Miami Danny

I was there last Monday at about 5:30, and there were just a few people there. Bar never really got crowded, although the restaurant's patio seating was pretty full by 8 or so. Service was excellent.

Happy Hour from 5-8PM is a must! I was a little under the weather, so I started my evening directly from my doctor's appt. on Q St. They have a real sweet and cheap menu, cheap cocktails (the blackberry mojito for $5 was huge, although I stuck with straight Meyer's-I only like to drink brown liquor when I'm sick), and pleasant company-the owner Hannah who is very sweet was chatting at the bar and buying a round! For happy hour they have an enormous burger and fries for $5, and the soft-shell crab sammy which I believe was $8 (or $9), and they kept the crab on special all night. I started with a seafood gumbo ($5) that was loaded with good sausage and seafood chunks. The chef was not shy with the roux, and the gumbo had a very satisfying smokey depth of flavor. I followed with the scallops ($5), there were two of decent size, which were crusty on the outside and freshly sweet inside. The pineapple chutney was OK-a decent companion, but the grits were oddly almost cold. But the scallops stood well on their own without either. But wait, you have got to try the caramel tea-braised pork belly (I think I have that right). A hunk of pork that was so large for $5, that I thought I got the wrong thing. They are using Korobutu (like Kobe beef, I think I have that right?) pork for this dish, and the quality of the meat was amazing. There is a complexity to this dish that becomes more apparent as you eat more, especially the fatty parts, and a silken mouth-feel in the leaner parts. Perfect happy hour food for your all-night drinking binges. Go.

Please! I'm running a small wine bar/tapas place and I need some not too expensive software for Cost Control. Inventory, Menu Costing, etc. Is there anyone who might be able to steer me in the right direction? Anyone experienced with IPRO? I need something user-friendly. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated as I'm pulling my freakin hair out! Muchas gracias!

Mark Kaplowitz-good friend of one of my best friends back in old days-Dad owned some local paper in Bethesda. He managed to offend all of us one too many times-esp. likes to, um, how can I say this, pitch a tent and point it at whatever woman he's talking to. Pretty sure my wife smacked him once. Definitely out there.

Let's be honest. Beard awards are like the Grammy's-eventually everyone gets one. They are marketing tools that used to be corrupt and crass, and are now just crass. Why else would there be 16 writing awards and 12 book awards? That's more than ACTUAL FOOD awards! And I don't want to start another flame war with Joe about Roberto Donna, but please!

Quick note-stopped in here for a quick drink with some friends who own 'Homebody' across the street and was really impressed with the food and the beer selection-can't remember specific details (did I mention the beer selection?), but we ate and drank our way thru the menu like Vikings; then the owner proffered some new items including some dessert items that blew us all away. We ended up staying for hours! A really fun spot, and the owner was extremely gracious. I hadn't been down here in years, and it's a fun area to walk around in. Belgians can party!

Not to be a PITA, but if someone lost my card (esp. a checkcard) that they JUST SWIPED, I would tear up the CC slip, and insist that they void my charge. I would then ask them to wait while I cancelled my card. I would then ask the manager to bring me the void. Then I would pay my bill. If there were any unpleasntness fron management during this process, I would insist that the police be called and a report filed. I would assume that the manager would not want the police called, and would try to smooth things out. It's very easy for the restaurant to just run a void, and start over with another card-but by the time you go home and call your bank, your CC Number could be used numerous times. It's happened to me where my CC Number was captured at a gas station, and by the time I got home, $3000 had been drained from my account. Not saying anything nefarious happened here, but I wouldn't be surprised.

While I love to inhale bus fumes as much as the next person, I don't think it is necessary to trash Bistrot du Coin in a thread on Les Halles. I had the good fortune to stop in at BdC 3 times in the last month, and the generous cheese plate, mussels, smoked duck salad and a bartender named Ben made all three times memorable-and of course Michel's kooky hand-made shirts and half-smoked cigars always bring a smile to my face. Getting back to Les Halles-that place slipped after Michel left, and maybe before, and has never regained its footing. It's telling that all the good memories on this thread are like ten years old!

Salmon Belly over Piquillo Pepper Confit, and Datiles-Date and Bacon Croquettes-sublime. Go early, get some gratis paella, and watch the crowds form-$4 Amontillados-service by Freddy-great atmosphere.

Zengo? Don'go! What they call fusion, I call mushy, tasteless, lifeless. Plus $11 for a mediocre glass of red. The Peking roll was so bland, the ingredients were unidentifiable-except the cabbage...which tasted like , well, limp cabbage. For $9, a complete ripoff. All 3 dipping sauces tasted like air-magic if that's what they were going for. After great experiences at Jaleo & Zaitinya (& Bistro du Coin) earlier in the evening, including great service, Zengo was just laughable. And if that's what passes for the scene in DC, I need to seriously re-think my drinking route. Totally laughable. Oh, and who wants to look at the ass-end of a coupla hundred wine bottles? Easily the stupidest wine rack I've ever seen.

Years ago, before the advent of the American celebrity chef, I was sitting outside the restaurant 'Po' in NY at dinnertime with a friend of mine, talking to a big red-headed bearded guy. My friend, who was in the biz, after introductions, mentioned that this was the chef of Po-Mario. I was shocked! 'So if you're the chef, who's cooking?', I asked. He told me her name, and I asked if the quality suffered without him in the kitchen. He gave me a look (a 'whatever' look)'She's as good as me, and the food is as good as mine, if not better', came his response. If you train people who are skilled, and determined to produce great meals, etc., the quality should not suffer. I remember eating at Napa in Vegas and Jean Louis was cooking in the expansive. open kitchen. I think that helps justify the high prices, as seeing someone famous cooking your meal is part of the entertainment value. And whenever he cooked at Pesce, my friend who was the sous chef there would call us and we would rush over there to have a meal cooked by him-even though we knew him. So I think it works both ways. I'm sure people are happier when they know the chef's behind the stove. Especially since EVERY chef is now a 'celebrity chef', and I'm surprised Michael that you didn't name your former dishwasher-who is without a doubt a celebrity dishwasher. (No sarcasm intended) Personally, I never like to leave my place in the hands of anyone other than myself or my wife, and we only serve tapas. But, Michael, you failed to mention all the other things you probably had to do, also, like sweep and mop the floor, clean/fix the toilets, water the plants,catch the pests, deal with suppliers, deliveries, salespeople, creditors, power outages, broken equipment, etc. And that's just to be able to stand behind the stove and cook. Yikes!

So Granny baked a cake? I think that's very charming-but what if the party gets sick? Maybe because the cake wasn't stored properly in the lap of whatever six-year-old is sitting in the back seat of the Hummer? Did they also bring their own plates, etc ? When making the rez, maybe mention yr bringing yr own cake, what is the policy? Simple courtesy.

Taking CC's isn't about being nice-it's about being BURNED one too many times by no-shows. It's purely a business decision.

Just want to send kudos to Jessica, the bartender on my last 2 visits (both Mondays). Smart, patient, and funny, good wine and food recs. Great!

Speaking of Dino, how about reaching into the olive bowl at the bar, which HAS A SPOON IN IT, with your hands, and popping a few into your mouth. If that happened in my bar, someone would lose a hand.

I think the sous-vide article, although it's been done everywher else first, had the local angle making it relevant, and the who's doing what dishes in the Cryovac was interesting. But the tasting panel was particularly annoying in a typical DC fashion. Who are these people? If I want amateur opinions, I'll just talk to my friends. But I don't think there's a lot to work with either, quite frankly, as Tom's Weekly Dish proves-owner of Mimi's open another place. Let me guess, it sucks? And Death by Chocolate? What is this 1995? The fries at Palena? The Food section is an abomination plain and simple.

Also, his constant raves for the mediocre at best Al Tiramisu are mystifying. And that cheesy shtick ("You have a view!") is something out of the red sauce-soaked Mamma Mia! past. And Yanyu was one of the most overrated places I ever ate. Tom has always been inconsistent. Even when I agree with him!

Glad you got my letter...

So is it NOT OK to post something negative about a restaurant anonymously, but it IS OK to post with your name? Or are you saying it is never appropriate to post something negative? Unless it's a chain? This thread is about using real names. Your reply is a little confusing

Flaming-piling on in a nasty fashion. Read the thread, read Mr. Slater's and others' 'rants' (their quote not mine.). How many sommeliers does a restaurant have? How many managers? Are they busy? Should I put my night on hold while they get un-busy? "Excuse me, dear, (boss, mother, first date,etc.) I'm going to have an angry fifteen minute discussion about how bad the service/food/music/rat problem is here. Have some more wine." The idea that all problems can (and will) be addressed immediately, and, more importantly, corrected immediately, is ludicrous. Maybe in a perfect world, but not here on Earth. That's just restaurant industry PR BS.

Judging from the comments by professionals here, not everybody knows how to take criticism in stride. The problem is not the anonymous poster, but the thin-skinned pros who won't abide by any complaints. Let the anons have their say-I'm not saying they're right, but they often have legitimate gripes that can't be addressed in person. And if they're getting flamed here, imagine how some restauranteur might treat them if they knew their identity.

Sorry, but I disagree. I thought the poster's comments were pretty mild. Anyone who deals with customers, or is in the public eye, ought to be able to stand a little criticism (even of your friends!). Even if it is not exactly accurate. Or if it is anon. If you just want this board to be a big Valentine to restaurants and their owners (see Dino's), and so-called insiders, say so. But it seems like a pretty bland idea to me. And sometimes people complain the next day because it is not always possible (for any number of reasons) to get one's complaints addressed immediately. I work in TV, (and own a wine and tapas bar) and believe me, I hear a lot of criticism from people outside both industries, and you know they may not know squat. Tough, man. That's why they pay you the big bucks.

Is there a specific thing that set you off, or was this a general rant?

Johnny's Half Shell-dropped $120 for an average lunch for two that included crabcakes the size of marbles for $24, and a boring bouillabaise, also $24, overpriced wine by the glass at $12, and the ambience of a diner. Never understood the attraction of this place.

With friends like you...why pick on vegetarians? I don't think it is unreasonable to hope to find one or two vegetarian options on any menu, and in fact, I almost never see a menu without at least one vegetarian option. Of course it's unreasonable to expect a French restaurant to make you Thai food, etc., and the requests you mentioned are just silly, but that's irrelevant. Sometimes the group one is dining with selects the restaurant-almost any chef can prepare something a little different for a vegetarian-even Burger King does it. Any decent chef can and should adjust to his customers requests within reason.