Camille-Beau

NYE dinner at Eve was fabulous, even with multiple seatings and a full house in both the tasting room and bistro (plus the bar.) The special 7-course TR menu had two choices per course including GOOSE fois gras, lots of truffles and Beluga caviar with some of the dishes. The optional wine pairing offered a different wine for each individual item so as a couple, Beau and I were able to try all 14 dishes and their paired wines. Everything was pretty amazing from the creamy carrot veloute with Perigord truffle cream to the marinated white tuna with gorgonzola dolce, onion marmalade and white alba truffles, the briny oysters with pickled salsify & osetra, the aforementioned goose fois gras on a bed of goose leg confit, huckleberries & cipollinis, the melt-in-your-mouth butter-poached fluke with the Beluga caviar, roasted sea bass (perfectly crispy skin!), the sweetbreads, venison loin, Polyface Farm* beef tenderloin (topped with seared fois gras) and ending with a lovely chocolate fudge cake and plum pudding 'flambe'. Sipping a little champagne before dinner with another toast at midnight while everyone in the restaurant sang 'Auld Lang Syne' made for a perfectly lovely evening. No amateur night there! *for you fans of "The Omnivore's Dilemma"...

From the latest "The List: Are You On It: While the beef served that the opening party was quite good, it wasn't Kobe, not at $26 per OUNCE! Wasn't Wagyu either, not for a crowd that large.

Chef Kevin Rathbun at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen:

It is definitely worth it.

Anyone been to this yet?

And the same is true of those who always have something negative to say about every dining experience.

Perhaps there aren't any actual flaws or imperfections of any significance that merit complaint. Helps if one does not always look for something to criticize. An example: Lunch at a high-end NYC restaurant on Saturday. Of many spectacular dishes, the Scottish Langoustines with caramelized sunchokes, pickled grapes and tarragon-langoustine broth served on a bed of sunchoke puree was a clear favorite. Was the dish delicious? Yes!!! The slight smokiness of the broth gave the langoustines a flavor reminiscent of having been chargrilled instead of sauteed (no sous vide -- woohoo!!!) A truly amazing dish that I would order repeatedly. If looking for a reason to criticize, one langoustine had the 'vein' still in evidence. A 2-second flick of the knife removed it. Was that a flaw? To someone, perhaps yes. Did the dish suffer because of it? NO! Should the restaurant be criticized for such an oversight? In my opinion, NO! To someone else, however, this may have been the one and only thing they wrote about the langoustine course instead of writing about the creaminess of the sunchoke puree and the slight sweetness of the grapes that perfectly complemented the smoky broth. Would that keep someone from either patronizing the restaurant or ordering that dish? I would hope not, but you never know. One person's 'flaw' is another's 'so what' ETA: dined at a local restaurant for dinner the same day (yes, we are gluttons) and any of the dishes could have easily been switched between the two restaurants and no one would know the difference. From quality of ingredients to flavor to presentation, I doubt anyone could tell which chef created each dish. Nice to have such talent available locally. moo.

The fried shallots are the best part of this dish!

It is.

Isn't the reason a restaurant becomes a "sacred cow" (if we must continue to use that term) to someone is because they love the place? If so, then perhaps they don't have anything of significance to criticize.

Beau and I will be there.

Ok, the official menu at BLT Steak DC includes the following section (text in bold the same as indicated on the menu): KOBE Japanese Kobe Strip (A5) per oz / $26 American Wagyu Ribeye 12 oz / $92 American Wagyu Top Cap 10 oz / $81 American Wagyu Skirt Steak 10 oz / $55 Does that help?

The main signage is up listing the name "Coat of Arms" with subtext of "Spareribs Steaks Soups Salads Seafood"

Perhaps Hearth would be a good choice. They're located at the corner of East 12th Street and First Avenue with a small bar area as well as seating in front of the open kitchen called the "Kitchen Pass" which would be fun for a lone diner.

Internet searching. It took a couple of months of random searches to locate one bottle from a wine merchant in California. Just today I located another at a NY wine store that was sold one hour before I called to ask about availability. A different store is selling a bottle for the astronomical price of about $600. PM me if you want the link. I suppose that's why you see the price of a single glass listed at $70 at our own local Bourbon restaurants.Information on the Malt Advocate Whisky (and Whiskey) Fest in NY - November 6, 2006 and Chicago - April 13, 2007

Yep

Why? What would be the consequence of such a post? Fear of being banned from the restaurant in which they had a bad experience or that negative commentary will add 'extra special' ingredients to a dish upon the next visit? I think the restaurant professionals that browse these posts are just that -- professionals -- and I don't think they would have a problem whatsoever with someone returning after a negative experience. In fact, they might like the opportunity to turn that opinion around. That being said, there are also people who post negative commentary just to see how others will respond. Things like "I think XYZ is overrated" without actually posting anything constructive as to why the experience was bad. As for the whole 'sacred cow' issue, if someone is allowed to post their opinions, be they positive or negative, about any restaurant and in particular the so-called sacred cows (whatever they are), then someone else who might disagree with that post should still be allowed to voice their own opinion which may be an opposing view without being jumped on as defending their 'cow'. That's just annoying and useless. This is still the best forum around for talking about the local dining scene.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America is holding a local whisky tasting tomorrow night at the JW Marriott for those of you who like your whisky without the "e" From the invitation: "Ladies and gentlemen are cordially invited to enjoy a connoisseur’s evening co-hosted by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society & Robb Report, featuring over 60 rare and exceptional single malt and Scotch whiskies. A dinner buffet will be served for your enjoyment. At evening’s end, a selection of premium imported cigars from the humidors of Montecristo will be provided for your enjoyment." The Scotch Malt Whisky Society website . Click on "Calendar" for the list of all event locations. I'm a member so if you want to go as a non-member guest, please let me know. -Camille

Latest acquisition: A.H. Hirsch 20yr.

Perhaps there will be something in the Nov. Washingtonian that might have an effect on the publishing date. I'm just sayin'...

you sure about that?

And xcanuck's AWESOME salmon!

Seems that a restaurant needs to be in a hotel in order to earn 4 stars.

Restaurant news worthy of note for Napa Valley: The Napa restaurant formerly known as Budo has reopened as Cuvee Napa, serving comforting American dishes like Cabernet-braised short ribs, clams with chorizo, and fruit crisps. Owner Roger Roessler hired chef Octavio Barrera of Bistro Don Giovanni. Cindy Pawlcyn has opened Go Fish Grill in St. Helena in the old Pinot Blanc space, partnering with longtime Pinot Blanc chef Sean Knight and Hana chef-owner Ken Tominaga, who runs the sushi bar. Andrew Budnyj, formerly of Michael Mina's Arcadia in San Jose, will be executive chef. The focus is on California-style seafood preparations. Thomas Keller has opened Ad Hoc in Yountville in the former Wine Garden space he purchased last April. Keller and chef Jeff Cerciello are serving a four-course, fixed-price menu for around $45, featuring the kind of comfort food they grew up with, like fried chicken and beef stroganoff, along with salads from the nearby French Laundry garden. Conceived as a temporary project, Ad Hoc is expected to be open only through winter 2006.

This event was worth every penny. Thanks to all the participating chefs -- your dishes were excellent!