liam

I hate to send you to a chain -- a local chain -- but Rubio's fish tacos are scrumptious. I ate at one of its locations last spring. All I can say is yum. Fresh ingredients, big tacos.

Capitol City Brewery, near Union Station, early 2004 as I recall: A piece of metal in my burger! Fortunately, it was off to the side of where I bit down. I wonder if they would have paid for my dental work?

I'm not Odessa, but I'll suggest Power as reigning King of the Queens. Pastan from the glory days, Pangaud when not in a haze. Clark is, in a frying way, Ruta when he keeps at bay. Wabeck is and Trautman too, Gray and all his former crew: Anda, Cox, the Chittums (two), they all left in a giant coup. Armstrong when he shows restraint, Cam is, yes, but Cashion ain't. Greenwood is, in theory, one, and Furstenberg's are on a bun.

Cheers,

Rocks.

Don, I'm simply glad my question could serve as some sort of inspiration for such ... dare, I say, poetry.

Odessa, thanks very much for your comments. If you Washingtonians ever make it out to Madison, you'll quickly realize that Odessa is royalty here for embracing seasonal, local ingredients in her cooking and for her support of what is said to be the nation's largest farmers' market.

Two can't-miss options: for casual, Hominy Grill; for fancy, McCrady's.

Really, I've only had excellent meals in Charleston, although my dining companion was a little disappointed in his meal at Fleet Landing. (I had a fried green tomato BLT there and wasn't disappointed in the least.)

I've also enjoyed meals at Anson, SNOB (Slightly North of Broad), Charleston Grill, Sermat's Corner, and Blossom.

When we were there in May, our Big Fancy Meals were at Charleston Grill and McCrady's. The food was excellent at both, but CG is more stuffy/French, and McCrady's is more friendly/American. Had some kind of sea bass there with Asian vegetables and it was utterly delicious without being heavy at all.

If you're on foot, Hominy Grill is a little off the beaten path, but at brunch there I had the largest plate of French toast I'd ever seen, with a pecan butter to die for. Dee-lish, and I think it set me back $7.

Jael

I would second the McCrady's recommendation. Here's my report from last November:

I had one terrific and one very good meal in Charleston last month.

McCrady's--On a sleepy Sunday evening in mid November, just off an airplane, I ventured to McCrady's, hoping to check out its wine bar. The wine bar is closed on Sunday evenings, so I ended up eating at the bar in the main restaurant. The octopus salad ($12) was terrific, prepared with marinated mushrooms, fennel and a truffle vinagrette. I washed it down a glass of Steele Pinot Blanc 2002 ($10.75). I also had the Rack of Lamb ($34), herb marinated, with roast potatoes, cippolini onions, asparagus, and thyme jus. Lean, delicious, perfect. I enjoyed a glass of the Cotes du Rhone-Villages, Jaboulet 2001 ($9.50) with it. I was also offered a taste of the Judson Valley Foie Gras while there. Fantastic. The bartender also was nice enough to turn on the lights and let me see the wine bar side. She said that sometime this month they would be redecorating it.

We did Bouchon for breakfast, and the housemade preserves were as good as anything I've ever put in my mouth. It was lovely.

I had dinner in the bistro section at Bouchon back in late April. The price are much more reasonable than the restaurant itself. I highly recommend the bowl of mussels. They provide plenty of bread with which to sop up every last bit of broth!

Odessa,

Please share your thoughts on either of these topics...

I'm interested in your comments on "girl food kitchens." Do you think that today's celebrity chefs such as Anthony Bourdain, Rocco Dispirito, and the like are having an impact on the composition or conduct of inspiring chefs? Are these guys more the norm or the exception, simply embraced by TV for their eccentricity and brashness? Do you think the fact that these kitchen Mussolinis are almost entirely male says more about inherent gender differences, more about it takes or what people perceive it takes a run a kitchen, or neither?

Also, what are some of your favorite chefs or restaurants in & around Washington (or elsewhere) that prepare and present food in a "girl food" or Susan Lindeborg style?

As an aside, I'm thrilled to be living in Madison, Wisconsin as of 10 months ago. I'm a frequent customer at the L'Etoile cafe. And my wife, Sara, loved taking your cooking class and Farmers' Market tour last fall. Cheers!

Jamie Blankenship will return to DC and open Gabardine, a new restaurant across the street from Corduroy???

Am I right?

What? Is Ray's converting to an all-sushi menu or something?!?

I favor more funding for stem cell research. This work is bound to result in a determination that glasses with stems are superior.

Wine & Stem Cells

Thank you, Mr. Google!

The Aveleda Vinho Verde is a terrific summer find. It is crisp, light, and a bit effervescent. It normally retails for about $6/bottle. I see that Calvert Woodley has it for $4.49/bottle currently.

I moved here a couple of months ago from NY and I have yet to find a wine store that has someone who is enthusiastic about Gruner Veltliner and Reislings.  Most stores I have been to have, say, four reislings and one or two GVs.

I moved away from DC about 10 months ago, but unless things have changed significantly, you should be able to find a good selection of rieslings at these two stores:

Schneider's

MacArthur (carries Terry Thiese selections)

Both stores post their wine selections online. Circle (on Conn Ave south of Chevy Chase Circle) has a decent selection of new world rieslings as well; not so great a German collection though.

Any good sources for either a well-made caipirinia

Not that I live in DC anymore, but if the past is prologue, try the Chi-Cha Lounge at 1624 U Street NW.

Interesting story on Signatures and its role in the whole Tom Delay/Jack Abramoff scandal in today's New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/06/politics/06signatures.html

There's a brief mention of "mixed reviews" about the food toward the end of the article.