Keithstg

3 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Bloomingdale’s is in Tysons Corner Center.  The other anchor is Macy’s. The Galleria is still the best upscale shopping at round DC. 

Yep. Same parent company, though! And agreed re: Galleria.

11 hours ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

And those leases are with the dying brick and mortar retail world. He can pick them off one by one for pennies on the dollar.

The anchor stores in that mall (Neiman, Saks, Bloomingdales) have all had several quarters of year over year sales growth. I get that it's popular to say that the Galleria is empty, that nobody shops there, nobody can afford it, etc. Problem is, most of those sayings are demonstrably false.

4 hours ago, jasonc said:

Agreed - seems like the problem is in the prejudices carried by expense account-type people, rather than the folks dining at Ray's. 

Dave was saying that *he* would have kicked himself out of a fancy expense account restaurant, not that “expense account people” (whatever that means) would. Seems a bridge too far to assign a problem and assume prejudices in this case.

Trummer's on Main - Clifton.

Too little sauce or extraneous accouterments for it to have been Tuscarora Mill.

10 hours ago, Bob Wells said:

Oh yeah, these are "world-class" boutiques. I was walking the mall the other day and noticed a new little store with some cool looking bathing suits. Bathing suits, that's it. The store is called Vilbrequin. Google for the prices, I dare ya. LOL

Taking the thread back to the original discussion, the Isabella eatery was at most half open today - Yona and Arroz were closed, as was the bar. Seems like Requin was doing ok business, but entire place was less than 1/2 full. 

Oh, and Vilbrequin has been there for a couple years. #happycustomer.

14 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

Maybe I'm just overprotective of our members, but the last thing that genericeric wrote was, "Maybe it was us?" This doesn't mean his party had bad table manners, or was expecting for the staff to pour them free drinks; it just means that maybe they prefer another type of environment, and he came right out and said it.

I'm not saying you to did anything wrong in trying to seek additional information, either, but let's give Eric a chance to clarify. It might just be a lobster pound / Michelin 3-Star type-of preference.

"Detached and cool" is exactly how I'd describe the service at Le Bernardin, btw - in a very French way (which I happen to love, but that may not be others' cup of tea).

Understood, Don.  WRT to the "fancy" comment I just wanted to clarify for Katt (who I am guessing hasn't been there) that the environment wasn't super-fancy, a la L-B proper. I've also had less than stellar service at AS Bar, as I mentioned. Service at L-B has been superb in my opinion, and would describe it as you note.

4 hours ago, genericeric said:

Side note, the night before we'd spent a good amount of time at Aldo Sohm next door, not realizing the wine bar is operated by some of the same team.  Honestly we didn't care for the wines offered...

There are probably 200-300 wines by the bottle and have to be over 50 by the glass. You didn't care for any?

That said, I was there (wine bar) about a month ago. Had a nice time overall, but largely due to the company I was with - the bar service was pretty off-putting. As to Le Bernardin, I can understand that one person's "cool" is another's "professional". The aim at L-B is a bit different than say, A Rake's Progress.

Also, the place itself isn't particularly "fancy".

Joel Robuchon. Have very fond memories of eating at L'Atelier in Paris next to Chef and his companion.

The Whole Ox in Marshall has a recurring series. Think they publish dates/ times on their website.

Auguste Clape. Won’t have a Cornas tonight because I’m in NY drinking white wine at Nishi, but to his memory nonetheless.

17 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

You don't need to worry about Big Foe - absent injury, he has 10-15 years of stardom heading his way.

Agreed. If he sorts out his cardio. Frances just had nothing left in the tank against Khachanov after the 3rd set tiebreak. I'm a huge fan, and believe he'll be an incredible player.

28 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

You have to love the sportsmanship of both John Isner and Kevin Anderson (yes, I'll break this thread up somehow).

Very true. Honestly, this Wimbledon has had one excellent sportsmanship moment after another. What a great two weeks - I was bummed that Big Foe quit in his round of 32 match, but he'll be back.

2 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Yeah, it's essentially breaking news - you won't find anything about it on the internet yet. I'm trying not to call a lot of attention to things out of respect, but anyone having reservations at Mirabelle expecting Frank or Aggie should probably reconsider.

Wow. Was about to eat at Mirabelle for a client lunch yesterday, but the client decided on PJ Clarke's instead... Mirabelle was up and down for me, but when firing on all cylinders was an excellent restaurant.

8 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Daniel,

I agree - Field & Main is a wonderful and well-run restaurant. Do you think the style of cuisine is heavy? I'm not necessarily saying that in a pejorative sense, but I don't think I've ever had a light course here, although I've tried.

I think it depends on what you consider light. I was there last Monday (btw, most restaurants out here aren’t open Monday but F&M is) and had a gnocchi with ramp pesto and soft shells with corn salsa.

The gnocchi were light and airy enough to have been Frank Ruta’s and the soft shells and corn were an ideal summer dish. There was also an interesting scallop dish on the menu that seemed like a lighter choice along with a vegetarian option - which I know doesn’t automatically mean “light”, but my dining companion enjoyed it.

Neal is also offering a “wine game” on Monday nights which is also a good time. 

What a wonderful post! Thanks so much for sharing. Having been to SPQR but not Acquerello I certainly want to get to the latter when I am next in San Francisco. That said, SPQR is much more casual in it's design and execution, no?

6 hours ago, franch said:

A glowing review and your reaction is a condemnation to closing in 12 months?

Correct. Maybe 16. Time will tell.

8 hours ago, cheezepowder said:

Tom Sietsema's First Bite.

I give it 12 months, tops. Which is kind of unfortunate as my meals at Nakazawa in NY have been superlative- far, far exceeding any omakase I have had in DC.

9 hours ago, Steve R. said:

I really do get that lots of employees are negatively affected if this place closed, but some of the industry's reputable folk could have picked them up at other local places if Hamilton/Merriman and others helped broker a deal.   Instead, its annoying that they will be partnering with Ken Friedman.  Should he have been bailed out in this way or should he have been pushed to leave the business the way Batali & others have?  And, is it really possible to continue running a top restaurant in a location where the industry's offenders had a "rape room"?  Seems more than a little tone deaf to me.  Not that I was ever a regular at either place, but I don't think I'll be going to Spotted Pig or Prune anytime soon,  whereas I've not stopped going to Otto or other ex-Batali places.  Just me?

Probably not just you. I’ve been off of Batali places since way back when he was taking tip money.

31 minutes ago, dcs said:

Spotted Pig’s New Chef on Partnering With Ken Friedman: ‘He Built Something Special’ - Ashley Merriman will be in the kitchen when the partnership starts, by Serena Dai, June 14, 2018, on ny.eater.com.

What a great interview. Even back in college Ashley was well-spoken and had an interesting, nuanced perspective. Here's hoping that they right the ship, for the good of the nearly 100 people employed at the Spotted Pig.

Horrible news. He was a real one. Sad for his friends and family, particularly for his daughter.

On 5/20/2018 at 9:51 PM, DaveO said:

Good.   Good luck on his recovery.   Unless they start playing better they won’t have many opportunities for saves but if he recovers he’ll get his innings.

I’m betting Britton gets traded at the deadline if he comes back and plays well. No sense in the O’s having a great closer at this point. Of course, this assumes that the O’s are competently run, so...

42 minutes ago, DaveO said:

The issue with Britton is that he was injured much of last year.   When he returned he was less effective.  He may not pitch this year till July or late if at all(more serious injuries).  Before he was injured he was the heart and soul of Baltimore’s mediocre pitching staff, being used as the saver on games with leads and being stupendous.  

He can be a free agent at the end of this season but he might not pitch during the year.    High risk career.

Uhhh, he's throwing live BP now, and will throw a simulated game early this week. Forget about late July or not at all, he will pitch in June - potentially early-mid June. SMH.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-notes-20180519-story.html

On 8/25/2016 at 8:07 AM, Keithstg said:

Some quick updates from several recent trips to Boston:

First, No. 9 Park. Went for two visits, once for the tasting menu, once for the a la carte menu. In short, No. 9 continues to be my favorite restaurant in Boston. Intimate feel, staff who really "get it" and are very interested in the food and wine being served. Highlights from my visits were corn agnolotti and a really fantastic halibut dish, the details of which I've lost to time. Wine highlights were a Puffeney Poulsard, Paolo Bea Sagrantino, and a Monthelie for the a la carte dinner, producer forgotten. If you find yourself in Boston you could do much worse than booking a celebratory meal here.

Hard to believe how much time has elapsed on this thread. I'm part of the problem, since I've been to Boston a half dozen times this year and haven't gotten around to posting until now.

And only now to reiterate that the above remains true. Dinner at the bar at No.9 Park was different, yet familiar. Same great wine list, same excellent, personal service and fabulous conversation - different pasta preparations and Halibut preps (this one with a riot of morels) but still delicious and worth the time.

No. 9 is employing a coravin now and is offering several premium wines by the glass as well. Highlights of those were an '11 Allemand Cornas and a '12 Daguenaeu Sliex by the glass.

On 5/12/2018 at 8:53 AM, dcandohio said:

I'm in the Second City now for a quick weekend which includes a matinee of Hamilton. Both Revival Food Hall and French Market food hall are delightful. Great spaces, lots of choices. Check hours because I don't think either opens on Sunday. Revival isn't open on Saturdays, either. 

Second the Revival Food Hall rec. Really enjoyed my trip there. Cool space, lots of options. Settled on Buldong Hot Chicken and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Also enjoyed the Cherry Circle Room in the CAA building/ hotel for dinner. Solid food and an interesting, well-chosen and fairly priced wine list. Chicago's one of those places I don't get to often, but always thoroughly enjoy.

On 5/8/2018 at 10:26 PM, Pool Boy said:

When you settle, it is pretty much admitting guilt. Pretty much.

I’m late to this, but what a silly, totally incorrect statement for any number of reasons. Pretty much.