Joe H

The Prime Rib on K street is remarkably reasonable.

The best bisteca fiorentina in Firenze is Sostanza which is also the oldest trattoria. There are reports about it on here in another thread. I wrote about this at length on CH and Shitch visited it recently, agreeing with me that it may be the equal of Luger's. He has a lengthy post also about it and several others. You also want to order their meringue cake which is off the menu. The place is something of a white tile dump (a LOT of personality!) so don't expect much. If you go into the hills go to Vescovino in Panzano. Fantastic bisteca! The owner, Memmo, also owns Enoteca Baldi which is an excellent and fairly priced shop in the heart of Panzano. Make sure you go into his basement! I've eaten bisteca at prboably ten or more places which are suppose to be good in Firenze. di Vinus five or six years ago was the best but is now closed. Sostanza may be its equal. Omero, Sabatini's, Branzano and a host of others are several levels below either. Also consider Il Pizzaiola which is diagonally across from Cibreo. I believe it is the equal of Brandi, da Michele, etc. in Napoli. If this seems like an exaggration take a few steps inside their door and look at the oven... Alessi is the most expensive wine shop in Italy but they have everything-for a price. '90 Avignonesi Vin Santo (E250), 2001 Masseto (E350), '97 Dal Forno Recioto (E165)-they should have them all, at prices comparable to what you would pay here. I mention this since if you haven't been it is an interesting shop to wander around and look at their inventory ledgers.

The original Allman's on route 1 in Fredericksburg was still awfully good on a stop about two months ago.

Honestly, I didn't even look. Part of the store has a gourmet section which they were still stocking although the vast majority of floor area was wine and this was finished. I'm guessing there's an enormous storage area also given the size of the building.

The Breadline is the only place that comes to mind in the D. C. area that is even remotely like this. I mention Hale and Hearty because it is what I went to; I have not been to the Original Soupman but its history intrigues me. If it is in the foodcourt at Tyson's it won't have the "personality" that I would otherwise expect elsewhere. That is why I mentioned Old Town, etc.

I acknowledged in my post that there are stores that I've been to where I've found the taste of a particular sales person to be similar to mine; in short I trust him or her. I used Pepe as an example. At the Wine Library approximately 2/3 of all their wine had printed cards with ratings and descriptions of the wine from the source, i.e. Parker, WS, even Gary ?, the owner. (No clippings-consistent appearance in the presentation of the various sources.) But what is the difference between this and a salesperson's opinion? Essentially they are taking the place of a salesperson and this is a problem-they are eliminating the need to pay for this kind of overhead. They provide the ratings in place of them. I believe this is the highest volume internet operation in the industry. ALL of that is done without a salesperson. What is important to me is that I've bought from them a dozen or more times over the past year and every time the wine arrived in perfect condition within 48 hours of placing the order (i.e. Monday to Weds.). Having said this have either of you been to their new store which opened within the past year? I understand their old store was much, much smaller. They had a lot of staff in the new one. The several that I talked to seemed very knowledgeable. This is NOT a Total kind of operation. In fact there were at least two on their staff who seemed to be in their 60's or '70's and worked there to suppliment their retirement. Both were enthusiasts and very knowledgeable. They both also liked to talk wine. Each had several "specialties." One seemed to know as much about Spanish wine as Pepe does at Calvert Woodley. He had lived in Spain and been to many of the wineries in different regions of the country. But coming back to Parker et al. I buy "new" wine for a lot of reasons. He/they are only one just as the recommendation of, say, Pepe at Calvert Woodley is only one. I buy a case about every two months which will have 12 bottles that I have not tried before. Probably half of the 12 bottles will be my surveying ratings, three will be a salesman's recommendations and three will be a friend's recommendation, something I read, or a "feeling." I've also found that often the later reasons tend to confirm the first. Based on my sampling of the mixed case I'll buy another 5 or more cases over the two month period. (I have about 750 bottles with about two thirds stored @55 degrees.) For these five cases it is ONLY about price-I am going to go where I can find the best I can. If a salesperson introduced a wine to me that I liked I am willing to pay 5 or even 10% more than the best price because I believe it was his "idea" or opinion and he should be rewarded with that part of my business. But, using the examples I offered in my second post, if it is going to cost me significantly more then I will not buy from him. I will give him the chance to match or come close to a price; if he can't I won't buy it. I found a wine in a store in Atlanta that they described as "best red under $25." Sierra Cantabria Cuvee Especial 2001. It also noted 91 points from Parker. The combination of the two and a selling price of $18.99 caused me to buy two bottles. When I returned to Reston I opened it and loved it. A GREAT wine for the price. I like the Wine Cabinet here. I called them and asked if they could get it. Yes-for $27.99 with a 10% case discount. I went into WineZap and found, as usual, that the Wine Library (who I trust to ship me wine) was the lowest price at $16.99. With two dollars a bottle for shipping that was $18.99. X three cases = $683.64 plus tax. The Wine Cabinet was $916.92. A difference of $233.28. For that difference I could have bought FOUR CASES AT THE WINE LIBRARY FOR THE PRICE OF THREE CASES AT THE LOCAL WINE CABINET. I bought the wine from New Jersey. Have either of you been in their NEW store? It is remarkable-it blew me away. The selection is unreal, the ambience especially upstairs was similar to what I've found in stores in Europe. They have the largest collection of large bottles I've seen on display anywhere. Warehouse operations like Orange County's Wine Club have done extremely well with their narrow margins. But it IS a warehouse. This was not. The complete opposite. The Wine Club has some very knowledgeable salespeople. But so does the Wine Library. But I understand where you are both coming from: the Wine Library (and the Wine Club) do not place EMPHASIS on the kind of style and opinion found in stores like your own. For those reading this, again, I am NOT talking about a Total kind of operation. I am talking about a store which probably attracts those who are more serious about wine, those who are already more knowledgeable when they walk in. Price caused me to go there but, now, knowing what it is like, it is selection, ambience, size, style, the helpfulness and courtesy of their employees. I found everything there that I've found at MacArthur, Schneider's and others. And much, much more with everything on sale for at least 20% off. The Wine Library (and OC's the Wine Club) do not target the casual buyer although I am certain they get plenty of them. They're going after someone like myself who is fairly sophisticated and buys a lot. Frankly, if I lived on the West Coast I would probably buy most of my wine from the Wine Club or a similar operation. Here, on the East Coast, I feel more comfortable buying from a store that is three hours away. Given the population density within a 200 mile ring of Springfield, NJ the Wine Library is only going to get larger. I also understand that a primary problem with ratings is that there is an awful lot of good wine that doesn't score very high with a particular person. Because of the emphasis on ratings it gives Parker and the WS and others a disproportionate amount of power. Much like stars and points do with Sietsema, Michelin and Gault Millau. Or a list in a publication where many worthy restaurants are not included in the 100 best. For wine this is the value of tastings, promotions, wine festivals like the one D. C. did for four or five years at the Convention center or Reagan building. This is also the value of a distributor in getting the wine out there and promoting it. For all of this discussion about ratings I go to these wine events and will taste more than 100 wines looking for new bottles. Just as restaurants go to them, looking also. But when I leave the convention center and intend to buy a case, guess where I am going to buy it: the store which has the best price.

Steve, you're investing your calories wisely!

This is a real plus of their's: almost every wine had a rating from Parker, the Wine Spectator, Decanter or another source. Rather than just a plain bottle on a shelf there was some information about it. Yes, the information could have been biased, fractured, wrong, misleading, etc. But still there was information. Yes, I'm guilty of buying based on some of Parker's and the WS and others' recommendations. The 93 point Umbrian Montiano which retails for as much as $60 was $29.99. I bought three bottles. The 94 point Cims De Porerra which sells for $80 at Zachy's was $35.99. The 95 point Mas Doix (another outstanding Spanish red) was $31.99, not $45 as offered elsewhere. Perhaps the one that really stood out was 2001 Torre Muga, 95 points from Parker and a great Spanish wine for $49.99-not $65 or more if it could be found. Did I mention 2003 Altos de Luzon for $12.99? 93 points from Parker. Yes, I agree, it's not a 93 point wine. Probably 90. But worth every penny of the $12.99 or even the $18 which is what area stores sell it for. Or did I mention the 2003 Henry's Drive Reserve Shiraz that I stupidly paid $89.99 for at the Wine Cabinet in Reston? I am looking at the receipt as I type this: $39.99 at the Wine Library yesterday. That's FIFTY DOLLARS MORE AT THE RESTON STORE!!!! Or the $49.99 I paid for the 2002 '93 point Clio at the Wine Cabinet which was $31.99 at the Wine Library in New Jersey? $18 more at the Reston store. For the four six bottle cases I bought from the Wine Library that's a difference of $432 minus the $50 for shipping. Still four hundred dollars! More realistic prices on either of these might have caused me to ask them if they would match or even come close to the internet price. But paying double (more than double for the Henry's Drive!) or significantly more has caused them to lose a customer: me. If the Wine Library is poison to area stores then so be it. But I spend a lot of money on wine and I am going to buy it for the best price I can. When I am ripped off I will and do go elsewhere. When I find a source for extremely competitive pricing with an incredible selection I will tell everyone I can. Some wines I buy on recommendation, some from employees whose opinions I trust (i.e. Pepe at Calvert Woodley). But over time I've found that Parker and the Wine Spectator are as good of an index as any to buy a bottle and see what I think of it. If I like it then I'll buy a case. For this I am indebted to the Wine Library. They are the best I have found. I should also note that I believe this is the highest volume "internet" store in America. Someone has the system down. Perhaps local stores could benefit from this.

Over the past few years I have bought a lot of wine over the internet without ever having been to most of the stores that I have bought from. Over time and curious, I have tried to visit some of the stores which have consistently offered me low prices for wine, lower than what I can find here, even with shipping factored in. On Friday, driving back from New York, I detoured to Springfield, NJ, about 25 miles south of Manhattan. I have been buying from the Wine Library, over the internet, for the last year. I had to go there. It seemed that across the board they were 20, 25, 30% cheaper than anyone else for wine. I should also note this is for wine that is hard to find or difficult to find at a competitive price. IThe Wine Library is the largest store I have ever been in. I have been in probably every significant wine/liquor store in America from Applejack's in Denver to Zachy's to the New Hampshire state stores to State Line in Elkton, to Verona, Milan and Alessi in Florence, etc. For years when travelling I would stop in wine shops if I had time. I've been in a LOT of wine shops. The Wine Library is about 50,000 square feet or more on three floors. It is also new, having moved to their new building in the past year. It is beautiful! The main floor is three stories high wth balconies surrounding it. The wraparound balconies have wine racks in the style of bookcases you would find in a library. There is a temperature controlled room that is about 3,000 square feet. The greatest collection of large bottles I have ever seen. An incredible selection-fifty or more barolos, 100+ Spanish reds, 50+ South African, etc. Everything in the store is around 20-30% off! Take a look at their internet operation. www.winelibrary.com I have consistently found that if they ship on Monday I will receive it on Weds. The internet prices are the SAME prices as the ones in the store. (I had assumed they would be more expensive; I was wrong.) They have seven cash registers and all seven were open with a line when I was there. An incredible selection. Chilean, South African, Australian, Italian-simply as wide and deep of a selection as I have ever seen in a store anywhere. All at a remarkable discount. For all the I've loved about Calvert Woodley, MacArthur, Schindler's, State Line and others in the past this just blows them away. Anyway travelling north or south on the Jersey Turnpike who is into wine should give this place a ten minute detour. I spent two hours in there. I'll go back again. And, no, I have no relatiohip or financial arrangement with them. I am just indebted to them. Literally.

Tyson's Corner. Not the charm and ambience of, say, Old Town or even Herndon or Ballston. http://www.originalsoupman.com/home.aspx On Friday I was fortunate to be able to attend the taping of an upcoming show for the TV Food Network in the Chelsea Market in Manhattan. This is a two block long 100+ year old nondescript red brick warehouse building which has survived to house a dozen or so artisan cooks/producers/chefs who have stalls or kitchens flanking either side of a cement walk leading back into the bowels of the building where the TV Food Network has their studios. Along the walk there is a creamery, bagelry, wine cellar, spice kitchen and soup kitchen among others. A group of fifty or so were penned into a cattle like grouping halfway back at a stall called "Hale and Hearty" which specialized in 100+ different soups, salads and house made sandwiches on locally baked focaccia. After the taping, sated from four + hours of watching food preparation and eager consumption-by others, I found myself at the entrance to the "Cattle Pen." Pushing, shoving, acting for all the world like a native born New Yorker, in five minutes I found myself in front of a 20 year who had the power of God and a soup ladle in his calloused hand. Piggishly I chose two of the 15+ soups offered that day, disdaining a salad which was tossed in an adjacent queue or the half focaccia that a few ordered. Victoriously, I took my two containers to a flank of flat topped trashcans adjacent to the entrance (there were no available seats at the formica tables provided) and staked out my hard earned space. Both pints of soup were extraordinary! Superior to the Bread Line! Actually, far superior to the Bread Line which is the local outlet most similar to this. Could I have stumbled onto an outpost of the infamous "Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld fame? I really wondered: the fifty plus clustered at the pen like arrangement competing for a bowl of soup plus the soup itself which would have done Kinkead proud. Today, back at home, I started playing with the internet. Hale and Hearty has a website: www.haleandhearty.com . No, it is not the infamous Seinfeld inspired soup kitchen. I wondered if this was a "rip off?" An enormously successful ripoff. I went to my old standby, Zagat. Trustworthy Zagat. No, not for an opinion. Just to see if there was another "soup kitchen" of note in Manhattan and Zagat seemed like an efficient way to do this. There, under "soup" was Hale and Hearty. After ten or so entrees (for each of their Manhattan locations) was another called "The Original Soup Man." I clicked on it. It WAS the Seinfeld inspired Soup Kitchen!!!! There was the line and yes, they were standing in the rain, just like the television show claimed. And then I noticed it: they were franchising. Franchising!!!! Hmm............. I like soup; a lot. I also thought I would like to have the omniscient power that one has at the head of a pen, doling out soup to the favored of the flock Yeah, I could get into that! Favoring my own flock! I clicked on their map: Virginia. Would you believe that a location popped up: Tyson's Corner!!! Damn. I know nothing else but the Seinfeld inspired soup kitchen infamously referred to as the "Soup Nazi" is coming to Tysons and someone else will tend the daily flock. Someone, not me. I wonder if Hale and Hearty franchises?

In the 1970's and much of the '80's Washington's highest profile Italian restaurant was Cantina d'Italia, downstairs, near Connecticut and M. At some point it closed and its owner later resurfaced in Old Town Fairfax with a new restaurant. He sold this last year to the chef and owner of a cooking school in Paris. The restaurant is called Bellissimo and is virtually unheard of outside of part of Fairfax County. Dinner in Bellissimo feels EXACTLY like dinner in Firenze or Venezia. And the food is very good, probably similar to perhaps a bit better than, say, Bonaroti in Vienna. Bellissimo is about ambience and being transported across the Atlantic.

Just curious. She asked for my recipe after tasting it.

2003 Altos de Luzon Jumilla was given 93 points by the Wine Spectator and was ranked #43 in their top 100 for 2005. This is what they had to say about this: "Ripe and luscious. This rich red is bursting with fruit, with flavors of cherry, boysenberry and currant, supported by well-intergrated toasty oak, balanced acidity and ripe tannins. Accents of coffee, mineral and briar add allure, and mingle with the fruit on the long finish. Monastrell (Mourvedre), Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranllo." This may qualify as the red wine bargain of the year for them. It sells for as much as $26 in some stores. MacArthur has it on sale for $18.99. Here is where you can buy it for $12.99 plus shipping: http://www.winezap.com/Finca-Luzon-Altos-d...2003/17993/4558 I paid $12 for a glass of this at Emeril's in Atlanta several weeks ago and was impressed enough that I asked which store sold it locally there. When I tracked it down it was selling for $14.99 in Atlanta where the importer is. Since returning I've ordered two more cases off of the internet. Try a bottle from MacArthur; this could be part of a mixed case order with the next two, perhaps off of the internet if competitive prices are not found locally. 2001 Sierra Cantabria Cuvee Especial received 93 points from Parker in June of this year. A remarkable score for a wine that sells for as much as $29.00. Here is where you can buy it for $16.99: http://www.winezap.com/Sierra-Cantabria-Bo...cial/2001/16548 . I brought a bottle of this back from Atlanta, also. Although I like it a bit better than the Altos the $12.99 price for the first is hard to beat. I paid $51 for a bottle of 2002 El Nido Clio Jumilla at a store in Reston. It was worth every penny of it!! Curiously Parker gave this 93 points also but had this to say about it: "The sensational 2002 Clio, a blend of 70% Mourvédre (60-year old vines) and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon (25-year old vines), exhibits a dense purple color along with a rich, sumptuous bouquet of toasty vanillin, blueberries, blackberries, roasted espresso, chocolate, and earth. Full-bodied, with sweet tannin, fabulous concentration, a multilayered mouthfeel, and a long finish, this is a tour de ibive in winemaking. It provides strong evidence of what can be achieved in this once backwater/boondock viticultural region of Spain." This drinks like a wine worth 95 or more points. It tastes even better when you can buy it for $31.95 plus shipping here: http://www.winezap.com/Nido-Bodegas-El-Clio/2002/38941/9079 For all of these wines, the last is a serious effort worthy of a celebratory dinner and going out of your way to find. The first two offer remarkable value at two lower price points. Locally, MacArthur has the Clio on sale for $39.99. There may be lower prices for both the Clio and the Cuvee Especial with a case order there but, again, I have not confirmed this. It may also be worthwhile to call around and see if someone else has it at a better price.

He told me that he has served it before in the Lab "but not too often." I don't think this is a dish that the general public would appreciate IF THEY KNEW WHAT WAS IN IT. Otherwise, just on the basis of taste, it REALLY was delicious. That's part of the guilt associated with this for some: it should not have tasted nearly as good as it did. A GREAT dish-just from the perspective of taste. There were several huge slabs of foie gras that he sliced for this; given the cost of this it may be prohibitive for a regular Lab dinner at what he charges. Ours' was also something of a jaded group and ready for an adventure like this. This was the kind of event that he could go all out for, knowing there were 30 willing and worldly judges/guinea pigs waiting to be challenged and thrilled. He also told me that this is a "typical dish that I enjoy when I go home." I'm not certain how often this is even served in a restaurant in the Piedmont; I suspect that this is a special occasion dish there, perhaps mostly in someone's home, even then the home of an extraordinary cook. But I must add: this was his interpretation of it. I'm not so sure that I would want to taste anyone else's. A Great Chef inspires trust; we and a number of ducks put our lives in his hands that night. While the ducks weren't so lucky our trust was rewarded!

Roberto's "duck stew" is really an interesting creation. My wife and I have thought about a lot of dishes we've had in restaurants on both sides of the Atlantic and I'm inclined to believe that this may be the most spectacular of all. Perhaps not even the infamous "pressed duck" at Tour d'Argent in Paris approaches this. Certainly this is the more challenging to the diner. I know that night when it was served there were at least two almost simultaneous exclamations at our immediate table of, "My God. This is unbelievable!" The reaction around the room was immediate: "Fear Factor has come to the Lab!!!" At least two more "Oh, my Gods." At least one confession: "And it tastes damn good, too!" From several seats down I remember a friend noting that he felt he should feel truly guilty liking it as much as he did. Then he looked at his wife and she may have enjoyed it even more! I thought I noted fear in his eyes at this realization! I'm sure there are a number of levels of understanding the reactions to this dish, all very personal. From the warm, juicy slab of foie gras which Roberto thickly sliced to top off the exquisitely chunky mixture of offal and testicles this was a very real test of one's profession for their love of food. Extremes of taste, pleasure and possible guilt all represented in a rather nondescript cup of indulgence. Perhaps, in 58 years, a dish without parallel. And, at our dinner. Wow!

Zora, I'm just curious but do you know if Susan ever does caramel pecan ice cream?

Black Salt was this good soon after it opened. Perhaps it was more inconsistent but there are reasons why Washingtonian voted this D. C.'s best new restaurant in 2005. I hosted a dinner there last February for 50 similar to the Lab dinner a week or so ago. (Photos were posted on here.) At the time it had not been reviewed by anyone yet I trusted my judgment based on a half dozen meals that this was a serious restaurant capable of very real excellence. About the various seafood stews: there are eight of them which rotate with two fairly consistent every evening. Similar to Kinkead's they are outstanding. Frying here is high art. For the desserts I should just note that for both Thnksgiving and Christmas even though I cook both meals myself I still drive in and buy pies from Black Salt to take home. My wife and I have driven in from Reston numerous times over the year it has been open. We are lucky to have this restaurant here; it is, indeed, excellent and on par with Kinkead's at its best.

http://www.zpizza.com/zpizza.php?page=menu_pizza&mID=12 Hmm.....1840 calories with 104 grams of fat for the more healthy wheat dough pizza. A savings of close to 80 calories over the traditional!!! Still....the fat content on the "healthy" is the same as on the "regular." In truth I have not tried this yet. But to claim that a medium size pie with almost 2000 calories and over 100 grams of fat should be in the column labelled "healthy," well . . . . Of course they try to circumvent this by noting that it is a "small slice." Who is going to eat ONE "small" slice of pizza? I could understand four small slices which might be half; but this is still 920 calories and 52 grams of fat. Hardly what I think would be classified as "healthy." (By comparison I'm guessing that ONE regular slice of, say, Costco pizza is 750 calories and 40 grams of fat by itself!) If the pizza is really good then the fat, the calories won't matter. Perhaps Burger King has a "healthy" double whopper with cheese on a wholewheat bun...

I just read this for the third time. In fact I've printed it out and am referring to it as I type. I don't believe it. In the first paragraph I cannot help but wonder what kind of event this was, "...a clean event where they begin by singing, "God Bless America" and end with cigars and jokes." Why the need to note that it was "a clean event?" Assuming this was way over the top and seemed to be disrespectful to the female server it is possible that she was defensive from the beginning; I'm also guessing that it is possible there was an attitude from the apparently all male group and the waittress had the bad luck of drawing them to serve. Also note that this was written by the wife of the husband who arranged this; there is no mention of what time he got home or how lucid he was. Rather the story that he told her. But if the situation was in fact that inappropriate for a famale server she should have excused herself and management should have found a male to serve them. But she didn't. And we don't know what they said to her (and the husband told his wife about what was being said or comments that he/and or others made to her) that caused her intensely negative reactions. Assuming that evething above is NOT true, that they were respectful and orderly and the problems, indeed, were all hers' consider that 1. she did not want to allow them to smoke in a room they had reserved for smoking 2. her attitude: "doors must be closed" 3. she never made the rounds for drink orders or came to check on them-in fact she was so rude that NO ONE EVEN WANTED TO TALK TO HER. 4. an hour after arriving she says "you do not get appetizers" in response to a question of where are they after an hour. Then, when pushed, returns in ten minutes with two trays of cold appetizers and "tells her helper 'leave the dishes there and they can stuff themselves.' " 5. When honestly confronted about her attitude by the server she replies "....go back to your room" 6. She notes that she will not take their dinner orders (90 minutes into the dinner by the way) until "everyone is seated in their chairs." Interspersed in this are comments alluding to many of the men standing and her asking them to "please take your seats and I'll make the rounds." It is not explained why the husband, after her saying this, then had to go find her and "ask her to just come in the room and take our orders." Nor is there an explanation for he seemingly inappropriate response of "Sir, we do not auction off food here." 7. The husband's wife notes "every time she walked in the room she was like a cancer cell infecting our good time." This waittress is described as what amounts to a dominatrix. Curiously, they tolerated all of what they claim happened without once approaching a manager. THEY DIDN'T COMPLAIN TO ANYONE WHILE ALL OF THIS WAS GOING ON. Rather, they were standing around talking and smoking and, NINETY MINUTES INTO THE DINNER, still hadn't ordered their entrees! Note that the appetizers were pre-ordered but, according to this, the entrees were not. Nor were they in their seats, nor did anyone other than the host seem to making an issue out of this. NINETY MINUTES INTO THE DINNER it would seem that ordering their entrees was not a priority for them. But why didn't they complain? Why did the wife believe that "shouldn't management check on people in a private room and make sure all is well?" Is this really management's responsibility if no one from that room, 90 minutes into a meal without ordering and with all of the other arrogance the husband claims they experienced from the server, if nobody left the room and asked for a supervisor? I'm sorry. This is a second hand complaint that slams a restaurant and is a sincere effort to discredit it. When reading through this closely I wonder what really happened in that room that night? What was this group of cigar smoking men who sang God Bless America" and then told jokes at a "clean event" really doing? What time did the husband who told this story get home? Why didn't someone complain? Or was it the waittress who had to put up with this and had one discourteous insult too many? There are two sides to a story. I'd love to hear her side. This is too over the top to have happened the way the wife was told it did.

This may be dictated by the cost. I suspect there is some kind of finite limit to what could be charged for this, assuming the availability. By the way, you mention "avatar" for Taillevent-Robuchon: were you at Robuchon before he closed in the mid '90's?

Steve, really, really interesting. Thanks for taking the time. In Italy there is a big deal made out of the white Chianina used for the bisteca fiorentina which is increasingly difficult to find. I thought Sostanza's was superb; I thought you did, too. How much of this was the unique flavor of the beef in combination with the grill and olive oil? Do you know what Luger's uses and why their's are so good?

Fifteen to twenty years ago when the grading was changed "Top" prime was sold at the French Market on Wisconsin avenue (whose butcher is now at the Balducci's in McLean), Wagshal's in Spring Valley and a little supermarket called Nick's in Clinton which I would drive to from Reston just to buy. All of the other formerly known as "choice" became "prime" but these were the only three places in the area that carried "top" prime. Today, I am really not certain if Wagshal's even still carries "top" prime or the prime "A" you mention (which is probably the same steak with a current (and more marketable) name. Phyllis Richman did a piece lamenting this in the Post in the late '80's/early '90's or so; it was because of her that I first even heard about Nick's which today, I believe is a totally different operation. As for "choice," I believe that is what was formerly known as "standard" or whatever the name was given to the next grade down. In truth this is as much of a discussion about what is acceptible for food today and what was acceptible fifty years ago. Back then standards were totally different-people were just getting use to frozen french fries. Today many rave about Five Guys or McDonald's as "good" french fries. McDonald's had a huge advertising campaign in the Fall of '66 when they went from fresh to frozen potatoes. I remember reading in (I think) Life magazine that their sales fell something like 20% when they first introduced them. Anyway, it's remarkable how tastes change to allow something of lesser value or taste to become a new "standard." The Slow Food movement has arisen in part because of this; it also helps explain reaction to McDonald's in some European countries.

Anyone who would like to attend a dinner like this in the future please send me a private e-mail and I will include you in the list of those that I contact. Currently there are about 125 people on this list. This dinner was $160 prix fixe, $220 with the wine pairing or $15 corkage/by the glass/by the bottle + tax + tip. The cost of these dinners varies with the restaurant; the dinners are biannual.

Thank you Jacques and Crackers for your nice words. They are really appreciated. I should add that Roberto will never have a more appreciative audience to prepare such an experience for. We had sort of "graduated" to this with two prior Lab dinners, each of which a bit beyond what the general public could typically expect. I think this represented Roberto's vision of seeing how far he could take us; perhaps also how far he could reach on this side of the Atlantic with the ingredients available to him here.

Really interesting observation. Roberto and Jean Louis were the first two Washington area chefs to extensively travel and promote this city in the late '80's and early '90's and were close friends. I wonder any parallels that anyone might see between several of the dishes served in this remarkable dinner and what Jean Louis might have served then. In an e-mail from Roberto yesterday he said to me that: "I try just to recreate a sample of dishes that I love to eat when I go back home..." Both the Duck Stew and the Trio of Virtual Caviar were unlike any other dish I have ever had anywhere. While Roberto's usage of these ingredients were his own unique interpretation I am curious how Jean Louis may have used some of them. About nine or ten people who post on here were at the dinner. I am curious to their reactions to these two and other dishes, especially the first three courses, the white truffle risotto, the Trio of Rabbit and the finishing souffle. (Well...the chocolate and chestnut pasta also comes to mind as does the intensely flavorful fennel and celery root soup and...) Walking around the Lab this was a dinner that generated a tremendous reaction with some strong opinions from those experiencing it. At my end of one of the two 15 seat tables there was spontaneous applause to the Duck Stew from several wives while at least one husband stared vacantly for perhaps a minute and the first bite. Then, his own exclamation of "Wow!" For me, a very real and loud "wow" factor that I doubt any of us had expected. And this was not the only "wow" to the evening's lineup.