Yentruoc

Which has been helpful in deciding NOT to eat at some of the places that have positive reviews on this site.

Spaghetti with Lemon Shrimp: saute shrimp with some garlic and red pepper flakes in Olive Oil for a few minutes. Add the juice of 1/2 a lemon and some lemon zest. Serve over whatever pasta you have around (alhtough I like it best with spaghetti). Garnish with some drizzled olive oil and lots of fresh parsely. Maximum enjoyment, not too much effort.

Just got back from lunch at the new Clyde's...wow, this place is HUGE! The interior is indeed very nicely done- plush booths, stained glass everywhere. My coworker remarked that the decor reminded her of "Titanic", grand staircase included. There was a wait to be seated at the hostess stand, our waitress was still a bit green, but she did a great job. The menu is the same as at the other Clyde's for the most part- burgers, sandwiches, pastas, etc. My crabcake sandwich was excellent (esp. compared to the cruddy one I had at Chef Geoff's last week), the calamari tender and crispy. Great experience, can't wait to sidle up to that nice long bar (or three!) for an after-work cocktail.

Speaking of...Ortanique is on my way to work- Thursday the lights were off and a sign was on the door saying that a license or their was suspened. Looks like they won't be opening until Nov. 9. What's going on? I know I could track down whichever DC bureaucracy keeps a listing of these things, but y'all are a much more reliable source! Thanks

I had a great brunch there this Summer: strong coffee, well prepared poached eggs, yummy hollandaise, bEAUTIFul tomotoes, and a nice little seat on 18th street. Accompanie by some shoe shopping and a stop at the vegetable vendors, and you've got a nice start to your day!

Servers: Don't make me feel like crap for ordering tap water. Please don't take my partner's plate away while I'm still eating or vice versa. In return, I will continue to show up on time for reservations, be polite to you and thankful for your considerate service.

Jeezus! 85 within 5 miles of home and 72 for work. That's just gross.

My .02: the chinatown location has the best fries- perfectly crispy. Reston comes in second place for fries, and the Navy Yard last (of the 3 locations I've been to). Other than feeling like I need to take a shower and a nap after eating there, I like the place just fine for what it is: gut-bomb-tastic (little) burgers and fries.

I went in December 2003, so my memory is a bit fuzzy...I thought the food was fine, but a bit overpriced. You pay for the convenience, I suppose. What put me off most was that the kitchen/service was in the most obvious rush to get us in and out before the show started. If the waiters had been walking any faster, they would be running from table to table.

This place is on my way to my CSA pickup, and I've been curious...thanks for the report.

You see this in quite a few Arlington establishments- I think it stems from drunk bargoers stumbling out at 2 am, being loud and rowdy. I went last week for a return visit after going on the company dime a couple of months ago. I've decided that this place is nice for wine and some small bites, but that for dinner, it's just not a great value (I'm on a budget, so I think about these things). I also had the hangar steak, served cut into strips. I asked for medium (pink middle) and got rare. I decided to keep it anyway, deciding that it would be perfectly cooked when reheated for leftovers- which it was. The potato gratin it was served with said it was "horseradish potato gratin", but I tasted no horseradish and had to ask for salt b/c I found it rather bland. I also had the banana cream pie- honestly, it tasted like bananas with whipped cream on top. Nuttin' special at all. We did have the mini lobster rolls, which were very good- lots of meat and little dressing so you could really taste the lobster, instead of mayo and bread. My take: All of this would have been fine, but for $23 for my steak and $7-8 for my dessert...I can get awesome steak at Ray's for $5 more. I feel like entrees at Tallula should be about $5 less than they are. Perhaps it all evens out because their wine list is so reasonable, but there are more and more places that are offering good wines at good prices. I just don't feel that my meal was worth $72 (which is what it came to with tax and tip).

I went with some former Foggy Bottom coworkers on Monday- something I haven't seen much mention of here is the salads. I don't normally like lentils, but the lentil salad option over mixed greens is really good here. And you get one of those wonderful rolls to go with it. The proscuitto sandwich used to be a favorite of mine when the Bread Line was in my neighborhood- I got one to go to eat later. It was different than I remember, but still good. The fig jam almost seemed more like a chutney to me, and the mascarpone was really much more gorgonzola-ey (I don't remember seeing any description of it being anything other than normal mascarpone). As for the comment in the previous post- yes, it's not a big sandwich ala Carnegie Deli, but for me, it works. I felt that there was enough proscuitto on it. I was there around 12 and the lines were manageable, but when we left at 1 the place was a mob scene. Not that that should deter anyone.

We've had UVA season tickets for a while now, and this season I'd like to make an effort to hit some of the many good restaurants in C'ville, now that we're not on a student budget anymore, and we have the interest. We ate at the Fuel Company last year and really enjoyed it. Any and all suggestions welcome, although we'd probably like to keep it below or up to around $100 for two for dinner/wine (while not students anymore, we are not yet CEOs!) Places open for Sunday lunch are great too to grab a bite before coming back home. Old places, new places, tell me about 'em!

Oh, come on. There are many worse places than Clyde's. I have family in Reston, and the branch there is good for a casual lunch outside or a comfortable dinner seated in their soft leather booths. I've never had bad service there, the crab cake ain't bad- and the same goes for the buffalo burger and the steak salad, IMO.

I was also in Kona this past Feb. Go you for starting that research! I was also with In Laws, who didn't place such a high priority on eating as I did (ie sandwich from the hotel poolside bar was fine with them for dinner). The other constraint we ran up against is that dining is VERY expensive (ie, entrees at $30 and up for places that would probably be half that here) due to the high tourist traffic. You know you're in trouble when the guidebook mentions BK and Costco as more moderate dining options... That being said, I had good meals at Cafe Pesto and the Kawaihea Harbor Grill in Kawaihea (about 20 mins. north of the Hilton Waikaloa Village, where we were staying) and some excellent (and pricey) sushi at Atami on the Hotel grounds. We also ate 2x (!) at the Kona Brewing company- just plain good beer and straightforward, well-prepared American/hawaiian fusion. All of these places should be findable on Google.

I almost don't mind the stupid restaurant selections- I'm OK with the fact that most people don't give as much thought to restaurant choices as folks like us do. But come on!!- best coffee? STARBUCKS? Wake up people!!! This is like having McDonald's for best hamburgers. Or, even better, best romantic restaurant. I guess if the majority of the voting city loves burnt coffee or coffee flavored slurpees, then maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm hurt that my java joint of choice- the Java Shack at Wilson and N. Franklin in Arlington (ahem, just past the Mr. Tire- ahem- you should go!) didn't even make the list. Great coffee, locally owned by a great guy named Dale. Sad.

Does anyone else have that Faith No More song in their head while reading this? You know: "You want it all, but you can't have it...it's in your face, but you can't grab it...What is IT?" No? Just me? Ok.

Does anyone else feel that whatever it is will be a letdown after so much hype? I'm going to be pissed if this hooha is just advance knowledge of something I read about in Sietsama's column tomorrow...

I am on the list, though to tell the truth, I haven't actually started to use the site until recently. Not to be a party pooper, but the "restaurant in Bethesda" is the Rock Creek Restaurant, has been open for almost 6 months, is locally owned and operated, and from what I can tell has no relation whatsoever to Seasons 52. I know this will come off as being catty and I don't mean it to. I just wanted to provide some info on this place. Here's the place's mention in the Listif anyone is interested.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I've never been for brunch, and never had bad service, but that won't keep me from adding my own comments. I was excited when the place first opened- cool interior, good bread, nice little fillets, good mussels- what's not to like? I was there maybe two months ago and they had raised their prices on the fillets (and most other entrees too, I think), yet it seemed they were smaller. With Ray's just down the hill, there's no reason to pay $22 when I could get an AWESOME steak for less than $30 at Ray's. It's a shame- it's a nice space, but I just don't think it provides a good value anymore.

well, not right now, but about 2 hours ago, a tomato, basil and mozzarella sandwich on a baguette that took most of the weekend to bake and covered my kitchen in flour. But it's good, dammit!! oh- and the annoying details: tomato and basil from the CSA. Bread: from Rose Levy Berenbaum's The Bread Bible.

Nah, writing style isn't as...how you say...bombastic? I think daggers are out for another restaurant this week for him anyway.