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If anyone is interested in seats for Roberto's Four, there are 4 seats available Thursday April 4. I want to thank Roberto and Al Dente for their flexibility in allowing us change our reservation due to changing circumstances on our end. Niall

Holy sh*t!! Cannot believe this - SO SO glad we got to try it at least once. One thing I observed but neglected to mention in my post was that it did not seem overly busy for a Saturday night - our reservations were for 8.45 and there were empty tables the whole time we were there - I would hazard a guess that it was about 60% full This is a huge loss for DC - these guys were really shooting for the stars

We went on Saturday night. It was great and at times verged on truly outstanding. Service was decent - kind of got off to a slightly rough start but settled down after that. The food is very ambitious both in concept and presentation and most of the time they pull it off. The Dashi custard and scallop dish may be the single best thing I have eaten in about two years - stunning depth of flavor. Beets and carrots were excellent, as was the squab. The pork and kale dish was probably the weakest of the night. Desserts were also great - the chocolate orange one in particular just floored me. Beautiful space - at times the music (Grizzly Bear ) verged on a teeny bit too loud. The dishes on which the food is served deserve their own mention - mini rustic works of art. I would love to go back asap but am wondering how much the menu changes. While I would eat the dashi custard for brekfast lunch and dinner I would definitely like to try other offerings from the litchen. Maybe as spring arrives there will be more changes. The speakeasy next door is pretentious - we rolled out of Suna at 11pm in a great mood after such a wonderful meal, walked into the speakeasy which was practically EMPTY and were told we couldn't be seated until 11.45 - whatever - I guess they don't need my money.

I used to love chowing down on Koshary when living in Cairo - will have to check it out!

Definitely something wrong with either the recipe this year or that specific batch to hit DC. Too boozy, frankly not enough hops in my opinion. Just kind of an unbalanced mess. Either my tastes are changing or the beer is but I feel truly sorry for people spending $20-25 a sixer for this beer - its a shadow of what it was 2-3 years ago

Be careful out there kids http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/12/business/more-emergency-room-visits-linked-to-energy-drinks-report-says.html?_r=0

Is corkage still $50? I aks only because Weygant Wines corkage list says "no corkage allowed" for Cityzen

Chevy Chase is good but is consistently overpriced across the board. Figure to pay an extra $1-2 per 6 pack and $1-2 per bomber regardless of what it is. Magruders used to be my go to place but their beer guy Ben left about 6 months ago and things are starting to slip a little - still generally great prices on cases - I would argue the best in the city. But because they don't have a beer geek dogging distributors they are starting to miss out on some limited release/seasonal stuff, e.g., Founders Breakfast Stout was not on their radar screeen until I asked for it. I still buy a lot of stuff there though So I'm also starting to hit up Rodmans a little more - they don't have the same value on case prices but have a wider selection of bombers and 750s and price them very competitively.....and you can buy beer on Sundays there

Very interesting reading the varied reviews on Bucks over the past few years. We had an outstanding meal there last night that was the culmination of a run of 4 groupon and non-groupon meals. I would have to respectfully disagree with Dons assertion regarding the decline in the quality of the food at Bucks. On the contrary, at they price point I think they are one of the best deals in the city. Further, and for a location that has experienced service issues in the past, we've never had a bad experience going back 10 years to when it was still Greenwood (maybe we were just lucky!). I'd also not that staff turnover seems very low with several servers again being recognizable from our first visits there 10 years ago. Anyhoo, what about the food........ Onion Rings: In my opinion the best in the city. Culinary crack. Lovely light batter and slightly spicy dipping sauce Fried Oysters: Plump, seasoned nicely, thank you very much Grilled Asparagus w/ poached egg and crispy prosciutto: Very tasty Grilled Ramps w/ a few other bits and pieces: I'd never had ramps before, enjoyed them. Stating the obvious here but to me like a cross between a scallion and a leek. Had a nice chat with the waitress about the provenance of the Bucks ramps Softshell crab: Fried I believe, it didn;t stay on my wifes plate long enough for me to tell Local Mushroom Saute w/ Quinoa Pilaf, Grilled Rainbow Chard and a Poached Egg: Absolutely outstanding!! I remember a few months ago trying a similar dish at Ripple in Cleveland Park after rave reviews on DR. It was terrible and came in a serving size more appropriate for a child. THIS DISH WAS SPECTACULAR!! (channeling my inner Joe H here ). I love mushrooms, I love eggs, and everything game together in this woody, unctuous blaze of culinary glory. I challenge anyone to have this dish and not like it. Saffron Creme Brûlée: Favorite thing about this was the nice thick burnt sugar crust on top. Sometimes it can be very thin an unsubstantial. This was like breaking glass. Very satisfying and great texture contrast to the creme. So there you have it - excellent food, excellent service. Our Groupon meals there have been the same, albeit cheaper. We are lucky to have both Bucks and Blue 44 in our neighborhood.

So we went. On the whole we were satisfied but it was a bit of a mixed bag. Ambience: Very nice in an old world way - seated close to a fire which just made everything seem cosier. Service: Extremely gracious and courteous, if a tad slow at times. We felt like we waited around a good 15 minutes or more before we had drinks in hand and a little longer still for bread. But on the whole we were happy and felt looked after. Got a fabulous pinot recommendation from the sommelier and even knocked off $5 from the price so it could fit in my stated price range. Food: Some of it was excellent, some of it just didn't display the type of refinement you expect at at restaurant at this price point. A celery root soup for example, tasted ok but was a little thick and pasty and like something you might crank out at home in 90 minutes on a sunday afternoon. But the fried pork terrine w/ cracklins was very satisfying as was the beef carpaccio. The entrees were mostly excellent, especially the halibut served atop a piece of pork belly w/ a little parsnip veloute and grilled scallions - fish cooked perfectly, pork belly melted in mouth - everything came together really well. My dessert was not great though - a dry, distinctly untoffeeish sticky toffee pudding.

Sorry I cannot echo the recent burst of favorable reviews for Ripple. Went a few weeks ago. Liked the funky decor and the attentive service. Didn;t like the small servings and the high prices. The soup mentioned below was delivered in the same fashion, and yes its a trite food trend but whats even more ridiculous is when the liquid is barely enough to cover the solid ingredients. It was delicious but I literally think I managed 3 or 4 spoonfuls and for the price ($12 I think but I could be wrong) it was kind of a ripoff actually. I also can't share the love for the quinoa risotto w/ egg. Normally I'm a sucker for anything with egg but it was oddly flavorless and slightly over salted. I'll slink back to my cave now......

I heard that several bottles of Baying Hound exploded at local store this week - would that be a sign of over active fermentation after bottling?

SMACKDOWN!! Terrible, terrible pointy headed bureaucratic decision btw http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2011/10/11/theres-a-tear-in-my-beer-no-more-growlers-at-dvines-and-de-vinos/#more-48248

Its still too early for garlic regardless of what the post says. I would wait until early Nov at the earliest. That has worked nicely for me the last few years and has resulted in bumper garlic crops. It was a mixed summer for my little garden. Another poor tomato crop but literally hundreds of tomatillos, loads of peppers of all shapes and sizes, about 25 eggplant, and 2 of the cutest and tastiest little watermelons you've ever seen!

I did. Most of my tomatoes did not do well at all this year. I had a little early luck with grape tomatoes but they died off in July. May have been my fault - I was watering irregularly and the heat was brutal. My tomatillos on the other hand!! GOOD LORD - hundreds of the little buggers including these awesome deep purple ones so we've been awash in salsas and other sauces. Also had lots of peppers, and eggplants this year and for the first time grew two watermelons....

We've been here a few times and think its an excellent addition to a neighborhood full of mediocre and often overpriced options. Granted they tend to stick to the staples but what they do, they do well. Most of the entrees are in the $10-15 dollar range which seems reasonable to me in this day and age and they have a nice, not dumbed down kids menu that is only $6 IIRC and is basically smaller versions of the adult dishes. We've had the deviled eggs, pierogies, fried oysters (too salty), spaghetti and meatballs, philly cheesesteak, pasta w/ wild mushrooms and asparagus, caramelized fennel (outstanding!) and a few other bits and pieces. All have been uniformly very good, with the exception of the oysters which suffered from a heavy hand. On Sunday, 4 of us had dinner including 2 beers for me and a margarita for my wife for $68......maybe I've become inured to high prices around here but I thought that was good value I would go here in a heartbeat over any other area venue (Parthenon - yuck, Arucola - woeful service, Jakes - tries to be fancier than it really is). Jakes is probbaly the best direct comparison and I would argue that Blue 44 are executing way better than Jakes right now. My only quibble is their beer list: Shocktop, Sam Adams, and some other nondescript beer on draft just doesn't cut it these days for me with all the great local and national microbrews out there.

what a great update Jackie - headed to Barcelona in a few weeks and I will definitely rely on this

Kiyo's is still great!

Magruders had cases of Port City on sale last week for 31.99

Hey Dan Any reports from your trip to SD? Thanks Niall

Had lunch there last week. $10 +tax/tip got me a jalapeno sausage, two pieces of corn bread and a bowl of corn pudding. All were very good so while I can see how it could get expensive quickly I thought this was a good deal. The food is good but as others have said, the whole ordering schtick is a bit precious, and quite frankly confusing for first timers. And whats with the rope cordoning off the bar and eating area? If I worked there I'd be pissed to have to move that rope back and forth 350 times during lunch

Does anyone know where I might be able to find this locally? Thanks http://www.amazon.com/Kewpie-Deep-Roasted-Sesame-Dressing-5-75/dp/B002U4OV6I

Looks like she is also 'consulting' on the cocktail menu at Jakes, in the old Uptown Cathay Spot..... http://www.jakesdc.com/chefs-corner.html

as long as you can put up with the jacked up prices and the obnoxious service (not Larry) Magruders has Great Divide and I saw Avery beer in cans at Broad Branch Market (Broad Branch and Northampton NW)

Reportedly closing http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2011/02/commonwealth-gastro-pub-closing-in-columbia-heights-at-end-of-the-month/