Walrus

Ditto! Your desserts were definitely a highlight of our first visit!

David: My problem with your response was that Ms. Grace DID give specifics -- she didn't just say "the food sucks, don't go" but, instead, gave precise reasons for her negative response to her meal. I don't happen to have shared her negative experience, but I can see it happening. As mentioned ad nauseum, this is a new restaurant that has been beset with difficulties and that has not had a chance yet to recover. In short, I thought that Ms. Grace's post was polite and to the point, if not enthusiastic.

I ended up at Harry's Tap Room, as it was walking distance -- had a very plesant afternoon, with attentive but not bothersome staff, good food, and good prices.

Pardon me for having a Monday brain, but does this mean that Eamonn's is open? If so, hooray! If not, is July 17 still the official date?

I feel the desperate need to not be at my desk today and will be taking the afternoon out of the office. However, my work will follow me. Any suggestions as to where to go in Arlington that's a good place to sit and work and also get something to nibble on? Starbucks without the stress and without the eau du old-food-n-coffee lingering forever in your clothes...

She told us that we should reheat them at 350 for 20-26 minutes. Last night, we had something else cooking at around 400, so we popped them in for 12 minutes, and they were gooey and perfect

We stop by every weekend that we're in town. Last Saturday, we brought home many, many cheesy poofs -- cheddar habenero are my favs, whilst Tripewriter prefers the spring herbs -- some brownies to feed my cravings, and an orange cake and a coconut cake. All very good, all gone before lunch on Sunday. Contented sighs all around! Plus, we heated the cheesy poofs on a grill on a bed of tin foil -- perfect! We'll be back next weekend and then, alas, it's back to being out of town!

We just returned from a lovely time at Agraria tonight. Between the four of us, we had a nice variety of the available dishes, and all were good. We started, bien sur, with cocktails. I had a glass of the Russian River bubbly -- very nice! Light and refreshing, perfect for a summer evening, and it went well with my starter of crab and avocado. Tripewriter and one of our friends had the Asian salad, and both declared it great -- they enjoyed the unusual varieties of greens and relished the roquefort toast. They both had the Sazerac cocktail. Our second friend had a sidecar and seemed to enjoy it. For the meal, I had the burger, Tripewriter had the scallops, one friend had the halibut, and the other had the tagliatelli. Derek recommended that we try the honey-basil beer with the tagliatelli and the burger, and a riesling with the fish dishes. The beer was amazing. It wasn't overly sweet, and the scent alone was fresh and cool. The flavor worked very well with the burger and particularly meshed with the yellow peppers on the meat. The tagliatelli was delicious, and the halibut was fine (it was a slight bit overcooked, and the flavoring added on the grill was a bit strong for the fish, but it was really a very nice piece of fish). The scallops were a stand-out dish -- perfectly cooked, and again, very nice, fresh raw ingrediants. For dessert, the four of us split the five options, with a split of icewine. Yum. The dessert chef has really come into his/her own -- my particular order of favorites would start with the coconut and key lime dish, followed by the basil dish (I wish I could give better names, but we examined the menu only extremely briefly before giving in to temptation and saying, hey, just give us the lot!), the strawberry soup, the chocolate, and finally the cherry shortcake. The shortcake was pleasant -- good salt-to-sweet ratio -- but the cherry was lost and the cake was too strong and overpresent a part of the dish for my tastes. The wine was fabulous. The one problem we encountered was a slightly confused albeit very polite and friendly staff. There seemed to be loads of waiters lined up against the back wall -- as Tripewriter said, it was as if they were waiting to go into the principal's office -- and many of the folks serviing us seemed to be just a bit bewildered by the demands being put on them. That said, our official waiter was quite pleasant and gave us supportive service without being too omnipresent. But watch for the mysterious charger/bread man, who seems to wander around aimlessly, performing tasks seemingly at random...he's the one who brought us bread after our plates had been cleared. No harm done, just a bit of amusement for the table All in all, a very nice time was had by the four of us. I would not hesitate to recommend Agraria to anyone. Put yourselves in Derek's very capable hands, beverage-wise, and order anything off the menu, and you'll be a happy and amply fed camper.

We're going tonight -- can't wait! My question is, what does the dress code seem to be? Can I stay in my mostly casual work clothes? (Please?! )

It may, like the Lost Dog Cafe, be one of those places where the pizzas seem intentionally cooked to be best when reheated (in a skillet, bien sur!).

Sorry, yes -- the beet salad is a green salad with beets and goat cheese; Linda wanted a green salad but was not enamored with the idea of the beets. Our very nice server suggested that we may be able to get the salad without the beets, and she was thrilled I also remembered what Linda and Tripewriter had -- the soft shell crab, which they reported as being quite lovely. It's a testament to the evening that aside from maybe two bites of birthday cake that I simply could NOT finish, we all four literally wiped our plates clean all night long...

Had a lovely time at Eve last Friday night. We were showing my future parents-in-law around and knew that we had to share Eve with them, particularly as it had just been Bob's birthday. We were welcomed warmly and immediately shown to our table, which wasn't quite ready, so we got to have a few extra moments to chat with Ronnie, which is always a pleasure. He's getting closer and closer to his wedding and is getting svelter and sleeker every time we see him He also had on one of my favorite of his ties -- I like how Todd's tie obsession has taken over his crew! Bob, Tripewriter's dad, decided that because it was his birthday, he didn't want any stress, and so had Tripewriter order for him. He and Tripewriter started with an Old Speckled Hen, of which I was able to snatch a mouthful, and I had the special cocktail, which was delicious -- Bing cherries, yum -- and topped with mint oil. Bob thought that this was...interesting. The table next to us, however, was intrigued, and I belive that I saw a tray appear next door, shortly after my cocktail was delivered, with three more on it. For an appetizer, I had the crab cakes, and I was so enthralled by them that I've completely forgotten what Bob had. Tripewriter had the homemade veal sausage and loved it. Linda had the beet salad without any beets, and she was most pleased with it. I was very, very hungry and demolish the two cakes before Ronnie could appear at our table with our wine. I have to say, it went well with the crumbs left on my plate, and it gave me something to do while the others finished their dishes more sedately. For mains, Bob had the duck, and he loved it -- Linda had mentioned that he was a lover of the bird, which was what swayed us to choose the duck over the rest of the menu. I had the halibut and was once again in fish heaven. In fact, my mouth watered just now thinking of it. It was perfect. And the morels were fabulous. And I am so fond of my in-laws-to-be that I gave Bob the biggest one. And I gave one to Tripewriter. But the rest were ALL mine. The sauce was divine, as well. Linda and Tripewriter were both happy with their dishes, but I simply can't remember what they were -- just that there was nothing but "mmm" and "wow" and "this is great" sort of noises coming from them for the duration of the course. I do remember that Tripewriter's course was served with "The King of Chenin Blancs," which Bob tasted and declared to be truly regal. He, in turn, had a red that sounded delicious -- and that was said to be so, and, indeed, was enough so that nobody else got a sampling. For dessert, Linda passed, and I had the birthday cake. Someday I may get tired of it, but the allure of the little pink cake with sprinkles has yet to wear off. I also got a side of the black sesame ice cream that was served with the cardamom pot du creme, as that was my very, very close second choice. It was good but didn't strike me as amazing. Tripewriter and Bob had the clafoutis and both devoured the whole thing. Ronnie also brought us complimentary -- thank you!!! -- glasses of dessert wine. Bob and Tripewriter had a darker one that I didn't get to taste, and I had the wonderful Austrian apple-y one of which I can NEVER remember the name. I love it. I am not a sweet wine person and never have been, despite my penchant for desserts, but this wine is something special. Cathal came out at the conclusion of the decadence and greeted us all -- I got a kiss! -- before wishing Bob a happy birthday. We simply could not have had a better night, and I give my greatest thanks to those who made it possible, with particular gratitude to Ronnie, who pampered us the whole evening; Todd, who stopped by to make sure that everything was fine and dandy; our server, a young man whose name I have forgotten but who offered friendly, cheerful, and excellent service; and Cathal and Meshelle, who, as always and of course, made the evening a smash hit.

I've been meaning to post -- we've been back twice now since our first visit was scuppered, and boy, howdy, are those burgers good!!! I was thrilled to see that the quality and flavor of the food there both remain high. These are, as mentioned on the Burgers thread, the first meaty burgers I've had in over 10 years, and they are lovely. They are juicy but not greasy, with great flavor. The fries were, as always, crispy and salty -- perfect -- and the shakes can't be beat (real ice cream, real milk [real Oreo crumbs ]). As we scrabbled for the last fry remnants our latest meal, we could only wonder why we don't get to EB more often.

Tripewriter and I (and his parents) will probably be there If we come we will most likely bring a desserty thing (if I'm lucky, really fabulous homemade cupcakes; if I'm not, really fabulous store-bought cupcakes ) and a foody thing (Tripewriter's Special of the Day).

Well, we got Bearboat Pinot there for ~$16/bottle -- couldn't be happier

We'll be in tonight to see how Hans and April are doing -- and how the food's doing. Part of what might have contributed to some negative experiences may have been that April was extremely pregnant when the place opened. The family has now grown to include baby Ellie, which I'm sure has been taxing -- can you imagine opening a restaurant a couple months before having your first baby, and then trying to juggle the two? Makes me feel faint just thinking about it!

The specific statements in the original post to which I object are as follow: I mean no offense, NCPinDC, nor do I think that I am blindly leaping to the defense of what may be to some a sacred cow, but I do believe that these specific comments (as well as your increasingly negative reaction to comments made in the ensuing posts) are what people are reacting to. It's not that , as you seem to think, folks on this board are unreasonable, in my opinion, just that you seem to have started out with a chip on your shoulder that only grew as others responded. First, I think it's unreasonable to state as a fact that a restaurant is short staffed when it was explained to you at the time, and then again by Meshelle here, that this was an unfortunate, infrequent situation. Instead, you could comment that the bar was down a server that night, which slowed food service in that area. Second, if you knew that the fish dish wasn't what you ordered, the time time to point that out would have been when it was served, rather than waiting to get back and post about it. Third, what is the point of bringing in another, non-DC restaurant as a comparison? And to say that it's what Eve is "trying to be" indicates that somehow Eve is in direct competition with this other restaurant -- and is not winning. What did you hope to accomplish with this and the final statement -- that this mysterious other restaurant, in another part of the country, with completely different challenges, etc., was somehow "much more reasonable"? Finally, as you have over 200 posts on this board alone, it would be reasonable to assume that perhaps you'd read or at least glanced through the Eve thread before introducing your friends to the restaurant and stating that you knew about it from DR.com (and making a point of declaring that fact to the management). If you had read this thread before going to Eve, it would have been completely obvious that the restaurant has three sections -- the bar, the bistro, and the tasting room. It seems simply disingenuous to me for you to refuse to accept any responsibility for your dissatisfaction by declaring that you didn't know better. Again, I'm not trying to instigate a personal attack, though I am frustrated by the situation created on this thread, but I was surprised by and, as a member of DR.com, resentful of the assertations you've made both in your original posts and in the ensuing discussion. It feels to me as if you were trying to get a rise out of people so that you could then respond with, "Oh golly, look how defensive everyone is." I find it particularly galling that you tried to play on your membership on this board to get better treatment at the restaurant both without doing your research on the restaurant before visiting it and while planning your eventual negative post on the same site. In short, if you go to any popular restaurant's bar on a weekend night, expect it to be crowded and busy. If you want to know about a restaurant -- and represent yourself as doing do -- before going there, do your research (DR.com is only one online resource for learning about DC restaurants and food). If you are unhappy with your experience, mention it to the management at the time, but as an individual, not as a representative of a collective. Finally, if you have negative things to say about any establishment, make sure you're saying them about specific things you experienced. Simply stating that, say, Chipotle is no Frontera Grill is no way to go about it.

Tripewriter and I had our first-ever In n Out Burger experience today. We went to the branch in Oakland, mere moments ago. Top in our enquiring minds was seeing how In n Out was in comparison with our local DC-area chains. First, let me say that after being a vegetarian for many years, I have recently gone to the Dark Side and started eating meat again. This turned out to be a good thing, as unlike Elevation Burger, In n Out doesn't have a veggie option. That being said, this was a very, very good burger. American cheese, fresh tomato, lettuce, and a pink sauce. The bun was nicely toasted and the overall burger flavor was excellent. Unfortunately, no other part even came close. The fries were awful -- we didn't even finish -- as was the McDonald's shake. If it weren't for the lovely burger, In n Out would have been 100% disaster. It doesn't really matter in the long run, but in my eyes, Elevation Burger is still the one to beat.

We have so many friends who are happy about what Ray's is doing -- the whole package, too, not specifically the special menu, although the price is definitely a happy thing! -- that in the next few weeks, I think we'll be eating there between once and twice a week! Yowza. I think tonight I will dream of key lime pie

I just can't wait. When I lived in England I was lucky enough to have time to take a trip through Ireland, starting in Dublin and working my way across to the Aran Islands. I am getting really, really restless and feel I need a return trip. Eamonn's may just be able to stave off my wanderlust until my finances -- and vacation time -- catch up with my itchy feet...

Ha ha! We'll be there next Wednesday -- delayed only a week from the original planned date (a miracle in itself) -- for Lickety Split. That lemon-limeade sounds like something I need...

Duuuuuuuuude.

This makes me feel even more fortunate to have had our lovely experience at Firefly last Friday. After spending 45 minutes in traffic to travel a mere three (3!!!) blocks, we had to give up on our Corduroy plans and instead visited Firefly. We realized immediately that it had been too long since we had been to this, one of our favorite restaurants, and one that has special memories for us both. We both had more than a sufficiency of fabulous food. I started with the rutabega soup. Yum -- rich but with plenty of rooty, rutabeggy flavor to keep you satisfied. We also split a cone of frites -- I said at the time, and I still maintain, that these were the best version we've had there since the early days. Not that the fries in the interim were bad...just that these were BETTER! Crispy, not greasy, with parmesan crumbles. Yum. Tripewriter celebrated his birthday with the fried oysters -- one of his favorites. Then he went onto order the spaghetting meatballs -- wow. I couldn't stop stealing the sauce by big spoonfuls from his plate. I loved -- LOVED -- it. Derek was the consummate host -- friendly and pleasant without being intrusive, and it was nice to chat with Chef W. at the end of our extravaganza as well. Derek, we wish you well -- thanks for your hospitality!

stuck in traffic for over an hour; we give up We're at Firefly...will be until about 8:30

Tripewriter just got home -- we're on our way!