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Banco

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Posts posted by Banco

  1. Is this really worth ranting about? He sounds like the dude who went on Tom's chat to complain about small plates.

    I enjoy small plates on occasion in places that do them well, like some Spanish(-themed) restaurants, and in the right company. But like charcuterie and other traditional European food forms, the concept has been abused in order to stimulate market share among the otherwise clueless great American eating public. Remember the fashion for fondue and smorgasbords in the Seventies? That's how "small plates" will be seen 20-30 years from now. To that extent I absolutely and wholeheartedly agree with this rant.

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  2. I went by Balducci's in McLean and didn't see it. Also stopped at Chain Bridge Cellars and was told they sold out. Anyone else had luck finding this?

    I wanted two cases of this for my party last weekend. I tried to get them through Sonoma's distributor, with no luck (and if they can't get it, well...). It was written up in the Post a few weeks ago, so maybe that explains the shortage. I can recommend an excellent replacement, though: Charmille Pays d'Oc 2012 Domaine de Malavieille. Available at Schneider's for about 12.50/bottle, which is cheaper than the Dragon, if I recall correctly.

  3. No mention yet? Does anybody still care? (Or did I miss a topic somewhere?)

    http://www.therammys.org/winners/2013-restaurants-in-bloom/

    Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award – Linda Lee

    Joan Hisaoka Associate Member – Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC

    Neighborhood Gathering Place – Nellie’s Sports Bar, Washington, DC

    Power Spot – P.J. Clarke’s, Washington, DC

    Hottest Bar Scene – Bar Pilar, Washington, DC

    Restaurant Employee – Luis Noriega, Zengo, Washington, DC

    Restaurant Manager – Michael Nevarez, Vidalia/Bistro Bis/Woodward Table, Washington, DC

    Pastry Chef – Beverly Bates, Vidalia, Washington, DC

    Upscale Casual Restaurant – Estadio, Washington, DC

    Rising Culinary Star – Scot Harlan, Green Pig Bistro, Arlington, VA

    Best New Restaurant – Mintwood Place, Washington, DC

    Wine Program – Marcel’s by Robert Wiedmaier, Washington, DC

    Beverage/Mixology Program – Room 11, Washington, DC

    Fine Dining Restaurant – Blue Duck Tavern, Washington, DC

    Casual Restaurant – C.F. Folks Restaurant, Washington, DC

    Restaurateur of the Year – Ashok Bajaj, Knightsbridge Restaurant Group

    Chef of the Year – Fabio Trabocchi, Fiola, Washington, DC

    Honorary Milestone – Clyde’s of Georgetown, Washington, DC

    I guess I really need to get out more. I haven't heard of half of these places.

  4. I recently hosted a big party and ordered about 5 pounds of charcuterie from Red Apron in Union Market. I had never tried their products before and had never even looked closely at them, either. I called them up and they sent me a list of their products, and I just ordered from it blind.

    Everything was excellent. I ordered coppa, lomo, fennel/verbena salami, sopressa, mortadella prato, duck rillettes, wild boar paté and paté de campagne. A good friend who, I think, smears pork fat on his nipples in his private moments said the wild boar paté changed his life. Everything was made to a high standard and it was gratifying to see an American (and local!) producer turn out such beautiful examples of these classic European salumi.

    Their service was also great. Rachel helped me with the list and got my order all ready at short notice, and everything was sliced thinly and carefully. The resulting charcuterie board that I was able to assemble was a big hit at my party.

    This experience restored my gratitude for the charcuterie trend, which at restaurants can sometimes get a bit ridiculous.

    • Like 2
  5. I also like Beefeater as a relatively neutral (dare I say "mild?") gin. I was at The Passenger last week, and ordered my usual (a Gimlet, fresh lime juice obligatory), and asked for Bombay (not Sapphire; just plain Bombay). They didn't have it, but they asked if Beefeater was acceptable, and it was A-OK with me. And a fine Gimlet it was, too.

    My sentiments exactly. I also prefer either for martinis (when I used to drink them). Did your bartender assume you meant Sapphire when you said Bombay? I hate it when that happens.

  6. I like Hank's in Dupont - had a very fine dinner out on the patio Friday night. Hard to beat that - reliable, good service. I will pass on the cocktails however.

    Before Hanks had a terrific $14.00 Paloma at BlackJack. Expensive but worth it - quality all throughout. Compare to what turned out to be a $13.00 or so French 75 that I had at Hank's while waiting for our table. Made with Beefeater and what looked like a pretty anonymous proseco. Just foul. Rail gin at premium prices, that's just bad manners :) Wanted to say something but always tricky on a 2nd date getting snooty about the gin...

    Rail or not, Beefeater's is an entirely respectable gin. Certainly not trendy or fashionable, but a fine product nonetheless.

  7. Backstage Right at the Kennedy Center Opera House there is a huge poster of BP in Annie Get Your Gun. There are many other posters from many other productions on the walls there, massive things intended for outdoor display, 9 by 5 feet or larger. But I always end up looking at this one because it's right where I often wait for an entrance cue. She's holding her revolvers in the air, which provides a double-phallic counterpoint to her pert, gravity-defying breasts fairly bursting through the plaid gingham that proclaims the false "frontier" innocence of her character. Then I think, "Steve Martin was such a lucky bastard."

  8. No mystery here. Banquo is an erstwhile ally of Macbeth, murdered by same. He later appears as a ghost at a feast, making him the ideal dinner companion. I use the Italian spelling because the character is also in Verdi's adaptation of Shakespeare's play, where he has a fine scena right before his murder, a standard audition piece for bass.

    • Like 2
  9. The rye from German Gourmet in Falls Church is the best I've had in this area. No seeds, but they have it in a wood-oven and brick-oven baked version. Dense, with a lovely crust. Toasted, with butter and fleur de sel, and I'm happy.

  10. We had a very similar first visit here recently. I wish I'd been before the changes as our experience watching the Chef cook at his former restaurant was one of our all time favorites.

    I'm afraid I also must join in this collective "meh." I hadn't been to the higher-end predecessor, but this version struck me as a textbook example of what reverse-snobs think of when they deride "fancy restaurants." Charcuterie, no matter how good, is in the end a simple thing and should be treated as such. Here it is portioned fastidiously and with an almost comical fuss of plates and tableware. It made we want to see the whole charcuterie fad just die right now. My experience with the Tortelli was similar to Sthitch's, though I didn't send mine back. I don't normally pay a great deal of attention to decor in restaurants, but some of the things here are Cracker Barrel weird: sawn-off barrel bottoms mounted on the walls with steel brackets, garden implements seemingly fresh out of Smith and Hawken hanging here and there--an entirely failed attempt at "Italian country." I think perhaps all the way around that Elisir needs to more fully embrace its Osteria identity with more attention to simplicity and authenticity.

  11. I"d like to add to this conversation. My husband and I have been dining at AB since we were dating...I met my future in-laws there one Easter. Since we have gone dirty, dressed up, wet, and hauling a baby, and toddler. They always great us with great joy. I think it's really nice how welcoming they are to use when we come post-hike, no reservations on the weekend and even with a toddler. I think someone who owns or works there has a little girl my son's age (or close) so perhaps they are used to amusing the young.

    And also the food is fabulous. Always.

    This is good to hear. I've never been but I have reservations for us and my parents (visiting from Wash. state) next weekend and am really looking forward to it based on what I've read here on DR.

  12. Last night I had a Halibut special. Delicate and tender, the fish was served over a small bed of onion-spiked spinach with a sunchoke sauce. This was a simple but beautifully prepared dish--a cut above most of the food I have had at Beuchert's, though most of my diet there has been liquid. Brendan proudly showed off the things that are springing to life at the family farm, so the season will bring interesting things.

  13. Last night at Beuchert's one of the servers in the backroom came up to talk to the bartenders because her customer had ordered a vodka martini "up" and she didn't know what that meant. The same customer had asked for white vermouth, and the bartenders didn't seem to know the difference between that and dry vermouth. (I think they used Dolin Blanc.)

    That's strange coming from Beuchert's, though the confusion about white vermouth is understandable.

  14. A surprisingly frequent foible: I order a cocktail (e.g., a Manhattan) "straight up" and am given the requisite ingredients at room temperature in an old-fashioned glass. No shaking, no stirring, no use of ice at all. The last time this happened was during a cast party at a hotel bar in Foggy Bottom. Sometimes the "bartender" even gets defensive if I try to explain what "straight up" means. Kids these days.

  15. I'm glad to read this positive review. Not long after their soft opening began I started going to Beuchert's nearly every night for my customary post-performance rye Manhattan wind-down. I can tell you that no matter who happens to be making the drinks there, they are consistently good and well crafted. And because their kitchen stays open until 11 on weeknights, I've also been able to sample some of the food. On the excellent paté see above. The chicken the one time I had it was not successful (under-re-heated and not well roasted to begin with) but it sounds like they have since corrected that. Their salads have been winners: simple but inventive and carefully prepared. The fries are perfect and the charcuterie is some of the best I've had--sliced on a great beast of an antique slicer. The atmosphere is genuinely neighborly and friendly. Brendan, Nathan, chef Markert and their staff are making a great effort here and I hope they get the strong support from the neighborhood (and elsewhere) that they deserve.

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