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dcslowman

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About dcslowman

  • Birthday October 17

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    Washington, DC

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  1. I suspect there may be a few other grinches like me who aren't willing to wait in line (or otherwise go through special effort) to eat at a particular restaurant, who as a result may have stayed away from Rose's entirely (as I did) or otherwise opted for it less frequently than otherwise desired. So for that micro-category of diner, I'm pleased to report that we were successful at getting a pair of seats at the downstairs bar this past Monday evening, on a walk-in basis without a wait, by arriving shortly before 9PM. We had a lovely and completely relaxed meal, and will certainly come back again and follow a similar strategy of arriving relatively late in the evening (usually our preference anyway) on a weeknight. The bartender indicated that you can arrive up to about 9:30PM on a weeknight and expect a comfortably unrushed evening.
  2. There has been a huge amount of discussion and argument on this issue on the CP listserv over the last several years. A significant minority of contributors believe that a key factor is the 25% restaurant overlay cap, which limits the number of restaurants and bars, and the general reluctance of the neighborhood (via ANC & local citizen association input into key decisions such as the cap and maintenance of the service lane) to entertain changes in urban planning and regulation. The DC neighborhoods that have experienced the greatest growth over the last few years have taken a more moderate or circumspect view of caps and voluntary/settlement agreements with ABRA (re hours, live music, etc.), and a generally more embracing view of growth and change via their local ANCs and citizen associations. Unless and until the majority of the participants in the neighborhood governance process adopt these kind of views, CP is likely to continue to lag in its growth and evolution. Dave
  3. I will echo MMM that Abbey Burger Bistro is an ideal spot to bookend a visit to the American Visionary Art Museum. Burgers were excellent - both the build-your-own (try the house-smoked black angus beef), and the ones that sound kinda weird (the Peanut Butter Burger was shockingly good). Interesting beers on draft and in the bottle, and very reasonably priced especially for the offbeat stuff. Saturday early afternoon was comfortably busy - about a 20 min wait for a table, but we were able to get seated immediately at the bar and that worked perfectly. Not a destination restaurant, but now at the top of my list when I'm looking for quick cheap eats in Federal Hill. Dave
  4. As part of our semi-annual (or so) effort to explore the great neighboring city of Baltimore, we had dinner at The Food Market for the first time last night (Saturday), and came away really impressed. Five of the 6 dishes we ordered were terrific, and the 6th was pretty good. Standout dishes included the Buffalo Pickles, Brown Sugar Pork Belly, Cracker Fried Oysters, and Korean BBQ Chicken (with jalapeno mac & cheese). Service was helpful (in discriminating between the good and great) and suitably attentive. Prices (including the modest but appealing wine and beer list) were at the lower end of what I expect for a similar level of quality in DC. The place was happily noisy and humming with people who really seemed to be enjoying themselves. Bonus points for the no-big-deal celebrity presence (Kevin Spacey and Michael Kelly and I believe several others from the House of Cards cast, in a big group). This is definitely a place now firmly on our radar, and worth going out of the way to visit. Dave
  5. I'd been meaning to post on St. Arnold's, and the contributions above have reminded me to chime in. We frequently walk to the Uptown, and St. Arnold's has become one of our small handful of standby dinner options either pre- or post-movie. Service is efficient, the staff are reliably cheerful and accommodating, and they always seem to be open and serving late (although I've never been able to determine their official hours) so you never feel rushed even after a late movie. We've been at least half a dozen times since they opened, and tried a number of menu items without a dud, but the standout is definitely the Mussel's St. Arnold. I get this almost every time - the duck fat makes the broth unusually rich and luxurious for a mussels dish. More bread is always forthcoming upon request, which is essential to enable one's urge to keep sopping up that broth. Dave
  6. Without factoring in the administrative work it entails, I agree with this approach and believe it would add real value to the (already invaluable) Dining Guide. But considering your (Don's) point regarding the additional work involved in managing the multiple-site restaurant listings, I think your proposed solution of placing them at the bottom of each city is a reasonable compromise. That said, if you wanted to take it a step further, some finer granularity might be warranted. For example, you can probably make the case that local enterprises with three or fewer locations warrant the same treatment (review consideration & placement) as single-location establishments. Perhaps not so different from a single local owner with multiple differently named/themed restaurants (of which we have quite a few), each of which currently has its own listing in the Dining Guide. Dave
  7. Four of us had another fine meal at Dino this past Saturday evening - I was able to grab a same-day reservation which I always appreciate. A couple of roaring cocktails launched the fun for half our group (Ginger's Cherry & Budda's Backhand, the naming of which I decline to speculate upon). Some of the dinner highlights included the deep-fried baby artichokes (eaten whole); risotto with salumi (rich and creamy, if a bit salty); local yellow perch (whole fish, fried lightly crisp, very tasty but watch the bones); and the outstandingly flavorful Peposo (short rib stew). This is my kind of Italian comfort food, tasty and unfussy. Dino feels like a true neighborhood restaurant to me - I love that I can walk (and stumble home after too much wine), and I regularly run into friends and neighbors there. The price point is right - you can eat and drink very well and quite economically if you choose, or if you're feeling flush you can roam the menus more freely and allow the tab to run up. Dave
  8. Reading of the recently-announced retirement of Le Bec-Fin's George Perrier prompted me to recall a truly memorable evening at Le Bec-Fin in 1985, and to wax slightly nostalgic about the place. I was a senior in college, and my girlfriend's affluent and cosmopolitan father took us to dinner at Le Bec-Fin. Even then I loved eating out, and tracking down great new places or those long treasured by locals. But until that night I viewed the restaurant experience as primarily craft and not art. While I don't remember the details of the meal, I do recall how widely that night opened my eyes to the artistry, inventiveness, finesse, and passion that a great chef could bring to bear in creating a fine dining experience, and I believe it had a permanent and enriching effect on the way I've viewed and sought out such experiences ever since. I do still remember the moment toward the end of the evening when George Perrier came to our table to say hello and inquire about our meal, and how he was simultaneously witty and charming but intent on ensuring that it had been as superlative as he intended. I still seek out great restaurant moments, and love the perfect diner in many ways just as much as the finest 4-star. But Le Bec-Fin expanded my horizons dramatically, and I'm still grateful to George Perrier for that. Dave
  9. Count me as another who's really pleased to welcome District Kitchen to the neighborhood. Stopped by for a late dinner (10:30) last night and it was pleasantly full and inviting. The transformation of the space is remarkable, and the lighting in particular (with extensive use of vintage-style filament bulbs) helps create a warm ambiance. The preview photos intimated that an abundance of hard surfaces might make it noisy, but that does not appear to be the case. In addition to the sparklers mentioned above (particularly the deviled ham), I'd also call out the crispy rabbit boudin which came with what was called a "sweet onion ketchup" but what I would characterize as a jam. Whatever you call it, the combination was terrific. Service was friendly and attentive, and I look forward to becoming a regular. Dave
  10. You are not alone in your head-scratching. The only thing keeping a lid on the short sale market is the fact that Groupon sold such a small percentage of the company. The analysts who think highly of Groupon mostly believe that the company will successfully move away from a sales force-intensive model to one that requires less sales manpower (more business driven online, e.g., through offerings like Groupon Goods), and will innovate with new products that don't look much like the current daily coupon. All that said, even if Groupon does succeed with the kinds of innovation and agility that some smart people are predicting, the current valuation is totally out of whack. Dave
  11. I was at Tackle Box last night and had the posted Tuesday night special - one whole grilled Maine lobster, with fries and slaw, for $17.99. The lobster was medium-sized, tender and flavorful, and I'll definitely be looking to stop by again on Tuesday's if this is in fact an ongoing deal. As always, the folks who work at Tackle Box seem to work hard at making it a friendly and unpretentious spot for quick and nice quality seafood. BTW, the liquor license is still on track, if much delayed... Dave
  12. Understanding that I'm a day or so late to the game (in terms of helping the OP), I'm brand-new to the forum so hopefully will be forgiven the lack of timeliness. That said, having enjoyed a relaxed and wide-ranging multi-course dinner at Poste a few weeks ago, I would nevertheless have to answer no for this subject line. The food was uniformly good (and in several cases, truly inspired, e.g., bouchot mussels; wood-grilled capretto (goat); white salmon entree; tasting of salted caramel dessert), but the wine list was so disproportionately tilted to the high-end that an otherwise $$$ meal inevitably moved into the $$$$ range with just two selections from near the bottom of the Poste wine list. This is kind of a shame, because everyone in our group of four indicated an inclination to go back again sooner rather than later but for the wallet-singeing wine list. I tend to be much more charitable toward a pricey menu when I'm not shoe-horned into spending more for wine than I really desire. On the food side, I understand and accept that it costs a lot for the quality ingredients and good kitchen staff required to plate an exceptional meal, but the incremental cost to offer flexibility in the wine list is surely modest. Dave
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