Lydia R

Hopefully these equal a thousand words with the caption: great meal and rediscovered setting.

Nick's prominent contributions on these plates were the lightly pickled purple slaw and "slice" of fried chicken.

I was saddened to read about Carol Grimaldi's death. The WSJ article was touching and included remembrances from her husband, Patsy Grimaldi:

Many would remember her kind gestures toward workers at their restaurants and neighbors in times of need, he said.

"She was always there for everybody," he said, saying she helped her employees who were immigrants secure permanent residency in the U.S.

And when a neighbor's "mother died, they had no money for the funeral. She paid for the funeral. She did a lot of great things for people," Mr. Grimaldi said.

"I'm gonna miss her very much."

Her legacy extended beyond establishing the pizza restaurant, he said.

Ms. Grimaldi also presided over 25 group homes which housed children with disabilities, one of whom was their son, who is blind and suffered brain damage.

He said he faces an agonizing task breaking the news to him. "I don't know what I'm going to do, but my son doesn't understand. I'm afraid to tell him. He depended on her a lot," Mr. Grimaldi said.

Here's a photo of Juliana's, by Kevin Hagan, from the WSJ article for my future navigation:

Given today's great weather, and the "Pad Thai" recently served at Nats Park, I was happy to have a chance to get their Kai Pad Ped lunch special. I was able to finish the soup, salad, and roll with only room for a few fierce tastes of the vibrant red curry. Lunch leftovers tomorrow!

I asked about their website and they are either getting a new host or a new domain name. In the meantime, they're posting specials and other promotions on their Facebook page: @ Thai Taste Wheaton.

Here's a scan of their menu (almost as much fun to read as Dean's wine bible) and a photo of my to-go container (a bento-esque rectangle).

ThaiTasteByKob.pdf

Dropped by today - super happy to see them buzzing! 
I heartily recommend the Agnello special with lamb polpettine  and shaved fennel.

Oh, the savory lamb and sausage with the olives and crunch of fennel...

To the entire Fort Hood family, worldwide.

Gates open, weather pending. New line-up in the Red Porch from left to right:
New Belgium Snapshot Wheat, Terrapin Rye, Foothills People's Porter, Foothills Pilsner, Atlas Brew Works District Commons, Allagash White, Yuengling Lager, Leinie's Summer Shandy, Dogfish Head Namaste, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Starr Hill Grateful Pale Ale, Blue Moon, Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA, and Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager

We were able to walk around the Park and find the new offerings (craft brew stand in the concourse behind the President's Club, International Wok, G Sandwiches, Peet's at multiple coffee stands, and a few ecash-only lines). My fingers are crossed that Levy Restaurants corporate will be able train-up their staff/managers so they know the new products.

I'm ... befuddled at how ...

Are there really two new restaurants, with different ownership, named Republic?

Having this one in Ballston and the Black Group's one in Takoma Park will be interesting.

It's begun! The three Montgomery County Peet's will be in the former Caribou Coffee locations:

  7926 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda

  Westfield Montgomery Mall, Bethesda

  1316 East West Highway, Silver Spring

The Silver Spring store's Caribou sign came down today!

The countdown to their 28 April reopening as Peet's has begun.

Details in Steve Hull's post in Bethesda Magazine.

Anything else new I need to get to? Aint been back in almost 2 years, WAY too long

Keife & Co (bottle shop)

Tivoli & Lee

Cane & Table

Toups' Meatery

Boucherie

Root

Lucky Rooster

Ste.-Marie

Kingfish

Bellocq (bar)

Atchafalaya

Maurepas Foods

Many of us have learned to eat and drink better through Jake Parrott's kind tutelage.

In prep for my NoLA trip, here are the links and info (from their sites) for his list:

Keife & Co (bottle shop) 801 HOWARD AVE "” NEW ORLEANS, LA 70113 

Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 8pm or by appointment - local delivery available

Tivoli & Lee at The Hotel Modern | 2 Lee Circle. New Orleans, LA 70130 

Southern Bistro. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Happy Hour seven days a week.

Cane & Table 1113 Decatur Street "” French Quarter, New Orleans

RUM "” Rustic Colonial Cuisine "” ProtoTiki Cocktails

Times Picayune Nov 2013 review

Toups' Meatery  845 N Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119

Fine food, specialty cocktails, and a charcuterie program inspired by deep-rooted Louisiana family traditions.

Times Picayune piece NOV 2013

Boucherie  8115 Jeannette Street New Orleans, LA 70118

Contemporary Southern Cuisine

Root  200 Julia Street

Modern American Cuisine rooted in Old World flavors and technique

Lucky Rooster 515 Baronne St, New Orleans, LA 70113

The newest concept from the guys that brought you Juan's Flying Burrito and Slice Pizzeria. Pan-Asian cuisine

Ste.-Marie 930 POYDRAS STREET NEW ORLEANS, LA 70112

Times Picayune Jan 2014 review

Kingfish 337 Chartres St. (at Conti) New Orleans, LA 70125

An upscale casual restaurant and cocktail bar in the heart of the New Orleans' French Quarter that tips its hat to the Huey P. Long Era. Also has Market and Deli counter 

Bellocq (bar) at The Hotel Modern 

936 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130

Atchafalaya  brunch 5 days a week

901 Louisiana Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115

Maurepas Foods 3200 Burgundy St, New Orleans, LA 70117 at Louisa in the Bywater

Opens Thursday at 1100 and closes at Midnight Tuesday (closed Wednesdays)

Purveyors of Robust Cuisine

I'm making myself hungry - thanks Jake.

Edit to add: David Byrne spent the holidays in Bywater. His journal is an interesting read in three installments (part 1, part 2, and part 3).

Rebecca Cooper mentioned the opening of the Germantown La Tagliatella in Jan 3rd's Washington Business Journal. After reading it, I wondered why La Tagliatella was referred to as being from Spain, not Poland.

La Tagliatella, the Italian chain from Spain that has been making major headway in the D.C. area over the past year, is under construction and should open "soon," according to its website. A frozen yogurt shop is also planned.

According to Bloomberg Business Week:

Restauravia Grupo Empresarial S.L. owns and operates restaurant chain. The business includes 72 restaurants with 50 Italian restaurants that operate with the mark Trastevere, Pastificio and the Tagliatella and 22 franchise fast-food restaurants of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The company was formerly known as 72 Food Premises and changed its name to Restauravia Grupo Empresarial S.L. in December 2006. The company is based in Pozuelo De Alarcon, Spain. As of April 28, 2011, Restauravia Grupo Empresarial S.L. operates as a subsidiary of AmRest Holdings SE.

So, I guess the press release was written to focus on Resturavia, not AmRest Holdings.

I have a slightly different picture, and he is sitting in Poland.

Interestingly enough the website for the restaurant does not have an option to translate into Italian, I guess they are not a target audience for their "Authentic Italian" cuisine.

Sthitch's link to AmRest's corporate website offers no mention of an office in Spain...

He claims to have won "The Gold Medal" in the 2007 "Maki Sushi Making" category in the "Sushi Chef Olympics Competition" held in Tokyo, Japan.

This contest must be on record, right? Could someone with better Google skills than I have verify that this person was indeed a gold medalist in the Maki Sushi Making category in the 2007 Sushi Chef Olympics Competition?

My Google skills are waning because I could only find was a 2001 WaPo article by Eve Zibart that describes the contest:

As it is to the U.S. Sushi Society. Last month it hosted its second annual skills and technique contest, a fledgling sub-subdivision of the "Sushi Olympics," held every four years in Tokyo. The Washington area competition is the first sanctioned outside Japan, and consequently, it's getting quite a bit of attention: For the second time, the six-judge panel of experts flown in from Japan has been headed by Mori.

and the National Sushi Society describes the Tokyo contest and has several photos identical to Chef Tony's website. The three competing U.S. Chefs listed are:

The three chefs from the United States are:

SEESIADKHA, KRIENGKRAI (Yosaku Restaurant, Washington D.C., maki-zushi category)

LEE, HYUNG JOON (Perry's, Washington D.C., maki-zushi category)

YEH, ANDY (Banzai, New Jersey, nigiri-zushi category)

Dunno, wish him well.

We are hung up the bureaucracy call Fairfax County. We have a meeting scheduled for December 2nd to finalize and get our permits stamped.

Hopefully the County will read Rebecca Cooper's  article in the current Washington Business Journal and understand the cost of restauant opening delays.

Ginger Boutique, the women's apparel and gifts store that opened in Merrifield's Mosaic District last fall, has become the developments first retail casualty.

The store quietly closed in July due to a lack of sales volume, said Ginger owner Gretchen Hitchner. She attributes the closure to the delay of some of the project's restaurants.

Mosaic has been open for about a year, but full service restaurants there have been slow to open. Local pizza chain Matchbox opened this past spring and was the only full-service restaurant until last week when the long-awaited Mexican spot Cyclone Anaya's opened to the public.

"I do think that it will be bustling, at some point, when those final restaurants get open," said Hitchner. "I should have come in after the restaurants."

Matchbox partner Ty Neal echoed her comments about the lack of full-service restaurant offerings at Mosaic last week.

"You want to have other choices so that the whole destination works," he said. "The pie gets bigger with more operators." Chef R.J. Cooper of Rogue 24 has a restaurant, Gypsy Soul, in the works for Mosaic, but the opening date has been pushed back to 2014. Phoenix-based Fox Restaurant Group has also committed to bringing its True Food Kitchen concept to the site.

Hitchner, meanwhile, is back to running her store in Bethesda and has no plans to expand beyond that at this point.

"I believe it will be successful," she said of Mosaic. "I was just not in a position to wait it out. I put so much time and energy and money into that place "¦ I was very sad to have to close it. But when you know, you know."

Edens, Mosaic's developer, didn't respond to a request for comment.

first on the wait list

and I'll be the lady-in-waiting.

Another one opening mid-October in the row of shops in front of the Germantown Wegmans garage.  Had a chat with the GM since I happened to park in front of the construction site...these guys have been paying attention to the local midrange burger scene too.

Yes, the Germantown Smashburger has been open for about a month. I've been a few times and my favorite burger is the Mushroom/Swiss Burger (with Truffle infused oil). The Smash fries (olive oil and herbs) is just a little too "rich" to eat with the burger.

After being aclimated to prices at Nationals Park, I was pleasantly surprised that the Port City beers (currently Monument IPA and Essential Pale Ale) are only $ 3.49 a bottle (nothing on draft).

Looks like there's been a  CEO change at corporate.

A girlfriend and I had lunch on a rainy Saturday April 8th at Addie's. It's an old favorite (from 3+ years ago) and we went in a nod to nostalgia and in spite of the comments above.

Last night, the same friend and I had a "farewell to Addie's" dinner. The food was better than I remember and the Acorn Squash with ginger soup is worthy of return visit. My meal ended with the sweet potato pie - it's a smooth mousse with a torched meringue encircled by a ribbon of butterscotch sauce and crumbled pralines. Sweet dreams on a great dinner.

Our server was personable and hit the right notes. I was glad to hear that she'll be moving over to the Black's soon-to-open Republic restaurant in Takoma Park.

Please note: At lunch-time, Addie's In & Out lunch menu (similar to the Lickety-Split at Eve) is no longer available. The lunch menu will be "old favorites" including dinner entrees - unfortunately, their website hasn't been updated.

I hope the Black's can find a new site for Addie's that keeps the both the cozy and the warmth.

Thanks for posting the menu. It's like reading a travel magazine and planning a vacation.

Any additional description for: T20 Night Market Style Lamb?

As promised, the menu.

Maybe it's my furlough-brain, but wasn't an owner also a Provost of GWU?

I vaguely remember her mentioning Garrett's in the context of owning it and thinking she had a good work/life balance.

This home stand, the Red Porch has (left to right): Ommegang Hennepin, Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat Ale, Nevada Sierra Kellerweis, Abita Purple Haze, Heavy Seas Peg Leg Imperial Stout, Allagash White, Yuengling Lager, Leinenkugel Summer Shandy, Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale & 60 Minute IPA, Starr Hill Jomo Lager, Blue Moon, Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA & Under Dog Atlantic Lager.

Finally, there 's a change in the tap lineup in the Red Porch - the Flying Dog IPA has been replaced by Woody Creek Wit.  Rumors of Pumpkin Ale arriving soon.

Too bad -- Luvin' the Sam Adams seasonals in SEC 111

Pizza CS "@PizzaCS 27 JUL  CS Fans: we'll be closed July 29 - August 5. Come in and see us before our vacation next week!

 Darn! Didn't make it before their well-deserved vacation.

Per a tweet from Port City Brewing Co., starting tomorrow, the following local beers will be available at Nats Park: Optimal Wit, DC Brau The Public, 3 Stars Brewing Saison, Mad Fox Brewing The Kolsch.

It's located at the cusp of Sections 138/139. On day one, they were serving to an eager line of the faithful. After some expert help, the beer flowed.

Last night's "only four hours and seven minutes" of disappointing play was tempered by knowing District Drafts is now in the park. Perhaps the breweries can have some extra training for Levy Restaurants stand staff so they're knowledgeable about the beer.

After two months, the 14-taps in the Red Porch have remain unchanged.

This home stand, the Red Porch has (left to right): Ommegang Hennepin, Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat Ale, Nevada Sierra Kellerweis, Abita Purple Haze, Heavy Seas Peg Leg Imperial Stout, Allagash White, Yuengling Lager, Leinenkugel Summer Shandy, Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale & 60 Minute IPA, Starr Hill Jomo Lager, Blue Moon, Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA & Under Dog Atlantic Lager.

The Li family is super pleasing. Even though I'm an infrequent diner, Mrs. Li automatically hands me the full traditional Chinese Dinner menu during weekday lunch time instead of the "western" menu.

For some updated Grace Garden dining reports, there is an original thread on Chowhound (with almost 300 responses) and a new-ish splinter thread started by a meet-up report from mid-April.

Has anyone done in the in-seat ordering?

Yes, both this season and last September. This year, Dasdak's menu seems easier to navigate. After setting up and account, it is easy to order.

Despite installing Comcast WiFi, the connectivity isn't solid throughout the park.

I had high hopes that Dasdak had improved when, during the exposition game with the Yankees, my cheesesteak arrived on a baguette. The next week, the standard soft roll was back.

They even deliver beer, but could use some handling/pouring training [frothy, frothy]. An added bonus is that the items now arrive in a lunch bag with napkins [don't have to specifcally order napkins anymore].

This reminds me, I need dinner from Max's tonight.

I'm definitely interested in the next time around for the Capitol Tour [with +1, if possible].

My hope is the second round tour will be ahead of the MLB home games start.

After about year, Juliana's is now open at noon everyday.

There was court action initiated by the current owner of Grimaldi’s, but the judge ruled in the interest of ."healthy competition" and in favor of Juliana’s.

It's a slice of justice for Patsy Grimaldi in Brooklyn's ongoing pizza war.

A Queens judge has ruled the famed founder of one of the most popular pizza joints in the city can open a restaurant right next door to the flagship DUMBO location he sold to Frank Ciolli in 1998.

In September, Ciolli, 71, sued the coal oven legend, charging he violated a non-compete clause by coming out of retirement to flip pies again at Juliana's Pizza, a new joint in the same building he used to rent in DUMBO - right next door to Ciolli's pizzeria.

But Queens County Supreme Court Justice Augustus Agate decided against granting a temporary injunction to block the opening, calling it "healthy competition."

Anyone been able to get there yet?