crackers

Even though it's convenient for going to a movie at the Charles, this place is really mediocre and overpriced. You're much better off going to one of the nearby mom and pop Korean restaurants and getting real food than this tapas rip-off stuff, or go to Pazo for higher quality tapas.

I eat here with some regularity and keep coming back because they do all the standards well, have an experienced and friendly staff, good parking, a very good wine list and reasonable prices. A good choice for a bustling neighborhood bistro. The table under the stairs is a nice, quiet private spot.

Washingtonian's Best Bites gave a nice write up to Proof. Apparently the sablefish is well loved in-house as well:

When asked their favorite dish, Kuller and sommelier Sebastian Zutant (who has overseen the wine at both Komi and Rasika) both rave about Karoum's sablefish—a hit from his days at Asia Nora that he's tweaked for Proof.

As for the decor, critic Sara Levine agrees with jordanu:

in the mens' room, there's an arty black-and-white nude that takes up an entire wall

How about a receipe posting..... Please!

There are recipes posted here.

It was a wonderful way to spend two cool hours on a hot summer day.

Rémy: What is that?

Emile: I don't really know.

Rémy: You dunno... and you're eating it?

Emile: You know, once you muscle your way past the gag reflex, all kinds of possibilities open up.

Rémy: This is what I'm talking about.

Welcome, Whitemarshjohnny! There is a longer Martick's disussion on chowhound.com. The moldy, musty smell, peeling wallpaper, ripped plastic seat covers, soap-spotted jelly jar wine glasses (and that's before I even discuss the so-called "brasserie" fare) may appeal to some in Baltimore as "charming." I give Morris credit heading into the kitchen every day - but I'm just not drinking the charm Kool-aid.

Also coming up at the end of this month in sunny California: the Gilroy Garlic Festival.

We're going to be there on Sunday the 29th (hitting the San Jose Grand Prix on Saturday), and dining at Manresa earlier in the week. Anybody else going to be at the Festival?

Hello,

Can someone please confirm that RTS is closed on Mondays?

(703) 841-7297

For Neopolitan-style pizzas, Iggie's on Calvert St. in Mt. Vernon is worth seeking out. It's a funky little space - self-serve and seating at mismatched chairs and tables, and there is a great long communal table in the middle, but the pizzas are what makes it worth coming back for.

The thin crusts have a really nice char, and hold up well to the toppings. My favorite is the "Alice" which is fresh tomatoes, spinach, goat cheese, pesto, and garlic with parmesean cheese. Their plain Margharita is also good. For something different I tried the Anatra, which is duck confit, blue cheese, red onions and asparagus. It was ok, but you have to be in the mood. There are two sizes, the 8" and the 14" - prices are $6.50-$10 for the smaller and $10.50-16.50 for a large. That's probably a little high for Baltimore, but nothing out of the ordinary for DC. There's also salads (avoidable), pastas and soup, but it's the pizza that I go for.

The owner, Linda Heckman came from the now-closed Soigne. They don't take tips, but there is a jar for the "charity of the month" which is always a local charity. And it's only a couple of blocks north of Center Stage.

Wiki-wiki. In New York City blocks it is either 5 Short Blocks or 2.5 Long Blocks.

Since the spacing of streets in grid plans varies so widely among cities, or even within cities, it is impossible to generalize about the size of a city block. However, as reference points, the standard block in Manhattan is about 264 feet by 900 feet (about 80 meters by 271 meters), or slightly over five acres (two hectares); and in some U.S. cities standard blocks are as wide as 1/8 mile (660 feet or approximately 200 meters), or 10 acres (about 4 hectares) if square.

Check out the wild documentary "I Like Killing Flies" about the restaurant Shopsin's in NYC (written about by Calvin Trillin). Shopsin's is no longer where or what it was (it now operates as a stall in a market), but the old menu, featuring like 700 dishes is here.

I'll have to get this. When I lived in Manhattan I went to Shopsins for breakfast a lot. The first one on the corner of Bedford. Not enough to be a regular, but enough to learn some of the rules. Put Colorado Kitchen's rules to shame. For instance, you could not order the same thing as anybody else at the table! Not that it was a problem with that menu God knows. Supposedly Woody Allen was a regular but I never saw him there. It was amazing how Kenny, the owner, (and his daughter, the waitress) could remember all the different things on the menu and reach up and pull just the right ingredient containers off the shelves.

Can't remember all the beers we drank, but the beer sommelier, Bill, is a great guy and steered to to several excellent choices.

The beer list is great. No complaints about that whatsoever. I do, however, think that all staff need a little more time to work out their knowledge of the beer list. Knowing my beers fairly well, I started with a Bacchus Flemish Sour on draft ...

I am not really a water snob and only ordered the bottled to impress my date

Welcome elpedro1. You may have missed it upthread, but Beck's has a beer sommelier you can call upon to help with your beer selections. Next time have him help, and that should really impress your date - maybe even moreso than ordering bottled water.

And, the contractors toiling at the former Ellington's space on Saturday said its doing to be Italian.

Just a few days ago, OpenTable listed this place as "Black Pepper," a new restaurant taking reservations, for an impending opening. Now it's nowhere to be seen on the website. It was listed at 1143 New Hampshire Ave., N.W. Now that space seems to be occupied by MBrasserie, (and also where Shula's was.) Did they just change the name at the last minute?

OpenTable's blurb says MBrasserie is:

Quote

A bustling American bistro offering superior and cosmopolitan service. Featuring a cuisine that rises above all others, Chef Darren Anklam's fare amuses hungry dreamers with fresh takes on traditional dishes.

Another venture from David Winer, who owns Logan Tavern and Merkado Kitchen, is supposed to open this week in Columbia Heights. It is being described as an "industrial-chic American" restaurant with an outdoor patio. No idea on the menu.

CLOSED

I've never done anything for the New Regime but, having written a couple of pieces for the Post a few years back, I think that the inclusion of all appropriate recipes -- regardless of how obvious or absurd -- is just SOP. There's always one person out there who won't get it but will complain.

I could never quite figure out how to make a rum and tonic. Genius!

Directions:

Fill the glass with ice. Add the rum and tonic water, then squeeze the lime wedge into the drink and drop it in. Stir well.

July 21-22 at Chippokes Plantation State Park in Surry County, Virginia, on the banks of the James River.

They'll be serving up charcoal grilled pork chops, ham sandwiches, sausage, bbq, pork rinds, cracklings, chitterlings, salted peanuts, peanut candy, peanut pie, applejacks, lemonade and other healthy food.

Marshall Tucker Band will be on stage Saturday from 3:30pm - 5:00pm, but there will also be gospel, country and bluegrass playing. And of course there will arts and crafts, hayrides, and a parade with Little Mister and Miss Peanut (no, not our Peanut).

and pssst: free admission.

More info ---> here

[Central New Jersey Thread continues ----> here.]

Good luck Blake and Beth!!! I will miss seeing you at the bar at RTC as you start a new life in the home of the jug handle.

A random dim sum selection

More steamer baskets arriving:

Not exactly sure what this dessert was, but it was delicious:

This sounds like one of those "there's two sides to every story" meals.

You describe your dinner as a "very, very disappointing" experience, yet the food you did get was fine and you got to sit where you requested "not long after" you arrived.

Did you explain to your waitress (or anybody else) that the wine you had chosen was intended for fish dishes and that you would like a different wine that would pair better with the octopus, pasta and risotto?

IMO, the waitress should have been commended rather than criticized for erring on the side of caution by checking with the kitchen before taking your dessert order. Understandable given you'd been "absolutely furious" that she hadn't done so with the entrees.

Perfect char and nice strong, acidy (word?) tasting sauce to even out the copious amounts of pork grease swimming on top of the cheese

My road trip turned out best it sounds like. Parked the car (free all weekend) at New Carrollton Metro garage. Greyhound Bus arrived on the dot to pick us up. New bus, 10 passengers, plush reclining seats, quiet ride up without a single stop and pulled into Port Authority 15 minutes early. Hopped on the R train and was at Canal Street about four hours after I got on the bus in Maryland. $23. Return trip on Sunday was almost as effortless: a full bus, but very respectful and quiet, smooth and air conditioned. There was the usual Delaware toll back up, but the driver did a work-around and we got back to Maryland non-stop in slightly over four hours. $23. No complaints here!

The dim sum at DSGG was excellent. We ordered mostly from the steamed dumpling lists, both vegetarian and meat/poultry/seafood. We had rice roll with shrimp, shrimp dumplings, shui mai, chives and shrimp dumplings, duck dumplings mushroom dumplings, chicken with sticky rice in lotus leaf, Chinese parsley dumplings, steamed bao...whatelse??? Fresh mango pudding for dessert that was new to me and a real winner. On the fried side we tried the shrimp and mango rolls which were delightful, and we started with some fresh Chinese broccoli. They had run out of the roast pork buns by the time we wanted to order them at 2pm. We had a reserved large round table in the center of the room. It was a bit loud to be talking across the table, but what a feeding frenzy! I will post some photos later.

At the gelateria, my selectioins were hazelnut and blackberry. Both were very good, but the blackberry didn't pack a full flavor punch like the hazelnut, nor the unique kick of cucas87's basil.