Ericandblueboy

Wisp We picked a good weekend to go skiing at Wisp but I can't say we picked a good restaurant. First, the ski report. My wife's a total beginner and I've never gotten off the bunny slope myself in my prior skiing experience (last tried 20+ years ago when the skis are still longer than your average SUV). You'll recall last week was quite warm but the weekend was cold enough for them to make snow. In addition, we got about 3 inches of real snow, which added some charm to our experience. We took a group lesson for absolute beginners, i.e., doofuses that never even put on ski boots before. With the new short parabolic skis, I had no trouble steering myself. My wife was less successful and she wiped out every time down the bunny slope. I then convinced her we should go to be the beginner trail since it's likely lessed cramped. She proceeded to wipe out twice on each of her first two runs down the trail (Possum) because the steepest part of the trail was very icy and she's not very skilled at turning. On our last run, I told her to just go straight down the steep part and then try to turn and slow down afterwards and she was able to make it without wiping out. We generally had a very positive experience skiing at Wisp. We also went tubing the next day and that was a ton of fun as well. As it was Valentine's weekend, we avoided going out to eat for dinner on the sappy night itself. On Sunday night, we went to the Cornish Manor. The menu was much shorter than what was posted online. I ordered some little neck clams cooked in white wine, and mussels mariner which never arrived. My wife had a steak caesar salad (overcooked steak, our server said she'll bring us some dressing but never did, but the salad itself already had dressing) and a bison burger, with gigantic buns and a little piece of ground bison hidden somewhere in there. Our friends ordered the steak au poivre and prime rib. We all thought the food wasn't bad (for being in the middle of nowhere) but the service was terrible. Our server, a nice woman in her 40s or 50s, really had no clue. My wife's salad was delivered at the same time as her burger. I was mistakenly given the steak au poivre and when told of her mistake, she kindly told us the plate is very hot. So I used my napkins to pass the plate to its rightful eater. It took forever to have our wine refilled (we ordered by the glass so couldn't refill ourselves). Down in the Carribean they live on "island time." I suppose in Deep Creek Lake, they live on "deep doo doo time."

I have no idea what you're talking about. Can you simplify it for me?

Sophisticated palates also prefer squab not well done. So why the double standard? Why make excuses for Carla but not for Stefan? Are they trying to say squab isn't universally served medium or medium rare? Well, if that's the case, neither is fish (there's not a single Chinese fish dish that isn't cooked all the way through that I know of).

Stefan was in a bit of trouble there last night. Judging last night was somewhat ridiculous. Some people thought the squab was overcooked but others did not. But all judges thought the salmon was overcooked. From what I can tell, the salmon was well done, that means it's overcooked? As for the quickfire, I wish the judge would say he wants something simple or ornate. Who've thought Wiley wants a simple green eggs and ham? He sure doesn't dish that shit up at WD-50. Instead, he serves some less than tasty foamy stuff.

Have you been to that porridge place (Dduk Sarang)? Is that a potential $20 Tuesday spot?

How many pieces do you think is in a box? Two pieces of uni sushi can go for $7 to $8 these days (if not more).

Coincidentally we already have reservation for the weekend of the 21st.

I love uni. Unfortunately the night we went to Komi, the urchin pasta wasn't part of the tasting menu. Is the razor clam in the chowder? I would love to try the razor clam somewhat unadulteratd first.

I'm watching No Reservation and they showed Ripert make this pasta in sea urchin sauce. It looks so good. Any place around here that makes something similar? How about some razor clams? I still haven't found any

Definitely interested. Anyone have any idea how bad traffic is on Gallows Rd. from Tysons to Honey Pig? I have to avoid the beltway at all cost.

Do not order the stuffed derma here. It's like deep-fried sawdust.

They do dim sum on carts, two steamed and 1 not, offering more or less the same stuff as Canton Cafe. Really inconsistent from one dish to the next. They had some of the best shark fin dumpling I've had, really good spare-ribs and the order of chicken feet came with about 6 or 7 feet (a heaping plateful). The sticky rice in lotus leaf was gooey, rubbery and flavorless. I'm not entirely sure their turnip cakes are house-made (in any case, not very good). The chives dumplings had very thick skin but the filling itself was pretty tasty. $18 before tip with plenty of leftover. Restaurant was only about half full at noon, pretty much all Asians.

What are the places you usually go to?

Wow, their menu changes substantially! From their normal rotation: Chicken liver pate with grilled bread (reliable 1st baseman) - fantastic liver mousse and they brought us a second plate of grilled bread! Veal sweetbread (talented short-stop) - wonderful flavor and texture Roasted suckling pig (steady catcher) - it's good! Chicken breast puttanesca (the right fielder that doesn't do much) - tender, juicy, but boring (just the way my wife loves her white meat) Seared scallops with salsify (the 3rd baseman that screwed Madonna?) - my wife happily ate the whole plate White anchovies on grilled bread (good lead-off hitter) - cold anchovies drizzled with olive oil and lemon juicy Called up from Triple A: Braised rock octopus legs (future all-star) - looks like this was cooked with a grill press, the octopus was lightly charred, the flesh firm but still tender. I haven't really had an octopus this good in a long time. Flatiron Steak with roquefort (good pinch-hitter) - we asked about the flank steak and this and our server commented that this is not regularly on the menu, good enough reason for us to try it. Although the steak is good (cooked medium rare without our input), I would be more inclined to try the more unusual foods on future visits. This little joint knocks the ball out of the park, and the team doesn't cost much. We had a couple of drinks a piece and dinner came out to about $100. In comparison to Commonwealth, this place is a clear winner to us.

It depends on the greens. If you order sauteed spinach or watercress, that should be around $7-$8. Pea shoots cost more to buy.

1 and 1/4 chicken was just an appetizer right? The night is still young.

Todd sent me an IM saying he meant the Source was the best only within the District. I can't quarrel with that since I have not bothered to eat Chinese in the District in some time.

Hong Kong Palace, Peking Village, China Star, Bob's Noodle Bistro....I don't think the Source outdoes any of these restaurants on a consistent basis. The Source offers a lot less in terms of variety and generally charge a lot more. Tasting menu at The Source = $100. 15 courses at HKP shared by us was $25 per person, including tax and tip.

But that food isn't meant to be consumed by Asians. It's meant for Americans who can't tell good Asian food from bad Asian food and confuses The Source with Chinese food/cooking. While I agree that DC isn't a great ethnic food city, there are certainly restaurants that can cook Chinese food in the DC area better and significantly cheaper.

Not when I was there. The squid was tough and chewy (so I didn't eat them). Have they improved?

Went by Songbird (in Vienna) for lunch today. The place is shut down and a notice says the lease has been terminated for not paying rent.

I've been to the Source (after being to Chinois in Vegas and The Source, I'm done eating at Puck's Asian themed restaurants).

I'd be a little peeved if idiots start telling me that The Source is the best source for Chinese food (or cooking) simply because they don't have a clue and instead they are relying on the review of Washingtonian. I'll forget about all this soon but as of today, I'm feeling a little churlish.

The Source makes wanna be Asian food for Americans. It's imitation Chinese cooking. To say that's the best Chinese in DC is belittling Chinese cuisine. That's like saying Pizza Hut makes the best Italian in DC. Oh, I'm sure there are Indians out there that take umbrage with your statement that Komi makes the best Indian (or maybe not, if no other restaurant in the area even offers whatever it is that you praised).

Thanks! Now maybe we can discuss which restaurant should or should not be in the top 20. The order of the top 8 has changed but they're still the same restaurants from last year (IIRC). The Oval Room and the Source cracked the top (underservedly so for The Source in my opinion, just about every dish they serve can be found at an Asian restaurant that does it better and cheaper). BLT Steak made a big leap to become the highest rated steakhouse in DC. I haven't been but can people who've been there tell me that it truly is better than Bourbon or Ray's? People bitch and moan about the list but I find it generally a pretty solid list, especially at the top. Once you get out of the top though, there are cross cuisine comparisions that becomes very hard to judge objectively.