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Proof, Capital One Arena, Chef George Rodrigues Replaces Austin Fausett, Who Replaced Ben Schramm, Who Replaced Haidar Kharoum, Etc. - Closed Feb 2, 2019


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What a hoot that this got interesting! :)  FWIW, I did say *almost* userous. :)  I think I paid $50 once.Most of the time it is $20 to $25.

I do not think corkage is a right. A restaurant offers it or it does not. If it does, they charge $x fee and may limit the number of bottles you can do this with at one sitting. They likely refuse to allow corkage for a wine on their list. All of that is the restaurant's choice and decision. I am good with that.

Further, most restaurants make most of their money on booze, not food. So cocktails, wine, other beverages all contribute at a greater rate to the profits of a restaurant far more than the food they make serve and sell you. So I get that they would prefer you buy off of their list and not use their corkage policy, if offered. Plus, some restaurants do a bang up job on building and maintaining a great list and this takes, time, effort and money, and yes, risk.

So, for me, as a consumer, I get to pick where I want to dine, and follow what their policies are on this subject. If a place does not offer corkage, I can go there, or not. If I think their prices for wine, on balance, are more than I am willing to pay, I don't have to buy a bottle off of their list. Or I can instead choose to go to a different place with a better priced wine list, or one that offers corkage. It's my call. :)

I really do not understand why some folks are so angry or bitter about some restaurant wine/corkage policies. Why get mad? If it makes you that mad, go someplace else FFS.

For me, in general, I have wine when I dine out. I often partake of an offered corkage program. Probably 60-70% of the time. The rest of the time we order off the list and (usually) keep it reasonable.  For me, going to places that do offer corkage makes more sense. I get to have a wine from my cellar, which I have stored correctly over a period of time. I pay the corkage fee (my general tolerance level is $25) and I'm happy. I also do get to save money, yes indeed. This means I can dine out more often. Because dining out is something I dearly love to do (in particular when it is just my wife and I), being able to it more often makes me happy.

The key here is knowing what works for you and what works for the place you want to dine. It's no big mystery.  And honestly, perusing (and picking) from a wine list is FUN. You gotta look for the easter eggs!

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Still wondering about this.  Are your views about insurance coverage more reflective of the insurance market for consumers and private collectors than for restaurants with hundreds of thousands of dollars (if not millions) tied up in inventory?  Again, I'm not sure but part of the reason why I thought higher end restaurants might have good protection from distributor contracts and insurance is the occasional news item when referenced like this.

To Don't point though, maybe this isn't a material expense for a better restaurant/wine bar like Proof?  And, if it isn't, then gets back to the the markups being unreasonable relative to nearly any other kind of product or service.

Also, I think this a great and useful conversation precisely because there was constructive disagreement.  Different from Don's statement here:

Maybe I misinterpreted what I read (wouldn't be the first time) but I thought it clear that you and Don had a civil disagreement about corkage fees and, maybe, markups to some degree?  Namely, that Keith was more tolerant of both than Don.

My views on insurance are reflective of the personal insurance market - that said, I know at least a half dozen of private collectors with insured collections of six and seven figures, that exceed the value of 99% of restaurant lists. Asked one of those folks about their insurance policy last night. His reply was that with the exception of deductibles, etc the base outlines of his policy are identical to mine in terms of what was covered - and that the policy is no different than those for the restaurants he has investments in. Hope this clears some things up.

And, in the FL theft example, that theft would have been covered by insurance - bad bottles, as mentioned above, not so much.

And I agree, didn't see any issues with respect to civility at all - just a discussion (well, save the change in my member category).

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A question for those in the business, or otherwise in a position to know:

How long does an average bottle sit in the cellar at a restaurant/wine bar like Proof? Specifically, how long before the money invested in it is recouped?

How long does an exceptional bottle sit around, not earning back the cash that was spent on it?

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With 1000 bottles in my cellar I do ask and pay for corkage in special occasions. And in those circumstances such as a high school or college graduation, I am typically picking a bottles that I have owned and stored for many years. IE when my son graduates RPI this month I will be looking to open 1993 California Cabernets I bought when he was born.

But I'm not a wine snob and have had a great time at Proof with friends and a few bottles of 40 dollar Rioja. It was great.

Many times I'm more then happy to cook and open up a great bottle at home. cellar tracker makes it easy to see what I have and what other think of what I'm about to open.

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While my cellar is not quite a large as Marks, I do have a lot of wine that I really want to drink with friends and family when I am dining out.  I still plan to go to Proof in a couple of days to celebrate my birthday (there will be four of us) and will be taking wine with me.  On the same token, I might decide to buy something from the list if it really strikes my fancy.

TJ - any special recommendations.  Since the wife doesn't particularly like Cabs, I'm not taking a Match or KL, but will definitely take one of her favorite PNs or Syrahs.  The Chard is for me. I wish I could look at their wine list on line, but it would be impossible to keep it updated.  I will have to call to make sure I'm not bringing anything they have.

I will say this for their list, it has some things on it that I have not seen on any other list in DC that I certainly want to try.

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I actually think their online list is their actual list. I recall their having an online cellar system which tied inventory into the list you see.

The gnocchi are some of the best in town and their cheese service is superb.

Dark space but they offer lighted magnifying glasses to read the menu.

Enjoy.

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I actually think their online list is their actual list. I recall their having an online cellar system which tied inventory into the list you see.

This is (or was) true. Plume has a similarly updated list online, FYI.

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I actually think their online list is their actual list. I recall their having an online cellar system which tied inventory into the list you see.

The gnocchi are some of the best in town and their cheese service is superb.

Dark space but they offer lighted magnifying glasses to read the menu.

Enjoy.

Good to know.  I checked and what I plan to bring is not on the list.

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While my cellar is not quite a large as Marks, I do have a lot of wine that I really want to drink with friends and family when I am dining out.  I still plan to go to Proof in a couple of days to celebrate my birthday (there will be four of us) and will be taking wine with me.  On the same token, I might decide to buy something from the list if it really strikes my fancy.

TJ - any special recommendations.  Since the wife doesn't particularly like Cabs, I'm not taking a Match or KL, but will definitely take one of her favorite PNs or Syrahs.  The Chard is for me. I wish I could look at their wine list on line, but it would be impossible to keep it updated.  I will have to call to make sure I'm not bringing anything they have.

I will say this for their list, it has some things on it that I have not seen on any other list in DC that I certainly want to try.

Go with what you think is ready and tasty. If you go with a good Pinot or Syrah, you really can't go wrong. I've been slumming it in cheap Spanish grenaches mainly, of late, so I may not be much help. Also loving Rhones of all shapes and sizes, that'd be a good option too. You already know all the food there is quite good.

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Dinner last night was fantastic.  I took the Kosta Browne Chardonney One Sixteen Vineyard and the 2009 Black Kite Pinot Noir Angel Hawk Reserve.  We started with the Chef's charcuterie board, which was fantastic.  I had the duck confit and the lamb chops.  Jake had the wagyu carpachio and the duck breast.  Karen started with the baby Kale salad and had the ahi tuna tartare as her entree.  Erin (Jake's friend) had the Crispy Pig's head and the pork chop.  We shared some of the califlower too.  All of it was excellent and the cheese board, sorbets, rubarb and strawberry torte and sticky toffee pudding with espresso and port topped the evening.

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Planning on going to Proof for Birthday dinner later on this month...anything recommendations or pointers people have who have eaten here.  I am going based on recommendation from a regular user to this site. 

As Rovers2000 suggests, at Proof they have some basic dishes whose current form shifts and reshapes as time passes. I've loved the spicy meatballs with stuffed pasta and tomato fondue when I've had it, several times. The last time I had the dish a couple of years ago, it was lamb meatballs with agnolotti, and I forget what they were filled with; on the current menu it's a different meatball with ricotta ravioli. I'd order it if I were there. The current veal sweatbreads dish is different from the one I had in November of 2010, but that one was among the best things I ate that year. It looked like this:

sweetbreads%20at%20Proof_zpsxb9vmlnr.jpg

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We had dinner here before Springsteen at the Verizon Center last night.  The restaurant was packed from opening with people who had the same idea. There seemed to be a pretty uniform demographic in the place :P .  They had an all-Bruce soundtrack playing as well.

Since Proof is so very dark inside, I had gone over the January 2016 menu on the website so I knew what to order without having to read much of the paper menu.  Unfortunately, the menu had changed and the item I most wanted was not available, so I had the menu-reading problem anyway.  Even their flashlight didn't help much.   :angry:

I ended up with a shrimp and scallop gumbo ($13) instead of the split pea soup I had been hoping for and, whether it was the change in plans or something else, I found it overpowering.  The roux base was probably made totally correctly, but it was just too much. My taste buds objected. I identified a couple of shrimp and shrimp pieces in the bowl but the scallops were lost in the mix.  I ate the solids and gave up on finishing the broth.

The vegetarian main dish I had, however, was a winner:  House Made Egg Noodle Tagliatelle with Squash, Kale & Wild Mushrooms, leeks, sage, brown butter, toasted hazelnuts, shaved parmesan 25.  This came in a very large portion, and my husband ended up eating about half of it.  I don't know what kind the wild mushrooms were but they were a distinct meaty element in the dish and a good contrast to the crunch of the nuts and the softness of other components.

 
My husband liked his main course of salmon, which I think is this from the online menu (it at least had the pomegranate vinaigrette):  Roasted Ora King Salmon with Celery Root Mousseline sautéed baby kale, pomegranate vinaigrette, three celery salad 30.  I hesitated even to take a bite, as the portion was so small.  It was probably the appropriate "size of the deck of cards" protein portion, but it looked very small the way it was plated.  Since my main portion was so huge, he still got plenty to eat.  He started with Sautéed Artichokes with Heirloom Peppers & Marinated White Anchovies scallions, olives, artichoke vinaigrette, lemon bread crumbs 12. He loves artichokes and seemed pleased with this preparation.  
 
The complimentary lavash and labneh provided an enjoyable opening to the meal, just enough of a "bread" experience without being too filling, the way a bread basket would be.
 
Service was prompt and pleasant on a busy Friday night, and our server good-naturedly put up with my grumbling about the changed menu and my inability to read the printed menus.  
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2 hours ago, DPop said:

Man, looking at that veritable All-Star team now (and including Adam Bernbach, who joined not long after it opened) brings back such fond memories. Proof was easily my favorite restaurant in this area from late 2006 to 2009.

Same here. I was fortunate to live in DC during those years and loved going to Proof. Also loved that you could go there and have a great night without breaking the bank. Next month we will be visiting DC for a few days and there are plenty of new places to try, but we will in all likelihood still drop by Proof for a glass of wine and a cheese and charcuterie board. 

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We wanted a small bite before heading to Woolly Mammoth last night, so we stopped in at Proof and snagged a couple seats at the bar.  The bar area was mostly full and it was sort of a luck of the draw to get a seat.  We only had about 30 minutes so we ordered quickly.

I enjoyed the Château St. Louis, Corbières-Boutenac, Languedoc, France ($13 6oz pour), while my partner had the Domaine Grosbois, Cuisine de ma Mère, Chinon, Loire Valley, France ($15 6oz).  We ordered the Crispy Fingerling Potatoes with Old Bay & Malt Vinegar Aioli ($10) which were pretty damn delicious.  This will be a must order next time.  We also ordered the Trout Flatbread with shaved fennel, eggplant baba ganoush, smoked trout roe ($14).  The flatbread was a little odd, kind of like a homemade ryvita, smeared with the baba ganoush, sprinkled with roe, and piled high with greens and fennel.  The flavors all worked, but the flatbread just didn't seem right, and there were so many greens it ended up being almost like a salad course rather than a flatbread course.  But it was tasty and a pretty good sized plate.  We also had the lavash crackers (free!).

Proof is never going to be a cheap date, but it certainly hit the spot for a quick bite before the theater.

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On 1/29/2017 at 11:41 AM, Pool Boy said:

What are the current thoughts on Proof please? There has been a lot of change there over the last 18 months as I recall. Any current information on trips there in the last 6 months would be very appreciated.

My thought is: Go.  There was a period of change and for awhile it seemed adrift.  But after a few trips over the last couple months, I think the chef and team have settled in.  The food is thoughtful and creative.  The wine list remains excellent, and the by-the-glass list is back to sneaking some gems in among the standards.  There is a positive vibe about the place, even if it is not the "scene" it once was.  I will stipulate that I've always been biased favorably toward Proof, but I think it is justified again. 

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I have enjoyed Proof many time, I believe most recently in November.  It is a solid choice with very good wine and cheese selections.  Not cheap,  I only hoped they have some of those flashlights/magnifiers left as I seem to have a few at home!!  Very dark.

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11 hours ago, ryant68 said:

My thought is: Go.  There was a period of change and for awhile it seemed adrift.  But after a few trips over the last couple months, I think the chef and team have settled in.  The food is thoughtful and creative.  The wine list remains excellent, and the by-the-glass list is back to sneaking some gems in among the standards.  There is a positive vibe about the place, even if it is not the "scene" it once was.  I will stipulate that I've always been biased favorably toward Proof, but I think it is justified again. 

I went here this past weekend and I have to agree with you. The food was quite good. They have J.K. Carriere on the by the glass list which is nice. Nice cocktails too. Great cheeses and charcuterie, too. Very good service. I'll be back when I can!

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On 2/2/2017 at 10:06 AM, Pool Boy said:

I went here this past weekend and I have to agree with you. The food was quite good. They have J.K. Carriere on the by the glass list which is nice. Nice cocktails too. Great cheeses and charcuterie, too. Very good service. I'll be back when I can!

Went again and still liking it. Good meal, got to eat outside in the middle to late evening with this wonderful weather. Good service. I'll be back.

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Chef Austin Fausett is departing for Chicago and George Rodrigues from Schlow Restaurant Group where he was the executive chef at Tico, The Riggsby, Conosci, and Calle Cinco is taking over as Executive Chef.  Apparently, Proof also plans a "significant refresh" and recently renewed its lease for another five years.   All via Laura Hayes in the City Paper

I believe Fausett's wife has also been serving as GM and somm at Proof for the past year or two, but the article does not mention her or any other staff changes. 

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7 hours ago, youngfood said:

Chef Austin Fausett is departing for Chicago and George Rodrigues from Schlow Restaurant Group where he was the executive chef at Tico, The Riggsby, Conosci, and Calle Cinco is taking over as Executive Chef.  Apparently, Proof also plans a "significant refresh" and recently renewed its lease for another five years.   All via Laura Hayes in the City Paper

I believe Fausett's wife has also been serving as GM and somm at Proof for the past year or two, but the article does not mention her or any other staff changes. 

Having talked with the Proof refugees, you have *no* idea how big a deal this post is. Thanks for letting us know, youngfood - this will be unfathomably big news to some in the industry.

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On 1/9/2018 at 10:08 PM, DonRocks said:

Having talked with the Proof refugees, you have *no* idea how big a deal this post is. Thanks for letting us know, youngfood - this will be unfathomably big news to some in the industry.

My wife and I have enjoyed Proof every time we've gone, and I'm not so clued in to industry news, so could you elaborate a bit on your (or others') thoughts/expectations? Just trying to figure out whether it's a good thing or a "let's wait and see" thing...

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41 minutes ago, captcourt said:

My wife and I have enjoyed Proof every time we've gone, and I'm not so clued in to industry news, so could you elaborate a bit on your (or others') thoughts/expectations? Just trying to figure out whether it's a good thing or a "let's wait and see" thing...

I honestly don't know what the conclusion will be, only that Proof is a very different restaurant now than it was when Mark Kuller was running it - Mark had retained the original staff for a long time, paying them very well in the process, but afterwards, there was a mass-exodus due to a power shift which some viewed as catastrophic.

I wish I could list specific examples, but that would be ratting people out who confided in me privately.

My personal view is that Mark had a vision to make Proof into the best restaurant he could make, and whether or not that vision remains - I just don't know, but I do know that some people are very resentful, and not just ex-employees.

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We went last night as we were in the area, and our dinner was quite good. Between us we had Braised Octopus (black garlic aioli, crispy potato), Trofie Pasta (genovese basil & Italian pine nut pesto), Cauliflower (lemon, tahini, garlic, mint), and Roasted Baby Carrots (whipped goat cheese, candied pepita).That's an appetizer, an entree, and two sides, and it was quite enough food as we did not have room for dessert (neither of us were hugely hungry to begin with).  We started with the gratis "flatbread" (really crackers) and labne (in a little circular dish like butter, and mixed with some things I can't recall other than a bit of jalepeno), which was tasty and a nice way to start. The octopus is a quite generous appetizer (I had it for a main with the two veggie sides, but shared all three with my dining companion and had some of her pasta). The potato disks were nicely crispy, the octopus (sliced rounds from the tentacles) was tender and tasty, and I avoided the little red rounds of hot peppers, though I had one octopus bite that was a bit fiery. (I definitely dislike when restaurants don't disclose the presence of hot peppers on the menu, because my husband cannot eat them in any amount or strength, but my dining companion last night didn't mind them. But if I'd gone with my husband and we'd planned to split the octopus as we've done in other places, we both would've been disgruntled.)

The pasta was homemade and had an excellent texture, and the pesto was very fresh and good. ("Pine nut pesto" seems like a retronym to me, but maybe the menu was pointing out that the pine nuts were Italian.)  It came with a couple of green beans and a couple small purple potatoes (potatoes with pasta makes me think of Big Night: "Maybe I should make mashed potato for another side!") The cauliflower was beautifully browned (it's always disappointing when roasted cauliflower is pale and underdone) and delicious, and the baby carrots were a beautiful and flavorful mix of colors, sweet, and well-prepared. All the cominations of ingredients were excellent.

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Folks, I'm *delighted* that you're getting together, but Proof is almost entirely unrelated to what it was before: different ownership, different kitchen, different front of house - I highly recommend going somewhere else; Proof has been a mere shadow of a carbon copy of itself for many years now.

Still, if people want to give the space that one, last, college try, it still has a fun bar area; I just wouldn't go expecting the same food or service as before.

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15 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Folks, I'm *delighted* that you're getting together, but Proof is almost entirely unrelated to what it was before: different ownership, different kitchen, different front of house - I highly recommend going somewhere else; Proof has been a mere shadow of a carbon copy of itself for many years now.

Still, if people want to give the space that one, last, college try, it still has a fun bar area; I just wouldn't go expecting the same food or service as before.

You raise a good point - my meal at Bistro Francais in the waning days was pretty poor. That said, still some gems on the list, and I'll be in the neighborhood. 

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17 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Folks, I'm *delighted* that you're getting together, but Proof is almost entirely unrelated to what it was before: different ownership, different kitchen, different front of house - I highly recommend going somewhere else; Proof has been a mere shadow of a carbon copy of itself for many years now.

Still, if people want to give the space that one, last, college try, it still has a fun bar area; I just wouldn't go expecting the same food or service as before.

I agree that its a shell of what it used to be - that said, to Keithstg's point - there is wine to be consumed :).  

...and I'm down there relatively frequently for Caps games or other things.  The space has a lot of good memories and while the food isn't what it used to be - I've found that one last time in a space where I've had good meals, good times and memories that make me smile can be as important as the food itself.

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