Antonio Burrell

You've got Cafe Deluxe and some Tex Mex joint right there also.

No discussion here since the springtime big burger debate....Being slow like I am, I finally made it out to Elevation Burger and the Five Guys on Gallows next to Peking Village. The EB was earlier this month and the FG burger was last night. Let me say that the EB burger and FG burger were equals in my opinion. The fries were better at EB and the decor, selection is better but based on burger to burger analysis, they were equal. Having said that, the FG combo I had last night was superlative to any FG experience I've had in the last two years baring one trip I made to the King Street store, which was awesome. Last night my burger was juicy, not arid, appropriately greasy, seasoned for a change and quick. The fries were crisp and greasless?!?! and seasoned well with the cajun seasoning. I will quible that I like my raw onions in rings not diced but whatever. It was a much better experience than the Georgetown store. It was clean, bright, well run and did I mention clean.....It was, for me, last night, an experience that mirrored my original experience with FG on King Street. It may have been a flash in the pan, who knows but it was good, right on I'd say, last night.

What charity should we sponsor, Share our Strength, DC Central Kitchen or Don?

I finally made it down to the Prune for some donuts. I have to say I like em. To me, I didn't think that they were to sweet, just right is what I came away with. I, mean, to sweet? They're donuts! I find Krispy Kremes much sweeter than these. I thought they were novel and worth eating again when I get that craving. I particualy liked the lemonade, blueberry, strawberry cheesecake. I'm not a big cake donut fan usually, but when hot, these were light and fluffy and delish. Even after cooling, they were still softer than any other cake donuts I've ever eaten and didn't leave me gulping water. I like em, some don't so there's my two cents

Darts=Atomic Billards in Clevland Park, no food but you can have it delivered, same with Bedrock. As far as pool goes, I'd be down for a Sunday league...My troop of kitchen miscreants has been known to shoot some stick, smack balls....on and on with the dick jokes....HAH!

New Years Eve at Rain Lobster Ceviche Lobster marinated with passionfruit oil, ginger granite and jicama Grilled Calamari Escabeche Marinated Calamari with arugala, chile pickled vegetables and avocado Ensalada de Remolachas Roasted beet terrine with queso fresco, walnuts and sour orange Cesar Salad Romaine with white anchovies, lemon garlic dressing, capers and manchego Tiradito Atun Tuna tiradito with green grapes, radish, almonds and soy-sea urchin foam Callos con Caviar Seared Sea Scallops with bruleed winter melon, servuga caviar and pumpkin seeds Higalo de Pato Seared duck liver with figs, candied olives and cinnamon oil Langosta al Agua de Flora Rosewater poached lobster with roasted mushroom carpaccio, almonds and vanill Cordiniz Pomegranite lacquered quail with quail sausage stuffed potato croquettes Cordero al Vinagre con Salchica Balsamic Vinegar glazed Lamb Loin with spicy lamb sausage and goat cheese Lomo Saltado Seared Beef Tenderloin with peppers, potatoes, herbs and lime veal jus Chile Relleno Three Cheese stuffed Anaheim Chiles with roasted corn-avocado arepas Mar y Tierra Seranno dusted Sea Scallops with veal cheeks and piquillo peppers Salmon y Ostras Crisp Spring roll of Smoked Salmon with oysters, spinach and fennel Aji de Pato Roasted duck breast with poached duck egg, potato cake and aji chile sauc. Empanada de Hongos Mushroom and Cabrales Blue Cheese Empanadas with pickled egg and salsa verde Desserts to follow 3 courses: 55 4 courses: 70 5 courses: 80 Basically, I think that we will do a tasting menu format and allow you to choose how many courses, what order etc, etc. I think it'll work out better. Wine pairings will be available. Very free form and allow for flexibility.

to late but I did catch the typo after I sent them off

Now this I am most assuredly in for. Fried fish, beer......yeah!

So the time is near, opening will be delayed possible till the 15th or so, having the usual problems with equipment etc etc etc. At any rate I though I'd post the dinner menu so's you guys could stay interested and debate its various merits or demerits Dinner at Rain 1st Courses Sopa de Mani Bolivian peanut soup with ancho chile dusted popcorn and cilantro 6 Sopa de Calabasa Butternut Squash soup with salted pepitas, foie gras and maple crema 7 Grilled Squid With sherry vinegar, arugula, red onion and cherry tomatoes 8 Ensalade de Remoulaches Roasted beets with queso fresco, citron vinaigrette, walnuts and watercress 8 Cesar Salad Romaine Lettuce with Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette, white anchovies, manchego crisps and capers 7 Tamale de Elote Corn tamale with mole rojo, queso oxanaca and shredded duck 7 Pomegranate Glazed Quail With quail sausage stuffed potato croquette and black beans 9 Gambas al Ajillo Shrimp with garlic, parsley, red chile, tomato and Spanish olive oil 9 Duet of Empanadas Chicken and Mushroom Empanadas with salsa verde, fried plantains and pickled egg 8 Crab Cake Lump Crab Cake with avocado, roasted corn, piquillo peppers 11 Clams Chorizo Clams with chorizo, potatoes, peppers and cilantro 10 Crudos 12 Tuna Tiradito with yuzu, grapes, radishes, almonds and sea urchin emulsion Bay Scallop cevieche with coconut milk, oranges and serrano peppers Red Snapper cevieche with lime, cilantro, red onion and avocado Dinner at Rain Entrees Red Snapper With coconut milk broth, shrimp chile relleno and yucca “risotto” 21 Camarones Adobo Marinated, grilled shrimp with corn tamale, mojo sauce and okra 23 Sopa de Mariscos Seafood stew with potatoes, clams, shrimp, corn, crab, fish and tomatoes 19 Tuna Veracruz Rare seared tuna with tomatoes, olives and rice 20 Bistec Chimichurri Grilled spice rubbed ribeye with chimichurri sauce, fried yucca and charra beans 23 Jerk Roasted Pork Loin With black lentil quinoa , chicharron papusas, cabbage slaw and mole 18 Mojo Braised Lamb Shank With boniato mash, Rioja sauce and green beans 19 Lomo Saltado Grilled beef tenderloin medallions with tomatoes, peppers, herbs, potatoes and lime 21 Goat Cheese Rellenos With black beans, yellow rice, salsa mexicano and fried plantains 15 Tortilla Crusted Chicken Breast With roasted garlic, smoked corn coulis, oven dried cumin tomatoes and yellow rice 17 Aji de Pato Seared duck breast with roasted potatoes, poached duck egg and aji chile sauce 20 Lunch follows a more American classic lunch format due to the many, many, many folks desiring such things.....Brunch on saturday and sunday with the menus to follow if intrest prompts me to post them

I think that I will be returning from Fairfax right around that time and given the fact that I cannot resist the allure of chicken, collard greens or good mac and cheese, I just may have to make a pit stop and join you folks for some grub, that's if I'm allowed

--> Yeah I saw some folks at the bar, seemed like regulars that had weeee lil bottles of booze. Tres chic

My wife eats here on occasion and has brought me a slice or two home toa eat. All in all not bad, not great, but decent. When it is reheated in a toaster oven the crust gets a good deal crisper and I like it better that way than when you get it fresh.

I'm very fond of things that evoke a certain nostalgic feeling in me and this vcery much felt like a large family dinner at my grandparents house or an aunts house. The food was basically the same and the atmosphere felt very much like sitting in someones kitchen or dining room watching tv while you ate. Love it.

After the debacle that was the family visit to the waterfront Philips "Flagship", I was left to wonder if this was the "flagship" what were the rest? Shit Barges? Anywho...I need to redeem myself with the 'rents. I had heard from friends that the Hitching Post was good, I decided to give it a try. Comfort food for a low key Friday with my Southern parents...seems like a match. Let me say that the place lacks for decor but has that family owned, neighbor frequented, been around for a long time feel, I like it, it's quaint. It also isn't fast, but then rarely is good food on your table quickly. It took about an hour for our four top to get three "1/2" orders of fried chicken and an order of fried Porgy. The portions were huge and cooked to order by one guy who seemed more than happy to be cooking right in front of us. The chicken was hot, crisp and had a shell that when peirced oozed juice and steam. Perfectly fried, could have used a bit more salt but that was easily fixed. Dad had the Porgy which was not one fish but two huge fish split and fried, read: four....HUGE....fillets. The fish was moist, delish and easy to de bone. All had the greens of the day which were collards, cooked sans meat but good non the less. Two had the mac and cheese which was also tasty. Dad had potato salad and Mom also had the broccoli. The broccoli was wonderful. Steamed perfectly and season with just salt and a lil bit of butter it was also the size of my head. Needless to say we all had some broccoli. The pot salad was also tasty if a little meally. All told for 4 sweet teas, three chicken dinners and a porgy we paid.......wait for it......$67.00!!!!! By the way....I don't know what chicken has four legs but my "half" had one breast, one thigh, one wing and two legs...nice, mutant chickens are out and about and noone else told me......I can't rave anymore about what a great value this was and how good the food was.....Go and get it.....enjoy it and tell your friends about it.......There are other things like fried shrimp, gumbo, beans and pork neck, sea trout and various sandwiches but I think the ckicken is the thing.....gotta go and eat a piece now......

The wife and I went out for the family style brunch. It breaks down like this, there are four courses, four things per course. Antipasti for 2=$18 add the pasta course for 2 + $20 add the meat course for 2 + $30. The whole thing goes up on a sliding scale per persons at the table. For the antipasti we got zuchini friti, marinated cauliflower, grilled eggplant and eggs fried and covered with pizzete sauce sp?. I should add that everyone at the table must order the same amount of courses and you don't get to decide what you want and don't want. You get it all. And....wait for it.......you get to take home what ever you don't eat!!!! Get the f outa here you say....I kid you not. N and I were slightly sated after the first course. Then we had the pasta fagoli, the pasta pamadoro and lasagna. She didn't like the soup, so I ate all that. I thought the lasagna was good, but not nearly as good as the pasta with tomatoes. So, after two courses we are stuffed like ticks and we didn't even eat all the food from all the courses so far. We got cauliflower, eggplant, zuke, pasta fagoli, pasta pomadoro all to go. We also got the lasagna to go. Then since we had ordered three courses we got the whole third course (chicken wings, popolettie, pork shoulder, polenta and broccoli rabe to go.... Let's recap, for 70 bucks/ 35 per person, my wife and I got 2 days worth of meals.....I couldn't help but feel like I was robbing the place as we left with 3 to go bags!!!! I might add that I was famished when we got there and am by nature a big eater, but damn....Best bargin by far and great food to boot. Go check it out, well worth the journey....I'm gonna go eat now....

10418 Main Street Fairfax, Va 20030 Right In the middle of Auld Sheeben and TT Somethingornothers.........

So......this is what I decided to get myself into. We are opening a singular space in Fairfax that will provide the DC experience that the city deserves. a) Serious restaurant in an area that desperately needs it c) Nightclub brought to you by the people that make Love/Dream what it is and c) a Bar/Lounge that is singular for its service and quality. I fully believe that this is the right idea at the right time for both Fairfax and the surrounding area. As for the restaurant, I can report that I think it will be a inviting space while being both beautiful and very elegant. The food.....I will be doing a menu that is largely Nuevo Latino utilizing elements of French, American and Asian cuisines. The prices will range between 5-9 for apps 9-11 for cevieches and 16-23 for entrees. There will be a seperate Bar/Late night menu that will provide a totally different more relaxed expereince in the Bar. I'm looking forward to welcoming DR members for our soft opening which we hope to target for the 1st week of December. If you live in the area and would like to be part of our soft opening dinners please pm me and I'll make sure it happens. I definately look forward to getting feedback from DR members as I find this crowd to be some of the most knowledgable eaters in the area

I've never eaten at the Bistro but when it used to be Au Pied Corchon where the Five Guys is now on Wisconsin, a friend and I had a very bad meal at 3 am on a Saturday. Now I usually don't like to say negative things about places, but the food was abysmal. I'm not sure, but I think the Bistro is owned by the same people, but even if you change the trappings it essentialy is the same monster at heart Besides, there are to many decent french places in that area for me to risk more money on a potential disaster.

I want to take this opportunity to let everyone know that I have left Viridian Restaurant. It was time to move on. I have nothing but the deepest respect for the General Manager, Jason Kenlaw and wish everyone at Viridian the best of luck and success in the future.

I hope you guys can help, my birthday falls on a Sunday this year and since I usually work on Sunday I have no idea where to go. It's also a problem because the usuall suspects are closed on Sundays So basically what I'm looking for is a great place to eat, not worried about price, for up to 6 people, fine dining preferable but not absolute. I'd also be interested in a progressive dinner format...please pm me, I appreciate the help....

I have to agree with Joe, but with one difference. I've never had a "New Haven" pizza so I had no preconceptions on what to expect. I just went to have pizza. They are small and for 18 dollars, the clam pizza is insanely expensive for what I got. It was good, mind you, just not 18 dollars good. I really like the thyme that they sprinkled on it. The funny thing is that the server felt almost embarrased that it was so expensive and he actually asked me what I thought it was worth. It's good, I said, about 15 dollars good though, not 18 dollars good. They are very small pies, so I had the ceasar salad, which was good, I like more garlic, but that's my preference. I liked the crust, mine was pleasently chewy. I think that I do have a preference for "that other pizza place" however. I think the best part was relating to my wife how I'd eaten pizza and drank PBR and played ping pong many a day during college. For me, the overall experience was good, I'd go back, I just wouldn't make the effort unless I was close. edited to add: I'm going to go back next month and see if this is typical, but I am more inclined to say that these are mearly kinks to be ironed out and soon they'll be closer to the "ideal" that they are searching for....

I render down the proscuttio I'm going to use for the salad and remove it. I then add some garlic and shallot to add some depth and sange with some flour (not traditional, but how my Mom makes it). Then I add some white wine and alot of coffee. I cook it till thick and strain. It is alittle upscale but I think the flavor profile is the same and it really works well with everything else.

Another season, another menu change..... Be aware that with these colder times, I tend to revert back to my heartier roots New Apps: Arugala and Watercress Salad with Hooks' Blue, Duck Confit, Caramelized Pear and Walnut Vinaigrette Seared Sea Scallops with Caramelized Onions, Crisp Proscuttio, Baby Kale and Red Eye Gravy Mussels facon Benoit (carrot, leeks, chorizo, saffron cream) New Entrees: Berkshire Pork Tenderloin with Anson Mills Grits, Glazed Vegetables, Smoked Belly and Pinot Nior Sauce Sunburst Farms Rainbow Trout with Crab, Fennel, Peppers, Bacon and Horseradish Butter Balsamic Glazed Lamb Loin with housemade Merguez Stuffed Onion, Path Valley Shell Bean Cassoulet and Marjoram Jus Chicken and Dumplings all of the above make me incredible happy This is only a mini change as we will unveil the rest of the new menu on the 9th of November during our anniversary party. We will be having a cocktail reception from 10-whenever with passed hoursdouvres that evening, all are invited. Also, we will be doing a Thanksgiving Buffet from 12-6pm. It will include all of my favorite foods I give Thanks for.....that's the news.....

2 Amys has official become the goto place for my wife and I. Last night I had my kids and everyone was craving pizza. Nida and I exchanged knowing smiles as I called 2 Amys for pickup. The 2amys pizza with pepperoni is perfect for 2 young boys while the missus and I shared a Vongle with extra cockles, yum. But the star of this post were the two fried apps we got. I confess, I'm addicted to fried things. We ordered the suppli and a special of potato and ham croquettes. I, of course, could not wait till we got home so I tore into them in the car. WOW, do I love those suppli. Hot, crisp, tomatoy and cheesey...yum.

I know this sounds like I'm bragging (and I kinda am) but my favorite dessert ever is my Mothers' German Chocolate Cake. When I was little she would cook me whatever I wanted for my birthday and I always asked for that. Now we have a version here at the restaurant and I feel like I'm ten everytime I eat it