crackers

Rocks to be the editor of DC Chefs magazine?

Thank you John for your expert ordering. Here are some photos to go along with John's commentary:fish cilantro rolls: baby wontons with chili oil simple chicken with cilantro sauce: Tong Po pork (like pork belly) with steamed buns: fried sliced beef in dried pot: Shredded pork with "ferny" vegetable:

Rocks sold the movie rights to the donrockwell.com story to ...gasp...Disney. Adaptation by Kliman. Rocks will be played by Adam Sandler. But what about the rest of the characters, Rocks?

I'm on the side of the fence that doesn't have red wine stains all over the carpet because I don't keep knocking the stemware off the nightstand . . . er. . . table. The small ones are perfect for klutzes like me, even if they do look like juice glasses.

Mdt - there are easier ways to grill steaks you know...

400 members and counting! Time for a celebration picnic!

In several regards I think that the donrockwell group at Galileo was afforded service not available to the general public. Most notably (and someone can correct me if I am wrong) was being able to order the three course fixed price dinner using individual courses off the Galileo tasting menu, rather than just ordering from the a la carte menu. Without an upcharge. In fact, at half price. That was much appreciated - as was our seating in the Lab despite not having the "real Lab" dinner.

Summer salad with the last of the Saturday market green beans and tomatoes, baby yukon gold potatoes, olives, lettuces, Vidalia onion,herbs from my planter garden and a dijon vinaigrette. Erases the guilt from last night's dinner indulgence.

Yes, dinner. Summer fruit crêpes with Aunt Penny's peach jam.

I had never eaten in the restaurant and I looked over the posts and thought I had a pretty good idea of what I would order. I started by sharing the cheese plate at the bar. Mighty tasty, but also pretty filling. So once seated in the restaurant, I found myself in the mood for something not too heavy = the lobster salad instead of the soft shell. And instead of the scallops as planned, I ordered the lamb. Because I had just had some seafood. I didn't budge on the dessert - the kit kat bars. But the chocolate tart, had I known in advance, would have been a tough choice. Everything was delightful. So, like mdt said...just go and order whatever you are in the mood for at that moment. And when in doubt about the wines, Ferhat and Rissa were very helpful guides. And yes, they knew we were the donrockwell gang in advance. Thanks again Rissa and Ferhat. (If there was any doubt, we toasted loudly to Rocks - for the benefit of the other rockweillers scattered around the room, of which there were several.) Dresscode - I think all the men at our table had vertically striped cotton or cotton-blend dress shirts, and slacks, sans ties and sans bells. Other than that I was focused on the food

EXHIBIT 1 - CORDUROY SCALLOPS WITH CHANTARELLES And with that, I am a Ventworm!!!

Tabaq Bistro is a new restaurant set to debut this week at 1336 U Street. It will be a Mediterranean style tapas place, located in a rennovated brownstone. Word is that there is going to be a rooftop open-air lounge that covers over in bad weather. And there is supposed to be live jazz entertainment as well. Daniel LaBonne is slated to be the chef (formerly of Wazuri). Has anyone got any further details? Is a U Street crawl a possibility for a Friday HH?

Restaurant Eamonn Shoot - featuring venison, quail, dove and other fine delicacies from the wild.

Taken. thanks.

So, since we're doing a dr.com RW dinner this Saturday (see shameless plug here), what three courses would people choose to string together for a dinner?

We have a cancellation for our donrockwell.com Restaurant Week table at Corduroy this Saturday evening, August 6th at 6pm. PM or email me if you would like to join us. Please make sure you can definitely come - given the new cancellation policy and how accomodating Corduory has been for us.

Blueberries and sour cream with a few drops of vanilla and brown sugar mixed in.

I have never had teleme made in Italy (it's like a ripe brie) and I've never bought it outside of the Bay Area, but it's possible that Trader Joe's might carry it locally. Peluso Cheese in Los Banos, CA still makes teleme, and they have mail order.edited to add: doh! Too late - mdt got the scoop!

Yes, indeed.

Brewers Art's dining room a couple of weeks ago had gone downhill since the last time I went. And the service was excruciatingly slow. It was somewhat early in the evening in the dining room, and there were only two other small parties there, yet it was almost 45 minutes before the first courses arrived. Our waitress must have been going up and downstairs a whole lot - she looked frazzled. The haricot vert and tomato tartare concoction was mushy green beans and diced hothouse tomatoes. My shrimp salad would have been returned even if I'd received it the day before. I requested the lamb cassoulet off the lounge menu, which, granted is not usually done. I had to hunt for the few bits of lamb, and they were dry and tasteless. The black-eye peas weren't bad. I didn't know at the time that there had been a change in the kitchen. Maybe that's why. And if you eat in the bar or the adjacent lounge area, expect a serious amount of cigarette smoke wafting by. It's in a beautiful old townhouse, and it has got awesome home brew. I'd go just for that. And they make really good rosemary garlic fries too.

My recommendation for the family is Samos - best Greek in town, best grilled lambchops too. But call first to make sure they aren't closed for their family vacation. Brewers Art's dining room a couple of weeks ago had gone downhill. The service was excruciatingly slow. I didn't know at the time that there had been a change in the kitchen. Maybe that's why. And if you eat in the bar or the adjacent lounge area, expect a serious amount of cigarette smoke with your meal. It's still got awesome brew.

Did you really leave knowing that they had mistakenly not charged you for your wine? I think if you ordered it and drank it, you should have paid for it. Geesh - am I out on a limb here? My meal was very good (my lamb was outstanding), and I found the service to be first rate. (If there is somewhere else one can get such a satisfying four course meal of that calibre for $34.50 in DC, please do tell!) I was glad the courses arrived at a leisurely pace, as I was not in any hurry to go elsewhere on a Sunday night. I agree with JG that at half the price the wines are still no bargain. However Galileo's severe markups are notorious, and they do offer corkage as an alternative. I also agree that at full price point there are several other options in town from which to choose. Also, try the Laboratorio experience at least once - it is one not to be missed.

Most crab feasts I go to - mostly in Anne Arundel and Eastern Shore, have cups of vinegar, butter, and Old Bay (or similar) - all for dipping. I like to dip the claw meat in vinegar. Also there is usually water for rinsing off extra spices. You are right that the seasoning on the crabs was lighter than usual, although it was uneven - later batches had a lot more. We were given extra Old Bay too. Probably had more to do with the purveyor than the location.

This was not a set-price meal. It depended entirely which courses and how many courses, wines, etc. Entree prices were in the $28-$38 range, apps in the $10-14 range. All before the 50% discount.Thank you hillvalley for your cat-herding efforts. You would have been proud of this group - there were real jackets and tie at the table, not the kind printed on t-shirts, and no flip-flops either. A few additional comments. The evening began at the bar where we were greeted with a lovely antipasti platter with our drinks. When the staff escorted us into the Lab we could tell that an extra effort had been put forth on our behalf. The candle-lit table had been decorated beautifully with Italian peasant figurines along the length and ample bread stick baskets (mktye - yours still rule) and two delightful amuse bouche to start - grilled prawns and small toast rounds with spreads that someone else will have to describe. Chef Brandwein was nice enough to take the time to greet all of us in the middle of what appeared to be a busy night in the rest of the restaurant, before disappearing into the kitchen to work her magic. Another great surprise was that we were told that we could order a la carte from the chef's tasting menu, which opened up a whole other dimension to the three meat entrees listed on the a la carte menu. For me, it meant a transcendental roasted rack of lamb with braised baby artichokes and orange anise sauce. . Others enjoyed the aforementioned veal chop and beef tartare as well as the ample cheese selection I also enjoyed the semi-sweet chocolate mousse with caramelized banana As JPW mentioned, service was impeccable - no sitting down to chat with us, no drawing their names in little hearts with crayons on the table, no a capella arias. At the end of our meal, after the last of the wine had been sipped, after the complementary platter of chocolate tipped gooseberries and puff pastry nibbles had disappeared, Chef Brandwein and staff returned to hearty, and well-deserved applause. Half-price or not, Galileo gave us the full measure of their devotion last night.

Clyde's at Tower Oaks Lodge in Rockville is hosting a local farming five-course farm dinner with Slow Food D.C. on August 1, at 6:30pm. Details here at Farmgroupie (scroll down to second item). RSVP by July 28. For $50 for non-Slow Food members, which it says includes wine, tax and tip here is the posted menu: Scallops with Wild Mushroom Salad Heirloom Tomato Tart with Fontina and Tapenade viniagrette Jumbo lump crab cake with corn and tomatoes Chesapeake Grilled Summerfield Farms Waygu Beef with Caponata A selection of American Artisanal Cheeses with Summer Fruits Pennsylvania Peach Cobbler with Cornmeal Crumble and Blackberry Ice Cream Speakers: Clyde's VP Tom Meyer will speak about the success of Clyde's farm-fresh initiative. Heidi Hanson and Chris Warner of Warner Hanson Television in Washington will speak about their new series of Chefs A Field, which takes the nation's best chefs out to the field to look at where their food comes from. Guest farmer from area farm.