erikv

Does anyone know if they also sell their Diablo seasoning "to go?" I would love to pick some up to get my fix of RTS flavor at home. I am having dreams of putting the seasoning on just about everything edible in my kitchen.

Agreed 100%. I can't think of any words that can do justice for the crab bisque. The shrimp and scallops are also terrific! They work as a lovely "warm-up" for the steaks, but I could also easily see myself gorging on them sans steak

It has kept me watching for a 2nd week, but I find every "chef" almost unbearable. Incorporating "sexy" food in tonight's episode just screams of a desperate attempt for ratings. This will likely be my last time watching. The producers of the show should have just kept with Project Runway....which was a major guilty pleasure of mine...yes, im embarassed to admit that.

What kind of burger did you have? I am pretty sure that they serve my favorite burger in the area.

Last night was fantastic! From the gracious hospitality, to the great service, and of course, the mouth-watering food. I had the filet for the first time with the house sauce, and it melted into bits of pure goodness inside of me...it was definately a winner for me, but I've yet to try anything edible at RTS that hasn't completely hit the spot and then some. As my girlfriend is just starting the process of leaving the darkside (sorry vegetarians) and eating meat, she ordered her favorites: the crab bisque and scallops. Unfortunately for me, she didn't share this time. Her father had a 20oz NY Strip and said that it was one of the best he could ever remember having. He was definately glad I had been pestering (er, promoting)just how good Ray's is to the point where he had to go. Add another convert to the list, but with the delicious steaks/wine combonation that Michael provides his customers, it's makes it easy.

So the one-on-one dinner with my future father-in-law at Ray's will have to be postphoned. He suggested taking me to RTS tonight since I have been telling him how incredible it is pretty much non-stop for the last week. However, my girlfriend is also craving some of the delicious scallops and bisque that she has come to love and wants to join us (who can blame her though) when we try to go tonight. It's no sweat off my back to postphone "the talk" with her dad, and I'm sure that introducing her father to RTS will get me some good points in his book. I can't wait to try the ribeye tonight.....mmm

Thirsty Traveller (and many other Canadian cooking/drinking/home shows) is shown on Fine Living Network on Comcast. Good channel.

Molto Mario comes on every weekday around 11:30am or noon. I have that one programed to record, and has been helpful on more than one occaison for me.

I love my sports, but ESPN Zone might just be my least favorite place ever...yuck

I am looking for some shows to record on my DVR that both educate a fairly novice cook and have slightly more "intelligence" (both in the recipes and in the hosts) than your average Rachel Ray junk. Currently I am a fan of Ming Tsai's programs on PBS and Fine Living, and Great Chefs of the World on Discovery Home. So, let me know what programs you find helpful/educational. Thanks!

I'd recommend Town Hall from my Bacon, Avocado, Cheeseburger I had there Saturday night.

Do you know any of the draught selections off the top of your head? Last time I was there was during a Dogfish Head tasting and had a great time. Would love to go back if they had some hard(er) to find selections...

I've found that Clarendon Grille has particularly good bar food and plenty of space for watching sports. The beer selection is pretty standard. The bar seating at Woodgrille Boulevard is a great option for watching sports as long as it's not too crowded.

You can add Sette Bello to this list. I'm not sure they've opened up their patio just yet, but I've heard/read that is will be quite spacious.

Went to Town Hall tonight for dinner and some drinks. I was immediately seating without reservations at a bar table right by the front window. It was a nice location...until a boisterous table arrived later.....Anyways, the service was great right off the bat, and while I didn't get to "explore" the space, the decor seemed very unnoticable...which, to me, is a good thing. Although I did enjoy the flat screen tvs above the bar to watch the games, my constant stares at the screen might have left my date wanting me to be a more active roll in our conversation. enough with this, onto the food.... I couldn't decide between the Turkey Club with bacon and avocado or the Burger...Solution: Cheeseburger with bacon and avocado. Delicious. Very moist and flavorful. The bacon was neither too crispy nor too soggy/flimsy, and the avocado was a perfect complement to it. I was very impressed with both the service and decor as well, and since I haven't ordered a burger from a restaurant in near memory...it has been the best I've had in a while, and would definately recommend it. Aside from some overly noisy/overserved college girls at the table next to us, it was a great meal that didn't hurt the budget at all. On another note, my girlfriend shocked me by ordering a salad with chicken (she has been the seafood "vegetarian" type since for over 12 years). I promised not to tell, but it was quite the victory in my book for me

I better tell my friends not to come over to watch now. Whew, I'm glad HBO was looking out for their customers to make sure we wouldn't unknowingly break laws.

Daneil K, I have some friends living in Denmark. One is the manager at the Hard Rock (don't ask). When I was there last, he managed to find a pretty decent ittalian place, I can try and get in touch. Or if you swing by the Hard Rock and see a tall guy with long dark hair in his late 30s/early 40s who speaks english with a Canadian accent, tell him you know Erik from team Finland, and say that I told you he would be able to give suggestions. oh, his name is Dan by the way. Hope that helps

I could definately use some pointers for New Orleans. During my last trip there, I got sucked into the unholy vortex of bourbon street and ended up eating at what were some of the worst "restaurants" I have ever been. Luckily, I hear there will be plenty of great food vending during Jazzfest....

If you're a fan of Kinkead's, you should definately make a stip to his "Sibling Rivalry" in boston. His brother runs the place, and you can choose which brother's dishes to order---hence the rivalry fun. But this place is definately not about gimmicks. The food seemed to be impecibly fresh, original, and a tad overpriced. But I would definately recommend Sibling Rivalry for anyone in/or going to Boston.

I have about a dozen books and growing. The one that gets the most consistant use from me has been The Silver Spoon. I mainly use it to develop different sauces, butters, marindades, etc. Then I start to adapt off those recipes, but the Silver Spoon has been a great starting point for me. I've been debating getting the CIA textbook from amazon.com, but haven't quite been convinced about it.

Got a great salesguy at Sur La Table. Let me feel all the different knives. He gave me some critique on each, and I decided on one. No pressure, very friendly service. Bought 2 more since this first experience.....but I'm not sure they have the brands you are looking for. I went in wanting to get henckels, so I didn't really notice any of the others. Hope this helps you out.

Recently went to the Bierria Paradisio bar of Pizzeria Paradiso in Gtown. Had never been for food, and didn't eat this time either. But I have heard many friends rave about their food. Back to the beer: would highly recommend starting out with either the Beligain or the American micro-brew sample platter if you're there with friends. Then get some cask ale and relax and enjoy the nice weather. Made for a nice Friday afternoon break. I'm just glad that Brickskeller is no longer the monopoly in the DC beer scene, and I hope the trend continues, granted its always fun going into that anachronisic tavern. I have the ridiclous wish that they would serve their listed beers cold or at aleast warm. But aside from the service, RFD seems a step above their sister. I've got an 8 mile run tommom, then going to the Capitols game at 3 and will rehydrate with some miller lite or whatever it is they sell there. But once that's over, I will be on the prowl to get some good beers. before cooking some garlic/beet/pasta from a local farmers market. Thinking of adding an oil and white whie wieh some goat cheese to complement the parta. Then it will be time for Sopranos! Anyone have any beer store recommendations from MCI>Verizon center back into Courthouse Arlington, so I will need to get my hands on some real beers before Sopranos kicks off. Otherwise, I'm pretty much stuck to the local Whole foods. And as convenientlly located, and as good a selection they have, I would really like to buy from either an independent store or from a big one that has plenty more to choose from......SHould i just make the trek (for me) and go to Chevy Chase Liquors? Additionaly, any outdoor seating places were you can order drinks/bottle of wine, and not get hassled to order the entree? Time for bed kiddies, tomorrow is a big day

haha, thanks! actually the only surprise for her will be when it happens. She took out the guesswork for the ring shopping and came with me to pick it out. The stakes will definately be raised. Just finished off the leftovers of my key lime pie from last night. The crust is by far my favorite part of the dessert. Which topping/sauce would you recommend for a rare Ribeye at RTS? I've enjoyed the diablo and had sauteed mushrooms with my hanger steak, but I am trying to branch out and sample a bit of everything from now until the 26th.

Went to Ray's for my second time last night and was not at all let down by any aspect of the experience (possibly the bickering of the 3rd wheel in our dining party complaining about her absent boyfriend, but there is nothing Michael could do about that). Back to the night. While waiting for our table, we enjoyed a fantastic Malbec outside on the swing (I forget the name, but Michael highly recommended it, and it did not disappoint me at all, if anyone knows what I'm talking about please let me know). It was a great way to get things started. Once seated we had quickly made up our minds and ordered. I decided to try the NY Strip Diablo style. As we were waiting for my non-steak eating girlfriend's field greens to arrive we were very pleasantly surprised when a small appetizer sampling consisting of a small shot (think the hot chocolate espresso style cup) of the wonderful crab bisque, a scallop, and a shrimp. Wow, apparently this was the "2nd Class" service for Rockwell members. I extremely surprised and impressed since I have only been a member of this site for a few days, but wow am I glad I registered and started to participate. I had tasted the scallops the last time I went to RTS since my girlfriend had ordered them, and I was very thrilled to taste the succulant, garlic, blackened morsels again. Shortly thereafter the main event landed on our tables. It was the first time in my life I had ordered a steak rare, and I was very glad I did. Not only was the Diablo sauce exceptionally well balanced, it did not overpower the natural flavors of the meat, which I thought were fantastic. While it was an exceptional cut, and I loved the Diablo sauce, I think I feel a little bit stronger about the hanger cut....or perhaps that was because the hanger was my first experience at RTS. Anyways, everyone loved their food. For those keeping score at home, my girlfriend had a large bowl of the bisque and the salad, and the 3rd member of our party had the petite filet. Needless to say everyone at our table was extremely pleased with the entire evening. From the moment we could smell grilled steaks in the air as we walked down Wilson until I couldn't resist and devoured my take home slice of key-lime pie before I went to bed, it was simply amazing. My next trip to Ray's will prove to be very nerve wracking though. I plan to take my girlfriend's father there to let him know that I have bought an engagement ring and plan on proposing to his daughter in April.

Sette Bello is definately a welcome addition to the numberous bars in Clarendon. I have been three times, and the food has been excellent each time. The quatro fromagio pizza and pumpkin ravioli stick out in my mind as being exceptionally memorable. However, the service there has been extremely inconsistent. I guess it is easy for the staff to get lost in the massive dining room, and I had hoped this would resolve itself with time, but it has not. While the food makes up for the crapshoot service, just make sure you are not sat at one of the small tables. There is no reason a group of 4 should have to squeeze into the space for a table of 2. Our wine bottle and glasses alone nearly took up all the space on the table. Not very fun, I would have much rather waited to be seated at an appropriately sized table.