LolaDC

I can vouch for the Perla Grigia and the Razza. The truffle cheese is truly decadent, and the creamy polenta and rich mushrooms are perfect accompianaments to the skate. Wonderful stuff, Dean.

gummy bears (chew chew chew)

No offense taken -- in fact, I appreciate your candor. I'm just surprised, as the folks at WCA are usually dead-on with their recommendations. Now I'm really interested to try it! Lola

Have you tried it? And this IS the "Under $15" thread.

Heard from my friends at Wine Cellars of Annapolis that the 2003 Buehler Vineyards Zinfandel ($14.99) is pretty amazing. 93 points from Wine Spectator. Will be picking up a few bottles this weekend.

Yes, ma'am! What time are you going? I'll probably be there around 6-ish.

Anyone planning to attend? I'll be there...would love to finally meet some of you lovely folks in person.

Will be going tomorrow. Today's Breadline.

I'd do an American Riesling. If you can, get your hands on a Chateau Montelena Potter Valley. Mmmm...

Had dinner at Charleston last night for my 4 year anniversary and I'm still basking in the afterglow. From the meal, I mean. While my review will not come close to MissCindy's superb commentary, I hope it will convince you all to try this place. It's really magnificent. Our amuse was half a roasted purple fingerling potato with roasted red peppers and a filling that was a lot like a deviled egg. Fantastic. I love the idea of using a potato as a vessel for that filling. My first course was from the Hot category -- Lemon Saffron Rissotto with Tomato Confit & Crisp Tomato Skins. The rissotto was really quite nice, but it was the tomato confit that made me want to take my clothes off (I have weird reactions to good food, okay?). The concentrated flavor of the tomatoes was just out of this world -- absolutely what a tomato should be. The second course, from the Cool category, was a Napoleon of Sweet Local Beets, Gala Apples, Reggiano Cheese with Aged Balsamico. Those of you who read my review of Metropolitan in Annapolis know how I feel about beets. Well, this course was a revelation. Beautifully sweet beets layered with crisp apples, cheese and -- surprise! -- a bottom bready-layer that was similar to anise biscotti. Just unbelievable. Alternating back to hot, the next course was Pan-Seared Diver Sea Scallops (two big ones) with Beets (again!), Walnuts & Lemon-Caper Brown Butter. This was my favorite part of the meal. The scallops were perfectly seared on the outside and the texture of the flesh inside was like velvet. The combination of beets and walnuts could not have been more perfect, and the lemon-caper brown butter pulled everything together. Truly a remarkable dish. Back to Cold. Giant Belgium, Cherokee Brick Red, White Queen, Old German, Evergreen & Sungold Tomatoes with Fresh Chevre, Basil & Pertimali Olive Oil. What can I say about this other than the tomatoes were perfection, the Chevre superb and of course the basil and olive oil were perfect accompaniments. Onto the Hot Meat. I wanted to get the Prime Beef Tenderloin with Cognac-Truffle Reduction with Caramelized Shiitake & Beech Mushrooms -- but my hubby had his heart set on that, so I ordered the Confit of Pork with Hoppin' John & Fried Green Tomatoes with Bourboun Sauce. Now, as you might guess based on my previous selections, I prefer lighter, fresher flavors over those that are very concentrated, heavy, beefy or gamey. That said, the confit was good, but I had difficulty finishing it because it was SO rich. I can see, though, how pork fans would swoon over this dish. To finish off the meal with something sweet, I had the House Made Ice Cream of Local Peaches, Brown Sugar & Sour Cream. By far the best ice cream I have ever had -- it was so creamy and luxurious -- I almost didn't pick up on the flavor because the texture was so incredibly sexy. For wine, we had Chassagne Montrachet "Vergers" M. Morey 2002 and Chateauneuf du Pape, Vieux Telegraphe 2001. Both were absolutely amazing, but the Chassagne Montrachet really bowled me over. Our server, Bryan, was the consumate professional who was kind enough to not only bring me a copy of the evening's menu (unprompted) to take home, he had Chef Cindy Wolf sign it with a kind wish for a happy anniversary. We had the pleasure to speak to Chef Wolf for a few minutes before we left, and although she was busy, she was gracious and warm. As MissCindy said, a meal at Charleston is not an inexpensive event, but it is truly worth every penny, especially for a special occasion. We have decided we will return every year on September 1 for our anniversary. It's that special.

I was in Napa earlier this year and had a fantastic dinner at Bouchon. I expected it to be more fancy-pants than it was, but was pleased with the comfortable, casual atmosphere. The food is incredible (the oysters are a must) and the neighboring Bouchon Bakery is a great place to pick up some treats.

La la la... Just got home from a fabulous dinner at Dino. Unlike my weekend experience at Metropolitan in Annapolis, and despite being ditched by my original dining partner, tonight was definitely NOT a disappointment! My two girlfriends and I put ourselves in the very capable hands of Justin, who usually is a manager but luckily for us was serving on this night. He kept bringing us dishes and we kept scarfing them up. We started with the mixed crostini (the cod and the eggplant were my favorites), which Justin wisely paired with a lovely Plozner Grave del Fruili. He followed that with several small plates -- prosciutto, roasted baby squash, scamorza and heirloom tomato salad paired with Arnaldo Coprai "Grecante." At this point, I was ready for entrees, but my friends were leaning toward dessert, so I ordered the balsamico with aged reggiano paired with an absolutely delicious amarone-like dessert wine (can't remember the name). Not only was the food fantastic -- the atmosphere was perfect and the service was truly superb. Justin was by far the best server I have ever had at a restuarant. It was obvious he cared about the food and he cared about us. Without a doubt, I would recommend Dino to anyone and I will definitely be going back (hopefully next time with people who will want to eat more!). Also had the chance to say hello to Dean, although he was celebrating his birthday and was focusing on more important things than me. Night-night.

My date for tonight ditched me. Damn chefs can't be counted on for anything. In the process of rounding up friends for dinner at Dino. Anybody going?

Finally made it to Metropolitan this weekend for a joint birthday dinner with one of my good friends. Overall, the experience was enjoyable, but I have to say all the hype is a little overdone. The space and atmosphere really are very nice. My friend and I had to sit in the bar area on the first floor because we did not have reservations (I'm helpless without OpenTable) and I really liked the white decor and comfy pillows. The service, on the other hand, left something to be desired. We had to flag down a server after sitting for about 10 minutes waiting for someone to ask us for our drink orders. Then, when our server came to take our dinner orders, I had to ask her if there were any specials (there were) which kind of ticked me off because she was more than generous with information to the people sitting next to us, who happened to be older and probably richer than me and my friend (but we were cuter). Now, on to the food. I started with a crab claw and avocado salad, which was fine, but I'm not really sure why they used claw meat when there is plenty of delicious lump crab meat available. The salad would have been much better that way. Then, I moved on to the roasted beet salad. Now, I love beets, and will order them whenever they are on a menu. But when I order a beet salad, I want BEETS, not four little slivers of beet (which, put together, probably didn't even amount to half an actual beet) hidden under a giant pile of greens. Maybe I'm demanding, but this salad left something to be desired. My entree, wild salmon with baby artichokes and mushrooms was also fine, but it was just so...plain. It wasn't even sauced, and the artichokes and mushrooms were minimal. Maybe that's the point of this place. I don't know. But even with teeny portions, you'd think they'd be able to come up with food that's a little more dimensional. My dessert was the highlight of the evening. Fruit consomme with chocolate ravioli. The Post reviewer had it right -- it's worth going to Metropolitan just for this dessert. It's heavenly, and the portion is huge unlike the other courses. The owner, I believe his name is Gavin, sat at the table next to us and talked to to the older, richer people for about 10 minutes. I was disappointed that he did not at least say hello to us and ask us how we were enjoying ourselves. Besides the people next to us, there were two other occupied tables, and it would have been a nice gesture for him to say hello. Again, maybe too demanding on my part. Bottom line -- I would give this place another try, but with lowered expectations. Anybody else have a similar experience?

I certainly will! We will be the drunk ones in the regular dining room making fools of ourselves.

Thank you, Dean. I hope YOU are there so I can say hello!

How are the crowds on Mondays? I'm headed over there next week with a chef friend of mine, probably around 6-ish. Can't wait!

But are they as good?

I have to echo your feelings about Manresa and Kinch. Truly one of the most memorable dining experiences of my life. If you have the chance to go, GO!

Thank you for the suggestion -- I see you have the Moreau Naudet on your wine list. I shall make a point to pop in one day soon and give it a try. Lola

Thank you so much for the information. This is very good to know. I haven't gotten this worked up over a wine in quite some time, so it's nice to have friends "in the know" who can point me in the right direction. Citronelle, here I come!

Just to close the loop on this (in case any of you are losing sleep...ha ha ha) -- I opened the Raveneau this weekend and it was absolutely superb! If the contents of this particular bottle had been in any way damaged, I can't imagine what a perfectly intact bottle must taste like. It was really an experience. For those who are able to get their hands on it, I highly recommend it. Best to all, Lola

Thank you Jake and Sthitch for your insight, even though you didn't give me the answers I wanted. The bottle in question is a 2000 Raveneau Chablis Premier Cru Montee de Tonnerre. I am fully prepared to purchase a replacement bottle if this one is bad, and if I can find it anywhere. I will certainly check MacArthurs. Thanks again!

Hi, everybody. I'm relatively new to this forum -- have posted a few times and am really enjoying this bunch. It's so nice to know there is a thriving food and wine community here in Washington, and it's even nicer that you all know a lot more about this stuff than I do. It's a great place to learn. While this question may make me sound like a complete idiot, I swear I actually do know a thing or two about wine. This particular situtation is unfortunate and I am trying like hell to figure out how my assumptions might be incorrect. I'm in denial, and hoping you all can help me. A really lovely friend of mine has been raving about Raveneau Chablis, which I have never tried. Because he is so lovely, he shipped a bottle to me this week with a very nice note about how much he wants me to try it and how he is looking forward to my reaction and detailed tasting notes. Here's the problem -- when the wine arrived at my door, the wax seal protecting the cork had a small crack in it, and it was apparent that some wine had escaped. My brain is telling me that the wine is probably ruined. But I REALLY want to be wrong. I know the only way to be sure is to crack the sucker open and give it a try. But I'm interested to know if anyone has had this sort of thing happen and had the wine turn out OK. To follow -- if it's not OK, does anyone know where I might be able to get a replacement bottle? The distributor that supplies my usual wine shop does not carry Raveneau, and I don't have the heart to tell my friend the wine he was so excited to send me was bad. And I obviously can't give him detailed tasting notes without actually trying it. Thanks everyone. Sorry this was so long... Lola

Did you notice how friendly everyone over there was today? It was crazy-busy, but the staff was extra nice. I just finished the good old standby -- grilled chicken & coleslaw sandwich (with fries, of course). Mmmm.