deangold

In defense of the cashier... According to ABC law in Virginia and DC, the cashier is responsible for serving underaged personally. That is when the ABC comes in with a 28 year old looking underager and catch a casher, the cashier gets a ticket and/or arrented as well as the store getting a fine. At WFM the cashier will be terminated as well. WFM is a frequent target of such sting operations. When the sting operation is run, the sting will look at cashiers and see which ones are not doing anything to check ids. These will be the lanes they chose to test. So that cashier may have seen a friend lose their job or may be at a store where they have been fined and the management of that store is on the warpath. The real pity of this is all the energy put into stinging grocery stores when the bars running beer pong tournaments go unscathed. How many of them could pass an audit of their curstomers for being served while intoxicated? Why is it the small business' responsibility to enfore our liquor laws?

We have a 3 course menu from 5 to 6:30 seatings Sunday thru Thursday. Also 10 wines at 1/3 off including Moccagatta Barbaresco Bric Balin 2001 or Le Macchioche Brunello or Val di Suga Brunello 99. Wine pricing good till 7pm.

Last night we had a doozey! A party walked in around 8 asking for a table of 5. We were able to accomodate them upstairs after a short wait. The wiater approached the table and asked them if they wanted water, if they wanted a cocktail. A few minutes later he asked htem if they were ready to order. He was told they were not ready. He took a dessert order at an adjacent table for 8, which took 10 to 15 minutes. The table had ben spoken to 3 times, given wather and then left alone for too long, but not ignored for 25 minutes. I was downstairs and the party started walking out. One gentleman told me they were ignored for 25 minutes. I was mortified and said if they would just return to their seats, I would buy them dinner for all 5 of them!. This was rudly ignored as he stomped out. Another of the party said they were ignored and I again offered them a free dinner and said we obviously blew it!. A third of the party walked up and started berating me. "Whats wrong with this place? Don't you have enough waiters or don't they know what they are doing?" Each time I replied that "Obviously we made a mistake and I am sorry. Please let me buy you all dinner tonight because of that." As the woman for the fourth time said "What's wrong with this place" I decided I had had enough. I had to ask them to leave, pointing out that I have offered them, 5 times now, to buy them dinner and they obviously were not interested in resolving the problem. We were not going to please them so here is the door and maybe they should go elsewhere. They left at maybe 8:45 so they had been at their table no more than 30 minutes total, allowing for the 15 minutes they spent complaiing to me. So how about another rule.... if you are going to complain, at least let management do something to resolve the situation! Don't stand and yell at them for 15 minutes.

Sadly I will be at the restaurant, not New Fortune but imne watching an electircian making some repairs and paying bills.

Within 5 miles for both

78 at work 9 at home (I would have never guessed it that high!

If you can figure out how I can eat them while fast asleep..... Closest I could come to to a snoring smiley

I have been pretty sick the past few days (I actually took three days off from the restaurant.... well I went in for dinner one of the nights because we had our best friends in from LA). If Kay and I feel up to it we will show up. Won't know till Sunday morning I fear.

We went to the GT 5 Guys one evening pre opera (I know, I know that it is perhaps slumming to hear Verdi after a burger and fries but one must listen to what one has tickets to!). We were there for over 15 minutes with no one greetig us in any way. We tried to talk to the filk behind the counter 3 times and finally left. Seems like we didn't miss much!

Multi grain bread with some double glouchester and compte. Peet's coffe French Roast. Going back for seconds on that. Well thirds actually.

30th is definitely better for us.

Make that November 3. Sorry!!!

FOr $20.00 I got a beer, surprisingly good kim chee (very earthy and as well fermented as a year old dill from the pickle guys on Essex street in NYC), pickled cucumbers and a plate of truly spicy dry fried beef. I was reminded of it several times later tha day and the next morning but thats a small price to pay for the endorphin high!!!

Try the new free run nebbiolo from Cantina del Pino as a substitte. Its in the light red to sorta pink category, a little more substantial but still yummy. We will await the new Sangiovese Rosato from the Horse as well.

We have a few announcements of new programs at Dino: First off is our Menu della Sera. This is a three course menu available from 5 to 6:30pm Sunday thru Thursday. The price is $24.00 per person. To go along with the above menu or just with dining off the regular menu, we have wine madness- a selection of 10 wines at 1/3 off their regular price on our list. Last is we are starting wine dinners. November 1 is Parusso Barolos plus and November 30 is Inama soave and Nicolis Valpolicella and Amarone. Call the restaurant or email us for information.

I used to shop at a live poultry shop in Chicago. Every week or so I would go in a nd see what looked good: ducks of various kinds, chickens, exotic fowl. The owner would discuss the taste of the various critters before convincing them to make a permanent commitment to my dining pleasures. One day I walked into the shop and there was a cage filled with two bunnies. I was looking to make dinner for a group so I thought a little stewed bunny would do the trick. The owner said "What will it be today, Dean?" Before he could suggest anything, I pointed to the bunnies, and said "I'll take the rabbits." Aghast, his reply: "Those aren't animals! THOSE ARE MY PETS!!!" Shoping there never was quite the same after...

Tris di Granna- 4 year parmigiano reggiano from the Modenese hills, 34 month provolone mandarino valpadania, and 15 month old Pecorino di Pienza from Putzulu

Duck legs poached in pancetta fat with dried sour cherries, honey and vinegar. Te sauce is defatter (well mostly ) and emulsified. Serves with a sformata of celery root and pear in a mashed potato base. Did you mention the two cheese courses?

We served tha last of the Robiola last night. More soon. The hard cheese might have been 34 month Provolone if it was a little tan/brown in color, or 4 year parm or 15 month pecorino. I wanted to get a bit of the Rob but it was gone before I could order it!!!

On our next website update we are switching the menu to a PDF instead of a web page. That way we can update each week and the formatting will be just like at the restaurant. We can also post our cheese list as well.

I have a feeling we won't be there. We have guests in town from California. Too bad, I wanted to try NF again, haven't been in a long while and used to love it, service notwithstanding.

The Brertagnoli si from Vias. I know they sell their products in Pa as my rep often travels there. Maybe they could special order it as well for you. They make a great Amarone grappa as well as the Moscato. I find their grappe on the delicate and smooth side for what they are. As if Turpentine can be delicate!

Hehehe! Actually we are starting to slow down the changes to the mercato now that we have expanded it. We are looking at the dishes staying on the mercato for about 3 or so weeks each, and only changing about a third of it at a time. I mean I was not getting a chance to try everything myself! Just send an email to eat@dino-dc.com with a subject line of Mailing list or saying put me on the mailing list in the body. We average a missive about every three or so weeks. Starting Sunday we will have wine madness- a small selection of wines at 1/3 off our normal markup. This will run Sunday thru Thursday for purchases made from 5 pm - 6:30pm. The selection will include stuff like Brunellos from Le Macchioce and Val di Suga, a really good Chianti Classico from San Giusto, Barbaresco from Moccagatta and Ca'Rome, Dolcetto I Filari from Einaudi. While supplies last. We will also offer a 3 course meal for $25 per person, again from 5 to 6:30 pm. Lunch should start Saturday November 4. We will serve lunch Friday thru Sunday, probably 11:30 till 3pm. More on this when we have a menu and details worked out. Wine Dinners should also start in November.

Corks do infect wine with corkiness, but I have always felt the 8% number is just too high. A wine is not corky just because it has any detectable amount of the offending compound just like a wine is not spoiled by bret if it has any detectable amount of that bacteria in it. Some small amounts of a compound, while possibly detectable to a trained nose will just actually be a component of complexity. In my experience, corkiness runs at about 3% or so of bottles. We go thru a lot of wine and taste a lot of wine and I have never had a run of 8% corkiness. Is there bottle variation? Yes. But it is not all corkiness. With a screw cap, the failure rate of these closures is much higher for wines aged over 2 years. So it is not a perfect closure. It is fine for wines that need little time in the bottle, probably the best. But if youage wines for a bit, beware! I would not buy a case of Plumpjack with the screw top and try to age it in my cellar for 10 years (of course at the price and quality, I would never buy a bottle much less a case of Plumpjack!). Plastic corks seem to be OK for red wines over a 3-5 year horizon, but cause premature aging in many whites. So you pay your money and you take your chances. It just ain't coke where every bottle tastes like every other bottle.

That's 6 Mark!