Mark Slater

On 4/22/2020 at 8:19 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

Post your latest restaurant meal.

I found New Big Wong in Chinatown on GrubHub 2 days ago. 

https://washingtonmonthly.com/2020/03/14/POTUS-is-trying-to-run-a-pandemic-response-like-a-business-with-disastrous-results/?fbclid=IwAR0LJE8U8C-1kZd5XHYup6S-H9-L4kxoAxBix1p378q3wkh00rvJriefuQo

18 hours ago, Count Bobulescu said:

Save to say, don't shoot the messenger, I'll let your comment on Axios slide, its an unnecessary hostage to fortune. There's a reason politicians often say "never say never".

Rush Limbaugh has claimed the virus is a plot to dethrone POTUS.

And POTUS is more worried about the virus affecting the  stock market and his re-election chances than the health of hundreds of millions of people. 

2 hours ago, DanielK said:

It's mostly forgotten, but Ann Cashion was the opening chef at Austin Grill.

Exactly. And it was owned by Jose Andres future business partner.

4 hours ago, Bob Wells said:

I'm shocked -- there's still an Austin Grill around? That was a pretty good local chain back in the 90s.

It was better in the 80s when it wasn't a chain.

Foggy Bottom is my local WF. I have seen days where there are no onions or potatoes, which seems weird to me. They stopped carrying my favorite mung bean sprouts. I have never seen empty shelves, though. If you shop there at the wrong time, it is a mob scene of GWU students. The baked goods go first and the cashier lines are ridiculous. The wine selection is average with lots of corporate labels. I prefer to buy wine at Trader Joe's. The shopping experience at Foggy Bottom is strongly influenced by the school's vacation schedule. 

9 minutes ago, Dr. Delicious said:

Nah...I feel like duck is an "eat in" item only, and we've only ever gotten takeout.

Their Peking duck is very good. It doesn't have to be steaming hot. You can crisp the skin at home in a toaster oven. 

38 minutes ago, Dr. Delicious said:

We've gotten take out from here a few times in the last month, and the reviews are mixed. The apps have all been fantastic: Crab Rangoon that are light and fresh; large, thick egg rolls; hot and sour soup; pork dumplings. Given the way it tastes, everything seems to be made freshly every day, or thereabouts. Similarly the Shrimp Imperial has a fair number of jumbo shrimp, and quite a bit of broccoli, which aren't steamed to death or drowned in sauce. In fact, I'd argue that the "light garlic sauce" (which, when getting takeout, comes in a container on the side) is worth going out of one's way for. The sauce is delicious and has wide applications. Unfortunately, we haven't be able to find another main dish that we like! We've tried a couple noodle dishes, chicken dishes, and beef...all for naught. Anyway, we'll keep trying.

Also, I appreciate the dedicated service windo for take out orders, given how busy and crowded the restaurant can get. It makes these kinds of transactions so much easier.

Have you tried the .......duck?

21 minutes ago, zgast said:

I am serious about having read it in the comments of a Washington Post article.  I just spent 20 minutes trying to find it and couldn't, so I could be slipping into an age of lesser memory facilities.

As far as Kim Crawford, I think it's a quaffable white at the $12 price point.  It's not a serious wine - and the commercials are atrocious - but it's fine.  Everything on a sliding scale with price as the ultimate yardstick. I'd love to devote more time and energy to finding good wines at a similar price point, but I'm not going to shift my spending to everyday wines costing more than $25 or $30 at this point.   

The tariffs might make that difficult. As far as Kim Crawford, Constellation has global distribution and global marketing. I'd rather drink something that's a little closer to the winemaker than corporate juice hawked all over the world. 

2 hours ago, zgast said:

Well - we can all just switch to new world wines instead.  I recall reading in WaPo comments that Don highly recommends Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc😉

If you want to drink corporate,  generic NZ sauvignon Blanc, sure. Kim Crawford sold his winery and his NAME to Constellation Brands some years ago. He started a new company, Loveblock Vintners that he makes the wine for. Try that instead. The tariff price increases should take some time to become obvious as distributors empty their current inventory on the market. 

I used to watch that.

  Unfortunately, Virginia is one of those.

3 hours ago, Count Bobulescu said:

Here's a rational analysis of the issue from Wine-Searcher.

 

straight-talking-on-wine-tariffs

I think this argument misses the point. My most recent retail job showed me that most European wine sold at retail is in the "value" segment. That means $10 and under. Think of shopping for wine at Trader Joe's and not seeing anything under $10. That's huge. No more $4.99 pinot grigio. Veuve Clicquot on "sale" for $99. $22 for basic Prosecco. I think the public outcry will be huge. 

6 hours ago, Tom Power said:

The shape of the fish is all Michel. He loved to make things perfectly round.  I never saw sushi rice, hijiki or lotus root in any of Michel's kitchens.     

That's true. Sorry , Tom

3 hours ago, Pat said:

That is one of my favorite dishes of all time. I can't remember the last time I had it either.

That's a Michel Richard dish, prepared the same way,  with Saranwrap.

Bistrot du Coin, 1738 Connecticut Ave serves all day until late at night. Steak and potatoes plus great mussels, roast chicken and other French specialties. Pesce for simple seafood. Sette Osteria for good pizza. 

I had dinner there this week. I found it to be VERY expensive.  Entrees are all in the 40s and $50s.

4 hours ago, DaveO said:

Simply on the basis of its attractiveness that would be a loss, although it is so attractive I'm sure another group would replace it.  Also it will also always resonate with me as Portners where the location had its greatest popularity and success and it morphed into the basic look that generally still prevails.

I don't measure staffing but through the bar school we get a sizable number of requests for bartenders from the entire DMV.  It is every type of place imaginable.  Some you wouldn't send your worst enemy to and others are the recipients of rave reviews on this forum.

What we have seen is a rising demand for FOH staff.  Also BOH staff, food runners, every kind of staffer you can imagine.    We've also seen poorly prepared people become managers.  While I don't monitor it closely there are tons of ads on the web for F and B staff.  

You could have been there on a day when they had an extreme labor crisis or it could be what you imagined above.

There is a significant shortage of people working in the industry.

Dave, the problem is, they are only looking for staff "of a certain age (under 40)". At my age, I had zero luck this past year looking for work FOH. 

1 hour ago, Steve R. said:

Hey, I'm even older than Dean (only 3 or 4 years) but I've been drinking wine since 1970.  If you count Mateus (the bottle made a great candle holder).  All these years later, I can now renew my disdain for many "experts", as they are focused on "natural" fizzy, cloudy stuff without any body.

Steve, I've been drinking wine since 1968, if you count Bali Hi and Gallo Pink Chablis. There were no experts I knew of at the time. My wine epiphany was in 1975 when a friend and I split the $25 cost of a bottle of 1970 Chateau Lafite. My gripe with Parker was writing the book about Rhone wines. At the time almost all Rhones were under $10, including Cote Rotie, Cornas and Chateauneuf du Pape. After the book, the prices skyrocketed, much like Bordeaux did later. 

15 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Do they have specials?  The online regular menu seems rather boring.  I’ve never gone to chez billy sud because it just looks boring.  

I had lunch last week at Chez Billy. While I wouldn't call it boring, it is far from cutting-edge. The food was good, but there were some serious missteps. Foie de Vollaile and cheese course were both served ice cold, the potato side was burned black on the bottom. The service was very attentive. The room was not loud. Its not an exciting place. 

I ate at La Chaumiere last night. It was as great as ever. Warm welcome, excellent service. Delicious food. Dover sole was outstanding, as were the Oysters Chaumiere. Souffle were chocolate and Grand Marnier. I love this place. 

Am I the only one who puts espelette on store bought hummus?

10 hours ago, saf said:

I just wish the goat cheese in potato cage was still around.

Its on the catering menu

9 hours ago, NolaCaine said:

Pork chop from frozen at 144 for about 1.5 hours was bland but not overcooked. 

Seasoning must be added to the sous vide bag before "cooking'. The seasoning is distributed by osmosis . 

Tom has a reliable repertoire of menu items that he has developed over his many years cooking. He changes them seasonally. Some dishes are favorites that remain on the menu (tuna tartare, lobster carpaccio). What's the problem?