CrescentFresh

Hi. This may not be the best place on the board to put this. [Don, feel free to relocate it if necessary. ] There are these TV executives at this network that I think is based in New York. I've spent a good bit of time in their pasture over the past number of years, and I've come to the conclusion that I think they'd probably be better off if they were slaughtered (humanely, of course) and actually served to their audience....or perhaps their "talent." I keep thinking red wine sauce and the whole braising thing, but I'm really a bit unsure on that. I guess I just wanted to throw this one out to the group to consider how best to deal with these executives and make them palatable. I'm just thinking it's probably "harvest" time and I'd hate to see them continue to age and risk spoiling a network that has such freshness.

It's tomorrow. And the answer to life, the universe, and everything is actually 42.

Use the milk as part of a delicious rum drink that you can serve in the half-shell. Stir it up with some cut whole strips of the coconut flesh....kind of like the celery in a bloody mary. But be sure to save yourself many strips and chunks, because (always save the best for last) how else does one get the Nutella out of the jar?

Classic. All I can think of is the scene when Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau asked, "Does your dog bite?"

Too hostile? Yeah, okay. I buy that and stand down a bit. I'm not necessarily known for my subtlety. But, Don, what gets me is not the existence of upcharges, it's the reports that "most items" at FO have upcharges. That's what I'm calling out as disingenuous and potentially a disservice to those restaurants that are actually doing a $30.07 menu and have only an occasional upcharge so they can show off their talent for the dish that happens to have a more costly ingredient. I simply (and passionately) believe it's wrong to say you have a Restaurant Week menu when you don't.

No matter the quality of the class in Old Town, I think it is most deserving to put in larger letters that the class at L'Academie is for charity and that I would hope that DR members capable of doing so would opt for the one cjsadler has organized rather than any other.

Sorry to put it so bluntly, but.....what's the fucking point? What an utterly false, piece of shit thing to do. There are restaurants out there, decent restaurants with decent chefs, who don't have the promotional benefit of an "Iron Chef-type" owner in the kitchen -- let alone one who's managed to be in the news frequently even without that particular moniker -- who really do need Restaurant Week to pull people in simply because they don't have the semi-starpower Morou has. These other places count on the added, free publicity that Restaurant Week gives to them only twice a year. And now FO has the nerve to bastardize the "true essence" (if you will) of Restaurant Week by adding upcharges on "most items," rather than just that one entree or one appetizer that lets the chef show off his or her particular talents where the main ingredient just so happens to have lobster, or foie, or truffles? Perhaps Morou may want to consider a more traditional means of doing what he's doing, one that I would consider to be more acceptable. How about having a prix fixe menu with X number of courses like so many other places do every day of the year? Then there are no "upcharges" for anything. And those who actually need Restaurant Week because they can't afford or don't know how to get the publicity they deserve without it, won't have to suffer further because people like Morou are siphoning people away with Restaurant Week menus that aren't! I once knew this guy who woke up in the morning and said, with his eyes half shut, his head pounding, and his mouth full of cotton balls, "I'm never gonna drink again." So, then, how many points are actually in a star? Can we calculate, in real numbers, the difference between a pentagram and a Star of David, let's say?

Feb 6 - EatBar Feb 7 - Rustico Feb 8 - Book Club at BP I think we know what direction that week is going........ In other news....... It seems that Michael Jackson will not be making a return visit to National Geographic this spring. However, Garrett Oliver will be doing a presentation there on May 3 entitled The Art of Refermentation. Oliver is good....but Michael Jackson the king of beers. And, then there's this little conflict with the New England Real Ale Festival May 2-5.

Just to make sure I have it right, what if I'm playing in a match that afternoon? Do I move clothes to the lower peg immediately after lunch or do I wait until I write my letter home if I'm not getting my hair cut?

Haven't read it all yet through NY Times Select, but this Sunday's NYT Magazine will have a major feature article by Michael Pollan entitled "Unhappy Meals." If you have Times Select, you can read it now online.

Agree 199% about Garrett Oliver. As for the food lineup.....trust me....it's not just the descriptions. The kitchen at EatBar could be staffed by nothing more than three blind AND deaf mice who were too pre-occupied with clearing the bullet casings out of a barrel of fish to bother cooking and they'd still easily blow the snot off of RFD.

Fraoch Heather Ale on the cask at BP. Nice. Smooth. And much milder "heatheriness" than from the bottle (as you might expect). One can drink a lot of these if one was so inclined. Imagine what could happen if they had them on special!

I don't know if I have it in me to see it again. Someone else do it!

Am told by someone who went recently that AV is still open. Recently. Like within the last few days.

The Jardin Botanico is well known for its multitudes of feline residents.

They call him MISTER Tibs.

I've got some pictures of Olsen, including that outdoor seating area, that I'm going to have to dig up and post. You're right, it's a stunning setting for a meal. Sitting on that outdoor deck with candlelight, all the foliage, a "waterfall wall" and some amazing food is just an absolute pleasure. On our most recent visit, we only went for lunch. It also was the only restaurant where, when we asked about taking photos, we were told we could take them of anything BUT the food! We were cool with that though. We had a chance to meet chef/owner German Martitegui. I recognized him from some magazine photos and saw him sitting in the center of the dining room on some couches, taking care of business. I don't think the comparison is exactly fair, because when you think of folks like Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, etc., you can't escape their rather overblown personalities, but I think it's somewhat fair to say that Martitegui is kind of an Argentine equivalent of these famous chefs. He was very accomodating and pleasant and when we talked about Olsen and the food he was both modest and pleased we liked it, but also seemed to enjoy sharing a moment with fellow people who get kinda nutty about food. He speaks very good English, too, and tells us he enjoys spending time eating in NY when he's shuttling back and forth from his properties in BA and Madrid. My experience at Nemo seems to be much better. We usually hit Dora for seafood but decided to try Nemo this time. The couple next to us, who recently moved to BA from the Pacific Northwest (and haven't even walked out of Recoleta yet) recommended we try the seafood platter for 2. They told us they eat at Nemo 3 times a week and have tried just about everything. The seafood platter was big, and came with a selection of broiled and grilled fresh fish. Some of them we've heard of and knew. The others....well....we experimented. And we liked them all. Brotola, besugo, lenguado, mero, pacu, trucha and salmon. All cooked nicely, leaving juicyness and tender flesh. Came with some excellent rice that had a hint of lemon, and some grilled vegetable brochettes. For $79 pesos it was easily enough for both of us. Quenched the thirst with a bottle of Saint Felicien Chardonnay Elaborado en Roble (2004) for $59. And we still had room for dessert, which was very thinly-sliced pineapple, surrounded by a coconut creme - more like a foam/espuma - and a mango sauce. It was excellent. Very light and had a hint of sweetness. A perfect dessert item. Question: Are there any squirrels in Argentina? I don't think I've seen any.

My calendar is all up in the air, but I'm tentatively in for BCC with plus 1 on the side. I also don't want to throw too much on the $20 Tuesday calendar, but perhaps once we get past a few of these, I'd like to give a go for Salvadoran that's not Los Tios. Something more straightforward C.A. and not trying to blend in the Tex. Lots of options in that neck of the woods. Most of which I'm completely unfamiliar with, but willing to experiment. And brettashley01, you'll want to take the bus. That's how I do it if I know there's going to be booze potential. 3 different bus routes link with Ballston, Crystal City and Pentagon stations. The last two get you to Mt. Vernon Ave in a jiffy.

Someone should talk to the DC Restaurant Association about this! Stat! Something must be done about this before everyone starts going to Virginia where funk is outlawed! I call upon all the fine dues-paying members of the DC Restaurant Association to demand that the Association get to the bottom of this. After all, what are your dues paying for! Where are the op-eds? Where are the studies showing how the presence of funk will spell doom and gloom! (In all honesty, I'm rather surprised there was no backlash from the dues-paying members of the DC Restaurant Association against the organization for spending tons of their money on a useless campaign against the ban. If I was a member of that association, I'd be furious. It may not be today. It may not be tomorrow. It may not be next year, but the ban will eventually be enacted nationwide. Even in Virginia, where they'll stand to lose millions in Federal funds if they don't comply with Federal health statutes that might be passed in 2012. That's exactly how the 21 year old drinking age came about.)

I'm very glad you had such a good time. I'm also very glad that you were able to take advantage of some of my recommendations, but also struck out on your own and discovered some that I'm now sure to try on my next visit (which can't come soon enough!) Some brief things that strike me:Museo del Jamon is a popular, multi-branched joint in Madrid. I can only presume they're one and the same. That contrasts with Olsen, a popular spot in Buenos Aires, which followed up by opening a second Olsen in Madrid. I'm fascinated by the difference between lunch and dinner at Central. As I noted above, I've been to Central several times but for some reason only for lunch. Now I know what the DJ booth is for! Your assessment of Recoleta does not surprise me. It's the Ritziest-monied neighborhood in the city and with prices so low there are thousands of foreigners, particularly Americans, buying property and moving in. If you can't afford Central Park West in Manhattan, why not live like royalty in its Buenos Aires equivalent. (Don't get me wrong. There's lots to like about Recoleta. It is beautiful and walking around there is great. For many people it will be a big draw. But it's not my style. And foodwise, I'll only recommend Nectarine*). But my biggest surprise is your review of Parilla 1880. What you describe is nothing like I've ever experienced there in four visits. Visit one, I didn't speak a lick of Castellano. I'm much better in restaurants these days. I've particularly loved and recommended that place because, unlike the standby parillas you always hear about (La Brigada, Des Nivel, Las Lilas, etc.) I found that 1880 was the place that was Porteno through and through, but welcomed and treated travelers well. What you experienced at 1880 was what happened to me at La Brigada. But I'd heard from others that it could happen there. I've always heard good things about 1880 and my visits there were top-notch. I HOPE it was just a bad night. Otherwise there will be some 'splainin' to do. I recommended them and I have some of the waiters names! I just wish 1880 was located somewhere between 1789 and 2941. That would put it somewhere in Arlington, I guess. Maybe someday Ray will want to change the name of his place! Or sneak in some contraband beef for variety's sake. *Subject of a future post.

Mendoza is one of half a dozen other cities in Argentina I need to hit, and soon. I'm curious about what disappointed you about 1884. I've heard/read in some places that it's the finest restaurant in South America and one of the finest in the world. I've seen video shot from there in some of the food shows and it is, indeed, beautiful. That terrace looks amazing. Setting aside your particular preference for Sr. Buque and thinking more in terms of "the great unwashed masses," is the scuttlebutt on 1884 (finest restaurant in South America) just plain wrong? Or would it not surprise you that it would be considered as such in some circles? (This coming from a guy who thinks R.W. Apple was crazy to put a place like Cabana Las Lilas in Buenos Aires on his list of must-dine places on planet Earth.)

Ahhhh. So if they didn't spend that much to find out who I am and where I live, I shouldn't feel guilty moving so they can't make use of that info!

Who, aside from those of us who received the book, benefits? That's a VERY expensive way to simply capture a name, address and email. Considering that nothing of promotional value came along with the book, I'm completely flummoxed as to the reason for this giveaway. Yes, flummoxed.

Beer? Roaring fire? Talking about food? Yeah, this is gonna suck. If my "Eating Shards of Broken Glass" group doesn't get together that night, I guess I'll come by.

What day are you leaving, and have you been there before? I've got about a dozen or more restaurants to talk about, but doubt I'll be able to before you go. Thank you. More stories and pictures to come as I have time.