Barbara

The subject of the eventual closing of San Marco in Adams Morgan came up on eGullet. We had dinner there tonight and spoke with Roberto about this. He and Pino will both be 65 next year and want to retire. Roberto claims that he wants to join the Peace Corps!!! However, he also mentioned that a couple of Italian sisters may be interested in taking over the place, in which case he an Pino will provide training, recipes, etc., for them to make a go of it. San Marco has been around for nearly 20 years (it's original incarnation was called "Veniziano"). We started talking about how few places have lasted that long and kept up the quality here. Maybe that's not unusual, but we hate losing a place like this. It was just always there and always had good food at reasonable prices. In fact, a group of people in my building went there on New Year's Eve 1999. We had all been involved in preparing everybody for Y2K--remember that?--and didn't want to be too far away from our building. A lovely time was had by all. And, as we all now know, the world didn't end at midnight. For apps we had the prociutto and melon and the Vitello Tonnato. I couldn't help thinking that these two plates could easily have been shared by four people. Craig had the lamb chops and they were lovely. I had the trout. It was nicely cooked, but I think the sauce may have overwhelmed the sweet fish. A minor quibble for $14. While San Marco couldn't be considered a "destination" restaurant, it certainly is a treasure for those of us who live close by. Those of you in Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Mount Pleasant, and Columbia Heights might want to take the opportunity to eat there while you still can. They also have a website: www.sanmarcodc.com

Then the Washington Hilton must not have gotten the word, either. Their banquets used to feature the dimming of the lights and waiters carrying flaming baked Alaskas above their heads. I think the tourists and conventioneers were impressed.

My first introduction to crabs was in San Francisco when I was a kid. My mother would buy them live at Fishermen's Wharf and steam them. We treated them like lobster and I just loved them. I was astonished when I moved to this area and heard about Maryland crabs and was presented with these little-bitty things which were steamed with a bunch of hot spices. Question: Does anybody know where I can procure live Dungeness crabs around here?

I suppose I'm looking for something a bit more "savory", rather than sweet. Sort of a combination of "fruit and cheese" in one mouthful.

This brings up something I've been thinking about: I bought a quart of "sugar plums" at the Columbia Road farmers' market last week and again yesterday. I just love these bite-size plums, about the size of a large cherry tomato. At dinner this evening, I asked Craig what he thought about my pitting them and filling them with a soft cheese mixture. Specifially, I was thinking of goat cheese mixed with something. (As an aside, I have some cream cheese I bought a while ago to make a cheesecake, which didn't happen.) Does anyone have some ideas about this?

Noted. However, I don't have any food allergies that I know of, but am sympathetic to those who do. To a point.

I seemed to have read this differently. The poster was trying to find for sure that the buns had pecans and not walnuts and wasn't able to get an adequate answer. Am I missing something here?

Nearly had a heart attack just reading the title of this thread. Michael: Are you off your meds?

I've actually been contemplating this dilemma ever since our first outing (which was then an eGullet thing). We were all supposed to meet at Firefly and someone claimed that he would grab the round table in the bar in the window. Unfortunately some non-eGullet people got there first and were subjected to several people asking them some incomprehensible questions. My solution is this: whenever Rockwellians agree to meet wherever, they should raise their glasses every 15 minutes or so with a toast "TO ROCKS." That oughta do it.

Since the demise of Sans Souci (which morphed into a MCDONALDS ), there hasn't been real "power" restaurant. Maybe the Palm qualifies. And Cafe Milano in the evenings, but, and I am dating myself here, no other restaurant has taken its place. It used to be THE place to go for lunch. Part of it was the location (near the White House), but the most important part seems to have been its Maitre d' (Paul something). Much was written about him and then he was lured away--I believe to the Jockey Club, but I could be wrong. After he left, Sans Souci went down the tubes. So much for the food. During the 1970's, there just wasn't any other place to compare. I think that many restaurants have opened around there with hopes of becoming THE place, but it hasn't happened. Of course the question has always lingered: could a Maitre d' matter so much? Apparently.

Having tasted some of the "food" at RFK and, since you are allowed to bring your own food from the outside, I think an outing to see the Nats would be a good idea provided that the participants bring in food from elsewhere. Anybody in this crowd could come up with something much, much better than what is available there, whether homemade or bought. The facilities there are just too lacking to be able to provide anything remotely edible. Let's not discuss the prices for the dreck, either.

Cashion's is about a five-minute walk from us. When it first opened, it was our "go to" place in the neighborhood and we would take people there as a treat. However, we became less and less enchanted with the food and, after a not-good meal there, we haven't been back. We also went to Johnny's Half Shell ONCE and won't go back. (That experience did, however, encourage me to make shrimp and grits myself. That bottle of Tabasco sauce on the table should have alerted us.)

Thanks for the "homework." This place sounds promising and it is Metro accessible.

None of Nadya's fabulous, animated emoticons are working. I miss them a lot.

Craig and I and one of our neighbors would like to go. What time?

Well! That certainly meets OUR criteria

Muchas gracias, Donald-san

Ok, you get the prize. I am now completely grossed out. I have more questions, but I don't wanna know.

The bane of anyone's existence is the folks who cannot be satisfied and are thoughtless to boot. Their name is legion. It is astonishing how much criticism is levelled on people who are clearly doing their best, for money or not, by folk who have no clue. I'm going through this now, and it isn't about a restaurant but, rather, a volunteer project. Fortunately, the goodwill outweighs the negativity by a LOT. And yet, and yet, the clueless are the ones who make you grind your teeth.

But Chef, the whole point is that your food doesn't suck. Not a bit. And neither does your restaurant. I believe, based on the people I have met on this site, that most of us WANT you to succeed. Your food, your prices, the neighborhoodness (?) are all the kinds of things most of us support. There are many other restaurants who have never had this kind of well-wishing and are not mourned when they go down the tubes. There is a deep appreciation for independent restaurateurs, including "quirkiness." Many people here have done some time in the business, as well. God knows, none of us wants to see any more chains sprouting up. Ridiculous demands by diners are par for the course (see the blog waiterrant.com). That's NOT the issue here. You seem to have service issues, based on the comments here and elsewhere. They are not ridiculous or outrageous demands from picky eaters. I'm not going to tell you how to cook your food or do something you think is beneath your food to satisfy some picky person. The service issues are, however, another thing. Can it be that difficult to remind your waitpersons of the basics? I know that you and Robin work very hard, but it seems to me that these issues aren't impossible to solve and would appear to get you off the hotseat, at least for a while. For example, when confronted with the Sunday morning brunch rush, would it be so terribly difficult for your hostess to ask couples if they would like to share a four-top with another couple? Most folk would cheerfully go for that, rather than wait an interminable amount of time for a two-top to open up. At least it would give people the option and might eliminate the kinds of incidences which have been reported (anonymously, yes) over your seating policy. (Notice, I'm not criticizing the policy itself).

I've read all the stuff about Colorado Kitchen, both here and on that other site, not to mention Tom Sietsemas's online chats. I also went to the eGullet dinner she made for us on her day off. I'm beginning to wonder if Clark is being held to some impossible standard. CK is not Citronelle and earning a living there for the waiters is also not like Citronelle. It ALSO isn't the Cheesecake Factory or IHOP , for which I for one am truly grateful. Waitman didn't care much for the tomato soup or the veal. Not everybody is going to like everything on a restaurant menu. (I'm sure I wouldn't like the liver that even Paul Bocuse could produce.) He did, however, like a lot of the other stuff. If I were Gillian Clark, and I'm not, I think I would pay some attention to the service issues. Some of this seems legitimate; certainly Waitman's service comments seem reasonable and sincere on that score. If Clark didn't defend herself and her restaurant so forthrightly, would all of this controversy go away? Just askin'.

Oh, REALLY??? What is this oven-cleaning "husband" of which you speak?

Yes, but if everyone on this forum did sensible stuff like that this whole website would be a crashing bore

I pity the fool who has never had a decent crab cake before and decides they aren't as good as a Big Mac.