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MAdinolfi78

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About MAdinolfi78

  • Birthday 04/29/1978

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jumbo shrimp

jumbo shrimp (20/123)

  1. They are opening the Clarendon location at the corner of 11th and Fillmore in the Zoso Flats apt building. The build-out is well underway. I live across the street and we just got an email from our building management about it.
  2. New spin-off with big name chefs competing, premiering in June: Top Chef Masters
  3. DCist posting says the theme of this No Reservations is the two sides of DC dining (so probably the innovative upscale fine-dining, and then the diverse ethnic foods/restaurants) and that he'll be traveling inside the beltway - not just DC. Also confirms a visit to Ben's chili bowl at some point. http://dcist.com/2008/07/18/anthony_bourda...or_no_reser.php
  4. Thanks everyone for the collective wisdom! I'm gonna go to the grocery store and get some to try blanching it beforehand - I really enjoy rapini when i have it at restaurants, so can't wait to be able to prepare it (edibly) at home.
  5. So I cooked some recently by simply sauteing in olive oil, but the result was way to bitter. I checked online after the fact and saw recommendations to blanch beforehand as a way to reduce some of the bitterness. Anyone know if this works or have any other tips for cutting out some of the bitterness? Thanks in advance!
  6. Went on saturday about 7:30 with friends'. There was a steady flow of people but definitely not a madhouse, I think we timed it just right. My one frienddoesn't normally eat beef and didn't quite realize what RHB was about before going, but after seeing everyone else's burgers she caved and ordered one anyways. By the end of the meal she was solidly back in the meat eating category! Back to the burgers - I got a diablo recommended with a bunch of toppings and it was awesome the meat spicy but not overpowering. I defnitely think less toppings is the way to go as they almost distract from the wonderfullness of the burgers themselves. To echo some other sentiments - my one nit is that the buns do not stand up to the juicy goodness of the burgers themselves' dissolving after a couple of bites. Some sort of toasted brioche might have a better chance of surviving I think. I'm definitely looking forward to going back and trying the other burger options.
  7. http://dcist.com/2008/05/09/chewing_the_fat_1.php
  8. went to james on 8th this past saturday with my wife & sister-in-law - Dining room was packed full when we arrived for our 8:30 reservation but the bar was pretty empty (thankfully) as we were able to get seats and talk to the bartender a bit. I had a hendricks and honeydew – gin & honeydew with fresh thyme – it was nice and refreshing. They didn’t seat us until close to 9 but that was OK, the host was very apologetic. Overall the food was amazing and the service was really spot on – attentive but not hovering or overbearing – the meal was leisurely and we weren’t rushed or anything, although it did take a bit too long between our 1st and second courses – almost 30 minutes, but that was the only niti had overall. Sommelier was great, very friendly – actually recommended a wine that was more affordable than the initial one I was looking at – and the wine list overall was really reasonably priced. They also had a few half bottles which I thought was a nice touch. We got a bottle of red a Dolcetto something – spicy upfront but light finish and then a 2nd half bottle of another italian that was lighter bodied and went really nice with the entrees. All of the servers were very friendly actually – I had a question about an after dinner drink, the Mas Amiel 10-year. The server didn’t know what it was but got another sever who explained it was a port (it wasn’t clear from the menu description) and gave offered me a taste. Kristina the manager/co-owner made her way around the entire dining room interacting with guests etc and stopped by several times to check on us and talked with us a bit. In terms of the meal itself –the menu is organized into basically 3 courses – 1st courses, then 2nd course of various pastas & risottos, and entrees. They sent out an amuse bouche which was a little pork pate thing with a parsley oil. For 1st courses the 3 of us split 2 dishes – a poached salmon with fennel and I think it was an artichoke puree (can’t really remember) as well as sea scallops with a slightly lemony sauce that was great. 2nd course we again split 2 dishes: hand cut tagliatelle with duck ragu, shaved chocolate & orange (apparently this is the only dish that has never been removed from the menu) it was amazing – the duck was almost braised – the orange sauce was delicate and not too sweet or tart – really well balanced. The other dish we got was the special, called risi & bisi – and it was better than the tagliatelle (which was amazing). It was a risotto with mint peas that had what was described as a sort of “bacon sorbet” if I remember correctly but was like a bacon flavored heavy cream. It sounded a little out there when first described (I actually had to ask the components again when it was served ‘cause I’d forgotten) but was awesome. For entrees – 2 of us got the Four Story Hill farms poularde, tender spinach porcini mushrooms & apple infused pan sauce. My wife got the red curry braised wild pink snapper, mustard greens & mussel-potato. The chicken was incredibly moist & light - it was prepared by some technique where thy take the skin off – then put in garlic and some seasoning and then wrap the skin back on and roast it. I initially thought it must have been brined to be that moist but it wasn't. We were pretty stuffed at this point but split one of the deserts – a rhubarb crème cake special, and I had the aforementioned 10-year port.
  9. Jim Burke of James was just named a Food & Wine Best New Chef 2008 Has anyone been to James on 8th? I haven't seen any discussion on this thread. Am curious as I'm going to Philly this weekend and have a reservation for this saturday.
  10. For great sushi in Sao Paulo - definitely recommend the chef's shoice. Also get the kiwi-sake mixed drink or a kiwi-caprianha. JAM WAREHOUSE Rua Lopes Neto 308 (00 55 11 3079 4259; www.jamwarehouse.com.br).
  11. Congrats & best of luck - I live a few blocks away and definitely look forward to stopping by. I'm already thinking of warm weather rooftop al fresco dining (especially given the current weather)! Can't wait to see/hear about the menu - I hope the cuisine will differentiate itself somewhat from the existing neighborhood spots (Liberty, Restaurant3, Harry's, Blvd Woodgrill. . .)
  12. Off to Brazil at the end of this month for Carnival. Will be visiting Sao Paolo, Rio, Florianapolis, and Iguazu. Who's been? Any recommendations? Particularly for Rio.
  13. Sietsema Review - "Il Fornaio is clearly dedicated to making its many customers feel wanted and comfortable. But good service and a handsome setting aren't enough to attract patrons looking for discernment on the plate. "
  14. The washington Post just had a list of recommended gift cookbooks yesterday and included an Indian cookbook: Madhur Jaffries Quick and Easy Indian Cookery
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