Keithstg

How can someone sit at a bar and go for 30 minutes without attracting a bartender's attention? Thirty minutes?

For those who post on here: sometime you seem to think that this is a private dialogue where few if anyone else (other than your friends whose approval you want) are reading what you write. A slew of factually incorrect assertions CAN hurt a restaurant. When they are wrong they must be corrected. This has nothing to do with a relationship or friendship. It has to do with what is fair and what someone has worked for.

I agree Joe. However, this seems to be a situation where you simply don't believe Miguelito, not where anything incorrect was stated. You may not believe the OP, but credibility in posts is a two way street, and blindly defending the restaurant in this case seems to be more of a knee jerk reaction than anything else.

Isn't the broader question here why can't Roberto find consistency? Anyone who has been to Bebo knows that he can churn out quality food, and occasionally the service can be spot on. But in a city where it's fairly easy to find a restaurant that can deliver, and deliver with a great deal of regularity, why can't Roberto do this?

I know this is a question that's been asked a million times, but surely it's within his capacity to do it.

That's a question that has been asked since Galileo was open (re: the service, especially). Perhaps a better question would be framed in two parts - Why, despite his tremendous talent, has Roberto been at the center of so many FOH foibles, and, how can this question be asked without being accused of trying to "force someone out of business", which is absurd.

I went to Tom Sarris the other day and its been one of my favorite restaurants. I always enjoyed the prime rib there and the salad bar. does anyone know about this place? and is there another place that serves prime ribs better?

The Prime Rib, on K Street.

Looking for an atypical, yet good steakhouse in NYC. I've been to Dylan Prime and really liked it. Was thinking about trying Porter House (not sure how different it is). Any thoughts on Porter House or other recommendations?

STK? It's definitely atypical. In the meatpacking district, so caveat emptor.

STK Website

My understanding with VA is 2 cases per winery per month is the limit.

That's correct. I might be wrong, but this three tier shipping situation seems to be a recent development (e.g. in the past year). You know things are bad when Copain (one of my favorite wineries), will now ship to MD, but not DC. Torture...

I specified ground.

Steak Tartare is ground, much more often than not. Point taken on carpaccio, however

Clickity

....I have never seen or heard of eating raw, ground beef or lamb. So it produced a visceral reaction for me. That's all...

No Steak Tartare or Lamb Carpaccio?

The Food Section of the Post has a blip on The Source today, including a brief interview with WP himself. Not much about the restaurant, but an interesting interview nonetheless. I'm ready to go order the duck right now!

I assume that when Puck says stay at home if you want to order steak, he means unless you are going to eat at Cut!

NY Times article on Michelin's third annual New York City restaurant ratings

Well, no argument from me on the ***'s, except that I believe Masa to be a *** experience. The list in its totality is pretty disappointing, though. No Eleven Madison Park, period? Peter Luger still gets a star? Spotted Pig? I think Grub Street said it best this year - "denying Esca a star is like printing Made in Seacaucus on the cover". Congrats to Etas Unis and A Voce, however.

Ed Levine's take on Michelin 2008

Even though he was supposedly a modern chef, Hung has a trite side that came out sometimes on the show. On the boating challenge, Hung did that retro cucumber appetizer that the judges criticized. I was wondering if the high altitude was going to mess up his cake. I would have been happy for either Hung or Dale to win. I was sorry that Casey didn't do better.

Wow. Casey absloutely blew it. It would have been great to have Dale executing at this high a level from the beginning - too bad he was rusty. In all honesty, Hung was pretty much the only choice. Technically head and shoulders above Casey, and Dale was just putting everything together as the show wrapped. All in all a good choice I think - certainly better than Ilan, anyway.

Nice to see Rocco in a kitchen, and not schilling Fancy Feast or Purina or whatever else.

Hi,

I have four guests coming in to town from Oct. 17 to Oct. 21st. So far I've booked the following, but am having some second thoughts (esp. about Nora, and possibly about Kolumbia).

Wed. Oct. 17 - Cordoruy

Thurs. Oct. 18 - Nora

Fri. Oct. 19 - Citronelle

Fri. Oct. 20 - Restaurant Kolumbia

I've heard Nora is sub-par lately, and while I really liked Kolumbia when I was there last, are there better choices for a Saturday night that wouldn't be impossible to get into? I mostly use OpenTable for reservations for a big group like this, and on Thursday I'm considering the following as replacements for Nora: Agraria, BlackSalt, Cashion's, Ceiba, DC Coast (I've been recently but I would go again), Equinox, Oyamel, Sushi Ko (been a million times but I love it), and Taberna del Alabardero. What would you do? Where would you go? The guests are foodies but not big drinkers... most of them will be in DC for the first time since they were kids.

Thanks so much, and be kind! It's my first post here and I'm sorta clueless .

Of the restaurants you list to replace nora with, I'd take either Sushi Ko, BlackSalt, or Equinox in that order - mostly just to keep the pace changing a bit each night, as I think all three are great. Like Waitman said, you might want to break up the dinners with a Vietnamese or Salvadorean stop too.

this is a positve, and in some cases now adays a disaster. examples of finesse and feminity are presented, and the clone shows itself. wines from the RRV, under 14 % abv... and then wines above 14 %abv, NOT showing previous mentions. especially when they blend other CRAP in with the Pinot, since when was pinot a blending grape except for in champagne, or cava, or cremant, or cap classique? especially with Zinfandel... yuck!!! sea smoke does the TEN, where they experiment with ten clones of pinot... cool, yet, for some tastes a little BIG, or should we say modern,,, opinions are allowed to be casted, that is why there are clones and we get to see which ones work with which winemakers and sights. changing the world, whether you like it or not,, hope fully for the better

hold up, what?

Re: Sea Smoke Ten, it is big, but I think part of the issue with this wine is that 1) most bottles are consumed too early, and 2) few decant Ten, or let it breathe enough.

Recently saw this via Grub Street - Ruhlman / Bourdain Awards 2008 Potentially hillarious.

Who else for the "Rocco" award but Rocco?

I appreciate the breakdown. Of the bottles $40 and under though...only three or four are below $35. And of the glasses $10 and below, only a few are actually less than $10. I understand you have nice selections, but I think you would more regulars (i.e. me) if you would be able to offer more options in these price ranges.

Come on. At what price point would you find the place acceptable? 50 selections under $20 - Half of the glasses $10 and below under $5? $35 for an interesting, well thought out bottle in a major city is a good deal. Were you unhappy with the glasses less than $10? Did you not like any of the bottles less than $35?

ETA: I agree with Waitman on both the merits of cheap local wines and his range of pricing, but for the OP to continue to split hairs after a correction seems to be piling on.

Should be interesting to note the differences between the UK and US versions. Methinks that the American kitchen staff won't be as receptive to Gordon's input.

If last night's episode was any indication, they have turned the sensationalism (and the budget) waay up for the US version. In the UK version, it seemed as though you got more of a sense of the people behind the restaurant and their struggles - and you want to root for them. Last night I just laughed my butt off at Peter, who I bet takes the LIRR in to the city every weekend to eat at a Chodorow joint...Also missing was the usual re-visit in a few months, but Fox could be saving those moments for a "where are they now episode" toward the end of the season.

Are there any wine shops in DC or Virginia that have a good selection of grower champagnes? I have a trip to Reims coming up (Les Crayeres - yay!) and am trying to learn a little more about these hard-to-find wines.

If you have any suggestions for any of the small houses that I should visit while there, that would be great, too. My French is weak, DH is english-only. We have managed to communicate alright on other winery visits in France, but do better if there is some English spoken.

Many thanks.

Ace Beverage, or Wide World of Wines.

I was only there for a night.

I went to Eleven Madison Park in late 2002 or early 2003, and it was good, but not great. That having been said, I've heard from numerous people that it's fantastic right now, and really look forward to going back.

Cheers,

Rocks.

I believe that was during the Heffernan era, and I had the same experience as you did. Incidentially, at that same time period Andrew Carmellini (A Voce) was at Cafe Boulud, doing incredible work (somewhat) under the radar.

True dat. More like a pretentious $600 Burgundy. I am with dinwiddie though on this one, if you're a wine bar, you ought to step it up a notch and get at least a few unusual/eclectic wines on the list to choose from (by the glass especially).

Oh - I saw the title of the thread and figured this was about Sloan and Harlan...

ITA with what he says. Also, what's with not being able to park within two blocks? Return, ghetto charms!

I know, seriously. Just shows how starved (no pun intended) the H street area was for a sit-down restaurant...

It sounds like Rocco took the trashing well. What did Rocco do on his "The Restaurant" show that pissed so many people off? I only caught a few of episodes, but he made the comment: "Apparently, I have a long road ahead of me before I am forgiven for my behavior on 'The Restaurant.'"

I actually thought that Rocco was a decent judge. I think that Bourdain, and many others, are dissapointed in Rocco more than anything else. I still remember the meals I had at Union Pacific during Rocco's tenure there - he was (is?) an incredibly talented chef. Bourdain correctly notes that since leaving UP he has crashed and burned - I mean Rocco ran a 3 * NYT restaurant, and is now not cooking, but rather hawking Bertolli frozen dinners and hosting an on-line cooking show. Were it Rachel Ray or some other purveyor of schlock, I doubt Bourdain would be as bothered. Rocco is tremendously talented - it's just a shame that he would rather be a b-list reality star.

Worst restaurant name ever: "MOOO..." -- the new name for "The Federalist" in the XV Beacon hotel.

Boy that is awful - wonder what will happen to the Federalist's wine list??

GM's did in fact open last night. I didn't make it up there, but here's a neighborhood resident's review, pictures, etc. Can't wait to get there...

http://frozentropics.blogspot.com/2007/08/...ft-opening.html

We made it out to Doc Moore's on Friday night. For a restaurant on it's first night of business, things went extremely well! The place is dimly lit, and has tons of atmosphere. The upstairs bar is very large, and there is a small "beer garden" out back as well. The food was very good - moules come prepared seven or so different ways, and both the tamarind and veggie broth versions were enjoyed by our group. The mushroom risotto was well-prepared as an appetizer, and the frites were very good, although probably not as good (and absolutely not as expensive) as Beck's, which are our current favorites. They are still waiting on the "beer bibles" to arrive, but all in all a very fun night out on H street. We're glad to have Doc Moore's in the neighborhood!

In the directory which lists 12 restaurants for NYC alone the Midlantic region gets Komi. While we can take some small comfort from the fact that Komi's star is sufficiently bright for the editors and critics of Bon Appetit to take notice, I guess for them everything between the Lincoln Tunnel and Chapel Hill is mere flyover country. Either that or they really don't get out much.

How about the sheer number of Gordon Ramsay restaurants included? I guess that pictoral was bound to cost them. I had an ok, but not amazing, meal at his NY outpost last week...

Two sports betting sites (bodog.com and sportsbook.com) suspended betting on Hell’s Kitchen, Season 3. That shouldn’t stop us. The final three contestants are: Bonnie, Jen and Rock. Who do you think will win?

My money is on Bonnie. Why? It's all in the editing: the ultimate (reality show) winner is usually the one who's been flying under the radar. Both Jen and Rock have received too much air time.

What say you?

Nobody in the top three could ever run a restaurant. That said, my money is on Jen. I see a Jen/Bonnie final. It's amazing how far the series has backslid in terms of cooking talent - there were at least a few actual chefs on Season 1.

Or Artisanal - if a bistro will pass muster. The original Bobby Van's is just down Park in the Helmsley building, although I don't recommend it.