Miami Danny

Trash Bruni all you want, but at least read Bruni's NYT review of Lonesome Dove from Wednesday, and compare to TS review of JHS. 'Nuff said.

I'm reading Setting the Table right now-I think Meyers' revolutionary idea is that 'serving' your staff comes first-that's right, BEFORE the customers-in order of importance-staff, customers, community, suppliers, investors (I think I have that right ). He calls it enlightened hospitality-there's more to it, of course, but he's pretty much all about service. An interesting concept, especially today, when every two-bit waiter or assistant GM thinks they're MFK Fischer, and can't wait to whine about their customers/establishment online in some anonymous forum.

But there really is no 'average' practitioner; nor is there an 'average' critic. Are you calling, say, Ann Cashion, 'gritty'? Or, say, Tom Sietsema, 'prissy'? Just curious Unfortunately, restaurant criticism and food writing in general are genre writing, and, like, say, science-fiction, or horror, very few can transcend its limitations. What annoys me more is when reviewers feel the need to spend time talking about a menu item that isn't going to be available for six months!

It definitely seems to me that people are drinking more, and eating less. Of course that's a great business model.

Gritty v. Prissy?

Three 'Chefs'...Three Words...Jumped The Shark

The immediacy of raw experience-which can be both exhilirating, and scary.

If everyone on this board knows what you say they do (and I agree that they do), I'm pretty sure, from personal experience , that people here are clever enough to pick and choose what to take seriously, and what to discard. If Tom Sietsema were to review a place after one visit, or in its infancy, that would be wrong. But we are not 'reviewing' restaurants, more like posting impressions and comments. On the net. That's called the freedom of being an amateur.

I was back at The Royal Bavarian Schitzel Haus last Monday for happy hour and had some gigantic German beers and a plate of suasages. There was an amazingly interesting crowd at the bar, not your typical Miami scene, but still somehow VERY Miami. The chef, Alex Richter, was behind the bar, telling tales, and I was reminded of a Christmas Eve dinner my wife and I ate there 2 Xmases ago, which I posted elsewhere. Begging your indulgence, I am reposting it here in anticipation of the coming Christmas. There is nothing like a Christmas Eve goose dinner, and nowhere better to celebrate Christmas than in sunny Miami FLA. All thoughts of the North Pole drift away on the warm ocean breezes, and the palm trees sway along Biscayne Bay, where some sailboats are sliding under the raised drawbridge. They say that people in Miami don’t mind waiting in traffic for the boats to glide under the drawbridges, because everyone imagines that someday that will be them sailing by. In a small restaurant just off the water, if you look around and listen to the languages being spoken, you might be surprised, since this is Miami, NOT to hear Spanish, but German and Turkish. It’s as if Miami were a small German town near the water; and the aromas from the kitchen and the big black beers on the bar complete the illusion. It doesn’t hurt that the owner and chef, Alex Richter, is a hearty man, big and bald, and charmingly gap-toothed, a la Schwarzenegger, who stands behind the bar in his packed, yet comfortable, place, and chats amiably with friends and neighbors who sit at or near the bar. “Tesekur Ederim,” he waves to an older babushka-wearing woman, who is visiting from Turkey. Her daughter, Tuva, is the waitress here, and, as Mr. Richter waves his thanks, she explains that she hasn’t seen her mother in five years. A nice Christmas reunion. My wife and I happen to be lucky enough to live around the corner from The Royal Bavarian Schnitzel Haus, but it is the kind of place you must seek out, whatever the location. You are not going to leave the ‘Haus hungry, or thirsty, and you will remember your visit as warm and toasty, even if the weather outside is not ‘frightful!’ The special Christmas Eve menu included a “Portion of fresh crisp oven roasted Goose”, and we are lucky to get the last ‘portion’. It is a huge leg attached to a piece of breast (goose breasts don’t have an awful lot of meat), and it is the kind of thing that, even though it is as big as your forearm, you know that at some point you will have to pick it up and eat directly from the bone. When I do this halfway through the meal, the leg almost snaps off the breast (I swear my hands are15 inches apart holding this thing), and I envision it flying through the air and smacking a gentleman at the bar across the face. He must have seen it coming, too, because he flinched and ducked when the bones snapped. But let me start at the beginning, and of course that means the sausage. It is inconceivable not to start your meal with sausage, and Chef Richter makes his own. The ‘Original “Munich Weisswurst” with sweet Mustard’, is an unusually subtle, pale sausage, whose deep flavor is countered by its smooth texture. A tiny, tiny, dab of sweet mustard is almost more than this juicy wurst needs to disappear, and it is pleasantly light on the stomach. This is followed by a salad of winter greens dressed with warm goat cheese, which is a crunchy palate-cleanser. But the animal awaits. Sourcing goose in Miami is not the easiest thing to do, and Chef Richter gets his from up north. In fact, as he told me, his meaty and plump geese come from Pennsylvania, and are provided by none other than the Amish! I had previously been unaware of a ‘Miami-Amish connection’. Obviously you can’t just pick up the phone and order. The chef sends a letter to a neighbor of the family who raise the geese. The neighbor contacts the farmer, and he let’s the Chef know when the geese are ready. When Chef Richter had a Mother’s Day special of goose, the spring birds were a little skinny, so he is very happy with the plump winter birds he received for Christmas. The goose is roasted and served with red cabbage, reduced pan juices, and a potato dumpling the size of a lacrosse ball. All of the flavors are complementary, and, again, everything is substantial, but unexpectedly light. Even the dumpling, which is savory and flavorful, and the cabbage, red and semi-crunchy, have distinct flavors and textures. The goose is perfect, smelling of the oven and the farm; the leg moist and wild, with the meat attached to the bone the most succulent of all, demanding the aforementioned liftoff. It is not easy to gnaw on a goose leg in a crowded restaurant without losing your dignity, but it was essential, and worth it, my face smeared with goose fat, the King of Fat. Luckily, you are provided with a large and thick cloth napkin. All of this was washed down with a black German beer in a huge stein. The other entrée on the special menu was a baked seafood-stuffed salmon fillet, served with fresh vegetables and mashed potatoes. While not heavenly like the goose, it was nice to have something to eat while I waited for my wife to pass the plate with the bird back to me. There was a dessert and traditional Bavarian Gluehwein, a hot, spiced wine served in a festive mug, but by this time we had had our fill, and the desserts were graciously wrapped to go. The festive atmosphere and warm-hearted welcome stayed with us, and reminded us of our own Christmas party the night before, where we served traditional Venezuelan treats like pan de jamon and hallacas, and drank the Puerto Rican Christmas drink Coquito. World’s apart, but just around the corner

Marrow

Not angry at all, Blake. And you could say, 'but honestly who cares' about the whole review. And that's fine. In fact, in a half-joking way, (lighten up, people) I was just looking for a fun discussion on the most important food writer in this market, whom I believe is not up to the game. Since I work in the local DC media, although nothing remotely related to food, I'm curious if others share my opinions or not. I immediately get slammed. But at least I got a response, and I think a lot of good information...except from poivrot!

You know, there's always lively and insightful debate about the NY food critics. But simply have the slightest problem with TS, even in a semi-joking manner, and the knives come out. There used to be a lively debate about DC's food critics, pro AND con, in the not-too-recent past. Perhaps someone can tell me why there is barely a response to TS's reviews these days on this board.

Does anyone know the name of the ladies who sell the beautiful soaps at Dupont Market? I bought some last month, and everyone I gave them to is clamoring for more. Thanks for your help!

First of all, I loved his review of Blue Duck, so I'm not down on everything he does. That's just silly. Obviously, neither of you has an explanation. I believe in good writing, and like to be informed. If Tom is off-limits, say so. Your ad hominem attacks on me are petty and small-minded. You are delberately missing my point. Which is...Maybe, just maybe, if you are going to explain what 'one star' means, what 'two stars' means, etc. you should explain what 1.5 stars means, what 2.5 stars means, etc. It is only logical, that if you feel you must explain what 'whole' stars mean, same goes for 1/2 stars. Otherwise, why even explain what stars mean at all? I mean, four is the best, none is the worst, right?

S and S Diner is a throwback-sitting across from a cemetary, on a seedy stretch of NE 2nd Ave, you step back in time for a real diner lunch. While construction cranes hover everywhere like enormous birds of prey, this corner landmark goes about its business with a staff and kitchen that seems to have been frozen in time, although which time is long forgotten. Soon it too will succumb, as a developer has bought the property-plans for the new development include S&S, but we shall see. Plenty of free parking in the back, and as you walk past the open door to the kitchen, the aroma that seeps out the screen door is a familiar one-gravy. Once inside, the horseshoe counter, with about 15 seats, surrounds an afternoon telanovela, starring 'Tina Turner' and 'Shakira', two waitresses that make their running commentaries an alternative entertainment to the TV. The crowd is decidedly mixed-in every way. Rich, poor, suits, artists, young, old, black, white, etc, etc. But the food is the same every day: comforting. You like meatloaf, they got meatloaf-I don't ordinarily order meatloaf, but it looked so good and I needed something to pour that gravy over. The liver and onions were fresh-creamy and well-textured, not cooked to death. Also, the salad is fresh and crunchy, dressed with S&S's homemade salad dressing, which is made with BEEF STOCK-YEAH! However, the king of the menu is the 'shank'-done perfectly, served in its stewed cooking juices over nicely done yellow rice, plus two sides-two nites later I had an upscale version of this which was 'Osso Bucco' over saffron risotto with a big slab of butter and parm on top-very delicious, but certainly not any more deeply satisfying than S&S's version. Diner prices help-that shank was like $6.99, icluding mashed potatoes and a salad. Throw in some strong black coffee served in a thick ceramic mug, and you are ready to go back out and move some earth. You will be eating a late dinner tonight! Open 'til 6PM-NE 2nd Ave at 20th St

Maybe someone can explain this to me. I don't understand why you would have a 'star' system, and then give a place 2 AND A HALF STARS! You go to the trouble of having a little box EVERY WEEK defining what one, two, three, and four stars mean. If you're not going to give a restaurant one of those, why have the system? Or define what 2.5 stars means. Last week it was one AND A HALF STARS! Make up your freakin mind!

Just wanted to mention my last 2 visits to 2Amy's, as all the food I ate was superlative-a huge (at least 30) plate of GREAT fried anchovy bones, which, puzzlingly, went really well with my red wine; breakfast radishes with bread and butter that were cool and crunchy, but definitely did NOT go with red wine; rabbit and pork rilletes rimmed with a couple of fingers of fat-creamy and very rich, very satisfying; and a crostini of duck confit over leek puree that contained a lot of complex flavors (incuding salty!). Really had a good time on both visits, even though MPD busted the bartender on my last visit.

1) Dan-The media reports the facts-you would have them ignore this because it's only one death? Your reaction is hysterical (both meanings), not the reporting. 2) Dean-I think it is simplistic to berate an entire sector of the agriculture business because some cowsh*t might not have been treated properly.

The 't' is silent, so there is no 'tsuris'

I for one am rooting for you guys! I'm a big fan of Bistrot du Coin, the food, the wine, and the atmo, and I look forward to trying your new spot. I also know how tough it can be to get a place going, esp. in Dupont Cicle, where you have to jump thru a lot of hoops. Personally, I thought Sietsema's review was pretty harsh-but there's nothing to be done about that now except to prove him wrong (for about the millionth time.) Best of luck!

I'm with ya, Julia. But I don't want people to know who I am (not that I'm anybody), I just want them to think it's important to take care of me, some random customer. The problem, I believe, is perfection-one wants it, but it doesn't exist, except in one's mind. I agree with the statement that once you've seen the man behind the curtain, it's hard to forget that he's there, and a little of the magic dies right there. That is why I drink my cocktails BEFORE I go out to dinner, and try to confine my dinners to unusual but inexpensive restaurants, or solid neighborhood joints, so that if the meal, or service, whose importance I think is vastly OVER-rated, isn't up to par, at least I've had an experience of some kind. Of course, this doesn't solve the problem, it merely delays it. Because I still occassionally think that perfection is right around the corner. If only that food-runner would quit giving me dirty looks and ogling my wife.

Really loved Tom's review of Blue Duck-can't wait to eat those roasted bones! (Seriously, I love marrow.)

I really like 2Amy's neighborhood-y feel, and from some of the people I've talked to there (pretty friendly crowd), it strikes the same chord for a lot of people. I love the bartenders, and on my several visits, they were great. The wines by the glass are pretty decent, and the bottle prices very gentle (this is a pizzeria after all). My only regret is that I didn't bring companions, because there was a bland sameness to all the dishes I tried, except for the excellent charcuterie! The fried rice balls were delicious on first bite, but became boring real fast-five are only good if you're sharing. Same with the fennel and gorgonzola, swimming in a pool of bland olive oil, beans w/bottarga (ballsy, but, well, beans), the porchetti-first bite heaven, third bite-pedestrian. I could go on, but the pizza's the thing here, and I found the crust bland as well. Wasn't knocked out by the calzone, either. Everything could use a little sea salt or something-some zing, or zip. Pretty good drinks n snacks fare, great staff, nice friendly environment, typical DC-kids, parents, people on dates, Chris Matthews. I rode my bike there, so parking wasn't an issue. Definitely will return soon to the bar for the conviviality, and the ham. Bust that Smithfield, dammit!

I was commenting on TS's glossy review, not the restaurant itself. I really don't give a crap about Jimmy's, I hope they succeed, and I hope Tom keeps reviewing for the Post so I know I'll always have something to rant about. BTW, as a courtesy, I have always had my real name, picture, and pertinent affiliations listed in my Control Panel-in this and any other forum. It's a click away

My life is an open book.