meatwad

Microwave to hot cast iron...

The first two Yelp "reviews" read like propaganda.  Who's going to take the plunge and actually try this place?

Why?

Restaurant groups and concepts. Hospitality by spreadsheet is never a surprise. Will keep looking through holes in the wall. I know there are young guns out there who will be bringing restaurants to their neighbrhoods - can't all be the next star.

A brother/sister team who make and sell lacto-fermented pickles are looking for a space to work in. Have outgrown curent shared kitchen.

Since items are fermented needs for the "kitchen" are worktables, space for spices and salts and conditioned space where the pickle barrels can live. A wide hallway would work. Hot line not needed. Cold storage great but not necessary.

Ideal landlord is old codger, loves sour pickles, who owns immaculate underground parking garage that stays cool year-round and can't hear loud music. Know this guy?

Leaning back against a low-boy counter eating lamb ribs with green sauce was a hell of a thing in a DuPont circle alley doorway. Lamb should get more of a rap.

When we were looking into Kosher certification the peeps at http://www.thekosherkitchen.com/home.php were helpful...

Few things in life are more enjoyable than the Sausage, Egg and Cheese served on crème fraiche biscuit ($14). Based on the McDonald's classic, but 3 times larger and infinitely better. A folded french omelet instead of microwaved eggs, a five ounce patty of juicy, house-ground breakfast sausage instead of a one ounce hockey puck of mystery meat; and pepper jack instead of barely meltable Kraft singles style cheese, all on a house-made biscuit that's tender and insanely rich thanks to the crème fraiche in the batter.

That sounds tasty. But, you got Egg McMuffins all wrong...

I heard a fairly credible rumor this evening that Stars Bistro and Bar closed a couple weeks ago. I checked their website, which has a forbidding message, and then tried to call, and got an outgoing greeting saying they're not accepting calls right now.

Can anyone confirm or deny?

Closed on the 15th.

The National Gallery of Art is not part of the Smithsonian Institution.

Same contractor.

at Etrusco

Spinach Paparot, with polenta topping

then

Prosciutto, with Giardiniera

This
is
right

the best fries in town.....

the chicken liver bruschetta...

P.S. The staff is wonderful and informative.

Yes.

I hope more restaurants can play the game Cork is in. Nothing to do with "concepts", investors, celebrity chefs, pr firms and using culinary school externs as line cooks... Standing in the bar at Cork is surreal. I've never seen a more integrated vision of D.C. It's goddam touching.

Hot or Not?

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2)

3)

I know that it is hard to view a restaurant you love with a critical eye, but does acting as its de facto PR guy really help people understand why it is great, or simply diminish the value of your posts? It is obvious what you really love, but that is only forms half a picture of someone's tastes and expectations (one slight critique of the apple pie hardly does this). Being critical does not require that you have to be negative, but it does require that you take an honest eyes-wide-open look at the meal that you are eating.

Fuck that. Have an actual counter point?

Dude's a groupie. A persistent and almost shrill groupie. Nothing opaque about it. But he is persistent enough that I made Ashburn a meal destination.

The specifics of the meal aren't important. What I remember is watching high school kids coming to their part time job. Normal suburban high schoolers acting the way they should - taking the world in. They all stood around a big oven and tasted something. A few heads bobbed yes. When I asked my waitress where something came from she told me. "Down the road." I worked at a place in high school that was a local favorite. When the "Chef" ran out of the yellow goo the food was cooked in he'd look up at the ceiling and roar, "more jizz!" Then I'd run the stairs to get a new jug. If anyone had asked me where it came from I would've said "the basement".

Steve Ells couldn't make as many D.C. kitchens laugh with a 6' barbacoa...

Website is very slick. Any background on the operation?

Relocating. They must being doing alright... building price was 2.5m.

Wonder where the dumpster will be, there's a Hilton next door and a tall office building on the other side.

The Moco store in Silver Spring has some stuff.

Luxardo Maraschino

Marie Brizard liquers

Berentzen's Apfel Korn

Strega

The Silver Spring DLC store on Colesville Rd. has many Marie Brizard cordials & Anisette in stock.

Pearson's has the Luxardo line. Besides the Maraschino that's an excellent Limoncello & Amaretto.

I was buying Sancerre, also noticed Orgeat & Falernum which, depending on Vic's or

Don's recipe, are needed for a Mai Tai.

Massenz liquers are also stocked. So check them out for ingredients. I saw other stuff which was pushed out by a flood of sake a few hours later.

Torani shouldn't be a problem.

Ask for Portrero. Bourbon has this on call.

Dan don't know about Cacique, everywhere has a bunch of different moonshine varieies , but Tic Tac aguaradiente, various Piscos & Pitu Cachacha are around.

Rhyming with Moscato d'Asti? This is bad.

That's why Sette is off the late list. Midnight my ass!

Nice little place directly cut from the standard pho family eatery cloth. Owners are very friendly, mama works days at the nail place next door. To me these places are all about the broth. It's nice that Pho 75 gets noodles from Cali and I can find sawtooth herb in the bowels of Eden Center, but it's the smell & taste of BEEF, anise & toasted ginger I want to saturate myself with. Sometimes I wake up after boozing with a puss of a hangover. The almost-hangover makes me bones feel hollow and me slow but it's so miniscule I'm functional enough to be Jerked off about it. Pho King's broth is intentionally almost-good and that sucks. I asked the owner why it lacks. She didn't hesitate to explain that customers complained when the stock was initially made with roasted bones. Suggestions for a dark & a light pho were dismissed. A suitable sick morning after hasn't landed me nearby & that's what will get me back until they (Pho King) bring back the bone.

Hmm, will this be in the old Harbor Club space?

Yes.

A "food-centric" place on the waterfront. Chef is Paul Morello of Les Halles (DC). 350 seats.

Partnership between http://www.magnategroup.net/ & ND Farmer's Union.

Was told a bar scene will not be the focus. Could go many ways...

http://www.agrariarestaurant.com/

http://www.agrariallc.com/