AlexC

I've had several good meals at Equinox on Dec. 24th, and their holiday fare has been fairly meat-and-potatoes... Well, maybe venison and potatoes.

I am not a Chicago hot dog expert, so feel free to take this with a grain of celery salt, but I didn't think my Chicago-style dog today was very good -- the one I had a few months ago at O'Hare was markedly better. The biggest problem was the relish, which seemed like standard green store-bought stuff, not the neon green I was expecting, followed closely by the Keystone Kops-level service. The dog itself seemed a little thin to me too, though maybe that's a necessary evil when so many toppings come into play. A coke, loaded dog and a fries came to $6.29 total, which is cheap enough for me to give the place another shot, but I think I'll give it a couple months. Alex

Went back for lunch last week... and my med-rare burger came out med-well, with just the barest hint of pink. The staff (Polly's vets!) were apologetic, but the aforementioned "great freaking burger" was nowhere to be seen. Fries were still good, though, and I'm a sucker for their creole mayo dipping sauce. Alex

They closed their doors a week ago, along with Nema. Walked by last night, it was shuttered and there was a sign on the door saying goodbye, pointing to their website www.cafe-nema.com for more details.

I stopped by Desperado's on Friday for a late burger-and-fries dinner. What a great freaking burger. My bacon-and-cheddar ($9.50) was cooked to a beautiful medium rare, with a really thick, crunchy sear. The crispy fries ($3.50) aren't quite as thick as a steak fry, but on the thicker side, and came with a Granville Moore's-style sauce array: cajun, chipotle, honey mustard and one other. The wings also looked great, but I haven't given them a shot yet. My only complaint are the beer prices. The $7 drafts were in the Stella / Blue Moon range, and I ended up drinking $4 Bud Bottles with dinner... before scooting next door to Bistro La Bonne to enjoy their far-superior beer list. They also deliver, which sounds horribly dangerous to me. Alex

I still duck in here every now and then to watch a game or grab a beer, but I think the quality of the food has gone down over the past year or two. Burger temps are unreliable and the nachos have fallen off. I've been happier eating and watching sports at the bar at Ulah Bistro, and the burgers at Desperados are flat-out delicious. Alex

If your nephew doesn't have an ID that says he's 21, he wlll not be admitted into Rhino. They card at the door. Unfortunately, that's the only dyed-in-the-wool Eagles bar that I'm aware of in DC proper. Also, it will be packed by gametime, and it will feel like the 700 level at the Vet, right down to the shoving and the vomit. That being said, good wings. Also, though I suspect you already know this, you're in a pretty crappy position. The Redsksins game is also at 4 PM on Sunday, so you need to find a bar with plenty of TVs and (hopefully) some Eagles fans. Buffalo Billiards, another likely option, also cards at the door. I believe Public does as well, but I'm not positive. You should be okay at the Greene Turtle attached to the Verizon Center, which is a standard commercial sports pub. You might want to try St. Ex on 14th St -- they just got Sunday Ticket and show it on three TVs downstairs. They've got good bar food and drinks, it shouldn't be too packed, and it's a restaurant that will definitely let your nephew in. That being said, they'll be plenty of 'skins fans. I can't really speak to MD or VA options, and I'm sure there are people on this board with other ideas.

I wish I could rattle off the 12 or 13 courses I enjoyed for my anniversary dinner at Eola on Friday. At $70 a person, just go and see for yourself. The tasting menu is not listed on the website, but it is available if you ask. A few of the most memorable: - A delicate spoon of confit pig heart to start, a hint of the pig-heavy things to come - A beautiful "summer composition" of seasonal vegetables - Thick-cut pork belly that must have been cooked for a long time and then seared to crispness, rich and wonderful - A fascinating seared albacore tuna dish, with a few pieces of szechuan-peppercorn-spiked "glass", pickled watermelon and a thick swirl of edamame cream - The cava apple fritter was one dessert, a peanut butter ganache-based take on PB&J was another, but the third I just can't dredge up - And, you know, many more The service was warm, and the wine recommendation (a Monterey Mourvedre) was spot-on. Go enjoy a meal at Eola.

I had a frustrating service experience at dinner on Thursday. Our waiter gave the specials, including a roast chicken, which I ordered. He didn't mention the accompaniments. A few minutes after I ordered, he came over and said "you do know that it's a whole chicken?" and I replied no, I hadn't, but that it was fine. I made the assumption that the special was priced and portioned for one person, perhaps a young chicken. When a quartered roaster came out on a large platter, with a big salad and a side of four ears of corn, I was pissed. The server could have mentioned (as he did when we inquired after the chicken was served), that the entree was intended for 2 or 3 people, that it came with four ears of corn, and that it cost $42. Delicious chicken, though. Even the breast meat moist and flavorful, the skin not quite crispy but certainly not flabby/flaccid, and everyone at the table got some... in addition to their entrees. Alex

Chicken is bone-in, the buffet is self-serve and its a great deal at 7.99. Adam23's post is on point, both with regard to the not-so-spicy food and the overall quality. Ive been three or four times and will go back.

Here's the best DC Food Truck tracker I've come across: Food Truck Fiesta.

Bistro du Coin takes reservations, has vegetarian options and is good for groups. Hank's can handle nine but I'd call ahead and get there early in the evening.

We've rejiggered our annual tubing trip to accommodate the US game, but we are still looking for a venue in Front Royal where we can stop the bus and watch the game -- does anyone have any suggestions? Clearly, we're looking for a big space with good televisions and absolutely no dress code. Any ideas? Thanks. Alex

This is treading dangerously close to Ruth Bourdain territory.

675 15th St, Atrium, November 19 or November 20, 7 PM. www.ebbittoysterriot.com On days when there isn't an oyster riot, I like Hank's on 17th & Q. It's the best combination of delicious and close to my house.

Taylor Gourmet appears to be expanding to Dupont and Bethesda: http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/fbh/1721906247.html Yes!

It is. For $12.95, you get a miso soup, a side dish of pickles, a bowl of rice and a three-section bento box with four pieces of tempura, six pieces of sashimi and your choice of sushi, fried oyster, fried chicken and a few other options. Every now and then, they also offer a lunchtime ramen special that is excellent as well. Alex

DC is a brunch-loving town, so make that meal happen if you're here on a Sunday. In April, pick somewhere outside. I like the patio at Hank's, but the best resource is DR's own Brunch Guide.

Looks like the will of the group has pushed this down from tasting menu to night out, and Proof is it. Thanks for all the input!

Rockweillers, A good friend is leaving town and we want to take her to an excellent meal. She's vegetarian. We're pretty flexible on price, but would love to keep it in DC. I was thinking we should all go veggie, but that's not an absolute imperative. What I'd really love is to find a chef that would like to put a vegetarian tasting menu together for six or eight people. Any advice? I'd love to make this fun and memorable for my friend, but we're all flexible and we don't need a super high-end, service-intensive experience (but that would work, too). Thoughts? Thanks! Alex

Sauca popped up in Logan Circle today, on P St cross from the Whole Foods. I was one of their first customers. Overall, I think this is a wonderful addition to our DC lunch options. I like that their menu offers bold, international flavors and I'm looking forward to trying more of their offerings. I ordered their take on a Banh Mi, my friend got their Butter Chicken (both $7.50) and we split their Hot and Sour Soup ($4 for 12 oz). All their sandwiches are served on a piece of flat, grilled, chewy bread, somewhere in the naan/flour tortilla family. This place has a lot in common with Naan & Beyond. The Banh Mi had most of the traditional elements -- sweet roasted pork, radishes, cilantro, pickled carrots and daikon. There wasn't any pate or any heat, but the pork was saucy and it was a good size for lunch. I'd put a little hot sauce on it, next time. No, this is not the answer to the great metro area banh mi shortage, but it's a tasty sandwich. The Butter Chicken was a little less successful than the Banh Mi, in that the rice muted the flavors a little, or maybe it just wasn't as rich or complex as I'd like, and could have benefited from a little more sauce... but I only had one bite. The Hot & Sour soup was cornstarched to the point of gumminess -- velvety is fine, but once it starts quaking like jello in the spoon, that's too thick for me. They only had one soup today -- if the mulligatawny or the chicken noodle were available, I would have gone for them. They offer an array of at least 16 gratis sauces, but they weren't well-labeled and I opted against playing condiment roulette. They'll have it sorted out by tomorrow, and I am excited to try them. My only real concern with their venture is that, by making every sandwich to order, they are likely to run into service speed and line size issues. If the Fojols struggled with that, and all they do is spoon sauces over rice, I just don't know how they are going to crank out six different delicious, multi-ingredient sandwiches quickly enough to keep the lunch line moving. I hope I'm wrong! Alex

The menu redesign is the only substantive change. Same great, rotating tap selection. Most of the same staff and most of the same furniture. They just hung a bunch of french posters and artwork, to give it a little more of a bistro feel. I haven't eaten here yet, but as the atmosphere and the beer selection are unchanged from the Axis era, it won't be long. Alex

I had Mad For Chicken for dinner last night, and my experience mirrored DaRiva18. The excellent texture was unique in my experience, but I've never been to Bon Chon. We even reheated the large, meaty wings and drumsticks (they are what I think of as an order of wings, not a bucket of chicken) at 350 convection and the texture seemed unaffected. The seasoning was so mild that we whipped up a little homemade wing sauce by diluting some korean red pepper paste with rice wine vinegar and mirin until it was soupy enough to pour. That worked, but I'm sure Posh will outdo our homebrew if we specify "spicy" on their simple online order form. Don is right -- if they figure out an efficient delivery mechanism and market it appropriately, they are going to move a lot of chicken.

Someone should look into just how the food at this place went from unremarkable to delicious. According to the staff, one of the owners, a former cook at Marcel's, has taken over kitchen duties. That's what it tasted like last night. I had the Roast Chicken ($16), a brined half-bird served on a bare plate, Palena-style, dripping with jus, accompanied by a side platter bearing two large ramekins of collards and mashed potatoes. I'd gone in with the intention of ordering a burger, but the chicken read so well on the menu that I had to order it, and out came a surprising delicious, beautifully-executed classic. My friend had the Fish & Chips ($12). The tilapia was light, crispy-not-greasy and moist, better than most in this city. The fries remain a mystery to me, as he subbed for the excellent house-made potato chips. Beer-wise, I had a reliably-tasty Spaten Optimator draft and a Green Flash bottle. The latter is a standard West Coast IPA -- big-hop, low-malt, no great shakes. Good for you, Black Squirrel. I'll be back and I will bring my friends.

I love Granville Moore's, specifically the moules, the fries and the dipping sauces... but I had the same reaction to the sandwich. I felt like the intention was to crisp up the bread and glaze it with a fat to combat the level of juice coming off the bison, but the oil soaked through so much of the bread that it was overwhelming. I largely ignored the bread. I can see someone throwing up their hands and saying "hell, it's a cheesesteak, it's gonna be greasy!", but I'm a fat-eating glutton and this was too much for me.