xcanuck

Sadly, we're out. The league scheduled a hockey game for Mar 08 (a make up for one of the games canceled due to the snowpocalypse). Sorry, Dean. This sounds like a truly amazing dinner.

C'mon, Dean. You've got to figure out how to include duck in the dessert. Can't you extract some gelatin from the duck (maybe the webbing) to help firm up the panna cotta?

Seriously - this sounds great!! Lisa and I will be there.

I'll be there at 5:30pm. Maybe I'll have a Joe Riley

Red line is running above ground. Finally. I plan on being at The Passenger by 5:30. I'll even wear something clean respectable in case we decide to go somewhere afterward.

Good luck with this

For the record, not only did I make HH at Proof, but we went on to the Caps game afterwards.

But, for the love of God, please get me out of my f**king house this Friday. Between i) Snowpocalypse 2.0, ii) a truly hellacious work week, and iii) the threat of even more snow on Monday, I think this Friday will be a perfect time for serious quantities of alcohol and good company.

To be honest, food isn't as important to me as friends and good booze (is that a sacrilegious thing to say on this board?). I'm jonesing for a good Tom/Derek Brown cocktail at The Passenger, or one of Adam's creations, but any of the places others have mentioned will work. Good company and a fine drink trumps many woes. Who's in?

Surprised no one said the old 9:30 Club. Even with the rats and the large pole in the middle of the floor, it was a great place to see a band.

I'll 4th (?) the Crowbar. I remember hanging out with some biker friends when Sen Ben Nighthorse Campbell joined us. He ordered a coke, grumbling about the damn media who was just dying to get a picture of him with a beer.

And while it may not have the same historical cachet of the places others have mentioned, I don't think I've enjoyed a bar more than the one at Restaurant Kolumbia. Having a martini, a smoke, and sharing a laugh with the good folks who worked there. Good times.

Personally, I don't think this Friday is too soon, nor should the weather be an impediment (as long as we pick some place Metro accessible). I know I'm going to need a drink this Friday, given the way the work week is going.

Count Lisa and I in!

Happy to hear that Mayorga is open, but that location is a loser unless you're on foot. It will be hard to draw the folks driving by who might want a cuppa on a whim, because there's nowhere really close to park.

And isn't that why they claim the SS location failed? Sounds like they're moving from one bad location to another. It's a real shame that they couldn't open in "downtown SS" - a (relatively) independent coffee shop would be greatly preferable to the chains currently in operation.

A great idea! Nice to see people stepping up and coming up with some innovative events. I'd love to attend and contribute but we'll be on our way back from vacation on the 22nd. I hope this goes well, and is something we can build on in the future. It sounds like it'll be incredible fun.

Had dinner at Dino's last night with two other couples. Started the night off right with a 2, oh, perhaps 4 of the Five Families cocktail (their take on a Manhattan) and antipasti at the bar. We ate family style, which gave us the opportunity to try several dishes. Appetizers included white anchovies, artichokes, smoked mozz, saltimbocca, roasted fall veg, 3 cheese polenta, and burrata. Mains included pasta tubes with sausage sauce, corkscrew pasta with tenderloin tips sauce, bistecca, and whole fish. More cocktails. More wine. Everyone had dessert - mine was the trio of "adult" sorbets.

The antipasti at the bar and appetizers have often been my favorites, so much so that I often make a meal just out of those. The pickled green beans and garlic, white beans, and olives at the bar were perfect munchies while enjoying my cocktail(s). The real winners in the appetizer round last night were the saltimbocca and three cheese polenta. IIRC, the roasted veggies could have used a bit more herb and a little less olive oil but that may be my personal taste. While I liked our other apps, I think it's time for us to move on to some new stuff. We're getting in a bit of a rut eating the same old, same old.

The best part of the mains has traditionally been the homemade pasta. The pasta tubes have become a staple for us, not just because of their great flavour, but because I really enjoy the 'toothiness' of them. But the corkscrew pasta may have surpassed the tubes as our favorite. Again, a great taste and texture, but I really enjoyed the way they held on to the sauce. I like the way the sauces are used at Dino - they accompany and enhance the pasta but never overwhelm. The pasta is still the star of the dish.

I was the lucky guy who snagged the head of the whole fish. The cheeks of any animal are the best!! And the bistecca was, as usual, perfectly seared on the outside with an almost a "creamy" rare inside. The thing I appreciate the most is that the steak had none of that grey overcooked "mantle" under the charred crust. I can only dream of owning a grill as hot as the one they must have in their kitchen.

Dino on a winter night with a large group of friends is exactly what was needed after a stressful week of work. I think what we ordered reflected our need for a simple, but well prepared dinner. We bypassed some of the more complex dishes (like the beggar's purse, lentil soup, maialino, etc) in favour of simpler dishes. And at $60/person (not incl tip), the meal was a steal. Thanks for the great meal and patient service.

Anyone interested in getting together for a little pre-NYE happy hour? Heather, Lisa and I will be at Proof around 5:30pm. Please drop by and have a cocktail or six with us!

Belize

I also really like Ambergis Caye in Belize for a nice trip down to the tropics. They have good food, it all tends to be a little more low key- Elvi's Kitchen is a particular favorite.

Elvi's is about the only "tourist" place that I'd eat at. We find that most of our daytime eating is at the roadside stands (especially near the schools or in the main square off Middle St). The Reef is where locals go for simple but fresh seafood. But otherwise, I can't say that AC is a place I'd go to because of the food (which is what I think the thread starter was asking for).

By the way, AA has a fare sale to Belize ($392 r/t incl taxes and s/c from BWI to BZE). The money you save will keep you going for a few happy hours at The Tackle Box!

St. Martin

Another hearty recommendation for St Maarten. Grand Case (on the French side) has fantastic restaurants.

Stop in at the Dinghy Dock in Oyster Pond (part of the Capt Oliver's complex on the Dutch side) before hand for the ultimate grotty happy hour. The Dinghy Dock is the sight of THREE of the worst hangovers I've ever had in my life but don't let that deter you. The "pour your own" HH needs to be approached with caution and maturity.

A dear friend has asked me for a little help during a tough time: after 25 years, her mother has lost her mother -- a bit of culture that, for more than two decades, helped streams if not oceans of leftover red wine make the transition from nasty stuff in the back of the fridge to delicious condiment. Cause of death is unknown but the passing was, by was all accounts, gruesome. If anyone can spare dram or so of mother of vinegar during this season of giving it would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

I bought some online and have an extra one. My experience with the first one didn't go so well, but I blame myself and not the mother. It's yours if you want it.

Reconfirming. Trying to get a few non-board members to join us to pad the numbers (and number of dishes!). See y'all at noon.

I second mdt's recommendation about Rappahanock River Oysters. Waitman originally turned me on to them. I've ordered from them before and love their oysters!! Excellent customer service, too.

Ack! We're out of town on the 19th but if my peeps can help me out (I'm looking at you, Heather and Daniel) then I'm good with that day.

By the way...the Buffalo Sabres' last visit to DC is on Wed 12/23. I wonder if there are any Sabres fans who would want to go to the game with me *wink* *wink*.

Monday. Noon. Sichuan Pavilion. BE THERE.

Count me in! We haven't had a RPLC get together in months. Looking forward to seeing the usual suspects there, as well as any newbies.

Thanks to everyone that attended. Adam - the punch was fantastic!! I don't know if you can make that a regular part of the drink menu (isn't there some restriction about prepared alcoholic drinks? maybe just in MoCo....but I remember a discussion of why sangria couldn't be pre-prepared at Jaleo).

A few charcuterie boards were ordered and the offerings on there were splendid. The company was even better. It was good seeing so many friends and meeting some of the boards newer members.

I apologize for having to leave early (and missing Rocks!). Hope everyone else had fun.

BUMP!!

Looking forward to seeing people at 5:30 in the bar area of Proof. I'm the one looking wildly inappropriate in such a nice restaurant.

Amit

I love this place. Great drinks, fantastic beer, cool music selection, nice people, comfortable environment. Even though they've only been open a few days, the place was slammed by 6pm yesterday. Nibbled on yummy almonds and olives. My friend's chili half smoke was received well. Another place to add into the rotation.

A serious shout out for the Spicy Lamb Bolognase. It actually tasted like lamb. Noodles had a perfect toothiness to them. Lisa couldn't stop raving over the sablefish. What a great dinner!

Now, a plea to PLEASE bring back the pork noodle soup. We got it on the first day it was on the menu and it was funny to watch all the bar staff hanging out trying to get a sniff of that heavenly aroma. Easily my favorite dish ever to come out of the kitchen at Proof.

Oh, hell yeah! Some fresh kielbasa to go in the smoker!! This time I'll be there FIRST so I won't have to rely on the kindness of strangers (well, Waitman).

If it's 10 AM and you're pining away for that first gin, just post something like, "Anyone up for getting trashed today? How about Bar Dumpster at 6-ish?" A couple people might chime in, Et Voila! You have a nice little impromptu party.

Damn, Rocks...that's pretty much me EVERY day.

So after conferring with both Adam and Mark, the date is set: Tues Dec 01 5:30pm. Details to follow. I don't think there's a need for any official RSVP or anything like that. I'll bump this as we get closer to the date. First charcuterie board is on me.