deangold

Must be all nude.

If they want to take off all their clothes, his friends are welcome here!

When I was at the Enoteca in Montalcino, they had Sassicaia 2001 on their cruvinet. The wine bar manager was practically embarassed to sell me a glass. In fact she gave me a glass of Casse Basse 99 Riserva Brunello (another overpriced, overmade wine in my mind) for free! Her coment ont he Sassicaia? "I don't get it." I agree.

I love Jaleo down there. Since I have a secret addiction to Sangria, it makes for a relativly cheaper experience. I am not a fan of Cafe Atlantico but only went once. Zayatina is a puzzlement to me (Jeez I fell like Yul Bryner saying that!). I usually like about half of what we order and the other half seems to have no flavor.

And, to be honest (porcupine, deangold), I wouldn't mind if you named names on the restaurants you are referring to. 

OK by me to name names usually, but in this case, I feel that there were several issues involved. I never saw the sommelier in the restaurant. My issue was with the waiters who so spoiled the evening for me. The restaurant is not to my taste in decor, service style or food, adding to my vow of not returning. And when we said we were treated rudely to the hostess at the front, she said "Well we're pretty busy tonight" . My reply was to quip then "I guess you don't need our business" to which she did not answer. No attempt was made to get a manager at any time during my complaint.

I don't think it is a general lesson to be learned about this restaurant and its wine service from this incident.

Well then, I'll come in my tu-tu.  Desmond made it, so that makes it a Tutu tutu.

Stop this NOW!

You guys are jut two too much four me. Of course, I eight the stuff. I hate to point out that we had 16 plates of dim sum today....

Again, I said nothing, wondering if my ignorance of this game was the problem.

Is it?  Do I need to learn how to play, or is this par for the course?  Was my experience at Maestro an anomaly?  Or is a sommelier's services reserved for those who order expensive bottles?

It always amazes me that what a customer wants to spend is a measure of their need and/or desire for help. I have been to restauants in DC where I was snubbed for picking out one of the cheapest white wines on the list. I noted that it was from a favirote producer, that only a few cases of this wine were imported to the country, that I had only had the wine at a certain restauarnt in Venice Italy etc etc etc. Instead of being complemented by my choice and my obvious enthusiasm for the wine, I was treated like shit for the meal. Of course the table next to me, ordering bottle after bottle of Robert Mondavi Reserve this or that, a corporate made piece of crap bottle if ever there was one, was fawned over like thay knew what they were doing. Too bad! I will never spend my own money in this place ever again.

If I can take a customer used to drinking the swill that passes for wine in most restaurants (like the Nicolas Pinot Noir bought for about $5.00 a bottle and sold for $7.00 a glass) and turn them on to a Castel Romitorio Morellino di Scansano for about the same price, and I see their eyes light up at how good it is, that is more rewarding than selling another bottle of high priced wine to someone jaded. Yet if I do get a high roller who I can turn on to something they have never had before, then my night is really made. Its just a drink to have with dinner and its just a part of the meal. Everyone who comes into my restaurant deserves our best effort wether it comes to food or to wine or anything else. If I dissapoint them, 9 times out of 10 I have not done my job as best as I could.

Don Rocks,  I'm not convinced you exist, but assuming you do, I am very concerned about you.  Very concerned.   

I do know for a fact that DonRocks is a prosciutto consuming machine...

And I want whatever he is on!

There was another bean curd dish early on, wasn't there?

There was a stuffed bean curd roll, very servicable but again nothing special. The tripe was fairly good as well.

I thought that Good Fortune has basically thrown in th towel... they are going down hill since the opening of Hollywood East on the Blvd. The palce was dirty and bedraggled. Iwas sitting on the edge of a tbale with about 2 or 3 inches of missing laminate and exposed particle board. The fried items were rather good from the point of view of lack of oil and crispness, but the over all effect was a big "big deal... its food". THe only thing I really loved was a shrimp and taro fritter that really made me take notice. THe other stuff ranged from OK to good. Kay and I have crossed it off our list for repeat visits. Too bad.

We were there on Friday night and had that as part of my meal.  It was very good, especially the sausage.  The veal chop special was delicious and will hopefully be on the menu frequently.  IMO, they are still putting out one of the best whole grilled fish dishes in the area.

We are currently using Baramundi from Australia. Not only is it good stuff taste wise, but the company that raises the fish is a leader in sustainable acquaculture. It great to have a product that not only tastes good but is also grown sustainably and priced competitively with conventional.

I would love to have an all natural beef, for example, but right now it would cost twice as much forcing us to raise the price on our tagliata by about 50%. And the beef isn't as good tasting. We continue to search for an alternative that we can use and afford to use.

How big is that shrimp?  Just curious...

I'm doing some comparison shopping.  Me hungry.

3 shrimp, 13 to the pound or so, fresh never been frozen. Made with Unio Siruiana olive oil and lemon.

Are there prices available for any of these dishes?  The menu on the website doesn't list prices, either.  (Though it is in many other respects better than most other DC restaurant websites -- Eve, Corduroy, Ray's, Palena and more, I am looking in your collective direction.)

Cheeses are 3/12 and 5/18

Pecorino Trio is 15 because of the truffle chutney

Razza is 19

3 new primi are 16

arancini are 5.75

shrimp are 3 for 9

scallop crostini are 7

By the way you can have the 4 year parm as dessert with balsamico stravecchio. Yum! 20 year old stuff from Carrandini.

Hey -- when are you going to start keeping Dino open late enough that I can get a bite after the concert? My season starts tomorrow night and, while I love Bistro and Old Ebbit, each in their own separate ways, a third option would be swell.

(I hear it's a neighborhood thing, true?)

RIght now we ahve to have our last sale of alcohol at 11pm. We seat till 10:15 sunday thru Thursday with the kitchen open till 10:30. Saturday and Sunday we seat till 10:30 and the kitchen closes at 11. We will, at some point, apply for later hours and se how the ANC and our neighbors take it. I would love to stay open till midnight and serve alcohol till 1am on Friday and Saturday.

But we have the restrictions that Yanyu agreed to.

Just got a new cheese shipment (My first after the Augosto suhutdown)...

In addition to La Tur.....

Cora Robiola- a mixed milk robiola aged in Cauliflower leaves, very creamy, very rich and a touch bitter.

Guffanti 4 year old Reggiano- incomparable ith tiny calcite crystals that just melt on the tongue.

Principe- a hugely strong sheep's milk blue

Asiago Vecchio Raw Milk

Grand Old Man Putuzulu - 15 month old pecorino from Pienza in a parmesan style.

Perla Grigia- truffle cheese rubbed with hard spices.

Three pecorino al tartufo- fresh, aged and blue sheep's milk cheese with red wine apple butter and truffle chutney

In addition, we have some new items on the menu--

Razza- skate wing on creamy polenta with wild mushroom ragu

Garganelli with sauusage and greens

Mussels and Sieppi (cuttlefish) on grilled bread in a clam broth with fennel and San

Marzano tomatoes

Cheesey polenta with wild mushrooms

Arancini

Also this wekend- fresh head on shrimp as an appetiser and an entree special: veal chop on the grill

What about Dino...

I'll be there with our new fall menu part 1 and our new cheese list. Details to come later today...

We have not "dined" at the rooftop terrace but have had many a meal, unfortunately, at The KC Cafe, the caffeteria down the hall. As a food professional, it embarasses me that some of the things they put out are as bad as they are! We only eat there when we are super pressed for time and my blood sugar situation won't let me enjoy the opera without a meal beforehand. I do so find going into a hypoglycimic induced coma interferes with the second act of Tosca!

It usualy costs $40 to 60 for Kay and I to grab a bite there, without wine. Ohhh we do order something that comesin a wine glass and contains alcohol, but our $9.00 glass of beverage alcohol usually bears no resembelance at all to what I call wine.

Kay and I will be there

WF also carries some variation of cheetos, ruffles & Lays potato chips.

 
The irony of it all is that they are not great sellers. The number one chip by far is a local- Nana's. But the FL stuff has displaced some small producers who make good stuff.

Dean never mentioned he was a member of ZZ Top...

click

And that was after getting a trim! You should see my passport picture from '96! My nickname in those days was "His divine grace, Baba Dean Das Cheese"!

I think it speaks volumes that their national VP of purchasing is a bean counter, that one of their regional VP's of purchasing, a great and talented guy, is a distribution guy. I cannot think of a single person in their upper level management structure with the exception of one regional president whi is a true foodie and is willing to put that foodie credentials on the line.

, and that may be a reason to think twice about going if you were gay.

Or if you're not. Seems to me we don't ahve to parse the statement very far. Two men asked for a specific table that was open, were told that its usually reserved for "couples". Seems pretty presumptuous on the hostess' part. I would hate to have that reaction in my restaurant. While that person would not necessarily be fired, they would be on final warning at a minimum.

Fiji water is probably cheaper than other brands for the establishments to buy and maybe they can sell it for the same price as other brands and make a little more profit.  In short, I suspect economics is the reason behind this.

From my buyer days, Fiji water was pretty expensive stuff. Not sure of the situation now, but it was always pitched with a luxury attitude.

Would the foie gras be of appreciably lower-quality if the fowl weren't force-fed, or does anyone know?  I haven't tried the liver of any of the wild geese or ducks I've eaten in my life, so I don't really have a benchmark.  Is the tube feeding absolutely necessary?

Having made large batches of confit, I have had the plesures of eating a large amounto f non force fed duck liver. It just isn't the same. Great, but nothing like foie gras. Of course, Ankimo, monk fish liver, results without the feeding tube issues tho I dare say the angler fish himself (or herself) ain't so happy about THAT!

Please remember that we are donating 25% of revenues tonight to the Amerian Red Cross.

We raised over $1000.00 and out first Tuesday night open was a major success. Thanks to all who came ou to support us!

I will first admit to being a friend of Ariane Daughin at d'Artagnan and Jim Gilles at Sonoma Foie Gras....

The main issue of foie gras production in the US has to do with two isues: Gravage (forced feeding) and beak clipping.

Ducks naturally gorge themselves in preparation for their migration. In the wild you will often find dead ducks with whole fish stuck in their throats. They will show the same injuries the animal rights folk ascribe to gravage. Gravage is the finishing process that actually enlarged the liver o the duck. A tube is inserted in the duck and the high fat feed is fed directly into the stomach. If you visit a duck farm, and I have, the ducks don't seem particularly perturbed by the process.

Debeaking is another story altogether. Imaging having the tip of your tongue cut off and given no medical treatment for it. That is what happens when any fowl is debeaked. I think it a barbaric practice and I think it should be outlawed. It is one thing to farm animals for food, but torture is another. This is but one of the cruelties of factory farming and it does occur in the foie gras industry. But it also occurs in the egg industry as well.