Bart

Yep, I'm one of your peeps! My grandparents on my mothers side immigrated here from Syria via Ellis Island way back when. I'll give the Med Market a try. If it's the place I'm thinking of, I think I went there a few years ago for kibbee based on another one of your recommendations. If I told some of my aunts that they could get a buck twenty five for each one, I think I'd have permanent house guests and an assembly line going in my kitchen. Hummm, maybe that's not such a bad idea.....

The wonderful Ruth Bourdain has a competing card availble: Introducing the DoucheCard You may have heard of the ReviewerCard, but unfortunately it costs $100 to join. That’s why I’m introducing the DoucheCard, a first-of-its-kind FREE membership card for aspiring amuse douches and douchebaguettes. Just print out this page, clip-and-save the card, and use it at your favorite eateries. Here’s how it works: 1. Display DoucheCard at restaurant. 2. Receive looks of disgust from your waiter. 3. Enjoy complimentary pee in your food courtesy of the chef. 4. Destroy any shred of rapport with restaurant. 5. Return home in shame. http://www.comfortmewithoffal.com/post/41276851167/introducing-the-douchecard

Kibbee Nayee - Gerat post! Thanks for writing it. What's your best spot for Syrian "grape leaves" aka yeb'r't? I'm talking about the thin rolls (about the length and diameter) of your index finger that are served warm and contain meat. Not the short, fat, cold, veggie ones you get at Lebanese Taverna. I used to have them all the time growing up at family gatherings - - Christmas, NYE, birthdays, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, etc, but haven't been able to find them here. The only time I've ever seen them was at Layalina and they were part of an entree, not a dish by themselves. I'd love to find a place to order 20 or 30 of them like chicken wings! Thanks again for the write up.

I agree. I wrote to Don on the twitter machine suggesting a "resources" section or something like that becuase I had a hell of a time finding this thread on my own. "Shopping and Cooking" is the last place I looked for it!

Good point, and I actually did that once. It was my wife's birthday a few years ago and I was on a Bourdain jag reading everything I could find by him, so I called Bibiana and actually explained that to the person on the phone and asked if we could have "whatever the chef felt like serving" or something like that. It ended up being a fantastic meal that covered apps, meat, fish, cheese, pasta, a salad type thing and dessert. Every dish was wonderful and I got to experience buratta for the first time, which was amazing. My write up of the meal is in the Bibiana thread. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back. Tonight.

My wife and I went to this place over the summer on Julia Child's 100th birthday. It was a toss up between this place and Bastille but we picked it becuase we had been their before a loooong time ago and wanted to re-check it out. When we sat down, the waitress* asked if we've been here before and said yes, but it's been about 18 years. Her reply was and abrupt, "well, nothing's changed". The rest of the service was along the same lines. We sort of felt like we were imposing on her day off by simplying ordering some dinner. And we ordered 2 apps, 2 entrees and 3 or 4 glasses of wine so it wasn't a light bill. When asked, what do you recommend/what are your favorites?, her answer was, "it's all good". Thanks! That's so helpful!! Every interaction we had with her seemed like she was just one notch below open hostillity. And we didn't do anything weird like ask to be moved to a different table or have any subsititutions on dishes or anything. We just sat down and ordered off the menu. Anyhow, the meal was just ok. My wife liked her dish much more than I liked mine. I don't remember what she got, but I got the frogs legs and they weren't great. I only ate about half the order which I never do. I usually eat my entire dish and part of my wife's! I don't remember much specifically about the meal other than thinking I could wait another 18 years before I tried it again. * Our waitress was blonde and not the person (daughter) pictured on the website. I wish would have had someone in the family serve us.

My wife and I just redid our kitchen and family room. We used Total Living Construction in Springfield and we couldn't be happier. We chose them becuase they did a lot of work in our neighborhood and everyone raved about them. We didn't get any other estimates because they did the design and build work so I figured it would be hard to compare other offers, but the real reason was all the satisfied neighbors. The quality of the work was fantastic and the owner (and designer) was completely trustworthy and the opposite of a fly by night organization. He did a lot of hand holding with us including trips to the granite warehouses and trips to the cabinet distributors and a lot of discussion about options and fixtures and paint color, etc, etc. He even had us over to his home to look at some paint color options he used. We were unsure of a lot of things and a bit overwhelmed by the options so the extra time and care was very much appreciated. I imagine they were more expensive than some places, but to me it was worth it. About price - - they came in exactly where the estimate said they would (excluding extras we added after the fact). Here's how they do their pricing.......they tell you what the materials cost, they tell you what the labor is and they tell you what their profit is. All up front. If you like it, you go with them, if you don't you don't. But it's all honest and up front. The only negative is that the entire project took longer than promised, but some of the blame was on us for not picking the granite or cabinets quick enough. But I've heard enough horror stories about crappy work, blown budgets and blown schedules to know that two out of three is pretty damn good. I'm not affiliated with them in any way, just a happy customer. http://www.totallivingconstruction.com/

I didn’t like this article, and I’m a big fan of tasting menus, but that’s not why I didn’t like it. I feel like this guy had a bad experience at a tasting menu at Charlie Trotters and decided the entire system was flawed and bordering on illegal. He then uses charged words like “tyranny”, “oppression”, and “dictator” to describe the chefs and the meals at high end places. Come on! This ain’t North Korea. No one is forcing you to endure this kind of torture or they’ll kill your family. And no one pulls off the highway looking for a quick bite to eat and ends up in The French Laundry for a 3 hour meal. If you are going to drop three or four hundred dollars on a meal you should have a very good idea of what you’re getting into and if you don’t, you probably have more money than sense. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. This guy was 2 hours late (through no fault of his own, but late nonetheless) for a very choreographed meal in a place that is always fully booked, and he had the nerve to be upset that restaurant didn’t bend over backward to give him the complete meal as it was intended to be served!?!?? Does he show up 80 minutes into a 90 minute movie and get mad at the movie house because they don’t restart the movie from the beginning? Does he show up at the Super Bowl during the 2 minute warning and demand they replay the first 58 minutes of the game because he was stuck in traffic? He didn’t hold up his end of the bargain and now he’s mad at the entire system. I understand his point about some of these tasting menus being too long and containing too much food, but the last few I’ve been to (Rouge 24 and Westend Bistro) had 3 different size options for the number of dishes you received, (8, 16, 24 and 5, 7, 9 respectively). This allows the diner to decide the amount of food and the price you’re willing to spend. The thing I like about tasting menus is you presumably (hopefully) get the best, freshest, most seasonal, highest quality food that the place is putting out. At least I hope that’s the case. What I’d really love to do is to do what Anthony Bourdain always seems to do: go into a restaurant and say to the chef, “Feed me. Bring me whatever you want to serve and whatever you think is the best food you are putting out today. I don’t care if it’s beef, fish or mushroom stew, I just want the best stuff you have”. Since I can’t do that, I’ll opt for the tasting menu hoping that I end up with the best food the kitchen has to offer.

I wonder if it's even possible to eat out and eat healthy!?!? Lately for me, it seems that after every nearly meal that I eat out, I end up needing to drink tons of water to (presumably) counteract all the salt from the meal. I never have this problem at home, but I don't go crazy with the salt either. I remember an Anthony Bourdain show from a while back where he was cooking a steak at his old place and they coated it with butter after it was cooked. I sure never do that at home, and never knew it happened when you eat out, but I wonder how much of that goes on? (not just buttering steak, but adding yummy but fattening/unhealthy ingerdients to foods where wouldn't expect them).

Does anyone know where to get mozzarella curd locally? I have a recipe for home made buratta that calls for it, but I don't know where to get it. I tried Trader Joes and a cheese shop in Old Town, but neither has it.

Here are some photos of the place through the window. Tables are set, lights are dimmed, but there's no information on when they are opening.

Thanks folks! There's obviously a lot that goes over my head in here! I thought Don was upset that no one posted in this thread since Aug and as you know I didn't know who was the familiar face. If anyone from Notting Hill(s)(?) is reading this, the website needs work. Most times it's called Notting Hill, but it's also called Notting Hills. The menu has no prices, the drink menu doesn't exist and it seems like there should be some text on the "About" page. Also, if I didn't know better, I'd assume the place was already open. The pictures looked very nice however and I'm interested to try this place. I'm going to be at Vermillion tomorrow night so I'll swing by and check it out.

Where was this thread before you posted to it? 10 pages back? One post in August hardly makes it front page news. And honestly, I wouldn't have responded to the original post because I don't understand it. It's a bit cryptic for those of us not in know. I clicked on the "about" link and saw a picture of three people, none of whom I recognized. One man's "famillar face" is another man's "huh?"

Too funny! I've been following David from afar since our dinner in 08 on both his old and new websites. I keep expecting to see him on Top Chef or in the Food Section of the Post. I so wish he was staying in DC so I could try his underground place. Looking at the photos of the dishes he creates always floors me. They look every bit as professional and gourmet and high end as anything I've ever seen by anyone at any level! Sitting next to him really took the whole minibar experience to another level. Listening to him talk to the chefs about spherification and isomalt and a hunderd other things I'd never heard about or understood was one of the most memorable parts of the meal. It was like being behind the scenes at a magic show. I wish him him the best! Any way you can convince him to move back to DC?!?!!

I was looking through the thread in the egullet that Don posted, and someone in October 2004 noted that the price went up to $85 per person. Ahhh, those were the days. My wife and I went in April of 2008 and absolutely loved it. We happened to sit next to a guy who was about to graduate from Georgetown Law who was in the process of becoming a self taught chef. He had tons of questions for our chefs and the converstation was an incredible eye opening learning experience.........."Heat the XXXX at 63 degrees C for 4 minutes and 25 seconds. Not 63 degrees, not 65 degrees". That wasn't an actual quote, but the instructions were VERY specific. It was part magic show and part chemistry class. Here's a link to his review and photos if anyone wants a blast from the past. http://www.eatfoo.com/archives/2008/04/minibar_washington_dc.php One tip for people trying to get a reservation.....if you can talk to a real person, ask to be put on their cancellation list. You have to be pretty flexible in when you can go, but it may help you get in quicker.

From Tom S's food chat today...... Q. PS 7s Restaurant Trying to make reservations at PS 7s to no avail. The phone line is a never-ending cycle of the same recording: "Our reservations mail box is full. Please hold for attendant." And Opentable.com has the restaurant listed as offline. Did it close? – December 03, 2012 1:57 PM Permalink A. Tom Sietsema : Owner Peter Smith has said he'll contact me when he has news. And that's all I'm going to type for now. Seems slightly cryptic to me.

Charles Manson had both.

You're close enough.....

I agree with the "normal culture" reference above. It used to be tattoos could only be found on Marines, sailors, biker gangs or in prison. Now every other middle aged soccer mom has one. As the great Lisa Simpson once said to Bart when he was thinking about getting a tattoo, "A tattoo? That's a way to rebel in a conformist sort of way"

Eric Ripert is cutting ties with the Westend Bistro: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/going-out-gurus/post/chef-eric-ripert-bids-adieu-to-westend-bistro/2012/11/29/fd8c4126-3a36-11e2-a263-f0ebffed2f15_blog.html?wp_login_redirect=0 My question is how much did he do there and what is going to change? I have that same question of any of these celebrity chefs...do they do anything at the places they attach their names too other than do press and PR?

Don - I'm very late to the party, but I don't understand your response to the "wine" example above. Wine by the bottle is 2 or 3 or 4 times as much in a restaurant as it is in a regular store. When all is said and done the restaurant probably charges 4, 5, or 6 times the price they pay for a bottle. Wines by the glass have even larger markups percentage wise. The other day I ordered 1 glass of a Virginia in a downtown restaurant. The price was 15 dollars for the GLASS and I was happy to pay it because I don’t get out often and I wanted to support VA wines. But I just checked the price on the winery’s web site and it’s 25 bucks for the entire BOTTLE. (the numbers in the first paragraph may be off, but this example is accurate) How is that any different than what Dogfish is doing? I'm not happy about it, but doesn't everyone do it?

I think you mean Phil Rizzuto, don't you?

Click on the photos to make them bigger Mustard Greens & Apple Salad Tuna Carpaccio Lobster Crostino Butternut Squash Soup Rhode Island Skate Wing Lamb Kafta Pan Roasted Bass Lamb Kafta Lime Sorbet Brown Butter Pistachio Cake Warm Chocolate Tart

Bottom Line Up Front: Go here soon, sit at the “At the Pass” table, let the chef pick all your dishes, leave full and happy. My wife and I had a wonderful anniversary dinner at the Westend Bistro last night. I called them earlier in the day and asked if they had any sort of tasting menu since there wasn’t one on the website, and they said they didn’t have one but they did have an “At The Pass” table where you sat a granite counter looking into the kitchen. You could order off the menu or let the chef make all the decisions for you. So that’s what we did and essentially ended up getting a tasting menu and having a great view of the kitchen, not to mention lots of conversations with the chefs. Right after we sat down we were presented with two glasses of champagne which was a nice and unexpected touch since I never mentioned it was an anniversary dinner. Since we were not going to order off the menu we had the option of a 5, 7 or 9 course dinner where the chef would serve us whatever he wanted to. We chose the 9 course option for $95 which was well worth it for the quantity and quality of the food presented. We wanted to do a wine pairing as well and it seemed like they were very flexible on how much you got. We wanted enough wine to enjoy through out the dinner but still be able to drive home afterwards. Ryme, the super sweet sommelier, said she could make it work so we would get a new wine for each two courses, and if we needed more or less, she would adjust. Chef de Cuisine Devin Bozkaya came over and asked if we had any allergies or restrictions (no and no) and since he used to work at the Inn At Little Washington, we told him this was our anniversary and last year we did it at the Chef’s Table at The Inn. That was the only time we mentioned “anniversary” but they picked up on it and wrote it out on the dessert plates in chocolate. We spent a little time talking to him about his time at The Inn and where he lived then and now, etc, etc. He made us feel right at home Chef Bozkaya served us all of our dishes throughout the night and gave us detailed descriptions as well as chit chatted as time would allow. We were able to ask him and the other chef questions about what they were doing and they couldn’t have been nicer. The service was friendly and fantastic and you really felt special being there. For us the service and hospitality at Westend blew away what we had at Rogue 24 in August. That wasn’t bad mind you, but this just seemed much warmer and more genuine. As each dish was delivered, the chef explained what it was, what was in it, how it was made and even how some of the ingredients were made. For instance, he went into a very detailed description of how the maple cream in the soup was made using old whiskey barrels to impart some of that flavor into it (I think it was the cream that used the barrels). Here’s what we had: Popcorn dusted with cheese (pre-appitizer) Mustard Greens & Apple Salad 14 honey-cider vinaigrette, candied walnuts Tuna Carpaccio 16 olive oil, chive, shallot and lemon Lobster Crostino 16 garlic aioli, coriander, baby greens Butternut Squash Soup 13 organic squash, whipped Noble maple cream Rhode Island Skate Wing 30 local beans, almonds, brown butter Lamb Kafta 11 ground Border Springs lamb 3 ways Pan Roasted Bass 32 bouillabaisse, crab, fennel, clams Border Springs Leg of Lamb 29 cauliflower cous-cous, pomegranate-rosemary jus Lime Sorbet Warm Chocolate Tart 9 Melting Whipped Cream, Caramel Sauce Brown Butter Pistachio Cake 9 Raspberries, Salted Pistachio Ice Cream I’m not great at giving detailed and evocative descriptions of the dishes, but I’ll just say there wasn’t a clunker served. I’d gladly eat every single one again. Each had layers of flavor and was perfectly cooked. All of the fish dishes were really great, especially the skate wing and the sea bass. The skate had this soft, almost fully texture that seemed very airy. It was almost like eating cotton candy or cotton balls. I know that sounds weird, but it was very light and airy. This place is going to be reviewed in the Post next week, so get there soon, and ask for the “At The Pass” table if you want a special evening!

With their "we'll text you when the table is ready" policy you can turn your wait to your advantage. Put your name on the list and then explore Dupot, get a drink at another place, visit a bookstore or just take a walk. I love the fact that you're not chained to a small waiting area with one of those things with the red flashing lights.