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zgast

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Everything posted by zgast

  1. zgast
    TS actually called out the deteriorating service at Fish in the chat and suggested the Voltaggio restaurant over it in that same chat on Wednesday.
  2. zgast
    I think I've seen this stuff years ago:
  3. zgast
    Went Saturday night, but decided not to stay - it was blazing hot inside. Is it always like that?
  4. zgast
    The funnel fries aren't bad. The baked potatoes are my go to, though. Perhaps that tells you what you need to know. My wife is saying there's a crepe place there. In boca al lupo.
  5. zgast
    Ate there last night - Stone Fruit Burrata Salad for the appetizer, Mushroom Canneloni and Spicy Shrimp and Grits for the Entrees. Food is typically well executed and good, which is what they're aiming for. Didn't notice any hiccups last night with the new chef taking over the kitchen. I would encourage you to try the food, though, as it's on the higher end of the quality scale in Bethesda. And the wine list is very good if that's your thing as Laura (the owner) was the top bartender in Bethesda for a long time over at Grapeseed.
  6. zgast
    When Frank Ruta was co-hosting dinners at Bread Furst we had a memorable communal table experience. Chatting about schools and our kids, our table mates launched into a short sermon on the superiority of school X - based on the premise that it didn't pander to wishy washy modern norms and instead taught only the 'one true religion'. Delivered without any sense of who they were speaking to (an atheist and someone who grew up in a dual religion household). More wine, please!
  7. zgast
    Had a pleasant Labor Day lunch at Q today. Stuck with Dim Sum and appetizers along with a bottle of the house rose mentioned above (thank your for pointing that out - we were quite pleased with that bottle for just $22 and might have skipped over it). Favorites were the Emerald Noodles, Cold Szechuan Noodles, and Hot and Numbing Wontons. The dry fried eggplant was good, but seemed far more 'toned down' than I've experienced in Rockville location - bring back the spices! The BBQ pork bao, chicken baked bun, and bubble pancake were all good as well, but were just superseded by the first dishes mentioned. Surprisingly, it was a relatively cheap lunch for four at under $100 including the bottle of wine, proving that although it might be slightly more expensive than its sister restaurants, it's certainly not an expensive meal out. Will definitely return soon as this one's just blocks from the house.
  8. zgast
    Ditto to Glen Manor recommendation. I've also heard Black Ankle Vineyard in MD recommended (by some of the staff/estate owners at Linden and RdV so I tend to trust them.) In Charlottesville, you should give Barboursville a try. They have more everyday drinking wines than most of the higher end vineyards, but their high end wines are among the best. As an aside, Linden also just brought out two new vintages last week, both of which I enjoyed during the tasting. They also released the new Hardscrabble Chardonnay, but that one's not on the tasting menu.
  9. zgast
    I'm with you there - the second one was blocks from my house in the Loop. We shopped for bread twice a week for the first few years.
  10. zgast
    When St. Louis Bread Company first opened, the breads were quite good - not Fresh Baguette or BreadFurst level good, but close. Quality and 1,900 stores are really not things that go well together.
  11. zgast
    Well - just to be clear, I wouldn't order a $500 bottle of wine. I'd much rather order 3 bottles at retail and enjoy them at home. Check that, I'd rather order 2 cases of $20 wine and enjoy those at home. How does one go about getting one of those expense account things?
  12. zgast
    Well - the other thought in the back of my head is that this could actually be a way to shift some of the generous tipping to those in the back. Not sure how pooling works at Komi (or virtually any other restaurant today). As for not averaging 20% pre-tax, I find that mind-boggling. Maybe if I ordered a $500 bottle of wine, I wouldn't top 20% on that, but - just - wow. One can rationalize that they can afford $150 for a meal, but not $30 to tip?
  13. zgast
    I find this odd - with the level of service I got at Komi, I definitely would never tip 20% pre-tax. Are they risking bringing down total salaries for staff by doing this? Or are there more really crappy tippers at a place like Komi than I would expect?
  14. zgast
    So basically you're saying it's 220k points for me.
  15. zgast
    Especially when faced with the god awful wine they serve on the train.
  16. zgast
    That article is petrifying. It speaks to everything we don't know about brain injuries. For example, what is the general rate of CTE in the population? Clearly not 99%+, and the article indicates it's well below 9% as well. So glad I steered clear of football, though.
  17. zgast
    Totally agree with this concept. I loved Palena precisely because I could go 1X/month with the whole family, then 2x/year for the back room. More formal places get my business, but only 1 or 2 times per year. Who wants to go out in a suit all the time, even for good food? Maybe it's because I'm a Gen X'er, but I'd rather spend most of my time at places that let me relax. And I say all this having really, really enjoyed my meal at Mirabelle. I'm definitely going back - later this year.
  18. zgast
    It depends on the airline, but it's typically very hard to do - requiring a phone call and a patient customer service rep - when it's even allowed or if the fare rules don't make it effectively two one-way tickets. My strategy is to always ask on the overnight flights if upgrades are available. I'm told though that if you buy them too often they will flag you and stop offering the upgrade on the day of departure to see if you'll buy up front.
  19. zgast

    Pokémon Go

    zgast replied to DonRocks's topic in Current Events

    That's where I caught mine. 1207 CP, though.
  20. zgast
    We've eaten at Local Chop House several times (daughter use to go to camp outside Harrisonburg) and found it to be very good. I would definitely head back again and have recommended it to many. Dining in that area of VA is notoriously bad and this place stood out in a good way.
  21. zgast
    Would love to do that. Think my +1 would love to as well.
  22. zgast
    I don't know whether to like this post to show my appreciation or just sulk and hate it. Instead, I'll just offer a thanks to Jeff and his crew for 17 years (12 of which I got to enjoy). You will be missed after you're gone and enjoyed as much as I can until then.
  23. zgast

    Pokémon Go

    zgast replied to DonRocks's topic in Current Events

    They're rebuilding the gyms with a new feature. Scuttlebutt is that the next biweekly update will include the feature and restore the gyms. Ah - the benefits of having an eight year old boy.
  24. zgast
    Kensington Wine Room (just off Notting Hill tube stop) is good and just up the street. Churchill Arms is a traditional pub with Thai food in the back room restaurant - it's a few doors down from Kensington Wine Room. Was one of the first gastro-pubs years ago. Spicy means spicy here though. Mazi is Greek in the Notting Hill neighborhood. Mezze portions for most items. Hansom Cab is a good upscale pub just down Earls Court Rd from Kensington High Street. Dragon Palace in Earls Court has some very good Chinese food. The Mapo tofu is the best I've ever had.
  25. zgast
    The other item that I'd throw into the mix is that wine prices are a decent barometer of what's going to do well there. Ripple's wine list had a few reasonably priced wines, but by and large it skewed quite expensive. You're just not going to get late 20-early 30s charging that kind of freight except for special occasions. And I say that as a big fan of the restaurant. Really sorry to see Ripple go, but it was firmly in the 1-2X a year category, partly because of the wine. The shifting neighborhood demographics are undeniably an issue as well, but Ripple is a block from the red line. With good food (that box was checked based on my meals there) and a more modestly priced wine list, I do think they could have done better.
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