Miami Danny

Please add me to your email list and thank you for thinking of Haitians in their time of need.

We still do not know if what the waitress supposedly did even happened, do we? In fact, was there a pattern of said waitress just being a horrible employee? Not according to any available evidence. But we apparently DO know that Mr. Smith fired four people in an extremely public and appalling manner. Is it his right? Of course. Will it blow over. Of course. Will everyone who was fired get a job and be able to pay their rent on time? I hope so. But Mr. Smith actions are those of a bully over the powerless. And I would guess that this is not the first time his staff has been abused by him, nor that it will be the last.

C'est la lutte finale / Groupons-nous et demain / L'Internationale / Sera le genre humain. Long way to go for a pun, n'est-ce pas?

The servers are doing the same amount of work whether they fetch you a $40 bottle or an $80 bottle; a pasta dish, or the steak. Tips are base on your tab, no? If one's tab is $50, why should one tip on $75? Is one expected to tip 'full-price' for half-price drinks at Happy Hour? Or tip 'full price' for discounted meals during Restaurant Week or some other promotion? Tuesday is half-price burger night-should I tip full-price? Why should coupons be any different?

Very rational, Dean. Perhaps you, or someone else, could explain the rationale behind being expected to tip on the full-price before the discount?

What I find disturbing is that 4 people lost their jobs because of an anonymous post that seemed pretty far-fetched to begin with. Unless someone is making that part up too...

As soon as someone has their feet where people sit, in a place where people are eating, it's time for management to ask them to remove said foot. If the manager preferred not to ask the woman (for whatever reason-it's understandable, maybe she had asked if it was okay for her to put her foot up there in the first place), he should have offered to re-seat the other party. And he should have apologized or at least explained the reason why it was okay for someone to have their feet up in a restaurant, right next to another customer. And if my meal is ruined by management's actions, or lack thereof, then I may not return.

This report references the report from February of last year. My feeling is that if there were really fire here, and not smoke, more businesses would be forthcoming and lawsuits would be launched. I find Yelp extremely helpful when navigating the DC food and drink scene. Also keep in mind that NBC Bay Area is a competitor to Yelp.

Go to your 'Business Owner Account' and make sure you have the correct notifications checked. 'Email me when my business is reviewed' may be unchecked. It's pretty simple.

Now if they would just add a bissel corned beef or pastrami to the antipasto and a He' Brew...

I had two great pies here yesterday, one was the 'Hannukah' Special with a shtikl of potatoes and a shmear of ricotta cheese, and the other was the 'Bottarga', which had two large fresh over-easy eggs on top. With the Christmas Ale (10% alc. or so), it was a real holiday treat-great staff adds to the homey atmosphere of the new P St. location, especially at 5PM or so when it was fairly empty. (Love the fresh mozzarella too)

'Pig and Pinot' Fridays has become a regular stop (although I prefer gin to Pinot-call it Pig and Plymouth), and the pig dishes I had here yesterday were outstanding. The pig ear taco ($6) was one of the best tacos and also one of the best ear dishes of any kind I've had in a while. I also ordered the peanut-bacon-chocolate bark ($2.75), and broke some off into the taco for an extra-special taste. Seriously, try each separately, but also together. I also had the ham, which is reasonably priced at $5. It is hand-sliced somewhat thick and chewy, in a good way, so you need to rip off small pieces before you shove it in your mouth-the pickled vegetables that came with it were great, unusually spiced, but this ham did not need any of the otherwise delicious mustards. Semi-highlight...there was a big jar of pickled/preserved okra on the bar, and I slipped one or two into my gin martini. Yee-HA. Bartender Alex makes you feel at home, and the crowd was relaxed and friendly (well it was Friday happy hour). It was also nice to see the chef wandering around the lounge with his camera, chatting with friends. I guess he was having a good happy hour too.

Last year, as a new bartender at an establishment in Miami, I asked the busy owner if it would be okay for me, as an experienced web guy, to run their Yelp page. Since then, I have found Yelp to be an invaluable tool for business owners if used properly-you can directly contact people who have commented, and have a private conversation about why they liked or hated your place and correct misperceptions, etc. I have never had a bad experience when contacting Yelp posters, and the contacts have always increased business. Also, posters are very likely to re-review, and it has always been in a positive light. Even though I am not in Miami at the moment, I can scroll through reviews and pinpoint who really liked or hated the place, and who was maybe just having a bad day. And then take appropriate action. This service is free to business owners, by the way, and I have never been contacted by anyone from Yelp, sales or otherwise. I have also posted events on Yelp and have gotten great results with that as well. Posting events is also free. Again, never been pressured or even asked to pay for anything.

Actually I have a deep yearning to return to Fine & Shapiro-and do so every time I am in NYC with my mom. It is a really good restaurant. Perhaps you should try it someday, if you should ever deign to travel out of the shtetl, Max.

Speaking of Annie Hall---a chef's salad in a Kosher restaurant? Why didn't she just order the pastrami on whole wheat with mayo? What a shiksa! It's important to know what to order and what not to order in a kosher place, Max. Speaking of which, have you tried Max's, as a previous poster mentioned? I also think you overstate-there are several really good kosher spots in Miami, as well as, of course, New York. Fine and Shapiro on the upper west side comes to mind.

If it makes you feel any better, the place used to have the non-gringo name Pepito's. Cafe Atlantico/Jose Andres used to have a source in Fla. for frozen huitlacoche---but I've never seen anything other than canned available retail. Oaxaca on 18th St. used to have a huitlacoche dish, but I don't remember if it had any real flavor the one time I ate there in a tequila haze. I agree that the corn smut quesadilla at Super is tops-but it used to be available only on weekends-maybe that's why it wasn't on the sign? {Incidentally, the tortas can be pretty messy but when it comes to absorbing alcohol, cannot be beat.}

Please accept lunch as our gift. Delicious Indian veg fare. 12-3pm. Free gifts for kids, too!

Served 45 people today-the big hit was the sweet milk/noodle pudding made with vermicelli we served for dessert. Karma Kitchen is ongoing so please come by on Sunday.

Actually my line about "pulling it off" was a continuation of the double entendre shtick on this thread, not a reference to any particular reviewer. Like yourself, I don't seem to find restaurant reviews as interesting or helpful as I used to-more often than not a simple reading of a restaurant's menu and wine list (and 'mission statement') says more to me than a 'review'. Somewhat predictably, raves tend to be bland and insipid love notes, with pans tending towards the snarky and bitter-humored. There rarely seems to be any context, as there would have to be in, say, a visual art or architecture review. The same could be said for dance or theater. It also seems as though the deadly structure of 'the big review' is rarely broken, leading to a sameness that only someone with a strong desire (and the space, of course) to break out of that safe structure could achieve. That being said, perhaps you are correct that restaurants don't really lend themselves to that kind of criticism anymore, now that there is so much more information at our fingertips. Is there anyone who still finds the 'big review' helpful?

You say, and I'm with you, "I rarely ever read restaurant reviews all the way through, regardless of who writes them." But I'm curious-How many restaurant reviewers do you eschew in this manner other than Señor Sietsema? And while I agree that the format is limiting, you could really say that about almost all criticism, or all niche writing. Yet there are some who manage to pull it off. Ahem.

This is a beautiful event that combines all the great things about sharing food in a restaurant without being required to pay. That's right. The tab reads..."Lunch for___ served this evening by________. Your Bill Total: $0.00" I ate a really good lunch two weeks ago of basmati rice with grilled eggplant, cumin potatoes, cheese cubes and spinach, tomato dal, a basket of naan and raita. Everything was spiced well, and the people who cook (and the owner) at Polo are volunteers for this event also. It is something that makes you reflect on the obsessive fetishization of food and restaurants that is sometimes taken to ridiculous lengths. But I do not want to diminish what these great people are doing here-it is truly a gift. The bill also reads, "In the spirit of generosity, someone who came before you made a gift of this meal. We hope you will continue the circle of giving in your own way! If you wish to pay-it-forward to a future guest, you may leave an anonymous contribution in this envelope." That's it. Sundays, 12-3, at Polo Indian-1736 Connecticut Ave NW. For more info go to Karma Kitchen And I capped off the meal with hot chai and sweet, cardamom-scented rice pudding. I volunteered here yesterday and it was a great experience. We served 72 people, the most yet, in spite of the wet weather. It reminded me of the old days when I had my own place, and sometimes I would wait on tables, bus them, do the dishes, work the bar, clean the bathrooms, and of course, still find the time to shmooze the hell out of everyone. I didn't have to do any dishes or clean the bathrooms, but it was a real pleasure serving people and giving them the "$0.00" check. As they say, it is not a 'free meal', but a gift. The nuance is astonishingly freeing, and it makes you want to give more. Not to sound too mushy, but it was one of the best experiences I've ever had in a restaurant.

The former hole-in-the-wall Full Kee takes credit cards now, and the big-ass wall menus that used to list specials only in Chinese characters now are translated into English (although duck stuffed with shrimp paste probably sounds better in another language-however, it's rich taste transcends language barriers); and the Hong Kong-style Noodles and Shrimp Dumplings seemed to have a different, less light and mouth-watering dumpling, perhaps mistakenly changed for downtown diners' palates; and the soy chicken was juicy but kind of fatty. Standouts were the chive flowers sauteed with garlic-crunchy and very oniony, with the garlic overtones of the chives brought out by the sliced, stir-fried garlic cloves (duh). And of course the sauteed duck blood with ginger and scallions, a homey dish that will remind you of mom's cooking (someone's mom, probably not your own), in that it has a smooth, almost foie-like texture and taste, but it's singularity is of blood, not liver, although if liver were...well maybe I already said it. Mom's liver but it tastes sweet and mousse-like, with a lot of crunchy scallions, onions, and ginger. Delicious Blood and Such Photos... A classic preparation, in a joint that used to be (and for all I know still is) frequented late-night by the top chefs in DC-including the late Jean-Louis Palladin, who once remarked that the pig's knuckle at Full Kee was as delicate and rich as any french charcuterie he had ever tasted. They also do an amazing pig's skin & turnips, marinated pig's intestine, and the all-time favorite, Marinated "Assortments". Parts so evil that their names must remain unspoken. I think of the chefs that used to haunt this place, and I hope that the owners of Full Kee will continue to keep up the standards they've established over their more than twenty years. Because, let's face it, under the skin, we all have the blood in common. Shout-out to waitress Kyu. Kyu! VERY IMPORTANT!!!Order off the plastic folded table-menu. Here you will find the HK soups, congee, "delicacies" (incl. the excellent Cold Shredded Jelly Fish), and stuff (like roast duck or pork) over rice dishes.

I've been gone a bit from DC, but I noticed at least one new street vendor-type downtown, the 'On The Fly' electric vehicle near 8th and G Sts., I believe. Photos Has the program to bring in new vendors with different offerings that people really want worked out? I remember they surveyed the public, then they issued some new permits. But I only saw this one vendor. Are there more?

Hit Central last week for my quarterly visit from Miami and was not disappointed. The staff was uncommonly gracious, especially bartender/server Raquel, and manager Jennifer Lucy came by for an extensive chat, even though the place was pretty packed. The food-faux gras and duck rillettes as good as ever. Bread-spectacular. Pickled onions/cornichons-same. Tuna Burger will put memories of every mediocre/cliched tuna burger you have ever eaten into the trashbin. Into the trashbin. Hand-cut Ahi tuna tartare pan-fried into a burger. Gone. My dining companion could not stop. Top it with the delicate yet firmly crunchy tuiles. Fried chicken-if you've eaten it, you know what I mean. Simple, yet very, very complex. How do they do it? This must have taken a lot of thought to taste so good. Mashed potatoes-legendary. Top ten lists, awards, they deserve them all. And I look forward to my fall visit, if just for more great food porn photos like these DailyCocaine