Jacques Gastreaux

http://www.weber.com/bbq/pub/grill/2005/charcoal/cg_p.aspx

This is the grill you want- all the benefits of charcoal, but with the ease of lighting of propane. Use a cheap disposable propane tank (I get mine for about 3 bucks from Ace hardware) that will last you quite a long time and fire your coals up for about 5 minutes- in about 5 minutes you have a smokin hot grill ready to go that can do anything you need it to.

Oh and it's a lot cheaper than 500- I paid about 275 or so + shipping + 40 for a cover for it. I use cowboy charcoal in it or sometimes the whole foods brand hardwood.

I have had one of these for over 12 years and it is still going strong. Whenever, because of abuse or misuse, I need to replace some part, Weber comes through. I will say that I really like the cast iron grate insert grill that I think came either from Weber or Williams Sonoma, but I think is no longer available. It works like a champ. I can get it ready to slap meat on in about 15-20 minutes.

Grilled flank steak sourced from My Butcher, sauteed suger snap peas and twice baked potatoes. Chateau Pontet-Canet Pauillac 2000.

Bob & Edith's has a "chefs" table (of sorts).

Wine comes out fairly quickly and SPLASH, gets dumped all over my fiance's suit pants and my legs. ..... My fiance has a very obvious red stain covering at least 50% of his pants, but again no response - the waiter has disappeared apparently in shame and no one else seems to care.

Friend A is gesticulating wildy and knocks over a full Stella (of which my pants are the lucky recipient).

I'd hate to be on the receiving end of your dry cleaning bills. Please keep us posted where you will be dining so we can stay clear.

If longevity is any indicator of food quality, Le Refuge has some of the best in Old Town. But Jake is right, it is not a place where you can go sit, sip some wine, catch a few rays, etc. It is a French bistro and while I don't know what their hours are, they probably open up at dinner time. There is no bar that I am aware of (trust me, if there was a bar, I would be aware of it).

The ideal place for you would be the bar at Eve but they don't open on Saturdays until dinner time. Majestic, when it opens next month might fill your bill.

Personally, I think the developers who are making megabucks fucking up my neighborhood with Target and Bed Bath and Beyond (yes, I would rather have the Vietnamese gorcery store than the Target) should have been forced to set aside space for independent businesses (and give it away free if needed).

Take this to its logical conclusion.

Joe Riley:

Your PM in box is full.

A chicken's "untimely" death will cause any stored glycogen in the muscles to contract for about 24hrs.

I'm not sure how much of my high school biology I retain, but my recollection is that glycogen is stored in the liver.

It's always a good idea to ask what the specials are because, in my experience, they are, well, special.

While this is certainly true, I have it on good authority that loud and raucous cheering may be frowned upon.

WITH GEORGETOWN IN THE GAME????

I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but your requriements are a tall order to fill. I can't think of a single place where you can watch a game ona big screen that does not suffer from the either bar stool or wing-nacho syndrome. Shelly's Back room has nice sofas to sit on but the fare probably falls in the wing-nacho area. Central has the screens and good food, but barstools. Same with Rustico (but it would be my choice because of all the good beer and the number of screens).

Central, albeit not a sports bar, has a flat screen at the far end of the bar and it would surprise me if they didn't have the games on on Saturday.

Has anyone mentioned the lamb shank yet? I, too, found the short ribs underwhelming. But that lamb shank... Oh boy was that good.

See JPW's post, #47, above.

Thank you. Donna is very touchy about his bankruptcy (as are his former creditors, I assume). Believe me, I understand completely. Of course he is a public figure and fair game. That is why I wanted to see the context in which Kliman raised the subject.

It's been a while since I last read New York Times v. Sullivan so I'm not sure that the heightend burden of proof required in defemation cases brought by a public figure would apply in a case involving the tort of business disparagement.

I had dinner at the bar with my daughter and a friend a couple of weeks ago. The food was great. Highlights included the special breaded veal sweetbreads with lemon sauce and the marinated pork chop. The sweetbreads were "Eve-esqe" in that they were lightly breaded and slighly crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. The lemon sauce added a bit of citrusy zing. The order was large enough for the three of us to share. The pork chop had great flavor from the marinade and perfect grilling. And, even though strawberries are not in season, the strawberry pudding was excellent as usual. A creme brulee with fresh strawberries and a vanilla gelato. My dining companion had the rockfish and reports that it was wonderful. My daughter, a devout carnivore (a chip off the old block), wished she had ordered either the bolognese or the pork ragu instead of the ravioli. The place was hopping on a Friday evening, SRO. Service at the bar was about what one would expect on a busy Friday evening at the height of happy hour.

Mrs. B,

The thing about these kinds of posts that distresses me is that the restaurant in this case was not even given a chance to make things right.

I think most asute readers of this board recognize that. Some feel estopped to complain in public about something when they forwent the opportunity to have things made right by mentioning a problem to the restaurant staff. Some, obviously, don't.

Anyone know if the fried chicken is still served with a mustard sauce?

It was as of a couple of weeks ago.

Currently my favorite salad, just nudging out the bacon/egg/cheese at Eve.

While I agree that it is a close call, I favor slightly the romaine lettuce in the Eve version to the frisee at Central.

Kudos to Chef Michel Richard and his able staff: three stars after having been open for such a short period of time, most impressive.

With regard to this:

Hanger steak is pleasantly chewy and juicy, seasoned with not much more than sea salt and escorted by crisp golden french fries that are some of the best in town (frying them in canola oil and clarified butter lends the snack a nice nutty note); dressing up the dish are glistening greens and the only "ketchup" you'll need: mayonnaise.

Sietsema's experience was slightly different from mime. I had the hanger steak on Monday and instead of mayonnaise, I was served a boat of what appeared to be a pan reduction sauce. Not complaining because the frites soaked up the sauce very nicely; just pointing out that they change things slightly from time to time. The hanger steak was "Ray's" quality. The hanger steak preceeded by the frisee, poached egg and lardon salad will really fill you up.

And ha, adding clarified butter to the canola oil, that'll teach 'em what happens when banning trans fatty acids is on the table.

Actually, it was medium RARE. I mis-typed. Thanks for catching the error.

Whew. For a minute you had me worried, Rick.

The lamb was done to a perfect medium well.

Oxymoron alert!

Is it just me or has shad/shad roe turned up EVERYWHERE lately? Is there some kind of shad lobbying/PR firm or something?

Shad and roe are seasonal and it's the season.

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Daniel Bortnick to take the helm, says Tom Sietsema. (scroll down)

It's true, I met him this evening. Wabeck says he's an OK guy and that's good enough for me. I suggest giving him some time to settle in before rendering any verdicts.

Based on mdt's observation, very little, if any, of the ticket price would be tax deductible as a charitable contribution. The organizers probably are using the proceeds from the ticket sales to hire the chefs, buy the food, rent space, etc. The food and the chefs' time are not donated, apparantly.