Pappy

Some (typically pretentious) thoughts after a night at CZ with Mrs. B. (Click me).

"Chef Ziebold (who – full disclosure -- we’d had the pleasure of meeting a couple of days before) to loom alarmedly over the table."

Thank you for mentioning that tidbit.

Blue Duck later calls back -- apparently, they made a mistake. No table will be availbale until at least over an hour later on that evening, which nears 10:00 p.m.

Be thankful that you now have to go somewhere that your guests will be able to hear each other speak.

I just had a bad service experience here that beggars all explanation. Kay and I went in to ahve lunch. We ordered. I gave the lady (not Audrey) a $100 to pay. The corner of the bill was ever so slightly torn/scuffed. She started to give us our change but then stopped and said that there was something wrong with the bill. Did we ahve another?

aTHis stopped us in our tracks as the scuff was slo slight that it was almost non existant and clearly there was nothig wrong with the bill. She took out the counterfit pen and checked the bill and it was fine. She then got very huffy with us. At first I thought she weas joking and I pointed out that the tear was tiny. She refused to make change so I asked her if she really was going to not take my money being a good customer who comes in so often. She clearly knows me by sight and knows that I like my food excruciatingly hot and knows all my favorite dishes and comments when I don't order one of them on usual visits. I am no stranger to her and this was now in the twilight zone.

Again, now losing my cool, I said you are really going to not take this bill. No answer. Again I pointed out I am a regular customer and what was up. Again a challenge about the bill in an angry tone. I took the bill and walked out, very upset.

At this point, all I can do is to go to Audrey and hope she can resolve this. I have been eating in very ethnic Chinese restaurants for over 20 years, many where I am the only Westerner in the place. I cultivate my relationships in these restaurants so as to maximize my knowlege of the culture and to be turned on to the lesser known dishes etc. Based on how I am usually treated at Joe's, I think of myself as one of their better customers (I average a weekly visit). Today I was treated as garbage, or a suspected criminal, or suspected bunco artist. I am still in shock.

The upshot, we now have been to Bob Shabu Shabu, and we already love Lighthouse Tofu and Joe's will now have to compete with these other spots for my dollars.

Could you please finish the story and tell us how Audrey handled it? I have always found her to be exceptionally pleasant and welcoming.

Here's another special little tidbit you may want to look to at Bebo. While there are quite a few wines available by the glass, most in the 5-7 dollar range, I wasn't thrilled by the ones I sampled. But don't feel you need to stick with those choices, particularly if you're having a glass with someone else, or planning to have more than one. I'm not exactly sure what those folks in MD are up to and clearly those controlling fascists who run the government in DC are by no means enlightened, but us proud sons and daughters of the South have been free to order a bottle of wine, drink a glass, cork it, put it under our arm and take the rest home. With Bebo being on the "right" side of the Potomac, it's a great chance for you to freely sample a wine list that seems to want to challenge Ray's The Steaks as one for the people.

Who the hell can't finish a single, little bottle of wine? I've never kept a cork in my life.

I'm not sure how helpful this will be, ...I was there about two months ago, but we were dining with my in-laws, so I had 3-4 Johnnie Walker Blacks (before they could open the two bottles of wine we ordered) and have been trying to block out the whole experience ever since it happened. Not because of the food or service, mind you.

The place looks better than ever, with only one terrible table just inside the door, and an attractive bar area to wait at if your table is not ready. Service is more professional than ever. It took me a few minutes to grab the waiter initially, but as soon as he understood my predicament he clearly took pity on me and "kept them coming." The wine list is better than ever. It was easy to find a nice, affordable gruner veltliner and an expensive, but fair, Oregon Pinot. Putting together a meal is easy too. I don't recall exactly what I had (the scotch), but I recall it being difficult to make a decision and I tasted everyone's first and second courses and there were many more hits than misses. I do remember that more than one dish was served in a wide, shallow bowl surrounded in a broth, rather than a sauce, which I don't remember the menu describing very well and you might want to be aware of if you don't like that sort of thing. I was surprised, because I thought the whole "broth" thing, which was immensely popular at Seasons a decade ago, was pretty much out of style by now.

Finally, it was a Sunday night and Damion Salvatore (sp?), chef and owner, was not in the house that evening (I asked because he was sort of a classmate of mine in high school), and it didn't seem the place missed a beat without him

I was fortunate to attend with Joe last night. We agreed on almost every dish. Along with the highlights he mentioned, there were some lowlights that will go unmentioned until Roberto has time to work on them a little further. I will add that the pizza oven was not up and running yet, nor was he cranking out any of the risottos that the menu promised. The desserts were remarkable and would have been at home in any of the area's finest restaurants. While I'll admit to being pretty jaded on the matter, prices seemed low enough to attract casual diners.

It was hilarious to watch the staff. We were told that the entire kitchen staff and virtually the entire front-house staff moved over from Galileo. They seem very reluctant to let go of the "prime dining" mannerisms that is their custom. Dishes were served beautifully adorned. The silver, china and crystal, were a full step above what the menu prices would suggest. Wines were opened on a rolling cart with a linen napkin and an extra glass for sampling. Dishes were set down four at a time in unison. One waiter, noticing an empty glass, retrieved a small silver tray onto which he placed the empty glass after removing it gently from the table.

It's a cavernous place with awkward lighting in a less-than-popular location (the old Oyamel spot). I hope they can find at least a temporarily successful home there, as I believe he is one of the greatest cooking talents Washington has. Solid pizzas and an affordable wine list should go a long way in acheiving that goal.

Chatted with Eddie and Dennis, two of the new partners/owners/chefs (?) today. One of which (Eddie) was involved in the opening of Tel Aviv Cafe in Bethesda, the other (Dannis) was born and raised in Potomac. Place is almost done. Beautiful interior of dark woods and amber upholstry. Pinpoint and indirect lighting. Small sitting area and 10 person bar upfront. High banquets along two back walls. Chef's table in the very back.

Menu is to be french/asian fusion. Starters included a crab tart. Prices low teens. Salads similar. Mains included salmon and veal tenderloin. Prices in the mid 20s. Chefs table to be multi-course with wine pairings, etc.

They are very excited to be in the area and expect to be well received. Our office has already booked lunchs and a Christmas party.

I work next-dorr and I can tell you that they have spent months completely gutting and rebuilding the place, so they clearly are making a significant investment.

On the other hand, I have heard, and perhaps mistakenly, that they plan to be all things to all people with cafe seating, a serious dining room, wine tastings, and a broad menu.

While I recognize the rents are high in Potomac, given the local demographics and the poor dining alternatives at these cross-roads, I would think Bezu has more than a sporting chance of success.

I eat at Cesco pretty often, maybe 4-6 times a year. It's a comfortable place with a very warm welcome from Francesco's wife Elaine, a tenured wait staff, and a familiar clientel. The cooking is fine, with a few standouts, fresh seafood, and a swath of tired, unispired Italian "usuals." The wine list is sufficient, with only slightly ridiculous Bethesda markups.

I see Francesco in the kitchen almost everytime I'm there, wearing an apron, spoon in hand, sweat on his brow.

I mention this beause I'm afraid Cesco's output could suffer in his absence.

This is one of the best restaurants in the United States. Roberto Donna personally cooks for you, only a few feet away if you are at table #7. Galileo and the private kitchen/room called Laboratorio (which seats up to 30) is closing on Saturday, September 2nd for an indefinite period of time. It will re-open with the re-opening of Galileo sometime in the spring/summer of 2007. In the interim Roberto & company are moving to Arlington but there will not be a Laboratorio. For anyone that would like one last pass at the genuine excellence which is Roberto in his Laboratorio this is it. Laboratorio, along with Maestro and Citronelle are the only four star restaurants on Tom Sietsema's list. I personally think that he is as talented, as good, as delicious (pick an adjective) as anyone in Italy. Roberto is a gift to us. If you have ever thought about going to the Lab this truly is your last chance.

Ask for table #7. Five feet from where he stands. There are a few reservations left.

I'll wager an Andrew Jackson that Roberto never returns to that DC location. In fact, I'd wager this may be your last chance to enjoy Roberto's cooking at that level for a long time.

I eat out often.

I don't think I have ever sent a dish back. I have to assume that what was sent out of the kitchen was the best they could produce at the time and is worthy of praise or criticism given the conditions that exst.

I stopped mentioning a criticism to waiters/managers/owners long ago when I realized that not a single one of them ever took it constructively, and instead simply tried to comp my dessert (which I didn't want in the first place.)

Standards have to vary depending on lots of things. What kind of restaurant? How busy is it? How long have they been open? Could it have been mis-interpretation?

At the end of the day (meal), a slightly over-cooked steak isn't going to change my opinion about a restaurant. However, given the number of restaurants available to me, a bitchy hostess, a disappearing waiter, thoughtless food, warm wine, and a $300+ dinner tab are not going to add up to..."maybe it was an off night I guess we should try it again."

The peak of the season is probably past, but softshells are generally available around these parts through the warm part of September. It is my understanding, however, that when it gets really, really hot, the crabs (softies esp) just kinda stop moving around, stop growing, stop molting, etc. They just want to dig into the mud and stay cool. Once the really hot streak passes, you should begin to see a few more in the market.

What I can't answer is what percentage of the softshells in our markets come from the Chesapeake, and what percentage come from NC, or even LA, etc.

Unless it's some place where I am already known, my preference is not to say anything at all.

Unlike going to a shop and saying, "I heard about you from Consumer Reports", any mention of a media outlet where the content is all user provided carries an implicit threat of "make me happy or else."

As mentioned by others, making that threat explicit by proclaiming more than "I heard about you from yyy.com" is lower than low.

I think JPW is right here. I don't think it's appropriate to ever mention dr.com, and I hope every contributor feels the same. Certainly none of us, Don especially I'm sure, would want Rockwell.com to gain the wrong reputation in the restaurant community due to the actions or presumptions of any single person. It would be very easy for a manager or an owner to mis-understand anything but the most carefully worded introduction. (And careful wording is not my specialty, at least, as I'm leaving the dinner table.)

I don't even think mentioning after the meal serves any purpose. The idea Dan 42 presents that you are giving them marketing feedback falls short. It is not as if they paid for an ad on the site. Rather, it's more like "I heard about your restaurant from a stranger at a cocktail party. Several people who seemed to know what they were talking about liked it very much." Is that helpful?

What a coincidence. I book marked their website (www.niwanohana.com) just this week. I've been thinking I would stop in one evening for a couple of their rolls (Dynamite?, Maryland?, Spicy Scallop?) and cold soba noodles to go.

Can anyone recommend a particular roll? More importantly, has anyone had the cold soba? I assume it comes with a dashi based dipping sauce?

I don't think it's the food. With the Tower Oaks complex, I think Clyde's is playing the clubby-but-not-a-club card perfectly. This is where Rockvillians take their families and visiting friends when they don't have a membership at Congressional, and they don't feel like spending the money to drag the kids to the Old Angler's Inn or Normandie Farm. Slap a polo shirt on little Timmy and let him order a burger. The food is serviceable enough, and it's an easy crowd-pleaser.

IMHO.

Funny you say that. Instead of waiting for a table we went to our Club for dinner instead. And if you know anything about country club food, you know that we probably would have been better off waiting.

As I've mentioned, I am not opposed to having lunch at the Clyde's at Tower Oaks. I think it's a wonderful space, the service is bad, but not awful, the beer is cold and fresh, and it's possible to find something to eat. Sitting at the large, beautiful bar for a lunch of oysters and beer on a Fall afternoon is actually a treat.

The one time I tried to have dinner there, I made a reservation for 7PM on a Friday night. We arrived at 6:50 and checked in. The young lady said it would be a few minutes. At 7:02PM I asked if our table would be ready, and she dismissed me with "it'll be another 10-15 minutes." Well, let's just say I didn't appreciate the tone of her voice or her casual dismissiveness and was compelled to tell her so and we left.

Last night, my wife asked if I would try again. Gladly, I replied. Did we need a reservation, she asked? Of course not, I said. Its's 7:30 on a Tuesday, August 1st in Washington DC. This city is deserted. You could walk right into any restaurant in town, I added. There would not be 20 people there I assured her.

Wrong. The parking lot was grid-locked and the wait for a table, we were informed, would be 20-25 minutes, and possibly more for a particular dining room (as opposed to the bar).

Am I missing something? There are lots of restaurant reasonably nearby, so it's not a supply issue. Are they giving away free drinks? What is going on?

Need to add -- 4)He's been a little distracted recently --bribery charges

And, of course, it would be appropriate to remind everyone that there are two sides to every story.

I loved Melrose, and I'm a very big fan of McBride's cooking. So I looked forward to dinner at Blue Duck last Saturday. I came away really, really missing Melrose.

I can see where they spent millions re-decorating. The quality and the craftsmanship is obvious. I just wish they hadn't. I, personally, don't find comfort dining in the neo-industrial dining room with it's bare floors, white column walls and angular spaces. The addition of shaker furniture seems out of place, and no more inviting. While some may enjoy a view of the busy, open kitchen and a gigantic stove, I find the whole scene distracting. It all adds up, to me anyway, to be a dark/shadowy and unbearably loud environment, and that was at 50-75% capacity.

The staff is plentiful, extremely polite, and in most cases very professional. Communication among them was still lacking, perhaps because they have to scream to one another to be heard over the din. They are all dressed in black suits like the bad guys in The Matrix and few of them smiled. The waiter was not familiar with the wine list, and did not offer up anyone who was familiar with it. Needless to say, they didn't add to the Welcome mat.

The food was mixed. I thought the Marrow was unique and delicious. I expected to be digging out of the hollow of a bone with a marrow spoon, so imagine my delight when I found the bone had been sliced along its axis with a band saw. The Roasted Clams were not so good. They were at least slighly overcooked, having become quite chewy. But worse, they came with an abundance of their red pepper topping, which had to be largely scrapped off to keep from overwhelming any other taste.

My wife's Pork Chop was outstanding and served perfectly cooked. I don't recall the source, but this was clearly a gourmet varietal unlike anything in the pork section at Giant. Even better than several other "new" pork offerings I've enjoyed. My whole roasted Sea Bream was beautiful, if a little overcooked, a little dry, and a little bland. The sides were also a little disappointing. The fries were cut into large rectangles, and although well seasoned, seemed too dry. I expected, and looked forward to, a moistness, or even an oilyness(sp) from the duck fat. I'm sure others might find this to be a positive, as there is a fine line between moistness and greasiness when it comes to duck fat, but I missed the decadence. There are several "frites" in Washington that I like better. The Lima Beans with Mushrooms were just okay. These were very large lima beans, and I find the smaller ones to be sweeter. Dessert was delicious, home-made ice cream (ridiculously served in an enormous, deep glass bowl with a straight wooden spoon). Coffee and espresso were excellent.

It may be worth noting that the prices are not as "reasonable" as they first seem. I don't have the menu in front of me, but entrees where maybe $21-25. But if you add an $8 side dish, it gets pricey. A Bombay gin martini, btw, was $14.

Everytime I left Melrose I looked forward to returning. While I only had a sampling of the menu, I can't say the same for Blue Duck. A previous poster put it best, so to slightly misqoute him..."they seem to need more "tavern" at the Tavern."

Thanks Joe. As thorough as I've come to expect from you. Can't wait to give it a try.

"Rigamarole," eh?

I like rock and roll. (Not like Heather, who luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuvs the stuff, but well enough). And I've had the good fortune to see a few shows that will stay with me forever: the first Stones tour in two decades where Keith wasn't too junked up to play; U2's Zoo TV tour; The "seven songs before drums" Dead show where they broke out "New Speedway Boogie." Great, wonderful shows by brilliant musicians at the top of their games, with a gazillion dollars worth of sound equipment to make sure you heared every single note, even in the cheap seats, and decades worth of great music to draw from.

Would I have traded two tickets to any of those shows and my left nut to hear any of those bands is a smoky, shitty little club with a jerry-rigged sounds system and the ever-present risk that some drunk will punch you out because you looked at him funny?

In a New York fucking minute.

Monis, whom I can't help but think is not hanging on our every word, surely has the talent and likely has the backing to decree creation of a stately pleasure-dome -- upgrading Komi or moving to a different space with Riedel Crystal windows overlooking Rock Creek and hand-buffed extra virgin wool tableclothes and maybe even a wine list that would cause Slater to suck in his breath and mutter "maybe I better call Michel and get some more Burgundies in."

And we'd have one more great restaurant. But we wouldn't have any more Komis.

Years ago Mrs. B and I moved into a basement apartment on 21st Street near Dupont Circle and decided to celebrate by treating ourselves to a new, well-reviewed restaurant around the corner: Galileo. Low ceilings, odd space, but reasonable prices and a talented young chef behind the line who was clearly having a good time cooking my dinner.

Just like Komi today.

(blame the f-bomb on Joel A)

Drop it. It just isn't worth it.

It's an opinion, okay? Not every restaurant that you know the owner of is sacrosanct. Not Palena, not RTS, not Firefly, not Cordoroy, and not Komi. Things don't stand still. Ever. And if they do, the world passes them by. There is always room for improvement. My god...you'd have thought I claimed he served dog food.

And people on the DR.com thread wonder why sometimes people withhold their criticism. Here is a perfect example.

Pappy,

Would you name a restuarant that satisfies your stuffi-ness quotient? I would be curious to hear your thoughts on the room at Viridian (if you have been). What are your thoughts on Citronelle, Inn at Little Washington or the Tabard Inn. Were you around back in the day of 21 Federal or Le Pavillion? if so any thoughts on those spaces? And last but not least 1789? I think that gets up there with stuffy.

I ask these questions in the interest of getting a sense of where you are comming from before I set down my thoughts on Monis' space a Komi.

Stephanie

I have been to all of those (save Veridian), most on many occassions. In order of stuffiness, I would rank them Le Pavillion, Citronelle, Inn, 21 Fed, 1789, Tabard. Le Lion d'Or was Washington's height, I believe, of stuffiness. And I miss it frequently. The Willard Room in the Willard hotel does and excellent job of stuffiness, unfortunately the food stinks.

But you are missing my point. I in no way suggested that I want Komi to compete for a stuffiness award. I in no way want Komi to be stuffy AT ALL! I just suggested there MIGHT be room for improvement on the "elegantly sparse" theme by hanging a piece of art on the bare wall and perhaps laying a rug on the bare floor! No place is perfect, and I, personally, found this to be a flaw.

Not to pick a fight with Pappy, who is surely a fine gourmand with an exquisite palate, but the moment Chef Monis moves out of that space and starts getting all uppity with the wine pairings, the magic will end and commerce will begin.

Mr. Waitman, I do not consider myself either "a fine gourmand" or as having "an exquisite palate." I am rather ambitious in my desire for fine food, and I do eat out, a lot. I am sure I share these same characteristics with you and most others on this board.

I do disagree with your implication that "magic" and "commerce" are mutually exclusive. In fact, I would be willing to say that it is every restaurant owner's dream to acheive both, and that many do. Do you not think many do? Should we ask Tom Keller? Mario Butali? Ducasse (sp)? Boulad (sp)? I'm not suggesting Mr. Monis is any of those. But I am suggesting that he can grow to do both. I think locally we could name quite a few as well. Kinkead? Peter Pastin (sp)? The young man at 2941 whos name escapes me? And I'm sure there are dozens other that are not coming to mind.

Are you implying that Don Rockwell uses this board to grease the wheels when he visits restaurants? That never occurred to me, and I don't think it's true.

I did NOT suggest that Don does that. I DID suggest that others do.

I could do without the chatiness, but I also understand it's an attraction to others. I could do without the coziness with restaurant owners, but I also understand that is an attraction to others.

Unfortunately, both of these diminish some of the value of this board to those such as myself. Am I ever going to see a criticism of Palena, RTS, or Firefly? I've had three meals at Firefly, a lunch was so-so, and two dinners were awful. I could have avoided the last one, but I was convinced to give it one more try because of all the raves I had read here. You'd never know that because it's taboo to post it. Oh, and I don't announce that I read DR.com when I walk up to the hostess stand.

It's Don's board. I think he correctly considers that the benefits of chating and coziness with restaurant owners and staff creates an appealing social environment, and that simply trumps the sterile effect that might result from strictly unbias commentary. Therefore others users, such as myself, have to read the threads with that knowedge in mind, recognizing some of the limitations. Pretty simple.

I didn't find it "elegantly" sparse. I found it sparse, period. As in unfurnished and unfinished. But you are right that I am a stuffy person. Fun-stuffy, but stuffy none-the-less. I like stuffy places. I like good wine in stuffy places served by stuffy waiters to other stuffy people. I also like filthy, cheap, odor filled, ethnic joints, but that is a different subject.

Four dinners and four wine pairings were $480. I left a $100 tip. That's $580. No big deal, that's about the going rate for a good dinner. I just didn't feel the surroundings lived up to the food, and more completely, the food at that price point.

To each his own. At least you know better where I'm coming from.