JLK

I have tentative plans to get drinks at Bar Pilar this week. Is any of the grub worth ordering? There's guacamole on the menu, but will I like it if the guac served at Cafe Atlantico and Rosa Mexicano (hold the ventworm nuts, please) are used as a measuring stick?

How much did dinner end up costing per person, out of curiosity?

How hard is it to source a decent cookie and throw it on a plate?

Re: Ardeo's deck, it's new as of late this spring.

I can't top that! Wow, great pictures and food. I am, though, enjoying my rissotto with sweet corn and asparagus.

I am tentatively set to have dinner at Cashion's tonight and upon finding that they now have a web site, I figured I'd share it with the group. CashionsEatPlace.com If we end up going, I'll come back with a full report!

I had a really fantastic meal at Buck's last night. Great food, unobtrusive service and the same cozy atmosphere I had enjoyed during my one previous visit. Even though it was a Friday night just after 8, my date and I were able to get a table for two without a wait. That's not to say Buck's is hurting for business - the bar area was pretty full and there were plenty of diners - but when we arrived, the communal table was only about 1/4 full and they happened to have two two-tops, one of which we took. Buck's menu, refreshed daily, is concise and to the point. A salad option or two, four or so appetizer options and maybe five entrees. From what I have seen, the choices will be the epitome of seasonal each time. I was in the mood for a glass of sauvignon blanc; in the absence of one being available by the glass, our very pleasant server steered me toward a Spanish white (sorry, but I can't recall what it was) that was crisp and enjoyable. My date had a Sierra Nevada. We started with the day's variation on homemade mozzarella, this time served with fresh red and yellow cherry tomatoes. the restaurant's signature pesto (with finely chopped beets among other things) and olive oil. My date had the lobster roll. I tried some and it was delicious! Just enough mayo plus some fresh corn (I can't recall what else was in there). For our entrees, I had what Buck's is calling the "Camp Plate": pork barbecue and corn pudding. OH MY. I loved this dish so much. It was essentially just a pile of pulled pork - great vinegary flavor with only a hint of sweetness and not at all sticky - next to soft lump of corn pudding. The pork had great texture (as well as the wonderful flavor I mentioned), containing a mix of tender meat and a few crispy burnt ends. I cleaned my plate, making noises of appreciation throughout (fortunately this was not a first date). My only complaint: the corn pudding would have been even better had it been warmer. When it arrived, it was somewhere between room temperature and cool. Still, I ate every last kernel. My date had the steaks which was also on the menu during my last visit. It is a little shocking in its size - insert your favorite Flinstone's joke here. They probably cooked it a little less than his requested medium, but he was still very happy with it. Better under than over. His steak was accompanied by a portion of bread salad which disappeared too quickly for me to taste. [in the interest of telling you more about the menu, last night's menu offered soft shell crabs. One of our neighbors ordered this dish and it camp out looking perfect. Other options included a gigantic whole lobster, and a gigantic grilled whole fish.] For dessert, we had coffee and shared chocolate cake (described as icebox chocolate cake IIRC), topped with fresh whipped cream. Rich and delicious. Seating is a little tight up front where we sat. During the meal, we ended up having brief friendly exchanges with diners on each side of our table. We're comfortable with that, but as some folks are fond of saying "your mileage may vary." The damage for this really great meal was somewhere just north of $110 before tip. Last night's meal reminded me that I really need to get to Buck's more often.

Bricks was the worst. The only bad part of its closing was that it didn't happen earlier in the spring, in time to have a new tenant by the first nice days!

Five pages of outdoor options courtesy of the Eve Zibart and the Washington Post. This caught my eye:

Any recent visits to talk about? I know the GM is a participant here which is cool, but I'm interested to hear how meals at Notti Bianchi have been. I expect I'll be checking it out because a friend is a server there.

Does Mark and Orlando's have a web site?

Gripe: I can rarely read the chat in real time so I print it after the fact and read it while riding the Metro. About half the time, though, the "Print this article" feature doesn't work.

After months of indulging my guacamole addiction at Rosa Mexicano, I have found another bar food worth obsessing about: On IndeBleu's bar menu, there are short rib samosas served with a bleu cheese dipping sauce. Authenticity be damned. These fried morsels are rich and magical, particularly after a few glasses of Champagne.

I'll be going into debt at Oya tonight (just drinks, not food). Suggestion of a friend who has a gift certificate or something. If any of you fine folks are in the vicinity, feel free to say hello. I'm wearing an orange top and black skirt.

Same here for the Saturday night (8/6 I think). The offerings, however, have not yet been set I was told by the reservationist.

Thanks for the pic of the pinci. Mine looked similar, but was significantly soupier which diluted the flavor as much as you'd expect. I'll have to give it another try (if I can get a seat with y'all clogging the place!). Ha, ha!

Where sodium is concerned, ignorance is most definitely bliss. A friend of mine had to switch to a low sodium diet in order to control a medical condition. The poor guy is living on salads (hold the tomatoes, hold the cheese, well just hold everything!). I can only speak for myself re: the hypertension/sodium issue. I should have sky high blood pressure based on my ridiculous love of salt, but instead it's low. Life is weird. See you at Chipotle! And Panera too (yum, creamy chicken with rice soup).

Also spotted at Sonoma [during my one and only visit there]: CIA Director Porter Goss. At Ardeo's brunch, I've seen Greta van Susteren and Senator Joe Lieberman. Apparently the former is a regular; the latter presses and starches his jeans. Next door at Bardeo, I once witnessed Campbell Brown dining (and chain smoking) with Harvey Weinstein. Michael Jordan used to frequent Cafe Milano. I was there with my parents and a couple of friends for my birthday in 2002 when suddenly the lights were dimmed dramatically and the previously soft music was switched to something more urban. MJ was led to his table not ten feet from mine. It was all I could do to stop my mother from racing over for a pic. She knew that I had met him before and wanted to remind him of that (and after only two martinis). I restrained her with words and a sharp, sharp look.

Here's the deal: A former colleague slash friend slash mentor is coming to town from CA and wants to meet for drinks reasonably close to his hotel, the Ritz at Tysons. We'll be meeting on a Tuesday night if that matters. Other than a bar at the hotel itself, what are our options? I live and work in DC so I am not really aware of what's out there. At least part of our meeting will be casual catching up, but he's also eager to discuss a business opportunity so a place with room to breathe and not much noise would be great. I appreciate your suggestions!

I have tended to stick with Cosi versus Sips downtown. Sips often has a line out the door, but I love that they feature the artwork of one of my colleague's mother pretty requently. Cosi is slightly more convenient and the people who work there know my order before I can even place it, but yes, it's corporate. Closer to where I live, there isn't a Starbucks (closest ones are in Cleveland Park or further north toward Buck's, etc. IIRC). Would be/will be nice to have a walking-distance option.

I thought you meant this guy.

I have only been once. The food was fine, inoffensive, but I didn't get the fuss over the frozen sangria. Ick.

More important, IMO, than the setting is the company. I have had great dates in unexpected venues including the bar at Sette (it was crowded, but I guess we didn't notice at the time) and grungy Chief Ike's. But I digress...I'd recommend avoiding Cafe Saint Ex, Local 16 and Chi Cha on weekends. They are relentlessly packed and personally, I don't find that at all conducive to getting to know some one. Gazuza (Dupont) is pretty similar; I only recommend it on a quiet week night. Instead I like: Mantis (Adams Morgan) if you frequent the ground floor lounge and arrive early enough to get a little table or space at the bar. The bar at Penang is sometimes nice for a quiet chat. I also like the bar at Ceiba a lot. Bardeo (Cleveland Park) is great for dates.

Well, at least that's what the sign has promised for a few months running! What I think will be the second location (correct me if I'm wrong - I couldn't find a web site, etc.) is set to open just north of the Van Ness/UDC metro stop. It's near the car wash at Albemarle and Connecticut, Delhi Dhaba, Pier One, etc. The other location I know of can be found at G Street near 12th NW. Does anyone have the scoop? The only other coffee shop within walking distance is Sirius. That place is ok, but not great.

It gets pretty "scene-y" for happy hour. Crowded.