Heather

The one upside to my ex moving to NoVA: i have an excuse to stop by Bayou on my way from dropping the kids off. The biscuits with Benton's bacon are a treat. wow.

My first visit to Ray's the Steaks in years was a mixed bag. Crab bisque is still tasty, although insanely rich for a starter. I might have split that with the +1 had I remembered how large the "cup" is. My starter glass of rose did a good job cutting through the butter & seafood. A demitasse portion for a couple of bucks less would probably be perfect. Kid split the mixed greens salad and enjoyed the warm bread. +1 had the Brazilian strip, dry aged, and loved it and the spicy sauce. The kids made short work of their shared Hangar steak, and kudos to RTC for not assuming that they should overcook it, as has happened to us in other places. My children have always eaten their steak medium rare. We got an order of the macaroni & cheese to make up for the kids splitting an entree, but neither of them liked it. We brought most of it home. I ordered badly, both the items and the timing. Glancing distractedly at the menu, I saw The Blue Devil and thought "blue cheese and steak sounds good tonight!" What I failed to notice was the sauce, onions, and garlic listed on the menu. My steak came out so covered in extraneous stuff that it was hard to identify a piece of meat underneath, and despite scraping everything off, it was hard to taste anything but the huge mound of garlic. It was an unappetizing preparation. A mistake I won't make again. I told our server when I ordered my rose that I would be ordering a bottle of red later to go with my main. As our first course dishes were being cleared, I asked for some help selecting a red. Mark wasn't there, and when I asked for the sommelier the gentleman who came over said he knew the wine list and could help me. He was very kind, but his attention was elsewhere and it was hard to explain what we were looking for. He brought me a glass of something to taste, but before he could come back and ask me about it our steaks had been delivered. I flagged our server and made a quick decision on a lower-priced cabernet (The Sum) based on the description on the list, because everyone's dinner was cooling and the other gentleman was nowhere in sight. By the time he came back to check everyone had started eating and the other wine was open. It was fine, but not to my taste, and I wish that we'd been a little less rushed because there is now 2/3 of a bottle sitting next to me of something I didn't really care for. The protocol must be to make the wine decisions at the same time as the food decisions, based on the timing of our food. So, my bank account is lighter by $178 (including tax and tip) which I guess is "reasonable" but honestly? I regret spending the money on what was supposed to be a treat, and will order more carefully the next time.

This & that, leftovers from the week: Salad with roasted beets, feta, butter lettuce, cucumber, feta dressing from Trader Joe's Roast beef sandwiches with cheddar, toasted Chicken soup Spaghetti with olive oil & parm for my boy Orange-poppyseed poundcake from Tout de Sweet Milk for kiddos, glass of chardonnay for mom

Every restaurant has a "where" but not many have a "when" like this place does for me. We're on our way to the 'Vous, or Ritchie Coliseum, or a movie at the student union, or the 9:30 Club downtown... "Let's get something to eat before the show." Just walking into Marathon takes me back to 1987. I swear to God they even have the same tables & chairs. We'd stop at Tick Tock for a 40, then pick up gyros. The gyro I got today was great, as it always is, and the fries are the same. They still have birch beer. The same great family owns Marathon. And I still get a thrill out of giving Potbelly and their soulless corporate dreck sandwiches the finger on my way into their shared parking lot.

They have added cupcakes, which look gorgeous and cost $2.75 for a quite large, beautifully decorated little cake. Also featured regularly are a variety of quatre-quarts, poundcakes, that are excellent and a steal at $6.50 each. My latte & croissant yesterday were delicious, as usual.

Pork chops, pan sauce of calvados, apple cider, shallots, fresh thyme, finished with butter Asparagus Baguette, with butter & crunchy salt (Ian's favorite thing ever) 50/50 apple cider & seltzer, with a squeeze of lemon

I made dozens of croissants once upon a time when I worked in a bakery (and boy oh boy does using a pro sheeter make it so much easier...). Here's what I remember about the process: use bread flour and don't overmix the dough. First rise about 1 1/2 hours in a warm place, until doubled. Let rest 1/2 hour after each turn (3 or 4 turns in all), refrigerate overnight. The next day, pull it out and let it get just warm enough to handle, form your rolls. Proof in a warm & humid environment 30-45 minutes, then bake in a fairly hot oven. Butter leakage is the price of a rich dough. The are best with european-style butter - less water content. I hope your latest batch behaves itself.

A bagel & cream cheese, of course.

Salmon seared on it's skin, a method of cooking I learned from Jacques Pepin ages ago meyer lemon buerre blanc wilted spinach salad with mushrooms & bacon Ficelle from Balducci's, not bad after being warmed/crisped in the oven Milk for the kiddos, a glass of Santenay for me. Dinner conversation topics included why the noble gases are so unreactive, the value of salt through history, where we should go in France (!!), and why grown-ups drink wine. Fun stuff

Monavano, I could use a bowl of that to chase away this cold. Tonight: breakfast for dinner! AKA, mom is tired and didn't have time to shop. Bacon & gruyere omelets Steamed broccoli Toasted bagels OJ

I've gone back to Goldberg's after a few disappointing dozens from Bethesda Bagels, and they are holding steady in quality if not in price.

Welcome kiddif, puristdc, and all the other new folks. Please post!

I want to have dinner at Fishinnards house! Last night we said goodbye to rich holiday food. Dinner was a huge salad with some sliced turkey, and skim milk. Both kids ate their weight in veggies. No dessert.

I'm not sure whether to be amused or terrified that I knew exactly what you were linking to. "You guys" is pretty awful. I prefer "y'all," or even better, "all y'all" as a collective noun.

Pork shoulder with sauerkraut (chopped onions, juniper berries, bay leaf, whole allspice, peppercorns, salt & a good splash of Gewurtztraminer) Sauteed lacinato kale fresh black-eyed peas bread & butter I'm drinking the rest of the Gewurtz. Grapefruit seltzer for the kiddos.

I've been here for dim sum three times in the last couple of months, and would swear that it's slipping. Fewer & less interesting items, and not executed well, particularly the fried stuff. We've also been to New Fortune twice recently, and both times I felt the quality & selection were better. Anyone else been recently? What do you think?

I love Corduroy - the food is elegant and perfectly executed, and the atmosphere is equally accommodating to a high-dollar, dressed to the nines 6-top that orders multiple bottles, and a young, casual couple requesting beers with their tasting menu. Highlights of the seven course chef's choice menu were the squash soup with smoked bacon, the capon with savoy cabbage, the cheese course with sauternes (a gift from Chef Power), and the service. I didn't go for the wine pairing, instead choosing two delicious half bottles (Meursault to go with the first half, Volnay to accompany the second). 2011 brought me a lot of heartache, including losing my home. New Year's Eve dinner was exactly what I needed to usher out a difficult year - indulgent, delicious, and relaxing. I hope it was a taste of the year to come. Thank you, Chef Power.

I flew from National at least once a month for 2 1/2 years. Matsutake isn't bad if you have time to kill, decent entrees but the sushi didn't impress me. The little wine bar whose name escapes me is a nice place to sit with a glass of overpriced wine. I always flew from C, which has dismal options past security. I made the Five Guys mistake once - eating heavily before a flight is never a good idea, and smelling like a greasy burger & fries for the duration is gross - that, and all the salt will make you swell up. California Tortilla is mediocre at best, and the airport location doesn't improve it, but a salad with chicken will fill you up without making you ill.

!! OK, this is news. Thanks, RJ. I can't do the whole experience, but would love to stop by for a drink and taste

Is there a bar? I have read back through a bunch of posts, and someone mentions a "salon" but I'm not sure of details and if there is info on the website, it's not obvious.

Late dinner at the bar on Monday with xcanuck & the missus. I started with a Pimm's concoction that included calvados & ginger beer - tasty if a little on the sweet side for me. I went on to the fried oysters (very nice), caesar salad with boquerones (huge portion), and wild mushroom gnocchi (needed salt). Monday is half-priced wine night, and I picked the '05 Domaine Campaucels, a sassy Syrah-Grenache blend that cut through the richness of the gnocchi pretty well but didn't overwhelm the flavors - and didn't break the bank at $24. I really like this place, and would probably go more often if the food was a tiny bit less expensive.

I am doing penance for three night of rich meals and wine. Broccoli & chicken stir fry, no rice, and a big glass of skim milk. I feel almost...wholesome.

Everyone should have friends as gracious, kind, and talented as Charles Sweeney and Stephanie Schehr, AKA Waitman and Mrs. B. I was honored to be part of their Christmas celebration last night. This is what they served: Rilletes de porc Gougeres Macon-Lugny Les Genièvres 2009 Butternut squash soup with brown butter and sage Brioche Lucien Albrecht Gewurtztraminer 2005 Cajun roast beef Pommes Anna Creamed spinach Château Majoureau Cuvee Hyppos 2005 Domaine La Barroche Pure Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2004 Morbier, Stilton, Cheddar (Sadly, the '95 Warre vintage port was corked, so we drank the CdP with the cheese) Lemon tart Chateau Malle Sauternes 2001 Chocolate mousse As good as the food was, it's always the company that makes dinners at their house so special. Merry Christmas, my dear friends.

Yeah, I would much rather talk about Camelot.

I've been thinkng about this ever since you posted it, Don, and trying to remember if there was a coffee house culture in DC before Starbucks opened. We had coffee shops, but that's not the same. I had a boss from Seattle back in the late 80's early 90's who introduced me to Starbucks via mail order, and remember clearly being roundly mocked by everyone I knew - even the "foodies" for mail ordering my coffee. Coffee came from a can, or 7-11, or the diner, or from the various drug stores with lunch counters (Yes, I'm old). M.E. Swing Co. was downtown, of course, but they were more of the coffee shop model. No one I knew drank espresso regularly. When the first Starbucks opened here (Wisconsin Avenue in Glover Park) it was a novelty.