dinwiddie

I can attest to that. Many years ago I severely broke my leg and was on crutches and in a full cast for two months. I got a temporary handicapped placard so I could park near the metro entrance. My tag expired the day before I received my replacement in the mail, and sure enough, I got ticketed for parking in a handicapped space. Thankfully the court was willing to accept my replacement placard as proof of my right to park and voided the ticket.

And Nadya got better press than the Bush women and Condi Rice (frumpy or trashy?) And a nice mention of DonRockwell.com

The suburbs are the place to find ethnic food no doubt since the ethnic communities tend to be centered there (after all it is getting too expensive to live in DC). On the corner of Georgia Ave and Norbeck Rd (Rt. 28) in Maryland there is a small strip mall with a Thai restaurant, an Italian deli, a Greek/Gyro place, a Korean restaruant and lately a Jamacian restaurant/carryout.

That was nice of him, but since he left for Florence on Monday, he can let the folks at the restaurant deal with the rush.

Unless Dean extended RW, it won't be a problem since RW ended on Sunday.

Four of us had dinner at Dino for RW on Saturday night. Service was superb, the food wonderful, and we had fun talking with Dean (he does love Opera and wine, doesn't he) In addition to the RW menu, we added a large cheese plate to share around the table and two of us had the wine pairing. I also brought a bottle of a Loring PN and was not charged a corkage fee. Highlights (the cheese plate was out of this world) included the wild boar pasta (half order as an appetizer), the salami plate (the half size is more than enough for one and in fact was shared around the table), grilled baby octopus, and the chopped salad. The lasgana, the Italian bouillebaise, and the stuffed flank steak were all hits as entrees. Also out of this world were the sorbets and the vanilla gelato with balsamic (sounds weird but is great) for dessert. Had a wonderful time, and even with the extra dish (cheese plate) the wine pairings, coffee and a large tip, it was about $55 a person. Once again our meal at Dino was wonderful as we expected from past experience.

Since I don't necessarily equate spicy as being hot, but rather highly spiced, you might want to try Ethiopian too.

Went to Charlie Palmer's for lunch today for RW (they are not doing dinner for RW) to take a someone from the office for her birthday. Their RW lunch menu is: 1st Course Baby Spinach Salad with Four Minute Egg, parma ham, grilled portabello mushrooms, and golden shallot vinaigrette Sauteed Skate Wing, parmesan gnocchi, baby arugula, olive tapanade vinaigrette Sweet Currried Cauliflower Soup, roasted red pepper oil, pistachio and brown butter foam 2 nd Course Roasted Free Range Chicken, forest mushroom risotto, cipollini onions, creamed corn Marinated Grilled Hanger Steak , braised broccoli raab, glazed rutabaga, red wine and shallot maramalade Hickory Scented Atlantic Salmon, braised leeks and creamer potatoes, lemon thyme natural with whole grain mustard Dessert Chocolate Caramel Mousse, caramel sauce, roasted banana ice cream, chocolate lace tuile Chocolate Hazelnut Pyramid, praline anglaise and crisp filo Trio of Creme Brulee, chocolate, espresso with cinamon foam, classic vanilla, almond biscotti I had the Sauteed Skate Wing, hanger steak, and Chocolate Caramel Mousse. She had the Cauliflower Soup, hanger steak, and trio of creme brulle. All were excellent and not at all skimpy, in fact my friend couldn't finish the steak or dessert. Service was excellent, the room very nice we had a great meal. Excellent choice for lunch, I'll have to go back for dinner someday.

In addition, I have always found the folks at Schnider's to be very helpful and willing to order wines for me, either as futures or to find specific wines.

Schniders also has an excellent selection of Australian Shiraz.

My son and I ate at 21 P last night for RW. They are extending the deal until the 28th. They had their whole menu available, with an extra charge for the tuna tartar appetizer ($3) and the filet ($6). Dinner was quite good. The boy had the tuna tartar, Zinfandel braised short ribs, and a pot of chocolate. I had the curry crusted scallops, duck leg confit, and chocolate diablo with cassis sauce (why is it so hard to find cassis here in the states?) Service was very good, the food excellent, if not huge portions, and a very pleasant room. I'm going to Charlie Palmer's for lunch tomorrow.

While we normally go to New Fortune or HEOB for dim sum, Silver Fountain is a standby for when we want to go somewhere close by. I often feel that they tend to ignore/brush off non-Chinese diners, and they do not serve duck feet (neither does New Fortune btw) but it is good if not exceptional dim sum.

There is nothing more irritating to a wine lover than to see some pretentious s.o.b. try to "one up" the sommilier, or worse to treat him/her like a pest. I love good wine, and when I am at a restaurant (assuming I haven't brought the wine from my cellar) I always consult with the somm. After all he knows his list better than I can. Of course, I swirl, smell and taste before approving the wine, but I try not to make a big deal of it.

I have had chefs come to the table to share a glass of wine, and I have often inquired and then sent a glass to the chef (since I tend to bring my own older wines from my cellar at many restaurants here in DC). Of course, when the DC Crü has a wine dinner, we normally have worked with the chef to set up the meal in order to make sure that the food and wines pair well. We have been honored to have Chef Power, Tony Burell (when he was at Gabriel) and Chef Poteaux at Aquarelle, to name a few, join us for a glass of wine during these dinners.

I don't consider myself one of the "dining elite" but I do eat at fine restaurants on occasion. It has been my experience that the better establishments do not overtly or otherwise try to be inhospitable or intimitating. In fact they are more likely to go out of their way to make sure that I enjoy my entire experience. I never "no show" and always call to cancel or if I used OT, cancel on OT. I do not have a problem with call backs or with restaurants asking for a credit card to ensure a reservation. It certainly isn't fair to the restaurant to make a reservation, and thus keep someone else from being able to use that time slot, and then not show up. Doctors and dentists charge if you don't show for your appointment, hotels will charge for the first night if you don't cancel, etc. Why should restaurants be any different? As to the restaurant owner complaining about a generic problem on this forum, why not. It is one thing to name a name, something else entirely to complain about a constant problem. Restaurant owners and workers have as much right to kvetch here as the rest of us.

Having tasted wines with jamietown on numerous occasions, both before and after he started working where he does now, I know that he is very consious of what other people like and dislike and can usually offer something that will fit their taste. His tastes and mine are very different in some ways (he prefers the more Burgandian style of Pinot Noir, I love the ripe lush style of the CA Pinot Noir) but he has always been able to turn me on to new wines that I enjoy. It is always a joy to watch him show up at dinner with his suitcase full of wines for us to taste. If not for him, I would not have become as interested in Spanish wine as I have.

Heavens. What is the world coming to? It sounds like what has happened with Scotch. There are Japanese companies that import scotch based solely on the chemical profile.

It is so simple to cancel on OT, I don't see why anyone wouldn't. It is just good manners.

Pie is traditional at our house. My mother always makes sure that there is at least one mincemeat pie for me, but they run the gammet from pumpkin to rubarb, with pecan and apple inbetween. This year there were 7 pies to be consumed over the weekend.

A while back I realized that I had made my reservation on OpenTable for the wrong day (I wanted to go on Saturday and the reservation I made was for Sunday) At 4:00pm I cancelled my Sunday reservation and made a reservation for 6:30 that evening. When we got to the restaurant they were telling people that there would be a 1 and a half hour wait for a table since it was Prom night and the place was packed. I got to the desk and gave my name and was immediately taken to my table. If I had called there would be no table available according to the restaurant.

If you really want something for his 21st birthday, I'd recommend going to a good wine shop and buying a 1991 vintage port. Vintage Port (not a late bottled vintage or a ruby) will age well (in fact it is a crime to drink it early) and 1991 was a declared year. See if you can find a Croft, Fonseca or Taylor-Glagate. I have several bottles from 1985 (the year I got married) that we are just starting to drink and they are wonderful. Italy and France had bad years in 1991, and California Cabernet does not normally last that long.

Proper storage of wine to age is a must. Heat is the biggest danger for wine over time. You don't have to go pay for storage, just find a cool dark place, preferably in the basement and store your wine there. You don't want someplace where the temperature varies greatly over the year, best is someplace where it will stay between 55 and 65 degrees all year round. If your father in law bought the wine in 1993, it was probably a 1991 (maybe a 1990) 1991 was a horrendous year for Right Bank wines (St. Emilion is from the Right bank) and they did not age well. Of course it depends on the maker but in general the 1991s did not age well at all. On the other hand, the 1990s were excellent. Different years age differently due to many factors. The St. Emilions from 94, 96, 98, and 2000 are still youthful and will age well for many more years. On the other hand, the 95s are drinking wonderfully right now. In general most wines are indeed made to drink early, and Bordeaux produces a lake of wine, much of it meant to drink early. Many of the better Bordeauxs (the classified growths) are will age well for many years, and some Châteauneuf du Papes (from the Southern Rhone) can age well for 20 years. If you read some of the wine publications or go to some of the wine boards, you can often learn how specific vintages are doing and whether they will age well or should be consumed early. The cork can crumble for many reasons, but a 12 yo cork is often soft. That is why many ardent collectors have their wines recorked by the winery. You also should know that a certain percentage of wine will be "corked", i.e., have a very bad wet cardboard smell, for a variety of reasons, and when you buy a case, you may very well get a corked bottle, especially if it is left alone for a long time.

Amen to that. Nice column by Ben today though.

There is a new hole in the wall Jamaican restaurant that just opened in the Norbeck Center on the corner of Norbeck Rd and Georgia Avenue, just above Leasure World. This center is becoming ethnic food central, what with a Thai restaurant, Korean restaurant, Gyro place, and an Italian Deli. And now a Jamaican restaurant to add to the mix. In a word, the food is great and authentic. Dinners are served on a huge mound of wonderful red beans and rice and also come with steamed vegs (shredded carrots and cabbage with wonderful spices) and plantains. If you want, stemed greens (calaloo) can be substituted for the cabbage and carrots. Last week we had the Curry Chicken, Brown Stew Chicken, and Oxtail. All of them were great. The meat was tender and spiced wonderfully. (but watch out for the bones) There is a large selection of Jamaican soft drinks and homemade juices (the Ginger Beer was great). Last night we tried them again. I had the fried fish. I was expecting a slab of fried fish, but instead it was a whole fried fish. Delicious. Spicy and perfectly cooked. It was a trip deboning as I was eating it, but some of the best fried fish I have ever eaten. My son had the curried goat which he loved. It was tender and very flavorful. They also serve some "American foods, but who is going to try that when there is this wonderful Jamaican food to eat. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. (6am -11pm M-Th, 6am-9pm Sat, and 10am-2pm Sunday) I'm anxious to try the Ackee and Salt fish or the Mackreal and bananna for breakfast. Nice folks, a few tables (mostly carryout) and regge music. Give them a try, I want them to make it so I can go often. Grand'Ma Cooking 4007A Norbeck Rd Rockville, MD 301-929-3377

He will be sorely missed in Olney, I hope he finds a place in the area since I really love his cooking. He was packed in the place he had, but it was very small and the kitchen was tiny. Of course, I think he would be pleased to not have to deal with Montgomery County's weird wine laws.