Vidalia, Restaurateur Jeff Buben's 20th and M Streets Southern-American Downtown on 20th and M Street - Chef Jayro Cruz Replaces Hamilton Johnson - Closed

[Joe H]

And, now a room to match what is put on the plate.

Robuchon's mashed potatoes:

2 pounds potatoes-russets

3/4 to 1 1/4 cups whole milk brought just to a boil and set aside

16 tablespoons chilled butter cut into pieces-82% minimum fat content

sea salt to taste

boil unpeeled potatoes until cooked then peel and food mill or tamis (sieve)potatoes into pot, stir until dry then add butter by vigorously whipping into potatoes until incorporated then add 3/4 milk in slow thin stream while stirring vigorously ( if you are not sweating-not fast enough), then tamis (sieve) again and adjust with milk or butter and salt to taste

Note that 16 tablespoons of unsalted butter is 1/2 of a pound (and he uses French butter). This is not a low calorie dish.

[Dave Pressley]

vigorously whipping into potatoes until incorporated

Be sure not to whip (implies use of a whisk) the butter into the potatoes, but rather to stir vigorously with perhaps a wooden spoon, so the potatoes don't paste up on you!

Regardless, the meal Don had at Vidalia sounds perfect. Tuna, foie gras and fried chicken...that's a nice trio.

[Nutty Buddy]

JPW and I had lunch at Vidalia today. This was the first time I have eaten there, and it was just not good. The service was very fine and the presentation lovely, but the food itself was sorely lacking. I had the roasted atlantic monkfish with a ragout of lobster, sweet corn, hilltop farm pearl onions, sea beans and path valley chervil-meyer lemon velouté. To start with, the monkfish was cooked incredibly poorly. Half was overcooked to the point that it was even extremely difficult to cut through with a knife. The other half came closer to the airiness I've come to love about Monkfish, but I only discovered that after I had sawed through the overcooked part. I would have sent the dish back but it was lunch, and I had to get back to the office. The dish was also too salty I think for anyone's taste, a level of saltiness that couldn't be offset by the sweetness of the pearl onions and corn.

[JPW]

JPW and I had lunch at Vidalia today. This was the first time I have eaten there, and it was just not good. The service was very fine and the presentation lovely, but the food itself was sorely lacking. I had the roasted atlantic monkfish with a ragout of lobster, sweet corn, hilltop farm pearl onions, sea beans and path valley chervil-meyer lemon velouté. To start with, the monkfish was cooked incredibly poorly. Half was overcooked to the point that it was even extremely difficult to cut through with a knife. The other half came closer to the airiness I've come to love about Monkfish, but I only discovered that after I had sawed through the overcooked part. I would have sent the dish back but it was lunch, and I had to get back to the office. The dish was also too salty I think for anyone's taste, a level of saltiness that couldn't be offset by the sweetness of the pearl onions and corn.

The highlight of the meal, if you will, was the crawfish ragout. More a soup than a ragout, it is a lovely presentation with a cylinder of crayfish and corn and other stuff constrained by a fried plantain. Broth poured around it tableside. My first issue with the dish is purely a matter of personal taste. Form over function, not really my cup of tea. So the first thing you have to do is destroy the plaintain and actually let the ingredients touch the broth. Unfortunately, the broth was more than delicate. In fact it really added little in terms of flavor. I also found that the nearly raw corn meant to be a contrast texture did not tie into the rest of the soup. We also had the sausage and vidalia onion tart. The sausage was a little too fatty and as a result the filling was a somewhat leaden. The taste of the Vidalia was not apparent. The accompanying frisee salad had a dressing whose dominant taste, yet again, was sodium.

As Nutty Buddy mentioned above, the service was very nicely done as befits a restaurant at his price level. Some of the best that I have had around DC. If only the food were at the same level today. Was it a bad meal? No, it was just extremely average. I would expect a lot more at this price point and from such a highly acclaimed spot. I'm in no real hurry to go back.

[Drive-by Critic]

In the good old days, when I had a lot more money and was not concerned about my health, I could eat at pretty much any restaurant I wanted to, frequently, and order anything I liked, without regard to manner of preparation, ingredients, or quantity.

Now I am forced to be much more discerning as my limited funds just don't go very far and I have to be very careful about choosing a restaurant and selecting from the menu. I can probably go there only once or twice. For that reason, and because of the health concerns, I have to be very careful about ordering (selection and quantity) and that forces me to be more critical. Every bite counts.

On my first, eagerly anticipated visit to Vidalia today, I was not disappointed at all. I know that some would not like the rather small portion sizes, but I found them to be just right, especially given that it was lunch, and given that I actually don't like to leave stuffed. I would really rather have 2-3 bites of something exquisite than a larger portion. I shared two apps with my friend - the yellowtail hamachi tartar with compressed watermelon, lime powder, espelette pepper sorbet, and micro greens. The beautifully composed plate had two incredibly refreshing and delicious portions, each two bite's worth and each bite was heavenly. We also shared a corn soup that was on the list of specials and I'm sorry I can't remember the ingredients. It was light and refreshing, though as I'm not a fan of sweet, and corn is naturally sweet, it wasn't my favorite. Nothing wrong with it, just not the kind of thing that makes my heart go pitter-pat.

For a main, I had the divers scallops which are actually an app but it was plenty for me after the other two apps. These were also a special, and were perfectly cooked, sweet, plump scallops with fava beans, diced peppers, and all sorts of other good stuff. (OK, I am going to have to figure out how to take notes in restaurants as my memory is worthless). I enjoyed this dish very much.

My companion ordered the duck confit, which I think of as a winter dish. He took one bite and said it was greatly oversalted. I tried it and agreed. I assume it was brined, but perhaps it was too strong a concentration? Or not rinsed after removal from the brine? Or perhaps just oversalted when cooked? In any case, the maitre d' was lovely about it and took it back with grace, offering to replace it with other portion or with another dish. My companion declined, and ordered a cheese plate instead. Now, I feel about cheese the way most of you feel about pork, but cheese is something I have all but given up (when I hit 75, I am going to eat cheese and bread all day every day for a week!). But in restaurants, we order what we please, in moderation. A cheese selection in a restaurant is a good option for cheese lovers who have no self-control and simply can't keep it in the house. So I was delighted to have a bite of each of three cheeses - none of them seem to be on the online menu and again, my memory is not up to this task. All I know is that I loved all three.

I apologize for the inadequate descriptions of this wonderful food. The service was lovely and the room of course is beautiful and relaxing. It was really a wonderful treat for me to enjoy a meal of this calibre. The experience transcends food.

Ellen

[DPop]

What is the RW menu look like? I tried the website but the menus are not coming up. Has anyone been yet this week?

[Melissa LaV]

I had a fantastic RW meal at Vidalia on Monday. They are offering a very broad menu with just a few upgrades (for crabcakes and shrimp and grits). Amazing fried green tomatoes, fantastic seared duck and lemon chess tart. Yum.

Good to see they take the week seriously enough to offer diners a broad range of choices. Makes me want to go back when I have free reign over the menu (which, I think, is the point of RW to begin with...)

[grover]

We went to Vidalia on Tuesday night and had another great experience. I had a fried green tomatoes, a duck breast confit and a lemon chess tart. My hubby had a crab cake, a catfish etouffe and a chocolate pudding. Our friend, Mr. Banker had a vichyssoise, a chacuterie (?) and a peanut butter crunch. We tasted bites from each other's dishes and all of them were great. We had a chance to talk to the Chef RJ and he was exhausted from hard working since the last week. I didn't know he has been wearing a pair of glasses. The thing I really want to say here is that Michael Nevarez, the general manager, and his waiting staff really take care of us. My hubby likes to use a tong when the sugar cubes are served when coffee is coming, he mentioned it when we were here in RW 3 years ago. Brenna, the server then, made a note somewhere and it happens whenever we come back even though she is not our server. A tiny little thing made us very happy and they know it. I really appreciate the excellent meal and service.

[legant]

My hubby likes to use a tong when the sugar cubes are served when coffee is coming, he mentioned it when we were here in RW 3 years ago. Brenna, the server then, made a note somewhere and it happens whenever we come back even though she is not our server. A tiny little thing made us very happy and they know it.

So... that's how they do it! The bartender at one of my faves "takes the liberty" to order raw onions with my burger. At another fave the bartender remembered a comment I made about smoking; yet at another the GM remembered a comment I made about a particular entree being "orgasmic." I was impresed by these people with such a terribly good memory. Each of these comments bought a smile to my face and makes/made me feel very special; hence they are my favorite restaurants, ones that I highly recommend.

Now that I know they use a crib sheet I feel even more special.

[Mark Slater]

The thing I really want to say here is that Michael Nevarez, the general manager, and his waiting staff really take care of us. My hubby likes to use a tong when the sugar cubes are served when coffee is coming, he mentioned it when we were here in RW 3 years ago. Brenna, the server then, made a note somewhere and it happens whenever we come back even though she is not our server. A tiny little thing made us very happy and they know it.

This is exactly the reason restaurateurs love OpenTable. In the permanent customer file: "Bring little tongs for his sugar".

[zoramargolis]

This is exactly the reason restaurateurs love OpenTable. In the permanent customer file: "Bring little tongs for his sugar".

Like the old Bob Hope theme song: "Tongs For The Memory"...

she said, ducking for cover...

[jiveturk21]

The Majestic for drinks and appetizers on Friday night followed by Farrah Olivia for dinner. Golf and drinking all day Saturday, rounded out by brunch at Vidalia on Sunday. Is there really anything else that I could ask for!?

I have been to Vidalia before, both for restaurant week and at other times, but I have never been for brunch and it has been about four years, so I was excited about going back. Overall, it didn't disappoint, but there were a few bumps in the road.

To begin, the space is beautiful and the service was exceptional. I loved the restaurant week choices and was impressed that they had restaurant week wines as well. Vidalia seems to truly embrace restaurant week while other places seem to detest anyone that ever eats there during that week. So, other than the food, I would have to give the place an A+, not one hiccup at all. But, we all go to a restaurant to eat, don't we!?

It was a tale of two meals on our side of the table, this is what the two of us got...

Path Valley Potato Vichyssoise with spicy pickled shrimp, potato chips and spicy baby micro greens

Citrus Cured Wild Alaskan Ivory Salmon with avocado purée, heirloom beets, baby mizuna, black olive vinaigrette

Carolina Mountain Trout with pole beans, fingerling potatoes and spiced pecan-brown butter emulsion

Duck Confit, Spinch, Potatoes and Poached Egg (Hey, this isn't the exact description, it is not on the website, this is all you get from me)

Baked Macaroni with Goat Cheddar Cheese

Vidalia's Lemon Chess Tart buttery crust filled with rich lemon custard garnished with berry compote and sweet cream

Georgia Pecan Tart served warm with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream

Everything I ordered was great, everything my date ordered was a bit above average. The Vichyssoise was wonderful, very cool dish, not too heavy, perfect to start off with. On the other hand, the salmon was pretty bland. I loved the beets, as I always do, but the rest just didn't do it for us, not a perfect matching of flavors. For the entrees, the duck confit was wonderful, the egg was cooked perfectly, but the trout was just OK. The fish was cooked well, but the plate overall was just fine. The mac and cheese was good, but I have had better. I can't complain about the desserts though, nothing wrong with either of them, I loved them both.

Vidalia is an amazing restaurant. Hell, I have been there four times, I barely have been anywhere four times, so don't get me wrong, it is a spectacular restaurant. But, if this was the first time I had gone there, I may think twice about going again, nothing wrong with it, but not all the dishes blew me away like usual.

By the way, when all was said and done, brunch for the four of us was $190 with tax and tip. Anyone that thinks that restaurants take a beating duirng restaurant week are nuts, I can't save money at a restaurant for the life of me.

[Pat]

Vidalia is an amazing restaurant. Hell, I have been there four times, I barely have been anywhere four times, so don't get me wrong, it is a spectacular restaurant. But, if this was the first time I had gone there, I may think twice about going again, nothing wrong with it, but not all the dishes blew me away like usual.

I hate to nitpick (really!) and maybe you intended to phrase this a little differently, but you're assuming a level of quality from past experience (getting blown away by the food) at a restaurant, then saying that if it had been your first visit you might not go back. If it had been your first visit it couldn't have fallen short of your multi-visit expectation but only of an idea of what you thought the food would be like. Perhaps you typically don't go back a second time to restaurants that merit A+ on all but food and fall between great and above average on food (A-/B+?). I don't know, but that does seem a harsh assessment, especially during RW.

[jiveturk21]

I admit that I am a tougher critic than most. For me, unless I am blown away by something, chances are slim to none that I will go back there. I know, it is tough, but there are so many freakin places to go to, not just in DC, but in the world, I am just not going to go back unless you show me something that goes above and beyond.

So, if I went to Vidalia for Sunday brunch, like I did yesterday, and it was the first time that I have been there, which it obviously was not, I probably wouldn't go back again if I ordered the salmon appetizer, the trout entree, the mac and cheese and the pecan tart (like my date did). All the food was above average, but none of it was great. That's just me, I am sure that 99% of the people would go again after eating those dishes, I am just not one of them.

[jjshyne]

I went to Vidalia Saturday evening for Restaurant Week. I loved all my dishes. I had the Pork and Beans, Duck Confit, and the Pecan Tart. Unfortunately the Shrimp and Grits were 86ed by the time we got there. The rest of my party's dishes were also wondeful. They had the Citrus Cured Wild Alaskan Ivory Salmon, Tuscarora Pork Charcutière, Bayou Étouffée, Peanut Butter Tart, and Lemon Chess Tart. OMG the Pecan Tart was to die for!

Usually you can notice and feel that it's Restaurant Week. However at Vidalia, it didn't feel like it at all! Thank you for a wonderful meal RJ!

[DPop]

jiveturk, I had a similar experience to you, and since it was my first time, I might hesitate to go back. Everything was good, don't get me wrong, but not one of the better restaurant experiences that I have had in DC (and really no better than the meal I had at New Heights the night before).

Fried Green Tomatoes - tasted like tomato sauce with not a lot of seasoning. Did not like this dish at all

Veal Oscar - very juicy, definitely a tasty dish, but overall it was not worth the $12 upcharge when I could have gotten the halibut, which I thought was much better for no upcharge

Peanut Butter Tart - not a huge fan of peanut butter but this was good. The level of sweetness was just where I like it

Good meal, but nothing I will be hankering for again. It also didn't help that the room was about 5-10 degrees warmer than comfortable, but I bet with the temperature as high as it was that day and the amount of foot traffic I'm sure the place saw during the day that there was little they could do about that.

[Poivrot Farci]

I am just not going to go back unless you show me something that goes above and beyond...

That's cute. Consider booking a seat above and beyond.

Martyring oneself over mac & cheese brunch is a victory without glory.

[Sthitch]

He loves the chance to break away from shrimp and grits, not that there’s anything wrong with their shrimp and grits.

I am sure glad that at lunch yesterday he did not break away from them. What I had for lunch yesterday was one shrimp shy of what I would consider a perfect serving of shrimp and grits. Maybe they were just trying to leave me wanting a little more, the sign of a true entertainer, and shouldn't great food entertain us? The shrimp were cooked to perfection and seasoned just enough to bring out the flavor of the sea that is generally missing from those lesser farmed raised shrimp. The grits were creamy wholesome goodness, and the Super 100 tomatoes were a very nice addition.

I am not sure who actually wrote the menu, but in the description of the crabcake it states that they come with boardwalk style fries. OK, it has been a long time since I went "down the shore" but I sort of remember them being fat, over cooked, and made limp with flavorless vinegar. What came with crabcake had nothing in common with these; what came with the crab cake were very good potato sticks, but most certainly not boardwalk style fries. As for the crabcake, it needed a little more seasoning to take it from the merely very good to the great status. I am not even sure what the missing seasoning was, but there was something missing.

[Heather]

Two words to perk up the waning days of September, and make you look forward to a nip in the air: SHOAT SANDWICH.

ETA three more: Beef Shank Crépinette.

And everyone could do with a little dose of Doug Mohr's joie de vivre.

[Heather]

The Whopper malted milk chocolate mousse, baked malted meringue and ovaltine ganache. Clever and delicious. This is my new favorite dessert & a must-try if you like malteds.

[Heather]

Back at Vidalia again last night...why was this place off my radar for so long? Drank a lovely Austrian sparkler with tuna carpaccio with foie gras, and a Frappato (brought by Jake) with guinea hen. I would enthusastically recommend the sparkler had we not guzzled the last bottle.

And I got to taste a new dessert. "PB & J" is layers of peanut butter mousse and chocolate, with salty caramel sauce and jam filled tuiles. Mmmmmmmm. I owe the chef a few Dead CDs for that sneak peek. Should be on the menu today.

Thanks to Dmitri, Mike, Doug and Chef R.J. for a delicious night, and my dining companion for that funky Sardinian wine. I've never had a wine that tasted of volacanos and strawberry pop-tarts (in a good way) before.

[jparrott]

The wine in question is Arianna Occhipinti "Il Frappato" [sic] Sicilia IGT 2005. Made without sulfur or wood and in extremely low yields, this is as crunchily mineral a drop as you'll find. Ms. Occhipinti is 25 years old, by thr way. Imported by Louis/Dressner Selections and available in North Carolina (where I got this bottle) and I'm not sure where else.

[Heather]

Mercer Farm partridge breast: roasted with applewood bacon, rhumba squash agnolotti, braised baby onions and Vidalia’s spicy pickle gribiche. Swell, especially with the Moulin-à-Vent I was guzzling. Thanks to Dmitri, once again, and Donald for his main dish suggestion.

A little bird (actually, a rather substantial bird) told me that next week they might have some funky fresh wild partridge, instead of domestic.

[jparrott]

I'm like....sooooooo there. Wild birds goooooooooooooood.

[Heather]

I'm like....sooooooo there. Wild birds goooooooooooooood.

Uh huh. What would you drink with that?

[jparrott]

Wild partridge? I might go Alsace riesling there. Depends on the prep. It's still whitish meat.

[alan7147]

Mercer Farm partridge breast: roasted with applewood bacon, rhumba squash agnolotti, braised baby onions and Vidalia’s spicy pickle gribiche. Swell, especially with the Moulin-à-Vent I was guzzling. Thanks to Dmitri, once again, and Donald for his main dish suggestion.

A little bird (actually, a rather substantial bird) told me that next week they might have some funky fresh wild partridge, instead of domestic.

2003 Domaine de Champ de Cour ...went down way to easy and it was great with the rabbit

[Heather]

I'm like....sooooooo there. Wild birds goooooooooooooood.

Partridge is in.

Last night: first, a tasting of the bar menu. Foie, Yellowtail, duck salad with gizzards and celery root, veal tongue, bison, octopus stew with beans and mussel broth, plus raw scallops with a sulfuric salt and bottarga grated over them at service (from the tasting menu). The foie itself is delicious but the gastrique it's served with is not to my taste, the bison was unexciting, and something about the duck salad didn't work for me, possibly the overly salty gizzard. But, the tongue was a revelation, the scallops were brilliant, and the octopus stew might be my dish of the year.

Then a round of the "pork and beans" which have been written about before (crispy pig skin!) and then a round of beef tendon and wagyu in an aromatic broth, sort of an elegant pho, that might have been on the tasting menu.

To drink: a Gruner Veltliner to start, then the 2002 Santenay 1er Cru “Maladière”, Lucien Muzard.

Food and drink were delicious, but my favorite part of the evening was standing in the kitchen, gobbling samples of meat and delicious fat from a half sheet piled high with pig trotters.

Thanks, as always, to Doug, Dmitri, and Chef R.J. (Enjoy the shows. Keep up the good work and maybe someday you'll win an award or something. ) I'll be back soon for the partridge.

[alan7147]

We are going here for NYE. I heard that there might be a special tasting menu, can anyone confirm?

[mdt]

We are going here for NYE. I heard that there might be a special tasting menu, can anyone confirm?

From the power of the Internets...click.

[squidsdc]

October 1 heralds the beginning of our prix fix lunch at Vidalia. Two courses are offered for $19.90 from our daily specials with a choice of specialty libation. Guests will have a choice of an appetizer and entrée or entrée and dessert. The prix fixe menu is available Monday through Friday from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM.

I don't know how I missed this...guess I need to get on the email list!

[RJ Cooper]

We are going here for NYE. I heard that there might be a special tasting menu, can anyone confirm?

POSTED ONLINE IS THE FORMAT AND MENU ITEMS!!!!!

[Heather]

Attention eel lovers: smoked, grilled conger eel and pied de cochon will be a special through this weekend. Eel + smoke + pig = good stuff.

[DanCole42]

Very impressed with RJ and the whole team after the Wagyu tasting.

Also very impressed by how close Vidalia is to my office.

What's happy hour like there? They do anything fun?

[DonRocks]

Very impressed with RJ

You don't find him a bit priggish?

[Heather]

What's happy hour like there? They do anything fun?

The Magic of the Internets!

[DanCole42]

You don't find him a bit priggish?

Most Harley enthusiasts are.

And here come the crowbar beatings...

[DonRocks]

Most Harley enthusiasts are.

And here come the crowbar beatings...

[DanCole42]

The Magic of the Internets!

The wine tasting sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. I love ordervs [sic].

Any idea how much it is?

[youngfood]

The wine tasting sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. I love ordervs [sic].

Any idea how much it is?

Also from the google and from upthread as well, IT'S FREE.

[eating out]

For any Mint Julep fans out there - Vidalia's version is delicious and comes authentically served in a slippery silver cup with crushed ice and a spring of mint on top. I love it.

[RJ Cooper]

You don't find him a bit priggish?

shall i taKE THAT AS A COMPLEMENT???!!!!!!!!!!

[shogun]

shall i taKE THAT AS A COMPLEMENT???!!!!!!!!!!

Morning, chef!

[RJ Cooper]

Morning, chef!

The general concensus from my staff is priggish no....piggish yes!!!!!

lol

have a great holiday people of the rockheads

[Heather]

If you like tongue (and who doesn't?) get thee to Vidalia. Scott was so knocked out by the tongue appetizer that he wouldn't share. I had the oyster veloute and it was pretty swell too. Perfect with a glass of something bubbly.

[Steve R.]

We've returned home in time for New Year's Eve and I have a couple of hours so here's what we had at Vidalia on the 1st night of our 3 night stay in D.C. (Friday):

-- great company. It's always a thrill to meet others who love (expecting a food comment here?) the Grateful Dead (so there). And, when they know food & drink as well.... hey, who could ask for more? It was great to meet Heather and Scott & we look forward to more meals together in the future. Too bad that Chef Cooper wasnt there (home with a sick child?) -- I'd like to meet him some time.

-- 2 bottles of excellent wine that Heather chose and can detail (not my forte).

I remember what Ginny and I ate... Heather will have to speak for their side of the meal. So...I had the veal tongue appetizer. In broth (rich and with other things in it that I forget but tasted very nice), the tongue was tender and tasted like... tongue (I see that as a good thing). I'm more partial to a cold or warm deli type approach, but this was quite well done. A healthy thick slice of tongue in a bowl...makes my night. Ginny had the Pied de Cochon and it too was a solid start (can you tell that I dont remember much more about her app?... did I taste it?). For her entree, Ginny's shrimp and grits were excellent. Six (?) very large head on shrimp on a bed of tasty grits. Simple but very good. Rich flavors and vibrant tastes. I love it when Ginny gets large portions because then I get a nice sized tasting of her food. These shrimp were very fresh and well prepared. And we both love grits. For me, the rabbit entree was very tasty and I'd put it up with entrees from most of my favorite places here at home. However... it had foam on it, usually something leading to disdain from me. I cant say I remember what the foam was (or care to), but the dish hung together very nicely and whatever the flavor contributed by the foam, it must've been a positive to the dish (or at least a neutral factor), as the dish was excellent. We all split an order of the mac and cheese and I liked it a lot. Heather said that she preferred their previous truffled version, but this was rich with ham and right up there on the mac and cheese scale for me.

Ginny and Scott had desserts of chocolate and other sweet things, while Heather and I gorged on six cheeses. Well, I gorged. Heather may remember the details but I remember liking all 6. Very nicely done.

Not an inexpensive meal at $150pp (all in, including tax/tip), but we didnt hold back anywhere and this included some pre-dinner tasting glasses of white wines for me and Ginny, then 2 very good bottles of red at the table, then some dessert wines and coffees for 3 of the 4 of us. Reasonable for the quality & quantity. For any NYawkers looking in on this, I'd rate this meal a bare notch or so below my most recent one at Hearth... but that was a meal I enjoyed immensely so that puts this one up there. I'd love to go back sometime, try some other things and maybe get the chef to go off the menu a little. I get the feeling it could get even better, as good as it was. Heather would know if that's the case.

Again... great to meet the Heathers, talk over food board politics (we're both on another food board together) and have a great meal. Looking forward to more.

[Heather]

Scott had the pied de cochon & shoat, and I had the mussel/octopus stew and the partridge. The stew should be on my "best of 2007" list. Wines were: 2002 Santenay 1er cru, La Maladière, Lucien Muzard, and 2003 Château Coupe Roses Minervois, Cuvée Orience.

Steve, we would happily join you and Ginny again the next time you're in DC, and I have a feeling we'll get back to New York before too long.

[AlexC]

Note about my RW Week Dinner at Vidalia last night...

The very short review: Service was excellent, food was delicious (though there were several upcharges), they offered a selection of reasonably-priced wines and I recommend this RW experience.

The gritty details: Before the four of us sat down at 8 PM, I enjoyed a glass of lemon-infused bourbon on the rocks at the bar. I'm sure the very idea makes the bourbon junkies on this board grind their teeth... but I found it refreshing in a way that I don't find a bourbon on the rocks and, with the alcohol muted by the lemon, it didn't take too much of a toll on my palate before the meal.

I started with "Vidalia’s Veal Tongue, house brined with pickled savoy cabbage, jalapeño peppers, lime emulsion and grilled flat bread." The disk-shaped flatbread was reminiscent of pita but had a mealier texture, like a thick corn tortilla, and the entire dish felt southwestern. The tongue was excellent, firm, fleshy, rich and tender.

For wine, Vidalia offered their traditional wine list and an additional list, featuring 10 or 12 wines all priced at $32. We selected a $32 French Malbec, which everyone enjoyed. I thought that was a thoughtful gesture to what is certainly a more cost-conscious crowd than this fine restaurant is used to serving.

My entree was the "Cape Hatteras Stew, octopus, mussels, shrimp and oysters with heirloom beans, preserved tomatoes, croutons and saffron-mussel broth (+$8)." The seafood was shelled, which made me wince a little as the portion was presented, but it turned out to be heaping with protein. Shells take up a lot of real estate. I wasn't intrigued by the flavors in this dish -- it was a well-executed tomato-saffron broth, and I loved the inclusion of the particularly well-cooked, tender baby octopus. The dish was good, but the tongue was a more exciting dish for me.

Two other dishes jumped out at me -- the Black Foot Pork Cassoulet, crisp shoulder, surry sausage, smoked hock, belly bacon and stewed marrow beans" and the "Shrimp and Grits, sautéed gulf shrimp with creamy grits, arugula, tasso, sweet onion ragout and winter ale-shellfish emulsion (+$8)."

I was jealous of the cassoulet the moment it was set down on the table. Rather than being served in a traditional cassoulet vessel, a thin layer of beans was laid down on a long rectangular plate, with big hunks of pork resting on top of them. The hock and the shoulder were both beautifully prepared, one crispy and one pull-apart succulent. A forkful was not enough.

I only saw the shrimp and grits whiz by on waiters' arms... but the plate was tall, with four large prawns, head-on, each easily 8 inches in length, on top of what looked like a healthy portion of creamy grits.

For dessert I had the cheese plate. I was a little disappointed in the selection (there wasn't one, and I ended up with three hard or semi-hard cheeses), but the glass of Churchill LBV left me mollified. Both the Georgia Pecan Tart and the Lemon Chess Pie received thumbs up from the dessert lovers.

With upcharges, one bottle of wine, a coffee, a port, a sherry and an armangac, the total for 4 (including 20% tip) came to $340. I don't think anyone left disappointed.

The full menu is available here: http://208.106.253.116/newsletter/vidalia_..._week_2008.html

Alex

[jparrott]

The gritty details: Before the four of us sat down at 8 PM, I enjoyed a glass of lemon-infused bourbon on the rocks at the bar. I'm sure the very idea makes the bourbon junkies on this board grind their teeth... but I found it refreshing in a way that I don't find a bourbon on the rocks and, with the alcohol muted by the lemon, it didn't take too much of a toll on my palate before the meal.

It's a damn sight better than any mint julep I've had, for sure.

[monavano]

Mr. MV and I had RW dinner at Vidalia and loved it. RW is like a box of chocolates-you know the rest, so when we arrived and were greeted warmly I immediately felt relaxed. We were seated right away and brought water (asked if we wanted bottled or tap). Our server was really pleasant and helpful. Highlights included the rabbit sausage, duck breast ($9) and definitely the cassoulet. For dessert, I liked the peanut butter crunch. Wines by the glass were quite reasonably priced. Dinner was comfortable and we left sated and happy after 90 minutes (around 9pm) without feeling rushed at all.