Baccala

I buy Cheese and Balsamic/Oil and other goodies from dibruno in PA. I have done mail order, been to the store and have had no issue. I would give it a shot. http://www.dibruno.com/

I eat there often and have never had frozen seafood in any of their dishes. If you have only been there once I would recommned that you go back and give it another shot. I usually have the meatballs and polenta ( the best meatballs, other then my grandmothers) I have had in a while, the caesar and any of the pasta dishes. I also have had the veal and the beef and they were always well prepared. The only issue I have is that sometimes the owner Michael is crabby.

Have you ever tried making your own ? Really not that complicated if you have the shells. Since leaving NY I have not had a decent one anywhere in the DC area. Agree with the last comment re Frozen ones. Whould rather do without.

A la Lucia in Alexandria gets my vote. Nice wine selection.

Anybody purchasing ? If so what are your buying ?

Mortadella, cut thick, and Genoa Salami sometime put fresh ricotta in. Also like Feta and Spinch with smoked apple wood sauage on the side.

Response: Point 1 I doubt it, but will have to take your word on that, as you are in the business. From a business perspective I see a restaurant that is not a draw and the Hilton, which I am no supporter of, wanting them out. If the ADA issue was raised it was a smoke screen. I am sure that there will be a new place there and will be modified. My guess is they have a little something better up their sleeve. Response: Point 2 : Well they are using it to further their cause, let see if it works. Response: Point 3 : You are correct the leasor does not have the ability, nor should be required, to install an elevator. My beef, no pun, is with the duration of time that they have been in that location without raising the issue. This is not a one year lease. Seems to me that the discussion happened around lease time, maybe a few months before. Why wait so long ? Furthermore they could have gone public years ago, as the Vets were not an issue. As far as the Citronelle example-I was only pointing out the reality of business. If the place was a draw and profitable and made a condition or renewing the lease it would be done. Can we hold the lessee of the space responsible for simple modifications, non structural, such as bathroom modifications? I notice Ray’s bathrooms are not ADA compliant, no bar’s or hand grabs. Is that because the county does not require it because of structure size or age or your landlord did not pay for it? Response: Point 4 Agree For the record again. I live in the neighborhood and eat at Ray’s often. I have a reservation card from the old day’s.

The restaurant hosted this event with full knowledge that they were not fully accessible. If the issue was so near and dear to them they would have raised the issue long before the lease expiration. Why was there no public outcry’s to the press about the big bad Hilton before the lease expired? Are you are saying they get a pass because the ADA was enacted after they were there? That is laughable. Just because you may not fit in the box of the law does not mean that you should not honor the intent of the law. Many places have made accommodations that are not required to by law, because it is the right thing to do.Furthermore let’s be clear. If that were Citronelle and they asked for an elevator it would have been installed in a heartbeat and with gold leafing. In my opinion the only reason we are hearing about this is that can not find another downtown space that fits their budget. In the interest of disclosure my wife is disabled and also works in writing and enforcing ADA laws.

I have found an excellent locally made Sausage that I think is the best I have ever had. It is made by a company called “Simply Sausage” out of Landover MD. I sampled the goods at Arrowine, in Arlington, when they were there doing a tasting and I have been hooked ever since. One of the owners worked as a part-time Sausage maker at 2941. I have had the French Country Recipe Pork Sausage with Tarragon and Shallots, which is made with Certified Berkshire Pork and the Spicy Merguez and love them both. I would highly recommend them to anyone that loves Sausage. http://www.simply-sausage.com/ (sorry did not know there was a string already )

Based on the comments on this board and the shameless self promotion by Il Capo Di Tutti Capi I thought I would give Dino a shot. Overall I was less then impressed with the food and the service. Appetizers included an order of the meatballs and a cheese and meat tray. The meatballs were underwhelming, falling apart and were semi tasteless. The sauce was good; however I think that they need to be served with something else, maybe polenta. In my opinion they are not worth $5.75. The meat and cheese tray was ok, not the best, actually think Sette Bello has a better meat selection. The cheese on the other hand was very good. For dinner we had the Polenta Al Ragu Di Funghi and the Osso buco, The Polenta was very good, and was enjoyed by my wife. The Osso buco was a grayish brown and almost seemed par boiled. It was definitely not braised for a very long time. I was not pleased. The wine selection was nice and the waiter was very helpful. The busing on the other hand was not good at all. Maybe a pet peeve but I hate it when they come to the table and ask who ordered what. There was not one course where we were not asked to identify where the food goes. I am sure I need to go back and try other things on the menu, but the first time left me disappointed.

Delhi Club in Clarendon gets my vote.

Went to RTS last night around 6:30 and got a seat in about 1 minute, was great being able to walk in and not worry about the reservation thing. I am sure I will try to go more with the new policy. Steak was good, but not the best that I had at RTS before, but still worth the visit. I could have sworn that I overheard ML talking about DR, specifically the Fran O’Brien’s issue with another customer....Seemed a little mad about the subject so I did not mention it to him.

Fran O'Briens is not losing its lease because of this issue, lets be clear about that. The fact is that Fran O'Briens is not a draw for the Hilton and decided not to renew its lease. The only reason we are hearing anything about it is that they happen to serve meals to Vets. It should be noted that the compassionate Fran O'Briens signed this lease knowing full well that the restaurant was not accessible. In their further compassion they decided to host the event knowing that people would need to be carried. They could have simple moved the event to the other mediocre restaurants in the hotel.

I love Earl's and what they are doing. I eat there quite often. I can say the past few times I have noticed some quality and consistency issues. I think the volume of customers is already stretching him. I hope he can balance the quick growth with his objectives.