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zgast

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Everything posted by zgast

  1. This, but I'd add that the food is generally quite good - particularly given the price point. A few have even received Michelin stars. Singaporeans take their food very seriously but the whole country eats at the hawker centers - rich poor and in between. Cool experience. If you've seen Crazy Rich Asians, one of the most touristy ones is featured there. Think Tony Bourdain did an episode featuring a couple others.
  2. Would totally agree with this take. We definitely stopped going when it got to be $20 for a small thing of mussels.
  3. We make wings far more often now that we have an air fryer. I had to be dragged, kicking and screaming into the purchase, but am glad I was forced into it. Also much better for chicken breasts than firing up the whole oven.
  4. Out of the blue I had a need for the mushroom fricassee from Grapeseed. Seeing as how they’ve been closed for some time and I live 3,000 miles away, my only option was to replicate the recipe from Washingtonian. Oh man - this hit the spot. What a great winter dish. Not as good as Jeff could make it, but still oh so good. Thanks Jeff - if you see this know how much we appreciate you!
  5. This was next door to my office for several years. Corned Beef King was pretty good, but how often can one clog one's arteries to that extent? Glad to hear they've got a new place serving good food.
  6. Hi everyone, I'm coming back to DC in August for a convention to be held in the convention center. I'm going to be tasked with organizing a few dinners with anywhere from 5-30 participants. Any great suggestions for places close to the convention center that would cater to most tastes and still feature what DC has to offer? Off the top of my head, I think I'd like to do a larger one at Zaytinya and have L'ardente in the back of my mind, although I haven't been, so have no idea if it's good for dinner events. Convivial and Corduroy are nearby as well. Any suggestions from the gallery? I've not done many dinner events for work in DC before, so not much to go on.
  7. With all due respect @DonRocks, yeah you do. You said why. Also, not carding anyone before 2 am helped.
  8. And that's right when they open. I've been to a couple locations in NY - it's falls significantly short of other fast casual burrito places.
  9. DCist leading with some actual analysis and journalism on the Initiative 82 issue.
  10. For takeout, I usually tip 10%. You didn't ask, but I try to avoid third-party apps when ordering, although I will gladly use a restaurant's own website/low cost app. The big apps take a huge chunk of revenue on each order. Initiative 82 is going to require some serious recalibration within the industry. I hear your point about putting customers in the middle, which is what the service fees do, and would likely do the same at higher-end restaurants where I know the servers are making well over the minimum wage (after including tips). My issue with the Initiative is that it still leaves the back of the house earning far, far less than the front of the house and even exacerbates the discrepancy.
  11. I saw that one. The suggestion that threw me off was including the pith, which I've always found to leave an awful taste. Was that aspect ok?
  12. Dave McIntyre posted this in his blog. I only met Mark in person a few times but he struck me every time as just a genuine mensch.
  13. Honestly, this was the second worst meal of our trip to Dallas. I think the majority of the food went back half eaten - and the noise was deafening. Maybe we just got them on a night they were slammed?
  14. All tips should be divided among all staff - especially the dishwasher and the guy that cleans up at night.
  15. Cleveland Park location closing and being converted into a wine bar. Unfortunately, it will not be called Bardeo, the Sequel, but will instead be called Little Black Bird.
  16. Cassellula in Hells Kitchen was one of my favorites when I lived in NY - just was back in the fall and it holds up well. Cheese pairing plates and wine are the main attractions, but there are entrees and appetizers as well that are quite good. It's mostly casual but the waiters know their stuff and will spend time talking to you about the cheeses.
  17. Also great for working in the office (pre-intoxicant, unfortunately). Very cool. My wife got into this for a while and ended up taking a class in Bethesda here: DJ Lessons & Classes - Beat Refinery | Bach to Rock She loved the classes and spent hours mixing and putting things together.
  18. Sad to report that due to some horrible timing, I managed to miss any open days for the restaurant despite being in Dallas for part or all of six days (4th of July holiday didn't help). Only got to try Pecan Lodge for barbeque, which was quite good, if not cheap.
  19. The mechanics of the change are that the owner's direct share goes up by $2 per hour. Any tips are above and beyond that share. In circumstances where tips are insufficient to cover the minimum wage, the owner is responsible (then and now) for covering the difference. I agree with Eric that this change will require a fundamental rethink of how restaurant employees are paid - you can't just layer tipping on top of a system where base pay increases 3x. I'd be happy to move to a system where all restaurant employees (front and back of house) are paid professional wages and those costs are on the menu in the prices.
  20. I got to head back to Vienna for a couple days for work. I can now say that I've had a bad meal in Vienna, but won't dwell on that place and instead suggest a couple other restaurants that I really did like: Huth da Mortiz - We had eaten here last year but couldn't remember the name as we walked in off the street. Reservations this time for lunch before we left town and it did not disappoint. Great Italian appetizers and pizza. Gasthaus (Restaurant) Moslinger - This was a great find near the Prater (where I stayed for the conference I was attending). The menu was traditional Viennese for sure. I had the goulash. Wife had a pork dish from the Marchfeld asparagus menu. We split an asparagus tartare from the appetizer menu as well. I had no idea what Marchfeld asparagus was, but evidently it's a designated origin in Austria for asparagus (think Parma for prosciutto). Everything paired with a variety of wines - from sparkling Gruner Veltliner (interesting, but probably would not order again) to Gemischter Satz (an Austrian field blend wine). My goulash was quite good, as was my wife's pork, but what actually blew us away here was an asparagus risotto that came with the pork dish. Absolutely one of the best risotto dishes I've had in my life with fresh herbs, some subtle cheese, and really well cooked asparagus pieces threaded throughout. Would not hesitate to return here after eating this dish.
  21. I'm partial to cuisine from Emilia Romagna, so Colline Emiliane is one I'll always go back to - it's a trattoria, so you're never going to see a Michelin star here. But some amazing plates or bowls of tortellini are something you can't go wrong with. Beware of Ferragosto - 15 August. Everything shuts down - it's like Italy turns into a ghost town. Even the restaurants and bars. You'll see increasing closures as you get closer to the date as well.
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