starfish

I'm heading to Montmartre for dinner.  Not sure if there are any special Bastille Day events planned, but I'll report back tomorrow.

It's my first visit there, although I've heard lots of great things about it from friends.  Anyone have any recommendations of dishes not to be missed?

if the black squid ink risotto is still on the menu - do not skip it. simply an excercise in simple elegance.

Are you going late Mark?  Look for me then and we can share a drink.

Who else is going to BdC and what time?  I am not eating there this year.  We are having fois gras and cheese my place then heading over around 11PM.

Look for three solo guys, one tall dark and handsome, one limping around, and an impecciably dresses French/Cameronian.

i am having a late dinner at l'enfant cafe then heading to bdc around the same time. will be in the cream suit.

So what is everyone doing to celebrate Bastille Day?

making jokes about the french all day, late dinner at l'enfant cafe.

what self-respecting group of winegeeks doesn't have their own gang sign and secret handshake. clearly this will have to be the first topic at the july meeting.

it is my pleasure to add notti bianche to the list. corkage fee is $15. corkage is waived for any rockwellian. when making your reservations please mention that you will be bringing your own bottles and toasting "to rocks".

i would opt for a place with clean sight lines, easy paths to the exit, and lights that are too bright, and a slightly noisy dinning room. BDC comes to mind.

i would of course need to get a date, have a relationship, and take my usual two weeks to screw it up before i would have any use for such a place.

lot's of great reccomendations for first date places, but where would you go for a last date? in other words, what is the best restaurant for a break-up?

i thought the same thing but dismissed it as my skepticism. glad to see that i was not the only one.

I'm having trouble understanding why Mon Ami Gaby on that awfully corporate, wannabee Rodeo Drive portion of Bethesda Avenue would be a place to go on a date. 

That place is like Corner Bakery with booze.

I'd say the wine bar at Grape Seed or Jaleo before I'd say that place...

wine bar at grapeseed, while i think it quite nice for the fourth date, lacks the privacy/intamacy i would want for a first date. every time that i have been to the bar there i have found myself engaged in conversation with the people next to me due to the limited room at the bar. it has always been pleasant, but on a first date i want to talk to the person with me.

p.s. after one visit, the only good thing i can say about mon ami gabi is...

wait it'll come to me in a minute.

40 minutes in, and no spanking so far? has an outbreak of reason suddenly been unleashed?

What about tax?

just confirmed with galileo, the tax is only on the amount that you will be paying.

my vote would definitely be for the morton's burger - blue cheese and bacon, thank you. at $12 or $13 it is a steal and a deliciously decadant way to spend lunch you know you should be working.

another burger that it is worth mention is the bbq bison burger at the reef. while table service is inconsistent, if you are sitting at the bar early enough in the evening, you can have a great time and a damn fine burger.

i have had good times at les halles on previous bastille days. but it gets very crowded very early. good times though.

the one caution about the upstairs bar at bossa is the timing. it does not open until 9:30 unless there is a special event. bossa does however offer the option of live music and dancing depending on the night of the week.

the line-up, in case anyone is curious:

sunday - kindred soul - straight ahead and modern jazz (great band, go for the horns; the band leader plays three different ones)

monday - improviso - modern jazz (good for background music on a date but can be loud)

tuesday - patrick desantos project (brazillian pop, jazz standards, and salsa in blender; singer has unbelievable range)

wednesday - mojica (jazz with a strong latin influence; good dancing on this evening)

thursday - touch accoustra (modern jazz band that has a strong following of musicians who will frequently sit in w/ the band. great time if you are really into the music, but not so much for the talking getting to know each other)

friday upstairs - kung fu grip (acid funk as the band aptly describes themselves, good date environment for a friday night in adams morgan)

friday downstairs - doble cara (salsa and samba, great band but it can get very crowded)

saturday upstairs - nayas (the lovechild of ska, reggae, and latin pop. a tremendously fun band, but it can be extremely crowded and very hot)

saturday downstairs - cubano groove (one of my favorite salsa bands in the city. very crowded, very hot, very fun though)

in the the interest of full disclosure, i was the general manager there for over a year and i remain a frequent guest, but i believe the evaluations of the bands and each night are fair and balanced (not in a fox news sort of way).

the one caution about the upstairs bar at bossa is the timing. it does not open until 9:30 unless there is a special event. bossa does however offer the option of live music and dancing depending on what night of the week.

the line-up, in case anyone is curious:

sunday - kindred soul - straight ahead and modern jazz (great band, go for the horns; the band leader plays three different ones)

monday - improviso - modern jazz (good for background music on a date but can be loud)

tuesday - patrick desantos project (brazillian pop, jazz standards, and salsa in blender; singer has unbelievable range)

wednesday - mojica (jazz with a strong latin influence; good dancing on this evening)

thursday - touch accoustra (modern jazz band that has a strong following of musicians who will frequently sit in w/ the band. great time if you are really into the music, but not so much for the talking getting to know each other)

friday upstairs - kung fu grip (acid funk as the band aptly describes themselves, good date environment for a friday night in adams morgan)

friday downstairs - doble cara (salsa and samba, great band but it can get very crowded)

saturday upstairs - nayas (the lovechild of ska, reggae, and latin pop. a tremendously fun band, but it can be extremely crowded and very hot)

saturday downstairs - cubano groove (one of my favorite salsa bands in the city. very crowded, very hot, very fun though)

in the the interest of full disclosure, i was the general manager there for over a year and i remain a frequent guest, but i believe the evaluations of the bands and each night are fair and balanced (not in a fox news sort of way).

the bertucci's line mande me laugh out loud.

from the Washington Post Dining Guide's rating guide:

"* (1 star) Satisfactory : Restaurants that are useful to know about if you are nearby; they may have only a few dishes or a single quality, such as a view or scene, to distinguish them. "

Seems pretty much like a summation of his review of Leopold's.

Brian,

I can understand how one could reach your conclusion. However, would you not agree that a meal would have to be superlative to overcome service that as described was grossly incompetent? Mr. Sietsema’s descriptions of the food did not ring as suplerative in my mind.

By now, everyone in this forum has read Sietsema's review of Leopold's Kafe & Konditorei in last Sunday's Post Magazine. This was clearly the horrendous service to which Mr. Seistema has been alluding in his last four chats.

Was I the only one who found it inconceiveable that a restaurant with "manequine like managers" and "clueless servers" can be granted a single star? My understanding is that one star is given to restaurants that provide a "satisfactory" dinning experience. Has the bar of satisfaction dropped so preposterously low that entrees can arrive atop appetizers? Who could find satisfaction in being ignored by three staff members when trying to order? Mr. Sietsema even reffered to the managers as 'human peacocks' more concerned with their own dinner on a Saturday night than the pleasure of their guests.

While not entirely surprised by the awarding of a star to Leopold's - Beacon Bar and Grille was also heavily criticized for their service and earned a star - I am offended as a restaurant professional.

I have not been to Leolold's and I am in no way trying to criticize them. I wish their ownership and management team the best of luck.

However, this review describes as satisfactory service that would make me walk out if I were a guest, and that I would not tolerate in my restaurant. It makes me want to grow hair on my bald head solely for the purpose of tearing it out. .

had dinner there a year ago, and the thought of the black squid ink risotto, with shrimp still brings a smile. but to those who have dinned there recently, have the gotten decent stemware yet?

i have long considered pallete a greatly underated bar/lounge in the very crowded dc market space for such establishments. i am glad that you had an enjoyable experience there. while i think that the big tables in the lounge are a perfect backdrop for the start of an evening or blowing off an afternoon of work, i have had very spotty experiences in thier dinning room. the first time i visited (about a year ago) a healthy dolop of bisque was spilled on my dinner companion. what was left of it was quite tasty, though. during another visit, our server was too frequently unavailable to our table while she spent inordinate amounts of time at another within our line of sight. on another occasion, i had a splendid meal and very attentive but unobtrusive service.

it is almost disheartening that i have enjoyed great evenings in the bar area, but treading into the dinning room has been a crap shoot.