DanCole42

Asahi in Courthouse. Not to be confused with the giant Asahi in Ballston. This one's tucked away next to Sawatdee in Courthouse Plaza (the same area as the AMC). It's always low key and never crowded, but the staff is amazingly friendly and all Japanese. The sushi is fresh and delicious. I've even been told that I had to change my order because the chef decided that the uni he was using was not up to his standards. That's quality control you can count on. Don't just limit yourself to the cold stuff, though. Their gyoza is perfectly cooked, and if you've never tried tepanyaki before, theirs is a good place to start. Oh, and my favorite part (though by no means unique) - order enough sushi and they'll bring it to you on a big wooden BOAT! Score!

Usually when you ask an adult what their favorite food is, they'll say something like "my grandmother's ravioli," or "the prime rib and such and such," or "a foie gras and white truffle milkshake with caviar cooked sous vide with a dodo egg." Or some other such "mature" response.When you ask ME what MY favorite food is, I reply, much as a child would, "HAMBURGERS!" For me, there is no food on Earth so delicious and VERSATILE as a hamburger. Name me ANY dish from ANY cuisine and I guaranty that there's some way of making it into a hambuger. But nothing beats a nice paddy made from quality meat and cheese with a heaping load of ketchup. This is why I've spent my last five birthdays being taken out to Five Guys (among other places). It's why growing up my mom found ketchup in my hair and inside my shoes. It's why the first thing I did when getting to Vegas was eat a burger with foie gras and truffles on it, and subsequently came in a gustatory-satisfaction-inspired first in a poker tournament. I think I definetly have to stop into Elevation at least once and see what such PASSION can lead to in a burger. I'm guessing I'll be thrilled beyond beleef. Get it? Beef? Beleef?

Has anyone ever seen so many hyphens? My dad is the "pop" in the number one independent (mom and pop) audio-video retailer in the country - check it out, great stuff for Father's Day. He's been very fortunate - growing his small business from a no-name store to a nationally recognized (but still non-chain) establishment. I think he has a very unique perspective on what Michael was talking about, and I have a definite appreciation for the horrors that COULD have befallen my family if my dad didn't know what he was doing and didn't work his ass off to make sure he business succeeded. I think that, to a very large degree, the success of any small business (restaurant or otherwise) is largely dependent on how hard the (im)proprietor is willing to work his said ass off and how committed he is to the quality of his product. A lot of idiots start businesses and get a lot of people involved and subsequently hurt when they're either too lazy or stupid (or both) to be successful. I'm talking about people who take money out of the business rather than putting it back in, or don't make the effort to get to know their earliest and therefore most important customers, or who take tons of vacation now that they have the "luxury" or being their own boss rather than putting in EXTRA time. I'm not saying anyone DESERVES to fail, but I AM saying that there are people you shouldn't feel sorry for. Feel sorry for their families and friends who believed in them and committed to them - not to mention their employees. All that said, if I may quote Mencius - "a small country cannot contend with a great, the few cannot contend with many, the weak cannot contend with the strong." What's happening to the mom and pops in the area is not the product of idiotic moms and pops - it's the strong-arming. What happened to the adorable vintage 1950s hardware store in Clarendon? What the fuck is Ri Ra? Is that supposed to be Irish? It sounds like a retarded chinese donkey. And the Aegean Taverna run by the old greek lady who just missed the casting call for My Big Fat Ethnic Wedding? Gone. All the businesses displaced by the rejuvenation of Clarendon? Gone gone gone. They've been there so long that they can't ALL be idiots. Clearly there's some evil force at work here. I'm not saying that chains and corporations = intrinsically bad. I'd be a hypocrite to say that I don't go to the Cheesecake Factory, or Don Pablo's, or Clyde's more often than I go to Palena, Guajillo, or Ray's. For me, part of the problem is that my friends and I (and especially my fiancee, who is in charge of me) perceive the chains as cheaper than mom and pops when really they're not. Another part of my personal problem is that I can never tell if a restaurant is a chain or not (for ages I thought that Clyde's only had one location). I think a special thread for mom and pops is a good idea. Anyone frequenting their favorite mom and pop should encourage the owners to check out DR and maybe get some buzz going.

No more odd than the fact that I've never eaten at Maestro, Firefly, or Restaurant Eve.

That's my Vatican. I have to find out more about this place. If I find I'm dying of a terminal illness, I'm spending my remaining days there.

There, there. It's something to be PROUD of, not embarassed by. This is pride:

Oh god! Who spread BUTTER on this already slippery slope to off-topic?I too would never eat there on the same principle... what jingoistic nonsense. I can see a pile of banana peels ahead...

I like either Gravelley Point (planes are awesome) or, if you're into something a bit less distracting, try the lawn of the Iwo Jima Memorial. Great trees to sit under and postcard views of the city. For a more natural setting, try the TR Memorial on TR Island, or one of the many rocky outcroppings jutting out into the Potomac. Just don't let the water touch any of your food. Sonic diahrea ruins picnics. Same problems with alcohol as other federal land.

I'm glad there are people out there like me. What do people usually order? Generally I'll start my meal with a new item I haven't tried before - usually whatever limited-time item they're offering (such as the Ultimate Chalupa). Then I'll enjoy what I call my "palate cleanser" - a small, no-frills taco or nachos supreme*. Then I finish the meal with my staple - a beef supreme chalupa. I found this Taco Bell somewhere off 95 in Maryland that, for some reason, still offered just about every limited-time item that I've ever seen offered in a Taco Bell. It was like I'd entered some kind of quantum flux where every menu selection existed at the same time and place. The tomatoes and lettuce were top notch - it was like they came from an organic garden in Oregon. Real grand cru, if you know what I mean. *Yes, I am aware that neither of those things would really serve to "cleanse my palate" in the tradiational sense.

I'm not sure I agree with this. I feel like abusing a priviledge constitutes in some way causing harm to the establishment. Whether I'm bringing a $10 or a $1000 bottle it's the same to the restaurant (cost-wise).I've always thought of abusing a priviledge as being something like bring tupperware to an all-you-can eat affair. I'd say that, as something of a "thank you" for the priviledge, tipping should be based off whatever you would have tipped had you gotten the bottle from the restaurant itself. It's only fair, and you're stilling saving money.

Their new Ultimate Chalupa is now available. The carne asada steak appears to be seasoned a bit differently in this incarnation than it has in foods past (i.e. the limited-time only Grilled Steak Taco*). I think it's a major improvement and really brings out the juiciness of the meat. I'm also really impressed with their take on guacamole - they clearly put some effort into this, making it more than just the mashed up avocados one would expect from T-Bell guac. I heard someone in line the other day remark that all Taco Bell food is the same, just repackaged in a different shell. Excepting the fact that this isn't true, I had to explain to my clearly disinterested fiancee that it's like a fine wine. Simply changing the shape or size of the glass can profoundly affect the way the taste and smell of the wine greets your nose, tongue, and palate. To truly appreciate the subtleties of TB cuisine, one must approach it from every angle. I encourage other closeted Bellphiles to speak up with their take on this unique culinary style. I'm going to DR.com hell for this post, aren't I? *Limited time only, but still available at the Courthouse T-Bell.

I hope this doesn't lead to any sort of fuss, fisticuffs, or fracas... but what's wrong with a $10 bottle of wine if you happen to enjoy it? It doesn't mean the restaurant is losing money - the patron is bringing in outside wine anyway.

That DOES sound good. Calzones scare me, though. I like being able to see my food cooking. I'll bet the diablo would work well with that.And Jacques, I meant no offense. When you're the only one in the office willing to step up and clean the microwave, and the only one who actually cleans up after himself following tupperware apocalyptae, you start to develop a certain hate-hate relationship with those vile ovens.

The microwave is my mortal enemy. Every day it finds some way to ruin leftovers. Did you know that when bearnaise sauce breaks, it mixes readily with melted styrofoam? YUM!The best thing I've ever done with one of Michael's creations (and this was a night I had PLENTY of leftover strip, having gorged myself on bisqallops*) was to take the leftover steak and slice it thinly (about a quarter inch - shouldn't be too difficult if the steak is cold). Then I sauted some kind of finely chopped wild mushroom medley (seriously, go nuts) with some thyme. I set the mushrooms aside and deglazed with some red wine, balsamic vinegar, and other crap to make a thick sweet & tangy red wine reduction with plenty of butter. I whipped up a batch of my top secret three-flavor pizza dough, rolled out a pie, spread a mixture of roasted garlic and olive oil on top, and topped it with the mushrooms, some gorgonzola, and no-frills mozarella. I stuck the whole thing on my pizza stone (is there any other way to do pizza?) with my oven at maximum, and then a few minutes before it was done I sprinkled on my slices of Ray's heaven, just so they'd be in long enough to get hot. Once it's out, swirl the red wine reduction around the pie, and enjoy. No ingredients were harmed by microwave radiation in the making of this pizza. Oh, and the House Special is my favorite as well. *That's what I call it when I order bisque, my fiancee orders scallops, and I eat most of both.

Go.... in... during... lunch... and... try... their... new... steak... and... brie... sandwich... NOW!!!

Finally made the trip up to Cleveland Park for what I've been assured is a first class extravaganza of delectable deliciosity. The evening started off with me getting one of the two spots directly in front of the restaurant's doors at six o'clock on a Saturday. This was the low point of my experience. Our hostess and future bridesmaid Anne was, as always, sweeter than any dessert on the menu. I started off with a fragolino (sp?) to sip on and drowned out my fiancee's cries of "Why can't you order a manlier drink?" in a glass of strawberry-infused bliss. Anne declined my offer of a taste - something about drinking on the job. I say the customer is always right, but what do I know? Spurred on by the six pages of posts on this forum dedicated to recreating it, I did something I've never done before in a restaurant - I ordered the chicken. She ordered the burger. We started off with the Palena fries, and what fries they were. I've never had lemons that tasted like that before. Those little fried puffs of potato that came out of a piping bag were definetly the highlight of the plate - and I'd love to get the recipe for their mayo. After the fries, we decided that the food was far too amazing for us to limit ourselves to chicken and a burger, so while we were still waiting on the chicken we got the beet salad. I've never had beets before, and doubt I would have liked them anywhere else, but the combination of flavors and the cheese that was used just made them divine. Our entrees arrived, and I finally tasted firsthand (firsttongue?) what everyone was talking about. I've never had chicken like that. Part of me was tempted to take the carcass home in a doggy bag and make a broth out of it.* The burger was perfectly juicy. Does anyone know what they put on it? It was almost like a light blue cheese mayo. For dessert my fiancee had Palena's take on the ice cream sandwich, and I had the goat cheesecake. Both were incredible, although some elements of the cake were a little tart for my tastes. I'll definetely be going back - especially if I can convince my future wife to let me splurge on the main dining menu. *Would that have been rude to bring the carcass home? Has anyone else done this? Does anyone have any suggestions for using a Palena roast chicken broth? I'd just do your standard mire poix, bouquet garni, etc. I think it would make a great broth for risotto. Thoughts?

I'm looking for recommendations for a baker for our wedding cake. We're getting married October 20th at the Sequoia in G-town. I've never done this before and have no idea what cakes cost. All I know is what I learned from this exchange with my lovely fiance: ME: Stacy recommended this cake place to me. Apparently it's run by this guy who used to be at Cake Love. Check it out. http://www.fluffythoughts.com/ SHE: They're a bit high priced. The other place we went to was much cheaper. $3.50 a person. Fondant was included. Fruit filling was included. ME: Yes, dear. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Also any pitfalls to watch out for when finding a baker...

Erik- Congratulations! It's wonderful to be able to share a place like Ray's with someone you love. Could you imagine if your fiance didn't care for Michael's chefing? I for one would ask for her ring back. Good luck with the wedding planning.

I've never been there before, but their website sure is appetizing. I'm thinking of heading there tonight. Is it worth the trek into G-Town at 6:30 on a Friday?

My fiancee and I have a standing rule that if either of us becomes a vegetarian that we'd break up - no questions asked. Now if only I could get her to like blue cheese...

Palena certainly seems to be the darling of the boards. I thought I'd never heard of it before I came here, then after some mind-numbing memory-searching, I realized that my fiancee's best friend Anne is a hostess there. I think I may have to finally take her up on her offer and make a trip up there!

My fiancee and I are planning a honeymoon in Aruba in the second half of October. It seems to be about the only place in the Carribean that's out of the hurricane belt! The idea of the "all-inclusive" resort really appeals to me. After months of stressful wedding planning, the last thing I want to worry about is how much I'm spending on food when I'm SUPPOSED to be relaxing. I've heard, though, that Aruba is one of those places where you DON'T want to go all-inclusive because it has so many good restaurants of its own to offer. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Also, if the general consensus is RESTAURANTS, then by all means, recommend away

Wow, kudos to EVERYONE for picking up on the mega-obscure reference. Now let's enjoy our moment in the sun before Don comes by and deletes our off-topic one-liners, however hilarious they may be.

lol - I'm glad to hear it. Now head to Lareau Farms in Vermont for some of their rustic flatbread pizza. You'll never eat another pizza again.

I'd suggest Palette (http://www.palettedc.com). The food is good enough for a special occassion, but not pricey enough to be over the top. It's highly varied, so I'm sure you can find something to please even an 82-year-old. They even have a small private room you could request when planning your dinner.