starfish

that was my initial response as well. but then i thought it inconcievable that tom would issue an unprofessional back handed slap in public forum. surely this is the product of a rapid fire response rather than a deliberate attempt to insinuate that a colleague/competitor does insufficient fact checking.

the bar at palmer's has a reasonably sized tv and is relatively sedate on a saturday night. cap grille has two large tv's that are visible from most seated positions in the bar, however, they tend to get obstructed by the standing room only folks.

as one who loves both live jazz and food, finding high quality renditions under the same roof is about as easy as finding great food with a great view.

at the start of your meal, let your server know that you like to have a few minutes between courses.

i tried to have dinner there on wednesday night but i arrived too late and had to settle for a beer or two. i did spend a bit of time reviewing the wine list. 6 whites and 6 reds by the glass, and another 12 / 15 bottle selections. it was certainly not ambitious (almost exclusively new world, large production wines) but i also think that it was priced fairly and there were a couple of bottles worth ordering. my sober examination of the menu and conversation with the bartender mary left me wanting to return for dinner but with lowered expectations. upon further reflection, and spending time there without a bottle of burgundy appetizer, i wish to retract the comparison to st. ex. the menu is less ambitious than chef seaver's food. the more apropriate comparison is two doors down at creme. anyway, i still haven't eaten anything here but i have plans to have dinner at the bar on wednesday.

you might want to give dean gold a call. if the event is early enough, the private room at dino might be a perfect venue.

mark & orlando's hosted the one year annv. party for notti bianche and they did a superlative job.

on saturday night a friend called to invite me to join a group having cocktails at axis. i arrived after the kitchen closed so i cannot comment on the food. what i am happy to report is that the space is gorgeous, the beers varied and interesting, and the staff friendly. the space is dominated by the exposed brick walls. i remembering being shocked when i learned that adamstein & demetriou were the architects as this place was more subtle and soft than sizzle and bling. the wall behind the bar has two flat screens, not so much a bonus in my mind but surely appeals to some. eggenberger pils, and red seal ale are two of the dozen beers on tap. i don't remember any of the others but i am looking forward to having dinner there and sampling the other malted adult beverages. the menu appears to be similar to st. ex - very good comfort food reasonably priced.

monday night - a rather under utilized date night - cocktails and a cigar at the downstairs bar at ozio's with the lovely and graceful nicole as your bartender. presuming cocktails go well, and that both you and your date have rhythm, salsa at luck bar. should one be in the mood to dance to something besides salsa, hop the 42 bus to adams morgan and dance at madam's organ. one night stand (the name of the band not necessarily your intentions) is one of my favorite old funk, soul cover bands. odd that places that are completely unattractive on saturday can be so much fun on monday. wednesday night dinner at cashion's with the wednesday wine crew (a loose band of sordid characters that routinely dine at the bar on wednesday nights with bottles from personal cellars; glasses passed to and fro - here try this). meander around the corner to bossa to hear the mojica project - latin jazz with the baddest percussionist you have never heard of. i watched this guy play salt and pepper shakers once. another of my favorite cashion's combinations involves pool and pints at bedrock. any night there is a good show at the kennedy center, i enjoy the bar at marcel's. nothing beats the shiny town car to ferry you to and from the theatre. dinner at mendocino grill and the short stroll to blues alley. in the spring fever category: carry out from dean and deluca and a picnic on the wolf trap lawn. colorado kitchen and a show at carter barron.

jlk, i agree that aroma is a great place to watch a game - mostly because it is not a sports bar. however, aroma only has the basic cable package and two tv's. not quite the mass tv emporioum one needs to properly enjoy 4 simoultaneous games.

toledo lounge provided the final backdrop for a progressive drinking birthday party this past sunday. the contest for best jukebox in the city is over - at least if i am the only judge. so in addition to a very solid beer list (for a dive), and pretty good food (for a dive), you can add lots of mowtown, johnny cash, prince, some 50s & 60s jazz, garrish 80s (i know, what a redundant statement), and smattering of good movie soundtracks to the list of reasons to dive at toledo.

iirc, charlie palmer's has a daytime valet. all of the potomac restaurant group properties (notti bianche, circle bistro, and dish) provide this service and i would assume that any other hotel restaurant would as well.

the perfect manhattan served at marcel's is not to be overlooked. as an added bonus, it is available in half portions for the time when you only want or need half a cocktail.

i just called palena and the message on the voice mail indicated that they are still closed on mondays. i hear the chicken at central is pretty good.

on the private club angle, the arts club of washington is lovely and has a courtyard that is perfect for cocktail hour.

another reason to be excited about the changes at viridian... the very talented and charismatic kevin blonshine has recently been installed as the general manager.

not likely. every manager in the city has a story to tell about various inspectors arriving during the middle of a rush on a friday or saturday night when ten other thngs require attention.

heard from the source, and saw for myself, that there is reason for optimism about an opening in the very near future.

i have a "i don't mind / hate" relationship with rachel ray. i don't mind her if her show brings new people to the congregation of food lovers. in the same way that i don’t mind kenny g being the first step on the path to real jazz danielle steel the first step to Shakespeare white zin the first step to real wine macanudo the first step to good cigars olive garden the first step to good restaurants i hate that she is content to be included in the first fraternity. hate that she has no apparent desire to use her considerable media energies for the forces of good rather than the perpetual promotion of mediocrity as virtue. edited to remove my snarky and incorrect math.

frank sinatra was once asked the perfect number of olives for his martini. he replied "easy - three. two to eat and one to share with the dame sitting next to you" i wish i could attribute my other favorite martini quote to the author but i have no idea who said it...i am going to go with dame judy dench - it could be right. "the grace of a man can be measured by his ability to lift a full martini to his lips without spilling"

i have been a regular, some might say uber-regular, at bedrock for more years than i care to share. if there is any interest, i would be happy to work with bedrock management (translation: do nothing out of the ordinary and have a few beers and converse with some people at my favorite hang in the 'hood) and organize a dr.com pool tournament. just thinking that before the trash talk about the respective pool games of the members here gets out of hand, we should work to preemptively settle the matter of who is the best pool player on the board. i would further suggest that, this become a charitable affair; all proceeds to benefit a worthy organization. who's willing to put their game, money and trash talk in the same place?

dunah estate pinot 04, about 650 cases total production. least expensive through the vineyard only dc area retaier is dean and deluca. similar in tonality, but much more expressive and supremely lush.

click

metropolitan in annapolis on sundays

as of today the weather looks pretty good