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mstevens

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    Washington, DC

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  1. To echo most of the prior comments, Suna is a great addition to the otherwise unremarkable menus in the neighborhood. We dined here the weekend before last and were overall impressed with the service, quality and thought put into the preparation, and the impeccable beverage pairings. My only critique would be that the tableware didn't do the food justice. Call me old fashioned, but the heavy, colored, glazed plates didn't contrast enough to highlight the presentation of the food. A simple white plate would have remedied this. Also, we came away with one big question: given the format, how often will the menu change, especially during the winter when produce availability won't vary much until spring? I loved our meal but think it unlikely that we'll go back for the exact same dinner...
  2. From ''unpleasant snails" to my great white hope in just a few weeks... I'll keep my fingers crossed while I tremble in anticipation...
  3. I last posted about 4 years ago, but Don's quote was so precisely right that I awoke from my slumber. He precisely stated a long-time source of frustration: I can't figure out why my neighborhood continue to be such a dining wasteland. The number of restaurants that have opened in the neighborhood in the last five years have netted no stand-outs. The few highlights have either closed (Locanda, Ba Bay--what is it with that location?--hoping Jamie Leeds can keep Hank's Part III open there), started out strong in the kitchen then dropped off (Sonoma, Zest--remarkably honest and clean cooking when they first opened), or gotten stale over time (Belga, Montmartre). The rest over the market is oversaturated with craptastic food or are owned by Xavier Becerra which means, 8 establishments guaranteeing long bars, wood panelling, decent drinks, middling service, and likely no more than one thing on the menu that I'll ever want to order. Sure, Seventh Hill is great, Cava's decent albeit shockingly loud with generally poor service, and there a few hole-in-the walls that are fine for the occassional quick bite, but there is a serious lack of decent options for mid-range dining. Considering the high-density residential neighborhood, the high average income of the area, the low-level of existing competition, and my personal promise to become a loyal regular and spend a shitload of money on any restaurant that can deliver seasonal, clean flavors, I would think the neighboorhood would have more appeal to restauranteurs. The idea of the hill marketplace as exlusively 20-year old staffers living in group houses seems to persist, despite being remarkably off-base as a reflection of the current demographics. The market exists, the real question is why it's not being met.
  4. Can't agree more. Well deserved review--7th Hill is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. That said, while sitting at the counter last Saturday around 7:30pm while the place was a madhouse, we watched about eight 20-something interns slowly gather all of the indoor tables together as their group arrived over a period of 30 minutes. One by one they came up to the register and order drinks, insisting that they "may order food later". Really? It is so not that place. Go to Matchbox. Carryout, yes. Quick place for a really good bite to eat with one or two others or your young spawn, yes. Friendly neighborhood place for a beer and fantastic pizza when you're on your own for lunch, absolutely. Destination place to meet a group of large friends? Fail.
  5. Ugh, my +1 has put us both on a diet... Non-fat organic yogurt with berries and toasted almonds... all proportionally weighed out so that I'm ravenously hungry ten minutes later
  6. I find really good tomatos too dear to possible blend up and go straight for the juice route. Roasted red pepper, cuke, onion, garlic blended with good tomato juice, sherry vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, hot pepper and a dash of Worchestershire and salt. Throw in finely diced cukes and onions at the end. Either serve w/ croutons in a bowl or mix 3/4 gazpacho and 1/4 red wine (Pinot, Rioja, anything really) and serve it in a red wine glass. The wine thins it enough to make it drinkable and is great first on a hot night that you only need one hand for while you're manning the grill.
  7. Love the classic... chopped garlic clove and handful of chopped parsley beaten into the eggs, a little grated gruyere, then roll.
  8. Fresh fettuccine tossed with sauteed black radishes, favas, pecorino, cream and crisped proscuitto strips Green bean salad with balsamic and roasted cherry tomatos The favas are just starting to taste good...
  9. Bought some passable ones last night at P St Whole Foods--probably 5% of them had to be chucked after shelling, but after a quick blanch, hulling and toss with olive oil, lemon juice, fresh mint, sea salt, black pepper and topped with a shave of pecorino they managed to make me wildly happy about spring.
  10. It's actually at the disscretion of the merchant or the merchant's acquirer/processer. They are allowed to authorize anywhere between + or - 20% of the actual check (although no idea who would authorize LESS than the actual tab )
  11. I gotta say, the PIRG article was based on a significantly uniformed reading of Reg E and unauthorized transactions. Having been in both the credit card and banking industry for the past decade (and somebody who fearlessly uses his debit card while dining out) here's some additional info on the topics in the thread above. "Double" Charges - Okay, I admit that I've actually called a bank when I've seen this (but never the restaurant) even though I should actually know better. When you provide your card (either debit or credit) to a restaurant, the card is swiped for up to 120% of the tab and makes what is called an authorization hold on your account. Despite what was said in the article and above, this is ALWAYS an "on-line" transaction because it limits the restaurants liability if there is insufficient funds. Restaurants can opt NOT to authorize ONLY if the amount is below $150 or some other factor (card signature is missing, etc.) This "hold" is generally not shown to customers since it causes some confusion, exactly as stated above, but some banks are doing it now. At this point, depending on the customers bank, when the final transaction comes in, either the hold will automatically expire on the second or third day following the transaction, or, at better banks, a "match-hold" will match the final settled transaction with the original "hold" amount. If customers are seeing both a hold and the transaction, REFER THEM TO THEIR BANK. Honestly. While clearly most of the restauranteurs and GMs on here are rightfully interested in assisting their customers and providing good service, you should not have to take the brunt of what is essentially a bad matching on the bank's part or irresponsibility in showing an auth hold amount to the customer. Debit cards - Hmm, lots of suspicions probably fueled by the PIRG article, which quite frankly is basically incorrect in terms of your liabillity. Can a thief use your debit card number without having your card in hand to make a transaction? Yes, but the same way they can do this with a credit card. And not having the card present means the merchant who processed the transaction is more likely to have to eat the charge if you complain. Some facts about debit card disputes: 1) You should notify your bank immediately if you see a charge that you did not authorize. But you must do so within 60 days of receiving the statement that shows the erroneous transactions. 2) Liability - For debit card transactions where you type in your PIN (very uncommon at restaurants) if you report the fraud to your bank within 2 days you are limited to $50 in losses. This threshold is so high because the PIN is supposed to be known only to you -- frankly, if a thief gets your PIN, it's probably because you wrote it down or the person knows you. Again, for the purposes of our discussion here, this is unlikely to apply to restaurants. For debit card or credit card transactions without a PIN (majority of restaurant cases), which are called signature based. You are protected by either VISA, MC or Amex liability limits which is the lesser of $50 or the purchase price so long as you notify the bank within 60 days of your statement. 3) Provisional Credit - If you notify your bank of a fraudulent charge (make sure to do so in writing even if you do call), the bank MUST provisionally credit your money back to your account within 5 days (VISA/MC transaction) or 10 days (PIN transaction) while it investigates the fraud and contacts the merchant, etc. Sorry for the long diatribe, but bottom line is that: 1) Authorization holds are normal and if the customer sees two postings, refer them to their own bank. 2) Despite what the PIRG article implies, writing checks on your account is actually less safe and provides less consumer protection for potential fraudulent transactions and lower liability than using your debit card (although the merchant does pay a fee to accept your debit card to pay for their goods and services) or credit card.
  12. Oh, yeah, chicken thrown in to roast and red pepper thrown on the gas burner as soon as I got home from work--generally don't do it when I'm alone either unless it only involves three or four things to wash afterwards like this meal did. I think the clean-up when it's only me is what I can't stand the most.
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