Bart

I remember seeing Jaques Pepin answering a question on whether untouched bread in a bread basket should go back to the kitchen and get re-served to someone else.  He said his chef would beat him if he threw out untouched bread!  Obviously he wasn't "Jaques Pepin" at that point in his career! 

Regarding masks, here's a clip from a Post article today:

<<<<<<<

And those surgical masks? If you’re not sick, you don’t need to wear them — and you certainly don’t need to buy every box your local pharmacy has in stock.

“The main point of the mask is to keep someone who is infected with the virus from spreading it to others,” Brewer said.

The CDC agrees, writing on its website: “CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases.”

Common surgical masks block the droplets coming out of a sick person from getting into the air, but they are not tight enough to prevent what’s already in the air from getting in.

There are specialized masks — known as N95 masks because they filter out 95 percent of airborne particles — that are more effective, and some online retailers are sold out of them. But there’s a problem: The masks are difficult to use without training. They must be fitted and tested to work properly.

“If you just buy them at CVS, you’re not going to do all that,” Brewer said. “You’re not going to get it fit-tested, and you’re not going to be wearing it properly, so all you’ve done is spend a lot of money on a very fancy face mask.”

>>>>>>>>

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/02/26/how-to-prepare-for-coronavirus

44 minutes ago, Count Bobulescu said:

Ventimiglia, just over the Italian border is worth a trip. Take the middle road (corniche) to Vent and come back the coastal taking in Monaco.

Thanks CB!  I've heard the Friday market it not to be missed.

And back to your initial comment, when you say, "I've always hired a car", does that mean you rented one or hired a driver?

Thanks Don and hahahah!

Planning on staying in an Airb&B in the old town of Nice, unless I hear otherwise!  Haven't booked anything yet.  (No, I don't know what I'm waiting for!!)

As far as the car goes, I'd rent one if necessary.  For the coastal towns, my limited understanding is it's super easy to travel by train.  When looking at heading inland to a vineyard or a hike, etc, my plan was to join a small tour group.  I figured the ease of having a guide/driver would be worth the convivence of not having to do the legwork on research and planning.  But on the other hand, I'd happily rent a car if that made more sense or got me to some awesome place.

No on the Chase card.  ;-(

Folks -

If the world doesn't end, and/or if air travel is still allowed, I'm planning on visiting my daughter and spending 5 and a half days in Nice, France and surrounding area in late March/early April.

If anyone has any tips, suggestions or info on great places to visit, great places to eat, or any local favorites/delicacies, I'd love to hear about them. 

The plan is to use Nice as the home base and explore the Cote d'Auzr and maybe venture inland to a vineyard or maybe to Verdon Gorge or Grasse.  I'm not looking to do any high end, fine dining (unless you tell me that's a huge mistake!), but would love to hear about any local favorites that are not tourist traps(!), but are more mom and pop type places. 

Also, any advice on places to hit/avoid would be great.  Along the coast I was planning to hit the towns of (maybe) Menton, Monaco, Eze, Villefrance-sur-Mer, Cap Ferat, Antibes, Cannes, and (maybe) Saint Tropez. 

So basically I'm looking for tips and advice...…"Skip Saint Tropez and do Cannes" or "Do Cap Ferat or Antibes, but not both" or "Hit museum X if you can only do one"

Also, I'm not planning on having a car (unless it's essential to get to some amazing spot that I must see!) and it's my first time there, so everything will be new.

Thanks!!

Tom really likes this place:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/hanumanh-serves-laotian-dishes-and-drinks-so-exciting-they-make-a-critic-long-to-be-a-regular/2020/02/10/06d10d4a-4388-11ea-b5fc-eefa848cde99_story.html?itid=ap_tomsietsema

I was all set to bring my cousin here who will be visiting next week but then I saw this on their webpage:

We accept walk-ins only on a first come, first serve basis. We don’t take names nor have a waitlist. 

How welcoming!  The only missing was a "F*uck You for trying!" at the end.

I get why restaurants do this, but this seems to be taking things to a new, belligerent level.  It's like saying, we give zero shits about ease of access for our customers.  I mean, even Roses and Little Serow take names and have a waiting list!

I'm down!

2. Bart

Thursday works for me most weeks, but I have (uncharacteristic! ;-) conflicts on Feb 27 and March 5.  But don't let that stop the group from going on either night.

Interest!  Especially with a curated meal.  Weeknights (other than Wednesday) work best for me, but I could be flexible, depending......

On 1/3/2019 at 2:07 PM, Rieux said:

I really did not enjoy the dishes, the price/value ratio, the service, or the ambience. On vacation in Portugal so cant write more but I echo all said above. I definitely won’t go back. 

I've been a number of times before shows at the Anthem, and have to agree on the service.  I've never found it bad, but just kind of clueless.  Ask a question on the wine list ("is this an oaky Chardonnay?") and get either a confused look, or get an answer that I had no confidence in the accuracy.  The other issue I had with the service is the language barrier.  Every server I've ever had speaks English as second language and had difficulty communicating or describing dishes or answering questions on the dishes.  Not passing judgement on them......they all speak at least twice as many languages as I do(!!), but it's been repeatedly frustrating to have every single question essentially go unanswered.

16 hours ago, Pool Boy said:

Gonna give this a try this weekend before a show at Arena.

The first time I got this dish, it was amazing.  The second time it was completely forgettable.  I'll get it again the next time I go.....Hope springs eternal, plus it's pretty cheap.

Stir Fried Greens, Ginger, Garlic, Chili “Pad Pak Ruam” 9

Relooking at the menu, I'm a little shocked at the prices.  They say each person should order 2-3 dishes, but most of the dishes are in the mid $20s range.  I mean, those are Kinship level prices, but the dishes and the staff and setting don't come close to the quality you receive at Kinship.  On the other hand, Kaliwa seems like one of the few middle of the road places on The Wharf.  Somewhere between Shake Shack and Del Mar!

Don't know if this is just an amazing coincidence or if Tim has been mining DR.com for new places, but this is in the Washington Post today:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/restaurants/at-a-24-hour-korean-restaurant-in-annandale-grace-awaits-in-a-bowl-of-stew/2020/02/11/d2a43f82-4a0e-11ea-bdbf-1dfb23249293_story.html

For you seasoned travelers out there, is there a website that you use to find restaurants in Europe?

My daughter is doing a semester abroad in Lugano, Switzerland and is looking for restaurant resources when they travel.  I know we the Intrepid Traveler section here, but I'm looking for lower end, more casual places.

Interesting(?) note on their website:

Our team at Maialino Mare participates in a revenue share. We are a non-tipping restaurant.

The service is always a star here too.  I know they must work it into the overall price of the meal, but it's always nice to get a freebie dish or two.

11 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

At its best, Rose’s Luxury was a relatively inexpensive yet creative and well executed joint.  Frank Ruta is no Aaron Silverman.  

What are you getting at with the Frank/Aaron comment?  Are you saying that Frank doesn't measure up to Aaron's skills?  That's fine of course, but I know how much Frank is revered here, so it struck me a little funny.   

34 minutes ago, Pat said:

I was glad that he at least went to the AL West, but the Nats play the AL West this year, so they'll be facing Rendon in May. 🤨

Will he get booed like Bryce, or will he get cheers (because he's so cool, unlike Bryce)?

While I'll happily boo Bryce, I don't think I could ever boo Rendon.

I need a tutor, or a class or a damn degree to understand this thread!!!! 

Looks like they are opening one in Crystal City.  In the space where Taylor Gourmet was located, there's a big sign over one of the windows saying "R A S A".  There was no info about when they plan to open though. 

http://somtumdernewyork.com/index.html

I had a wonderful and unique meal here a couple days before Thanksgiving.  It reminded me of the very early days of Bangkok Golden in Bailey's Crossroads (I haven't been to Thip Khao yet so I can't compare the two).  What I mean is, there were a lot of different flavors and presentations that prior to going to Bangkok Golden, I was completely unfamiliar with.  Lots of bright acidy flavors alongside of some nice heat.

You sit at big, long communal tables and we were seated next to a local pro who was showing the place off to some out of town friends.  It was quickly apparent that he was quite familiar with the place and most of the dishes offered.  We took his advice on what to order and I honestly don't remember what we got but it was all great.  His advice in a nutshell was, "everything is good, but their signature dishes are the ones with the biggest pictures on the menu".  (The menu was many pages long and each page had one large picture (covering 1/3 - 1/2 of the page) and a few more small pictures with the descriptions of the dishes, obviously).  The menu is presented on their website and it's kind of cool and kind of annoying at the same time.  There are photos of each dish with a description, but you have to click on each one individually, which opens up a new page with a full size photo of each dish, so it will probably take you 50 clicks ( and 50 back buttons) to see the entire thing.

The reservation process for this place was a bit of a mystery and I couldn't get it to work.  On their website when you click the Reservation button, you get a choice to make the reservation through Yelp or through Open Table both via the restaurant's web site.  Every time and date I picked on both systems showed there were no available reservations.  I even went out a month and tried to make a lunch reservation on a random Tuesday and it still told me there were no reservations, so I'm guessing something is jacked up on their end. 

I ended up calling them (Apparently, they don't pick up the phone until the restaurant is officially open...…..At 5:59, no answer.  At 6:01 someone answered!) and found that they take walk ins and they had room that night.  [Another bit of weirdness:  their website says they're open from Noon - 11pm, but yelp lists them with lunch hours (12 - 4) and dinner hours (6-10).  My experience mimicked yelp's hours not their website.]

Sorry this "review" is so light on details of the food.  It was all a bit of a blur, but it was a tasty blur!

We went to the East Village location, but they also have one in Red Hook Brooklyn. 

Here's the link to the NYC Michelin Guide:  https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/new-york-state/new-york/restaurant/somtum-der

9 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

I didn't presume anything. 

Nothing except the cameltoe and the fact that the guy was uncomfortable.  Those details were nowhere in the original posting. 

9 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Since when are patrons not allowed to flirt with staff at restaurants/bars?  Since when are people allowed to police clumsy attempts at  hitting on people.

Gimme a break.  The exact same words, delivered in a different manner and with different body language can convey two totally different messages.  I complement people at work on their outfits or hair cuts all the time.  I simply say, "You look nice today" or "Your haircut looks great".  It's to people I know and am friendly with, and it's obviously nothing more than a complement.  I don't look a woman up and down and up again and smack my lips and say "Umm-umm-ummm, you look niiiiceee today.  Grrrrrr"

It's obvious from the poster's reaction that this was more than a throw away, polite compliment. 

It's also interesting that you chose to assign the "uncomfortable" emotion to the man from out of the blue, yet you ignored the poster's description of the hostess' "nervous laugh" 

9 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

I also haven't insinuated that you're brain dead simply because you can only read a situation one way.

Classy.

I know you play the role of the cranky curmudgeon in here a lot, but calling me brain dead* based on my reading of the situation is pretty ironic when fully 1/3 of your original post is presumption/assumption.  You trying to slam me with the opening line of "I didn't presume anything" is rich.  You fundamentally changed the story with your presumptive editorializing.

* Yes, I know you didn't actually call me brain dead, but the implication was clear.

Don - No worries.  I think I'm done with this!

9 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

I have no idea what prompted the man to make that comment.  Picture a woman with cameltoe showing which makes an older gentlemen uncomfortable, thus he makes a snide comment.

without knowing the context, i wouldn’t presume it’s sexist/harassment.

You "don't know the context" but somehow presume there's a cameltoe involved?!?!?  and then you assume the guy was "uncomfortable" by a woman in tight pants?!?!  That's one reading of the situation I suppose, if you supply unmentioned and extraneous details. 

But if you objectively read the quote and if you've been alive anytime in the last 1000 years, I think a much more likely conclusion to make was a dirty old man was clumsily hitting on a much younger woman in tight pants.  And if you've been alive anytime in the last 50 years, you know that tight pants on women (and men) are hardly noteworthy sightings. 

20 hours ago, DonRocks said:

I still can't understand why the best fine-dining value in all of Washington, DC is constantly empty.

The 3-course, $30 dinner offered at Corduroy's bar is unmatched in terms of (quality x value) - as far as I'm aware, nothing anywhere else even comes close.

I think this has been discussed in DR.com before, be the $30 dinner doesn't appear anywhere on their website.  Or at least I couldn't find it.

I've only been there once, 100 years ago, but these last few posts, and a quick once over of the menu makes me want to head there soon!

Carpaccio of Lobster with Drawn Butter $15 - WOW!!

I don't know if this is the answer, but in Tom's chat last week, someone (maybe you!  ;-) asked why he doesn't mention Corduroy much/ever in his chats anymore.  His answer was that the menu has been unchanged for years, and the place/decor could use a refresher.

Staying in Hell’s Kitchen.  Mostly lunches and dinners.  Definitely planning on doing dim sum at least once. 

I checked out this place over the weekend and had some great dishes and some nice pours of wine.  It definitely ups the Front Royal restaurant scene a couple dozen notches.  

The menu is interesting and varied. There were lots of other dishes that I wanted to try but didn’t have room for.  

Roasted cauliflower and octopus salad

Thanks for bringing this up.  I'm taking my college aged kids up to NYC for a few days before Thanksgiving, and I'm looking places to eat....both "famous" places like this, as well as the little hole in the wall joints.

Don - This is from their website:  Abbey de la Rosa, Chef de Cuisine  (Taylor Naples is not listed)