zgast

On 12/12/2021 at 10:43 AM, zgast said:

I'm torn between wanting to try it to see if it can possibly be THAT bad and re-reading the chef's response, which never once defends the food as being good.  Perhaps on his advice, I should order 45 McDonald's hamburgers or 56 pizza slices to have any number of good meals rather than licking foam out of a reproduction of his (or her - really need to clarify which chef made the reproduction) mouth. 

Important clarification from the Washington Post's reporting: At the end of his written response to “Today,” Pellegrino addressed “Limoniamo,” the plaster mold that, during DeRuiter’s meal, held the citrus foam. Buyers can purchase the mold, which comes in the shape of either Pellegrino’s mouth or the mouth of fellow chef Isabella Potì, for 58 euros. (sold out)

21 hours ago, dcs said:

Bros., Lecce: We Eat at The Worst Michelin Starred Restaurant, Ever, by Geraldine DeRuiter, December 8, 2021, on everywhereist.com.

Chef's response at the end of the following article:

27 courses, very little edible: Review of Michelin-starred restaurant goes viral, by Randee Dawn, December 9, 2021, on today.com.

I'm torn between wanting to try it to see if it can possibly be THAT bad and re-reading the chef's response, which never once defends the food as being good.  Perhaps on his advice, I should order 45 McDonald's hamburgers or 56 pizza slices to have any number of good meals rather than licking foam out of a reproduction of his (or her - really need to clarify which chef made the reproduction) mouth. 

7 hours ago, Katya4me said:

This is my new favorite breakfast: https://www.mexicanplease.com/molletes-mexican-bean-cheese-sandwiches/

Molletes are amazing.  Particularly when you may have overindulged on Mexican margaritas the night before.  I'm told.

For the pico, try swapping out habanero for the jalapeno.  Make sure to strip out the membrane (would this be the pith?) and seeds to avoid torching your mouth, though.

1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

These are the types of articles (obscure, interesting, relevant) that I hope to write here in the future. Not one, single like or share on social media ?! Ugh. I put a lot into this.

Seriously, go up and read the entire article. It's kind of a big deal, and the first time anyone has ever wrtten about this specific issue in Arlington County.

It's a great piece - the intersection of the banality of estate law/planning and the horror of owning people and families.  I don't think I saw it in February, but I must say I certainly wouldn't respond to it on social media.  I just don't think the medium lends itself well to any sort of commentary on complex issues (not that the issue of owning people has any complexity to it).  In fact, I stay off almost all social media with the exception of DR, which I view more as a curated community, and Facebook, where I'm there strictly for cat videos and pictures of friends and family.  It's amazing how wholesome that venue can remain if one diligently avoids liking, commenting, or 'read more'ing any political content.

So, I'd vote for continuing to write and publish these important pieces, but expecting social media to pick up on them or amplify them is probably an expectation that won't be met.

On 11/29/2021 at 5:28 PM, DonRocks said:

This is not a big deal, but I don't want to catch anyone off guard, so would you please start signing in with your email address, not your member name? As always, your email will not be known by, or shared with, any other member - I remain completely devoted to your privacy.

Send me a private message if you have any questions, concerns, etc.

Cheers,
Rocks

I don't want to speak for anyone else, but not only do I remember the e-mail address I signed up with, but it's still my primary address.  Is there a way to change passwords, though, in the new system?  I've never been able to find that.

3 hours ago, ALB said:

I am on a search for Singaporean food (or Malay which is close) Hainanese chicken rice, laksa, chili crab, etc. Is there any place in the area that focuses on these foods? I am in Howard County but happy to drive (for take away.)

 

I wasn’t able to go before I moved but Tom Seitsema had nice things to say about Makan in DC. None of the above dishes, but they do have Nasi Lemak, Mee Goreng, Char kway teow and such. Worth a try?

On 9/27/2021 at 12:29 PM, zgast said:

I will say that after watching Ted Lasso - I get it now.

So - the street where they film the outside of Ted's apartment, which looks like a cute Italian alley, actually has a very good Italian osteria - L'assaggino.  You can see the yellow sign in every scene in the street.  Good pastas and a really laid back, authentic atmosphere.  

On 9/3/2021 at 11:12 PM, DonRocks said:

Someone will eventually appreciate my humor.

I will say that after watching Ted Lasso - I get it now.

3 hours ago, funkyfood said:

Yep, you hit the nail on the head. If you book long-haul first class or business class trips far enough out, they'll be much cheaper in points than they are in dollars apparently. So a $10K flight might only cost 70K points (just to make up numbers). Because Chase lets you transfer to travel partners 1:1, you just take 70k chase points, transfer them Air India and voila.

https://thepointsguy.com/guide/redeeming-chase-ultimate-rewards-maximum-value/ 

Just to clarify, the 10X points is for earning points - and the flights that give you 10X points need to be booked on Chase's travel portal (it's basically Expedia but branded).  You'll occasionally pay more for a flight there, so double check with google flights to make sure the price is fair.  You're also booking through an online travel agent, so you'll be last in line for assistance if your flight gets cancelled, etc. which is something to consider.  

Please do not fly on Air India business class with points.  Seriously.  Virtually every person I know who flies to India regularly would rather fly Emirates or Qatar in economy, with a connection, than fly business on Air India direct (although those that can afford it would definitely prefer business on those carriers).

The truth about the redemptions is that you need to be flexible to get those great deals, which the travel bloggers are because their job is to find these great deals and write about them.  If you're trying to fly near a holiday or have multiple people, it's probably not going to happen, even if you're looking a year out.  I have had success, though, booking in off times, so it is doable.  Where the miles can be invaluable, though, is in giving you flexibility.  For example, I needed to book a ticket to London last March but knew there was a significant chance of COVID cancelling the trip (it did).  By booking with points, the flight becomes fully cancellable 24 hours before the flight at no cost.  The equivalent ticket was £9,000 ($12,500) vs. 120,000 Avios (plus about £1,000 in surcharges).  That works out to about 10 cents per mile, which is pretty good value vs. the 1.5 cents you'd get just using the points as cash.

On 8/28/2021 at 1:04 PM, dcandohio said:

All of my family left New Orleans last night. This storm has all of the makings of a disaster. At the very least, there will be widespread flooding and long-term power outages. 

EVERYTHING closes. 

@frogprince Anyone suggestions on who is doing good relief/rebuilding work locally?

1 hour ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Canceled my trip because my restaurant reservations and tour reservations are being canceled.  Some people are evacuating.

Just evacuated my daughter

So, I thought it would be amusing to post what the restaurant selections look like when your post-corona travels are back to DC. 
 

zaytinya - This place is still packed 15+ years in. Strong mezze selections (easier when you’ve been there so much) and a few grilled meats made this a good start. 

Cava Grill - so this was the first place my son wanted to go, oddly. Still the king of fast casual. 
 

Hawkers - ok. Hanging my head in shame. You warned, but it was right outside the window and how bad could it be????  The Roti canii and chicken wings were good (we ordered seven things)

Philly and NYC interludes

Gringos  - mostly a liquid dinner, but I’d note that the Bethesda location appears far superior to Park Potomac in terms of quality

L’Auberge Provencale - great food with good company over a leisurely dinner

Et Voila - this place was spot on - every dish - for a birthday dinner for eight. Menu doesn’t change much but he nailed every entree and the staff were wonderful in accommodating an emergency table change. Probably the best cooked dishes of the travel. 
 

China Bistro - Did someone mention dumplings?  Still our favorites. Seemed quite slow for a Saturday lunch. 
 

Barrel and Crow - still knocking out good American bistro cooking in Bethesda. 
 

You can tell we’re Bethesda-based, so many choices were favorites/proximity/outdoor-friendly. Was great to see so many of our favorites survived with the same staff. 

18 hours ago, dracisk said:

For future reference, we got PCR tests last week at one of the Montgomery County sites (the Dennis Avenue Health Center) and had our results in 24 hours (they told us it would take 48). We made appointments late the night before.

Wish I would have known - their website says 3-5 days.

6 hours ago, dcandohio said:

As I understand it, you need a PCR test to re-enter the UK. Check to see if your departure airport has a facility that will give you the results of a PCR test in 45 minutes to one hour. I know that was an option when I flew to Portugal out of MIA. 
Also, have you checked at all of the minute clinic type places near you? As a last resort, you may have to go to a private lab and pay quite a bit of money for them to do a quick results PCR test. If you Google “rapid result PCR test near me” you should get lots of hits. 

Thanks (to each of you) - the UK allows antigen test above a certain level of specificity or a PCR test.  Unfortunately, none of the minute clinics had antigen slots, only PCR, and those were few and far between.  The airport place was either $200 or $250, which definitely seemed kind of nuts.  We were able to find a mail kit from Qured that they could overnight that came to less than $70 per person for a supervised antigen test. If this fails spectacularly, I'll let everyone know.

Quick question for the group.  I've come back to visit my daughter in DC and need a fit to fly test to get back to London.  Shockingly, I can't find any places that have antigen tests available so that we can get the results back within the 3 day window for travel.  Has anyone done this before and can guide me on where to find a test?  Preferably on the MD side, but I'm getting a bit desperate with only 5 days to go.

I'm somewhat aghast at this situation.  In London, we get free COVID tests (albeit not usable for travel) and there are testing centers everywhere.  The ones here all have 3-5 day turnaround times. What good is that?

40 minutes ago, Tweaked said:

We stopped in the Center City location over the weekend and ordered three donuts:  Blueberry Lemon, Banana Nutella, Chocolate Toffee.  Looks like the fancy flavors rotate daily.  We both thought the Blueberry Lemon one was the best.    

The donuts are on the smaller side but are super rich and tasty.  We split each donut so ended up eating three halves and that was plenty. 

A short stroll to Rittenhouse Square with some coffee and donuts made for a nice Sunday morning.  

We had Federal Donuts on Friday!  Just cinnamon brown sugar, but they were warm and tasty.

19 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Danny Meyer wants proof of vaccination to eat in his restaurant.

I'm just trying to test the logic of that statement.  Vaccinated people can still get covid and spread covid.  In fact, I see lots of vaccinated people who don't wear masks in tight quarters.  I'm leary of all people who don't social distance or wear masks (because my kids aren't vaccinated), including those who are vaccinated.  I guess we won't be eating at Maialino Mare for a while.

This paragraph from Washingtonian just confirmed that vaccinated people are catching and spreading covid.

Well - if you're going to pick one intervention, it's probably going to be vaccination - with a caveat.  What I've read is that virtually all of the baseball players received J&J vaccines, which was only about 65% effective to begin with.  Good, but not great.  Pfizer and Moderna were more like 95% effective.  The problem now is Delta.  Delta is just hitting the US, so no data on what happens when Delta encounters a single dose vaccination like J&J.  In the UK, though, Delta has been shown to reduce a single shot of Astra-Zeneca to 30% effectiveness (vs. 70%+ against earlier variants).  J&J and AZ aren't the same, but they're really similar.  

So I think the clarification in my mind is that Pfizer and Moderna - with 90%+ effectiveness- are far more effective than masks - at 70% effectiveness if worn correctly.  Ultimately, Danny Meyer is making a bet that he can attract more customers who will embrace the sense of security offered by vaccines, than he could distancing everyone and requiring masks when not eating (which always struck me as more theater than actual prevention - what about the fact that you're eating without one?).  He'll absolutely turn off those who object to vaccine passports, but is that really a concern in NYC?

16 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Fitzgerald’s and The Tombs have the same menu right now but the Tomb is still closed, lacks staff.  $16 for a glass of Veuve is dirt cheap.

Meet me at the Churchill Arms - £9 for a glass of Pol Roger - I'll take that any day over the Veuve.

Tonight was a simple salad of lettuce, Stilton, and cherry tomatoes with confit duck leg I’d made over the last few days. I have no idea how to actually make confit duck but found a recipe that air dried the legs with salt, thyme and garlic, then seared the duck legs, and used the rendered fat plus wine and a bit of butter to cook in the instant pot for an hour. After chilling a day or so, put the legs under the broiler to crispen and warm them. Probably not authentic but made for a great dinner. 

3 hours ago, Bart said:

I suspect this is about me.  😬  That's unfortunate as I just relocated to Linden and am looking for new, local adventures!!  😂

So jealous. I’ve almost pulled the trigger on land on Fiery Run Rd about three times. 
 

Undertaking my new part time job as diminutive shadow to Andy Hayler, I made La Trompette - a French restaurant with a Michelin star - my second dine-out in London and thought it worth sharing.  The restaurant is located in Chiswick, which is about halfway between Heathrow and central London, if that helps contextualize the location.

We shared a meal between two of us, by way of explaining why it looks like I ate so much.  The sommelier recommended a French chenin blanc from the Loire to accompany our eclectic food choices and we thought he did quite well - it had enough acidity for the starters but some heft for the entree courses.

Starters were a crab and scallop tortelloni as well as an asparagus soup (in season here).  The former was quite nice - just a really delicious few bites of crab with minced scallops inside of a tortelloni shell.  The sauce was definitely made from crab shell stock, which doubled down on the crab flavor, probably at the expense of the scallop taste, but I'd order this again for sure.  The asparagus soup was probably the weakest dish of the night.  It was good asparagus soup, but you expect a bit more from a Michelin restaurant.

Entrees were suckling pig and a cod dish with Jersey royals and nettles.  The suckling pig was magnificently crisp and had a nice sauce at the base to accompany without ruining the crackle.  Just a few bites each, but felt like a nod to what England could be doing with their Sunday roasts.  The cod dish was almost certainly the winner.  Touches of saffron came through in the cream sauce, but the nettles were a delight and the Jersey royals won the best component of the night.  What are Jersey royals you might ask if you're an American trying to decide what to order (theoretically).  The waiter would tell you that they're baby potatoes from the island of Jersey - but that they're really quite special. He would not be kidding.  Absolutely the best potato I've ever had in my life and I can't figure out for the life of me whether it was the potato itself or the cooking method.  I'm guessing it was pressure cooked in a wonderful stock, because the flavor permeated the entire potato.  We actually spent ten minutes after this course discussing the potatoes and I've since tried to recreate them with Ocado Jersey royals (unsuccessfully). 

Dessert was a chocolate tart and a cheese tray.  Very good chocolate tart, although I can't remember much more than that a couple weeks later.  The cheese plate was a great reminder that American restaurants tend to serve cheese way too cold.  These were room temperature or a bit warmer and it really made all the difference in bringing out the flavors.

Overall, a quite solid meal.   Prix fixe is £65 pp and wine was £79.  Markups here on the wine are going to be a sore spot for me - they're significantly higher than most places in the US. 

10 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

4.  Veal sweetbread and crawfish with puff pastry.  Everything was cooked beautifully.  The sweetbread had a nice crunchy exterior but still very tender.  

5.  Grilled Australian Wagyu with grilled tofu.  I was getting full at this point.  I think grilled steak at fine dining restaurant is a tad boring.  But I really enjoyed the sesame crusted tofu.

That sweetbread dish looks absolutely gorgeous.  Stunning.

I also wouldn't tend to order steak at a fine dining place. What's the green under the tofu and steak, though?

2 hours ago, Bart said:

Also, this........😂

PS - I'm a fan of the chef and love Bresca, but what did Maya Anjelou say......."When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."   😂

 

I have to say that if the two mentioned wines retail for $1,400 and $2,800 a bottle, that maybe it's not such a bad deal?  Extremely extravagant, I'd agree (I'm not buying those bottles retail either), but maybe someone's celebrating all those special occasions we've missed the last 15 months.

A ton of great suggestions thanks all! I'm leaning towards Le Diplomate or Convivial right now (she's a great restaurant attender, but tastes don't tend to be too exotic).  We'll save the fancier places for when we get to come back and celebrate with her.  Joe's Seafood sounds interesting for happy hour (is it really run by the same people as Summer House & Mon Ami Gabi?), but she'll need to do later in the day to accommodate a couple adult attendees.

Reviving this topic.  Looking for recommendations for a fun restaurant that might make for a good 21st birthday dinner for my daughter.  Looking to spend $50-100 per person for 2-4 people.  Food should be good, but the lively scene is where my knowledge falls apart as these are the places I generally don't go out of my way to frequent.  Would be great if they had a cocktail menu or interesting drinks as well.  Would Nina May fit the bill here?  Any other new places I should consider?  Thanks!