Keithstg

No.

You might want to contact David Gray at the Wine Rack. There are always empty wooden cases lying around there, and folks are welcome to them...

Joe, I think that everyone will acknowledge that Roberto is an amazingly talented chef. I still remember meals we had at Laboratorio practically course for course, even ones several years ago now. However, there is a distinction between being a great chef and a great restauranteur. For all of the great meals I had at Laboratorio, I was never impressed with Galileo, and have not been impressed with Bebo, by and large. It's extremely frustrating to see so much potential in a restaurant, but have the same issues repeated over and over (service was also an issue at Galileo). With a chef of Roberto's caliber, it seems that the approach you outline above should not be necessary in order to have a good meal at his restaurant. With any luck, Roberto will take as much pride in the FOH as he does in his food.

Hopefully they made an exception for both her and Sandra Lee and called the program something other than a "chefography", but I doubt it.

$60 - sorry about that. Tasting menu consists of choices off the regular menu -chef's surprise, unless you have an allergy, dislike, etc. for one particular ingredient / dish - they are very accomodating.

Just returning from Philadelphia, where we ate our faces off for several days, in order to escape some home renovations. We hit Marigold, Matyson (Lunch), Morimoto, Le Bec Fin, and Tony Luke's. Marigold was excellent - we had the five course tasting menu, which I thought was a good deal at $50. Highlights included escargot, turbot in saffron sauce, and roast pork wraped in grape leaves. Having heard that Marigold has been inconsistent lately, I am happy to report that our dishes were well-executed. Our service was semi-aloof, but got the job done, wine opened and decanted, etc. Matyson: Lunch here. I had a cavatelli special as an app, which was fantastic. My wife had parsnip soup with Duck Confit, which was ecxellent. Mains were Steak Frites for me, and a goat cheese and crab crepe for my wife. She loved the crab crepe, however my steak frites were badly overcooked. The kitchen was responsive to this mistake, and a new dish arrived shortly thereafter, perfectly medium rare. The fries were a bit over truffle-oiled as well. Matyson was our only average meal on this trip - everything was fine, but not incredible. Morimoto: At this point, we were wondering why we'd eaten at restaurants beginning with the letter M! This was our second time eating at Morimoto in probably two years. We sat at the sushi bar once again, and once again Morimoto was behind the sushi bar, preparing items and expediting. We enjoyed the omakase, both of us opting for the $100 version. service was attentive, and the sashimi course in particular shone. The only miss we had was the desert course, which was a cherry mousse, served too cold, on top of a flavorless poundcake. Otherwise, we had an enjoyable meal overall. Le Bec Fin: We've eaten here several times, and the details of ou meal are a bit hazy at this point. We do love the unlimited amounts of dessert and cheese from the cheese tray. One thing that struck me about this dinner was how rare this type of restaurant is becoming in the USA - jacket required, formal service, etc - "grown-up" would be the words I'd use to describe it. This visit didn't have the incredible highlights of a meal, say, at Citronelle, but it was solid overall. Tony Luke's: We each had a steak, wiz, wit, and split a Pork sandwich (purely in the name of research). We enjoyed it more than Pat's or Geno's, and I look forward to having my cholesterol checked at my check up this coming tuesday....

I agree that the Termanthia is "tight" - I had the 2003, which had been double decanted, and open for several hours in cellar - but we'll have to wait a couple of years to see how they will evolve after 10 - I think that this bottling has only been made since 1999, but I could be wrong. The comparison to the Boxer may not be the best one, but sprang to mind because I thought them both monolithic. My dad loves Termanthia, though - it was one of his bottles I tried. Who knows, maybe as my taste buds change I'll get into it.

Absolutely. But in this case, Michael Landrum and yourself were the only people who actually described the wine. Hyperbole is easily dismissed. I have not had this particular bottling, but have had the Termanthia, which I found too over the top. Too much oak, syrup-like in nature, and not very nuanced. All in all, it reminded me of a Sparky Marquis (Mollydooker) wine, The Boxer. Lots of people love these wines, but they aren't to my taste.

That's about the name I would expect - not much of a step up from "Sammies" and "EVOO" - blech.

Sounds like the same audience as all his other Manhattan operations - "on weekends, the clientele is 99 percent New Jersey, said General Manager Philipp Posch"...

Greggory Hill was definitely in the kitchen when we were there on Wednesday, he came out to ask patrons how the dogs were. I'm assuming he was making sausages that day, but didn't think to ask him...

Went on Wednesday afternoon, and really enjoyed the place. As to price, I found that for two people, the price ended up the same as Ben's Chili Bowl ($25.00 or so for two dogs (one uptown), two cheese fries, and two sodas). Given the nature of the 'dogs at each place, I came away thinking that M'Dawg was fairly priced, especially given the location. The hot italian sausage could have used some more heat, however.

Interesting show. The first episode was filmed on an Island off the coast of Maine where we have been spending summers for the past 30 years. The Islanders couldn't say enough nice things about the chef. The show was interesting, even if the Food Network ratcheted up the drama levels a bit.

At around $40 a bottle, mailing list, I don't think that these KB's are too pricey. Either way, I'm happy with the 18 or so I am allocated. I realize that the wine may not be to everyone's style, and it is a departure from the Burgundies I also enjoy. However, KB makes a great bottle of wine, at a reasonable price. I won't stop buying wines locally and switch to all mailing list purchases - I enjoy working with wine shops to find new things I might enjoy. I think mailers serve their purpose - to distribute small production wines amongst those who most enjoy them, not as a replacement for retail shops.

Wow! Any plans for more this year, Mark?

I agree completely re: markup on KB when you see it at retail in DC - although it is on the list at Sonoma and Charlie Palmer Steak for a resonable amount. WesMar is available at Schneider's, FYI.I have the following allocations that I am able to share, if there is interest send me a PM: Kosta Browne Radio Coteau Copain Kutch Loring Carlisle

Depends on what you are interested in. The bar at Hotel Rouge isn't very far, and on 17th street you have Trio, Hanks (although the bar will likely be crowded), etc...

Muhammad Ali has Parkinson's Disease - which tends to make him (1) mumble, and (2) talk out of the side of his mouth.

As did I. It came as quite a surprise. I had basically forgotten about it.

They weren't earlier in the week. If they are now, sorry! I guess that the choc. mousse was new - it came with the aforementioned bb's, as well as a rasberry sauce.

Went to Central on Saturday night, and had an excellent experience. First of all, on Saturday night the restaurant had been open for ONE WEEK. That's it. My wife and I, and another couple had dinner, and then drinks at the bar. I'm not going to make comparisons, or load up the hyperbole cannon and fire it everywhere, and I'm nowhere near presumptuous enough to suggest what Chef Richard needs to do, or what kind of experience he is looking to provide. We all had a fabulous time, and excellent food. When we arrived at 6:30, the bar was relatively crowded, the dining room was not, which is to be expected - 6:30 is pretty early on a Saturday for dinner. The space is fantastic - very bright and contemporary. The bartender was very gregarious, and quickly brought us our drinks. We enjoyed them at the bar, and then moved to our table when our friends arrived. The place was packed when we got up a bit after 9pm - I'm guessing that since they have only been open a week, they are trying to pace the nights a bit gently to start. Starters for our group included the Tuna Carpaccio (x2) Mussels Chowder, and the gougeres. The mussels chowder was fantastic - very rich, with a ton of mussels. Were the weather warmer, it would be a perfect winter dish. Everyone at the table enjoyed it. The Tuna Carpaccio was recommended by our server, and was very nice, although I was only able to have a bite, as my wife finished her portion before allowing me to try it. The gougeres were very good, although in retrospect I would have liked to have ordered the onion soup, and snacked on the gougeres at the bar. Mains were the Lamb Shank, Short Ribs, and Fried Chicken (x2). The Lamb Shank was prepared perfectly - extremely tender and tasty, and the polenta was done perfectly. The Short Ribs looked excellent, although I did not get a chance to taste them. Having been a huge fan of the fried chicken at the Lounge at Citronelle, I was interested to see how the dish would hold up to a full breast of chicken, rather than the pieces offered in the lounge. In short, the best fried chicken in the area is at Central. Perfectly done, very crispy, with a huge helping of mashed potatoes, this dish was the star of the night. Extremely well done. Side orders were Mac and Cheese, Cherry Tomatoes, and Fries. The mac and cheese was excellent, penne pasta in a very rich cheese sauce. I did not have the cherry tomatoes, although they all disappeared. The fries were very crispy, but could have used some more salt, in all honesty. The fries were the only portion of the meal in which the seasoning needed any adjustment whatsoever. The wine was a very tasty and reasonably priced Gevrey Chambertin. Our server told us that a reserve winelist will be forthcoming (Mark?), which we can't wait to see. Desserts were the Creme Brulee, Lemon Tart, and the Chocolate Mousse with chocolate "bb's". The rich, decadent chocolate mousse was the winner here, although I really, really enjoyed the Lemon Tart. All in all, we thought the meal was fantastic, and a great value for the price paid. Service was on point, and well organized throughout the meal. The server had an excellent grasp of the menu, and made some good suggestions. We had a fantastic time, and the restaurant had a nice buzz about it when we got up from the table around 9. It was full, and we were lucky to grab seats at the bar for a nightcap. Central seems like it is going to be continually packed, and we can't wait to return.

Hmm. Really nothing in your review supports the final assessment, which I have to think is driven by your reaction to the alcohol prices. You've dined at Colvin Run before, did you not drink then, so these prices were a surprise? When you describe a meal as you did above, and have two dishes that you didn't enjoy, why not raise that issue at the time. There is little in your post to support the conclusion that most of the food tasted pre-made and reheated. As NCPinDC said, there's really nothing here to turn one off from Colvin Run.

This is the Campbell Apartment, which is on the Vanderbilt Avenue side of GCS. They have a relatively strict dress code, FYI.

Wow - short-lived.

Thanks for the report! We'll be at Gordon Ramsay at the London tomorrow night, and will get a report up ASAP.