edenman

They have a pairing if you ask

Ah, nice. I much prefer to put myself in the hands of someone capable when it comes to wine. Anybody been recently and know how much $ it is?

Heading here next week with friends for my "last meal out in DC"...I think we're planning on doing 5 courses. How does wine work here? I don't see a "wine pairings" option on the menu and there doesn't seem to be much talk about the wine side of things in the last couple pages of this thread. There will be four of us...I don't see half-bottles on the list but that's generally my inclination for a tasting menu. Split normal bottles? Go by-the-glass?

Haven't given up, unfortunately the tap system that we bought is a different system than most of the purveyors in DC carry casks for, something about the keg tap ring and the fact that it only holds certain size kegs also, so long story short, we are having difficulty getting the casks but not for a lack of trying.

Ah...my server made it sound like they couldn't get casks because breweries are loath to supply them (something I know to be not true). Good to know there's at least some hope, but looks like I won't be around to see this place blossom into the cask heaven it could be.

I'm afraid to ask, but how much was the cab ride?

From U St to Tyson's, $36

From Tyson's to U St, $42

Split 4 ways it was only ~$20/head.

They seem to have completely given up on cask ale here. It's a shame.

But the food is still totally yummy. No more black pudding so I got head cheese with my english breakfast. Fried olives, scotch eggs, chips, everything delicious.

Inox tasting menu last night, as part of my farewell tour of restaurants/bars, new and old. The room was hopping by 7pm, but service never stuttered. The lineup:

Cremant de Bourgogne, J.M. Guillon

amuse 1: lightly cured fluke with blood-orange vinaigrette (a hit at the table, nice tangy light starter)

amuse 2: carrot-ginger soup shooter (concentrated awesome)

Macabo, Vinedos de Ithaca, "Akyles," Priorat, Spain, 2007

scallop wrapped in salmon, american caviar, potato confit on the bottom (the only dish I wasn't crazy about, but paired with my favorite white wine of the night: funky and dry, grassy)

Greco/Fiano, Fiagre, Campania IGT, Spain, 2007

east coast halibut, white asparagus, compote (tomato, iirc) (couldn't believe how juicy this fish was on the inside while staying so nice and crispy on the outside. perfectly cooked)

Gevrey Chambertin, J.M. Guillon, "Vieilles Vignes," 2005 (favorite red wine of the night. big, bold, spicy burgandy)

lamb, green asparagus, morels (second best dish of the night for me, excellent lamb and morel combination)

Priorat, Vinedos de Ithaca, "Odyseuss," Spain, 2003

venison, black truffles, black trumpet mushrooms, brussels sprouts (perfectly cooked venison, and the combination of black trumpet mushrooms and brussels sprouts was spot-on)

Bourgogne Blanc, Albert Grivault, France, 2006 (we ordered the sweetbreads halfway through the proceedings, a hiccup that the kitchen and FOH handled ably)

sweetbreads, parsnip puree, confit porcini mushrooms, broccoli rabe (stunningly good dish, the accompaniments were perfect flavor contrast/balances with the sweetbreads)

Cream Sherry, Lustau, "Capataz Andres"

pre-dessert: elderflower gelee, confit blueberries, buttermilk ice cream (very nice, especially the elderflower+buttermilk flavors)

dessert: flourless brownie, espresso tapioca, espresso foam, espresso jelly, pine nut ice cream (so delicious. i'm not a dessert person but this was incredible)

North Coast Old Rasputin (while everybody else was drinking coffee)

Full disclosure: I put together an initial rough draft (no pun intended) of the beer list here. That said, we didn't get any special treatment aside from Wabeck stopping by several times to talk shop. The entire experience was fantastic, marred only by having to cab to and from DC If I wasn't leaving town so soon I would be going back here on the regular.

You can call in takeout orders for lunch here, which I do occasionally at the downtown location. The sandwiches are reasonably priced (generally $8-10), fresh, and pretty tasty. I'm partial to the reuben, and today had a brie/caramelizedOnion/tomato/spinach panini that was real tasty. The included wedge fries mostly remain crispy in transit back to the office, which is a good thing.

Heh. Also just realized that tonight is the kickoff of the NCAA tourney. Assuming the downstairs bar will be packed (there are lots of TVs) we'll probably end up upstairs (or out on the back patio if the rain holds off).

Hitachino Nest XH (7%)

from the back label: "This strong ale was matured in Oak Casks which was used for maturation of Shocyu. Shocyu is distilled Sake, so please enjoy rich flavor bothfrom beer and Sake."

This is seriously delicious and worth seeking out. The sake character gives an otherwise good beer an exciting layer of complexity. Funky yeasty nose (is there brett in those sake barrels?). Malty backbone on the beer, with still sweet finish dried out a bit by the sake accents. Really good.

If anyone tries CS32 ("Sauteed Pig Navel in Black Bean Sauce") from the Chef's Suggestions part of the menu, I'd like to hear about it.

It had to be ordered. For the record, this is Hog Maw (stomach) and definitely not pork belly.

Tasty black bean sauce (ginger, pepper, garlic?), chunks of onion, green pepper, and the chunks of maw. scored on one side (I assume this is to prevent them from curling up completely), the flavor was nice and porky, not too outlandish. But the texture is definitely on the weird side...a little chewy, gelatinous, but still firm and meaty.

I don't think I'd get an entire order for just myself again, but it was definitely worth trying and I'd get it again in a group.

I assume "lunch hour" was literal, and that sitting at the bar at Proof would take too much time. If you've got more time, that's seconded.

If takeout is the game, Teaism is a good call. Potato Valley Cafe is also nearby (http://www.potatovalley.net/locations.cfm) but I wasn't crazy about it the only time I walked down there. See link in sig for more options if you've got time to walk up into Chinatown.

Really nice long lunch today. Creamy Morel Soup with Parma Ham-wrapped scallops [incredible mushroom flavor, perfect texture on the scallops. a total win]. Salad of lobster, parmesan, hard-boiled quail eggs, arugula [another great dish, although the arugula's bitterness didn't really have any balance...the lobster and quail were excellent]. Entree of pheasant, boudin blanc, apples and a sugar crisp [the menu said it came with duck foie, a fact i forgot until after we'd left. a good dish, but not as impressive as the previous two]. The website is out of date, btw...lunch is $35 for two dishes and $45 for three. With two glasses of wine [Hartford Chardonnay $15, Emeritus Pinot Noir $16] the whole thing topped $100 after tip. Not a cheap lunch, but a very good one. Leisurely pace and problems with their credit card machine at the end meant the whole affair lasted a little over two hours.

They've taken the reuben ($8), a notoriously difficult thing to pull off successfully, and avoided the "too soggy" issue by serving the sandwich open-faced and abandoning any attempt at keeping the bread crispy. A bit sad since I was hoping for the "perfect" reuben, but still very tasty. Skip the $4 "pommes frites" (the same super-thin fries that I've expressed my dislike for in the past).

A rather good lunch, despite all my nitpicking. Coworkers enjoyed their burgers and the primanti bros sandwich.

Are you going to the AC Newman show at the Black Cat?

Nope, bartending Rustico that night.

Please stop by to wish our friend ferment everything farewell as he prepares for his cross-country move in April. We'll be gathering at Big Hunt on Thursday, March 19, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm.

For those not familiar, Big Hunt is a bit of a dive (with the odd twist of a good beer list), and is likely to be busy on a Thursday night. If that's not your scene, sorry I'll likely be setting up camp in the back bar or upstairs, depending on space/tap availability...wander around til you find us.

A bartender recommended brunch at the Ritz as one of my "before I leave DC" meals, but I can't find anything online about it...I assume this is something that went away when Westend opened. Anybody know for sure?

If you are a beer fan they have Hopslam on tap now.

(I think Alan is talking about the Birreria, which is definitely _not_ a short walk from Dupont)

(but the Hopslam is indeed on at Birreria, and there's 1.5 kegs of it left as of last night)

(and it's delicious)

Problem solved, our DMX sound system finally got installed.

Nothing quite like "Where my dogs at?" with a side of fine dining

Since I'm leaving DC, I've started making the rounds to my normal haunts, making sure to hit all my favorite places one last time. However, I've also resolved to try a few new places that I've been meaning to try for a while. Veranda is one of these. I live two blocks away from Veranda, and until tonight I had never been (for shame!).

Ayinger Brau-Weiss

Saganaki ($8) - Fried Kefalograviera cheese flambeed (barstool-side!) in Metaxa

Lukaniko ($8) - Greek sausage with Giant white Beans in tomato sauce

The Ayinger is nice, and one of a few tasty but unadventurous beers by the bottle. Three taps provided nothing else of interest.

The Saganaki was stunningly good. Nice crispy cheese, with a squeeze of lemon complementing the Metaxa-flavor. Really, really delicious, even as fried cheese goes.

The Lukaniko was less impressive, but still very tasty.

If I wasn't leaving town, I'd make it a point to stop by here more often. Totally great neighborhood spot.

Either make guanciale or treat it like belly (braise, confit, etc)

The food menu has not changed since day 1 (that I can tell) but they had two mussels specials, so I went with the most unusual-sounding one: veal bolognese mussels. And yes, definitely unusual, tasting mostly of decent veal bolonese and occasionally noticing that there were mussels in the thick and chunky broth. Frites were good as always. But where the food menu lacks innovation, the beer list here is still rocking. De Glazen Toren Canaster (a "Winter-Scotch") on draught is delicious, and there are still some great winter beers in bottle (De Ranke Pere Noel!). Also notable that American-brewed stuff has started showing up here: Ommegang's wonderful Hennepin was on draught. Thor seems to have taken over the list without a hitch.

Also this is coming up:

Join us at Brasserie Beck for dinner with the owners of Huyghe, Het Anker &

Van Honsebrouck who will be showcasing nine beers on the evenings of

March 16th, 17th & 18th, as well as a few other surprises.

Limited seating, please call 202.408.1717. Only $85 per person, all inclusive

Aperitif

{Floris Apple}

First Course

Pan Seared Skate Wing

Ragout of Salsify, Dill Beurre Blanc

{Delirium Tremens & Brigand}

Second Course

Duck Sausage, Red Currants & Pistachio, White Bean Puree

{Delirium Nocturnum & Gouden Carolus Grand Cru of the Emperor}

Third Course

Pheasant Roulade with Wild Mushrooms

Sauce of Pheasant & Ghent Mustard

{Gouden Carolus Triple & Gouden Carolus Hopsinjour}

Dessert Course

Trio of Chocolate Mousse

{St. Louis Framboise & Kasteel Rouge}

I was just down there and heard the guys at the national brewery saying you could get Cerveza Imperial in New Jersey (apparently a huge CR population there) so maybe there is Guaro there too?

It's been real, kids. Is there a DR.com equivalent out in SF? All I've been able to find so far is le chowhound...

Looks good. Where did you have this dish?

I have some pork tongue in the freezer that I need to use.

The French Laundry

I can't wait to see this list.

for me to poop on.