Walrus

Isn't Bambule in FH? Don't know about HH but remember it getting some positive words on this board recently... Aha: http://www.donrockwell.com/index.php?showt...1365&hl=bambule

We had a fabulous meal at Tru -- even given the strong recommendations we had received for it, we were surprised at how lovely it all was

Oh no! No more yak cheese? I really liked it -- particularly on chili...yum!

Any further comments on the new menu? We're heading there for our 1-Year (Before the Wedding) Anniversary on Friday and my mouth has been watering since we put in the reservation

Rats and phooey -- Tripewriter and I are going to have to drop out We had to switch an evening appt. from Weds. to Tues. Waah!

Sorry, Rocks -- there no "here" there...

I feel that it's important to note that Potbelly's started as a single, local, independent restaurant in Chicago -- which is where I started eating their food -- expanded the number of stores there, and finally moved here. Potbelly's provides good food at a good price with competent -- and often kind -- service. They are, from what I hear, decent to their employees, and they try to support local musicians by bringing them in to play. Besides, what on earth is so wrong with chains? Are (some) people going to be spewing vitriol when Ray's opens their second location? How about Jaleo? Do you have ulcers about 5 Guys? How about Taqueria Poblano? Sheesh.

These cupcakes are yummy...we tried them at the picnic and I liked them better than the "regular" cupcakes

Tripewriter and I are in -- yum yum! What time?

I think this is where I get embarrassed about how many times I've eaten there since "discovering" it ...Hi, my name is Anne, and I'm an Elevationaholic...and I'll be there again tonight!

We could do TemptAsian tonight...what time?

To answer a question posted upthread, I like the burger at Harry's Tap Room -- I had the turkey burger last time we were there, and it was a delight. The turkey (all breast meat) was moist, hot, and nicely spiced, and the bun and fries were lovely. My latest, most favorite "fast food" burger place is Elevation Burger -- they spent 3 years perfecting their products and their business model before opening this restaurant, and it really shows. They love their food, they love their customers, and we love them right back! I think I know what my dinner will be tonight...mmmm...

droooooooool...

We both definitely felt that Elevation was (pun intended) miles above 5 Guys

We're in About 6-ish at Firefly? And then perhaps the world's most amazing duck at TemptAsian? How could we resist?!

We had dinner on a whim at Elevation Burger last night, and it was a very pleasant experience. The place is clean and well-lit, the people were friendly and informative, and the food was fresh, good, fast, and cheap. They have all-natural beef and two different kinds of veggie burger, which are cooked separately from the meat burgers. Their milkshakes are thick and delicious -- you know it's going to be good when they have to use a spatula to coax the shake out of the metal thingy! Their fries are lovely -- very thin and cut and cooked (in olive oil!) fresh just for you. I had the veggie burger number 1 (I believe -- the one that "tastes kind of like meat" versus the one that's entirely vegetables) with cheddar, mayo, and ketchup, and my companion had the Phat Burger (twice the meat and twice the cheese ). We both had fries, and I had a chocolate milkshake with Oreo in it. Clearly not the most healthy meal! But tasty and hot and perfect after a lousy day All in all, I believe that for the two of us, it came to about $15. We'll definitely be back!

We had a wonderful time at Corduroy last night! Our deepest thanks to Ferhat, Rissa, and Chef Tom, all of whom conspired to make our spur-of-the-moment visit feel like a special occassion We both started with the caulifower-parmesan soup -- I have never had anything but a perfect bowl of soup there, and this was no disappointment! I dredged my crispy bread through the bowl and was very, very happy. Ferhat brought us a lovely white wine -- this was lovely. Light but creamy We also had the mozz. porcupine -- we weren't going to have it AND the soup, but I gave in at the last second and was happy I did. In fact, despite protestations to the contrary by my dinner companion, I only got the front and the back ends! The middle disappeared...rapidly! He had the softshell crabs and seemed happy with them, and I had the fish -- it was nice, but the real star for me was the potato-truffle sauce -- another good use for my bread! Rissa and Ferhat both stopped by in the midst of their duties and were a joy to talk with For dessert, I had the chocolate tart (read: fudge on a crust) with bananas and he had the creme brulee...wow. But first, Chef Tom sent us out a real treat -- fresh raspberry sorbet. I am a HUGE raspberry fan, and this was as good as it could get. Pure, pure raspberry flavor. Wow wow wow. I hadn't slept in about 3 nights, so we had to toddle on home before the wine knocked me out completely (which it did anyway), but with pleasant memories of a lovely, lovely evening!

I like Potbelly's -- when I lived in Chicago I used to go to the original store and was very happy that they decided to expand here first! I like that the staff are friendly and cheerful, that the food is good and fresh, that their Oreo shakes rock, and that it's consistently good from one sandwich to the next and from one day to the next. As for the "flair" -- the original store started out as an antiques store, and they made the sandwiches to attract business; then they started selling the sandwiches, and now it's a sandwich store with "antiques." There seem to have been some pretty crude, negative comments posted here without any information about why the poster felt so violently opposed to the place...care to share? PS: To to the person who felt like the staff were standing around talking about him/her, each sandwich goes through the toaster -- they weren't making you wait around for no reason, they just had to toast a new sandwich for you.

I've never been to the Del Ray version of TP, but we do enjoy the one on Lee Highway. In Alexandria, we head straight for Los Tios...mmmmm...

I'd love to write a full description of our experience last night, but I don't have enough words! We had our engagement party there last night, and from start to finish, the evening was a smashing success! We were told time and time again that it was the best meal that our guests had ever had -- ever from those who had been to Eve with us before! We started with fabulous canapes and the new plum cocktail -- as one of our guests said, this cocktail could be dangerous! It's sweet without being cloying, fruity without being annoying. It's, in a word, lovely. The canapes were (and I'm not nearly doing them justice! Help, tripewriter!) great: a thin, flaky cracker with anchovy and a creamy lemon sauce was tart and salty, a partridge thingy (there's a real word, but my mind's erased it) on a paper-thin slice of crisp sweet potato was earthy, and my particular favorite, the deviled quail's egg on brioche with caviar (!) was irresistable -- salty, creamy, crispy. Yum. We started with a lobster bisque in beautiful hand-painted bowls -- just right, with basil oil floating (in wee little drops) on top. I have to take a moment here to talk about the square, salted onion bread. Oh. My. It was superb -- we could (and did) eat it piece by piece by piece by...the rolls were also lovely (buttery and crispy...yum), but the onion bread...wow. Second we had the olive-oil-poached escolar (with the ham vinaigrette! Who thinks of ham vinaigrette? A genius!) -- tender and succulent, with lovely lima beans and fingerling potatoes. Third was an astounding dish: Shafer Farm roasted venison with spinach, huckleberries, and a chestnut custard. Wow. I had my "perfect bite" during this dish, where it's just the right amount of everything and everything melds and blends and is just...well...perfect! Lovely. Then we had a cheese selection, and we swear that someone at Cheesetique gave us away! We had the remarkable green yak cheese (also good on chili and soup!), brie de meaux, and stilton...the bread they served with the cheeses was also delish, with nuts and (I believe?) golden raisins, but for me the most outstanding part of this course was the cardamom-soaked dried apricot. Wow -- what a flavor!!! Delectable. We ended the meal with the figs with honey ricotta custard...yum. Not too sweet (and not too crunchy!), but just right. A plate of what looked to be delectable tiny tastes finished the meal -- I didn't get to try many, but rumor has it that they were all fantastic. All in all, possibly the best night -- and the best dinner party -- I've ever had. The food was, obviously, superb, and the staff were outstanding -- friendly, helpful, supremely knowledgeable...lovely. I was struck in particular with how kind and careful they were with our guests' special needs and requests -- no hint of anything but helpfulness and professionalism! In summary, if you're looking for a place to have a special dinner, you can't get more special than the tasting room at Restaurant Eve. Thanks to all for a truly memorable evening! (PS: The scary thing is, our guests kept coming up to us and saying, "Well, if this is the engagement party, what's the wedding going to be like?!" Uh oh! )

We'd love to go to TemptAsian! But we're still recovering from the most amazing meal EVER at Eve...

Morimoto in Philly is a lovely place with good atmosphere and good food...and is definitely worth the trip :-)

How should we do this? Thanks

Sounds good to me -- anyone in authority able to help? At the very least, we can chip in toward the cost of fuel! [ETA: Ooops...triple spaced!]

We'd also love to help but will be out of town Sat. through Mon. -- is there anything those of us who will be there in spirit but not the flesh can do?