This edition of Eating Around Town was written by Abbey Becker. Abbey previously wrote about El Chucho. She lives near Eastern Market.

Little Serow (1511 17th St NW) is a sliver of a place, but its size doesn’t match its reputation. The basement restaurant seats 28 at a time, and if you want to sit on one of their bar stools, you have to get in line before the 5:30 opening time each night to put your name down.

As someone who gets off at work at 5:30 in Bethesda, making it here in time proved a challenge the first time. I got there at exactly 5:30 on a Friday (so I left work a little early…) and stood behind probably 15 people. While I was looking for a table for four, I figured, hey, 15 people in front of me? We’ll at least get a late reservation. Unfortunately, this was not to be the case–they couldn’t give us a table that night, though they might have been able to seat us at the bar around 10 or 10:30. I was not willing to wait five hours for a full meal that may or may not have happened.

The next time, I went on a Wednesday evening, and I sent my boyfriend on ahead of me to get in line before 5:30–he gets out of work much earlier. We tried for a table for two and ended up with a 7:15 reservation, which gave us time for a drink or two around the corner.

If you’re looking for cocktails or beer, you may want to drink them before you sit down for dinner. Little Serow doesn’t serve cocktails, and they offer 5-ounce pours of their beers from bottles at $5 each. Don’t get me wrong–a six-course meal for $45 is a great deal, especially when the food is as good as it is here, but that much for a small pour of beer is, to me, a little ridiculous. I wish they’d at least made it a deal to buy the bottle instead, but each large-format version of the pours was $24. Wine ranges from $10-$12 per glass, which isn’t outrageous, but when you’re a young, semi-poor diner and you’re already paying $45 for dinner before tax and tip, you start to consider using your credit card instead of your debit card.

That being said, we had a really excellent dining experience. Let me reiterate that it is an experience here, not just dinner. The service is like nothing I’ve experienced in DC–there were a few waitresses circulating throughout the restaurant, and we interacted with all of them. Each one served us at least one dish, refilled our water, or gave us more sticky rice or cucumbers. Each one offered a friendly suggestion of how she liked to eat that dish or mentioned that this dish was her favorite. They made us feel welcomed and not at all like we were guests–we could have been at a friend of a friend’s house for the first time.

Continues after the jump.

There’s no point in reviewing individual dishes, as the fixed menu changes weekly. It’s always six courses, it’s always $45, it’s always Thai food, but that’s where the commonalities stop. As someone who is a somewhat picky eater, let me give you a bit of advice: don’t read the menu. When I saw some of the ingredients included in that night’s dishes, my stomach turned a little. Snakehead fish? River weed? Salted fish? Yuck.

But seriously, none of these dishes tasted at all like what I imagined these ingredients to be. Maybe there was snakehead fish mixed with the bamboo shoots and rice powder, but to me, all I got was the crunch of the shoots and the hot-sour-salty-sweet combination typical of Thai food, plus a bit of smokiness. Little Serow is the kind of place where you make a point to try everything you’re served, whether or not you think you’ll like it, because you know that they are the masters of their craft. They are going to make these ingredients taste as good as they can possibly taste because they have that skill. Its chef-owner, Johnny Monis, just won a coveted James Beard award. He knows how to cook river weed properly.

I’m not sure I’d go back right away, or even in the next few months. This was a process from before the meal to its end. You’re not guaranteed a seat and you’re eating a six-course meal–this is the kind of dining experience that takes planning and patience, even on the part of the diner. I think I’d need a bit of time off to be willing to risk not getting a spot, and to truly appreciate what a good meal this was. I know I won’t be able to afford Komi anytime soon, so perhaps I’ll be back sooner than I think to try Monis’s cooking again.

El Limeno was located at 201 Upshur St, NW across the street from Hitching Post and closed in Sept. 2010 after some, uh, legal troubles… It had been vacant ever since. Thanks to @JustinTLogan for sending word that a sign has been posted for La Joya Steakhouse Restaurant. Could be awesome! Updates when they get closer to opening.

The Le Pain Quotidien coming to the former Corner Bakery space in Union Station has applied for a liquor license which says:

“New Communal table restaurant and bakery store. Seating Capacity is 68. Total occupancy load is 83.”

They’ll be open Sunday through Saturday 7:00 am – 10:00 pm.

Thanks to a reader for sending word that Bar di Bari – Espresso and Wine Bar – got their fence set up for an outdoor patio. Should be another outside dining option.

Northwest corner 14th and R St, NW

And here’s a quick peek inside M Cafe coming in across the street:

LOOK opened up in the former Teatro Goldoni space on K Street back in March. A recent liquor license placard posted out front says:

“Request is for an expansion to increase capacity load from 186 to 419.”

Business must be good…

You can see their menus here.

It’s been a big year for anniversaries – next up – Happy 40th anniversary Dancing Crab! Dancing Crab is located at 4611 Wisconsin Ave, NW. You can see their 40th anniversary menu for the month of May here. Check out the fancy new patio too:

Here’s how they looked in 2010:

From an email:

Art and Soul Picnic Lunches

Starting Memorial Day Weekend, on Saturday May 25, the kitchen at Art and Soul will be packing up some of its most popular bites, including its famous fried chicken and Executive Chef Wes Morton’s house-made charcuterie, in ready-to-go picnic lunches for two. These carryout meals are perfect for a trip to the National Mall (just blocks from the restaurant), for a blanket-top lunch in the park or just gathering with friends for a backyard meal. Art and Soul’s picnic lunches must be ordered 24 hours in advance by calling 202-393-7777.
All picnics are priced for two, add-ons welcome. Options include:

Fried chicken, potato salad, whole fruit, cookies, water. $35
Smoked turkey and avocado on focaccia, chips, whole fruit, cookies, water. $32
Charcuterie & cheese, baguette, crackers, mustards, pickles, whole fruit, cookies, water. $30
All picnic lunches include a jarred mixer. This tonic comes with an easy recipe that can be made with spirits for a just-add-alcohol cocktail or juice for a refreshing summer soft drink.

Wednesday Pig and Oyster Roasts

Executive Chef Wes Morton is bringing back the restaurant’s popular Wednesday patio parties with weekly pig and oyster roasts – call it southern-style surf and turf. Beginning Wednesday, May 29, Morton will be cooking heritage pork in a Caja China roasting box while grilling Rappahannock Oyster Co. oysters on top of it. In addition to the pork and cooked and raw oysters, there will be a snack board starter with favorites like pork rinds and pimento cheese and house-made creamiscles for dessert. The Art and Soul bar is making a seasonal punch for the weekly event, which will be available by the pitcher.

See the full menu.

When: Wednesdays starting at 5:30 p.m., May 29-Aug. 28.
Where: The Patio at Art and Soul, 415 New Jersey Ave. NW.
Price: $35 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity. Punch is $30 for a 32oz. pitcher.
A menu of limited cuts – think ears, trotters and cheeks – will be priced individually and sold on a first-come basis.

From an email:

Just in time for the summer season, Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken announces weekend hours, starting Saturday, May 25. Weekend hours will be on Saturdays only from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. In honor of new weekend hours this Memorial Day weekend, and to mark the unofficial start of summer, Astro and Chef Jason Gehring will offer a seasonal special Strawberry Shortcake Doughnut: vanilla yeast-raised doughnut, strawberry glaze and white chocolate for $2.25. In addition, a complimentary side will be offered with any 8-piece fried chicken order. Current sides include potato salad, Asian slaw, tomato and feta salad and a cucumber dill salad.

Back in Nov. 2012 we learned that another Taylor Gourmet would be opening up near the White House at 1750 Pennsylvania Ave, NW. On Saturday it looked like their sign was about to go up and the inside had progressed nicely as well:

WBJ reports on a permit for:

“a fenced outdoor venue, with a tents for food and beverage sales and live music at 101 Tingey St. SE”

From an email:

The Capitol Riverfront in SE Washington is an exciting area of the city, especially during baseball season,” says John Shaw, COO, Hill Country Hospitality. “The team at Hill Country Barbecue Market has started the permitting process for a potential pop-up outdoor barbecue venue in the area, but no deal has been solidified to move forward with this opportunity. If we do proceed, we do not yet know whether it will happen this year or next season.

Hill Country recently kicked off their Backyard Barbecue on the west lawn of the National Building Museum.