30 replies to this topic

[DonRocks]

Sou'Wester is hosting a 3-course Sunday dinner out on their patio for $42, with Eric Ziebold and Eddie Moran manning the grills (which will be outside), and hanging around afterwards. The catch? Bottles of wine are ONE DOLLAR (you choose reds or whites, restaurant chooses the wines, bottles must remain on premises).

This is limited to 40 seats, one seating. There's already a dr.com area (or, you can sit privately). In Celia Laurent-Ziebold's own words last night:

"For tomorrow, let them know, if you get any requests, to call 202-787-6033 as now availability is limited in terms of tables and I don’t want to overbook."

Forget valet parking; there's plenty of free street parking on Sundays if you don't mind walking a block.

APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY FLOWERS

The warm weather is here and we are throwing a Sou'Wester "backyard" BBQ on our Patio.
This will be the first in our series of Summer outdoor events.

SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2012
5:00 pm

First Course
POTTED DARDEN HAM SALAD
Butter Pickle Spears and Toasted Foccacia
or
GRILLED CAESAR SALAD
Olive Oil Cured Tomato Crostini

Main Course
BLACKENED BLUEFISH
Anson Mills Carolina Gold Shrimp Jambalaya,
Spicy Shrimp Emulsion
or
GRILLED CORNISH HEN
Local Asparagus, Red Bliss Potatoes
and Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Dessert
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
or
SOU'WESTER S'MORES

$42 PER PERSON

You Choose your Menu
We Choose your Wine
$1 BOTTLES OF WHITE OR RED

RESERVATIONS

Phone 202.787.6033
Email
mailto:sou'wester-events@mohg.com


* Wine must be consumed at event, on premises
* Valet $9 with validation

---

ETA - Sorry I couldn't post these details yesterday. I had to wait until their email was sent out to their customers first.

[Scott Johnston]

We are in for two slots

[TheMatt]

We are waiting with bated breath, DonRocks!

[bookluvingbabe]

I think Don wanted to see how much productivity he could shut down in DC today...

[DonRocks]

Get on the phone. This is not an official dr.com event, so call directly. Their email blast went out a short while ago.

[B.A.R.]

Awesome. If I was not in the middle of moving I would be there in a heartbeat. Great idea. Ridiculous price.

[discojing]

1) Voicemail only at this point. Reservation has to be made through Manager's number, the regular reservation line can't make them
2) I know this is weird, but Sou'Wester just had a deal on Living Social. Wonder if it's valid for this event? It says valid for dinner only 5:30-10 and not for HH or Prix Fixe. I'm assuming this costs as Prix Fixe AND Happy Hour, but I'm sure other people on this board bought the deal and might wonder the same thing.

[monavano]

I don't know if the LS deal is valid for this deal, but I really wouldn't

[discojing]

Yeah, I wouldn't suggest using it either, but like I said, I'm sure others might be wondering and wouldn't want them to be surprised at dinner.
Like I said, this is a happy hour AND a prix fixe, so it's *doubly* excluded from LS use.

[DonRocks]

Yeah, I wouldn't suggest using it either, but like I said, I'm sure others might be wondering and wouldn't want them to be surprised at dinner.
Like I said, this is a happy hour AND a prix fixe, so it's *doubly* excluded from LS use.

Yeah, this is definitely *in lieu of* Living Social, not "in addition to."

[monavano]

I also left a message on the manager's VM. I hope it's a day like today

[cucas87]

By some miracle of time, space and DC traffic, I managed to see the announcement this morning and just was able to call and make a reservation.

[monavano]

By some miracle of time, space and DC traffic, I managed to see the announcement this morning and just was able to call and make a reservation.

Did you call the number above?

[DonRocks]

I think they're about sold out. Call and leave a message - I suspect since this is in such high demand, they'll do it (or some variant) again, so leave your name and number on their voice mail, and let them know you'd be available for future dates if you can't get into this one.

And if you go, PLEASE tip well. (Celia would not want me to say this, but I'm saying it anyway.)

[TheMatt]

I called and left a message. Though, as a teetotaler, I suppose much of the elan of this dinner is lost on me, but since I've never been to Sou'wester, I figure it's a shot at trying a new place! (And I can sample their fabulous selection of water.)

[Celia]

Thank you so much for the interest expressed for our first Patio BBQ of the season! We have gotten your messages and Jennifer should have reached back out to you by end of day today with confirmations or a message.

We are pretty much sold out at this point for this event but will make sure to share the date of the next one when it becomes available.

For whoever is joining us on the 29th, we look forward to seeing you!

Thank you,

Celia Laurent-Ziebold

[DonRocks]

Thank you so much for the interest expressed for our first Patio BBQ of the season! We have gotten your messages and Jennifer should have reached back out to you by end of day today with confirmations or a message.

We are pretty much sold out at this point for this event but will make sure to share the date of the next one when it becomes available.

For whoever is joining us on the 29th, we look forward to seeing you!

Thank you,

Celia Laurent-Ziebold

Thank *you*, Celia, for giving us an early heads-up on such an incredible bargain, and thank you for giving us so any slots in what is clearly a mega-popular event.

To all members who didn't get in this time: please call and give them your contact information, so that you'll have first dibs for next time, and right of first refusal will be yours.

Weather cooperating, it's going to be blast for everyone. If nobody has been outside at Sou'Wester, it (along with the Four Seasons) are the two nicest outdoor restaurant venues in Washington, DC, from my experience. You'll be thrilled, and you'll see what great people Eric and Eddie are.

I *love* passing events on like this to our members. You all deserve them - you're such wonderful people. Please, enjoy!

Cheers,
Don

[DonRocks]

I'm laying odds that there are some people having one heck of a good time right about now.

[RWBooneJr.]

I'm laying odds that there are some people having one heck of a good time right about now.

You won that bet. This was a ridiculously good meal, easily worth the price if you drank nothing. And wine, which really was $1 per bottle, was as good as (probably better than) I would have normally ordered. This was easily a $240-300 dinner (with wine, for two) for $99. And my god, that patio is wonderful. No person had a better dining experience in DC tonight. Nobody.

[darkstar965]

Big agreement with 'what he said'

I had the potted Darden ham salad and the blackened/spiced redfish (vs bluefish posted upthread). Also tried the cornish hen. All were delicious. Buck wine bottle, colombine espresso to top things off and wonderfully friendly service. And, amazing that Sou'wester was able to engineer such a perfectly sunny afternoon on that patio. Thanks to all--great fun.

[ktmoomau]

What a really nice dinner this was. The weather, the food, the wine and the company. Was really impressed that what sounded like simple dishes really shined, like the cornish hen. I particularly liked the potted ham. Thanks to Sou'Wester, Eric Ziebold, Eddie Moran and Matthew Petersen for having this event and inviting us, it was lovely.

[Matthew Petersen]

Hey!

Thanks to everyone who came out for a perfect evening.

Amazing weather, good food, good wine, great people.

I know I'm looking forward to the next one...

How about you?

P.S. next time we'll take temps on your marshmallows, would you like that burnt or toasted?

[Rovers2000]

Ditto on the great time. Having never been out on the patio, that certainly was quite an evening. The meal was slowly paced (and I say that in the BEST possible way) and proved to be just a perfectly low key way to end the weekend.

A few highlights:

-I was the only one to get the potted ham salad at my table and everyone was jealous after the small bites I passed around. That said, a few "that was one heck of a caesar salad" comments were made.
-Loved the different reds we had. I think they were a very light pinot noir, an "austrian pinot", and a malbec. To echo RWBooneJr above, they were all delicious.
-Really enjoyed the redfish, with a nice tinge of heat to it.
-I had never been to Sou'Wester...and I know its been said in that forum but...THE HUSH PUPPIES ARE AMAZING!
-I really liked the s'more. The graham "cracker" was the graham taste I am used to, but with a cake like texture which I really liked. The roasted marshmallows were perfect both visually and from a taste perspective.

Thank you to all the wonderful staff for having us, it truly was a lovely experience.

[goldenticket]

It was a wonderful evening - Ditto on all the earlier comments! Lots of fun to watch Chef Ziebold and crew working the grills and carefully plating each course.

Thanks to everyone who came out for a perfect evening.

Amazing weather, good food, good wine, great people.

I know I'm looking forward to the next one...

How about you?

P.S. next time we'll take temps on your marshmallows, would you like that burnt or toasted?

-I really liked the s'more. The graham "cracker" was the graham taste I am used to, but with a cake like texture which I really liked. The roasted marshmallows were perfect both visually and from a taste perspective.

Chef, Can you give a little detail about the 'graham cracker' portion of the dessert? It was really good!

I'm definitely looking forward to the next one

[Matthew Petersen]

It was a wonderful evening - Ditto on all the earlier comments! Lots of fun to watch Chef Ziebold and crew working the grills and carefully plating each course.

Chef, Can you give a little detail about the 'graham cracker' portion of the dessert? It was really good!

I'm definitely looking forward to the next one

Thanks!

It was based on a traditional Dacquoise cake, but we used homemade graham cracker crumb instead of almond flour. We also put in some heavy cream to add richness to the cake. I was happy with the way it came out, tasting just like a graham cracker but spongey and light like a cake.

Most likely this will be our signature BBQ dessert, with another, seasonal fruit offering.

[mdt]

Man am I bummed that I was not able to get a spot. Certainly looking forward to the next one!

[JimRice]

In case the words above aren't enough to sway you to try to make the next barbeque at the Sou'wester, here are some pics. Weather was perfect. Service was perfect as well. Note that there are no pics of the hush puppies, because we ate them before we thought to grab my phone to shoot a pic.


The lawn, grill, and the staff getting ready to serve the salads.


Potted ham salad


Grilled caesar salad


Blackened redfish (changed from the bluefish originally promised, which was fine with me.)


Grilled cornish hen


Strawberry shortcake


Sou'wester s'mores

I wish we were eating like this tonight.

[kirite]

In case the words above aren't enough to sway you to try to make the next barbeque at the Sou'wester, here are some pics. Weather was perfect. Service was perfect as well. Note that there are no pics of the hush puppies, because we ate them before we thought to grab my phone to shoot a pic.


The lawn, grill, and the staff getting ready to serve the salads.


Potted ham salad


Grilled caesar salad


Blackened redfish (changed from the bluefish originally promised, which was fine with me.)


Grilled cornish hen


Strawberry shortcake


Sou'wester s'mores

I wish we were eating like this tonight.

We had dinner outside tonight. Beautiful setting. Not too hot. Comfortable table. Tasteful landscaping.

Our market vegetable salad was very disappointing. Some of the mesclun had turned black, the grape tomatoes were inedible, and the white balsamic dressing was tasteless. There were two highlights--the smoked tomato jam served with the grilled North Carolina shrimp and the gently fried tiny eggplant in the crispy fairytale eggplant. We booked our reservation with Savored. We've dined here at least a half dozen times, and this evening's meal was disappointing. Have they found a successor to Eddie Moran yet?

[DonRocks]

Have they found a successor to Eddie Moran yet?

Yes, but he's tying up some loose ends before he moves down here (and That Other Exhausted Guy (who got home from work last night at 2 AM, and got to work this morning at 8 AM) left early this afternoon to help me celebrate my birthday at Palena (sorry)).

[chiefdc]

kirite, say hi next time!

Unfortunately, I have to echo a level of disappointment with my meal. My rockfish was well cooked and tasty (very simply prepared). The corn and black eyed pea side wasn't particularly good- it tasted like something a vegan friend could prepare in a few minutes in a pinch. My dining companion's shrimp was bland. His pancake-like sides were just odd, and the pimento mac n' cheese didn't taste much better than what you'd get with a box of Kraft. It was watery and lacked any discernible pimento flavor. My other dining companion's BBQ chicken with creamy grits was outstanding- by far the class dish of the meal. I can see the place having a high ceiling when everything's clicking, but it would tough for me to go back in the near future with so many other places I have yet to try (Mintwood Place and Boundary Road being at the top of the list). And here's to a worthy replacement for Mr. Moran being found to ease the considerable time drain that I'm sure Mr. Ziebold is having to deal with right now!

[DrXmus]

My other dining companion's BBQ chicken with creamy grits was outstanding- by far the class dish of the meal.

In my review of Sou'wester in the restaurant's main forum, I commented that the BBQ chicken and grits was our meal highlight, too.