Pappy

My wife and I ate there on occassion when we lived in Rosslyn in the late 1990s. The food could be good. They had a braised lamb shank that I liked. I remember them doling out ouzo after the dinner crowd had thinned out. Then the music would be turned up louder, and the owner would coax his wife out from behind the bar for a dance in the dining room. Seemed very old school to me.

I couldn't agree with you more. While I am absolutely no cheerleader for the way most/many things are done abroad, it is interesting to note how Americans do not seem to enjoy the same simple tastes as their European counterparts. In fact, it seems we can never leave a good thing alone. Our coffee has to have mocha vanilla whip, our pizza needs 15 toppings, and our wine (red or white) has to have enough fruit injected into it to satisfy our addiction to Mountain Dew. It seems very few of us have a taste for mineral, hay, cedar, tobacco, must, earthiness, ...terroir. I, for one, mourn the Merlotization of American Pinot.

I remember more than a few hot summer Friday nights at Chi Di with what seemed to be the entire Capitol Hill summer intern staff. The beer was never cold enough!

I will be coming from a meeting in Frederick, MD, at rush hour, in the snow. Please save me a fortune cookie.

James, how much money did you have to spend at the Fair to win that stuffed animal in the picture?

If you can squeeze in one more chair at the table, I would be delighted to attend on Tuesday evening. Thank you.

I can not possibly comprehend how you think that is a win-win situation. Assuming you are not bringing plonk with you, the restuarant received a $25 fee instead of a $100 markup on the wine (100% on a $100 wholesale bottle) and the waiter got $5 (20% of $25) instead of $40 (20% of $200).

This topic has been pretty beaten up on other boards, so I understand if the moderator curtails this discussion. It would be useful to hear this board's comments though, because I sense the group think here is perhaps a bit more focused on the non-chain/fine dining arena. I'm a standard 20% of the gross bill tipper, i.e. after tax. I might move a couple bucks up or down to convey some sense of admiration or admonishment, but not much. My problem comes with wine. Let's just assume the waiter handled all the wine. If four of us have dinner and a cheap bottle of wine ($50) and the bill is $350, the tip is $70. But if we have two good bottles of wine ($150 ea.), the bill is $600, then the tip is $120. That's a big difference, 70% more tip for maybe 10% more work. Does the waiter understand when I only leave $80-$90 that I'm not short-changing him?

Chowhound has lots of faults, but I'm not sure this is the greatest one. If a poster is asking for "great" pho, or dim sum, or vietnamese, or korean, salvadorean, etc. it isn't irresponsible to let them know that the best examples often reside outside the city. It's certainly no more annoying than answering every query with the same three responses, 1) Palena, 2) Ray's and 3) Firefly.

Les Halles in the 90s put out some very good food. The mussels were clean, plentiful and cooked just right. The onglet was chewy and flavorful and frites were perfectly twice fried. The steak tartar was the best in town. The bread was real french bread with yeasty aroma. The the wine list had some bargains. And Michael was a wonderful host. Unfortunately, the food at Bistro du Coin seems to be an afterthought. Of all the other "bistros" in town, I think only Bistro Francais in G-town approaches it.

I guess this should be one of those restaurants that never gets talked about. I've been an irregular diner at Matisse since it opened. I've always found the menu and the wine list to be very thoughtful, usually well executed, most of the time served competently, and in a "urban, rustic, chic" environment. Without exception, I have found Fritz (GM or owner?) to be exceptionally professional. It's is a real Tenleytown (well north of Georgetown, but well south of Bethesda) find.

I was with Steve S and two others for lunch a few weeks ago when he wrote on another board... "Want to know how to have a great meal at Passage to India in Bethesda? Order the roti plain, (it will come out hot and fresh and crispy) and turn to the back page of the menu for their condiments, especially the pickles and the spices. And....then just stop there. Or order anything else. The pickles and the spices are so good, they could make footwear taste delicious. For the record, other items I tried were the potato dish from the South Indian section, the lotus stem from the North Indian section, the black lentils, and the lamb korma. The potatoes, lotus stem, and lentils were beautifully spiced, carefully prepared, and thoroughly satisfying. The lamb was forgettable. They have many interesting vegetarian selections here, this is probably where the gold is." I was back with my wife and 4 yr old son for lunch on Saturday. I couldn't resist the spice and pickle plates again. We also enjoyed a brunch special that included an appetizer sampler (a cool chicken tikka salad, a lentil filled samosa and a vegetable fritter served with raita and another sauce), a choice of chicken or lamb (in a savory ground almond sauce) entree, spinach and corn, those same lucious black lentils, and rice pudding for dessert, all for $24.95, FOR TWO PEOPLE! Washed down with a large Taj Majal beer, it was a perfect lunch in a beautiful setting. I'm looking forward to returning for lunch and experiencing the rest of the menu.

Got there today with a small group of 'hounds. Place was jumping. Steady flow of dine-ins and carryouts throughout the lunch hour. We managed a table for five and, unfortunately, our visit was marred by the newbie waitress assigned to us. She omitted a few items, and the wait to order and for food was much, much too long. No condiments, side orders never came, no soda refill, etc. Other tables served by the "old-salt" waitresses did not seem to suffer at all. The meat was delicious and piled high. We had two Ruebens (sp?) at $6.50 ea and three Corned Beef Sandwichs at $5.95. The meat is warm but not hot, juicy but not wet, soft but not disintegrating, tasty but not sharp. Very, very comforting. The Rueben is lightly "dressed" and lightly grilled. I think I could ask for better rye bread though. I know Potomac Deli has a better loaf with a thicker crust and a tangier Rye taste. Others can chime in re: pickles and cole slaw which I did not taste. Most of the regulars, it should be noted, seemed to be eating the Specials. Today was Short Ribs, Beef over Rice, Crab Cakes and Fried Fish I think. Each came with two vegetables and cost between $7.95 and 9.95.

Michael...no need to worry about decreasing demand. While I have been an AVID restaurant goer in DC for 20 years, I've never visited Ray's because I am reasonably certain it's not my type of place. You see, I am one of the "Gucci wearing, self-important a-holes" that you hate so much. When I read your diatribes on this site recently, it only served to re-confirm my opinions. Though I fully support your right to run your restaurant in any way you see fit, I can not condone your vociferousness. All that said, I completely broke down yesterday for the first time. I had instantly become fascinated with your restaurant, your passion, and the devotion of your fans. The end of the story is, and this may be remarkably coincidental, but I don't think so...I actually picked up the phone yesterday morning and started dialing your number. I was determined to ask whoever answered for your next available opening, whenever that was, and then I would do whatever it took to re-arrange my calendar/schedule to fit in that 90 minutes. Alas, no such luck. I got a recording that asked me to call back later, and my "over-bearing, professional life" took over and I never had time to try again. I will though. I'm just afraid I'll have to get there soon before you completely crack up.

As a complete by-stander who has just been described as a "power-disfigured Gollums slitheringly lusting after their Precioussss, so many Michael Jacksons-in-Red-Ties-and-Guccis staring in the empty mirror of enabled ego indulgence, so many suburban Warriors high on sucking the crack pipe of SUV exhaust" and told I am not worthy of service in his temple, it would be very hard for me to place myself in the visionary camp.

Contented Winner Here. Although I agree with some of your sentiments, I suspect you might agree that dozens of daily pithy comments and happy face replies should not necessarily be rewarded. I also suspect, Zora, that you might agree I am pretty good dining company despite being more of a lurker than a poster on this board.

It might be a heresy, but this food and booze snob was very pleased with the Oyster Menu and a cold bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in the gorgeous (in a Hollywood way) Great Room of the Clyde's at Tower Oaks one recent Saturday afternoon. Several varieties to choose from, served perfectly fresh, cleanly shucked, well iced, with lemon wedges, a hearty cocktail sauce (with additional horseradish on the side), a respectable mignonette (sp? right word?) , and proper oyster crackers. Caution: This rave does not apply to the service, any other food items, or evening dining.

There are several menus, or at least there were. I remember a red one and a black one. More recently they added a sushi menu. And then a Thai menu. I don't recall having to ask for them. But the fact that they have four menus should tell you something about Seven Seas. Stick with a few tried and true favorites and you can get out of there reasonably well fed. Especially stir-fried dungeness (sp?) crab, clams with black bean sauce, whole fish with garlic and scallions, and ginger chicken casserole.

I'm really much better looking than Roe's photo with breadsticks sticking out of my mouth implies! And typically much better beahaved too. All in good fun.

I have been waiting for a reason to post about this. Twice now, I have gone to the Clyde's Tower Oaks location for a weekend lunch/brunch. While far from perfect, it is still a delightful way to spend and hour or two. Go during the day. Sit in a both in the back room with all the windows that backs to the grove of trees. I think they call it the "Great Room." It is, in every way, beautiful. And I would have to say, I am as snotty and as skeptical as they come about chains. They spent a lot of money on this place, and it shows. The waiter will be a half-competent kid. Order a beer or a bottle of Australian Sav Blanc. It will take him 10-12 minutes to return. Get used to it. They have an Oyster menu with about 8 varieties, both east coast and west coast. They also have little neck clams. Order a dozen of something on the half shell. Perfectly fresh, perfectly shucked (with plenty of liquor), and expertly clean. Follow that with a bowl of the cream of crab soup. It's not as tasty as it should be, but it has plenty of crab (real?). Order a shot a sherry to spruce it up, and a good grinding of black pepper. Or the Watercress and Pear salad, but ask for the dressing on the side. Usually I frown on requests like this, but at Clyde's they make it a practice of drowning the salads in dressing. Another bottle of wine. A cup of black coffee. And a very reasonable bill. What's not to like?

This is great news for the Washingtonian and Washingtonians. I just wonder if the Washingtonian doesn't have a different idea of the proper balance between advertising and editorial. I'll be curious to see if that relationship changes. Thoughts?

I was a very regular poster on C-hound for many years. Through C-hound, I've met many others who share my passion for food and dining (not always the same thing), including Joe. I dare say he and I and our wives have become good friends. To repeat what many have already said, Joe H the man is much, much more sincere and gracious than some of his posts may hint at. I've pretty much stopped posting there. It is not so much that I disagree with the need for some moderation. Perhaps, it is as someone mentioned here, that the posters on C-hound are allowed to remain so anonymous and turnover is so high. It makes a real sense of community and trust much more difficult. I have been lurking on this Rockwell board for months, watching its development. I am hopeful that Don can keep that delicate balance of soliciting any and all opinions, while keeping the discourse polite and respectful. I look forward to following more closely, participating more often, and meeting some of you in the near future. -Pappy

I had that same corn chowder, I believe, two summers ago. It perfectly resembled school room paste in looks, consistency and taste. I can not understand how this chef continues to ruin such an easy dish, and how it remains on the menu.

I've been to BV's many times, probably at least 2-3 times per year for the past 4-5 years. That includes lunches, dinners, inside, outside and at the bar. I can easily say that this is the worst steak joint in town. Management has been 100% absent every time I've been there. It's an awkward setting, with tables either too big or too small. Service is severly undertrained. Long, long waits for food. And when it arrives, it is very low quality, under-cooked or over-cooked, and not well presented. Did I forget anything?

Thanks Don. I too was a big fan of GP in its day. And I too was within weeks of a re-try. I'd be interested to hear how many other tables were taken, given it was a July lunch. I've wondered how they keep the lights on. Is there a small but devout following that is sure to dine there only when Gerard is in the kitchen and therefore enjoys a different meal? -Pappy