B.A.R.

Best of luck to Alex today as he scurries about the city delivering boxes of vinous Holiday Cheer! Hope your beta test goes well

My kids go to school in Fairfax County and they have yearly "shooter" drills. That they are even necessary speaks volumes.

To me, this kind of ethnic-labeling and liberal use of select cuisines isn't just endemic in chain restaurants. Have you ever noticed it's kind of hard to get "real" Thai food at "real" Thai restaurants. And I never seem to get authentic Szechuan food when I order carryout from Szechuan Delight. Just as seemingly many "ethnic" restaurants "dumb down" their standard fare in order to appeal to a larger target audience (who are specifically looking for that "ethnic" food), so too do larger restaurants who are trying to provide variety of cuisine "styles" to a general audience. And this phenomena is not isolated to menu dishes that call themselves "Thai" or "Japanese" or "Mexican". It pervades into restaurants that sell you Snapper, or Fatty Tuna, or Alba truffles, or Kobe Beef, or Beluga caviar. If I had time, I could link an article from the last year of restaurants (and wholesalers, and retailers) saying they are selling these very things, when in fact, they are not.

My kids split one order of the Chicken Samosa Appetizer (not a samosa at all actually) and had some of my kale salad. We did not run into any salt issues, but the dressings and dipping sauces were too sweet. I can honestly say that I have had much worse meals at dozens of restaurants this year - none of those being chain, food factories. As for the menu, I never looked past the appetizer section.

I read this today, thought it was from Wednesday's Food Section, and thought, "This is the longest food Section article I have ever read!"

I imagine some of this is due to portion size. I ordered two appetizers last night and could not finish my meal. I can pretty much eat four courses and finish all of my wife's courses at most restaurants.* *note to self, getting very doughy

As someone who once spent $35 on a free range chicken, I don't give a shit. I have no problem saying that the food I ate at CF last night was really good, dirt cheap, and an excellent value. The cucumber that was one of the 6 garnishes for the Thai app was sliced on a mandolin and lightly (dare I say expertly?) marinated in Mirin with toasted sesame seeds. Just to keep it real, their beverage program is a shitshow.

I had a pleasant meal here a few weeks back. We had relatives in-town who were on a Top Chef kick, so they were dead set on heading to Graffiato. My only other meal here was for lunch a few months after they opened, and the restaurant was actually much more subdued this particular night. I’ll get my bias out of the way up front. I love eating at tapas restaurants! I detest eating at “tapas”-esque restaurants, as the overarching goal seems less to present the cuisine and culture of a particular area (say, Barcelona) than to charge more money for less food. Upon seating, our server launched into a 5 minute long soliloquy about the menu, the restaurant, the chef, how to order, how much to order, what not to miss, what he had for lunch (seriously), and probably 10 other things I tuned out. The lesson would have been better received had it been (a.) three minutes shorter and (b.) culminated in a drink order. Had he asked me if I wanted a drink 1st, he could have sold me another drink by the time he was finished filibustering. Aside from that, the service was very good and unobtrusive the rest of the meal. As for the food- Broccoli Rabe – perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned, served with raisins and maybe pinenuts. Nice. Flatbread with Pepperoni Sauce –tastes just like liquid pepperoni. Truth in advertsing, but I am surprised this sauce so impressed Tom, Padma, Gail etc. Smoked Arctic Char – very flavorful fish, just a miniscule amount. The yogurt was tangy and quite good, but a little more char would have been even better Charred Octopus- a little less char would have been even better. The loan clunker of the night Risotto – it’s not easy to cook risotto in a restaurant setting, particularly one with as high a volume as Graffiato. Very well done, perfectly cooked; I could have done without the saba, YMMV* Cavatellli with Lamb Ragu – They do pasta very well here. The ragu was delightfully spicy and I could have greedily eaten a whole bowl of this. A whole bowl would probably cost you $45.* Tagliatelle – a simple order of eggy tagliatelle with parm and olive oil. Well made pasta, perfectly cooked. Portion? See above. Crispy Duck – blindfolded, I would never have guessed I was eating duck, it was just bland. However, the stewed lentils with celery underneath were outstanding . I secretly spooned them up while my family waxed poetic about what the duck tasted like (answer: not duck) White House Pizza – a crisp and nicely blistered crust that exhibited none of the toothsomeness (hi Tom S!) and yeasty goodness I love about wood fired Napoli pizza. The toppings, however, were of very high quality and expertly placed and I would gladly order this again, just without the honey. The honey didn’t do it for me. Panna Cotta – The salty, sweet chocolate pretzels on top really made the first few scoops of this dish. Once you were done with the pretzels and left with just the panna cotta, it was merely average. Tart – Not sure what fruit was in the tart (pear? apple?) but the crust was just too dry so I did not dive further. The cardamom pumpkin sauce with the tart was freaking delicious and had he served that to Gail, she probably would have died of happiness right then and there. *whoever was making the pasta this day, and whoever was cooking pasta this day, did a really, really good job. We drank some of the house prosecco, which was fine and, from what I remember, reasonably priced. And I appreciate being able to order a macchiato after dinner and not have to explain what a macchiato really is. They did not have frapuccino. Overall, there was some really solid cooking and but a few misses. This is not an inexpensive restaurant, and I would happily return. Now, If I could only get a bowl of any of the pasta dishes I tried, I’d be back all the time.

The Winter Salad* of baby kale and frisee is actually quite good, and the portion, for $5, makes this a really good deal. The Thai lettuce wrap appetizer could feed two people easily, and if you forgo the trio of treacly dipping sauces, you can have a well seasoned, fresh, and healthy dinner for $12. I feel dirty I even wrote this. *ETA- Baby kale, baby frisee, diced haricot verts, marcona almonds, dried cranberries, diced granny smith apples

When I was a server, I once got in a huge fight with my (at the time) very respected GM because I had the audacity to pour a very expensive bottle of champagne to an 8 top without completely draining the bottle, wasting the opportunity to force them into purchasing another. I even *gulp* left a few ounces in the bottle.

I think they have a daily special that is not always ramen.

I give this move 93 points and recommend all WA subscribers to drink now through 2013

If that is your standard, have fun being disappointed the rest of your life! Nice sippy cup.

could there be a less PC dish than Wood Grilled Veal Heart !

About *gulp* 10 years ago I did a charity benefit with a select number of top chef's in the city. Although I only interacted with him briefly, I got to watch Bryan Voltaggio run his operation firsthand. At the time, he was maybe in his mid twenties and was both Executive Chef and GM of Charlie Palmer Steak. His focus, talent, and managerial skill were plainly evident and impressive. He was a young man who could clearly "do" things and "get things done". I've never seen Range, or even watched the video, but I would not be afraid of going broke betting on his (and its) success.

Alex, Not to worry. I was confused about the bolded statements above. Once I went to your site, it made perfect sense. I like the concept.

Have to admit, I had no idea what you were talking about with the above description. Went the the website www.grapecrate.com and looked like a great idea. Signed up; release the ninjas

If they maintain their usual 14-16% mark-up, this will be the cheapest liquor store in the area by far. Of course, you may have to purchase everything in 1.75L bottles

This was my intent. We're pining for a restaurant that's been closed for over a year that was 8 hours away, when we have similarly groundbreaking restaurants right under our nose. Very true, hence why I was highlighting your restaurant as not the same, but equally great.

Miss this place? Never been? Try here. Not the same, but its great, and it's closer.

Last night: Seared Sea Scallops, Anson Mill Grits with White Cheddar, Oven Roasted Beets

Nice! The mixing bowl mess notwithstanding, I will use it anytime it is available during what I feel is peak traffic time. I hate sitting in traffic.

You can't see me

Cru Beaujoulais. Probably something from Fleurie. Need to get to the store.

As you are approaching the Springfield interchange on the inner loop, there are 7 lanes. Two on the left go to the ramp leading to 95 South, one on the far right leads to 395 North, the one on the second right leads to a Springfield ramp and the three lanes go through. Now two of those three lanes, the ones in the center and on the far left, become a Toll Lane 1 mile after passing under the overpass. So most of those thru drivers will try to get RIGHT to avoid the toll lane. AT THE SAME TIME, 5 lanes from 395 South and 95 north are merging down to 4 lanes before Braddock Road, all moving LEFT. So that is 7 lanes of traffic merging into 4 lanes of traffic in a one mile stretch of road, at one of the busiest freeway intersections in the country. How did they not see this coming?