Gary Tanigawa

Better, equal to, or worse than Ren's?

I preferred Toki over Ren, although I've only eaten at each place once. Ren's soup was only warm (not sure if it was an aberration), whereas I thought Toki's soup was served hot. Otherwise, I agree with all of 100yregg's comments about the hakata classic and would add that the service was very friendly. Waitresses and a guy (manager?) seemed sincerely apologetic about wait times. Good but not worth going out of your way.

I would love to know where people on dr.com would recommend for restaurants on the strip or easily accessible thereto

On the Strip, I recommend Carnevino (Palazzo) and L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon (MGM Grand). I'll be trying Sage (Aria) and Comme Ça (Cosmopolitan) next week and I hope to be able to recommend them in the future

Last time I was aware, Mark's Duck House did pushcart dim sum seven days a week. Don't they do that any more?

Yes, seven days a week.

11/11/10 - "A Movable Beast: L.A. Weekly's 99 Essential Restaurants" by Jonathan Gold on laweekly.com

Hi, I wish I had made the connection to this blog when I was tasting your wines last night at the Principle Gallery. Enjoyed meeting you and your wife, and the four wines you brought. Enjoy the holidays!

Maintain your quality: of food and life

Korshi (5728 Pickwick Road, Centreville, VA) has nigiri, sashimi, and rolls better than Todai, Il Mee, and Hee Been. About the same price as Todai but better fish to rice ratio. Also has meat grilled at the table, raw oysters, and king crab legs like the others. FWIW desserts were better at Todai.

Looks like there is still room, so add me to the the list. Thanks.

I have room in my car to ferry someone from Ballston.

But (crossposting to Saint Michel Bakery) they have crappy baguettes.

It's true. It's a shame. (About both places.) But the other breads are good.

FWIW, the website says the bread is not made by Praline: "Our traditional French baguette and other breads, the only items we do not make in-house, are delivered fresh each morning."

Chawanmushi is a favorite, although it might be an acquired taste. Great version available as "crab custard" on Corduroy's menu. I appreciate the Japanese influences that Tom Power incorporates into dishes without making them into something that screams Asian Fusion.

For APA Month (sic): conversation with the author TODAY 2PM at the Smithsonian Museum of American History link

$3 per bunch at Alexandria's Market Square

I am looking only at table-service restaurants, no take-out or cafeteria-style/seat-yourself places. . . . My definition of "communal table" is one which seats a minimum of eight guests from two or more unrelated parties.

You may need to change your definition. minibar only seats six (unless there has been a change). I would characterize Vapiano as cafeteria-style/seat-yourself.

Does "Unrelated parties are the key here - if it's just a banquet table and is only used for large parties/bookings, it doesn't count" exclude restaurants serving dim sum?

I'd be interested. The restaurant is close to my workplace. Open to date and price. As you know, parking is limited so car pooling should be encouraged!

Lunch at Carnevino on January 3. Went looking for riserva steak but was satisfied by the dry aged, bone-in New York strip on the menu. Good choice (along with Delmonico Steakhouse) for steak in the middle of the Strip.

Dinner at Guy Savoy on January 3. I ordered the Menu Prestige, which was well described and photographed in the eGullet thread. I enjoyed the mixture of spices used to serve the Crispy Sea Bass, Colors of Caviar, and Artichoke and Black Truffle Soup. In the bread pairing for each course, the soup was well complemented by toasted brioche and black truffle butter. Best service (led by Franck Savoy) I have ever experienced in a restaurant, warm and attentive without any obsequiousness. The wine list was presented on its own stand; a wide range of prices were represented. Five carts were used, one each for: champagnes, breads, cheeses, desserts and after dinner drinks. The teas were presented in a small wooden chest with about a dozen glass bottles to smell, and brewed in a pot made of enameled cast iron.

Dinner at Lotus of Siam on January 4. Shared Mee Krob, Nua Dad Deaw, Tom Klong Pla-Krob, Northern Larb, Sai Oua, Kang-ka-Noon, and a selection of desserts with two friends. The least remarkable were the the curry (Kang-ka-Noon) and the desserts. They were only okay, but I would reorder the other dishes without hesitation. We shared a bottle of 2007 Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Spatlese. They mentioned that availability of wine was limited as compared to their list on the web because of an impending expansion into adjoining space.

Lunch at Hash House A Go Go on January 5. Given the "theme" of the restaurant, it is a good fit for the Imperial Palace. I had the Hand-Hammered Pork Tenderloin Sandwich and Kiwi-Watermelon Lemonade.

Dinner at Twist on January 5. I had not heard of Pierre Gagnaire before reading the publicity about opening his first U.S. restaurant in Las Vegas. Found it difficult to find the restaurant in CityCenter, but my best approach (instead of walking through Monte Carlo) would have been directly from the Strip up a flight of stairs and across the driveway to the Mandarin Oriental. I ordered the tasting menu (Pierre Gagnaire's Spirit) and added an appetizer from the ala carte section. The dishes have been well described and photographed at the kevinEats blog. I particularly enjoyed the bluefin chantilly, Langoustine Five Ways, and Shellfish Royale (beet gelee!). Everyone seemed well trained for the launch. The chef de cuisine Pascal Sanchez was in the dining room greeting and thanking guests. I was offered a copy of Gagnaire's Reinventing French Cuisine to read between courses (presumably because I was a solo diner). Asked for a copy of the menu I enjoyed, and was given an original autographed by Pascal Sanchez. I appreciated the staff's humble attitude when serving this foamless version of experimental cuisine. Only distraction was the married man and his mistress at the next table arguing; they were waited on professionally. I left without the gift box everyone else was given because I was in a rush to pay and get out.

Dinner at Hugo's Cellar on January 6. The menu probably has not changed for years, which is a good thing. Women diners were greeted with a red rose. In the past, I have had an appetizer or dessert in the past, but they are optional because all dinners include a salad you specify from a table-side cart and complimentary sweets. Thus, the price of dinner ($46 for Veal Oscar) can be considered modest. Wine list had many choices under $40. A good value.

How many places are using this ingredient? Doesn't something have to be overused to be trite?

Saw it at two different restaurants on a recent visit to Las Vegas. I don't know how long they have been using it since both visits were my first time eating at them. Admittedly, a small sample but thought it to be a remarkable coincidence.

seaweed butter

You're spot on. Any (other) steakhouse recommendations at that end of the strip?

Too late for your dinner, but StripSteak in the Mandalay Bay might have been a good alternative. I recommend the beignets with Macallan butterscotch pudding for dessert. The sauce was not as cloying as I expected.

Charleston in Baltimore does a pretty good snails and garlic and puff pastry thing. I know, not DC, but just more thoughts for when you're meandering about.

I wonder if Charleston is able to get their snails fresh from the Maryland farm that Don's link discusses?

We went to Cafe du Parc. Escargot (in shells and with a garlic butter sauce) was enjoyed by the two people who ordered it. I had a confited pork shank for the first course, instead. Prix fixe is three courses for $38, which was a good value. Although the food was fine and the list of wines by the glass had good variety, it is the sort of place that I will only annually. Unless the weather is good enough to eat outside, I probably won't be seeking it out (especially since I no longer work in DC and would have to drive in from VA). One thing of interest is that the restaurant validates if you leave your car with the valet outside, but not if you park in the hotel's garage.

Yes Don, I should have mentioned that she is looking for a traditional preparation. Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I will report in a few days.

The birthday girl wants escargot. Anywhere you would recommend over Cafe du Parc? Thanks.

Is there anywhere in the DC area that sells macarons in case I completely fumble?

Michel Patisserie is worth trying. I'm not sure if you can still pickup orders at Artisan Confections?

I could also mention the luau (pleasant pork and surprisingly not bad poi)

When you return, if you want Hawaiian food without going to a touristy luau, try Helen's Hawaiian Food (Liliha) or Ono Hawaiian Foods (Kaimuki). Parking at both is pretty bad so, after checking that they are open, go when they open or much later after the lunch rush.

. . . I am still in the dark about chicken carnage. Am I to understand that two roosters, if left to their own devices, will automatically fight to the death in a spectacularly bloody way? Or something worse than that? Did they do this (say) 200 years ago, or is this just a perverse byproduct of some sort of selective breeding by human chicken-farmers?

According to the Human Society, "While it is true that birds will fight over food, territory, or mates, such fights are generally only to establish dominance within a group (the pecking order) and seldom result in serious injury. This natural behavior is quite different from what happens in staged cockfights, where pairs of birds, bred for maximum aggressiveness (and sometimes given steroids or other drugs to make them more successful fighters) are forced to fight until a winner is declared."

She also gave me five side dishes: (1) bean sprouts, (2) something that looked like chopped raw garlic with chopped raw oysters (?) in red pepper sauce, (3) kimchee in cold orange water/kimchee juice (?) (4) pickled spicy cucumber in thick round slices (seemed slightly sweeter and less garlicy than the kind at A&J), and (5) kimchee – the kind that’s not yet fermented. It was strips of napa cabbage in hot pepper sauce with a touch of fish/seafood flavor (personally I prefer the fermented kind but this was good for what it is.)

FWIW, when eating at the Annandale location with a Korean friend, she said that the kim chee is usually "fresh" instead of fermented at tofu restaurants.