Mark Slater

And Ken at Restaurant Eve is alleged to make a mean strawberry version.  Not judging the quality, just remarking on the ubiquity.

The bar boys at Citronelle came up with their newest: CosMojito

I have read that there is a Trader Joe's planned for the new condo in the Columbia Hospital developement at 25th and Pennsylvania.

Excellent!

Tried my first Orca Platter two weeks ago (whole lobster, dozen oysters, dozen shrimp, dozen clams, dozen crab claws), so I'd like to share my thoughts.

What this thing really needs is some alaskan king crab instead of the jonah claws.

While we were all excited about the size of this platter, in the end we thought next time we'd probably rather have two Walrus #4s for just a little more money. Those crab claws are a little hard to work with and aren't that flavorful.

Does anyone know if you can buy just the lobster separately?

The Grand Shellfish Platter at Oceanaire usually has king crab legs and stone crab claws on it in addition to lobster, shrimp, oysters, clams and mussels. Last week at Old Ebbitt we were successful in substituting more clams for the jonah claws.

Mission: nice food at a nice bar.

So I'm wondering - how often do you run up against the kind of inaccurate information (especially in terms of operating hours) that ends up seriously affecting your evening, and is there a better way to confirm?

Brian,

I can assure you that the reason the kitchen at Citronelle had to close early last night was because of the water. Our kitchen normally closes everything down at 10:30. It is illegal in the District to operate a restaurant without running water. The water was shut off promptly at 11. Next time you stop in, please ask to talk to me.

Chef Tom ripped the ass off a crab for me! I feel so special (don't ruin it by telling me he'd do it for anyone who ordered the dish).

I'm on a kick to resolve a character flaw and reacquire my test for at least some seafood. I'm starting with crustaceans. The kind folks at Corduroy helped me sea all that is good with crab with this dish. Lightly crispy without being greasy and well matched with barely wilted greens and ver jus to round it out. I'm still a little iffy about eating these critters but I would certainly order this dish again.

Next week's chat will feature questions about Plumper-friendly restaurants. That ought to be fun.

People!!! Read the smilie!!!

Oh, Rocks! You didn't!!

I'm having trouble even picturing this.  The waitrons SING? Like, "The Singing Sirloin"?  What do they sing?

Show tunes, 'natch.

I had a stellar dinner at the Rib tonight. It is comforting to go to a place that has knowledgeable staff. From the bar to the dining room, nothing could be faulted. The place looks great, the ambience perfect. This is a grown-up restaurant. That means coat and tie. I had a perfect lobster bisque. The crab imperial is all lump crab. The prime rib I had was indeed the best rib I've ever eaten. Tender, flavorful, ample. Why no buzz about this place? I don't eat there often enough.

Woohoo! (Unless that really was an mdt-only offer )

Right now they are offered as a special in the lounge and terrace.

This available on the lounge menu?

For you, Dreamy, anything!

As a Louisiana boy, I prefer my softshells fried on a dressed po' boy.

I remember the sandwich at CF Folks to be pretty good - will have to get down there once the season really hits. Been several years.

I've always been a little nervous cooking softshells myself and so I've never tried. They need to be prepped a certain way, right? I've never taken the time to learn what needs to go and what can stay in there.

You have to remove their gills and smiling faces

I have to say, though I love hardshell crab, I don't care a bit for the softshell variety.  It's mostly a texture thing. The not quite soft shell and the somewhat mushy interior is really off-putting to me.

Citronelle serves "primes" stuffed with blue crab in light tempura batter. No gook!

Me: Jarad, how was work tonight?

Jarad: Clams and Donkies!

If you're not careful Mark, it won't be long before they start describing you as "dreamy".

That will NEVER happen.

Mark, posting to the Tom chat again? 

Sommelier is Superb: I know you're totally on board about the sommelier at Citronelle, but i just wanted to share briefly. Everyone always seems to complain about service there. And although the waiters can be a bit crusty, we were there a few weeks ago, drinking not particularly expensive wine. The sommelier really made our meal fun and memorable. He visited several times (it WAS saturday night) and ended up making menu suggestions, even brought out our cheese plate to us with a special addition. Awesome time - due mainly to him

Tom Sietsema: You hear that, Mr. Slater?

Did no one here have an opinion about these awards this year? Rocks, you're first.

If it's still up to the level of my lunch there last year, it's worth a trip to the bar or for the $30 lunch to taste the boudin blanc, the best I've had in the area (sorry, Palena).

Frank used to work for Yannick. That's the boudin blanc connection.

This has everything to do with politics and nothing to do with reality.

I agree with Brendan about the Bistro Français. I go there for the tartare and frites. My new favorite late night spots are :

Old Ebbitt Grill - the raw bar is half price between 11-1 Monday-Thursday. The largest platter with 4 dozen pieces plus a whole lobster is $45!

New Big Wong in Chinatown - the tanks have live shrimp, clams, lobsters, crabs and fish. The special fried rice with dried scallops is amazing.

This thread has been difficult for me, because my natural inclination is to shy away from attention and deflect it onto others.  Nevertheless, between my wonderful eGullet going-away party at Corduroy and the publiclity I have gotten for starting this site, I can't deny that there's a lump-in-the-throat, feel-good-about-yourself happiness that has come with all of this.

So let me simply say thank you to everyone here, to Tom Sietsema for everything, to Steve Klc for believing in me early on, to Kanishka for the wonderfully kind article, and to everyone here for their words of care and support.

I love all of you and I'm here to provide you with the best I can offer. 

Thank you!

Don

Rocks, back at ya, man! I know this is poor netiquette, but this particular typo is telling : " and the publiclity I have gotten for starting this site," .

Me want publiclity, too.

Are they going to post a menu online?

Terrace menu is the same as the bar. Unfortunately, the website is not up to date.

FYI all: The terrace at Citronelle opened last night. Alas, no lobster burgers.

From a recent Citronelle email...

Menu prices:  $10. - $44. Wines by the glass: $7. - $18.  Bottles of wine: $25 - $2200. no reservations

No menu given in the email or on the website.  Gotta love that $$ range on the wine. I can only imagine what Mark has in the cellar.

It should say : Bottles of wine: $25-$5,000. I got some new stuff .

Until he hits 100 posts...  and then ???

Orca.