Review of Ripple, Tinker, Tailor...

T and I managed to do something spontaneous today: we saw Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy at the last minute. I'd read that it was a thriller without any action, violence or noise, and all that was totally true. Great cast! Terrific acting! You did not feel the 2+ hours passing by. It was a quiet film in some ways but quite enjoyable. We raced home, got "glam" and headed out to dinner with Elia and Michele at Ripple, a Cleveland Park spot new to us but, in actuality, about a year and a half old. It was such a find- superb service, local food sustainably grown, terrific wine/beer list, and a great ambiance. We will definitely and enthusiastically return!

Elia started with a somewhat dirty martini, T with a beer, M with a cocktail, and I with a cool glass of Falanghina. We ordered a profoundly delicious basket of fries and homemade ketchup as well, and then moved on to: seasonal, lightly pickled vegetables with goat yogurt and black cardamom; langostine-razor clam stew with buttermilk, seaweed, and charred romaine; agnolotti of bitter greens, black walnuts, acorn squash, and sage; poached black bass, shrimp, smoked celeriac, salsify, and roasted onion broth; and crispy arctic char, molasses, sweet potato, savoy cabbage, and speck. While all were extremely satisfying, the agnolotti and char really stood out, as did my second glass of white, the François Cazin “Le Petit Chambord” from Cheverny, France. Deee-lish! Overall, we all felt like the total attention to detail and flavor in a fun context completely devoid of pretension made for a wonderfully easy and fun night during which you didn't have to sacrifice anything in the way of quality. Three cheers!