ulysses

Michelob, in that cool curvy bottle.

Joan Nathan.

There is this tip report that we generate in order for the staff to see what they make(because they pool). Once it's printed, we three hole punch it and place it in a binder for the waiters. At the top of the report it has the date and the shift: LUNCH/DINNER. Every day a different manager does the two reports and puts it out there; I am generally the administrator of this system. About six months into this project I looked at the book and at the top of all the reports the format of the dates was different: 3/5/07 Lunch, 6-Mar lunch, 3:6:07 Lunch and so on. It drove me crazy and then... I got it. This thing was mine, no triple spacing.

firewater

For whatever reason I can't stop thinking about this. I'm tempted to order a case of them. Do any of the K.C. expats remember these?

First let me say this is no good. I generally believe that this forum is a way of social networking. We all like food and we all like eating out. Something we should not have in common is ruining some poor server's life because we had a bad experience. It should be apparent that managers/chefs/owners are all reading this board and that pointing fingers can really do damage. Secondly, let me say that I know that Chef Drew is committed to the idea of seasonality and ingredients only being served at their freshest. So if Drew gets Mackerel on Friday and doesn't think it should be served on Sunday....well, honestly thats what he does for a living. I marvel at the food every time I eat there(as recently as this afternoon). It simple, local(for the most part) and completely makes sense. I've said it before and I'll say it again: not that many people in D.C. are doing what he's doing. Watching this restaurant get beat up hurts. If something as trivial as slow or inattentive service really makes you "furious" or gives you one of these " ", then maybe you shouldn't be eating out so much. I don't like bad service either but I deal with it like most everybody else i.e.tell a manager or not. I've had a thousand bad experiences in my life and I've rarely felt compelled to tear people apart on a public forum over it. Especially knowing that in almost every restaurant theres someone like drew manning the stoves/books/doors pouring their heart and soul into it. Ultimately, I think that there should be a little less venom on this board, particularly this thread.

You beat me to it. I had dinner there last night as well and second that. totally crazy awesome= (cauliflower mousse+caviar+crab foam)/Arithi This was the most insane food/wine pairing I have ever had in my life. I meant to say "Derek this is awesome.". Instead I said something like "Congratulations." cause I'm dumb. At any rate this meal was one best I've ever had. Pacing was perfect. Service was warm & intelligent. The food...I can't even begin, except to say that there is no doubt to why he is one of F&Ws top 10.

G Vine is a fairly new product out of France. Made from green grape leaves and coriander. Nothing could be better with tonic.

I don't normally do this. We did make a mistake/s: before the gougeres hit the table, the server fired the main courses. I understood this(however it's not normal practice)trying to cut down the lag between courses. Gougeres take 5 or 6 minutes to make and 2 or 3 minutes to eat(between two people). A short rib or a lobster burger can take 15 to 20 minutes to make.(I would also like to say that we are not in the business of hurrying people; there is a fine line between "are you trying to get us out of here?" and "We've been waiting for our entrees for thirty minutes!") This particular evening the kitchen was on and the food came out a little ahead of schedule. The runner brought the food to the table and the guests sent him packing . Then the server, who believed he would have a little more luck tried to return the food to the table. That's when I was asked to intervene. (this all took place in less than two or three minutes) and explained to the guests that we made a mistake and that I would be more than glad to buy them some desserts or wine for the hiccup in their meal. They wanted to finish their gougeres and I wanted to crawl under a rock for the next one hundred years. Needless to say, I threw away the entrees and we made them new ones. I bought them dessert just because we pestered them so much. Brian, Jennifer, Daniael and I really do want to take care of people, we don't believe that we are better than anyone. In fact it's kinda scary trying uphold a reputation like Michel's.

aww man, that is effed up. Did anyone else see that go down on the website?

Just received the email: be sure to congratulate Slater for winning outstanding wine service. ( the James Beard site said Ruta won, then said Cooper/Ruta, then just said Cooper)

Why Lady Pinth-Garnell, I'm not sure Leonard could have done a better job reviewing this wretched hellhole himself. Tata

I had it Sunday evening, and second that.

Water.

congratulazioni sul vostro chef bene meritato di nomina

I've tried tracking this stuff down. No luck. However I do know of a local restauranteur that brings back a bottle or two every year if you've got an immediate hankering. If you're looking for obscure stuff, there is a liquor store in Germantown(right next to the rustic oven restaurant, sorry thats the only detail that stuck in my head about its location) that has an unbelievable selection: Velvet Falernum, Aperol, Warrninks egg, tons of luxardo products, borsci. They have one of the better liqeur selections I've seen here in DC.

It's actually Bugey Cerdon, a sparkling rose wine made from gamay. We will be using it in a blueberry cocktail this spring/summer.

No friggin way..... Nichols lunch was my folks first date as well. Scrambled eggs and brains no more.

Just to let everyone know, we will be closed Monday 2/19 thru Wednesday 2/22. We will reopen on Thursday evening @ 5:00pm. Thank you for you patience and patronage.

I found this pretty interesting: The Sabre Personally, when I'm serving champagne I like to use my 7mm with hollow tips. It makes for a much cleaner break.

First full day off in a quite awhile, celebrated with popeyes chicken and strawberry soda. Happy in the kitchen... more like happy on my couch in a food coma.

Wait...I'm totally confused: My girlfriend and I were walking around looking for Lia's on Sunday afternoon and stumbled upon Famoso. I told her that there had been some buzz about it and we decided to skip Lias and check it out. It was just about full and we managed to get a table, once we sat and looked at the menu(caprese salad), decor(like blackbird meets Americas Next Top Model) and shared door with Max Mara(it always creeps me out when people doing other things share a space with my eating), we decided to bolt. I just skimmed the Post review and decided it cant be the same place...can it?

Had lunch there today with a pho virgin and they loved it. It's true 75 can't be beat(at least in DC).

Last night I celebrated my 30th and my girlfriend gave me the option of dinner at any restaurant in DC. For the last few months I waivered between Maestro, Komi and Obelisk. I finally decided that I wanted to accent my thirtieth rather than overshadow it with pomp and wonder. I felt like course after course of foams and gelees would have left my girlfriend and me discussing preparations and inspirations instead of where we've been and would be. So I decided on Obelisk. I once worked for a chef who said they spent years going back on forth of the name of their restaurant before they opened. They said that they wanted the name to not only reflect their cuisine and style but also their M.O.. At the time I thought this was looking into things to much but now I realize what they were talking about. Having said this Obelisk is perhaps the one of the most well thought out names for a restaurant as I've seen. Now it may seem as I'm rambling or tapering; I'm just trying to illustrate my perception of the genius behind this restaurant and it's importance in this particular culinary scene. I'll try not to get into the details of preparations or service, all I can say is that both well excuted and very thoughtful. Only ingredients at the peak of their season were presented and techniques roamed somewhere between Milan and the Abruzzo. Service was prompt but not overbearing, intelligent and warm(Tina, the longtime GM whom I believe is one of DCs unsung restaurant heroes, is at every table at the drop of every plate describing ingredients and combinations) which I believe to be the perfect model for modern American Dining. The space...well it is small and a little cramped. Could there be a better vehicle for this fare and this service? When I walk in I feel like I belong, when I choose the deciscion is mine and when I eat I don't compare. I'm going to try to wind this up. It seems to me that we get caught up in things like cleverness and popularity and we hardly ever see the forest. Obelisk is just that, a pillar in this community of dining. It is unpretentious, simple and deserving of any attention by the JB committee. It's contribution to this city shouldn't be overlooked: while Roberto was peddling tomato and mozzarella salads in May, Peter was garnishing his morels with chive blossoms.

Recently I read an article(I cant remember where or seem to track it down for that matter) where either the CEO or Chief Marketing Officer said that Burger King was embracing the gluttony of fast food while other chains were moving away from it.