Kibbee Nayee

Mine was the Tunnel of Elms Chardonnay for $20. Nice value, coming out to about $5 a glass.

It wasn't my choice, but my dinner companions chose Taverna Cretekou for dinner tonight. Walking past Eammon's, I had a revelation that Greek food is the Irish food of the Mediterranean. It is way too heavy, not overly flavorful, and you walk out of the place with your stomach feeling like you just ate at a food eating contest, but somehow looking for more satisfaction. Taverna Cretekou re-confirmed that impression tonight. The appetizer special of hommos was like the chunky peanut butter version of the smoother Middle Eastern hommos. Surprisingly it was not served with bread, so we asked for some of the sliced bread that typically lands on the table at the beginning of the meal. We also had the calamari starter, and it was nothing special. Typically, lots of calories and not much satisfaction. One companion had the lamb shank special in a lemon-garlic sauce. My one bite was interesting and good, not great. The other two of us had the Taverna Cretekou Special, a sampling plate of four or so tastes from the menu. The Pastitsio was a comforting version of Greek Mac-n-Cheese, but nothing really stood out. We also had the red wine 'special' which tasted like 1960s-era upstate New York wine mixed with cough syrup. The outdoor garden was a perfect setting for a wonderful evening, weather-wise, but if I had different companions tonight, I would have eaten at any of a few dozen places in Old Town that actually feed you well and provide a measure of satisfaction to boot. Now I need some Pepcid....

Stopped by Jackson 20 for a drink on my way elsewhere in Old Town tonight. Sidewalk seating is very pleasant for watching the Old Town beauties walk by, and there is a wide range of $20 bottles of wine available. That's right, the whole bottle for $20. On pleasant weather evenings, this shall be my pre-meal stop in Old Town.

Oh well....this used to be the place where you could get the best man-food meal in northern Virginia. When it was 101 Royal, or whatever it was, in the old Holiday Inn, it was the best deal around. All you can eat prime rib, yes, prime rib, plus salad bar and sides, for something like $15.95. I remember one night putting away about three one-inch-thick slabs, and waddling out of there for about $30 including a glass of wine, tax and tip.....

I can think of a few times that Tom was extremely helpful to me. Once, I wrote him an email asking about restaurants that filter the water on the table. He wrote it up in his sidebar in the Sunday magazine, and offered four or five restaurants that filtered the drinking (and hopefully cooking) water. Another time, I sent him a note asking for a good recommendation for a non-chain restaurant in Reston for a business dinner. He sent me a note about El Manantiel, where I've become a semi-regular.

Just enjoyed a week in San Francisco wrapped around a big conference at the Moscone Center, and despite all the parties and bashes associated with the conference, I still got out into foodie land. I'll be brief, because the story I want to tell is at the bottom of this post. Swann Oyster Depot -- Outstanding Combination Salad, with sides of oysters and calamari salad. Takara (in the Miyako Mall in Japan Town) -- Incredible sushi, especially the Rock-n-Roll (Eel and Avocado). Scoma's (Fisherman's Wharf) -- Best Cioppino I've ever had, in a bowl that probably holds about a half-gallon. Medjool (2522 Mission) -- Hip, trendy, "Mediterranean Tapas" with very good baba ghanouj and excellent grilled meats. Allegro Romano (1701 Jones St.) -- A gem, a real foodie destination, some of the best Italian I've ever eaten. But here's the story. For lunch one day during the conference, I wondered past the Taste of San Francisco right off Yerba Buena Gardens on 4th St. It's a little mall called the Metreon, with a few restaurants. I stopped into Buckhorn Grill for a sandwich and ordered the Big Buck -- 6 oz. of perfectly grilled tri-tip, sliced thinly, served with au jus, for $7.95. Oh....my....God....! I have eaten sandwiches all over this country, and nothing compares to quality and heartiness of these babies. Best lunch nosh I've had in memory, and I'm definitely going to check into franchising this place for the Washington DC market.

It was tomato-based, and with a few shreds of the carrot and onion that were obviously in the braising liquid. So the sauce was what it was braised in, and it was succulent. To Don's earlier remark about the veal chop, I remember happy hours at Da Domenico some years back when the extra roasted bones from the veal chop prep for that night were brought out to the bar for a free snack. They were crispy and seasoned and with just enough meat clinging to them to make a nice little amouse. Yum....

Dino told me today that Zeffirelli bought Da Domenico's and the chef from Da Domenico's transferred to Zeffirelli's. Whether that happened last year or two years ago, I don't precisely know. But it is essentially the same veal chop, and I've had it at both places. Absolutely delicious and worth a trip out of the way. It is true man-food and provides me ample reason to never set foot in Morton's/Capital Grille for my protein fix.

No posts in 30 months? This is a sensational little jewel of a suburban Italian Restaurant, and it is the reliable antidote to the Italian chains on that side of the county. If you're going to spend money at Il Fornaio or Paolo's at the Reston Town Center, you're only a couple of miles away from much better food at slightly better prices. Had the Veal Osso Bucco for lunch today, and it was superb. The meat was tender and juicy, nicely sauced, over a bed of linguini with the perfect amount of sauce coating the linguini. The meat had the perfect fall-off-the-bone texture that a good braise will produce, and the waiter complimented me for digging out the marrow and spreading it on the fresh bread that comes with every meal. The only veal dish I have eaten in recent memory that compares to this one was....the famous double veal chop I had at Zeffirelli about six months ago! Trust me, if you ever have the option of eating one of those blandish ala carte steaks at Morton's/Capital Grille/The Palm, versus the veal chops at Zeffirelli or Da Domenico's, take the veal chops! Those are some serious man-food. Go with the specials. Today for lunch the specials included chicken marsala, tuna with a butter sauce, lobster ravioli, and my osso bucco, and all looked excellent as they came out of the kitchen. Dino is one of the most gracious dining room hosts I have encountered in the 'burbs and will make your experience enjoyable.

I sort of learned how to cook by watching Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet. Since then, I've leaned towards shows that teach me something, like Alton Brown (also entertaining in a geeky sort of way), America's Test Kitchen and Jacques Pepin. Anthony Bourdain holds special place in my heart for the way he eats the world and disdains the BS of the restaurant world. He is also a fair novelist, and his Typhoid Mary is a must-read. For me, the Mount Rushmore of television cooking is Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Jeff Smith and Graham Kerr. I loathe Rachel Ray and everything she stands for. And the American version of Iron Chef took a good Japanese idea and made it absurd? Bobby Flay and Cat Cora and Michael Simon are Iron Chefs? They wouldn't be a pimple on Eric Ripert's or Thomas Keller's butts. I can't stand Sandra Lee's show but I wouldn't mind a romantic rendezvous with her....

Hear-hear! Let's stimulate this initiative!

OK, now we're getting somewhere! Maybe the DR board denizens can whip up some enthusiasm from the carts we frequent and aim them in the general direction of Seven Corners in the summer. Maybe we can create a sensation, where a handful of carts show up to support the players and their families, and then we descend en masse!

Uh....do you need an 11th....?

I guess I can understand that. But what about our incredibly ethnic 'burbs? Isn't there a ballfield somewhere that attracts a few hundred players and spectators, enough to draw a few food carts for replenishment?

I am humbled by my 22. I got the squash right.

OK, I'm calling myself out. I finally tried Present for lunch today, and it is better than Four Sisters. As far as atmosphere and decor, and even attentive staff, the two are about the same with a slight edge to Present. But it looks to me like Present has the better food. Whenever I try an ethnic eatery, I use a baseline dish to compare it to the others I've dined at. For Cantonese, I use black pepper beef, for Thai I use Pad Kee Mao (drunken noodles)....for Vietnamese, I use the vermicelli topped with cha gio (spring roll) and grilled pork. The version I tried at Present simply blew away the competition, with crispy and flavorful cha gio and little piles of peanuts, bean sprouts and julienned veggies along with a generous portion of grilled pork over a bowl of perfectly cooked vermicelli. Drizzle in some fish sauce and let your chop sticks stir it around, and this is a palate and belly pleasing trip to Vietnam. Because this place met my baseline test, and then some, I look forward to trying the rest of the colorfully described menu items on future visits. I only had water with my meal, so the tab came to $9.40. That had to be the single best under-$10 lunch I have had in a very long time. At the next table over, two representatives from Bouchaine winery from Napa were pouring tastes for the manager, and it looked like he was intending to add this selection to the wine list. I overheard that the Bouchaine reps were heading to Willow later in the afternoon. When I walked in around 1pm, there were about 30 diners, with about a 50-50 split between Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese. In the next 20-30 minutes, a family of 14 Vietnamese covering at least three generations came in, followed closely by another Vietnamese family of six. OK, so I guess that means it's genuine.

OK, I was called out for a supposed implication, and then I found a thread on the "Help Needed" board that more eloquently states what I was thinking.... http://www.donrockwell.com/index.php?showtopic=11303

This is all we can muster in one of the most ethnically diverse metropolitan area on this continent? Don R, got any insights?

That's some serious eating, friend. Next time you come to town, I'd love to tag along!

Bacon air freshener? http://cgi.ebay.com/2-SIZZLIN-BACON-AIR-FR...1QQcmdZViewItem

Not sure if your event has already occurred, but Cafe Renaissance in Vienna has a side room that would fit 15 people very comfortably and Saeed would not charge you extra for it. It is continental cuisine, but Ocean, the chef, will prepare you anything you ask for.

I was watching a Travel Channel show with both Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern, where they went to a sports field in Brooklyn. The fields were being used by mostly hispanics to play soccer and softball, and all around were the food carts with every conceivable morsel of delectable south of the border treat imaginable. Which leads me to the question, does anything like that exist in the DC area? I'm thinking about multiple carts, reasonable variety, laid back ballpark crowds as opposed to festival hordes. Doesn't have to be hispanic, although that's where I got the idea....

I have only eaten at Ted's in Atlanta, at the flagship. It was a decent meal, but elevated by the three bottles of Opus One that the guy paying the bill bought for our table of four!

I wasn't implying anything ethnic at all, it was just that I was struck by the incongruity of what I have come to expect from really good sushi. And Madonna bothers me. Thanks for echoing the techno-throb. I avoid those places like Anthony Bourdain avoids Rachel Ray (who also happens to bother me).

Tom Sietsema's panning of Grace's Mandarin a few weeks ago got me to thinking about the whole Asian Fusion trend. These places are everywhere, and Washington has so much really good ethnic Asian places with authenticity, you have to wonder why we're being invaded by this fusion craze. In a recent meal at Cafe Asia in Rosslyn, I noticed five sushi chefs at the sushi bar, and not one of them were Japanese or even Asian. I have heard of nightmarish-like dining experiences at Zengo, and I normally wouldn't go into PF Chang's unless somebody else was paying. The PF stands for Paul Fleming, who, last I checked, wasn't Asian. Along with the fusion craze comes the apparent need to be uber-trendy, like Tara Temple in Clarendon with its throbbing techno beat and black-clad waitstaff. Aside from maybe Ten Penh, there isn't and Asian fusion restaurant in the DC area that would make my top 25 list, and I'm not sure Ten Penh is there either. Is it just me, or are there others who are bothered by these places? --- [The following posts have been split into separate threads: Suki Asia (NolaCaine)]