Ericandblueboy

Ate at Astrid y Gaston, Chicha (an Acurio joint in Cusco) twice, and some other restaurants in Cusco, Sacred Valley and Aguas Caliente (none worth noting).....the best food is at Gaston's joints. Behind the tamales are ceviche sampler and Peking Guinea Pig (amazing). In Aguas Caliente, we stayed at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo (an eco-resort that doesn't have TV or minibar). In the Sacred Valley, we stayed at Casa Andina Private Collection. We ate at the on-site restaurants because there's nothing else nearby or rain deterred us. Nice places to stay but not great food.

Thanks, I hope to taste some of those cookies soon!

Clyde's isn't a bistro. I was hoping for something like Balthazar (NYC) or Daniel Boulud Brasserie (LV) or Luke (New Orleans). Doesn't Cafe du Parc have a raw bar? What about Brasserie Beck?

Is there a good bistro in town with a great raw bar and a decently priced seafood platter?

My wife made the grocery run this morning. If I feel like it, I can pick up some fancy beers on my way home tomorrow knowing that we will be well fed as long as the power doesn't go out. We have all kinds of thau-sages, ground meat for chili, and cold cuts for sammiches.

We live in McLean. Nothing but chains around....I thought about order Lou Malnati's from Chicago...but that's too obvious for me and not for her.

Very light. It's almost invisible.

The world would be a better place if deaf people with "Steve" as their first name have a steady diet of fugu.

Why don't you send an e-mail to your buddy Koji regarding what kind of texture squid kara age is supposed to have? Also, ask if freezing makes squiddies tough.

With squid, you can have them from raw to dried and a whole range of chewyness from none to tough. With a fried leg, I personally prefer it very tender but that's not to say a little chewy is wrong cause it might be intentional and that's how their Japanese clients like it (most of the clients were Japanese today). These legs were fried but with very little batter and the texture is almost like they were grilled. At least the flavor was good.

https://www.sushiyoshivienna.co/ The a la carte sushi may be more expensive since 1 order = 1 piece but they have many varieties of fish. For lunch I had Boston Mackerel, Spanish Mackereal, and Horse Mackerel, in addition to Sardine, Yellowtail, Yellowtail Belly, and Uni. Each piece was between $2 to $3 dollars (the sardine was $1.85) sushi_yoshi_sushi_a_la_carte_.pdf Due to the impending snowpocalypse, I also ordered some fried squid legs (kara age) and something they called seafood pancake. The squid legs were medium sized fried 1 leg at a time and not a clump of squid legs like fried calamari. The legs were a little chewy, but I suspect that's how they're supposed to be. Nevertheless, I enjoyed them without the tartar sauce that came on the side. Not on the website are two pages of specials, of which 1 was labeled Japanese small plates (lots of grilled jaws and fish). The seafood pancake was one of the specials but it's nothing like a Korean seafood pancake. This is really a rather large fishcake topped with some tempura shavings and a slightly spicy soy based sauce. The first bite was a bit fishy but I soon got used to the favor and enjoyed the dish. This is the best sushi in Vienna (not many others in the area - Sakana, Sweet Ginger, Sushi Yama, Konami are others I've been to) and the additon of other specials makes this place one of the best yet unsung Japanese restaurants in the DC area.

I just got an e-mail from US Air saying my miles are about to expire. I suppose Open Table could do the same and send out an e-mail reminder.

They pay you to make a reservation. What's not to like?

I don't like sweet dishes, which is why I only had a small bite of each baklava. I didn't think the beet was overly sweet - you probably don't like it because it's a vegetable. I got this e-mail yesterday from my wife - picture an Asian doctor

Also, I should have posted this in Help. Could someone move it?

That beet dish was amazingly good. Makes me wonder why when I was growing up, every beet related product I ever had tasted like crap. I almost have a beet phobia.

Oh I can order some flowers delivered to her office, but that would hardly benefit me directly. So I'm thinking, what can I order that I can partake in? Any thoughts and where to get it from suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Current forecast is for 3-6 inches of snow starting this afternoon.

Could you elaborate on this dish? Is this called "Chifa Chicken" on the menu? What else is good?

Chifa is a Garces restaurant, although he has so many of them it's kind of hard to keep up. I also made a reservation for El Vez for brunch, which turns out to be a Starr restaurant. Tinto is definitely on my radar screen.

Going to Philly the weekend of 2/20 - Vetri, 10 Arts, Le Bec Fin, and Bibou have no availability. Osteria is only available at 5 p.m. I made a reservation for Chifa but the menu doesn't really seem very appetizing - actually very little in terms of Peruvian or Chinese food. What else should I investigate, especially things that I can't find in DC?

The restaurant was in the Le Mistral space (formerly Forbidden City), next to McKeever's pub. The place was packed last night but we had a really disappointing dinner. La Chitarra spaghetti with "fresh" crab meat tasted and smelled fishy - my wife told me to stop stirring the pasta because the smell was overpowering. Her gnocchi with veal ragu was mushy and doughy. The frittura mista and prosciutto di parma were edible but nothing exciting (the fried plate lacked flavor although the seafood were tender and properly cooked).

I do love them topless bars but I've been to your restaurants. So it can't be me.

I also don't think Peter Smith is a callous employer. I think he made a very big mistake that happens to be a PR nightmare. He's overzealous in his proactive approach. I see this boiling over until next week and PS will issue another apology.

I don't know Gina personally but I do know that Gina is a bartender at PS7. Anyone who accepts your offer is directly benefiting Peter Smith.