kids on thursday. kids spilled water, one got locked in the bathroom...but they were just awesome to us.
our waitress was awesome, the food came out slowly but we figured that would be the case.
my food was really great, my kids were happy. they have booster seats and high chairs for little ones, and of course the tater tots, so i think it's very family-friendly.
while it may be "cool" we didn't feel too old or unwelcome even though we're over 30.

the music is great but i agree it's really loud. i can see that being a problem for a lot of people.

i remember there was plenty of whining here when granville's opened last year and now look at the place. give sticky rice time to find their groove. i have worked at a brand new businesses before- both restaurants as well as the atlas and it takes a while to figure out proper routines. thoughtful suggestions are always welcome.
it's a business, they want to please their patrons so they will come back and spend their money and spread the word. if a staffer was rude, make sure someone in management knows about it but don't make assumptions that they are only here to serve a certain clientele.

Anonymous said...

My boyfriend and I went to Sticky Rice Sunday because I have been dying for them to open:

Food - we ordered edamame as an appetizer, I ordered three sushi rolls and my boyfriend ordered a chicken sandwich. My rolls came out relatively quickly, the edamame appetizer arrived about 10 minutes later and we had to get his chicken sandwich to go because it was so slow. The food was good and I completely understand that they're going to go through some growing pains in the beginning.

Service - we didn't realize that we needed a reservation, so we sat at the downstairs bar. The bartender was somewhat clueless and we had to ask her for refills. Also, it appeared there were several managers/owners walking around and I was very disappointed because the only person who spoke to us was the bartender when we had to flag her down. One of the main reasons we love the H street hangouts is because we are always made to feel welcome as neighbors, but this was completely lacking at Sticky Rice. I understand that it was a "soft opening" but, there is a big difference between working the kinks out and disregard for your customers. A simple "welcome" or "let me walk you through the menu" would have made a world of difference.

Anonymous said...

My comments tend to echo most of what's posted already...service slow, working kinks out, etc and this is to be understood. The most important feedback I'd like to leave for the owners/operators is that if you look at the successful restaurants in the Atlas district, they cater to the community. We're still not bringing the masses in from NW yet. You need to make yourself part of the community. You did not make the community aware of "reservations only" for the soft opening. If this was a chic club in NW, yes, I get it, but you're on H St. Relax. We actually love to see restaurants busy in the area! Don't worry if we have to (God forbid) get a drink at the bar and wait 30 minutes for a table. Or worse yet, walk over to the Pug and get a drink while we wait.

The whole reservations only thing was tacky - don't soft open to the public if this is your intention. Your image should be of a neighborhood restaurant, not a "oonce-oonce" club. Don't believe me? Take a look at the pretentious owner at Napa, ask him how business is? Ask him if he was invited to be part of the House tour a couple weeks ago. Ask him if other restuarants are offering him advice on the area. They don't. He's an outsider and I bet he won't be around much longer.

Please, make yourself part of the community first. As the area changes, so can your business, but get your roots right and you'll do great.

marybindc said...

Tom, while I understand your aversion to the hostess (it was a long time before I finally tried Belga Cafe for that reason), do keep in mind that it was you that was wrong; there *was* a reservation policy in effect, they weren't just trying to keep you out. I doubt they were ageist, because if your profile is correct my bf and I are the same age and we got in with our reservations quite nicely. And funny that you would accuse them of homophobia in the same paragraph as you sneered about the "tattooed guy with a lot of gel in his hair."

The other complaints sound fairly typical for the soft opening of an anticipated restaurant, which doesn't make long waits any more pleasant. My bf and I expected some of that (we had Friday 9pm reservations), but were very lucky. I'm sure much of this was because we sat at the sushi bar, so our plates were handed to us right when they were made. I loved the Millennium Roll. Did not like the lack of soy sauce; was there any at the tables? The Goochland (smoked salmon, goat cheese, scallions) was gawdawful gummy without anything to moisten it.

I hope that some of you who had bad experiences will try it again, even if it takes a year to simmer down from the initial experience.

Tom A. said...

I think all of this discussion is a testament to the spirit and hope of those of us who live in the H Street area and want the business corridor to thrive. I really doubt there would be this much discussion about a restaurant opening in ANY other part of the city.

And thanks to Inked for making all this possible!

Anonymous said...

"I went to this awesome new restaurant and guess what they had? KETCHUP! How cool is that?!?!"

I lol'd when I saw this. I go to Granville Moore's for this reason.

"This could have been addressed easily with a sign, rather than expecting that everyone would do preliminary research online"

This was also interesting to read. I heard about Sticky Rice doing reservations only this past weekend from this website. And now, two posters on said website, (one is a regular, might I add), is complaining about not being informed. Hmm.....

Anonymous said...

Anon 2:12 they posted the soft opening w/reservations thing here on FT last week and on the Sticky Rice website. They did this to attempt to control the crowd and allow the staff to work it out. It was open to anyone who heard about it and made a reservation.

Where else would you have had them post this info?
And your ugly words about the owners of Napa are completely false. Jorge is incredibly accommodating to comments made on FT.
As for the house tour I'm not really sure how that sort of establishment would have worked on a pub crawl.

Anonymous said...

We went on Monday night and loved it. Two people without a reservation. We sat at the bar upstairs.

The service was great. The food was delicious. And the price was right.

If anything, we were shocked at how fast we were in and out.

This is a great addition to the neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

"It was open to anyone who heard about it and made a reservation.

Where else would you have had them post this info? "

A simple hand-written notice on the front door would have worked pretty well, either done in advance or even once staff noticed people wandering in off the street.

Anonymous said...

Sticky Rice is the best thing to happen to H St since I moved to North East last year. I’ve been there twice already and as a person of color and a lesbian in my 30's, I was treated with nothing but courtesy and respect by the staff. The food was well worth the wait and let’s be honest, you really can’t beat the prices. HELLO! My favorites so far are the poki followed by the sticky balls followed by the scallops... I’ll be back to try the rest of the menu sooner than later.

Unknown said...

Why do a lot of people around H st go to a new restaurant on its frist day expect perfection and then swear it off forever if it does not meet thier ousized expectations that they had been building up for months while waiting for it to open thanks to some permit problem with the city? This is an open question. I have a friend that has been to 12 Napa and Sticky Rice exactly one time each. Each time it was opening day and each time she was disapointed and has never gone back, this is not the way to go through life. The Post's Tom Siemenstia always gives place a month to work out the kink's then returns three times to check on consistancy. Grant we don't all have the money for that, but geeze give a place a chance.

Mosby said...

How can anyone expect a restaurant to be up and running at speed, no kinks its opening weekend?! That's like expecting someone to be moved in, unpacked, painted, and decorated within a week of buying a house!

As for the comments about Napa, I've been there three times and have been welcomed like an old friend each time. Pretentious, my fanny.

Anonymous said...

It really is ridiculous. I feel sorry for those people, because they post comments for MONTHS about how they are looking forward to a place, it opens, and then they swear a place off. Sad...

Anonymous said...

9 out of 10 restaurants fail in their first year. We may be saying goodbye to Sticky Rice very soon.

DCJaded said...

I would have to agree. Give the restaurant some time. It had to be difficult to be that packed on the first day. People trashed Granville Moore's at first too. Also, whats up with the Napa bashing? They have been really friendly the 3 times I've been there.

Anonymous said...

Comments like those above beautifully illustrate why it is so difficult to run a successful restaurant.

It was a soft opening, which means, quite simply, that it isn’t open for business yet. They're trying to work out the kinks so that when they do "open," everything runs semi-smoothly.

They do a soft opening so that you come with the understanding that it's the worst possible time for a restaurant. The kitchen staff has no rhythm built up; you're still learning when and how to schedule orders, and how to best do side work and grab various sundries; all while trying to refill waters and deal with people with no reservation. Add on top of that the fact that you’re dealing with food that requires significant prep and which HAS to be fresh.

For you office workers, it’s a bit like being asked to make hundreds of complicated printouts on your very first day. It’s not that it cannot be done, it’s just that it’s more difficult than it should be because you don’t know the equipment very well, and you have to make a lot of decisions on the fly. Can you fault them for a little frustration?

And finally, it’s a neighborhood restaurant in a neighborhood still starved for restaurants. If you’re looking for top notch service from day one, I recommend you try a place that has the time and resources to spend months training waitstaff on every possible situation.

It’s not Le Bernardin, it’s tater tots people!!!

Anonymous said...

Not only was the "reservations for soft opening weekend" thang made very clear right here on FT well in advance, but the suggestion that the reason for doing so is out of some "oonce-oonce" intention is patently absurd. It was a soft opening with unseasoned staff, and the reason for the reservations (which occurred at specific seating times -- you couldn't pick your own time -- that *also* was advertised) was to control the crowd flow in hopes that the unseasoned staff wouldn't get overwhelmed.

I swear people here feel like their life is incomplete if they don't have things to complain about.

My gf and I had a nice meal there (Friday night, 9pm seating). Not everything was perfect by any stretch, but for a soft opening I couldn't ask for better than we got. Well, not realistically.

Anonymous said...

Hi, Anon 2:12 here. In my haste to post, I made Napa seem like a poor restaurant. I've eaten there numerous times and do enjoy the food. I think it's a great little restaurant, really! But it is mispositioned in the neighborhood. Furthermore, I know several staff members have commented that the management doesn't pay attention to this blog and general customer feedback. Granted we all can say nice things, but I've yet to walk in there on any given day and see the place busy. It's overpriced, in desperate need of just a good sandwich, and it doesn't yet fit the neighborhood. It's far more fitting of Bethesda.

I want to make sure the owners of Sticky Rice don't fall into the same pitfall. Soft open to a closed audience (and yes, require reservations). But don't open to the public on H St with a "reservations only" approach. It just seems elitist and outside the neighborhood feel we have.

That's all!

Anonymous said...

flaBBERgased said:

"I EAT, THEREFORE I AM A RESTAURANT CRITIC."

Anonymous said...

ONLY ON THIS DAMN BLOG WHEN A PLACE OPENS IT TURNS INTO WHITE VS NON WHITE, MINORITY VS NON MINORITY

All of you need to grow up and stop acting like children with the "POOR ME" syndrome...

ENOUGH!

Intoxicated Souls said...

Just wanted to say that I went to Sticky Rice over the weekend and loved it. Went with my wife and 2 young daughters along with a neighbor and his family (inlcluding 2 kids). Good food, fine service. We did have 5 o clock reservations so maybe that made a difference.

Napa and SR are getting a lot of hate in this post but they are my 2 favorite local places to eat. By far.

Looking at the bright side.....at least there is only a very small racial aspect to all the negativity. I call that progress.

Alan Page said...

made a reservation but had to back out at the last minute due to family plans (you know these holidays). sorry i missed my shot at trying the place out. since this was the 'soft opening', does this mean I have to wait some time before I can actually patronize the place post-"official opening"?

inked said...

Hey guys, it sounds like there were some sticking points in an otherwise great soft opening. I'd suggest that people give it a second chance if they weren't satisfied. Hopefully things can get worked out.

Mike said...

Sticky Rice is officially open starting tonight, Soul Searcher.

That means they are not taking reservations for seatings at 5, 7 and 9 PM as they have been for the past four nights. They should be open to walk-ins and following their normal schedule at this point. I also hope they're putting less rice in their rolls at this point!

I also feel compelled to respond to the anonymous poster who said that 90% of restaurants fail within the first year. Simply put, this just isn't true. It is an oft-repeated but completely unsubstantiated rumor. There have been several collegiate studies that have found first-year failure rates to hover between 20% and 30% in most urban areas. As you extend the study to five years and beyond, the 'failure' rate continues to climb, but there have been no recorded instances of studies that have found a 90% failure rate within the first year.

Tim said...

Hey Inked, thanks for the link.

I agree with you that hopefully most who haven't been or did this weekend will give it a second chance before final judgment.

Such an exciting experiment, what's going on around H St NE.

Anonymous said...

wow! I'm over 62, but I did have a reservation, and I really enjoyed a terrific meal there on Saturday. Yep, the kitchen was snowed under, and it took a long time to get our food, but the service was attentive. The food was worth the wait. I'm going back.

I'm going back to NAPA 1015 too.

Anonymous said...

Mike here is a nice study for you to read.

Now for anyone who bases their facts off of Rocco he couldnt even keep Union Pacific afloat.

Rwad this study from Cornell

http://www.econ.ucsb.edu/~tedb/Courses/Ec1F07/restaurantsfail.pdf

Anonymous said...

if you liking you rice steeky, then is good place for food. if you are maybe old and fat and having hard time with personal problems and health, maybe dry rice ees better for you and the hairy one you sleeping with.


ees a different place than boring places of normal american h street.

when i had dinner at new neighbor house, he make a hot dog, and throw out the water, so no soup!

now he is learn to keep water, and i like to eeet there with my wiiiiife!

maybe sticky keeping water in future??

Anonymous said...

i am "non-white" and far from hip, and i got treated just fine. the hostess and waitress were very nice, as was the manager who came over to chat with my party (all non-white) after the meal. also, the sushi was excellent so i can't wait to go back. the music started out a little loud, but i noticed they turned it down a bit after a while. it's too bad some people had a bad experience. maybe i was lucky, but i definitely didn't notice any sort of "racial" problem. do people go looking for that kind of thing or something??

Hill Rat said...

My family and I went to Sticky Rice on Saturday and had a great time.

I'm not really sure what all this rending of garments and gnashing of teeth regarding the race, age, and style of the patrons is about. I saw tatted up hipsters (Black and White), old lesbians, families that look like they could have trucked in from Springfield, Black people, White people, and middle-aged foodie types. Really, just the folks you see on H St. and the surrounding neighborhood all the time.

Like others have noted, this past weekend was a "soft opening", the owners and managers at Sticky Rice are well aware that they need to make some adjustments. One of the managers that I spoke with on Saturday told us that they already figured out on the first night that they need a second fryer. Anyone that decides to open a business on H St. deserves to be given the benefit of doubt and a little understanding while they endure the fits and starts that accompany opening a new business.

Best,

HR

Anonymous said...

As much as it pains me, Hill Rat has a good point.

First couple weeks for any restaurant is hectic and usually isn't representative of how the restaurant can perform once it gets it's groove.

Hill Rat said...

As much as it pains me, Hill Rat has a good point.

That's cold man; really, really, cold.

Anonymous said...

The crab cakes had a little more filler than I would expect, but it was very tasty considering the cost of $8 or $9. The tots were also godo but could have been softer. I probably got a batch that sat in fryer too long, but I definitely see the potential. There is no way you can eat a bucket of that stuff. I would pass on the spring rolls and miso soup.

What I do not recall seeing is someone making sushi in front me. Can someone confirm this?

The service was fine for me since I ordered my food to go and went over to the Pug to have a beer for about 30 minutes. I tried calling in the order but kept getting the voice mail.

Will I go back to eat? Yes, of course.

Is it a neighborhood feel like some the other places on H Street? I did not get the vibe, but it is still early.

Anonymous said...

One lesson I've learned from this thread is that restaurants holding a soft opening should require those going there to eat to take an exam to show that they understand what a "soft opening" is, and what purpose it serves for the new restaurant.

I swear, it's like people complaining that their Hummer gets lousy gas mileage.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 10:43am -- I'm not sure what you're asking re: "confirming sushi made in front of them." The sushi bar is upstairs. My gf and I sat at the sushi bar Saturday night, and we saw plenty of sushi get made. I don't know if that answers your question.

trn said...

My family had reservations for the 5:00 seating on Sunday. The service was friendly and the food was delicious! I would highly recommend the Our Ribs appetizer and the Crab Cake sandwich...as you can guess from my recommendations, I am not a sushi fan, but my husband is and said that both the sushi and sashimi were top notch.

As hillrat very well described, I felt like the place had a very welcoming vibe to people of various ages and ethnicities. Our server was a person of color, and I noticed a black family/party of 8 or so that seemed to be having a great time and enjoying good service.

My only complaint...the tator tots are ADDICTIVE! You have been warned.

Will I be back? Definitely!

Anonymous said...

My boyfriend and I had a 7 pm reservation on Saturday night. We went in expecting things to be a bit rough - the point of soft openings is to give the staff a chance to work out the kinks. Its similar to preview week for most theatrical productions... It is a shame the more negative commenters seemed not to understand this.

It was great. Sure, things were a little slow and we got something else in place of the California roll, but the staff was working their asses off and all were pretty damn conscientious. Did other people notice that the waiters were also busing tables too? They didn't have busboys at least on Friday and Saturday, which does add to the time it takes them to do their job. We really liked our waiter, Rob.

Tots - great. Sticky roll - great. $9 large servings of really good sake (we tried three kinds since we are in walking distance) - super great. And I really liked the Godzirra roll. Can't wait to go back and try the scallops and other non-sushi items.

Lastly, I didn't notice any issues with ageism or lack of diversity either. We're in our mid-30's and clean-cut (nary a tat or faux hawk between us) but felt very welcome (haven't experienced a lack of welcome anywhere along H Street, whether its the Palace or Horace and Dickies). The front desk people were a bit harried/new - I hope those who had a negative experience will try them again in a few weeks.

Anonymous said...

Negative or positive, Sticky Rice is getting exactly what it wanted and the rest H Street needs: publicity and excitement.

Anonymous said...

Me and my African American partner went both on Thursday and on Sunday and were treated very well. They are 'working out the service kinks'.

In some of the posts there seems to be some serious conclusion jumping going on about the motivations (racism, ageism, homophobia, etc) behind the frazzled staff service missteps in the first week in operation!

I suggest you give your suggestions directly to the owners. Just ask at the restaraunt - it is very likely that one of the owners will be there. Talk to them face to face, give them your suggestions, raise your concerns.

Don't jump to conclusions.

The food is delicious, atmosphere fun, etc.

-Amy

Anonymous said...

Just a reminder the So You Think Can Dance D.C. auditions will air tomorrow night on channel 5 at 8:00P.M.

Unknown said...

Just at there tonight. It was not a complete pleasurable experience. We waited a while for a table, but that's understandable, what wasn't understandable was the poor service from the waiter, the skill of the Sushi chefs, the quality of the food itself and higher than normal prices.

I expect for a sushi place to have staff trained to know what Salmon looks like verse squid.

I expect the waiter not to argue, and I expect for them not to bring half the food and then bring the other half forty minutes later.

Listen I am sure they mean well, but meaning doesn't mean anything in the restaurant business.

Although it's cute, I am not so enamored by the idea of the place on H to suspend what a good restaurant experience is and it isn't Sticky Rice, at least not now.

There is help available through consultants, and industry best practices, they need to employ them.

The wait staff was so poor, that had I not been with three other people, I would have walked out.

-Robby

Anonymous said...

I guess it is hit or miss. I was also there last night with two others. We were seated quickly. Our server, Amy, came right away for our drink/appetizer orders. Brought drinks, took sushi orders, food came out about 15 minutes later. We were sitting at the sushi bar. The sushi chefs seemed to know what they were doing...at least we got what we wanted and I didn't see any servers brining back food/asking for clarification. Everything we had was delicious! The Sticky Balls are really fantastic.

I did see more than a few people being trained. Clearly this is a work in progress. Obviously one can say that these kinks should already be worked out, but given the current economic environment mixed with the fact H. St. is chomping at the bit for more food options make me understand why they may want to push the opening.

I talked to the manager because I want to take my group of 10 friends there on Saturday and asked how feasible it would be. He was very kind to me, but is clearly frazzled. He even said "Sorry my head's not in it, I've kind of hit a wall". Everyone there seemed to be trying very hard. Certainly I understand people not wanting to be the guinea pigs while they work things out, but there also needs to be some understanding. If you're not up for some possible headaches, don't go yet...wait until things are running more smoothly.

Sticky Rice is already good and I'm beyond thrilled to have sushi within walking distance of my house. In a few months I'm sure most of the complaints here will be echoes of the past, just like with Granville Moore's. We should really just be thankful things are still opening up around us!

Anonymous said...

Joe Englert said:

C'mon people, let's be a little bit more positive.

GM, Argo, Napa and Sticky Rice are as fine a group of restaurants as you will find in any neighborhood--we are all homegrown, too. Sticky Rice had a sterling debut with all the pressure put upon it in its first week. They will get better and better too.

Within the year, we will deliver a Mexican, a pizza place and an Italian place

We have done our best to make the area just not another college bar zone. I think the taverns and nightclubs have worked hard to respect the neighborhood, too

We aren't perfect. But tell us personally and politely when we are doing something wrong or not so right and we will respond.

And by the way, thanks to the thousands of you who have supported us. You are truly great neighbors! We appreciate all the help you have given us!

Anonymous said...

I guess I didn't take my Pollyanna pill. The reality is, the places isn't ready for prime time. You can sugar coat it, you can wrap it up in a nice BS blanket, but it's just not ready. The idea that I or any good paying patron should have to suffer sub par service is bologna. I can take my money and go elsewhere, and if they don't improve more people will do just that.

This isn't the first restaurant to open on H so there should be some lessons learned; there are plenty of technical consultants around they could employ.

Here’s I'll make a deal with them, until they improve lower their prices or at the very least hire professionals.

Times are tight for everyone, if I am going to shell out my discretionary income I demand that it be for something enjoyable.

This "C'mon people" attitude is BS. I refuse to accept less than what I can get downtown, in particular since it costs as much or more than it does downtown.

There are no "C'mon"s in business. Any excuse is an excuse to fail. What may keep them around is style and charm. Beyond that they are just some overly expensive H Street dive.

Sushi lovers will go elsewhere, and people who demand customer service will balk.

I hope that's personally and politely enough for you.

V/R
-Robby

Anonymous said...

Joe Englert said:

Robby you are right. Demand the best. But also keep it in perspective--young businesses, especially restaurants take awhile to find their legs. Rule of the thumb, you basically shouldn't go to a place the first three weeks it is opened if you don't mind a hiccup or two. I stayed away from even Wolfgang Puck's new place for a month just for that reason.

I can say "C'mon people" to the unrational, the mean-spirited and the paranoid and the ones racked with amnesia. Do you remember what H street used to be like three years ago? I think you have lost perspective.

I know the owners of Sticky Rice as some of the most polite and well-meaning people I have ever met. The staff is populated with eager, friendly people as well. Some of the stories related on the blog are downright tall tales.

Of course, the meanest are always anonymous and to be honest, some of the posters just always seem to be coming out of leftfield. I don't know how they could ever be satisfied. Some were even promoting Korean take-out Folger's over Sidamo and Sova a few weeks ago. How can I take A POST like that seriously?

Like I said before, most of our neighbors are fantastic. It is just hard to be ripped anonymously by someone whom could really affect your reputation and income.

You can't appreciate it until you experience it. It is not pretty.

trn said...

very well said Joe!

Anonymous said...

Joe:

I get it, really I do. But they should staff the opening month with pros. Sort of the way hotel's do, they train the hell out of staff to try to make things perfect. Nothing ever goes 100% to plan, but at least you can see the effort. That what was missing, there that night.

I rember what H was like in the 80s, I grew up here and as kid almost opened a business there. It was burnt out and just plan creapy. It's wonderful that places are opening, but to get people out and to keep them comming we need to wow them with service. H's is still a little rough around the edges. But if a decent food and bar culture devevlop people will overlook the guys begging for money outside of Popeyes, etc.

I want every small business to be sucessful, but to do that they need to reach farther. If you can help them do that, that wold be great, your efforts have done wonders for H. However, I've not been able to recomend SR to any one just yet. But I will take your word for it, and wait and see.


-Robby

Anonymous said...

Robby -- the money constraints for spending a large number of weeks beforehand training staff would result in no restaurants ever opening on H. Ever. Ever ever. So instead, restaurants have soft openings, which has *always* meant "service will be spotty because we're still working out the kinks; if you can't handle that, wait for a while before going to the restaurant." That's what a soft opening is, and they made it quite clear that's what they were doing. The idea of complaining about spotty service during a soft opening is like complaining about the gas mileage of a Hummer: why in the world would you expect anything else? If one isn't willing to tolerate problems, why go, when they all-but-announced there'd be kinks to work out?

It's just mind-boggling.

Anonymous said...

Why so much negativity over a soft opening? Wow.

I had a good experience on Sat. during the soft opening at Sticky Rice. I will admit, had a reservation and I was fully aware that this was their soft opening from posts on this blog and every other one that mentioned Sticky Rice's (soft) opening last week.

I am mystified by the posters here who didn't get that it was a soft opening. At the very least, the staff explained it when I went in to make my reservation, and mentioned it again when I came back the next day at the time of my reservation.

I am also mystified by the posters who don't get the concept of a soft opening. It's up to the managers how they want to get their restaurant started. People who prefer perfection right out of the gate would avoid a whole lot of heartache by avoiding soft openings (or the first few weeks after a new place opens), right?

As for the experience, my wife and I (with our baby tagging along) enjoyed ourselves Sat. night. We had the bucket tater tots, which were right on and every bit as plentiful as it sounds. The sushi was excellent (I had the yellowtail maki) and better than all but one place I've had sushi in DC. Also, they asked for suggestions for rolls to put on the menu in the future, which is cool. The noodles we had (mongolian beef and sesame chicken), while maybe not to die for, were hot, good and hit the spot.

The staff was good. Jason was great about getting us baby-friendly seating. Our waitress was really, really nice and attentive. Sure, the service started out a little slow, and it was clear everyone was learning how to work together, but I actually expected much worse given it was a soft opening. Instead, the service just got better over the course of our meal, as the staff seemed to get into a groove. The staff also let the kids in the house bang the gong, which everyone applauded (literally). I don't think they could have done anything to make everyone feel more welcome.

It is also worth noting that, while I was there, the staff seemed totally welcoming of all colors, shapes sizes, and persuasions, even the afore-mentioned kid running around with his underwear outside his pants. The couple that owns the Martini Lounge stopped in for a bite. A couple of really big, intimidating looking guys who I thought were dubious at first were trading laughs with the wait staff by the time we left. Whatever might have contributed to the negative experiences other people might have had at other times, it was certainly not in play Sat. night. Everyone seemed to be fine. They did have to turn away some people who did not have reservations at one point, but everyone seemed to be getting along just fine.

I admit, also, that I liked the music that was playing while we were there, although I didn't recognize anything except a Tegan & Sara song that was playing when we first walked in.

Is Sticky Rice one of the seven modern wonders of the world? Maybe not. Does it have some kinks to iron out? Some. But my experience was that the food was better than my options near my work, the staff seemed to be nice to me and everyone else around, and everyone was working hard enough that I'm sure any kinks will be ironed out soon enough.

I'm glad to have Sticky Rice on H Street and think it's definitely worth checking out (especially if the bartender decides to stock Sailor Jerry).

Anonymous said...

Hi Tom,

My name is Phil Rodriguez, aka the tattooed hair gel guy, and one of the owners of Sticky Rice. I just logged on to frozen tropics for the first time in about a week, saw your posting in the current thread about the Sticky Rice opening and wanted to take a minute to respond (particularly because I remember you coming by). We decided to do our soft opening by reservation only to help us prepare for the amount of traffic into the restaurant (food ordering, staffing, liquor, etc.), and I stand by this decision. We clearly posted this on our website, as well as on Frozen Tropics. This was not done in any way shape or form to exclude anyone, but to try and provide our first customers with the best possible experience we could. The hostess on Saturday (like most of the staff) was new and assumed that because there were open seats at the bar that it was okay to seat people in them. It was not. At the time, the kitchen was already backed up and had asked us not to seat ANY walk-ins or take carry-out orders that evening. By asking you to come back another time, I was simply respecting the staff, the customers that were in the restaurant, and trying to keep you from having a bad experience.

I'm sorry that you feel that I looked at you with disdain, but I have to respectfully disagree. As a business owner, turning away patrons (unfortunately you were not the only one over the weekend) is not something I ever want to do. I wasn't happy about it, but sometimes it is necessary. I'm 33 years old. I have many gay friends, younger than me friends, older than me friends, and friends of every shape and color. I'm saddened that you would be so quick to accuse me (someone you saw for all of one minute) of being ageist or homophobic and I think it is completely unfair. How on earth could I know your age or sexual preference any more than you could know mine?

I am proud to be a part of Sticky Rice and bringing something new to H St. We have worked very hard to open a place that has a little something for everyone, and I think you will find that we have already served patrons of just about every flavor. Sure not everyone has been 100% thrilled, but it would be unrealistic to think they would be. We appreciate every customer that has joined us thus far, and rest assured we will continue to try and learn from our mistakes and take constructive criticism to heart.

I wish you the best in your dining endeavors on H St, and should you ever decide to give us another shot, we'd be happy to have you.

-Phil

Anonymous said...

This "High and Mighty" Robby person should take his "money" and goes elsewhere. Seriously, we don't need people like him. I seriously doubt that Makoto or even Masa in NYC will make him happy. He's throwing a lot of negative energy out there because he's just a crappy person. Hell yeah, if he's don't mind treking to NW everytime to eat. More power to him. Not all of us have extra time and gas money to mosey over there every time we want food and we appreciate the place being open. As the restaurant operates for a while, it will run more smoothly. SR doesn't have the resources of some other well-moneyed shops like "Great American Restaurants" where they send all their new employees to the training ground that is "Mike's Hard Cafe" in Annadale for months before posting their new staff in other locations. And frankly, without a robust scene, no well-moneyed shop will ever come to H street. Perhaps this "Robby" would like to return to drug shootings nightly on H street instead of the progress we have today.

Anonymous said...

thanks for chiming in, phil. have you guys considered hooking up with opentable.com for online reservations? i've often wondered why none of the h street places are using this service. is it cost prohibitive at this point?

Anonymous said...

h is for happy:

yeah, we looked into opentable, but as you suspected, the initial setup costs there are a bit prohibitive for us at this time. however we do hope to offer this service at some point in the future.

for the time being we will continue to try and focus on walkins, but we do encourage reservations for parties of 6 or more.

Anonymous said...

cool. the place was really jumping when i went last weekend. had a blast. keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

Took 9 people on Sat. Had a reservation. Seated promptly. Great service. Fantastic food. Out by 7:30 after being seated right at 6pm. Everyone with me was very happy. Sticky Rice rules!!!!

Anonymous said...

We went there last Thursday. 4 Adults and a toddler. We arrived at 7:00pm and had about a 35 minute wait. The waiter was very friendly and took our order/ brought us our drinks quickly. Unfortunately the kitchen was REALLY backed up, so it took about an hour to get our food. The waiter was really sympathetic and brought us some soup and edamame on the house. When the food did come it was OUTSTANDING. Seriously, one dish was better than the next. I cannot wait to go back. I never thought I would say the words -- the tator tots were unbelievable or that the drawn butter roll made me want to lick my plate! We will just be sure that if we go back with our son, we will make sure to go very very early, but amazingly, even with the long wait, he didn't melt down b/c there was lots to look at and he really liked the music.