RWBooneJr

2 minutes ago, DaveO said:

Several decades ago I had a reaction to red wines; my face turned beet red, I was flushed and my appearance was that of a red light.

An H2-blocking antihistamine like Pepcid AC or Zantac should prevent this reaction.  There's some reason to think that those drugs may interact less than favorably with alcohol by increasing your BAC.  But if you're just having a glass or two and not driving, it's probably not a big deal.

I don't believe the "science" behind Reidel's glassware, not even to a small degree.  But there's an elegance to their products that I enjoy.  Notwithstanding, the first time I broke a $40 wine glass by simply washing it, I was cured of ever buying another.  For years now, I have instead bought the sets Reidell sells at Target, which are $40 for four glasses (rather than for $40 or more each glass).  Side by side, they're not quite a lovely as their higher end lines.  But they're close, seem more durable than the more expensive versions, and, if one does break, my evening isn't marred with a tinge of sadness and regret.  A least not because I broke a glass.

I went here countless times and I think I love it, but it's all a bit hazy.

Someone needs to open a restaurant named Copenhagen in this neighborhood.

Please return to whatever it was that you were doing before.

Here is a feature on the Tasty Dugout from Washingtonian.  I have to say, Mr. Landrum's paradigm shift seems rather odd, but I do love khachapuri.

I just saw this documentary at IFC and it's fantastic.  If it doesn't make you want to hop on a plane to LA, nothing will.  But it's also more about people and the city than the restaurants themselves.  I highly recommend it, even for the non food obsessed.

That with a 20% tip will set you back $40. I have a hard time with that.

I wouldn't recommend New York.

I don't know whether one post in the last six and a half years would win a Don Rockwell Award for "least buzz," but it's gotta be close.  Anyway, Charlie Palmer has a new, three course Cut of the Week Special for $58.  It looks like it could be a decent deal, depending on how liberal they are about the "bottomless glass" wine pairing. "The fine print," according to Washingtonian, is that the "unlimited vino is paired with the first and main course, and the lineup is available for dinner-only."  The current menu is here.

The article absolutely avoids the elephant in the room (pun intended).  Hillstone's food is terrible for you, they know it, and they don't want you to.  That's why they're not all named Houston's anymore.

I assume, because you note you and your girlfriend are "50 something," that you are looking for a place with a similar age demographic.  I have found that, generally, restaurant bar demographics follow price, at least downtown (meaning in or near the central business district).  If you take the places on this list that have bars, you will generally find that the closer you get to $$$$$, the farther away from hammered twenty somethings you will be.  
 
It's not a perfect measure by any means and there are plenty of exceptions, but it does seem to play out that way most of the time.  Also, I'm not saying that that you need to go to the most expensive places or spend a fortune.  Anything on that list $$$ or higher is a fairly safe bet, and at most you can get a couple of appetizers at the bar and be happy without spending a fortune.  Below that level, you'd need to assess each place on its own.

With nothing on the agenda I had an early solo dinner at the lower level bar/grotto at Dino's Grotto last evening.  As referenced in the Green Pig Bistro thread Andrew the former bar manager at Green Pig is now spending some time behind the stick at Dino's.

We must have just missed each other. Went after meeting some people nearby for dinner specifically to see Andrew. He's the best kind of people there is. Incidentally, he's now selling his ginger brew at a few local stores under the brand K&B Sodas.

The chef/host's name is Zimmern.

The Tasty Dugout has a website.  It's also an anagram for "outgushed tatty."  Now I want khachapuri.  Do you smell something burning?

Hopefully this means the much better Al Jazeera English will return.

Social Restaurant Group, which owns Provision No. 14 and The Prospect in the District, is opening a Spanish tapas restaurant called Pamplona in the old Sobe space. Social Restaurant Group is from Alex Lopez, Mike Bramson and Naeem Mohd. Mohd is also the owner of Mad Rose (along with some family members, I believe).

The one by Whole Foods does *not* make a good ham sandwich, or didn't as of several years ago - and although my memory is surely faulty, I remember it not being particularly cheap.

The Honey Baked Ham Company near the Whole Foods -- where I worked every Christmas break in college -- is closed.  The store on Broad street is the only one left in Falls Church.

Is it correct that Roberto's 8 at Al Dente no longer exists?  The last post on DR about it is from September 2014.  Has it been replaced with Roberto Donna's Table at Alba Osteria, or is that not happening anymore either?  There's no mention of it in the Alba Osteria thread.

This isn't even close to the same restaurant it was under the former owners. I was there three months ago. I wouldn't currently recommend it, even if you were "just in the neighborhood."

Kathryn Chou, the former blogger for DCDiningGuide and NYDiningGuide, has a nice article in Business Insider on what a meal at Per Se is like now.

Tom Sietsema (2.5 Stars):  "Momofuku CCDC review: For the shrimp buns and servers, the wait is worth it"

Contribution info.

Federal Donuts is the doughnut, coffee, and fried chicken place from chef Michael Solomonov and his business partner, Steven Cook (Zahav, Abe Fisher, Dizengoff, Percy Street Barbecue). Federal has four locations, plus a stand in Citizen's Bank Park.  We went to the Center City location and only got the doughnuts, but they were excellent.

Federal only serves cake doughnuts, and this location had six rotating varieties of pre-made "fancy donuts" and three sugar coated ones that were cooked to order (or, at least, served hot). All of the doughnuts except the chocolate use the same batter, so the primary difference is the topping/coating.

Here's a story about the chicken, which also talks a little more about the doughnuts.

I'm sure that this has been discussed elsewhere, but Parc was the prototype for DC's Le Diplomate and the two restaurants are essentially twins. It remains one of my go-to brunch spots when I'm in Philly. I've never heard a complaint from anyone I've taken there, including those people who do nothing but complain. The croque madam pictured was perfect, as usual, and a somewhat lighter version than other's I've had.

I can happily report that Tommy DiNic's is the same as it ever was.  A roast pork sandwich with broccoli rabe and sharp provolone is currently $10.50 ($8.75 plus $1.75 for the toppings). Half a sandwich and a couple of doughnuts from Beiler's was a decent sized lunch, though I could have easily polished off the whole sub.
 

Are those hard, round biscuits, i.e., "oyster crackers?" I don't remember seeing those recently, but I think I've seen them before.

They're giant oyster crackers, and they're amazingly good.  So much so, I asked the manager who made them and looked them up.