Miami Danny

Thanks for directing us to this article-the clean and complex taste of good sake is a great change from wine-I would also like to know if there are any shops out there in which to buy good sake. Some Japanese markets, maybe?

At least it's nice to hear a winemaker candidly remark that he makes bad wine because that's what his customers want. But, of course, he 'creates' those customers with all that convincing 'lifestyle' marketing. The funny thing is, I don't think it's that much harder to make a decent wine with the same effort. I can think of several comparably-priced wines that are far superior to Sutter. Kind of takes some of the mystique out of the process. Great article.

The only good thing about the roofdeck at Straits is the great view of Lauriol Plaza! Since LP is taking a gratuitous slam, I'll chime in-LP is what it is and always has been-a very popular mid-priced neighborhood restaurant. A restaurant owner I know always exclaims, "Chips and Salsa! How do you make a million dollars on Chips and Salsa?" But, on the other hand, Straits had its day 10 years ago when it was unique. Once people in the neighborhood caught on, it was a ghost. The big draw was Larry (the owner). and his Mother, who sadly passed away.

Last night I sent some visiting journalists from Chicago to Shelly's on F St at about midnight. They got burgers and wings and drinks. They really liked it, and said the atmo was pretty good. You can smoke, also, even cigars. I only eat at Pizza Mart when extremely drunk-assuming you were too.