Corduroy, Fine Dining at the Convention Center - Chef Tom Power's Magnificent Cooking

[Heather]

I would get the beet salad, the scallops, and the chocolate tart.

[bilrus]

I would get the beet salad, the scallops, and the chocolate tart.

That's a pretty good menu.

I'm headed there tonight and unfortuately (?) I had that exact same progression (minus the tart) last Happy Hour. So I am going off the board and getting something completely new tonight.

Living on the edge.

[Barbara]

That's a pretty good menu. 

I'm headed there tonight and unfortuately (?) I had that exact same progression (minus the tart) last Happy Hour.  So I am going off the board and getting something completely new tonight.

Living on the edge.

Please report as soon as you can. Those of us who are going there on Saturday want to hear from EVERYBODY.

[mdt]

Please report as soon as you can.  Those of us who are going there on Saturday want to hear from EVERYBODY.

When you arrive, read the menu and order whatever you are in the mood for that night. Take the chance, you will be happy.

[jm chen]

Good advice. I've never had anything bad there. However, they have a whole fried fish that's served, not lying down, but swimming on its belly, and it's kind of weird if you're not prepared for it.

My boyfriend refers to it as "batter Pompeii," as it gives the impression the fish was just swimming along, minding its own business, and POW! Flash-fried.

[Pat]

I don't usually get dessert, so I don't have much input on the third course. The first time I was there was, I think, a RW, and I had micro greens and the seared tuna with sushi rice and hijiki. I love that tuna and have ordered it a number of times since, even when it hasn't been on the menu. I finally forced myself to try something else.

If they still have the chicken with arugula, that was really good. The lamb with the mini goat cheese ravioli is delicious. The Wagyu steak with root vegetable gratin is mouthwateringly good. I guess this isn't narrowing things down much

The beet and goat cheese salad looked really good when we were there Friday. My MIL ordered two appetizers, so they put that one in front of my FIL, who didn't order any, and by the time she got to it, he'd eaten most of it! The local tomato salad that I managed to snag a bite of was phenomenal, if that's available.

[bilrus]

Please report as soon as you can. Those of us who are going there on Saturday want to hear from EVERYBODY.

Corduroy does RW better than any restaurant out there, until someone can convince me otherwise.

The only bummer was when Ferhat told us that the sea scallops weren't available (NOOOOOOOOO!!!). I've had them enough that I wanted to go a different route, but I'd been talking them up so much that jenrus had her mouth set for them.

No problem - Chef Power only substituted the best tasting Alaskan Salmon I've ever had - a jewel-colored red orange, moist, so fresh and flavorful and almost gamey that it made you appreciate the fact that salmon does actually exist in nature. It worked just as well with the traditional scallop presentation of mushrooms (this time chanterelles), potato puree and chardonnay sauce.

Of course the soups were great, especially the sweet, creamy corn soup. And rather than fighting over who would get the most bites from the "Michel's Kit Kat bar" (I still like it bettter than the original - sorry, Chef Richard), we both ordered our own and added on a pistachio bread pudding for good measure. When I was a kid I was grossed out by the idea and texture of bread pudding - now I can't get enough of it.

The restuarant was as full last night as I've ever seen it, including several previous restaurant week visits. I hope all those presumably new visitors keep coming back. But why wouldn't they, with the kitchen turning out food as good as they do every other night of the year.

[Capital Icebox]

Yikes - I have reservations for Friday. Open Table, here I come.

My report from Corduroy here..

RW 2005 -- two down, two to go.

Last night we had a 5:30 table at Corduroy. I, too, was saddened by the absence of the Scallops, but I did have the Oysters as an appetizer and they were delightful, the perfect summer app. For the entree, the Wangyu Strip. It was cooked a little more than I would've liked (ordered medium rare and showed up medium), but the flavor of the beef more than made up for it. I had the local blueberry tart for dessert and was ready to take on the humidity again. The place was full by 6:30 -- I think it will be good to get so many people at their tables this week, given the reports here of an almost empty dining room the rest of the year. I'm looking forward to going back and working my way through the bar menu in the weeks ahead.

Monday was Colvin Run, which had a more seasonal kick, and an even more diverse RW menu for the four of us at my table. Gazpacho, fried green tomatoes with a shrimp and lobster remoulade, market greens; flounder, rockfish and cod for the second course (The fish was cooked just right, the sauces used sparingly); and local strawberry cobbler for dessert. There weren't any tricks or gimmicks here (minus the pop rocks garnishing some of their "martinis"), just well-prepared, delicious food.

Service at both establishments was excellent -- I was impressed considering how both places were serving a full house. I don't usually think of RW as a means of discounted fine dining, but rather as a way of exploring restaurants I'm curious about but not wanting to risk the $$$ for, especially when there are a few solid, consistent venues where I know I'm guaranteed something special (Ray's and Eve -- see below -- immediately come to mind). But with Corduroy and Colvin Run, it felt like any other night, but at half the price.

Next up: Oceanaire for lunch and 1789 for dinner today; Friday is lunch at Vidalia.

The best meal of the week (and may continue to be) was the Lickety-Split Lunch at Eve -- market greens and a softshell crab sammy. The crab was nice, but the tomato on that sucker was the one I was really after. As DR pointed out, you can go there any day of the year (that they're open) and put together something immensely satisfying for $20 at lunch and $30 at dinner. The cocktails are extra, but they are during RW as well. And where else are you going to find a tomato water bloody mary that took over 24 hours to prepare?

[MMM]

Four of us were there last night too. Ditto to everything Bilrus said. We were disappointed not having the scallops but the tuna is spectacular. Also enjoyed the Wagyu beef, and lamb with mini ravioli. We tried the beet and goat cheese salad, the soft-shell crab and the onion soubise (soup) - all delicious. The restaurant was really crowded, but the service and food couldn't have been better!

[monavano]

Adding to the great experiences at Corduroy here. My husband and I had a wonderful dinner. We were seated asap, our waitress was lovely and the food was delicious. I too was disappointed that the scallops were gone, but knew that it was probably because their reputation had them flying out of the kitchen! Oh well, I chose the Wagyu beef and just loved it. It had a very intense flavor (med. rare, of course). My husband had the lamb and raviolis, one of which a was able to snag from him. It was delicious.

I also took cues from this board and ordered the beet salad which was like summer in my mouth. Well done indeed. Husband ordered the mozzerella and was so intrigued with the topping we had to flag down our waitress to find out what is was (phyllo, I believe).

Deserts were scrumtious as well.

Kudos to Chef Powers and all for bringing it on!! We left around 10 and you were still busy crafting away in the kitchen.

First time diner and now loyal soon to be repeat customer. Next week I'll get there earlier to hopefully try some scallops!!

Edited August 3, 2005 by monavano

[JLK]

Did someone say corn soup?? I'm more obsessed with corn soup than Rocks is with the double spacing issue.

[monavano]

I was so tempted to get the corn soup last night, but as I posted in the farmers market thread recently I'd had great corn from DuPont last Sunday. I have to admit an error however and correct to say that I did not eat 4 ears Sunday night. I ate 5.

I never, ever thought I'd say this, but I'm a little corned-out for a while.

[JPW]

Did someone say corn soup?? I'm more obsessed with corn soup than Rocks is with the double spacing issue.

Yes, JLK, there is a corn chowder.
It is good.
Very good.
Very very good.
And it only gets served to good boys and girls.
How bilrus got a bowl, I'll never know.

[Capital Icebox]

Yes, JLK, there is a corn chowder.

It is good.

Very good.

Very very good.

And it only gets served to good boys and girls.

How bilrus got a bowl, I'll never know.

Has anyone been able to confirm that they're extending their RW menu through next week?

[monavano]

From Tom's chat today:

Anonymous: Very good experience at Corduroy last night: lots of options; very well-presented, tasty food; and fabulous service. I think the server did a very good job of describing each dish and making recommendations. The entire party left happy...

Tom Sietsema: You can be happy all over again next week, too: The chef tells me he plans to extend Restaurant Week through next week.

_______________________

Works for me!

[bookluvingbabe]

From Tom's chat today:

Anonymous: Very good experience at Corduroy last night: lots of options; very well-presented, tasty food; and fabulous service. I think the server did a very good job of describing each dish and making recommendations. The entire party left happy...

Tom Sietsema: You can be happy all over again next week, too: The chef tells me he plans to extend Restaurant Week through next week.

_______________________

Works for me!

Thank god! (And Tom Power!) Had to cancel my reservation for tomorrow and reschedule for next week.

[Walrus]

Woo hoo! We'll be introducing friends of ours to Corduroy for dinner next Weds. -- rock on!

[mame11]

Question: Would Corduroy be a good place to take a client for lunch? I need a fairly quiet place for us to talk.

Thanks!

[bilrus]

Question:  Would Corduroy be a good place to take a client for lunch?  I need a fairly quiet place for us to talk.

Thanks!

I would say it would be a perfect place for that - quiet, secluded. And good food.

In fact, someone recently took my boss there for a business meeting and his first visit. He came back raving, thinking he had found a great undiscovered gem.

He had, but I barely had the heart to tell him I'd discovered it a long time ago and had just been there the previous week.

[jm chen]

I have had lovely business lunches there. Some tables are quieter than others but I would recommend it over any other place in the area for this particular purpose.

Also, yay! Just confirmed with crackers that I will be attending my first-ever DR.com event on Saturday at Corduroy, so I'll be able to put those menu suggestions from a couple of pages ago into practice myself!

[hillvalley]

I sent my mom there for a business lunch a few months ago and she scored major bonus points with her boss.

The boss was even more impressed when she ended up there the same day my mom and I were having lunch together and she saw the chef wave to me

[Pool Boy]

Corduroy...very nice.

Mrs. TJ and I went to Restaurant Eve on Friday and were mildly disappointed. On my actual birthday (Monday), we headed to Corduroy for a RW dinner.

Corduroy blows RE away, IMHO. Even ignoring price.

Mrs. Tj had the lobster salad (she declared the underlying tomato a perfect touch and the star of the course), the scallops (i was lucky she let me have a bite) and the ice cream (I think Chocolate & Pistacchio -- both great, particularly the chocolate).

I had the softshell crab (whoa!), the lamb and mini-ravioli (very nice, but the scallops blew this away) and the blueberry tart (how do they keep the blueberries so separate and ready to pop?!).

A great meal no matter the price. Add to this that it was at RW prices and that they are also BYOW-friendly and this is a complete no-brainer.

[TinDC]

I just wanted to add on to all of the praise for Corduroy's restaurant week.

I made my first visit last night and everything was wonderful.

I started with the mozzarella porcupine, followed by the scallops (they were on the menu last night, hooray!) and a special dessert, a chocolate sabayon, which was like a warm chocolate souffle topped with a small scoop of chocolate ice cream. This was a winner! If they have it on the menu, I would definitely recommend it.

Nothing to add about the scallops, and those mashed potatoes! They must be 95% butter and so good!

My only verrrrrry minor quibble is the bread service. The bread is just blah and the butter, though thankfully warm and spreadable, is unsalted and just too bland for my tastes.

So glad I finally made it to this gem!

[TinDC]

I forgot to mention earlier that the service last night was really terrific. The restaurant was full, but glasses were never empty, plates were always cleared appropriately. Didn't catch the name of the waitress, but she was very good.

I wish that Corduroy did offer an interesting salt with their butter. I had to ask the waitress for salt, and she brought a combined salt and pepper shaker. So, I sprinkled the table salt on top of the butter, but an interesting, coarse salt is a great idea, in my opinion.

[CrescentFresh]

I tried the "Ron Jeremy" spring rolls for the first time a couple weeks ago. They are lip-smackin' good. And what? Only $4 a plate at happy hour? I was told by others that the recipe is from GM Rissa P.'s family. Rissa, can I come over for dinner sometime?

[CrescentFresh]

I neglected to point out a tasting menu I enjoyed at Corduroy some 6 weeks ago along with my wife and her parents. Service was impeccable. The pacing was perfect. Just enough food, and Ferhat was kind enough to have it just keep coming until we looked like roly-poly, barrel-shaped Roberto Duran's yelling "No Mas! No Mas!"

A special shout out to the wine pairings. Stuffed, happy and buzzed ("Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son." - Dean Vernon Wormer), we left Corduroy in a kind of "changing of the guard." As we walked out the hotel door, we had no idea Nadya was walking in until Ferhat came outside to make some introductions. Always nice to meet others from the friendly confines of Rockwell, no?

Anyway, here's the menu we had. We have nothing but the highest praise for the food and service. You should go for the tasting menu, too, if you haven't.

Malpeque oysters with stayman apple mignonette

Local Asparagus Salad with Frisee

-Charles De Fere,Brut Reserve,NV,sparkling Chardonnay

Seared Sea Scallops with Morel Mushrooms and Chardonnay Sauce

Roast Baby Chicken with Shallots and Baby Arugula

-Forman,Napa,01 Chardonnay

La Belle Foie Gras with Vidalia Onion Soubise

-D. Weinbach,Cuvee St. Catherine,Schlossberg,Grand Cru,01,Riesling

Peppered Rare Tuna with Sushi Rice and Hijiki

-Vosne Romanee,Mongeard Mugneret,02,Pinot Noir

Sunnyside Farm Beef Striploin with Turnip Gratin

-Chateau Paveil de Luze,Margaux,01 , Bordeaux Blend

Selection of Cheeses :

Goat Cheese , Pont L`eveque , Epoisses , Petit Basque

Strawberry Sorbet with Aquavite Grappa , Pineapple Sorbet with Santa Teresa Rum

Chocolate Tart with Caramelized Banana

[oliveDC]

Growing up on Cape Cod has left me a penchant for this sublime snack. I say snack, because I usually finish eating a normal roll in 4 or 5 bites as my wife stares agog calculating the ludicrous price-per-bite figure of the endeavour  .

There are two schools of thought regarding the lobster roll:

1) The "unspoilt" school. I would say as you travel up the coast of New England, this preperation kicks into full gear at Red's Eats (a shack in Wiscasset that's become a media darling). Here, a generous portion of lobster is served on the traditional "New England Style" hot-dog roll (the sides of the roll are not crust - for easy grilling*) with a side of butter. There is no dressing for the lobster, this is a purist's dream.

2) The "salad" school. Essentially, most establishments prepare lobster rolls in this fashion. A mayo-based dressing is applied to the lobster and it is often mixed with various fillers (celery etc). I've never seen a roll south of New England that doesn't fall into this category.

My preference falls somewhere between the two. Filler is sin, but a roll can be dressed in a manner that compliments - not overwhelms - the taste of the lobster.

I've sampled three rolls at three restaurants in this town: Legal Seafood, Kinkead's, and Hank's Oyster Bar. My favorite thus far is Legal's. I feel like the other two had dressing that overwhelmed the lobster: Kinkead's by seasoning, and Hank's by consistency (too thick). Legal also serves their roll with a generous portion of fries, however I've found the rolls can be inconsistent. My roll at Tyson's II was much better prepared than it's cousin in Crystal City.

So,

Where can a down-easter get his fix around here? 

* Can anybody tell me where I can purchase these buns around here???

My dining companion had a lobster roll-ish sandwich at Corduroy during lunch last week. I think it was listed on the menu as lobster salad, and would fall into your second category. The bun was round, and the speed with which my friend polished it off suggests it was tasty.

[kventura]

Hubby and I made our only outing of this year's Restaurant Week to Corduroy last night. We've been there many times so we already knew we were in for a treat.

For appetizers, I had the tomato salad and DH had the mozzarella porcupine. The tomatoes were fresh and delicious, but a bit too salted. Mozzarella was excellent.

For main course, I had the vegetable plate (my only option as a vegetarian) and DH had the sea scallops based on everyone's recommendations. he'd never had scallops before as an entree but he loved them. The veggie plate was amazing, especially so b/c I made things difficult by voicing my dislike for mushrooms. I ended up with a whole plate of food that I liked, which is a rarity for me: mashed potatoes, mini-ravioli, spinach, carrots, sushi rice, and green beans. Everything was wonderful.

For dessert, I had the kitkat bars and DH had the chocolate torte with banana. Both were great.

Our waiter was Derek from Firefly's brother, and he was excellent. He recommended a great new wine for us to try.

Our only complaint was that we both ate so much we made ourselves a little sick!

[JLK]

Is Corduroy open on Sunday nights?

[RissaP]

I tried the "Ron Jeremy" spring rolls for the first time a couple weeks ago.  They are lip-smackin' good.  And what?  Only $4 a plate at happy hour?  I was told by others that the recipe is from GM Rissa P.'s family.  Rissa, can I come over for dinner sometime? 

But of course, Crescentfresh, you are welcome anytime.

[JPW]

Disdaining the large table of rowdy Rockwellians for our own little table for two, Mrs JPW and I had a great meal at Corduroy Saturday night.

The little touches began with the table selection. Ferhat had procured for us a 4 top next to a wall with a space that would have been perfect to park Peanut. Alas, she is no longer at a stage where we can ask her to sit through three full courses, but we really appreciated the thoughtfulness.

In typical fashion, we probably ate more of each other's dishes than our own. We started with the mozzarella porcupine and the onion soubise. The mozzarella was as good as ever, but could have perhaps been just a few degrees warmer. As a rabid devotee of Chef Power's soups, I had been awaiting the chance to try the soubise. I was not disappointed. Silky and with a slight hint of sweetness from the vidalias, this was extremely good. I could make a full tasting menu from his soups. (hmmm... this gives me an idea)

Our second courses were the lamb with mini raviolis and the peppered tuna. The lamb, as always, was spectacular. Four thick medallions of perfectly medium rare sirloin. Every time I have this I pick up something new. Saturday night it was amazement that two rich components -- the lamb and the goat cheese ravioli with a cream sauce -- would normally make one think that the dish would be too heavy, but that is far from the case.

The revelation of the night for me was the tuna. A beautiful thick scallop of tuna, nicely seared, on top of hijiki (seaweed) and lotus root, all held up by a rice pilaf. Wow. A great combination of textures and flavors. Get this dish.

Dessert was the Kit Kat bars and the dark chocolate tart. This thing was so dark light just sank into it. You look at it and expect it to be dense and heavy then are surprised by the first bite which reveals its almost mousse-like texture. Disbelieving your own mouth you take another. And another. Before you know it, the whole thing is gone and you're left only with a smile on your face.

To drink, we had a very nice Cotes du Rhone Villages suggested by Chef Power to replace the Rasteau originally ordered that was not in stock.

A big thanks to Ferhat for excellent service. What really stood out about it was that it didn't stand out. Unobtrusive is the word I'm looking for. Perfect for a date night with the sexiest woman in town.

[laniloa]

Question:  Would Corduroy be a good place to take a client for lunch?  I need a fairly quiet place for us to talk.

Thanks!

Thanks for bringing this up. I think it is a great place for a business lunch between great food, unobtrusive but thoughtful service, and no ridiculous noise levels that prevent conversation. In fact, I'm going for a work lunch there tomorrow.

[Tweaked]

Burb...

That's all one can really say after the DR miniblow out at Corduroy Saturday night. Things got off nicely as Crackers and I split the cheese plate at the bar over some wine and a margarita. Five cheeses nicely presented with some of the great crusty bread they serve at Corduroy. Jacques, who swore he was only going to have a drink at the bar, was quickly sucked into the fun as the other guests arrived...

Corduroy offers their entire menu for RW with only a couple surcharges. As we reviewed the menu, Chef Power generously sent us out 2 heaping plates of the Ron Jeremy Spring Rolls, which were quickly devoured by all. I went with the soft shell crab with arugula. The soft shell was nicely deep fried, meaty and juicy. The was a wonderfully rich sauce that went with it, the type that needs several slices of bread afterwards to mop up.

I then moved on to the scallops, which I have to rank as one of the best dishes I've had in DC. Four perfectly seared scallops, resting on pools of buttery rich potato puree, with a chardonnay sauce (again mop up with bread) and chantrelle mushrooms...this dish is da bomb.

for dessert I had the dark chocolate tart with caramelized banana and chocolate ice cream. This is one of those chocolate desserts that cause brain cells to freeze from the intense chocolate flavors...not for the faint of heart!

Crackers, Jacques, and I spent most of the night sharing our dishes, so I can say that the lamb dish mentioned several times above is worthy of the praise. The lobster salad was light and refreshing,. Jacques claimed the local tomato salad was having the best tomatoes he's had all season, and his bluefish with tomato marmalade was also excellent.

I know we had some first time DRers with us, so I hope that this was a good intro to the food board...we're not that scary! Thanks to Crackers for playing host and accountant. and of course thanks to Chef Power, Ferhat and Rissa for taking care of us...

Da Bomb Scallops

Bluefish with Tomato Marmalade

Edited August 8, 2005 by Tweaked

[jm chen]

All the people were scary and the food was terrible.

KIDDING.

Jonathan and I had a wonderful time meeting the crowd and, of course, devouring the delicious and beautiful food. I went with the corn soup as the opener because it was seasonal and, also, because Ferhat said so. But I stared lustily at the nearby mozzarella porcupine and will be trying that sometime soon as well.

I also got to tip nearby diners off to the secret of the goat cheese/beet salad, as I remembered nearly sending it back the first time I got it, thinking the cheese had been forgotten. It's just so smoothly spread on the bottom of the plate that unless you scrape your knife against it, you don't know it's there. How does it get there? How does it get so smooth? Possibly elves.

I am a well-known lamb booster and this is only the second time I've had something that wasn't the lamb... and the scallops were utterly delicious. In a conversation that day with a friend who didn't like Corduroy, he complained that "my wife got scallops and it was only four scallops!" True, it was four scallops, but they were plump and perfectly seared and also served on piped heaps of the richest, most delightful mashed potatoes with a rich and tasty mushroom sauce. I don't know how anyone could consider it less than a hearty serving.

Of course I snared a few ravioli from Jonathan.

Similarly, I hardly ever deviate from my Kit Kat plan for dessert, but the pistachio bread pudding called my name, and filled the last little crack of room in my stomach. Really tasty and soft-textured with a great nubbly pistachio ice cream on the side.

The espresso tried mightily to keep me awake, but it was overcome: we showed up at the party at 10 and I found myself nodding off in a chair shortly before midnight.

Many thanks to crackers for organizing, Ferhat and Rissa for taking good care of us, and the rest of the table for being just so damn fun.

[Barbara]

If anybody who hasn't joined a DR outing and is concerned about going to a restaurant with a bunch of strangers, let me just add that I have never run into anybody at one of these events who behaved badly in any way. Not only do these folks know and care about good food and drink, they all have nice manners and the ability to converse in ways appropriate for a group like this. It is so refreshing and always extremely pleasant.

Do yourself a favor and go to something with the DR crowd.

After a weekend of stuffing our faces, I'm going to have to come up with something lighter and less-caloric for dinner tonight. Craig has been making noises about a beet and goat cheese salad. H-m-m-m.

[Free Wilma]

Is there a website for Corduroy? I trying to get my husband to agree to go for our anniversary. However, he's always hesitant if he can't see the menu first. Silly boy should just do what I tell him without quibbling after 17 years.

[mdt]

Is there a website for Corduroy?  I trying to get my husband to agree to go for our anniversary.  However, he's always hesitant if he can't see the menu first.  Silly boy should just do what I tell him without quibbling after 17 years.

No menu online, but I am sure that you can put together a resonable copy based on all of the posts here!

[Tweaked]

yeah just e-mail him a picture of the scallops!

[JPW]

Is there a website for Corduroy?  I trying to get my husband to agree to go for our anniversary.  However, he's always hesitant if he can't see the menu first.  Silly boy should just do what I tell him without quibbling after 17 years.

You know, it just disappeared some time in the last couple of weeks.

Anyways, from memory -- (and I'm sure that others will fill the rest in)

First course--

Bufalo Mozzarella Porcupine

Mixed Greens

Heirloom Tomato Salad

Beet and Goat cheese salad

Vidalia Onion Soubise

Corn Chowder

Second Course --

Roasted Lamb Sirloin with Goat cheese Mini-Raviolis

Peppered Tuna with hijiki and rice

Wagyu Striploin with Rutabaga Gratin

Roasted Scallops with Potato Puree.

Mixed Vegetable Plate

Dessert --

Michel's Kit Kat Bars

Chocolate Torte

Can you tell where I spend most of my dining out budget?

[Ferhat Yalcin]

Is there a website for Corduroy?  I trying to get my husband to agree to go for our anniversary.  However, he's always hesitant if he can't see the menu first.  Silly boy should just do what I tell him without quibbling after 17 years.

a new website is on the way...

[jm chen]

Anyways, from memory -- (and I'm sure that others will fill the rest in)

Right you are!

Dessert also includes:

- pistachio bread pudding

- sorbet

- berries with creme anglaise

- chocolate sabayon

I think that last one was a special, but the sorbet and berries are pretty constant.

[Tweaked]

add to the first courses:

Soft shell crab with arugula

lobster salad

add to the second courses:

Blue fish with tomato marmalade (see picture above)

add to dessert

bread pudding

sorbet (?)

cheese course (very good)

[bilrus]

Add a buffalo strip sirloin to the entrees. And the night I was there, sub out the scallops for wild Alaskan salmon.

[shogun]

Cheeks. Beef cheeks.

That is all.

[Buckinghamilton]

I'm FINALLY getting to Corduroy tomorrow for their extended RW (it is still going on, right?). I'm so excited! But I have a few questions...

Are the Ron Jeremies only available at the bar?

What is the proper dress?

And I'm pretty sure we'll be ordering the scallops and the lamb as entrees, but I can't narrow down the apps. I want the mozzarella porcupine, the Vidalia onion soubisse, the lobster salad, and the corn chowder. Which two reign supreme? Or should we just order them all?

[Jacques Gastreaux]

The heirloom tomato salad is spectacular.

[hillvalley]

First, a very belated CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR WEDDING!!! Buckinghamilton, I was told that it was absolutely beautiful.

Now, on to the food. Definitely go for the Vidalia onion soubisse and lobster salad. My mouth waters just thinking about them. Either you or dinerboy (why isn't he over here playing) must get either the scallops or soft shell crabs.

And of course, end with the KitKat thang. But don't overlook the sorbets. They are wonderfully luscious.

I'm glad you are finally going!

[Ferhat Yalcin]

I'm FINALLY getting to Corduroy tomorrow for their extended RW (it is still going on, right?).  I'm so excited!  But I have a few questions...

Are the Ron Jeremies only available at the bar? 

What is the proper dress?

And I'm pretty sure we'll be ordering the scallops and the lamb as entrees, but I can't narrow down the apps.  I want the mozzarella porcupine, the Vidalia onion soubisse, the lobster salad, and the corn chowder.  Which two reign supreme?  Or should we just order them all? 

happy to say it is definitely not a corn chowder , it is `Northern Neck Corn soup`

[goldenticket]

I'm FINALLY getting to Corduroy tomorrow for their extended RW (it is still going on, right?).  ... What is the proper dress?

I too am looking forward to my first visit to Corduroy on Friday...and am also having a hard time narrowing down the list of what sound like wonderful choices! Please report back after your dinner and let us know what you had and what was good. When I called for my reservation this morning, I was told that no shorts were allowed in the dining room, but that was about all they said regarding dress.

PS - As a newbie, I was wondering if you DR.com-ers identify yourself to staff that are regulars on the board (when reserving, when arriving)?? Just wondering what's appropriate...

[CrescentFresh]

PS - As a newbie, I was wondering if you DR.com-ers identify yourself to staff that are regulars on the board (when reserving, when arriving)??  Just wondering what's appropriate...

It varies from restaurant to restaurant, but at Corduroy we do it by wearing balloon animal hats. I know, it sounds silly, but we've found it's really tbe best way to identify a DR-VIP without having to actually say "do you know who I am?" in conversation with all the staff members until you find the one who knows that Rockwell membership has its privledges.