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zgast

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Everything posted by zgast

  1. zgast
    Oh man, this one hurts. We've only been once in the last five or six years after moving out to the burbs, but for the first five years I was in DC, this was my go to great meal. When my wife and I rolled in on Wednesday (poor non-profit workers have to go on half price wine night), the waitresses knew us, our wine order, and favorite seats. Such great food, ambiance, and that feeling of being completely welcome. Patrick - if you read these forums, please know that you, Lauren and the rest of your staff were responsible for so many of my best memories in DC. I proposed to my wife in your restaurant, we celebrated our legal wedding ceremony with friends there, and that doesn't even speak to the countless nights helping close down the place with one last glass of wine. Thank you for all of it.
  2. zgast

    Italy

    zgast replied to susan's topic in The Intrepid Traveler

    Careful with France too - particularly the countryside. There are speed cameras in all the tiny villages where the speed limit slows to 35 kph - you will get nailed and the fines are quite large for tourists. Again, they go through the rental agencies. It's not just Italy.
  3. zgast
    So - the daughter is turning sixteen shortly and wants to go out for a fun, mostly upscale dinner with the family on her big day. Any suggestion from the galley? I lean towards more food-centric places, so this is outside my wheelhouse. Hoping to pay ~$50/person with only 2 drinking wine, so most places are game. Georgetown to Chinatown areas are game. Thanks!
  4. zgast
    Well - the building is getting torn down - so I guess this had to happen sooner or later. Just sucks to lose a good restaurant option in Bethesda for those of us that live here. How do the mediocre places do so well while the really good ones struggle?
  5. zgast
    Barrel & Crow is a great option - particularly in sunny weather. Grab tables outside by 4:30 or so and you're good. We got 15 people there just last week and barely hit $150 for drinks and food due to the great happy hour specials. Also check in with Grapeseed - they might be able to do their bar menu for you in addition to cocktails, beer & wine. They lean more heavily to wine, though. Food Wine & Co. I would hesitate on. It gets crowded early due to the southern location.
  6. zgast
    Here you go: "DLC To Make Changes To Wine Wholesale Prices" by Andrew Metcalf on bethesdamagazine.com
  7. zgast
    DLC is raising pricing for deliveries of 'special delivery' wines. Jeff had a quote in the article I saw on the issue: "Jeff Heineman, owner of Grapeseed restaurant in Bethesda, said Wednesday he depends on a fine wine list that can differentiate his restaurant from his competitors—90 percent of his restaurant’s list is special-order wines that cost more than $18 per bottle. He said the change would likely negatively impact his restaurant by either hurting his bottom line or by causing an increase in price to customers." This is absurd. I get that Applebee's is going to benefit by selling more Franzia at a lower price, but the impact on real restaurants is going to be awful - the level that this becomes punitive is $18 - where you should be getting a lower percentage markup, not higher. I actually thought we were making progress towards ending the DLC earlier this year. What happened?
  8. zgast

    Italy

    zgast replied to susan's topic in The Intrepid Traveler

    With less than six days, I would not really recommend trying to do a large number of towns. My family and I did five towns in seven days last summer and all felt we should have just stayed one place and done road trips by car. You could easily spend all those days in Rome and not see all the 'must sees'. If you want to range, though, I'd suggest Orvieto as a good base camp from which to explore so that you aren't packing/unpacking every day. Ton of great places within 90 minutes drive. You can also get there by train. For while you're in Rome, my favorite restaurant is Colline Emiliane. I'm biased toward Emilia Romagnan cuisine, just to warn you, having gone to school in Bologna, but this restaurant is rarely crowded with tourists, has some great Emilian dishes, and is easy to find. Enjoy the trip - I'm jealous.
  9. zgast
    Yes - for lunch. Had a veggie sandwich with salad and fruit for desert. Was good, but the larger group said some of their things were less than exciting. Looking through the menu, would have to agree that it could use a little more pizazz. You're competing with the memory of Addie's, so try to offer something(s) to match that Oyster Po Boy or Pulled Pork sandwich. Can be simpler than dinner, but more than basic sandwiches.
  10. zgast
    You are correct. I saw it on the front page and just assumed it was the latest in the Top 10.
  11. zgast
    Was just included in the Washington Post Top 10 New restaurants - which I think is a prelude to the Spring Dining Guide: What caught my attention was this, referring to the Tagliatelle Bolognese, "...its recipe based on the classic at the revered Ristorante Diana in Bologna." Loved Diana when I lived in Bologna, so may just have to go to try it out.
  12. zgast
    Hazards of seasonal cooking. I'll have to wing it going in!
  13. zgast
    Menu is down - any recommendations from those that have dined recently? Just made reservations for Wednesday. Saw Don's recent review, but wondering if there are other 'must eats'.
  14. zgast
    Agree with both of these. Kapnos is also worth a drive (I've only been twice is the caveat) if you don't mind a quite noisy environ. Barrel & Crow is great too. But Grapeseed is the one that should get far more love than it does.
  15. zgast
    Going to be expecting a haka next time I come in for dinner.
  16. zgast
    Updated article. Evidently Nick Palermo is headed to Clarity. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/going-out-guide/wp/2016/03/29/nick-palermo-is-leaving-barrel-crow-in-bethesda/
  17. zgast
    Tried out the newish Kapnos in Bethesda. Have to say it was a very good meal. Group of six, so got to try a bit of everything, but the highlights that I had were: Fried chicken: slightly spicy breading, moist meat, and a sweet/spicy dipping sauce. I ate most without the sauce. Zucchini fritters: These were great. Several cheeses, but still a great zucchini flavor. Spreads: All of these were quite good, although the hummus was probably my least favorite. Ever since I discovered Perfect Pita, I need a bit more tahini in my life! Place was rocking from 6:30-7:30, but then seemed to slow a bit. One of these days Bethesda will learn to stay up past 8 pm.
  18. zgast
    Loved the movie. I'm intimately involved with a lot of what went on the mortgage market during that time, but really appreciated that it made so much of what went on accessible. Steve Carrell and Ryan Gosling were great in their roles.
  19. zgast
    Second Thip Khao just up 14th St. in Columbia Heights. It's Laotian, but don't let that throw you off - it's oh so very good. L'Enfant at 18th and Florida is great for sitting outside on a nice evening and having a glass of wine and an appetizer.
  20. zgast
    You'll be fine. I believe ties were invented by the devil to torture those of Eastern European descent, but perhaps that's just because I've got an 18' neck. It was a bit warm in the restaurant last weekend, so I even skipped the sports coat. By the way, the food was wonderful, no matter how you were dressed. I had the Goodstone French Toast, Beet salad, and Guinea Hen. Wife had the Scallops, Greens salad, and Dover Sole. Paired it all with a Hardscrabble Chardonnay, which went wonderfully. Enjoy your dinner.
  21. zgast
    Sounds like DC and MontCo have some things in common. Too bad, sounds like I won't make it in time.
  22. zgast
    First - how do I become your friend and get to share this wonderful wine collection? Second, totally agree with this thought. After coming to DC, I thought VA wine was - bluntly - crap. Until my new girlfriend and I went on a first date to Linden.That was nearly twenty years ago and I've loved revisiting Linden every year to see how Jim Law's wine making has developed and changed. He's been at this thirty years and just keeps finding slight tweaks to get that marginal improvement in wines that already stand out not only in the region but for any part of the country.Here's to thirty more. I think part of the reason that recognition has been extended grudgingly has been his staunch resistance to the vineyard tourism portion of the business. While I don't begrudge some of the vineyards capitalizing on what are some amazing views and landscapes, I have to respect the total dedication to wine making that drove this spirit. Plus it means we always have a seat on the deck when we go.
  23. zgast
    Does anyone know when Metier will start accepting reservations? Am getting close to flipping over two cards on the whole life calendar thing and thought it might be perfect.
  24. zgast
    Mostly agree with all of this. Two other dishes that I've really enjoyed there are the Eggplant (Saint) and Chili (Villain). Still wish they would bring back the Banh Mi sandwich that Markham's used to serve.
  25. zgast
    For the first time ever, I was tempted into a meal by a Facebook post. God bless Facebook at this point. Went to Barrel & Crow last night and had the Facebook-featured entree: butter poached lobster with seared foie gras, short rib, leeks and lobster ravioli. Seemed like a lot of different things, but boy did it ever work. Also got to share the seared scallops with butternut squash. The latter was actually the highlight (not to take anything away from the scallops, though). Not too sweet, but a perfect savory sauce.
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