Tom Sietsema's Online Chat

[Waitman]

As someone who writes for a living and has serious opinions over grammar wonk controversies -- is "to boldly go where no man has gone before" an insult to the English language for spliting an infinitive? -- but types poorly on first drafts, I suggest that tolerating minor errors on boards like this is a good thing.

Thansk

[ustreetguy]

Larry, I'm looking at your signature line, and darnit, you are not still waiting to get your refrigerator fixed, you like having it broken, don't you? 

I claim it will happen, but in reality it'll never happen. I enjoy eating out too much.

[hm212]

I think anyone who describes himself as a DINK has it coming. 

He got exactly what he deserved. Without knowing him I would guess he starts complaining as soon as he sees kids.

He complained about kids in Mamma Lucia, Guapo's and Austin Grill. There is a reason we call these family restaurants. If he does not want to see kids he should try going out after 8:00 or to a higher end restaurant.

[Mark Slater]

He got exactly what he deserved.  Without knowing him I would guess he starts complaining as soon as he sees kids.

He complained about kids in Mamma Lucia, Guapo's and Austin Grill.  There is a reason we call these family restaurants.  If he does not want to see kids he should try going out after 8:00 or to a higher end restaurant.

Trust me, higher end restaurants are not immune from kids/infants. Critical mass is holidays: Christmas, Mother's Day, Easter.

[porcupine]

He complained about kids in Mamma Lucia, Guapo's and Austin Grill.  There is a reason we call these family restaurants.

Funny thing, though - the original Austin Grill was a serious meet market, not a family restaurant at all. Mr. P and I used to sit on the balcony and watch the twenty-somethings in action. Times change.

[dmwine]

Funny thing, though - the original Austin Grill was a serious meet market, not a family restaurant at all.  Mr. P and I used to sit on the balcony and watch the twenty-somethings in action.  Times change.

Perhaps it's those same 20-somethings, now married with kids, back to reminisce about the old days.

[dinwiddie]

He got exactly what he deserved.  Without knowing him I would guess he starts complaining as soon as he sees kids.

He complained about kids in Mamma Lucia, Guapo's and Austin Grill.  There is a reason we call these family restaurants.  If he does not want to see kids he should try going out after 8:00 or to a higher end restaurant.

I don't think he was complaining about kids in restaurants per se, but parents who do not make thier children behave or let them run wild. Unfortunately this is too often the case in restaurants that are "family friendly". I'm not talking about McD's or Chucky Cheese, but restaurants where folks can take the family and not have to take out a loan to do so.

We've taken our son to restaurants since he was a baby. If he started crying, one of us took him outside. We made sure he learned how to behave properly when in a restaurant and he was never permitted to act up, bother the folks next to us, or play with anything that would bother others. (He did have a GameBoy, but he had to use an earpiece when he played with it in a restaurant while we waited for our meal.)

There was one time, when he was about 10 years old, at a very nice restaurant when a loud, unruly group of golfers (all male, all in their 40s, and all having had too much to drink) were seated at the table next to us. After about 5 minutes, my son motioned to the host, and in a voice that could be heard by everyone asked if we could be moved to another table where we would be able to enjoy our meal without being subjected to loud and obnoxious people who did not know how to behave in a restaurant. You should have seen 1) the look of suprise the host's face, and 2) the chargin on the faces of the golfers. We were moved to another table, and a little later two of the party in question came over and apologized to us.

[Michael Landrum]

[Dooooooooooods lets leave the grammer and mispellings to the peasents.  Cheers, Rocks]

Standardized orthography and prescriptive grammar are 19th century British constructs created by the priggish, cowardly and grasping elite in order to establish and enforce a cultural and moral justification to the increasingly threatened oppressive class system; to force conformity on the intellectually feeble and fear-driven co-opted middle classes; and to squash individualism and opportunity in the newly semi-literate peasantry.

The campaign against linguistic and cultural naturalism is what Thomas Hardy rails against in his scathing satires--even if our semi-literate, hyper-educated elites do not today read them as such--and incisive societal indictments.

Orthographical variation and explosively creative explorations into language and thought made possible by its uniquely malleable syntax and lexicon have always been the hallmark of English--in fact, they are its exegis.

If this were not the case, Miss Derbyfield would never have become Mrs. D'Urbevilles , or ever even have existed.

In this country, linguistic priggery--most easily expressed in defense of rules and always a sign of small, small minds--is most often used to justify and codify racism and bigotry, and to mollify our consciences when we have such feelings in spite of our self-proclaimed moral superiority and, as is so often the case, when we act on them. In the same way, to make this relevant to a restaurant topic, the lack of a college degree is used by today's tyranny of fearful mediocrity--by the press and in academia--to "blame" workers in the service industry for membership in (and the deservedly deplorable conditions of) the burgeoning modern peasantry that is American culture today.

Thus, caged poets--but not busboys--are granted a right to language, while new democratic means of communication make the rules we cling 2 irrelevant. If only the indiscrete outrage at dreams deferred weighed as much as the indiscreet outrage at the wait for appetizers.

[DonRocks]

Standardized orthography and prescriptive grammar are 19th century British constructs created by the priggish, cowardly and grasping elite in order to establish and enforce a cultural and moral justification to the increasingly threatened oppressive class system; to force conformity on the intellectually feeble and fear-driven co-opted middle classes; and to squash individualism and opportunity in the newly semi-literate peasantry.

oigg sg;dflzn as v

nnq'[,

Rnxks

[Escoffier]

Standardized orthography and prescriptive grammar are 19th century British constructs created by the priggish, cowardly and grasping elite in order to establish and enforce a cultural and moral justification to the increasingly threatened oppressive class system; to force conformity on the intellectually feeble and fear-driven co-opted middle classes; and to squash individualism and opportunity in the newly semi-literate peasantry.

The campaign against linguistic and cultural naturalism is what Thomas Hardy rails against in his scathing satires--even if our semi-literate, hyper-educated elites do not today read them as such--and incisive societal indictments.

Orthographical variation and explosively creative explorations into language and thought made possible by its uniquely malleable syntax and lexicon have always been the hallmark of English--in fact, they are its exegis.

If this were not the case, Miss Derbyfield would never have become Mrs. D'Urbevilles , or ever even have existed.

In this country, linguistic priggery--most easily expressed in defense of rules and always a sign of small, small minds--is most often used to justify and codify racism and bigotry, and to mollify our consciences when we have such feelings in spite of our self-proclaimed moral superiority and, as is so often the case, when we act on them.  In the same way, to make this relevant to a restaurant topic, the lack of a college degree is used by today's tyranny of fearful mediocrity--by the press and in academia--to "blame" workers in the service industry for membership in (and the deservedly deplorable conditions of) the burgeoning modern peasantry that is American culture today.

Thus, caged poets--but not busboys--are granted a right to language, while new democratic means of communication make the rules we cling 2 irrelevant.  If only the indiscrete outrage at dreams deferred weighed as much as the indiscreet outrage at the wait for appetizers.

Uh, yeah! What he said...

[JPW]

Is this where the Derrida group meets?

[Escoffier]

Is this where the Derrida group meets?

No, this is the Mensa for morons group ....I think the Derrida group meets on the second Thursday of each week.

[giant shrimp]

Standardized orthography and prescriptive grammar are 19th century British constructs created by the priggish, cowardly and grasping elite in order to establish and enforce a cultural and moral justification to the increasingly threatened oppressive class system; to force conformity on the intellectually feeble and fear-driven co-opted middle classes; and to squash individualism and opportunity in the newly semi-literate peasantry.

hence, the origin of table manners.

(for this state of mind i would recommend peregrine pickle, written before the scatalogical imperative was driven underground and good humor could still be derived from nocturnal bedside visits to sabotaged chamber pots (oonds, i'm afloat!)).

[JPW]

From the Tuesday Kliman blat --

Hi Todd! My boyfriend and I are big foodies and I'm planning his birthday. I've decided to take him to the tasting room at Restaurant Eve for dinner, but need a place for lunch. Would like to go somewhere we haven't been before, which may be a tall order because we've made a real effort to cover a lot of ground. We've been to Minibar (where he took me for my birthday) CityZen, Cafe Mozu, Palena, Komi, among others... Don't get me wrong, the place doesn't have to be as expen$ive as the aforementioned, but I'm definitely shooting for at least memorable, and of course delicious. Thanks!

Todd: Lucky you -- it's his birthday and you get to eat well, too!

My pick for a relaxed, transporting lunch: Sushi-Ko.

From Sietsema's chat--

Washington, D.C.: Hi Tom!!

My boyfriend and I are big foodies and I'm planning his birthday. I've decided to take him to the tasting room at Restaurant Eve for dinner, but need a place for lunch. Would like to go somewhere we haven't been before, which may be a tall order because we've made a real effort to cover a lot of ground. We've been to Minibar (where he took me for my birthday) CityZen, Cafe Mozu, Palena, Komi, among others... Don't get me wrong, the place doesn't have to be as expen$ive as the aforementioned, but I'm definitely shooting for at least memorable, and of course delicious. I'm thinking possibly of Kaz Sushi Bistro, since we both love sushi and have yet to go. We've been to Sushi Ko hwr. Thanks!!

Tom Sietsema: You and I are on the same page. I like the idea of something light before A Big Deal Meal. Kaz Sushi Bistro would be an excellent choice. So would Makoto.

Another option is Thai; for that, head to the handsome Regent Thai in Dupont Circle or the serene (at lunch) Rice in Logan Circle, both of which offer several lovely soups.

And Tom right on the Ripert story after it was scooped by Kliman. I sense a little electronic rivalry brewing (which can only be good for us diners).

[DonRocks]

And Tom right on the Ripert story after it was scooped by Kliman. I sense a little electronic rivalry brewing (which can only be good for us diners).

Ever wonder why Todd didn't make his chat Thursdays at 11?

[JPW]

Ever wonder why Todd didn't make his chat Thursdays at 11?

Of all the things I may have accused him of, being dumb is not one of them.

[DonRocks]

The May 17th chat.

[Meaghan]

boop

[Heather]

This seems notable:

Remember the late Nectar in Foggy Bottom? Jarad Slipp, the destination restaurant's ace host and sommelier, called to let me know he's planning to open a new place with another local restaurant personality. "It could be two months or it could be eight months," he says. The two business partners (I'm not yet allowed to name the other participant) have most of the financing they need, but they're currently looking for a suitable location.

[Michael Landrum]

This seems notable:

Those who host No-Michael-Landrums-Allowed Parties may have some good guesses as to the mystery chef...

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Those who host No-Michael-Landrums-Allowed Parties may have some good guesses as to the mystery chef...

Congrats Jared, can't wait to see your new place open and to try it out. Given the time frame for your planned opening, we suspect it will not be in Silver Spring. (en garde Michael).

[porcupine]

The news was on Kliman's chat yesterday. Today Tom writes about the same thing.

Since TS writes "Jared Slipp...called to let me know", I don't believe it's quite fair to make any conclusion about one critic scooping or borrowing from the other.

[Pool Boy]

Remember the late Nectar in Foggy Bottom? Jarad Slipp, the destination restaurant's ace host and sommelier, called to let me know he's planning to open a new place with another local restaurant personality. "It could be two months or it could be eight months," he says. The two business partners (I'm not yet allowed to name the other participant) have most of the financing they need, but they're currently looking for a suitable location.

Well this would be damn fine. I only ever got to dine at Nectar once and we really enjoed it. Great service, too. I look forward to this joint opening when it does.

[Waitman]

In-te-resting. Veddy in-te-resting.

Jared and the restaurant, which I can't wait for, but also Todd and Tom. The news was on Kliman's chat yesterday. Today Tom writes about the same thing.

A while back there was talk of how Kliman was borrowing Sietsema's model for the chat. Now, it's like Sietsema is borrowing Kliman's model with the reporting and all. Anybody else notice that Tom's opening is getting longer?

Hah. Sietsema should put some of the bastards out of business. He's got the pressure of a twice-weekly deadlines plus the chat, which I'll wager far outdraws that run by Kliman, and he is unquestionably The Critic in this town. All do respect for Mr. Kliman, who has made The Washingtonian's food section worth reading again, but he's kicking back with a monthly glossy committed to feature stories and, frankly, staffed with reviewers whose names many of us couldn't recall on a bet. If I'm Sietsema, I'm thinking I start getting the scoops again or I'm writing a couple of zero-star reviews that put chefs, publicists and million-dollar backers on the streets. Critical objectivity is one thing. Getting scooped by the new kid is another.

[Lydia R]

It's fun to eat with people who appreciate good food AND have brain cells to spare for other things.

I'm not sure what makes anyone a "serious foodie." Maybe it's someone who knows the outcome of the Top Chef finale and knows nothing about American Idol - Britney Spears indeed.

I tend to shy away from eating with serious foodies, by the way; I'd much rather talk about books, politics, the price of gas, Britney Spears -- ANYTHING other than what I'm chewing on at the moment.

[Barbara]

It's fun to eat with people who appreciate good food AND have brain cells to spare for other things.

I'm not sure what makes anyone a "serious foodie." Maybe it's someone who knows the outcome of the Top Chef finale and knows nothing about American Idol - Britney Spears indeed.

I wondered why I alway liked you. (Writes someone who has NEVER watched an episode of "American Idol" )

[Jonathan]

maybe sietesma didn't get scooped. maybe said restraunteur called both kliman and sietesma to get the publicity rolling, and kliman's chat-blog happened to be a day earlier.

[dinwiddie]

maybe sietesma didn't get scooped. maybe said restraunteur called both kliman and sietesma to get the publicity rolling, and kliman's chat-blog happened to be a day earlier.

I was thinking the same thing. Let's face it, lots of folks follow both chats and we have often seen the same thing show up in both the same week. If you are "in the business" you will make sure to let both critics know of things that you want to get out.

[giant shrimp]

at least ts knew how to pronounce les halles, even if he wasn't entirely sure of himself. anthony bourdain dropped into his restaurant on television last night to showcase his mexican workers in the kitchen at lay-al. at least on tv, bourdain seems to enjoy wreckless driving more than cooking these days. in his excursion of mexican border town cooking i noticed that he had a local guide, which may explain why he was able to indulge in the street food as extensively as he did without, i assume, suffering any bad consequences. in a place such as mexico city, where a tourist is risking an unexpected visit to an atm machine just by hailing a cab, the dining scene is frustrating: what's available on the street and in the marketplace often looks better than what is on the menu in the finer restaurants, which are safe for visitors, but one bout of tourista will put you out of commission. you need to work up some intestinal fortitude for unfamiliar organisms, and that takes time. to my regret, i couldn't, literally, stand to look at the caspar david friedrichs in berlin from a misstep as simple as drinking the water.

[dinwiddie]

Now if he would just decide that for a couple of weeks he isn't going to post any "bad service" rants.

[oliveDC]

maybe sietesma didn't get scooped. maybe said restraunteur called both kliman and sietesma to get the publicity rolling, and kliman's chat-blog happened to be a day earlier.

That's why he needs his own blog. Everyone else at the Post seems to be getting one.

[Waitman]

Had to comment on the "stay and let them make it right" advice repeated again in today's column. This is all fine and good, especially if there's one discrete error. But once a night out is fucked, it's fucked and there's no point in sitting around trying to unfuck it, while your dining companions get annxious, the manager frets and the server slags you to all the other servers. No amount of free dessert and after dinner drinks will fix that. Best to cut and run, if the manager really cares, his or her response to your letter will convey it.

[CrescentFresh]

Had to comment on the "stay and let them make it right" advice repeated again in today's column. This is all fine and good, especially if there's one discrete error. But once a night out is fucked, it's fucked and there's no point in sitting around trying to unfuck it, while your dining companions get annxious, the manager frets and the server slags you to all the other servers. No amount of free dessert and after dinner drinks will fix that. Best to cut and run, if the manager really cares, his or her response to your letter will convey it.

Well stated.

[starfish]

Had to comment on the "stay and let them make it right" advice repeated again in today's column. This is all fine and good, especially if there's one discrete error. But once a night out is fucked, it's fucked and there's no point in sitting around trying to unfuck it, while your dining companions get annxious, the manager frets and the server slags you to all the other servers. No amount of free dessert and after dinner drinks will fix that. Best to cut and run, if the manager really cares, his or her response to your letter will convey it.

i am mostly in agreement with you. however, i think it a bit unfair to not say anything while at the restaurant, not provide ample time for a restaurant to respond to your letter, and then blast away on the sietsema chat or some other forum. yes, management's response will be indicative of how much they care, but give them a chance to actually respond.

i will add that a big part of a managers job is knowing where problems exist and to be proactive in fixing them. do we miss things - of course. but good managers, more often than not, would have caught a "night-ruining" issue, before it gets to that point.

[Josh Radigan]

I think most people feel uncomfortable when its an issue such as service because of a 30 minute realtionship that has been somewhat forged while at the restaurant. Management should just switch the server out. When its something such as a bug in a salad or spilled drink, those are mistakes that anyone can make and should be handled completely different than a service issue.

[Waitman]

i am mostly in agreement with you. however, i think it a bit unfair to not say anything while at the restaurant, not provide ample time for a restaurant to respond to your letter, and then blast away on the sietsema chat or some other forum. yes, management's response will be indicative of how much they care, but give them a chance to actually respond.

i will add that a big part of a managers job is knowing where problems exist and to be proactive in fixing them. do we miss things - of course. but good managers, more often than not, would have caught a "night-ruining" issue, before it gets to that point.

I'll buy that -- no blasting the restaurant online until the manager has a full week to respond.

The other problem is that bad service days are unprovable and difficult to quantify that you can feel like a whiny jerk for even raising them. "He overfilled my wine glass," "She gave me a snotty look when I asked about the paella," "He interupted our table in the middle of a conversation to read the specials," "she ignored me when I needed a new fork," "I asked for the fettucini and he gave me the tortellini and wouldn't believe that I hadn't ordered it" etc. A bad service night is usually the summation of what start as small irritants but which metastacize until you're really put off you're feed. It's not a question of one "night-ruining episode," it's more of a death by a thousand cuts: hard to notice and hard to resolve, and by the time you're really Jerked -- about cut 850 -- it's too late to fix it that night.

[bookluvingbabe]

Was it just me or was today's chat a yawn-fest?

[treznor]

No complaining about the service :-) Well okay, one person complained about something at Oyamel, but it was fairly tame.

[Waitman]

I laughed at the questioner who wondered if Carol Greenwood would assign toppings in her yet-unborn pizza joint and forbid substitutions. Last summer we had some excellent pizza at Apizza Scholls in Portland, which is known locally as "The Pizza Nazi." The guy at the wine shop had more detailed complaints, I was merely surprised when the waitress told me that "they won't cook anything with more than three toppings," one of which was cheese. Bad for the crust, allegedly.

Not sure if I could have taken a picture of the pie, but I'm just as glad I didn't try.

[Josh Radigan]

Snooze-fest? Actually I found it quite entertaining because it followed the guidelines. Its a Q and A folks, not bitch-o-rama about sevice versus customers. Thats where it got out of control. Read his heading to see what the chat is supposed to be about.

[AlliK]

In last week's chat he mentioned the wine tastings at Vidalia on Tuesdays, and I think he said they were free and included some nibbles. Does anyone know if that is that really the case? Seems like quite a bargain... maybe he means the snacks are free w/ a purchased wine flight?

[Capital Icebox]

In last week's chat he mentioned the wine tastings at Vidalia on Tuesdays, and I think he said they were free and included some nibbles. Does anyone know if that is that really the case? Seems like quite a bargain... maybe he means the snacks are free w/ a purchased wine flight?

On Tuesdays, the Sommelier at Vidalia does a themed wine tasting, usually from 3-4 different bottles. The tastings are fun and informative and don't cost a thing. At the bar you can get more than a dozen wines for under $7 a glass from 5-7, or a 3 oz. pour for half that. And there are free bar snacks, like devilled eggs and country pate, plus a bar menu of discounted appetizers (go for the sweetbreads!).

This isn't limited to Tuesdays (except the tasting) -- they have free snacks and discounted wines by the glass Monday through Friday, and there usually isn't anyone else at the bar. Now that it has shown up in Tom's chat and the Washingtonian Dirt Cheap Eats, though, that probably won't be the case for long.

[JLK]

Did you see the bit about Buck's? So true. I really enjoy Carole Greenwood's cooking, but the brief menu suffers with the absence of even one dish. I wanted the asparagus (damn it!), but instead got homemade mozzarella (again. yawn.) with just OK tomatoes. My main was the steak which was good and huge, and the meat absolutely dwarfed the 8-10 sweet potato fries served as an accompaniment.

One of my dining companions desperately wanted the shrimp & grits sans grits. The other three of us explained that at Buck's, you are to ask about subs under no circumstances, and in the case of shrimp&grits, it would be 100x as worse. Dude hates grits so he too got the steak (he's a non-sharer of food so swapping his grits for my fries tableside was vetoed).

The fresh fish was described as bland by the two people who ordered it, one of whom had the jazzier winter prep that involved bread crumbs and other herbs and loved it.

Even better? I asked about getting a side of grits. DEEE-nied. Nope, the chef would not sell me a side of grits. Apparently they are too...dear. Whatever, it was irritating, especially at $50 and change a head ( for four entrees, two appetizers, two beers and a glass of wine).

[Waitman]

I'll stick up for Carol on the fish. Wood grilled fish does indeed tend to come off the grill "blackened and burned" in many spots and it is a subtle dish and something not to be ordered if your palate's craving something more assertive. I've had it at Buck's and thought it well-prepared.

At least she puts salt and pepper on the tables. For now.

[dinwiddie]

After all the discussion and gushing about Buck's, including recommendations from close friends, we finally went last week. Good food, the menu is to small, and to be honest, there are other chefs who are just as good without putting up with all the crap. Been there, done that, yawn.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Even better? I asked about getting a side of grits. DEEE-nied. Nope, the chef would not sell me a side of grits. Apparently they are too...dear. Whatever, it was irritating, especially at $50 and change a head ( for four entrees, two appetizers, two beers and a glass of wine).

Customer: I'd like an order of grits.

Waitress: We don't have grits.

Customer: Well, it says on the menu that you have shrimp and grits, are you telling me that you can't give me just the grits.

Waitress: Just what's on the menu, I don't make the rules.

Customer: Well, can you bring me an order of the shrimp and grits, but hold the shrimp?

Waitress: Where would you lilke me to hold them?

Customer: ***

[qwertyy]

Weird that everyone complained about pre-taste salters... but no one mentioned how obnoxious it is to have someone offer you freshly cracked pepper on your salad before you can taste it. Rightly or wrongly, I always take that as an admission that the food is improperly seasoned.

[ustreetguy]

Oh the horror! Someone had to wait a whole extra 10 minutes for their crabcake sandwich after a mix-up and then wondered why they weren't compensated.

Sorry - grouchy mood today.

[bookluvingbabe]

Oh the horror! Someone had to wait a whole extra 10 minutes for their crabcake sandwich after a mix-up and then wondered why they weren't compensated.

Sorry - grouchy mood today.

They were brought the wrong food (which I sympathize with as I can't stand soft shell crabs myself) and were LIED to by the staff. That warrants something! If the server had sent the manager over immediately to apologize and comp a glass of wine it, I bet they would have left happy. It's all in how you make amends!

[Waitman]

At one level I think that vegetarians deserve what they get, but I think if a restaurant refused to make even the most trivial adjustment so that my friend could enjoy their meal, I would have called for the check and pulled the whole table out of the restauratnt. That's real chickenshit stuff, the diner's friends should have showed a little solidarity, and the restaurant should have lost their money.