David M.

Ditto (from someone who won't be attending by virtue of the lottery). I think they current system it is the only practical and fair approach; afterall, Hillvalley and Don have other responsibilities and trying to creat an elaborate system seems like a nightmare. I'll try again the next dinner; it's no big deal - I'm just happy be involved with this group to have a chance to take part in these events.

Me too...but thanks to Hillvalley, Don and Michael for setting up the event. I expect a full report on Dec. 6.

Agreed (although since they closed the Georgetown location, it's been a while since I so indulged).

That's it! Mrs. M. loved it. (I'm not much of a cocktail person, but I have to admit that it was pretty tasty).

Bingo - apparently not the first visit (sources say our VVIP has been at least thrice)

The Mrs. and I stopped by the bar at Restaurant Eve last night for a light(er) meal and a drink. IMHO, the perfect way to unwind after a long day. We took two seats on the sofas in the bar, and enjoyed a drink: a wonderful glass of pinot noir for me (served, as always, at the perfect temp) and one of Todd’s outstanding cocktails for my spouse (something along the lines of a “Daize cocktail”). Given that we had both had sizeable work lunches, we opted to simply share some appetizers: ham & cheese sandwich, risotto, prawns -- all were outstanding and exactly what we were looking for. I think that this is really what makes Restaurant Eve so special: whatever mood you’re in or atmosphere you’re looking for, they can satisfy it; whether it’s the tasting room, bistro, or bar (especially at lunch). Anyway, I finished with a selection of cheeses (a triple creme, some piave vecchio, and carrigaline), while my better half chose something sweet. As I’m sure many of you can attest to (and perhaps the VIP guest of the restaurant that was present last night as well) we left having concluded a perfect evening.

While I agree that "That Custard Place" is kind of lame, I'm not sure it suffers from a failure to identify "what they sell" any more than "Del Ray Dreamery" did.

Tom's Sept. 11 Review: 2 stars http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?n...114348&typeId=2

Perhaps I am betraying my New England origins, but how about a Fluffernutter? For those unfamiliar with this delicacy, its peanut butter with Fluff on white bread. But you can't use marshmallow creme; it must be Fluff. This can be hard to find around here, but I saw it today at the Shoppers in Pentagon Yard. Fluffernutter is not Breadline (yum...Breadline), but honestly can be a nice break from other easy to take on-the-go lunches.

So my father-in-law heard of Old Ebbitt's "Oyster Riot" and wants to go. Has anyone been? It seems like it might be fun, but I'm a bit leery.

Kanishka - From my perspective, your experience mirrors what I have seen at Five Guys over the past 3 years. I live very close to the Old Town location on N. Fayette St. and have found quality to have plummeted in recent years. This seems especially acute with the burgers; they have generally turned into over-cooked, soggy shells of what they used to be. The fries are more hit-and-miss; some nights I remember what made me initially happy to live near the joint. But other nights I wonder what makes me go back. Unfortunately, other family members disagree with me, so I've recently taken to ordering their hot dog instead. Not great, but more satisfying than the burger. It really is kind of sad to see a local establishment seemingly fall victim to the zeal to expand. I can remember my first visit to Five Guys and came to think of it as a reliable, locally-owned place for good, cheap food. In particular, I remember being impressed by their dedication to doing a (very) few things (burgers and fries) right. Now, it seems this focus on the food is gone. Not to go on too much of a rant here, but I don't think it has to be this way. By way of comparison, in my mind Hard Times Cafe comes far closer to maintaining quality while also expanding (granted not at the rate of Five Guys, but expanding nonetheless). I've never thought of Hard Times as offering the best of anything (including chili) but it has always been a reliable meal in which I know what to expect, despite recent expansion. Sadly, Five Guys used to have this same appeal, but has strayed too far from what made it successful in the first place.

Greetings! This is my first post, so bear with me. My wife and I celebrated a special occasion tonight at Maestro. It was the first visit for both of us, and it certainly met our expectations. Indeed, I think that with restaurants that achieve the status of Maestro, expectations can get out of hand and become so lofty as to be out-of-reach. All this said, Maestro truly was what I expected it would be. Let me begin with a bit of a caveat. Neither my wife nor I are big drinkers, so this review will be lacking in the wine department. I started with a nice glass of Bordeaux and later had a very good Willamette Valley pinot noir. My wife had a Napa Valley merlot. To our novice tongues, both we very good (and reasonably priced at about $15/glass). We were seated (as requested) in the front of the kitchen (one table back) and enjoyed it immensely. I worked during college as a waiter in a fine dining restaurant (albeit nothing approaching Maestro) and was in awe of how quiet the kitchen was. Amazing. Also, it was wonderful to see Chef Trabocchi, not 10 feet away, expedite orders and make finishing touches immediately before each course met my table. Pretty cool in my book. Both my wife and I opted for the 5-course menu. We toyed with the 7 course, but thought it would simply be too much food and that by the six and seventh course, we wouldn't enjoy it. Good call on our part as we both left full, but not feeling like a Thanksgiving turkey (i.e., stuffed). Here is as good a place as any to mention service. All-in-all, it was very good. I'm generally not a big fan of the "platoon" type service (i.e., no waiter to call your own) but found it worked very well. The only constructive comment I had in the service department was the first half (through the pasta course) was bit rushed. Personally, I would have enjoyed a bit more time in between courses. I mentioned this to the staff, and they were very accommodating. A good example, I believe, of communication between diner and staff that aids both parties. As for individual course selection, both my wife and I opted to make our own choices between the La Tradizione and L' Evoluzione. I began with an exquisite foie gras from the L' Evoluzione menu. It was perfectly done, nicely scored and seared on the outside, but creamy on the inside. Placed atop a toasted crostini and bathed in a cabernet-reduction sauce, it was wonderful. My wife opted for the La Mozzarella di Buffala with a red pepper puree-like accompaniment. The mozzarella was out of this world. Creamy and salty, it tasted just like that we've had in Italy. Next, I enjoyed the Agnolotti filled with Goat Cheese and dressed with 100 Year Old Balsamic Vinegar. The pasta was tender and cloud-like, encasing a perfect portion of soft goat cheese. The balsamic condimento was interesting. Perhaps my expectations were off, but I anticipated an exceedingly sweet and condensed syrup, but what came was a thinner, and milder broth. Good nonetheless, but surprising. My wife enjoyed the Maine lobster ravioli and this course was one of the highlights of her evening. The ravioli perfectly protected a tender morsel of lobster, while being flanked by an enormous piece of lobster claw. The ginger broth was nice; not too gingery but an appropriate accompaniment. Next, I tried the butter poached Halibut with egg ravilo and red-wine sauce and, big surprise, loved it. My wife, on the other hand, was less fond of her black cod topped with thinly sliced pancetta and placed atop wilted romaine. I thought her fish tasted quite good, but it was a bit too salty to her palate. I'm not sure if this was really a problem with the chefs over-salting the dish. My money is that between the fish itself, the pancetta and sauce, it just overwhelmed her relatively fickle taste buds when it comes to NaCl. The meat course was one of the highlights of the evening. I opted for the "study" of lamb. Please forgive my vague recollection of exactly what this "study" involved, but it came in two portions. One was a relatively simple loin (I believe) and the other a far more complex portion of thinly sliced lamb layered over what almost appeared to be some sort of lamb cassoulet (if that is possible). Whatever it was, the latter portion was wonderful; the former good, but not great -- it was enhanced by the lamb au jus with barley (I think) that was served along side. My wife tried the veal duo -- veal cheeks (which were out of this world) and a veal loin (I believe) that was good, but clearly the junior varsity of this veal team. While my meat dish was a highlight of my evening, my wife was a bit (and I really must emphasize just a bit) disappointed that her veal was served at slightly below the temperature of my lamb. I'm not sure if her meal simply was ready sooner, but it was a bit too cool. My wife ended her meal with a plate of gelato that came on a wonderful serving piece -- what looked like a painters palette. I opted for the cheese course and was very pleased. I don't remember each of the chesses, but they were a good variety of 5 cheeses, goat and cow (no sheep) both soft and semi-soft. All-in-all, it was a fabulous evening. We have spent nearly as much money at other D.C.-area establishments and found this to be the pinnacle of our dining experience thus far. Here's waiting for the next memorable occasion to justify another expedition to Maestro.