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tripewriter

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About tripewriter

  • Birthday April 5

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    Arlington, VA

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  1. is working up an appetite.

  2. Hahaha, if this were Facebook I would click "Like"
  3. You've dined there since the beginning, before the buzz, before the bustle, when the place was a lesser-known neighborhood gem. It gave you some of the best meals -- some of the best experiences -- of your life; whether celebrating with family and friends or on a special date with your significant other. You got to know the owners and their hand-picked crew and appreciate that they remember you, even though you could never be as much of a regular customer as you'd like. Over time, you see some staff move on, either to advance their careers or accommodate life's vicissitudes, while others flourish and grow in new roles. You talk with them about the food, the delicious, incredible food, about where it was sourced and how it was prepared and what inspired them to transform it. And you learn which wines complement the food and why. Each season brings both new delights and familiar favorites. From time to time there's a misfire, a momentary departure from the high standard they've set, but the place is still your number one, a generally solid go-to. And then it happens. You can tell when the head chef isn't in the kitchen, just by what comes out on your plate and the tone and tempo of service. Without him the inspiration, the precision, isn't always there. The food can be great, but more and more often it's simply good. Dining at this long-time favorite becomes a roll of the dice. It takes time to sink in. And then, you experience a profound sense of loss. What to do now? You spend more time at other places. They're different, of course they're different, but they deliver consistently and well. You get to know them, and they get to know you. You follow them on Facebook, talk them up on Tom Sietsema's chat, and post about them on DonRockwell.com. But still it haunts you. That old place, the favorite place, the place for which you once would yearn. They're still filling seats. Business is good. Have things really changed? Or did you just grow apart? You feel you should tell them. But what would you tell them? They're still filling seats. Business is good. And if you did tell them, would they even care?
  4. Boulder brand popcorn with EVOO and black truffle salt accompanied by a shot of Godiva dark chocolate liqueur on the rocks.
  5. is a happy camper.

  6. The Mrs and I enjoyed a seriously soul-satisfying dinner at Dino last night. We both opted for the three-course special, which is prix fixe but affords an opportunity to try just about anything on the menu. I started with a half portion of linguine Puttanesca. The real star of my meal was the Tagliata, a pounded and seared sliced steak with shaved cheese and an arugula salad. It was a beautifully cooked and seasoned cut. A 3 oz. glass of Hilberg "Per Allesandra" Barbera dAlba 2008 was delicious with the flavorful beef. Slicing the steak into relatively small bites was the secret to enjoyment -- it's similar to hanger or skirt, highly flavorful but tending toward tough. For dessert I chose a peach crumble with gelato, and a glass of effervescent Muscato d'Asti (included in the meal price).
  7. Tallula Chef Barry Koslow must have Thailand on the mind. His wild striped bass with jasmine rice -- on a bed of zucchini, eggplant and green curry -- is delicious. The delicate flavors of the fish and rice, complemented by the salty savory curried vegetables are a great flavor combination. The crispy skin of the grilled bass (which even the Mrs enjoyed) and a garnish of sweet potato chips is a thoughtful finishing touch. Yum yum yum!
  8. The EatBar tomato and mozzarella salad is an off-the-hook taste of summer. The sweet red and yellow cherry tomatoes are incredible. We always order one, finish it, and then order another -- and then wish we had room for one more!
  9. The Mrs and I have never been big into Valentine's Day (although we do celebrate the anniversary of our first date every year) but this dinner special for two, on offer at Tallula this weekend, was too tempting to miss. Smoked Whole Maine Lobster For Two with Beet Slaw & Yuzu Butter | 30. Côte de Boeuf For Two | 26 Ounce Bone-In Prime Ribeye, Potato Gratin, Creamed Spinach & Caramelized Shallot Sauce | 60. Molten Chocolate Lava Cake For Two | 15. After a snowbound week of homecooked tacos and pasta, I definitely am looking forward to this!
  10. It's always a drag when restaurant meals go awry. I suggest you let EatBar know directly about your experience and give them another chance. The Mrs and I always enjoy the food there and the service we've encountered has never been that slow.
  11. On Boxing Day, the Mrs. and I tried the white truffle tasting menu at Spiaggia on Michigan Avenue. The first seven courses were served with fresh Italian white truffles from Alba. From the menu, annotated with my impressions: 1. PAPPARDELLE DI ZUCCA Butternut squash with quail egg and warm fontina cheese -- the squash "pappardelle" were cooked to a perfect al dente, and the truffle, egg and cheese made a very tasty and rich sauce when combined on the plate. 2. CARPACCIO DI CERVO Raw Broken Arrow Ranch venison with celery and truffled sheep’s milk cheese -- a thin slice of raw venison was clearly the focal point of this simple but beautifully plated dish. But the crisp shaved celery was no less important, offering a clean crunchy counterpoint to the earthy cheese and truffle flavors. 3. MERLUZZO CON TOPINAMBUR Butter poached Neah Bay black cod with sunchokes -- a gorgeous piece of moist, delicious poached fish with shaved sunchoke medallions and sunchoke puree. And shaved white truffle. 4. ZUPPA DI PORCINI E UOVE Porcini and egg soup -- a delicate egg-drop soup with a porcini brunoise and broth. For this one, a chef shaved the truffle tableside, which was a nice touch. To our surprise, the soup was underseasoned. We did have a salt cellar at the table, used it to fix the dish by very carefully adding a few grains at a time. 5. TAJARIN RICCHI AL BURRO Traditional Piemontese pasta rolled and cut to order with butter -- fresh, simple, delicious and covered with white truffle. Surprisingly, one of the evening's standouts. 6. FARAONA AL FORNO Wood-roasted Guinea hen wrapped in pancetta with potato puree -- crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. More flavorful than farm-raised chicken and an effective foil for the truffle. 7. CASEIFICIO LONGO TOMINI Fresh cow and goat’s milk cheese -- with shaved truffle. No surprises here. A nice course. 8. PANNA COTTA AL MIELE DI TARTUFO Truffle honey panna cotta with hazelnut biscotti -- the soft panna cotta was served in a brown egg shell with the small end carefully removed and was topped with a bit of chocolate-filbert ganache, providing the playful illusion of a dark-yolked soft-boiled egg. It was an epic meal. The food was expertly prepared and plated and, at $255 per person (including the truffle supplement), a good value relative to other high-end fine dining tasting menus. The service was hospitable, knowledgeable and attentive. The only real disappointment was their wine list, which is aggressively overpriced.
  12. is sleeping it off.

  13. Some may dispute the claim that Matt's Bar is home to the original Jucy Lucy -- a grilled cheese-stuffed burger varietal endemic to Minnesota's Twin Cities. But there's no denying the joint's old school ambiance. No plates or cutlery, formica tabletops, televised football and a flock of lighted beer signs perched all over the walls. We order three Lucys, a grilled chicken sandwich and two baskets of fries from our server, who passes the word to a dreadlocked redhead with two sleeves of ink manning the grill. A pitcher of Premium and a four-ounce tumbler of Chardonnay help pass the time as we await the arrival of our burgers, chicken and fries. My Lucy tastes like I imagine it would have the first day they started rolling off Matt's flat top: greasy, cheesy and topped with grilled minced onion on a white-bread bun, it's a kissing cousin to the 1950s progenitors of today's fast food burgers. The fries are long and thin and crispy and, after we season them, salty and good with the beer. The purple-clad regulars ignore the TVs as the Steelers drive for a touchdown and we pay cash at the register (no checks or credit cards accepted). Culinary pilgrimage accomplished. Now back to St. Paul.
  14. Family brunch at Hell's Kitchen: wild-rice porridge, steak and eggs and potatoes, bloody Mary, Twin Cities Gospel Choir, pajamas-clad servers, Ralph Steadman prints and Mitch Omer's book signing. Before you go to heaven, be sure to brunch in Hell. It's at 80 South 9th Street, lower level.
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