Rieux

Beuller?

Air India, where they treat you like cattle. (Ba dum bum).

Any dining suggestions for the usual tourist locations in Sri Lanka?

I’ve, sadly, found no good food from Northeast Brazil in the area. No good moqueca, no good bobó, etc. I end up going to By Brazil to pick up farofa and dendé oil and I make them myself.

I'm not Don, but I did like the pastry. Plus if it's by Nick Pimantel and the Room 11 folks the food is going to be good.

Not super set. They said they've been in from "the morning" until about 2pm the last couple of days. Right now they are trying to just serve the locals with coffee and pastries as they organize and get their flow going.

The Heller’s location has reopened under the ownership of the Room 11 group. I just stopped in for the soft opening for a coffee (nitro cold brew, $4.50) and a guava turnover (delicious, like $2 or so). Breads and savorys coming next week. The space is amazing. I’m very excited to have this two blocks away and I think it’s going to change Mt Pleasant street for the better. Don, probably should start a thread for Ellē, which I (and Washingtonian) anticipate is going to become hot.

The lamb shawarma is magnificent.

Headed to Naples for three nights and Sorrento for two Jan 3-8. Planning a day trip to Capri, two days driving around the Amalfi Coast, and a stop at Herculaneum. Any must do/eats for January or on epiphany?

Arrived at 6:30, put names on list, got a table 45 minutes later, more or less. It was a really enjoyable meal for a December 5th anniversary dinner. We ate a wide path through the menu. Everything was good, but a couple of dishes were too sweet. That said, we would go back, and the drinks, service, and ambience were top-notch. Standouts were the oysters, carrots, short rib, and chicken and dumplings. Ricotta toast was good. The sugar toads and foie gras biscuit were a touch too sweet. Oh, and it was expensive. For two people, with two cocktails (me) and two non- alcoholic drinks (husband), the food above, a coffee, and an amaro it was $240. Glad we had a gift certificate for $150 from a friend.

Yes, thanks, saw that. But I’m wondering if it still will mean a long wait for one of those tables.

I’ve had a gift certificate for the Dabney for over 18 months that I have not been able to use because I have NEVER been able to get a reservation for two people, even a couple of weeks out. Friday is our anniversary. No reservations available, obviously (even when I checked a couple weeks back when the period opened). What do people think the chances are of getting a table if we walk in around 6:30/7?

Amicci’s used to be solid for red sauce Italian but I haven’t been in years. I adore DiPasquale’s which is a restaurant in a small Italian grocer/deli, but it’s not in Little Italy.

I wonder why that Nanny O'Brien's special is not good for the 20010 zip code of Mt. Pleasant. It's a short walk, 1 bus stop, or drive from my house on the east side of the park. I confess I hardly ever think about going to Cleveland Park to eat, even though it's closer than many other mediocre places in Columbia Heights. I guess I'm part of the problem.

Don, if you ever want to discuss Mexico, or need help on planning the best itinerary of sights, food, and art in Mexico City (which I know really well), Oaxaca and Jalisco (which I know slightly less well), or the Tequila trail (which my work helped create), send me a DM. Some of the best food in the world is in Mexico City and in Oaxaca city. Edited to add (I can also provide information at length on the PRI and the realignment of Mexican politics; Mexican Agriculture Policy; Forestry; Coffee; Communal Land Holding; and Remittances and agent banking in Mexico, but these are way less fun topics for tourists and tourism- lol).

I work in international development with Latin America and have for over 14 years. I travel to countries in the region at least once, and usually twice a month. Before that I worked on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Western Hemisphere issues, including trade, immigration, and narcotics. I couldn't type more because I was driving back from vacation earlier. This is from the USTR: Imports Mexico was the United States' 2nd largest supplier of goods imports in 2016. U.S. goods imports from Mexico totaled $294.2 billion in 2016, down 0.8% ($2.3 billion) from 2015, but up 48.4% from 2006. U.S. imports from Mexico are up 637% from 1993 (pre-NAFTA). U.S. imports from Mexico account for 13.4% of overall U.S. imports in 2015. The top import categories (2-digit HS) in 2016 were: vehicles ($75 billion), electrical machinery ($62 billion), machinery ($51 billion), optical and medical instruments ($13 billion), and furniture and bedding ($11 billion). U.S. total imports of agricultural products from Mexico totaled $23 billion in 2016, our 1st largest supplier of agricultural imports. Leading categories include: fresh vegetables ($5.6 billion), other fresh fruit ($4.9 billion), wine and beer ($3.1 billion), snack foods ($2.0 billion), and processed fruit & vegetables ($1.5 billion). U.S. imports of services from Mexico were an estimated $23.5 billion in 2016, 7.0% ($1.5 billion) more than 2015, and 57.9% greater than 2006 levels. It was up roughly 216% from 1993 (pre-NAFTA). Leading services imports from Mexico to the U.S., in 2015, were in the travel, transport, and technical and other services sectors. Some parts of some states of Mexico do indeed have crime problems. And yes, there are some very serious international cartels producing drugs and causing violence. And this is terrible for the natives of Mexico who live in those areas who want nothing to do with those people (and the innocent locals are the majority, not the minority). Just as there are terrible crime problems, and corruption in some parts of some states in the US, and in other countries. What I take exception to is you painting with an extremely broad brush - labeling an entire country (Mexico), its people (Mexicans), and then an entire region (Latin America) as without merit from some very broad generalizations. I have traveled to Mexico City 25 times, urban and rural parts of the states of Guanajuato, Oaxaca, Jalisco (the entire state), Baja California, Puebla, and many other parts of Mexico. I have never been robbed, assaulted, been fearful of my life or possessions. I have been warmly embraced by locals, bought amazing art, visited places of amazing natural beauty, seen marvels of engineering and culture that pre-date many other civilizations of the world (the Mayans, Olmecs, and Aztecs were really something), and since this is a food board, have eaten some of the best meals of my life in places highbrow (Pujol) and low-brow (elote on the street). I've had meetings with and worked with inspiring politicians (Vincente Fox, various ministers of Finance, Governors, other Ministers and Central Bankers) and bureaucrats, and some that were a little less inspiring, and some that were corrupt (just like the ones I have worked with here in the US). But, for the most part, if you are willing to write-off exploring this amazing country, you are missing a lot. I mean, it's your loss if you don't want to hike to see the valley of the monarch butterflies, Monte Alban, or eat a mole, not mine. And, I am restraining myself from commenting on your language on "illegal" immigrants - because I think Don would delete what I would have to say in response to your comments on that.....

This is so offensive, ignorant, and racist. If you made similar comments generalizing an entire US state or ethnic group would Don let this stand?

You can scale back the sugar. My Italian family does it every Christmas.

We stopped in to the new location last Saturday night for a date night before I left for a work trip (tempting fate by eating a large Ethiopian meal before spending 20 hours on planes to Suriname). It was their second night open in the new space. It is large and open, with booths along one wall and tables in the middle. We arrived around 6, and it was pretty full. We got a booth in the back, which was dark and forelorn, but soon after a table in window opened up and we moved into it. The service was a bit scattered, but really friendly. The food is as good as it ever was, with the vegetarian sampler spectacular and the awaze tibs also really great. I like that you can choose two different meat dishes and get half orders of each for one price. Prices remain excellent, with dinner for two (with soft drinks and 1 beer) an astounding $40.

This may be information of very limited utility, but if you find yourself in Paramaribo, Suriname, the Garden of Eden is the best restaurant in town. Make reservations. You'll sit in outdoor thatched huts with fans, have excellent service (including shoulder massages while you eat) in an elegant garden. Cocktails are excellent, as is the Thai food, which was superior to that which I have had at DC's best places. Also, if you need a place to stay, the Courtyard Marriott is far better than most of the brand. The owner/manager was the CEO of the Ritz Carlton and opened the Ritz Carlton DC and Banff locations. Seriously. So the service and food are really really good.

It's the Fresh Direct brand grapefruit lemon citrus flavor. It's got the perfect level of citrus.

If you ever get grocery delivery from FreshDirect, this seltzer is spectacular. Also, on that note, FreshDirect is great.

You might try this company based in anacostia. I don't know the quality or Amy's thing much about them, a friend mentioned them once. http://battlekitchen.weebly.com/ration-boxes.html

Tried it this weekend. The design is nice, service was pleasant. Interesting wines and cocktails. Menu is small, portions are larger than you expect - not small "tapas" style. That was a pleasant surprise. Enjoyed the jamon serrano with fava beans, even if the fava beans were just scattered around the ham, not really integrated in any way. The ham was tasty. The olive oil poached artichoke was a star dish, pleasantly citric with lemon and crunchy with pine nuts. I loved this dish. Patatas bravas were fine. Not the best, not the worst. The best dish was the mussels, which came with a fragrant tomato/chorizo broth that was really delicious. I wish that they had some more absorbent bread (they give you little pita triangles) to soak up the juices. I had a nice Spanish white. Total for 2 people was around $80. Having lived in Spain I am happy to have this little gem in the neighborhood. It does exactly what it needs to.