Pool Boy

Go to the back room. Now. I just got back and am basking in the bliss that can only be PUFF -- Palena Ultimate Food Fulfillment. Smoked and grilled octopus, in the top three octopus course I have ever, ever had and arguably the best Beet & lobster salad salt cod (if you can call it that!) of the gods lobster bisque with housemade chorizo that had me drooling like a happy and fat cat getting a belly rub in the sun short ribs 'schnitzel' (or something like that) that was so bloody good Bhuddist style duck leg (aren't they vegetarians?) with foie gras and dates and pomegranate and root veggie dice -- i have no idea how, but he got grill marks on the foie that was perfectly finished. Italian plum napoleon - so good concord grape ice cream with pitachio lemon tarts and other fine stuff Pair that all with a 2003 Match Butterdragon Hill cab and a glass of fine Grüner veltliner and we were in food bliss. Service was fine as always -- maybe we're lucky? Maybe we're regulars? I noticed that the service across the room was fine, too. Kelly was in the house and made sure we got our favorit seat as well. I had a look at the wine list and it's especially heavy on the Italians, but some US and French too. Well priced overall with a few outliers in each direction. And I still want to steal the statue in the corner.

Beto, is the taco truck just there for lunch or during the dinner hour, too? I work in Owings Mills and my rotation there is basically -- El Paraiso Que Rico Sushi Ya Vito's Express I live in Laurel and my only place in a regular rotation is Pasta Plus, but I am hoping the Megachicken place opens soon. Lately we have added the Bombay Indian Restaurant in White Oak and Udupi Palace in to the rotation for a slightly longer drive. In Washington, I sound like a broken record but Palena is my only true place in a rotation, but Dino and Komi make honorable mentions.

If you don't mind sharing your Rotkohl mit Apfel, ich werde es gern lesen und probieren!

I remember when my wife and I lived in Columbia. A Macaroni Grill had just opened up . We waited a few months, but one night we just wanted to go out and decided it was OK because the restaurant was no longer 'new' and it was 9PM. We wander in and the place is pretty packed. To the gills. We ask if they have anything avaiulable. They tell us it is a 90 minute wait. We leave. And head over to Piccolo's (RIP ) and had a great meal and seated in just 5 minutes. Thank goodness those folks returned by opening up Aida.

We had the same problem years and years ago in an apartment. It turned out the thermostat in the oven as well as one of the heating elements being bad were the culprits. Our landlords fixed it (I think it ran about $250 back then (15 years ago)).

If Tom wants to knock Palena down to 3 stars this go around, that is fine with me. It means I'll get a reservation that much easier! People who know food know Palena rocks. And Restaurant Eve getting 4 stars? A puzzlement. Granted a single experience is my only basis for comparison, but it wasn't miraculous for me. Maybe I ought to go back and try it again...And IIRC, CityZen is 4 stars too? Whatever...

I have to admit, the ONLY type of establishment that has actually verbalized the 'threat' to me for being late or a no show is a restaurant. Honestly and truly!

Yeah that's the book. Make the recipe and prepare to be blown away at its simplicity and layers of flavor. It helps to start with great sausages, though. We get ours at Laurel Meat Market. Just a great dish.

I can only imagine what it must be like to own or run a restaurant these days (with respect to this topic). People are rude, obnoxious and ignorant. People make reservations and never show up. People do all of the things some folks have already said and more. It must drive you all crazy! But I really, really, really prefer to dine at establishments that take or require reservations. It means that I am not a walk in waiting with the cattle in the front of the restaurant waiting for a table. But, most of the time, those kinds of restaurants are places like your average to mediocre to outright lousy suburban chain restaurant, and I rarely if ever dines at those places. So if I make a reservation someplace, I either honor that reservation, or reschedule it, or cancel it well in advance of when the date is. If I am running more than 5 minutes late, you can bet real money that I am calling them while cruising for a parking spot. It is the right thing, the courteous thing, the civil thing to do. That said, I just hate having to get the confirmation call or threat. I find it annoying and kind of insulting. I know, I know, you restaurant folks have to do it because of the stupidity of some (most?) of the people out there amazes us all and how rude they can be. Explain it all you want like that, but I still don't like having to put up with it.

We tried out a new recipe a few weeks ago on some neighborhood good friends. It came from the slow mediterranean cookbook (either that or All About BRaising, I can't remember) -- Braised sausages with plums Throw in some polenta, a frisee salad and apple pie for dessert and nothing could have been easier to host good friends very easily and thus allowing us to enjoy their company instead of slogging away in the kitchen.

Only went once, but sorry to see it go.

I just realized that I never wrote up about my single dining experience at CityZen that was about two months ago. Here you go -- My wife treated me to a 'Lost Weekend' for my 40th birthday in August of this year. We dined at CityZen and then indulged in massages the next day after room svc breakfast and a very late lunch at Cafe Mozu. CityZen has a nice clean and modern space with still a bit of feeling to it. The kitchen is wide open and there's plenty of hustle and bustle going on. Just a tad noisy at times. The chairs were comfortable and we were not rushed. The service was good and the sommelier there handled my BYOW (2002 Kistler Pinot) very well and it was spectacular. We didn't take pictures or even keep a menu like we usually try to do at most (nicer) meals. It was overall a good meal. Some courses were great (tomato tart), others very good (peaches & cream thing I think, and a chocolate malt thing, another fish course) and others were just good/average (pork belly I think, a fish (branzino?halibut?) and others disappointed (lamb with couscous was overly salty (and I like salt) and otherwise lacked in real flavor -- it was the dud of the evening). The biscuits serving as your bread, though, were absolutely delicious. Anyway, I am sorry I can't provide a lot more in details, but the fact of the matter is that very few of the courses really stand out in my mind as I kick back and think about it. It wasn't like any of this food was inedible (well, the lamb was pretty bad), it just was not what I would have called top end food, which I think it tries to deliver to you. Paying the $50 corkage fee was OK with me as I thought most of the wine list there was overpriced, and like I said above, the Kistler Pinot was stellar. I am not sure I would go back. Maybe I would try it again, but not do the whole tasting menu thing. Maybe just order a la carte and try it in a while to see if it confirms my thoughts on the place.

I agree with jpschust, actually. The list, by and large, is overpriced to more of a degree than most restaurants even. That said, there were still a few easter eggs on the list (very few!). When my wife and I went in August, we had a nice meal. It was good, just not as good as Palena or Komi. And I opted to crack a 2002 Kistler Pinot Noir (Cuvee Elizabeth 2002) that was stellar (even if I had to pay a $50 corkage fee). I'm not likely to head back to CityZen. It wasn't bad, it was just not as good as other places in the city. And the prices were higher too -- food and wine. The 'what you get for your dollar' value there is not nearly as good as other places. Who knows? Maybe I will try it in a year or two.

I keep missing this. Is this on always on Wednesday nights?

Hung. What a joke. Sure his food is probably good and all, but I wished that Dale had taken it. He's so much a part of his food and creations and you can really tell. I'd much rather eat at a Dale joint than a Hung joint. But Hung is gifted for sure. Oh well, there is always next season.

Made braised sausages last weekend, with braised short ribs the next day. I love this kind of food.

Sourcing good bread is easy considering Bonaparte's serves the greater DC/Balto area....

I plan on being in Italy this time next year and I am cringing at what it is going to cost me. Screw bringing back wine -- I don't think I'll be able to afford it.

I'd opt for Blacksalt (from your list) over Restaurant Kolumbia IMHO. As for other suggestions, my votes would be for Palena or Komi, and maybe Corduroy. I, for one, think CityZen is way overrated. Sure it is good food and service, but it didn't come close to blowing me away.

Yikes! I wonder if this place really did change hands. It sure seems like it. Thanks for the update, even if it was lousy.

My wife and I were just there this past Thursday night before going to La Boheme. Nice dinner, well paced as we mentioned we were pre theater but opted to dine a la carte instead. My wife had the mushroom salad and some kind of fish, something I had not heard of before...cobia? It was good! I opted for the foie gras (very good!) and the hangar steak (perfectly cooked to just medium rare). We finished up with an ice cream I think it was raspberry and blackberry? with some cookies on the side and I think candied orange peel. Delicious and a nice way to start off the evening. And the valet parking was a lifesaver! I'll be back!

After hosting some neighborhood friends on Saturday (and serving up a dish of braised sausages & plums with polenta and a salad of frisee and homemade apple pie), my wife and I made braised short ribs yesterday. We'd spied some absolutely gorgeous short ribs in the case at Laurel Meat Market and we just couldn't resist. We used Daniel Boulud's recipe as a basis but made some edits due to not wanting to bother going out to get a few missing ingredients. It turned out really, really good. Yum.

Bah! He's just very European. I know I eat off my knife. Sorry to see Brian go, but glad to see Dale stay. I think it'll be a close finale. I'd love to see Dale win it, but it'll probably be Casey or Hung. And Hung only if he gets to do stuff that he knows like the back of his hand. If creativity makes up a lot of the judge's minds, Hung can't win.

So?

Those New Yorkers don't yet know what a real gem they got in him heading there and setting up shop. Bastards. Guess I need to plan a road trip before they realize how talented he is and the place fills up like crazy.