LaShanta

I second that emotion. In my quest to find an Italian wine that I really like, I plan to make Dino my regular Wednesday spot!! The wines last night were wonderful (even though they were red)!! This is best (and most economical) way for me to break out of my Riesling rut. Dean was chock full of joy and information as usual. It is definitely worth checking out! Oh, and on the suggestion of many here, I also ordered the lobster pasta. And it was absolutely superb!! If I wasn't so full, there definitely would have been some sopping going on! So next Wednesday, make your way to Dino. I promise, you will not be disappointed!!

Sounds yummy! Can I get the Bruno Verdi pretty easily in Italian restaurants?

We plan to have the cook-out in Rock Creek Park, so I would like a place that is close enough to deliver to us or for us to be able to pick it up without too much hassle. And it actually WILL be for a casual wedding reception, so keep the suggestions coming!

I am in desperate need of a caterer for a cook-out. I want someone that has reasonable (read: cheap) prices per person and that has awesome barbeque. Any suggestions??

I know that when the Washingtonian did their first peek at Central, they posted a scanned version of the menu on their website. It should still be there somewhere. From my memory, I think the entrees start at $17 and go up to $29.

I totally agree with you Dinwiddie! I think people hate on her just because so many people love her and swear by her shows. I used to hate on Beyonce the same way. "she has no real talent.... She's just a mass-produced, main-stream Black Barbie who would rather be half naked than contribute anything articticly to the music world." But when I head her sing Dangerously In Love live...... WOW! I was blown away. (I mean, she could still go put some clothes on.....) But I realized that she really was talented and I was just hating on her because it was easy to. RR is the same way. I, personally LOVE Rachel Ray's energy and passion about life and her regular-person persona. Even though I'm such that Dame Julia Child could cook RR under a table, I think Rachel's personality is so accessible and fun. She makes me smile. I like that. Peace & Blessings, LaShanta

I am thinking we may do Capital Grill. Danny is right, there are many tables in th ebar area there. Or maybe the bar area at Ruth Chris. (I am still stuck on the steakhouse theme, apparently.) Luckily, the game is at 6:00 so I can be the first one in the door for restaurants that open at 5:30 and I can just steak out the bar before the Saturday night masses descend.

Not THAT is what I like to hear! I hope it will not ruin the Italian dishes that I try to eat it with. But I'll try anything.

Good point. I guess I could order by the glass.... But how would I know what to ask for in a restaurant? I guess I could just ask for whatever the sommalier recommends for the dish I'm ordering.....

Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant, I have an incredibly difficult time finding a wine that I like. See, I normally drink Riesling or whatever is the closet thing to Riesling that my sommelier can recommend. (If I want red, I will only do Pinot Noir.) I have been told that there is NO Italian wine that comes anywhere close to the sweetness and fruity-ness of a Riesling. This really sucks because I want to expand my wine horizons. Plus, when I eat Italian food, I want to compliment it with wine from the same country. But right now, I only know what I like. I have not been getting much help from my sommeliers so I am reaching out to my virtual family. Can anyone suggest a type of Italian wine (by reigon or vinyard or maker) that would appeal to someone like me?

Hey, do THEY have a TV in their huge lounge area? Specifically one that you can see from seats other than the bar stools?

Does Clyde's have TVs that you can see from any of their dining areas? That might be a safe choice. I do like Shelly's atmosphere though. Very grown-up. The Palm. Hmmm..... Steak and potatoes goes VERY well with basketball. Any more steakhouse suggestions?

My father-in-law-to-be is coming into town for the weekend and he wants us to get together for dinner on Saturday. But he is an avid basketball fan so we want good food but we don't want to miss any of the games. Where can I take him so that we can watch the game but still be able to eat more than wings & nachos? Some place that's kind of comfortable too (more than just bar stool seating options). Please, please help. All suggestions are welcome! LaShanta

When I was there about a week ago, I was told by one of the bar staff that they are waiting on a permit from the county/state for the oven. All they can do is wait. Sucks for us.

I just made reservations for the Colonade foorm at the Fairmont Hotel. Definitely a splurge, but worth evry single penny. Plus, they have extended their brunch time until 4:00 for Easter. Also, Open Table has just released a list of places that are doing special menus. http://www.opentable.com/promo.aspx?m=9&pid=228 I would definitely suggest 15 Ria. I LOVE that place! Hope that helps..... LaShanta

I went to Central Michael Richard for dinner on Saturday night. This was my second visit. The first time I had gone, I got the burger & a salad and I LOVED it. This time, I stepped it up a bit. Bad idea. (I have used sections so you can go straight to the part of the meal that you care about). APPETIZERS - We had the gougeres and they were fun and yummy as usual. ENTREES - I had the now-famous and highly touted short rib. It was tasty, but I was not bowled over (I am embarrassed to say). It was very tender & juicy, but I did still need to use a knife to cut it and it wasn't exactly bursting with flavor. Maybe I was distracted by the annoying crunchy potato stick-things that they put on top of the mashed potatoes. What ARE those things and why are they there.......in my way????? I have heard about Michel Richard's flair with texture-mixing, but this was NOT a good fouch. Look, my thing is.....either be French fries or be mashed potatoes - do NOT try to be both. It definitely took away from my enjoyment of a good plate of meat and potatoes. Lastly, I don-t like having the side salad come with everything and on my plate with hot foods. Maybe this is a silly complaint, but I don't like my salad dressing mixing with my hot food items. I don't like it at my Aunt Gloria's house, I don't like it at Caribbean restaurants, and I don't like it at Michel Richard's house either. I mean, why do they think that the same side salad perfectly compliments every entrée?? The salad was tasty, but maybe just ill-positioned (and maybe ill-matched with that entree) I would have preferred some spinach or even the asparagus. Oh, my friends had the lobster burger with fries (oh, I'm sorry - I mean frites)and the fried chicken. Both of those items were wonderful!!! And Sietsema's opinion of the fries were spot on. They were absolutely fabulous!!! Diet, shmiet. I am definitely getting an order of these babies for myself next time. Oh, and I tried the chicken and it was yummy!!! I will probably order that next time too. SIDE DISHES - macaroni and cheese. YUCK. ick. I have to disagree with both DR and TS on this one. I didn't like this at all. The cheese was TOO cheesy, too strong, too yellow and too runny. Maybe it was the sour cream that they add. (I hate sour cream.) Now, I am normally a fan of soul food-type of macaroni & cheese, so maybe I am biased against these fou-fou versions. But Vidalia and Zola step up this side dish VERY nicely and I love their take on the down-home comfort food. At Central... I'll pass. DESSERT - The orange soufflé with the chocolate sauce. This was a fun dish, executed flawlessly!! Perfect balance of orange and rich chocolate, without being TOO sweet and clawing And I LOVED the little chocolate crunchies they sprinkle over the whipped cream. My friends got the Kit Kat bar and the caramel crème brulee - neither of which I liked, but I am not a huge chocolate or a caramel fan. So they were just not my cup of tea (I wouldn't have ordered them anyway). The crème brulee was done well though- nice caramelized crust and good, smooth texture of the crème. The desserts were definitely the standouts of this meal. My friends were VERY, VERY happy with their choices. SERVICE - Wonderful!! We had what I think is the beast seat in the house- a 4-top table along the window. Our server was Mikey and he was very, very sweet and attentive and funny and engaging and knowledgeable. I would highly, highly recommend him. The time of things we a little off though. It took forever to get any bread to the table. But then we got our food 20 (yes, 20) minutes after ordering. It was so fast that the gougeres hadn't even come out yet. But then it took an hour from the time we got dessert to the time we got the bill paid. A little weird, but probably due to the crowds in the restaurant at that time of night. OVERALL - I will certainly go back, but I think I will stick to the more pedestrian items like the burgers and the friend chicken. I would NOT order the short ribs again. And stay far, far away from the macaroni & cheese. There are way too many other phenomenal things to choose from. Peace & Many Blessings,

I finally went here on Saturday. It totally met (maybe not exceeded, but definitely met) my expectations!!! I got the hamburger. Now, it was really, really tasty and I LOVED the little potato crisp on top. My minor complaint was that the bun was shrinking as I was eating the burger. I think it is because the bun gets thinner/flatter as it nears the edges of the burger. This also makes the bun move around a bit more as you're eating it. It was a rather messy process, but well worth all the juices that flowed down my arm. ïŠ I got the salad instead of fries (I'm giving up fried foods for a while) so I can't comment on them. For dessert, I got the Kit Kat bar. It was really yummy! But I was soooo full from the burger that I had to sadly leave most of the dessert on my plate. OVERALL - Great place!! Wonderful food! Fantastic prices!! I love the crowd and the service. (The managers were absolutely wonderful & very attentive.) It will definitely be in my heavy rotation of places.

I just found out that I have to head to NY for work tomorrow. I am unlikely to be back in time for dinner. I am sooo sorry guys. Anybody want my spot?

Why is it a carnal sin to order a steak medium well? I think I understand why “well done” totally burns and destroys the quality of the steak…. But medium well? Does it really do that much damage?

I'm off work tomorrow so I'm headed to Eve for a Lickity Split lunch tomorrow at about 12:30 if anyone wants to indulge with me. WoooHoooo!!!!! Risotto of The Day here I come!!!!

On a waaay more positive note, I had an absolutely fabulous Valentine's Day dinner last night!!!! See details below..... I went to 15 Ria at the Washington Doubletree hotel. This place is totally under-valued in the foodie (yes, I used the word. I love it and I’m going to KEEP using it. So there. humph. ) world. Like most of you I was going to skip the whole restaurant thing. But when the snow storm on Tuesday forced me to abandon my grocery shopping plans, I decided at the very last minute to find someplace (anyplace!) to go celebrate the Day of Love with my Honey Boo. And since 15 Ria was offering such an amazing v-day deal (3 course for $98 per COUPLE!! can you believe that???!!), I couldn’t pass it up! APPETIZERS – pan seared foi gras on a shredded potato patty thingy with blueberry compote and my BF had ginormous seared scallops with a mixed green salad with strawberries. Phenomenal!! ENTREES – I had grilled rack of lamb with spinach and cheese polenta hash and super fresh crunchy green beans with a tangy red pepper coulis. My BF had crabs-crusted sole stuffed with lemon potato puree. The sole was a tad bit bland, but the arugula sparked it up a bit DESSERT – I had the molten chocolate cake with Kahula cream, but the cake was kind of cold, so I sent it back for an amazing apple crisp w/ cinnamon ice cream. My BF had some very yummy (yup. like this word too!) Bailey’s cheesecake. SERVICE – Wonderful. Almost annoyingly attentive. That’s the thing about such an unassuming under-the-radar place. There weren’t many people there so we had the waiters almost undivided attention. Also, they honored my request for a table right beside the fireplace. And they turned the light down more than they usually are, so it was super romantic and cheesy and cliché and all those wonderful Valentine’s Day things. OVERALL – A fabulous hidden gem. Wonderful food. Beautiful, comfortable furniture. Amazing décor. Great service. Scallops... foie gras.... lamb...all for less than a Ben Frankin!! A fantastic value!! (esp. in light of the posts above) Definitely worth a trip!!!!!

So that just means that they will have to say "no" to a lot more people when they call and try to make reservations. Why is that the hardest thing in on earth for restaurants to do? If the restaurant only has 100 seats, then they only have 100 seats. Period. So they are not exactly "slammed with more business" on V-Day, are they? If they are unable to operate smoothly when every seat is filled, then maybe they should consider decreasing the amount of seats or hiring more staff. In fact, I would think that restaurants would LOVE to have every seat filled every day. This shouldn't be an inconvenience or an emergency that requires a increase in prices, it should be a blessing! One that the restaurants should appreciate and strive for EVERY day.

True, JG, but if the restaurant in question is one that you such a high amount of regard for, that practice seems low class and disappointing. Why can't it be first-come, first-served reservations like every other day?

I called Central and Rasika about 3 times yesterday to see if thay had gotten any cancellations. No such luck. Even by as late as 5:30. Did anyone who went to either of those places find a lot of empty tables? I'd be curious to know.....

(Actually, the name of this hotel is now Doubletree Washington. The heading should probably be changed.) What a glorious surprise!!!! I had an absolutely fabulous V-Day dinner at 15 Ria last night. This place is totally under-valued in the foodie (yes, I used the word. I love it and I'm going to KEEP using it. So there. )world. I was going to like most of you and skip the whole restaurant thing. But when the snow storm on Tuesday forced me to abandon my grocery shopping plans, I decided at the very last minute to find someplace to go celebrate with my Honey Boo. And since 15 Ria was offering such an amazing v-day deal (3 course for $98 per COUPLE!! can you believe that???!!), I couldn't pass it up! APPETIZERS - pan seared foi gras on a shredded potato patty thingy with blueberry compote and my BF had ginormous seared scallops with a mixed green salad with strawberries. Phenomenal!! ENTREES - I had grilled rack of lamb with spinach and cheese polenta hash and super fresh crunchy green beans with a tangy red pepper coulis. My BF had crabs-crusted sole stuffed with lemon potato puree. The sole was a tad bit bland, but the arugula sparked it up a bit DESSERT - I had the molten chocolate cake with Kahula cream, but the cake was kind of cold, so I sent it back for an amazing apple crisp w/ cinnamon ice cream. My BF had some very yummy (yup. like this word too!) Bailey's cheesecake. SERVICE ' Wonderful. Almost annoyingly attentive. That's the thing about such an unassuming under-the-radar place. There weren't many people there so we had the waiters almost undivided attention. Also, they honored my request for a table right beside the fireplace. And they turned the light down more than they usually are, so it was super romantic and cheesy and cliché and all those wonderful Valentine's Day things. OVERALL - A fabulous hidden gem. Wonderful food. Beautiful, comfortable furniture. Amazing décor. A fantastic value, especially on an "amateur night" like Valentine's Day Great service. Definitely worth a trip!!!!! Peace, Love & Many Blessings, LaShanta