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Last night a friend and I had a meal at Bin 555, a wine bar accessible only by car up Hwy 281. The restaurant is hidden in the back of a funky little shopping center called Artisans Alley. Their wine list was a little daunting, but the prices were quite reasonable. In fact, they have a section of 55 wines for $55 (which we ordered off of, but somehow, our wine turned out to be $35 on the bill). The food is a mixture of mostly Spanish and Italian influences, served tapas style. We started off with the serrano ham dates with blue cheese crumbles, then ate an order of naan with a large quantity of garlic butter. The dates were delicious, but I kind of regret the naan. It was good, but it tasted like regular garlic bread, and I would have preferred to have had another tapa. Then our asparagus milenese style came, which of course meant that there was a fried egg (organic) sitting right on top of the asparagus. Curiously, it worked. My friend and I then split the pork belly with blueberry compote. I was skeptical of the blueberry, but I found it to be savory rather than sweet, and my friend who had never had pork belly before was quite impressed. We also ordered a spicy gnocchi dish with bell peppers. I thought the actual gnocchi was good, but the addition of the bell peppers was probably not the best combination. One of my cousins was working in the kitchen (he just graduated from the CIA), and he thought that the paella was excellent, but we were too stuffed to order more food. Well, except for dessert. Fried banana fritters with a peanut butter mousse were delicious, as was the french press coffee. Apparently in San Antonio, you are allowed to take open bottles of wine from restaurants home with you, and that was definitely necessary. All in all, our meal came out to about $90, wine included. Very casual atmosphere, and it was pretty wide open on a Monday night. They also have this patio that I'm sure is packed on gorgeous spring nights. Our server was new and a little on the young side (he really wanted us to get the hot wings...claimed they were better than Hooters), but still friendly and mostly helpful. Would definitely return.

I'm curious to try this place. I definitely think we need more local bakeries in town. A recent article from the Washington Post: click.

Got this from the Washington Wine Academy: OPEN CALL FOR NEW NBC RESTAURANT COMPETITION SHOW GRANADA AMERICA, the producers that brought you Nanny 911, Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares are seeking two-person teams, with pre-existing relationships, who have always dreamed of opening their own restaurant! Have you and your spouse, friend, family member, business associate or colleague dreamed of opening your own restaurant? Is one of you a whiz in the kitchen while the other is a front of the house superstar? Do you have what it takes to open and run a successful restaurant? Has financing always been a problem? HERE IS YOUR CHANCE TO MAKE YOUR DREAM COME TRUE! Casting Directors want to meet your team at our open call! Sofitel Lafayette Square 806 15th Street NW, Washington DC, 20005 We are looking for outgoing and enthusiastic pairs (couples, relatives, friends, co-workers, etc.) who have the drive, dermination and dream to open their own restaurant. Perhaps one of the pair is a whiz in the kitchen and the other is a front-of-the-house superstar, maybe one teammate is all business and the other is all about the food- we want to meet them and make their dreams come true! Are you interested in participating? Send us an email at NBCteamsdc@yahoo.com or call us at 646-961-3991. Or, you can go directly to our DC open call on March 22nd at the Sofitel Hotel. The application, along with additional open call locations, can be found on www.nbc.com in the Now Casting section. Saturday, March 22 2008 10am - 4pm Parking at Hotel- 0-3 hrs $12, 3-20hrs $26, overnight $36 Also metered parking on street or other parking structures in the area Train- One Block away from McPherson Square Metro Station-Serves Orange and Blue Lines WE ARE SEEKING PEOPLE WHO ARE: Over 21 years of age; U.S. Citizens or Permanent U.S. Residents 2-person teams with pre-existing relationships: couples, friends, family, co-workers, chef teams, retired couples, college grads, weekend gourmets, old and young! Must be outgoing, creative, love the restaurant business and want to open and run your own restaurant! ***APPLICANTS SHOULD COME TO THE OPEN CALL AS A TEAM WITH COMPLETED APPLICATIONS For more information E-mail or Call us: NBCteamsDC@yahoo.com or (646) 961-3991. Please include your names, ages, the city you're from, occupations, contact phone numbers, a recent photograph of yourselves and a brief summary as to why your team is perfect for the show!

From the menu: Bistecca alla Fiorentina per due Full Bone Cut Ribeye {1 Kg. - 36 oz} - for two (or one really big appetite) all natural Meyer Angus, potatoes & greens Last Thursday, my husband ordered this after seeing it being served to a teenage boy. The teenage boy had to get it wrapped up. My husband? Not so much. Really, I can't believe he ate the whole thing. It was also the first introduction to Dino for a friend of ours, who ordered the lasagnette. She looked mournfully at her plate when she was done, and wished that she could relive that experience.

But Dino isn't open for lunch, as the original poster requested. Maybe someplace closer to downtown. Central (on Penn Ave) maybe?

We were there for the first time last night too. I really enjoyed my beef cheeks, but I thought it was just a little oversauced, and that kind of took away from the overall beefyness of the cheeks (or cheekiness). I really enjoyed the tagliatelle on the side, but as I got towards the middle, there was a definite coolness there that indicated that perhaps my plate had been sitting out waiting a little longer than my companions'. My husband loved his 72 hour ribs, however, and our friend thought the cassoulet was excellent. The banana split was good, but way too large. I commented that it was served on what appeared to be a school cafeteria tray. Overall, I really, enjoyed my meal, and we can't wait to go back.

We went to Silo 1604 over the Christmas holidays with some friends. They had an early bird, three course special, with very limited selections for $22. The three of us that did the early bird all had the pork tenderloin ("the only thing worth eating off that menu", said the waiter). It was thick, juicy, and very flavorful. Their specialty is the chicken fried oysters. I'm not usually a fan of oysters, but they're battered and deep fried, served with a creamy sauce (not quite the chicken fried steak gravy), I have to say they were pretty good. I'd go back and try things off the regular menu, but honestly, some of those items seem pretty pricey by San Antonio standards ($30 duck breast, for example).Oh, and I too love the Liberty Bar. Great food, great atmosphere, and great prices.

Do we have any ambassadors here? If so, let us know so we can support your restaurant!

Has anyone ever made rice in the slow cooker? I'm debating trying this with brown rice since whenever I make it on the stove its always still a little crunchy, and I don't really have room in my kitchen for a rice cooker.

South Central Texans eat Tex-Mex, especially breakfast tacos, with Big Red. That being said, I think the margaritas at Rio Grande are pretty good. I think its a better option than, say, Cactus Cantina, and no, I don't think either one of these are real examples of Tex-Mex. I get tired of my culture being defamed by bad food.

Your tamales sound great! What kind of husk do you wrap yours in, corn or banana?

During my jury duty last year, I had time to wander up to Chinatown Express one day, and Jaleo the next. I believe the time allotted was about an hour and half. One funny thing that sticks in my mind was that the judge was very, very, very adament that we not drink any alcoholic beverages during lunch.

I had the pleasure of dining at Texas' #1 steakhouse (according to Texas Monthly magazine) last week, Pappas Bros. in Houston. The Pappas family is a powerhouse in Texas dining, with hundreds of chain restaurants incorporating the name: Pappadeaux Seafood, Pappasitos Cantina, Pappas Burgers, etc. Surprisingly, all of the restaurants are consistently good. Pappas Bros. Steakhouse has one location in Houston, and one in Dallas. The clientele was a mix of businessmen and families (how I love to see small children chowing down on beef!), and as a throwback to the old school Texas businessman, our table featured a working phone on the table, which was kind of odd, but it didn't take up as much room as I feared it would. My husband started his dinner with shrimp remoulade (and as a native Houstonian, this boy has eaten quite a bit of remoulade), and declared it delicious. My mother-in-law and I chose to start with the soup of the day, a delightfully creamy with just a touch of spice shrimp bisque. I drank every bit, and then used a bit of warm bread to scoop up the rest (they actually replaced our bread at one point even though there was quite a bit left in the basket because it was no longer warm). Most of their beef is dry-aged in house in house for about a month, with the exception of the filets, which are wet-aged. The filets come in various sizes, and I chose the 8 oz. Side dishes for our meal were the creamed spinach and the potatoes au gratin (special vegetable of the day). The one slightly unfortunate thing was that they tried to convince us that there meat temperatures were cooler than other places. I ordered my filet medium rare and that's what I got. My husband, who usually orders medium rare, was talked into ordering his strip medium (with a warm red center) and got, well, medium with a pink center. No matter, as he still ate it. The wine selection was overwhelming, and my father-in-law asked the sommellier to bring us over a bottle of something in his price range, and she chose a wonderful California Central Coast cabernet, which we loved. Three of us ordered desserts, which were gigantic. They were good, but not great, and none of us even came close to finishing them. I enjoyed my meal very much, but here's the thing...last time I ate at Ray's the Classics, the food was so good I was almost moved to tears. No tears at Pappas, but still worth it.

Thanks, jmchen. That helps a lot. As for Tinto, well, we also reservations at Amada.

Going to Philadelphia for a conference, which just happens to fall on my husband's birthday. We have a reservation at Matyson. Can anyone tell me what the atmosphere is like? I just called to make the reservation (during lunch service) and it seemed pretty loud. Also, anyone been to Bistro 7 lately? They seem to have plenty of reservations open, and I'm wondering if its a safe bet.

Dino has probably become the restaurant that we visit the most because of its convenient location, its whimming ability (especially on a weekday night), its reasonable prices, and it great food and atmosphere. Its also become the restaurant where we are most apt to take out of towners or celebrate special occasions. In fact, we talked up Dino so much that some of our friends got engaged there earlier this year. And the question we always ask friends who have recently visited Dino is, "Did you get the burrata?" Soon after Chef Daniel Amaya left, we went to Dino and ordered the boar pasta, which is when we realized that Chef Stephan Boillon had changed the recipe. The sauce was more broth-based, and it was good, but not as good as the previous recipe. Tonight, we stopped in at Dino's on a whim because as my husband put it, I was "under-wined", and ordered the Menu della Sera. I was seriously considering ordering the lamb pasta but decided at the very last minute to go for the boar pasta. Boy, am I glad I did. The sauce is now a wonderfully rustic tomato sauce, which only lightly coats the pasta. I was delighted to see it, and loved every minute of it. Every part of our meal was delicious, although my husband admitted that his meatballs could have used a little bit more seasoning. Overall, though, I have been incredibly pleased with Dino. Keep up the good work!

Saw this concept recently on AllRecipes.com. You can download recipes from their site, or upload your own recipes as well. Plus, they let you include photos. It lets you have a table of contents, but it still looks a little basic. Not sure if its something that I would want for myself. http://allrecipes.com/features/more/createacookbook.aspx

I think the bowl that takes the cake is the Rachael Ray Garbage Bowl. Because as the owner of a tiny kitchen with limited counter space, that's just what I need.

I've only been to the Glover Park location too, and I have a real problem with them reheating the brisket on the griddle, making it pick up the flavor of old food. I wish they would just give me the brisket, and I keep meaning to ask them not to re-heat it but either I forget or I just get shy. My husband likes Rocklands' bbq much more than I do--and we're both from Texas. I'm not a fan of the mac and cheese, which he loves. He's planning on ordering some ribs for our New Year's Day football watching party, and I'm trying to come up with alternative places for us to get them from. If only we could somehow fit a big bbq pit in our condo.

After reading on yesterday's "Ask Tom" about a poster's not great 2 Amy's experience, we decided to go there last night, and bring a friend who has a fondness for their deviled eggs. We got there around 7 pm and probably could have got a table right away due to the weather, but our friend was running late, so we sat at the bar and ordered a few drinks and the delicious proscuitto and turnip puree crostini and the pasta fritatta. At around 7:45, I spoke with the hostess and put our name on the list, and there didn't really seem to be a wait at that time. When our friend got there at 8, we were seated right away, but the bar area was full and the waiting list seemed to be at least 6 parties long. Our water took a while to get to the table, but the waiter came over, took our drink and deviled egg order and came back a few minutes later for our pizza order. Our deviled eggs were served very promptly, and our pizzas came out lickety split as well. I'm really glad that I ordered my puttanesca pizza well done, because I tasted my husband's pizza crust, and it tasted incredibly undercooked, and very doughy. He enjoyed it, though, and didn't complain too much about the crust since his toppings--onion and polpettine--were so delicious. Our waiter didn't really come over much during our meal, which was fine with us since we didn't have any problems. Overall, an enjoyable meal.

Thanks, Michael. Sounds like the male version of Valentine's Day, to be celebrated on March 15.

Anyone been to RTS on a weeknight recently? We're planning on going there on Wednesday, but since some members of the party can't get there until 8 pm, some other folks would like to get there a little earlier to put our name down. There will be five of us, to make it that much more difficult. Can we expect a 30 minute wait at least?

Looks like the Chinatown location won't be opening until next year, according to this item from PQLiving.com last week.

If you missed St. Sophia's Greek festival this summer, they'll be holding their fall festival in a few weeks. How those folks manage to hold so many festivals is beyond me. September 28-30, 2007 (Friday-Sunday), 12:00 Noon- 9:00 PM. http://www.saintsophiawashington.org/

I'm looking for classes for me and a few friends, and I was surprised that I didn't see a list compiling the different places to take general cooking classes in the area. I know there are separate topics for a few of these. Here's what I've found so far: L'Academie de Cuisine: http://www.lacademie.com Sur La Table in Virginia: http://www.surlatable.com/category/culinary.do Stratford University: http://www.stratford.edu/?page=culinaryworkshops Taste DC: http://www.tastedc.com Am I overlooking anything obvious? Any rec centers that offer cooking classes on a regular basis?