DonRocks

Yes.

It's called penisio and is inspired by John Wabeck.

Al Dented has seen me shag (click), but with the goat it was necessary to four-step, and in general, I want to three. Build me up, buttercup. Rocks.

Talbert's has a bottle of Dom Perignon in the display case for sale. Sodere in Little Ethiopia has one sitting up on the bar. Think these bottles are in pristine condition?

[i'm sick of going in and editing triple-spaced postings. From now on, I'm going to hold down the delete key for a split-second too long and remove the first letter of your posting in addition to the blank line. So go ahead and triple space if you want - you'll look like an illiterate buffoon when I'm done with you. Click here for your last-chance primer on how not to triple-space. Cheers, Rocks.]

So where the hell is Landrum? I see two possibilities: 1) Swinging from a noose in his apartment 2) Cruising through Kansas on I-70 in his 1968 Camaro, top down, cigarette hanging out of his mouth, Isley Brothers blaring on the stereo

Four Advil and a beer.

Rustico was in the final phases of its soft opening (not mock opening) when I visited, serving a partial menu to patrons clearly eager for a decent restaurant to open in their neighborhood, it will have some glitches to overcome (the pizzas being one of them), but the outstanding selection of beers should be enough to satisfy customers willing to stick with a few safe-and-simple offerings for now, a good wine to order there is the Montirius, a beautiful earthy red from Vacqueyras in the Southern Rhone Valley, keep the early enthusiasm in check for Bazin's on Church in Vienna, as the new restaurant has many rough edges to smooth, two big ones being the underachieving wine list and the disappointingly conservative menu, if someone took a chance with an uncompromising menu in Vienna, it could attract people from all over the area, but for now the Viennese will be stuck with stuffed flounder, crabcakes, pork chops, flatiron steak, et al, do not come here looking for David Craig because you'll be disappointed, when you want to power up your laptop and sip some wine with bar snacks, few places in town are more quirkilized than the lounge at Tabard Inn, where you can nibble on a house-made country pork terrine and enjoy a half-bottle of Pierre Peters champagne by the fireplace, the fireplace at THE GUARDS is a cozy surprise after walking past the nasty bar area, where they've been serving overcooked eggs Benedict since 1966, probably also the last time they got a delivery on their ham, trends be damned, and the un-trendiest trendy place in town is Leopold Kafe + Konditorei on a weeknight, the corner fourtop perfect for lording over the attractive space, the service up from below-ground, and the smoked fish plate ordered with the pickled cucumber salad a refreshing one-two punch, it isn't often when I have an overcooked chicken that I still like, but Leopold's version is well-worth getting, the mussels were old, overcooked, and inedible, not unlike the corned beef at Chef Theo’s, where I was recently urged to try the ruben (this is the last time I trust my mom), Chef Theo’s is a cross between Silver Diner and Big Boy’s, and should be avoided unless you like iceburg lettuce, frozen steak fries, stale rolls, and a lot of people having really bad food for lunch, at 12:30 PM on a Saturday, I counted 246 people in the dining area of MITSITAM CAFE, along with 64 people in the self-service ordering area, and 81 people waiting in line out the door, it’s a government-run institution serving hoards of tourists inside the Museum of the American Indian, and now I’d like you to forget about all of that, drop everything you’re doing, and make a special effort to come here, the food is better and more interesting than it has any right to be, when you get inside the ordering area, take your time and walk around, order whatever looks and sounds appealing, and wait to get your hot items until just before you walk over to the cashier, the contrast between Mitsitam Cafe and CASCADE CAFE (the underground cafe between the two National Galleries of Art) is as jolting as a moustache on the Mona Lisa, a half-order of red-beet risotto with English peas is a perfect pairing with a glass of 2004 Kir-Yanni Akakies Rose, and one of the best dishes I’ve yet had at Notti Bianche, which remains one of my favorite places to sneak in the back door and catch a game on TV, some of the dishes here can be terrific when the able Tony Chittum isn’t concentrating on his Dish down the street (not the one in the Latham), Danny Boylen is a charismatic star who can singlehandedly make a good meal great, respected and tough, but not as tough as the octopus which needs to go away, I hadn't eaten at Arlington's LOST DOG CAFE in years, and I had vague recollections of having my high expectations dashed there in the past, and now I remember why: it has an appealing grunge-ball character, a big menu that looks promising, and a great selection of beers to-go, the problem is their pizza oven, an open-air conveyor belt system, that makes their bready dough unevenly cooked, and the notion of “gourmet pizza” - your choice of 30 food-service toppings - came-and-went twenty years ago, I’ll continue to support places like this because of the local character, but the pizza here is no better than the big national chains, right next door is the quintessential neighborhood restaurant, THAI NOY, which is good enough for local residents to support, but not special enough to warrant a cross-town journey, a duck pod pong and chicken ginger may not take any risks, but they’re both reliable, clean, and satisfying, if I lived nearby, I’d get carryout here on a regular basis, have a chuckle at their "open kitchen" when you go, there are two often-overlooked fundamentals that elevate Marcel’s above almost every other restaurant in town, the service is simultaneously formal and unpretentious - and I’m willing to bet this somehow ties into their high staff-retention rate - it appears effortless but isn’t, and the illusion of being effortless can also describe their elegant, consistently well-executed sauces, saucing being the most important thing in terms of what makes or breaks a dish, the bar here remains one of the best places in town to dine like a baron without experiencing financial melena, the wine list now has 70 different bottles costing $40 or less, how was your week.

I just this minute got off the phone with a good friend heading home from Cafe Milano. They have 1997 Joseph Phelps Insignia on the wine list. Current market value: $125. Price on the wine list: $750.

OK, but you could have just formed a line out the door, a pho queue.

This is the night after Ray's closes - rest assured that whatever food is left in the restaurant, that's what Michael will be cooking.

I've just read through the dozens of postings that have been written here since Wednesday's chat. Many people (some of whom are less than objective) didn't like the inclusion of the mock service question on the chat, and a couple people raised the point that the chats are being used as an ombudsman. Biotech, DLB, and lackadaisi didn't like such an early, detailed mention of Bazin's on Church. happyguy doesn't like Tom's methodology. His comments were thoughtful and detailed, and he made his affiliation with Dino clear. And then qwertyy, jm chen, mtpleasanteater, and hungry prof have come out and said they don't like aspects of Tom's writing. A flurry of rumbling about several topics, to be sure - some of it vicious, and too much of it hiding behind anonymity - but this doesn't qualify as any sort of mass revolt. Tom has an excellent palate, he tries more restaurant dishes than anyone else, he cannot be bought off, he put together an excellent dining guide this year, he made himself available directly to his readership through his chats rather than sitting up in some ivory tower, he is a consummate professional, and I will add that this website would not exist in its present form if it weren't for Tom Sietsema. Cheers, Rocks.

Actually, you're right, but at this point you're both on the wrong side of the issue. Whenever it gets mentioned, people here bristle and kick, bringing it under the spotlight for much longer than it needs to be. Cheers, Rocks.

Ever seen anyone eat an entire "King of Wilson Boulevard?"

[it was moved, not deleted. It's right here. Cheers, Rocks.]

The following postings have been split into separate threads: Corner Stable (ol ironstomach) Nick's Inner Harbor Seafood (crackers) Wharf Rat (jparrott)

Better Campylobacter than Jumping Frenchmen of Maine, I always say. Lovin' the rhyme of cholera, Rocks.

Click

But suppose you're being bombarded with questions, asking you to talk about 100 cigars, and you have to toss it all off, unedited, in one hour? Honestly, I don't see how it would be possible for either Tom or Todd to do a better job in their chats. If I didn't have an edit button, I'd probably be in jail by now. Cheers, Rocks.

I feel badly about this - one evening I was shown the private rooms, and when the gentleman flipped on the lights, I was taken by the waterfall and thought wow, what a cool place for a group dinner this would be. I didn't really take the time to actually sit down and take a close look at the room, tables, and chairs like I should have. Sorry, Rocks

You know what my first thought was after reading this (and laughing)? Ain't that the truth!

Maybe this person frequents CHO's Garden, across the street from Szechuan Boy.

I'm sorry. Has anyone here been shafted on every single lottery? If so, then please PM me and I'll do something - what, I don't know, but something.

Here are the final results. I'm sorry everyone couldn't get in 5:30 PM 27 jm chen (2) *5:30 8:00 40 tross (2) 5:30 60 bilrus (2) 5:30 44 Catherine (2) *5:30 8:00 10 tfbrennan (2) *5:30 8:00 33 Patrick (2) *5:30 8:00 24 goldenticket (1) *5:30 8:00 50 bougouni (1) *5:30 8:00 23 StephenB (1) 5:30 13 Vandyhoo (2) 5:30 1 crescentfresh (2) *5:30 8:00 5 moniquedc (2) *5:30 8:00 17 biotech (2) 5:30 22 cjsadler (2) 5:30 32 brr (2) 5:30 19 pete (2) *5:30 8:00 54 ol Ironstomach (2) 5:30 42 dcdavidm (2) *5:30 8:00 25 V.H. (2) 5:30 48 Lydia R (1) 5:30 8:00 PM 30 twinklerin (2) 8:00 47 Skysplitter (1) 8:00 7 semperaugustus (1) 8:00 51 edstaut (1) 5:30 * 8:00 43 Billy DeLion (2) 8:00 16 mdt (2) 5:30 *8:00 20 MODWOP (2) 5:30 *8:00 9 willyfung (2) 8:00 61 tenunda (1) 8:00 2 capitol icebox (2) 5:30 8:00 46 New Foodie (2) 5:30 8:00 53 jjshyne (2) 5:30 8:00 55 Escoffier (2) 5:30 8:00 4 roo (2) 5:30 8:00 31 Porcupine (2) 5:30 8:00 37 beerman (2) 5:30 8:00 57 otello (2) 5:30 8:00 15 Logan Circle (1) 5:30 8:00 36 AlexC (2) 5:30 8:00 6 shogun (1) 5:30 *8:00 39 butterlamb (2) *5:30 8:00 11 JimRice (2) 5:30 8:00 59 acrover (2) 8:00 Waiting List 35 reverbrad (2) 5:30 14 Waitman (2) *5:30 8:00 41 hm212 (1) 5:30 8:00 62 mhberk (2) 5:30 18 johnb (1) 5:30 52 Xochitl10 (2) *5:30 8:00 58 nashman1975 (2) *5:30 8:00 12 jparrott (1) 5:30 *8:00 49 dcpolicywonk (2) 5:30 8:00 29 Demetrius (2) 5:30 8:00 56 lizzie (2) 5:30 8:00 34 Barbara (2) 5:30 *8:00 28 hannah (2) 5:30 8:00 38 mtpleasanteater (2) 5:30 8:00 21 cooter (2) *5:30 8:00 8 DanielK (1) 5:30 8:00 45 MBK (2) 5:30 *8:00 3 ustreetguy (1) 5:30 *8:00 26 Erikv (2) 5:30 8:00

Here's the interim calculation. After working my way down the winning lottery numbers up through LydiaR, The coveted 5:30-PM slot has filled up with 36 people. At this point, there are 33 total people wanting the 8:00 slot or indicating "No Preference," so I'm going to roll the "No Preference" list into the 8:00 list, and continue traversing the winning numbers to reach 40 people at 8:00. Final results posted momentarily. 5:30 PM 27 jm chen (2) *5:30 8:00 40 tross (2) 5:30 60 bilrus (2) 5:30 44 Catherine (2) *5:30 8:00 10 tfbrennan (2) *5:30 8:00 33 Patrick (2) *5:30 8:00 24 goldenticket (1) *5:30 8:00 50 bougouni (1) *5:30 8:00 23 StephenB (1) 5:30 13 Vandyhoo (2) 5:30 1 crescentfresh (2) *5:30 8:00 5 moniquedc (2) *5:30 8:00 17 biotech (2) 5:30 22 cjsadler (2) 5:30 32 brr (2) 5:30 19 pete (2) *5:30 8:00 54 ol Ironstomach (2) 5:30 42 dcdavidm (2) *5:30 8:00 25 V.H. (2) 5:30 48 Lydia R (1) 5:30 8:00 PM 30 twinklerin (2) 8:00 47 Skysplitter (1) 8:00 7 semperaugustus (1) 8:00 51 edstaut (1) 5:30 * 8:00 43 Billy DeLion (2) 8:00 16 mdt (2) 5:30 *8:00 20 MODWOP (2) 5:30 *8:00 9 willyfung (2) 8:00 61 tenunda (1) 8:00 No Preference 2 capitol icebox (2) 5:30 8:00 46 New Foodie (2) 5:30 8:00 53 jjshyne (2) 5:30 8:00 55 Escoffier (2) 5:30 8:00 4 roo (2) 5:30 8:00 31 Porcupine (2) 5:30 8:00 37 beerman (2) 5:30 8:00 57 otello (2) 5:30 8:00 15 Logan Circle (1) 5:30 8:00 36 AlexC (2) 5:30 8:00