Keithstg

Does the cafe take reservations?

No.

Does anyone have a bunch of these things they can part with? I'll be happy to arrange pickup.

Thank you,

Rocks.

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...

On most of my visits he is not even aware that I am there until I am halfway or later through the meal.

My comment about going back and saying Hi is just that: when you sit at the bar you can look back and sometimes you'll see him stand near the entrance to the kitchen. I'm suggesting walk back and say hello to him; tell him that you're unsure what you should order and would like him to order for you. Not the bartender or the waiter's opinion on "what's best" but Roberto's decision. Not because of any special friendship. But rather because of his pride in what he wants you to try. He has a ferocious amount of pride in his food. I'm saying "justifiably."

For that matter, if you are in the dining room, tell the waiter to have Roberto order for you. Just some parameters like first course, second, etc. But give him a lot of room and insist that the waiter tell Roberto that you are very passionate about food and really look forward to eating his.

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.

I hope everyone's caught the Rachael Ray episode of "Chefography" that's been airing on the Food Network! How can you not love her?

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

can you (or anyone else) give more insight on the tasting menu? are choices off the full regular menu that is posted on their website? i'm wondering if i should order a la carte or go with the tasting menu when i go in two weeks.

also, marigold's website says the tasting menu is $60. is it $50 or $60?

any thoughts are appreciated.

$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....

The Termanthia is an extremely "tight" $175+ wine that should be tasted after ten+ years in most instances. In some years it is one of the great wines of the world. I strongly disagree about the comparison of Termanthia to the cough syrup like Boxer although I should note that this is a particular cough syrup that I do like. And, Dal Forno Amarone is syrup (i.e. thick and viscous) like also. In fact I probably have a fondness for wines like this to be honest.

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.

Michael Landrum's wine choices have always appealed to me as have Joe's. Could it be particular styles of wine suit particular tastes and as so should be respected and not so easily dismissed?

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.

"Isaboo"?!?!? Wonder if that other dog yelped "Yummo!" after the deed was done ...

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

Yes. But this is easily the top restaurant story of the moment, and the resultant pub, including crossover stuff, may have been worth it. Chodster also was playing to his audience, who probably see his smack at Bruni as wacky but righteous.

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"...

Is there any indication that "Greggory Hill is making the hot dogs" as touted? Is he making all of them? Some of them? None of them? I peered at the menu through the front door and was somewhat skeptical, mainly because I didn't see anything about "handmade" or "artisanal" although I only made a cursory scan because it was freezing outside.

Cheers,

Rocks.

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...

I can't wait to try this place, and I'll heed the advice and give it another day or two - but one thing has caught my eye - it may be just me, but I guess I was just expecting a price-point more along the lines of the falafel shop... $8.36 for a sausage, before drink? At Amsterdam, I can get out of there w/ my small falafel, all the fixins I want and a drink at about $6... Not that the dogs won't still be worth it, that's TBD. I just wasn't expecting a $10 dawg/meal. Kudos to those that braved the weather to day to check it out!

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.

basically the host is thrown into a random situation (on a train, on a boat, wherever) and has to prepare service for a ton of people at once using just what he's got around him. very very cool.

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.

In theory, the Kosta Browne wines are available to me. We've had the Sauvignon Blanc before, and the Sonoma Pinot Noir, but nothing at the moment.

I was given a sample of one of Kosta Browne's single-vineyard Pinots last fall (NOT from the distributor) and I tried it. It was okay, but nothing to get worked up over. I'm told that it was highly allocated and very pricey. I remember thinking that it wasn't worth the price tag, but who knows? Maybe I had an "off" bottle, or maybe it just wasn't my style.

Siduri is represented by a D.C. wholesaler. It's bounced around quite a bit over the years from one supplier to another, but theoretically I can get some.

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.

According to their website, Citronelle has Kosta Browne, too. The 12 bottles I was able to get last year evaporated in 2 weeks flat.

Wow! Any plans for more this year, Mark?

Joe, I just got the mailer from Match but am a little reluctant to spend that much, regardless of how great the wine is. Is the Butterdragon Hill available at all arournd here for the $80 or so it would cost me to get it from the winery? I've never seen Lorings, Radio-Coteau, or Karl Lawrence for sale in shops in DC and the only time I saw a Kosta Browne it was at 4X what it released for from the winery. I couldn't even max out my WesMar allocation if I wanted to but again, I've not seen it in any shop.

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

Would anybody care to make a suggestion or two on a place to grab a cocktail before dinner at Komi? Hoping to find something that is walkable to/from.

Thanks in advance.

ag

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...

or because she's talks out of the side of her mouth (so does Mohammed Ali, but no one's making fun of HIM for it),

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

got mine as well...

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

"I should note that the restaurant isn't accepting reservations on Open Table yet,"

that is odd since I made my reservations on Open Table for Friday night.

While the fried chicken breast was good, I didn't care for the dark meat version. Also, it is not traditional fried chicken so it is impossible to compare to people who cook traditional Southern fried chicken in my opinion.

One question, I don't recall chocolate mousse on the menu from Friday. Is Central changing menu items regularly? I like those bb things, they were on the banana split.

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.

Decided to hit up Colvin Run last night for restaurant week with a few friends. I've been to Colvin Run numerous times in the past, and have always had excellent service and excellent food. Though last night was rather bad.

Food

Starters -

The portion was very small, but rather tasty. Both enjoyed it.

I tasted it and it was quite flavorful. I'd recommend it.

He cleaned his plate and said it was good.

Mains -

One guest ordered the pork loin. It was good, somewhat flavorful. No wow factor here, but it was tasty. Portion size was reasonable.

Two guests ordered the duck confit. This was a nice leg of the duck, came with some chinese sauce and some pancakes and some asian slaw. It was supposedly pretty good (I didn't get to try).

Deserts -

3 of us ordered the warm chocolate cake with the vanilla ice cream. The ice cream was very good and the cake was delicious. Two of the guests ordered the miroir of passion fruit which was superb as well.

Overall, the food was ok. Nothing special. Portions varied from tiny to good sized portions. In all honesty, most of the food tasted pre-made and reheated, as if it was pre-plated that afternoon. None of my guests or myself were really impressed at all, and this meal did not compare to any of the past meals i've had at Colvin Run.

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.

There is an amazing place for cocktails in Grand Central, the Vanderbilt Apartment. It is very sophisticated and unique. I don't know if it will work for the kind of dinner you want to have, but I love the Oyster Bar in Grand Central.

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

No more.

Wow - short-lived.

Although Gordon Ramsay At The London, the restaurant, may be booked solid for a while, it seems that reservations can be had more reasonably at The London Bar, Ramsay's 70-seat companion room which serves a small-plates menu.

The food menu is a 2-page affair of approximately 20 a la carte items ranging from $12 to $18 apiece. Four- and six-course prix fixe tasting menus (no options or substitutions) are also offered at $55 and $75. (The linked sample menus are close, but not identical, to the current menus.) The first page of items are nominally "lighter" than the courses than the second page. Portions sizes are on the precious side even for small plates; we both dined a la carte, and four courses plus dessert made for a light dinner.

I started with the white onion velouté: perhaps ten spoonfuls of a rich, frothy soup poured over a small mound of moist shredded duck topped by a single aromatic shaving of black truffle. Delicious...I just wish there had been more of it. A marinated beetroot "salad" was next, three maki-sized pieces composed of a tiny scoop of ricotta and small roast corn kernels, sandwiched between two thin slices of beetroot and dressed with a drizzle of the reduction. A little squish of the fork and down in one. Brilliantly simple, the intense corn flavor is a great combination with ricotta, with the beetroot contributes a nice crunchy texture base. It's just not obvious to me why this should be any more precious than say Jose Andres' endive salad.

Success was more variable with the heavier courses. The cockles were visibly obvious, but otherwise lost among the diced tomatoes and the dollop of paste-thick pesto saucing the fluke course. The pork belly was a single strip, very tender all the way through, but with no sear and not that much flavor depth. It was decorated with a thin strip of thoroughly crisp and tasty pork crackling though.

For dessert, the Valrhona chocolate fondant turned out to be a riff on individual volcano cake, served in the ramekin with the nutty almond ice cream on the side. The caramel layer lies at the bottom of the ramekin. Taken together with the ice cream, the flavors are reminiscent of Jason Andelman's salted caramel truffles, with the added bonus of the almond. I enjoyed it thoroughly, but the meal ended up on a minor anticlimax as the parting sweets turned out to be redundant flavors...salted chocolate confections and peanut brittle. One chocolate too far.

Gubeen selected an entirely different set of dishes, and I'll let her comment on those. Plusses for very careful attention to item temperatures - our dishes were presented at a range of temperatures appropriate to each dish, and even by-the-glass wines were presented correctly (if not in the "nice" glasses). Judging from the other patrons around us, at the moment The London Bar draws attracts a lot of visiting Brits who are keen to take advantage of the exchange rate while dining at a Ramsay establishment for a fraction of what it would cost in London, even at these high prices. (One beneficiary of this windfall would appear to be a sparkling wine producer from Kent.) On the whole, I found The London Bar to be an enjoyable experience but rather precious, and while some of the food was quite good, I didn't find any of the gustatory revelations I would have hoped for. Engh.

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