zgast

9 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Does anyone know if they serve the brunch menu in addition to the lunch menu on weekends or in lieu of?

We were able to order from both on Labor Day, so I'd assume (famous last words) that this is true on the weekends as well.

35 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

The article said he gave him a warning that others would be doing the same, but after he makes the rounds once, and people see that he's a nice kid, the desire to put him in his place will subside.

Unless his dad opens his mouth again.

22 minutes ago, noamb said:

Also, landlords charge much lower rent for the space to store and serve cauliflower, and waiters and chefs are happy to be paid much less for serving it.

Do I need an explicit sarcasm tag for this?

Nobody is arguing that they don't need to cover their staff and fixed costs.  I think most of us - but perhaps I'm just speaking for myself - believe that a lower price point on a product they're selling for 88% gross margins would induce more buyers and volumes that would more than compensate for the lower price. Would you rather earn $28 before FOH staffing and fixed costs and sell 2 or earn $20 and sell 5 or 6?  As far as the math - you come out better in the latter scenario.

They can charge whatever they want - I'm not going regardless as I'd rather make my own steak (meat or otherwise) at home.  I'll pay top dollar for quality chefs making great food, not line cooks doing an inferior grill to what I can do.

On 10/17/2017 at 2:38 PM, dracisk said:

Cauliflower steak for $32, wow.

Why do places think they can charge these absurd prices for a cabbage?  It's $2.50 at the grocery store.  Perhaps it's artisinally grown and you lovingly execute two knife strokes to extract that perfect slice of cauliflower, but come on...

1 hour ago, Simul Parikh said:

Anyone go recently? Headed there in November.

Went to Tangier in June.  I'd suggest other locales should be higher on any agenda.

2 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Regardless of what this symbolism becomes, It's important to remember that none of this was originally about disrespecting "the military" or "the flag," for Pete's sake. This also shows just how powerful the American Presidency is when it comes to being on the bully pulpit - my personal views of things should be obvious if you follow me outside this website, but I'm not going to use this venue for anything other than intelligent, respectful discourse (discussing the issue itself - regardless of your views - is encouraged; personal insults and partisan politics remain outside our scope).

The kneeling was actually the result of him being told that sitting during the anthem was disrespectful to the military.  The kneeling was suggested by a former Green Beret as a way of showing respect for military members while still getting his point across.

53 minutes ago, Bob Wells said:

Almost every week there is a complaint about one of these places in TS's chat -- service, noise, value, etc -- but he still backs them; Salt Line in particular. He doesn't seem to get that when people go to a place for a pre-game meal, slow service is absolutely a dealbreaker. And the food at none of them seems good enough to overcome the other faults.

Maybe it's my New England roots, but the bar seems mighty low around here for seafood joints. Ford's Fish Shack out by me has always been mobbed, but the food just seems a beat or two off from where it should be.

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.

34 minutes ago, dcs said:

Blue wine is now a thing because your Instagram doesn’t have taste buds. (Un) Fortunately, we do, by Maura Judkis, September 11 at 9:00 AM, on washingtonpost.com.

I think I've seen this stuff years ago:

Went Saturday night, but decided not to stay - it was blazing hot inside.  Is it always like that?

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. 

1 hour ago, DanielK said:

Whenever we walk by, the tables are full of 20-somethings and cocktails, but I don't see a lot of food on tables.

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.

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!

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.

46 minutes ago, DanielK said:

Glen Manor, Michael Shaps are two that I return to.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/2014/09/11/53b61fc6-346e-11e4-a723-fa3895a25d02_story.html?utm_term=.39058150776a

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. 

15 hours ago, sandynva said:

The St. Louis bread company was the first " real"  bread I'd ever had, and the moist elastic crumb , and chewy crisp crust were a revelation compared to the shelf stable sliced bread I was used to 

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.

On 10/29/2015 at 11:19 PM, Tweaked said:

Needing a quick sandwich after work today I stopped in the new Panera at Metro Center (13th and G). Hands down the worst sandwich I've had in DC in recent memory.

The Mediterranean - a piece of romaine, two slices of tomato, three slices of cucumber, some hot peppers, red onion, and a smear of something vaguely mayo-ish. What the hell makes this a "Mediterranean" sandwich? Because they sprinkled some fucking feta on it?

This sandwich was insulting. I was actually pissed off after eating half of it. How this company is a $1.8 billion revenue company boggles the mind.

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.

8 minutes ago, DaRiv18 said:

I once tried to tip our server at Komi some extra cash for him to pocket personally, and he refused it.  

I wonder if this is following P&P's "let us not burden you with math" at the end of a luxurious meal, for the benefit of the diner.  Also, if you are ordering a $500 bottle of wine at a restaurant, you are trying to impress somebody, so the extra benjamin just adds to your mystique.  

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?

5 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

I suspect what it means is that they average *less* than 20% pre-tax, and that you would be considered a generous diner. There won't be anything stopping people from slipping a $10 in the check holder, so if people wanted to leave more, I would suggest they bring cash, because they may not have a place to leave a credit card tip.

I still wish there was a way to leave line cooks, dishwashers, and AGMs a tip - they work harder than servers, and are paid less.

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?  

46 minutes ago, Tweaked said:

I was randomly on the Komi website and noticed this:  Effective September 7, 2017, a 20% pre-tax service fee will be applied to the final bill; no tipping necessary.

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?

3 hours ago, Simul Parikh said:

Yup! and Yup!

220k if you want business class....

So basically you're saying it's 220k points for me.

2 hours ago, DonRocks said:

 

But I personally don't understand what's wrong with bringing a single beer to take on Amtrak if Amtrak doesn't mind (I'm willing to learn, though).]

Especially when faced with the god awful wine they serve on the train.

1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

Man, they're going to have to change the rules of football to include "no hitting above the chest" or something. If that sounds like nanny-monitoring, read on:

"All But One of the 111 Former Pro Football Players Had Brain Injury CTE in Study" by Nicole Van Groningen, MD on abcnews.com

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.

3 hours ago, Marty L. said:

I agree.  Mirabelle would be slightly less pricey with a different address, and if it were trying to attract a different clientele.  But Komi and P&P are much pricier.  That's why I suggested its lack of (relative) popularity is mostly a function of location and, especially, formality/stuffiness, real and perceived, more so than the factors McArdle identifies.

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.

1 hour ago, Ericandblueboy said:

So I booked round-trip premium economy to Copenhagen.  At the airport, I was able to upgrade my outbound trip to business class.  Question is, could I have booked business class outbound and premium economy inbound in advance (other than as 2 single one-way tickets)? 

From U.S. to Europe, lying down in business class is addictive.  From Europe to U.S., I don't tend to sleep as much.

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.

On 7/7/2017 at 5:03 AM, Ericandblueboy said:

Saw a Mr. Mime while I was having dinner in Copenhagen.  Couldn't go catch it.  Today, saw and caught my first Mr. Mime at the Viking ship museum in Roskilde.   I guess it's not that surprising that you have to get near frenchies to catch a mime.  Does that mean going to Australian for a kangaskhan (which looks like a kangaroo)?

That's where I caught mine. 1207 CP, though.