B.A.R.

By no means am I  upset with Rose's, or intimate that they don't "walk the walk"but this just seems"¦"¦unseemly to me. I wonder if this is a DC thing, or are there paid placeholders at, say, Mission Chinese? Rose's has no reason to change any policy because of this development, but it reeks of elitism and privilege, which seems to go against what Rose's is about.

Must be really tough to please everyone. The line thing pisses people off (those with limited time), but makes other people happy (with no limits on time). But, for something scarce like this, if they don't change up a bit, secondary markets are going to form (for those people with money >>> time). And the people that get the money from that transaction aren't the good people that work at Rose's. On a side note, economists are baffled that restaurants set a fixed price no matter the demand. Even if a place is popular, the prices stay the same. Even if a place has dead time, the prices are the same. No dynamic pricing at all, supply and demand don't meet and there is so much deadweight loss. The economist in me loses his mind everything he sees queuing at a restaurant. It's completely irrational!

Would I pay $50 for a table at Rose's on Friday night at 7:30? Maybe, but I'd actually feel a lot better paying that to Rose's. It seems something like Nick Kokonas' Tock could not solve the problem, because Rose's does not strictly offer a tasting menu with more predictable table turn times.

I have had outstanding meals at Rose's Luxury and I love the Tony Kornheiser show.

This mornings show opened with Tony RAVING about the meal he had last night, at a restaurant on Capitol Hill. Just gushing. This is an unusual occurrence for a regular listener, as Tony always eats at 1) The Palm and 2) never raves about anything. So I was wondering where he ate, and Garrison immediately popped into my mind. You see, Tony went out to dinner with Bill Simmons and another friend, and you could not imagine that any of them would stand online to get into Rose's Luxury at 7:30. It's really inconceivable.

But it was Rose's, and for a brief moment I was amazed that someone in his party actually queued up for dinner. I was wrong.

So, as Tony is gushing, he says that there are no reservations, and that a cottage industry has grown that you can now PAY people to wait online for you, to eat at Rose's Luxury. I am all for free market, blah, blah, blah, but this has me....upset...angry...disappointed?

If one of the ideas behind the "no reservations" policy was to have a fabulous neighborhood restaurant that is accessible to all - and this is happening - then that part of the policy is a failure.Go ahead and charge people to make reservations, increase your cash flow, and dispense with the pretense, because the market does not care about Rose's good intentions. But if they want to KEEP the noble idea behind the policy, maybe do something like this.

Or maybe I'm the only one that sees this as a problem. It's been known to happen.

That's nuts. A case of Budweiser at wholesale costs less than $20.

A similar quantity of beer would cost around $140 at Redskins game

Has anyone heard what the minimum charges at Sax are? I'm hearing figures that are preposterous, and I almost cannot believe they're true.

I am sure they are true. Anytime I see prices for some of these clubs, my first thought is "Who are these idiots paying $350 for a bottle of Grey Goose?" A case of Bud Lite at The Park costs $250. Let that sink in a moment.

There is apparently a large segment of the society that are very rich and dumb as fuck.

I have had Balut, and it was the more mature variety. Beak, eyes, feathers clearly visible - and crunchy, too. It was not my favorite.

In 1981 my father took me to the Canton McKinley - Cincinnati Moeller State Championship football game at the Akron Rubber Bowl. Prior to living in Ohio, we lived in Utah. Even at the tender age of 10,  I remember thinking, "Whoa....WTF is wrong with these people? This is way too serious."

ETA - I've been to playoff games in all major sports, US Opens. etc. but I'll always remember that game.

Ha! Feel you, bro.

My kids are used to my love of hotness. I once aspirated Pucker Butt Carolina Reaper hot sauce from a taco. Daughters thought I was going to die. So did I. They won't go anywhere near that sauce because of what it "did to Dad"

I don't understand the bit about not having to pay. Were they a friend of someone?

Nope. This was just an EMP way of doing something special for a guest. They told me the story a solid week afterwards and were still just giddy and beaming

So here is the story told by my acquaintance about his dinner at EMP. Although I have seen this couple socially on numerous occasions, I had no idea about their passion for food and beverage until the other day, when it was suggested to them to ask me for some help in procuring a bottle of wine. Mark asked if I might be able to help, and he showed me a picture of Bracchetto from Giovanni Almondo "“ an odd bottle for sure. I asked him where he had it and he said that he and his wife just celebrated their anniversary at EMP.

I asked him how the dinner was and he said the dinner was "flawless." His wife chimed in that their dinner at Per Se the night before was arguably more delicious, but the meal at EMP was the best experience "by far". And so launched the story.

They tend to make reservations at excellent restaurants "as early as possible"¦because we love food and want to be surprised by what comes out. Had we eaten at Alinea at 8pm instead of 5:30pm, much of the magic and "˜wow' factory may have been lost".

They show up early for their reservation and are not seated, and can't go to the bar to have a cocktail. They have made their reservation on bartender Jim Betz's last night, and the pre-shift honors have delayed proceedings. Nonetheless, they are seated on-time and get the wine pairing. Mark and his wife are really gregarious people, and were by no means pissed off that they could not get a drink prior to dinner. Their waiter explained why the bar was closed and they made chit chat about Mr. Betz and his "All Betz are Off" signature drink. The meal progressed, with  "spectacular course after spectacular course."

About 30 minutes into their meal, the AGM came over and inquired as to their plans after dinner. They were heading to a cocktail bar afterwards, and she wondered "if they might trust her to have a little fun". They quickly said sure, and the AGM returned with a solitary skeleton key, placed it on the table, and told them it was for later. The next 2 hours were filled with anticipation"¦.."What is this key for?"

At the end of the meal"¦.the key still sat there. They paid their check. The AGM came back and asked them to come with her"¦.and bring the key.

They left the building and walked through Madison Park, with the AGM providing a walking tour of the area and a history of the restaurant, her experiences there, etc. She brought them to the Nomad Hotel, a few blocks away, and explained that EMP runs the food service here. She gives them a tour of the restaurant and various bars and leads them to the Library, a bar reserved for guests of the hotel and members. They are seated at a table, asked to place the key on the table, and bid adieu.

A few minutes later, Jim Betz appears at the table with his signature cocktails. He apologizes for the bar being closed early and hands them a deck of cards. From here on out, they are to pick three cards from the deck, and a cocktail would be made based upon their selection. The cards had pictures of herbs, vacation destination, muscle cars, super heroes, and all sorts of random things meant to evoke flavors and emotions. He says the rest of their evening is complements of EMP, and leaves.

The key still sits there. They drink their cocktails and select cards for their next drink. They say the selection process is "a blast". Soon thereafter, a large chest is placed on their table. It is locked. They finally get to use their key and open the chest to find it laden with snacks and confections and cheeses and meats and pretty much more than they could possibly eat the rest of the evening. They looked around The Library and no one had any of the food that they were having, much less and entire chestful. This was just for them.

They asked the server where they could purchase the deck of cards, as they would like to replicate the drink experience at a party in their home. "they are made specifically for EMP. Please take them with you."

They ate and drank and ate and drank and several hours later, after "about 6 drinks each and 5 pounds of food" they asked for their check. No check was presented, as everything was "on" EMP. They wouldn't even run their card for $.01 so they could leave a tip. They emptied out their wallets  of all the cash they had for the server, and walked out into the NYC darkness "“ positively delighted.

Here is a description of the typical "VIP" experience (at the end), which is similar to what I remember from a few years ago.  What you actually get isn't really any different than the usual dessert service, so I assumed it was a clever way to clear a table.  The key thing, which is described here, sounds like something different entirely.

The "key thing" on the Trip Advisor review is correct. My friend provided far more detail than is mentioned in the brief review. If I wasn't on vacaton I would write it for him...and I am still hoping he joins.

It all sounds a bit precious.

It does, and it was. I believe EMP stopped the "tricks" and the grid menu, and the hyper-effusive description of the "providence" of everything on the menu and in the building a few years ago

This could be, but I went when Meyer *did* own it (this was in 2002 or 2003), and it wasn't anything even resembling a Michelin 3-Star restaurant then.

My friend ate at Per Se the night before, and found that meal to be more purely delicious than EMP, but he was splitting hairs. He said the overall experience of EMP was far better than Per Se, Alinea, etc.

Has anyone ever been VIP'd at EMP? Did it involve a key?

If so, can you detail your experience here?An acquaintance of mine recently had dinner at EMP, and was treated to something very special after his meal.  I have asked him to join here and detail the night, and if he does not, I will try and summarize it second-hand.

I work in hospitality and have worked in luxury dining and lodging segments. The story he told me was MAGIC.

That said, I cannot ever recall writing an email to a chef afterwards that wasn't met with some sort of thanks.

Because your Don Rockwell.

If you were Ron Welldock, your results may vary. Hell, I have constructively criticized chef's who work for me and gotten derisive pushback.

I've dined at 2941 far less frequently, but twice now in a few weeks, and I find it very impressive. It may be more casual than formerly, but the service is generally superb, and not at all what I would call informal. The kitchen seems to be firing on all cylinders.

Could not agree more. A few years ago, my boss instituted casual Friday's. I showed up in khahis, a nice pair of loafers and a nice collared shirt. He showed up in his usual suit and tie. I asked him why he did not dress for casual Friday, and he raised his arms so that his shirtsleeves were exposed from his jacket and said, "I am casual...I'm not wearing French cuffs."

2941 is the same kind of "casual" and I really think we should update the thread title.

ETA - Save for a few Lickety Splits, I have not eaten at Eve in years. I eat at 2941 more frequently, as it is the best restaurant closest to my house.2941 isn't better than what I remember Eve serving, but it's as good.

I used this to explain the size of our solar system to my kids. They were at first blown away....then got a little bit bored after they got to Jupiter!

"If the Moon Were Only 1 Pixel" on joshworth.com

The line is out the door and about 40 people deep right now. They're neighbors on my block, so I wish them the best of luck and truly hope that the initial excitement holds for months and years to come, but I don't understand this at all.

Last Friday night I slipped into bed, exhausted, and decided to catch up on some reading before falling asleep. I opened up a copy of the New Yorker from a few weeks back, and on the inside cover was a gorgeous picture of a sea urchin dish on an advertisement for "Chef's Table", a six episode documentary now available on Netflix. The docu-series is from the team responsible for "Jiro Dreams of Sushi."

So I closed the magazine, opened up Netflix on a tablet, and went to the series. Mossimo Bottura. Dan Barber. Francis Mallman. Niki Nakayama. Ben Shewry. Magnus Nilsson. Wow.

I watched the Magnus Nilsson episode. Then the Mossimo Bottura. I woke up at 4:30am and watched the Ben Shewry. The next night? Dan Barber. Last night? Mallman.

This is a brilliant series and I can't imagine anyone on this board would not find them a worthwhile use of an hours time.

Most mornings have out-the-door lines at the Herndon spot, since they're made to order, but on a weekday the line-order-eat took about 15 minutes.

This is surprising to me. Duck Donuts has been a family tradition for the past 7 years. I love waking up and biking to Duck donuts with the kids, scarfing down a hot donut while staring out at the Currituck Sound. But I also always thought that it was purely a contextual thing, and that the donuts - and the wait- were made far better by the fact I was on vacation, with my family, and very happy.

i can see them being busy when they first open, but I'm skeptical that thisis sustainable. Then again, I have no explanation for Georgetown Cupcakes..

Harmless Harvest available at Costco Fairfax this week. This is far and away the best cocnut water I've ever tasted that was not coming straight out of a young coconut. I believe it was $15.99 for a 4pk of 16oz bottles.

Pasta Plus in Laurel. Looks like a dump but it's great.

I'm getting off-topic, but I think this is how G.A.R.G. prints out their gluten-free menu - it's just a subset of their full menu, and the dishes are probably "tagged" with ingredients. I suspect it wouldn't take much to do some boolean operations, and customize the menus however they like.

I don't believe that is the case. My wife is in the gastroenterology biz and asked very specific questions of the server regarding their "gluten-free" menu. The server, without prompting, said the gluten free items come from " a small area of the kitchen that was created just for this menu. Different refrigerators, prep area, cooking pans, everything" and went into detail. We discussed this once the server left and thought there would be no reason to do what he described merely for those who eat "Paleo" or define themselves as "gluten-intolerant". Frankly, with their sales volume, there is no reason to do this at all. Our guess was that one of the principals must have a child or grandchild that has been diagnosed with Celiac's disease.

If diners have dietary restrictions (or allergies), they should always mention them upfront; Rose's handles this the best I have ever seen a restaurant handle it. They will take the menu to the chef with the restriction marked on it and they will return it to you, marked up clearly to identify what you can have, what you can have if altered, and what you cannot have.

So simple. So brilliant.

You've obviously never watched "Shoah."

Which reminds me: I haven't watched the entire film either, and I promised myself that one day I would - this important work also merits its own thread.

I have tried watching the HBO documentary "Night Will Fall" on three separate occasions. I have never gotten past minute 20.

Good thing you all didn't live in the 1700-1800s and had to suffer through opera!

...

A work of art - or a story - should be its own length, whatever that length is, and should not be engineered to fit within certain parameters. That's my opinion.

I'm not saying all movies should be edited down to 90 minutes because I lack the ability or time to sit through anything longer. I am saying that too many movies (to me) seem to run on, and on, and on, and on and much of it is unnecessary CGI bullshit or sweeping camera shots that add nothing to the story but sure do make the Director look cool.

There are plenty of great movies that have long run times.

Last night, HBO aired "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Best In Show" back-to-back. BOTH movies finished in a little over 3 hours, and were rich, and nuanced, and funny and delightful. The FIRST thing I look at when considering going to the movies anymore is run time. Movies exceeding 2 hours are generally filled with unnecessary scenes designed to make the director look like an artist rather than to enhance the storytelling.

Peter Jackson, I am talking about you. Am I the only one who feels this way?

Asshat.