JPW Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 That may be true, but he sure did a lot of suburban restaurant reviews in odd places, like Greenbelt, White Oak, Wheaton, etc. Hardly the DC crowd. I think he lives out somewhere around Takoma Park, which if accurate probably explains why those spots. True, but also think of the demographics of the City Paper readership. Much younger, "hipper", and poorer than Sietsema's target audience. Much more likely to say "Hey, let's jump in the car and go grab cheap authentic (insert your own nationality) food". Not so likely to head off to Maestro or Citronelle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meaghan Posted November 15, 2005 Author Share Posted November 15, 2005 Today's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillvalley Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Today's Chat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillvalley Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 The Washingtonian's newest wine columnist is........ The challenge in writing about wine, even more than in writing about food, is to inform and instruct as lightly as you can -- to convey great sophistication without coming across as a bore or a snob. If you take a look at the debut column from Don Rockwell -- the December issue should be out in about a week -- I think you'll see what I'm talking about. It's informed, incisive, witty and a great read even if you're not a wine geek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwertyy Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 A "martini straight up" is a martini without ice, not without vermouth. That would be a vodka straight up, with olives. Thank goodness my parents raised me right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 A "martini straight up" is a martini without ice, not without vermouth. That would be a vodka straight up, with olives. Thank goodness my parents raised me right. And a martini with olives is well, a martini with olives. Olives, usually on a toothpick set in or atop the drink. Not in a cocktail napkin. It sounds like the bartender made the right drink in the first place, but the napkin in hand was tacky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackers Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 If you take a look at the debut column from Don Rockwell -- . . . It's informed, incisive, witty and a great read even if you're not a wine geek. Whoa, that's quite a cabal being assembled over there. I might even be persuaded to subscribe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPW Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Kudos to Rocks! Will we be seeing the same bio in Wash'n that you used for eG? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hersch Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 A "martini straight up" is a martini without ice, not without vermouth. That would be a vodka straight up, with olives. Thank goodness my parents raised me right. A martini without vermouth would be a gin straight up, not vodka. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwertyy Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 A martini without vermouth would be a gin straight up, not vodka. Of course you're right. My head was stuck in the vermouth thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Kudos to Rocks! Thanks! I want to stress that nothing at all is going to change with this website. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere (well maybe a few days of vacation in the near future), and this will continue to be your kind, loving and nurturing home-away-from-home. Can I come out now and say just how highly I think of Todd? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giant shrimp Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 sorry, i don't totally get the heritage rant. is the complainer implying that the reservation wasn't honored because the restaurant would have to donate 15% to earthquake relief? and there aren't enough details to totally make sense of what happened. this sounds like it must have been the dupont circle location, where i have never been; wisconsin ave. normally wouldn't be that crowded on a tuesday night at that time. in any event, i can only assume that todd was typing too fast when he characterized the service as "at best gruff and pushy." in my experience that would be the service at heritage at its very worst. and, yes, it shouldn't happen, but you can get vodka in your martini if you don't specify gin. and if you drink enough martinis you will even start to see the restaurant's often unfairly maligned servers start to smile, especially when you ask for a small bowl of ghee to dip your olives in. looks like i am finally going to have to break down and start buying the washingtonian for information on wine. i am told that looking for high alcohol content is not always the best way to judge a bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Slater Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Can I come out now and say just how highly I think of Todd? Sir, To the casual observer, this might be construed as ass-kissing your boss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLK Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 (edited) Not your average food critic comment: Let me bring it back around: Gilbert Arenas is the most exciting thing to happen to this town since the arrival of Michel Richard.I love it! Edited November 15, 2005 by JLK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica Bhide Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Whoa, that's quite a cabal being assembled over there. I might even be persuaded to subscribe. Way to go Don.. congrats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacques Gastreaux Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 What a gig. Getting paid for drinking wine is turning the world on its head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillvalley Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 We'll have to toast with some bubbly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meaghan Posted November 15, 2005 Author Share Posted November 15, 2005 I hope Rocks get paid top dollar to make up for all this public service work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCMark Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Congrats Don. Wow, I will now start buying that magazine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waitman Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 sorry, i don't totally get the heritage rant. is the complainer implying that the reservation wasn't honored because the restaurant would have to donate 15% to earthquake relief? and there aren't enough details to totally make sense of what happened. this sounds like it must have been the dupont circle location, where i have never been; wisconsin ave. normally wouldn't be that crowded on a tuesday night at that time. in any event, i can only assume that todd was typing too fast when he characterized the service as "at best gruff and pushy." in my experience that would be the service at heritage at its very worst. and, yes, it shouldn't happen, but you can get vodka in your martini if you don't specify gin. and if you drink enough martinis you will even start to see the restaurant's often unfairly maligned servers start to smile, especially when you ask for a small bowl of ghee to dip your olives in.looks like i am finally going to have to break down and start buying the washingtonian for information on wine. i am told that looking for high alcohol content is not always the best way to judge a bottle. My experience (an my son's, whose prom-night dinner was pushed back more than an hour) with the Heritage Wisconsin location leads me to believe that every word in the rant was true. There isn't, in my experience, a top restaurant in the city whose service is as bad as Heritage. I would, however, upgrade them to merely "sloppy" at their best, rather than "gruff and pushy." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLK Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Now Washingtonian just needs to hire the very talented Monica Bhide. THAT would be an All-Star team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackers Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Don, Will you be hosting a weekly on-line chat? I think we can make it worth your while. Or at least help with the comic relief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillvalley Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 You mean because he has so much free time on his hands? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 You mean because he has so much free time on his hands? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Wilma Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 Now Washingtonian just needs to hire the very talented Monica Bhide. THAT would be an All-Star team. She DID have a column in the most recent issue. Her topic was relationships she has built thru online communities. It's a terrific read! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meaghan Posted November 16, 2005 Author Share Posted November 16, 2005 Don, Are you going to have wine tastings with different characters from The Simpsons? I really think readers would enjoy it. Come on! Apu likes Merlot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Azzarano Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 Congratulations Don. If your columns are 1/5 as well written as your write-up of the Enoteca Vin dinner, it will be quite a ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RissaP Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 Congratulations Don! What an exciting adventure - writing about what you love! Not too many people get that chance. I look forward to reading the Washingtonian again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Slater Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 Don,Are you going to have wine tastings with different characters from The Simpsons? I really think readers would enjoy it. Come on! Apu likes Merlot. Homer likes Refosco Marge like Furmint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendanc Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 Homer likes RefoscoMarge like Furmint Krusty likes My Wild Irish Rose Chief Wiggum....Lancers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPW Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 Gallo hearty burgundy for Principal Skinner White Zin for Mrs Krabapple Beaujolais Nouveau for Mr Smithers and a cask of Amontillado for Mr Burns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLK Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 And several other must-reads. She DID have a column in the most recent issue. Her topic was relationships she has built thru online communities. It's a terrific read! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 The November 22nd chat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLK Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 WTF is "wifty"? That's a new one for me. Dictionary.com turned up nada. Service is wifty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sthitch Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 (edited) "otherwise known to white Westerners as 'Four Sisters'" I always enjoy these type of trite gratuitous comments they are so unbecoming of a writer/speaker. It is also strange to me since it was recommended to me as "Four Sisters" by a black westerner. Edited November 22, 2005 by Sthitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waitman Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 WTF is "wifty"? That's a new one for me. Dictionary.com turned up nada. Spacy, absent-minded, lightweight, half-baked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giant shrimp Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 WTF is "wifty"? That's a new one for me. Dictionary.com turned up nada. merrian-webster online says ditsy. i, myself, think of air-headed. wifty service: you know it when you see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe H Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 (edited) Anyone have an opinion on his dog story? "But Robert, being Robert, kept going. The reason for the tenderness, he said, wringing the towel mercilessly, was that the kitchen had used collie." Edited November 22, 2005 by Joe H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 I had to go back and read it again to make sure he was referring to a restaurant in the USA. I thought this was illeagal here, and if so, why the heck wasn't it reported? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meaghan Posted November 22, 2005 Author Share Posted November 22, 2005 Spacy, absent-minded, lightweight, half-baked. hahahaha. Some other guys said that too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLK Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 Nitpicky comment: Zengo is so not a good choice for avoiding expensive meals. It's festive and has pretty good drinks, but at $10 a pop and up, drinks alone are expensive, forget food. washington, dc: Hi Todd--Once a month, my group of girl friends meets up at a restaurant for dinner. We are all in our early to mid twenties so can't afford somewhere too expensive. We like places that don't mind noise (10 girls can get kind of loud) and offer a young/trendy atmosphere, fun drinks, and good food. Any suggestions? Thanks! Todd Kliman: The big, round table with the lazy susan at Zaytinya is a safe--if obvious--bet. Can't vouch for the food, but Zengo would seem to fit the bill too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sthitch Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 offer a young/trendy atmosphere, fun drinks, and good food. Any suggestions? Questions like this make me want to poke someone in the eye with a stick. I hated the word trendy, and find it to be more of an insult to someone or something than a positive attribute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waitman Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 hahahaha. Some other guys said that too! At least I'm consistent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 "otherwise known to white Westerners as 'Four Sisters'"I always enjoy these type of trite gratuitous comments they are so unbecoming of a writer/speaker. It is also strange to me since it was recommended to me as "Four Sisters" by a black westerner. Bad news for you: this 'black westerner' didn't say "Huong Que"; he called you a honky.Fleeing,Rocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackers Posted November 29, 2005 Share Posted November 29, 2005 (edited) The November 29th chat. Warning: dog parts "disgussed." Edited November 29, 2005 by crackers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 The December 20th chat-o-nine-tales. Todd Kliman: Sometimes, I dress down.I always, ALWAYS wash my face and hands, though. My mother did not raise a slob. A little known fact is that Todd was raised by his aunt and uncle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm chen Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Hm, the link takes me right there. It's awfully short this week, though... no, wait, now it's longer. How odd. Previously, this was the last line of the chat, and it made me laugh out loud: The Internet is great for trying to pass an opinion off as the voice of the people while all the while remaining anonymous and unaccountable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwertyy Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Todd Kliman: What my friend -- he's the food critic at The Village Voice, by the way -- is saying, is that, for the Westerner who may be unfamilar with African restaurants, it's probably best to modify your expectations. Did anyone else think this whole line of thinking awfully narrow, especially for DC? Seems like he assumes that everyone asking after good African restaurants has faulty expectations, but among my friends, at least, a good deal of us would actually like some African rec's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Washington, DC: Hi Todd- Since so many restaurants that were previously on the best 100 list did not make it this year I agree that the readers and the restaurants themselves deserve some type of explantion as to the criteria. I am sure some of the restaurants were shocked to be dropped. How do they get back on the list? If a restaurant was consistently on the list for say 10 years in a row don't they and the readers deserve an explanation as to why they are suddenly not on the list? Thanks!Todd Kliman: They can get back on it by cooking great food and by taking care of their customers as though they were family and loved ones. That's how. Again, a lot of places have been coasting for years, and my predecessors, to be honest with you, were inclined to coddle them, to apologize for their deficiencies, to rationalize their weaknesses. Brass balls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmwine Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Todd Kliman: They can get back on it by cooking great food and by taking care of their customers as though they were family and loved ones. That's how.Again, a lot of places have been coasting for years, and my predecessors, to be honest with you, were inclined to coddle them, to apologize for their deficiencies, to rationalize their weaknesses. Interesting, though - as some of his "predecessors" are now working for him, this doesn't seem a good way to boost staff morale. There must have been some pretty contentious discussions there, which he merely hints at ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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