DMcCabe

Just to let you all know, Punk's is now offering 35+ bottled beers focusing mainly on American craft producers and Belgians. You can check out our updated list here - Punk's Beverage List. The beers are $3 during happy hour which runs from 3pm-6pm Mon - Fri. And in case it isn't obvious, for full disclosure, I work at Punk's

Had a great meal at proof last night. With a couple bottles of Gigondas, a charcuterie board, sweetbreads, tilefish and a cheese plate how can you go wrong? The sweetbreads in particular were fantastic. The spicy chili in combination with the blue cheese and bacon was pretty spectacular. This was my second time at Proof and I've thoroughly enjoyed it both times.

Going to the Inn this weekend for the first time. a few questions for the folks who have been there before.

1. Bottles, half-bottles, or pairings for the wine?

2. How many courses should we prepare for? Is this a Komi-like experience, or a more traditional 5 course?

3. Is there anywhere close by to stay, aside from the Inn itself?

Thanks.

Veritas in Dupont does half price bottles on Monday...

Not sure if people still care about Fabio Trabocchi's life in NYC, but it seems as though Fiamma is getting a Michelin star in the 2009 guide to go along with their three stars in the NY Times.

Eater: BREAKING: Michelin '09 Star Picks...

Is there room for another????

I saw a sign today for Cali Yogurt, opening up on 18th St., next door to Asylum. It's in the space that used to be the retail shop Miss Pixie's. Anyone got any info? I can't seem to find a website for this company, although there are a few references to it in some past "yogurt wars" blog entries...

Tried to stop in here today for a quick bite around 1pm and I found that all of the windows were covered with brown paper and it was not open. Anyone know what is happening/has happened to this place? Are they closed for good??

I hear Bourdain is doing a Jose Andres tour...all the restaurants including minibar over the next few days.

And a couple of desserts that are worth going for...

Had this discussion with one of their employees a few months ago. McCormick's Full menu is dictated by Corporate. The respective branches Happy Hour Menu, is created by their respective chefs.

That is interesting. Well at least corporate gives the individual units some control over what comes out of the kitchen (although it is a small part). I still think they may want to rethink that sushi roll

I ate at the new McCormick and Schmick in Annapolis recently as I had heard they have a pretty extensive happy hour menu. Everything was cheap (cheap=successful happy our) and the beers were cold (cold= successful happy hour), but I did have one minor issue. We ordered the "Annapolis Roll", which I had imagined to be something like a lobster roll, but with crab instead of lobster. The happy hour description said "fresh crab and avocado" and I had visions of a toasted buttery roll, a touch of mayo and sme delicious crab and avocado. To my surprise, what I was served was a sushi style roll, with rice, crab, avocado, seaweed, and soy sauce . I have no problems with sushi, but in this particular situation, it seemed an odd pairing with the mussels, burgers, and other items that we had ordered off of the happy hour menu. Why is McCormick and Schmick serving a sushi roll? Does that strike anyone else as odd? I mean I know they're a seafood restaurant and all, but I think i would have much preferred my crab and avocado on a wonderful, buttery hot dog roll.

Has this place been done in before it opened? I drive by almost daily as I live nearby and I've recently noticed that the awnings that were put up previously are now gone. The exterior looks like it hasn't been tended to in quite some time...hmmmmmm...did the ANC shut em down?

Had a great meal at Proof on Saturday. It was my first time there and I was impressed from start to finish. We started with the charcuterie board which was absurdly large and delicious, although I kind of wish it came with more accompaniments to balance out the meats. I followed that up wth the pork confit (which is as good as everyone says) and the cod. The Cod was cooked perfectly and had a nice balance of flavors, but I found it a touch on the salty side. I have a high tolerance for salt too, so for me to notice that means someone must have had a heavy hand in the kitchen. Still a great dish though. The lady had the ahi tuna app and the scallops for dinner, both of which were fantastic.

It was one of the few times that we ordered a bottle of California Chardonnay with our dinner and it was really a great compliment to the meal. I can't seem to recall the name but it was a hearty chard and really went well with all the seafood on the table. An enjoyable time all around.

Burrito de Carnitas at Mexican Pepito's Bakery in Adams Morgan. This place is great and has some really authentic Mexican food...although i think that the ownership has recently changed hands. Nevertheless, grab a mandarin jarritos and you've got a delicious lunch. Also, they have a cochinita taco that is comprable to the one at Oyamel, which I find to be spectacular.

I really think you just can't beat this place, particularly on a Monday night. Went in last night and drank a bottle of Cliquot, a bottle of delicious Burgundy, had 6 cheese and 3 meats and walked out for $150 plus tip. We got great recomendations from the bar staff about cheese pairings all of which were delicious and the wine service was quite good (as would be expected). The cheeses we had were...

With the sparkling:

1. Brillat Savarin - a soft triple cream

2. Roaring Forties Blue - a sweet and nutty blue

3. Manchego

With the Burgundy:

1. Gouda which was the hardest cheese of the evening

2. Gorgonzola - which was good, but I typically like my blue a little firmer and stinkier so i prefer the Roaring Forties

3. Some sort of ash rind semi-soft goat cheese

Overall everything was delicious. I didn't find it too loud as some people have mentioned, although it wasn't completely full while we were there.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/501432

Is this the truth? Looks like after a long and rough opening, Dad's Backyard Burgers may have closed...any VA folks out there in Merrifield able to verify?

Went to Central on Friday night and had a great dinner at the bar. We went in at 7pm and got one of the tables at the bar, right by the front windows. The service was on point and the food was quite delicious. Had the tuna and salmon carpaccio as well as the mushroom "pasta" risotto to start, both were delicious with the carpaccio offering very crisp, citrusy flavors - in stark contrast to the deep and earthy flavors of the mushroom risotto. Although they were very different, they were both great. Followed this up with the fish and chips (love that chive creme fraiche, or whatever that is) which was as good as ever.

We drank a bottle of sangiovese, which I expected to be a bit lighter than it actually was. It went great with the risotto and fine with the fish and chips, but it was a bit on the dry and heavy side for the carpaccio starter. A great meal overall.

Heading to Cashions tonight!!! YAY!!! Anything that I can't miss? It's been over a year since my last visit...

One good experience to share...I called Komi on a Thursday afternoon and asked for a reservation that night...at Komi... They were very professional letting me know that they were booked, they typically don't have cancellations, but they could put me on the cancellation list just in case. Later that day...just my luck I got a phone call and a 9pm reservation at Komi!!! So it's just not all bad out there. Don't give up hope!

Chateau Lafayette Reneau - 51% Seyval, 49% Chardonnay. Nice and inexpensive, a good everyday white. It's a really crisp white from the Finger Lakes region of New York. An area that is often overlooked ...but if you dig deep enough there are some high quality producers up there.

I don't know if anyone has noticed but it seems as though the Caribou Coffee on 18th St. has gone out of business. I will place the blame predominately on Starbucks' shoulders, as they are just up the block and I think that the name recognition has trumped the quality of the coffee (which I think Caribou has the upper hand). I hear they are trying to put in another coffee concept in that space, which is around 1500 square feet, but I just don't know if that is such a good idea with The Diner, Tryst, and Starbucks all already on the block...

However, I completely disagree that because we are clients we are "the reason for a restaurants existence." Do you want your clients treating you that way? Putting the needs of your entire staff below their demands? Do you treat other people that way? Almost anything we do can be excused by "well, I'm paying them," and it's our job as theoretically nice people to not abuse the situation.

I don't mean this in a malicious way or as an excuse to say I can do whatever I want in a restaurant because I'm paying the bill. I am simply saying that I feel that the needs of the customer at times should take precedent over some of the needs of the staff (within reason...not ALL of the needs of the staff, but perhaps some). This was a response to the blogger who said that the guest should leave and eat quickly so the staff can begin their cleaning duties, which I feel is incorrect. I don't think that the customer has a right to be rude, to sit all night or to do whatever they want. And I do feel that the guest should respect the restaurant. I just think that in the end, the dining experience should be about the guest. And if that means that the meal extends a reasonable amount of time past the closing hour of the restaurant, I feel that it should be accomodated. Obviously many people may disagree with me...

Wow...looks like I struck a nerve with this one. Allow me to clarify one or two things. First, we arrived at 9:15 on a Thursday, told we could be seated shortly and were. We were in our seats by 9:30. I understand that maybe that is late on a Thursday night, but I don't think uncommon in the restaurant industry for people to go out to eat at that hour. The real problem stemmed from a lack of communication moreso than an unwillingness to serve us dessert. Had our server come by at any point in the meal and told us that the kitchen was closing at a certain time and letting us know that any decisions regarding dessert needed to be made at that point, it would have been fine. I understand how restaurants work and that kitchens close, however that was not the issue regarding our experience. It was really just a lack of communication on the server's end.

In terms of dining in a restaurant late at night, I understand that it is a pain sometimes for a restaurant to accomodate a late table, but the reality is that each guest that comes in is paying for their meals and their experience. They're also paying the salaries of the servers, managers, etc and are the reasons for a restaurants existence. The experience at a restaurant needs to be about the guest, not a convenience issue for the staff. I think that if communicated properly, the kitchen closing is not an issue, but to say that as a guest you need to be up and out of the restaurant at close so they can start cleaning (which to clarify is not something that happened to us at the restaurant, but is in response to another post) seems incorrect.

What caliber is that? Isn't Central a bistro? Or does being Richard's bistro jump it to another level of service? I can't think of the last bistro I went to that walked us through the cheese course.

ETA, not jumping on you, pbgrill. Just curious.

I think the expectation for Central is significantly higher than a typical bistro. With Michael Richard at the helm people expect that things will be better and different than you may run into at other supposedly comprable places. Central is defined, in my opinion, more by Richard than by whatever category we fit the food into (bistro), and as a result I think that things such as explaining what is on your plate should be the norm moreso than the exception. Plus it is a three star place which sets a certain expectation level.

I also don't feel that explaining the cheeses on a cheese course constitutes above and beyond service. It seems to me that any restaurant that offers a $14 plate of cheese should tell you just what it is you're eating.

And what if it was said along the lines of I am sorry, the server is usually great, but must be having an off night. That would not excuse the service, but it does necessarily mean that he manager was being smug. What you quoted is a bit ambiguous and leads to an important question. When was the manager notified of the lack of service?

The manager was not notified about the wine service, as for the most part the wine ended up in our glass and it was a nice vino, so I didn't see the need to notify anyone at that point. They were notified when we were told that dessert was not an option. At which point we told the manager our overall feelings in regard to the service.

I don't think the manager was being intentionally smug, although I do feel that there was an overall indifference (in part because it was the end of the night and we were some of the last people there...although that is not an excuse). The manager spoke with us and brought a dessert, at which point he disappeared into the back, as did the server. No one checked back with us after we were given a dessert and when we finished dessert and got up to leave, there were no employees or managers in sight.

Maybe I'm being picky, but at a restaurant of this caliber, I expected more.