Pat

They're back from vacation and we had a great (last-minute--thank you, open table!) meal there last night. They've changed the menu some. I got the baby eggplant Parmesan, which was excellent. I had the bucatini with wild boar sausage for a main course, which I seem to get a lot . That seems to be getting a bit more pesto-y over time, though. My husband had the chicken with penne and (at my insistence ) the lamb chop for a main. I forget what the lamb came with, but it was really good.

It's still a bit loud, but that's okay. I was glad to get a table. It was really packed. They're changing over the restrooms, I guess. There's just one washroom (as best I could tell) with two toilets.

We got the Italian beer, the name of which I always forget, but I checked out the wine list and it seems to have changed somewhat.

It looks pretty optimistic, I'd say, but the shrine is a bit much. OK, I'm not big on those things to begin with, but it still seems excessive.

Yesterday there were people looking around like they were planning repairs. Today there was a fire and restoration truck outside and people looking like they were planning repairs.

The 3 stuffed bears I saw at 9:30 this morning were supplemented by flowers and a lot of American flags by 4 PM. Plus there is now something called a Capitol Lounge Memory Book (or something close to that), and a handwritten notice saying they'd be reopened in a few weeks.

I used to go there back in the 90s (it was a great place to take people from out-of-town), but I hadn't gone there so much in recent years. I hope they get back on their feet soon.

No politics. No Miller Lite.

Well - Cap Lounge WAS my favorite.  I'm just sick to hear of their loss this morning.

That's really a shame. When I was down by there this morning, I was having trouble figuring out which building(s) it was, but there clearly had been a substantial fire. It looked like it might have been Capitol Lounge, but it was hard to tell from where I was across the street.

Thanks for getting me thinking about this, K. We just got back from dinner at Park Cafe. It was perfectly fine but not great. There was certainly nothing horribly wrong. Our waitress was excellent and could have been a waitress at one of the finest places downtown. She was very good.

For an appetizer, we had basil, tomato, mozzarella, and proscuitto. They shouldn't have cooked the proscuitto. It was too brittle. Otherwise, it was fine.

For a main, my husband had the tuna special, which came witha green veg I forget and pineapple chutney of some sort. I got a roast chicken and brought a big piece home. Both were very good.

There weren't too many people there. Al was talking to people from another table. I don't know why he's held on this long, but he has.

They're on vacation now, this week (I forget the exact dates, but I noticed it while walking by.)

The last meal I had there (beginning of August) was with someone who hadn't been there before. She really liked it. I can't remember details, except I got the bucatini with wild boar sausage, chicken pate, and a nice cheese plate. I've been there maybe 10 times or so.

Agreed. I've never had a good experience here and it is quite pricey.

I've had decent meals there, but it's very uneven. I'm not sure when it originally opened, but when we first bought our house (13+ years ago), it was a pretty new restaurant. We ate there the night we moved into the house, and it was fine. I remember having a great lunch there in that period as well (they've been off and on with having lunch). It's good sometimes and all over the place the rest of the time.

I haven't tried it since they switched to the new chef and menu (a couple of years ago?). The price seems too high for what I have gotten in the past. I might still try it again. They still seem to have a clientele, based on my observations walking past. Somebody is eating there.

Late and lamented: DC Space.

I miss that place, even though it's been gone for over a decade.

I had a fine meal at Ray's last night, with very accomodating service. I had originally made a reservation for four. One person (and that person's replacement) couldn't make it, and one person showed up late. Jared was wonderful. It was really hopping, and there was no parking open, so I showed up to claim the reservation as one person out of four, and he was happy to seat me.

I got the shrimp appetizer, which I hadn't had before, and it was delicious. I was tempted to try the grilled calamari with clams casino. Next time. I got the hangar steak and ate lots of mashed potatoes and creamed spinach . Those spiced cashews are great, and I ate the piece of candy with my leftover steak for breakfast .

I don't usually get dessert, so I don't have much input on the third course. The first time I was there was, I think, a RW, and I had micro greens and the seared tuna with sushi rice and hijiki. I love that tuna and have ordered it a number of times since, even when it hasn't been on the menu. I finally forced myself to try something else.

If they still have the chicken with arugula, that was really good. The lamb with the mini goat cheese ravioli is delicious. The Wagyu steak with root vegetable gratin is mouthwateringly good. I guess this isn't narrowing things down much

The beet and goat cheese salad looked really good when we were there Friday. My MIL ordered two appetizers, so they put that one in front of my FIL, who didn't order any, and by the time she got to it, he'd eaten most of it! The local tomato salad that I managed to snag a bite of was phenomenal, if that's available.

The red snapper bisque is a lovely example of Chef Power's skill in the world of soup. The first spoon can be a little strong, but each subsequent taste is very mellow and smooth.

I had a spoonful of the soup and wished I'd ordered it. It had a pronounced flavor but didn't seem too strong. I had wanted to get the softshell crab while it was on the menu, though, so I went with that to start. I definitely want to go back and get the local tomato salad while it's still in season. If they have the snapper bisque then, I'd definitely like to order it for myself. There are too many good things on the menu!

As I piece together my weekend eating, Saturday night we went with my inlaws to the bistro at Eve. The bread was fabulous. I thought it was the best of all three nights, though my MIL liked Corduroy's bread better. My MIL, who has been watching her diet for a long time, got the sweetbreads and loved them. My FIL asked for the pork chop done well, then it was really hard to cut and he realized that it was because he asked for it done well . He's a total sweetheart .

My husband got the olive oil poached tuna to start and salmon special. I got the tortelloni appetizer and halibut with potato confit. I enjoyed my food thoroughly. I don't think there was anything left on anyone's plate that night (or any night).

My FIL and I both got the chocolate lemon terrine dessert, and my husband got the pink fluffy birthday cake .

It was a great meal. I enjoyed it a lot. Plus we had a great waitress. And we had Todd Thrasher's advice on wine. It was a thoroughly satisfactory experience.

Edited for typos twice

I had a great meal with my husband and in-laws at Corduroy on Friday night. Of the three dinners on their visit (Firefly, Corduroy, R. Eve), it was declared the best restaurant by my MIL. That is, it was was declared the best despite her unhappiness over the chocolate ice cream she ordered. I liked the consistency, but everyone else thought it tasted like cold chocolate pudding She was looking for a way to email Tom Power to complain about the ice cream (she LOVES ice cream), but I said I would post something instead, since the website isn't up. It's hard for me to be adamant about it because I liked the bit of the ice cream I had, but everyone else complained about the texture. There you have it.

It was a great meal. My in-laws both had the scallops that came with the mashed potatoes. My MIL got the snapper (?) soup and the beet-goat cheese salad. My husband had the local tomato salad (wow!) and king salmon. I went with the lamb and goat cheese ravioli, with a softshell crab app. I loved my meal but thought the ravioli were different than before. They seemed stickier or something, but I still loved them.

And for dessert my MIL had the chocolate ice cream, which we all tried

Is it just me, or does this entree sound like a disaster in the making?

Nope, it's not just you. I was there for brunch yesterday (very good croque-monsieur), and I saw that they had the RW menu taped to the inside door of the women's bathroom. The rabbit and crawfish combination caught my eye right away. I don't think I'll be trying that. I guess I'm not as adventurous food-wise as I thought

edited for typos

Corduory at say around 6'ish?

Maybe I'll wave as I go by. We'll be there at 7:30 for dinner.

We had a wonderful meal at Firefly last night with my in-laws. We started out going to Pizza Paradiso at Dupont Circle, which was really crowded and had a 45 minute wait. It was already 8 PM, and they were tired after being on the train all day (not to mention getting in two hours late) and didn't want to wait that long. So, I called Firefly to see if they had a table. They did, and we walked over.

There was not a bit of food left on anyone's plate at the end of the meal . Everything was fabulous. My MIL and FIL both got the roasted chicken. I cannot remember what else came with it, but the corn gratin was magnificent. I think it might even be better than the macaroni and cheese used to be (if I dare say that ). My MIL and I ate a fair portion of the two side dishes of that. My husband got the fettucine with swiss chard and enjoyed it. He also got the smoked salmon pupusa to start, which was good but constructed differently than I would have thought. It had a nice balance of colors and flavors, but I accidently took most of the salmon when I took a bite. I wasn't really hungry and just had a starter (the seared tuna with grapes and, I think, watercress) and the truffled Parmesan frites, which I had to fight for. I, however, was the only one who got dessert: a watermelon sorbet that hit just the right note. The flavor was just a little understated. It came garnished with chervil (I had to ask the waitress what it was, after my MIL and I tried unsuccessfully to identify it.) The bits of chervil were a good complement to the flavor of the sorbet.

The only complaint my in-laws had was that it was too loud. We try to pick restaurants to go to with them that aren't very loud because that's an issue for them, but I'm glad we decided to go to Firefly despite that. It quieted down over time. Tonight: Corduroy.

From my conversations with them, many of them do not.  In fact, it seems as if some of them expect so little that it makes them not like the food.  It is strange to see people's reactions when I discuss the restaurant's reputation. 

The only time I've been to the bar there (sadly, I've never had the spring rolls), I was trying to convince someone who was staying there for a convention that he really should eat dinner there, that it was one of the best restaurants in the city. He seemed unimpressed.

I guess a Sheraton is not a place conventioneers expect to find great food. It's a shame that people stay there and don't know what they're missing.

I haven't been in a few years now, but Pasta Plus in Laurel, at the center of the Route 1 and Route 198 tic-tac-toe board, has a warming, casual atmosphere, a charming owner, really good homemade pasta, tasty white pizzas and fresh fish specials worth getting.

Cheers,

Rocks.

I'd suggest Pasta Plus as well. I was hoping to stop there on the way back from an O's game last weekend, but it was a little too early for dinner and we didn't stop.

Watermelon with feta cheese and wild arugula with spiced crushed hazelnut and olive oil. This great little teaser is a perfect example of Chef Monis pairing the unconventional with terrific results – the flavors of every single ingredient are so pure and combine so well in your mouth without melting into each other. 

What a beautiful post. I've wanted to go there but haven't yet and this is an incentive.

I loved the description of this salad and did my best to duplicate it. It was crushed almonds instead of hazelnuts but otherwise the same. My husband enjoyed it and he doesn't even usually like watermelon. What an amazing combination. I hope to get to Komi soon.

I saw this website on google a while back, and I thought this might be Landrum's too.  Turns out it is for a Ray's Steakhouse out of Austin, TX.

I've eaten at that Ray's Steakhouse in Austin. The event and the company were memorable. The food and service were just okay. It doesn't compare at all to Ray's the Steaks.

Just returned from lunch with Sonoma's Wagyu burger, which is the best burger I've had in years: Deep red tomatoes, deep green greens, with grilled onions, taleggio and pancetta.

I've been on a really restricted diet for almost two years, eating very little red meat and fat. In the past few months, I've eased up a little. The first beef burger I've had since being on the diet was Sonoma's Wagyu burger. It was worth every bite. It was just wonderful. (I took part of my husband's burger at one meal, then ordered my own on a subsequent trip.) I'm glad that I like so many things on the menu, or I'd be tempted to get the burger every time

There's a place on H and 12th (or thereabouts) NE called "Philadelphia Water Ice."  Has anyone popped in there?  I LOVE water ice, but haven't made it there yet...

I read this article about the place when it first opened last year but still have not gotten there. I love Philadelphia- style water ice, or did when I was a child. I haven't had it in years.

(Edit to say that the article starts on page 11 of that pdf file.)

I went to Sonoma twice last night-- before the Nats game and after. Do yourself a favor and get over there to try the pizza. You can choose from several first rate toppings to go on your red, white, or green (pesto) pizza. I went for a white pizza with gorgonzola and speck. It was excellent.

I had a morel and mozzarella pizza there last week and it was delicious.

Had a lean cuisine for the first time yesterday. Nasty, Nasty & more Nasty

 
I hadn't eaten a frozen dinner in years before falling back on them recently as the quickest way of getting something to eat without getting any dishes dirty. I used to like some Stouffer's frozen foods (the mac and cheese especially) years ago, but I've never found any full meals that I really like. I can't imagine relying on these as the basis for a regular diet. They're also really expensive for what they are. The Whole Foods prepared foods, which are also high-priced, are a better deal for me comparatively. I've liked most of the grains I've tried there, but I don't think I've tried lemon couscous .

The absence of full disclosure can be a beautiful thing.

Of course the opposite situation can be true as well.  Read the ingredients on Whole Foods' prepared foods, and they look just fine.  One taste, however, is all you need to realize that - ouch! - that lemon couscous made with organic ingredients bites the high hard one, as does just about everything else there.

Since we've had no kitchen for the past month (and ETA for the new kitchen is realistically Thanksgiving), I've been buying Whole Foods prepared foods and have found them to be perfectly acceptable. They're a hell of a lot better than the Lean Cuisine I just ate for dinner. (I'm doing what I can with the microwave and toaster oven, but I've been working hard all day and I'm tired.)

I also buy the blackened salmon at WF and make salmon burgers out of them. Tomorrow I'll make Boboli pizza in the toaster oven. I'm quite impressed with how well that's been working out, but the pizza at Sonoma is an awful lot better .

It's only during school hours and when school is in session -- i.e. you can be served outside at all hours during the summer 

Ah, thanks. I don't generally drink wine at lunch, but it's helpful information to have anyway