Joe H

It is an idyllic setting with a restaurant, Palladio, that is thought of very well locally. When we were there it was for a similar dinner with Roberto Donna and Michel Richard the visiting chefs. We had a good time and promised to return although now, two years later, we still have not for whatever reason. But we really liked the setting and the wine dinner was worth it. Barboursville, remarkably, has some good red VA wine with the winemaker from Tuscany. Perhaps most important is the beauty of both the winery and the area it is in; an American "Tuscany" if you will.

In 1979 I flew to New Orleans to visit my best friend from college who was living in the French Quarter. He had raved about Popeye's chicken and onion rings, even added that he'd never eaten jalapeno peppers until he started eating their chicken. We went to the Popeye's on Canal street near Chartres. There was a line. I hadn't seen a line in a fried chicken restaurant since Tops Drive Inn sold KFC in the early '60's here! And it smelled. Really good. Gloriously, greasy good. My friend told me that Popeye's changed their grease two days a week, Monday and Thursday. All other days they only filtered it. For him and his friends who shared his addiction they only shared fried chicken on these days. Because of fresh grease. Fifteen, twenty minutes after standing in line our number was called and we sat down with our cafeteria tray filled with spicy chicken, dirty rice, onion rings, bbq beans and a half dozen jalapenos. To this day that was a great meal! A GREAT meal!!! In fact when the first D. C. Popeye's opened at 12th and H, N. E. in the early '80's I was there 15 minutes after they opened on their first day.

I'm a real fan of Marquis Philips, Morambro Creek ('02) and Jim Barry's Lodge Hill which are all around the same price. Shitch is the real authority on Australian, they are a real love of his. I have long felt that the Prime Rib had very fairly priced wine.

Marquis Philips is an $18 shiraz that for some is akin to cough syrup. For others such as myself that frequently have a cough it is a delicious way to alleviate this.

Arguably (my favorite word these days!) Barcelona and San Sebastian where they have "eating societies" are the two of the most exciting places on earth to dine. eGullet has several extraordinary threads with detailed photos of numerous restaurants and tapas bars in both cities. Past issues of Saveur have also had excellent articles featuring both cities as well as Madrid and others. (http://www.saveur.com/destination_search.do lists several of these) This is one of several recent threads from eG on Barcelona: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=59553 There are two schools of thought on El Bulli, by the way. While many people have raved about it (including Phyllis Richman) there are others who have found it disappointing. There was a 100+ page thread on eG which in part discussed this. If you've never been Barcelona is a fantastic city. Whether Ramblas, the Old Town, the topless beaches around the harbor or Tibidabo which is a 100 year old amusement park at the top of a mountain and reachable only by tram-it overlooks the entire area with a 100 km view on a clear day-this is a wonderful destination, maybe my favorite of any large city in Europe. This is Tibidabo's website-it is in English. There is also a small photo which shows the view from a 1920's era Aeroplane Swing where riders can look out over the mountainside, the city several thousand feet below and the Meditarranean encircling and fading in the distance beyond it. This is not so much an antique amusement park as it is a "Twilight Zone" type of experience which truly feels surreal and unlike any other. http://www.tibidabo.es/eng/coneix.htm There is also a very special city about 90 minutes south of Barcelona called Tarragona. It has a 2000 year old crumbled coliseum, exquisite bathing beaches, a walled Old Town worthy of exploration and excellent restaurants. South of Madrid is Rando which is built on the side of a sheer cliff. Literally looking out the window of a particular hotel room might have you looking straight down the wall of a cliff to the bottom twenty stories below! This is one of the most interesting and visited cities in Spain, also worthy of a daytrip if you are in Madrid.

In the "for what it's worth category" Zagat gives Gary Danko a food rating of 29 and the French Laundry 28 in its 2005 guide reversing the food ratings from earlier years. This is the link: "Gary Danko" on zagat.com Danko is considered by a number of people to be San Francisco's best restaurant. It is open on Sunday night and yes, there are a handful of bar seats which you can have dinner served at. Typically Danko has a two month wait for reservations so the bar seats will fill up literally within minutes of when the restaurant opens at 5:30. But you will have a shot. This is Danko's website. In the fall of 2001 I wrote a lengthy piece about an experience I had sitting at Danko's bar: This is an extraordinary restaurant that you may want to give serious consideration to.

I had some friends who were in the Highlands, NC a few weeks ago and they loved it. I think you chose well!!! I don't think Il Mulino would be the same in Vegas as it is in New York. Definitely go to Luv-it. TAlso good to hear that you like LOS also. Thanks.

John, we go in early October for a trade show. We will go to Alex along with Lotus of Siam (called "The best Thai restaurant in America" by Gourmet magazine; Dave Feldman who came down from New York for our Maestro dinner was taken there by some West Coast people; "Vital Information" from the Chicago board also raved about it ((I believe he is on Chicago's new board now))-but I trust both of their opinions. There's a lot of stuff on the internet that you can link to for this place.), Rosemary's (called the "best gourmet restaurant in Las Vegas" by readers of the Las Vegas Review-Sun (of course this is really a popularity contest, still....; but go to the original which is 15 minutes off of the strip NOT the new location at the Rio. There's a lot on this place that you'll find including lengthy reviews from Frommer's and an interesting website for it) and a fourth restaurant which I haven't decided yet. I am prioritizing restaurants which have RESIDENT CHEFS. The fact that Steve Wynn opened Wynn's and promotes/advertises this speaks volumes for me. Especially in combination with a number of restaurants there that I have been to. Emeril's, Aqua, Valentino and a bunch of others were not as good as their originals; good, but not AS good. The people that I went with enjoyed them but none had been to the original's. I have and, for me, they were a step down. I should note that at Aqua the chef had moved from San Francisco but I liked it more there. It's possible the food was as good but I just preferred it more in SF. I do not believe any of the Emeril's anywhere now are as good as he was in the mid 90's in NOLA. We had three dinners there in a row with him in the kitchen and it was fantastic. A return visit two years ago showed that it was still excellent but there was just something missing. I think it was him. I think this would be like going to the Lab and the food being as good but Roberto not being there.

According to Zagat the highest food rating of any restaurant in Las Vegas is In 'n Out Burger with28 points. Here is the link for proof of this remarkable statement: http://www.zagat.com/resultslist/Results.a...167399)|0&VID=8 Nobu also has a 28 food rating with Bradley Ogden, Le Cirque, Lotus of Siam (a local legend; ambience at In 'n Out is rated HIGHER!), Malibu Chan's, Michael Mina's, Picasso, Prime, Rosemary's and the N9ne Steakhouse all tied with 27 points. This is the 2004 Best of Las Vegas from the Las Vegas Review Journal: http://www.reviewjournal.com/bestoflv/2004/ Yes, they list In 'n Out as the best hamburger in Vegas. Most of their choices are local, by the way. This is an essay that I wrote about In 'n Out which attracted a lot of attention on Chowhound, "The 5,000 Mile Hamburger:" http://www.chowhound.com/boards/general18/...ages/64210.html If you go (the closest is one block off of the strip and is the highest grossing of any location in their 175+ unit chain) order a "double double with grilled onions animal style." Or a 4 X 4 animal style if you're really hungry. And a Neopolitan shake.

Arguably the best potato chips in America are available in the area between Lancaster and Reading: "Original Good's." There are two Good's potato chips, both fried in lard-actually there are 11 or 12 potato chip brands that are fried in lard and a local "chain" of about four markets called Darrenkamps's carried all of them Gibble's has a brand which is very similar to Original Good's where the chips are curled at the edges. They are NOT called Gibble's; rather something like Kurly Krisp or a name which is similar. Very, very difficult to find; still Original Good's which are as obscure as any are better. This is the link to their website and, yes, you really can order them over the internet and have them delivered. Don't mess with the bbq or the salt 'n vinegar. Just get the original plain, fried in lard crispy, curly chips which are absolutely awesome. http://www.goodschips.com/ Shoofly Pie: the best shoofly pie that I've had (and I've had a LOT) is the wet bottom shoofly pie baked in house at the Darrenkamp's on route 222 just south of Lancaster. For restaurants my wife and I accidentally found a steak house called the Log Cabin which in a real log cabin and remarkably good. We would go back. I am not a fan of any of the Plain and Fancy, Good and Plenty, etc. places. Over the years I've been to far too many of them and, with the possible exception several years ago of Groff's Farm, would not go back to any of them unless I wanted to really binge.

I just opened a bottle of '99 BV Rutherford cab which I bought a case of after the wine show at the Reagan building about two and one half or so years ago. It's been stored properly but it's a bit acidic. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am-this should be drinking very nicely now.

Swirling wine is much more difficult without the stem. I also like Vinum Extreme from Reidel which are safe in the dishwasher if you use a framework of sorts to hold the glasses.

Steve, I've had the Muga Reserve. Once. It was delicious. I'll look for the Prima but somehow it seems to me that it's a plain white label with black and red printing on it. Am I right? It was about $15-18 at Calvert Woodley and absolutely delicious. Ah, Valpolicella! When the American dollar was .83 to the Euro I remember my wife and I going to Verona and Venice and drinking Dal Forno and Quintarelli every night for a week or so. In Soave, a beautiful walled city midway between Verona and Vicenze, Dal Forno Valpolicella was E 32 ($27 at the time-now about $120 here!). Quintarelli was in the E mid 20's (like $20 a bottle!!!). I no longer drink those wines but if the American dollar strengthens....

A Rail Bridge In Germany Dining For One Can Leave A Memory For all who travel on business dinner is a special meal: a reward for surviving another day. A month ago I found myself once again in Cologne, Germany at a table for one at the Hyatt. I’ve stayed there before: it’s a modern, glass, high courtyard hotel sited on the side of the Rhein river directly across from the magnificent 13th Century cathedral, one of the few structures in the city which survived the leveling devastation of World War II. From the side of the cathedral, spanning the half mile wide river runs a rail bridge. Every two minutes a coach carrying commuters to the suburbs or travelers elsewhere along with the odd freight train passes over the Rhein. Behind this, on the far side of the river from the hotel, the sun slowly sets at ten at night. This night, after dinner in the terrace restaurant feasting on a number of courses of spargel, the sweet white German asparagus that I have built business trips around to gorge myself on in season, I stolled outside onto the brick patio which ended at a far stone wall fronting the river. I had a glass of Argentinian Malbec, my third glass which I had saved from dinner, remembering the coming moment from last year which didn’t seem that long ago. A dirt trail paralled the Rhein; every moment or two a lone person jogged by, occasionally a couple would stoll by, even a dog and its owner or parent from time to time would pass by. Across the river I could almost hear, almost see the distant throng in the city square that I had been a part of two hours earlier. There was an orator, a television crew, even demonstrators. But it was all in German and I hadn’t recognized any of the photos that I saw on the various signs that were pumped up and down punctuating several spirited speeches that I failed to understand. Later, in the hotel bar, I was told that workers were protesting the loss of jobs to the former Eastern bloc countries; this was a weekly event, a major topic in Cologne and elsewhere in Germany which dominated much of daily conversation. A woman walked out onto the terrace carrying a glass of red wine. She stopped against the stone wall fronting the riverwalk several yards down from me. I watched as she set her glass on the top of the waist high wall and reached into her purse and pulled out a pack of Marlboro Lights. With her thumb and forefinger she pried a cigarette loose and put it to her lips. With her other hand she clicked a lighter and the flame touched the end of the cigarette, igniting it. I was fascinated by this. For me there was something “more” to this, something almost reminiscent of a time seventeen years ago when I had literally stood in the middle of the Golden Gate bridge and had one of what would later be many, “last cigarettes ever.” All were Marlboro Lights. Occasionally she sipped the glass of wine, occasionally she inhaled the cigarette. I found myself no longer watching the rail bridge or the cathedral, somehow transfixed by what I had become convinced was a seminal moment in her life. I moved over to her and asked her if she spoke English and she said “a little.” I wanted to know if there was something indeed special about this particular cigarette that she was taking her time, slowly inhaling with each pass to her lips. I even noted that each time she would look at it as she raised it to her mouth. “Forgive me but for some reason this looks like a very special moment for you.” Before I had even begun to attempt to explain she told me it was. “I am going to quit smoking tonight.” Tomorrow I am moving to Bremen and my boy friend does not smoke. I must quit.” I told her that I had once done the same thing myself in America. In fact, to be honest, I had done it a number of times in America. And Italy, and also several places in Germany, too! She laughed and said that this was her first time and she was going to do it. We talked for a bit and then she placed her glass of wine on the top of the wall. She told me that she wasn’t going to drink anymore and offered me the rest of it. It was a Malbec that was really good, she said. I thanked her, appreciative of her offer and smiled because I had just finished my own glass of Malbec. At some point I looked back towards the rail bridge and the Rhein and the magnificent towering cathedral on the far side. The sun had set and I could hear the distant rumble of a train passing slowly over the river. The demonstration was over, the plaza must have been emptying. I had been transfixed, even lost in the quiet beauty of this moment. I looked over at my German “friend” and discovered that she was gone. Behind me a couple was walking onto the terrace, laughing and holding hands. Her half filled glass was still there. As was her half empty pack of American cigarettes. The same brand that I once smoked. The same brand that I had once left behind on a bridge in San Francisco. It was time for me to leave, I was one night closer to coming home. But this time I had not just the memory of the river and the trains and the church. I remember the German girl who I was with when she had her last cigarette ever. I wonder if she ever had another. I know I didn't. Joe Heflin

Perhaps I'm wrong but isn't he the manager? Like, Pepe, he too lends extensive research to his opinions.

Actually my wife and I (almost 13 years now-she's still my best friend) had our first date there, too. Remarkably, while we've been back to Old Town many times we haven't returned to the Chart House where we went that night.

It is NOT the reserve. The bottle says D. O. C. Malbec on it. The Wine Cabinet had a tasting a couple of weeks ago where a number of Argentinian wines were featured. I liked the reserve but the D. O. C. was awesome! Broquel is really good, too. Magruder's usually has this on sale in the low teens. But I do think the D. O. C. 2002 is several steps up. Several friends of mine who shared in this agreed-in fact we kept going back to "double check" our decisions of which wines to buy!

An outstanding wine store. I also cannot say enough about "Pepe" and his bang on opinions on red wine. He must drink a lot to know so much!

I've got into serious trouble for my unsolicited thoughts (!) on topics like this but I can't help but note that Italian does not include Maestro (there! I said it!), ice cream does not include Vienna's Neilsen's(which is as good as Kopp's in Milwaukee and Michael's in Madison, WI for its basic vanilla and makes a concrete better than Ted Drewes in St. Louis which invented them) and Phillips which was a great crab house in its only 200 seat location in Ocean City-in 1963-is ranked 3rd for crabs. Isn't Phillips crab meat Indonesian, Venezualan or some other even uglier crustacean that no one has ever seen alive?

Luigi Bosca 2002 Malbec D. O. C. is an outstanding Argentinian red; full bodied, delicious, drinks like a wine that costs twice as much. It retails for $20.99. The Wine Cabinet in Reston sells it with a 10% case discount which brings it down to $18.89. If you can put together a group who is willing to buy with volume they will go as high as 20% off with a 10 case purchase. A group of us where I live pool a purchase and have bought this much or more in the past to take advantage of the discount. This brings this wine down to $16.79 which is an incredible bargain. Randy, the owner, will do this for virtually every wine in his store. This includes Rust ev Vrede which is an outstanding South African that can retail in the high 30's. Twenty per cent off of his list price is in the high 20's. Costco from time to time has some real values. 2003 Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Cab was $16.99 a couple of months ago. They've since restocked and raised it to $18.99 but this is a wine that retails in the low to mid 20's-even higher at Harris Teeter. Elderton is an outstanding shiraz, well worth $22.99 at Costco. Marquis Phillips 2003 Shiraz is deep and full, probably in the high teens. Magruders sometimes offers this as a virtual loss leader around $14.99 or so. Reston's Wine Cabinet carries Jim Barry the Lodge Hill as well as well as Joel Gott (California) 2003 Cab, both for $17.99. With the case discount there's 10% off of this and, with real volume, you can bring these down into the $14 range. Zora once alerted me to Costco carrying Clos Apalta in their Pentagon store (the largest wine selection of all area Costcos). They sold out in three days. Point is that Costo does occasionally receive some very interesting wines. The previous year's Clos Apalta was the #2 wine of the year in the Wine Spectator. In Virginia I am partial to stores like Arrowine and the Wine Cabinet. They both have eccentric inventories and will work with customers to sell at the best possible price. Total, for what I would call "basic labels" on sale can be very, very competitive, like Chateau Souverain Cab by the case which is about $15 or so. Giant and Harris Teeter, among others, are up in the mid 20's or so for this.

Del Frisco's on Lee road (on the "far side of downtown") was actually opened by a close friend of the owner of the original Del Frisco's in Dallas. I first went to the Dallas original in the mid '80's when it was considered the city's best steak house. For a number of years this was the only other Del Frisco's until the original owner sold out to Lone Star who subsequently opened a number of Del Frisco's around the country. But Orlando, I believe more faithful to the original, is still the best. I agree with Steve, this is the best of all "chain" restaurants. In addition to beef the sides are outstanding: batter dipped inch thick sweet onion rings, superb cream of spinach, a ripe heirloom or beefsteak tomato sliced 1/2 inch thick layered with sweet onion and topped with excellent crumbled roquefort cheese and the house viniagrette, Strawberries Romanoff which are nestled in fluffs of house whipped heavy cream infused with Grand Marnier. I believe that next to Luger's in Brooklyn this may be the best steak house in America-in the unlikeliest of places. I also agree with Steve about Charley's and Vito's which are owned by the same group. Seasons 52 by the way was started by the former chef from Disney's California Grill which may give an indication of the standard it is held to. Don't let the Darden association mislead you.

This is an excerpt from an article I wrote about Orlando restaurants last Fall for a trade publication in my industry. The purpose of the article is to do an overview of restaurants in the same city that our convention is in. This particular year was Orlando. Because I travel to Orlando regularly I have gone to Seasons 52 many times, each time leaving wishing they would open one here : "In February of last year one of the newest trends in the future of the restaurant industry in the United States took its first step with the opening of a concept restaurant in Orlando. Darden Restaurants, known for the locally extremely popular Bahama Breeze along with Red Lobster and Olive Garden, took a virtual leap with the “knockout” opening of the two hundred fifty seat Seasons 52 where every “generous” entrée served is no more than 475 calories. This includes grilled jumbo sea scallops with sautéed fresh asparagus and toasted pearl pasta, herb ricotta ravioli with julienne vegetables and garlic broth, sesame glazed salmon chop salad with citrus soy dressing, a six oz. filet mignon with sautéed spinach, grilled wild mushrooms and “big steak” potatoes as well as a large bowl of black mussels steamed in orange ginger broth. The menu changes every few weeks offering fresh seasonal products (52 weeks of the year, thus the name). Much is grilled over oak and olive oil is used rather than butter. Paper thin flatbread starters feature grilled steak and crimini mushrooms along with artichokes, goat cheese and fresh herbs among others. Desserts include $1.95 individually sized desserts which fill a tall shot glass such as carrot cake with rum sauce and bananas Foster sundae. In fact some diners order literal trays of shot glasses each topped with a different dessert. So much for calories! Seventy wines are also offered by the glass. This is the hottest restaurant anywhere near Orlando with long lines even on weeknights to match. A second one is under construction but will not open until December. Prices for entrees range from $8 to 20."

I have not been to the Rock Creek restaurant but in the article by the chef he noted entering a list of ingredients into his computer and finding that they were under 600 calories, therefore acceptible. I thought that perhaps the restaurant might be similar in concept to Darden Restaurant Group's Seasons 52 which I wrote about in a trade publication last fall. Seasons 52's success has caused it to inspire a number of others around the country modelled after it. Darden, meanwhile, has opened other units but so far none outside Florida. The food is remarkably good for having so few calories. Menu

For "The Buzz" alone it's extremely worthwhile as well as what may be the source of endless discussions on here: Michel Richard's new 200 seat American restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue, a Bethesda restaurant where all dishes are 600 calories or less (modelled after Orlando's incredibly successful Seasons 52 where all dishes are 480 calories or less), the new DC Chef's magazine, the Seasons new chef who hails from Chartwell in the Four Seasons in Vancouver (I've eaten there; it is considered one of the two or three best restaurants in the city but I do not know if he was the chef de cuisine.), "Zengo D. C.," "Willow" and "Acadiana." The last three are all huge openings for Washington. My apologies if any of this has already been discussed elsewhere on here.

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