starfish

i had dinner at the inn at easton this past sunday evening. i had heard good things about the place but there were no specific references in my head so i arrived with no set expectations. the service was extremely cordial from the moment we walked in the door. because the clock in the hotel room was 20 minutes fast, we arrived 15 minutes early rather than 5 minutes late for our 7:30 table. they must have thought me a moron because i just had just called to indicate our impending tardiness and then we arrive early. we were seated by the fireplace in their waiting lounge and enjoyed a 1/2 bottle of vueve yellow label - this certainly would not have been my choice but it was the only option available by the 1/2 bottle and better than the by the glass pour. the wine list was one of two small quibbles i have with the inn. after about 10 minutes we were seated in the main dining room at a lovely table in front of a faux fire place. highlights of the meal... first course: fried oysters, sweetbreads with roasted beats mid-course: pasta (cannot recall the name; it was about 2inches long and resembled penne but was thinner) with a black trumpet mushroom and truffle cream sauce. my guest did not order a mid-course, but chef was kind enough to plate the remaining pasta for her as we were the last reservation of the night. entrees: lamb sirloin, & veal cheeks. the sirloin was grilled perfectly. but i cannot recall the accompaniments. The veal cheeks were tender almost to a fault. the wine: we started with a sauncere for the oysters and the pasta course. i had wanted to go will a big pinot for lamb and veal cheeks, but our server disagreed. she suggested that because of the preparations of each, a syrah would be a better choice. i indicated that i was familiar with the nyers cuvee d'honneur that was listed for about $100 and that i would like to try something similar stylistically. she recommended a $55 bottle that was great! how often does a server recommend a bottle of wine that is 1/2 of what a guest indicates that they are willing to spend. i was very impressed with that gesture. my quibbles: the wine list was too heavy , imho, with wines that have cache but not great value. the hard wood floors were beautiful, but every time a staff member with hard leather soled shoes walked about the dining room it was rather annoying and distracting. it was without question a thoroughly enjoyable evening and well worth both the drive, and price of dinner (3 courses, 2 and 1/2 bottles of wine - $265ish before tip).

what he said.

actually, it is not merely personal opinion. after a late 80s hurricane, the cuban cigar industry made some significant changes that have had a quantifiable impact on the quality of the cigars. 1. a switch was made to a strain of wrapper leaf known as havanna 2000. this leaf, while more resilient against insect and viral infestation, does not absorb nutrients of the soil as quickly. so overall yield was increased but unquestionably, the quality suffered as the wrapper leaf imparts a disproportionate amount of taste in a cigar. 2. overall cigar production was increased by 25% (government mandate). cigars are a handmade product, therefore variations from cigar to cigar are to be expected. however, when you consider that it takes a longer apprenticeship to become a master cigar roller than it does to become a doctor or lawyer, you have to ask - who is rolling my cigars. rollers who were not fully trained were rushed into front line positions to accommodate for the increased production. this has resulted in a greater number of "plugged" cigars (those that are rolled too tightly to yield a satisfactory smoke) and "loose sticks". the lore of a cuban cigar is so strong because society generally buys into the gravitational attraction to that which is unattainable. by the by, i worked for three years as the director of training for a major local tobacconist. my favorite after dinner cigars in no particular order davidoff millenium blend lonsdale la flor dominicana cabinet selection #1 padron anniversary maduro robusto la aroma da cuba corona avo signature lonsdale

the worst part is that the premise of the restaurant is outrageously sexist. objectification and marginalization don't come in any clearer packages than hooters.

the wine list at metropolitan in annapolis is one of my favorites. they focus on small production boutique wines and have a relative short (about 120 bottles) but very interesting list. and half price wine on sunday night.

are you tired of managers that yell at you? tired of serving food that is mediocre? tired of being just another body filling just another slot? come work at a different kind of restaurant. notti bianche is a well regarded restaurant (3 stars from washington post, tom seitsema’s fall dining guide, washingtonian’s 100 best list) and we are still in our first year. we are a small restaurant in the west end with good staff from the servers to managers and the kitchen. we serve very good food and have an ambitious wine program too. we need a smart, funny, interesting, and talented bartender to work the prime shifts. you need to have a solid understanding of cuisine and wine, and a passion for excellence. people who are straight out of acme bartending school need not apply (sorry). you do not necessarily have to have years of experience but you must come from the “old school” of bartending. if you think that prepackaged ingredients make good drinks then you probably aren’t the kind of bartender we seek. we want someone around whom the bar business will be built. we also need a server to round out the team. same rules apply. send me your resume, tell me about yourself.

i have known mark for several years, and yes, i too would describe him as a bit off-kilter. at the same time i would describe him as having a brilliant, if slightly repetitive, mind. i am quite happy to converse with him in doses. which would explain why my favorite "markism" is his standard way of ending a conversation when he feels that his welcome has expired. "everyone will tell you when to show up, but knowing when to leave is the hieght of dukedom"

specifically regarding tipping the sommelier... a friend of mine asked for my advice on this subject recently. he had dinner for four at a high end restaurant in the district. the manager/wine director paired bottles for each of the four savory courses, and generally spent a significant amount of time at the table. my friend, who normally tips extremely well, forgot to take care of this manager on his way out of the door, and wanted my opinion on the best way to rectify his lapse in judgment [his words not mine]. my friend asked if the manager would get a cut of the tip that he left on the check, and i indicated that he most likely would not. thinking that belated cash might be a bit crass, we concluded that a thank you card and a bottle from his personal cellar would be a very nice thank you. for me personally, and for many of my friends in the business, a thoughtful gift is valued far higher than the money.

i know it is monday and that you morning-dwellers don't make happy hour too frequently on this dread day. i was just having a little fun with the 9-5'ers.

it may not be that the first charge was not voided. it is rather common, especially with check cards, that when an authorization is made it places a hold on those funds until the charge is finalized. once that hold has been placed, if the charges are voided, it takes a day or two for that hold to drop off. funny how banks are rather adept at taking funds instantly, but putting them back seems to takes some time

i think that luck bar on connecticut avenue broadcasts them.

why is there never any action on this thread on the days when i am leaving the restaurant early? is there some anti-industry conspiracy that suggests that only the late afternoon hours on friday are happy?

somewhere between patio and roof, is the second floor patio at the morton's downtown. the gtown branch also has a patio dinning area. that being said, the service is usually very good to excellent, the people watching in gtown is nice, the food... don't have high expectations, and go on someone else's expense account.

the cod is no longer on the menu. the menu changed at the beginning of the week. it can be found here new notti dinner menu.

sunday night this restaurant gave me a new insight into my relationship with dining. that the space is very well done has been mentioned before, but i don't think that acurately describes the charm of this space. exposed brick all around, deftly lighted to make everyone more attractive, this dining room screams romance. there is also a heated roof deck for smoking, lounging, or whatever. the wine list focuses on boutique vineyards, and interesting varietals and is priced extremely reasonably. i saw many bottles that were being sold for 60-70% of what they would command in this market. justin, one of the wine stewards, could not have been a more gracious host. i liked the fact that the managers were attired with a nod towards hip. once i was told that sundays are 1/2 price wine night (all bottles under $100) i knew that it was going to be a two bottle night. my guest and i had three courses and shared a cheese board. the amuse bouche was a very literal interpetation - fois gras ice cream and strawberry pop-rocks. some might view that as gimickery but it was very fun. other courses of note: pancetta wrapped day boat scallops, with a trail of crushed pistachios, and mango foam; lamb loin with winter vegetables. moreover, the food was solid for this price point. some of the presentations landed on the precious side of artful. the lobster risotto was overdone to the extent that i was convinced that the cook on the pasta station had an off night or was really pissed about the four top that was seated 5 minutes before close. none of the slight misteps from the kitchen mattered that much to me. the space, the service, the wine list, and the 1/2 prices wines gave this place a spot on my list of new favorites. i realized that i would rather have food that is a 7, and service of 9 on a ten point scale, than the other way around. i am so enamored of this place that i am headed back this sunday, with 4 freinds in tow, for dinner. even adding in the cost of a hotel room (i would not even think about driving back to dc after 1/2 price wine night), this a bargain according to my sensiblities. eta: posting from the opentable computer and without spell check, sorry for the spelling.

the crew at mendocino grille is turning out very good food, has enthusiastic and strong service, and i think that is a very charming dining room. and it is right on the east edge of gtown, and focuses on foods from the region.

legacy libations night just wound down. somehow we once again hit the perfect numbers without violating firecode too badly. thank you to all those who made an appearance. it was so nice to put faces to screen names for several new people; and very nice to see the familar people again too. hope everyone had as much fun as we did. eta: the wifi for the property will be running by the next legacy libations night so hillvalley can post a "live from happy hour thread".

i am about to pull the wine for legacy libations night. i have no idea what we will be offering but it will be $5/glass. we will also be offering a selection of legacy bourbon that will be available for $5 for a shot, on the rocks etc., and $6 in a manhattan. i have blocked a few tables for later this evening should a few people decide to dine with us as well. one more thing, the bar will be non-smoking this evening. looking forward to seeing everyone.

i will happily close down the bar for a dr.com happy hour if there are at least 20 people committed to coming. even if it is not a private dr.com crowd, the last friday of the month will still be legacy libations night in the bar.

let me be really clear about this... i am in the tank for ann, johnny, and the whole cashion's crew. the service at the bar is the best i get anywhere in the city, the decor whispers in my ear, and the food has never disappointed me. there. i said it. my bias is on the record. so you are going to have rely solely on my word when i say that i had an extroidinary experience at cashion's last night. i frequent the bar there because it is one of the few places that serve really good food after 10pm during the week. and of course, because i am in the tank for the place. last night the belly salmon tartar with the baby arugla salad knocked my socks off. i have always felt that tartar was primarily about the quality of the meat or fish used and that it rarely was a true demonstration of a chef's skill. this dish made it quite clear that the line of thought was moronic. the salmon, sliken and rich, was strung together with a very light sauce of truffle oil, salt, and pepper. the baby aruglua topped the generous 3inch disc of salmon. the plate was finished with a sauce that i remember being great but not the details. i had a very nice entree, but it couldn't touch the salmon. like many places the, apps are the strength of cashion's menu. one of these days, i am going to learn my lesson and just do 3apps instead of the usual app, entree, bourbon format.

as i understand it, they have a new management team in place (same ownership, though) and some major changes are in the works. this is a place that i have always wanted to like.

from my perspective keeping the number of covers down does not hurt anyone's pocket. at notti bianche, i placed a limit of 60 covers (on a night when every table is for two people, the max that we could have done was 74-80). while we did charge more per person, $65 for 4 courses, than the average check, it was not substantially higher than a normal 4 course dinner. we did, however, use ingredients not normally offered on our menu. in short i think we provided a very good value to each guest and no one was rushed out of their tables. in fact, we had two tables that spent over 3hours at dinner. yet the only people that had to wait caused that wait by being very late or very early. how does this not financially hurt anyone? because we still had one of our best nights from a sales perspective, and everyone walked out the door very happy. could we have had a better night with 20 more covers sure, but could we have garunteed that everyone would have left as happy? no. i factor the lost sales revenue as a marketing expense. for many of our guests, it was thier first trip to our restaurant. if they walked out the door thinking that it sucked at a high price, why would they ever return at a regular price. the restaurant business, imho, is a marathon not a sprint. just common business sense to me. p.s. my servers were very happy with the tips last night. i would like to think that the smaller sections afforded more opportunity to spend time with guests and that more than compensated for the reduced covers. eta: i am certainly not suggesting that this is "original" approach. i learned it from one of my mentors, john scruggs.

by the by, as we were both confused when the time on your reservation was not what you had initially reserved, i forwarded a tech support request to opentable. they responded by indicating that this is a "rare but known" complication. it most often occurs when the restaurant is making changes to the configuration of their system. when a change is made that effectively eliminates a slot that has already been booked, 99% of the time that reservation remains in the system as an "added" slot. less than 1% of the time, so they told me at least, that reservation is moved to the next available time slot.

polly's, that takes me back. i spent a wonderful evening there watching the snow come down in 95'. they had the best chicken sandwhich back then. hard to believe that place has been there that long. i recall times when if you were a regular, it was your responsibilty to keep the fire going. that was obviously before some lawyer talked them out of that practice. they still have, imho, one of hte best jukeboxes in the city.

imho, if looking to change the atmosphere, proximity is not really an issue. sometimes the best part of a date comes during the cab ride to the next place. that being said, i would vote for the lounge at citronelle, or desserts and after dinner drinks by the fire at tabard inn or the gorgeous oversized fireplace in the lobby lounge of the ritz-carlton in georgetown.