CrescentFresh

Not foul at all. Pleasantly different. And while everyone is sucking down their shitty sparkling wine and OJ mix, you can stand outside the flock and be the rebel. I used to drink them at Oyamel when it was still in Crystal City. Haven't been to the new location yet. Perhaps it's still on the menu? (And not that you couldn't ask any bartender anywhere to make it for you. Would be curious if they make you pay up front, though. )

Or come by EATbar to have a bottle of the Black Sheep. It's not $3.99, but I'll open it for you!

The bottled beer list is now completely British so come check it out for some other great beers besides the Black Sheep.

-perk-

I'm lovin' that 80's metal band album cover font.

My beer is Rheingold, the dry beer

Won't you try some whenever you buy beer

Da dada dee dee dee

Da dada dee dee dee

Won't you buy extra dry Rheingold beer!

Please correct and/or fill in the blanks.

My memory is obviously patchy on the lyrics, although I now have that d*x# melody stuck in my head.

Thanks for nothin', you dawg!!

It's refreshing, not sweet

It's the extra dry treat

I cannot think of that song without thinking of sitting by the radio listening to Mets games years and years ago. I should add that Rheingold did have a brief rebirth in the late 80's early 90's. (Same jingle too!). Although I'm unsure about the nature of it's brewing or ownership at that time, I do remember putting down a good many six-packs while mowing the lawn each summer.

Um, you arrive at work at what time on Saturday mornings?

Our love and understanding for many other places as being more "worthy" and "important," Fogo would just be a killer kickass place for a DR.com group outing. Although I suggest we find out about corkage fees and then pick up a few double magnums. In all honesty, this would be the Rockwellpalooza of them all.

Thanks for all of your help...

We will be buying some wine, but I completely understand why wineries would prefer no limos, and I'm on their side! I think I'll actually be embarassed to show up in one, and I'm going to try to go with a SUV-type ride instead. But I think my sister really wants a limo, and the bride gets what the bride wants. (which means no Linden. Boo.)

So far this is the tentative list, but it may be too many:

Naked Mountain

Chateau O'Brien

The Apple House (for some apple butter-filled doughnuts and sparkling apple cider)

Linden (if possible, but not likely)

Rappahanock

(mid-day stop at E Cow)

Gray Ghost

Pearmund

Anything I'm missing? What would you cut out? Are Gray Ghost, Unicorn or Oasis worth a visit? What about Naked Mountain?

Oh, and we're planning a mid-day stop at the Epicurious Cow to pick up some snacks (everything is better with snacks!) - does anyone know which winery nearby would have a good setting for a picnic? I've heard Unicorn has a picturesque lake....?

Thanks so much, time I'll report back afterwards!

Scratch Linden from your list. It's not going to happen. (Shame, too.) But they're really close to Rappahannock. Perhaps if you leave the limo at the bottom of the drive and take the long hike up to their spot? And it's not in the general area you're looking at, but Breaux still has the best picnic area and setting I've come across for a VA winery. (But stick to drinking the chardonnays and viognier.)

I hope I did a great job.

Ferhat-

Dude, you're killing me. On your worst days you did a great job. Fortunately you had very few bad days and 99.999 times out of 100 your performance would be classified as stellar. This is no understatement. Any industry, not just food and beverage, would be well-served (pun slightly intended) by having you on the team. We wish you much success and happiness.

-Sir and Mrs. Sir

p.s., is now the right time to call your attention to the dr.com user regulations section 4-2.14 that stipulates something to the effect of your requirement to let us know where and when we can find/contact you in the future, if only to invite you to some really swinging parties?

doesn't seem like a two star review to me. But maybe I'm just feeling grumpy tonight.

Another possibility, Sleepyhead? You're smelling the coffee?

Oyamel is simply the worst mexican food I've had on the east coast.

I was never a huge fan of Oyamel. (Although it was mostly their service which sucked). And I, too, can name places I'd prefer to have Mexican. (Although when Oyamel was ON it was really ON!) But the worst? My guess is that you haven't had much Mexican on the east coast then. (And there's also only a limited number of places doing true Mexican regional cuisine and not Tex Mex.)

My comment about going back and saying Hi is just that: when you sit at the bar you can look back and sometimes you'll see him stand near the entrance to the kitchen. I'm suggesting walk back and say hello to him; tell him that you're unsure what you should order and would like him to order for you. Not the bartender or the waiter's opinion on "what's best" but Roberto's decision. Not because of any special friendship. But rather because of his pride in what he wants you to try. He has a ferocious amount of pride in his food. I'm saying "justifiably."

While I agree with mdt's notion that one shouldn't have to do this to get a decent meal, I rather like this idea. I'm sure I'm going to do it, too. I find it akin to putting my meal in the hands of the sushi chef when I'm at the sushi bar. I haven't been to Bebo in about 3-4 weeks. Last visit, I recall a very nice plate of tongue.

I can't enjoy my meal if I can't enjoy the wine I have to accompany it.

I'll drink to that!

I've said before that the lunch sandwiches at the downtown Jaleo are a great and delicious deal. This week I enjoyed a bocata de calamares como lo hacen en Madrid (Madrid-style fried squid sandwich with alioli and caramelized onions). The squid is great. Meaty and tender. The batter is crisp and not oily. Served on a toasted roll. This is just a great sandwich at only $7.95. Comes with a side dish of your choice. I always go for the Spanish potato salad. Not just potato, but also peas, big chunks of hard boiled egg, and roasted red peppers.

I had this again last week. A little oily this time, but damn this is a great sandwich. If you ever feel you want a little taste of Madrid, find a seat at Jaleo for lunch.

I had a Venezuelan Malbec that was outstanding

Venezuelan malbec? I've never heard of a wine industry in Venezuela, let alone one that exports. But that's okay. I'm not Mr. Vino le Grape and don't claim to be.

But outstanding? Seriously?

--->Click<---

Dude -- Perfect!

So, I understand from my brother how my nieces are all into "American Girl" which would naturally make a great gift for them. Just like the "Thomas the Tank Engine" crap I had to buy my nephew until he moved on to Pokemon fifteen minutes later.

I think I'm going to get them a pizza peel, stone and cutter and we'll make some pizzas together. That part is easy and I know where to get that. But I'd like to get a kid-sized apron and even a kid-sized chef's hat, just like the guy who says, "You've tried all the rest. Now try the best!" on the pizza box.

Any suggestions on where I can pick something like that up? Fast? Like by Friday? Bonus points for the suggestions that are closest to Arlington.

There are a ton of really interesting podcasts out there dealing with almost everything you can find on this site (minus all that Washington, DC stuff ) One that I've really enjoyed listening to recently is this hour long interview with Rick Bayless. Tomorrow is, apparently, the 20th anniversary of Frontera Grill.

In this podcast, Bayless covers everything from the opening of his restaurant, the nature of regional Mexican cooking, why it differs so much from other Latin American cuisines, some interesting insight into why Mexicans are the backbones of so many kitchens in this country (but only a limited number move to the top spot), who he'd eat dinner with at a "living or dead" dinner party, and how he packs his daughter's school lunch every day.

I think this is a GREAT interview.

Would it be wrong to serve iceberg lettuce?

That's cold, Joe!

Does Rustico have all the games, though?

They've got 4 TV's so as long as they bought the package and have the right number of signals (I'd be surprised if they didn't) then they should be able to pull everything in.

Have you tried RFD? Good beers. Adequate bar food. They should be showing all the games, but you may want to call.

You're up to date on all your vaccinations, yes?

Pour House or Old Dominion Brewery for NCAA games Thursday? I'm open to other recs as well. I'm in Alexandria, but don't want to spend several hours exposed to smoke, which is why I'm researching DC.

Criteria:

Has all NCAA games on decent TVs - The game I want is not being shown locally.

Is near Metro

Non-smoking

Quality Food/Beers

It appears that the Pour House and the Old Dominion Brewhouse meet the first three requirements, but I haven't heard much about the food/beer selection. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

How near metro are you considering as being near? Rustico is, as far as I'm concerned, the best place in the area to catch a game. I think it fits all of your criteria. (And I'd love to hear what your food/drink report is afterwards!)

We ate some pizza, we drank some good beer, and discussed the book and various tangents. IMO I don't think we need to rehash meetings online, that is why we are meeting in person.

We do need someone to show up that can drink more beer than CrescentFresh.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish is my recommendation for the next book club meeting. Anything to get to the beer quicker. Preferably Dogfish Head.

No bar pizza in DC?

Totally different.

Greetings:

I am an infamous food discussion board pioneer and food blogger from New Jersey seeking dining companions in DC this week, monday and tuesday.

Anyone interested in hooking up please PM me directly, thanks.

Jason

!

(Bring Kinchley's!)