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starfish

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Everything posted by starfish

  1. I thought I had already replied, but apparently there is a difference between drafting a message and posting it, so please forgive the tardiness of my reply. Yes, you can follow the facebook page for notifications about the next dinner. The next dinner is 2 August (reservations will be made available on Monday.) You can also join the company mailing list here: http://cogitoergosaute.com/monthly-mailing-list/
  2. Point of clarification: the seven course concept had a run of three events (for the cost of a few fingers of good whiskey, I'll happily tell the story,) however, a few months later we introduced a four course concept that ran for a year until we lost our location, but have found a new (and conceivably permanent) location. "Cogito Ergo Sauté Is Thrilled To Announce the Return of the Pop-Up Bistro in Partnership with the Fine Fellas at Ivy & Coney"
  3. I hate that my first post in forever is some shameless self promotion, but I wanted to give y'all a heads-up that my personal chef service, Cogito Ergo Sauté, has launched a monthly supper club project. Hits & B-Sides is both a title and concept as each five course tasting menu will feature "greatest hits" and some experimental/one-offs/riffs. Each event is limited to 12 guests. The next dinner is 13 July (there are four seats remaining.) If you want more information, please visit the website - hitsandbsides.com
  4. Charlie Trotter had an immeasurable impact on my life and career. His eponymous restaurant, his management books, his cookbooks, and the time I was fortunate enough to spend with him, they all changed my culinary sensibilities. I will be forever grateful to his incredible contributions to the culinary world. As much as his legacy enriched the world, the sudden loss makes us all the poorer. Godspeed, Chef.
  5. I read this earlier today, and completely agree with Rocks' assessment - great read. I would have appreciated a bit more examination of the ill effects the fetishization of celebrity (and minor celebrity) chefs have on the broader food culture. That is, however, a minor nit and one that assumes the authors would agree with the argument.
  6. Not sure if cash is a factor for you, but I have found that a wash-dry-fold service is a more cost-friendly option. Sure you have to schlep all of your clothes to them and come back and pick them up, but I find that 40 minute sacrifice to be a good expenditure of time.
  7. Notwithstanding some the outstanding suggestions above, IMHO, the best eats in DC around midnight can be found at Cashion's Eat Place which offers a late-night menu on Friday and Saturday.
  8. It might be a bit late, but I recently had a rather pleasant breakfast experience at Teaism.
  9. While I generally agree with Rock's assessment, for my money Komi has a little extra weight on its side of the coin (or the other side, some physics major can correct my science later) as I prefer Komi's feel in a way that I wish I could truly quantify and qualify with words. There is just something else there, some indefinable quality that makes me leave there happier. Recently a friend from San Francisco was visiting DC and asked me to dinner. It was a random Sunday night and she said "I'm taking you to dinner, wherever you'd like to go." Being the over-thinker that I am, I offered five suggestions that fit the mood of our weekend. They were disparate places in their tonality, cuisine, and price point. She asked me to narrow things a bit. I provided a more in depth description of each place than I had in offering my initial choices. She declared the matter settled. We were going to X place because it "was the one that made you smile the widest." And that is why I vote for Komi - because despite the fact that Teatro makes me smile pretty widely, the Komi smile is just a bit wider.
  10. This closing saddens me. M&O's has been a reliable place for me to find good food, good conversations, and good service since the first time I walked in their door. I wish both namesakes the best of luck in future endeavors.
  11. What Mel said... if you have a sudden opening please let me know.
  12. I have had a complicated relationship with the new media landscape as it relates to restaurants. It has been both to my professional benefit (at times greatly to my benefit) and to my detriment. I am not unique in this regard as every good restaurant manager has an added component of his/her job that our predecessors could not even have imagined fifteen or twenty years ago. In the late 80s, the media landscape for restaurants had only the voices of the major critics to consider. Now a weekly Google search for blog posts and other references to his/her restaurant is de rigueur or should be. This doesn't answer the question of the relevance of these voices. How important are the blog posts of someone with no professional writing experience or restaurant reviewing bona fides? How important are the message boards like this one? I don't answer those questions because they are no longer relevant; there is no way to put the universal access of the internet back in its bottle nor should one try. That Yelp is a leading provider of this equanimity is unquestioned. Yet I still have philosophical questions with unqualified opinions being a high profile source of information regarding restaurants. In a culture obsessed with notoriety as a proxy for ability to inform, entertain or enlighten, I have seen the changes in guest behavior. There are too many people who would rather write their review (or submission to an online chat) in their heads than participate in ensuring their good meal and good time. Technology cuts both ways, however. OpenTable and various POS systems make it fairly easy to identify complaints on-line, to establish that the "30 minute" wait time was really ten minutes. That a manager touched a table several times rather than being "M.I.A." as stated in an online complaint. I can recall a dozen more examples without straining my booze addled brain, but knowledge of misstatements is small consolation as the words are there for any potential guest to read and opportunities to correct the record are few, and by management axiom, conciliatory. The majority of people who participate in online forums, discussion boards, restaurant & food blogs are like the majority of all people: good, honest, and honorable, as are their intentions. They are also the influence makers and when the bad seeds among them misrepresent their experience it has disproportionate impact. This newest information about Yelp does not shock me. For every emerging technological front there are always a few charlatans profiteering on the margins. I am only surprised that it took this long.
  13. Not that any of these places are particular hot-spots for the DR set, but the deals are worth noting in the event that you need some quick calories or a cup of joe the plumber (sorry, I couldn't stop myself.) Starbucks: free tall coffee, all day Ben and Jerry’s: free scoop, 5 - 8 PM Krispy Kreme: free doughnut, all day Chik Fil A: free chicken sandwich, all day Books-a-Million: free cup of coffee, all day California Tortilla: free taco, all day Daily Grill: free appetizer, Happy Hour Also worthy of note - 1/2 price services from the Christophe Salons
  14. While you could use the valuation from cellartracker, that would not provide a true estimate of the value of a wine cellar. A wine cellar's value differs from the value of the sum of individual bottles. Because of the time involved with selling each bottle individually, it would be incorrect to assume that the cumulative value equates. Feel free to drop me an email, or PM and I would be happy to discuss the matter further with you or your wife.
  15. This is a rather common practice for them when they think that you may return soon... or that you're kinda hot.
  16. Someone recently asked me what "are my favorite restaurants." I hate that question. I think it so overly broad it thoroughly lacks meaning or context. If the question had come from someone other than the smoking hot red head that asked, I would have delivered some pedantic and dismissive quip about the question rather than my contextual responses. When I got to Cashion’s on my list, I indicated that it is my favorite place to go after a craptacular day and I am in need of a culinary hug. I needed a hug on Saturday night. Cashion's delivered as it almost always does. I had the Bigeye tuna carpaccio; she crab soup, and softshell crab. I could describe the dishes, as they were all fantastic, but the menu changes so often that I think it more relevant to discuss the spirit of the menu. It was egoless cooking. In an era where so many chefs present "thier take" on [insert name of classic dish], John Manolatos sources great ingredients, butchers with great care and precision, works with his staff to ensure consistent execution, and gets out of the way. This is not to suggest he lacks creativity. He is one of the more creative chefs in town when he "creates" a dish. On that particular Saturday night, I am glad that he made me the best she crab soup I have had in DC, rather than giving me his "take" on it. I got the hug.
  17. IIRC, Mark and Orlando's does not have anything on tap. However on my last visit I remember there bottles being solid - nothing that would sendanyone over he moon, but certainly better than standard.
  18. I was invited to attend an event for a political campaign at Porter's on Tuesday night. My initial plan was to have dinner at another restaurant and make my way to Porter's just for the event. My day conspired against me and I was not able to leave the office with any time to spare. I arrived at Porter's and walked upstairs to the event. Say what you will about the smoking ban, the smoke covered a multitude of olifactry sins in stairwells and dark corners of a number of places like Porter's. No food was offered upstairs, so I made my way back through the offending stairwell and orderd a burger downstairs. My burger arrived precisely as requested, medium with blue cheese, bacon, sauteed mushrooms, and sauteed onions. It was good - not great - but certainly better than it needed to be. The fries were a waste of calories - flavorless, limp, and not particularly hot. The burger, however, was exceedingly satisfying and cheap too ($10 as ordered.) I am loathe to berate an establishment that generally caters to a beer drinking, ball cap wearing, fresh-out of undergrad crowd for having bad wine, but yellow tail - really? The Pilsner Urquell was the best of the expected beers, and they were served promptly and politely by the very personable bartender, Mark. Am I rushing back, no; but if I find myself craving a burger in that neighborhood I most likely would go again.
  19. The outdoor ping pong table is no more (hopefully temporary)
  20. At first, I thought this was a belated April fools joke. After reading Don's explanation, I realized this was real. I returned to the original thread and read with great interest. Many valid concerns have been raised and some have been addressed. However, I think that many are missing the larger issue - that this merely formalizes what has been an informal practice since very near the inception of this board. Many industry people that participate on the board have advertised special events here, offered discounts here, posted new menus here, etc. Some of those offerings were only available to DR members. Anyone recall "Legacy Libations" night, or free or reduced corkage for DR members, or any of Dean Gold's generous DR only specials? I am sure there are others that I can't recall at the moment. Viewed in that context, and with the idea that it is a voluntary program for businesses, I say bravo, Rocks!
  21. You know how I hate the low hanging fruit
  22. Don once said that this site is all about the people. I could not agree more, when I raise a glass this evening in honor of dr.com I shall do so with reflections of all of the friendships I have made through this board. If you're out tonight and here me toasting "to rocks," come over my way - you'll all be welcome to my scotch.
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