susanmab

Hot damn, that was a good time. A very very good time.

Six people times a few courses plus some champagne and a few bottles of wine = fun had by all. Every single dish that I tried was excellent - my family and friends are share-ers, so I got passed a taste of everything on the table (except the scallops - allergic). I took the fish advice and went with the trout, which was a great decision. the ham wrapped figs blew everyone away.

With six people it made sense to order one of each dessert and just pass them around. I'm not even sure which was the winner there, because it was pretty much whatever was in front of me.

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect celebration or for a more fabulous meal. Now I'm itching to try Notti Bianchi.

mmmm, mmmmm.

Okay, this thread has me anxious for Friday to get here already.

Headed there for a birthday dinner.

Suggestions gratefully accepted. This thread is making me very very hungry.

So, Kat, what did you decide? How did it go? I did my 30th (a few years back) at Equinox and it was memorable.

I tried to go with Sushi Ko (couldn't get it out of my head) but they couldn't take 6 on a Friday night. Made and then canceled reservations at Central - I decided love the food though I do, I wasn't feeling loud and fashionable enough.

Circle Bistro. I've never been there, so we shall see.

wow, tempest in a teacup here!

If Tammy thinks that allowing people who frequent this second rate social board (or whatever it was called over there) to patronize her establishment is at odds with "protecting her investment", then by all means, name the place in question. I would be more than happy to oblige by not going there since that's what ownership/management/whatever wishes.

win-win, really. I'd hate to be somewhere I'm not wanted.

I've worked in the service industry. I understand establishments setting policies that the customer could pretty much take or leave and go elsewhere.

But I've also told customers they cannot have what they want and had them leave with a positive impression of my service and of the establishment. How? Politely, while steering them in the direction of a different option that might meet their needs within the boundaries of what we serve.

I guess it's nice to know that Mr. Cho supports his staff unconditionally, even when they have failed miserably at customer service. I don't think the customer's behavior was acceptable in any regard, but even I would have gotten surly if I got rolled eyes, a "we don't do that here" lecture and attitude rather than a suggestion of what they might be able to do instead. And I'm pretty mild mannered.

It sure smells like this policy has way more to do with not wanting people to use too much dairy than it does coffee integrity. To me anyway, because I can't otherwise explain the willingness to serve the same beverage with a little water added if it wasn't really about making sure there isn't room for too much milk, but hey, I'm just an idiot who doesn't appreciate how adding a little bit of water - an amount that policy even allows for it to be reduced - to the espresso magically preserves its integrity.

I mean really - 8-16 ounces of milk? what in the world is a place doing serving a beverage that can accommodate an entire cup or two of milk to it? Are customers really adding up to two full cups of milk to a beverage they buy from you?? Really?

Seriously, I think all this could have been avoided if the guy refusing to make the coffee was nice as opposed to condescending. Sure, the customer could have been more cool-headed, but he's not in the business of selling a product and doesn't need people to have a positive experience with him. I would feel a whole lot more sympathy for the establishment if I didn't think the proprietor condoned the rudeness of his employee.

Stacey said:

We ate at Meaza and hubby said his meat was very gristly and hard to chew my lamb was a bit more tender. The food was over-spiced (not SPICY but too many types of spices and a medium amount of spice) and the meat was a bit off (the spice hid it a bit)...The place was lovely, the atmosphere mixed the service was spotty, one table who came after us got served before us but our waitress was very nice. The bread was good to me but hubby felt it was too gummy. Unforunately my stomach got quite upset all night after we ate here so I'm hoping it was a coincidence. (Yes there were Jalapeno's in the food so who knows.)

Anyhow, I was really hoping that I'd find a nice and different place on this side of DC but we will not be going back.

If you are trying to stay in the burbs, Harar Mesob on 23rd in Arlington near Crystal City is tops.

Have you considered Sushi-Ko?

I think I did Sushi-Ko for some birthday in my early 20's (back in the Kaz days). Without saying too much, I'll say I'm no longer in my 20's. (I think I did birthday #18 at Cities, if I really want to date myself there).

I was there for the first time in ages a few months back. It was a fun and yummy experience, although I think I like the sushi at Kaz better?

but hmmm, neither here nor there, I think I'll put it on the shortlist. Thanks for the suggestion!

I don't want to hijack, but I'm looking for birthday dining as well. The crowd will be me and my folks, and three friends - all well-versed foodies (and no vegetarians this year, makes it easier!)

Did Kaz Sushi last year, Courdroy the year before.

My favorite restaruant of the moment is Farrah Olivia, but I'm not so sure I want to go there with a crowd. Likewise Eve.

Contemplating Coco Sala. I mean, what better reason to go to a chocolate restaurant than a birthday? Any thoughts on that?

Full disclosure: I have not yet made it to the Source or Indebleu!

But Morou's cooking never fails to amaze me. I've enjoyed every single dish I've ever had there thoroughly. It's my go-to place to take people for special occasions.

Oh, I am sad!

I had a few really nice evenings there.

oh I am so very sad. I had many a good time out there, including more than one occasion on which we went for lunch, stayed for dinner, and slept in the room upstairs. if I had known, I would have gotten there for a good-bye dinner.

It's been years since I've been to Flint Hill; everything still gong strong out there?

I'm going to Montreal in two weeks for what has become my annual long weekend there.

This time, no vegetarian in tow; I'm looking forward to finally having a smoked meat sandwich. hey, there has to be an upside to a break up, right? five years with a vegetarian was cramping my style :-)

oh please oh please make this a good experience when I finally talk someone into going with me.

Some of my friends want to go for dinner Saturday night.

Group of four. Anyone care to opine how long we might wait? While you're at it, anything in particular I should order?

help me out here - has it reopened?

For some reason, I continue to bang my head against the wall here. I keep thinking that other people seem to be able to dine at Bebo and not have the problems I keep encountering, so perhaps it's me?

Seriously, is it me? Do I have unreasonable expectations and it's only here and at no other restaurant that they show?

I gave Bebo a call at 6 on Saturday and asked if they could accomodate 2. She said as long as we got there "before 7:15", we should be fine. Okay, so right off, I was going in wihtout a reservation on a Saturday night and would not have been offput if we needed to wait for a table. We arrived shortly before 6:30, but still, I expected to wait.

What I did not expect was to be sent to the bar "for five or so minutes while we set up a table" (there were plenty of empty tables, but perhaps they were all for reservations, so I didn't think much of it), and to stay there for 20+. From the bar I noticed something really odd: everyone, from the manager to the servers to the bartenders was running around like they had been in the weeds all night. It's 6:30 and the place isn't very full, mind you. Again, not really a problem, although it does take ten minutes to get a glass of wine (remember, no big crowd. We're seated and there is no swarm at the bar). We watched as the bartender fussed with the glasses and did all kinds of stuff right under our noses before making eye contact so we could ask to order drinks. It's been well over five minutes, but I didn't want to be one of those annoying guests who keeps asking the host if it was our turn yet, "you didn't forget us, did you?" and all that stuff. So at the 20 minute mark, my date went to check. Turns out that although he directed us to wait at the bar, he didn't check the bar when our table was ready. He pointed to a table that we should seat ourselves at after we settled the bar tab. Took another long time to get a bill for the glass of wine, which was odd, since we had already told the bartender that we were going to have dinner at a table, so it's not like he expected us to stay all night and asking for a bill was an unexpected move. We scrounged for cash since we didn't want our table to disappear while we waited for a card to be run.

We wandered over to the appointed table, which had been cleared, but had nothing on it (napkin, silverware, cutlery, bread plates). No menus either. After a good 15 minutes, we get menus, but nothing else (have to ask for silverware and bread plates when the bread arrived. Apparently since we didn't ask for water glasses we weren't going to get them, so on the next pass we asked for water glasses). The guy who is our server keeps passing our table, but won't so much as acknowledge that we are there with an "I'll be with you in a minute" or something else. Attempts to make eye contact (I simply refuse to get up and wave or otherwise make a spectacle of myself to get noticed by a server) were fruitless. So by the time our order was taken, we had been sitting at the table for a l-o-n-g time

The food, as usual, was delish.

We decided to have dessert, but after sitting looking at our empty plates for an extended stay before they were bussed, and then we paused another significant period for the server to come back to our table, we decided that perhaps we should skip it.

We got there at 6:30. We left a little before 9. There were only two of us and we only ordered one course.

So you tell me - is it me? I mean, I dine out at all kinds of nice places pretty often (it's my vice), and I rarely get the feeling that a place is hopeless form a service point of view. I'm usually good at focusing any service problems on the person causing the problem, and am loathe to blame a whole establishment. I do note that a good number of the servers I observed were familiar to me from previous visits, so it seems that the problem is not one of new staff.

The coda? I have friends who have been dying to go there, so I'm headed back tonight. Luckily, it's a group I can talk to at length, and I plan on having a snack before I go, so that when it takes forever to get through the seating and ordering process I'm not crabby from low blood sugar.

But someone - anyone! Tell me what I can do differently so as to have the kind of experience that others have had there. We thought about ordering at the bar, but didn't feel it would be much help, since the bartender seemed too busy to really be expected to give any attention.

Any hints?

Spicy Roasted Tofu

That's what keeps me going back over and over.

I'd love to have this dish somewhere else, just for variety, you know? But I have yet to find it made like this anywhere else.

Has anybody familiar with the dish found it on another menu?

had to go for the hard times chili dog last night.

I was a happy girl.

I, too, am pleased to see some expanded options. It's often dinner for me as well out there.

An impromptu dinner for two on Friday. Every time I'm there, I remember that I think this place doesn't get as talked about as much it should.

I had the escolar with black rice, and my date had the lamb ravioli.

We left there very happy campers. Service was fine, our server was skilled and pleasant.

Our only gripe was when the a/c came on right as our main course was served. Not only did we freeze through the rest of our dinner and dessert, but the food got quite cold quite fast. It was blowing directly down on our table, so I'm not sure if all the diners were uncomfortable. We thawed when we left - and wasn't so very warm Friday night, if that tells you anything.

Oh no, more pizza? eeek! I am a goner.

We had our office xmas party in the private room there last December. Food and service were unexpectedly good.

I guess it's time for me to go back.

Okay, so he was way off about the Aramark, but not totally on Mars about it not being actually run by Ben's (the same source said "I think the Hard Times and Five Guys is real", by the way, so the difference is apparently not lost on the public.)

Good to know, good to know. I'd still rather support local businesses when I can.

OK, went back after not having dined in (or had delivery, come to think of it) for a few months.

The Diavolo was as good as ever. Mmmm.

I find Etete somewhere in the middle of the pack for most things, but their Kitfo is the best I've had. Mmmm.

Okay, help me out here.

I go to Ben's pretty regularly with my buddy with whom I go to baseball games all summer. He's been eating at Ben's since the Senators left town.

He said he had a chili burger from the stadium and pronounced it "Ben's in name only". Claims that it's "Aramark with the Ben's name".

Now not having tasted it myself, I'm curious.

Can anyone confirm or deny?