Keithstg

Jul 15, 2011 - "Wine Cocktails" on greensinner.com

Second cocktail down looks pretty decent. Alternatively you could reduce one bottle down and use it as a sauce, either for seared foie gras, or potentially on ice cream? I'd probably lean in the foie direction.

14 hours ago, RWBooneJr said:

I'm guessing that none of you advocating for the bus are 6'3".  If you are, it sucks. And you can get a ticket for the train, the last humane mode of transportation, for $50 if you plan at least a month in advance.  That said, if I have to get to DC on very short notice, I often drive or take the bus. But I definitely prefer the train, even at the non-discounted rate of about $130 (it jumps up to like $300 if you book right before the trip, which is ridiculous).  And if I'm not paying, I take the Acela.  Flying has always struck me as kinda stupid, but I'll probably try it eventually. 

Flying is pointless. There have been at least two occasions where a ground hold was announced for a Delta shuttle flight I was on, and I was able to get off the plane, get to union station, get on a train and STILL beat the flight.

Budget travel aside, the train is absolutely the way to go.

Curated.

Honestly, I would walk up to Pesce and hope that it's fast enough. In my experience, it's pretty fast, but not carry-out fast. Personally also not sure if carry-out fast seafood is a good thing. Probably including sushi, but that would be my exception.

 "crave-worthy chef-inspired fast casual seafood dishes"

My eyes bled just reading that nonsense. All those buzzwords reminded me of the initial Punk's Backyard BBQ menu. Ugh...

Had a quick lunch in the tavern portion of the restaurant yesterday. The Pot Roast was perfect for a windy and cold day - and a GIANT portion. Between the roast and the accompanying mushrooms and pureed potatoes there was more than enough for two lunches. Not sure I would return for dinner, but perfectly suited to a convenient business lunch.

1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

How about this one: Le Paradou had a $35 corkage fee (very high at the time). I had dinner at the bar solo one evening, and brought a tremendous (and expensive) bottle of wine: a 1983 de Vallouit Hermitage "Les Grèffieres," made with 100-year-old vines. About halfway through my meal, I saw Yannick having dinner by himself in the corner. We knew each other well enough, so as a gesture of respect, I sent slightly more than *half of the wine* over to him (it was decanted, and I sent over both the decanter, and the empty bottle) - he looked up, and we raised our glasses to each other from across the room. Because I didn't have enough wine to finish the meal with, I bought a glass from their menu.

Then, when the bill came, attached to it was the $35 corkage fee.

I remember corresponding about this with you after my le paradou post. Gotta love that hospitality!

11 hours ago, curiouskitkatt said:

I went for lunch on several occasions, and it felt like a private dining room for two, dare I say it was a place where you went where you didn’t want to be seen. I am regretful that I drew the comparison to Citronelle. I was wrong. I just remember it being hoity toity, aka priced unreasonably. 

Le Paradou was my first post on dr.com! I have to admit I liked the bar menu, and ate at the bar probably 9/10 times I went there. I also actually liked Nicolas as well, but may have been in the minority. Think he is in the Caribbean now. Agree that the wine pricing was predatory. 

11 hours ago, curiouskitkatt said:

Speaking of power spots, what was the name of that restaurant that was in Penn Quarter that serve high end French Cuisine. I would equate it to the likes of the former Citronelle? I can not think of the name for the life of me. 

Le Paradou? I liked it there, but it was definitely no Citronelle.

Another brief check in. Unfortunately, Tom Whitaker and his family have left for Florida, where Tom now heads up the culinary program at the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach. We really miss the Whitaker's and look forward to visiting them down south.Tom is extremely talented and the food/ service at the Inn were much improved from his predecessor - I could probably write a multi-part post on the chefs at the Ashby and their culinary styles/ ups and downs. 

Brad Spates has taken over for Tom, effective a few weeks ago. The menu has turned over, and is a bit more rustic than in the past.  Appetizers were a round of oysters, tomato soup, and veal meatballs (x3). Mains last night in our group included a crabcake entree (x2), venison stew, and filet. Portions were large, to the point that I was unable to finish my venison stew. Rave reviews were given to the crabcakes, and I really enjoyed the venison, which was presented in a cast iron pot, set up similarly to shepherd's pie in that pureed potatoes covered the stew. Our group also had a few bottles of the '09 Peay Les Titans, which is in an excellent place right now, and paired well with the venison and filet. No so much with the crabcakes, as you'd expect. We had a great time and everyone loved their meal. The place was absolutely packed as well, which was a nice surprise. I'm a fan of the Ashby so take this review as you will from someone whose name is (literally) on the wall there, but seems like things are going well thus far. Now let's hope Chef Spates stays the course and is given the freedom he needs.

11 hours ago, Ferris Bueller said:

Ford's Fish Shack has a decent roll as does Jackson's.  I was really hesitant to try one at Jacksons, but it was pleasantly good.

+1 on Ford's. Had a good rendition at P.J. Clarke's yesterday as well.

My favorite in the "area" is the hot (CT Style) Lobster Roll at King Street Oyster Bar in Middleburg. Great value too, even for the larger portion of Lobster.

On 10/11/2018 at 10:23 PM, DonRocks said:

1-2 years ago, I was deciding between Carbone and Betony - I chose the latter for an extended lunch, and it was a legitimate Michelin 1-star under the toughest of standards, more like 2 stars: one of the best meals I had that year; alas, it has since closed - it would have been perfect for Eric.

I absolutely LOVED Betony. What a great restaurant!

If it were me, I'd do the Grill.

Carbone is also north of Chinatown, but Italian-American. Also has been a bit mixed lately.

Maialino is excellent.

Hello Andy,

Thank you so much for participating here!

I'm wondering about changes in the Michelin landscape post-social media. Have you noticed any changes in either the cuisine or the experience at Michelin-starred restaurants since the advent of social media? If you have, what changes have you noticed and do you see changes for the better, or worse?

On 9/12/2018 at 11:50 AM, DonRocks said:

Tennis has different standards than, for example, football and basketball - I suspect both of those sports have f-bombs dropped constantly. I think a lot of this has to do with, not only tradition, but also the audience being able to easily hear any profanities or controversial comments.

One thing that surprises me - with all this controversy, I'm *still* not sure whether or not Williams was informed about her first code violation when it happened: If so, then she probably should have done the majority of her complaining at that time (it was after the third code violation when she went on-and-on about cheating, motherhood, reputation, thievery, etc.)

Certainly, there are double standards in tennis, regarding both gender and race, but these issues are *way* more involved than this one, relatively isolated, incident.

Do you consider the first code violation the coaching (although not technically hers) or the broken racquet? If the former, she was made aware immediately, and lost it. And continued going back on the issue in subsequent changeovers.

I think that Serena may have only noticed the point penalty after it was awarded - but again because she was busy arguing a settled issue.

On 9/12/2018 at 11:40 PM, DonRocks said:

Having digested this some more, I'd like to make a proposal:

2a) Williams has exploded (not imploded; exploded) when she's been on the ropes - she was going to lose this match, and she felt it. She acted entitled, and although her frustration was justified, she went overboard in demonstrating it.

Naomi Osaka emerges as the only winner in all of this.

One other unrelated thought: Osaka is as good, right now, at age 20, as Williams has ever been in her life. Pull that one out anytime someone thinks athletics doesn't evolve over the generations.

Totally agree with all of your assessment. At her best, Serena is an incredible player/ sportswoman and ambassador. At her worst, an entitled bully. Sadly, this incident demonstrated the latter, and has largely been excused.

Osaka is fantastic. Honestly, she should start playing doubles (although this won't happen now) - she seemed visibly uncomfortable at the net and doubles would go a long way to addressing this. Of course, if Serena couldn't bait her into the net more than a handful of times it may be a moot point.

14 hours ago, dcs said:

Gabrielle Hamilton and Ashley Merriman Exit the Spotted Pig, by Kim Severson, September 10, 2018, on nytimes.com.

Sad, but probably predictable. My guess is closed by year end.

Had no idea that Gabrielle Hamilton won a National Beard Award?!?! What?

To Richard Keane and Bill Meehan.

Wow. I can't imagine he has a publicist, or if he does he should find a new one. Isabella isn't a sympathetic figure, and this article makes it clear he hasn't learned anywhere near enough from this experience.

That said, Carman and Judkis still characterize the bankruptcy in a misleading manner. Ugh.  "It’s the day before the chef and restaurateur will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy" - only Isabella's was a business, not a personal filing. Come on. 

4 minutes ago, Steve R. said:

As a total aside (yep, let's make this about me) - While the "young" (in their 40s) 4.5 players I play doubles with in Bklyn are busily trying to push their way up the ladder, I tell them that I'm basically trying to manage my decline.  When I'm in Florida during the winter, all my older 4.5 doubles playing friends are, one by one, getting themselves dropped to 4.0 so that, at age 65, they can remain at their comfort level.  As time goes by, poaching becomes, more and more, for eggs.  

I hear you re "managing decline", although I'm in my early 40s. I just don't want to deal with the travel and tournament scene more than once a year or so - that scene seems very "extra" to me. You know, 12 racquet bags, etc etc. We have good weekly 4.5+ matches at my clubs and absent one or two tournaments a year that's enough for me.

3 minutes ago, Steve R. said:

Agreed on just about all counts.  I mean, it’s not like she could’ve expected that the guy would come down off the chair and ask if she was ok or needed anything 😂

Of course it’s her fault for melting down & putting herself in that position. And she was going down either way.  However, I don't think that the rules are as "cut & dry" as you state. While officials can't change the penalties once they've called an infraction, they do have a lot of latitude about calling them.  The coaching issue that started the dominoes falling has frequently resulted in an aside to the player to tell your coach to stop and not issue the 1st penalty.  Especially the way her initial interaction with the chair on that call concluded, she may well have thought that, when she slammed her racquet, it would result in a 1st and not a 2nd (point) penalty.  As for the 3rd (game) penalty, have you seen the footage of this umpire's similar interactions with at least 3 superstar male players who cursed or loudly demeaned him?  Not a penalty assessed.  He certainly could've at least warned her to stop or he would issue the penalty.  

(5.0 huh?  I'm impressed)

Yes, although I bet I'm "dropped" this year to 4.5 due to lack of activity.

Apologies - I meant that escalations are cut and dry once penalties are called, in the sense that warning>point>game. Had the umpire left his chair to explain that the warning was to Patrick M and not Serena he would have potentially opened himself up to criticism on two fronts. First, taking time/ focus away from a player to explain a rule that she should know, and potentially escalating the situation, and secondly being criticized for following up with a player too closely, a la Kyrgos earlier in the tournament - as you noted above.

I haven't seen all of the other calls or non-calls and don't need to because they are irrelevant. The umpire has latitude to call the match as he or she sees fit. The player has to control their conduct or suffer the consequences.

Oh, and the first words out of Patrick's mouth when interviewed were "I'm honest, I was coaching". End of story.

7 minutes ago, B.A.R. said:

Me neither. Ever.

Of course, this could simply be because most players, once given a warning or penalized a point, leave well enough alone. Serena clearly did not - same as in 2009 (point penalty giving Clijsters the match) and 2011 with Stosur. 

While not a point penalty, Fabio Fognini was kicked out of the US Open last year and fined $24k for derogatory comments made in Italian to a chair umpire. No penalties were levied at the time, this was after the fact. Probably the only other thing like this I can remember in recent memory - save Serena's other incidents. 

4 hours ago, DonRocks said:

She probably would have won the match anyway (mainly due to young legs), but it would absolutely not have been a given.

Serena is obviously fantastic, but in no way was she going to win that match. She was mentally on the ropes prior to the point penalty and was up to old tricks and gamesmanship throughout the second set (waiting late in changeovers, slowing the pace of play - without penalty I might add). Don’t know what it is about the open that brings this out more than other tournaments for Serena.

Sad to see Osaka’s win tarnished by boorish behavior by two parties - Serena and the chair umpire. FWIW, I played tennis in HS, college, and still play competitively today (5.0). I can’t remember seeing a game penalty in any setting either as a player or a spectator. Point penalties sure, but those were few and far between. Failing to hold Serena to account for her behavior takes away from the conversation in my opinion. The rules are pretty cut and dry in terms of umpire discretion and they may not be good rules, but they exist and can be enforced. Tennis has an issue with one set of enforcement criteria for superstars and one for everyone else (Don’t get me started on Rafa), and if this episode drives some standardization that’d be great.

7 hours ago, DaveO said:

Labor Day Innstock Food and Music Festival at Inn at Little Washington

From Washingtonian:  A Labor Day Festival at Inn at Little Washington featuring their friends and numerous sous chefs who had worked there in the past.

That looks cooler than cool.  I'm jealous.  Would have loved to have been there.

It was very fun. We are in the background of one of the Washingtonian pics.

23 hours ago, Pat said:

I didn't think that article made it clear enough that it was MIC, the restaurant group, that filed for bankruptcy and not him personally.  Maybe that's just the way I read it, but I'd imagine he'd like the distinction to be clearer.

I’ll go a step further - the title is downright misleading. You’d think two seasoned journalists would know/ do better.