Joe H

They DO ship to VA. You just have to pay tax and answer the phone when they call the next day for confirmation. And, don't forget the 2001 Sierra Cantabria Cuvee Especial Rioja which is $16.99 along with the 2003 Altos at $12.99 and the 2001 Clio at $31.99 which may be gone by now.... Time to open another bottle.... ....An aspirin bottle.... and, Ctay: if you do order a bottle or two please post your thoughts on here when you open it-good or bad. Thanks.

Tosca is an excellent choice. Kinkead's is too.

Wow! The Big Bopper! J. P. Richardson and 1962, even KLIF in Dallas, his home station....well I digress and many on this thread won't understand/relate to a bit of my coming of age. (Who WAS Jerry Blavat? Or Robert W. Morgan? What IS a geator with a heater? Or Barry Richards?) But He would have liked Altos de Luzon 2003! I am certain of this. Coincidentally, I have my own bottle of Altos '03. I toast you, Zora!

I had the same loyalty, respect and trust as you to a local shop called the Wine Cabinet in Reston. I really like the two owners, relate to them and felt that they were flexible in their pricing policies. Several times I've "assembled" a group of neighbors to "qualify" for a 20% discount by buying X number of cases. I've also spent a fair amount of money there over time. I paid $89.95 for a bottle of Elderton Reserve Shiraz at the Wine Cabinet. $39.95 at the Wine Library. When I asked how much Altos de Luzon was for a case the answer I was given told me that I could buy four cases from the Wine Library (or a half dozen other stores on Wine Zap) for the price of three from the Wine Cabinet. When I asked how much for Sierra Cantabria Cuvee Especial the answer was almost double for what I paid from New Jersey. I could go on. But I've never bought "only" from the Wine Cabinet. For years-many years-I've bought off the internet, drove monthly to C/W, Magruder's/Schneider's/MacArthur/etc., even stopped at State Line and, because I spend 30-40 days a year in Europe on business, ALWAYS brought back at least 8 to 10 bottles in my luggage because of the exchange rate which several years ago ranged between .83 to .89 to the dollar. Today it is 1.21 and rarely worth carrying anything back. Also, for over twenty years, when travelling I would visit wine shops and liquor stores around the U. S. and Europe. I also cannot tell you how many bottles of wine that I bought from the Wine Cabinet which were promoted by them that I did not return to buy a second bottle of. Yes, they turned me on to Clio at $49.95 with a 10% case discount bringing it down to a few cents under $45. On winezap.com there is not a single LIST price this high! And, I can buy it from a half dozen stores for $31.99 or so plus $2.00 shipping. How much do I pay for loyalty and the occasional bottle that I really like when I am being ripped off? What percentage of bottles do I buy that are not on someone else's recommendation? Rather, on a hunch, points, knowing the winery, something I read, had a different year and liked it, know the area where the grapes are grown, etc. 90%? 95% There are only a handful whose taste and opinions seem to approximate mine. Frankly, one is Parker and I pay for his opinions; still, they are only a guide as are other printed sources. Gambero Rosso categorizes particular wineries and their wines. This is as trustworthy as any reference. And this is a book that I buy in Italy. Still, having said all this, at some point the percentage of wine that I bought from "other" sources fell dramatically and the amount that I bought from the Wine Cabinet rose to, perhaps, the majority of my wine purchases. I spend more money on wine than perhaps I should. I am willing to pay an extra 5, even 10% because of personality, store, my source for the wine, they turned me on to it, etc. But I also am not going to let someone take advantage of me. All I am doing is returning full time to what I did for several decades before this one store opened: going to where I can get the best price for wine that is in excellent condition. A 15% discount on a mixed case seems eminently reasonable. But if that mixed case has "list" prices 20% + higher than what the list price is noted as elsewhere, well, so much for my buying wine from them. I've found that not all "list" prices are the same. I also respect that this is an extremely-ferociously-competitive market. But I've never had "only" one store that I bought from. Until recently never even came close. Now, I am merely returning to the same judgments and values that I had before. Anyway, all I wanted to do (as I did for four years on Chowhound) was pass along an occasional wine that I really liked at a price and source that was worth pursuing it. I've had a lot of private e-mails over the years thanking me for this and I just want to share with others. Please note my post about "three Spanish wines at three price points.." I have no loyalty to the Wine Library other than their pricing and REALLY liking their store. For the moment, I trust their shipping and their pricing. Of course like the local Wine Cabinet this is subject to change... Having said all this, if Zora didn't like the Altos.....

I was just told by both them and Sparrow Wines that in order to ship to a VA address they have to charge sales tax. Actually, I don't know if they are charging VA or NJ tax! In any event this seems to allow VA shipment. I've bought from CA (Woodland Hills) and was not charged tax. On the other hand I've been on Leonetti's mailing list for 13 or 14 years and they still will NOT ship to VA. They ship to a friend's address in D. C. where I pick it up. I hope this April will be different. Anyway....

Raisa, for your first several orders they will call you on the telephone to confirm the order within 24 hours. After you have placed several orders from them they will take it directly off of the internet. I have ordered from them at least a dozen or more times now and EVERY time I have received the wine in perfect condition within 48 hours of placing the order. This assumes, however, that I place the order on Monday through Wednesday. I also live in VA (Reston) and they just include sales tax as part of the order along with the shipping. I have also found that it is NOT necessary to order a case. They will ship as few as six bottles. Perhaps even three but I haven't asked for less than this-yet.

Take a serious look at my posts about 1/the Wine Library and 2/ three Spanish wines at three price points. As much as I like Costco for the past several months I've been spending far too disproportionate a percentage of my income with the New Jersey store. The Sierra Cantabria Cuvee Especial (NOT the Crianza which is being advertised by Paul's) is a phenominal wine for $16.99. Altos de Luzon is just as phenominal for $12.99. (Zora, what did you think of it?) And the Clio, for $31.99, drinks like something for $100! All of these are available locally. There may also be some local stores who will match the Jersey store. Between Spain, Chile, Australia, Argentina and South Africa I have to start buying American wine again!!!

Wimpy Shiraz, Raisa? Serious? Two months ago Costco in Fairfax had 2003 Elderton Shiraz for about $23. A very good wine for the price, I think Parker gave it 92 or 93 points. I realize that this is a exception (like Clos Apalta, Don Melchor, Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexander Cab-I like all of these in their price ranges) but Costco from time to time has some really interesting wines at good prices. The other shiraz that Costco usually carries tend to be disappointing-I agree with you on this. Costco labelled wines? For me this is sort of like smoking generic cigarettes. I really can't believe that anyone would buy this stuff. Obviously, I'm wrong or Costco's wine case wouldn't be growing with more every week or two. By the way, Pentagon City is their highest volume store with Fairfax second. It's been my experience that these are the two stores which will receive the limited supply wines.

Thank you, BD. And thank you for your perceptive, empathetic post.

Well....you're right. In name Totonno's now has three more outposts but it is only the original on Neptune Avenue in Coney Island that they promote as the "oldest continuously operating family owned pizzaria in the United States." It has a coal oven-I would be shocked if any of the other three which advertise "brick ovens" use coal. While I could be wrong I believe there has not been a coal oven approved for use anywhere in the United States in decades. It's the Neptune Avenue location that is the one to go to. I would argue that with an oven with 82 years of "seasoning" along with coal burning IN the oven with the pie that pizza there tastes different (crust) than at the other three. I would also make the same argument for Grimaldi's in Brooklyn and their two outposts in Hoboken and Phoenix. I first tasted Totonno's in the early 1960's; my guess is that it still tastes identical. (There is also a "bread" oven several doors down the street from Totonno's identical to the "pizza" oven that Pepe's has on Wooster street in New Haven.) This is really a whole separate thread since there are many who believe that the original Patsy's in Harlem is better than even the separately owned Brooklyn location. www.totonnos.com

Totonno's is in Coney Island. http://www.sliceny.com/archives/2004/01/totonno_pizzeri.php I still much prefer the New Haven pies.

This is a digression but I walk about 25 to 30 miles a week. Every week. It's been an obsession of mine for over twenty five years since having lost 142 pounds on a diet. And gaining most back within several years. When I again lost over 100 pounds I swore that I would find a way to manage my weight and still indulge, at least part time, my love of food. That way was walking and it was then that I started. Today I walked in 38 degree weather with a 20 mph wind blowing in my face. Yesterday I walked in a cold, biting rain. These were not the kind of walks that I enjoy and look forward to in more idyllic, inspiring weather. But yesterday and today, as others, I told myself that at least I CAN walk-the day may come when I am not able to. I also thought about this thread and my own reaction to a Segway at a trade show two years ago. This has been a good thread for me. It's reminded me never to take health for granted. One day I may not have it. Thanks to so many for reminding me of this.

Una Pizza Napoletana. http://www.sliceny.com/archives/2005/10/ne..._napoletana.php Arguably the hottest, most interesting and delicious source for pizza in New York. I'd say pizzaria but this would be an insult. Let's say this is a serious challenger to Pepe's and Sally's in New Haven. Unfortunately because of it's popularity it may be as difficult to get a pie there as to get into Per Se. Still, well worth the effort. --------------------- For those who are not familiar with the above website (www.sliceny.com) it is outstanding and totally engrossing if you are into pizza. Or get hungry looking at photos of it. Or reading about it.

I totally agree with Jacques. It was an extremely well written piece that spoke much more to the humor of a day's experience and less to even considering that a handicapped person could be using a Segway. Two years ago Segway had a booth which they took over at the last minute at a major trade show I exhibited at. We had almost 30 booths, they had four-an "endcap." I cannot tell you what a distraction it was to have eight or ten of these things running around the aisles and coming into our "space" with people trying them out. Also, given the height of the platform off the ground, anyone on a Segway had presence. A great deal of it. But I don't remember at anytime the promotion by Segway that they could or should be used for the handicapped. Rather, then, they were promoted as a means of individual transportation. But this was two years ago. In the interim, for those who can use them to ease their disability, they seem to have established a real role that may not have been the one they were originally envisioned for. Since then I have not seen a single person on a Segway anywhere. Disabled or otherwise. While they may be a Godsend to those who are handicapped and have discovered their versatility and usefulness, for others they are still a strange creature and are going to evoke uncertain, perhaps even strange reactions. Especially in crowded areas whether a restaurant or on the floor of a tradeshow with 30,000 people. All I am suggesting is that many people, myself included on first seeing them, may not have the vaguest idea of how to react to them. I think until they gain wider usage there is going to have to be more patience on both sides, especially for those who have to accommodate them and may not have considered that the one standing may be disabled. If I had thought two years ago that the disabled were a primary or even an important market for them I am certain I would have been much more tolerant and understanding myself. Frankly it just never occurred to me that someone standing straight up and moving at a fair speed could be handicapped. Now, learning this is a possibility, I will be much more tolerant.

Not sure about the "recent past" but in '04 we had an experience at the Prime Rib that impressed me enough to write about it: http://www.chowhound.com/midatlantic/board...ages/32271.html

Bill, I have a close friend who really likes the Franklin Farms location. I am very diplomatic with him but he doesn't follow this board. I don't like either one. The ambience is a bit better in Ashburn-that's all. Pizza has been good on two occasions at that one-well, good for Fairfax county.

Capri is upstairs in a two story strip shopping center at 6825 Redmond Drive, which "parallels" Old Dominion. This is the Washingtonian review from August of '04: http://www.washingtonian.com/dining/Profiles/capri.html As noted above the host/owner is extremely outgoing and does an outstanding job of making everyone feel important. He also, if asked, makes an outstanding risotto tableside

For what it's worth: Le Calandre is, in my opinion, the best restaurant in Italy. Dal Pescatore is superb also (John Mariani in Esquire called this "the best restaurant in the world.") Both have three Michelin stars. I like Alle Testiere in Venice a lot, also da Fiore but it's prices have appreciated a lot over the past ten years. On the Ligurian coast there is a restaurant called La Fornace di Barbiblu which is a Michelin starred 2000 year old Roman furnace. Literally. This is a post of mine from three years ago on CH about it: http://www.chowhound.com/boards/intl4/messages/17143.html Il Postale in Umbria has a star and 53 points from Gambero Rosso for food. Superb. Aimo y Nadia in Milano is outstanding. La Pergola is arguably the best restaurant in Rome. I posted freqently about Italian restaurants for over four years on CH with lengthy posts about each of these and many, many others. There are also a number of excellent restaurants in the Tuscan countryside, both starred and non starred that are well worth going out of your way to visit. Also, Shitch believes that the three star Enoteca Pinchiorri in Firenze may be the best he's experienced in Italy. I have not been there but I trust his well travelled opinion. He has a lengthy post about it on here that is worth a look. Totally different from Cibreo. If I have a criticism of Cibreo it is that there are too many Americans who go there; same with Il Latini which I actually think is overrated. Cibreo is excellent, but several times I've felt that I was in Boston's North End or lower Manhattan. Having said this there are MUCH better restaurants than Cibreo in Italy. Le Calandre will match anything in Paris or San Sebastian. Having said all this, Roberto's duck stew is as unique and delicious as anything I've had in Italy. As "challenging" as anything at Cibreo!

Wasn't aware of that. I read the various posts on fatwallet and noted at least three different codes over a period of months last year. Factoring that into the already remarkably low price puts this way over the top. Last week their #1 selling wine was the 2003 Altos de Luzon for $12.99. I saw this at MacArthur a few weeks ago for something like $18.99. It's fantastic! At this price raises the standard for everyday wine to a new level! Also interesting to read that they market heavily in New York-one code was 1050 from advertising on a radio station at that part of the dial. They've got to have an awfully small margin but the volume they are doing must be just incredible! For those who are able to visit this new store (at this location) it is just incredible-I'd expected a cinderblock warehouse and its the complete opposite. To be honest, I do not believe I would buy from them during the summer. I'm still not convinced that wine can be protected from extreme heat in shipping. I wonder if their sales fall down certain months because of this?

Western Carolina bbq: Wayne Monk's Lexington #1 (hush puppies, too)(Lexington has something like 35 or more bbq joints-the most per capita of any town in America!). Eastern Carolina bbq: Pete Jones' Skylight Inn in Ayden (named best of all southern bbq joints a year ago by Southern Living magazine). One man spends every minute of every hour they are open with two cleavers chopping then mincing whole hog Q. The very definition of carpal tunnel syndrome! South Carolina bbq: Sweatman's in Holly Hill (open three days a week). All of the above are superior to anything in VA. Pierce's Pitt has nothing in common with the roadside shack in the mid '70's that caused traffic jams on weekends on I 64 from people parking their cars on the shoulder and walking over to it. Today, having expanded three or four times and opened several outposts, they have also discovered the microwave. Once upon a time this place was truly a great pit! Allman's is 90% of what it was in the '70's but still the best north of Richmond. On route 1 near the old Greyhound station, across from McDonald's. Also get a milkshake made "the old fashioned way."

It's OK but not on par with a number of the others mentioned.

I like Da Domenico. I think this is an excellent example of a number of very good restaurants that rarely, if ever, receive mention on this or other boards. At its best their veal chop is the equal of any in Northern VA but there is a lot more to recommend this restaurant which seems to have been around forever. Zefferelli, in Herndon and now Leesburg, was started by an alumnus (not sure of his exact position) of Da Domenico with a similar veal chop. Bonaroti which feels for all the world like North Jersey Italian with Tony Soprano having a regular table (serious-it really has that "feeling")) is a bit better than either in my opinion. Does this mean it's REALLY good? Well, no-if it were in, say, Hoboken or Newark it would be just another Soprano's kind of place. But for Vienna, it stands out just as Da Domenico does in Tysons. I would also note that Da Domenico has survived the opening of Maggiano's and Bonaroti similarly long ago survived the opening of That's Amore, neither of which are on any list. Back in the early '70's I went to the first of the "Pines restaurants," the Pines of Rome on Montgomery Lane in Bethesda. At the time it was outstanding for basic Southern Italian at a cheap price-great shrimp parmigiana! Over time it gave rise to more "Pines of..." and also inspired similar restaurants (without the Pines name) in Montgomery county. Some of these are still around. Many are well worth a visit and should not be discounted. I'm putting Da Domenico in this class, i.e. a restaurant that in its time was among the city's best for what it did. Today it is still very good. No, it is not Maestro, the Lab, Tosca or Obelisk but it is not priced like any of them either. (And, yes, I realize that the Pines of Rome is very different from Da Domenico but I am only using it to note a restaurant that is very good for what it does and has survived to today.) I also wonder if there is or was a relationship between Bonaroti and Da Domenico?

Sorry, my mistake, I meant Bellissimo rather than the Bellavista I typed. It was late at night... Factoring the combination of food, ambience and wine list & pricing I'd still have it third behind Bonaroti and Landini Bros. For myself the largest positive of Bonaroti is the food, Landini is the combination of food and Old Town, Bellissimo has good (not great) food but I really, really like the ambience a lot. The extremely short wine list is a real negative as are the high cost of daily specials. Personally, I think Dolce Vita and San Vito fall down on food (sorry-just my opinion) but are considerably less expensive than the first three, especially San Vito. Geranio has been outstanding on several trips, perhaps on par with Tosca at its best. The noise from all of the hard surfaces in the room is a real problem there when the dining room is full. For that reason I'd pick Landin Bros. in Old Town. There's another Old Town Italian on King street that has nice ambience but the food is a few rungs below the others. Tempo, on one visit about 18 months ago, was surprisingly good. Alpine has probably been around 40 or more years on Lee Highway. In 1970 this would have been NOrthern VA.'s best. In 2006 it's good enough to still be open.

In order: Bonaroti (Vienna), Landini Bros. (brick walls, stone floors-feels like Old Town), Bellevista (poor wine list-outstanding ambience), Geranio (very noisy when crowded) then a step down to da Domenico (Tyson's), Tempo (Duke street in Alexandria-an interesting conversion of a gas station), Alpine (grandfathered in), Capri (McLean), Zefferelli (Herndon), Dolce Vita (nondescript ambience), San Vito (I am not a fan although the Ashburn location is preferred to the strip shopping center in Franklin Farm). There's also a place in a strip shopping center on Sudley road in Manassas which is suppose to be good but I've never been there. I have been to everyone I mentioned above, most at least several times over the past few years. Dolce Vita and San Vito both have very good pizza, by the way. And, for what it's worth, the best of those listed above is still, several rungs below Tosca which is about the same price.

The original Ledo on University Boulevard and only for pizza. Better, much better than any of the 50+ outposts. A University of Maryland and Morgan Wootten tradition. College Park may have the worst food of any single municipality in the greater Metropolitan Washington area. I spent too many years in college and afterwards finding this out. So bad that at one time I thought the Terrapin Taco House (i.e. Tippy's) was beginning to taste fairly decent. Chef's Secret, for a time, was also good near Beltway Plaza.