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UStifosi

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About UStifosi

  • Birthday 06/01/1966

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Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain (14/123)

  1. Reston, Vienna and Tysons are starved for privately (non-conglomerate) owned fine dining establishments that have entrees priced below $30. Look at Bazins in Vienna, Nostos in Tysons and Villa Mozart in Fairfax (and the aforementioned Mokomandy in Sterling). Those places are consistently packed for all the obvious reasons. Jacksons, Mon Ami, Il Fornaio, Clydes, M&S they all have the deep pockets behind them to pay for the space which the small guy can't afford.
  2. Estadio, Proof, Zaytinya, Black's Market Bistro, Jaleo, Vermillion....any of them would be perfect in Reston and packed every night. I also really like Mokomandy and have told the owner and chef they need to move to RTC. We'll see.
  3. JoeH, you must have visited the weekend after I did. I echo your sentiments totally. RdV certainly holds it's own against the temples of extravagence currently displayed in Napa/Sonoma not only with the setting but also with the product. The whole experience was mesmerizing. It took awhile to get my head wrapped around the fact that I was experiencing this in Virginia and not Oakville, St. Helena or Rutherford. RdV is a money is no object operation and it shows. How about the manmade cave! My 4some, like you, walked out with many bottles in hand. Rendezvous had a great nose (predominently Merlot). RdV was silky, complex and not the least bit tight. I can see great aging potential. I would have liked for both wines to have been decanted a little longer as I can only imagine the full potential. We need to get Robert Parker out there at some point. Boy would that be interesting to get his take.
  4. Chilhowie I had the oppotunitiy to go to a wedding over the weekend in Blacksburg so that made a perfect excuse to make a much anticipated visit to Town House last Friday. Extremely impressed with everything! Probably one of my top 5 meals ever which is saying a lot. We ordered the 10 course tasting. The highlights were the Chilled Vegetable "Minestrone" (flavor after flavor of spring and summer), Preserved Cucumber (green almonds were added a neat touch), Soft Shell Crab in Brown Butter & Lime (in season starting this week). Chef Shields and staff did not disappoint with anything. The attention to detail, the service, the wine selection, everything was just perfect. All the flavors just popped througout the evening. We also got a chance to duck into the kitchen which resembles something out of Penn Quarter rather than sw Virginia. it's possible to do a wine pairing. Instead we went with a red from Bandol and then eventually one of my favorites Pride Merlot. As mentioned before there is nothing noteworhy for miles. Most of the clientele come from DC or the RTP area. Most weekends they are full (7-8 tables) which is a good sign as I definitely want to go back soon. For those making the trek, I would recommend the Staunton Grocery for lunch. We also stopped by Restaurant 50 in Roanoke and the nearby Valhalla winery.
  5. I couldn't agree more. I had the tilefish special on Saturday and it was excellent. What I love about this place is that I can typically walk-in and get a table w/o a reservation almost any night and I'd like to keep it that way. The clientele is typically made up of GMU professors that seek out this hidden gem. Chef Pace does an excellent job translating regional italian interpretations from his homeland to the plate. The wine list is small (love the Fidelitas and Sangoivese) but the food speaks volumes. Tom and Todd rarely mention the place but I think it's a great option in NoVa if you don't feel like driving downtown.
  6. Definitely hit Bottega and Martini House. They are both absolutely fabulous. At Bottega I liked the crudo on the frozen brick of salt. The attention to detail iss evident on every dish and the wine list is full of big name and no name treasures. Martini House doesn't get as much pub as the other places but that just makes it easier to get a res. I would rate it in my top 3 in the Napa -Sonoma area. Since it's in St Helena you can tie it in with a visit to Pride on Spring Mountain. Have fun!
  7. "Locavore" by definition has nothing to do with wine so Todd is taking a leap on that one. The bottom line is chefs can pump the locavore theme because it can actually work in there favor...local ingredients, support the local economy, potential cost savings while not sacrificing the quality of the end product and sometimes making it better. That's not always going to be the case on the wine front depending on locality. A good example of the locavore/wine mismatch would be the most prominent a self professed forerunner to the locavore movement...Chez Panisse in Berekely. Yes, they offer CA wines but most are from around the world and there house red for many years was from Bandol. If Virginia wine were an equal or better value (taste/complexity vs $$$) compared to California, for instance, it might stand a chance. The majority of VA wineries bottle too soon to cover mounting startup costs which negatively effects first experiences by winery visitors. Yes, there are exceptions to the rule such as Octogon, Boxwood's Topiary, or Horton's sparkling Viognier. Give it a few more years and the overall picture may fall more in line and you'll see more VA wines offered. Ironically, Washington state's commercial wine industry didn't start in earnest until the 80's (roughly the same as VA) and it is significantly better in quality and value.
  8. I was at A16 last month for lunch. I think Nate Applemnan had just recently left that establishment to focus more on SPQR which i last visited two years ago and wasn't as impressed. I would look at RN74. That was a lot of fun.
  9. Just got back from SF/Napa Valley and ate at the following: A16 Not bad. RN74 Very Good, loved the ambiance, wine, dishes were spot on. Chez Panisse Excellent as always. Farro/tomato app was outstanding. Mustards Very good, always interesting ingredient combinations. Ubuntu Outstanding, every dish popped. Bottega Excellent, visually appealing, risotto/pork app was amazing. Pureed melon dip was awesome. Martini House Outstanding, the best of the trip. Girl and the Fig Very good as always. Overall, the freshness of the ingredients still amaze me each visit. Quality of service at each place was very good and most every server had a genuine liking of the dishes being served. Can't wait to go back.
  10. Went last Saturday night. About as expected. Very impressed. Server was Anne and thought she was very good. I would definitely recommend trying to get a booth. I noticed some people in the middle tables holding up candles/lighters trying to read the menus as it was too dark. The charcuterie was excellent (loved the mustard, Anne said it's not made in house) as well as the heirloom salad and corn soup. I had the hanger steak and my gf had the lamb. The lamb seemed kind of mild which is interesting as lamb can be too intense on taste sometimes. The wines by the glass were awesome. That Napa Zin was impressive. I am a big fan of Tempranillo and Rioja and Proof did not dissapoint. I just think Spanish wines (even Albarino) are very underated and a great bargain at that. Great to see Tom's review the next morning in the Post. I too was surprised at only 2.5 stars. OK, maybe you could make a case for 3 or 2.75 (if there is such a thing). The ambiance should get a 4 what with the bar area and bathroom design. Although, I have to mention the fruit flies. I visit 20-30 wineries a year and so I am very familiar with the whole fruit fly / wine attraction but some customers may not. 20 mins into the meal they wouldn't leave us alone. The fact we had several glasses of wine obviously didn't help.... Overall, Mark has a great place and we'll be back again soon with many friends.
  11. I went with 5 friends last Friday night and the placed was packed. The space is rather small but still there were lots of people there. Evidently, it's been open only one week. It's kind of like 3 places in one...restaurant, bar, and wine bar (Enomatic) which makes it quite interesting. The tapas was very good as well as the paella and lamb shanks. Everything was very consistent and the timing with food delivery was spot on. I like the idea of getting up during dinner and self-serving another glass of wine if you so choose. You can also order wine at the table. Overall, we all loved it and will definitely be back soon.
  12. I read all the reviews and can't wait to visit Proof next week. The online menu doesn't reference a wine list or the wines served by the glass. For those who've already been, what are the prices for the wines by the glass/ounce? The Enomatic system at Enoteca at Whole Foods is quite an idea. Of course there's is self serve with new glasses for each pour if you like....but ohh what a concept. Sipping $200, $300 or even $600 wines by the ounce is quite a noble concept. If Proof can extend that idea they could really be a step ahead. There was also talk about Proof and possibly Sonoma as the only places with Enomatic. I think Grapeseed and Comus Inn in Maryland both have them.
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