B.A.R.

I disagree. Do it NOW! Restaurants are somewhat ephemeral, and this restaurant is magnificent right now. The patio is a lovely spot for a meal, and certainly enhances the ambiance, but the food and service is outstanding inside or out, sunny and 70 or 40 degrees and raining.

Just wow. Soul Kitchen Community Restaurant

I AM HIRING!!!!! Need help this Saturday too, same as above, but times may change. PM me!

I had no idea they were open for lunch! Time to plan a mid-week lunch date.

Do you have an idle teenager who would be willing to help me take leaves from 2:30 -5:30? Desperate to get this done today, and a forgotten family brunch obligation, coupled with the time change is killing me. I live off Braddock rd, west of 123, Woodson district. Please PM me. Pay is $45 per kid, need three kids

Completely agree with anonymous as to the "why?' they even sell growlers. Completely agree with Rocks about Sweetwater. There was a time when I would go to Sweetwater just for the beer- and I would always fill up on growlers.I stopped drinking their beer about 5 years ago because the quality just plummeted. I still order a beer every once and a while at a GAR restaurant, and it generally reaffirms my opinion that the beers are dreck. Your mileage may vary. Now, I think I will head to Baying Hounds Aleworks today to fill my growlers, as they said I could bring my dogs (Coonhound & Bloodhound)! Woof !

But the norm in the restaurant is a high quality, reasonably priced, fairly hefty draft, yes? I assume the sell 5x?10x? 20x? more pints than growlers. If the growlers were priced slightly above retail, per volume, the entire bar would say "Why am I paying $6 for 16oz of Punkin Ale when you'll also sell me 64oz for $15?" I'm guessing they price the growlers artificially high in order to maintain the $5, $6, and $7 price of the drafts in the restaurant - not merely to gouge*. *but I WAS ready to boycott!

Il Pizzico not only has a shake, barn style roof, but a curb to prevent you from driving through the front of the building. Pasta Plus has no such amenities. And before Pasta Plus purchased the adjacent space, that space was boarded up, hurricane style

I was just trying to think of the most ubiquitous producer and throw in the half-bottle, since you called me a cheap fuck.

coulda been a half-bottle of Drouhin, now that you mention it

I have no idea how to insert a picture, but this sums it up: http://www.trbimg.com/img-503e9f06/turbine/ph-laurel-restaurants-pg-082912-004/600

A girlfriend and I had dinner in the small dining room up a set of stairs from the entrance at Tersiguel's. Fernand knew me tangentally as a young customer who was in the hospitality industry and appreciative of his restaurant. We ordered a bottle of Chablis from the Les Clos vineyard (producer escapes me) and Fernand stopped by the table. His wife had been battling cancer, and he shared with us their struggles and fear; and that he had built a shrine to the Virgin Mary in his backyard in order to pray for his wife's health daily. The actual details of the conversation have faded over time, but the tone of the conversation, the immense love and devotion coupled with his intense fear and sense of loss, have not. His son had just taken over the helm of the kitchen, and he was so proud of that, despite his obvious pain. And that entire conversation occurred because of a bottle of wine. Got to get to Tersiguel's soon, too.

At Pasta Plus, I think his name was Max. At Tersiguel's? Fernand (sp?). At King's Contrivance? Richard Ackman. I guess I am still looking to be "born"

Say "hi" next time! As a Laurel ex-pat, this was one of my favorite restaurants not only in Laurel, but anywhere between Baltimore and Washington (along with Tersiguel's and the Kings Contrivance). I have had dozens of meals here, and can never recall a bad one. The last time I was there, maybe for lunch in 2004, I thought to myself, "this could be the greatest restaurant in the shittiest location in the shittiest building within a 250 mile radius." Glad to hear they are still cranking out great food, and I need to figure out a way to get up there again. Congratulations!

Ditto. It seems to me that the growlers are priced, by volume, at a slight discount over the same beer served in the restaurant. Is the price extreme, especially relative to retail? You betcha. But is this really different than if you were in a restaurant and decided you wanted to purchase a bottle of wine from the wine list "to go" for $30, then realizing you bought the same wine at Arrowine for $12? But this does remind me that I have three empty Growlers at home, and need to get 'em filled somewhere other than Dogfish Ale House

I stopped by the other night between the girls dance classes. The menu was concise and read like a "greatest hits" Thai menu and if there were specials, none were displayed or offered at the counter service. What I was served was tasty and very fresh (spring rolls, woon sen soup, pork pad cha), but indistinguishable in flavor from most Americanized Thai restaurants I have been too. Is there a secret to this place?

Fabulous! It is a very special place, isn't it? My wife and I eat out a lot, but I post very little. Most of the time it is because the meal themselves becomes indistinguishable to most other meals by the time I get around to post. My last meal at the Ashby is (was) an exception. Over time, it has actually improved in my memory; there are very few meals I can say this about.

nevermind

I can fully understand how frustrating this can be. Hell, I have left multiple messages on answering machines to make long term reservations that were never returned. But I would not write-off either establishment on the basis of this. Particularly the Ashby Inn, which in July treated my wife and I to as magnificent a meal as I have had in quite some time. ETA - It just dawned on me that I called the restaurant numerous times for that July meal, and not only did they answer the phone almost always, but I remember leaving a few messages (can we sit outside? we're running late stuck in traffic on 50, etc.) that were always promptly returned. It's entirely possible that they were without power, and their VM system, like mine at home, would answer, but the phones were not actually ringing.

The Wegman's in Fairfax is loaded with food and has no customers- really the best time to visit Wegman's. A friend informs me that Target in Burke has tons of flashlights and batteries and also has no customers.

Prior to attending a charity function at the Capital Hilton, my wife and I wanted to grab a drink and a snack. As I made a quick survey of the area, the two most promising options within my sight were Adour and PJ Clarkes. I so love and appreciate the refined Adour, but I knew I lacked the willpower to not spent $100 in the 30 minutes we would be there. So we went to PJ Clarke's. It was pleasant to find a hostess standing out near the sidewalk to welcome us. It was a warm and sincere greeting. It was also the highlight of the night. The bar, which was bracingly cold, has about 15 seats and maybe 5 tables. All of the bar stools were taken and one of the tables. The most prime spot in the bar, dead center, is allocated for the service bar. As I stood behind two seated patrons, neither of the bartenders made an attempt to greet or make eye contact, so I slid into the service bar area to get their attention. I ordered a Dirty Kettle Martini (I know martinis have gin, but my wife does not) and a Hendricks and Tonic. The drinks were made quickly, the martini being straight vodka, and before presenting the cocktails, the bartender asked if I wanted a twist or olives. "If I could have it dirty, please", I responded. A female patron exclaimed "throw dishwater in it" and the bartender and the patron's companion laughed heartily, while the bartender produced a squirt bottle and filled the remainder of the glass to the rim with warm olive juice. I excused myself, as I had to reach over the lady to retrieve a drink I was destined to spill 2oz of, and joined my wife on the cocktail rail opposite the bar. Within minutes, two seats in front of the Raw Bar opened up, so we slid into them. Both my wife and I are oyster lovers, so we thought a few might hit the spot prior to dinner. There were four varietals listed, and I asked the lady working the raw bar if there were any Happy Hour specials. "$1 oysters" she said, and then she left, leaving us to stare at the iced down oysters and the former patrons glasses for about 5 minutes. When she returned, I asked if we could have a dozen oysters, 3 of each. She looked at me, glanced at the bartender, and asked if we had ordered them. "Am I supposed to order from him?" I asked, confused why I could not order from the person working the Raw Bar with stools for patrons immediately in front of her. "I'll tell him" she said, and then informed me that only the local oysters were a dollar at HH and the others were regular price. "OK" I responded. When the oysters arrived, I was immediately reminded of a post by Rocks years ago how Whole Foods was guilty of fine cheese abuse and neglect. The oysters I was served were a crime against humanity, and bivalves. Five of the 12 appeared scrambled. None of the adducter muscles were separated. Each oyster had shards of shells, and all of the liqueur was drained from the shells. They were presented on a bed of crushed ice (with ice on many of the shucked oysters) with thimbles of ketchup, pickled horseradish, and red wine vinegar ( seasoned with one 1/8" dice of red onion floating around in it). I sat and stared at them, the dirty glasses from the previous patrons, my empty glass, and my wife's empty glass, and should have just paid and left then and there. But instead, I doubled down, ordering another gin and tonic and a glass of Pinot Noir for my wife. She usually does not drink Pinot Noir with oysters, but upon seeing the oysters she decided she wouldn't be eating oysters at all. I gamely plowed through 9 of the 12 oysters, which were wonderfully fresh, and then asked for my check. I was unceremoniously given a bill for $74, no "thank you" or "how was everything" and immediately put down my credit card. After a few minutes, I got up and approached one of the two bartenders and asked if he could process the check. As I exited the restaurant with my $85 receipt, I spied the cool light emanating from Adour across the street, and realized I had made a terrible fucking mistake.

Yes, they will! Michael Shaps usually makes pretty good wine.

My wife and I eat there all of the time. While I cannot vouch for the authenticity of the cuisine, having never been to Vietnam and my Vietnamese cuisine experience is limited to a few local Vietnamese places*, I find Four Sisters to be an excellent destination. The food is always fresh and flavorful; love the steamed whole fish with scallions, the "crepe" (banh xeo maybe?), tofu in clay pot, green papaya salad, etc, etc have all been winners. And I actually love the decor, with the wood and muted hues, and the flowers everywhere. Service has always been prompt and efficient, and if I had one quibble I would say that the food generally arrives too soon. We always end up with way more food than we need, and pay far less than we expect. I am a fan. I'm not sure why this is germain to the food conversation at all (except to maybe Tyler Cowan), but I have always been a minority in the dining room at Four Sisters.** * If you want to visit a Vietnamese place that is a shell of its former self, try Present. **White male ***As long as I am adding addendums, I think Sea Pearl is an overpriced and inconsistent, based on three visits.

Ditto! I could not be more excited about this, as it is within a 20 minute drive of my house, 2013 can't come soon enough.

How does John Mariani still have a job? There is no doubt that Roberto Donna is a fabulous chef, but dropping a line like "..habit of leaving before the paint dries..." without any context is outrageous. ETA - I am not saying that Chef Donna is undeserving (although it's a stretch). He certainly is one of the top 3 Italian Chefs in this city, and probably one of the top 30 working in the US today. And I am happy that he is working, and would happily spend my money in an establishment where he had no ownership interest. He has to work to pay back those to whom he is who he is indebted. My point was the quote above comes off as whimsical, when the reasons for those restaurant closings was anything but.