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Keithstg

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Everything posted by Keithstg

  1. Keithstg
    So much here! I agree, you never know which Yannick you are going to get - that was part of the frustration (and occasionally the joy) of Le Paradou. I did appreciate their bar menu, and actually really liked Nicolas. Sorry to hear about your experience with him - in my experience he was a good guy. The Yannick corkage story really sums up my interactions (or lack thereof) with him as well, but when he is on - what a talent!
  2. Keithstg
    Sounds like the Lobster "beggars purse" from Le Paradou. If so, I have to get to Bethesda pronto. That was one of my favorite dishes at a restaurant I still miss!
  3. Keithstg
    Is competition more beneficial to the consumer, or less? Does consolidating frequent guest programs result in more rewarding programs, or less? I believe a combined SPG/ Marriott would have something like 60% of all hotel rooms 3* and higher in the US under one corporate umbrella. Starwood's frequent guest program was/ is light years ahead of Marriott's in terms of benefits and perks. SPG also has nicer hotels, in my opinion, and a merger with Hyatt would have been more beneficial to the consumer. With a combined SPG/ Marriott I suppose there are more options in terms of areas of the country/ world serviced, but since 95% of my travel is to major cities that benefit is minimal.
  4. Keithstg
    Horrible news for frequent travelers.
  5. Keithstg
    I'd skip Three Fox and Barrel Oak in favor of Delaplane Cellars. Also, Arterra is off of Leeds Manor, not too far from Delaplane, closer to Paris and the Ashby Inn.
  6. Keithstg
    Esca isn't too far away either, and is relatively inexpensive.
  7. Keithstg
    This just same across my email - should be interesting: "Bon Appetit! Michelin to Launch First-Ever D.C. Guide" by Rebecca Cooper on bizjournals.com
  8. Keithstg
    Took some clients to DB Bistro yesterday. Note to those planning on going in the near future: due to some major construction in the neighborhood there is a reduced amount of electricity/ gas available for the restaurant and grill items (like the burger) may not be available. If you are intent on trying the burger that started the "high end" burger craze, call ahead. DB has become quite a hot spot for lunch given its proximity to the midtown financial institutions. In fact, I took two clients to lunch and sat across the room from some other clients! That said, our meal did not suffer for the restaurant being filled to capacity. I had the spring pea consomme and the coq au vin. The spring pea consomme consisted of a bowl filled with some peas, sauteed leek and onions, a pea puree, and some thinly sliced mushrooms. The consomme was poured into the bowl tableside, which melted the puree into the soup. This was a very nice, light starter and the spring peas were very nice, although the composed dish could have used a shake or two of salt. I made do without since I didn't want to interrupt the flow of the meal and salt/ pepper were not on the table. Coq au vin was a very generous portion, served insanely hot (like molten hot), along with spatzle. The sauce was extremely unctuous, and could have used another shake of salt (albeit a very small one) despite the bacon lardons included in the dish. All in all a very good rendition of a classic dish - the spaztle was served in a separate steel ramekin and was fine, although the presentation made it a bit awkward to include the spaztle into the dish the coq came in, were one inclined to do so. I hadn't been back to DB since 2005 if I had to guess, and this visit was solid, I'll certainly head back for client lunches in the future, although not before I visit a few more spots in the neighborhood first (like Hunt and Fish Club). Not sure I would make the trek over for a dinner, but I suppose that you could do worse pre-theater in the neighborhood.
  9. Keithstg
    Totally agree on the chicken - was at Kiniship last Tuesday with a bunch of friends and had a fantastic time. Kinship is superlative in every way and is a GREAT deal. After a few moments looking over the menu and figuring out how it was oriented, I decided on an order of the mushroom torchon, lobster french toast and the roast chicken (split with one of my tablemates). Other orders were the sweetbreads (x2), another torchon and the Martin's Rib Eye. Everyone enjoyed their meals - I was able to to have a taste of the sweetbreads and they were fantastic - decided to forgo a taste of the rib eye as I could then eat more of the chicken (and we buy Martin's by the half steer). A lot has been said about the chicken at $56, and I think more should be said with respect to it's value as well as that of Kinship in general. The pommes rissolees were fantastic and the frisee salad served with the chicken was also excellent. In terms of a composed dish for two breaking down to $28/ per I can't think of a better deal in DC fine dining, especially when stuff like '04 Chateau de Bellevue or Simard are available off the list for $70 or so among other bargains. We could have drunk as well for less money too, but I didn't select the wines.
  10. Keithstg
    I headed out to Bistro Francais today for a final lunch. Seems like many had the same idea as nearly everyone else in the restaurant spoke with the manager about the closing and mentioned that they were coming in for a last time. I was told that they are closing in two weeks, so seems like on or around 5/21 as initially planned. When did they contract the space? I hadn't been in since the left right side of the dining room was closed subdivided into another store. Onion soup was mediocre, with a paucity of onions and a light colored broth, as opposed to the darker, thyme-spiked versions that I had enjoyed in years prior. Would have been better served ordering the escargot. The filet with peppercorn sauce fared better, as the filet was cooked to correct temperature and the sauce was as remembered. The fries were the best part of the meal - hot and perfectly crisp. I wasn't expecting miracles, just some solid bistro fare. Safe to say that heading to Bistro Francais in these last days is more about nostalgia than cuisine.
  11. Keithstg
    Thanks, Don. Have an event I need to have catering for coming up in July - now I know who I will be using!
  12. Keithstg
    Sad to see the Atlas Room go - stands out to me as the first "better restaurant" on an H-Street that seemed gimmicky at the time (Palace of Wonders, Red and Black, etc - not that those places were bad in any way, just the truth) and loved the neighborhood reservation policy. Interested to see what the next incarnation will be.
  13. Keithstg
    Thanks for sharing this! I'll be in Paris in June and while this isn't a neighborhood I was planning on visiting, it just got added to the itinerary!
  14. Keithstg
    Wow, it's been quite a while since anyone has posted about The Rail Stop! I was in last weekend, and The Rail Stop remains a solid, if unspectacular place to dine in Hunt Country. I'd recommend dining in the "bar room", which is to say the front room when you walk in (with a view into the kitchen) - it's far more lively and some spots have a nice view of the open kitchen. Started with the warm calamari salad, which was lightly dressed with olive oil. It was fine - could have used some more salt. The rest of our table split the duck rolls, which were very good - not greasy and with a judicious use of the hoisin sauce. Three of us had lamb loin with soft polenta and green beans for dinner, and our fourth had a short rib ravioli. Each order of lamb was correctly cooked to temperature (Medium Rare, Rare and Medium). The lamb was seasoned correctly and plated with a demi-glace and the polenta and green beans were nice. As mentioned earlier, solid, but certainly not breaking any new culinary ground. The ravioli, however, was fantastic. House made and packed with short-rib and fontina cheese, served with a light tomato sauce and additional short rib shredded on top. Not the most visually appealing plate of food (lots of brown/ red), but excellent and compared favorably with the best of Girasole's house made pasta down the street. There are certainly more exciting places to dine, even in Hunt Country. But for those of us living out here, there is some comfort in the fact that you can run out and get a solid meal in a room filled with neighbors and people you know. Wine list is abysmal, BTW. Drink beer here.
  15. Keithstg
    I'd be interested in seeing these as well, and agree with you that the folks who choose the corkage option are in the minority.
  16. Keithstg
    We didn't get any chocolate pudding on our visit - although could have just been our table.
  17. Keithstg
    Hi Laura, You might want to try reaching out to Art Konopka: http://www.konopkalaw.com/ Art specializes in real estate law and was recommended to me previously by a friend (and fellow DR.com member) that I trust completely. I didn't end up using Art, instead using our family attorney, but wouldn't hesitate to call him in the future.
  18. Keithstg
    One last thought - if Italian isn't too far off the beaten path, Casa Luca? Fun atmosphere, good food, one level. FWIW, my dad also tires easily and has trouble getting around (thanks MS). Casa Luca and Charlie Palmer Steak have fit the bill for him in the past (CPS is hugely under-rated in my opinion).
  19. Keithstg
    Rosewood is a GREAT smaller hotel chain. Like a higher-end Kimpton, if you will. I had been staying at the Capella when in town for a while, and think that a more professional management group will take what is a great physical property to the next level. If what I have seen at other Rosewood properties is any indication (their Mayakoba property most recently), Rosewood will up the service standards and smooth out guest experiences but otherwise much about the Capella will remain the same. I'd bet they'll be easier for a restaurateur to work with than the Capella's old management as well.
  20. Keithstg
    This is sad to hear, but I guess not totally surprising. Bistro Francais was the first restaurant I went too when I moved down here some 16 years ago. Haven't been back in at least five, even though I stay in Georgetown now when back in "town". I will head there one last time in the next few weeks though - at a much earlier hour than in the old days!
  21. Keithstg
    Brought two of my younger colleagues to dinner here last week. We were looking for a casual spot that was fairly lively and had good food. One of my colleagues read somewhere that the Mermaid Inn on MacDougal was something of a "baby bernardin", so off we went. First of all, the notion of comparing the Mermaid Inn to Le Bernardin, baby, toddler, adolescent or full grown version is crazy. Totally different set up and vibe. This is a casual restaurant with a bustling oyster bar that makes a solid effort to turn out good seafood dishes at a fair price. Our group started with "escargot style" lobster knuckles, charred Portuguese octopus and blue crab tostada. The lobster knuckle escargot were really interesting - the kitchen used a very deft hand with the garlic so as not to overpower the knuckles. I'm a sucker for any charred octopus, and this rendition was good - the hot peppers in the dish were reminiscent of Peasant's "Polpo en Purgatorio", although Peasant's version of charred octopus is superior. The tostadas were a miss - for whatever reason we didn't find a whole lot of flavor in them. My main was a yellowfin tuna with sauce gribiche - seared rare as requested and served with some local asparagus. My colleagues also enjoyed their meals, but the details have been lost toi time at this point. No dessert, but with the three entrees, three appetizers and two bottles of sancerre (blanc et rouge), we had a great time and spent well less than expected for a "nice-ish" dinner out in NY, especially for a menu featuring seafood. While our experience was at the MacDougal location, you could do worse than happen by here or one of the other locations for a quick oyster fix or casual meal.
  22. Keithstg
    Bringing your own Rib-Eye or rack of lamb in and asking a chef to cook it for you would also extend a dining budget. One can also purchase insanely high quality beef these days, both locally and online, that is superior to all but a fraction of beef being served in restaurants. One could also age the beef to their exact specifications and not the restaurant's. Anyone doing what's outlined above would be crazy, and the corresponding thread here would rival the Segway debacle many moons ago - yet for some reason the right to bring in one's own wine to a restaurant is one that restaurants are *supposed* to embrace (a) at a low price point and (b) to the detriment of their margins. Just can't understand this - and I've got a large cellar to draw from. (Don, feel free to move as it doesn't directly pertain to Metier).
  23. Keithstg
    There has been - it's called Seamless.
  24. Keithstg

    Ceiling Fans

    Keithstg replied to pras's topic in Help Needed

    +1 on The Modern Fan Company and Big Ass Fans. We have used both in our house and are pleased with them.
  25. Keithstg
    Too late for your dinner, and arguably in NoVa, but Harriman's in the Salamander Resort has a large number of vegan items on their menus (breakfast, lunch and dinner) owing to Sheila Johnson being a vegan.
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