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 the old addage, be careful what you ask for. And also, rocks needed to spend $10 to get us through January, which ends tomorrow. I hope they had internet access at whatever bar he was in when he got word that the site was down.

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

What can one do? Maybe some of our more "tropical" members can weigh in on this subject. Except, I don't think this whole thing belongs in "On a Whim . . . " Just sayin'.

“do you make the ravioli here,” I asked him, and he assured me they did, but then I said “are you sure” and he replied, “well, we buy it already made, but we cook it here,"

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.

Let me see if I understand this correctly:

1. CJSadler has organized a knife skills class at L'Academie at a date to be announced in the future with the proceeds going to charity.

2. There is a separate knife skills class, unrelated to the one above, at La Cuisine on Cameron Street in Old Town this Sunday.

Do I have this right?

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.

*FYI CF – the server –unprompted- made a comment along the lines of “where’s the hospital” (cured in this case was just another way of saying brined)

A few of us went to Farrah Olivia this past Friday. Yes, they still have the RW menu.but not! Most items seemed to have an up charge! I originally thought I wouldn't go that route, but since nothing appealed to me I chose the scallops which had an $8 up charge.

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 ask this, violating my new resolution to post here no more, because this Hobbesian "community" is too prone to vituperation and ... er, ... well ... ad hominem attacks ....

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."

"A few points from..." Now it can be told! An underlying Parkerian, Toulouse-Lautrecois, pointillist underpinning to all of TS's edifice.

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.

I believe that the "policy" (again that word) is that we ask people to check back in at the time we have given as a likely come-back time so that we know you are actually here and still waiting to be seated (some people do not come back and it is impossible to hold a place for people who are not present at the specified time since so many people are also waiting at that time and for later times as well). There are so many names and faces to keep track of that it is impossible to seek each and every one out. However, when all of the names that have checked in at a given time have been seated, we will seek out any remaining names before we seat tables for the next time period--either by going out into the cold or by calling you on your cell phone, which is why we ask for your number (that, and in case you leave behind your credit card, hat, scarf or gloves).

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.

Mr. Oliver is not to be missed as he is a great speaker. The food lineup, at least the descriptions, blows the snot off of what was offered at RFD's awhile back. Granted, the cheese tasting was much less expensive, but still.

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!

Actually, Todd Kliman just did a blog post about that calendar, complete with some pictures. It's pretty hilarious!

(Disclosure: I work at washingtonian.com)

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.

I think the lack of squirrels may be related to the abundance of cats. I think the most surprising moment of our first trip was when we walked by a park at night and suddenly realized there was an army of cats looking out at us.

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

I've been wanting to get back to Etete to visit my old buddy Derek Tibs. Put me on that list too.

They call him MISTER Tibs.

I would unhesitatingly recommend Olson over both Spirit and Nemo (both of which we tried on our first visit), which both specialize in seafood.

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.

The funny thing I've noticed is that a lot of these places now possess a funky smell since the ban has gone into effect, as if the smoke was somehow masking it before. I suppose it's sort of like how you don't notice that your clothes reek of cigarette smoke until you get home. Nanny O'Brien's must be downright unbearable by this point

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.)

Our recent 2 week trip to Argentina was just as great as CrescentFresh told us it would be. What food – and what bargains! Our favorite dinners (even then ones where we were gluttonous) ended up costing around $50 for 2.

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.

Went to Mendoza for three nights on a little side-trip from B.A. The good was great, the wine was unbelievable and there was much more to do there than I was prepared for. We wished we had another night or two....

Anyway - about the food. There's a strip in Mendoza city right off of the Plaza de Indepencia that has a row of restaurants where we found locals and tourists mixed in. Our first night's choice actually ended up being our favorite dinner of the entire trip - B.A. included.

We sat outside at Sr. Buque because the cooler, adventurous "Il A Fran" (that's my best guess as to what it was actually named) that we want to go to wouldn't take us until the next night (assuming we made a reservation). At Sr Buque, we started with a delicious mushroom and cheese crostini - a toast the size of an Italian Store sandwich with piles of sweet, salty, sauteed mushrooms and cheese on top. Wow.

We ordered the asado ribs and then - after loving them despite all the work to cut each piece of meat around a dozen or so ribs - we ordered a full bife de chorizo after that (this meat was that good and like 8 bucks). Terrific meal, outstanding service, great wines. We felt like locals at this place -anyone in Mendoza city should definitely check it out.

We had a lunch at Ruca Malen winery (as part of a wine tour), that was enjoyable because they paired four courses with four of their wines, but the crowd I was with seemed to believe the food was better than the wines that were serving. (I liked the Ruca Malen Kinean though, fwiw.)

We returned to Sarmiento (street? Ave?) that night to eat at "Il A Fran" (again, my best guess). It has a really cool wine room in the front of the restaurant where you can buy, drink and I believe taste wines. We had our absolute favorite wine of the trip here (my new favorite) - a banarda-malbec blend, Siesta en el Tahuantinsuya - but the food was forgetable.

We also went to Francis Mallmann's restaurant, 1884, which was nice - it was the first place we really saw and enjoyed cocktails (since everywhere else was focused totally on the wine) and the pisco sour was fantastic. The food was good - fancy/schmancy Argentinia style - "baby goat", and I can't remember what else, and the restaurant itself was set-up beautifully - a grand room with high ceiling and without wall decoration and an outside terrace with 15-20 tables...very nice, romantic. In the future I'd skip it and go to Sr. Buque - but it was a nice dinner and with all of the hype, we had to try it.

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.)

Mr. Monavano says:

One of the hardest things for publishers is estimating the number of books that should be printed. Publishers don't want to underestimate demand because they've lost sales and it's expensive to do another printing. As a result, publishers' estimates tend to run on the high side, typically resulting in excess book inventory. If there is excess inventory, the publisher will sell the excess stock for pennies on the dollar, just to recoup as much of the printing costs as possible. Therefore, it is quite possible that the website offering these books for free as a marketing gimic really didnt' spend too much money to obtain your email address and contact information.

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.

Thank you, CrescentFresh, for taking the time to provide so much detail.

kturkey88, have you returned? Anything to add?

I'm leaving next week for 20 days in Argentina and look forward to making use of your meal reports.

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.

Crescent Fresh: absolutely outstanding and informative reports. Thank you for taking the time to share.

Thank you. More stories and pictures to come as I have time.