Keithstg

Uh, Morimoto does this at his restaurant in Philly (at the "sushi bar"). He may not be there daily now, but the Lab isn't open every day either.

Possibly Etas Unis. L'Impero is great, and we recently had a wonderful meal at Aureole, although it may be pushing the price ceiling.

An answer, in part: My sister has a severe nut allergy, which she most assuredly did not self-select. As her allergy is out of the norm, we typically contact places in advance to inform them, and to determine if her menu choices will be limited. The last time she came to DC to visit, I contacted the restaurant GM in advance to ask if they had items on the menu that work for her, and that she could eat with (1) some choice, and (2) without the risk of anaphylactic shock. We were assured that entrees existed that could accomodate her, and had a wonderful meal. She was not able to eat dessert, because all of the deserts had nuts in them to some degree. Missing dessert was a dissapointment, sure, but not the restaurant fault, and something that is unfortunately a fact of life for her.How difficult is it to raise a dietary issue beforehand, inquire about options, and then dine accordingly? Seems to me that this approach would solve two purposes -inform the restaurant management that a segment of their customers had particular restrictions (and thereby demonstrate a market for entrees, apps, etc. targeted to that market), and diminish the chance for diner dissapointment. It's not about "sucking it up", or "taking what you're given", as was so eloquently put, but more about working with the restaurant to affect a better outcome. In many cases a call or question ahead of time, or during the meal, can help resolve things better than complaining after the fact, or griping on the internet will. (edit: to fix grammar)

Perfectly stated. As someone else has said on this thread, market need will bear out more acceptance. Perhaps someone should bankroll a primarily vegetarian white tablecloth establishment.

I'd go to either Blue Hill or Gramercy. I had a decent (but nothing more) meal at Cafe Gray a few weeks ago, and have never been a huge fan of WD-50. I do know people who love it, but I haven't enjoyed the few times I have been.

Jean-Jorges is great - you can also get into either the bar or the Nougataine room if you want a more casual experience at the flagship restaurant. You could also head to the "mall" across the street for drinks in Per Se's lounge either before or after the meal... Of the "big" 4 stars in NYC, I would take J-G after Per Se, but before most of the others (haven't been to Masa yet).

How far in advance are you planning to reserve a table? For the nice meal out, I'd consider Gramercy Tavern, Veritas, Craft, David Burke & Donatella, or one of the BLT's. For the cheaper meal out, Etas Unis or DB Bistro might work. What area of the city will you be staying in, and how far out of that area are you willing to travel for dinner?

IMO, Jaleo and Zaytinya are not close to the same level of dining as Palena. I can understand criticism of the restaurant, and have criticised Palena myself on occasion. But overall, I think Palena represents a bargain in terms of fine dining in Washington.

Ditto Robert Foley Petite Syrah, if you can find it!

Fair enough, that was a bit harsh. I'd argue that while I personally find the burgers to be better at Melon's overall, it also struck me as much more of a neighborhood haunt than did CB. YMMV. Is it worth the trip all the way to the UES? I don't know, but it certainly worked in the context of a UES trip including Tottono's.Either way, both belong among the notable burgers to be had in NYC.

I think some of it boils down to where you live in the city. Growing up, I wouldn't make the trip all the way down to CB, but Melon's was an easy walk. Also, Melon's has less of a hectic component to it, especially on weekends. If the OP wants a more touristy type route, then by all means do the White Horse Tavern - CB route.

Yes, it was bizarre. He got through one chicken before we were able to dissuade him from going further. It was odd, but no matter. The food was delicious as always, and I can't wait to go back.

I was in the bar at Palena last night as well - in a booth with my wife and in-laws. The chicken was, as always, perfect, and the gnocchi were loved by all. We did have a bit of a wierd service moment - the server (whom I did not know), came over to our table and insisted on cutting our chicken for us. He then proceeded to do just that, ignoring the fact that we were already eating said birds, and were quite happy to cut them ourselves. Fortunately, he did stop when he was asked to, repeatedly. If only he were doing this while on a Segway... Anyway, another memorable evening at Palena, albeit one with a bizzare service issue. One of these days I'll bring myself to try something other than the gnocchi and the chicken.

Actually, they have several locations, The Coney Island Location, the one on 80th and 2nd, and another in the 40s on 2nd. I should know, I grew up a few blocks from the 80th and 2nd locale.New Haven pies vs. Totonno's is another matter.

Absolutely agree with JG Melon. Skip the over hyped Corner Bistro and head directly to JG Melon for burgers and bloody bulls. Totonno's is good as well - and it's only 6 blocks away.

Amen.

Hartford; West Hartford Lemongrass is a good bet. Also in WH Center, Grant's does a good job of "Modern American", and Max's Oyster Bar is a nice spot, if you can wade through the throng of Desperate Housewives at the bar. In downtown Hartford, try Max Downtown, Pastis, or Peppercorn's. If you have already been - where did you decide on?

There is (was?) also a place on Van Dorn in a strip mall right near the supermarket (Safeway) called Annette's Barbeque Heaven, which is really cheap and pretty darn tasty.

The beer with the funny name is "Booty Beer", their house pour. It was an IPA the times I have been in there (about 4-5 now), but may have changed to an amber. The kitchen staff comes almost completey from the restaurant that was in that space before the Argonaut, and they do send out pretty decent food - I enjoyed the grilled cheese with bacon and the gravy fries. It's a good bar with a very laid back, local crowd.

Exactly my experience. While the room is really nice, the food was awfully convoluted - everything was over-sauced, over-stacked, and over-garnished. Maybe it's gotten better in the past year, but we'll not be driving an hour out of the District to find out...

Thanks very much for your suggestions (Mdt and Brendan). They did make it until the 26th, and were fantastic last night. I did notice that they were less potent than when I received them, however. I used the truffles in risotto last night, and then with eggs this morning.Thanks again for the storage advice!

My wife surprised me tonight with a Christmas gift of two small white truffles. Unfortunately, they arrived after we had eaten dinner. As we are leaving tomorrow for the holidays - I was wondering how long the truffles would keep in the refrigerator. Will they last until the 26th? Any response would be appreciated - thanks!

Hmm, will this be in the old Harbor Club space?

If you are willing to drive into the District, Union Meat at Eastern Market will be able to help.

If a few months ago counts as recently, I've been to Aria recently. While I can emphatize with the holiday party situation (ours was originally booked at Ortanique as well, but was swithced to Sonoma - much better!), I would say avoid, avoid, avoid Aria. I had overcooked fettucine with a flat, canned-tasting, uninspired meat ragu, and my co-worker had one of the most oily pizzas I have ever seen. Needless to say, we don't plan on returning. Hopefully it's gotten better since then....