jpschust

In the city I have a major passion for Monk's. The service is poor, but the beer selection and mussels are unreal.

i really want to, but i'm stuck going to get sushi tonight at sushi taro. i'm so not in the mood for sushi.

Thanks! I'd also love to see any recipes for other types of bitters as well. Now where to find some of these things

Any chance anyone can share a recipe or point me in the direction of some recipes for homemade bitters? I'm specifically looking to make some cherry bitters.

When I go to the bank tonight I'll take a glance in to see if they are open.

Penang DC. I just know the service is going to be spotty, but the Roti Telur keeps me coming back. Beyond that one place I can't stand poor service.

Sweet. I'll take a glance for it.

Yes, I remember seeing that on the big board as well. I'll be able to post within the next few days as to what is on there now.

You can do that and not even eat there. I do it all the time. Go up early- pay the cover, get the stamp and then leave and come back later.

FYI, the Reef just changed 3 of their lines. I'm waiting for the list of what came and went but I know that the Allagash Dubbel came on the lines and man is that good. On a side note I had this great Belgian brown this last weekend at Monk's in Philly- Kwak. Anyone know where I can find that down here?

The beauty of RTS is the value. I think RTS is a classic in and of itself and does it right. I'm not so sold on the rest of the restaurants in the area, but if you wanted something other than steak Sette Bello isn't bad and is closer to Iota. Within walking distance at that. RTS is kind of a hike from Iota, but not overly far. Strangely enough the food at Iota isn't bad. It's actually worth eating every once in a while.Edit for a quick error. Thanks to crackers for catching my misteak

Le Bec-Fin (long review) OK, so it's the morning after Le Bec-Fin and here's my review: We arrived for a 9:30 reservation (we had come up by train from DC after work, hence the late seating) at about 9:15. They didn't have a table ready for us so they sent us down to the bar to have a drink. We were lucky to find a couple of seats at the bar. The bartender took quite a while to notice us (at least 5 minutes and she was not that incredibly busy) and when she did she was rather abrupt with my girlfriend. Eventually after getting a cocktail list from her (which is only 2 drinks long for some strange reason) I ordered a Manhattan and she had a French Martini. Hers was good, if not too strong and mine was poor. Someone needs to teach this place how to make a Manhattan. I ordered it perfect and there was NO vermouth in it whatsoever. Yay for bourbon and bitters. Anyways, we went upstairs when they pulled us in for our table. Everything that's been said about this dining room is true. It is an incredibly remarkable space. We were sat down amongst a flurry of waiter activity between the napkin dropping, the chair moving and whatnot. Very nice, and a touch over the top, but whatever. After a thorough review we decided to go with the 10 course tasting menu. We're gluttons for punishment, what can I say? The amuse was a scallop in a tarragon sauce with a leek piece on it. The tarragon sauce was excellent but overpowered what we would find out to be a very tasty scallop. First course: Oysters tartar and ossetra caviar paired with a 2005 Domine Raymond Dupoint Fahn Chardonay. The oysters were of decent quality though they tasted as though they had been shucked about 3 hours before we tasted them. Even though they were sitting on a bed of ice the actual oyster meat tasted as though it was at room temperature. The texture of this dish and the flavoring was very good, though not out of this world. The pairing worked, but a Chardonay with some more fruitiness and a touch more oak would have matched this better. Second course: Lentils with black perrigold truffles paired with 2005 Domaine du Vieux Lazaret white Chateauneuf de Pape. This is where things got bad. First, we were poured our wine about 7-10 minutes before our food came. If the point is to pair there is no reason to pour a tasting glass and make me sit on it while my glass comes up to room temperature. Then our lentils came. Utterly flavorless and extremely hot, as though these were thrown into a microwave since they had gotten too cold. This wasn't the kind of off the burner heat you get with lentils when you make them fresh, this was fake heat. The pairing was abominable. Whoever thought this pairing was a good idea needs to stick his head in the sand for a week and come up for some fresh air. Not one flavor in the wine complimented the flavor in any part of the lentils. Interlude: It's at this point I'm starting to get upset with the service. At 3 separate times by this point in the meal waiters have made it a point to conference right over my left and right ears. "There's three birthdays at that table. Did you know that?" "Napkin fold, that table" and so on. I actually had to ask a server to ask the staff to stop conferencing over my ear. Third course: We opted to go with the scallop special instead of the black sea bass that is on the menu. The scallop was pan seared with a sesame crust and a saffron foam style sauce. Another service gaff. No one bothered to tell the semolier that we were having the scallops and came over to pur the paired 2003 Weingut Holzapfel Vordeselber Reisling with our "bass". I stopped him and asked him to check that the wine was proper to pour with the scallops instead. They conferenced and decided that it was acceptable for the scallops. They were wrong. The scallops needed a wine with significantly more citrus in it. The scallops were well prepared, and unique in flavor. Why couldn't they get the flavor of these meaty scallops in the amuse though? Fourth Course: Swetbreads in brioche crust and roasted lobster (this is how it reads on the menu) with a 2003 Treana Mer Solell Vinyard. Sure, we got the wine pairing, but we didnt' get this course. What we got was roasted lobster without swetbreads or a brioche crust. The lobster was good, but it drives me nuts when a kitchen changes a course without telling us and trying to pass it off as though that's how it's supposed to be. The pairing worked for this course, but not extremely well. It didn't create the pairing flavor I was looking for, but rather worked as a wine with which one could gulp down to go with lobster. Fifth Course: Fois gras with rasberry vinegar paired with a NV Pineau des Charentes. This was the first excellent course of the evening. The fois gras was a touch over seared, but the mesh of flavors with this sauce and the wine was absolutely perfect. Sixth Course: Grapefruite and vermouth grainte recreated shot style (no pairing). Why on earth are they doing this at Le Bec-Fin? Why on earth are they serving me a grapefruit compote with pop rocks in it with a vermouth shot? This was neither flavorful nor interesting. If I want this I'll go to WD-50 or Moto where they actually do this well. Sure it was kind of funny in a tongue in cheek way but this didn't clear my palette. Finally at this point the waiters had stopped conferencing over my ear. Seventh Course: Roasted squab with confit of cabbage paired with a 2003 Until Vinyards Syrah. This was maybe the best course of the evening. It was simple, to the point and the pairing worked well. The squap was perfectly roasted and the cabbage was excellent. Eigth Course: Cheese course paired with a 1998 Ramos Porto. An excellent course for the two of us since we both know cheese up and down. Their cheese man could learn a thing or two about service though. Just asking what kind of cheese people like without any guidance as he did to the table next to us isn't so helpful. We had a selection of bleu cheeses, a goat or two and some camembert. All were very good, though nothing to write home about. By the way, who on earth pairs with cheese without looking to the cheese that the patrons select? This pairing stunk, not to mention this port stinks. They needed something a little younger for this course. Ninth Course: Sorbet & Ice Cream. I ordered the coconut sorbet and my girlfriend ordered the pear. They brought us each the other's sorbet. For a place that prides themselves on service, what the heck? They were both good, though again nothing to write home about. My coconut sorbet had a few chunks of ice on it. Tenth Course: Dessert Cart paired with a 1998 La Chapelle de Lafaurie-Peyraguey. I had the Grand Marinier cold soufle since I'm a GM addict and my girlfriend had a selection from the chocolates. Mine was ok, not great. They really pushed the chocolates on her without concern with what she really wanted. This seemed a theme for the evening. Petit Fours- all very good. Simple, nothing to write home about. Overall I thought it was good, but not wonderful. Certainly not the best place I've eaten ever, let alone this calendar year (that easily goes to Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, VA). The service often heard us but failed to listen or pay attention. The food was good at points, but poor at other points. Would I reccomend this place? Not if you are paying with your own cash, but if you're on an expense account, by all means. ** out of 5.

I'd like to follow up on this situation with a positive report. Chef Leeds contacted me personally to ask if we would come back as her guest. Politely I've declined to come back as her guest, though I did say that we would come back on our own dime with an open mind and an open heart and perhaps after the meal we could say hello and tell her what we thought of everything. It's this kind of response to an eating experience that makes me a lifelong customer. Yah you can do it right all day long and I'm going to be perfectly content, but if you make a mistake how are you going to deal with it? In this case, exactly the right way. Cheers to you Chef and we look forward to trying your restaurant out again.

I've been subscribing to the Eggers stuff since Might. I adore his style and McSweeney's especially.

Saltambocca, Polenta, Lasagnette, Whole Fish of the Day, Cheese Plate, Proscuitto

Brian is indeed the owner and certainly a force of nature. That lockerstock will KILL you. It is so potent.

The only whole foods cold cut actually worth anything is their herbed turkey- the rest stink. I'll be honest, after trying a lot in the DC area, the best you can get besides going to some very little store might actually be the sara lee stuff or whatever major brand it is besides boars head that harris teeter is carrying in their cases now. The exact name escapes me, but it's actually pretty darn good.

you had me until you got to boarshead. that stuff stinks. blind taste it against oscar meyer, it's no better.

Here's my problem with Dremo's- they don't clean their tap lines. Their beer tastes terrible as a result. Like i said, you can be inside, have really nice conversation, hear eachother on the ground floor of the Reef in Adams Morgan, have great beer and liquor, attentive staff, and the burger there is awesome.

On Tuesday night Robyn, myself and two friends reserved 4 spaces at the bar to do a fixed price tasting menu. The two friends had never been to Dino before, though Robyn and I have been there more times than I can count as well as on our first date The dinner turned into a little bit of a celebration dinner as Robyn had just found out that her trial was going to settle so she and I would be able to spend valentines day together. Dean, Kay, Chris & Chef Amaya worked very hard to come through with a unique menu, and for your imposed jealousy here is my thorough review: Drinking Course 1: Eucalyptus Honey Pomegranite Prosecco This should be the first testament to Dean for hiring Chris as well as a testament to Chris' abilities as a "mixologist". In essence this was a basic prosecco which on it's own would have been enough *dyenu*, but no, Chris made a simple syrup with the other parts and added it to the prosecco, creating for a sweet, but not overpowering drink to calm everyone down from a long day before having a fine meal. It was what we needed- sparkling with excitement and sweet with desire. Immediately everyone was in a great mood. Drinking Course 2: Prickly Pear Margaritas for the women and Blood & Sand for the men I was hoping to get a cheat sheet from the website, but I didn't. I can tell you this- compass box scotch in the blood and sand has never tasted so good. It was sweet, strong, and by this time the couple that was with us was starting to feel the acohol a touch. Oh yah, did I forget to mention that they are both bartenders? They can handle it. Food course 1: Prosciutto, Mortadella, Genoa Salami This was a very basic salumi plate, but perfectly executed. Each piece of meat carrying its own perfect savory sense. If I could get in touch with Dean's proscuitto dealer I'm sure I'd end up eating the stuff every single day for the rest of my life. Which would be until next week sometime The Mortadella I've never been a huge fan of, but it's a personal flavor thing. The Genoa Salami is just the perfect salami. It's how salami should look and taste. Carpaccio of Breasaola Air cured beef with microgreens in a lemon dressing, granna shavings, olive oil I love this course. I adore carpaccio in all its forms. This is simple. Savory, flavorful, so much so that you can actually taste what it was that your dinner actually ate before it gave its life for your pleasure. Sweet, delicious, pleasure. Drinking Course 3: Gewurztraminer Nussbaumer 2004 Cantina di Tramin Alto Adige OK, I'm going to admit it. I despise Gewurztraminers. I absolutely hate them. Except for this one. How does this man do it? Talk about a perfect pairing to go with our next course. Robust, strong, slightly sweet, just teriffic. Food Course 2: Antipasto di Maccelleria Butcher's plate- pickled tongue crisped on the grill, hot italian sausage, cotecchino, house cure pancetta, lightly smoked OK, Robyn isn't a fan of tongue. I can't blame her for being wrong. Anyways I got her to try it and it was certainly great. Wonderfully spiced, great texture. The sausace, cotecchino and pancetta were all excellent as well but the tongue sticks out the most for me. Yummy. Drinking Course 4: Giacomo Conterno Barbera d'Alba 2004 Cascina Francia I love Barbera's. So round and flavorful. That taste of the earth gets me every single time. Food Course 3: John Dory from New Zealand Orata from Itlay Whole fish crisped on the grill in olive oil and pan roasted Everyone except one person (not me) adored the John Dory over the Orata, but the other gentleman preferred the Orata. When I say prefer I mean we all fell in love with both but Carl couldn't help scraping the bones of the Orata. Both were so fresh and so simply prepared. In the words of Batali "Don't fuck with the seafood." The guy is right- simple is better and the flavors will show themselves. Food Course 4: Kumquat sorbet served in Kumquat skins A simple palette clenser. One of our group members hadn't ever had kumquat before. It baffled my mind. In any event this course did exactly what it was supposed to do- sweeten and clean the palette before the next course. Drinking Course 5: Abbazia di Novacella Lagrein Dunkel Praepositus 2003 I'll be honest, at this point in the night my memory of the wine was getting hazy, but I remember the pairing perfectly. I remember it bringing out the flavor of the next course so well. You'll see what I mean in the description. Food Course 5: 1/2 Rabbit served three ways: Boneless saddle stuffed with prosciutto & roasted Confit of the legs and back Roasted rack served on a bed of braised cabbage, peas & prosciutto Earlier in the day Kay had asked me, "So do you think your party will like rabbit?" My response, "If it tastes good we will eat it." Thankfully no one in my group has a personal affection for thumper. We destroyed this course, especially the confit and the saddle. The wine brought out the saltiness normally there in the rabbit as well as the spicyness of the game meat. A perfect pairing combined with a favorite meat of mine. Finally we had a selection of the desserts from the menu along with espresso. I've reviewed the desserts here and there before so I won't bore you with the details. A major bravo to Dean, Kay, Chris and Chef Amaya. This was perfectly executed and I think you now have 2 more life long customers. Cheers!

apparently I'm an idiot- I know you didn't like the pub crawl in Adams Morgan, so get ye to the Reef and stay put. Roof deck for smokers, main level for when it's cold, ground floor if you want to be without much company when you drink. The beer is amazing, the liquor flows heavy, and buy your bartender a shot of Jameson or GM.

-->QUOTE(Mrs. B @ Feb 1 2007, 08:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Tabard Inn? I don't know your budget but they can arrange a private area for groups as small as 10 (I think).I really want to like this place, but last time I was there with a very important group they failed hard on the meal. Food was done wrong more than once, wine service was terrible, it was just awful.

not sure, but no big loss overall. that place stinks.

the mini oatmeal chocolate chip cookies there are amazing. and not even said with a joking fashion- really really damn good.

Sad news indeed. I'm sure Robyn and I will be there at least once to eat before he heads out.