beachgirl54

Anyone have a status report? The blog hasn't been updated in a while - I drive by every day and haven't seen trucks outside regularly. I'm so excited for this place to open but hope it hasn't been derailed!

I saw from their blog that they have a location for their restaurant! It'll be at 5104 Wilson Blvd. (looks like that used to be El Sabroso restaurant.) More details in their blog. Congratulations!

Nope, not your mom (someone else's) but I am now committed to trying again soon!

I can assure everyone that our key lime pie is made at the restaurant and never sees a freezer. There was a time when we served our homemade pie from a freezer. We thought it made an interesting frozen treat, but those days have since passed.

I can only think of 1 person I have thrown out for complaining and that was my mother....mom is that you?

I agree - I should have added that the food was average so just not worth the effort for me to try it again.

I can think of worse sins of a casual restaurant than serving an off piece of pie, it is not like the owner yelled at you and threw you out for complaining*

* I am in no way insinuating that I have heard, seen, or been a victim of such a thing by the owner's of Clare and Don's Beach Shake, just pointing out that there are worse offenses.

I haven't been back to this place for a few years, ever since the key lime pie tasted like freezer burn - yech.

Three bbq dishes included for lunch today with #1 considered by most to be the best (along with #2 and pork)-all were $27 off of the dinner menu. Outstanding experience-we worked our way through, I think, eight main courses (including the three BBQ) and literally 15 or more sides. Thanks to Steve Siegel for organizing.

Ditto! Only my 3rd foray into Korean food and I loved it. The beef and pork (#1 & #2) were so good . . . and Joe and I loved those mushrooms too. I will defnitely be back (with a cheat sheet - if I hadn't had my lunch partners there with me, I would have had NO IDEA what to order).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but upon a quick glance while passing by, I saw that this place has now closed for good?

Looked that way when I drove by last week. No loss there.

Scott Johnson mentioned La Caraquena. I'm up for that.

I'm game too.

I was lucky enough to have David Guas's cupcakes at my baby shower this past weekend - he is a friend of my friend who hosted. Red velvet and lemon. They were as good as Georgetown Cupcake. I am looking forward to tasting more of those fabulous baked goods.

And I'm still munching on the pralines he made. YUM.

Ate there last night with some friends - the beers are now $3.50 and the horchata wasn't so good (but it was plentiful - a small pitcher = one serving).

The tamale I had should be skipped (dry, not very flavorful) but the three tacos - goat, chicken and chorizo - were tasty. Not dry this time. One friend enjoyed the beef hurache (sp?) and other had tongue taco and something else. The soft taco tortillas seemed fresh but I could be mistaken. Plaintains were perfect - loved the crema.

Loud jukebox that the waitress turned down without us asking. Nice friendly service and a free calendar with images of Pope and the Virgin Mary when we left. Cost cannot be beat. I'll eat there again.

I hope that works out for you . When I looked at their web site, it showed a special fixed price menu, with a la carte options available. I don't know if that was dinner, lunch, or all day. I guess if the menu were very restricted, they would tell you that on the phone.

Unfortunately, we called on Christmas Day and were told "Oh, we're full" - why didn't they tell me that the day before when I called to see if they were even open? Oh well - we ended up at Full Kee and had their Hong Kong style dumpling soup and Chinese eggplant - both very tasty, with leftovers too!

What about Cafe du Parc?

Good idea - I called and they're open. And I like the food! Thanks.

Maybe Harry's in the hotel Harrington?

The food is pretty bad, but the scene is fun and the martinis are cheap.

Ah, but this pregnant lady isn't drinking, and trying to eat well . . . any other ideas???

Friend and I want lunch/brunch before movies at E Street - any ideas what's open? I know Chinese is an option but I'm wary of the tourist traps there (unless you have a good suggestion). Thanks for your help.

Helping a friend out here - she's getting married at the end of May 2009 and is looking for a reasonable DC restaurant where she and the groom-to-be can host 60+ out-of-town guests for dinner the night before the wedding. Good food yes, excessive cost no. And a private room would be nice. I drew a blank but know that someone out there will have some great suggestions. Thanks.

My husband and I are planning to go tomorrow and we were thinking about hitting up Hell Burger instead since it's kind of sort of on the way.

I went this past Thursday to the 4 pm show - I got there late because of traffic (so do leave yourself enough time!) but the show, with intermission, ran 2.5 hours. My friend parked near Rosa Mexicano and I parked at the event ($10) - if you park in National Harbor proper, you can take a shuttle to the event, and save money on parking. We ate at Rosa which I would not recommend, except for the guacamole. And, yes, do make a reservation at McCormick's - you should also check the website to see if the restaurant is running any specials tied to Cirque event (i.e. we got free (bad) dessert at Rosa). One more tip - use your Amex card if you buy anything in the Cirque gift shop, and you'll save $5. Enjoy!

I haven't eaten there (and won't), but honestly, can anyone name a decent Glatt kosher Chinese restaurant? I've been to a couple in NY (no recollection of names), and they're all just bad. Right?

Many years ago, there was a place in the NYC Garment Center called Moishe Peking. My dad raved about it, and it was THE place to go for the people who kept kosher in the rag trade. He didn't keep kosher but I do remember him saying it was really good - in fact, you couldn't even tell it was kosher. That was a ringing endorsement for him.

I have fond memories, when I lived on the Hill, of the G-Man - the only sub I ordered - soft roll, sweet peppers. It was divine. Also used to buy the frozen balls of pizza dough - they were cheap, and I was a starving student. Now, when I need a fix, I go to the Italian Store because it's convenient.

To the best of my knowledge, DC is an employment-at-will jurisdiction. I.e. - they're SOL.

They also have a great brunch - had a large group there this past Sunday and the selection was good (for my 3 veggie friends) and the quality quite good (Polyface pork loin - I didn't have any but it looked good). All for $17 plus beverages. Reservations essential - it's quite popular.

My dear friend surprised me with a belated birthday dinner at Il Mulino - I just got back from a vacation in northern Italy and she wanted somewhere that would replicate my experience. Unfortunately, we both agreed that it was just awful. The price points are painfully high ($24 for pasta with tomato sauce?) and the food was subpar.

Lots of bread beforehand and an extremely garlicky bruschetta but nothing to write home about. We split an arugula salad with limp arugula and limited parmesan - that was $12. The one at Bebo could give lessons to this one. I had a chicken dish that was kind of weird - artichoke, mushrooms, peas and asparagus in a kind of stew-y presentation. It wasn't bad, the veggies were fresh but, again, expensive. My friend had pasta - a mound of angel hair with what tasted like jarred sauce. She kept adding pepper and salt to make it taste like something, anything.

The service was slow and inattentive until we told them that it was my birthday - then we got free dessert (that was the high point) and the maitre'd kissed my hand (that was kind of creepy).

Being from NY and knowing that Il Mulino there is an institution, this meal was very disappointing and I won't go back. Consider yourself warned.

Just like the song . . . I was in NYC last weekend and stopped by Economy Candy to get some REAL bridge mix to send to my cousin, but also picked up some goodies for myself - Swedish fish, not stale, very soft and fresh. Besides the painfully overpriced places in most every mall, is there a real candy shop in DC or environs? I've lived here a long time and have never heard of one. Thanks.

Thank you for the opportunity to help - and it was great to put faces with the identities. I am definiltey interested in doing this again!

Please count me in as well - sorry, I'm a Luddite and don't know how to PM . . . thanks.

I had a great lunch there a few weeks ago, and it was fairly busy - almost every table taken. Maybe it's the location? But I'd definitely travel for that food.

Had the lucuma last night, which I've been searching for ever since my trip to Chile last year - it was good but not the same as what I had in Chile. This one wasn't as rich (not in the creamy kind of way, but the flavor itself), and had an odd coffee essence to it. But I had a nice chat with the owner - he is working on getting chile moya flavor too, and is experimenting with lucuma meringues . . . .