SeanMike

Steak on a stake: not bad, not great, kind of chewy, and with some A1 even better - I'd forgotten how much I like A1. Scotch egg: fan-fugu-tastic. Chicken chipotle empanada - uh, yeah. Not really. Brat on rye with sauerkrat - surprisingly good, even after having a very memorable one at Thirsty Bernie's on Thursday night. Sausage on a stick & cheesy bread - the only positive part of being stuck in the parking lot for over 4 hours. Well, that and the cigar...and some laughs did come out of it...and it did sober me up enough to drive home from Dunn Loring...

Sazerac with Pappy Van Winkle 13 year old rye. Trying to recover from the 4+ hours stuck in the Renn Fest parking lot...

I think porcupine and I were both saying we liked it - if I wasn't clear on that, I should reiterate it - I had a great time when I was there. The Going Out Gurus today said that it'd closed, however? I had initially thought Justin's comment in the other thread was a joking reference to him not being mentioned in the article. If any of the backers care to mention: if it is closed (even if it's moving, whatever) was this planned, rushed because of unexpected publicity, a "okay, fine, let's hide again" or something else completely? I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere else yet...

I'm going to add what I had in my last post about this, without any comments one way or the other about the article. --begin quote-- Personally, as someone else already put it in here, when I went to H2M I saw it as a sign of the dedication and commitment of the people behind it, using their time off to bring something cool to the area. Unfortunately, it's clear not everyone felt that way; there was one online review I saw that also gave away the location and basically "boo hoo, it was slow and crowded". Perhaps if they have move again it'll be less crowded, and maybe this is part of the learning experience: what do y'all (looks at Justin and Derek and Owen) want to do with it? Is it supposed to be a cool hangout with good drinks full of people and basically an open secret of where it is and how to get in, or some place quiet and dedicated to a smaller crowd that has been "vetted", basically, by someone who says "you can trust these people not to broadcast this and to appreciate the drinks"? --end quote-- I know one thing that occurred to me was when I learned of it, it was in a "hush hush, don't tell" sort of way. I didn't expect to see anything online about it, or at most, passing or inside references to it. I was surprised to see it mentioned blatantly on a blog and elsewhere, and it sounded like Derek was overwhelmed with how many reservations they had gotten when we went there the night before Labor Day. (I know what I look for in a bar, but that's just me. And to be honest, the bar that's perfect for me probably wouldn't be extremely if at all profitable...since, you know, I hate people so much. )

I think what got me about the article was the tone of it, myself. There's not just the "I not only used my cellphone but also published the address" but the final line: "I guess I can learn to live with a speak-easy or two." Personally, as someone else already put it in here, when I went to H2M I saw it as a sign of the dedication and commitment of the people behind it, using their time off to bring something cool to the area. Unfortunately, it's clear not everyone felt that way; there was one online review I saw that also gave away the location and basically "boo hoo, it was slow and crowded". Perhaps if they have move again it'll be less crowded, and maybe this is part of the learning experience: what do y'all (looks at Justin and Derek and Owen) want to do with it? Is it supposed to be a cool hangout with good drinks full of people and basically an open secret of where it is and how to get in, or some place quiet and dedicated to a smaller crowd that has been "vetted", basically, by someone who says "you can trust these people not to broadcast this and to appreciate the drinks"?

Just saw this thanks to Twitter. Ray's the Steaks location will be "Ray's the Net" next year...

A Ramos Gin Fizz made with the Hayman's Old Tom. Delicious.

One of my favorite "morning after" meals - reduced sodium ramen noodles with a tin of turkey, plus additional sriracha, spicy szechuan sauce, garlic powder, red pepper, and Chinese five spice. Hot enough to make my eyes water and sweat out some of the alcohol and nicotine from last night.

I used Jay's recipe for a Martinez - actually it was Jamie Boudreau's - last night with my fresh new bottle of Old Tom. 1 1/2 ounces Hayman's, 1 1/2 ounces Carpano Antica, 2 bar spoons Luxardo Maraschino, and two dashes of orange bitters. The first time I used Fee's, the second time Bitter Truth, and the second was the winner. However, both drinks were quite awesomely amazing. Even my brother - not a gin fan - mentioned that the drink smelled really good. Yay! Old Tom!

2 oz Rittenhouse 100 rye, 3/4 oz Vya sweet vermouth, 1/2 oz cinnamon syrup, 2 dashes Fee's whiskey barrel aged bitters. Might need a bit more tweaking but right now it's sort of a cinnamon Manhattan...

Do you know if you prefer tawny or vintage port? I have to be honest for me - I prefer vintage, and I typically keep a bottle of Horton's vintage port around because it's tasty and has a good price point for what I've found so far. Though King Family shipped me two bottles of their "7" which I haven't tried yet.

A Rachael Ray (just named it that to annoy somebody) - 2 ounces Scarlet Ibis rum, 3/4 ounce cinnamon syrup, 1/2 ounce Castries.

That's said by so many people about so many things... But I think that with the combination of stuff in one - well, it might *help*, but nothing is going to completely *prevent*. That being said - I love me some pisco sours.

I'll be there. Gotta figure out what and/or whom to bring.

It was my understanding that the Falls Church and Gaithersburg branches were under different ownership than the flagship location. I've never had bad food at the Falls Church one. I usually get the pizza, but I've also enjoyed their burgers, calamari, and chicken.

I actually had food there for the first time last night. It actually wasn't that loud - at first - when I sat down at the social bar. Then a huge group of people celebrating a 30th birthday sat down next to me. Oh well. I had the "pugliese" pizza - homemade pork sausage, provolone and mozzerala, majorjam, and probably something else, to which I added sweet peppers and caramelized onions. Delicious. There was a lot I wanted to try on the menu so I'll definitely have to go back!

I actually liked just sticking with one thing - kept me in a zen-like state. I didn't realize how close we were to Penn Quarter Sports Bar - that's my old kickball hangout! We could go play flip cup after next time! But not before. That be dangerous.

I remember seeing a British show where they talked about people who ate their placenta afterbirth. My favorite was the vegetarian who ate the placenta pate - "after all, no animals were harmed in making this!"

Good time, great food, good people, glad I could help. (burp)

I might be. Last year they were at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Brewer's Ball and had a bourbon barrel stout that was fan-fugu-tastic. I didn't tell my friends what the ABV on it was and they were all wondering the next day how they got hit so hard...

Really - typically beer. Though a G&T - sometimes made with bitter lemon - is often a good quick drink. Or just some liquor on ice.

Well, Joe at Ace found the Tintara, which is Australian, for me today at $12.99 a bottle. The sparkling wine was Marcarini Moscato d'asti. Joe knew that one, too, and said he had some better ones at his store. Given that I'm off to NYC tomorrow for the weekend, I'm dispatching my brother to pick up the three bottles of Tintara I ordered from him and to investigate the sparkling wine selection.

I'd had Idylwood recommended to me before by a charming young woman I'd gone out with yet never made it there until last night. With my brother's fiancee looking to celebrate, and the three of us starving, she suggested it, and I was glad that she did. When we first got there the first wine we ordered, an Australian called Tintara (a cabernet sauvignon if I remember correctly) was out of stock. My brother was sorely disappointed - that's been one of his favorite wines for a while and he hasn't been able to find it anywhere. (I've been telling him to write it down for me or come with me out to Ace but he can be forgetful.) We changed to a Chilean Haras cab sauvignon that we enjoyed a good bit. Meanwhile, his fiancee ordered sparkling wine - and perhaps to make up for the lack of our first choice the waiter brought her out a complimentary second glass. It wasn't the house sparkling wine, either. It was an asti that we hadn't heard of before, and he wrote down the name for us. She thought it was the best alcoholic drink she's ever had (she's very preferential to sparkling wines). Matt and I thought it was very good and will be looking to hunt it down as well. We started with an appetizer of Idyl-Calamari, calamari sauteed in a tomato broth. The actual pieces of calamari were a bit tough, I thought, but still the dish was very tasty. I wish we'd had more of the crusty, slightly salty bread we'd started off with to sop up the broth. I guess I could've asked for more... For our main entrees, my brother went with the NY Strip, rare, with gorgonzola on top, and he loved it. I went with the rack of lamb provencal, medium rare, and it was the best lamb I've had in quite a while. It was very tender, with a nice zip but not overwhelming of mustard, and I used the potatoes to sop up the sauce. The potatoes and asparagus were also quite good. All in all it was a very good meal. The owner came by to say hi, something that according to my brother and his fiancee say he does every time they've come in, they've really been happy with his service and attitude.

That sounds interesting - and I have to admit, unlike the guy who posted the article about it, I think the copper bottle idea is neat - but $60? Whew! I'd probably have to taste it to see if it's worth getting if you already have GM, Cointreau, Creole Shrubb...

Got the burger of seville....OMG. Must...sleep...now...