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Al Dente

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  1. Al Dente
    I've enjoyed trips out near Charlottesville to Christensen Ridge (Madison VA) and Veritas (Afton VA). Closer to DC are Pearmund (Broad Run VA) and Naked Mountain (Markham VA). Any shortcomings that you might find in the wine might be made up for in the beauty of the vineyards. Good places for picnics! Virginia Wines
  2. Al Dente
    I have reservations here tonight. Is there any chance of getting 3 seats in front of the chef at the sushi bar? Has anyone been recently?
  3. Al Dente
    I went back to Sonoma last night and sat at the bar with a buddy of mine. This time I had the opportunity to chat with Jared (jrage) and Chef Drew (all the while I was thinking I called one of his sauces "fishy pickle juice", oy, and yes, they knew who I was). They were genuinely interested in feedback from everyone in the restaurant, constantly roving around and chatting up the customers. They're still in pre-opening mode, but we were able to scarf down a few courses from the expanded menu despite not having reservations. Try the Amethyst Nebbiolo/Sangiovese blend-- during this pre-opening it's only $20/bottle. We had the charcuterie plate again, but this time there were no baby peaches. They were replaced with some tasty and highly aromatic olives. My friend had the Sunnyside ribeye which he said was delicious and perfectly cooked. It looked like there were more poached garlic cloves on the dish this time. I tried an excellent roast chicken on a bed of polenta. Drew said the bird was rubbed only with rosemary, lemon and s&p, but somehow the flavor had even more dimensions than I would have expected given the simple preparation. The skin was perfectly crisped as well. My only complaint was that the pan juices sort of broke up the consistency of the polenta. We finished up by enjoying the cheese plate-- Humboldt Fog, Taleggio, Gorgonzola dulce, etc. If they have space available, make a reservation for this weekend-- it's a bargain and you might just see one of your suggestions make its way on to the plate. Hey Jared-- remind me where I can order those truffled peaches!
  4. Al Dente
    I need a little masterpiece-o of a lunch, Metro man, Metro man, can you make this thing go faster? Pork shoulder and ice tea-very very tasty, si Galileo... Galileo, Galileo... Galileo, Galileo Figaro, Magnifico-o-o-o Mama mia,mama mia,mama mia let me go- Roberto Donna has a sandwich put aside for me, for me, for MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! <Commence vigorous headbanging a la "Wayne's World"> Left my office at 11:30 and was back at my desk in under 90 mins. The pork shoulder is indeed all it's cracked up to be. It should be the featured exhibit at the sandwich hall of fame! How cool is it that you can walk into one of the greatest kitchens in the country and get a humble yet magnificent sandwich from the man himself? Pretty damn cool. Pizza ain't half bad either...
  5. Al Dente
    Just how good are one of these sandwiches? I'm seriously considering taking the Metro from my office in Silver Spring. Boss is away, and I'm seriously disgruntled, so perhaps a two hour lunch is in order.
  6. Al Dente
    At first I thought they were olives but I was asking myself "where's the pit?" Then when I was told they were truffled baby peaches, I was amazed and again I asked "where's the pit?" I guess the pit hadn't had a chance to develop yet. I loved their nutty taste, texture, and above all, trufflicity*. * Yes, it is in the dictionary. Look it up.
  7. Al Dente
    My ol' lady did a beautiful job on some pan-fried breaded chicken cutlets over arugula and "micro" tomotoes that were bought at Dupont yesterday. I should have taken a picture-- nice presentation!
  8. Al Dente
    Hey Don-- I'm really digging the new web page title at the top! Who is your graphic designer?
  9. Al Dente
    I have a kind offer from my future mother-in-law for dinner anywhere in DC for my birthday. She keeps pushing for Nora, but I haven't heard much buzz about it recently. I was hoping to finally get to Kaz or Sushi-Ko, but perhaps I'd be missing out by not trying one of her favorites. I may also be missing out on the political points I'd score by letting her have her way. Has anyone been recently? How was it?
  10. Al Dente
    I went to Dupont todayaround 12:30. Forgive my unfamiliarity, but up near the metro entrance was a dude selling 1/4 pound servings of a soft whole milk cheese with herbs on top. It was nothing special-- just some ricotta-like stuff with the herbs. On the other hand, it was just some ricotta-like stuff with the herbs. Delicious.
  11. Al Dente
    Things were so-so at Sonoma last night, but I'm optimistic about its future. I loved the charcuterie plate to start. San Danielle prosciutto, bresaola, mortadella, and salami were all nicely presented with a few slices of hearty bread and grainy mustard. The plate also came with something I had never had before, baby peaches marinated in truffles. Man, those were tasty. I gotta find a place to buy them. We then had a good arugula and fennel salad with pecorino, lemon, and tuscan olive oil. We tried the grilled asparagus which tasted as though the grill could have used a good scrubbing as it was just too sooty. Two pasta dishes came next. The wild boar sausage that came with the bucatini was dry and crumbly and the pesto sauce was rather bland. The most disappointing dish of the night was whole wheat spaghetti with Venetian anchovy sauce. I don't know where they were going with this. The "spaghetti" came in all sorts of uneven sizes, so it came out unevenly cooked. The sauce tasted like fishy pickle juice that had been thickened somehow. For entrees we had a Sunnyside Farms ribeye which was delicious and cooked to a perfect medium rare. It came with a few wonderful poached garlic cloves and some roasted potatoes that were a bit overcooked. If I was to have this again, I'd ask for more garlic—they were tender and loaded with flavor. We also had the "red" pizza with scamorza and wild mushrooms. The crust on the outer part of the perimeter was golden and crispy, but the center was too mushy and watery. The sauce is good, but I think the mushrooms gave off too much water and caused the sogginess problem. We ended the night with a well thought out selection of cheeses and had a tour of the restaurant with Eli—one of the owner managers. He told us that the bar would have a snazzy top soon, and the numerous shelves behind the bar and in the downstairs dining room would be filled with wine and olive oil bottles, and whatever else they come up with. Upstairs they're working on a lounge in the front and either a fine dining or private party area in the back. When it's all done, I think it will have a striking look. I'll return in a couple of weeks to sit at the bar, peruse the full wine list (only a handful of bottles were available last night), and try a dish or two. I'm excited to have another sorely needed good restaurant to enjoy nearby and I'm certain that Sonoma will improve considerably as they iron out some wrinkles. Thanks to hillvalley for letting us use your reservation!
  12. Al Dente
    I'll write up one of my college specials-- 5 pages, double-spaced, 3 inch margins... FYI-- as of 5:04pm Saturday, there were still a few seats left for both of tonights seatings according to Eli at Sonoma.
  13. Al Dente
    This joint has "On a Whim" written all over it. The first round of oyster shooters are on me! Offer good one per person. Must be over 21 years of age to participate. Must also be under 22 years of age. Current or former employees of Al Dente Enterprises or any of his subsidiaries will not be considered. Not valid with any other offers. Bivalves, fish, and ventworm nuts prohibited. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery after participating. May cause fatigue, dry mouth, night sweats, bed spins, dizziness, and changes in libido. No refunds. Store in a cool dark place.
  14. Al Dente
    Thanks for the idears, folks! I think I have things under control with a caterer now.
  15. Al Dente
    Alas, the 4th won't work for me. I'm being dragged out to get some "culture". Some kinda Shakespeare thing. And I don't even like classical music.
  16. Al Dente
    I walked by just a few minutes ago. The wine bottles were attached to the tap-thingamajigs [Cruvinets] behind the bar, the barstools were in place, and it looked good. They gotta be close!
  17. Al Dente
    I'll walk over tonight and press my face against the glass and scream for them to open like Dustin Hoffman in the wedding scene at the end of The Graduate.
  18. Al Dente
    This poem was clever and really quite pleasing, Until I read this line and began to feel queasy. I know what you'll say, about me not having kids, But I don't need to read about a baby's green skids.
  19. Al Dente
    Went to matchbox tonight "on a whim". Try the white pizza with prosciutto. But instead of prosciutto, have anchovies on the side. Mmmmmmmm.
  20. Al Dente
    I think bottles of wine, and many of them, oughta be smuggled in.
  21. Al Dente
    Thanks and congratulations! I'll look into Pizza Paradiso and Les Halles.
  22. Al Dente
    Thanks for the intel. I'll continue to ask 3 or 4 times a day. <whiny voice from back of car> Are we there yet? Are we there yet?
  23. Al Dente
    Any new news? Open yet?
  24. Al Dente
    What JPW said. I used to live nearby and I remember thinking it's as though all the food served on that street comes out of the same mediocre kitchen.
  25. Al Dente
    You've obviously never been to Crystal City Restaurant. Good (T)Eats
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