Keithstg

DB Bistro, 44th/6th, or Thalia, 50th / 8th. Or, if you are a masochist, the Palm on 50th between broadway / 8th.

Uhh, GeorgetownFoodie stated that Sono was equal to or better than Yasuda - I was not addressing your comments at all, just GF's, but thanks for thinking my skepticism isn't warranted. My "skepticism" isn't that I think Sono is a bad restaurant, per se (although you yourself agreed with DanielK that it wasn't worth the trip from DC), just that it is unlikely to have better quality fish than Masa or Yasuda. I don't think that qualifies as a diss. Of course, that's why I said I'd drive all the way up there to see for myself. Silly, right? Masa's pricing is irrelevant to this discussion, which is over for me.

I don't recall any qualifiers with regard to price in GeorgetownFoodie's original statement, just that Sushi Sono was better than NYC's "best" Japanese restraurant, which is Masa (apologies to Zagat - it makes a good phone book). I'm in no position to opine on the relative sanity of sushi pricing, but suffice to say that at first glance I do not believe the quality of fish to be equal, even to Sushi Yasuda (where I have been, albeit not as recently as Masa - July maybe? August?). I guess I will have to drive all the way up to see for myself, but color me suspicious, especially considering the source's track record here.

Having been to Masa last weekend, this quote is probably the most absurd thing I have read on a food board - this year, anyway.

That makes two restaurants gone on Mass. Ave - I think the other to close was several years ago, and is still vacant - Le Brasserie, or something similar? I wonder if either space will be filled anytime soon...

+1 for this report not making mention of some obscure sushi joint in far-flung Maryland. I have to ask - did you speak with anyone at the restaurant about your displeasure at the time? Did you send any of the dishes back? Obviously, you walked away unsatisfied, but in my experiences at Vidalia (probably over five years, multiple visits a year), I haven't had a meal like the one you describe above.

Not that it matters, but I think Dale came in second (with the winning dish overall), and Casey came in third... but either way, Casey thinking she was robbed is delusional.

And now has the dubious distinction of being the only cheftestant to blow two finales. Too bad Carla listened to her. Although Hosea "won", I think that media-wise, Fabio and Carla are the two clear winners here. Ultimately this was a disappointing season, and Hosea is a level below prior winners (save Ilan). I think that viewers will remember Carla and Fabio far longer than Stefan and Hosea.

Some notes from the past few weeks in NYC. Irving Mill: Ryan Skeen has gotten a ton of press (and a Beard Nomination) since opening this restaurant, and it didn’t disappoint, more or less. More than a few people have told me that this place is a “mini Gramercy Tavern” – maybe I can see that in terms of décor, but that’s about it. We had salt and pepper pork ribs and pork toast with egg salad and caviar – the ribs were excellent – well seasoned and tender, but not fall off the bone. I didn’t get a bit of the pork toast, but my wife really seemed to enjoy it. Mains were the Waygu beef shoulder and cheek, and the Tagliatelle Bolognese. Both mains were very good, and a good value at $26 and $18, respectively. The pasta was an especially good deal, I think – it’s $4 less at lunch, and is fresh pasta, not boxed, which seems to be a little rare these days (looking in Westend Bistro’s direction here). We also split an order of Mac and Cheese with pork rinds. The mac and cheese was good, but the rinds were a little devoid of flavor, which surprised me. All in all, a very fun time – with one major caveat…the restaurant has a large bar area with a raised section of tables, and then a long, rectangular dining room. If you would like to have a more quiet dinner, request the back room. The front room was VERY loud. The soundtrack was great and the noise didn’t bother me, but I could see it being an issue for some folks. Chanterelle: We really enjoyed our trip downtown to Chanterelle. Although the dining room was packed, the room was very tranquil, and the service was perfect from beginning to end. It’s easy to see how the Waltuck’s have been in business for as long as they have. Amuses were deviled quail eggs with caviar, and very tiny fried shrimp with remoulade sauce. The shrimp in particular showed the restaurant’s attention to detail – I don’t know of many restaurants that would serve an amuse that required separate execution – these had been fried to order and arrived absolutely greaseless. Appetizers were foie gras three ways –seared, sautéed, and in a spring roll; and dumplings stuffed with truffled potatoes and served with a truffle and Madeira sauce. Both appetizers were fantastic – I mean, when is foie gras ever bad; but I enjoyed the dumplings the most. Main courses were a proscuitto wrapped lotte with butternut squash risotto and seared duck with a smoked tea jus. Both were excellent – the butternut squash risotto along with the thyme jus from the lotte were real standouts. Dessert was a valrhona chocolate and star anise soup – this included a beignet of sorts to dunk in the soup. The star anise flavor was very subtle. The sommelier suggested a really nice Greek red for our meal – a Grenache / Montepulciano blend called Alpha 1, I believe. The only downside to the meal I can think of is that for a restaurant that has such a great wine list, they can do much better than Veuve Rose for their rose champagne by the glass. We look forward to heading back soon. Blue Smoke: We hit Blue Smoke on a regular basis because it’s close to home, and really accommodating of our youngster. This has to be Danny Meyer’s busiest restaurant – it’s continually packed, and serves up pretty good BBQ – we especially enjoy the KC Ribs and the Brisket, although the brisket sandwich is better than the platter for whatever reason. The side orders are excellent, particularly the mac and cheese. Worth a trip for a quick meal on the (relative) cheap and with kids. Wildwood BBQ: Met some friends here on Sunday to watch the Caps / Pens game. A member of the incredible shrinking BR Guest empire, this place is just ok. Decent smoked brisket, and my newest favorite cheap beer (Butternuts Pork Slap Ale) by the can. Not worth a trip, but ok for a quick stop if you are near Union Square.

Tom said it all last night when he begged the remaining contestants not to embarrass him during the last meal challenge. What a weak group. Leah's elimination could be seen coming a mile away. At least Fabio had some funny lines!

Here, here! It was great to read this report - Citronelle and the lounge at Citronelle are the two restaurants I miss most while up north.

Worst. Season. Ever. Seriously, TC does NY and this is the best cast that they could come up with? Stefan is a lock to win at this point, but does anyone really think that he could hang with any of the prior winners (sadly, including Ilan), or even some of the strong contenders from seasons past - Dale, Tre, Lee Ann, etc.

I've had a couple of dinners at Matisse, as we have a client in that neck of the woods. I thought that the food was always prepared well, and covered all of the basics. My favorite thing about the place is the reserve wine list - prices are now creeping upward, but up until about a year ago Fritz had most Sine Qua Non bottlings available for way less than retail (but more than mailing list). Unfortuately as the word got out, that changed, and prices on SQN have increased substantially, but Matisse is a solid, locally owned restaurant with an excellent wine program.

There is a storefront at the corner of H Street and Benning Road (on Benning) that advertises "African Smoked Fish - Wholesale / Retail". Wish I could be of more assistance, but there was not a phone number on the store - at least that I noticed.

I did not, although I did run into several on the way to the game. I was a guest of the league. APDC was fantastic after the game (despite the result). Whomever said it was like attending a party was right on. I enjoyed the experience, and will do my best to get back there during all-star weekend.

One more reason to dislike the article. Part of what makes NYC is the population density - 8 million in the five boroughs and over 19 million in the metro area. That simply dwarfs the DC metro area, which explains why there are more restaurants in both New York City and the metro area. Though fewer in number, I believe that the best restaurants we have here in DC are the equal of their NYC counterparts, and their counterparts throughout the nation. There are some cuisines where a comparison can't be made - there's no Masa equivalent in DC, and there's no great ethiopian food to be had in NYC (that I have found anyway). As Stitch said, Burros looked to the big national names here first, and not much deeper. Too bad - her old paper did a great job on the DC food scene this week, I think.

I am aware of the metro DC area size. I am talking solely about the size of each city. You can hardly compare the extended metro area in DC to the five boroughs, it doesn't make any sense.

Honestly, I stopped reading after a few paragraphs. As a resident of both NYC and DC - the two are incomparable. It's pointless to compare a city of 8 million to a city of 600,000. Aside from that, NYC is NYC - I love some things about living here (seamlessweb, etc.). DC is DC - I love more things about living here. I realize it doesn't make for much of a story, but how about celebrating what's good and new about each place, on it's own, like today's times article did?

No clue, but Fabio is not staying with BR Guest, apparently.

While I can't speak to clubbing, I do stay at the Setai when in Miami (three trips last year, one coming up next month). The bar at the Setai will be much more sedate than the Shore Club, and less crowded. I think that the atmosphere is "swankier" (for lack of a better term) than the Shore Club, which will be louder and more of a party scene. The two are very close together, so if one doesn't suit, just walk down two blocks (or up, if at the SC) to the other.

I'll be in Montreal this Saturday (for Caps / Habs). I'm thinking of Au Pied for dinner post game, but is there anything else I should consider? Thanks.

I had dinner in the lab on four occassions, spread out over several years. I always enjoyed the experience, and agree that it merited four stars. I don't think many have disputed that. The fact remains that the "restaurant" portion of Galileo had "very real" problems, including inconsistent food, and the worst service of any restaurant of its caliber in Washington. I think everyone on this board has a healthy respect for Chef Donna's talent - however there does seem to be a pattern of difficulty with regard to service, etc. when not in the Lab.

Some short notes on meals up here in NYC over the past month or so... Convivio - Client dinner. Convivio is in the former L'Impero space, and was PACKED. Literally, wall to wall people. Our group ordered several dishes, standouts were the garganelli ragu, and their bistecca, which was split among our group (three orders). Pecorino potatoes were also good. Combined with a magnum of '93 Mascarello Barolo, one of the better client dinners to this point. Of note: when we left at around 11pm, people were still coming in for dinner. One side effect of the crowds was our wine service - the wine was opened and decanted rather quickly, so there was more sediment than usual. I guess that the switch from L'Impero to Convivio has gone smoothly (Bruni seemed to think so, anyway), but to be honest, other than a larger menu and a more streamlined interior, I didn't notice anything that different. i Trulli - We've been here a bunch of times, for lunch and dinner, and in the restaurant and the 'inoteca. Standouts here are the pulpo, which are wood grilled with lemon confit, celery, and some greens. I could eat this dish daily. All pasta is hand-made in house, and we've enjoyed both the tagliatelle ragu (sometimes rabbit, sometimes beef), and raviolini (various fillings). For mains, anything coming out of the wood burning oven is good, especially the pork chop. Worth noting: the restaurant is owned by the family who also owns Domeinco Valentino Selections, the wine import company. Their wine shop, vino, is right across the street. The wine selection is excellent, and deep in Barolo, barbaresco, and brunello, both in bottlings and vintages. Park Avenue Autumn (now Park Avenue Winter) - Great brunch. Very fair $35 set menu. not much in the way of wine, but decent bottled beers. Del Posto - I wasn't sure what to expect here, as I generally avoid the meatpacking district like the plague, but Del Posto was a great experience. Although the Garganelli Ragu, Pork Chop, and Tartufo were excellent, the service here really shone. For a restaurant this large (and packed), the amount of personal attention was really surprising. Each diner’s course was served simultaneously, and the meal was very well-paced. The wine list is incredible - definitely the best Italian wine list I have ever seen. My dining companions picked out a super-tuscan, which was good. The wine was handled impeccably - decanted carefully, and served in appropriate glassware, at the appropriate temperature. Also, white truffles here were the lowest supplement that I have seen in the city ($45, if I remember correctly). The Little Owl- Saved the best for last. I love everything about this place (as does everyone else, it would seem). Lobster Soup was excellent and not overly rich, as some bisques can be; the soup just had great lobster flavor. The meatball sliders are uniformly excellent, even though sliders have a prime seat at the "trite" table. Arctic Char was excellent, and the cauliflower side dish was excellent, cooked perfectly (as was the Char to med-rare), with a nice, mild cheese sauce. The cod was also very good, served on a bed of squash risotto. The pork chop, which we did not have this time around, is also an excellent dish, and their most popular. All in all, a great lunch, with a few glasses of well-priced gringolino from the small but nice wine list.

How about Murray's? They do a cheese of the month club.Murray's

That is Hubert Keller's restaurant, not Trotter's., no?