jasonc

agreed, that place is really bad. i was dragged there a few times for lunch when i worked in the area and i was floored by the just purely crappy food. i wish i could be more descriptive - everything is just wrong there.

hangars

?

Thanks for the kind review, Joe!  I'm still working, by the way, on the identity of the mystery vegetable in that appetizer dish.  I now have come to realize that the third and fourth characters refer to a famous historical figure in Chinese imperial history, the great beauty Yang Guifei, who was a particular inspiration for a number of dishes.  Unfortunately, this does not help to figure out what the vegetable is, but it might imply that it's more the preparation that's important than the actual vegetable used.  The search continues.

Bob,

As usual, I'm going to agree with JPdubs.

If you self-select into a group where dining out options are limited, I don't think you have much of an argument. I have more sympathy for people with food allergies or even religious reasons for not eating a certain food. Your argument is tantamount to some hippie bemoaning the fact that Kenneth Cole will only sell him leather shoes, and not the hemp moccasins he'd prefer.

On a sidenote, if you are willing to travel outside the US, I'd add Vancouver to that list of vegetarian friendly cities. And check out this link for a humorous take on this issue.

I wouldn't recommend the restaurant for tonight's situation, but heat eaters must have a go-round at the Ginger Chicken at Spices. I haven't met anyone who can finish it.

that sounds like a challenge to me.

thai square will actually pump up the heat if you request extra spicy.

I went by this place today for lunch after spotting it a few doors down from Elevation Burger. I have nothing but nice things to say about it. The staff is very nice and exremely helpful in navigating the menu. The food is very much what you would be served if you stepped into a Salvadorian household. The chicken soup was a huge bowl of a flavorful broth, noodles, vegetables and a quarter of a chicken floating in there. The pupusas were also excellent, cooked with a slight crispiness from escaping cheese and a soft interior. The carne asada was also top notch. There are some great lunch deals (you have to ask about these, they aren't on the menu) priced around 7.95 that are very comforting, but afterwards, you may be inclined to partake in a siesta.

corduroy required a credit card number on new year's eve. do no-shows contest the charge? is this an administrative headache?

it seems to me, and this may be totally out there, but perhaps some restaurants take credit card numbers not intending to ever charge no-shows, but simply as a deterrent.

I went today for lunch and would have to say that the negative experience above is probably just a function of an inexperienced staff, especially given the smell of burnt oil. Today it smelled fine, a guy who seemed like the owner was there (he said he knew donrocks), and everything was great. The burgers are great, although I made the mistake of getting ketchup and mayo, not realzing they already came with elevation sauce. The fries, however, are superb - perfectly crispy and well seasoned. I'd like it if they offered some vinegar or lemon with them, which I believe would compliment the hint of olive oil you get when eating them.

the only thing i don't really care for is the sign advertising "virginia kobe" beef, which to me is a bit of an oxymoron.

Washington, D.C.: Tom, Puhleeze answer my question--will love you forever.

Live in DC but having a night on the town Dec 23 and seeing Wicked at Kennedy Center--very excited. Want to have a fabu dinner prior to the show. Staying in Penn Quarter at Hotel Monaco--should we stay around there for dinner at say, Zola's, or should we venture to dine around KC? Looking for your recommendation. $ not an issue on this evening and we are way open to cuisine. Just nothing too stuffy. Thanks very much!

Has anyone said anything snarky about this one yet? Puhleeze? fabu? "open to cuisine" - what does that even mean? I expect more of you Rockwellians.

Is it possible for the Washington Post to engage in a little bit of editing?  The sluuuurp line is just vulgar.  I am willing to bet that this person chews her food like a cow chews its cud.

I'm not sure what you mean by vulgar, but I certainly don't find the above comment repulsive. The person who wrote it is clearly a moron, but that's getting at something different.

Thanks for the compliments Joe!

If you are interested in writing any original pieces for the website, I am always open to it. I'm sure your knowledge of Vancouver cuisine far exceeds mine.

I don't know about that.  If anybody is to blame, it's the random number generator site guy and his so-called "Random Number Generator", if it can so be called.  Timings and distances between disk head seeks can be predicted!  Thread scheduling is practically clockwork these days, and don't even get me started about background radiation and atmospheric pressure variations.  Hell, I built a Microbarograph for a science fair back in High School at some point.  Granted, it didn't WORK.....

Anyway, The Universe totally screwed me on this one...Don's not the one at fault!

Matt's right about this one, what we need is a quantum random number generator and a person blind to the purpose of the task to sit in a sound proof room tapping his or her finger on a table. Any takers?

The "signature" dish at Toronto's North 44 is a filet mignon of tuna.  I could be wrong about this but I honestly believe that it was "invented" here.  I forget the chef/owner's name but he is known throughout Canada and has been quoted at length about why his version of this is so good.  About six or seven years ago I was at North 44 and the French Laundry 24 hours apart.  Remarkably, one of the courses at FL was a "filet mignon" of tuna.  The portion was about one quarter the size of North 44 but delicious.  Still, 24 hours apart, I thought North 44 slightly better.

Today, this is an off the menu special at North 44.  If you go give serious consideration to ordering it.  http://www.north44restaurant.com/  Also, North 44's chef/owner has opened a new restaurant called Bymark.  I have not been but it's already "notorious."  Finally, for Toronto restaurants, there was once a GREAT fusion restaurant whose chef, Susur Lee, built an international reputation from.  This is a link to the current edition of Frommer's:  http://www.frommers.com/destinations/toronto/D49114.html  He is back; I have not been to his new restaurant but if it is anything like the old one this will be an extraordinary experience.

Finally, the best liquor store in all of Canada (ABC) is on Young street, about three miles in towards downtown.  It's worth a stop.  Fantastic selection of Canadian ice wine.

Take care.

Doesn't the Inn at Little Washington also serve a similar dish?

Anyhow, I've been living in Vancouver for a while now and have documented some of my adventures on my website. A review that isn't up yet is Hu Nan Chinese restaurant at Main and Marine Drive. It's off the beaten path but should not be missed. It's as if you are sitting in the owner's home and she's cooking for you what she cooks for her family - authentic, homey hunanese food. It was here that I was actually able to find a dish that was nearly too spicy for me.

I'm actually a little irked at one item on their happy hour menu. Normally, the chilled lobster is $17.95, but during happy hour, it's $12.50! They'll give you $45 off an orca platter, but an extra $3.50 off the lobster would kill them?

Anyways, my contribution for the thread: Cafe Atlantico (www.cafeatlantico.com) has a $25 three-course pre-theater menu. You only have a handful of choices, but it's right in line with the deals mentioned above.

deangold: What is the pricing of your three-course menu, and what options are available?

That menu at Dino can be found here:

http://dino-dc.com/menu/dino_sera.pdf

I used to mix all three: mustard, kethcup and horseradish. Amazing. I also used to build some pretty epic burgers there - good times.

Anyhow, I think I saw a Roy's at BWI last time I was there. Near the B terminal, if memory serves me.

muffins are just bald cupcakes, discuss

Let me just say, Serenity met and exceeded all of my expectations. Run, don't walk, to this one!

And it a last ditch effort to keep this somewhat topical, I had decent Malaysian food before the movie at a restaurant called Tropical.

I'm going to be seeing Serenity tonight, as it appears to be the best movie of the year so far.

Serenity Now!!

I think it's a shame she got fired. It's a restaurant, after all, not the friggin' pentagon.

D'OH!  Good call!  Completely forgot about Silver Fountain.  I think they're OK.  They've improved since they remodeled.

So what d'y'all like to get at dim sum?  Me, I like:

Ha gaow

Steamed spareribs

Baked cha siu bao

Dan tat (egg tart)

Cheong fun (the long white "cannoli" like noodles filled with meat or shrimp)

Loh bak gaow (turnip cake)

Stuffed peppers with black bean sauce

Deep fried crab/shrimp balls

Tripe

Cha siu sow (Flaky pastry filled with Chinese roast pork.  Yum!)

And if they have them - lap cheong bao (baked buns w/ Chinese sausage in them.  Oriental East does a GREAT lap cheong bao!)

(Oh and extra points for the restaurant that serves the fancy rock sugar with the chrysanthemum tea instead of the coarse rock sugar.)

You gots to add siu mai to that list.

I feel like I stumbled into Tom's weekly chat, except better.

I went here tonight and had the braised lamb shoulder with tomato bread pudding and cherry tomato relish. I thought it went really well with the spicy pinot noir they serve by the glass.

Great article, not to mention pretty accurate (barring that half price thing), and isn't it awesome - and slightly scary - that the interworkings of internet message boards has merited its own newspaper article?

About JoeH, I have always thought he was a good guy. He ruffles feathers and doesn't back down, two characteristics I very much respect. I actually got into trouble for defending him on egullet a while back (not with don).

Excuse me, but did you leave knowing that they had mistakenly not charged you for your wine? Regardless of what you thought about the prices, IMO, that is not OK, ever. I think if you ordered it and drank it, you should have paid for it. Geesh - am I out on a limb here?

I think so. If they forgot to charge you that's their fault, and there's no way I would ask to pay more.