RWBooneJr

I'd like to give a well-deserved nod to Screwtop's excellent wine club. I've been a member for maybe 6 or 8 months and have never been disappointed. Every single wine has been good, and an excellent value. For $40/month you get two wines that usually retail for significantly more, plus a nice cheese or meat selection. And the wines they pick are esoteric in a good way (nothing obvious, but nothing weird either). Anyone looking to expand their knowledge and enjoyment of wine should start here. This is a wine club run by true wine lovers. And the monthly wine pick up party is a nice touch. I finally made it to my first today and they served a nice selection of meats and cheeses, along with a tasting of 8 wines.

It's a classy neighborhood.

There's Lupe at 18th and Conn. I've never eaten there and have heard nothing about it. And I suspect that it's probably not great. But it does, at least, serve Mexican food.

This place looks exactly like a new branch of Fado. I would assume the food will be similar.

From Facebook, it appears that Mad Rose is being opened by a Fado alum, and "will be featuring at least 40 different wines by the bottle as well as another 20+ by the glass.... 20 Draft beers on Tap, and a great selection of bottle beers as well. As for the shelf... we will be featuring a great collection of Scotch and Irish Whiskey to start." This place will likely have a lot more in common with Spider Kelly's or Mr. Days than Eventide or Liberty.

It appears that Cities has opened. Anyone been in yet? I'm intrigued by what appears to be the weirdest menu in DC.

That sounds like my house.

I have actually had a conversation with someone who was not aware that it was a pizza place. "Flatbread" is a dumb word. It is almost always just a fussy way to say "pizza."

I'm not sure I agree that Clarendon is BECOMING dumbed down. I grew up nearby and live there now. It is, was, and always will be a town fueled by Miller Lite, the cheaper the better. If you do not serve it on draft, you probably won't be around for long. If you don't believe me, go to Hunan Number One. I would wager money that Eventide has Miller Lite on draft soon, and that the bar and roof buzz like Liberty Tavern and Clarendon Ballroom in no time. I would also bet attracting that crowd is the only sustainable economic model, at least anywhere near the Metro. The Liberty Tavern group does a good job serving this demographic without "dumbing down" the experience. And Screwtop and Galaxy Hut are exceptions to the Miller Lite rule, but both places are tiny and fill a niche. Unfortunately for American Flatbread, it wasn't that small and pizza isn't a niche product. Their pizza was the best in the neighborhood, but that's often immaterial. Especially when you refuse to call it pizza. It would be an overstatement to call this a tragedy, but not much of an overstatement for me personally. In the past year, I have eaten at American Flatbread more than any other restaurant and possibly even more than I have eaten in my own apartment. I actually never liked the design of the place. They built it backwards, with the small, intimate room in front and the big, "fun" room hidden in the back. The place also despreately needed a neon sign or something, because it always looked dark even when it was open. And, for a restaurant that served very few things, the menu was strangely difficult to read. But the pizzas were excellent, the six taps well chosen (I hate Miller Lite), and the staff great. Had they stuck the place in McLean or somewhere else with acres of parking and lots of young families, it probably would have been packed. I guess the concept was just wrong for the neighborhood.

I, of course, have never eaten there. But I was please to learn that Againn does something with eggs other than suck them.

So it is said, that one day in 1943, about a dozen or so officers wives on a shopping spree in a border town in Mexico wandered into a restaurant called the Victory Club. Though the accounts dont typically mention this, I like to think that all of the women were more than a little tipsy. Unfortunately for them, the restaurant had closed for the day and, with few exceptions, everything had been sold. But, it being a border town, the restaurant owner did not want to disappoint the nice Gringos with money. So he told Chef Ignacio Anaya to come up with something, anything, for these well-heeled women. Having nothing but leftover tortillas, cheese, and jalapeños at his disposal, the Nacho was born (Nacho, of course, was the chefs nickname). Again it happened late one night in 1964, as Teressa Belissimo watched over the Anchor Bar in Buffalo New York, which she owned with her husband, Frank Lentz (who likely would not have allowed this to story to occur). That night, her son Dominic wandered in with his friends from college doubtlessly drunk looking for food. Again, limited by what was on hand at that late hour, she had her cook whip up a feast from some leftover chicken wings, hot sauce, and butter. The Buffalo wing was born. And so, in the shadow of such legends, I found myself on the eve of Thanksgiving in 2010, the accidental beneficiary of scarcity. My girlfriend and I wandered out of the 9:30 club onto U Street, several drinks into a good night, looking for food. We tried the nearest establishment, Nelly's, but they were done cooking for the night. I immediately considered Ohh and Ahhs, but, this being late on the Wednesday night before a major holiday, they too were closed. As was Etete. So, when my girlfriend gave me a choice between finding the next open place to eat and death (followed, shortly thereafter, by her consuming my carcass), I decided Dukem was a better idea than the line at Bens. The place was not only open, it was bouncing. Literally. It was full of (who I assume were) Ethiopians having a great time, dancing to (what I assume was) Ethiopian music. No one was eating, but, undeterred, we asked our waitress for menus. No menus. The kitchen was open, but there were only two choices: fried beef and fried lamb. And they didnt have injera, only regular bread. This was a bit of a quandary for me, given my girlfriends vegetarian proclivities (notwithstanding her recent threats). So I was as surprised as you might imagine when she demanded the lamb (but, lets face it, most vegetarians are one good drunk away from a cheeseburger). Ten minutes later, the meat arrived, adorned by a few onions, fresh jalapeños, and four small French rolls. Im pretty sure that what we ended up with was Dukems version of yebeg tibs with rolls instead of injera. It didnt look that promising. Then I cracked a roll. It was clearly store-bought bread, but it was very fresh and somehow better than what Ive had in most of the sub shops that ship their rolls in from Philly. It was nicely toasted and the inside was like luscious cotton. The roll steamed as I cracked it. I greedily crammed the meat into my roll until it wouldnt take any more and dug in. I had created the perfect sandwich. It was amazing: the bread, the (limited) vegetables, and the juice were like a good cheesesteak, but with the flavor of Ninth Street instead of South Street. I would recommend you try one, but Im not sure you can. Clearly, my epiphany was, for Dukem, a problem and they seemed embarrassed to serve it to me. But in that moment, it was perfect.

Unless I am mistaken, it was called "Chesapeake Bay Seafood Restaurant" (not to be confused with Chesapeake Bay Seafood House, where you could, in fact, get all the seafood you could eat).

Firefly isn't a bad option either. The other two choices nearby, Westend and Blue Duck, are probably more expensive than you'd like (though a recent meal at the latter was quite good).

I was in the neighborhood last night and saw that this place is closed. It doesn't sound like much of a loss, aside from the space's history.

If the person is serious about the low carb diet, this definitely means no dates, beets, or fruit and probably also means no tabbouleh, baba ghanoush, bean dip, or stuffed mushrooms (because of the need for binder). In fact, if everything needs to satisfy the stated criteria of low carb and pescatarian, the menu will consist almost entirely of (1) seafood; (2) cheese; (3) eggs; and (4) green vegetables. As condiments, you basically get mayo, oil, vinegar, and mustard. My suggestions would be: - deviled eggs - seafood salads dressed in mayo or oil and vinegar - smoked salmon - seared tuna or sashimi - crudite (no carrots) - pickles and olives - marinated mushrooms (maybe -- these have more carbs than you think). I just made M&S's recipe for crab, shrimp, and artichoke dip, which could work. It's nothing but seafood, artichoke, cream cheese, mayo, mustard, and spices and is quite good.

Does this mean you don't want me and my guest to come?

Of course, but are you sure you want to? I am a person that measures value in pints.

Why don't you? I enjoy learning about and exploring new restaurants and generally try to stay current with the dining "scene," so I often function as the de facto concierge among my friends. Recently, after a particularly good and moderately boozy dinner with a visiting friend, the friend suggested I do it professionally (I'm thinking that I should leave that for Don, who is presumptively 10 times better than I could ever be). But I also cook Thanksgiving for my family every year and wouldn't have a clue where to go if we decided to go out one year. And I consider Thanksgiving a big deal, so I'd be anxious about finding the right place. The obvious solution would be to pick a restaurant that I know is good and book that, but with Thanksgiving, it's not all that clear this approach is safe. Which restaurants are open and are they already booked? Of those that are open, which are serving a traditional meal, which are doing their "spin" on one, and which are doing something different entirely? Which have the big name chef working that day and which have the staff handling the cooking? Does it matter? And, of course, which of these options work with kids in tow? For basically the price of three beers, you don't have to hassle with or worry about any of it. Just say what you want and have peace of mind that you'll get it. Peace of mind that lasts way longer than three beers.

It sounds like someone is trying to graft a fine dining concept onto Old Glory (which certainly isn't any crazier than trying to graft a fine dining concept onto a night club). Unfortunately, I predict only one of these potentially-conflicting concepts will survive, if either. In that neighborhood, my money is on the latter.

After this lovely experience, I walked down 11th to Central and had a nice cocktail, a great meal, and a good glass of wine. After dinner, I strolled down Pennsylvania Ave. and had some drinks at POV on the roof of the W. It was almost the perfect DC night, and its what I'd suggest to visitors. However, they need to insist on sitting outside at POV (I assume there are heat lamps out now). If I wanted to dazzle someone, I'd send them to Adour, which has a beautiful lounge if they're not up for a formal meal. The hotel itself is one of the more impressive spaces in town and the food is its equal. If you send someone here, tell them they have to order dessert. Even if they "don't like dessert." If I wanted to send someone to the best cocktail lounge in DC, I'd send them to PS7s and tell them to let Gina pick their drinks. If you send someone here, and it's on the menu (which it should be this time of year), they should try the scorched milk. It may be one of the best cocktails I've ever had. Galileo III has some great cocktails too, including my favorite Manhattan and Margarita anywhere. Proof and Rasika are also strong recommendations.

Who pissed in your Cheerios this morning?

Where have I heard this before?

About a year an a half ago, a strange little place called "Tuscany Grapes Cafe" opened on Lee Highway in Falls Church, behind the 7-11 across from the big cemetery. I have no recollection of why I happened in there one night with my girlfriend, but it was clear that they had just opened (possibly that night). Aside from a few common Middle Eastern appetizers like hummus, the posted carry-out menu reflected a bad strip mall pizza and sub joint, as did about half of the restaurant, which was basically a pizza counter and kitchen. The other half of the place was an open dining room, once appropriate to the pizza counter, but now adorned with a handful of Middle Eastern artifacts and some hookahs. The "staff" consisted of three guys sitting in the dining room talking. When we walked in, one got up to meet us, gave us a gracious welcome, and showed us to some seats in the back. It was late for a weeknight and we were the only customers in the restaurant, which looked like either it had been cleaned for the night or we were the first customers of the day (or ever). I was regretting the decision to enter until our "waiter" (who, as it turns out, owned the place) reappeared with the menus. As expected, the dining menu matched the carryout menu. However, a single, typewritten sheet had also been inserted, offering "Tuscany Grapes' Pies" with various fillings. Our server described these as "Lebanese pizza" and enthusiastically suggested we try one. I took the recommendation and ordered a pie with beef filling. Our strange experience had so lowered my expectations that anything edible would have surprised me. But the meat pie I got was good. Really good. Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" good. It was round dough, about the size of a medium pizza and similarly sliced, layered with ground, spiced meat, and topped with another thin layer of dough. I asked our server the proper name of the dish and immediately forgot his response. I still have no idea what it’s called, but, after a little research, I think it was most likely a version of sfiha, or lahm bi'ajīn, or lahmajoun, which may or may not all be the same thing. We went back to Tuscany Grapes a couple of times after that and only ever got the meat pie and the Middle Eastern appetizers, which were always very good. Each experience was as strange as the first and my girlfriend and I were always the only customers. A few months later, my girlfriend moved (ironically) to Ramallah for work and, because I was convinced that the quality of the food was in direct proportion to the owner’s fondness for my girlfriend, I stopped going to Tuscany Grapes. When the girlfriend recently returned to my life (she actually returned to the States some months ago…it’s kind of a long story) one of my first thoughts was to take her to Tuscany Grapes for another meat pie. (I know, I’m terribly romantic…and did I forget to mention that she’s a vegetarian? I said it was a long story.) I was greatly disappointed to discover that Tuscany Grapes is gone. So, now my quest has begun. Not only must I identify the strange, yet wonderful, meat pie that I remember, I must also find a good version of it. Anyone have any ideas?

They don't serve Pilsner, but the Weisn beer is much lighter than most "Oktoberfest" you get here, even the German stuff (the Weisn version is not even remotely brown). The few times I was in Munich for Oktoberfest, I recall being generally happy about this after the fifth liter or so. Or perhaps I was just generally happy.

As is 100% of the beer served at Oktoberfest.