Keithstg

Yes, but it is $90 per bottle.

Yep, and the bottle may not be on their list. While this is no deal, it does beat paying some of the mark-ups, especially on their bordeaux selections.

I was quoted $250 per person and told that this amount (defined as the "prix fixe") would be charged to my credit card if we were no shows. Additionally, if we cancelled within 48 hours I would be charged $150 per person.

Per Se only has 16 tables, and is probably still the hottest reservation in New York. Do you think that the no-show charge is excessive?

Per Se is expensive, no doubt. While I haven't been to Robuchon at the Mansion, or Guy Savoy (in Vegas) yet, my gut feeling is that $250 is better spent at Per Se, and the wine markups will be lower. Per Se also will accept corkage....

FYI, I believe that Per Se includes the tip in their prix fixe.

That is correct.

Anyone have the link to the RW website for 1/2007? To get a list of parcitipating restaurants? It'll be here before we know it with the holiday approaching!

Typically the list can be found here: www.washington.org or on Open Table.

My favorite week of the year to eat at home...

I had one in the lounge the other night along with a Chocolate Three Ways. So, yes, they are. Enjoy.

They sure are. Although we were too full to eat one after dinner in the lounge, you may also purchase one for home assembly. FYI - the Fried Chicken is the best in the city (and goes pretty well with Morey - St. Denis...)

Any body know of decent pizza delivry in SE Capitol Hill?

Decent, maybe. I'll second the Bistro Italiano, although they might not deliver. There is always Citipizza, or Al's, but I would avoid the latter. The former is decent, nothing more. Al's aspires to decent.

If you trust Parker's advice, why did you ask in the first place. If you don't like Slater's opinion, disregard it and buy, buy, buy.

Thank you!

A challenge:

My friend and her Swedish husband are going to nyc this weekend for his birthday - does anyone know of any Swedish restaurants or bars up there?

I'd love to find them a place where they can see/experience Swedish culture in ny. It doesn't have to be a place that serves Swedish food, maybe it's a place that's owned/operated by Swedes, or even just be a place that a lot of Swedes might be hanging out in. The location and price aren't as important as the atmosphere and the people.

Thanks!

Easy. Aquavit.

I will be in NYC for 3 days immediately after Thanksgiving (one day to shop/play, two others for a conference).

I've been there numerous times but always want to try new things.

Where would you suggest as a good lunch place (sit-down, not deli) in or near Soho (where I plan to shop) and could anyone recommend at least two good dinner places, not too expensive (say under 75 bucks per person). (I'll be there for two nights).

The conference is near 54th St. and 6th Avenues so if there are lunch time gems... that info would be great too.

I'm not a huge seafood eater, though for fabulous sushi I'd check it out. But not my fave.

thank you so much!

For lunch in Soho, how about Barolo, on West Broadway, or Cafe Noir, which is just off Varick? Both are reliable spots, and not too pricey. Of course there's also Balthazar and Cipriani Downtown, although the food at the latter leaves much to be desired.

For dinner, you may be able to get to Town for $75/person, but under that you could do DB Brasserie I think, or maybe Provence (also near Soho). There are some other great ones further up this thread, but (excepting DB) I don't think these places have been mentioned yet.

Pretty much any Williams-Sonoma carries demi - as does Dean and Deluca in Georgetown.

Del Posto receives two michelin stars in the 2007 Guide update...

Some articles of interest:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/24/dining/2...age&oref=slogin (NY Times - reg. required)

http://michelinguide.com/stars_nyc_07.html (the official Michelin announcement)

Some surprises this year, but not a ton.

So I received some lovely wine glasses from a wine collector weddng guest of ours, and I'm a bit at a loss over what to do with them.

They're made by some company called "Spiegelau" (not sure if that's good or not).

We've been given champagne flutes, chardonnay, bordeaux, and burgundy glasses.

Are the flutes meant solely for champagne, or for any sparkling wine (white or otherwise)? I.e. Prosecco?

Is the chardonnay solely for chardonnay, or for any white?

Is the bordeaux solely for Bordeaux wine, and if so does that mean that all other reds should be served in the burgundies?

As for the wines he gifted:

Paul Goerg "Blanc de Blancs" champagne (Premier Cru), no vintage given

2000 Charles Ranch Martinelli Chardonnay

2003 Kistler Pinot Noir (#17,952 / 24,576)

1992 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon (#5,508)

It's obvious which glasses the first two should go in, but what about the others? The cabernet, while obviously not FROM the Bordeaux region, seems to me like it would go with the bordeaux glass.

These seem like very good wines... I hope they're not wasted on an uber-neo-oenephile like me.

The Kistler would be great in the Burgundy glass (Pinot Noir = red burgundy), and you are correct, the Cab would go nicely in the Bordeaux glass.

The concept of PX is not just new to Old Town, but the entire DC area. Granted it is not a 'normal' restaurant, but I think it deserves the press Cathal or not.

I don't disagree on press at all. Written up in Express, Weekly Dish, a page in the WaPo weekend edition - those are all great. But in Tom's weekly restaurant review? PX isn't a restaurant.

Plus, Heather and JPW are just sour grapes that most of the new good places are down in Old Town and not up in Monkey County.

I don't know, aside from Eve and Eamonn's, I would say that most of the good new places are still in the district.

As JPW mentioned, I think that Tom must have felt that any new outing from Chef Armstong deserved a write up - sort of like Bruni reviewing 'witchcraft, if that ever happened. However, to use a weekly review on a chipper, and a bar that serves no food seems like a bit of a waste. PX is cool, but the concept is nothing new. New to Old Town maybe, but it's basically Milk and Honey or Pegu.

Thanks Gubeen. I'll be on Roosevelt Island; delivery would of course be most ideal, but pick-up is also possible.

Agata and Valentina may have what you are looking for - 79th and 1st ave, lots closer to Roosevelt Island than Zabar's. They will also deliver.

Any advice about brands? I know Eurocav is the best but it is $$$$$ way expensive for my kitchen rehab budget. I was looking at Vinotemp, Marvel but again they are pretty steep.

From my research it looks like Haier, Danby are not great for long term storage and more likely to be used for beverage fridges.

Is there anything in the middle range that is good for long-term storage?

I don't know much about wine refrigerators other than the one I have, but what I do know is that for long term storage you do not want anything with a fan involved, as it can dry out corks, or so I have been tolk. Seems like you have found that out through your research, though.

Another place to consider (apart from Rob's excellent suggestions) is Foremost Appliances, who stock Sub-Zero, Viking, and U-Line. I have a small (100 bottle) U-Line mounted under the kitchen counter, and it is excellent. Foremost has these small units, all the way up to 500 + bottle units, and seem to be very price competitive.

I also use The Wine Rack in georgetown for longer-term, offsite storage. They have been a saving grace, given the tendency of those bottles to pile up.

I really expected this thread to be about this wineglass.

(It just looks so... SkyMall.)

Really? I keep that glass in the basement, right next to our wall-size crossword puzzle!

Not to mention, I don't think there's anything that Park Cafe could possibly do that would expand its clientele to beyond the neighborhood.

Serving better food would be a start. Dino isn't in my neighborhood, but I happily drive up to NW from Lincoln Park to eat there. Ditto Palena, etc. I have noticed that Park Cafe seems more crowded these days - sometimes even full on the weekends. Whether this has to do with the growth of our neighborhood, or the recent advertising blitz that Park Cafe has done (in print, anyway), I don't know.

Having been to No.9 Park and Locke-Ober last week, I have to say I'm amazed that Locke-Ober made the cut. Our meal was fine, but there are at least 10 restaurants in DC I would go to ahead of L-O. No.9 Park was fantastic, however.

A tribute from Allen Meadows

We opened our only bottle of Cros Parentoux in a toast to Henri last night. A true genius.

My God, what a tragedy.

Seriously, I am looking forward to hearing more. Any idea who might be in the kitchen?

No idea, but I believe GrizForm is doing the design work, and judging from materials being sourced, it's going to look pretty high-end.

Has anyone been since they came back from vacation? What are the can't miss items? We are heading there tonight. Thanks.

We will see you there!

I was a bit surprised that Pavie was not promoted, given the absorbption of La Clusiere. Mark, do you happen to know where La Mondotte falls nowadays? It seemed like Von Niepperg was putting some serious time and effort behind that wine. Anyway, promotions are hard to come by in these classifications, it seems.

What I enjoy best about the place is that the annoying Adams Morgan/Georgetown weekend crowd hasn't yet discovered it. It still feels like a friendly, cozy neighborhood place, even on a Saturday night.

Indeed. I think that the Argonaut is just far enough off the beaten path to remain more of a neighborhood joint (we are up on 14th and Constitution), especially with the publicity surrounding places like the Rock and Roll Hotel, Palace of Wonders, etc...