alan7147

Do you know the name of this place and about how far of a drive is it from DC?

Not to start a conspiracy theory, but does anyone think that there is some sort of a "you scratch mine and I'll scratch yours" theme here? For instance, I have heard that a lot of the restaurants that make the various Washingtonian lists are long time advertisers with the publication. Could this possibly be a similar situation?

Yeah, they mention it in their cheap eats section.

$90 is for Smithsonian Resident Associates Program members. If you are not a member the price is $136.

Fu Shing Cafe in Rockville?? Anyone ever heard of it or been there?

Carro Tinto (2004), a blend of Monastrell(Mourvedre), Syrah, Tempranillo and a touch of Merlot. From the town of Yecla outside of Murcia in the Southeast of Spain. This wine by Antonio Candela and sons is rife with cherry and berry fruits. The soft tannins and low acidity make for pleasant drinking. A great deal at around $7 a bottle

In my opinion Bricks was a place to go and drink, not eat. Maybe split a pizza later on to soak up all of the booze. Being friends with the owner and employees always meant a good tab.

Kilman mentions that the oil from the Nachos spilled on to the table. Seems like a trend....Didn't the same thing happen to Rocks.

I just treated myself to a Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 5.5 cup rice maker. A little pricey, but can handle any rice you can think of. Just tried sushi rice last night and it came out perfect. I bought mine on EBAY for about $20 less than what Amazon was selling it for.

If you're really desperate for a slice there is always Pizza Mart in Adams Morgan. Huge greasy slices that somehow taste so much better after quite a few drinks.

Had a nice meal at Dino the other night. The place was packed for a Monday and we were told there was about a 45 minute wait when we arrived around 8. We sat at the bar for a while and had a cocktail and chatted with Dean and Jason aka DCFoodie for a bit. Started off with a plate of five crostini; Crostino alla Dino (Point Reyes blue cheese and an Ortiz anchovy), Baccala al Mantecato (Dried cod whipped with olio), Carciofi (an artichoke spread), Salsa Asiago ( a pungent mixture of asiago and grana cheeses along with some garlic and OO) and Toscano (Tuscan chicken pate). Of these my favorite were the Baccala and the Asiago, although all were very good. Moving on to the Cicchetti, we tried the Polipo alla Griglia (Baby octopus, braised in red wine, then grilled served on a lemony chickpea vinaigrette) this was my favorite dish of the night. Although vinaigrette did not seem like the right terminology here. The sauce had a lot of garlic and butter in it and it very much reminded me of eating escargot at a French bistro. For the Antipasti course we got an order of Scamorza(Smoked mozzarella broiled & topped with tomatoes, garlic and basil) My g/f liked this a lot, I thought it was fine. We each then got a half order of Primi. I had the Pinci al Cinghiale(Hand rolled Tuscan pasta with wild boar with onions and herbs.) Like Bigpinot said earlier, the pasta seemed store bought and not hand rolled. There was also way too much black pepper in the dish as it overwhelmed the meat. The Zuppa di Cozze e Vongole( mussels and clams cooked with white wine and garlic. Served over fettunta) was nice and the seafood tasted very fresh. With are meal we enjoyed a few glasses of the Trebbiano di Soave which was crisp and refreshing.

I know that many consider New Haven pizza to be the best in America. Two of the most famous spots are Pepe's and Sally's. White clam pizza seems to be big in New Haven as well. One site explains that the crust on a New Haven pizza is a little thicker and doughier than New York style. Additionally, there sauce/cheese ratio is more heavily focused on the tomatoes than the mozzarella. Lastly, New Haven places seem to leave the pies in long enough that the oil separates from the cheese, rises to the top of the pie, and almost seems to "fry" the mozzarella, giving it a mottled golden-brown color

I had an interesting experience last year at Cafe Mozu. We went there for my brother's law school graduation. While we were waiting for the rest of our party to arrive we decided to order a cocktail and sit in the lounge area in front of the restaurant. After 10 minutes of waiting and no server showing up, my brother went to ask the host what the story was. Apparently he got very defensive towards my brother and told him "not to tell me how to do my job" and proceeded to blow him off. My brother, who was irate at this point, proceeded to get the food and beverage manager for the hotel and explained the situation to him. He was very apologetic and ensured us he would rectify the situation. As it turns out the whole bill of about $900 for seven of us was comped. Frankly, I think it was due to the fact that a prominent national news anchor was in our party. Regardless, I think this speaks to the level of customer service of this establishment.

I used to eat at DG quite a bit when I lived around the corner from them. The food was consistently good in that it never wowed me nor was anything ever bad/horrible. The service was always friendly and efficient. It is definitely a place worth seeking out if you don't have to go too far out of your way.

In case you were wondering about what DCOG meant....There are four major categories of Italian wines: Vino Da Tavola Vino a Indicazione Geografica (IGT) Vino a Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) Vino a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) DOCG wines are produced in specific well-defined regions, according to specific rules designed to preserve the traditional wine-making practices of the individual regions. Very similiar to DOC, but with stricter provisions that typically result in lower grape yields.

Stopped by last week and sampled a variety of sushi. Scallop and toro were the highlights. The best part was before tip dinner for two was just under $30.00, talk about a steal.

Homemade greek salad, grilled fresh wild sockeye salmon and grilled sweet corn w/ a greek rose (who's name escapes me at this time.)

Bagel and Lox w/ light chive cream cheese & Dunkin Donuts coffee

I saw this website on google a while back, and I thought this might be Landrum's too. Turns out it is for a Ray's Steakhouse out of Austin, TX.

Check out this link that has a few wineberry recipies at the bottom of the page. http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Fo.../Wineberry.html

I'm down for that. I was acutally thinking of starting a small wine club in DC.

Hi Tom: Thanks for taking the time to answer a multitude of questions from the many posters on this site. I recall, a few months ago, some were upset that you reviewed Pazo, an establishment in Baltimore. From what I read, the reason behind their angst was that you are a writer for a DC area paper, and they felt that you should focus your attention on the establishments with in D.C. proper and the surrounding suburbs. Personally, I have no problem with you reviewing places that are within an hours drive, as if the food is good I would be willing to take the trip. What was your take on the reaction of those that disagreed with you? Also, how often in a calendar year do you review restaurants that are not in the D.C. area?

Now that I have the rice cooker situtation worked out (got the Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 5-Cup Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker ) , where is a good place to get good quality rice in bulk?

I am actually looking to buy a rice maker. Does anyone have an opinion as to their favorite brands. I have done some research and it seems like a lot of people enjoy the Zojirushi brand.

There is one at 4800 Auburn Avenue in downtown Bethesda. A little under a 10 minute walk from the Bethesda metro station