LoganCircle

Yes, but the product offered by Starbucks is derived from high-fructose corn syrup. It's in everything, everywhere, I know. Still, it grosses me out.

Although I no longer sweeten my iced lattes, I favor coffee shops that do this. It demonstrates thoughtfulness and real concern about a customer's experience.

I've been to JCT Kitchen 3 times, and have had 2 good experiences and one so-so one. The setting is lovely, and the fried chicken and macaroni and cheese do it justice. Other restaurants working a similar concept are Shaun's Social Club and Restaurant (Inman Park), Watershed (Decatur), and Home (where Richard Blais, of Top Chef, consults). I think you'll be happy, but not wowed, at any of them. Perhaps the best thing about Bone's is that it has no dress code. A rarity among restaurants of its kind, especially in the South.

pure food and wine Vegan, raw (nothing cooked above 118 degrees), no soy or wheat.. I took a vegetarian friend there last weekend and was wowed. The food was delicious and inventive, more so than at any other place in Manhattan at which I've recently dined. It knocked the socks of wd-50. I strongly recommend the zuchinni blossoms for a main course, which are filled with faux chevre (derived from nuts, I believe) and served with a grape tomato, ramp, and avocado salad and a side of pickled almonds. Also wonderful was the thin mint sundae. I don't know they made vegan, soyless ice cream taste so good, but they did. I went in a skeptic and left an admirer. Go! It's at 17th St and Irving Place (between 3rd and Park), about a block and a half east of Union Square.

Dining during my last couple of weeks in DC: Fri, 3/7: Dino - burrata and lasagnette Sat, 3/8: CityZen - wagyu, lobster sausage and soup, skate, rabbit, rouget, and a whole lot of other stuff too Sun, 3/9: Sala Thai Express in Pentagon City Mall - spicy chicken curry and rice, and two Cakelove cupcakes Mon, 3/10: Pizza Hut (delivery) - pepperoni, green pepper, and onion hand tossed Wed, 3/12: East Street Cafe (lunch) - House special ginger beef Fri, 3/14: A friend's house - Steak Diane, pamersan risotto, and creme brulee Sat, 3/15: Merkado - skirt steak in mojo and a great cucumber mojito Sun, 3/16: The Daily Grill, Downtown (brunch) - a burger and onion rings Mon, 3/17: Woodberry Kitchen (Baltimore) - sizzling shrimp, cast-iron skillet bacon and egg fried rice, beef tenderloin, and an apple and pear dumpling (I really liked this place, which I thought had bold and inspired--if unrefined--cooking) Tue, 3/18: the source - tandoori arctic char, szechuan steak au poivre, and the cookie plate Wed, 3/19: Johnny's Half Shell (lunch) - crab and shrimp bisque and fried shrimp po-boy; Logan Tavern (dinner) - iceberg wedge and fried chicken Thur, 3/20: Stoney's (lunch) - cheesesteak and fries; Thai Tanic (dinner) - kanom jeeb, nua ka ting, and pad thai Fri, 3/21: Central (lunch) - corned beef sandwich and ice cream; McCormick and Schmick's (which will be my final meal in DC)--less for the food than because when I was waiting for a security clearance after arriving in town in 2003, this is where I worked for my first 10 months (note: I didn't get my clearance <darned speeding tickets in other states that become warrants for one's arrest> and it was probably the best thing that ever happened). First reservation in Atlanta: Floataway Cafe (an old standby from the owners of Bacchanalia).

The exterior of the place looks more polished already, but expect delays..

In last night's parade of critters, veggies, and things from the sea, the skate, lobster, and wagyu stood out. The large quantity of wine consumed during the five hour meal has left me a little foggy about the particulars of some of the other dishes, but those above will be burned into my memory for quite some while. I move to Atlanta in two weeks, and despite meals planned at other fine places between now and then, those tastes just might be the standard by which I judge my new city. My last comment is about how well CityZen has always dealt with my not eating offal. Last night, when my companions were eating pig's face and foie, I quite enjoyed my rouget and rabbit. In too many other restaurants my non-offal substitutions have seemed like an afterthought. Not here.

Thank goodness it isn't just me! I've been to Cork twice and have had really negative experiences with a member of the host staff on each occasion, negative enough that they have deterred me from returning. One involved the hostess quoting a 40-minute wait upon our arrival, only to have the exact same quote (i.e., an additional 40 minutes) repeated when checking-in after 35 minutes at the bar. On another visit the issue was less significant but still serious enough to leave a bad taste in the mouths of all in my party. In each instance it wasn't the substance of the error that was most upsetting; it was the frigid and uncaring manner in which we were treated by the hostess. At the end of our meal on the second visit, I shared with the owner an account of our experiences with the host (the thin, blond, white woman). She apologized for the treatment we had received and said that she had received similar complaints from others. It's disappointing to hear that things have not improved.

You're right, as far as typical drinks are concerned (e.g., 16 oz of regular drip vs. 2 oz of espresso), but not by volume. http://www.cspinet.org/new/cafchart.htm.

Ms. Cashion, Thank you for choosing to use environmentally responsible take-out containers at Taqueria Nacionale. I imagine that they might cost quite a bit more than traditional options and very much appreciate your demonstration of good stewardship. Your writing here is mellifluous, and your stories make me want to patronize your restaurants more frequently! All the best, Hank

I'm interested.

I thought I'd return to Dino a second and third time before posting about it. I don't, after all, really have anything new to add. But who knows how long it'll be before those return visits actually happen, and I've thought several times of my meal since making my inaugural visit a couple of Fridays ago. When booking on OpenTable (through the restaurant's website), I made the following, out-of-character, special request: "We want Dean to tell us stories, pick our wines, and show us what neighborhood Italian is all about." Such requests are not normal for me, but given Dean's longstanding presence, tone, and openness on this website, it seemed fitting. Well, I don't know if that request was ever read or not, but Dino gave to us a memorable, delicious, and fun evening. We tried a whole lot of food--the burrata, meatballs, polenta with pancetta, calamari, proscuitto with melon, lamb pasta, boar pasta, New York strip, Arctic char, blueberry shortbread, vanilla gelato with balsamico, chocolate cake, and a dessert I can't remember--and raved about 12 of the 13 dishes. What I might remember most, though, are the wines that accompanied our meal. They were significant, priced very fairly, and had wonderful stories attached: Hilberg (Pasquera) Nebbiolo d'Alba 2003 Collemattoni Brunello di Montalcino 2000/1 (not certain about the vintage) **I should note that Dino charges $20 less for the Hilberg than does wd-50, where we'd dined a couple of months before. I did not identify myself as a contributor here, and Dean was just as affable and hospitable as I imagine he is to his best customers. We left very pleased to have experienced the love that many here have known all along. For selfish reasons, I wish Dino were in my neighborhood rather than Cleveland Park. Thanks, Dean and crew. We'll see you again.

Happy birthdays to Ferhat and Halloween!

Although in Virginia rather than DC, doesn't Cathal go to great lengths to make sure as much as possible at Restaurant Eve is purchased from sustainable producers? To the point of making weekly treks down to Polyface and/or Bev Eggleston?

Thanks, everyone, for your recommendations. Here's what I ended up purchasing, and I look forward to borrowing a few of the titles to read myself: 1. The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty, Julia Flynn Siler 2. Matt Kramer's New California Wine: Making Sense of Napa Valley, Sonoma, Central Coast, and Beyond, Matt Kramer 3. The World's Greatest Wine Estates: A Modern Perspective, Robert M. Parker 4. The Emperor of Wine: The Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr., and the Reign of American Taste (P.S.), Elin McCoy