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Meaghan

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Did anyone read the Kilman chat this past Tuesday? One posting in particular screams Bebo Trattoria.

I was thinking exactly the same thing, especially the way he said that he was editing out the restaurant's name and trying to be good. Given the history of his issues with Bebo, that seemed like a major clue.

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Todd Kliman's moving tribute to his dad is here. I will add that the Post had a beautiful write-up about Ted Kliman last week (here). I didn't want to mention anything at the time out of respect for the family's privacy, but now I want to extend my sincere, heartfelt condolences to Todd and his family over the loss of this great man.

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This doesn't sound like you Dean... From today's chat on Washingtonian.

http://www.washingtonian.com/chats/restaurants/11662.html

Penn Quarter, DC:

How do you feel about cell phone policies for restaurants? My friend was chastised by the owner of Dino for sending a quick text (not talking on the phone) while I was using the restroom at the end of the meal.

I agree that if you are at a nice restaurant, you shouldn't be talking loudly, whether on a phone or to your fellow guests, but texting under the table? Come on! Todd, what do you think?

Todd Kliman:

Hell, I texted a 2,000 word review -- much of it from under the table.

I don't see the problem, here. Not with texting. It's silent. It doesn't disturb anyone.

What I do see a problem with, is people talking on their cell phones in restaurants. Rude and arrogant. Step outside and make or take the call.

Those people should be shown the door.

(I also think people who can't sit and eat and talk, who must conduct business and pass papers at the table -- they should be shown the door, too.)

In general, I don't want to overhear anybody's cell phone conversation, ever. Unless it's someone talking about where and how they're going to dispose of the body. For that, I'll make an exception.

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This doesn't sound like you Dean...

Actually, I recall the incident very well and my description of it would be very different. Suffice it to say that if it was a quick text, nothing would have been said. But we do state plainily and in large print on the menu that we are cell phone free.

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Actually, I recall the incident very well and my description of it would be very different. Suffice it to say that if it was a quick text, nothing would have been said. But we do state plainily and in large print on the menu that we are cell phone free.
very discretely put. :rolleyes:
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Actually, I recall the incident very well and my description of it would be very different. Suffice it to say that if it was a quick text, nothing would have been said. But we do state plainily and in large print on the menu that we are cell phone free.

While talking on a cell phone is rather disruptive, although with the noise level in some restaurants you would never notice, does texting really bother other diners?

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While talking on a cell phone is rather disruptive, although with the noise level in some restaurants you would never notice, does texting really bother other diners?

For me, only if it affects the lighting--as in, it's a dark restaurant and a bright screen. I have no idea what possesses so many people to feel they need to flip open their phone or send a text during a movie or a play. The sudden light is distracting and deeply annoying to anyone sitting in a five-seat radius.

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Seems like this topic won't die. From Kilman's Chog Today:

Todd

Dean from Dino. Using a cell phone in a restaurant, even to send messages, is disturbing to other customers and is a frequent complaint of our customers. This party di in fact make a lenngthy phone call and then both of them were sending text messages for 15+ minutes after paying their boll on a busy Saturday night. I did let them know of our no cell phone policy {clearly stated on our menu}, that there was another party waiting for their table and asking them to be considerate of others waiting. Thanks for the opportunity to respond

Todd Kliman:

Thanks for chiming in, Dean.

If I see a no-cell policy posted in a public place, I assume that it refers to speaking on the phone, not texting on the phone. (Hospitals are different.)

I don't get why people would be put out by people texting. It's silent. It's not a disruption.

"Disturbing"? Really? Customers are "disturbed" by something they can't read or can't hear?

I'll tell you what disturbs me. Sitting next to someone in a restaurant, in close quarters (so many tables at restaurants are about three inches apart these days), and being made to feel as though we are never to make eye contact or look over, or -- heavens! -- strike up a conversation.

It happens a lot in this town.

To me, that's a violation of the social compact. If you want to maintain a cone of silence around you, if you want to have a sense of solitude among others -- stay home. You go out to engage with the world, whatever may come.

I am disturbed by people doing business at dinner.

I am disturbed by braggarts, at restaurants where the food and drink are exceptional, talking loudly about investments and housing prices.

I am disturbed by people who bully waitstaff.

Im assuming Dean from Dino regrets writing in...

Todd Kliman:

I don't know if he regrets it or not -- although I don't see why he would.

People can disagree.

He's entitled to explain his policy, and I'm entitled to explain why I that policy is silly. ; )

re: the Dino comment. :

I cannot believe that the owner would make up those statements, as I am one of the guests, and neither me or my friend made any calls during our visit.

I used my phone to calculate tip, so unless Dean would like me and my horrible math skills to stiff the waitress, I suggest that he overlook the 15 second phone usage. The food is quite good at Dino, too bad the owner is not very customer-service friendly.

Todd Kliman:

See, this is one of the problems -- you can't know what, exactly, someone is doing with a "phone" nowadays.

Thanks for writing in.

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From Todd's Chat today:

Washington, DC:

Re: food allergies.

Sorry to hear that your reader has such a bad experience at Poste. I have life-threatening shellfish allergies (crustaceans, not mollusks), which can dining challenging. That's why I almost never get a sashimi sampler, and can't eat fish dishes with shrimp/crab/lobster sauces.

I select my meals very carefully, ask about ingredients, and I'm not afraid to send things back. Mr. Chen's made me very sick when they gave me a shrimp spring roll, despite the fact that I requested a vegetarian one. I reported them to the DC DOH for that.

Leftbank "goldplated" a rainbow roll with shrimp the one time I ate there, and the waitress tried to argue with me that the dish did not include shrimp before bringing it back to the chef. The commonality there was that neither waitress spoke English very well. I hate to sound like a xenophobe, but if you have serious food allergies I would only patronize places where the waitstaff had an impeccable command of English.

The other bad experience I had was at Oya, where again the kitchen "goldplated" an item with shrimp when it wasn't listed among the ingredients. They brought it back to me, sans shrimp, impossibly quickly, so I sent it back a second time and asked for the manager. He explained to me that it would be completely remade, and I believe he comped the item.

.....what is goldplating an item?

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TK: "Leftbank goldplated a rainbow roll with shrimp the one time I ate there, and the waitress tried to argue with me that the dish did not include shrimp before bringing it back to the chef."

TK: "The other bad experience I had was at Oya, where again the kitchen "goldplated" an item with shrimp when it wasn't listed among the ingredients."

.....what is goldplating an item?

Honestly have never come across this usage before, but the clue is in the second quote. Compare to the citation here.

When you gold-plate a spoon, you gussy it up unnecessarily, transforming the utilitarian utensil into a gaudy objet. I would infer from the chat, that TK reads descriptions on the menu to make sure dishes do not contain ingredients that would make him ill. However, someone in the kitchen added extras that had the potential of triggering an allergic reaction that the original dish (as described) would not.

Sounds like the expression "gilding the lily", only hip hopped or Donald Trumped.

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Honestly have never come across this usage before, but the clue is in the second quote. Compare to the citation here.

When you gold-plate a spoon, you gussy it up unnecessarily, transforming the utilitarian utensil into a gaudy objet. I would infer from the chat, that TK reads descriptions on the menu to make sure dishes do not contain ingredients that would make him ill. However, someone in the kitchen added extras that had the potential of triggering an allergic reaction that the original dish (as described) would not.

Sounds like the expression "gilding the lily", only hip hopped or Donald Trumped.

Thanks, AB. That had crossed my mind, but in light of the chatter mentioning a "life-threatening" reaction to shellfish, I was surprised that any restaurant would "enhance" a dish with shrimp! That is, assuming that the allergy was mentioned, and it's hard to believe that someone with this degree of danger would take only the menu description as gospel (or their assumption of ingredients as gospel) and not specifically mention their irrevocable needs.

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In this week's chat, a new contest was posted unofficially on Todd Kliman's chat. Entries are due by July 1 for a rub and marinade recipe closest to those at EPR or other Peruvian/Pollo a la brasa joints. I can't recall the prize, though.

Good luck!

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.....what is goldplating an item?

The author of the comment probably has a background in project management (PM). Per the PMBOK Guide (not, not a chicken, alas, an ANSI standard document), goldplating happens when you layer on extra things that were not called out in the original requirements. It's a common phrase in project management, and an absolute no-no. The theory is that all kinds of unpredictable wonkiness can happen when you step out of line like that, even if you're doing it with the best of intentions.

So, although a bit out of context, the goldplating phrase makes sense for what the writer was trying to describe--slapping an additional, and somewhat expensive, ingredient onto an item where it was not expected. There's probably a PM behind them there words.

Then again, maybe the writer was just a scope creep. (*groan*)

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Oh, dear, this story sounds like A LOT of service/manager kinks need to be worked out at Masa 14:

Washington, DC:

Todd,

Following up on your comments last week re: wait times for reservations.

I had 8:30 reservations for a party of four at the new Masa 14 on 14th St NW in DC. It was my wife’s birthday and we were meeting friends from the neighborhood for a Friday evening out. The four of us live in the Logan Circle neighborhood and eat out frequently. Three of us are lawyers, the fourth runs a consulting firm, and we are in our 30s-40s (not that any of that should matter).

My wife and I arrived at 8:30. The hostess noted our reservation, informed us that our table was not ready, and suggested we have a drink at the bar. We ordered a round and our friends joined us shortly thereafter. I checked in at 9pm and our table was not yet ready. I reminded the server that it was my wife’s birthday, that we had made reservations earlier in the week and were looking forward to dinner, and requested an estimate on when our table might be ready. She could not give one.

I requested to speak with a manager, who informed me that they couldn’t do anything because “one table ordered another bottle of wine and the other has some sort of problem with the bill.” Everyone appeared frazzled. It’s a new restaurant, so I suppose that is (sort of) to be expected.

We were finally seated at 9:30 – one hour after our reservation. I indicated to the hostess that I thought it was an extremely long time to wait. What, in fact, was the point of making a reservation, if I could achieve a similar result as a walk-in? She said, “I’m sorry.” Okay, fine. She then asked if we would like to transfer our bar tab to the table and I said yes. Five minutes later a woman I had not yet met walked up to me and pressed a receipt holder into my chest and said, “from the bartender,” before stalking away. It was our bill.

So not only did they fail to transfer the tab, but now we were being treated like deadbeats. A manager came by to apologize for the delay and offer to buy a round of drinks. I thought things would improve.

We ordered, settled in, and began to (finally) relax and have a good time. Then, another manager, who introduced himself as “the one in charge” came by and the following exchange occurred: “So I was told you are unhappy.” “Well, we were seated at 9:30 for an 8:30 reservation.” “And you claim you had a reservation?” “Yes.” “When did you make the reservation?” “I think on Tuesday.” “On OpenTable or did you call in?” “Called in. Does that matter?” “No, I just need to know these things.” And then he left.

We attempted once again to settle in, only to be interrupted by the same Manager in Charge fifteen minutes later. This time with a smirk he said, “Your party was incomplete when you arrived and that is why you weren’t seated.” I replied, “What are you talking about? You didn’t have a table when we arrived and nobody asked if we were a complete party. Besides, we all arrived and were waiting at the bar next to the hostess stand. And nobody said anything to us.” “Well our system will put you at the back of the line if you are incomplete.” “We weren’t incomplete. We arrived separately, but we were all here and waiting for a table you didn’t have for us.” “Well, we’re a new restaurant and this reservation thing was just an experiment. We’re not even going to take reservations anymore.”

Seemingly satisfied with this proclamation, he left. Huh? At the end of the night, most of the round of complimentary drinks showed up on our tab as did several food items we didn’t order. We explained this to our server, who, for his part, was delightful despite the Carnival of the Absurd backdrop.

He brought this to the Manager in Charge, who had clearly had enough and with a final flourish tossed the bill on the table, “I just took 35% off – I’m pretty sure that works out better for you anyway,” and departed. The line on the check that noted the new discount contained a line that shouted in all caps: PROBLEM TABLE -35%. A lovely sendoff.

My wife never received an acknowledgment of her birthday by the restaurant, despite being told at the time of reservation, again upon arrival, and once more during the explanation that we would like to sit down and enjoy ourselves. Obviously, this was a relatively minor detail but illustrates the apparent confusion and lack of focus by the staff that night.

We are excited about the new restaurant scene developing in our neighborhood but hope that service and management improves. I understand that new restaurants take some time to break in and hit their stride, but it’s important for these restaurants to remember that they are still charging money for services and we are paying. It’s absurd to blame the customers for the restaurant's mistakes, to imply blame or to otherwise allow such growing pains to be such a front and center part of the experience.

Frankly, this manager’s attempts to investigate the night’s problems simply extended the pain and resulted in a confrontational evening out on the town. As people who engage in confrontation as a part of their day jobs, that is not exactly what we are looking for in a restaurant experience.

We similarly waited for nearly an hour for our Table 21 reservations at Volt in Frederick, MD on a Saturday night last month. There is only one table, and the party ahead of us lingered. The management there bought a round of drinks at the bar, made some jokes, kept the mood light, and all was fine. A similar compensation with a dramatically different result.

On a final note, I wonder if this experience is the result of chefs overextending themselves. I am not as familiar with Chef Sandoval's work (I have been to Zengo twice) but having dined at Kaz Sushi Bistro dozens of times over the years I can say with certainty that the above treatment would be literally impossible to experience there, in Week 1 or Week 501. Todd – keep up the great work.

Todd Kliman:

Don't you love that? You have 35% taken off, only to discover that you have been dubbed a "PROBLEM TABLE." That's what I'm talking about when I talk about gestures. They've got to be sincere.

Thanks for writing in.

It's funny, but reading along at the start, I was thinking to myself, Well, it IS a new restaurant -- but this is above and beyond that.

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Oh, dear, this story sounds like A LOT of service/manager kinks need to be worked out at Masa 14:

That has got to be one of the most nightmarish restaurant experiences I have ever heard about. Normally I might say "there are two sides to every story" but by all signs this seems clearly one-sided.

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Todd Kliman:

True story, actually, but yes, it's a pretty awful thing. I think you have two forces at work here, a declining print readership in general and a horrible economy. I expect more publications to fall in the next year, although I don't think the outlook for magazines is nearly so dire as for newspapers.

By the way, there's a terrific essay in the new Harper's by Richard Rodriguez -- for anyone who cares about the fate of newspapers. Rodriguez makes us understand that the fate of newspapers is also the fate of the republic, the fate of democracy ...

What we are losing in the death of newspapers, ironically, is the same thing that food and wines lose when they become mass-market and ubiquitous and divorced from their roots -- we are losing terroir. A sense of place. An it-ness. ... The USA Today-ization of everything. The homogeneity of food, of news, of shopping, etc. ...

I don't quite agree with this quote from Todd, especially the last part of it. I can see what he says about "losing terroir" and "a sense of place," since newspapers have been a "go-to" source for news during our entire lifetimes. It was nice to curl up with the newspaper on a Sunday morning, and spend a couple hours lollygagging over a pot of coffee knowing that you're perusing articles written by the best and the brightest. But with that sense of place and concentration of expertise came a dangerous monopoly, not to mention a serious waste of paper. Todd sees the rise of USA Today; I see the rise of the internet and the individual. He sees homogeneity; I see the exact opposite. Perhaps we're both right, or perhaps we're both wrong?

Cheers,

Rocks.

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Todd Kliman:

True story, actually, but yes, it's a pretty awful thing. I think you have two forces at work here, a declining print readership in general and a horrible economy. I expect more publications to fall in the next year, although I don't think the outlook for magazines is nearly so dire as for newspapers.

Actually, I disagree with at least part of this assessment. The problem at Gourmet was not the decline in print readership, which was only about 1% in the first half of 2009, but the disastrous decline in advertising, which was down something like 44%. The "horrible economy" certainly doesn't help, but that sort of decline in advertising has been going on for years throughout both the periodical and newspaper industry, and it can't be entirely explained by the shift from print to online readership--the declines are too disproportionate.

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I'll address this since the question directly pertains to this website:

Manassas:

What a shame Roberto Donna desperately selling himself for $10 on Donrockwell.com for discounted cooking classes at his house.....$160 fee to learn how to chop carrots? No thanks, for such a price tag I rather have lunch for two with wine at The Prime Rib on K tip, taxes and valet gratuities included

Todd Kliman:

I agree: very, very expensive.

Has anybody read The Rabbi of Lud, by Stanley Elkin? Not one of my favorite books by Elkin, who I think is very underrated, but the comic set-up is hilarious. Jerry Goldkorn is a rabbi, only he doesn't have a shul or a congregation. A rabbi, without an audience, or any real reason for being. An exile among exiles ...

And to make another leap ... All those questions about Teatro Goldoni and its chef, Enzo Fargione (a Donna protege, at one point) that have been flooding my chat queue for the past few weeks, presumably put there by a publicist or -cists -- enough already; it's unbecoming. If I see one more come my way, I won't talk about the restaurant again for another month ...

First of all, in no way do I fault Todd Kliman for fielding this question. It came across his computer, and he answered it honestly and reasonably.

Now, to correct some facts:

1) The "Italian Seven Fish Dinner" that Roberto posted about here is not a class; it's a dinner. Furthermore, it's not $160, it's $125 (exclusive of tip). An eight-course dinner at Roberto Donna's home for $125 is well within reason, certainly comparable to other top chefs' tables in town. And I'm willing to bet that people can bring their own wines free of charge, too (although I would call and ask - the details are here).

2) It's not entirely clear to me whether the $10 discount for dr.com members applies to the dinner, the classes (which indeed are $160), or both. But I hardly think his overture constitutes "desperately selling himself." Quite to the contrary, Roberto has been a silent member here for years - lurking in the background, and saying nothing at all - and is finally reaching out and trying to become part of the community. This isn't desperate; it's smart, and I'm honored that he made this gesture, symbolic though the $10 may be.

Cheers,

Rocks.

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Though if a certain new restaurant project I'm not at liberty to discuss comes through -- with a very, very high-profile chef doing very, very simple food -- things could get really interesting in a hurry.

This is fast becoming the worst-kept secret in town.

I am also under oath not to leak this story. It is indeed a big one - one which will quickly flash through the internet (if and) when it does break.

Keeping my promises 100% of the time, and living my life with honor - that's more important to me than 15 minutes of internet buzz.

Cheers,

Rocks.

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Though if a certain new restaurant project I'm not at liberty to discuss comes through -- with a very, very high-profile chef doing very, very simple food -- things could get really interesting in a hurry.

This is fast becoming the worst-kept secret in town.

I am also under oath not to leak this story. It is indeed a big one - one which will quickly flash through the internet (if and) when it does break.

Keeping my promises 100% of the time, and living my life with honor - that's more important to me than 15 minutes of internet buzz.

Cheers,

Rocks.

BTW this fell through.

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Todd Kliman:

This feels like a plant to me, but what the hell ...

...

arlington:

Todd, glad your back!

First of all, I love what you did with the TK Top 25 list. Really cool and helpful. And I was reading your last chat and read about your new book!! I'm so excited about this, and for you. The Wild Vine, great title ..... It sounds really amazing and I wish you all the best with it, cant wait to read it. Congratulations, Elise

:lol:

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Todd Kliman says it's closed (in today's Washingtonian chat)?!

I saw that as well and did a quick search, seeing a Yelp review from last week. So hoping he's just confusing the closing of Daruma with that of Ren's. Anyone been recently?

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I saw that as well and did a quick search, seeing a Yelp review from last week. So hoping he's just confusing the closing of Daruma with that of Ren's. Anyone been recently?

Just made a quick call and the answering machine is on. I don't know what that means but at least there is hope.

Rob

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Just made a quick call and the answering machine is on. I don't know what that means but at least there is hope.

Rob

I was there Friday night - not a soul in the place but fantastic Miso Ramen - please say it ain't so. MK

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Kilman just put Silver Diner as one of his 25 places where he would spend his money, which then led me to think two things: 1. Why don't we have a thread on Silver Diner and 2. Has anyone tried their new Farm-to-Table menu?

I heard the news on WTOP once and was glad of this movement, especially in light of my most recent experience at Clarendon Silver Diner (one of the worst of the SDs, I feel like).

Kliman tried the Greenbelt location.

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Kilman just put Silver Diner as one of his 25 places where he would spend his money, which then led me to think two things: 1. Why don't we have a thread on Silver Diner and 2. Has anyone tried their new Farm-to-Table menu?

I heard the news on WTOP once and was glad of this movement, especially in light of my most recent experience at Clarendon Silver Diner (one of the worst of the SDs, I feel like).

Kliman tried the Greenbelt location.

When my husband worked in the Courthouse area, we'd meet up for dinner at that Silver Diner until we couldn't take the comical service any longer. We still hit the Laurel one regularly, but I've yet to try the new food items. However, I'm pleased to report that they've switched their coffee to Greenberry, and offer a dark roast as well as regular and decaf.

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Haymarket:

Friends of ours are raving about this new steak house just outside of Winchester called the Stockyards. Prime organic humanley raised dry age beef, heritage pork, fresh seafood and local produce. Wine list is all local. They bring a portable DVD player to your table so you can watch your steak being slaughtered and butchered. All the beef is numbered and matches up with its respective video. Shortly you will be able to slect the type of steer Angus Red or Black, Hereford, Texas Longhorn or Tuscan breeds.

Todd Kliman:

Yes, of course! The Stockyards -- the new venture from the folks behind the Gun Club of Goldvein.

Once again, management has assembled quite a team. Sidd Finch is behind the grill. Danar Eastnoor is the mixologist. Melissa Katsoulis is running front of the house.

DVD players at the table "to watch your steak being slaughtered and butchered" -- the attention to detail here is just amazing. They have pioneered something new in the world of food: cuisine verite. Forget the clever manipulations of molecular gastronomy. This is what people want from their restaurants nowadays; they want to see their food being killed.

What's the joke?

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Washington, DC:

I notice Damoim is on your top 25 list. I recently had lunch at Damoim and was not impressed at all. The Korean dumplings were bland and the seafood fritters (recommended to us by the server) were not good at all and remained on the table. The short rib tacos, while inventive in concept, were eh. What impressed you about this place?

Todd Kliman:

I think it's kind of funny that you took a server's suggestion instead of sticking to my list of recos and then come back on and tell me the place was no good

Todd, if you're reading this, I think your response is silly. If a restaurant is only good for what you recommended, then it ain't much of a restaurant (unless you can recommend everything on their menu).

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Todd, if you're reading this, I think your response is silly. If a restaurant is only good for what you recommended, then it ain't much of a restaurant (unless you can recommend everything on their menu).

Come on that one is right of the JoeH playbook! :(

Sorry. Cheap shot that will probably be deleted soon...

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Arlington, VA.:

Had dinner at Michel's in the Ritz Carlton on Sat. night.Shrimp dish was very poor-something you would get at Red Lobster. Veal cjheek dish was so bland it was like a lousy chicken pot pie--absolutely no seasoning in a gloppy soup. Wines by the glass prices very high. We spent $245 for 2 people. It's a never for us., This place is not in a league with Citronelle or Central. I think Michel has a bomb here. Limited menu and overpriced.

Todd Kliman:

I'm not saying you're wrong about what you experienced -- I wasn't there that night and can't say. Although drawing a comparison between a dish at Michel and a dish at Red Lobster (and not elaborating on your reasons) is gratuitous and unfair; Yelp-ish.

And I would caution you about writing the obituary of a place that just opened and, because of that -- and because of the towering reputation of its chef -- deserves the time to find itself.

I'm curious to know: Why do people decide to hit a restaurant two weeks after it's opened? It's something I always wonder about.

It's not as if there aren't a slew of other options in this area. And it's also not as if a just-opened restaurant is going to be as good as a restaurant that's a month or two old.

So, why?

In order to appear up-to-the-minute and have something to talk about/brag about with people -- regardless of quality?

I think I understand it when it comes to the Yelpers -- the need to be out front of the pack, to have other Yelpers view you as a serious, hard-working reviewer-manque.

But among normal people -- why? can anyone explain it to me?

Reston, Va:

If you don't go to a restaurant within two weeks of their opening, how will they stay in business? Should all restaurants be devoid of customers for the first two weeks? So then the third week open is actually the first week of customers?

Todd Kliman:

You're not answering my question.

In rejoinder, you ask: How will a new restaurant stay in business? But is that why you go? To keep a restaurant in business?

I want to know: Why go at all in those first days? Why go when there are so many other restaurants to patronize -- restaurants that have their act together, that are more of a known quantity? Why, other than for purposes of bragging (obvious and less-obvious, both), do people go?

Orrtanna, PA:

I think your response to the Michel post was a little strong.

For $245, it is not unreasonable to expect a quality experience, regardless of whether the restaurant has been open for two weeks or two years. It would not be fair to judge a place in the first few days. But, presumably, a higher-end restaurant, if it intends to stay in business, would have its kitchen offering some memorable dishes at the outset.

Frankly, regardless of the off-handed Red Lobster comment, I don't blame the OP for being upset.

Todd Kliman:

Being upset -- that's fine; that's understandable. It's a lot of money.

Writing the place off as a total failure, however, based on a single visit in the opening weeks of business ... I think that's going too far.

And posting an anonymous, dyspeptic and largely unqualified assessment online? Look, I know it's done. It happens all the time now. But I don't know that that serves anybody ...

Maybe you think it does. Maybe others do, too. And maybe it does. I'm not dismissing the ideal altogether. But I'm not convinced.

Now, speaking for a second as a fellow food lover and not as a critic -- and just to broaden the conversation, not to comment further on this particular exchange -- but if I had neither a going-out budget and a need to keep up with the scene, I would never spend that kind of money on a just-opened place.

I never hit just-opened places before I became a critic. I never dropped that kind of money on a relative unknown. That always seemed high-roller-ish to me. Vegas. Scene-ster stuff.

If you had that kind of money to toss around, I figured, then you probably could handle the (possible) disappointment okay, too.

New restaurants:

Because one would assume that a restaurant ready to charge normal prices and put itself out there to the public would be ready to put its best foot forward?

Todd Kliman:

You said it yourself -- one would assume.

One doesn't have to assume when it comes to an established restaurant that has already been enthusiastically reviewed. It's much more of a sure thing.

Which brings us back (I think) to the need to be first to the new thing, to have something to talk about, to brag ...

Dissing his posters with cogent reasoning. Todd's my hero :)

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re: Komi:

...From the moment we came in it seems that everybody was in a hurry. We had no time to enjoy our aperitif, because within 5 minutes there was the first course and from there every thing was in the overdrive. After one hour and 50 minutes we were outside again...

Todd Kliman:

That's strange. I've never left Komi in anything less than 3 and a quarter hours. The first course -- a procession of small dishes -- takes at least an hour, and often about an hour and a quarter.

My personal experience with Komi is just over 2 hrs and I think that's excellent pacing. I'm sure I can do 1 hr. 50 minutes and 29 seconds too without bitching and moaning but I understand that some people prefer to linger over their meals. So should diners give a heads up to the restaurant if they prefer to eat fast or slow? Would restaurants be receptive to such requests?

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So should diners give a heads up to the restaurant if they prefer to eat fast or slow? Would restaurants be receptive to such requests?

Yes and yes. I do it all the time (I'm a notoriously slow eater), and have had a 100% success rate. I'll generally mention it early in the meal so that subsequent courses aren't prematurely fired. The only time I'd never ask is shortly before closing (I'm hypersensitive to employees wanting to get the hell home, but that's just me).

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Yes and yes. I do it all the time (I'm a notoriously slow eater), and have had a 100% success rate. I'll generally mention it early in the meal so that subsequent courses aren't prematurely fired. The only time I'd never ask is shortly before closing (I'm hypersensitive to employees wanting to get the hell home, but that's just me).

A good dining experience is often cutomized by your own needs.

Chefs and restauranteurs often speed or slow down the multi course procession depending on the nature of the table's gathering.

It is very important to read the table and their guests.

Don is someone who loves and enjoy his evening, his food, he ponders and reflects. Others are eager to learn what comes next at a faster pace

There is a difference between eating and dining

Both experiences are fine as in the end the customer has to be happy and satisfied with the whole experience and not just with the quality of the food, the service or the wine list selection

Do not forget, however that a dining experience is often based on the restaurant 's personal interpretation of how the food should be consumed and to the quality of service and the details offered in order to deliver a memory repecting the restaurant's concept in the first place.

This should be always respected by any customer, but if by making small changes makes my guest happier without compromising either the quality of the food or the message I am trying to send then I guess the old saying is correct: The customer is always right

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From the 28th:

A restaurant that I am very, very intrigued by will open for business sometime early in 2011.

I am not talking about Enzo Fargione's new restaurant, Elisir, or Fabio Trabocchi's new restaurant, Fiola, or RJ Cooper's new restaurant, Rogue 24.

The reason I am intrigued is not because of the names behind it -- although the executive chef's track record is stellar. And the chef's partner has a kind of Midas touch -- everything this person touches succeeds.

No, it's the concept that intrigues me most.

The restaurant is going to offer one meal only. No menu; just the entree and a side.

It is also -- most intriguing of all -- going to offer seconds. Not all-you-can-eat -- a second helping.

It will open in DC. Not downtown -- in a neighborhood.

And ... I have already probably said too much.

But this, to me, is the sleeper pick of the first half of the year.

Any guesses?

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