wolverine

I agree that Summers is a good bar for watching sports -- just not located in DC.

Probably not long, unless they put buffalo wings on the menu. We've already got a Hard Rock Cafe and ESPN Zone truckin them in by the busload. Is there another garbage concept chain ready to move into DC?

Name a better sports bar in DC than ESPNzone where you can watch sporting events -- somewhere that carries more than network or basic cable games.

Looking for an atypical, yet good steakhouse in NYC. I've been to Dylan Prime and really liked it. Was thinking about trying Porter House (not sure how different it is). Any thoughts on Porter House or other recommendations?

Returned to Ann Arbor this weekend and was a bit disappointed with the fare. The Red Hawk has been continuing its disappointing trend of cutting back on the menu. While it appears to be as long as ever, toppings for burgers and omelets now take up large portions of it. Gone are some great sandwiches, including the Midnight Snack and the 316 (I believe that was the number), as well as some entrees. The Fundraiser is still good, although the bread selection is now limited to sourdough, wheat, and rye. Most of its items are fairly standard and plain -- burgers, chix sandwiches, club sandwich, burritos, and omelets -- with no real Red Hawk twist.

We also ate at Gratzi's/The Chop House. The wait time kept on getting extended, which is forgivable since it's a football weekend. The antipasti at the Gratzi bar was boring. The Chop House steak, itself, was quite good and of great quality. As was the side of potatoes au gratin that we ordered. However, the waiter's suggestion were laughable. It's remarkable that his recommendations, without fail, ended up being the most expensive item for each category on the menu: appetizer, steak, seafood, and poultry. His wine selection, while not quite the most expensive, was not reasonable and particularly so for Ann Arbor. He also seemed upset that we ordered an appetizer at the bar during the wait. I'd look past the waiter though and give the Chop House another go.

maybe there is no Ritz behind him this time. maybe money is an object sometimes.

He's got Barry Sternlicht (Starwood Capital) and Steven Hanson backing him at Fiamma (a B.R. Guest restaurant). Money is still no object.

It's open for business. Has anybody tried it?

I can't say anything about the food or wine here, but it's got an absolutely gawdawful Web site.

I think it's great. Reminds me of an iphone. I guess some of the pictures could have better clarity before you highlight one, but I find it very creative.

I'd recommend the Chickeen Green Masala with a side of Paneer Makhani.

Louisville

That was some good eatin'!

early supper at The Brown Hotel, Louisville KY, Friday 31 August 2007

Go easy. These guys just got out of college and are trying something new (at least for the DC area).

Heidi's for sandwiches -- between 17th and 18th on H Street.

http://www.heidisbrooklyndeli.com/

Five Guys in the food court under International Square.

Perfect Pita (or something like that) on 19th (I believe) between K and L Streets -- sorry for the vague description. Go for the Veggie Pita.

"Chilled Ratatouille" is two large bowls, one filled with eggplant-tomato yumminess, the other with dressed, bitter greens. It's a lot of food for $9 at lunch...I joked that if they served it with chips, they could call it "Provencal Nachos" and charge $16.

I had the Chilled Ratatouille last night for dinner and thought it was awesome. Goes great with a Bell's Oberon -- although so does almost anything.

I was recently in St. John, USVI. Aside from places previously mentioned, I found Morgan's Mango to be outstanding, both in terms of food and service. I had their voodoo (blackened) mahi mahi (usually made with snapper, but you can choose any of their fish) with a mango salsa. A good balance of spice and sweetness. My wife had the filet with a garlic/parsley sauce -- quite good as well. They also have a great bar, which on the night we dined seemed to have more and later activity than most St. John's bars. If I return to one spot on St. John, it would be Morgan's Mango.

http://digitaldudes.com/navigmorgans.htm

We like Alberto's because it does do a pretty authentic Chicago style pizza, and the pan and chicago style crusts are chewy, flavorful and substantial. The Dupont Circle location's service was always spotty (and they took forever to deliver), but we recently ordered a garlic crust pan pizza with pepperoni, sausage, mushroom and spinach, and a caesar salad from the AM location, and both were great. Definitely took the 50-55 minutes that they said it would, and for $35, it's not the cheapest, but it was good.

I like the pizza at Alberto's but prohibit myself from ever ordering from there again. A couple of years ago I ordered delivery, waited a long amount of time, and the delivery man then demanded double the price when he got to my door -- take it or leave it. Quite hungry and with an empty pantry, I paid the man. I can't recall exactly what response I received when I called the store, but obviously it was not to my satisfaction (suffice it to say I never got my money or any future considerations).

Hmm... hoping to get some suggestions...

Have you tried Zaytinya?

Heidi's -- go for the Bronx Bomber.

Looks to be closed. Sign in window says that Restaurant K by Allison Swopes will be opening in September.

They are better than Potbelly, or Quiznos. That ain't saying much though.

I think you're underestimating the importance, nay, the deliciousness, of a toasted sandwich.

Rustico has fried pickle spears on the bar menu. Are the ones at Del Merei Grill fried pickle slices? (I've been searching for a place that serves fried slices)

Agreed. Fried pickle chips are the way to go. I too have been searching for a local place that serves these southern delicacies. So far, I have been able to coax a friend into making them during a fry night, but no restaurant/bar where I can get my fix consistently.

Oceanaire may have Alaskan King Crab, but you should call ahead.

I ate at Il Mulino tonight - Thursday, March 29th and all can say...it was Surreal! 8 PM Reservation with my sister, we were a few minutes late - a very New Yauk guy was complaining about his 15 minute wait and how this would never happen in NYC...there were maybe 10 full tables and 25 empty ones, the place was pretty empty! I sort of ignored the guy because he was complaining pretty loudly an it took about 5 minutes to get a table...tons of servers/sommeliers and who knows what scurrying around....

I can't believe they haven't fixed this problem. It's almost as if they're trying to create a buzz by having people wait (like a nightclub), except everybody can see the restaurant is more than half empty. I have no problem waiting 5-15 minutes past my reservation time, or even longer, when the restaurant is busy. Otherwise, it's just a bad way to start off the night, particularly with two employees doing nothing but greeting you at the door. I was tempted to seat myself. Luckily for me, the service got better when we were seated. Trust me, I would not have waited sixty minutes at the table before somebody so much as asked me for a drink order. There are plenty of other restaurants in DC.

Based on the menu pricing, I expected to hear that the wine is marked up by a pretty big multiple. What'd you drink, and how much was it?

Can't recall at this point. It was a Zinfandel for either $55 or $65.

More about Proof (by Amanda McClements)

Anybody know when this place is scheduled to open?

You're up to date on all your vaccinations, yes?

Rub some alcohol on it.

Pour House or Old Dominion Brewery for NCAA games Thursday? I'm open to other recs as well. I'm in Alexandria, but don't want to spend several hours exposed to smoke, which is why I'm researching DC.

Criteria:

Has all NCAA games on decent TVs - The game I want is not being shown locally.

Is near Metro

Non-smoking

Quality Food/Beers

It appears that the Pour House and the Old Dominion Brewhouse meet the first three requirements, but I haven't heard much about the food/beer selection. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Have you tried RFD? Good beers. Adequate bar food. They should be showing all the games, but you may want to call. Also, Lucky Strike has pretty good/inventive bar food. They usually only show 3 channels -- I think -- which would mean you would want to call ahead to make sure your game isn't the unlucky fourth.